Wonderfully handmade loveliness is just starting to come in on the handmade front with Children at Play.

Quilt Story designed this quilt pattern around the Playhouse and  Meadow line of Children at Play, and they turned out so darling! When I designed this line, I wanted to have the images useable for applique and fussy cuts too…so this was so fun to see!

You can get the pattern from their site here.

Do you have pictures you want to share? Hop on over to my Flickr Group here and here. I know it’s early on…but I can’t wait to see what you design! And send me a note too…I’d love to see them!

xo

sarah

When I was gathering all my little inspiration pieces for my Quilt Market Booth, I knew I wanted to find and fix up a wooden doll house and wallpaper it with my designs. I had a really strict budget, so I looked at everything from Craigslist to discounted amazon deals. I just couldn’t really seem to find the right one! And weeks went by, and my weekly peek into thrift stores and my local classifieds produced nothing. And then…I found it. Forty bucks landed me this old (HUGE!) wooden dollhouse, furniture and an entire bucket of barbies.

There was A LOT of work to put into it, but that was just what I wanted: A fixer-upper. There were plexi glass windows to pop out (they were cracked, chipped and painted), trim to paint, floors to scrape and polish, and a good 3 coats of paint on the outside to hide all the dings and poor paint jobs over the years. And that still hasn’t made it spic-and-span. There are more touch-ups to do, but we finished it enough for  Quilt Market. Horray!

Little did I realize that it would take 4 people on and off for 2 weeks to make this turn into the Doll House of our dreams.

Because the Children at Play collection nearly didn’t arrive in time for market, I decided to design my entire booth with paper. Oh, those were scary days! A fabric-less booth for a fabric show? It was time to get creative. And wallpapering a vintage dollhouse seemed to be one of my ways out of the mess I was in.

Thankfully, the fabric arrived at my doorstep a week early, but the dollhouse was still a head turner!

At the last minute, because there are so many rooms, and I wanted to show off the wallpaper job that Lindsey spent hours doing (we literally cut strips and glued into place each print…and most rooms boast crooked corners and frames!) we decided to light it up inside. My Grandmother has the most fantastic dollhouse, and it’s lit up, which makes all the difference in the world.

But we didn’t have ceiling space to spare, so we found these IKEA L.E.D lights that are flat and have a long cord with a switcher attached. Ba-Bing!

This dollhouse was rather well loved when we got it, and there are some parts of it that we just won’t ever really be able to fix, but that’s the charm!

This is my favorite room of the house. The study. I seriously wish I could have that as wallpaper in my own house! Meadow in Green is one of my favorite prints. And making this dollhouse with the Children at Play designs on paper was so much fun! I spent hours matching the colors to the fabric, but it was all worth it! And as you can see…don’t look too closely…this house was in such bad shape, it’s going to take a few more weeks to get it proper for close-up photos! Part of me wants to keep is just as is to always remember the crazy sleepless nights in the weeks before market. Like a token, you know?

There were some parts of the house that were un-salvageable. Like the wool fabric that was glued to the gorgeous hard wood floors? We Old-Englished some of them, but the main rooms were completely defeated. Thank goodness for discarded carpet samples that happened to be edged in the exact size of the house!

There is still decorating to do…curtains to add…picture frames to put up….and paint to touch up. But I don’t even have curtains up in my own house yet! Or picture frames for that matter! (They say it takes a good year or so to really move into a house, right?)

So thank goodness for colorful, lit up dollhouses that 3 children can play in at the same time. We’re having thunderstorms and rain all week, and this dollhouse is getting just the attention it needs!

Happy Weekend!!

xo

sarah

POST EDIT: Warning…this post might be rather jumbled and is a true stream of conscienceness. But the truth is, it’s something I don’t talk about much, and I need to. So. There you go.

With our new house, one of my priorities was to have lots of places to make together. As a working artist, you’d think that would be a simple and obvious request. But as a mother and with this little business of mine, I’m often surprised how hard it really is for me illustrate while my kids are making. I can embroider, sew, do crafts and draw bits and pieces of projects we do together, but I don’t usually get a chance to just have my own drawing time. Maybe it’s cause they are still so young. Maybe it’s because when we make together, I’m teaching and guiding (and cleaning up!) more than not. I think mostly it’s because now that I get paid for what I illustrate, I can easily fall into the mind-set that drawing is “work” and not “play.” And since most of the day is filled with playing, and lessons, and cooking, and cleaning….I often forget to let myself just PLAY!

