The Toby Show

Handmade Gone Wrong

I recently discovered a very fun, newish website.  And they in turn have discovered me. 

I'm being...ahem...featured today on Handmade Gone Wrong. 

Yes, my prowess with an embroidery needle is known far and wide.  Go have a look, laugh again (I can take it) and then scroll through their archives because I'm starting to think I might give up on embroidery and start knitting instead--I've got some radical ideas for tampon cozies.

Happy Friday, everyone.

Happy Weekend

Watch this.  It will make you feel good.

I get by with a little help from my friends

You may have recently noticed a new button at the bottom of each post.  Take a look.  It's down there with the number of comments and the permalink and all that stuff.  The little green Share This button allows you to do 3 very cool things with any Toby Show post. 

1.  Quickly EMAIL IT to someone you think might find it interesting. Your mom, your sister, your Aunt Alice.  Not everyone reads blogs like you and me.

2.  SHARE IT through a social media site like Facebook, Delicious, DIGG, Stumble Upon, etc so other people using those services can see what you like from The Toby Show.

3.  POST IT as a link straight from my blog to your blog.  You can either publish a post with the link or save the post in your drafts folder to flesh out once you're finished surfing.

Neat, huh?  And you don't even have to register for an account to use these features.  Of course, Share This is a great tool for building your blog's readership so if you want to register and get the button for your own site, you can do that here.

So, as a favor to me, please use the new Share This button when one of my posts really strikes you as interesting or useful and, in general, spread the word.  The number one way blogs grow is through word of mouth.   If you enjoy the content here, tell your friends about The Toby Show.

Thanks!

In Real Life

You know, regardless of how it may seem, it's not all sewing adorable birthday banners and spending countless hours doing art projects with my kid here.  I've said this before and it's really, really true--blogs skew reality.  Read this great post from Stefani over at Blue Yonder.  She hits the nail on the head when she says,

When I peruse the blogosphere, I often have to remind myself that I'm looking at someone's life through a pinhole. I'm only seeing the wee-est little bit. If I knew them in "real life" I would see all the rest, and it would probably look as messy as my life.

So Stefani started a great Flickr group called In Real Life about what motherhood REALLY looks like.  It ain't always as pretty as mommy blogs can make it look.  I thought I'd participate and invite you all to do the same.  Share your laundry piles, crusty sinks and snot-nosed kids in sagging diapers.

I snapped these the other day when I realized just how ridiculous and perfectly mommy-ish it all was.  I wish I could have captured the full picture but I'm just not that good a photographer and, as you can see, I had my hands full.

THE TOP OF ME

Wearing Huck's "chain mail" knight's hood and looking a little scared.

THE MIDDLE
At a distinct disadvantage.



THE BOTTOM OF ME
Nursing, leaking and still in pajamas just after sword was rent from my hand and I was walloped upside the head.

If only you could see the elevendymillion pieces of wooden train track
at my feet, too. 

Digging Out

I did a great job of really checking out of life after the baby was born.  I just did the basics to get by and spent all that extra saved time learning a whole new little person from head to toe.  It was fantastic and I'm so glad I did it that way.  However, I'm now smack up against the fallout from my time "off." 

The house is a mess, the bills need to be paid, there are no more stocked blog posts, and I have to start cooking again.  OH MY!  So I'm going to take a couple days off the blog to get caught up on life--well at least get the house cleaned and the bills paid anyway. 

In the meantime, enjoy these 2 new (new to me, that is) blogs and I'll be back on Wednesday with the 14th installment of The Sheriff's Log.  It's a doozy.

Sew Liberated

Simple, Green, Frugal Co-Op

And just in case you aren't familiar with this one it's become one of my favorite blogs not currently on my blogroll, which needs updating like everything else in my life.

Zen Habits

Enjoy your Monday!

Make Baby Stuff Interview

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I am January's Featured Crafty Mama on Make Baby Stuff!

I'm very honored.  I'd like to thank the academy... 

No wait, that was another life.  The dream I let go of so I could stare out at the Tetons in between wiping butts and sewing tiny felt doo-dads.  Right. 

