angry chicken

onigirazu

I've been making onigirazu lately and can't seem to get enough of them. They are perfect for leftovers. I know they were a thing a bit back, so the internet and a friend in-the-know tells me, but I only just discovered them this last year. They are basically a big onigiri with a lot more room for fillings. This one I made has salmon mixed with some sriracha mayo and seasoned rice.

I was grabbing these to eat at Uwajamya for about a year, not even considering making them. I don't know why, it just didn't occur to me. I was at the book store inside Uwajimaya (Kinokuniya) and saw this book and got ridiculously excited. I didn't buy it, but visit it often. This book and youtube videos of people making these made it easy to try. I bought my large nori sheets while I was there and that was all I needed.

So, my family is not down this these. Yet. I still have hope. I think they might be the perfect food. So portable, tasty, and easy to make.

A few cons:

• my family won't eat them (but they would be the perfect lunch/picnic/snack food for everyone!) My girls call them "mom's weird seaweed sandwiches" and don't like the smell. At all.

• I have not found a way to make them with brown rice and still stick together, which I know would be healthier.

• The whole arsenic-in-the-rice thing, which I guess is higher in brown rice, so white maybe isn't so bad.

• Some fillings don't lend themselves to freezing. I like to make several at a time and freeze. My combinations are all over the place—turkey and cheese, salmon salad, tuna salad, eggs and cheese, beans and cheese, cabbage slaws, and the sauces I add are creative/questionable.

• Pete says none of this sounds like it would taste good with nori—but it does! To, me. But I also like nori and he's not a huge fan.

The pros for me are huge, I use little bits of leftovers and I make a bunch at a time and them freeze them and they are delicious and I can eat them in the car! And, I think they are funny— I do try to make weird combonations on purpose, just to see if they still taste good, and so far I have had no fails. I did pull one out of my purse to eat during a fancy ballet performance, I was starving, and forgot about the smell these can have, and the whole deal was awkward and weird, but I ate it anyway in the dark, not looking at the other parents sitting next to me. For the win!

 

 

just some pancakes.

We make a lot of pancakes around here. We call them handcakes, because they are usually eaten on the sofa out-of-hand, not off a plate. The powdered sugar gets all over, but oh well. I make extra and freeze them. The girls pop them in the toaster oven. I like them with maple syrup, of course, but the girls like them with either powdered sugar or butter and cinnamon sugar—or just plain.

Sadie is starting to flip them herself. The recipe is on my cheat sheet and I use the same recipes for waffles, sometimes switching the white flour out for whole wheat flour or another grain. Buckwheat is good too, although gets some suspicious looks.

Really I just like taking photos of food, so that's about all there is to say about this.

Links:

• I am terribly excited to see Gentleman Broncos (via Miss Emily) although it seems to be in the movie-video purgatory and not on netflix yet but not in the theaters anymore either.
• I have in my hands the lovely Winter and Holiday Correspondence Sets from the fine folks at Yellow Owl Workshop and am in love with them and highly recommend them as a gift-y type item to keep or give. I am writing more real letters lately and this set is perfect for that. The boxed set fits nicely in my bag (which is a pretty big bag, I will admit.)
• I am enjoying (and laughing out loud at) The Selfish Seamstress. (via the Burda Style Blog)

someday I will make one.

Here's another book I recently picked up, again a Japanese craft book. ISBN978-4-277-49061-0. I have yet to try a project from a Japanese craft book, but I am game. There are diagrams in this book and it seems reasonable enough. It's more of a thick pamphlet, not a book—it was only $3.95. I love the big-trivet-for-your-hiney thing. If I had one I'd feel like I were sitting on the coolest hot pad ever.

I have to try it 'cause I can run to a local crochet expert if I get into trouble. The last time she helped me crochet I was very pregnant and mentally impaired. I promise to do better this time.

Okay, can't find this book online either, sorry. If anyone can, please post it in the comments. It's published by Ondori. Again, I get my books here in town, you can read all that info in my FAQ.

In keeping with my recent theme of pouring over books at night but not actually starting anything related to their contents, I have been spending way too much time over here at this wallet draining needlework bookshop, The Mad Samplar Books. Ouch. If you like used or rare books of the needlework variety, sorry in advance.

picnic at hanging rock-ish

I just got this book and am smitten. It's all about altering t-shirts, sweaters, and whatnot by adding lace, doilies, and bits of trim. The photos feature all girls, but of course I want to dress like this, too.

