paper snowflakes

One of my jobs last week was decorating our school for the Holiday Shop. We agreed that involving the kids in the decorating would be fun, so we decided on paper snowflakes as our theme.  Worried that I could never make enough decorations for the school on my own I started recruiting: we asked some of our favorite teachers to make snowflakes with their classes, volunteers made them at home, and then we suddenly realized that snowflake making could also be an activity at "Family Arts Night" which took place last Tuesday.

Lauren, Jennifer (one of the event chairs for the Holiday Shop, and a new friend) and I set off with our paper and scissors ready to make snowflakes with as many kids as we could. It was amazing to see how excited the kids were to do this...the only challenge was convincing them to donate their snowflakes to our cause rather than taking them home!

In addition to all the doily like snowflakes that we cut, we also wanted something bigger and bolder. I found this great tutorial on how to make 3D snowflakes here. They are impressive looking and quite addictive to make...lucky for us since we needed dozens of them! As we spent the day on Friday using all the snowflakes we had gathered to decorate the school...stringing garlands, covering walls and making streamers...we were all amazed at the oohs and ahhs that came from the students, parents and teachers as they watched us transform the place. 

christmas cookies

Baking Christmas cookies is a big part of our family's holiday tradition. Every year my parents, and especially my father, make as many batches of cookies as they can during the month of December. They package them up as gifts for friends and always bring a big batch to our house on Christmas day. Everyone has their favorites but the kids especially love decorated cookies.

If we find ourselves with an afternoon after school, or a free day on the weekend, we also like to make a few batches of cookies and decorate them. Unlike at my parents house, when we make cookies they all get eaten so they don't make it onto the cookie platter on Christmas Day.

homemade marshmallows

Before working at Martha Stewart Living I'm not sure it ever would have occurred to me that you could actually make your own marshmallows. They were in that mysterious realm of food that is so alien I just never questioned it. Although homemade marshmallows are not really any healthier than the ones you buy at the supermarket they are quite fun to make. Once you have made the gooey mixture you have 2 choices: you can spread it in a pan, let it set, and cut it into shapes; or you can put it in a piping bag and form shapes that are more intricate (you can see a version of that variety in my post, first birthday carrot cake). Since my daughter really wanted to help we opted for the first plan so she could participate more fully. We cut the marshmallows into hearts--maybe we can give these treats as gifts so my kids don't insist on eating them all themselves. Bea thought this was an exciting enough project to declare it her favorite dolls birthday…the utmost cause for celebration!  

P.S. Don't worry to much about the sticky mess…it all washes off quite easily with hot water.

P.P.S. After you have cut out your shapes you can use scissors to snip the scraps into mini marshmallows too.

machine knitting: cowls

My machine knitting class is finished now, and although I still have a ton to learn, I am totally addicted. For me, it is the perfect blend...just difficult enough that you really need to concentrate and learn how to deal with the inevitable accidents that happen along the way, but also instantly gratifying. Once you have yourself all set up, and have tested your yarn and stitch by making a little swatch (and you are sure all is well) you can really make a big piece of knitted fabric in a short amount of time. 

After leaving each class with little swatches that represented the various techniques we had learned I was eager to make a real thing...anything...but something a person could actually wear. A sweater is still more advanced than I am ready for (but the ideas are floating around, ready to be tried as soon as I get to that point!) so I decided to try a simple cowl. I love cowls...they are very cozy and pretty all at the same time. 

One of the things that was fun about making them all was experimenting with little variations. Blending various yarns was a new thing for me -- with handknitting I almost never knit with two or more strands at once because I find it kind of annoying to work with. On the machine you use much thinner yarns and combining several strands is an easy way to play with color and thickness. 

 

Another thing that is really amazing on the machine is being able to change stitch patterns. I fell in love with tuck stitches so most (maybe all?) of my cowls use them...either entirely or striped together with plain knit jersey. 

Best of all, my family all loves them. I did not design these with kids in mind but as I see them on my kids here I realize that another great thing is that they are harder to lose since they do not fall off! If you have not guessed...I'll be selling these at my table at the PS 321 Holiday Shop. But, any that don't sell will not go to waste...act surprised if they appear under the Christmas tree!

