Watercolor for cloth diapers

I place a little ad in my craftster signature saying I'd do anything for a batch of cloth diapers... Well, some gentle lady wanted to trade! She's making me a whole set of cloth diapers, from new-born to potty training, and I had to do wall art for her. She asked for something cheery, colorful, fun and bright. She also said she loved the color orange and jellyfishes. So I went for a seacreature theme.


Close-ups

The Turtle Family


The seahorse with Mommy Octopus and baby

Starfish and Jellyfish


Crab and goldfish with baby

The Crab is a design I draw often, sew on my baby cloths, etc. I even have it tattooed on my shoulder and it has a name: Butterbeer! :P


6 month old Mariann modeling a Butterbeer onesie

The octopus is usualy his companion, and his name is Fantomp. I don't have names for the rest of the little gang though...


size 1 baby sneaker on sell here

The canvas are shipping of to Ontario tomorrow, so we'll see in 5 days if she'll like them of not! *cross fingers*

From ugly and old sweater to a lovely pillow

I took an old and worn out Princess sweater (I don't even like princess)

And made yet another pillow to add to Mariann's pillow collection

Another month has passed

image from here

I feel really serene and peaceful today. The weather by the window isn't all that sunny, but it doesn't snow or ran, and trees barely moves.

I'm pretty advance on the assignment I gave myself, both my Ostara swap are mostly done, and so is the 4 canvas I agreed to paint in exchange of a whole kit of diaper cloths.

Image from this thread

She's making me newborns, medium, large and even 2 potty training ! Those are for a friend of hers, I'll post mine when I get them. 24 of them! O_O Almost all of them will be all-in-one, and some with pads for the nights. They look so fun and comfy! ahah

She's going to open a shop on etsy, I'll post the link when she opens it.

I'm also doing a batch of felt chocolate bunny, and I'll post a tutorial for them on my play food blog.

I've also transformed an old jacket of mine into a pretty long coat for my toddler
and we had a photoshot (she loves that). Here's my little witch in her witchy coat (she like mommy's!)

Papa says she looks like she's floating in it. She loves it and loves the freedom to run around without huge snowsuit constraint.... And to make mommy exercise a bit!

Mariann presents the Long Jacket

I had to cut the sleeves and loose the cuffs.




But everything else fitted pretty well :)

She totaly loves it and feel SO grown up to have a coat like mommy!

As we went shopping, people stopped by to look at her :)

From adult long jacket to Toddler long jacket

I've been browsing MADE way too much recently and been inspirated to reconstruct a coat that I don't like anymore (and that my BF hates...) to a pretty little girl coat.

I've started with this:

in all its missing buttons and unzipping zipper glory...

And I've turned it into this:



It now has a hood :)

I've taken the whole thing apart and used a 18month spring coat to roughly have a pattern for the back. I've taken out the cowl, the pockets and the zipper, and I have used the cut out bottom to make a hood. So now it looks a lot like the winter coat I bought recently to replace this one.

I'm pretty sure it'll be too big, but I won't resist taking pics anyway!

It's the first proper piece of clothing that I make. Must admit that sleeve ins't the easy part!
thanks for looking!

Day ?: Pâté chinois

First, there's nothing chinese about this recipe, and it's not even a pâté.

Then why is it called Pâté chinois?
When they built the CN track they engaged lots of asian, and their regular lunch meal was the recipe I'm about to show you.
It's easy, cheaps, and really good.

Ingrédients:
2L of steak
1 can of cream corn
1 can of nibblets
4-5 good size potatoes
half an onion

What to do:
Peel and cut your potatoes, boil them, smash them, reserve.
Cook your steak with your chopped onion. Take a pyrex and put your meat.

Open your cans and put them on the meat.

Put your smashed potatoes on that

Put in oven at 350F for 15 min or so

Enjoy!

Morning Ritual

image from here

Now that I have a daugther that is almost always sleeping through the night, and waking up at 7 am (not bad, uh?) I don't have much other choice then getting up with her, as she won't stay in bed with us like she used to from 5 am.

So we wake up, she usualy find cloth for me to wear that I thrown on the floor the previous night, and of we go to eat some bio-organic cereals and a spread of homemade caramel, with a banana or dried cranberries (those are like candies for Mariann!)

But I'd like to incorporate something more spiritual. Waking up that early is fairly new to me, I was used to get up late for school, work, etc... I had no self-discipline. At all.

But now it's changing, and I find myself wanting to get up after a good night of sleep (where my baby didn't wake up crying at 3 am). I also need to eat early in morning. So I have way more energy.

But I want something more. I want to meditate, and do some yoga. Yoga is best done before eating but my baby is hungry when she wakes up. So I need to compromize... I'm done disciplined enough to get up before her! As for meditation... I don't think I could either...

Does anyone of you meditate, even when having a toddler around?
Do you have any morning ritual?

Leg Warmers!

Today I've stubble upon a wonderful site, Homemade by Jill who shared in a older post a baby leggin tutorial she found here. It says 10 min, and it really does take 10 minutes to do.

