Sidebar Remodel and Additions

You may have not noticed me, but I have actually been over there in the sidebar most of the weekend, doing a little updating and refurbishing. While the look of the buttons has not changed, think of them as doorways into some existing rooms that have been remodeled, and others that are entirely new new additions to the Chez Beeper Bebe house. Let me give you a brief tour...

I know the doorway into this room is the same size as all the others, but it actually opens into a pretty big room. There is a lot here--links to kiddo-centric blogs and other websites that are our favorites. Really, this addition is a portal to a world of projects, activities, downloads, and printables. For kids only. I have also added some links to some my own favorite toy shops and sites, just because I so love toys (highly recommend checking out the MOMA and Tate On-Line sites). Oh, and there at the end, well, that's just some links to a few of my own blog entries with some things to do or make with your own kiddies.

This is something I have been meaning to put into place for ages--some links to a handful of projects/tutorials/downloads I have come across that I love and want to share. I plan to update this regularly with new links, and will try to let you know when I do--but really, just try to make a visit to it every now and again so you can see what else is out there that is inspiring me.

Couple of my faves out there right now are the uber-adorable sweet pea pilot cap from Sew Liberate, the stamp carving tutorial from Geninne's Art Blog, the fabric remnant notebooks from Scissor Variations, and the slotted building discs from Made by Joel.

This one is rather self-explanatory, and perhaps a little embarrassing, but somehow I felt compelled to put it up here. Just a few links to the interviews I have been asked to do in the past few years, as well as some silly TV clips from when I was at the No Coast Craft O'Rama. Go view them if you have some time to waste.

Made some updates here. Swapped some out some of what was there for some new loves (no worries, Amy, you are still on my list--my devotion is eternal to Sweet, Sweet Life). Go take a blog jog and have a look at some of those you might not already know.

Just some minor changes here--but you will see, the books I have made posts on are all listed by title and author now. Just to make it a little easier for you to take a look at those you may have never heard of before (in case you care, two all-time faves of mine: Big Mama Makes the World and Little Smudge).

Now, go have a look around over there. I'm just going to go pour myself a glass of wine and put my feet up after a long weekend of linking...but feel free to make yourself at home.

Make This: Paratrooper Softie Tutorial

I don't know about you, but I have a total love-hate relationship with those dime store trinket-y toys. I love them because they remind me of my childhood and how much I cherished all those bitty toys, but I also hate them because the stuff you find these days is so utterly plastic--and the worst kind of cheapy plastic at that. So, this is my solution to that problem--re-inventing dime store trinkets using thrifted materials so they can last a little longer than the stuff out there today and be a little earth-friendlier.

Which brings us to this: A little tutorial on how to make your very own little paratrooper people (or animals) with their own parachute made from recycled materials--the recycled bit coming from the gaudy thrifted silk scarves that my grandma would have worn (not that I am knocking my granny because she is one of my personal heroes--but that is another post for another day).

But wait--did I mention that I am doing this as part of Made by Rae's Celebrate the Boy month? Well, I am. And also, I am actually over on her blog as you read this--guest blogging about this tutorial and other things. So, make sure you head over there after you read this (that is, unless you have just come from there--in which case, welcome to Chez Beeper Bebe and make yourself at home while I mix you a little drink...). In case you missed my earlier post about the Celebrate the Boy theme, you should know there are all manner of amazing boy-centric tutorials guest-bloggers have been contributing all month long . Oh, and don't forget about Dana and all the great projects she has also been posting over on Made because there are lots there too. All boys all the time--or at least for the month of February.

But back to this tutorial. Here it is if you want to download my instructions and templates for how to make your very own little Paratrooper Softie...

DOWNLOAD PARATROOPER PLUSHIE TUTORIAL

There is even a little landing-pad in there for you to print so you can make a game of aiming your completed paratroopers at a specific landing site. Try it out--see what you think.

And I am a little in love with this tutorial, I must confess--because, as I note at the end of the instructions, this is a versatile tutorial, one that welcomes your innovation--which is why you simply MUST share photos of your finished creations in both the Beeper Bebe Project Flickr group, AND in the Celebrate the Boy Flickr group Rae has started. I know you probably think I am just being effusive for your sake, but I truly cannot wait to make more of these...I feel a battalion of paratroopers coming on over here. How about you?

