angry chicken

hamster hands

This is Mochi, our hamster. There is a zine about her you can buy from Sadie. She is so special. She waits for us every night to play with her. Pete is quite attached. 

We are in the beginning of spring break and I have a lot of sewing to do getting ready for spring shows. I had some not great success dyeing nylon, so thank god for Goodwill. I found the vests I needed and don't have to worry about the first dozen refusing to cooroperate. I have banished them into deep storage for now.

I have big indoor plant plans. I know this is the time to be thinking about outside gardening, but we have almost no direct sun, so I can only do so much. But indoor plants are calling to me. I plan to put them mostly on the mantel, to avoid the cats thinking it's a toilet, which is what happened last time we got house plants.

After listening to a large batch of podcasts (mostly catching up on This American Life) I am now listening to Becoming by Michelle Obama. I'm only about 45 min in, but really liking it so far. I am reading a historical romance, which I have a big stash of on my kindle because I need them and am always happy when I go back a to them. They are the perfect escape.

Delia and I are planning a trip to London and Paris this summer, so I am starting to make lists and researching shops, fabric stores, museums, cool cafes and all that. Any suggestions are appreciated! I haven't been there since 2001, so I bet a lot has changed.

36 hours in seattle

We had so much fun running around Seattle last week. We saw Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker. I had been dying to see the new costumes and sets designed by Ian Falconer a couple years ago. It was so good, and so wonderful to see it all in person. Here's my rock-star parkig at the market. I was so proud. It pays to get there early.

We shopped and ran around going to old favorites and now ones. I did not make it inside of Nana's Green Tea, sadly, because the was a crazy line around the block. And we went early! So, that will be for next time.

Sadie's zines (#3 is available now)

Sadie just finished #3 of her zine series about all of our pets. There will be 7 total. This one features her sister's hamster, Mochi. These are so funny and wry, I love them to bits. And they make great stocking stuffers! She will bundle #1-3 of them with a little ribbon, too, perfect for stocking stuffers or tucked into holiday cards! The title of this series is a quote from her father in regards to all of our animals.

You can send her actual $ in the mail, old-school style, or she can send you a PayPal request. Just e-mail me or DM her over on IG. They are $1.50 or 3 for $4 and that includes shipping.

happy thanksgiving and hello almost december-

We are are 1/4 done with our shows, and things seem to be going well! I love the last minute issues, like would a mouse tail be attached under or over a tutu? I decided over.

I couldn't sleep last night. I was up at 3:30am, too hot, and needing to get away from the dogs. I watched a movie, Eva Hesse, Portrait of a Ground-breaking Artist on Kanopy and was moved to tears. I studied her work in college, always loved it, and this film brought it to the front of my mind again. Seeing it now after so long and remembering her life story was so inspiring and emotional. She was working in NYC the same time as Patti Smith, I realized, and they were at the same clubs, not that they mentioned each other, but I kept thinking about that, having just listened to Just Kids. 

Kanopy, I read about when I was researching substitutes for Filmstruck (RIP) and I can't believe the catalog they have! And it's free, if your local library is signed up. It's kind of incredible.

I am 9 hours into Dune (of 21 total) the audio book version. I think I will need to switch to the physical book soon because I will be done with my sewing before I can listen to it all. I better be anyway. I have never read Dune, it is my brother's favorite book, all I knew is it was about big worms and I should avoid the movie. I love it so far. So epic.

This photo is from Acorns and Threads, my very local embroidery shop. I can walk to it. I was there choosing threads for my next project after all the sewing. This is how I rebel. Thinking about needlework while sewing.

I did not write a favorite books and gift guide this year. Time slipped away. I might post a book one soon. I love looking at the old lists to remember what has come into the house. Here's last year's with links to all the previous lists.

still sewing costumes and upcoming shows

I am working on the Tulip costumes for Waltz of the Flowers for VDT's Nutcracker, which is coming up fast. There are 12 total. The pastel bodices were existing. I added the leaves and front embellishments and then made 2-layer chiffon circle skirts to draper over purchased super-stiff crinolines. Mixing the chiffon colors to match the bodices was really fun. I love using chiffon layers. Mill Ends has a large selection of colors, thankfully.

This is a busy time for shows, my eldest daughter is in the Fall Festival of Shakespeare at Winningstad theater today (sold out), which is an all day show with 6 schools performing. She is in Much Ado about Nothing. The crowds for these shows are authentic Elizabethan, so there is a lot of very-making and yelling at the action which is pretty great.

I am so excited to see my middle daughter dance in The Portland Ballet's A Midsummer Night's Dream Thanksgiving weekend. There are still tickets available. These shows are always so beautiful and I love going downtown to see her dance at Lincoln Hall at Portland State. it's a fun area to be in and grab dinner.

My youngest is in the Lion King Jr, which is a wonderful family show. All the kids in this production are between 10-14 and are homeschooled. It's put on by Village Home and these shows are so impressive and such a great opportunity for them. Tickets are here! (It's the first weekend of December.)

I just finished Turn of the Screw on audio. I had read it long ago, I think in high school, and remembered almost nothing. It's so creepy, claustrophobic, vague, and ambiguous. To the point where it's almost funny. Especially the ambiguous language. So many unmentionables and allusions to corruption.

Thanks for your suggestions of good audio books. I need to listen to something not creepy, sad, or dark, but at the same time, I am on a classics theme, so that might be hard.

Some of my ideas for Thanksgiving (what to bring to Grammie's):

Cranberry Curd Tart

Endvie and Apple Salad

Wild Mushroom Crostini

Pete is making his delicious blackened brussels sprouts.

Okay, time for more sewing!

sewing costumes

The basement is a costume shop right now for the Vancouver Dance Theater's production of The Nutcracker. These are photos of Spanish and a Snow Queen headpiece. There's the making of Candy Cane headpieces, too. The bodices for Spanish were given to me white, I dyed them (and followed up with black fabric spray paint) to make them black, added a purchased skirt that I sewed the red trim to, and then added the sleeves and embellishments to the bodice. I love using existing costume pieces so much. It's such a fun challenge. The skirt is a petticoat that is really inexpensive, found on Amazon, so the whole costume came in at under $22 each. There are 4.

While I am sewing fro shows this year I am listening to books. I haven't really done this much before, mostly because I am not usually in one spot long enough to listen to anything. Airplanes and road trips got me through Calypso this summer, but that was it. Last year, I watched all the seasons of Parks and Rec while sewing for shows, but I missed a lot, not looking at the screen. So, I thought it would be great to try listening to some books I have been meaning to read. It has been such a good thing! I am so happy I dedicated my sewing time to doing this. I started with Just Kids, by Patti Smith, then Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders, Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and just finished Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. I have meaning meaning read these books for so long, and never got around to it and just feel so happy to have finally experienced them. Woolf has always been hard for me to settle into, I have a hard time focusing on her writing, and the audiobook was perfect for that.

I'm not sure what I am going to listen to this week, I think I have about 2 more books I can fit in before the shows start. I love the idea of classics, but might want to listen to something contemporary next.

movies we watched this summer

There were a few weeks this summer when only my eldest (almost 16) was home in the mornings. This the last year there were so many movies I wanted to show her and talk about, but they just weren't suitable for the whole family. I started making list and then in the mornings, after breakfast, we'd watch a movie. I got most of these from Netlix, and they were actual DVDs. I feel like I am the only one that still gets DVDs from them and I was going to stop, but am so happy I didn't because there were so many movies I couldn't get instantly on my list.

