our favorite kiddo apps

Sadly, Lark picked up a sick-bug and these last several days (and nights) have been loooonng for all of us. LM has been a champ considering Lark's awake time is demanding almost all of my attention and both of my arms, and honestly, I have my iphone to thank for keeping her entertained during the moments I just need to focus on the sick child. On a normal day, I usually let LM play games while I nurse Lark and put her down for a nap, but she has been enjoying 'game time' a little more lately. I thought I would share a few of our favorite kiddo apps with you.

We love the Tickle Tap Apps - Toddler Pack, Toddler Pack Two, and Doodlecast. The graphics and colors are well designed, and the games are clever while covering a wide array of learning and creative play. LM chooses to play these more than any other apps and I don't blame her - they are fun!

Plic Ploc Wiz is another favorite. You fill in the blanks with the corresponding shape, and then afterward you can make your own picture using them and send it to a friend.

Although LM does like Peekaboo Barn, this one is perfect for Lark since all you have to do is touch the screen to play. It teaches animals and their sounds.

Do you have an iphone or ipad, and if so, do you let your children play games on it? Before I got my iphone I thought it was asking for trouble to let your toddler play with such an expensive 'toy', but now I am a total believer as long as the games are educational. For us the key is making sure we set a limit to playing time. Before I hand over my phone LM knows when she has to stop - ie. when I am done putting Lark down for her nap.

This article on screen time I found on MPMK is an interesting read if you have some time. I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic, and also any recommendations for creative learning apps you love!


(These opinions are my own, I was not compensated by these companies to write this post.)

happy weekend + a winner

Just popping in real quick to announce the winner of the wooden stitchery pendant - Claire! Please send me your email so I can get you in touch with Aesalina, congrats! Wishing you all a lovely weekend. 

xo

shop update

Just added these new items to the shop!

Is this week flying by for you like it is for me? I suppose that is what usually happens when Monday was a holiday, but I really can't believe tomorrow is already Friday. We have plans to do a little house hunting/researching this weekend and I am pretty over the moon about it. Just excited that something is happening in that life department, even though it may be a long while still before buying a house works out for us. It's just nice to acknowledge a dream, even if only for a weekend. Exciting! Do you have any fun plans?

recently...

Lark turned 11 months old a couple of weeks ago and I can hardly believe she will be ONE in just a couple more weeks! I need to start planning her party, but I am in denial that it's coming up so soon. This week she started saying "up!" and something that sort-of-not-really sounds like "book" and then she hands me a book to read. She is the sweetest.

Reason no. 384 of why I love my husband - he needed new glasses and specifically chose frames to appease the teenage girl in me who always had crushes on boys with black-rimmed glasses but never ended up dating one. Now I am married to one and he is a hottie. Blahm.

Dolly finally got a face, and Lark finally started growing some visible hair. It looks very strawberry in the sunlight and my mom is convinced that she will be a red-head. I most certainly wouldn't mind, but she has said that about every grandchild (wishful thinking) and they have all ended up blonde.

I wore the same striped sweater two days in a row last week. I may be wearing it again today (I am).

New items will be listed in the shop later this week. I was lucky enough to come by a cute little ballerina who agreed to be my model (bribes may or may not have been offered and accepted).

We have been spending lots of time playing outdoors and practicing walking on uneven surfaces. Thank you glorious weather!

These two pictures capture my daughter's interests at this time in her life perfectly - constantly writing her letters (those are a bunch of A's), and requesting to listen to Yo Gabba Gabba.

Reason no. 564 of why I love my husband - he starts impromptu Beach Boys dance parties with the girls, and indulges requests for blanket rides. (Squint and you can imagine what Lark would look like with her sisters curls).

We had the loveliest of three-day weekends, hope you did too.

***Don't forget to enter the Pendant Project giveaway!***

pendant project + giveaway (closed)

(image provided by AesaLina)

I am excited to be a part of the Pendant Project, a month-long event with the goal to inspire others to create their own handmade accessories. Each week in February one muse will reveal her own transformed pendant and I am the second of four. AesaLina Compton of LoveLovely invited me to participate and provided me with a stitchery wooden pendant as a blank canvas to design my own necklace. It was a fun challenge to take on, and this is what I came up with:

After a trip to the craft store I came home with a pile of leather laces, a rainbow of embroidery floss, and no clear vision of what I was going to do. Except, I did know I wanted to keep the natural wood color of the pendant, and keep the design simple so I could wear it more often.

Initially, I thought I would use the leather as the chain and the thread for the pendant design, but when inspiration hit it was in completely the opposite direction. I realized I could snip the ends of the deerskin leather lace into points and pull them through the holes - perfect. I added the gold thread for a bit of sparkle and then secured it all in place with craft glue and a leather backing. I am happy with how it turned out and have already proudly worn it out and about!

I am curious to know, what would you do? Start thinking about the endless possibilities because one of you will get the chance to win a stitchery wooden pendant of your very own - thank you, AesaLina! 

There are three chances to enter and win... 

1 - Simply leave a comment!

2 - Tweet about this giveaway: Win a stitchery wooden pendant from @HartandSew and create your own amazing handmade accessory! http://hartandsew.blogspot.com/2012/02/pendant-project-giveaway.html

3-  Follow this blog and leave a comment letting me know.

I'll announce a winner next Friday, good luck!