So elegantly cool. That crown there is just a circle of lace. Brilliant. And the doily on the strap is perfect.  Bloomers make an appearance too, so I felt compelled to take this book home with me.

The photos are so lovely. These girl look so real. Albeit a bit moody, but hey, that's real too, you know? It sort of reminds me of a more casual Flora and Henri. The ISBN is 978-4-12-390158-1. There are no patterns in this book because it's altering existing clothes, so there's just illos with generic ideas. It's all in Japanese, of course. I can't find it online right now, but I know you sleuths can. Here's an image of the cover. (I get all my Japanese books here locally, you can see more info in my FAQ.)

And thank for all the eMailorder #8 love!! Don't forget to show to paper cuts in the Mailorder group on flickr, I can't wait to see!

new sewing book for me.

I picked up this book over at Mariko's last week, Girly Style Wardrobe, ISBN978-4-579-11132-9 and am completely in love with every single pattern. It's the perfect mix of sweet, not too cute/not too serious, folksy, happy, and just plain ol' cool. The sizes are 100-140 cm (it's for young girls), so I will get a ton of use out of these patterns. Here's the cover-last I saw they only had 3 left, but I think are getting more soon (right?) edit* they are all sold out now-

perfect peasant blouse/smock type thing-

the hoodie and skirt! and the freaky boots! too flippin' cute.

This Julie Christie look kills me. I must make a faux fur hat this fall. I have to. Sadie saw this photo and flipped her lid. The funny thing is, she already wears her coonskin davey crockett hat all the time, so this look makes perfect sense to her. .

I have no idea if this book is available on yesasia, or other japanese craftbook haunts. It looks like you can buy it here on ebay for now also, if you are new to the whole Japanese Craft Book thing, you can find places to purchase at the wonderful Japanese Craft Book reference blog, Crafting Japanese, and I do think Superbuzzy will be getting more, so you can send them an e-mail. . . . now I need to get busy.

new japanese book-pottery

I went over to Kinokuniya at Uwajimaya last weekend, I hadn't been there in a long time, and found this amazing book. It's a visual catalog of some famous mid-century modern Swedish, Finnish, Danish, and Norwegian pottery. It's just a look book, with the company names and patterns, but it is amazing and the photos are stellar, of course. Grammie worked at Finlandia House here in Portland (the owners were close friends of the fanily) when she was little and remembers seeing all these patterns in the shop-it was so cool to look at it with her. Finlandia House is not there anymore, it was Portland's first Finnish home interiors/import store. It opened in the 1950s and mom worked there when she was 12! I guess if you are going to have child labor, at least do it in style!

Arabia-Kartano

Arabia-Kilta (I think Grammie said this was her favorite at Finlandia House.)

Arabia-Krokus (I guess I really like Arabia.)

I don't have any of these patterns. I have a really small ceramics collection just a few pieces, mostly American, but I am slowly rebuilding my parents wedding pattern (Denby) which was lost, and fantasize about owning some of these pieces. I am sure pie would taste even better off of a plate like this. But maybe not pie, now that I think about it, I'd have to make a special Finnish dessert, to go with the Arabia. I must research this. This book in one in a series of two; one showcases cups and saucers, and this one features other pieces in the same patterns. Amazing.

quilt monday-cute book style

This amazing patchwork book in the Gakken series (ISBN4-05-604283-7 use this in the advance search-the link is acting funny, sorry) was given to me by the generous and sweet Sally when she came over on Friday for Hannah's BBQ. It's got wonderful patchwork and small quilt projects and made me nutty all weekend. This placemat and juice glass cozy is making me super crazy right now. Labor intensive and impractical. . .sign me up!

super sweet hearts with photo transfers. . .

And this amazing felt bag. Ugh. I have to make something like this. It's too flippin' cute! Thank you for making me a crazy person, Sally!

sewing clothes crazy

wow-wow-wow! Thank you all so much for your mailorder enthusiasm! It feels great and I have to get busy stuffing envelopes and ignore the new crafts books I got. . .

