angry chicken

may!

I don't know what I was thinking not making a "D" bag for Delia for Easter when I made one for Sadie. My bad. She has been copying her sister when we leave the house, collecting all sorts of things to take with her, in her not-bag. She usually grabs a huge felt bucket which she hangs from her neck. It's about as big as she is and she won't leave until it's full to the top. Sadie asked me if I could make Delia her own bag, because the felt bucket is really dumb in the car. It's a vision hazard. It's that big. I can't believe Delia is only 18 months. This second born thing is amazing. Sometimes she acts like she's almost 3. But then does a crazy baby thing (eats dirt) and all is normal again.

This "D" on the pocket pocket uses the amazing freezer paper stencil. Hannah has started a very cool group over at flickr for freezer paper projects/ideas. Check it out and add your photos if you have tried it. It's so cool to see what people have done.

It's may day! (tomorrow) one on the best days ever in my book. I just need to work on that maypole and some flower wreaths. At the very least I will get some flowers. Or pick some. There is a fun family style mayday thing happening at the Kennedy School, for you local types. I really really wish I were more witchy/pagan and knew all this stuff better (Beltane) I looked for a cake recipe and found none, but I think I could make one anyway and just call it a May Day cake. Actually, I need to hold off on that because I just tested the next mailorder recipe and it is so good that I need to take a break from the desserts for a bit because I have eaten it all.

Oh, I just have to say, not to sound completely vapid, I realize that May Day is now more about labor rights, but I also like it to be about flowers.

The new theme is set over at Tie One On for May, or at least I am going to do it very soon, hopefully tonight.

tie on one-yellow and white

Here's my Tie One On yellow and white apron. I am so late with this and planned all along to use what I had on hand. I really thought I had a lot more yellow than I do, so there is some patching in the back, which I like a lot, actually. The yellow patterned vintage fabric is from someone (thank you, sorry I have forgotten who.) and then some yellow solids. Snaps in the back. Simple and easy.

Sadie needs a smock so I made this for her. My first thought was to make a smock for me inspired by these, but after a very bad first attempt (late night + no pattern + no muslin to experiment with = failure and depression.) I decided to just make this one. Same old shape and style as what I usually make for the girls. I like it, but need to try something new. . .

Then I read Sadie to sleep last night and there was my new smock design! The Flicka, Ricka and Dicka books, by Maj Lindman from the 1940s, are my new obsession (thankfully Sadie also digs them) and I am really geeking on their dresses and aprons. This style is perfect and fortunately there are a lot of drawings of them, so I do think I can sew one pretty easily.

These books are only available now as soft cover, which bums me out (unless you collect vintage children's books-yikes!!$$$) and the mom in these stories is fascinating to me. Very willowy, impossibly thin, 1940s elegant, always perfect. She has high heeled slippers in her bedroom and a perfect chignon in every illustration. It's so funny to me that this is what I notice the most when reading these right now, the mom. How does she look that good? She sure isn't carrying any extra baby weight from the 3 (!) girls. And where is dad? Yes, I know these are just stories, but I can't help thinking all this as I read them. I check out the kitchen and all the details, the girls' bedroom. Always so clean and tidy. Snip Snap and Snur are the boys version and we got two of these too, but I can't find them right now. Becasue my house is so clean! (ha.)

patterns and blondies

 
We don't have a Paper Source here in Portland so I get a bit crazy about seeing all the papers they have online. The new catalog came in the mail yesterday and I am so taken with these patterns. I would love to do a large quilt with this big scale. Big. Really big. Maybe even bigger, like with just one flower. The red in the centers here are so great, and the grey. Reminds me of Vera, so It love it.

Here's the other one I can't stop staring at. I love they way it looks so drawn, the variation in the line thickness. I am actually thinking about making a pattern like this with freezer paper on fabric? But not sure, maybe I will just applique the big pieces.

And I had a friend comment on my mention of baking blondie bars recently. She was dubious about it's name (agreed) and the yumminess of them because I mentioned that they sometimes, but not always, have butterscotch chips in them, which are gross and way too sweet, but sometimes they are just right in small doses. I realized though, that the blondie bar is the perfect quick customizable bar cookie. I just made a batch with chopped almonds, chocolate chips, and a few dried cranberries. You could do white chocolate chips (again, usually to sweet for me) and macadamia nuts, or a candied ginger and chocolate chips, or a hazelnut and chocolate chip, heck, even a cinnamon-oatmeal thing.

