Vintage pair of milk glass plates, $18 from estate eclectic.
Paris remnants set in blue (hand screenprinted fabric), $20 from mikodesign.
Clay Pears, $30 each from Element Clay Studio.
Vintage Baby’s Sailor Suit, $40 from The Vintage Perspective’s Post.
Forage Bow Tie, $65 from Something’s Hiding in Here.
Vintage Buttons, $7.25 from Peach Parlor.
Paired Hexagons Necklace, $38 from Lauren Haupt.
Everyone Came to Tea Tea Towel, $15 from Skinny Laminx.
1960s Blue Mod Dress, $20 from Modern Mode.
Embroidery Pattern from Wild Olive (via One Pretty Thing).
Liberty Mini-Quilt from The Purl Bee.
Swaddle Softies from Stumbles and Stitches.
Retro Potholder from Going Sew Crazy.
Interchangeable Monster Pillow from Ruffles and Stuff. (Part of the Celebrate the Boy series from Made and Made by Rae, who have shared some phenomenal projects so far).
History of Sewing article for Craft by Sew Retro author Judi Ketteler.
Fabric Jewelry from Kathrin of annekata for Whip Up.
Just Around the Corner Quilt Pattern from Free Spirit using Jay McCarroll’s fabric collection, Habitat. (I love this new collection).
Check out this new mini-mag full of kids’ crafts from author and blogger Kathreen Ricketson of Whip Up. Action Pack is an easy, downloadable magazine to keep the kids busy. With over 20 pages of craft projects, outdoor activities, cooking, drawing and more, this really is an action-packed gem.
The magazine features project ideas focused on paper and beeswax. The kids can make waterproof origami boats, beeswax candles and lip balm with printable labels, plus learn to draw bees and bake a cake. What I like most about this mini-mag is the learning aspect of it. With science experiments, fun facts and creativity, the kids can stay busy while learning something new in a hands-on way. As Kathreen says:
We see kids as competent, creative and capable people. We believe that our kids are resourceful and clever and we try to enable them to develop their independence and creative minds within a secure and nurturing environment.
We see learning opportunities everywhere. Learning should and can be fun. But we also know that parents are busy and cannot realistically be spending all weekend ‘playing’ with their kids. We want kids to get off the couch, away from the computer and learn the value and fun in making and doing stuff.
Thanks to Kathreen for providing me with a copy of the magazine. I can’t wait to try it out with the kids soon! You can download your copy here for $5.
We just returned from a week-long trip to that enormous sociology experiment called Disney World. The cynic in me can’t help but be disenchanted by the massive environmental impact and the huge crowds, but the kids loved it and I re-lived some nice childhood memories. All in all it really was a nice trip, but now I need a vacation from our vacation. It was exhausting.
I made the kids ride It’s a Small World three times. And as someone commented on yesterday’s post, I too realized that this ride may have informed much of my design aesthetic. Not something that you really think about when you’re eight years old, but those early memories definitely make a difference. When I was a kid, we also vacationed in a small resort town with a kitschy Swiss theme, which furthered my love of tiny wooden toys, cuckoo clocks and clogs.
If you’ve never experienced this ride, you can see a video on YouTube here and read about it here. But of course there’s nothing like the real thing. It’s a magical experience that seems to hold up well after almost 50 years, captivating the full attention of both of my children. On this boat ride with sweet animatronic dolls wearing beautifully detailed costumes, happy animals and glittered scenery representing different parts of the world, there’s something new to see each time you ride. The song It’s a Small World was written exclusively for the ride. The scenery was designed by artist Mary Blair who helped define Disney’s style in the ’50s and ’60s with her art direction on classic films such as Peter Pan and Cinderella. The white and gold facade (above, top left), with its layers cut out in geometric shapes, reminds me of the work of artist Louise Nevelson with added glitter and lights. Blair’s modern style mixed with the international theme to create a look that may seem a bit kitschy now, but nevertheless stands the test of time.
And yes, I’m totally nostalgic about it. My photos are pretty terrible since they were taken in the dark with a flash (apologies to the people behind me), but you can see them all on flickr here. Do you have childhood memories of this ride?
It’s A Small World vinyl LP, $8 from 33 Reasons.
Marimekko Cushion Cover, $20.50 from Cat Taylor Design.
Custom Wedding Cake Topper, $155 from Together Forever by Sarah Neuburger.
Vintage Mod Salt & Pepper Shakers, $9 from West Side Vintage.
Modern Animal Clock, $68 from Decoylab.
Leaflet Fabric by Jessica Jones, $5 for 1/2 yard from The Fabric Farm.
Mary Blair Buttons or Magnets, $8.72 from The Time Kids.
Floating in the Clouds, $48 from Gosh & Golly.
Blooms Noteset, $12 for set of 6 from Dutch Door Press.
