We're Going on Safari

We have been sick for the last week. First, ear infections, then colds, now stomach flu. Trying to stay sane while sick, I let Izzo stay in her jammies and watch TV a lot longer each day than I'm proud to say.
While we were on hiatus, she decided she was a 'safari photographer taking photographs of her animals in the wild.'

Her Camera:


The rare specimen's found on safari:


Her footwear:


Grandma P sent these lovely shoes for Easter. She's been wearing/dancing/sleeping/eating in them-- I put a stop to them going in the tub.

Sweet Birdies

Hello Dear Friends!
These little delectable birdies... perfect for a springy Easter party are made by my friend from way back, Melody. She does some pretty incredible work and her designs are too die for.
There's always something new in her neck of the woods!

Embroidery 101

The sun is shining, the birds are singing and it's a great evening for a glass of wine and an embroidery hoop. Right?

I think so! Oo... what fun this has been learning how to do all kinds of things. Or attempting to learn. I didn't have time to go pick up any books at the library yet, but soon (or in my spare time... which could be a while from now).

I went down town to For Your Home on Central Ave in Orange City to pick up some new colors of floss and the lovely saleswoman even showed me how to do some great French knots that stay put! Thank you, thank you.

While dinner was roasting away in the oven, the four of us took some time outside to assess the garden now that the snow has melted (until tomorrow).

Isabel played on her slide, jumped in puddles, in the mud and in the leaves.

Truman sat in his ex-er-saucer and made lots of loud noises while Eric plotted the garden and I cleared the inches of ice still left on our sidewalks.

It felt so good to be outside. Though, Isabel asked to go to bed at 7:10 and Truman followed suit right after her. It was nice to have them in bed early, except we were due at church for the service.

Looking forward to a Happy Easter!

A Glorious Spring Day

Today was the kind of day that you file into memory. One of those happy days, where the sunshines a midst the melting snow.

We bundle up, pack up and on our way out of the garage. Izzo says "Hello Sun, what a bright sunny day." Now I know that this is partly from a Barney episode... but the sentiment was all too fitting.

We walked down the street to the park with her singing all the way. And waving to every person, dog or tree. Truman was sitting in the front of the stroller cooing and taking the day in.
It was gorgeous.

Truman had his first baby swing experience and loved it!


We pick up "Grandma Bonnie" along the way. She ran around after Izzo while Truman and I lagged behind.



Swinging together!


Isabel was just exstatic that she could be back in the park. On the way home she kept saying, "no mud puddles!"

Learning to Embroider

Sweet Jayne was such a hit at my house, I've been trying to teach myself the art of embroidery from a handout I printed off the internet. The handout is great, however I think I'm a little slow. I follow the instructions but my french knots don't hold. And my poor little sampler of stitches is so sad looking isn't it?
Well let's hope for better luck after some help from the local library.

Some news: Our craft show debut is at the Orange City EXPO April 1-2, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Come to view all the new things we've been working on!

Brewing Up Bathtime

The smell in our kitchen is heavenly right now. Eric is brewing up all kinds of bathtime fun.
So far he's created five different and equally enchanting batches of herbal bath tea. Lavender, citrus peal, cranberries, basil, sage, chrysanthemum... and the list goes on.


It's a bright and springy activity as opposed to the thick blanket of snow thats falling out my window right now. Hopefully the grass will start to grow soon and the garden will need to be planted.

Oh Sweet Jayne

Say hello to the newest member of our household, Sweet Jayne Bear.


This morning after breakfast, Isabel stepped into the kitchen and said "Mommy. I need a blue bear with a pink apron. Yep. (while walking to the fabric drawer). I want a blue one, a pink one for Olivia (her best friend) and a green one for Truman (my son). "
Me: ok.
Izzo: OOOOOooo KAY!


This is Isabel and newly stuffed Sweet Jayne Bear.


Sweet Jayne's first walk outside to see our friend, Jayne, at work. See the connection?
Sweet Jayne Bear's first time being lost and found.

Isabel after naptime (when Sweet Jayne got her pink apron and a crown). She also is in love with the original pattern we used to draw Ms. S. Jayne.