February Lucky Day Give-Away Winners (& some shameless self-promotion)

My dear Liz and Margie Oomen, you may want to consider sending me a little note as you are the Lucky Day Give-Away winners for the month of February. Let's hold hands for a moment and jump up and down in a euphoric ring of giggling excitement, and then maybe even blow some air kisses to those who left comments, but were not quite as fortunate as yourself this month. In the meantime, these happy little plushies await their new homes, and your adoration, of course--so please contact me as soon as you have a spare moment, disclosing to where I might send these little bundles of organic cotton plushie goodness.

And thank you so much to all of you for all of your wonderful children's book suggestions. Several are on my short list as we speak--amongst them:

• The Tiger Who Came to Tea
• Tikki Tikki Timbo
• Over in the Meadow
• Jip and Janneke
• Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda
• Iggy Peck Architect
• Some of those Eric Kastner books

And I could go on...I really, truly, cannot wait to go over to our neighborhood library to see if I can dig some of these up. Any excuse to use the card catalog and take advantage of inter-library loans makes me happy. Because (on a side note) aren't libraries fabulous places? I mean, the notion that you can have access to all these books and magazines and movies FOR FREE is just too lovely in this day and age of every man for himself--even if I have been going to the library my whole life, I still am not over it. Can you imagine if someone (god bless 'em), many years ago, had not conceived of the idea of the local government buying stacks upon stacks of books, housing them in a fantastic and cozy space, and then allowing any old person to just come over and borrow the books for a month at a stretch, at will? I mean, I am pretty sure that if someone tried to push that idea through the government and the powers that be today, well, we would all be SOL. We can't even get a public healthcare system in place, for goodness sakes. Well, I seem to be digressing, so let me put away the soapbox before I get my feet too firmly dug in.

But wait. I should share with you what are a couple of my all-time favorite children's books-quid pro quo you know. You can actually read about them already right here on this blog--it is this one and this one and this one. So go check those out--all of them have my perfect combo of heartbreakingly lovely illustrations and an original story.

But there is one other little thing I wanted to share with you yet--namely some shameless self-promotion. You see, I am over at Gratz Industries, at this very moment, divulging all sorts of not-quite-so-trade-secrets about my longing to redesign Little People, and the sad but true story of the inspiration behind my Bitty Bebes, and my crazy corporate day job where I get to tell old guys in suits what to do, and also my own advice to you. You can read all about it right here. Thanks to Wendi for having me and being interested in what I might have to say (and you should see her sweet bunny plushies--those little satin ears are so luscious).

Margie? Liz? I am waiting to hear from you...

In My Shop: Plushie Duckie Blankie & Shake It Baby Wrist Rattles

I admit I went a little bit around the bend on the baby-stuff-making, but I think I am just about over it now. Between the rattles, the duckies, the wrist rattles, the ribbon plushies, the onesies, the bunnies, and the blankies, well it has gotten a little goo-goo-ga-ga around here. Quite frankly, I am surprised Mr. Beeper hasn't sat me down to ask if I was trying to tell him "something" (and that would be a "no, I am not, so no worries, honey").

But for today, I have a few new baby items I have added to my little shop--some wrist rattles for the littlest of little ones who want a little shake, rattle and roll on their tiny limbs, and a couple little duckie blankies made from that ubiquitous organic cotton fleece (and I do love those blankies--they were inspired by something Beeper has been sleeping with since he was a wee babe). Find them all here.

I've still got the Beeper Bebe for Your Baby Pattern set coming...but after that, I really am done with all this baby stuff and am moving onto making something that is aimed at someone other than the infant-set.

Lucky Day Give-Away: (Not So) Sleepy Bunny and Sunshine Rainbow Plushie

Once again, it is your lucky day. Who knew this could happen on any old ordinary Thursday in the month of February? But, here we are and I have two little plushies just waiting to belong to two different, but oh-so-lucky Chez Beeper Bebe readers. The first is one of my Sleepyhead Bunnies--except, this one is not so sleepy, as you can see (I guess I shouldn't have given him that second espresso). The other is one of my wobegone Rainbow Sunshine Plushies looking for a good home after the whole corporate toy-making man debacle (although, technically, I guess it is a corporate toy-making woman debacle since the company in question is owned by a woman).

