Monday, December 25, 2017
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Up to Seattle Center to see the Christmas decorations at Winterfest,
hear the beautiful music from a high school orchestra,
and engineer the Santa train in the Armory:
Friday, December 15, 2017
Here are some simple ideas to jazz up your Christmas gifts this holiday season. They aren't professional-level wrapping techniques, which makes them doable for any of us mortals; they use materials that are easy to source; and they still add a snazzy touch to your presented presents.
The first and easiest way is to buy interesting ribbon.
Even a simple bow will look fancy if the ribbon is.
Try cloth, raffia, and patterns. Don't worry
about being too matchy-matchy to the paper
as long as the color scheme works together.
To tie a nice bow: Cross the ribbon strand you're using
right over left, then left over right.
Repeat as needed for knots or double knots,
always switching sides for what's on top.
I say this because I recently overheard some teen girls
who didn't know how to tie a bow that lies flat,
and I really, really wanted to help!
To tie a nice bow: Cross the ribbon strand you're using
right over left, then left over right.
Repeat as needed for knots or double knots,
always switching sides for what's on top.
I say this because I recently overheard some teen girls
who didn't know how to tie a bow that lies flat,
and I really, really wanted to help!
Another easy option is to use multiple colors of the same ribbon.
This works well if you have plain ribbon to make it look more interesting.
You can wrap all the colors around the entire gift,
or you can choose to tie the contrasting colors only around the knot at the end.
Curl the ends to make a nice poof of color.
I find you can get curly ribbon to stay put in a nice round shape
if you interweave the ringlets a bit, tucking any errant strands
under the ribbon crossing the package as needed.
If they aren't staying nicely, you can always affix parts in place.
Combine the two steps above by using multiple strands
of an interesting ribbon, such as this shimmering cloth variety.
Bonus: The recipient can reuse cloth ribbon if desired.
Thursday, December 14, 2017
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First, a look back: 6-month-old Mikko's baby tree.
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2 and a half years old
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3-and-a-half-year-old Mikko with his now bigger tree.
I'm Lauren Wayne, writer and natural parent. I embrace attached parenting with an emphasis toward green living. 
