everyday layette

I have created the perfect baby shower gift......personalized, unique, adorable and a total necessity for any new mom.
                                                                Introducing....

the everyday layette set

This set includes a bib,  burp cloths and a co-ordinating blanket the perfect size for swaddling a new little baby or laying on the ground for some tummy time.

all pieces fit so nicely in the envelope

To package these sets I have made a fabric envelope with a velcro closure and hand embroidered initial... how adorable is that?  The envelope can also be re-used in so many different ways after the gift is given.....I use one to keep all of Anthony's baby keepsakes in.

Because I use re-claimed fabric for all of my items each set is completely one of a kind and will set your gift apart from everyone else's.

I currently have 3 of these sets (of course different fabric combinations) for sale at Little Bird on Ottawa St but they are without fabric envelopes.  If you purchase one (or two or three)  of these sets just leave your purchase at Little Bird, message me,  and for no additional cost I will make you up an envelope with your requested initial and have the set back to little bird the next day (unless it is Sunday or MOnday....they are closed those days).

Shopping for baby shower gifts can be difficult (so much of the same stuff to chose from) so just make it easy on yourself and buy an everyday layette set!

HELLO!

How can you resist this bonnet?  Well I must admit the model is doing a great job of selling it!  This bonnet is a linen blend (made from re-claimed curtains and table cloth), is completely reversible and perfect for spring!  This particular bonnet is a medium so it will fit size 2-3 comfortably. 

As you can see my model is "oohing and ahhhing" over how comfortable, functional and cool this bonnet is.

I will be bringing this hat into Little Bird tomorrow and I'm pretty sure it will be tagged and on the floor by the weekend.

As always, I am ever so happy to do custom orders...my sizes of bonnets range from size xs (newborn) to adult.  If you are interested in a bonnet please email me directly or find me on facebook (see the sidebar).

Also if you are reading this blog and not already a fan of green thimble on facebook please press "like" at the top right of this page and you will be able to follow there.

Mjaddarah...where have you been all my life?

Mjaddarah:: cook some sort of long grain rice,  add lentils (canned or cooked), caramelize onions and add to beans and rice, salt (liberal amount) and pepper to taste.... DEVOUR!!  This recipe was passed on to me in this fashion (without measurements) by my friend Tanya....thanks Tanya!!!!

 We have been making ridiculous amounts of this weekly because everyone in the house   loves it.......I just add some veggies on the side and we have a delicious and really filling meal.

I found the recipe here with exact ingredient measurements if you are interested but really I have found that there are no measurements required.
Try Mjaddarah and let me know what you think!

In other news, I have been sewing a ton and will hopefully be able to get some new items in the shop within the next couple of days.....I know you are all anxiously waiting so I will keep you posted!
            

It was a really happy weekend!

our easter weekend in pictures::

::made 2 of the most adorable easter baskets (based on this tutorial)

::started a Shrek chia pet in honour of Earth Day

::coloured easter eggs

::got the kids all dressed up for Good Friday dinner (based on Anthony's face you can tell it was a task, believe me!)

::ate way too much of the best popcorn ever (cob popcorn from Shearlea Acres Farm stall at the Ottawa St Farmers Market)

:: had a super fun egg hunt (you can see who didn't get the idea, until......)

:: he realized what he was hunting for!

::dances of joy for sugar continued throughout the day

:: which leaves me picking up these stinking little foil wrappers from ALL over the house!

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend as much as we did!

super easy easter craft!

source:: joel heinriques

We had so much fun the other night making and playing with these  Tumble Bunnies from the blog Made by Joel that I thought it would be nice to share it with everyone.  My friend tells me that these bunnies are like Mighty Beanz....I must go out and get some (thanks Holly!)
Ava and I decided to try and make a little tutorial for these tumble bunnies...so here goes!

First print out the tumble bunny template from the Made by Joel blog (we found that using just plain printer paper helped the bunny flip faster).  You can colour your bunnies of course...we chose to colour ours because we love any excuse to use our smelly markers!

Next cut out the template (obviously giving the SHARPEST scissors you can find to a 4 year old!).  ONce the bunnies are all cut out you can fold along the dotted lines on each side and tape the ends together....also at this point you can tape one of the sides closed so it looks

                                              like this

Now choose 2 marbles of about the same weight.  Obviously I have a surplus....thanks value village!

Drop the 2 marbles in the open side and then tape it up!  

DONE!! it is really that easy

Set up an a little slope and let them flip their way down....it works best if they are not on a smooth surface.
I have a video of the kids racing them down this slope but I thought that when Ava grew up she would never forgive me as she was wearing an ill fitting ballet leotard and singing J-Lo hits as she was playing..... on the other hand she could be a youtube sensation.....hmm I'll have to think about it.

misión cumplida

Yay!!!! I have finally finished the patchwork scarf that I was making for a friend of Sri's...it turned out wonderfully if I do say so myself!   The inspiration for the scarf comes from this book by Denise Schmidt ( her quilts are amazing!!!!).  I love making these scarves because each time I start one I have a hard time believing that it is actually going to look good.  Slowly but surly it comes together and by the end of the process I am really impressed with myself.