Sitting down with my sketchbook to fill some pages while the kids create beside me, is usually followed by Addie wanting to color in my sketchbook instead of hers…which I love. So I let her. I get out another sketchbook for me (I have several that I float between for this very reason), and then Ian’s pencil breaks and I need to run downstairs to grab a sharpener. And then Ella wants to color on Ian’s paper, so he goes up in the cupboard to find some more. But in the mean time, he wants to sculpt. So we set up the table for clay. And then I open my sketchbook while the kids are playing, and water spills all over, and clean it up. But before I do, Addie wants to rip out her page in my sketchbook to hang on the wall. So I rip it out, and then Ella is hungry. And when I get her some raisins, the others want some too. And now it’s lunchtime. And I think I’ve maybe started drawing a small little head with shoulders, with a scribble of crayon next to it. And so it goes. It’s almost like “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.”

I absolutely love being creative the kids, but, I’ll be honest… I haven’t really found any solutions to getting real art work done except for when they are tucked soundly in their beds. I wish it weren’t so. But I’ve also come to the conclusion that making time isn’t about getting any particular project done…it’s just about making. Which, hello, is the fun of it, right? But even though I get to be creative at night, I’ve made it a point to be more creative and draw while they are. And even if I never get to turn a page in my sketchbook, I’ve seen how valuable it is to draw for myself while they are creating. Instead of only teaching, or giving ideas,etc. I am making more of a point this year to let them see me drawing.

Which actually brings me to another topic: often, since they know mom can “draw anything” …it’s actually a fine line I walk with drawing with them. Often when I do draw, they just ask me to draw for them. And when I stand off and let them come up with their own ideas, they can sit at the table for a really long time.

But, seeing mom draw and mess up is something we’re working on right now. Even last night’s bedtime story was about a time when I learned that all art is beautiful and mess-ups only lead to new ideas. It’s really amazing to create and teach my kids about creation…their needs are always changing, and so are mine. I love it.

So it’s funny…even though the house is filled with tape and scissors and glue, and there is a constant source of pencils & paper in any given place in the house….even though we make together all the time and do creative  projects together….sometimes I forget to just forget about my “projects” and just play just like my kids do. Silly, really.

So, I’m putting pressures of deadlines aside, and just playing more this year. It’s more important than I ever realized to say it out loud…kinda like losing weight or giving up caffein. So, there. I said. it. But truthfully, like any profession that you love…once it’s something you get paid for, it’s easy to forget to play. Something that a busy mommy can easily forget. Man! Why do we forget so easily? Being a responsible adult is nice and all, but isn’t playing what makes it all worth it? So. Playing. It’s good. And it needs to be given a bit more attention. I can just here the Goddess of Play now. She’s saying, “Thank you. It’s about time.”

Memorial Day.

When I was a child, it was just another day off. One day closer to summer vacation.

But since, it’s turned into a wonderfully sacred day of remembering those in my life who aren’t with me any more, and who have lived remarkable lives…the kind I want to be known for living. Every year,  we arrive at the cemetery early…as the sun is rising in the east behind the mountains. Every year I look forward to the quiet, the green grass, the sun streaming across the flower covered lawns. I get to be silent, remember and look back.  But somehow, each year on this morning, I find myself looking forward; renewing myself to living the life I was born to live. Being more of the person that those who have since gone on have inspired me to be.

Today I’m thinking about renewal. Mornings. Isn’t is interesting? Mourning= Morning. There are a lot of people I miss, but each one has inspired me to take a little courage and live more fully.

And I’m thankful.

…of sugar snap peas.

We really, really, really love peas.

(Well, we love a lot of things. And tend to show it. Yes, Ella is kissing the tiller.)

I have a feeling it’s going to be a fantastic summer.

Happy weekend!

xo

sarah

Thanks for all the Amsterdam and Paris love you guys! These are continuing to be so fun to illustrate.

Speaking of the Amsterdam and the Netherlands….

A few years back, I fell in love with something I just couldn’t have.

I thought maybe I only loved it because I couldn’t have it. But then, I found a e-friend who lived in the netherlands who was willing to send me a copy of it and….I loved it.

