Firefly Blog

I was searching through some old photos this morning desperate to find a picture of an owl costume I made for Mia when she was a wee five months old.  I scrolled through thousands of unorganized photos but came up empty handed.  You’d think a picture from October 31st would be easy enough to find, but I am clearly hopeless in the picture sorting department (SOS).  I got nostalgic looking through all the photos and wanted to share so many projects, but like most of us out there, we are all swamped with daily tasks that keep us from posting all day long.  Maybe I have time for just one little story…

Mia and Tim came home one day with a bundle of pine wood and a Home Depot receipt totaling $25.00. ”Whatcha doing?” I asked.  As luck would have it, a picnic bench was in the making all in an afternoon. Or so we thought.

My husband was walking home from work and found a picnic bench for sale on Abbot Kinney for around $250.00 and considered it a personal challenge to whip one up for the fraction of the cost.  Out came the measuring tape and it was go time.

Mia loves to do construction projects.  She’s a girl after my own heart.  I should probably panic, but instead I’m mostly just proud the way she carries the saw around the house so effortlessly.  I have yet to let her touch a pair of scissors.  Scissors seem somehow a lot more dangerous.  It’s something about their accessibility.  Worse yet, she’ll turn out like me needing at least a pair in every room of the house just in case an outfit needs to reinvented or a craft project spontaneously erupts while flipping through a magazine.

Things we measured.  Right angles were cut.  Hammers hammered and voila!  The cutest picnic bench was created.

Of course it was so big Mia couldn’t reach the table, so pajamas were put on and we were all in for Round Two.  Same picnic bench.  Just smaller.  Perfect Mia size.

So fun!  And here’s a bonus shot back at the Depot again.  Ready for action.

Cheers!

posted 10/02/2012

I’ve been really itching to do a craft project lately.  We just got these in at the shop, and I think they are just precious.  Sometimes the smallest bursts of color bring me such tremendous joy.

With the recent rain, I keep imagining sitting by the fire with a cup of tea and whipping up a few strands listening the pitter pat against the tin roof.  Mia would be by my side patiently watching in awe as I crafted a small mobile for the window and a couple of Mommy and me necklaces.

Of course, we don’t have a fireplace or a tin roof and Mia would probably be jumping on the bed wildly singing or begging for the iPad in lieu of special craft time but a girl can dream.

*You may have wondered where I have been?  Working at Firefly of course.  I have missed you.

posted 4/02/2012

When Mia was born, it became impossible to get in and out of our gate at home with the stroller.  First we used an old newspaper tie we found in the trash to hold the gate open, then we upgraded to a dirty old shoelace.  I don’t know how this solution became so permanent, but with how hectic things are, I realized I might need to get the shoelace an anniversary present.  It’s one of those humiliating things that one feels the need to explain to new guests that arrive.  You don’t want to sound completely neurotic making excuses before they’ve even stepped into your home, so you keep quiet and inwardly wonder what the available options are for chic gate safety with toddlers around.  I wouldn’t dare say this to my husband, but I wanted to blurt out on several occasions, “Wouldn’t it be lovely to adorn the gate in something similar to what camels wear with all those colorful tassles?  Maybe some bells?”  If I were ever to find something suitable, I would have paid top dollar, but nothing crossed my path.  While at the hardware store, I found myself pondering the possibilities in the “rope” section.  Could I make a large sailor knot bracelet?  For $5.99, I was going to give it a shot.

 First I googled how to make one and found an excellent tutorial here.  While the tutorial is totally awesome, directions are not my strong suit.  I opted to let memory navigate since I practically got dizzy trying to follow the second diagram.  After a few failed attempts at both understanding the tutorial and my eight year old memory, I somehow managed to make my way and voila!

I am not sure how great it is, but at least I can put my mind to rest until I am able to ask a camel, “Do tell where you got that fab get up?”

posted 11/07/2011

Are you like me?  So many ideas, so little time?  I started this project and about four hours in, I realized I vastly underestimated the time it was going to take me to finish.  I intended to wrap the entire branch most of which is not shown in the photo.  Eventually I let the project go.  Let this be a reminder to all to be forgiving as we try with best of intentions to craft Halloween outfits, plan Thanksgiving dinners, shop for table decorations and quell the urge to reorganize the home for family that are coming to town.  Most of all, keep your wits about you when once again, no matter how many times you told yourself this past July you would do things differently, you find yourself paying for rush shipping and wrapping presents in the wee hours of the night knowing that you have to be at Aunt Suzy’s house at 7am with coffee in hand.

posted 10/21/2011