wrist warmers

Dreaming about a pair of handmade wrist warmers for this Fall. Seems like the perfect plan for cozy hands + easy access to my iPhone and the ability to zip little zippers and tie little shoelaces. Here are some of my Etsy favorites, what do you think?



beadid
dreamflora
Handknittedthings
ChristineKnits
Afra
ShadeofShadow

TickledPinkKnits

Oktoberfest '09

Sunday we had our 2nd annual "Oktoberfest" party. It is Bill's concept and he takes on all the planning and decorating, but I have to admit it was lots of fun. Not to mention that it was the absolute perfect October afternoon. Sunny and crisp!
This year we added our family to the invites, in addition to coworkers/friends in Iowa City.
There was lots of brat & giant pretzel eating, dark beer drinking, and this silly bags game, which I can't really get excited about.
We also celebrated my dad's birthday with an ice cream cake.
And Lachlan was his usual social self, taking it all in - and then he decided that he had figured out where everyone was getting those drinks!

back from our big weekend

17 mo old today
Originally uploaded by Kirsten W

Still recovering from a weekend in Madison, WI chasing this little 17 month old goofball all around and up and down. We were there to help prepare for and celebrate Thor and Caeli's wedding. It went very well and they are on a little honeymoon now, hopefully relaxing! I'll post some photos from the wedding (by their wedding photographer) soon. I was too busy helping with wedding prep or chasing Lachlan to take many photos.

Bill and I also celebrated our 4th anniversary. It was fun to remember our beautiful wedding day right around all the wedding celebrations over the weekend. Bill looked up what to give for the 4th anniversary, and it is fruit and flowers. SO, he ordered us a year-long fruit-of-the-month club. I think it was a very thoughtful and great gift - we got our first fruit - a box of pears, today!

wedding crafting

My brother Thor and his fiancee Caeli are getting married next Saturday. As with all weddings, they are feeling the crunch of the last minute to-do list.
Lachlan and I headed over to Des Moines to help with some of the crafty projects. They are going to have lots of unique & personal touches, and it is fun to be a part of creating some of those.
Beaded votives
Tags that will be for guests to write wishes for the bride & groom, then hang on the pergola that they will be married underneath.
The card box that will sit on the gift table. I made the swirlies with a Heidi Swapp mask.
and a practice bouquet for Caeli to carry at the wedding rehearsal, made with bows and tissue from the wedding shower gifts.

The story of the frog

Saturday night we were about 45 minutes from home and I got a call from Bill saying that Sadie had brought "something" in the house and it was trapped under the trash can in our family room. "What is it?", I asked. He wasn't sure because he had trapped it so quickly, but he thought it was a mouse or a frog or toad.

After I got home and put Lachlan to bed, I got the whole story. Bill had taken Sadie out for a walk and when they got to the front door, he saw something move near the door, which she quickly investigated. Bill didn't think much of it and brought her in and took off her leash. Then he closed her in the family room and stepped out to the garage to get something. When he came back in, he said she was sitting next to his chair "with a goofy look on her face". He sat down to watch some t.v. and Sadie dropped a small live animal out of her mouth! Bill jumped up, grabbed our trash can, and dropped it over the little creature. Then he listened to it struggle and try to escape until I arrived home to help him tackle it.

So, we got mentally prepared and slid the trash can towards the sliding door. He held the trash can, while I reached down next to it with a piece of posterboard. We opened the door, counted down from 3, then Bill lifted the can, and I whapped whatever it was with the posterboard and knocked it outside. Sure enough, it was a big frog. The poor guy was probably injured/traumatized by being trapped in a dog's mouth, under a trash can for an hour, and then whapped out the door, so he just lay in a pile of leaves.

The amazing thing was that Sadie managed to catch it while she had the Gentle Leader collar around her snout! So glad we have adopted a hunter - she's already caught a few crickets and loves to chase butterflies. Now we just need to turn her into a mouser and a mole-hunter and we'll be all set! Ha. Anyway, the frog was gone this morning, so either he recovered and hopped away, or he was a midnight snack for another neighborhood creature.

Here's an unrelated recent photo of Cleo keeping a close eye on Sadie. They've had a couple close encounters, but always when Sadie has been on a leash, so I think Cleo feels pretty safe so far .

Renegade Art Fair - Chicago

Well, it all started earlier this week when I posted to Twitter that I was dreaming about being able to go to Renegade Art Festival in Chicago. They happen in several big cities, and I've heard great things about them. I wasn't sure I was ready for the road trip on my own, but then Deb and Rachel offered to come along and split the cost of a hotel, and help wrangle little L.

We drove over Friday afternoon and spent the night. Then we got up and headed to the Wicker Park neighborhood a little before the fair opened. It was such a fun day, and I'm so proud of what a good traveler our Lachlan is, he just rolled with the schedule changes and different meals. He even stayed pretty happy in spite of being stuck in the carseat and stroller for hours with a drippy nose.

I have to say that I was impressed with the variety and quality of the booths at Renegade. I was worried that my expectations were too high, but it really lived up to them. It was a treat to see some of my favorite Etsy shops in person, including Circa Ceramics, The Small Object, Film Monsters, and MaryInk, just to name a few.
It was also fun to see White Rabbit and a couple other shops representing Iowa City together. And of course Elsie's Red Velvet Art tent was a highlight. I came home with a couple things for myself and several birthday & Christmas gifts, so it was definitely shopping success, not to mention inspiring.

Check out photos on my Flickr, more on Deb's and Rachel's. Thanks for the fun weekend, ladies!

Fused Plastic class @ Home Ec

Wow, I've been MIA in blogland, sorry! I think it is just that busy back-to-school time for everyone. Just wanted to pop in and say that I am teaching the fused plastic bag class at Home Ec again this Sunday, Sept. 13. So if you are in the Iowa City area and interested, give them a call and sign up! Thanks!

Lachlan and I are heading out on a road trip to Chicago tomorrow with Deb and Rachel to go to the Renegade Craft fair. Super excited, I will be sure to blog about it when we get back!