Nearing the Witching Hour...

Nearly all of my crafty time lately has been dedicated to full-on Halloween sewing mania, mostly because I elected to make Ruby such a ridiculously complicated costume. Here's a sneak peek at little Henry's equally simple costume. I won't totally disclose what he's going to be -- pictures will come after Halloween (conveniently, as part of NaBloPoMo).

What you see here is a Woodland Elf Hat, as seen in Amy Karol's Bend The Rules Sewing. I've made a few of these before, but they were adult sized and I kind of free-handed the pattern and cut and re-seamed as I went to size them properly. Let me tell you, when you do this pattern properly, it is the easiest thing in the world. I think the whole pattern (including cutting) took me about a half hour. Seriously, even a complete non-sewer could make this (I suppose if someone threaded their machine for them).

Now, how does one convince a 1.5 year old to keep a costume on? That, my friends, will be a much bigger challenge than making the hat was.

First I Took Manhattan...

Hey you guys. I just got back from a glorious three-day (and four nights) trip to New York City. I've been to NYC many times before, but each time it is completely magical in its own way. It really is a special place. I'm too tired to put it into my own words right now, but Andrea explains it perfectly here, likening a short trip to NYC to being in a game show cash booth, desperately trying to grab as much loose cash as it blows furiously by. That's how I feel, exactly. Thanks, Andrea.

Anyway, I did manage to grab some of that cash. Lots of it. Over the past few days I:

*felt like I had a huge date with my love, with lots of me time thrown in
*went to a remote part of Brooklyn to see a friend DJ
*saw some Wild Things art in REAL LIFE
*bought pretty dresses
*visited some pretty dresses that I could never afford
*ate the world's most disgusting Ruben sandwich (well, half of it)
*tried a New York egg cream
*walked about 200 blocks (no exaggeration)
*had a drink in the lobby of the Plaza. By myself.
*dreamed of Eloise
*hit Broadway, saw famous people acting in person
*cried before the Rembrandts in the Met
*walked through Central Park as the leaves fell
*drank a lot of coffee
*ate real New York pizza
*saw Leonard Cohen play a concert
*cried a lot at said concert
*kind of experienced my life changing at said concert
*saw the inside of the Guggenheim for the first time
*ate at a fancy Upper East side cafe (kind of pretended I was Blair Waldorf)
*ate one of the most delicious dinners of my life
*cuddled with my love in a movie theatre
*walked in the rain, got soaked, didn't care

and so much more. Sorry folks, no pictures. I didn't even bring a real camera -- I kind of wanted these memories to be private, just for me and my mind. But I'm sure you can dream of how lovely it was. Ah, New York...

Seasonal

When we re-did our kitchen, Aaron really pushed for cupboards that went all the way to ceiling, meaning I had to give up a lot of prime display space. The cabinet designer left a little space for stuff above the pantry. Since I have so many vintage kitchen knick-knacks, I figured it was best to cycle stuff in and out throughout the seasons (to be honest, the main reason for this is so that I can cycle in my Christmas stuff. I'm crazy that way). After some delay, here is the fall display, which will stay up until Xmas (except for the stand mixer, which lives up there permanently).


And, speaking of seasonal, Ruby and I put up window decals this year for Halloween. On a rare trip to Walmart (I hate it there, but the fabric store was out of the felt I needed for Henry's Halloween costume), I picked up these weirdly retro decals. They seem like they may have been unearthed from the back of a rarely cleaned warehouse, but I suspect that some company is still manufacturing these, unaware of how cutely cool they are. It's nice to add a little friendly boo to the house.

Book Review: Bend The Rules With Fabric

I have never made a secret of the fact that I would be a complete crafty reject if it were not for the guidance of Amy Karol's Angry Chicken blog. The girl's got style, skills, and humility and I've followed her for so long that I feel like I know her in a weird I-don't-actually-know-her kind of way. I loved Amy's first book like you wouldn't believe, so I was naturally very very excited to hear that she had another book on the way.

Bend The Rules With Fabric is very different from Bend The Rules Sewing, but it's still awesome. Rather than creating another sewing book, Amy has created a bunch of fabric projects (some of which do involve sewing), but the focus is on embellishing and sprucing up the fabric itself, rather than just sewing it into stuff. She starts off with some chapters that cover the basics, and moves on to projects that involve techniques like painting, stamping, printing with an ink-jet printer, dyeing, embroidery and patches. Some of these projects will already be familiar to Angry Chicken readers, others are brand-new to the book.

