my fave needle felt-er and all around www pal!

over the years i have been shocked, humbled and amazed at all the love and friendship one can garner from the internet. not to mention support, understanding and true kinship. i'd like to dedicate a little post to my friend becky from singing bird on etsy.

becky and i met thru a thread on etsy of natural kids crafters...the thread has since grown to be the fantastic esty group: natural kids and has it's own website and blog.

becky has really been my cheerleader from day one. she always had wonderfully sweet things to say about my work and when i opened my brick and mortar shop 2 summers ago she was first in line to offer up her teensy birds for resale. i was delighted!

and again when i was getting married she took the time and effort to sift through my handmade etsy registry and send along a most thought gift which to this day graces my kitchen window sill--reminding me daily of the wonderful connections made her on the web and in the world...the wide world.

and even when my daughter was born, she sent along the sweetest gift certificate!

oh birdie- we love you so!

play closet, revisited.

so i've finally given up my dear linen closet in search of more organization and sanity! i love having all of em's things 'around' but after that rainy stretch last week it was really starting to get to me. i emptied the closet and started sifting through the toys, babies and blocks. the result is posted here and i have to admit-it feels darn good! when emmma woke up this morning i noticed right away the change in her play. she didn't go from one basket to the next, throwing things out and leaving a trail behind her. she had more focused play and actually played with her big basket of blocks that have been buried under maracas, babies and an old remote!

when she finally did discover her closet she just laughed and grabbed a favorite puzzle!

new play space in portland!

we have been loving the new place space in westbrook (a suburb of portland)! our friends stacey and alden took us there and we were all impressed with the amazing selection of wooden toys (think haba and plan toys) not to mention some great ikea kids stuff and a rody thrown in for good measure! and also the frugality of it all. 4 dolars and no time limit! emma was in social butterfly heaven, pointing at every kids and saying 'hiiiiiiya'!

time to get out and make the rounds...

up the coast of maine, along it's rocky shore there is a strip of highway that is filled with treasures. small and large, cheap and fancy...it's almost opening day at the flea markets! what finds await?

easter.

my mom and alex were surprised at emma's easter basket- but my dad always made easter a big deal for us when we were kids. this wasn't em's first easter-but the first one where she could crawl around, open eggs, and have just a *pinch* of chocolate!

but even more exciting - em walked today! really walked. all day she was getting up and tooling around 20 steps at a time! hooray!

old and new...auntboo!

a little love for my favorite waldorf doll maker! barbara of auntboo's babies!

3 septembers ago i started teaching an aftercare class at the cape ann waldorf school. it was the first class i had ever lead and i was very excited to fill the afternoons with wonderful stories, songs and naps. and one of my personal favorite things: some babies!

in my search for well made, beautiful dolls for nap time (that were affordable on a teachers salary) i stumbled upon aunt boo's etsy shop.

i ordered a lovely 'knight doll' who came dressed in grey velour cape and helmet. he was an immediate hit with the children and a favorite of the 6 year old boys who at that point were staring not to want to sleep and cuddle the girl doll-babies as much. that year i also ordered a valentines baby who sat on our nature table and a teensy little lavender pocket baby who made the nap rounds quite a bit.

so of course when i knew emelia was arriving i asked boo to make a special doll for her. in a few weeks boo had sent her along as a gift for em. it was the first thing that i put in her nursery that made me feel like she would really be here soon and be my baby and snuggle and cuddle and coo.

other babies followed...christmas baby and just this week bunny baby with her three little kittens. pictured here is valentines pocket baby and one of three little kittens.

we could not love them any more!

em crawls and creeps and cruises around the house with one of these dear little babes in her hands at all times!

thanks so much barbara!

(stay tuned for bunny baby, who right now is tucked away in em's easter basket)

{this moment}

inspired bu soulemama...