Stilllife With Wine

This picture hopefully represents what will be a lovely evening. As part of our neverending slide into total yuppie-hood, Aaron and I host a wine-tasting party every few months. I think the one we're holding tonight is about our fourth or fifth, and they're really fun. Every couple brings a nice bottle of wine, we taste them, we eat cheese, sometimes we order pizza (though tonight I have a crock pot of curry on), and chit chat. Tonight we take on Australia. Each participant is supposed to research their wine, but it's really the drinking that matters.

I have a pretty nasty cold, so I'm going to have to take it easy, but I think my palate is clear enough to enjoy the wine. Aaron picked up some kick-ass cheese too, including a mellow blue encased in wax called Dragon's Breath. Apparently it's not even legal to sell in here, so we feel very special to have this contraband, quite likely unpasteurized cheese.

Oh, on an unrelated note, you know how they say that Corelle plates don't break? Not true. This morning Henry tipped a Butterfly Gold Corelle lunch plate off of his booster chair tray and it smashed into eight zillion pieces. I wish I had taken a picture of it. So yes, Corelle, if it hits on the right angle, will break. Just though you should know.

Cushy

Pillows! I managed to whip up these Semi-Simple Pillows from Bend The Rules Sewing while the kids were awake and playing (our playroom and sewing room are actually the same room). I got this vintage green fabric ages ago at a fabric sale and knew I wanted to use it for a project where I could quilt or embroider around the flowers. There was also a quilt in Joelle Hoverson's Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts that it would have been great for, but I didn't have enough. So, I used some of it in my Easy Lap Quilt and saved the rest for these pillows.

My old couch pillows were getting shabby (i.e. the fabric was falling apart completely), so I wanted to get these done before we start our holiday entertaining. Free-motion quilting scares me and I didn't want to ruin the fabric, so I just hand embroidered around a few of the flowers. The rest of the pillow is made from some thick natural linen. Perfecto!

In other news, I enjoyed my first Starbucks holiday drink of the year today. I only drink Starbucks during the holidays, so this was very exciting.

Cheat...

Okay, I'm allowed a little cheat now and then, right? I actually have a lot to blog about, but no decent pictures, and I'm swamped with stuff I need to do, so to keep up with my NaBloPoMo (post every day in November), I'm cheating. Apologies. Two kids, husband out of town (though, thankfully, home tonight), sickness throughout the house, holidays coming up. I know, enough of the excuses. Perhaps I'm just feeling defeated because I spent two hours making a very complicated dinner that tasted like meh. Thanks a lot, Canadian Living magazine. I'll be back on my game tomorrow. Please drop by. Leave a comment if you'd like.

Treats

A couple weeks ago when I was in New York I was walking by the Plaza Hotel and gasped. I've been to New York a bunch of times, but usually find myself spending most of my time South of Midtown, so I'd never really had a moment to gaze upon the place-where-Eloise-grew-up before. I gawked for a second, then started on my way. Then it dawned on me. I could go in. I could go in and see the Plaza. I was all alone, with no responsibilities, no children, not even Aaron. I wasn't rushing to go somewhere or pick someone up or get something done. So, I went in the Plaza, sat at the bar, and had a glass of wine at 2:30 in the afternoon. I chatted with the bartender and only grumbled silently when I realized that they charge $30 for a glass of wine at the Plaza lobby bar.

So, when I was driving with the kids after picking something up this morning and drove by a really yummy Middle Eastern restaurant that I'd only eaten at once before, I had a Plaza moment. With Ruby now over her illness but nothing on the agenda today (November 11, you know), there was nothing stopping me from introducing my kids to the wonder of falafel. And then, to be even bolder, after lunch (which they loved), we walked a few blocks to my favourite yarn store and, for the first time in ages, I bought some yarn. To knit with. Oh yeah.