Whatever the case, these two little lovelies await two different readers. Now, take a deep breath and here are your instructions: Please leave a comment telling me the title of one of your favorite children's book and any other details you might want to share. And why, you ask? Because my curiosity has not lessened any since the last give-away and we are always looking for great new children's books around my house and I am certain you will come through with some tres magnifique recommendations.

You will need to leave your comment by the end of the day on Saturday, February 20th. I will announce the winners on Monday, February 22nd--so please be sure to check back here so that you can get in touch with me if you are the winner and then we can swap pleasantries and other critical mailing information so your new plush friend might find its way to its new happy home.

Bon chance, mes cheries. I eagerly await your replies.

Eat This: Winter Granola

Here is a variation on our house granola--a little something I made up recently when I needed to use up some aimless pepitas and dried apples. There is something warm and earthy about this granola--the flavor has memories of autumn and Halloween and the holidays all rolled up inside it. Mr. Beeper calls this recipe, The granola of the gods. While maybe not quite at deity status, this granola is pretty damn good. I mean, I cook a lot and when I tasted this, I was like, Dang, I can make a mean a granola--even if it was sort of accidental the way it came together. The good thing is that I actually wrote the recipe down as I was preparing it (which often does not happen--things often come about a little haphazardly in my kitchen).

DOWNLOAD WINTER GRANOLA RECIPE

So, try to this one out. See if you think it is worthy of Zeus and Hera, or Percy Jackson, or Robert Plant circa 1971, or whoever.

10 Years

I can hardly believe that Mr. Beeper and I have been married for 10 years now. We were married on February 12th, in the midst of a blizzard in Minnesota. It was lovely, actually--all that snow swirling outdoors in the evening light was ethereal, and made the reception all the cozier. And now, here we are, home-owners, parents, and still very much in love with one another. You all know how I feel about him, so I won't bore you with my ravings about what a super guy he is and how his kindness compares to none....instead, let me share what I made for him as an anniversary gift...

You see, the traditional anniversary gift for the 10th anniversary is supposed to be something made from tin...so, I filled a little tin box with my favorite photos of us from the past 10 years, placed a little love note at the end, and then bound it all up with baker's twine. It was a simple gift, but one that celebrated where we had been and where we have come to be today as a couple.

And this? Well, this is what Mr. Beeper gave me. He is not really the type of man who gives jewelry for gifts, but I guess 10 years warranted a little something. And I do love it--he did well--this is something I would have chosen for myself. It was designed and crafted by Jill Smith, a local artist (Mr Beeper hates mass produced stuff)--and now is on my wrist, a reminder of 10 years, and more to come.

I love you, Mr Beeper. You are the sunshine in my sky, the little smile on my face, and the ganache in my truffles. And everything else you can think of that is lovely. XOXO.

Tutorial and Pattern: Rainbow Sunshine Plushie (and a little fair[l]y [ugly] tale about patents)

I want to begin this tutorial with a little story. One day there was a little organic cotton rainbow be-ribboned plushie that was sketched and then stitched with love in a very messy upstairs room in a home somewhere in Minneapolis. It was a happy little plushie, made all the more so by the creation of its 3 identical siblings who sat on a sunny windowsill with the little plushie, keeping it company. Three of these four happy little plushies were placed in an Etsy shop, where they could be adopted by a good family, where they might be mooshed and drooled on and thrown over the sides of a crib and loved by a baby new to this world, much like the little plushies. They sat in that little shop, anxiously awaiting their new family for not much more than a week, when suddenly a nasty, ugly, bullying corporate lawyer informed them they could not be placed for adoption because apparently they were infringing upon some stupid, damn patent or other. So, the dejected little plushies were quietly and discreetly removed from the shop and now sit forlorn upon their windowsill, wondering if they will ever have a home--and all because some big corporate toy company seems to think you can patent the use of ribbon--even if your happy little rainbow plushies bare little resemblance to their designs or the description of their design in their patent.

But then, the plushie creator decided, I'll be damned if the corporate-toy-making-man can bully this little artist and stop the world from enjoying these little plushies and try to control the creative use of ribbon. Just like all the other sewing notions and art supplies in the world, ribbons deserve to be given free-expression too. Ribbons have feelings too!