While this book is great — as I'd expect, the pictures and writing are all great — I don't think I'll get quite as much use out of it as I did the first book, simply because of my personal areas of interest. That said, there are a few projects in here that I definitely will try. My ultimate favourite is actually one from Amy's blog that I've been meaning to do for years: the Aunt Sarah and Uncle Pete dolls. Also, this book is more about inspiration, so there are a million ways that one could interpret and modify the various projects. So, stay tuned to see how I end up bending the rules with fabric.

In a much less ambitious nod to Julie and Julia, I've been trying to cook my way through my family cookbook. I recently dug out an oldie, but a a goodie: my mom's recipe for Smartie cookies. These cookies were beloved when I was a child, especially by my brother Greg, who still gets mooney-eyed if he thinks about them. They're not quite as magical as I remember, but still pretty good.

The key to these cookies is to use Smarties. Not M&Ms. I know this poses a problem to you American readers, but it really is essential. So do whatever you can do to find some Smarties for these cookies. If you really want to make them and want a girl to hook you up, I'll see what I can do.

Smartie Cookies

1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup Smarties, plus extra to put on top

Mix all the ingredients together (except Smarties) in the way you usually would do for cookies (i.e. cream butter and sugar, add wet, sift in dry). Carefully stir in the Smarties. Roll into balls and put on cookie sheet. Put one Smartie on top of each cookie (this part would be fun for a child helper to do). Bake at 375 for 11 minutes.

I Long To Be A Part Of Their World

Do you ever find yourself watching Project Runway and cursing a particular designer for their crap sewing skills? Then do you later find yourself working on a project on your own and saying "Wow, I feel bad for mocking Mitchell for sending a model down the runway wearing a sheer sheet. Compared to me, that man is a sewing genius." That's how I've been feeling these days. And I blame it on the Little Mermaid.

Last Halloween, while trick or treating, Aaron (who does not sew) innocently suggested that Ruby may want to be the Little Mermaid the following Halloween. Of course, Aaron had no idea that mermaid costumes are about as hard to sew as a little girl's costume can be, nor did he realize that Ruby would hold on to this suggestion for a whole year and not accept any alternative costume. So, I picked up Simplicity 4043 and bought my fabric.

Of course, being the relatively novice seamstress that I am, I did not realize that this pattern is fully lined. Or that it has a zipper. And involves quilting. Or that the fabric I chose melts under the heat of an iron, making proper pressing impossible. Yet I press on. Stay tuned peeps. I plan to conquer this one. That kid is going to be the little mermaid on October 31 if it kills me.

Weekend Thrift

Okay, so I'm officially calling the 2009 garage sale season over. I will still probably hit the thrift stores periodically and stop by the odd estate sale (those tend to pop up throughout the year), but this weekend was my last real hurrah, I think. Between my favourite regular rummage sale and three estate sales, I did very well for myself, though we are definitely starting to seriously lack storage space for this stuff.

Above, my big splurge. Two Fire King Tulip Splash bowls. I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but one is larger than the other. I've never seen these bowls in real life, but have coveted them forever. I had no idea these suckers were so big, but they're huge and really heavy. Even though the decal is really scratched and faded, I was willing to pay fairly top dollar for them (though, I know mint versions can go for about $80 each). $30 for both, at an estate sale.


You know I can't resist the vintage Tupperware. Four dishes, $8 for the set at an estate sale.


This is labeled Royal Canadian Art Pottery, which I think is pretty much the same as Blue Mountain Pottery but not blue. I don't know as much about this stuff as I'd like to, but I do have a soft spot for it because it appeared often in my childhood. $5 at a garage sale.


Pyrex. And this isn't even all I got (there's another JAJ piece, but I have to scrub it down). I freaked out when I saw the 3 quart Designs (or "Arches") casserole. It's pretty much mint. And, a Blue Horizons bowl to boot. $2 each at rummage sale.


And, rounding out the pack, this pretty china plate. $5 at garage sale. Over and out.

Surprise, Baby.

