I'm into practical gifts 

and sometimes by the time Christmas week rolls around, I'm sick of baking with and eating sugar. 

 So, this year I was on the lookout for something simple and quick to make for my neighbors and friends as well as usable and practical for the receivers.

When I found  these USB Car Chargers I wanted one for our family and thought, maybe our friends would prefer these little guys to a plate of cookies too!  

I decided that with a brown pipe cleaner and a little red nose, this very useful gift could actually be pretty cute as well.  

Add this tag to your little reindeers and, you'll be giving the coolest gift on the block:

Rudolph with your nose so bright

Won't you charge our Ipod tonight!

Merry Christmas!

Love,

The Merbacks

You might want to know....

....that one of my most dreamed of Etsy artists is

HAVING A SALE!!!! 

Dear Chelsea

       I so ♥ this artist and the whimsical way that she ties together her poetry and her adorable illustrations.  I don't remember how I stumbled upon her but I know that it was over 2 years ago and that I still see them on the walls of my kids bedrooms every time I go in there.  My desire stood the test of time and I finally made my long awaited purchase not 10 minutes ago.  

This one has long been my favorite and gives voice to the way I feel about Georgie.

I hope it will arrive in time for her 5th birthday.

The great sale entails a free medium sized print with the purchase of a large print ($90 including shipping all the way from London)  This is definitely what propelled me into action;)

Because I have so many 2nd favorites it took me a while to settle on getting this one as my freebie.  I wanted something to put out in the living room and thought this might work mixed in with some family pictures.  

I feel so good about this purchase!

xoxo

Ash

Good, Better, BOUGHT!

Dear Ashley,

I loved this bonnet! VERY CUTE! I actually was looking at the apple/pear fabric for Mila's nursery! After this week I realize how much M will be in a hat this summer and I really LOVE to SUPPORT the handmade industry!!!

I also understand the guilt but listen, we need to a few things straight (to better ease my guilt I tell myself this)

- let's buy "this' thing since someone else already figured it out how to do it - let's be honest it will take us 5 times as long
- we are supporting an art that is vanishing- there are no longer home economic classes, sewing machines gather dust as items get imported to the masses - we have to SAVE the art Ashely!! hahaha!!
- and it's way more fun to shop at ETSY than to gather supplies at Walmart!

But I still love to create so I will take it on if I think I can do it during a naptime. Anything more will go to my pile of unfinished projects!


These are things I've BOUGHT lately...

You may recognize this headband from this shop


Can you imagine piecing this together?? Plus I know I'd ruin the delicate vintage fabrics...fun to BUY! :) PS - this is one of my favorite shops!


Beth swears these are easy to make, but mine came in less than a week and was adjustable! instant gratification!

Now I did make this! It took less than 2 minutes...



that's how I roll!

LOVES! We're going to have fun this summer!!

Every Baby Needs A Bonnet

Dear Chelsea,

         The Easter Bunny brought Juliet the cutest little sun hat!  I thought you might enjoy one for Mila to play in at the beach!  

It's called a ub2 ModBonnet.   

 Even Juliet enjoys wearing it.
 It snaps so comfortably around her chin, stays on, is reversible and looks absolutely adorable on her!  They come in so many really cute fabrics!

When I first saw this bonnet I thought, "I could probably make that myself..." and the guilt set in about making the purchase.  I debated buying it for a couple of days.   Save money? Take pride in my own work rather than someone elses? and a few other considerations crossed my mind.  But I also recalled all of the times I had been through this same debate over something else that looked easy enough to make, all of which ended in one of 3 different ways"

 1. The considered item was never made.

 2.  Said item was made but turned out half as cute as the one made by the experienced hand. 

 OR 

3.  I made it and it took hours and caused stress that sometimes seemed worth it and sometimes did not.

When it boils down to it, sometimes I feel like "making it myself" is a matter of pride and showiness rather than real joy and inner satisfaction.  While I love crafting and creating I don't like being a stress ball, or a "keeping up with the Martha's" kind of girl.  So I'm becoming more and more satisfied with the occasional handmade purchase in my old age.  My sanity depends on that balance!  I'm trying to get to a place where when asked, "Did you make this?" I can say with pride, "No!"

