Autumn Colors week Day 3.....Leaves....

This morning I went for a walk down to the river.  To see what last night's storm had left in it's wake.

 

The trail was damp with rain and blanketed with leaves.

The river water was chilled scattered with leaves that were traveling slowly towards town.

And don't let those drops hovering on that leaf's under belly fool you.   

Rains drops, you ask.

Nope.  

It's melted snow flakes.

September sure has a cruel way of bidding ado.  

I'm super happy to see October though.  It is my favorite month, after all.

Not because of the colors, pumpkins, warm clothes, and nightly fires in the stove, (all of which I look forward to very much)

But, because it was the first month to greet my sweet boy...... almost 5 years ago.

The boy with the orange hair.

Autumn Color week day 2....The pond

Kyrie pointed me in the direction of this group and I must say, I am glad to join.

My green.

The pond behind my parents house with the wonky dock. 

and the weeping willow that Laura and I used to climb.

And the cat tails that seem to be encrouching little by little on this favorite pond of mine.

It is the pond where Laura and I spent hours learning how to skate, performing routines for our family when we felt they were good enough.

It is the pond that saw each of us split our chins wide open when we were little girls; me by tripping while skating; and Laura running around in a too big for her tulle ballerina dress.  Needless to say, we both got a lot of stitches.  And now 20 some odd years later, we share the same faint scar on our chins.

It is the pond that I still love to sit by. 

When I am home.

Felted Mittens....with a tutorial

I love scoring wool sweaters (among other things) at the Thrift Store.  I swear, it's like people don't really know what they are giving away.

Over the summer I got a blue wool sweater.  It is a size XL and ENORMOUS, but I just knew that I would find a use for it some day.  I pulled it out of storage when I made the Anniversary pillow and it remained on my guest bed for the last week or so.  Yesterday I got out all of my winter coats, snowpants, hats etc. out of storage in the attic to wash and get ready for the flakes to fly.  I noticed that the only pair of mittens that I had in the bin were my heavy duty ski mittens.

Hmmmmm.

And so the question of the fate of the big bulky blue sweater was answered.

CUT IT UP and make some mittens out of it of course!

********************************Recycled Sweater Mittens*****************************

Using the wrist of the sweater as the wrist of the mitten, outline your hand on one of the sweater arms to cut out.

Cut out the mitten shape ( make sure that the seam of the sweater arm is on either the left or right of the mitten. )

I used the smoother non seam side of the sweater arm as the longer side of the mitten.

The stitched seam was used for the thumb side of the mitten.

Cut out an identical twin from the other arm of the sweater, making sure that the seam is on the same side as you used for the first one, making them mirror images of each other.

You will notice that the only part that needs to be stitched is the top and thumb of the mitten,  Using the arm of the sweater leaves little work to do in the stitching department.

  Starting at the thumb, I stitched around the opened part of the mitten, leaving some room to trim once the stitches were complete.   I used a contrasting yarn for the stitching detail and did 2 rows of stitches to make sure the seam was secure.

I stitched the other mitten the same way.  Then I cut off the excess trim leaving about 1/4 inch on the outer side of the contrast stitches.

 NOW, turn the mittens inside out so that the stitching is on the inside....and there you have it.  A new pair of mittens to keep you warm as the weather cools. 

Because unfortunately....... not all of us are as lucky as to be born covered in fur.

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FYI: I felted this sweater pre-mitten making.  After I cut it out though, I realized that it should have been put through the washer and dryer once more.  The stitches were not as tight as I would have liked them to be.

Another felting would have made it ideal.

Etsy...Baby

This past July, Laura and I  came to a tough decision.........We closed down our budding Etsy shop it in exchange for playing and enjoying our boys to the fullest.  It was their last summer before starting school.  We closed down Etsy and never looked back.  We had a very successful season in the Adirondack Farmer's Market Cooperative and were content with the turnover of our goods.

We were just able to keep the supply equal to the demand.

We were thoroughly at peace with our decision.

But now.....a month after our last Farmer's Market,  we've been getting calls and emails from people who want to see and order more of the goods that they bought from us at the Farmer's Markets.  AND we are sitting on 2 BIG tupperware bins filled with baby goods galore. Goods that are just itching to be used by someone's little one. 

So, after MUCH deliberation and weighing of pros and cons.....

 

 

We spent an entire day doing a photo shoot of our (really, very cooperative AND photogenic) homemade baby goods.  We downloaded, uploaded and I think we even sideloaded all sorts of photos and descriptions simultaneously from our 2 laptops onto Etsy.