Surprise! I knit something. Knitting used to be my #1 craft, but it's definitely fallen by the wayside over the years. I blame the lack of instant gratification, coupled with the high price of luxury yarn. Still, I do like the knits, and there is never a better time to knit than in anticipation of a new baby. And, lucky for me, I have a fabulous new baby to celebrate.

My new nephew, Jason David, came into the world a week ago this past Friday. When his brother, Caleb, was born, I spent six months knitting a spectacular baby blanket that somehow summoned the baby into being born the day it was finished. I hesitated to finish this little jacket too early, since my other brother was getting married at the beginning of the month and my very pregnant sister-in-law did not want an early baby to prevent her from being able to go to the wedding. So, I finished the jacket (except for seaming) about a week and a half ago, and wouldn't you know it, the little guy arrived a couple days later.

So, yes, a baby surprise jacket. This is the second one I've made and it was nowhere near as fun. I think a lot of that has to do with the non-variegated yarn. BSJs are a lot more fun if you use just the right kind of variegated yarn. Also, I used Lion Brand Wool Ease, because I wanted something that was natural, but washable (and, I really hate to say it, but I couldn't find time to go to my local yarn store -- they don't open until 11 most days and I tend to do my errands in the morning). This yarn really ticket me off -- the whole skein was essentially tied in one big knot. Yechhh. But, all in all, I think it turned out nice, if not a little large for young Jason. But he will grow into it. Yes, he will.

Weekend Thrift

Hey! I'm telling you, this September thing has been a kick in the butt this year. I'm excited that we're busy again, but with both Henry and Ruby enrolled in various endeavors, I've been running around like crazy. Not all of this stuff is from this past weekend, but here's the latest edition of Weekend Thrift:

First up, a new clock for the kitchen. It matches almost perfectly, and I loooove the date/day of the week part. $2 at the thrift store.


Perhaps not as practical (okay, I have absolutely no use for this thing, but it was too awesome to resist), a hot dog plate! Yes, a hot dog plate. $3 at the thrift store.


And, finally, some Pyrex. This is the really old Pyrex, which feels heavier than the stuff from the '70s and '80s. It's plain, and the cradle is in near perfect condition. I need to find a small lid to make it truly functional, but I think I'm actually going to get a fair amount of use out of this baby, which is what the thrift should be about, right? $3 at a garage sale.

Ruby Tuesday: Back to School Edition

Today was Ruby's first full morning back to school (on Monday they split the class into hour-long shifts) and it was the first time that she'd seen her best school chum, Julia, since summer began. The girls were a little shy with each other at first, but before long they were chasing each other around the school yard. Parents will always tell you that there's nothing more amazing than watching their children make real friends, and I'm telling you it's true. Seeing Ruby form relationships with other little people really warms my heart.

For their art project today, the teacher asked the kids to draw a picture of their favourite thing about school. Ruby drew a picture of herself and Julia, together, arm in arm. This is her favourite thing about school -- better than the toys or the snacks or even the water table. I hope that Julia knows she's a pretty lucky little girl.

Oooh la la

Today is, in my world, the first day of fall. Even though the school kids in these parts have been back for over two weeks, Ruby's play school started today and Henry's play group starts later this week. Hurray! The kids and I thought it would be fun to have French toast as a celebratory lunch (we are not really breakfast-food-for-lunch kind of people, so this was novel), so that's exactly what we did.

Now, when I make French toast or other fussy kinds of brunch, I usually go all out and do the soak-overnight, fancy, alchemy-like crazy extravaganzas. This time I opted for simple as can be toast, with just bread dipped in milk, egg, and sugar. It was perfect and delicious and everyone ate it all up. Now, if you're like me and have stacks of recipes for complicated things but end up scratching your head when you want to make, say, fried eggs, here's my mother's French toast recipe:

2 eggs
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
6 slices bread
butter for griddle

You just whisk the first four together, dip in the bread (any kind of bread, from regular loaf bread to sliced cinnamon rolls will work), and fry both sides on a buttered griddle till brown. Easy peasy.


I also used this as an excuse to buy a product that I've long been drawn to in the grocery story exclusively by the packaging. Does this happen to you -- buying things strictly for the packaging? We're not really a jam family, but I've always wanted to try this Danish Orchards fruit compote because of the pretty blue tub. And guess what? Delicious. I think we might have french toast for lunch more often. Next up: pancakes!

