a month of softies: alice in wonderland

Finally finished my Pig-Baby tonight...nothing like the last minute. I had a bit of help from my littles again. This little piggy had a nice coat of green paint to begin with, thank you very much dear Logan. The pig-baby is made from muslin, painted with several layers of paint and then sanded to expose the different colors used. I used a bit of vintage petticoat lace to make the bonnet and diaper.

If you would like to read a quick bit about the Pig-Baby and his wretched Duchess mum, you will need to follow here: "CLICK ME".

i want to paint too...

Logan loves to paint (anything that can't get away from him). Last Thursday we had a Logan and Mom paint session during Caleb's nap.

Caleb likes to paint too, but he doesn't care if the subject doesn't want to be or shouldn't be painted...all the more fun to hear Mom shriek about the fresh foliage green paint all over the one square inch that isn't covered by a smock. Thus, we wait for his naptime to attempt such projects.

I usually give Logan a few options as to what he wants to paint, i.e. a papier mache box, a sheet of cardboard or kraft paper or wooden odds and ends. He gets to choose his color palette and then we get started. If I paint with him I will normally paint the same thing he does as he prefers congruousness right now.

This go-round we painted papier mache boxes and he chose various shades of green and a nice Christmassy red. He tends to paint layers upon layers of color, sometimes smooth and other times sort of thick and gloppy. Some times he uses only the brush and other times he uses his fingers. It's always interesting (not to mention heart-crushingly cute) to watch him sit back and think about the next color or technique. I painted some stripes around the edge of the lid and he decided that his box was finished so we set it aside to dry. While we waited for it to dry I sanded down my box to distress it and Logan decided that we must do the same to his as well. And so we did.

With all the layers and texture on the box sanding it a bit really made it pop. After he deemed it well sanded we put on our vinyl gloves and rubbed on some paste wax. I am partial of course, but, I really love the way it turned out. Here are some pictures of his box for show and tell.

because you can never have too much paper...

I don't do "traditional" scrapbooking. Instead, I work on individualized collages and the like. No albums, unless I make them myself, soup to nuts. Anyway, my reason for this post is to gush and fawn over this new line of paper I have discovered.

BasicGrey.com has a TON of simply divine collections of paper. I am totally smit.

My favorite collections are Vagabond, Lollipop Shoppe, and Sublime. I think I like Lollipop Shoppe and Sublime a little more due to the reds and pinks and greens, but especially this item, because I am SUCH a sucker for polka dots and this item, because who doesn't love a huge magnolia (looking?) flower?

Can't wait to order a swath of stuff from these lines. DROOL!

illustration friday: sorrow

This week's theme is sorrow. I almost skipped this week because I don't particularly like to dwell too much on sorrow and agony as there is already so much affliction everywhere these days. Then I thought don't be a wuss, suck it up and see what you come up with...before we have to call the waaahmbulance. Sometimes I have to be a little harsh with myself, ha-ha. Anyway, without further ado here are my two (from none to two, go figure):







I used the S C R I B B L E R courtesy of zefrank.com. I have to say it made the topic much more fun to work on! Besides the SCRIBBLER, there is enough interesting stuff on his site to keep you occupied for DAYS. Check it out when you have a minute or a couple hours!

flowers from aunt doot...

I took it me forever to get this picture uploaded. These flowers came last Thursday(?) and they are still, STILL, beautiful. She ordered them from ProFlowers.com.

I have to say, I am pretty impressed with this particular online florist. Exceptionally packaged for shipping AND really beautiful, top notch flowers too. Normally you think you're sending what's in the photo on the site and the arrangement ends up being really shoddy.

Sometimes these charlatans get away with it, that is unless one of the Proff girls is doing the ordering. I always make sure that my recipient takes a quick pic and emails it to me so I know I got my money's worth and they are happy with the order too. If not, well then, Mr. Florist, prepare for the wrath of Amy Proff Lyons. If I cannot convey to you in an email my displeasure with your product I will most certainly call you and explain to you my extreme dissatisfaction. After that I will most certainly file a complaint with your local Better Business Bureau if the situation is not properly resolved. Does my behavior rectify the situation? So far I am three for three.

Anyway, thank you, Katie, for the gorgeous flowers! We are all enjoying them. Even Lynn (he says you put him to shame).

my name is amy and i'm a fabriholic...