This was all pretty magical. Sadie is very open to suggestions and shares my sense of humor, so was game to watch anything. I also could get all nerdy with her about the shots, editing, and costumes. She would often stop the movie and share some personal story I hadn't heard before related to what she was seeing. There is no way this would have happened if other family members had been in the room. It was just a great way to discuss art and life and humor. These choices were pretty light and fun, which was on purpose. We always watch historical movies and the girls all all good sports about that, so I wanted to keep this list fun. I was laughing at how many movies Winona Ryder was in the the 1990s. At the time, it didn't seem like that many, but it really was! I crack up and feel old when the girls just call her "The Stranger Things mom."

 

zines for sale

Sadie is making zines and here are issues #1* and #2. There will be 7 of these, it's a series about our pets. They are very funny and 100% true. They are mini-zines, folded from one piece of paper. I had one of those heart exploding moments taking her her kinkos to make copies late one night and then staying up with her to fold them all and put them in little stacks.

She is selling them through the mail. They are $3 for both ($1.50 each, this includes shipping.) E-mail me for a mailing address or I am happy to send you a PayPal invoice if you want to pay online. Of course you can buy just one. Or 5! I think they are sweet to tuck into cards. I'm a big fan of giving little zines as gifts.

*this issue contains a swear word (sh*t) just so you know.

 

coffee, in this case, matcha soda. not coffee.

This matcha soda drink was a new experience for me. I liked it! I'd probably get an uncarbonated matcha drink next time, but it had a happy cool/factor I couldn't pass up. It made be feel both happy and cool. This was served at the very relaxing Good Coffee in the Slabtown location where I find myself once a week with some time to kill.

I'm starting to get a little twitchy and unsettled as the seasons turn. I want to do fall baking and decorating, but summer is still here and I don't want to rush it. So I am holding off.

Some you tube links:

• We are loving the Hidden Killers of The Victorian Home and all the others in that series. .
• The memorizing work of Creative Mom, who makes fairy houses out of recycled materials and is a paper mâché wizard.
• The Art Cooking series by the Art Assignment. This makes me have a very happy internet moment when I see them.

summer treats

It's hot here, but that hasn't stopped us from getting these super yummy donuts from Pip's, which I normally wouldn't consider a hot weather treat. We also tried Tiki Tea for the first time and it was delicious. I'm still off sugar, so they made my tea without (not shown) and i just stared at the donuts. It was okay. The girls ate them pretty fast.

It's convention season! We just got back from Leaky 2018 (Harry Potter fan convention) and are heading to the Resin Rose BJD Expo this weekend, which is in town. This is a doll show with a focus on ball-jointed dolls, which is thing. Leaky was so fun, in was in Dallas and it was a whirlwind trip. The fans there were so nice and overall it was a great time. We went to 5 panels and heard so many great theories and wonderful presentations and some really funny stories. We are going again next year for sure. There are some photos over on IG. I haven't been to the Resin Rose BJD show before. It's all me on this one, the girls aren't really into dolls, but I think my eldest will come with me to keep me in check.

vacation

We recently went to Kauai and was magical. We all love it there so much. We were staying on the south side, far away from the water damage and flooding from last month. This photo was taken at Shipwreck Beach. Unreal.

We hadn't been there in the two years and I feel like there was even more amazing food than before. We stayed in a condo so we could cook and and take full advantage of the farmer's markets. 

Unrelated to all of this, I am sewing high fashion vintage style doll clothes. It's addictive and kind of sadistic. I am also getting ready for my birthday this week, which means not much really. But I think I will schedule a pedicure. I am trying to get motivated to deal with our yard, but I am bad at yard clean up. I'm great at buying plants, however.

books I have read lately

I felt out of practice reading daily this winter. I always have 1 or 2 books I can go back to I haven't finished, but I wasn't reading a book that I was into. Part of it has to do with sitting. I know have a had time sitting down and relaxing. Especially when I need to be sewing or am in the middle of a new craft spiral, like resin. I made an effort to grab a book instead of my phone for a few days, and was back on daily reading again in no time. Of course reading good books helps.

I always check out books from the library for the family. I really like doing this, I feel like a dj. I realize a librarian would be a better description, but whatever. Because I research science fiction for Pete and all sorts of YA for the girls, and then whatever sounds good to me, there's a big assortment around here at all times. These all just happen to be more of a YA mix.

Here's the most recent reads with extremely brief descriptions.*

The Best That We Could Do

A beautiful graphic novel that taught me the most I have ever learned about Vietnam in the 1970s.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Funny. Both girls liked it, as did I. 

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Eva Lavender

This is a stand-out of the year. I bought a copy for the house and Sadie and I discussed it at length. It's multi-generational and uses magical realism, which are two of my most favorite things.

Rabbit Cake

A disturbing book—more in the mood it creates than what actually happens. I can tell there are parts that are supposed to be funny, that were not funny to me, only because I was so worried about what was going to happen to this family. 

*As with most YA, these books deal with heavy stuff. Some are very heavy and have parts that are hard to read. 14 and older is what I would say, but even then, you might want to do research first.

random items

Even though it's cold here and has been for a few weeks, my middle child wanted to stop by Zero Degrees to get this wacky sundae. It's not near us at all (Hillsboro) and it's a tiny little place, but it has some really fun teas/drinks and food items. 

Lots of sewing going on around here, and still some head colds and now possibly a stomach virus? I'm not sure, we shall see how the day progresses.

Lydia and I have been watching these Extra History videos over on Extra Credit on You Tube. There are so many! Also a ton about gaming and game design, which isn't really on our radar, but the content looks really interesting.

I just sent my mom this jimmy kimmel bit with the staffers reading texts their moms have sent them. pretty great.

I put a new tutorial on you tube

I was getting ready for a costume design meeting this week and was wishing again that I could easily print all my pins from pinterest to show. There are so many reasons why having actual printed images is valuable to me. I usually do a painful saving of each image and then laying them out in another program, but this time I searched you tube and found a tutorial on how to do it in a few easy steps. No layout program needed and no individual photo manipulation!

However, it went by so fast, like lightening speed, I had to watch it about 10 times to get it. So, I made my own which goes much slower. It's still only 6 minutes, which is how long it took me to print all the images I needed for my meeting. A miracle! I mention at the end of the video this method works for Instagram too, but that's not really true. It will only print about 20 of the favorites, so not as helpful. But I only have about 9 favorites in IG so I didn't know this until later.

I took a mental health day today. Well, that's not true. Really, I have terrible head cold so I am sick. There was family craziness starting at around 2, but I was in bed from 6am-until 2pm, so, I think that's pretty good. I finished Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold and after that I watched Dries, which is a documentary about Dries Van Noten. I can tell it was good for my brain and creativity. They both are streaming on Netflix right now.