Vintage Henry

Yesterday my little brother got married. I can't be happier for him — he found himself a really great woman to marry and she fits in very well with the rest of our family (the fact that she loves and appreciates my insane-yet-lovable father is a definite plus). It was quite the family occasion: my other brother was the best man and the gorgeous Miss Ruby was the flower girl. Henry wasn't in the wedding party, but we wanted him to wear something really special.

Enter, the suit. The picture doesn't truly do it justice (I find indoor weddings impossible to shoot at -- there's never any natural light), but here is Henry in a beautiful vintage Italian short suit. The suit was purchased for Aaron's uncle Peter (who is less than 10 years older than Aaron) when he was born in the late '60s. Aaron's mum has a beautiful picture of Peter wearing in and I believe Aaron wore it at some point too. I was thrilled that Henry had an occasion to wear it when it fits him.

There's another similar suit, with brown shorts and a velvet jacket that Peter wore when he was about four, to Aaron's parents wedding. In turn, Peter's son Oliver wore it to my wedding eight years ago. I'm trying to convince Aaron's sister to plan to get married at a time when the brown suit will fit Henry, but she politely informed me that she will not plan her life events around the size of a child's suit.

We've actually managed to amass a fairly large collection of vintage boys clothes over the last year or so. We've been handed down a lot of Peter's old European-made clothing and we have an elderly neighbour who occasionally brings over packets of her children's clothes as an excuse to come over and gossip. But this suit is one of my favourites. Maybe one day Henry's own son will wear it to a family wedding.

Quilt! Quilt! Quilt!

Okay, before I get started, can I just say how difficult it is to photograph a quilt? I think I'm a decent photog, but I've got to hand it to the blog ladies who take great quilt photos. And I humbly apologize for mine -- this little quilt is much cuter in real life.

But, on to the back patting portion of the show: I finished my very first non-doll quilt. It is a lap quilt — specifically the lap quilt from Bend The Rules Sewing. I started this thing well over a year ago -- I remember buying the fabric at a vintage fabric sale with a six-week-old Henry strapped to my chest. I made the top soon after that and finally finished the binding a couple of days ago. It isn't perfect -- I think the batting I used was too thick, I forgot to trim it up properly before binding, and the binding itself is a bit lumpy. But I finished it, and I love it.


I really am pleased with how these vintage fabrics worked out. I really love the colour combo and the thing that most attracts me to learning how to quilt is the combo of all of these crazy prints. I'm big into using scraps (the less to buy the better), and the spirit of thriftiness is what invented patchwork in the first place. I think I may try to tackle another lap quilt before diving into the sacred baby clothes quilts, or maybe not. Either way, I'm happy that I dove into this project feet first, and big thanks to Amy for taking the scariness out of my very first quilt.

May The Force Be With Her

The other day Leena, Aaron's mum, brought out a bunch of old Star Wars figurines that Aaron and his sister used to play with as kids. Leena lovingly explained to Ruby who all the characters (that she could remember) were and what Star Wars is all about. What you see above is Ruby's portrait of Princess Leia. This is just about the greatest thing I've seen since Ruby's inauguration day portrait of President Obama. I love the buns. Oh, the buns.

This brings up another point: do any of you feel like you're inadvertently forcing your kids to live in a time warp? Ruby has no idea that the original Star Wars is a dinosaur of a movie and would be laughed at by today's standards because there's no computer graphics. She has no idea of who Hannah Montana is (thank God), but loves T-Rex. She freaked out the other day when I told her John Lennon was dead -- she though he died that day. Her favourite toys are Care Bears and My Little Pony and Barbies, who are dressed in thrift store clothes from the '70s. I guess it's natural that I would transfer my own tastes to her and try to relive a little bit of my own childhood, but am I doing a disservice to her? Is it wrong that my kid thinks it's 1982... or 1978 or whatever?

Weekend Thrift: Vacation Edition

Whenever I go on a road trip I have grand visions of hitting every flea market, garage sale, thrift store and antique shop on the highway. Of course, since Aaron is usually (read: always) driving, this never happens. This year he tried to be somewhat sympathetic to my cause, but since Henry was not having a great time in the car, stopping was not an option. But, I did acquire a few things on the road and I'm ready to play show and tell.

