My children live in a blanket fort city that has fully taken over the library.
It seems pretty magical, really. The kids have taken to e-learning well but they miss their friends. We’re all looking at a lot more screens than usual, and there was snow to play in today. We do have a couple of birthdays to celebrate soon and we’re trying to figure out how to make them feel special.
I was sick for a while and I haven’t left my property since March 13, but my Animal Crossing home and island look amazing! It has been a perfectly timed distraction and escape.
I do not know what I had. The cough and tightness in my chest lingers still, but thankfully I recovered with rest and my family is well. I’m getting the hang of Zoom meetings for existing clients, and any new design projects are being added to a waitlist or we’re doing e-design.
I know a lot of people are GETTING! THINGS! DONE! Not I. This period of low productivity has been disappointing, even though I know it was necessary for both physical and mental health. Still, it’s nice to be coming up on the other side of it. I started a list of all the little tasks I could do around the house with supplies we have on hand, and it grew to a surprising length! I always feel best when I have a project (or 10) to work on; time to busy myself.
I started a separate Instagram account (@ACLuluLovely) dedicated to Animal Crossing about a year ago. It started as a test, to see how far only hashtags can take a brand-new account (turns out about 100 followers, though it is admittedly a small niche topic with limited growth potential). But then? It quickly because something I genuinely love having. It’s no longer a growth experiment, and it brings a lot of low-pressure fun to Instagram. I like looking back to see some of my past designs, it will be handy for seeing my new island’s progression, and it’s inspiring to see what other people are creating with the same set of in-game tools. You’ve heard of people creating accounts just to follow cute cats and dogs when they need a dose of cuteness, right? This is my version.
My gaming name is always “Lulu,” and my town/island/village/world is always “Lovely.” I don’t know when that started, but it was years or even decades ago, and so it goes.
My family is all over on “Kiddo” island, and we’re sending each other letters and gifts every day. I’m connected on Nintendo to some of my actual friends, and to my “friends” in Pocket Camp. I’m also in a crossover group for fans of Ologies and have added a top-notch group of people to visit and be visited by that way. A few people have found this other Instagram account or just reached out to ask (because hi, I’ve talked about these games a bit before), and yes I would love to be friends with you, too! Come visit my island. I’m not time-traveling, but I’m doing and unlocking as much as I can and enjoying the changes all along the way.
My island flag will be a moth that I drew in pixel art form, inspired by the game’s own version. I’ve been designing my own clothes while I wait for Mabel to visit. My house is expanding and starting to shape up as I find new furniture and decor, little by little. I just started an orchard and have my first piece of bamboo! And have you seen the detailed illustration view of the bugs and fish? Oh, to fill up that museum will be a dream.
My tentative plans for the upper portion of my island are inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1905 photos from his visit to Japan. It feels fitting to urban planning, in Oak Park (the home of Wright), doing an American’s version of a Japanese aesthetic. Pretentious silly stuff when you think about it too much, but who cares? It’s bringing so much joy.
The kids and I set up a little photo shoot for the special edition Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch (which is now going for ridiculous amounts of money on Amazon and eBay). Did you know that Amiibos and Playmobil are about the same scale? We are having some good, nerdy fun with it all.
My only criticism (and it’s a big one) is that the game locks some features that are only available to the first player. There will be some teamwork and communication needed for multiple island residents to move the island forward; be sure the first resident is the person that will play the most. I’m the sole resident of Lovely, but Kiddo is being managed by a kid who swore “no, I could do it!” Brandon is logging into that account to complete tasks for the island as a whole.
Still! It is an absolute delight. A delight! And coming at a time when we’re all staying home to flatten the curve (please stay home), it is a much needed distraction and escape.
If you are looking around your home for some projects to keep yourself busy, maybe some Roman shades are in order? Fully functional Roman shades! None of this faux business (which I have made in the past and will say are far easier).
Now here’s the thing: I’m not great at working with fabric. I don’t want to give you a sewing tutorial for something I’ve only successfully done a handful of times. I can, however, point you in the direction of where I found information!
I looked at the professionally-made ones I have from The Shade Store to get an idea of spacing. The little rings sewn into the back were spaced three across (left, middle, center), and 7″ apart vertically. I think you’re supposed to take the height of the window and divide it equally into sections to get your measurements, but I didn’t. 7″ apart looked good to me, and so that’s what I went with.
If you are reading this shortly after I post it, you know that I am of course writing this during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’ve found your way to this post much later and are simply looking for the information on how I made my shades, hooray! Go to the store and get the things you need! They don’t take much to make if you’ve already got some fabric to use. The rings and cord are specialty items I don’t think many of us have lying around though, so if you are sheltering in place but looking for a project, you could make the body of the shade and add rings later when stores are open again. (Two binder clips, one on each side, are a simple temporary way to keep them open in the meantime.) My only other recommendation would be to get an electric staple gun if you can. It isn’t essential, but they’re fairly affordable and make the project far easier to do.