Also, be sure to follow the Pendant Project for the rest of the month, and get even more chances to win - Brittni of Papernstitch has already revealed hers, Amy of Amy Tangerine is up next week, and then Caitlin of Hue and Hum will wrap it all up the last week. I already love what's been done and can't wait to see the rest!

little vintage style

LM wore: dress, vintage from Sweet Shop Vintage//sweater, gift//tights, Old Navy//shoes, Old Navy

Seriously, LM is cracking me up with her poses lately - her little hand, ha!

After taking these pictures I realized that she kind of blended into the background with her blonde locks and  vintage yellow dress. The little snowfall we have gotten this winter melted so our view is one big span of golden monotone. Pretty in its own way, but I am starting to get the itch to see some green in my sights again!

But, I suppose I don't have to wait much longer considering it's already the middle of February. Did you have a nice Valentine's Day? Husband proposed to me five years ago on Valentine's which may seem cliche (okay, it is), but at least we will never forget the date! To celebrate we cooked up a nice dinner at home, put the kids to bed, and went out on a date to the temple. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate our love than to visit the place where we were married. Then we stuffed ourselves with homemade chocolate-covered strawberries, which LM happily finished off for breakfast this morning. I am already thinking we need to make more....

heart knot friendship bracelet valentines

I was feeling very uninspired this year when it came to making any Valentine's. I knew LM really wanted something to give to her cousins and a few friends, so I was just going to have her pick out some Valentine's at the store (which seriously would have been just fine). But, as I was falling asleep late last night all of these individual thoughts that were floating around in my head suddenly collided and I knew what I wanted to do - heart knot bracelets!

So if you need a very extremely last minute Valentine idea, here you go...

I had a bunch of soft suede leather lace I didn't end up using on a project (that I'll share later this week), so I originally thought that I could make adjustable friendship bracelets - you know, like those awesome neon ones we proudly wore back in the day? Then, Melissa fortuitously posted how to tie adjustable knots, and that combined with a picture of a heart knot I remembered seeing on Jen's Pinterest brought this idea all together. And, really, that's all it is - tying knots.

A how-to video for the heart knot can be found here. I had to watch it at least a few times to get the hang of it, but once it clicked the rest went pretty fast. I will say that I think the dark blue heart knot looks the best because it was a little thicker than the other colors so keep that in mind. Also, make sure you give yourself plenty of extra lace on each side for the adjustable knots.

Once you are done you can slide the bracelets over this little printable card I made, and simply pull the adjustable knots tight. Right click on the picture to save and print it (saying inspired by these two friendship bracelet Valentine's). Or you can make your own with Husband's rejected (albeit funny) idea - 'I don't like you. KNOT! Be Mine.' ;)

Happy Valentine's Day friends!!!

playing house

sources: 1//2//3//4

Can I tell you I dream of the house we will someday own practically everyday? You probably haven't realized since I don't have much occasion to talk about it, but we live with my dad at the moment. It is where we need to be at this time in our lives, and honestly, I love my dad. It's kind of awesome to see him almost everyday, watch my children develop a bond with him that I never had with my grandparents, and infinity bonus points - he is a cleaning nut so our messes will oft times magically disappear.

I know I will look back and cherish this transition period and probably miss his presence terribly at times, but that house lingering in our future is beckoning me... and lately, its call has been getting louder. I am happy to say we are getting closer to being able to answer that call, but in the meantime I have succumbed to playing house on Pinterest in order to try and settle down my nesting instincts.

My dream home has quirky charm, white walls, wooden floors, lots of sunshine streaming through the windows, and a big yard with a garden - I'll stop before tire swing and chickens (but, oh yes, I would take them). More importantly though, I dream of a place that is full of love and laughter, security and the Spirit, and little feet padding through hallways. And, when I think about it that way it helps knowing I already have all of those things right here, right now.

So, I'll continue to be as content as possible with our situation (I know some days will be harder than others), but I will never stop dreaming of our very own someday home.

sources: 1//2//3//4

The link to my Pinterest on the side bar isn't working right now (will get it fixed soon), but you can follow my pins here if you'd like.

***Also, Danielle made it to the finale of Project Run & Play! Her signature look is darling and so well designed. I would buy it for my girls in a heartbeat! Go see it here and vote!

shop update

Hello there! Here is this week's shop update. Head on over to the shop for more details.

my life as a mama

Recent snapshots of my life as a mama. My days are filled with my babies, crafting, and vintage.
I wouldn't change a thing.

little vintage style

LM wore: cardigan, vintage/shirt, old navy/scarf, vintage/pants, target/boots, thrifted

Yesterday we stayed home since Lark had a low fever and seems to be teething again, but during her afternoon nap LM and I went outside for some fresh air. The weather here has been unseasonably warm, and even though we played in the snow there was no need to get all bundled up. LM even rode her bike around for awhile which I did not expect to be possible this time of year - and I am not complaining. It's been so nice not to feel cooped up inside all winter.

This sweet vintage cardigan was a recent purchase of mine off Etsy. It needed a couple of easy fixes - part of the cheerleader's arm had come loose and needed to be sewn back down, and I replaced the felt megaphone with a new one since it was pretty ratty - but it was well worth it. Something about it reminds me of Misha Lulu and that is never a bad thing!

Are you enjoying a mild winter too? Have you been able to do anything that has surprised you?

p.s. If you look closely you might be able to spot a few short pieces of hair on top of LM's head, but her curls are doing a pretty good job of masking the chunk she chopped off ;)

I'm getting back into the swing of things again with this years first Little Vintage Style... please feel free to leave a link in the comments of your cute kiddos style, I would love to see!