May Day! May Day!

When I was three years old, I have a vivid memory of picking a handful of Bluebells and pale pink wild flowers, and weaving a basket out of brown paper strips. Tightly holding my mom's hand on a drizzly spring day, I ran gleefully through my grandmother's yard, and stood proudly on her doorstep to deliver my May Day gift. I wasn't stealth enough to ring the doorbell and run, as I think the holiday was originally intended, but my grandma still loved it, and so did I.

I wanted to bring that same joy and surprise to the two youngest members of my family. They live out of state, so fresh flowers weren't an option. I decided to make, and mail these fun flower crayons.

To make six, all you need is a flower mold, and about 72 crayons (three of the 24 packs).

The unwrapping process took much longer than I anticipated. Pick out a good movie, or recruit family members to help you!

Break the crayons into the smallest possible chunks to melt more quickly. Cutting them into pieces with a knife works well when your hands get tired.

I placed my mold on an old cookie sheet, and put it in the oven at 225 degrees F for about 30 minutes.

I let mine cool for 15 minutes, and they popped out of the tray easily.

I put the crayons in plastic goodie bags to ensure they'd travel well, and make them more fun to open.

I found these adorable baskets at World Market leftover in the Easter basket sale section. The crayons fit perfectly, and there was plenty of room for a note.

I tucked the baskets into shoe boxes, and bedazzled the front of the packages with glittery flower stickers, and "Do not open until May 1." Hooray for May Day!

Hexies for Lunch

This spring I took a break from other projects to make a fun little scrappy bag for my friend Grayce. I've long been obsessed with hexies, but they are time-consuming little buggers! I finally realized that making hexies is a great way to pass the time as a passenger on long car rides.

The finished bag is smaller than a reusable shopping bag, and I thought it would be perfect for holding a sewing project or for lunch on the go. Luckily Grayce thought so too!

The maroon fabric was left over from an apron I made years ago, and the raindrops are Little Things Organic Rainy Day Grey on Cream Raindrop by Arrin Turnmire of Little Figs by Moda. The Oregon fabric is my own Spoonflower design.

Once you start making hexies it's hard to stop! We took a little road trip to Central Oregon over Memorial Day weekend and I started another hexie project that will eventually become a pillow. So much fun!

Striped Quilts for Twins

Once every few years, Portland gets its very own snow storm. This February we had our first proper snow in five years. The first day was beautiful. The streets were peaceful, quiet, and magically transformed. Cars were left at home and people eagerly set out on foot to explore. Dogs snuffled and frolicked, and kids zipped down hills with makeshift sleds. 

As with most snow storms (in my limited experience) the magic and wonder were short-lived. Overnight our soft powdery blanket of snow turned to ice. I tried to take a walk to see friends who were visiting from California, but got spooked and turned around after several almost twisted ankles and a near miss with giant chunks of ice falling from a tree near my path. Mother Nature, I heard your message loud and clear.

I went home and got cozy, turned on the Winter Olympics, and finished these stripey quilts. I made these quilts for my friend Katie's adorable babies born this spring, a boy and a girl. The idea for the rainbow stripes came to me first, the strips were scraps from a scallop quilt that I am in the process of hand quilting.  I wanted the quilts to be similar but unique, so I made the second striped quilt with thicker strips and an ombre-ish repeating pattern. I finished the last binding stitch about an hour before sunset on the last day of the storm. Photographing quilts in the snow was a fun first!

And We Begin

Hello friends! Welcome to our shiny new blog!

We are Lauren and Jen - sisters, the best of friends, both with professional day jobs but crafty in spirit. We are starting this blog as a fun way to collaborate while we live in different cities.

On this blog you are likely to see paper crafts, sewing projects, pottery, and maybe the occasional recipe or picture of our pets. Thanks for stopping by!