November 13, 2009

Show & Tell : ReproDepot Pattern Books

November 13, 2009/ molly balint

I'm sure many of you have seen the new ReproDepot pattern books--Flora and Folk -- floating around blog land. They are truly amazing books that come with a CD containing more than 200 patterns that you can print and craft away with. They have the wonderful appeal and charm of vintage-inspired design and graphics. I love them. I'm already thinking of a million things I could do with the patterns--silhouettes of the girls, a paper chain advent calendar for the holidays, Christmas cards, or a new blog banner, perhaps?

The images have some licensing restrictions--they are intended for personal use, though there is a small provision for individual craftspeople to make limited edition handmade items for resale using the patterns. The details of those terms are provided in the back of the book.

The designs included in the books have been selected by ReproDepot founder, Djerba Goldfinger, and the book also contains several inspired project ideas and tutorials created by Mollie Green.

Though it will be hard to part with, I have one copy of the Flora Pattern book, that I'd like to giveaway to one MommyCoddle reader. *But there is one tiny catch--I am personally shipping out the book, it is not coming directly from Chronicle Books, so I'm asking the winner to be willing to pay shipping charges. Thank you!*

If you'd like a chance to win a copy of one of these books that offer unlimited crafting potential, leave a comment, I'll announce the winner on Monday.

August 17, 2009

friday favorites ( on a monday )

August 17, 2009/ molly balint

Hello and wow. I started this post on Friday, and now it is suddenly a new week. I survived what was being called the "hottest week of the Summer". Phew. Our house is pretty bearable for having no air-conditioning, but there were a few days there that I was pretty pathetic. I hope we're over and done with that. My brain fries in this heat and humidity.

Because it's been awhile, a few favorites and discoveries to share with you!

The butterfly traffic in my garden. I keep wanting to pick some blooms to bring inside, but I hate taking them away from the butterflies and honeybees.

Seeing my oldest on the soccer field.

Petite Pattern Book - Simple & Natural and Free Style Scraps - Girlie --books from RAM publications.

They are great little books full of patterns and drawings--and each book comes with a CD tucked in the back cover, so all the designs and artwork are yours to use! (for personal use only, of course)

Make stationary, design your blog banner, create cute labels for your child's schoolbooks, print onto fabric. The ideas are endless. Such a great little resource to have tucked away. I love mine.

Penny Leaver Green sewn pictures.

Bird Jam : I've written about it before, but it still is getting a lot of use in this house.

A new food blog : Under the High Chair

Vroom Solo: Okay, I have to confess, this was sent to me for a review. But if I didn't really love it, I wouldn't share it here. It's like a miniature central vac for any room of your house. It tucks under your counter, inside a cupboard, wherever is convenient, and has a retractable hose. I have mine in our upstairs laundry room/bathroom. Between the lint and junk that falls out of the dryer, the number of haircuts that I give in that room and all the traffic, it's probably one of the places I vaccuum most often. And of course, the vac is never close by. This is such a convenient little gadget (with incredible sucking power). I really, really like it.

A Cetacean Study by enormouschampion

A good reminder, for me, for all of us.

Happy Monday, friends!

July 03, 2009

Show & Tell : Good reads from Chronicle Books

July 03, 2009/ molly balint

I have three great new books to share with you this morning, from Chronicle Books.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace have teamed up again to create another amazing tale called, Little Oink It is the story of a tidy little pig who loves to clean. But his parents remind him that as a pig, he must learn to make a proper mess.

Amy and Jen are also the creative talents behind Little Pea and Little Hoot, and Little Oink follows right in line with these best-loved books. My children request a reading from these stories so often that I have them committed to memory.

