Crayola + Pumpkin = Fun

   

We love color here ! Thus seeing this project on Pinterest was a no-brainer - We Had To Do It ! There are plenty of tutorials and supplies are simple - "white" pumpkin, crayola, glue and blow dryer. Add some trash bags to cover the surface because it can get messy. 

Find step-by-step instructions here: DIY Cozy Home  

 

{Part1} Taking paper off pencils. This was probably the hardest part for little hands. 

But excitement over final result kept us going.  

{Part 2} Placing the pencils.

{Part 3} Melting and watching and watching and watching :)

{Part 4 } Hide from camera :p   

Isn't it pretty ?!

Back to School when you are 16 months old

    September is a first school month here in NY. But not for all... not if you are just 16 months old *sigh*. Then all you entitled is saying daily byes and waving to your older sister who goes to that magic yet unreachable place - school. 

    It was one of those days when his sis left for school, then came {as usual} a bucket of tears. He wanted to join her so badly. And so we decided to play. I had this nerd costume, bought long ago, got some books and gave him his favorite red apple, tears were gone :)

Because after all 

“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.” ... {Peter Pan} 

He surely enjoyed the moment:

                                                                                         

Fall Collection {Glamlayers}

“Fall colors are funny. They’re so bright and intense and beautiful. It’s like nature is trying to fill you up with color, to saturate you so you can stockpile it before winter turns everything muted and dreary.” 

― Siobhan Vivian, Same Difference

    

    How not to agree with Vivian. I love Fall, it's been my favorite season of all. As a woman I am attracted to the beautiful changes in nature, oversized sweaters and boots of all styles, as a mom I can not wait taking kids on farm trips, fall festivals and cooking with seasonal veggies. Those apple pies and pumpkin soups along with warm apple cider. Yum! 

    As a fiber artist and prop maker I get a chance to play with color and have no guilt. I can use as much of brown, green, yellow, red, orange dye and just watch how the wool absorbs all those beautiful hues. The only problem i encounter is lack of patience, who can wait for all that wool to dry to see the final result, seriously :) Once it dries up it goes right to my wheel - to become a one of a kind yarn i use for creating my layers. Lets see some of them, aren't they so Fall-y? 

{See the end of this post for details on a sale date}.

1.Sweet September

2.Forest Tale

3. Pumpkin Patch

Want to see some photos is use? Here is a beautiful work by amazing Susan Scott Photography. She used similar layer to add some color, nailed it as always! 

4. Russet Leaf

Jennifer from Jennifer Rittenberry Photography does beautiful monochromatic set ups. Her collection of purples is stunning. Here is a similar layer she used and #5 does have those shades of purple/mauve.

5.Golden Plum

Interested in adding these to your prop stash? 

     Due to the volume of orders and juggling the life with two little ones, I participate in one and only RTS {ready to ship} Sale. If you haven't heard of it yet, you definitely should take a look. Allure RTS Sale hosted by Leah Michele Creations. The sale takes place once a month and the company I am in, I just could not wish for better. So many talented designers and best quality props, take my word on this one ;)
The best part - one is coming next week! 18th of August. For more updates check my facebook page. Hope to see you All and Thank You for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of summer and get ready for the amazing season! Ah Pumpkin Spice Latte I am so waiting for you :) 

Happy 4th of July !

      Today was special. Special for America. Special for me as a I am celebrating my very first Independence Day as an American. It is a funny feeling when you are not only happy to spend some time with family and friends but also you feel related somehow. Apart from having fun in a pool with kids, eating yummy dinner with friends and watching fireworks we decided to do some photos to capture this day. 

      Luckily there was no better place than wall of wood that got built in our backyard. Right in time! How fun ! My dad has been working on it since the beginning of summer. Those were the dangerous trees we had to cut and will be using to heat the house in winter time. But now it was all about the awesomeness of rustic at my fingertips!

Even phone picture looked pretty amazing and I was sold quickly! The patriotic bunting came from local Pier1, picnic blanket from Target.

Here the few pictures we snapped :)

Kids Fire set from The Land of Nod.

The picture with marshmallow from the set is my favorite!

Bench from Home Goods.

We were in the middle of our session when something under the bench started moving. Frog!! We couldn't see it, it masked so well! And brought some excitement to kids :)

How to care for your Wool Products

I get asked this a lot. The general rule for any wool product care is Do Not machine wash. The reason behind is that natural fibers tend to felt. The Tricky Knitter has a good article on how exactly felting happens. While some would search "How to Felt", we need to understand how to avoid it and not to lose the squishiness of the blanket or any other wool product. Because those puffs and bumps are expensive.

What causes felting
Drastic temperature change and excessive agitation.


How to clean your product
It can be hand washed with Eucalan or soap detergent. Fill the basin with lukewarm water, add detergent and put it there without stirring it much. Let it sit for some time. Squeeze gently excess of water, let it air dry.


If possible try to avoid accidents by using baby covers, or if its a small one, you can pinch out the soiled portion. I wash a lot of wool daily using these simple instructions. Sometimes some felting may occur no matter of washing process, but it definitely would not ruin the product completely and let you use it for a long time.

*Photography credit: April Ziegler Photography
*Props: Glamlayer in Rose/Mauve and alpaca knit wrap {color#6}