Daily life has been hard, we have head colds and fevers that won't quit, some sudden ER and doctor visits, I had surgery (no more gallbladder for me!) and then toss in a few out of town gymnastics meets—this has all been in the last 3 weeks, so I feel like just getting dressed has been a victory for me. But, I have had a ton of help and I keep asking for help when I need it (always?) This is a huge improvement for me, in the past I usually am broken before I will asked for help.

wand making and props

Lydia and I are studying Inca history but took a quick unrelated break after lunch to make some of these wands. The internet is full of tutorials for these. We watched this one. They are so easy and so fun. You don't even need a tutorial. It's just hot glue on a chopstick. Then paint. Then paint again in gold (or Rub n Buff) and you are done! Very pleasing. We used glue gun embellishment in a similar way for our spooky bottles.

After that we had a prop-making tangent and watched a tutorial for making a Triwizard Cup and Maui's hook (from Moana) These were so fascinating! I love making props for the shows I work on. Usually that goes to the prop dept, which sadly, I not normally on because I am so busy sewing. These videos aren't really realistic for the normal crafter, but are still so fun to watch—like Marceline's Axe from Adventure Time.

 

a cold winter outing

Last week, before we had to start back to our crazy schedules, I took all three girls to the Portland Art Museum's Laika exhibit. We have to go back and see it again (kids under 17 are free!) it was really amazing. We actually haven't even seen all the Laika movies, but the ones we have seen, we loved, and examining the stop-motion models up close was so incredible. My deep love for making miniatures and models made me all crazy and I freaked out a little bit. Especially over the boards showcasing all the mini-clothes and accessories.

It was so windy and cold we didn't walk around downtown much, but were able to get a treat and talk about the show.

Unrelated, we are still watching movies over at Great Big Story. This you tube channel makes me so happy about the internet and what it can teach and provide for both viewers and film-makers. So cool.

happy 2018!

 

We got away for a bit right after Christmas and went to Silver Falls. They have heated cabins we have stayed in before. You still have to cook outside and there is not plumbing inside (a short walk to a bathroom) but they are heated and do have power, so we can snuggle in and read and play card games after getting all cold and wet hiking. The lodge was open and was so cozy with a big fire and a decorated tree. It was really nice. We also love exploring and eating in Silverton on the way there and home, which is full of antique shops and good food.

We aren't 100% ramping back into life yet, it's still break here for some of us. I did take apart my craft/sewing room which is a huge task and only about 50% done. It's overwhelming and hard—so much stuff, and so much to sort though, not to mention all the little distractions and emotions that come with finding old letters, photos, and bits of love from my girls throughout the years and all that. It's slow going. I am trying to just work on one small area at a time.

Unrelated:

We love the the short films over at Great Big Story. All the ones we have seen so far have been wonderful.

cyclops mummy and friends

These are nutter butter cookies dipped in white candy melts. I saw this here (actually on instagram, but I can't find it now) and we had to try them. Candy melts are pretty horrible in every way and we can't really eat anything using them (they hurt my stomach!) but it's so pleasing to melt and dip stuff. We also made monster face oreos on a stick.

Other items 2 of which are spooky:

• The girls love drawing doodles from these tutorials, super cute and easy!
• BuzzfeedUnsloved: For adults (and teens who want to get freaked out and can deal with adult content) who like spooky/creepy stuff! The hosts really make me laugh hard while discussing really icky unsolved crimes and mysteries.
• Vox: We have been enjoying these videos that cover a whole range of topics. I especially like the ones discussing the fan base around The Room, which many believe is the worst film ever made

Iceland 2017

I got back from Iceland 2 nights ago. It was amazing trip although it was ill-timed—during the first week of all our activities, which require both parents and grammie for driving. When I am gone, it's pretty impossible. But it all got done and I am so happy I just crossed my fingers and left. 

I try to travel alone without my family every year, but it's hard to do. I took a little 2-day trip 2 years ago to Breitenbush. The last time I took a big trip was when I went to Santa Fe 3 years ago. On that trip I didn't know a soul and did the whole trip alone, but I usually know someone where I am visiting. This time, I was meeting a dear online friend for the first time in person and it was just so mind-blowing. I feel like the trip had 3 themes :

• Seeing Iceland for the first time and experiencing all it is—beautiful, powerful, barren, harsh, and welcoming. 
• Planning and taking a trip for myself with no thought of what my family might want to do and see, which is such a big part of family vacations. I could go to 3 museums in a day and not worry about the kids being bored.
• Connecting with a friend in person, after being online friends, in the most meaningful way. And connecting with her family and country. I find it hard to write about. I'm also a bit tired still. So imagine a lot more profound and descriptive words in this part here.

The trip was the perfect mix of everything— incredible nature sites, conversation, coffee, baked goods, yarn, and just hanging out. I am more afraid at this point in my life of NOT planning trips alone. They feed my soul and make me feel alive. I really want to go back to Iceland and am so excited for my friend and her family to visit us in Portland. 

Thank you so much for all your audio book info. I got some great ones—both from audible and the app hoopla, which is a library app. 

crazy scary puppets

We learned about Paul Klee's puppets recently and they were new to me. They were mentioned only in passing, in a video or a book, I can't remember which, but he made them for his son. I am completely obsedssed wth them. I was terrified of Mr. Rodger's puppets (and the Purple Panda) when I was small. Why were their noses so big? And their voices so horrible? I still don't like them, but I do like these and I like the idea of disturbing puppets.

I want to make some and now that the kids are older, I don't have to worry about them actually being scared by them. All these images are from this book I bought myself for my birthday which is wonderful.

colors

This is a shot from the Portland Fjällräven shop. It makes me so very happy. This is a popular stop when we are at Lovejoy Bakers or the Tea Bar.

I'm in a sewing jag right now. I have a shawl knitting WIP that I was working on but got the urge to use up all the precious fat quarters I had to make totes, small pouches, and purses. These are going in the gift bin, or I may try to sell them on etsy/instagram. I just like making them and playing with the different color combinations. I also need to clean out my stash a little bit.

Thanks for the book suggestions! I just started and finished The Keep, by Jennifer Egan which was neither funny nor stress-free, but I loved it and read it in 2 days. I really liked A Visit from the Goon Squad, which I read a few years ago, also by her. We are headed to the beach soon and I'll probably just grab what I see at the library.

Podcast-wise I have been a big fan of Dear Hank and John, and the Nerdist lately. 

We can't stop watching this SNL skit. It gets funnier every time.

I'm working on some new facial products to add to my shop (very excited!) and I scheming a way to do a little pop-up sale here in Portland so you all can try before you buy and also not have to pay shipping. I just need to find a space. Stay tuned and if anyone knows of a place that would be down with this, please let me know.

air plants

I am working on a new decorating project in the living room. I took down our embroidery wall and am putting up a plant wall. I loved seeing our needlework everyday, but I needed a change and have been really loving air plants and their creepy alien vibe. I bought these from Aura Creations and they were packaged so cute! I have also bought some locally at Pistals Nursery, which is a favorite shop of ours. This wall is a fun challenge because I'm trying to mount plants, which I haven't done before. I have hopes to mount a staghorn fern and an orchid. There are many you tube videos on this which I have been staying up too late watching. These ladies crack me up. And this interesting way of mounting orchids with glue instead of wire is very cool. 

