how to: juice box boats

found these swell juice box boats and how-to over at the inchmark journal. made of such simple elements and such a quick and kid-friendly project. and of course anything that floats is bound to ring a few bells.

i adore the inchmark journal - endlessly inspiring and easy on the eyes, it's one of my favourite crafty reads. and i am so in awe of creator brooke reynolds and her many talents - she has such a stylish, modern yet approachable and quirky aesthetic, and her touch as a designer is evident in so many of my favourites in the realm of craftdom.

for free: printable bookplates!

so adorable, from orange you lucky: free printable bookplates! visit the site to download the high-res files and use them to mark your (or your child's!) fave books, as bookmarks, in loot bags and more. created by helen dardik: amazingly talented designer, illustrator, mom of three.

rainy day fun

i kind of wish it was raining today. for some reason i'm just feeling super stumped and a rainy day always seems to legitimize that loagy feeling. i just can't seem to tackle any or all of the things on my ever-growing list. many small and one large design projects, lots of crafts that i want to make for us and for my shop, home-makery things that i wish i did do and never seem to (like making dinner!) and of course all sorts other random longings... instead, i'm sitting here using up the valuable time while cole naps, stumped, and reading my favourite blogs, ogling things on etsy and looking at other folks facebook photos... well, might as well put my ogling to good use and share:

i spotted this random etsy find and thought it would make a terrific kid-friendly activity on an actual rainy day...

this design-your-own wooden nesting eggs kit from themercshop looks very promising. kit comes with the wooden eggs, a tray of paints and a lovely little bird-stamped muslin bag. how cute is that?

i can't wait until cole is old enough for making things with mama... i picture rainy days, tomato soup, a handmade painting smock and a lot of messy fun. and maybe cookies, because everyone loves cookies...