Tonight in the car she said "Sweet Jayne, {sigh} you're my favorite friend."

At bedtime she said, "Where's Sweet Jayne? Get her, sing a song, pray then kisses." Followed by: "Mommy, I think Truman needs a green duck."

We'll start again tomorrow.

Good night, Isabel. Good night, Sweet Jayne.

All the Small Things

Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things brought together. Vincent Van Gogh

Today was a day of doing little things. Cleaning out the toy baskets in the kids room, making birthday cards, sketching lots of little birds ...
Though we did have one revelation. More paint. Did I mention that we were obsessed with paint at my house? Isabel has also decided that glitter is now AMAZING as well. But only red glitter-- these are the "wred shiny sprinkles not the lellow ones!" I left for a split second to return to the ENTIRE shaker of 'Wred shiny sprinkles' on the high chair tray, floor, all over child... with her shreeking, "I'm all dirty, my hands are yucky." I photographed those little chubby hands again... I think they're perfect.


My husband, Eric and I spent the evening after the kids went to bed doing lots of little things.
I am working on my PinUps and PopUps-- crafty cute thumbtacks and magnets for the upcoming local craft fair. I will have more specifics soon.

Eric is working on our garden/backyard farm for the impending spring! OH spring!
We were listening to 90's alternative rock, painting, planting seedlings and enjoying the night of sleeping children-- however long that will last.

Martha Stewart I am Not

What a great evening! Scrapbooking Night, the brain child of my three amazing friends. Two hours: no husbands or kids and all the pages you can get done.

Tonight was the maiden voyage. We brought our tools, paper, photos and all sorts of ideas (or at least we had books with ideas).

Since I am not a scrapbooker- perhaps I do not have enough 'sit in me'- I thought I'd make this lovely envelope book that I spied on Martha Stewart's website. It looked easy enough. Plus, I have boxes of envelopes just sitting around my studio.

I followed the instructions correctly but the book that was hard to open and the book tape didn't really stick. I took it apart and tired to remake it. Boo. Not a beautiful project by any stretch of the imagination. Though I might take the idea and run with it another direction. Check back to see my progress.

The time was not wasted... I did get to spend all of it with the girls!

Old Photos, Old Friends

I had the pleasure of scanning a lifetime's worth of photos for my grandpa's memorial service in November. I now have hundreds of photos waiting to be shown... these are just two of my favorites.
Enjoy a little piece family history.
If you have old photos that you love and want others to see, email them to theyellowdoorpaperie@gmail.com and we'll upload them to flickr for group show and tell!

Have Your Cake

My grandma has this amazing recipe for sherry cake.
We've always called it Booze Cake. I love that word Booze. It rolls off the tounge.
I was going to have a stunning photo of the lovely golden goddess of a dessert. As you can see. It didn't make it that long. The crumbs are still pretty too!

Bathtime and Breakfast

Bathing. My guilty and yet squeaky clean pleasure.
We, here at The Yellow Door Paperie are getting ready to unveil our bath line. Goats milk soap, bath teas, red sandalwood candles plus lots more. All of our plant products are locally grown (most from our back yard), natural and environmentally friendly. We are looking to sell them on etsy!

I'll let you know when our etsy shop is up!

Yellow Hands Make Light Work

Ah yes... remodeling. It is a pain to do, but when done and done correctly, it has a way of lifting the whole house to a new level. Right?
Well to say the least my daughter has become a new painter. Two and a half almost, armed with a wide brush wanting to "paint yellow too!" I have discovered two new (and might I add ingenious) ways of redirecting her advances toward the very exposed yellow gloppy goodness that, if gone unattended for half a second could be the new color of my very neutral non-school-bus-yellow carpet.
Plan one. Two cups one paintbrush. One cup filled with a small film of blue dish soap. The other cup- water. It worked, for an evening... but it did work.
Plan two. Washable finger paint in a strikingly similar shade of yellow. Sitting in a high chair and brown paper. I am a genius. Well until tomorrow.
At any rate I took about twenty pictures of her gorgeous hands after Plan Two!