If it ever comes down to feeding my children or buying fabric, I would of course feed the boys, but I would figure out a way to buy some fabric too. I have not stepped foot in a brick and mortar fabric store in ages, AGES. It's a sad fact that I can hardly resist buying a beautiful piece of fabric especially if it's right there AND I can touch it. I have a MUCH easier time controlling myself while browsing online for fabric.

A couple times a year I will participate in a FabShop Hop. Primarily because of the slim chance that I MIGHT win a new Bernina sewing machine. I'll have you know I whisper that because I don't want my sweet little eighteen-ish year old Bernina Sport to have its feelings hurt. It really is a great machine, it survived me and all my early abuse to it and, so far, has survived all of Logan's abuse too. (Think buttons put in the thread treadle and sharpie marker art all over). I also like to do the shop hop because I will occasionally run across a new shop or a really REALLY good deal on something.

Here are a couple shops I found on one shop hop or another:
Sue Spargo - I really love her color sense and of course her designs. A must see in my book.

Cabbage Rose Quilting - The folks at this shop are so nice to work with and they have a really broad selection of fabrics to choose from. Plus they have a yarn shop too. Gotta love killing two birds with one stone. PLUS I just noticed that Amy Butler offers flannel now! I guess I'll be whipping myself up some extra cute 'jama bottoms in the near future.

Now I am going to bed before the skies REALLY open up. Flash flood warnings and big thunder boomers for us right now.

did you know...

March 1st is national Pig Day? That's just one odd tidbit I've come across while researching pigs for my softie this month. I've decided on the Duchess's Pig Baby. My first idea was to make one similar to the the pig baby in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers video, "Don't Come Around Here No More" (one of my all time favorite Tom Petty songs, by the way). Then I sat down to sketch a bit and came up with this little piggy:



As you can see, I had a little help from wee Caleb too. One of my favorite things in the world is collaboration with my little guys. Logan often helps choose fabrics and colors...more like vetos, poh.tay.toe poh.tah.toe. Caleb usually helps by adding his own line work to paper, cloth and even clay projects. Keeps life interesting to say the least. Anyway, I've decided I'm going to do a pancake style doll with appliqued features and such. I have NOT decided on a fabric yet, I wish I had enough wool in the right color, but I don't so I'll have to improvise. I do have the perfect fabric for the bonnet though.

I think I may also do a little piggy with a three panelled head too. An entire 'nuther' project simply because I came across bear artist, Deborah Beardsley Elertson, awhile back while roaming my local bookstore. I book marked her site when I got home and looked at it again today. When I saw this sweet little porcine pal,



I knew I had to at least TRY to design a three panel pig head. Well, it's time for me to get down to business at the sewing machine now. Maybe I'll have pictures to post tomorrow. Progress isn't as quick as it usually is these days...it takes me five times as long to gather my supplies and tools. I need to sew myself a big catch all pouch to wear around my neck! I have some Kaffe Fassett fabric that begs to be made into a pouch for the gimpy momma.

my left foot...

is in what I have dubbed the "cyborg" boot. For some reason this adds an air of intrigue and mystery for my three year old, Logan. He LOVES the Teen Titans and is well versed in all their skills and most adventures. So now, Mom's cyborg boot is topic of many discussions. He spent most of Thursday afternoon taking pictures of it from different angles. It's amazing the bliss a 256 MB memory card brings a little boy. I got such a kick out of watching him frame up his shots and then wait to see how each pic turned out.

"OH, this one's nice, Mom."
"Augh, too bright."
"Tsk, too close on that one."

My mom took some pics of him taking pics...just too cute if you ask me.

illustration friday: flight

For this week's Illustration Friday topic, I present to you a somewhat sappy digitally collaged journal page.


Click on the image for a larger view.

After I drew the wings out I was inspired to draw an angel to go along with them, but betwixed and amongst the untold fortune we'll be spending on radiology services, $300 visits to the orthopedic surgeon and me just trying to adjust to my new found immobility I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Perhaps this weekend? Hopefully.

This week's topic has spun off some really fantastic images. Grab a cup of your favorite poison, sidle on up to your computer desk and check out all the entries...

