the slow life

Sunday, February 20, 2011

in the mood for spring

we've had incredible weather here on the east coast the last few days. yesterday, juli and i took her daughter to the public library book sale. then we played in the yard and pretended it was spring! today, i have a brunch and practice with my band. is anyone else enjoying a nice weekend?

photo by juli

i don't have a bike (tragedy, i know) so maybe i should get a beach cruiser! i could settle for these cruiser bike glasses from vital! nothing better than a bike ride followed by a pint of your favorite beverage!

sunday movie

i love a good matinee on the weekend. we don't go too often but tula mirth and i recently saw the animated film, "the illusionist," which is kid-friendly. sylvain choment's latest film adapts a script by jacques tati (remember "the triplets of belleville"?!) and the film is lyrical and visually stunning. a great way to spend an afternoon! have you seen any great films lately?

p.s. stay after the credits for a bonus scene!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

diy wallpaper art

one of my new year's resolutions is to be more artistic. i do play music, so i guess my goal is to do more visual art. that can be hard when you have no formal art training or skills! i found this wallpaper silhouette project over at design sponge and thought it looked simple enough for me! the tough, or fun, part is finding fun wallpaper samples. i found some really cool, cheap vintage wallpaper samples on etsy and ebay. i got to work with my scissors and created this framed wallpaper bird (please forgive my amateur photography)...

these make easy, thoughtful gifts and you can get creative with the silhouettes.

have any diy project ideas to share?

favorite kid links...

first slumber party, by juli

just some of my favorite sites about kids, for kids, to buy kids...

sarah o'leary's sweet book, "when you were small" is an absolute favorite of my daughter's with its gentle drawings and fun little story. sarah also has a blog about children's books which is certainly worth a visit.

the mini social is a private members only on-line boutique with rotating sales on clothes, shoes, toys, books and art for children. it costs nothing to join and there are some great finds.

moolka is an online toy store with well-designed and less commercial products for kids.

the happy magazine for kids, anorak.

indie kids music that you also might just like, renee & jeremy, get a free download!

our current favorite toy is the haba rickshaw.

wonderful papercut prints from the talented elsita. we have little red riding hood.

small is a beautifully created online magazine about kids for parents. usually some fun DIY projects and there is always a free coloring download.

misha lulu creates whimsical children's clothes.

joslyn of simple lovely also has a kid + food blog, raising foodies, with recipes!

my daughter is a shoe person and some of her quirky favorites are from livie & luca.

and finally, i leave with you with a free download for paper dolls via kiddley which was created by the small object.

happy weekend! and hello there to new followers! yay!

Friday, February 18, 2011

green soup with ginger


by juli

so, tracy (fellow slow life blogger) wanted to make dinner last night and i was, admittedly, a bit of a laze and wanted to dine out. she talked me into it with this delish green soup and ginger recipe from the cookbook, "love soup" by anna thomas, found via 101cooksbooks. tracy loves to cook and alas, i like to either photograph food or eat it. i aspire to be a cook sometimes but my kitchen is ill-equipped and i kind of keep it that way by spending all my money dining out.
anyhow, what a great winter stew! it is all vegan and healthy. the only adaptation we made was to add soy sausage which added a bit of a kick with some protein. yum.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

book sniffing

my daughter and i share a great love of books. so much so that we both have stacks all over the house. new books, old books, books from the library, books from friends...sigh. so many books to be read!

anyway, i'd like to share a great find, "animals should definitely not wear clothing," from our recent trip to the library. the book was published in 1970 by author judi barrett and illustrated by ron barrett. the simple story and ridiculous illustrations make my daughter laugh each time she reads the book.