I scored pretty good at the the bookstore I picked up quite a few sewing books. Clothes style. Here is one that is making me a bit crazy right now. so lovely. The cover with the ISBN and all that info is right here.

This would be wonderful in a crazy print too. This books comes with patterns and I'm not going to accept that they probably won't fit me. We will have to just see how much altering I need to do.

I love this contrasting ribbon.

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.

better. . .

we are feeling better around here-thank you all so much for you sweet well wishes. It really made us feel better! I won't go into details, but this bug was bad. in that way. you know, so I can't tell you how happy I am we are up and running again.

I got a surprise package from Sally on Saturday and holy mary and joseph-this book, among so many wonderful things, were inside. Wow!! Thank you so much Sally! She tucked in the sweetest hello/get-well card and stationary and gift tags she designed herself-so nice. I almost started crying! These patchwork coasters saved me yesterday-I started some immediately, which took my mind of the nausea, and boy, um, inset corners are hard. Yeah, I had that "I'm not a real quilter" moment. You can see the result here-not bad, but took a long time and I need to practice.

 

Sally blogged about this book here (more and different photos) I have converted these books for so long-why don't we have fabric here with more words? I think that's part of what makes these projects so cool. . .

Okay-this make me crazy-loco. The minimal style photo the with crazy patchworky runner (or mat, what should I call it?) so good. so very very very good. Gosh-this package was almost worth getting so sick for! (I am insane) thanks again sally!!

sock distractions.

Over the weekend I went to the Japanese bookstore and found this. It's new to me, but I see others have found it and love it too, who wouldn't? See more photos over on crafting Japanese. ISBN 4579110617.

These are all made of socks or gloves. The cute/sad factor here is killing me.

The directions seem really clear and easy to do. I think they are pretty small, because socks and gloves just aren't all the big, you know?

This photo! on the distressed blue chair. too good.

so hard to choose, but this is my favorite. I need to get out the socks! Most of these actually require 2 socks, not just the lowly one sock we have so many of floating around. . .

folksy fabric

after a summer of japanese book binging, I realized I needed help. so, I subscribed to cotton friend, and then promised myself I would only go to the japanese book store when it came in (4 times a year) and I was even extra special good this time, because I had grammie pick it up for me so I didn't even get to look. She, however, didn't fair so well, and left with at least 2 new books for herself.

The cotton friend featured these wonderful folksy prints that are making me crazy/nutty.

here are some of the prints as dolly clothes. note the great kerchief and apron. I love the fabric hair.

this fabric wrapped basket is really wonderful (click for a big view). I have to try this very soon. baskets with lids are getting a ton of play around here since little red riding hood came out on halloween. Now Sadie is also using them to play Sal, and fill them with "blueberries" (which are wool felted beads. am I dying here, or what??) Sal is new for her, the last week or so she had been mostly Jane.

don't think I would have chosen that sweater with the above outfit, but that's just me.

I would just hang this on the wall as well, just beautiful.

 

quilt monday-stuck in redville

yes, when I get into something (redwork) I really get into it. so, this is also from that same magazine as this post. I am fixating on these tiny flying woodland elf/faeries on the border of the quilt. Can you see them? Click on the photo for a closer look. So sweet (and yes, I realize they are wearing hats exactly like what I just sewed for Oscar in my last post) well, at least I am consistent (or boringly predictable.)

These are all so amazing, but I am really diggin on the realistic mushrooms looming above to the right. Wonderful. And I also like this dark bloody color of red for the embroidery. Also, what a beautiful photograph! It's so impossible to photograph quilts. This way is perfect. A close up with movement, you know?

And very exciting to report, Laura posted a translation of the Japanese text on last week's yo-yo quilt in the comment section. Thank you, Laura!

quilt monday-japanese redwork

We are back from the coast and it was wonderful. Photos tomorrow, but first I have to talk about quilts. I found a great fabric shop in Cannon Beach called Center Diamond that had a ton of books I had never seen in person before, very exciting. But even more exciting was the two huge baskets of Quilts Japan and Tsuchin Patchwork they had (they will ship these, too.) These are so hit and miss for me, so when I can actually see what is in them first, it's so helpful. This one, (ISSN 1346-955X, I can't seem to find the ISBN, will this help? I don't even know) from May 2005 is all about redwork and is sooooo good. I love redwork but have never done it, partly because I'm not super-into the Sunbonnet Sue designs you normally see, but this magazine puts a whole new spin on redwork I find most pleasing. . .the photo above has sweet bunny pillows. I like the red/white reverse design on each.