Of course having a Barker Beauty such as this always helps show off a piece to its full potential!

Sri's friend had asked me to make this scarf in remembrance of her father who had recently passed away.  She brought me some of his shirts, ties and scarves and I got to work piecing them together.
I was thinking I might make a scarf like this out of some of the kids baby clothes and blankets that I can't seem to part with.

I am hoping to work on some more of these scarves and put them in the shop but as always if anyone is interested in the meantime please contact me via email for a custom order!

pestering Anthony :: A pictorial

Anthony did not want his picture taken today... of course I persisted and with each picture he got more and more frustrated with me.

 and then

GONE!

paradise on hwy 6

We set out yesterday morning with a list of a million errands.  We got through them quickly because we were looking so forward to the last item on our list..... to pick up a litre of maple syrup at a Simpler Thyme organic farm.   We have been to this farm many times before and we are always so warmly welcomed by the owners, Ann and Mike Lanigan who encourage us to wander around the farm.
Here are some of the pics from our adventure:

 First we headed out into the muddy muddy woods to the sugar shack

Where we found this contraption with sap boiling at different stages ... Sri threw some wood in the fire which impressed the kids to no end.

Here is Ava sprinting from sap bucket to sap bucket.   Looking for sap? NO! Looking for bugs floating in the sap...and then became hysterical because she was afraid of the bugs she was so excited to find.......exhausting!

 The kids forcing smiles for the mandatory "go sit on that log" picture

Ava spent a lot of time on the trampoline after our walk in the woods.  Where are her boots you might ask.  We had quite an unfortunate incident involving very deep mud and panic....need I say more!

the most adorable cows EVER!...Anthony and I sat and watched them for a very long time despite being about 2 feet from a huge pile of manure

A 34 year old horse that you just have to feel sorry for...look at that back!

This donkey had a set of bangs to die for.

Here comes the picture that will convince you that I should be living on a farm
THe picture that will make you take up a collection for me to buy said farm
The picture that melts my heart every time I look at it

and 

the most delicious maple syrup ever!

{this moment}

ELEPHANTS

{this moment} - A single photo to capture a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.      :: inspired by  Soulemama.

new delivery!

extra- small, reversible, light wieght and  ADORABLE

This morning I delivered this trio of lovely baby bonnets (xs) to Jodi at  Little Bird on Ottawa St N.  They are perfect for the sunny days that will soon be heading our way... I heard it will be warm and sunny all weekend!!!!  They are completely reversible (so really 2 bonnets in 1)!  If you don't see what you are looking for at Little Bird you can always contact me directly through email and we can figure something out!

totally unrelated.............
I came down to breakfast this morning to find my children had  facial hair.......

oh how we love nutella in this house!!!!!

not worth it!

     You might ask yourself what a mother of 2 busy kids, who is trying to build a business, with a messy house, who hasn't even put a thought towards what she is going to make for dinner does all afternoon.  Isn't it obvious....she makes ketchup!
      I am always inspired by those trying to live more self-sustainably and super-market free...specifically the blogs of this local couple and this Colorado family.
Since spring is slowly arriving it was time for me to have my annual "things are going to change around here" rant and we decided as a family (I really mean me) that we were going to stay as far away from packaged food as we could.
     That is why I made the ketchup.  I used the recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything which I more often that not have great success with.  NOT TODAY!!! This ketchup tastes HORRIBLE.  Ava went to bed plugging her nose because she couldn't stand the smell (okay she may be a bit dramatic)... even Sri had a hard time being nice about it.  THis jar of ketchup is only a small amount of the HUGE batch that this recipe made.... anyone want some delicious ketchup?

My little red riding hood and her photo shoot.

I have loved Oliver +S  sewing patterns for as long as I have been sewing.  I have never purchased one but have spent a lot of time staring at them on the computer (and I wonder where my time goes).  When I heard that Liesl Gibson (founder of Oliver +S) had written this book I packed my family in the car...way past bedtime...to drive to a Chapters, quite far from home, to pick it up.  
I fell in love with so many of the patterns but since Ava needed a new spring coat I thought I would try the cape first (plus it was labeled as an easy piece to sew).

    I loved the way it turned out!!!! I chose a sweatshirt material for the exterior and lined it with a Cars bed sheet (because she didn't want it too "girlish").  The cape is fully reversible and looks adorable both ways!

     Ava also loved this cape and since that doesn't happen very often (usually I have to bribe her to wear the things I make for her) I took full advantage.  I set up a "photo shoot" for her and let her pick her outfit, location and poses.... I must admit she was getting a little bossy by the end of her "shoot" and I had to cut things a little short.  

    This pattern could be easily re-sized smaller or larger.  I'm thinking of making a tweed one for myself (very Sherlock Holmes).

I am most willing to share this book with anyone who would like to try a pattern or two!  Just let me know and I will print out the necessary pieces and instructions.

Check out more story book inspired sewing at Once Upon a Thread.  The creativity is amazing!