Hi there friends.  I’ve been playing hooky lately to catch up with some ongoing projects. So, I thought I’d share a few of the small things I’ve been enjoying.

This is a string block for my Bee’s Knees Block of the Month.  It was so fun to make… and the perfect block to use my fabric scraps.  I would definitely enjoy making a whole string quilt.  The block is sewn on a piece of paper.  In my case, a piece of newspaper, cut to the size of block you wish to make.  I used this tutorial from Film in the Fridge.

Another fun thing I’ve enjoyed the past week is reviewing picture books for a project my friend is working on .

I’m so excited to share a few of my favorites:

This book was so sweet, I found myself a little choked up reading it.  Grandpa Green is a tribute to the author/illustrator’s grandfather.  At first reading, I wondered if this was a children’s book that was mostly for adults… so I read it to one of my girls and was happy to find that she loved it too.  She is ten so much of the deeper meaning of the book was not lost on her.  I still wondered if younger readers would like it, so I brought Grandpa Green with me when I saw my sister-in-law, who read it to her 5 year old daughter.  She likewise loved it, and asked if she could hear it again.

My conclusion is, this is one of those wonderful children’s books that spans a wide age range of 4 to 104.  It’s a quiet book that must be savored, with your child cuddled right next to you as you read it aloud.  Each page takes time to absorb all the beautiful illustrations and the stories they tell.  This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

If you are a lover of all things English, like me, this book will surely tickle your fancy.  The High Street is a wonderful lift the flap book that has both beautiful, detailed illustrations and a clever, rhyming story.  It’s a stroll through a lovely English village and when you finish reading it, you will want tea and crumpets… or a cherry tart.

It may look like I’m a holiday late for this recommendation.  But Creepy Carrots! is definitely perfect for year round enjoyment.  The illustrations in this book are super cool.  And even better, it has a wonderful, scary, funny storyline.  This is a book my son would have loved when he was younger.  It captures the vivid and sometimes easily spooked imagination of a kid perfectly.  The humor and surprise ending make this a must have book on my list.

So there are a few fun things to share.  I’ll be back tomorrow with a giveaway.

Since my good intentions went by the wayside, and I didn’t have a chance to post photos before… or even on Halloween, I thought I’d share some of what has been keeping me busy for the past week.

Ben was Robin Hood this year.  I was so happy that at least we were able to recycle a cloak from his Ranger’s Apprentice costume from a few years back.

I sewed him a new shirt, vest and arm guards to complete his costume.  I love his old wooden bow that once belonged to his great grandfather.

Lily was Clara Barton, sans the hoped for hoop skirt.  We tried putting her very full tutu under the skirt, but it was too much for the nurse’s pinafore… but she is so sweet that she was just happy with her full length dress.  The original costume I used was for a Colonial dress, but I modified the arms and the neckline to “try” to give it a more Civil War sensibility.

Emma was the wonderful Eleanor Roosevelt.  Again, I couldn’t find a 30’s style dress pattern for girls so I modified an existing pattern.  The original pattern had an empire waist and no collar, but the skirt wasn’t gathered on the pattern, so I thought it would work.  Adding a collar to a dress is MUCH harder than I thought it would be… I really wanted to make a belt, but ran out of time, but in the end Emma and I were still happy with how her dress turned out.

We had a very fun filled Halloween with friends and family.  I am very happy to say I even have a small stash of Butterfingers thanks to the generosity of my kids.

I’ll end with a few wonderful quotes from Clara and Eleanor:

I have an almost complete disregard of precedent, and a faith in the possibility of something better. It irritates me to be told how things have always been done. I defy the tyranny of precedent. I go for anything new that might improve the past. -Clara Barton

You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude. -Eleanor Roosevelt

Every time you meet a situation you think at the time is an impossibility and you go through the tortures of the damned, once you have met it and lived through it, you find that forever after you are freer than you were before.  – Eleanor Roosevelt