easy + mess-free baby handprint ornament

Six years ago, I made an ornament for Lo's first Christmas. Baby handprints are so cute and tiny and they deserve to be documented and hung on the tree year after year. This year, I made one for Bowie, too. And I thought I'd share because this is by far the easiest way to go about it, if you're into handprints. And crafts that aren't messy. And things that won't make your baby cry. (No plaster!)

To make four baby handprint ornaments, all you need is one 4 oz. package of Crayola Model Magic in white. This is the stuff. It is one million times easier than plaster. (And probably more durable, too.)

 

Divide it into fourths and roll it into balls. Yay ... easy gifts for grandparents, plus one to keep for yourself.

Flatten each ball into a circle with the palm of your hand. This stuff is so nice and smooth that this takes all of 30 seconds to do. Poke holes in each circle with a straw.

Then, all you need is a nice little squishy baby hand volunteer. Smush those little hands and fingers down on the circles. Don't make the baby cry. This is fun.

This modeling compound is like a smooth, non-messy, non-crumbly, non-sticky play-doh and it won't get all over your baby's hands. Let each circle air-dry for at least 24 hours. It's so easy that it's almost too easy. And there's zero clean-up. (Except you'll probably want to wash your baby's hands after you're done just in case there's a little residue ... never hurts.) You can leave these as-is after they are dry, tie a ribbon through the hole and be done with it. I painted Lo's handprints and covered them with glitter, so I'm doing the same for Bowie's. But they are really cute left plain white.

I was worried that Lo's ornament may not stand the test of time, but it still looks perfect. I'm semi-careful and don't let the kids play with these, obviously, but I haven't had to seal it or do anything else to it and it has held up over the years. These are so simple and inexpensive to make that you could also make extras (without holes) to keep in a baby memory box or other safe place. And obviously, you can make handprint ornaments at any age – they're not just for babies. It would be fun to make one for each member of your family.

little things that made my day today.

It's December! Really! But I am stoked and ready for it this year. No better way to kick off the holiday season than to bump into a fun friend first thing in the morning who is game for over-analyzing the necessary-ness or unnecessary-ness of the Nieman Marcus things at Target. We shopped and studied the crap out of that section before making our final selections. So much fun.

My favorite score of the day was actually the Rodarte wrapping paper! I know. The wrapping paper roll comes with four gigantic sheets that are really more like art prints ... so of course, this became wall art for Bowie's room. As soon as I got home. Perfection.

Later on, homeboy and I took a stroll around the East Village to grab coffee and check out the shops while Lo was at ballet.

We definitely had to stop here ... wow. My favorite store front in all of Des Moines is Hill Vintage & Knits. Peppermint yarn cats!!

Inside, I found a fantastic little knitting group. Next time, I'm joining in.

Then, Bowie and I spotted Smiley! Smiley will always make your day, whether you see him in art form or real life. Just another little thing that made my day great. Lots of little nice things today. Happy December; I can already tell this month is going to be good.

knit with me.

 

Knitting 101: Learn how to knit + purl with me! Spots are limited. Email me for more info or to sign up. You could be knitting by Christmas! And did I mention that class will be held at a coffee shop? Knitting, coffee, friends and fun. Win.

** This is a local, in-person class that will be held in Des Moines. Sorry out-of-town readers ... I'd love to do an online class someday! Hopefully!

fabric crush

I've been crushing pretty hard over Jay McCarroll's Center City fabric line. (Remember Jay? Another Project Runway fave of mine.)

I got so excited over these particular prints that I bought a few fat quarters before I even had a plan for them. I am especially in love with the uptown/midtown/downtown city maps. So much fun and so much potential!

What to make, what to make. Pillows? A nice big family blanket (with nice big square patches) for lounging on the couch? I'm not ready to commit to a plan yet, but I am so very excited to make something. Very very soon.

hey! cyber monday!

Yup, it's Cyber Monday all over the place. But good news, my friend. You can score a sweet deal on some hand-knit goodness today, too.

Head on over to HeyJenRenee on Etsy and enter the coupon code YAYCYBERMONDAY at checkout to get 20% anything and everything in the shop. It's cold. Grab something to make life cozy. Hand-knits also make fantastic gifts for your best girl friend. Your mom. Your sister. (Or, duh ... yourself.) Happy (handmade) Cyber Monday.

thankful.

Sometimes, it's not all fun and games. Or smiles and laughter. Sometimes when you get your kids dressed in their Crewcuts and park them under your crafty felt Poppytalk Thankgiving banner, they are like hell to the no.

We are like any other family. Sometimes Lo doesn't want to get dressed or eat her breakfast; sometimes Bowie cries for an entire afternoon and I just try to comfort him any way I can. Sometimes they completely wear me out with the endless things they need during an average day. I rush back and forth and back and forth between them, and when Bo is home from work we divide and conquer. It's oh so busy ... but I love it. They are my world. They're growing and changing at light speed and as much as I want to slow things down so I can remember these wonderfully awesome busy days, I can't. And I could list a million things I'm grateful for.

I'm thankful for quality time with this kid.

 I'm thankful to be married to this awesomely fun, hands-on dad.

I'm thankful for this baby's sweet smile every single day. Even when he spits sweet potatoes all over my face.

I'm thankful for knitting. My zen. My balance.