I will show the wall as I get it together, I plan to add to it and change it as I go, kind of a living art project. I have been told by the girls not to make it too gross and creepy. They also said that adding crystals and gemstones might be too trendy, which cracked me up. But what if I like the trendy thing? I was into crystals in the 80s in highschool, so I make no apologies.

WIP done.

This project was from a kit I bought at For Yarn's Sake at the Rose City Yarn Crawl 2016. I bought another kit at the yarn crawl this year, from the same shop, and couldn't start it until I finished this one. So I did. I have all the info on my Ravelry page for it. The yarn was so fun to work with.

I met a dear friend for dinner last night and we were talking about kids, knitting and British mysteries (as we do) and I told her how I went to bed 2 nights ago at 7:30pm. I didn't actually sleep, I was just in our bedroom, with jammies on and did very little. I wasn't sick or upset. I went down because I was in a good mood. I NEVER do this. I never give myself permission to just leave and read or lie in bed or watch a movie alone for no reason. I need to be either sick, emotionally distraught, or have some type of back/feet/leg pain or a headache. It was so great. People and animals could visit me, but I didn't come back up. I did get some visits, but for the most part, I was left alone.

I'm going to schedule this early bedtime on a weekly basis. This seems both crazy and so obvious it's embarrassing. My hang-up is not just that I want to see my family, but also I feel to get the reward of alone time, I need to be creative with the time—adding oils to my shop, writing a novel, sewing a dress, or coming up with a concept album. I'm not really joking. I feel like I have such little time that when I do I need to use it as an artist, so I don't take the time because I will feel guilty not creating—which I realize it a very important thing for me to do.

I curled up with the trio of MDK field guides and read them and was so happy about these little books and knitting and stripes and fair isle and the awesome ladies of the internet who are still around kicking ass.

Unrelated:

We just found Artrageous with Nate, which is art history, science and history on youtube and we dig it. The episodes are a bit high energy and loud? I think that's just us. We are not a loud family. Well, the dogs are loud.

a japanese bakery

We finally made it out to Oyatsupan a bit back. It was delicious. The we went again about a week later and I thought they would have the same items, but they didn't. There were different ones available, which was thrilling. Sadie and I got our Japan fix. This reminded us so much of the bakeries we visited in Japan. The light green item is a matcha bun/fluffy scone-type thing. And there was live music on a weekday afternoon! I love homeschooling, the girls were so into it.

The girls and I are making our way through Downton Abbey. I am trying not to yell, "Thomas!" or narrate my own MSTK3000 the whole time, but it's hard. The the show is so quiet, I have to keep it together so we don't miss anything. I love series so much. We are are only on season 3. I stopped watching it years ago because I didn't want it to end, but now that I finally finished Penny Dreadful, I feel like I can do anything. I also didn't want that series to end, and I knew how it would end, and then it did actually end how I knew it would end and then I was exhausted and sad and had weird dreams for a week.

Pete made Lemon-Roasted Chicken with Arugula Salad and Dilled Orzo this week and it was so good. It was a winner for 4/5 of us.

albums and that whole thing

I have a decent to-do list going right now and I'm trying to hack away at it before adding new distracting crafts and projects. I finally finished the Japan photo album from our trip in October. It's shipping right now. I am so happy. This came together pretty easily. I had most of the photos on my phone so uploading wasn't too bad.

The key for me is to edit ruthlessly before I upload, so that I can use almost all the photos when I start to layout and don't have to stop and make decisions. This makes a huge difference. I have used Shutterfly for years now for our family albums, I make one a year. This is more of an ordeal because I collect photos from all our phones and cameras. I haven't started this year's yet. I usually finish them by now, but the Japan one took the lead.

Over the years I have made about 12 of these books, for trips, ballet performances, and yearly albums. For the trips, I add text. A whole lot, usually. I dictate on my trips (voice to text in Evernote) and then clean it up and drop it in the album later. I dictated during this trip every night, and told stories and little details I knew would be forgotten or couldn't be described and remembered with a photo. The text is such a great addition to these books. I don't do this for this yearly books because that's crazy.

The rain! It's raining here again. I know there is a lot of snow and power outages for people elsewhere, I'll take the rain. But I do wish for some sun. Just a little.

time for toast

We went over to say goodbye to Happy Knits last week. This Portland yarn shop will be so missed. We picked up some yarn for Lydia and then went over to Oui Presse and got some toast on their homemade bread with strawberry jam. Is there anything better than toast? It was cold out and this was the perfect cozy snack.

I feel like the weather here is echoing the political state of our country—there was an ice storm friday and now snow expected tonight and we have a 3 hour drive to a gymnastics meet which starts at 6pm. What gives? On a Sunday night? In a potential snowstorm? So, I'm not sure how this is going to play out.

Today I am making soup and this One-Pot Curried Cauliflower Rice which I adore. I am still meal planning and still feel a huge difference when I skip it. It's not good—I over-shop for food and then have too much and stress about waste and things going bad before I can use them. I also get in a rut and feel like the girls just eat the same 5 things.

I am stitching up a storm for a book I am contributing to, have sewn 2 dresses, sack-like, which I suspect are not that flattering but very comfortable. I was told by a daughter, sweetly, they should be shorter and I should add a belt. I also am sewing a leotard that involves a front zipper, making a wall mounted washi tape holder, and working on the Japan photo album. So, there's stuff. What I am not doing is cleaning out the garage, which is in a terrifying state.

I have been trying to figure out how to talk to the girls about our political situation and keep them updated and found this really great explanation by John Green on the recent immigration order which was really helpful and clear. Pete has been showing them all Seth Meyers in the evenings which adds some humor to the lunacy of it all.

house plants

I finally made it over to Solabee after seeing some lovely images of it on IG. it's a dreamy little floral shop that sells lovely pots and crystals along with house plants. I have a mixed relationship with house plants. I have a few sedums, succulents, and airplants and over the years I've kept an orchid or two around, but for the most part, I don't have any. My cats pee in them. Also, when I had a lot of plants in college they seemed to get small spiders in them, or would weep and get strangely sappy. I recently bought a deer fern that I have hanging on the wall and I love it so much. It's out of the way and also is safe from pee. I have a pinterest board started with house plants, mostly mounted vertically, which is where I'm at right now.

I asked a good friend about book reviews on you tube, I subscribe to a few for YA books for homeschooling, but for myself, I didn't have a go to channel and she directed me to some really goods ones that have me all excited. Well Done Books, and Savidge Reads are the ones I'm stuck on right now. I'm trying to read a bit in the morning and at night instead of doing my normal internet/phone trip of IG, and the news, which I check a few times a day anyway, so why do I need to check it one more time? So, I have a few real books and books on my phone I can jump into. It's making me feel better when the news is so intense right now. I also have been listening to more podcasts while I work. Music can be hard for me, I feel like I need the perfect music when I work and that search becomes a whole thing, so podcasts are easier. I've been enjoying the Nerdist and Women of the Hour.

I have been reading chapters of Me Talk Pretty One Day to the girls and it's so flippin' great. I need to edit a little bit for the 9 year old and some chapters I just can't read, but it's our sense of humor so much, it just warms my heart. And speaking of warming my heart, my 14 year-old discovered Ghostworld.

the oregon coast

These photos are from our beach trip right after Christmas. The tide was so far in there wasn't much beach for walking. There were my favorite fish tacos from Local Ocean Seafoods however, which has the best seafood in Newport, in my opinion.

