in the shop

Getting items listed on etsy with 3 kids home can take longer than you want, but I got 2 more shirts up this morning, Yeah! I am liking this new design with the modern trees and our little bird we use a bunch. Very cute!

In other sewing updates:

Kate's first day of preschool is just around the corner and I had to make her a little bag to carry! She is always toting around my huge purses and dragging them across the ground. Now she has her own little creation to put her treasures in. As well as her diapers, change of clothes and other school things :)

The boys each had one when they were in preschool too and they are still much loved today. I love how sewing can also bring back memoires of that time in our lives when they were made.

Off for a day of swimming and friends! Hope you have a good one too!

shop update

New items coming to the shop this week! So far the bibs are all on there and tomorrow I will list some new shirt designs and another new design I have been working on for some time. Here are some pictures. Check back soon to see the finished result!

rain

When your husband works for himself, he works a lot and a lot of weekends as well. I had our Saturday totally planned out so I could get out of the house and totally wear the kids out at the pool for several hours. So much for my planning because I never checked the weather and we woke up to rain. We ended up at home most of the day but I couldn't resist snapping a shot of Kate in her puddle boots. The kids had fun splashing around and once the sun did come out, I had lost the energy to make it to the pool! I guess being flexible is always good in parenting.

We did have to take a trip to see dad at work just to get out for a little while and bug him! Oh, and stop for ice cream because I am addicted to it ;)

::etsy love::

I have lots of fun and maybe spend a little too much down time looking at all the cool stuff on etsy. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites from time to time.
First up is Sarah Jane Studios. I recently came across this artist and fell in love with her simple, sweet design for kids. Her pictures remind me of a well loved book and the gentle innocence that is childhood.
I am in the works of dreaming up my little girl's , big girl room. Soon we will be moving her into a big bed and there are lots of things I want to do to spruce up her space. I got these 3 prints to frame and will take it from there. I have lots of ideas to make some appliqued pillows, and other art projecyd to make it a fun and inviting room as she grows.
Sarah Jane has lots of gorgeous prints for girls and boys as well as some stationery too. She also has a blog where you can learn more about the designer.

thanks bloesem kids!

A big thank you to Irene from Bloesem Kids for including Olliekate today on her super blog! Click on the picture of our products above to go to the article if you want to read the whole thing!

"B:Kids...is "about" design for kids...all the things I love and like for the young ones...I hope this summary will make your life easier in finding something nice for your own child, for your family or just to get some inspiration.."

We are honored to be included among such cool artists!

say what???

Today was ear tube day for Grayson. This being his second round of tubes since he has still been suffering with ear infections and poor hearing. We got there bright and early and after a couple hours of waiting, 20 minutes of surgery and about the same in recovery, we were back home! He did super, was very brave and has been pretty back much back to his old self by this evening. The best part of the whole event was the "giggle juice" that anesthesia gave to him. He was so loopy and had Kevin and I rolling on the floor in tears laughing! We asked for some more to take home, but the doc said that was against policy ;)
My mom was here to help out with everyone during the surgery and decided to start Kate on the potty. Now we are armed with a dozen Elmo undies and a little girl that thinks peeing = jelly beans! Thanks Mom Mom , we will keep working on it!

finding your creativity

Right now I am reading a book I happened upon at B&N last week. I have seen this book on the soulemama website and thought about getting it, but was weary of the feeling of incompetence that I may get from not being the "super mom", that this mama seems to me. But I was wrong and so far I am really enjoying this book. I often have this nagging thought of "slow down, watch them be kids", and this book is all about that. It is not a list of impossible, frustrationg projects, it is rather a reminder that all the creative imagination we can have is already inside us. Our kids are the reminders, the teachers. They may need a little gentle guidance to get lost in that creativity from time to time, but my kids just suck it up when I get involved too.

Today we did one of the ideas in the book that was about gratitude. Listing the letters in the alphabet, we sat around and thought of what we were thankful for that began with that letter. Homeschool mom, I am not!, but hey I can handle this. The 8 y.o. was cautious and skeptical. By about the letter F he was joining in on the fun. Some of their answers were silly, some sweet, some too crude to include but it was pretty cool. Then we took it one step further and each made pictures of the things on our list. Even little bit got involved working on her new love of drawing circles.

They scattered to the 4 winds when we were done, but for that 1/2 hour, a lot of creativity was found.

Now to finish the book for more ideas, inspiration and pause for a busy life with 3 kiddos!

me & my girl

My little sweet girl is almost 2 and I can hardly believe it! She is turning into quite the character and oh how she is lovin her mommy too. We are attached at the hip. I have a special realtionship with all my kids of course, but there is something between mother/daughter that I always wished i could experience from this end of things. I am so thankful!

summer fun

With only 4 weeks of summer left, it leaves me wondering where on earth dd it go. Days spent at our local pool, a trip to the beach,playdates and lots of backyard play can speed on by.

We took a pause today to enjoy the kids' newest enjoyment: catching butterflies (which are mostly moths) but all the same they are entranced. Our echinacea plants have been overtaken by dozens of these fluttering insects and the kids are delighted. They can catch them, put them in the baby pool (because they will fly out Mom!) and have named most of them as well. I love to watch how curiosity takes shape.

Oh, I wish summer could last much longer!

welcome!

Well, I am hopping on the blog train, so to speak. I often read other friends' blogs and even people I have never met, and have fun gaining new ideas, seeing beautiful sewing projects etc. What a fun way to share our life with friends and family near and far. We would love to hear from you too!
Away we go...!