the honey home

a few cut & sew finds from spoonflower

I fell down a rabbit hole this morning, remembering suddenly the old cut-and-sew projects I did as a kid (as well as the cut-and-sew Cheshire Cat I found at a “junque” store, which is one of my favorite home decor items). I’ve got a seven-and-a-half-year-old who is begging to learn to sew, and a four-year-old who loves cat things, and a two-year-old who loves “dotties” (dollies) and pretty things, and a new baby girl on the way who needs her own share of “dotties” and pretty things. I searched the Spoonflower site for cut-and-sew projects (if there is another good place to look, let me know!) and wanted to share some of what I found. (For the record, this post isn’t even remotely an ad or sponsored. Just sharing my finds.)

For the boys

Tiger Lily by Nadine Westcott | As soon as I saw this, I thought of Anselm! I thought he would really like this one.

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crochet owl christmas ornament tutorial

Back before all of the kids came along, I kept a little Etsy shop with crocheted items for sale. These were mostly hats, with some amigurumi, iPod cases (remember iPods?) and ornaments. All of these items were generally owls or owl-themed.

I can trace with absolute precision my love of owls back to a college trip to Japan in 2004. At the time, owls were very big as a decor motif over there, but they hadn’t really begun to be very popular in the states. I saw owl mugs, owl umbrellas, owl plates, owl juice glasses, owl teapots–I was hooked.

that’s me on the left, in Kyoto

I think it’s the big eyes,  slightly squat shape, and grumpy expression that make owls so lovable to me. I decided to make this tutorial for the owl ornaments I used to sell in my shop–they’re relatively quick and easy, endlessly diversified, and just plain cute. I am assuming some basic crochet and sewing skills from the outset, but if you don’t crochet, felt pieces could work in place of the crocheted bits.

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Hope and The Home, part three

A friend asked me one morning: is homemaking archaic, or does it have value? I answered yes and yes–that we’ve made it archaic by losing both the home and the making, but it does have value. This is part three; you can read part one here, and part two here. 

 

the strength of the stayer

…but Aragorn went forth again to danger and toil. And while the world darkened and fear fell on Middle-earth […] Arwen remained in Rivendell, and while Aragorn was abroad, from afar she watched over him in thought; and in hope she made for him a great and kingly standard, such as only one might display who claimed the lordship of the Númenóreans and the inheritance of Elendil.
                                                                                                                                 The Tale of Aragron and Arwen

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Hope and The Home, part two

A friend asked me one morning: is homemaking archaic, or does it have value? I answered yes and yes–that we’ve made it archaic by losing both the home and the making, but it does have value. This is part two; you can read part one here. 

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