And so, the plushie creator decided she would simply make a little free and downloadable tutorial on how to make the happy little be-ribboned plushies for your own self, so the little plushies can continue to exist in the world, and proliferate, and be free from the repression of the corporate man. And then people began downloading the pattern, and making their own little happy be-ribboned plushies, and were filled with joy and were freed from repression and lived happily ever after. The end.
Unfortunately, that little story is pretty much all true. Even the part about me being here to offer all of you a little tutorial and downloadable template on how you can make your very own Rainbow Sunshine Plushie. And I really hope you will--if nothing else than as a sign of resistance to the corporate toy-making man who thinks they need to control teeny-weeny little artists like me who probably would not have sold more than 4 of these in a year's time. And who think they get to rule the world of artistic expression because they have the money to buy a patent (and why in the hell can you patent the use of ribbon anyway? Who's ever heard of that nonsense?) and they have bullying corporate lawyers who know people like me cannot afford to fight them. Excuse me, but F them. I never did react well to attempts to control me (just ask my manager at work, or my parents, for that matter).
So, please make these to your heart's content and give them away to every baby you know and every person who might need a little snuggly rainbow happiness in their life. Fight the man and retain your personal right to use ribbon as you so choose:

DOWNLOAD RAINBOW PLUSHIE TUTORIAL

Happy plushie-making, creative friends in la resistance against the corporate-toy-making-man.

Color Your Own Valentine's Cards

Are you like me? I refuse to buy commercial, "character" based valentines. At least for now while Beeper still does not realize he has a choice in the matter and is happy to go along with whatever his mama puts in front of him.

Like these Color Your Own Valentines Cards I purchased from Etsy--a $3.99 pdf purchase=as many valentine's as you can manage to print + a donation to the Children's Heart Foundation. I love that. Don't you?

The pdf consists of 12 different hand drawn valentines by various Etsy artists and not a dud in the bunch, I tell you. They are all sweet and lovely. Also that donation was a clincher for me.

So, rather than coloring valentines for each of his classmates, Beeper is packaging a little set of these cards for them to color themselves. Brilliant--right? A little gift and a valentine all in one envelope (never mind that we did almost the exact same thing last year--new school, new kids--they'll never know). I made a little band for the cards and Beeper addressed some brightly colored envelopes and now we are set for Friday's Valentine's Day shindig.

Interested in the cards? You can buy your own set here. Interested in doing something like what we did? You can download the band we made for the cards here:

DOWNLOAD VALENTINE CARD BAND

Happy Valentine's Day.

Baby Shower GIft-Making Mania

I really did get a little crazy with the handmade baby gifts this time--but there were unforeseen forces of which I was under the influence--like that damn organic cotton fleece that kept wooing me to make just one more thing, and the fact that this gift would be for my dear friend J. who has had such a long, perilous road to pregnancy. And I do believe that there is no better way to welcome new life into the world than with something handmade, something you have put part of yourself into, love sewn in with each stitch (and maybe a little blood too if you often prick your finger because you are watching MadMen while hand-sewing).

So, you see the fruits of my baby-stuff-making-mania above. Mostly my designs, but I could not resist including the lovely Kokeshi Stuffie designed by Melly and Me. Also, Beeper picked out the board books: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle and Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli. They were favorites of his when he was a babe. And, of course, the itty bitty knit booties from Funchi that could break your heart they are so perfectly made--they definitely caused an outcry of admiration when they were held up for all to see.

I will be posting a tutorial next week for one of those baby items, and within the next couple of weeks, a pattern pack in my little shop that will include patterns and illustrated instructions for 5 or 6 different baby things...just in case you too may want to engage in your own baby gift-making mania.

In My Shop: Sleepyhead Bunny & Rainbow Sunshine Plushie

More sweet and lovely little plushies in my shop made from that uber-soft organic cotton fleece I recently purchased. There is just something about this material that reminds me of a lovingly worn and most-beloved toy--in fact, I think my brother had this little sleepy puppy (Sleeper was what we called him) made from a fabric very similar to this way back when--back before the notion of making fabrics from synthetic materials ever existed. And it was his favorite cuddle toy for ages--and then it was adopted by me when he was over it.

