Metamorphosis

I know the word, metamorphosis.  And of course, I knew, in theory, that a butterfly becomes such after first being a caterpillar, and then forming a chrysalis.

But watching the process happen in my own home was something entirely different.  Watching our itsy bitsy caterpillar grow to two inches in the span of only two weeks was miraculous.  And after hanging upside-down in a J shape for half a day, suddenly our caterpillar started disappearing all together.  I was amazed.

(And here's an interesting video catching part of this process....)

I had jumped at the chance to "raise" a baby monarch because I thought my kids would enjoy it.  I didn't realize how much I would enjoy the process as well.  I think in the end, it was I who was mourning when the butterfly took flight, not my children.  I felt somehow connected to its life, and then I had to watch it fly away.  The only remedy to my disappointment that I can think of is to mark it on the calendar...next year, I'm going to find another egg.

Etsy 100 GIVEAWAY!! :)

Hello out there friends and fans!  I'm hijacking the blog for business-related items for the next week or so in order to celebrate getting up to 100 items on my Etsy page!  It took a whole lot more time and effort than I expected, but now I'm enjoying being in the triple digits!  To celebrate this achievement, I'm hosting my first giveaway.  :-D

There will be two items that you can try to win, and I'm going to let an awesome website called Rafflecopter do all the work for me!  There are a few ways to get "points", and each point will gain you added advantage in the winners pot.  At the end of the giveaway, Rafflecopter will choose two entries at random.  And the best part?  I'll even ship you the item for FREE! :)  A gen-u-ine  giveaway!  Can you tell I'm excited?

So, here are your options.  Do note that some of the options for getting points you can do multiple days in a row.  Might want to keep that in mind if you really want to win! :)   (Reversible bow ties are a $12 value and the Satin Flowers with Ostrich feathers are a $15 value.)

Good Luck! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Didn't know I had an Etsy page?  Go check it out!! :)  Crafts By Libby

Out on a Limb (Or stem, as it were)

In recent weeks our family acquired two baby monarch butterfly eggs.  At this moment, they are both in chrysalis form--it's been an exciting process to watch!!  One particular part of the process keeps hanging on my mind, as it seems it could be a metaphor for so many of life's adventures.

I suppose it wasn't a part of the process, exactly.  It was more a simple moment in the process.  Every couple of days I had to change the milkweed leaves out so that the caterpillars had enough food for their exponential growth.  On this day, one of the caterpillars had eaten itself onto just the stem of the leaf.  For a solid three inches of stem, it had consumed all of the leaf substance previously surrounding that area.  All that remained was stem and caterpillar.

I keep thinking about life on a limb....  pondering how my life might be compared to this caterpillars... bent on nothing but consumption?  Risking injury to get what I want?  Pushing until there's nothing left?  Needing new direction?  Thinking about the present, without too much thought to the future?  Focusing on one area without seeing the big picture?

I'm not sure that all of these would apply to me.  I am sure that one could probably derive many more "wonderings" about life based on this simple picture.  It's just such an interesting image....plentiful milkweed, and there hangs the caterpillar, alone, on the end of the stem....

Just pondering.  Guess it's been one of those weeks, just to wonder about life and what we're all really doing.  (And what are we supposed to be doing....?)

A Fun Project

My four year old begs almost daily to do a new craft--a new craft that's "different" and more "exciting" than we've ever done before.  This is not only a difficult request, but truthfully becoming an increasingly annoying one.  While my head is swimming with all the things I have to get done, the pressure from a four year old to come up with an amazingly creative craft, is simply irksome.  As much as I try to dissuade him from crafting, he will not have it.

Thankfully, we recently read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Home-Mouse-Elisa-Kleven/dp/1582462771/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344993482&sr=1-2&keywords=a+home+for+mouse

It's an adorable book--both in content and artistry.  My children had me read it again and again until finally it was due back to the library.  In the book, the clumsy elephant creates a beautiful replacement home (since he accidentally ruins the first) for his new friend mouse.  The house in the story was what we might think of as a diorama, made with a box and other small random objects.  Thankfully, this book gave me an easy idea for craft time....

