101 bits of Summer Fun

I always get a little anxious and panicky in the middle of May when the temperature starts creeping up to the 100 degree mark (knowing it will go well beyond that). Living in Phoenix, we spend the majority of our summer indoors. It is a huge challenge keeping the kiddos entertained with fun things to do when they can't run around outside as much as they'd like.  Thank goodness my super creative, awesome friend Laura of Laura Winslow Photography saved me with this {FREE} download she created.

How fun is this? I'm going to print it out, frame it, and hang it up in the house so we'll always have fresh ideas when the kids start to get antsy during summer. I'm hoping this will save me from at least some of the crying, whining, and fighting ;)

Download your free copy here.

dream BIG

I recently received these ridiculously awesome photos from Laura of Laura Winslow Photography. Couldn't you just strap on your own cape and run along with little J for some crazy adventures? So stinking fun!! Laura is a pro at capturing the imaginative and adventurous spirit of childhood.

I am loving his little cape and mask from Peanut Pop. I may have to pick up a couple for Finley and Oliver. 

A HUGE thanks to Laura and little J for these fun images!! Laura and I are working on a crazy fun shoot this weekend... can't wait to share the details with you when we're finished. 

Laura Winslow Photography

Cape and Mask - Peanut Pop

dream BIG tee - Finley and Oliver

Three Different Colors!

Do you see these eggs? Notice that they are three different colors! Do you know what that means? It means that Effie, who hasn't laid an egg since she started molting last September, is laying eggs again. I'm so stinking happy about this. I have no intentions of eating my chickens (they have names!), even when they stop laying. However, I was not happy about the fact that Effie may live another 6-7 years without producing anything for us. So stoked to see her pretty blue eggs again.

It also means that Flo is laying eggs in the coop again. I posted a few weeks back that we couldn't find her eggs. Last week I was in the coop and saw both Effie and Flo in their nesting boxes. Effie popped out, walked over to Flo and proceeded to peck the crap out of her until Flo flew the coop so to speak. I'm guessing this is why Flo started laying other places. She now waits until Effie is out of the way and busy in another part of the yard before she lays in the coop. Now we know who's on top of the pecking order. We've got eggs coming out of our ears again and it's definitely a good thing.

We've got lettuce coming out of our ears too and I have the cutest little helper who likes to pick it with me.

Introducing Noah and Lilah

I've been sitting on my hands keeping this a secret but now I finally get to tell you all that I'm collaborating on an amazing summer collection with Sherri of the fabulous Noah and Lilah. I absolutely adore the style of Noah and Lilah clothing - fresh, modern, and not over designed - so when Sherri mentioned the idea of a collaboration, I was all over it!

Here's a little peak of some of the awesomeness of Noah and Lilah (all of these cutie clothes are available here). You'll have to wait to see the new collection which will be available in June. ;)

Sherri is an amazing seamstress and creates some of the most adorable little twirl skirts, dresses, and shorts that I've seen. Every time I see one of her new creations, I wish I had a little girl.  I mean seriously, how cute is the little red polka skirt??

We are both working hard on the new collection and I thought it would be fun to take a break and introduce you all to the incredibly talented, sweet, and down to earth, Sherri.

What were you doing before Noah and Lilah?
Wow - it seems so long ago!  I actually never had any plans to stay home with kids when I was pregnant, and I worked as a Director of Finance for a large international finance company.  But one look at Noah when he was born and that was it - I just couldn't go back.  I did work for one year part time after Noah was two, but then Lilah was born, and then the shop Noah and Lilah was born, and the rest is history.  Now I'm content to spend my days with them, sew like mad when they're sleeping, and see where this takes me.  

How did Noah and Lilah get started?
I actually didn't start sewing until I was pregnant with Lilah.  I have a few (not local) friends who sewed/knit and I wanted to learn how.  I started knitting but it didn't give me the immediate gratification that I wanted (I'm not that fast!).  But then I took one sewing class at Joann's, we made a pillowcase, and I was hooked!  That same week I went out and bought a machine, fabric and patterns, and just started playing around with stuff.  My first pair of pants probably took me four hours, but I did it completely on my own and that taught me *so* much.  I learn by doing, and am mostly self-taught.  After Lilah was born I started doing more sewing, opened the shop, was contacted by some photogs to shoot my items, and here we are! 

How would you describe your design style/aesthetic?
Simple is the key word that comes to mind.  I'm totally not into frilly things, and am for the most part a jeans and t-shirt kinda gal.  But simple doesn't mean clothes can't be cute!  I think this new line shows that best.  How to take a few simple pieces, make a few changes, be really modern and stylish, but still not overly fussy or frilly. Grace here...this is one of the reasons why Sherri and I totally connect. We have a very similar design aesthetic.

When you're not busy with your clothing line, what do you like to do?
We're big DIYers around our house, so we're always working on something (currently finishing our basement).  We also have a garden that keeps us busy in the warmer months.  I also recently started CrossFit and am loving it!  But give me a warm sunny day, sitting on the deck while my kids play around my husband and I with a good meal and some wine, and I'm a happy girl!