I took an new pair of knee socks I had for a long time, never weared them, and it gaves this:

Good looking, eh?

Action shot; Mariann loves to be barefeet. I do too. If only spring could come and warm up our floor!

Herbs

Thanks to my lovely friend Karen, my herb stash went from inexistant to consistant :)

I found really nice but yet too small jars for them, I still need 4 more. Karen is so practical she had written the herbs on sticking labels, which I was happy to use. I've also translated some in french because they ain't word I use often... To learn that I knew was the plant was and used for, once in French :P

I'm looking for bigger jars now. I don't want to use masson jars, but it might be my only answer...

What do you put your herbs in?

Feeling for change

Ostara is coming and I definitly feel the need to welcome spring. I've change my altar a bit, putting on the gorgeous cloth Karen did for me :) I also brought out some pastel colored candles. It's too early for Ostara deco but I felt like encouraging spring a bit. I've changed some items, added the offering bowl again given by Karen.

This little box is very appropriate for this time of the year. I actually put it on my altar at Yule. It's says "Make a wish and you will see, a Sunny day it means to be" and you must place a penny in it. I love it cause it's my sister that bought it for my 11th bday.
And every one wants Sunny days this time of the year! :)

Day 8: Pantry Essentials

Here's what I always keep on hand:

-Italians herb mix, which I throw mostly everywhere.
(basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, persil) And some various other herbs

-1 or 2 can of Eaglebrand (or a cheapest brand if not in special)

-A can of mixed bean, I use to throw them in couscous

-Cans of vedgie cream, add pasta and you got a potable lunch

-Pasta of all kind

- 2% Milk (we drink it too much!)

-Butter

-Couscous

-Vedgies

-Fruits


-Mapple Syrup

-Olive oil

-Cake mix, for whenever I feel like eating cake!

-Flour, brown sugar, white sugar... All those basic

-Corn Stach

-Chicken and Beef broth

-Natural Peanut Butter, because the BF can't start a day without it.. Can you beleive he eats 2 jars a week??

Things I'd like in our master

Some white beddings (wish I had such a nice wall feature...)


I like metal bedframes, too (wish I had those floors and ceiling!)


Some nice pillows too. Did you remark that the side table is completely off in this pic...?


A writer desk. A: for my BF's studies or B: to turn into my craft station.
Both will turn into mess anyway... From censational girl.
She took an ordinary table and turned it into this.

that really cheap crib is from sears. I want the crib, not the beddings...

Imbolc Swap; or Having a friend :)

What K.Michele sent me

I live in a french province were magic and witchcraft never really been part of history. We burned no witches, we hung no crazy cat lady, we never had slaves and their religions. Pretty boring, uh?

Pretty much every one here consider themselves non-practician Catholic, meaning: they go to church for baptism, marriage, funeral, and they don't care much about what christmas and Easter means.

So it's really hard, when you find a spiritual path other then this, to find people alike. There's some in Québec city (3h of car away) and there's even coven in Montréal (8h of car away). But in Montréal, there's a lot of english-speakers, so it explains the covens.

You just can't find a good book on paganism eslewhere then internet (oh, thanks gods for internet!!) And same goes for ritual tools

So when I found on a forum (craftster) a group of people actually craft pagan stuff and swap them, I was delight! I signed up, in the hope of making friends. My wish was exaused. I found an amazing friend in the person of K.Michele. Someone I can talk about everything, even the laundry batches I wash in a day. Being able to talk about my path with sensibly someone like me did me really good on a sanity level, so I thank K.Michele for poping into my life!

image taken from google

Flowers come and go...

image taken here

I have one single rose that is head down in my closet, drying.
I took it from one of the many bouquet there was.
One of them had baseball bats in it, cause she was a team captain of baseball in her town. People were nice, there was some speaches, including her brother, co-worker, and the town mayor.

What I couldn't stand was the priest. The ceremony was about Lucie, not Jesus, god damn!

I cryed less than I thought, I was so annoyed by what the priest said! All the pre-made ceremony was so unpersonal, uh!

And there was some old ladies knowing every word by heart, every song and such. The kind of ladies that have nothing better to do then go to every single funeral.

But. I was there for my cousin. She was glad I was there. I made her laugh a lot.
She made me sat behind her, even if I technicly isn't "close" family to her mother. She made me sat next to her uncle that lives 8h aways. We hadn't seen him for 10 years and he and his wife didn't recognize me. She looked at me like I was some kind of friend of my cousin that had no place there. I think she realised I was wrong when I cried as much and as loud as my cousin. When she saw I was crying way much then her own children. And when Marie told them that she had spent her childhood with me, we grew up together and she considered me her sister. I knew my aunt. I knew her very well and I'm going to miss her.

She was slowly entering her crone age with all the wisedom and respect for life it takes. But she was just 44.