That trips feels far away, but also close, because we are in the middle of another weather episode here in Portland so things are shutting down again, which always feels like a beach trip to me. Everything slows down and is stuck in molasses. Or, I guess stuck in snow. We have food and power, so that's all good. And I can walk to the store. Having one child in school and two homeschooled makes "snow days" interesting. We have already had a few and probably will have one tomorrow.

• I have been trolling the amazing embroidery work over at ant sally on instagram. I am going to stitch something similar soon—they are so beautiful.

• Sadie and I watched The Fundamentals of Caring on instant Netflix and she liked it a whole lot. I saw it over the summer. Lots of swearing and older teen issues, and very well done.

• I'm between books so that means I pick up what we having lying around which is a lot of YA horror and paranormal. That's the trend over here right now. So, I am almost done with Frozen Charlotte and enjoying it quite a bit. Who doesn't love creepy little dolls that can eat flesh? The middle-school-aged V.C. Andrews fan in me is very excited by this book.

 

cactus rocks

The two younger girls were a bit bored yesterday and so they found this DIY over on Sea Lemon, went outside and got some rocks, and asked to go to the craft store to get some pots. My only involvement was driving to the craft store. I don't remember what I was doing during all this, but it's pretty great they are old enough to be self-sufficient at crafting and choosing projects. I can't believe how adorable these turned out. They were really inexpensive to make, which isn't always the case with DIYs.

The holidays have been good the last two weeks, but also hard. I hurt my head (I fell) and and foot (on the same fall) and it's taken a bit longer to get back to normal than I thought it would. I figured I'd be fine in a day or two because that's what my schedule would allow. You know how it is. I hear this term self-care and I don't think I really even know what that means on a basic level. I'm not very good at identifying what I even need at a given moment. I know when I am hungry and tired. This is good. But I am a far cry from  when I was in my 20s and just did what I wanted to do. I scarcely remember that time. This might be something to look at more closely and work on for 2017.

matryoshka dolls

It's been a crazy 2 weeks around here. The ballet shows just ended and now we are on to the rest of the holiday season, which should be pretty mellow. My two eldest dancers were in this show and they were both cast as matryoshka dolls. Coincidentally, we have been reading my youngest the Rebecca AG doll books, and noticed Rebecca's doll is a matryoshka. So, we thought it would be fun to get some unpainted dolls and decorate some. They turned out great. These are my 9-year-old's, she painted everything but the face. I helped with that under her direction. The other sets are being painted now-

I painted two sets of these dolls years ago, before Lydia was born .They were red and white. The girls were so tiny then, too little to be crafty yet. It's so amazing to see them paint their own now. I loved my sets of these dolls when I was little. I don't have them anymore, which makes me sad. I remember them so well.

Unrelated: I listened to Kristen Wiig being interviewed by Marc Maron on WTF. Marc Maron, as a host, can be tiring for me. I have to be in the right mood to deal with him. Pete usually listens WTF episodes and then tells me about them, which great, but I'm so glad I heard this one myself. She was so mellow and normal and t was wonderful to hear her path. It was not exciting at all, just a lot of hard work and a love of improv. I just spent 30 minutes writing and re-writing a bunch of words about process, paths, late-blooming interests, and pressure on 20-year-olds to figure it all out lest come across like flakey losers, but I couldn't get it together. I need my matcha.

 

favorite kid gifts, 7th edition

Here's the 2016 favorite kid gifts list.

This year I tried to focus on the toys we have that interest a large age span, ones that I loved as a girl, and made sure we had in the house for our kids. The older girls are now into more room accessories and clothes and that kind of thing, but we still have plenty of younger kid toys around. My oldest two are baby sitting, the baby toys have come out quite a bit this year, and they are still popular! Babies never change. They all love silk scarves, paper cups, and wooden spoons. It cracks me up.

There's lots of great items in my previous lists: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010. Our 4th edition favorite books list will be coming soon.

Takenoko Board Game

Ever year we buy at least one new table top game and this was what we got last year. This video on Table Top is a great way to learn and see how it's played. I know I have blogged about Table Top before—we all love it. This game is really fun and has adorable pieces, which is always a good thing. Who doesn't love bamboo eating pandas?

Newton's Cradle Balance Balls

I had to triple check I had not put this on the list before. These are used all the time. I had them, I remember loving them so much, and got ones for the girls about 4 years ago, when they were a bit older, to minimize the inevitable tangling that happens. These are still working great, despite some pretty serious tangles. They are mezmerizing.

 

Bubber

Okay, this is one of these toys my middle child begged for for a long time, but after all the silly putty, magic sand, slime, goop, and what-all getting lost in the sofa I had had enough. However, we did end up getting this tub of weird malleable foam years ago and she still loves it and still plays with it. And it's called Bubber, which is hysterical.

Kid's Size Pots and Pans

Every child needs pots and pans. My babies and toddlers used the normal kitchen ones, but as they all got older, these mini-ones became very important. My 9-year-old still plays with them mostly for her outside cooking involving lots of mud. Countless hours are spent with these.

 

Old Fashioned looking Scrapbook/Photo Album with matching box by Innocheer

FaCraft Scrapboking Kits

As the girls have gotten older scrap booking and any paper arts have been a hit. I like both of these—one is much more open-ended and allows for more artistic freedom. The pages of the album are black and so there's a vintage feel. It can be a little intimidating for kids that want more guidance. The second set is easier to start, but more of a specific look—both are fun and have made wonderful gifts.

 

Hubsan X4 Drone

Drones are my brother's gig. I know very little about them. There are a ton out there and many are hard to control. This one is great for kids, has a good body, and is affordable, so it has been a big winner in our house. It also looks cool. My 9-year-old is really into these, although the 12-year-old is the master with the controls. I noticed this particular one is discontinued, but you can still buy it, the  upgraded one is out, but I haven't used it, so I'm not sure what the difference is.

Okay! I hope this helps with some holiday gift ideas. I have linked all these up with Amazon, where I am an associate. I love shopping local, and I hope you all can do that, but if online is your jam, I sure appreciate you using my links. Thank you!

japan 2016

Sadie and I are back from Japan and it was amazing. It's hard to sum it up in words. I took a ton of photos and at the end of each day I did an audio-to-text dump in Evernote so I can just edit that and add it to our photo album when we get it printed. I'm so gald I did it every day because it was all such a blur I would have never remembered the details. We went to Toyko, Okayama, Osaka, and Kyoto and were traveling with 3 others. It was such a good group, it was a very mellow mood and we all had a mix of interests which took us to places I think we wouldn't have normally gone, which was fabulous. It was such a gift traveling with Sadie, seeing her in such a different environment, thriving on all the new sights and culture, we will remember it forever.

The food, sights, and sounds were so vivid and strong. The fabric and textiles were amazing, as were the temples and shrines. I had a little bit of a freak out in a few shops, particularly this embroidered patch shop, KYO-TO-TO in Kyoto that we went to twice. I should have bought more patches. Loft was one of my favorite shops, with all the pens and papers I could want and the Sanjūsangen-dō shrine in Kyoto was incredible as was the art island, Naoshima. There are so many other places we went, it's had to list them all.