But what it all comes down to is these two kids. There is nothing better in my world. I am so thankful for them. I love them when they're angels and I love them when they're total stinkers ... I love them with my entire being every single day. They don't have to smile under my silly banner.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Market Day: violence-free Black Friday shopping (since 2009)

I'm loving the Market Day Black Friday posters this season. Aren't they fantastic!? In case you haven't heard, this Friday is Market Day's Black Friday Indie Shopping Bash. Market Day is the very best place in Des Moines to find a huge variety of unique handmade, local and vintage gifts for everyone. And you won't get trampled by crazy shoppers or have to wait in line outside in the dark at 4 am. Swing by the Kirkwood building and support the local creative community. You can find us at 400 Walnut Street from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. (That's right ... 9 to 5!) Head over to the Facebook invite to RSVP.  See you Friday. (I'll be knitting my tush off until then!)

to my dad

My dad went off to the Army in 1967 at the age of 17. How he got there is a very long story, but the boy you see here was a combat medic in the Korean War.

He has shared stories with me over the years about what he endured there. Stories of enemy fire in the elephant grass, and how he came to the aid of fallen soldiers. He was quick and brave and smart and though I'll never know every single detail of what he did there, I do know that he did some pretty heroic things. And I am so thankful and proud that he is my dad. He is definitely my hero.

So on this Veteran's Day I thank my dad, Murray Berggren. I thank all veterans for your past, present and future service to our country. Thank you to the soldiers who came home and didn't get the homecoming you deserved. Thank you to the soldier in uniform who I saw from a distance in the grocery store last week. None of us would be where we are today without your dedication and sacrifice. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel. But thank you.

destroy my sweater = make it better

Yesterday, a friend told me about a project she saw on another friend's blog. Make It Better: A Craftalong for Sandy Relief.

Two New York-based crafty bloggers, Brett Bara from Manhattan Craft Room & Natalie Soud from A Dose of the Delightful, began to think about what they could do to help those Sandy victims without electricity, heat, or even proper shelter. They knew there had to be a way to harness the power of crafters to help–because if there’s anything knitters, crocheters and sewers are good at, it’s making warm things.

They decided to create Make It Better: A Craftalong for Sandy Relief. The goal? Rally crafters to make warm hats, scarves, blankets, mittens and socks – and deliver them to people in need as soon as possible.

So, last night I got to work. Using this tutorial from A Beautiful Mess, I made a stack of cozy mittens to send to the areas in and around New York City.

And then I gathered up a few hand-knit items that I had stashed away and got them ready to send off, too. (You can find the pattern for my hand-knit fingerless gloves on Ravelry – they're super quick and easy to knit.)

HOW TO HELP

MAKE IT. Simply knit, crochet or sew a warm garment or blanket–items most needed are hats, socks, gloves/mittens, scarves and blankets. Use one of the quick and easy free patterns we found below, or any pattern you like. If you’d like to include other small items to help the relief effort, feel free to donate another warm garment (new or gently used, please). We are hearing reports that general clothing is no longer needed, so please restrict your donations to warm winter items only.

SEND IT. Send your finished item to Natalie Soud, 310 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013 as soon as possible. We want to start distributing warm goods within a week or less, so stitch something quick and send it off! Our volunteers will deliver the items to various points in and around New York City. (Although we’ll start delivering immediately, we’ll be accepting donations for the near future, so free free to send projects whenever they’re complete.)

CRAFTALONG. Share what you’ve made and help spread the word! Please, please, please blog, Tweet, Facebook, Instagram, and Pin that you’re participating in the Sandy Craftalong as soon as you can (like today!) so that we can get as many hands stitching as possible. Then, when you finish your project, share what you’ve made by posting it on your own blog and on our Facebook page at facebook.com/sandycraftalong. Also remember to use the tags  #makeitbetter and #sandycraftalong

1. Socks (knitted) via Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller
2. Wool blanket (sewn) via Brett Bara for Design*Sponge
3. Easy bound fleece blanket (sewn) via See Kate Sew - we also found these easy fleece mitten and sock tutorials
4. Upcycled mittens (sewn from an old sweater) via A Beautiful Mess - there’s also an upcycled hat tutorial at the same link
5. Hat (knitted) via Kollabora
6. Scarf (crocheted) via Vickie Howell for Bernat – you just need a free account to view the pattern on the web, or here’s the PDF

(More info can be found here.)

you were there.

Someday, I will tell my kids about this election. I will tell them: You were there when history was made.

I will tell Lo that I carried her on my hip to the polls in 2008 to cast my vote. The vote that helped elect our nation's 44th President of the United States. The first African American to hold office. We voted, then we went to a doughnut shop that was giving out free doughnuts to voters. Here's what little Lo looked like back then.

I will remind her that in 2012, she was in kindergarten and that she voted for Obama in her classroom election, which resulted in a tie. The first time she got to see what voting felt like. I will tell Bowie about how we sat with him in our living room as we filled out our ballots early and mailed them in.

 

I will tell them that they were there when our President visited Des Moines in September.
They stood here amongst this massive crowd on a sunny day in Iowa.

I will say: You heard his voice, you heard him speak. Your daddy took you to see him.

I will tell them that I saw our President give his last campaign speech ever, the night before the 2012 election.

I will tell them about how I put them to bed and then sped off to the East Village. About how I spent 30 minutes looking for a parking spot and then hooked up with friends who pushed me up to the very front of the massive crowd, just in time to see Bruce Springsteen.

The whole nation watched on television. Downtown, in our very own city. And I was there to see it.

I will say: You were there, and you sat on our laps and watched the election results come in. On our couch, in our living room. Until it was time for bed. I'll tell them that Iowa was a major swing state, and our state came through.

I will tell them: We did this for you, for your future. You may remember it; you may not. But you were there. And we did it.

**Regardless of your political views or mine, I figured I needed to record this for posterity. I'm a sucker for memories and stories and such. I am the keeper of the stickers and posters and ticket stubs. This election presented me with a series of events and photos and memories I wanted to pass on and share, no matter the outcome. This blog has become my space, my scrapbook. Our lives were touched by this campaign, and sometimes living in Iowa has its perks. I respect and love you for however you voted yesterday and however you feel about last night's results today. (The end!)