Hey there October.

Hope your first day of October is made of crisp air, turning leaves, and warm drinks...

Easy Side Tables

Today I wanted to share a simple and quick idea for a side table. First off, I am a huge fan of small, low tables in almost every room of the house. They make great plant stands, night stands, drink tables for the end of the couch, or even compact tables for play in a child's room....

I recently purchased these super cute powder-coated steel toy bins from Target. After living with them for a while, I realized that when flipped over they make great, sturdy bases for a small table top. To make the top, I purchased two wooden rounds that were sanded and ready to stain from Home Depot (similar to these). I stained the table tops with a stain + sealer in one made by Cabot. I chose the dark "midnight" color, but they had many other options. Two coats in one afternoon and they were ready to go!

Since we will be using these tables in our bedroom, and I wanted to retain the option of using the bins as actual bins later, I opted to not officially attach the tabletops to the bases. The tops are quite heavy and don't shift around a lot. If you plan on using these tables in a high traffic area though, I suggest attaching them from underneath with hardware.

Crossing my fingers I will officially have a home to put these in soon!

Raising Confident Girls + A Print

Today I'm over at Playful Learning discussing a few thoughts about raising confident girls. Head over there now to join in and to download this print!

First Day 2014

We reached a huge milestone yesterday-first grade! First time bringing a real lunch. First time staying all day. Seven hours, three recesses, and more independence. We're both happy about it, maybe her more than me (how it should be, right?).

This brave girl is going to school five mornings a week for the first time. When I told her, she said, "EVERYDAY? When will I have time to play?" Unlike her sister, my dramatic, sensory girl would rather explore on her own all day than sit at a desk. Amen girl, amen...

Here's to new beginnings!

Magic Hour by the River.

There's nothing better on a hot summer evening than being near the water. The other night we piled into the car and headed to the river. I was completely content to observe (camera in hand) while my little family enjoyed throwing rocks, climbing trees, and watching the sun dip behind the hills.

Nature really is the best remedy, isn't it?

Picture Book Projects: Extra Yarn

Reading has always been a passion of mine, and it looks as if it will be for my children as well. Despite being displaced this summer (thanks to our remodel), we made sure to keep out a BIG bin of our favorite titles.

One of our faves is called "Extra Yarn," by Mac Barnett. After reading it for the umpteenth time the other day, my oldest daughter told me she would like to make something with yarn. I remembered these delightful little decorations from many years ago, and we decided to try our hand at making some "God's Eyes" for ourselves.

They turned out to be super easy for two six-year-olds to make and quick too! If you'd like to make a few of your own, follow me over to Playful Learning to get started...

We even made a short video! I hope it entices you to get on the floor and have some fun with your kiddos this week.



Make Something Today from Randi Edwards on Vimeo.

Red Tricycle Feature

From time to time, stuff from Swoon is featured around the web. Most of the time I forget to share, but this time I remembered! A while back, Addie's indoor picnic party was featured in a roundup on one of my favorite sites, Red Tricycle! I've often used this site in Seattle to find things to do with the kiddos around town. You can see there round up of cute picnic party ideas here. Thanks for the feature Red Tri!