I had this all written a few days ago and was going to edit it, and then the election happened. And then I had a hard time focusing on anything. But here we are, moving forward, and staying strong. 

 

halloween charms

I made these charms last night with Lydia instead of dealing with my epic to-do list. Sadie and I leave for Japan tomorrow for 2 weeks and writing down the schedule for the other two girls— carpools, rehearsals, gymnastics, and then trying to get food in the house before we go, is daunting. Oh, and pack for Japan. It's a whole lot.

So, a charm break was sorely needed and I am so happy I just chilled out for an hour to make these. The bat was inspired by a you tube video and the others I just made on the fly.

I had an unexpected costume deadline that I have been working on too, so my brain is a buzzy. I'm looking forward to just sitting on a plane for 10 hours with my eldest daughter and two good friends— I can't even wrap my brain around the whole "Japan" part until we get there.

I will be posting photos during the trip on Instagram. Sadie and I have already talked about documenting this trip for her album, she's going to mix it up with journaling, voice-to-text dictation, photos, drawing, and video. I always do a voice-to-text at the end of each day when I travel and then dump that text into a photo album. It's so wonderful for getting in all the details that are so easy to forget, especially when I make an album months after the trip.

costume work

I have been designing/sewing up a storm the last few weeks getting ready for the girls' holiday ballet production. It's been so fun and a lot of work. This is for The Portland Ballet's piece Gift Box, by Anne Mueller.

Some early sketches. We are going with white tights on the men. I am making the headpieces now for the ladies, which I love to do. I will show them soon.

Some pieces in production

Unrelated to all this ballet and costume work we have been watching some great videos on you tube:

Seeker Daily: Topical world issues. Short and easy to follow with a lot to talk about after.

The Kids React to Food series on the Bon Appétit channel: Okay, these are so great. I think we have watched them about 5 times each.

Short science based videos on Life Noggin.

And thank you so much for all your teen reading suggestions. I got quite a few at the library. And I finally read Eleanor and Park. Haunting. And Sad, but hopeful, too. I can't stop thinking about it. I had no idea what is was about until I read it. I love it when I don't know, I feel like I come to books with a better state of mind that way.

books recently read in the house by various family members

Every few months I print out covers of the books the girls read so they can glue them in their book journal and take notes and keep track of what they have read. So many of our books come from the library, it's hard to remember them all once they get checked back in. Bunheads was read by both older girls. It was "okay", the ballet world was harsh and realistic, and because they are in it now, it wasn't much of an escape for them.

Sadie (who will be 14 in a few days) and I just finished Looking for Alaska. Much to discuss here. We both liked it very much. Lots of smoking, drinking, death, and sexual stuff. I'm glad I read it first.

Sadie and Pete have read this, the rest of us haven't yet. They both liked it, Pete got super stressed out, but Sadie kept assuring him it ended okay.

Sadie read this. I read it, too, but a looooong time ago. It's dated for sure, and so very male, but there are a lot of points to talk about. Plus, everone has to know about The Conch. We enjyed these video critiques on Crash Course and Overly Sarcastic.

We all read this, it's sweet and nicely illustrated. The girls are big fans of all her books.

I read Perks of Being a Wallflower last summer for the first time. Sadie read it this fall, and about 100 times since then. It's her favorite book right now. Big topics. I swear it was written about my high school. But it wasn't. But it could have been.

Sadie and Delia read Wings, enjoyed it, but didn't feel compelled to continue with the series.

Okay, there are more, like what Pete, Lydia and I have been reading, but this is what is coming to mind right now-

What are your teens reading?

homemade shower jellies

The Lush enthusiasm is still abundent in the house. My daughters and their freinds went to the mall last week and one them bought a Lush Shower Jelly. It was expensive and funny. I'm not sure how you use these, but they loved them and there was much squealing. After a quick you tube search, we made our own. I was thrilled to find small plastic containers at Target, just the right size and very "factory" looking. These are really fun to make and you can use whatever liquid soap you like, so I can be a big hippie about the whole thing. They liked these homemade ones better, mostly because they could afford them but also because the Lush ones smell too strong.

what you need:

• I packet unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup liquid body soap (unscented if you want to add essential oils)
• essentials oils (if you want to scent your own or add some to your already scented liquid soap)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup boiling water (but next time I'm going to use a 1/2 cup to see if it sets up firmer)
• food coloring
• glitter (optional, but not really)

Pour the boiling water over the gelatin and stir. Stir in the salt and the liquid soap. Pour this into your containers (one batch made 3 of these as shown in the photo) then add 1 drop food coloring, 3 drops EO and a bit of glitter and stir. Pop in the fridge for 1 hour. Done!

The girls keep these in the containers in the fridge, pop them out to use them, and then stick them back in. For some reason I have been finding bits of jelly around the house and on various surfaces. Pete got some on his pants from the sofa? No one is owning up to this.

summer stuff

It's hot again here. Most of the summer in Portland has been pretty mild, which has been lovely. It was crazy hot last night when we went to Oaks Parks. There were no bugs this year. Well, very few. And we did not see anyone throw up, unlike last year.

Along with all the summer fun:

• I need to do a book round-up soon—we all have read some good ones this summer.

• I just read this really great piece in the New York Times—questions asked of college students about intentions, values and goals. I sure wish these had been asked when I went to school. It promotes great discussions for humans, I think, regardless of higher education.

home made bath bombs

We made bath bombs yesterday and they were a huge success. I made them ages ago, before kids, but never made more. Then when I had babies, bath bombs were a bad thing. We got one as a gift and it was so heavily dyed and strongly scented— it was a mess and my baby at the time kept putting her hands in her mouth so she got a mouth full of sour salt and there was a melt down. So I kind of blocked them out of my mind.

10 years later, my middle child is smitten with some Lush bath bombs she saw and was sad about the price and the scents. I told her we could make our own. She hears this a lot and I get mixed reactions—but this time she was 100% excited. They smell much better than the ones at Lush and she added sprinkles and made multicolored ones. My youngest made a bunch too.

There are so many you tube tutorials for these, I found a few but really it was just experimenting with a basic formula.

To Make:

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup citric acid (I got this in bulk at the Indian grocery store)
• 1/2 cup epsom salt
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 2-4 teaspoons water
• 1 TBL oil (we used light olive oil)
• 10 drops essential oil
• food coloring

Mix all the dry together, we used our hands with vinyl gloves. Then mix the wet together in a small cup and drizzle over the dry, mixing well to keep it from fizzing too much. You have to mix a long time. Then we added the food coloring, and then mixed again for a long time. Now, this is where is gets had to give exact amounts. It was to be wet enough to pack in into a mold and pop out. If it's too dry, it won't do that. So we added more oil or water as needed to it would hold a shape. We used silicon molds, and metal cups. If it crumbled when we tried to remove it, we added a bit more water and tried again, reusing the mix. They all worked great. Then, we let them sit out overnight to dry completely. The girls used them in foot bath and gave them a big thumbs up. Glitter may have been added to a batch as well.

making runes

This last week we have been making runes. Not all of us, the older girls are not so interested, but my youngest wild-child is all over it. I made the top two sets from air-dry clay and then painted them and/or added some chalk for color. Lydia made hers from glass mermaid tears and a paint pen. She painted the bottoms first so the rune letter wasn't visible from both sides. I think some pouches or boxes to store these will be made next. I didn't want to use polymer clay for these, although that would have worked great, I just felt these needed to be made from a natural material. I have some wood ones I bought on esty from England that are pretty great, too. These are so fun to make. You can find what the letters mean with a simple search online. I use a book from a set I got back in about 1985. It was actually my brother's book and set of runes and I don't think he knows I took it them from him and still have them.