If you’re working from home for the first time because of COVID-19, give yourself a lot of grace. I can give you recommendations for things that have worked for me if it’s wanted, but I think a lot of well-intentioned advice (like get dressed everyday and do your makeup/hair!) can safely be thrown right out the window. Things aren’t normal, and we’re all doing what we can to keep ourselves and others physically and mentally safe.
Parenting through a pandemic is of course another challenge on top of social distancing, sheltering in place, and quarantines. We are teaching the kids at home and the school district has been amazing, pulling together the week’s e-learning curriculum and giving the kids a sense of structure and community through video check-ins. Still, their routine has been upended and we’re trying to keep the kids informed without scaring them.
One of our kids had been struggling with anxiety this year. You know the fidget spinner craze from a few years back? They were never more than toys for our family, but through trial and error we found that tangles and fidget cubes were actually calming. We’ve since found other fidgets to be even better, and the kids and I have gotten really into solving puzzle cubes lately. (Speed cubes, rather than the officially branded Rubik’s cubes, are far nicer to use.)
You’ll find various fidgets throughout our house. There’s a drawer full in the living room, but they’re also in the kids’ backpacks, on their nightstands, and scattered in random places. They’ve been a helpful tool but we were losing some every few days as they disappeared at school. I figured there must be a bracelet or necklace — something wearable — and my search led me to these. We got enough for all three kids (extra small fit everyone), plus a few backups to keep on hand. They all think they’re fun and cute, but they also do the stress-relieving trick for the kid that needs it in particular.
Now of course, we’re all home. But hello, stress and anxiety! We’ve been preparing for you. I know fidgets are one minor thing in the face of something far larger, but I’m sharing a list of what has been helpful for us (and why) in hopes that it may be helpful for some of you, too. You may even have some of these already that you hadn’t thought about in a while — time to bring them back out.
Fidget Cube — This is what pushed fidgets out of the purely toy category for us when we realized how much they helped calm our kid.
12-Side Fidget Cube (Dodecagon) — THE BEST. Too big and distracting (and tempting) for school though, so this is an at-home-only option.
Worry Stones — These are pretty and you get a bunch (a selling point because my kids lose things), but these are a little bigger and have a nice divot that feels soothing to rub your thumb along.
Tangle Twister Fidget Toy — Another thing we used to think of only as a stocking stuffer or goodie bag toy that we have since found to be stress-relieving.
Sensory Slap Bracelets — I bought these at the same time as the other bracelets, and two out of three prefer the other, but then one likes this slap kind.
Sensory Fidget Bracelet (extra small) — Between the two bracelet styles, this is my recommendation. They’re not distracting in a classroom setting, so the kids can wear and have them all day. Bonus: they think they’re cute accessories.
Infinity Cube Fidget Toy — This one holds the least interest in our house, but it can be nice to zen out to.
Magic Speed Cube — So smooth! We also have this Jelly Speed Cube (a.k.a. “Mom’s cube, don’t lose it”), because I was in search of a prettier than average version. It’s hard to tell the green and blue apart sometimes though, doh.
Also? Screen time limits in our house are out the window for now. Animal Crossing is here. See you on the island, friends (yes, that’s me — I have a secret nerd account).
I won’t be buying it (because if I’m going to spend frivolous money right now, it’s going to be on the Animal Crossing themed Switch I’m hoping I can find on the release date), but this vase was practically designed for me.
Everything by Flesh is half off at Ulta (are they discontinuing the line?). I love their lipstick, and now it’s $9. Prize and Prime are my favorite shades.
Eleanor and I had initially thought we would paint her room blue. She chose dark blue when she was five, and five years later still liked it but was ready to lighten up a little. Maybe something like Farrow & Ball’s Light Blue or even De Nimes? Then she decided on purple and the color scheme completely changed.
But do you want to see what could have been?
I mean, I do love it. A lot.
It’s funny though, the wall color drives the color scheme but we only had to make a few changes to some fabric choices to make it work. And the purple/pink design we ended up with fits Eleanor’s personality perfectly.
Do you have a preference between the two?
The sconce color even worked well, and it might have been the choice I was most worried about. I chose a pair of POP Wall Sconces from Blueprint Lighting in Rubbed Sage before we changed the palette. I think I would have chosen Vineyard from their custom colors had I not already ordered the other color, but E and I both still liked the green when it arrived!
Blueprint Lighting was a One Room Challenge sponsor and provided the sconces. We liked some of the more retro styles like Campana or Ludo, but the vertical element of those POP Wall Sconces grounds the curves of the headboard (a lucky FB Marketplace find) so nicely.
Eleanor has continued to make changes here and there. It’s her space to personalize as she sees fit, and oh, she does! String lights have been draped from the picture rail over to each sconce. Toys get moved around. Signs have been pinned to the fabric of the headboard like it was a giant bulletin board. They’re small glimpses of changes to come as she heads into her teenage years and I love it.
