Moments

Today I had one of those moments that you wish you could just freeze time and revel in. I hope I will remember it for as long as I live, hopefully writing about it will at least burn it into the back of my mind for good.

This afternoon was busy with the kids and I was trying to juggle multiple things at once, and so I had to step away from the kids for a second. Everett was on his blanket doing tummy time and Makena was busy running around the room doing toddler things. I said to Makena, "can you watch your brother and keep him safe while he does tummy time? Mommy has to do something really quick..." As I walked out of the room I questioned whether it was a good idea to leave them alone, even for a second. And so, I looked back just to check, and my heart melted. Makena had quietly sat down next to Everett and began rubbing his head ever so gently, "k, brother?", she said. I wish I had a camera handy. The two of them next to one another, Makena with her back to me and Everett looking up at his sister with such curiosity.

She stayed next to him the whole time I was gone. Not even a minute, but it still meant something. To see my busy toddler just take a minute to watch her brother! Not only a sweet gesture for mommy, but for her baby brother as well. She is growing up so fast and becoming such an amazing little person. I can't help but think I am the luckiest Mom on the planet. Now, tomorrow, when I want to pull my hair out, someone remind me of that...

Three Bees Nursery

Photo by Monkey & The Whale

Wednesday morning, despite the gloomy weather, I decided to take a little time for me. I did a little San Francisco meandering and exploring. First I hit up Japan town for the Soko Hardware Store. I bought some beautiful origami paper and tried my folding skills with a flying crane. This turned out to be much more difficult than I had expected. In the end I managed to turn out one crane though so I count it as a success!

After that I decided to check out the Three Bees Nursery. I had never heard of them until I saw the latest Groupon. I didn't buy the deal, but I wanted to see the place for myself. In the heart of the Richmond district is this adorable little nursery space. One of those places that makes you forget that you are in the middle of a city. The front is painted a wonderfully cheerful shade of yellow and draws you immediately inside. It is a small space, but they filled it with lovely plants. They also had great service and answered some questions I had about Poppies. I was very good and didn't buy anything. I have been on the lookout for some white poppies with black centers...no luck yet. I think I will have to start them from seeds. All the more reason to head back to this adorable little nursery.

Projects: Cozy cans and jars

This weekend was a stormy, rainy mess. Since the weather was so crummy I had to miss my previously planned trip to the flea market. The perfect excuse to stay inside and get busy being creative.

A few months ago I needed to find something to keep M's crayons in and happened to have just opened a can of black beans. I kept the can and covered it in some decorative paper. This can has since lost its paper and needs to be re-done. (M's little hands couldn't resist the temptation to peel that loose corner.)

My little experiment got me thinking that I could do something else to embellish a can, or even a jar. So this weekend I had two cans and three jars ready to go. Since it was so cold I decided to do a little yarn magic and dress them up a bit. Two of them are wrapped in yarn and two got their very own knitted treatments. Easy as pie and done so quickly! The best part? I great places to store my brushes, pencils, and pens.

I got the idea for this one from design sponge, from their knitting party post. Follow the link to see the original post. I decided to try a thicker sleeve for the other jar. For now I am happy to have a place for things that usually contribute to the clutter. It gives me space to feel creative and think of new projects, which is a nice place to be. What's next? I am thinking up a project for a lovely Manzanita branch that I picked up this weekend from the San Francisco Flower Mart.

Photos by Monkey & The Whale

Cake Pop Adventure

My first time making cake pops. Owls in case you can't tell. Or, some Star Wars creature if you are Will. Monkeys if you are Makena. I found a great video from Bakerella if you are interested in attempting them yourself. She gives you all of the basic steps, the rest is up to your imagination. I don't think I will ever make them again since they are so time consuming. I think the first five were fun and then two and half hours later I was over it. I am glad that they were enjoyed.

The pictures were taken at around midnight so that is why they are terrible looking! I used a trader joe's cake mix and chocolate chips for the ears. The eyes were from a candy necklace and the nose and feet are sprinkle decorations.

Photos by Monkey & The Whale

Chairs!

I am obsessed with chairs lately. I am going to look at a dining table tomorrow and I am thinking that it would be fun to do some mixing and matching with the chairs. The table is a plain birch Ikea table, but I was thinking of painting it white or teal. Maybe all four of us could have our own chair and our own style/color. It is all about "the find" and making it a part of a new story.

These Tolix chairs are to die for, but not a part of my re-purposing plan. They don't even list a price which I have found to be a very bad sign for affordability. No price means you can't afford it! But I can admire. I love the shape and the bright red color. At the very least I can let them inspire something else, who knows?

Paint Me a Picture

This weekend I decided to give Makena a paintbrush and see what she thought about it. She took to it immediately! I must say this is becoming one of the most rewarding things about being a mom. Giving Makena projects is giving me a chance to experience things in a whole new way. Every new experience for her is opening my eyes up to the things I had either forgotten about or just never thought of. I get to be creative just by coming up with ways to engage her, which can be a difficult task with a 2 year old. Toys are no longer that interesting and we read all the time, so coming up with "projects" is my new thing.

Something as simple as putting a paintbrush in some paint and water and creating a brush stroke across the page can be so exciting. It reminds me to look for that excitement in my own creative projects, to not over think things. I tend to think and sit on an idea for a very long time until I have over thought it to death. I am the queen of second guessing myself. I have forgotten to experiment when I create something, and isn't that the point? How did I forget this? When did I start worrying about whether it looked perfect or not? Watching Makena create something so easily and beautifully reminded me that creativity is more fun when you just dive in and see what happens.

I think I need to start an art wall for all of us.

Kids say the darndest things

"Alleygatey eat babies"

Daddy decided that this whole "sponge" phase is great for teaching her ridiculous sayings. And yes, she will repeat anything...

"Why paint nail?"

Because you asked mommy to paint your toenails. Duh

"Dada, fart"

No, in this instance daddy didn't fart, but thanks for telling mommy.

"Hi peas"

Just wanted to say a quick hello before you went into my tummy...

inspired spaces

I find myself thinking about interior spaces more and more these days. With an illustration and design background it is natural that I am drawn to other creative outlets, but thinking about interiors specifically is new for me. Perhaps it is the fact that I find myself and our family of four (7 if you count the furballs) to be outgrowing our current space. Perhaps it is just that I watch too much HGTV. Probably both. The fact is I want to create a beautiful space for myself and my family that has less superfluous stuff and more of the cool stuff.

Either way, I am inspired to do something about it when we move, (hopefully that will be soon) a fresh start to decorate the way I have always wanted to. What has always stopped me in the past is that there was never a budget for decorating and there certainly isn't one now, but I have decided to solve this problem with a mix of flea market finds and more budget friendly items. I have never been a big flea market fan, I am not great at sorting through everything for that one great find, but I am a designer and isn't that what we do? After a fun first trip to the Alemany Flea Market I have decided to go back. I have to wait two weeks since this weekend is M's 2nd birthday, but I am excited to see what kinds of things I can find.

 

Of course, one of my main problems right now is clutter. The dreaded clutter. Not just kid clutter, but adult clutter, EVERYWHERE. One might argue that going to a flea market and buying stuff is just that, stuff. Stuff to add to the clutter. Yes, yes, it is, but it will all come together when we move right?

Until then, I can spend my free time imagining the possibilities and designing things in my mind.  Enjoy these images of spaces that I found inspiring, and clutter free.