Somethings are better off purchased!!  What do you think?

xoxo

Ash

The Spirit is Willing, but the Mind is Empty...

Dear Ashley,

Here goes my responses which in order to manage my thoughts I will number.

1. The shorts are from Anthropologie.

2. M has grown!!! I sound like many when I say it's going too fast, BUT IT IS! Her cheeks are so soft and kissable and her thighs are so deliciously edible. I posted 2 pics for you to view, using that iphone app I'm so addicted to. I think we have dates for our trip to OK this summer...how exciting to finally meet Juliet!!

3. You have a very productive New Year's Resolution! I love it when I can manage to get up early. They really are my best hours. My NYR was to put on makeup daily. I crashed and burned after a week of doing really well. :(

4. You have themes for Easter gifts?! I love it. Tell me what you've done in years past! I LOVED that art blog. We have to bookmark that one! And the Aspen trees?? Send G and I's finished projects my way!

5. In regards to modeling our blog like that of Melissa and Lynne, I wish I had a calm, creative intelligent part of me that would get out and manifest itself in written word! However, I was a history major for the reading NOT the writing. You'll be the stronger of the two of us, but like I said in my title, the spirit is willing but the mind is empty!! I'm brain-dead these days, but for you - I'll start working it!





Loves.
Chelsea

Our Loft (aka Play Room)

This room is the most complete in my house. It makes me happy that I had a large part in it, most of it was DIY and developed from many small visions into a larger cohesive vision. It also makes me happy that almost everything has a place and S knows where things go. We'll break it down later, but for now...here it is.

Tried to be the famous, glamorous person that waltzes through the room in design photos like the ones in Domino. (No matter how hard we tried, Midget was in every shot - he had to be following me!)


Notice on the upper left locker is S's wolverine claw-it is in timeout for bad behavior.

I'm on the edge of my seat!

Dear Chelsea,

I so look forward to seeing your home in pictures!  I've been dying to see what you've done with your mid-century pieces, your couch, your chalkboard walls and your Charleston Antique finds (jealous!).  As much as I love design and your style though, I think I'm more excited to see how Mila has grown!  I don't even know what she looks like beyond the squidgy, tiny little newborn phase;)  And while that's cute (so cute) that just makes me sad!!  I actually followed a link to your brothers web site last week and was quite impressed.  He IS talented!  Obviously it runs in the family!

I'm up early this morning.  It's 6:54 and I'm dressed, my bed is made and I even have makeup on.  Are you shocked?  This is such a rarity for me that I have to brag about it somewhere!  Before I start my next sentence please know that I do realize that its April and there's strangeness to the fact that I'm about to talk to you about New Year's resolutions!  In January I resolved to wake up by 6:30am at least 5X per week.  Each time I do it my day lines up before me in a way that should be addicting.  But, alas, my bed is an addiction that began too long ago.  I've even stopped setting my alarm.  But here I am today, dressed and ready for a day in the city, re-invigorating myself to do this again tomorrow.

Easter is coming up and I've chosen art supplies as my theme this year.  The bunny will be bringing the kids water color pastels, water colors and some good multi-purpose art paper, all three mediums that can be used to create kids art like this:

I am very much inspired by the artistic, unpretentious ,motherly musings of Melissa and Lynne at sugarcityjournal.  If I could model our blog off of anyones it would be this one.  And it's funny because they recently started blogging in the form of letters!  They are both artists, thinkers and creative mothers.  Every post of theirs speaks to the calm, creative intelligent part of me that I wish would come out and be present more often.   I followed their link to a tutorial on creating water color paintings like this one with your own kids.  As soon as we get home from church on Easter Sunday, the kids and I will be painting Aspen Trees!   If their not too bad, I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy Easter!

p.s.  Where did you get those shorts?