{it's raining letters}

You might have noticed, we've gone a bit alphabet crazy around here. Two weeks ago, I was grumbling my way through Elmo's utterly incoherent volume of ABCs, when Tilly suddenly pointed to the letter A and said "A". In all the surprised cheering and dancing that following, we must have happened upon an ancient tribal rain dance, because suddenly letters started pouring from the ceiling...

... drenching Tilly's room in learning goodness, with a pop of colour.

So far, she's got "A" and "O" down, and with a bit of prompting can show you the "B" and "Q", too. What, you're meant to learn them in order? 

And by the way, this is the new paint job we finished back in the autumn that I never put up photos of.

Greyish.

That's really what it's called -- nothing about moonbeams, thunder or stone. It has the most amazing power to make the room lighter when you want it light, darker when you want a certain someone to go to sleep, and is just warm enough of a colour without having any tint of anything. So, phew, all those hours of staring mindlessly at paint samples taped to the walls weren't in vain.

And since we're doing a bit of a room tour, here are two prints I framed and hung above the changing table.



If you've ever met (and, therefore, been roared at by) Tilly, you'll know that she's all about the animals (seriously, she was making monkey noises for months before she bothered to learn to say "mama"). So, I tried to find as many animals as would fit onto two A4 pieces of paper. Would you believe, her favourite is the shark, and she sings the music from Jaws in his honour -- duh dun, duh dun...

{b is for birthday}

This week, we celebrated Justin's birthday, with an all-day tribute to his favourite foods, and a few little handmade surprises. 

Tilly got in on the fun, and completed this "portrait" card of Justin -- multi-coloured eyes and a shining orange halo. He loved it! 

She also dictated her message to him -- I tried to convey her intonation as best as possible, but she felt that some words needed a little colourful emphasis. 

And, as a little last-minute pressie, I put together this alphabet T-shirt. It makes more sense if you know that earlier that day, Tilly had been fixated on trying to read Justin's "Run for Compassion" T-shirt -- the text on which is curled and slightly gothic. She couldn't make out any of the letters, and Justin remarked that he'd like to have a shirt which simply had the alphabet printed on it. 

One trip to the craft shop, twenty-six iron-on decals, and four hours of ironing later (yes, the "60 second" recommendation in the instructions was a little off), voila...

Although it is primarily for Tilly's benefit, Justin loves the fact that it brings them closer... literally, as Tilly leans in, peers at the letters, and then proudly exclaims "A!" "A!" "A!" while poking Justin in the chest! So, happy birthday to Justin, who fills our lives with love, happiness, and now, the alphabet.

{a&j}

Again with the monograms. Honestly, before this month there was nothing around here emblazoned with letters. But here we go again -- the American Typewriter taking over -- this time with fabric paint.

I sewed up the red fleece ampersand a few months ago. It turns out it's Justin's favourite thing. He likes to throw it. He likes to put it on his head like a pretzel hat.

And, while it lived on the sofa, awaiting completion of the stenciled pillows, it was quite a talking point. As in, anyone we had over would ask what it was. Followed by, "And why did you make a red stuffed ampersand?" Um, no reason. To see if I could.

Anyway, I just spotted this amazing tailored ampersand over at The Marion House Book, and am totally itching to make another. 

In fact, it's a whole tweed and plaid tailored alphabet. And don't I need a tweed and plaid tailored alphabet for teaching Tilly to read? (Yes is the answer. Yes, I do!)

P.S. The felt and linen quote from "Deep in the Heart of Texas" hanging in our bedroom was the first thing I made after we had Tilly. What a long time ago that seems now!

Alphabet Places

This is just the most lovely little printed canvas. It's hanging in one of the children's rooms in our new home, and I hope to find out at some point where they found it.

I also hope to create my own version... an alphabet of places I've been, if possible. Or an alphabet of places I'd like to go!