So now it's time to move on.
I'll start writting about happier stuff from now on :)

What to expect?

image taken here

Tomorrow will be one of those day you don't know what to expect.
I was exited to get to Wenesday Feb 10th some weeks ago, because I have a mid-wife appointment at 10h30 am. We'll have the same midwife we got for my first daughter, and I'm glad cause we had a great relation ship. Last time she saw Mariann, she was 6 weeks old! Can't wait to show her how beautiful, full of life, curious and intelligent she is now. I also can't wait to hear my other baby's heart. We didn't hear it quite well last time.

But then my mom told me the funeral are for tomorrow afternoon. Luckily I don't have to replace my appointment. So after a morning or joy and retrouvaille, I'll spend an afternoon of sadness and retrouvaille. I know I'll cry so much my eyes will hurts for days; I know that every single word any person will say in front of me (ok, maybe not the priest's words) will affect me. I know there will be lots of people that will come to say goodbye. I know I'll miss her, I know the time will maybe make me cry less, but I will never forget the good memories.

Inspiration: Master bedroom pics

As many decoration website there is, I find really few bedroom image that I actually like.




But it certainly helps define what I like, and what I don't like

Likes: Whites, paler tones, soft fabric, texture, wood, painted wood and overhall calm and country feel

I also found that I truly dislike modern, contemporary, über simple design. I need something welcoming!

It also seems like I don't like bold graphic that much, but I still love flower, stripes and plaid patterns

I am SO country....

image taken on sites like houzz and bhg... I don't remember which goes where, sorry.

Lost.

image taken here

It's the first time I feel such a lost. I find it really hard to handle. I'm in physical pain since Friday. My chest, my back and my head hurts a lot, all the time. I don't sleep really well, I'm tired, and my morning sickness came back.

That aunt never was my real blood aunt. She was the mother of my cousin, but she was separated from her father for a really long time, maybe 2 years after my cousin was born. Her name was Lucie. She was the one taking care of me when my mom worked, since I was 6 month old. I would sleep over hers every Saturday. She was the person making the best crêpes I ever taste. She was the only one forcing me to brush my teeth. I'd wake up on every Ostara to find decorated eggs and plushes on our breakfast table. Cause she was the kind to prepared the breakfast table before going to sleep, so all we needed to do was to get the milk out of the fridge.

Together, my mother and her helped each other, as they were both single mothers. She went back to school at 40 and worked as a secretary in a hospital.

She did so much in her local home town that the current major wants to give her name to something in the town; a new park, perhaps. She was in all the comity there was and she was really attached to her heirlooms.

She was a positive person, generous and comprehensive. I'll truly miss her. A lot.

The Will Spell

I don't do spell often, but a little before Yule, I made one.

image taken here

I wanted to re-enforce my will. I'm a lazy girl; I can't seem to get up early, I don't fold the laundry right away... I avoid washing the dishes, I postpone home project... You see what I mean.

I did a really simple spell; I've lighten my altar, cast a circle, called the corner, and asked the Goddess for some will. I thanked her, the corners, sent the energy back and it was done.

And for the past week I really see it worked. House is cleaner, I did some stuff I needed to do in the house, and there's never more then one load to fold. The dishes are clean, too! All that because I have more will to get up on the morning.

I had really bad news about my aunt yesterday. She had a brain surgery to remove a tumor.
They first told us she was dead. Some hours later, they told us she was an induce coma with severe brain damage. if she can breath by her own mean when they wake her up, she will most probably stay in a vegetative state for the rest of her life. She's 44. Maybe she's dead for real as I'm writing, I'll only have news tonight.

You can understand I didn't felt like doing much today... Yet I got up, did my chores and took care of my baby. With a lot of pain in my chest, by I did it.

If you feel lazy, ask for will, it really help!

Finding inspiration; Master Bedroom

This a a rough floor plan of what need to be put in our master:

-An office Desk
-A Queen Bed
-A Crib
-A rocker
-2 nightstands
-A dresser

The weird lines is because the hgtv.ca floor planner doesn't allow to add walls...

I'm working hard to find inspiration; seems like nothing is reaching me. I love beachy, costal, traditional and shabby chick, but in every pictures there's something i don't like. And most of the time the site are plain anoying...

Any site to suggest me?

What's up with Harry Potter?

Really?

Image taken here

I went to witchvox yesterday and 2 of the featured articles were about him (or Her as in J.K.Rowling) and the week before there was one too....talking about how bad, or not, the books and movies are, or cautiously examinating everything she wrote, every aspect of the books, every philosophy and such.

Hey, it's Fiction! It's not the new Scott Cunningham's. Stop analyzing it like it was a new bible or something.

Yes, these are great books. I'm a total fan. Obsessed. I craft a lot of stuff inspired by the stories. She used historical facts and commune legends in a very good way. The story is very well written, the characters are true and we bond easily. There's a great moral in it.

What I don't get is that it's taking a greater place in the pagan community.
Like it was a new tradition... It's a fascinating fiction. Not a new witchcraft tradition, please!