Did you know neither of my older kids can say “S” properly?
It comes out quite nasaly and sounds more French than English.
They’d have a horrible time with this blog post title.
We’re working on it.
And all day yesterday our internet was not working.
So today I’m sharing “stuff”. Here are bits and pieces…..
• I’m judging three fun series right now:
Project Run and Play – Last week the Designers did a pattern remix on my Circle Skirt tutorial and I just love ISLY’s circle TOP. Cute idea! And cute photo.
Spring Top Sewalong on Made by Rae is in its 3rd week and it’s hard to narrow down only 5 favorites. If you haven’t submitted a top, it’s not too late to enter! (red shirt here).
The Handmade Olympics at rik rak studio is open for voting! From a list of 35 nominees, I picked my top 10 blogs with a handmade focus. So hop over to vote in all categories and see what the other judges like Design Mom and Sweet Paul picked as their top 10.
• Some of you asked about the Easter Egg photos of Clara….how did I get her to stay still for all those outfit changes? Please don’t think either of us have super human patience. I actually took the photos on 9 different days (I put her in a new onesie each morning and when she went down for a nap, I snapped a pic).
• Some of you mentioned that the Deep Pockets pattern download wasn’t working. Sorry about that. FIXED.
• Two things arrived in the mail on Friday:
I hope the mailman saw the humor as well.
In case you’re wondering which I read first?
Here’s a clue.
• I finally talked Casey into joining Pinterest, mostly so he and I could pin photos of our dream house. We have two short lists of “must haves” and “would be nice” (if we ever built our own home). On the list of MUSTS: lots of trims, moldings, natural light, and a skylight or two?…..
(archway and paintchips • bright room • skylight in kitchen • dream home exterior)
Cranford is no replacement for Downton Abbey. September can’t come soon enough, in that respect.
In other respects…..
Have a wonderful day!
{ 48 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Dana,
I would love to know more details about the top pictured above plugging Rae’s Spring Top Week. Is it from years past? I checked out the photo pool and didn’t see it. I’d love to know if she used a pattern; it’s a super cute top!
Thanks,
Jennifer
sorry about that. I just added the link to the post. here you go:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73688095@N03/6918812296/in/pool-1920590@N20/
I miss Texas this time of year! The monarchs and the blue bonnets! Maryland is beautiful this time of year but nothing compares to Austin ♥ I love your making a lists with pinterest! My husband thinks I’m such a dork for loving pinterest so much but really it makes my crafting lot easier!
Do you guys watch New Girl? Hilarious. Crude at times but so funny
That was a really fun post. Saying s’s are hard for kids. My sister had a hard time, so my mom went out and bought a bag of skittles. If she wanted a skittle, she had to say it and practice the ‘s.’ My mom quickly realized that she had to let the older ones practice too, so we could get in on the treat!
This post was so much fun to read, it totally brightened my morning. Thanks for writing!
glad you’re internet is back up! dream house stuff sounds so fun.
and love the note about clara’s onesies, I did actually wonder if you changed her that many times for the pics, heheh.
Need a new show? Doc Martin is a British television comedy drama series that starts its 5th season this week. You can watch the first four seasons on Netflix or online. Found your blog two years ago when you posted a picture of my friend and me at the Minneapolis Quilt Market. My friend’s daughter’s friend in Germany saw your post and told her that she saw us on your blog. Ha! Small world!
I’m filling my time re-watching Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry in Jeeves and Wooster. If you haven’t seen it, well, you must, and if you have, I can assure you re-watching is still fabulous!
I love your butterfly doorway. I think my house needs some butterflies!
If you like Downton, Foyle’s War (mystery), Sherlock (mystery), and Lark Rise to Candleford are all excellent BBC alternatives!!
second the nomination for lark rise to candleford. it was my favorite until downtown abbey aired last year.
also ‘cranford’ and ‘north and south’ are two of my favorites. i wish that i could watch them for the first time again.
Love the butterfly idea…and so will my almost 6 year old daughter when I show this to her and and say let’s do it!!
Have just discovered your blog and love it! have been spending the last few days dying onsies and making your kid pant with linings for my wee man – its still freezing here in England and pouring with rain!
I love Cranford! Never really got into Downton even though its filmed just up the road from me. Cranford is so cosy and gorgeous, makes me cry every time, especially Miss Mattie and her lost love.
Hi Dana, thank you so much for including Curly Birds in your Top 10 blogs with a hand-made focus. What an honor to be listed with such a lovely group of blogs. x
I miss Downton Abbey too, September seems so long to wait.
your site is so much fun. You always have great kids ideas which I love!
I second the New Girl- I laugh out loud every week.
The Closer is also one of my all time favorites. Its ending this year I think but if you have netflix I highly recommend watching from the beginning.
North and South (NOT the one with Patrick Swayze), Wives and Daughters, Lillie, original Upstairs Downstairs, Poldark. I am a costume drama mini-series NERD. These are in order of preference. Then there is “The Good Neighbors” which is a British comedy from the 70s. Just to name a few.
I’ve been trying to get into Upstairs Downstairs as a substitute. Lark Rise is sweet, but not particularly grabbing the way Downton is. I also watched both seasons of The Grand (netflix streaming), which is so ridiculously dramatic but still entertaining. Manchester hotel in the 1920s, so some similar themes to Downton. And a young Steven Moyer (True Blood), which is hilarious. And, um…Friday Night Lights. Purely for research as a parent….ahem…
Love the house pictures and the sees candies.