Above, a blue mountain pottery owl! This doesn't actually fall into the "thrift" category, since I got it at an antique store in Seattle and it cost $35. But it was the last day, I had some American cash burning a hole in my pocket, and I really wanted it. And did I mention the next day was my birthday?


Speaking of owls, I first passed on this cookie jar because I didn't want to haul it around for the rest of the trip, but it haunted me, so I went back to the Salt Spring Island thrift store to get it. A steal of a deal at $3.50.


Pyrex! I got this Pyrex space saver and a Fire King Peach Luster square casserole for $3 at a Sally Ann in Victoria, B.C.


And, this isn't technically from my vacation -- it's from Leena's! She picked this adorable boat cookie jar up for me while on her own summer travels. What a mother-in-law! Thanks Leena!

Book Review: Linen, Wool, Cotton

I'm really attracted to a certain style of Japanese sewing books, as often showcased on blogs such as Super Eggplant. I was excited to see this little beauty, Linen, Wool, Cotton, which came out in the spring as part of the Make Good: Crafts + Life Japanese Craft Style series. It's pretty awesome and has that special style that I was after.

This particular book focuses on items made from natural fibres, obviously linen, wool and cotton. There are lots of projects for the home, plus some cool clothing items, all keeping with a very simple and natural aesthetic. Obviously you could use any fabric you'd like for these projects, but author Akiko Mano sticks to natural colours. It all could get a bit dull, but the book is gorgeous and almost makes me want to change my entire style to fit into this simple, natural world.

That said, I actually doubt that I'll make any of these projects. I'm just too busy these days to make my own pillow cases, napkins, or duvet covers. The one project that jumped out to me, the Mary Jane Slippers require suede soles, and I'm not up for that. Still, the book is very inspirational, and I have already bought some linen to add some of Mano's style to a project from a different book. Not everything has to be candy coloured and this book is a gentle and beautiful reminder of that.

Back In Action... With a New Skirt!

We're back from a very long and very exciting road trip -- more in the coming days. Everyone in the house is sick, and I need time to process. But, here's a remainder from before we left -- I made a new skirt!

These pictures are terrible, I know, but I think you get the idea. It's my version of the Angry Chicken 5-Minute Skirt, which is a year-old tutorial, but always timely. I kind of remember wanting to make one of these back when it came out, but not having any Fold-Over Elastic (FOE). Now I have a small stash of FOE and really wanted an extra skirt for my vacation, so I went for it.

Now, this skirt is very wonky because I think I have some serious body issues, because I measured my waist about six inches bigger than needed. So, my pattern was a bit off and I kept having to take the seams in. As a result, the hemline is very asymmetrical, but I purposely left it that way to mimic an old American Apparel skirt that I love. The result is a swingy and very forgiving a-line skirt. It's cut on the bias and has an elastic waist, so it essentially feels like p.j.s I would like to make another of these before summer is over, but I don't have any fabric on hand and by the time I take care of that, summer will be nearly over. Plus, I'm planning to hit the gym hard come fall, so hopefully anything I make this summer won't fit by next, if you know what I mean.


In other clothing news, check out Ruby's adorable shirt. I ordered this through Worn Free, which is an awesome vintage rock T company. It's really soft and comfy and holds a ton of cred. Henry has a replica of the Working Class Hero shirt that John Lennon wore in the '70s, but he has to grow into it. So awesome. I really want one for myself, but the adult shirts are quite pricey, so I'm sticking to kids stuff for now.

Proud

Okay, this is a week late, but I'm proud that I live in a country where people are free to choose who they wish to marry. I'm proud to see the RCMP marching amongst drag queens and transgendered punk rockers. I'm proud that my daughter walked with her beloved aunt, beaming with pride that her auntie is so in love with another auntie. And I'm proud of my little son, smiling here, surrounded by friends.

Still on vacation, but with internet access. Anyone have any tips on fun things to do in Seattle. With kids?

