The maternity leave that I took 5 weeks before baby and 3 weeks after has been an incredible break. It wasn't exactly planned, so I'm throwing myself back into deadlines and projects that were left very unfinished.

Good news is, I'm back. And it feels good.

But of course, as soon as I opened up the studio again, dust balls and everything, Addie was just as excited to get back too. But I think what she was most excited to get back, was her mom again. While I've been "home" all this time, I've not really been myself with my body & and baby demanding so much of me. And she was anxious to be with her normal mom again:)

But I had a whole day planned, and instead we ended up sewing together....her way!

Addie has been begging me to show her how to use the sewing machine so she could learn to make her own doll, and I've put it off (like every other project) because of my laid up pregnancy situation.

And it had been way over due for so long, we tackled it right then and there.

She had drawn up a pattern (which I politely mentioned might not really look like she wanted it to in the final stages) but she insisted! A good lesson in pattern making, I thought. Ginormous arms? Hmmm. Slanted head? We'd make it work.

And after a few minor and major surgeries (the white thread over-correcting some things can't be seen via an iphone picture, but you get the idea) we had a doll!

She's so proud. And I am too.

I'm so lucky I get to share my studio with little awesome people.

Sometimes I overlook how important it is for me to stop and do projects that my kids direct. I have so many projects going on all the time, that often my projects get labeled as "more important."

The trick is in doing both. And that's the studio space that feels just right.