Blondies are "brownies" but without the chocolate in the batter, hence the dumb name. But really, I think they are just a chocolate chip cookie recipe in a pan? That's what it seems like to me. The recipe I used was from the New Best Recipes (not the one I just linked to, but that one looks good too-huh?) And yes, it did call for melted butter, and now I am considering never making drop cookies again because I love the pan so much. Pan, I love you, hear me?

punchy needle

This clover punch needle tool was screaming to me last week. I had a punch needle when I was little. I begged for it after seeing it on tv. I remember being so bummed when I couldn't get it to work. Really bummed. I wanted to make the puffy 1970s animals they showed. They were freaky and ugly.

So, I started this design and it was really easy-I got it to work just fine. what I didn't realize is if you punch a certain way-you get not the loop, but a back-stitch looking line-which is quite cool. It does go really fast and I think it has definite potential BUT the loops on the back are not really secure, they can pull out. So Clover sells a glue to spread on the back. Glue? The nice lady at the craft shop also suggested a iron-on fusible web or interfacing (glue) instead. hmmm. but really, you have to use something on the back, cause these little loops pull out so easily. And I can't have my lady with a cranial lump and a pocketbook coming unraveled. Punch needle has been around a long time and I have done very little  research (none), but I'll bet there are other options to finishing the backs of these to make them more secure.

Seeing theses transfer designs clover sells it what made me all crazy to try it. I need to finish this and then do something to the back. I will give a follow-up report.

inside and outside today

outside.

Our Japanese Cherry tree (I'm pretty sure)  It's not really spring here until it blooms. This variety blooms late and then we have to rake up the blossoms that drift into our neighbors yards for weeks. It's amazing and we love it so much.

inside.

Sadie is obsessed with making the "family." She is no doubt influenced by our art collection (the small object's stick portrait she often studies hangs in our living room. It's from this amazing series here.)

That's pete there on the end with the pink dress, then mama, sadie and delia. She picks out the sticks, which are all nasty and grimy from being at the bottom of her crayon box for months. Then she and delia pick out the fabrics. Then the glue stick comes out and coats, coats, every inch of everything (then they wipe their hands on each other when the other isn't paying attention) then we draw the faces. The arms are chenille pipe cleaners. There have been lots of families made and they get tucked into bed. So there are a lot of sticks in the bed.

This is one of those crafts that I get so into. It just sort of happened-which I know moms with older kids understand, but I just didn't get until sadie turned 3. The girls love the toys they can make themselves and it so pleasing to see. I remember loving the weird bits of yarn and leaves and rocks I put in boxes. I know I had a shoebox of acorns that I kept for years. And I had logs in my room that I named. Not big logs, but I'd say they were logs, certainly bigger than sticks. And I swear I made a diaper for one of them out of Kleenex (Mom, am I dreaming this?? And how exactly did that get wrapped on? I will try to re-create this.) That's a bit away from the stick family. I can only hope that one day soon the girls will find the fun in putting a diaper on a log.

 

sicker. (I am gross)

A wonderful Easter was had here-but it was cold! like almost snowing, cold. But this didn't stop the Easter bunny from coming. The girls ate way too much chocolate, and so did their mama. I overindulged in this Teuscher bunny from Pete. Our local chocolate company Moonstruck makes stunning chocolates, and I do love their hot chocolate, but for straight chocolate and truffles, Teuscher is my fave.

And here's a tote for Miss Sadie. Using the idea of "use what you have" for April, which I could do for the rest of the year, seriously. The deery lou came in her Easter basket. Sadie is now wanting to take her "stuff" with her when we go out (understandable) and she needed a good sturdy bag for this. Big enough for books, dolls, sticks, and scotch tape. This one I lined with batting so it's nice and soft. The "S" is a big pocket (freezer paper, I still love you) with just surged edges. Minimal and a bit raw, because she has such deconstructed taste. (ha.I think all kids are true deconstructionists, right?) oh-the dots and the flowers I did with mini-hole punches and felt quite clever about that.

no photo but lots of links

Oh, how can I not have a photo for this post? well, I don't.

The list. Things I have in my brain and projects that are patiently waiting for me. I love LOVE making things from kits. Reading directions, following diagrams, hooray! Some kits I have waiting are:

-The secret squirrel-can't wait. so flipping excited. I might ask for this hoop for my birthday. My first crewel project ever.
-some kits from here. Um, actually quite a few. Gail Wilson was having a great sale a bit back, so I went crazy. I could work on these for years. They come with the glue, paint, pieces. I just get crazy thinking about them.

other things on my list:
-make something with rhubarb soon. have never done this-why? I have no idea. Perhaps this pie?
-research the fact I heard a bit ago about there being a kind of prehistoric penguin as big as people. Wow! this is so thrilling to me, yet it's very freaky.
-make some big quilts
-successfully make a smock for me, which has yet to happen. Last night's attempt was a disaster.
-candy swappers, need to get on board
-pin cushion monthly challenge and swap over at Boogaj that she's cookin' up
-catch up on old e-mails. some so old the original senders won't even know why I am writing back. (sorry.)
-read some of these books here (thanks to Alicia and all her great commentors)
-whiplash!
-work on my egg cup collection (I have 3) really, it's so lame. Is three even a collection?