Gone Fishing

Hey dudes, I'm going to be posting even less than normal over the last couple of weeks because we're packing up the car and road tripping it. Enjoy the heat!

xoxo

e

Weekend Thrift (and Cupcakes)

I haven't been thrifting for a while -- summer gets so busy and I'm usually with Aaron on the weekend and he generally frowns at the idea of bringing any additional objects of any sort into our home (understandably, really). So, it's been a while. But I've recently picked up a few things:

Above, some teacups in the Federal Glass Golden Glory pattern. These match some soup bowls that I picked up earlier this spring, which is the only reason I got them, as I try to keep my teacup collecting at a minimum. $2 at a garage sale.


Next, some really cute glasses. I don't know why, but I'm a little obsessed with really tiny glasses of the '60s/'70s vintage -- I don't even know what one would use such tiny glasses for (juice?). My grandma used to have a lot of glasses in this style, which might be why I love them so much. Anyway, I thought these could come in handy at Christmas. $10 at a small town junk store (for 8 glasses).


And, some Fire King ramekins, which I actually kind of need, because we've been living in a ramekin free zone in our house. No ramekins! How would I make tiny souffles? Anyway, $5 for six at a garage sale.

Someone commented a while back, asking where I found most of my weekend thrift items, so I'll try to include that info for the curious. She also asked how I go about finding good garage sales, which I know can be hard. The answer is, I don't really know. I try to just go about my business and stop when I see a garage sale sign and hope the fates smile on me. Sometimes I actively go driving around looking for them, and I generally try to stick to older neighbourhoods where the sales will be more likely to have vintage stuff rather than kids toys. I generally avoid the "professional" sales, because they price gouge, but you can find good stuff too, even if you have to pay a bit more. Oh, and Aaron and I have an understanding that if it says "estate sale" on the sign we have to stop, no matter what.


Finally, I made some more cupcakes from the Martha book and we finally have a cupcake that was a total hit. They don't look like much, but these are the Chocolate Mint cupcakes, which are basically individual brownies with a York Peppermint Patty baked in the middle. Genius.

Les Girls

I don't even remember when I started stitching these girls, but I think it may have been about a year ago. I know. But in the spirit of finishing things, I finally put the finishing touches on these little embroideries. They are, of course, the Stitchettes, from the wonderful Hillary Lang. I bought pretty much every series of Stitchette patterns as they came out, but this is the first time I've really finished anything. I think these are all from the Spring series, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I simply stitched them onto some beigy fabric, glued the edges onto the hoop, trimmed, and stuck them on Ruby's wall. I'd tell you that she loves them, but I don't think she's actually noticed them.


In unhappier news, yesterday Henry was stung by a wasp. In the face. His whole face immediately started puffing up and I called the public health line in anticipation of an allergic reaction (my brother was fatally allergic to yellow jackets as a child, so I'm freaked out about such things -- he's since outgrown it). He woke up this morning still breathing, but with his eye almost puffed shut. I didn't get stung by a wasp for the first time until I was 31 (and pregnant with Henry), how does this kid get stung before he's even two? He's a magnet. Must be because he's as sweet as honey.

Art, Part 2

Ruby has spent the last two weeks attending a class at our local arts centre (which is the most awesome thing in the world). Every morning she'd go in and work on her art. Ruby likes drawing and painting, but she's lacked confidence in actually drawing things other than stick people because she'd complain "I don't know hooooooow!" She's a bit of a perfectionist, that one. This class was awesome because the teacher would chose a subject and do her own example and then act as a taskmaster, making sure the kids got it right. There wasn't a lot of creative free will, but Ruby kind of needed that sort of detailed instruction. As a result, she made some great stuff and her confidence has grown.


I love these pictures so much, my heart weeps when I look at them. Up top you've got a chicken jumping over a fence, then a t-shirt featuring a peacock(!) and finally, a button with a cowgirl portrait on it. The cowgirl also exists in the form of an awesome painting, but the art centre asked to keep it so they could submit it to a city wide children's art show next year. We won't get it back until June, but I'm pretty sure I'll frame it when we get it back (though, by then Ruby's art will have probably advanced, rendering it too childish for her own tastes).


Speaking of Ruby, she's downstairs right now listening to old kids records from the '60s on her vintage Fisher Price turntable. So awesome.

