Making it Lovely

Tag: Eleanor

  • Eleanor’s Third Birthday Party

    Eleanor’s Third Birthday Party

    My little conductor train engineer turned three at the end of April.

    The big conductor train engineer turned 34, two days later.

    The party invitations promised train whistles and caps for all, and we delivered. Bandanas, too.

    My idea for the table was to create a forest in the center with train tracks all around, and little bits of scenery. The cats destroyed my maiden hair fern centerpiece almost immediately though, so I went to a big box store for more plants and found the selection lacking. I ended up with a rubber tree plant, and I used the moss I had leftover from making my terrarium to fill in as shrubbery.

    We had the usual party decorations up too, and pretty packages all wrapped up for giving.

    The Marimekko tablecloth on the table was the one I’d written about last year. I didn’t buy it at the time, but I thought of it when I was trying to find something that would suggest a landscape for the table, and I was able to find one on eBay. We had a birthday cupcake train, led by Thomas. The cupcakes were from a bakery, and Eleanor and I made the flatcars out of graham crackers, mini Oreos, frosting (from a tube, used like glue), and wafer cookies (as axels, for stability).

    It was a good day, with no confusion or delay.

    Happy birthday(s), my loves.

  • Three Years Old (Eleanor’s Yearly Photo)

    Three Years Old (Eleanor’s Yearly Photo)

    I took a monthly photo of Eleanor in the same Eames rocker, in the same spot in my living room, every month for two years. (I’m currently doing the same thing for her little brother, August, but in a different room.) I kept her outfit simple so that the focus would be on her as she grew, not what she was wearing. When I came to the end of my two-year project, I decided to keep the tradition going, but to switch to yearly photographs at that point.

    My baby girl turned three on Sunday. Here is her yearly photo.

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  • Planning a Mini-Makeover for Eleanor’s Room

    Planning a Mini-Makeover for Eleanor’s Room

    I’m never really one to finish a room and call it done. It’s more fun to tweak and look at my home as an ever-changing, evolving project. So I have a mini-makeover planned for Eleanor’s room, all because I was in the market for a new duvet cover for her. Her polka dot cover is cute, but we needed a backup for when it was in the wash. Details below:

    1. Painted Ponies Bedding

      This set is the one I ordered, but I’ve put together a post with a whole bunch of options for horse obsessed kiddos.

    2. Wall Dot Vases*
      I ordered mine yesterday at half off from Fab (I found them on the last day, and the sale is now over), but they can be purchased directly from Chive.

    3. Polka Dot Curtains
      We already had these on hand, from Eleanor’s nursery. Similar curtains can be found here.

    *Those wall vases will take a long time to arrive (several weeks, probably — the downfall of shopping flash sale sites).

  • An Everyday

    An Everyday

    August seems so much like a toddler now, and Eleanor, a child. I love them so much, but moreover, I really like them.

    I took these photos a couple of weeks ago. I tend to take photos when the house is picked up, not when toys are strewn about. I read other blogs and I think ‘in their house, the toys look artfully placed, and in my house, it looks like chaos and plastic.’ Looking at these photos though, I love the informality. This is how we live. This is what our living room usually looks like.

    This is the environment my kids will remember, and it’s a pity I don’t document it more. If not for you, then for me. And for them.

  • Eleanor

    Eleanor

    My sister snapped that picture of us at the zoo.

    “I do it!”

    Pretty soon she will be doing it, all by herself. She’s really excited about being a big girl. It’s a big deal. She’ll turn three at the end of this month.

    We managed to find time for a quick trip to the craft store yesterday before dinner. New pipe cleaners, new paint, some beads, a wooden birdhouse, clay, and jewelry findings. Eleanor was beside herself. (Me, too.)

    She painted the birdhouse this morning. All by herself.

  • Finding the Light

    Finding the Light