 

Make Baby Stuff is a billed as "the best how-to resource for your baby's homemade lifestyle" and I certainly have to agree.  They've got tons of wonderful tutorials for toys, slings, nursery decor, baby food recipes, even free patterns.  It's all there, on one easy to navigate site.

If you don't already know the site, please go check it out.  It's a cool, fabulous resource.  I promise.

And for all you Make Baby Stuff subscribers who are visiting today...Hello and welcome!  Have a look around.  There are some "get to know me" posts up in the top of the sidebar.  And be sure to check out my Cheap & Easy Series for a bunch of my own handmade toys and games.

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Subscribe to my feed!

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to officially sign off for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and wish you all a very merry day with your loved ones. 

We will be having a very subdued holiday tonight and tomorrow--a nice meal, the Yule log and one gift each.  We're actually postponing Christmas this year until December 31st, when my parents arrive from Texas to meet the new baby.  Huck won't know the difference this year anyway and we'd rather share it with them anyway.  Plus, we haven't been big New Year's celebrators for years.  So the big gift orgy and fireworks will all be rolled into one big holiday for us.

Newborn Baby Caps

Amanda (aka SouleMama) has recently launched a new blog, Mama to Mama.  Every month or two Mama to Mama will be focusing on a collective "craftivism" project that has mothers helping mothers through crafts.  It's a wonderful idea and a wonderful blog.

The first project was Caps to Cap-Haitien and asked that women make these simple newborn caps (the pattern is downloadable as a pdf) out of old but clean t-shirts.  The caps are going into Safe Birthing Kits that are being provided to women in northern Haiti, which has very high infant and maternal mortality rates.  Most women there deliver without even the most basic medical assistance or backup and poor sanitation.

Now if that won't get you to clean out the closet and get rid of a few t-shirts from the bottom of the stack, I don't know what will. 

I'm so happy with my little pile of hats for this project--though I may have to save one for my girl--but I really wish I had been on the ball enough to have done this a month ago when I first heard about it.  Then I could have promoted it better.

The deadline is December 10th (um, I mean today).  It is being stretched a bit but Amanda wants to get this wrapped up in the next couple of weeks.  So, if you can get on this quickly, then check out the site and do it--maybe you can even mail yours in a flat rate priority envelope as I'm doing.  Only $4.80. 

If not, please check back in with Mama to Mama in the coming weeks and see what the next craftivism project will be.  I'll try to keep you informed about it, too.

It's a really great feeling to put your skills and interests to work in service of other mothers in need.

Sponsor Spotlight :: Stubby Pencil Studio

I have one more great sponsor to share with you!  Stubby Pencil Studio is a wonderful shop that sells eco art supplies, recycled cards to color and non-toxic toys and gifts.

The items pictured above--soy crayons, a spelling spindle, jumbo colored pencils, a make your own vehicle kit and washable markers--were all recently purchased by yours truly to go into either Huck's stocking or a filled wooden art caddy he's getting from Santa.  I can't say enough about these products.  They are all top quality and reasonably priced.  I also bought an amazing set of watercolor crayons, but those didn't make it into the caddy for Christmas.  We used them immediately and they are so much fun!

There's something for every age group at this shop so be sure to visit the site before Christmas and grab up some goodies to make an artsy gift basket, art supply caddy or to fill up those stockings!  It's also a great place for eco-friendly party favors for all those January 2006 birthdays I know are coming up!

And if you were really hoping for the Crayon Rocks from my blogivarsary giveway...this is the place to buy them.

Access the shop through the ad below and the one in the sidebar.

Thanksgiving Mea Culpa

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm aware that The Toby Show hasn't been thrilling lately.  I've pretty much been just relying on the Sheriff's Log, Sponsor Spotlights and Green Holiday features to get through the week.  Just wanted to thank you for hanging in there with me.  

Things should pick up here after Thanksgiving.  There will be more about what's going on in the mountains, the impending birth and more crafty fun and recipes to come.  Plus, we'll be hiking into the forest soon to get the tree--blog entry brought to you by Norman Rockwell.  No sense letting an extra 35 pounds (and counting...) stop me on that front but let's all collectively hope my water doesn't break up there.

Expect the joint to start hopin' again on Monday.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!