Art, Part 1

We bought a painting. For years, Aaron and I have been looking for a large painting to hang over our living room couch. There have been some snags -- we rarely have enough dough to invest in original art, and even when we're feeling like living dangerously and buying on credit (yes, people like us are responsible for the economic meltdown, I know), it's not like you can just snap your fingers and find a piece of art that works. We have fairly different tastes and have both envisioned different things for the space. Plus, as with everything else, that magical piece of art is never to be found when you're looking for it.

Aaron found this painting at, at all places, the Calgary Stampede, where (and who knew?) there's a temporary art gallery. For those not in the know, the Stampede is basically our version of a state fair/expo/summer carnival, only with a rodeo and a very unsubtle cowboy theme. Not surprisingly, most of the art show consisted of brass rodeo sculptures, Native art, and realistic paintings of horses. He was pretty floored with he saw this artist's paintings. The next day, he dragged me and the kids back down there and we bought the piece you see above.

The artist is a local woman named Sheila Kernan and she focuses on land and city scapes. This piece is called Canola Meadow and it's large (about three and a half by five feet) and textured. It's perfect for us -- the colours suit us and it meets Aaron's need to fill our house with art that represents the place in which we live and my need to buck the conservative culture that overwhelms that same place. This is the second original piece we've bought (and the second by a local artist) and we're both really feeling a rush.


Oh, and apparently the parents aren't the only ones in our house feeling artistically inspired. Nice one, Henry. Time to dig out the Magic Eraser.

Get Back, Wonky Cat

This little guy is not an example of my best work, but I kind of love him. A good friend of mine who lives on the other side of the country had a baby daughter about three months ago and I've been trying to find time to make something special every since her birth. With Ruby and Henry at their all time most demanding as of late (they've reached the age where they fight over stuff -- it's a non-stop screech-fest in our house), it didn't materialize. The little family flew out here to visit friends and family and when I got an invite to a baby shower for them, I knew I had to make something pronto.

So, I dug out my trusty Aranzi Aronzo books. I wanted to make something from the more recent Baby Stuff, but the dolls that I wanted to make (made out of terry cloth) were a little too small for what I had planned. So, I used the Grey Cat pattern from Cute Dolls, with a few mods. I used an old towel for the body to make him nice and cuddly.

As you can see, he turned out a little... wonky. One leg is way shorter than the other (huh?) and he's pretty floppy. Luckily, the parents are the kind of people who can appreciate such a thing. He's a little creepy, but pretty cute. And hopefully little Aurora will love him too.

Corks and Cupcakes

I actually made this a little while ago, but we finally put it up. It's not much -- just a plain corkboard covered with some fabric I picked up from Sew Mama Sew. Our new kitchen has a stainless steel fridge in it, which looks awesome, but is not magnetic. Which not only means that our magnetic letters have no home, but there's no place to put invitations, Ruby art, or little pictures. We have one spot on our kitchen wall that isn't taken up by window or cabinets, so up the corkboard went.

I didn't do anything too fancy -- no criss-crossing ribbons or trim. I just tacked down the fabric with some spray adhesive and then stapled the fabric to the back of the cork. Easy peasy. There are a few bubbles and I'm not convinced the fabric is really well adhered to the cork, but it'll have stuff stuck to it most of the time (especially with Ruby's art camp starting up this week), so it doesn't matter too much. And if the fabric comes off, we'll either stick it back on or switch it up.


And... I think I'm going to have to change the name of this blog to Elizaboothy and Cupcakes. I tried another recipe from the Cupcakes book and, again, am slightly disappointed. I did the Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcakes and aside from the fact that I popped some of the peanut butter topping into my mouth while it was still scalding hot (and I believe, destroyed a filling that will now result in root canal), I wasn't thrilled. The peanut butter filling/topping boiled over in the oven, creating a mess and some weird craters in the cakes. Also, the filling was pretty delicious warm, but the cakes weren't nearly as good at room temp. I am determined to make a great cupcake from this book though, so I'm going to keep trying. Mayhaps something plainer with a really good buttercream. That always does the trick.

Love, Canadian Style

Nothing says "Happy Birthday Canada" like driving a couple hours outside of the city and attending a small town Canada Day parade. Family was visited, beer was drank, cupcakes were eaten, and dirt roads were driven. For all of those celebrating your own country's birthday this weekend, take some time to savour the small things. xoxo