What inspires your designs?
That's a hard one - can be so many things.  More often than not - it's fabric.  Sometimes I go searching for fabric - not even knowing what I plan to/want to make, and once I find the fabric I just know.  This collection was that way.  We talked theme and color - I went in search of the fabrics based on that criteria, and the pieces were born after seeing the fabrics. 

Favorite piece of the new collection?  

Oh my gosh - so many! I love the all navy tiered skirt.  I've been wanting to add a tiered skirt to my shop for a while, and this was the perfect one.

Thanks so much to Sherri for answering these questions and sharing with us. Be sure to stop by and swoon over her Noah and Lilah line. I promise, you will fall in love just as quickly as I did.

Website

Facebook Page

Our summer collection is being photographed by the fabulous Laura of Laura Winslow Photography and will be available in June. So excited!

Photographs courtesy of:

Rena Durham Photography

Kelly Anderson Photography

Laura Winslow Photography

Clinging to Spring

My fellow desert dwellers totally know what I'm talking about when I say that I'm clinging to spring. In just a few short weeks, it will be scorching and barely inhabitable (maybe I'm being a bit dramatic) here so we are spending all of our waking hours outdoors. While hanging outside with the boys yesterday, I took some pictures to give you all an update on our garden.

Isn't she gorgeous!? We have an abundance of goodies crammed into there including several different varieties of lettuce, spinach, herbs, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, and I'm sure a ton of other stuff that I'm leaving out. For full disclosure, I'm not responsible for any of this organic goodness - credit goes to my mom and my husband. I'm a lousy gardener which is why I tend to the chickens.

Each night before dinner, we go outside and pick whatever we'd like to make a fresh salad. So amazingly delicious. Since we are obviously running out of room, we're going to add another raised bed in the next few weeks.

In addition to the veggies and fruits in the garden, our apple, peach, plum, and almond trees are just about ripe for the picking. My Sodapop can't get enough of the apples. She picks them right off and helps herself.

And I had to share this cute little hummer. It's not the best picture but we have a ton of these guys in our yard every spring and they are freakishly friendly. They love to hover around and check out what we are doing.

I tried to get the boys to pretend that they were "working" in the garden so I could snap a shot of them but even jelly bean bribery didn't work this time. They decided they'd rather stab each other with their new swords. Actually it's just one sword - Oliver is using the sheath but he doesn't know it ;)

Missing eggs?

Flo is a serious egg layer. She gives us a fresh egg about 6 days a week. The last egg we found of hers was over a week ago.

I came out to collect the eggs early last week and found Flo in the nesting box on top of Lucy. Don't ask me why, but chickens generally like to lay only where the other chickens have laid. Even with 6 perfectly clean and soft nesting boxes, the girls will only lay in the box on the left.

Usually Flo stands in front of the box and squawks at Lucy while she is laying so I was surprised to see her in the box on top of her. Flo is a pretty big bird so I tried to move her to the next box over but she popped right out and jumped back on top of Lucy.

Look how miserable poor Lucy was. I stayed to make sure that she was okay and not being suffocated by old Flo. Once Flo popped her egg out (narrowly missing Lucy's head), she left the box leaving Lucy to lay in peace. As I said, this was over a week ago and that was the last egg we've seen of Flo's. I'm not sure if she's just stopped laying for some reason or if she's found a new place to lay.

Since it's been warming up out here, the girls have been spending most of their time in a shade structure my husband has on the side of our house. It is soft and lush with dichondra and long grass. It's also filled with ladders, coils of wire, and tons of other stuff. I have a feeling she might be laying somewhere in there but I have no clue where. I can't find her eggs anywhere and it's making me crazy.

Hopefully she just needed a break and will either start laying again or we'll find her hidden stash somewhere. Of our 3 chickens, we're only getting eggs from Lucy right now (Effie hasn't laid since she molted in the fall). I really don't want to go buy eggs since that is one of the main reasons we have chickens.  I'm secretly hoping that the kids will find her eggs during our Easter egg hunt this Sunday.

ETA: We have found the missing eggs. It seems old Flo thought the compost pile was a better place to lay than the nesting boxes in the coop.

I've got to figure out how to get her to start laying in the coop again. Those eggs will bake in a matter of minutes if she keeps it up in the summer. Silly chicken.

Mutant Pinata Show

This past weekend, I participated in Coffee, Cookies, and Crafts 4 at Bragg's Pie Factory in downtown Phoenix. In conjunction with CCC4 was the Mutant Pinata Show also being held at Bragg's. What a treat to see so many odd, beautiful, funny, and quirky creations.

Just a few of my favorites...

This photo doesn't do it justice at all but this was the most beautiful pinata. It was hanging above my booth and I couldn't stop staring at it.

Loved this Jackalope.

Even the pinatas carry guns in Arizona.

And of course it's not a proper pinata show without a mutant poop.

If they bring back the Mutant Pinata show next year, mark it on your calendars. Definitely a must see!