So here I announce that we are officially re-opened, because we have time for our baby....Adirondack Mama's Gift's on ETSY.

And boy, does it feel good. 

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We don't have our Knitting Needle Wraps, or the Stationery Wraps in the store yet, but they will be in the next week or so.....in case you are interested.

Thanks for reading this, I just had to share my excitement.

Sleepy napkins....

Last Sunday,  Fran and I had our parents over for dinner to celebrate our anniversary.  We had a really yummy dinner....Filet mignon, potatoes, corn from the garden and asparagus.

I even got out my favorite acorn plates and my new thrifted antique silverware. 

The only thing missing were the cloth napkins that my mom had given me.  I looked through our attic and linen closet for them, but they were no where to be found.

We ended up having to use.....brace yourself.

Folded paper towels!

PAPER TOWEL NAPKINS.

I know, classy right.

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My twin (have you met my lovely twin yet?)  bought me a really beautiful sheet set a few years ago that I absolutely adore...she surprised me with them on a trip after she saw me oogling them in a store.  Last year for Christmas though, Fran and I got a HUGE king size pillow top bed.  No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stretch my favorite sheets over that huge new mattress.  And so they were orphaned to the the linen closet and eventually Laura's for her spare room to be used.

The other day, Laura had sent me up a bag of clothes that I had left at her house.  At the bottom of the bag was the sheet set.  And I knew exactly what I was going to do with them now that I had them back.

It did NOT involve a bed.

 I remembered a great post on Heather's Blog of some really precious napkins that she had made earlier in the year.

PERFECT.

I ended up being able to cut 8 rectangles out of each pillowcase with dimensions 8"x11"..... which translates to 4 napkins per pillowcase (all that was left as scrap was the cuff at the pillow entrance of the case)

I stitched the rectangles together wrong side out leaving a 2 inch opening for turning them right side out.

Once they were turned right side out, I used a wide zig zag stitch around the whole perimeter, starting at the opening .

Each napkin only  took about 10 minutes start to finish.

And now I have a really lovely spare set of napkins.  You know, in case I just don't feel like using the fancy paper ones.

For the love of books....

Have I ever told you how much I love books?

NO?!?!?!?!

Well, I do.....A LOT.

My husband built me a beautiful pine book shelf on the largest wall in my guest/sewing room.  He thought that it was plenty big enough to hold all of my books.

Silly man.

It was filled in a day and there are still 3 underbed bins FULL of my crafting and knitting books that I have to find a home for.

There is a really charming book store near where I live, it's called Books and Baskets.  It's a used books store with TONS of vintage.  On top of having rooms chock full of books categorized according to interests and topics, there is a basket making workshop in the back where classes on basket weaving are taught.The owner is super sweet and always is helpful in finding what you are looking for.  AND the most interesting part is that she trades books that you bring in for her stock.

Yesterday I went there to browse while Eben was in school.  I spent a good hour looking through the stacks, sitting in the cozy chairs and just generally drooling. I found a lot of really nice books, but my limit was $15.

 
I put back the ones that I could live without and came home with my three favorite.

 Three hardcovers filled with inspiration

Recipes 

And patterns.

Now, I had an idea since my own shelves are bursting at the seams as is.  I was going to bring my stash to the Books and Baskets store to trade them in for some other books.  But then it occurred to me that I must not be alone in this book obsession.  There must be other crafty ladies out there that would like to trade out some of the books that they have already been inspired by. 

I am just bubbling over with excitement for the Vintage Swap that my buddy Heather is hosting. I have been so enthralled with the whole process and community that is shaping out of it.  I had a thought that maybe I would host a Creative Book Exchange

Would you or anyone you know be interested in that? 

If so, just comment here and I will collect a list of interested people.  Then, once I have come down from the high that the Vintage Swap  is giving me; I will write to everyone who commented and also post the exchange here on my Blog.

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I swear, I just heard my bookshelves let out a collective sigh at the prospect of losing some of their weight.

About this space...

Hello.

My name is Julia and this is my space.

It is little glimpses into my life as a wife, a mama, a twin, a daughter, a nurse, and a crafter.

It is a place for me to inspire myself (and maybe you, if I'm so lucky).  Where I strive to be the best version of me that I can be.  A place that I can visit again and again when I need a reminder of all of the wonderful things that I have surrounding me when things get a little nutty. I married my husband 7 years ago and we have a little boy who is six years old....We live happily in a small town in the Adirondacks.  I love to read, cook, play, ski, go for walks, drink peach tea, sew, craft, knit, take LOTS of pictures, make things, take baths while reading magazines, hug my boy, kiss my husband, visit with my family, and laugh with my twin sister and friends.