here's a big tote and a wall organizer. The tote is so funny. If you look real close you can see on the small photo on the back of the tote is a furry doggy butthole. wow. never really thought I'd type these words together, but I just did.

a bit too sweet for me, but I love and admire the needle work on this. really beautiful. I also like the shape of the bag, with the tiny pleats. And I love the tree.

yes, a dishcloth apron (hint) and kitchen nice-ness

This page made me a bit goofy. There is a lot here, like the sweet pin cushion, such a simple and cute shape.The sewing basket, okay, I need to try this with plastic or wood handles like these. Very intrigued by this idea. That bunny in the basket is a pin cushion with a pocket for scissors. Excellent. This portable sewing table (?) is really nice and I have to find tape measure ribbon, like this red one. And look at the jaunty bunnies dancing on this basket. too dang cute. I want to try a quilt or project just with one color, like red. It's so striking to have red, white and maybe that natural linen color.

happy baby book

I found a very cool japanese craft book at my local haunt a few weeks back. this one is called "for sweet baby" (isbn4-07-246385-X) and has some of the cutest sewing projects of the squealing variety.

wow-and I love that suitcase too!

must make felt beads right away-and I already have a huge embroidery hoop waiting to become this lovely thing.

there are four shoe patterns in this book, one for each season.

this would be a snazzy case for anything, not just for a leaky bottle that surely would get it all wet and stinky anyway. I really like the plaid on the ends and tiny doggy button. very nice. so, this is also a little incentive for some of my friends who are wondering about when to have that second baby (you know who you are. . .) you can make all these goodies (and forget how dang tired you will be all over again!)

got me thinking. . .

I was looking at this japanese magazine and stopped at this page that I hadn't noticed before. I am really loving raw edges right now, especially in combination with hand stitching. so simple and textural.

also, these kid play blocks are so dang cute and happy

I think I still have a bit of foam from an unfinished project. weird thing to have lying around, extra foam, at least pete thinks so. he would be thrilled if I used it instead of "saving" it. and on a somber note, my heart and thoughts go out to all of you in london. .

I almost started crying

I went to the Asian market by my mom's house over the weekend and found some new craft books. This one is called Kid's Drawings (isbn 4-7762-0113-5) and I sort of freaked out. I really freaked out. I spent way too much money (although, less than half of what I would have spent on eBay) but I officially can only go there once a season now. A new rule for myself. sigh. so, all the books I got (4) caused me to feel almost sick. The photography, ideas, everything. I can barely write about it. Every idea in this book is beautiful. Lots of raw edges and deconstructed designs that compliment the kid's artwork so well. More of idea book than an actual how to-but I like that better anyway. No rules to follow, make it up as you go.

There has been a lot floating around about inspiration from kid's drawings (hillary, amanda, and where else? somewhere, I can't remember right now.) I love it when we are all looking at things at the same time. A craft wave is so inspirational. Here is a stuffed lion made into a clock.

slippers with stitched kid's art

kid's art etched onto glasses

bean bags? paper weights? I'm not sure, but who cares, they are so wonderful. I will post the other books later, after I have absorbed them all. They are mostly from a publisher called Cafe Time Books, which uses designs from a much of designers-who all have bios and websites in the back (all in Japanese)

quilt monday-inspiration

here's a few images form a new Japanese craft book (isbn 4-391-62040-5) I picked up over the weekend. I can't figure out the name of it quite yet. This quilt above reminds me of early denyse schmidt. lovely tablecloth-hmmm.

elegant, minimal and lovely.

quilt monday-inspiration

More wonderful inspiration from Japan, this time from Patchwork Quilt Tsushin (#122 October, 2004) again on loan from the amazing library of Kelly (thank you!!) Look at all the teeny tiny pieces in this quilt! It makes my head hurt. I love the asymmetry of the border and the photo in the upper felt uses plaids in a really interesting way (look closer-click on the photo)

Oh happy, happy pin cushions. Gosh, I can't get enough of these. Almost as cute as Hillary's (but not quite.)