I think Easter is a wash this year-big work deadlines are getting wrapped up, but then other small ones linger, such is life, but I will be happy when things feel more normal around here, which they haven't for a bit. Hence my inability to write complete sentences in this post. I promise I won't keep this up, because I'm sure it's annoying. Like a weird shorthand. Or when people say "ASAP" I hate that. because no one is that busy. You can actually say the words "as soon as possible."
-

smocks and bags

I am digging the idea of wearing a smock dress around the house. Over my clothes. Kind of like the one I have made for the girls, only less like a 3 year old would wear. I love this one on the right and the one of the left is an altered men's shirt, I think. With ribbon? I can't quite tell. And I don't think it's a smock, but more like a button up dress. .
These are from the spring issue of Cotton Friend (the isbn is on flickr, just click on this photo)

And I love these two bags on the right side here, especially this fuzzy sporty number in the bottom right corner. Maybe it's a bit woolly for spring/summer, but something about it says tennis to me, which seems springy.

Easter is a week away and I have nothing to show for it. Well, nothing handmade except my wee bunny. I still need to make him a friend. There is frozen sugar cookie dough in the freezer waiting to be cut out into bunnies and eggs and flowers, so that will be on the agenda this week. And I checked this book out of the library that was suggested in the cook book post comments and I am loving it so much. Some really good recipes in there.

Besides that not too much to report. I'm scheming ridiculous ideas-I have big plans around here for a podcast play I want to put on, that would involve a horse because I have always wanted to use coconut shells for sound effects, and possibly something involving puppets, but in a podcast, which is so funny to me because you would have no way of knowing they were puppets. And, speaking of puppets did you hear This American Life this week? The bit with Mr. Rogers was so great.

melted butter is the answer.

Here's another freezer-paper stencil shirt for Sadie. Impossible to see here, but the dish running away with the spoon is light purple on black shirt. I need to figure out this glare thing on the camera. For now, I'll just call it arty.

Sadie is only calling her sister "spoon" right now and she, obviously, is the "dish" I love this as much as Delia being called "mr. jackson" and Sadie referring to herself as "mrs. tittlemouse" which was last month. Sadie also said fortnight when telling me a story yesterday. All these Beatrix Potter references are killing me. We have the boxed set, thanks to my generous brother, and I love them so much, but they require serious editing. wow. lots of hitting and scolding!

And how come no one has told me the secret of the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever?! Grammie made cookies with the girls and used the recipe in the New Best Recipes, which called for MELTED BUTTER. That is the secret. Sure, there was also an extra egg yolk, and I think different proportions of white/brown sugar, but melted butter?? Who knew? Not I. I always thought I was being punished by my refusal to use anything but butter in my baking and just settled for the thin crispy cookies (the dough is just as good anyway) but now. . .now I can make the chewy cookies of my dreams. And they were perfect. dreamy perfect.

I'd type out the recipe exactly, but the book is available and in print and they aren't giving this recipe away on their site so I will stay legit. I found a few online recipies for cookies with melted butter, but I can't vouch for them. But really, I'd buy the whole book again just for this recipe. whooo-hoo!

paper, scissors & tape.

I am actually beginning to see the finish line on some contract design work I am doing and to reward myself, I played with Sarah's (middle name: genius) downloads. You can see the handy receipt envelopes on the left there, and the mailing labels I just used any ol' where, on my sketch book-

And on some magazine files. I printed them on pink card stock, but obviously sticker paper would be great too. I'm not sure what we did to deserve these free downloads of Sarah's, but thank you! So generous and so very wonderful. I was just at Office Depot tonight buying mailers, reams of paper, etc, and was so happy to tuck in the receipt in one of these envelopes. Very pleasing.

Back Tack III is up and this whole color week thing is so cool. I didn't even pull my head out until today to figure out what was going on-and wish I had earlier. These color images floating around are wonderful! What a great idea.

I added a new short and sweet blogroll that I will update monthly or so and was a complete lame-o and deleted a bunch of old categories- like "quilts". Oops. But, the posts still exist. So, I need to go though a lot of old posts and reorganize them, until then, the archive is where everything is. (Who even cares? But I do search old posts in other blogs all the time, so I thought I'd mention it, just so you know.)