Welcome....I am glad that you found me.

Email me at

jules@adirondack-mama.com

Julia's jewels...

When my twin and I were babies, our mother nicknamed us.  Mine was "Jewels" and Laura's was "Birdie".  Over the years, Laura's just never stuck with anyone besides our parents.  Mine though, definitely did.  My closest friends call me it and I just well.....I love it.  Because to me, a nickname just oozes closeness and shared secrets.

The spelling has always been a bone of contention between her and I  She spells it Jewels, and I like Jules better..  I have my reasons.  First, it writes out better, and is much closer in sight to my name (Julia); second, and I feel most fitting of all....I am NOT a girl who wears jewels.  I wear a beautiful cuff bracelet that my mom gave me as a wedding gift, my engagement ring, and a simple band that takes the place for my wedding band (which is in my jewelry box).

 That's all.

My mom on the other hand LOVES all things girly.  She has oodles of jewelry and overflowing closets full of beautiful clothes and high heels.  She is THE quintessential LADY.

In fact, she is famous for asking me.

"Why can't you just be a girl for once, Julia?"

And when I have dressed up,  it changes to...

"See, it's nice to be a lady isn't it?"

As I cringe and wrinkled up my face in my fancy dress, just counting the minutes until I was able to get back into my jeans and flip flops.

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This morning, I took off my rings to shower.  I went about my morning, walking around the lake and getting groceries.  As I was checking out at the store though, I looked down at my hand and realized that I didn't have my rings on. No big deal I thought and just went home to get them.

Except once I got there, they were not on the dresser where I had left them.

I literally PANICKED.

I tore our bedroom apart!  Flipping the mattress off of the frame and pulling out the dresser drawers.  But I still couldn't find them.  Finally I found them in the laundry basket that was in front of the dresser.  Apparently my cats have a thing for gems and must have knocked them into the basket.

As I slipped the rings back into the familiar spot on my finger, I felt inspired by the tightness that was resolving in my chest.

I could hear my mom's voice whispering in my ear. "Be a lady."

Of course, I knew that she was right.

And so began.... "OPERATION JEWELRY ORGANIZATION"

You would probably think that I am lacking in jewels after what I wrote above.  But in all actuality, I have some really nice jewelry.

 (all jammed into that teeny tiny jewelry box that I got in high school).

I divided it all into piles and then found little sweet containers to put each pile into.

First came the most sentimental, a little saved note from my husband from when we were dating, and a necklace and ring that he bought me during that time.  They all went into a beautiful in-laid heart shaped stone box that he bought for me.

Then my sterling chains and pendants (most of which my sweet mom gave to me) all went into a little silver tin.

My earrings all went into this ceramic heart.

And lastly, my rings and necklaces each got a pocket

In this pretty pink vintage satin glove case that my Aunt gave to me.

So here I sit on my couch, LOVING Missy Higgins and sipping on my Snapple, feeling every part the LADY.......all decked out in my jewels.

And of course, my jeans and my flip flops.

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Now, you tell me...are you a girly girl?

Anticipation and the projects that it prompts...

This morning I had to actually warm up my car before driving Eben to school.  The frost on the windshield just wouldn't budge despite using about a gallon of windshield washer fluid to try to melt it.

After I dropped Eben off, I went for a walk around the lake, hands glued to my coffee cup for warmth.  About half way around, I decided it was high time that I finish THE HAT.


( you know...the one that I started, oh..... about a month and a half ago.)

So, this afternoon, while waiting for the boys to get off the bus, I laid my favorite fleece blanket in the damp grass and got to work.

 I was right at the point where I needed to switch to double points.

 I omitted the purling at the transition to the flat top (because I am not a huge purl fan) and the decreasing for the top consisted of a whole lot of K3tog, so it went quite fast.

The boys played a little game of baseball while the sun crept over the us and I got even closer to finishing.

Down to 10 stitches.

I cast off and finished with a crochet hook

Forming a little knob in the center...(I'm not a tassle hat kind of girl)

It turned out just as I had hoped, I really am in love with this lace pattern.  Now all that is left to do is add a fleece lining.  I have a sensitivity to wool and hopefully the fleece will prevent me from getting a rash on my forehead.

Because rashes just aren't in fashion..... ANY time of year.

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Tell me, what are you knitting in anticipation of the coming snow.