Unrelated in every way:

This goes under the category of "Why have I never done this before?"

I was making a family favorite, crisp burritos, which I make with refried beans and realized I didn't have any. And then I thought, what the heck, why can't I make them? So, I opened two cans of beans (I used pinto and kidney) added a bunch of salsa and tossed it into the food processor. Done. I know they are supposed to be fried, but why? They were delicious and the girls didn't notice the difference (I do have one super-taster the house and nothing gets past her, but this did). So easy and no going to the store. Win.

An incomplete list of books I have recently read.

The summer is moving fast around here. After a very hot May, it's been a very cool July. I'm not complaining. Maybe just a little. It's been too cool to swim most days—that would be my only complaint. I have been knitting, sewing, working on more art prints and some small sculpture, and reading. Finally reading. I just wasn't feeling it with the books I had going. Thank you all for your suggestions. I read a sample of The Rook, and have the ebook on hold at the library but I haven't been contacted to download it yet. The library did provide physical copies of these books, however (except, the Dan Clowes, which I bought.)

Mary Swann, by Carol Sheilds. I had read her biography of Jane Austen years ago and loved it, but had never read her fiction. This was good, but frustrating in a way. It was written in the 1980s and had a dated David Mamet style twist which I found a lttle contrived. But it was a good read despite me yelling at the book occasionally. 

Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff. I did a weird thing with this book. I read it to the middle and then read it from the end backwards to the middle and then started again from the middle to the end. I have never done anything so bold before while reading. I just was getting so annoyed with the main character in the first half (it's told in two parts by two different people, who are married to each other) I had to skip to the wife's perspective to see if I could hang with the book. And it was worth all my craziness and I'm glad I then finished it by reading it like  normal human.

Patience, by Dan Clowes. I loved this, and I love his work. It's a graphic novel and involves time travel.

Killing And Dying, by Adrian Tomine. I also love his work. This is a graphic novel of short stories. I will buy a copy of this.

 

bend, oregon & surrounding areas

Earlier this month we spent a week in Sunriver and explored the surrounding areas more than we normally do. Usually the girls like to swim so much that it's hard to break away, but it was much cooler this year which was really nice because we were able to do hikes and activities we have been always meaning to do, but hadn't gotten the chance to.

One of the highlights was rock hounding at Richardson's Rock Ranch in Madras. It was so fun. The weather was perfect and the drive was pretty easy, although on the ranch a 4x4 would have been nice. We were fine, but if it had rained at all we would have gotten stuck. We dug for thunder eggs (they provided all the tools) and were able to get them cut open, which was thrilling. The girls got one cut each, the rest we brought home and will need to get cut here. We got about 20. I also bought some amazing rocks that they have imported from all around, not just from their ranch. It was so amazing to see all these beautiful rocks just piled up. I'm sure we will go rock hounding again soon. In the meantime, I need to get the family over to the Rice Museum of Rock and Minerals. I can't believe we haven't been there yet.

Unrelated but very important:

I just now discovered Zinio Library. Multnomah County Library has partnered with them which means, with my library card number, I can view and download magazines with no limit and no expiration. Like, a lot of magazines—current ones. Ones I look at only if I am on an airplane or at the beach. It's been so wonderful to read these on the sofa at home. I feel like I am on vacation all the time. Sort of. I do miss looking at paper, but still. It's pretty great. All the info about how to use it is here. Another super big shout out for how amazing our libraries are!

treasures

We made a trip to Ed's House of Gems and Paxton Gate, both here in Portland.  We can spend hours looking at and playing with rocks, crystals, and gemstones. We had never been to Paxton Gate before—very fancy! I know I have linked to these sites before, but we also love getting science supplies at Acorn Naturalists and American Science & Surplus.

sketchbook

For about a month now, during the day, I have been working in a sketchbook drawing and using paper college. I've been using these same shapes in my paintings, monoprints, quilts, and fabrics for about 15 years now. I keep thinking I will branch out, but these forms keep coming back to me, which is fine. I've been really enjoying working small, with no worries or thoughts about what these will become, just making them and moving on to the next page. I usually work at the kitchen table while the girls are working on reading or math, so I am near by to help, but also am not all up in their business. You can see more of them on my instagram.

The white pen (I have to use this pen) and grey background paper are key for me here. I need to keep my choices limited.

 

sprinkles

We just got back from a store that has a lot of bulk candy. Like, a whole lot. (Winco.) I saw bulk sprinkles and had to get some. I posted this photo on instagram about 4 minutes ago and Erin asked if I was going to make the smitten kitchen confetti cookies with them. I had not heard of these. So now I am here, on my laptop, printing this recipe as I type this. I'm so glad I did, because I too would have just tried a plain old sugar cookie recipe, but Deb says no. Not that simple. So, I am using her recipe instead because she has never lead me astray. I am cutting down on sugar right after I make these. And then again after my birthday next week.

Unrelated:

We can't stop watching Overly Sarcastic Productions. Sadie loves these video summaries of lit classics, they are great for both books we have read and for books she wants to read. There are so many good ones here, I can't pick a favorite. (Better for older kids, a little swearing.)

marie antoinette crafts

 


We revisited the French Revolution and a bit of Mozart this last month. We were inspired to do some craft projects having watched Marie Antoinette (2006), which we have seen many times. The costumes. The costumes. I love going through these themes again now that Lydia is getting older, it's pretty new to her and the older girls get to review and add to their knowledge. They remember the most amazing facts.

I was getting all crazy about making paper dolls, embellished with crepe paper and gold dresden trim. This resulted in a purchase from this wonderful shop for these goodies and a few other things were put in a cart as well. The boxes I had on hand and the images of dolls were just printed from the computer. The skirt is layers of crepe paper with a ball of tissue balled up inside for support. They worked really hard on these. Well, two of them did, my eldest hasn't been doing as much crafting related to what we are learning about. She does her own thing, mostly drawing manga during our art time, which is just fine. We started making Victorian era pieces after a bit (you can see one of the boxes in back is different) because a little Marie goes a long way.

Now I'm wanting to try crepe paper flowers. So that's on the list. I was side tracked this week with paint and spandex making dance skirts for the girls (I just put this on instagram) and will show more soon. Kind of a 180° from old-timey paper craft, but fabulous in its intergalatic way.

 

tiny book binding

I was looking around for a different craft and landed on these miniature books on you tube and had to make them. This is a tutorial that uses a PDF available for sale in her etsy shop, so it's not free, but the technique could be used on free mini book printables, of which there are many on pintrest. These were so fun for us to make and now I am wanting to make a mini bookshelf.

