ellebee

because an octopus wouldn't do.

ever since having kenna, i've thought that if we have a boy next, i'd like to do his nursery in calm blue sailboats with a nice little accent of whale. because what maritime adventure is complete without a bit of whale sighting?

insert "whale of a... (good idea, fun time, etc.)" joke here.

but nautical things seem to be all the rage right now, and believe it or not {and here's something that seems really strange to say} a quick etsy search revealed that there are LOTS of cute whale things out there! it seems that whales are no longer relegated to men's embroidered shorts while on vacation on cape cod, but have entered the realm of super cute, especially for baby! hmm, maybe i am thinking whale with a touch of sailboat after all...

 

1. notecard by moonmum

2. onesie by veryKIKI

3. carved name stamp by cupcaketree

4. appliqued pillow by seamsewswell

5. cross stitch kit by andwabisabi 

6. wood puzzle by usnavyretiredvet

7. diaper cake by tushiesnterrycloth

8. chalkboard by suddenly,it's real!

and maybe since i got the "k" necklace to wear for kenna, i might get a little whale to wear for a little boy! love love love it. and that little whale piggy bank on top of the diaper cake? :::swoon:::

 

silver necklace by silversparrowdesigns

a little off track

so, admittedly, i have fallen a little behind on my make-a-day plan... um, about two weeks behind actually. i again have fallen victim to my own difficulties in finishing one project at a time. i get so excited and inspired working on one that i just skip around to several others, and suddenly, there are 5 new half-finished projects sitting on my desk, and none that are finished, photo-ed and ready for documenting in my little experiment! such is life.

i got really excited this week when i received this joel dewberry woodgrain fabric that i needed for two of my projects i have in mind. i finally bit the bullet and just ordered it. i liked it so much and thought it was so deliciously unusual that i started wondering what other people were making with it. well, one search of the single word "woodgrain" and an entire world of etsy loveliness opened up! here's a new list of etsy faves:

acorn bib and onesie by bean pickle sprout

ring by block party press

thank you notes by lemon loves paper

dish by the brick kiln

(crocheted!) log and acorn necklace by christine domanic

band by honeybee

super cute little cozy by karley

and i know they don't specifically have a woodgrain print, but i've been a huge fan of hi tree's awesome felt tree stuffies! i love the unique layered look of them (not to mention the tininess!). these little guys were a bit of inspiration behind the project that i bought the woodgrain fabric for in the first place... a little plush stuffy tree with a woodgrain trunk! i can't wait to get started on it!

more make-a-day coming soon, i promise!

now that i'm having a "k"

now that i have found out i'm having a baby girl whose name is going to begin with a 'k' i'm seeing all kinds of really cool things all over the place with that letter! now in addition to all the adorable handmade baby stuff i'm going to want to buy her, i'm finding lots of cool handmade things to buy, all with the letter k! i like the idea of hanging a bunch of different types and sizes of the letter k all in one place on the wall in her room.

bracelet by kapcity

wire letter k by kristinemays

alphabet revisited by 8mmideas

little mary janes by babybugdesigns

and maybe a little something for momma to wear until baby k gets old enough to enjoy it!

silver letter k pendant by silvergarden

and another!

ok, i had so much fun with yesterday's list that i had to do another one right away... i think this might become a regular thing after all, because there are so many cool things being offered on etsy and i am completely addicted to flipping through them!

and so we have cool things list #2 with the theme of: baby toys!

jennifer the cow by sock thing

green striped sock monkey by storey shop

calla the tag flower by one girl

strawberries and cream elephant by maiden love

chocolate momma and baby elephant, also by maiden love (yep, i want them both!)

soft blocks by scissor stitch

and wyatt the bear by simpli jessi.

it's definitely going to be dangerous for the pocketbook to have kids one of these days with adorable little stuffed friends like these out there! i'm envisioning some whole baby room full of lovingly handcrafted toys surrounding a little one. sure, they take some abuse from the kids, but who can resist their cuteness?

matt and i were just talking about the children's book the velveteen rabbit last night and how much it scarred me as a kid because i remember being terrified that if i got too sick all my toys would have to be destroyed (in the book the little boy gets scarlet fever so they have to burn his toys, including his stuffed rabbit. it's pretty intense). i also had this big toys-have-feelings kick for awhile, so i think that made it even more traumatizing. it's funny to wonder what types of things like that our kids will remember!

wouldn't it be nice

... if we could buy all the handmade wonderfulness on etsy? several people who have etsy shops (or just like the site) feature different sellers on their blogs on certain days, like "etsy finds on friday" which i think is a pretty cool idea. it might not be as regular as weekly for me, but here are some of the shops and product folks are making that i find particularly spectacular and would buy, should money be a little more free-flowing. (all photos are thanks to the gracious owners of these shops!)

and so i give you... cool things on etsy with a theme: coffee!

printed moleskine journal by scenic artisans

handpainted merino yarn by see jayne knit yarns

coasters by purpose design

coffee cuff by aly the red

coffee scented soap by citizen skin

coffee and cream necklace by stephanie gibson

and paper tags by scrapbooking mama.

mmm... do you hear the warm starbucks-like hiss? are you suddenly craving whipped cream? is your paypal account suddenly and inexplicably diminishing? nope? oh ok, must be just me. i guess you could call this window shopping, although i do much prefer the real kind. i've been doing lots of perusing on etsy recently (it's become quite addictive, actually. i've had to ask matt to etsy-embargo me). it's just so fun to be inspired by the handiwork of so many talented artists all in one place. stay tuned for the i wish i could buy all of these lists in the themes of polka dots and stuffed animals!