on-hand modern

Monday Magic

Could you use a little magic this Monday? It's as easy as assembling a few ordinary household items...

Tickets:

• Colored index cards
• Markers
• Box

Props:

• Construction paper
• Tape
• Star stickers
• Clear cup
• Envelope
• Quarter
• Magic wands (a pencil and a toothpick, each wound with black/white tape)

Wardrobe and Set:

• Large doorway
• 2 curtain panels
• Plastic stars (optional)
• 1 magician's cape (no cape? a towel will do in a pinch)

And presto! Now for the main event...

Amazing Tricks*:

1. Pulling a large wand from a too-small envelope
2. Making a wand jiggle
3. Vanishing a coin and making it reappear

Hint: a little showmanship goes a long way... 

 

*A magician never reveals her secrets, but for instructions on how to do these tricks and more, see this book.

What *not* to say to a pregnant woman...

Should-Have-Kept-Her-Mouth-Shut #1:

"Hi there. When are you due? Really? Me too. Wow, you are so much bigger than I am."

Should-Have-Kept-Her-Mouth-Shut #2:

"Aren't you about to have that baby soon? No? Huh. That's funny. I mean--not to be rude--but the reason I ask is that you're bigger than so-and-so and she only has two weeks left."

Oooo-kay.

So I'm huge.

There I said it. And, for the most part, I'm okay with it. (Repeat Hypnobabies daily pregnancy affirmation after me: "I love my pregnant body and accept it everyday." Good.)

But, let's be honest, I must have been on some serious hormones when I thought it would be cool to make this: 

Call me a sucker for pretty pictures and beautiful styling...I am neither petite nor Asian, both of which must be requirements to pull off this look. The (mostly) finished dress is about as flattering as a hospital gown on this 5' 9" gestating body. Less, actually.

I have contemplated all manner of different ways to save it (a belt? (um, where?) different sleeve? turning it into a shirt?) but I think it is destined to be ripped apart and reincarnated into something else. A tablecloth, probably. Oh, well.

On the upside, my new sandals fit...

between the hours of 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM at least.

How was your weekend?

Most of ours was spent doing really glamorous and exciting things like organizing files (I can see the top of the microwave again!), building a raised bed for the children's garden (this has the potential to be very exciting, but not much to see yet, unless you count a bird's-eye view of the top of K's backside, which I admit is a less-thrilling prospect for some than it is for others), and--most glamorous of all--stripping the kitchen backsplash of an unsightly caulk job that has haunted me every.single.day.for.the.last.three.years. (No one to blame but ourselves for this one. Word to the wise: never use clear caulk. Ever. Bad idea.)

So instead I will share photos of *last* weekend--a quick road trip to St Louis, which I am now convinced is one of the most underrated, family-friendly cities in the US:

Most pictures by K.

• St Louis LDS Temple (beautiful)
• St Louis Science Center (fun and free)
• K's annual Easter Egg Hunt in our hotel room at the St Louis Marriott West (note the tiny pull-out bed--the hit of the trip)
• St Louis Zoo (again--free!)

Easter Outfits

I somehow neglected to take a single picture of the children actually *wearing* their Easter finery so you will have to use your imagination for models...

Pillowcase Dress--

I have made some version of this dress for three years running now...  

I suppose I should branch out, but it's so easy I keep coming back to it. There's a very good tutorial for a traditional pillowcase dress here. Or for a fresher take, Habitual has a free pattern with measurements up to a size 8. I followed this one loosely--cut the armholes a couple inches smaller (on purpose) and the length several inches shorter (not on purpose). The advantage to this pattern is that it has instructions for French seams (fancy, oui?) resulting in a very finished look:

A little tip for making the tie...if you make only the *ends* in a contrasting fabric and the middle in a fabric that matches the bodice of the dress, it won't show through the open casing on the opposite side. See?

Chimney Sweep Pants--

I did a pair of these last year too. Back then, I called them "high-waisted trousers" and my sister-in-law made fun of me, so "chimney sweep pants" it is.

This time I added pockets--a new experience for me. I like how they turned out--you can't even tell the straps are currently being held on by safety pins, can you? (Ha!) Okay, so they need a little finish work. But you get the idea. I think I am going to add a few more buttons too for a nautical look.

Flower Power Snap Cuff (for her)

This little bracelet makes me happy. And I hope it will make The Girl happy too. I suspect it will. After all, what self-respecting 6-year-old doesn't love to accessorize?

(And accessorize and accessorize...yeah, so girlfriend hasn't mastered the concept of "less is more" yet. Oh, well.)

 

The cuff + snaps + flowers idea is something I've had in my head for a while and finally got around to making. We've been listening to Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden on CD in the afternoons, so perhaps that inspired me.

The flowers are made of felt and (lovely!) vintage buttons. Each has a snap hand-sewn to the back so the wearer can mix and match to her heart's content.

These are really fun (and easy) to make--I need to buy more felt so I can continue to add to our spring garden.

Beanbag Memory Game (for him)

The children have been watching me make these Easter "surprises" for days now. I've been pulling them out during spare moments here and there.

I confess that hand-sewing 16 bags closed seemed a bit daunting at first, but as it turns out, it was, well, relaxing, actually. (Any excuse to lie down and put my cankles feet up.) Especially after learning the correct way to do it. (Doh.)

Handy links for hand-sewing-phobes like me:

• Hidden stitch
• How to bury a knot

These are small beanbags--2 inches square each, making them a great use of scrap fabric. I filled them with white rice, so I suppose a more accurate term for them would be "rice bags".

I love their diminutive size and the way they feel in my hands. I think The Boy will like them too. He has been stacking them up as I've finished each one, and I anticipate they will have many uses--stacking toy, matching game, math manipulative, doll action figure pillow, etc.

Coming up...

More (easy) hand-sewing. This time for her. Stay tuned!

Time to make the donuts

My oven broke. (Go ahead. Laugh. It's funny. Sort of.)

But never fear. Spring Spudnut-athon 2009 was not impacted. On the contrary, the long-standing family tradition of worldwide worship + gross overindulgence (recipe here) rose to new and exciting heights with the children's introduction of...

Interpretive Frying.

Perfect circles are so overrated...

I think it's the next big thing, don't you?

For your to-do list (3.0)

C'mon--you know you wanna. You probably even have the stuff on hand to make...

• Paint chip card holder by Design Verb
• Kidlet wall tote by JC Handmade
• T-shirt + tie by Merriment
• Perfect pita technique (could it be?) by Smitten Kitchen
• Modern paper lamp by ah-yi