Here are my favorites (the ones I remembered to bookmark anyway): this one has the neatest clouds, this one has an interesting composition, this one has great colors and contrast, the perspective on this one is so cool, this one just makes me smile, the line work on this one amazes me, and this one is a really wonderful spin on the topic.

why is it...

that as soon as I am incapacitated Caleb decides to start climbing banisters and Logan suddenly amps up his selective hearing? My saint of a mother is on her way up here as I type and I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow so it's going to be less stressful very soon. THANK GOD! I have a new, much greater appreciation for my mobility. My current lack of mobility SUCKS!!! It sucks in five foot tall capital, bold faced letters.

there is a first time for everything...

and today's first, actually, yesterday's first is me breaking my effing left foot. Lynn, being the ever dutiful husband, stopped by Target on the way home for milk (and valentines). When he arrived home we were all up stairs so he put his shopping bags down on the counter (next to the stove) and made his way upstairs too. After fifteen minutes or so of giggling and rough housing with the boys all the fire alarms start going off simultaneously and one second after that I smelled melting plastic.

I'm not one for running, especially down the stairs, but at that moment I'm pretty sure I levitated down the stairs. That is until my foot landed on the foyer tile. Upon stepping on my left foot, I rolled onto the outside of it, thought to myself, "that's not going to be good," and proceeded into the kitchen to extinguish the three effing feet of flames lapping up onto my venthood. As it turns out I left the cutting board on one of the burners (BRILLIANT) and Lynn placed at least one of his bags on the knobs (beyond brilliant) and viola: first floor with smoke billowing, wretched burnt chemical smell and, AND, my first ever broken bone (after managing to be break free for THIRTY years).

Thank God it's only a (possibly, not yet confirmed it is confirmed now, ugh) broken foot and not a burned to the ground house! Happy Saint Valentine's Day to us!

an obituary to remember...

Grumpa Ric sent this to me today.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Mr. Common Sense. Mr. Sense had been with us for many years as our everyday guide. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such value lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn't always fair. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge).

His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well-intentioned but outrageous regulations were set in place: reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsening his condition.

Mr. Sense declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student; but, could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, spilled a bit in her lap, and was awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion, his daughters, Responsibility and Tolerance, and his sons, Reason and Logic. He is survived by three step children: My Rights, Mee First, and Ima Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on; if not, join the majority and do nothing.

back to normal...

almost. The wedding went off without a hitch, except for Caleb FREAKING THE EFF OUT when the lights went down in the planetarium. It was only for a couple minutes, but they were definitely the longest freakin' couple of minutes I've experienced in a long time.

**LOGAN. Logan is sitting here assisting me with this entry..."Write my name! Write my name!"**

The cookies were a hit. The invitations to the brunch were a hit. The brunch went as planned too. I made cranberry scones, among other things, and they were a huge hit. Here's the recipe if you want to give it a stab:

Cranberry Scones Recipe
(from Whitegate Inn by the Sea, Mendocino, California)

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (I used the orange flavored type)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup butter
2 lemons-grated rind

Instructions:
Mix flour and other dry ingredients together. Beat butter until creamy, add sugar and eggs. Beat until fluffy, add dry ingredients then add buttermilk. Fold in cranberries and lemon zest. Mix well. Using an ice cream scoop, place mounds of dough on cookie sheet, brush tops with buttermilk, and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in hot oven of 350 degrees for 22 minutes.

The next week will be spent trying to get my kids back on some kind of schedule again. GROAN. That and a quick trip to the pediatrician too. Caleb whacked his eye on the elliptical walker FIVE minutes before we were leaving for the ceremony. After looking at it today, he might need a tetanus shot and we probably should have taken him for stitches, but it's too late for that now. Live and learn, people, live and learn.

happy birthday, aunt doot...

Just imagine them singing "happy birpday to you! happy birpday to you! happy birpday dear Aunt Dooo-hoot, happy birpday to you!" amidst all that frenetic movement.

illustration friday: the year of the rooster

I have to post my submission for this week's Illustration Friday topic today because otherwise I will end up forgetting all about it.



Not very original, I know, but I'm taking a mulligan this week due to my hosting duties and whatnot required for my sister-in-law's wedding this weekend.

seeing stars...