Unrelated:

• I have so many things I want to try, I'm having a hard time keeping track. I ordered crepe paper for some Marie Antoinette inspired crafts and then found a beautiful book on making crepe paper flowers from the library, Paper to Petal: 75 Whimsical Paper Flowers to Craft by Hand, so now that's a thing. I want to have Sadie make some shrinky-dink charms of her own manga characters. I also would like to start a new sewing project. I still need to get a good start on the shawl I have started twice and frogged for various reasons.

• I am now watching the Great British Baking Show, the first season, and it's just so wonderful. I had so many people tell me to watch it and they were right. I just fell for all the bakers and their smiles and the vibe of the whole show.

• I'm in love with this concept and image-unused vintage postcards and unused vintage stamps, packaged together and ready to send.

• I now have a account on Instagram that is crafty-bloggy. I have a private account that is mostly of my children—a public account with my everyday silliness is long over due, so please come follow me! I have only few few photos right now, but will add it it often.

 

oh, grandpa.

Duke Ellington celebrates his 55th birthday at McElroy's in downtown Portland, Ore., in 1954.

From the estate archive of Carl J. Henniger

 

I'm working on a video documentary about my mom. I needed a new project, something I could really sink my teeth into. Something that felt meaningful and powerful and would take a long time. I love sewing and making charms, but they are fast projects, and knitting and needlework (which can take longer) didn't have any emotional heft for me.

 

I have have been making (ridiculous) movies since middle school (with a huge VHS camera) and then stopped in college. And then started again, and then stopped again after kids. I didn't really get back into it except little tutorials and things like that. I wanted to learn imove and final cut pro and this project seemed perfect for that. These programs make it all so easy, it's amazing. So, I am interviewing her, using a lot of old photos, asking about her family history, her personal work history (newspaper reporter and then editor), and questions about to her creative process as a quilter.

 

Here's the thing— a whole other movie could be made about her parents, my grandparents, Carl and Jean Henniger. Actually, they each could have their own movie. They were amazing people and I miss them terribly, we all do. I try to keep my mom (who I refer to on this blog as Grammie) talking about herself for this movie I am making, and she is doing a great job, but her amazing parents loom large in our lives still—their stories and experiences are incredible and I have to gently redirect her back to herself. It feels like they are still here sometimes.

 

Like this recent story on OPB about my grandfather, as additional material from the movie Jazz Town.  He was obsessed with jazz and was a freelance stringer photographer for DownBeat magazine in the 1950s. Professional photography was never his day job but he was talented and passionate and took the most amazing photos of jazz musicians who played in Portland in the 1950s. He would have been so happy for the world to see these.

I sewed a dress and a link to something unrelated

I finally used my favorite linen I bought at Jospehne's Dry Goods last year. I planned to use a different pattern for it, but went back to this pattern I have made several dresses in (Simplicity 2615, out-of-print but these etsy sellers have it) because I know it well and thought the simple pattern would be the best choice for this print. I have kept all the scrap to use as trim on in other projects because the color variation is so fun to work it. I love this dress pattern, I can wear it loose when I want a chic sack, or belt it if I want some shape that day. On me, it looks best when it's a bit more fitted across the chest, otherwise it is way too big all around and the proportions aren't flattering.

When I sewed this is was warm here, but it's now just grey and not warm. But not cold either. A coat is too much but a cardigan not quite enough. I guess that's called spring in Portland.

Unrelated:

I had linked to a video over at TED-Ed a bit back on you tube not realizing that they have their won site with videos and mini lessons for each one—with questions, discussion topics, and further learning links. We love it! What I also find thrilling is the quality of animation (Like this one, which is so well done) and the opportunity to write your own lesson lesson using their videos. Happy internet!

 

spray painting on paper and fabric

 

Zip pouches made from the finished fabric.

The fabric after it was sprayed.

A stencil made by drawing with a glue gun on a silicon mat.

Homemade spray paints.

Another fabric piece.

I was looking around the internet and found some images for stencils being made from a glue gun. I found this absolutely thrilling and had to try it right away. We ended up using up all the sticks I had on hand, otherwise we would have made more. These stencils are reusable, easy to wipe down, and extremely fun to make. You can freehand it or trace letters or a pre-drawn design (just tuck it under the silpat, which you can see though.) Making the spray paints was quick and easy. This was a big hit and gave some very pretty papers and fabric to play with.

How we did it:

• Using a silpat, we piped hot glue in patterns to make a reusable stencil. We drew hearts, circles, and squares. This worked great using a high-heat hot glue gun, a good one, not a little dinky one. The glue dried quickly and peeled right off.
• Then we made the spray paints using liquid acrylic paint and filling little empty spray bottles, found for 99 cents in the travel supplies section at Target. We used about 1/2 paint 1/2 hot water. The hot water and a few good shakes reduce the clumps. I mixed the water and paint first in a glass measuring cup with a spout, and then poured it into the spray bottles.
• We sprayed on sketch paper and white card stock. The more we sprayed the more the pattern bled, which was pretty but ended up looking just like wet-on-wet water color. The card stock held the stencil pattern better.
• For the fabric, we used lightweight muslin I had on hand. This material bled the least and held the color really well. These dried in the sun in about 15 minutes. They get a little stiff with the acrylic on the surface, but are the prefect stiffness for pouches.

Some notes/tips/thoughts:

• We used pastel colors to begin with, which made the diluted spray paint very light. The faded look is really pretty, just not what we were expecting. I have already made a darker blue and sprayed a few sheets again now that they are dry. Working in layers and letting the paper dry in between makes the stencil crisper.
• The gold paint, while hard to see in these photos, adds a really nice touch.
• Not all colors spray as well, some spit and spatter more, which is a nice effect, but good to know and plan around. Yellow is a great color to make hot spots with.
• We also had great fun with this polka dot stencil.

ballet bodice with a purchased tutu

 

Months ago it was requested that I make a boned ballet bodice after Delia received a *practice tutu for Christmas. The tutu is just plain white and easy to pull on, no bodice attached, and I was game to see if I could make a bodice she could wear with it. I have sewn bodices before with different skirts attached (for their previous ballet school) but we didn't own any of them. Also, I hadn't designed them, just constructed them.

I drafted a pattern based off of what I had done before, but had to alter it so much, it would have been easier to just start a new one. I flat lined it with muslin, inserted boning, and attached hook and eye tape in the back. To make the tutu match, I hand stitched plates onto the top layer from the purple lace. The arm bands were easy and so satisfying, just a little elastic at the top. Then, I decided to go all out and learned how to wire a matching headpiece (this was addictive) which I will show soon— that's a whole thing.

Because this is just for fun, not for performing, I didn't attach the bodice, but I can later if I need to. If I had made the tutu (which I have never done), I would have also crated a basque and the bodice would have been shorter and attached to that. There is so much to learn about making classical tutus, and many variations. A lot of info is here. But honestly, I have learned the most just being around the real thing, and being able and inspect all the details.

This was the perfect way to make with this, it was not for sale or for a performance. I could make all the decisions and there was no timeline. I love sewing for no reason other than "can you make this for me?" which is, of course, the best reason. More than once I have gone into her room to say goodnight, thinking she might be asleep and she is in various parts of this costume. Except she can't do the hook and eyes in the back, so it's always pretty comical.

*this particular tutu runs very small, we ordered a size up.