Best project ever

Is your husband unsightly? Does he clash with your decor? Have a pair of sweats he calls his "fancy sweats"? Never fear! the long thread has a solution:

Can't wait to get started.

Shirley and her girl

via allposters

I bookmarked this picture of Shirley MacClaine with her daughter on A Cup of Jo because I just thought it was so incredibly fun and goofy and just the kind of relationship I'd want to one day have with my children. Turns out that there are plenty of other pictures of Shirl and her girl, Sachi, hamming in it up in front of the camera which I adore just as much. Speaking as someone who has none, I know that having kids is hard and stressful and not always easy, but it also looks like some of the most fun you can ever have too. Maybe I'm being a little too romantic about one day being a mother, but these two make motherhood look so darn joyful.

via art.com

via art.com

via cup of jo

via imbd

via allposters

via usatoday

Thursday, a living room tent, and Etsy

"Shady Lake" is a mixed media painting on a map by rachelaustin

It's getting too cold for outdoor camping, but the weather is perfect for setting up a tent in the living room. So gather your blankets and sheets and use this and this to inspire your construction, but leave it to Etsy for all the indoor camping extras the whole family is going to need...

Yes, even indoor campers need fire and food (but know that not all of it needs to be real):

"basic campfire package" by mysticwill

"portable smores" by katystinykitchen

"The Campout" handpainted glass plates by nunostudio

And don't forget that every camper needs his or her own personal light to keep the night time creatures and shadows away...

"foreveReady flash" (a child's all wood flashlight) by ForeverandAfters

"The Mason Firefly" (a mason jar light) by themasonry

...unless, of course, the campers are the ones making the scary shadows and cuddling with the night time creatures....

orangemoontoys has an array of shadow puppets and even kits to make your own.

"Little grey-eyed owl" by squishyfish

"Brown Owl with Rainbow Feet" also by squishyfish (her owls have such great faces and feet!)

And let's not forget the importance of classic camping games...

"1951 Go Fish Card Game" via tippleandsnack2

vintage and wee pocket game for chess or checkers via violin1

"Animal Track ID Memory Game Set" by thewhimsytree

And with the dying embers of the fire, there is always so much to record and so much to write "home" about...

"camping cards" by laurabrownart

"Teeny Tiny Camping Trip Stamps Set" by Tresijas

"Bird Watcher Letterpress Journal" by OldSchoolStationers

And once the little ones are sound asleep and dreaming under a night sky of their own making - the following items are just the things grown-up indoor campers need...

"Toasted Smores Soy Candle" by Buzzabee

"Vintage Thermos" via JennyHopscotch (filled with hot chocolate... or a hot toddy)

3 vintage ghost stories (2 for the kids, but Poe for the adults) via coriandervintage

"Bright Plaid Wool Blanket" by AllieRuth

"Log, Soft Sculpture" by sallyenglanddesign

With indoor plumbing and only imaginary mosquitoes - this is, without a doubt, my kind of roughing it...

"under"

I'm loving the photographs titled "under" by Brock Davis via his flickr photostream, Laser Bread. So fun and clever!

A show of hands?

"Elephant" (Or is it? Look carefully...)

Yesterday, due to a pretty good downpour, I lost power for about two hours. It's true that this was at about 6:30 when it was still light out and there was no threat of an extended blackout, but I still gave myself a little panic about my lack of practical candles (too many scented ones would contribute to sensory overload!) and the contents of my refrigerator (that bottle of water is in danger of being spoiled by the morn!). After collecting myself, I realized I was really only in need of two things: Monopoly and the ability to make shadow puppets. I'll soon be purchasing the game, but on my way to becoming a master of shadow puppetry - I found these amazingly painted hands or handimals. Do you think they are worth my lost time in early evening semi-darkness?

All handimal images by artist Guido Daniele


And, of course, if you are interested in hand shadow puppets, here and here are some pretty easy videos to follow and you can also find some neat how-to drawings here.

Happy Future Blackout!

image via blifalloo.com

image from a 1956 activity book via guyclinch.blogspot.com