Ariadne at home is a popular magazine in the Netherlands….kind of like a Better homes and Gardens Magazine, or a Domino Magazine. All Dutch interiors. But they also have a Children’s magazine that is delightful: Ariadne at Home-Kinderen. (Don’t you love that word? Kinderen? I am telling you. I will learn Dutch someday.) But you can’t get it sent to the states!

So when Nicole of Follow the White Bunny (ETSY embroidery designer in the Netherlands) offered to send me a copy, I was so thrilled! And look what she sent me along with it! Some dutch fabrics and ribbon, and a fun illustrated card. There is just something about getting something from a penpal that makes opening it feel like Christmas Morning.

But the magazine is full of such fun ideas and colors for children. I love the creativity invested….it just has it’s own flair, and I love that it’s not tainted by American branding. They do their own thing, and I get so inspired by that.

Anyways, thanks Nicole! I have sent her some “american” goods, but they just don’t seem as wonderful, that’s for sure:)

How about you? Have you ever thought of having a penpal? Try it. It’s sure to please.

Pinterest. Have you heard? I just discovered it in January…maybe I’m slow…but I’m hooked.

Basically, it’s an inspiration board for your online collections of all that stuff you love online. Being an artist, I’m constantly bookmarking, saving and downloading files that inspire me, give me some reference for a project I’m working on, or just plain make me smile. Huge problem solved! No more clogging up my “ideas” and “reference” folders on my desktop…now keep it all online, in categories for you  to reference!

It’s seriously brilliant! I can just ‘pin’ any image I see online, and it goes right into my pinterest board. And it’s a great way to keep track of the location of the image as well, so that you can find the original location as well as give credit to the original creator.

But beware. It’s rather addicting. You can follow other people’s boards, and make all sorts of friends…it’s a heck of a lot of fun.

Do you have a pinterest board? Wanna follow mine? You can see it here. And if you have one…I wanna see:)

I just love brilliant people who think of these things. Don’t you love smart people? The ones that make your life so much easier? I do. I love pinterest.

Ahhhhh.

I  just came back from a 3 day weekend with my husband. No kids. Just us! Oh my. I love  my kids….but getting away is really good. We haven’t done something like that in 3 years…and it was much deserved! My poor sister might have had the biggest dose of birth control after tending them for the entire weekend, but hey. She’s 20…so that’s good:)

Over the weekend I caught up on much needed sleep. But I also allowed myself to draw and doodle with no agenda. Being a working illustrator can be a challenge because it’s hard to justify the time to just “play.” No agenda. No deadlines. Just play.

{image}

And this weekend, I recommitted myself to doing just that. I need to make time to doodle more, play more, discover my art more. That sounds really easy, but when I only really get 2 hours to myself at night to work, playing is hard to justify…as well as hard to find. But I also know that creativity isn’t something that just comes. Even for someone like me, who thrives in creativity, it doesn’t come naturally all the time. It takes constant effort. And that is what I hope my commitment to draw every day will do for me. Running a business and raising a family  and working on books and fabric, keeps me from drawing for just me. No one else but me…for sheer pleasure. And that’s made me a bit down. So….here’s to making it happen!

Color.It’s in everything we see. It’a all around, all the time. What does it say? And how do you choose to read it?

I’ve been thinking a lot of color stories. There are so many color combinations that I LOVE come from the every day things around me…but I just don’t notice.  This year, I’m making a point to notice. These colors are making me tick this morning. Hoping for spring…hoping for spring…

{Photograph via with color notes by me}

P.S. And thank for all the cover love! I’ll be showing you the inside soon enough!

Oh dear, oh dear. In a hunt to find some color inspiration this morning, I may have found a possible addiction to another…yet another…Danish shop. This is bad. I’m officially addicted now. Have been for years…and no hope of recovering.

House Doctor: Home decor…nothing in the children’s department that I can see yet…but I am loving their color and style: the perfect mix of bright colors against white or casual naturals. My favorite. Old meets new, neutral meets fresh and virbrant. Red meets pink. Yummy.

It’s funny…since art and illustration is a natural extension of myself and what interests me, it’s no wonder that design of all kinds inspires what I’m thinking about. I can be thinking about book illustration and get completely inspired by the color of a suitcase. Or the feel of a quilt. Or the color in an umbrella. It all meshes together into one big pot called, “eye candy.” And today, it’s no surprise: a little shop in Denmark.

Enjoy!