I was so appreciative of the hour or more I got to spend doing the dishes in quiet...while my son tirelessly worked on making this house a home.  We had even made popsicle stick people the day before (another days craft that I had to come up with...), so the house even had inhabitants upon its completion.

So, there it is, a nice new house....  would you want to live there?

Chalk Mats to GO!

Chalk mats are a huge new trend--actually, chalk anything.  Chalk banners.  Chalk mirrors (or, used-to-be-mirrors).  Chalk placemats.  Chalk tablecloths.  I even saw a chalk dress!  In an effort to make our upcoming travel a bit more fun, I set about making some quick to-go chalkmats for my kids.  I wanted a pocket so they could keep the chalk with the mats, and also some type of closure.  Oh, and I wanted them small enough to fit in their laps!

And, while they might not be the nicest looking chalkmats around, I can happily say I completed my task in less than half an hour!  I just grabbed some random scrap material (an old pair of jeans and an old  armrest cover), and voila!  Fun activity to go.  Check it out! :)

The Chase

My 10 month old son recently realized he could reach the fruit bowl.  This has been a wonderful discovery, for both him and me.  He enjoys stealing apples.  I enjoy watching his mischievousness.  Sure, when he's a little older, I won't be as happy to watch him get into trouble.  But for now, while he's so doggone cute, and merely stealing apples, I will revel in this innocent test of ability.

In his theft, one apple never seems enough.  He gets one, but then after a few bites seem to want a greater challenge.  At that point, apple in hand, he tries to pull himself up to get another.  This is more difficult than one might realize, since getting to the fruit bowl a second time with one hand full of apple is a serious feat.  He can't yet stand on is own, so he needs those hands to help pull himself up.  Yesterday, he was successful in his attempt.  

However, procuring two apples is one challenge--keeping them both nearby is another.  

Just thought you might enjoy seeing a little of this game in action....and hearing big sister (2 years old)  trying to help in the event. :)

Bridesmaid dress *makeover*

Six years ago this summer I was toiling away in a sky-high apartment in Cambridge, MA, working on my bridesmaid's dresses.  I had decided to make the dresses, so that they could match my wedding gown in style.  I had also decided to make the dresses out of cotton, instead of satin, thinking that when the wedding was over, the girls might be able to wear the dresses to another event.

In the process, since I'm not an expert seamstress by far, I had decided to first make a dress for myself--that way I knew what I should keep the same about the pattern, and what I'd like to have changed for the girls' dresses.

Outside of trying the dress on right after I made it, I've never worn it since.  I noticed it this past Sunday in my closest and decided, "heck, why don't I do something about this dress to make it a little more wear-able...?"  Since I've been sewing more of late, I thought I'd take a stab at making some creative changes.  I figured, what's the worst thing that could happen?  I'd ruin it?  It's not like I was wearing it anyway, so what would that matter?

Since I didn't care too much if my project failed, I didn't put much effort into making my lines clean.  Now that it's turned out half-decent, I'm just hoping that the people in the pew behind me at church aren't staring at my poor sewing the next time I wear this on a Sunday morning.  From far away, I think it looks cute enough to wear.  Maybe if my bridesmaids have their dresses still collecting dust in their closets, they could do a dress revamp of their own. :)

Most of the important things I changed dealt with the bodice--it was way too bulky up top to feel comfortable, and it came too high on the back.  I cut on both sides of the "straps" to make them thinner, but still wasn't satisfied in the end.  I ultimately decided to add two little loops to draw in the straps to make them more comfortable.  In the back, I simply cut out a huge chunk of fabric, folded down the zipper and sewed.  I also trimmed the length so that it lays just below the knee instead of just below the calf.  I think it still could have used a little more off the bottom, but I was getting kind of tired of the project by that point....  (My moods are so easily shifting!)

Sorry the pictures aren't so great---I often have trouble taking pictures of myself!