Style: Christine Vasan

I first met Chris about two and a half months ago at a PTA fundraising meeting. We were both new to these meetings, and when it was over, we both expressed interest in helping out with the school's Holiday Shop. Little did we know that we would end up meeting once a week from then until now to discuss all the details of the event! Over the course of all of those meetings Chris and I became friends. One of the first things I noticed at one of our early meetings was the beautiful necklace that Chris was wearing...I discovered that she is a wonderful jewelry designer and eventually I asked if I could go visit her studio. 

I love seeing where artist friends work and this did not disappoint. Chris's work is very delicate and largely inspired by nature. She uses gold, silver, a variety of gems, and even delicately crocheted cords. Seeing all her tools and the various bits and pieces that will one day become a finished piece of jewelry was fascinating. Chris shares her space with a group of women artists who are all also mothers of small children. Every where I looked there were interesting projects taking shape. I am sure they all inspire each other daily!

Not only did Chris dedicate a huge amount of time to organizing the PS 321 Holiday Shop, she will also be a vendor. If you want to buy a very special piece of jewely for yourself or someone dear, please come and visit her table. She has also just launched her own shopping website so you may buy from her directly if you are not in the New York area.  

 

hot chocolate

Now that it is finally getting cold outside my kids have started asking for hot chocolate again. Recently I did this post on Momfilter but thought I would share it here too.  

Making hot chocolate from scratch is so easy if you have a bar of dark or milk chocolate. A serrated knife works well for chopping the chocolate--it produces little shards that melt very quickly. A few spoonfuls are all you need...just stir it into barely simmering milk.  One of the nice things about this method is that you can really control how sweet and rich your hot chocolate is based on personal preference...a little dark chocolate gives a lot of flavor but is far less sugary than most commercial mixes.

A dollop of freshly whipped cream is my favorite topping but my kids love marshmallows. Soon I will post about making your own.

jordana martin: knit necklaces

I could not resist a second, more detailed, post about my friend Jordana's beautiful necklaces. Since I am taking my machine knitting class in her studio I have gotten to see them evolve over the past few weeks and they continue to inspire! The photos above are just some of the many pieces that will be for sale at the PS 321 Holiday Shop this year on December 10th. Please come to the sale for your holiday shopping...if you do, be sure to stop by and see Jordana's creations. I will also have a table at the sale where I will be selling work by parents (and friends, and extended family) of some of the students. 

hand knit socks

I have had a few pairs of handknit socks over the years but have never actually knit a pair myself. They are very special and cozy and somehow feel like a real luxury when you wear them. I don't tend to wear mine with shoes when going out and about, but rather save them for cold days indoors. 

Anyway, I had decided it was time to knit my first pair of socks when I noticed this beautiful ribbed sock post on The Purl Bee. I immediately called my friend Page and asked her if she would recommend the pattern for a beginner. She said she would investigate and before I could buy the pattern Page surprised me with it and some gorgeous yellow yarn as a gift. 

I set to work immediately, curious to see how it would go. Knitting your first sock is a bit of a mystery. It is hard to imagine exactly how you get the perfectly fit heel and toes while avoiding any uncomfortable seams. I loved working on it and watching the foot begin to take shape. 

The first one is finished now! The only challenge is getting the second one done. I have heard this is a common problem...so much so that some people knit two socks at once to keep motivated enough to end up with a pair! 

inspired by our teachers: paper mache globes

Our family is extremely fortunate to have a fantastic local public school. The teachers are wonderful and I am constantly amazed at the creativity that they bring into the classroom. I am a strong believer that hands on learning is best...I know it is for me...and I see how involved my kids are in their studies.

In third grade the kids study the world and one of the projects is making paper mache globes. I volunteered to help so got to document the occasion. I loved seeing all the various ways geography was being reinforced, and hope that since the kids were having fun, they may even remember it!

skatepark

There is a great park near our house on Long Island that has several playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball hoops, etc. In addition to being open to the puplic, it also is the home to many summer programs and camps. Last spring we discovered that it also has an amazing skatepark. Normally it is locked, and you need to pay a small fee to use it, but the day we discovered it had been accidentally left open. Not realizing that we were breaking the rules, we went in and enjoyed being there all alone. It was the very first time the boys were trying their new skateboards and although they were struggling, they felt really cool! Even Bea wanted in on the action. Now we have joined the park so we can go enjoy it as often as we like.