Do you watch Community or The Mentalist?
Oh, the butterflies are soooo pretty!
Try “Sherlock” on Netflix. It’s a modern adaptation of Sherlock Holmes and they are FABULOUS!!
umm how do you find the time to judge 3 contest! it took me forever just to vote!
you rock
Totally recommend Sherlock, if only for the lovely Benedict Cumberbatch. (It actually has a lot more than just that going for it.)
I also just wanted to say thank you, a combination of your simple skirt tutorial and having a daughter have just got me into sewing, and I’m loving it!
No show ideas, sorry! But I am wondering how on earth you got those wonderful butterflies to stay on your walls! Sticky tack? I’m guessing tape won’t last? I have smaller ones that I have been wanting to hang but have been wanting to hang but lost as to how to do it!
Just normal old tape! Believe it or not, they stayed up for about a month! (and didn’t leave anything behind when I took them down.)
If you enjoy Downtown Abbey I think you would like North and South. Unless you have a problem seeing Brendan Coyle (Mr. Bates) portraying someone else…he plays a mill-worker in it.
Hi Dana,
Love your blog, your crafting ideas are great! A practical question from Holland: how do you fix the butterflies to the wall? My problem with those things is that I can’t find anything that won’t leave glue on my walls. My two boys would love to decorate our house like this
Thanks already!
Roos
I am having a Downton void to fill as well.
Just wanted to say thanks, as I checked your blog then popped over to rikrak to check it out and was shocked to see I’d been nominated and somehow made it on your shortlist! Even if I barely squeaked in the group I’m so excited and surprised and just wanted to say thank you so much! There were a few blogs that are new to me in your list I’m excited to check out.
your site is so fun! how could I NOT include it ??
thanks so much for being such a wonderful judge for the handmade olympics this year, dana!
your beautiful blog is always such an inspiration to us all!
be well
k. @ rikrak
I watch Touch and Once Apon a Time
If you have Netflix, I HIGHLY HIGHLY reccommend Psych and Doctor Who… amazing. I’m totally hooked!
I love “Bones.” It’s a very intelligent show and I don’t think it’s as gory (or ANNOYING) as CSI and all of its spin-offs. It’s generally pretty clean, too. And who can get enough of David Boreanaz?
I just really wanna know where your couch is from. I am in the market and that looks like it would fit the bill perfectly!
I agree with everyone who mentioned the new Sherlock. It is utterly fabulous. The acting and the style of the show are so great.
I doubt you’d be interested in any of my tv picks—nothing really like Downton Abby–my top choices are Hoarders, Oddities, Storage Wars, and Judge Joe Brown…it’s a sickness but I’m not ashamed.
in response to good shows – if you can get it over there try “Call the midwife”. it is a great period drama and it is based on a midwifes firs hand experiences in the east end of london.
Love this post! Here are my two recent post-Downton obsessions: Damages (on Netflix – Glenn Close lawyer drama and NOTHING like DA, but highly addictive), and the Spellman Files series (books – so entertaining! A family of dysfunctional and highly amusing PI’s). Oh, and the pictures of Clara were so cute, and thank you for dispelling my idea that she was the most patient kid ever. I was convinced those photos had all happened in one day!
i just got my little lucy to learn her s’s by the awesome rhymes in “singing in the rain”.
you know – “moses supposes his toeses are roses” and “sinful caesar”. i was amazed at how fast she caught on! whenever she says a ‘wrong s’ she has to repeat them. she loved them even more when i showed her that part of the movie. love the butterflies!!
If you haven’t watched Lark Rise to Candleford, it is the BEST show ever!!! Some of the same characters from Downton Abby (but made about two years earlier). It was so good I want to watch the entire 6 seasons again (and I NEVER watch shows twice!) You will love it!
Not watching Mad Men I take it? Season 5 just started. Or if you just need a British accent fix, Game of Thrones has that covered. Entirely different show though. Am I the only one that likes to mix up my TV watching genres? I think the only thing most of my favorite shows have in common is that they usually air on Sunday nights!
I love those butterflies by the way. So cheerful!
Look at you alliterating your post/life!!! Color me impressed.
Thanks for the mention, and dang girl, you really ARE busy!!
the new show “girls” on hbo is very good. all the the current showtime and hbo shows are great. you can catch up on netflix….dexter, homeland, weeds, big c, boarwalk empire, nurse jackie, us of tara….i also love revenge!
I love your idea of both of you on Pinterest for your home dream list. I doubt he’ll buy into it but I’m going to propose the idea to my husband too.
The butterflies. I’m very jealous. Here in Canada we’ve had a couple encounters at the park recently but certainly not in the amounts you refer too!
And do watch BBC’s new Sherlock. Its amazing.
Loving “Revenge” right now. I need to get on Pinterest… afraid I’ll become addicted. Saw Lucy & your valentine T-shirt in the May issue of Family Fun!! Awesome!
i saw that casey willard was following me on twitter and i thought it was a joke
new shows?? i can def help you out. we’ve been watching these: parks & rec, new girl, the middle and shark tank. (i’m OBSESSED with those last 2.) hope that helps
xo