Well, folks, it's wedding week number one here at the Lyons' Den and I have just spent the last SEVEN hours baking and decorating what seems like thousands of giant sugar cookie stars. They are everywhere, all over every one of my kitchen counters and my dining room table.



You might be thinking, "wow, that's an awful lot of cookies to be making all by one's lonesome," but fret not, I have had help by the boat load. I am ever so thankful for the assistance...even more so for the silence I have been temporarily granted.

For the most part the cookies look really good. Yes, there are a few dark ones scattered here and there, but that's simply because we managed to break at least 25% of the cookies. Not all the icing is as perfect as I would like it to be, but we'll call that the spice of life and get on with it. All we have to do now is wait for the icing to harden, that's it, just the icing to harden. Then we'll be able to tuck them into their cute little cello bags along with star maps for the month of February. Simple right? Ha!

Imagine a giant red button in the middle of an empty white room. That big red button? Well, you can't touch it. Absolutely no touching of the big red button, EVER. You want to touch it don't you? I know you do. I would. That's the scenario my little monsters are suffering through at the moment. Miles and miles of delicious cookies...as far as the eye can see...and they can't have even one. The fourteen dozen red-headed bastard stepchildren cookies aren't good enough, the boys only want the pretty ones. The broken cookies are just as tasty as the ones they can't have, only those they can have. ARRRRRRRRGH. Jack Daniels, take me away!

a one man symphony...

If this doesn't make you at least grin...well, you must be dead inside. Stumbled upon this link via a fabulous bead maker and jewelry designer's site. Take a minute to browse Alicia's site. I think you'll find her use of color and organic style is divine. One day I'll have enough disposable income that I could maybe outbid one of her regulars and actually OWN some of her work! It's a small wish, but a girl can dream, right?

i made these just for you...

Just click on the image to go to the page with the .pdf files you'll need to download. I'm going to put the images on a few things at my Cafepress shop to go along with the claddagh image as well. I know it's totally last minute valentine stuff, but the images are nice and springy too, so they'll carry themselves through to summer I think.

illustration friday: friendship

I found this week's theme to be a challenge. There are about a million and one directions to go with this topic. I'd start thinking of a version to work up and the more I thought about it the more complicated it would become. While dozing off to sleep Tuesday night I chanted a list of synonyms for friendship: affinty, loyalty, love, etc. Finally the claddagh image came to mind. I don't think it was a wakeful epiphany because I forgot about it temporarily. There I sat at my desk yesterday, staring at a blank piece of paper, with that feeling in my gut that I knew I had had a good idea but I just couldn't think of it. I started chanting synonyms again and voila! Here it is, my contribution for friendship:

inoculation...

Caleb had his fifteen month check-up today. All is either at or above target...I feel like I got a row of gold stars by my name, not that I have all that much to do with it. Caleb has really received the short end of the stick on cognitive training in comparison to what Logan had at the same age. But rest assured, where Ma and Pa slack off, big brother jumps right in, teaching his little grasshoppa all the ninja toddler ways. On top of all that the kid is a total DIY guy. Not getting his drink quick enough, he'll get it himself, thank you very much. Discuss bathtime at breakfast and then get sidetracked with big brother, no problem, he'll start his own bath.


(Yes, I had a mini stroke when I found him here.)

May I tell you what a trooper this kid is? The doctor did the normal poking and prodding, quizzing and lecturing and afterward one of his nurses came in to administer Caleb's vaccinations. Normally this is melt down time...three-"why is mommy grabbing my hands?" two-"why are these crazy *insert expletive here* grabbing my legs?" one-"what is that stabbing pain in my thighs!?!" and blast off-wailing baby complete with the gut wrenching, stab you in the heart, studder sniffles too. Well, not today. This tank of a child winced only a bit, gave the nurse the stink-eye and then hopped up ready to put his (new) jeans (thanks, Aunt Patty!) back on and hit the road. Then to really show off how manly a boy he is he decided not to take any naps today either. Sigh. That's one thing I can usually look forward too on shot days...all day naps from the wee one. Apparently that is now a by gone era.

Somewhere along the way today, I managed to get my Illustration Friday submission down on paper, digitized and colored. I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I'll get it uploaded tomorrow when I have a minute or two. After completing it, I decided to use it on some items in my Cafepress shop.



I am totally exhausted. Off to bed with me.