wishing you

Photo by Allison Toth, from the Holiday Traditions Exchange 2007 Flickr group

Did you hear my sigh of contentment? The pattern layouts are done, the house is clean, and the etsy gift shopping is done. I finally had a chance to leisurely peruse all of the lovely photos you've been uploading to the Holiday Traditions Exchange flickr group - and I have to say, you went all out! What lovely decorations, and what incredible packaging! Check out this one from Christie:

Can you see the wax seal on that envelope? Brilliant! And the child's apron? Too adorable. Thanks to all who have shared photos of your creations.

Speaking of your creations - for those of you who have made Reading Pillows or Mei Tais, please upload your photos to the Montessori By Hand Patterns flickr group! It's a fantastic resource for others who are making the patterns - your use of fabrics, etc. can serve as great inspiration. I know tons of you have purchased one or both of the patterns, but the group looks a little sparse right now - let's spiff it up and send some love its way!

Ahhh ... I'm still sighing. The winds of this happy sigh are carrying me to the kitchen, where something sweet will emerge in about an hour.

Christmas music? Check. Emmeline Apron version #1? Check. All is good.

xo,
Meg

my patterns, your creations - show them off!

Sarah wrote a lovely post about her experience making the reading pillow. Here's her take on it:

Do any of you have reading pillows, mei tai baby carriers, or child's aprons that you have made? If so, please join and add your photos to the Montessori By Hand Sewing Pattern Creations flickr group! You can also click on the photo badge in the sidebar - it's the one just above the labels.

xo,
Meg

Upload photos of your Montessori creations to the new Flickr group!

Sharing photos of our handmade Montessori materials - an easy way to pass on ideas and inspiration!

I've finally figured out this Flickr photo sharing business. Can you see the new photo badge in the side bar? I used to host a Flickr photo badge in the same spot, but it linked to my personal account only. Good news ... I've just created a Flickr Group, under the name of Handmade Montessori Materials. Here's the direct link:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/montessorimaterials/

All you will need to do is create a free Flickr account if you don't have one already, upload photos of your own Montessori-related creations to your account, join Handmade Montessori Materials, and send your photos to the group.

Here's what I'm not totally clear about - I think that once you have your own account, you will need to somehow search "groups" for handmade montessori materials in order to join. The catch? The group won't show up on searches until it is reviewed as "safe" by the folks at Flickr. Try joining by clicking on the above link, but if it doesn't work, wait a while until you can find it on a search. Flickr says that the review shouldn't take more than a week.

Please let me know how your sign up process goes by leaving a comment on this post so that others can follow your advice.

P.S. You don't need to sign up to view the photos. Just click on the link toward the bottom of the photo badge.

P.P.S. If you make a material, post a photo of your creation to the Flickr group. Period. No excuses. Think of it as a little bit of community service. Especially post the photos if you have made a material using one of the snazzy tutorials available on this blog. Or post photos of the materials/activities suggested in the blog in use in your classroom. Thank you, awesome readers! Let's spread the Montessori love!