These muted/somber colors are not really me, but I really dig this graphic big/small wheel thing here and the whacky plaids cut in any ol' way with fun mixed patchwork blocks around the border.

I love this. Look what you can make from a turtleneck sweater, a big buttoned jacket and a shirt? A pair of slippers and a tote to put them in! I love this for 2 reasons, the  rainbow stripes on the sweater and the slipper design on the tote, in case you forget what you put in there. Your slippers. I love accessories that have their own accessories.

Again, not my colors,  but again, really amazing use of plaid fabrics.

Now this is a sewing kit. There are so many details in this little kit. It makes me want to make another one. I especially like the green scissors holder with the 2 flowers.

This I love for the way ugly colors of the bag and matching accessories in the top left photo. Wow. It's unusual to see these colors together post 1975, yet here they are, and lookin' great. And after seeing these other bags, all handbags I make from now on (I have made none, well, maybe one, about 4 years ago) will have hanging tags/smaller bags that match the big bag. Like a marsupial thing.

I'm not 100% sure what this page is about, but nice patchwork bag ideas. I like the "sketches" with actual fabric. Okay, enough photos. Please check out the quilts floating around over at Amanda's (she has 2 up right now!) and Lisa's (scroll down, all handmade!), very nice!

quilt monday-inspiration

all these great photos come from an issue of Quilts Japan, (2002, #5-not sure how you would get back issues-but here's where to buy current ones), a magazine that Kelly let me borrow from her amazing collection of Japanese craft books and magazines. I believe this magazine comes out 6 times a year. It's pretty thick and has patterns, although I think it would be easier for me to make my own patterns for most of these projects-just so I don't have to keep referring to something not in English-also-if I make it up as I go, it can never be wrong!

love this skirt and top-but I think making the semi-circles on the skirt would cause lots of swearing.

   

tons of color- I really like the apron with the stripes turned to an angle

 
click for bigger view of these-look at the goodies on the little bulletin board

I really love these colors together a "so ugly it's awesome" color combo.. I think it's time for me to make some tea cozies-I seem to be showing them all the time.

       

hanging quilts

I really like the little apple tree. Velcro fun-time for the babies.

another happy book

I just got this book "Handmade Felt Book" (ISBN4-277-43024-4 (thanks to a post from Kelly mentioning Therese wanting to sell it) and I am quite pleased with what was inside-

I am WAY into felting, both needle and wet, well, as much I can be without ever having tried it. how sad. I have a wad of roving looking at me, I poke it sometimes as I walk by, but that's it. Would these creations take forever to felt? Time, especially-standing-in one-place-type of time, is limited right now. Maybe I should revisit this in the fall. Anyhoo, it's a good book and the visual instructions are quite good (again, coming from someone who does not know how to felt)

 

happy book #2

 

Here's the other book I picked up.(ISBN4-89396-783-5) Lots of patterns in this needlework book. All projects inspired from the alphabet and it is so sweet! This on above is "c" for cat (made from a sock)

A is for apple. . .sewing accessories. Needle case with apple button closure, sewing basket and a needle felted apple pin cushion! (Karen-do you see this?!)

"B" is for buttons-these are amazing. The directions just show a bit of needlework attaching felt on a white circle, then sewing a gather stitch around the edge to pull it tight around a button form (like making a yo-yo minus the button) I'm temped to try it with a button covering kit-to get the back on tight.

"F" flower vases (test tubes)

"M" felt leaf and stick mobile

"V" is for violets-this is a brooch and a hair band in back-in felt. Obviously, there is more in this happy book (all the other letters!)

happy book

I'm so happy-I found some great books at the Asian superstore by my mom's house.It's pretty hit or miss. But, man I did good. It was hard to edge in there with all the crafters looking, but my yelling baby helped clear the way. Shopping there beats the heck out of the prices on ebay - the shipping kills me.

LOVE!

wow! A bird coin purse? I really have to make this whole dang bag/purse thing, I mean come on now, how great is this?

I've never tried this closure on the coin purse before-has anyone? The directions get a bit spotty here (me not reading Japanese and all) they just show the fabric sort of "shoved" into the clasp. So many more good ideas in this book, I'm very pleased. I will show the other one tomorrow.