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When I was an elementary school teacher, I remember how helpful it was to find a series of books that my students latched on to. It was a sure-fire way to encourage a reluctant reader and it gave others something to look forward to. I have a feeling that this new series from Chronicle Books, Horse Crazy , by Alison Lester, will be such a series for many children. The books are about two best friends, Bonnie and Samantha who live in a small town in the Australian bush and are crazy about horses. The books are sweet and fun and Emma has then tucked away in a drawer beside her bed--waiting for the day she can dive into them with a little more ease.

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The last book I want to share with you is called, Secrets of Simplicity : Learn to Live Better With Less, by Mary Carlomagno. The book is helpful resource that guides you through the journey of simplifying your life and bringing you to a healthier, more meaningful place. Secrets of Simplicity is a practical, interactive guide, but it also strives to get to the heart of the matter as to why our lives (and our closets) are overflowing with too many things. It is a book to move through slowly, taking in the ideas and wisdom that it offers.

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And thanks to Chronicle Books, I have one copy of each of these titles to share with you. Leave a comment and I'll pick three winners (one for each title) on Monday.

Happy Weekend, friends.

June 17, 2009

Show & Tell: Lotta Jansdotter Simple Sewing for Baby

June 17, 2009/ molly balint

I was so excited to get a copy of Lotta Jansdotter's most recent book called, Simple Sewing for Baby . If you've seen anything by Lotta Jansdotter--her other books, her website, you know her work has a simple, practical and stylish aesthetic. I have always been inspired by her simple designs and straight-forward approach to making things.

In the foreward, Lotta talks about the reasons that drove her to put together this craft book--the same reasons that I believe drive most of us to create handmade toys and clothes for our own children, and others:

I realized that there isn't all that much cool or original stuff for somebody who doesn't like pink or light blue and doesn't want bows or duckies plastered on everything. Okay, there are some things....but they will set you back an arm and a leg, and I just can't let myself spend that kind of money on something that will be used for only a few months."

Let me just say, the book is everything you'd expect it to be. Amazing projects, clear directions, beautiful photographs and illustrations. I often find myself picking up craft books, only to find that I'm interested in maybe two or three projects inside. But this is a book where I find myself wanting to try each project.

Whether you're expecting a baby, wishing for a baby, have a baby, have a friend with a baby, want to convince a friend to have a baby, or need a great shower gift--this book is lovely and inspired.

And you can pretty much guarantee that the first project on my sewing table, will be a pair of the simple bloomers. Maybe, if I can't convince a certain toddler to wear diapers and clothes, I can at least talk her into a cute pair of bloomers.

*The book has 24 projects for toddlers to newborns. Patterns are included in a front pocket inside the book.

And guess what? I have TWO copies to giveaway. Thank you, Chronicle Books! You know the drill--leave a comment, I'll pick the two random winners on Friday!

March 13, 2009

Show & Tell: Good books for kids

March 13, 2009/ molly balint

This new book Duck! Rabbit! by Chronicle Books has my kids cracking up and begging for another reading. Maybe it's because I'm a stellar storyteller, or maybe it's because Amy Krouse Rosenthal, who wrote two of our favorites (Little Pea and Little Hoot ) has done it again with her great sense of humor. The classic optical illusion (drawn by Tom Lichtenheld), and banter between the two "characters" in the story is classic and my kids loved it. But we'll leave the answer up to you--is it a duck or is it a rabbit?

You can get a sneak peek for yourself here:

The other new books that have been making the rounds at our kitchen table are these amazing Rosie Flo coloring books. I honestly don't know who has more fun with these, the girls or me. The outfits and illustrations in this book are amazing, and children (or their parents) only need to add the missing "body parts" and color the clothing and accessories. There are three versions of this book...

the original

the garden coloring book

and the Animals Coloring Book

Here are a few peeks into the original, and one that Emma worked on today:

rosie flo coloring book

And I'm excited that Chronicle Books has given me one copy of the original Rosie Flo coloring book, and one copy of Duck!Rabbit! to give away...two winners!! You know the drill, leave a comment. I'll announce two random winners Monday afternoon.

Happy weekend, friends!!