Creations for Kids

It's been awhile now. I've been busy with life and travel and now WORK. I've taken on a friend's maternity leave at a housing non-profit in downtown Dayton. I work in a skyrise building with tundra-like central air. The offices where I work are on the literal 13th floor, but it's one of those buildings that do away with the unlucky floor completely. So when I get in the elevator I press the button for the 14th floor. Every morning, a lie. I enjoy the work I do, it is easy and repetitive. The people are kind and the best of it all: I get to wear madmen dresses and not feel totally out of place. I enjoy pretending that I'm Doris Day smiling through the workday and having a cocktail in pjs at night. It's a paycheck, and it gets me out of the house. I'm game.

My time has also been swallowed by a couple visits from my sister and the kids. I've really enjoyed making wedding gifts this season, but it's fun to toss in a couple non-nuptial crafts here and there. Kids are good inspiration.

After seeing a couple versions of summer bonnets on Etsy, I made a paper mock up of a reversible bonnet for Lily. The final product took some tweaking. Her head was not as long crown to nape as the baby doll I had modeled it after. But it turned out, and it's a nice way to keep the sun out of her eyes on these hot summer days. She didn't rip it off her head- that's success!

Isaac, the eldest, has inherited his grandparent's (and aunt's!) thrifty sensibility. He walks in the door and the first thing he wants to do is show me a shoe box full of pens and markers he bought "FOR ONLY A QUARTER!" He sits me down and shows me his winnings. Isaac has a real competitive personality, much like his aunt. He asked me to help him calculate how much money the pens might have cost him brand new. And then, when he saw the zippered purse Nana keeps her pens in, he asked me to help him create something of the same sort for him. The pen case turned out to be more like a satchel because of the size it needed to be to fit everything inside. He did have some real gems including a pen with a mini Trouble game on it. That creepy joker pen is not my favorite, but it's safe and sound in this lined, monogrammed pouch.

Summer's full-fledged in Ohio and the sky is storming with quick changes in weather. I feel good changes in the works for me as well. A tan and more days full of fun, creative tasks will make sure of that.