So, I have designed a little plushie sleepyhead bunny that is based on an antique bunny toy I saw in a book. It is sweetly sized for little ones with a sleepy face inspired by the aforementioned Sleeper. I also created this sunshiney little plushie made with a color wheel of ribbons. You know, babies love those little ribbon tags, and, well, lately, I am in love with using lots of color (the influence of Beeper's favored coloring approach--the color-it-like-a-rainbow-threw-up-all-over-it approach).

You can find them both in my shop, here.

Doodle Face Something-or-Other...

What can I say about Beeper's latest Doodle Face? How about this: What the...? The kid has some imagination...is it a mutant giant attacking the kingdom? A bunny gone real, real bad? A spider scaling the castle walls? Who can say? Beeper would not divulge the answer to these burning questions and so I turn to you--what do you think it is? And yes, I have added some notes to the drawing for your comprehension(the temperamental artist was willing to divulge that much)--just in case it is not completely obvious to you what all is there.

Celebrating the Boy

It is Celebrate the Boy month over at Made by Rae and Made. This means that the whole month of February, Rae and Dana are doing posts on crafts and projects and tutorials geared for boys only. Love this idea. Boys need crafty, handmade things too.

Rae and Dana have already launched the month with some of their own projects--Dana has a cool tee pattern with endless possibilities and Rae has a brilliant tutorial on making little boys shirts from recycled big-boy shirts. And, all month they will featuring various guest bloggers who will be sharing their own boy-centric projects--me included. I will be showing up on Feb 23 with a boy-ish toy tutorial (although, girls are welcome to play too, if they are so inclined--even if I do hear comments from Beeper's girl friends like, His toys are all snakes and super heroes and stuff. They aren't very good. And kind of gross. To which I say, I hear you, sister, but the world can't be all hot pink ruffles and Polly Pockets now, can it? Besides, you'll understand that Batman is cool when you're older.). There are many other wonderful crafters who will be contributing too--Meg from Elsie Marley among them.

So, go check it out. Find Rae's blog here, and Dana's here.

Quilt Anxiety

Look at this stack of fabrics. So lovely it almost hurts my heart. They are from the Good Folks collection from Anna Maria Horner. In a fit of ardor, I purchased fat quarters of the entire collection--all 24 heart-wrendingly beautiful fabrics. You see, I came across Anna Maria's blog (her home is too devastingly lovely) and then her fabrics and then I was in love and knew I had to have a quilt made from these fabrics for our bedroom. But, I don't quilt. Not that that deterred me, as you can see, from purchasing the fabrics.

As soon as the fabrics arrived, I tore into the box and laid them out across our bed, just to see how they would look if they were to be assembled in the aforementioned quilt--and , I think my heart sang when it saw all those fabrics together, against the backdrop of our dark gray walls. This is the quilt of my dreams--if only I can manage to make it a reality. And dear Chez Beeper Bebe readers, I am scared. I have never ever made a quilt, and what if I screw it up? Gods knows what sort of desperate state I would fall into if I ruined all that otherworldly fabric and worse yet, this quilt would never grace my bedroom.

So, I turn to all of you for your advice and assistance. Please tell me, where are the best resources for how to make a quilt? Books? Blogs? Other Resources? And if you are already quilters and know a thing or two about this elusive craft, what are your personal tips? What sort of batting is the best for this sort of project? What should I do for binding? What about backing it? I would be in a state of paralysis with all this lack of knowledge I posses on the subject, but dammit if I am not determined to make this quilt and have it in my bedroom.

So, let me tell what I am envisioning at this point: I want to make this quilt with big square blocks of the fabric (somewhat like pictured above)--because I think the fabric itself is the superstar of this quilt, and more importantly, I need to start simple or I will never have the gumption to make this. And I have this idea that I would quilt it by hand, quilting around varying bits of the patterns in the fabric--creating this sort of mosaic of quilted patterns. Is this a bad idea? Am I doomed for failure if I go down this path? What don't I know that I should? Please help me. I am so utterly clueless. I mean, I sew things all the time, but somehow this feels like I am about to attempt to build the the space shuttle in my bedroom--because it is that important to me.

Anything you can do to help will result in my eternal gratitude.