And it ain't cheap yarn, but I didn't buy very much. When my aunt saw my mom and I wearing our Calorimetry headscarves at Thanksgiving, I offered to make her one. So I bought some really gorgeous turqoise merino by the Tanis Fibre Arts. And after making Fishnet Bandanas for Aaron's sister and her girlfriend I thought maybe I should make one for myself. So I bought this crazy Malabrigo colourway (I know, the fact that it's not hot pink shocks me). So yes, one day, and hopefully one day soon I will knit. Because that's something I like to do.

Hooped

November, you are deceivingly difficult. I thought after Halloween, I'd have some breathing room. But no. There are: things to make, presents to buy, cookies to bake, articles to write, stockings to stuff (and construct), houses to clean, parties to throw, kids to entertain, workouts to sweat out, friends to visit... you know. Oh, and I (and a nurse) am relatively sure that Ruby is getting over a mild case of H1N1. Yikes.

Fingers And Toes

Finger puppets! A little team of finger puppets! These little dudes all come from the Arazni Aronzo book Baby Stuff, which is awesome. There are a bunch of finger puppets in there, and I had grand plans to make all of them, but I only got to six (there's a pig that I made that I found after I had already taken this picture. Sorry piggy, I swear it has nothing to do with that flu that I think Ruby may have).


I actually made these guys a while ago, when our kitchen renovation was going on. I promptly stuffed them into my embroidery bag and forgot about them. The problem is, they originally started off as a baby gift, but then I realized that no baby wants one of these finger puppets. They are far too flimsy and delicate for a baby, or even an adult to play with. I was thinking of maybe buying a couple of deep picture frames or shadow boxes and sticking them in there as little pieces of nursery art. That would be a nice baby gift, no?

Holiday Inspiration

Every year I look at Sew Mama Sew's Handmade Holidays feature with awe. In case you haven't seen it, every year (this is the third annual), the geniuses at SMS spend November corralling a bunch of sewing tutorials that are perfect for holiday gift giving and decorating. It really is genius. The folks there seem to have a really great eye and a really great aesthetic (not to mention great fabric to sell), and this feature offers so many ideas and so much inspiration.

That said, for the last two years I've jumped on the bandwagon too late to actually get anything made. As a public service, I'm gently reminding you about Handmade Holidays, so you can swing by there before it's too late. New ideas all throughout November. Check it out.

Golden Years

Twenty-three large bags of leaves. Just from the front yard. And there are still leaves on the trees, so we'll be doing it again before autumn is over. There was much jumping, rolling in piles, and crunching of leaves as the whole family helped with the job.

Weekend Thrift

I wasn't planning to stop at that estate sale. It's just, I had some time to kill because I was running early to where I had to be. And there it was, right on my route. It's not my fault there was some choice Pyrex, plus some Melmac. I couldn't help it. I only paid $20 for the lot.

I am not addicted. And I swear I am not on my way to becoming a hoarder.

She's Got Style

Readers of both Angry Chicken and Posy Gets Cosy will recognize this. There's a wacky site called Polyvore where one can create a "set" of clothing items -- essentially like Fashion Plates but in a more digital way (by the way, real Fashion Plates are going for fairly top dollar on Ebay these days). Of course, at the end you can order all the clothes online, but that wouldn't really be much fun, would it?

So, being a sucker for this sort of thing, I thought I'd try it out. When my kids were awake. Big mistake -- Ruby took one look at my laptop and needed to take a go at it. Above is the outfit she put together with very little guidance from myself. It's very pink, but actually, considering it was styled by a 4.75 year old who is obsessed with Barbies and Princesses, it's pretty awesome. It is kind of Barbie Girl, but also sort of hipster '80s retro. And her taste isn't cheap, either. That cardigan alone is $372!

Here's my Dream Date outfit. I should note, I do not really dress like this, but if I had a lot of money and went to swishy film openings, I might. Oh, and if these dresses were made to fit women who are above a size six.

Oh, The Luxury

Is it too early to start making Christmas ornaments? Yesterday when I was on my mission to reluctantly purchase the pinkest, most plasticy Polly Pocket extravaganza imaginable, I noticed that my local mall was in full-on Christmas mode. Actually, I was even more shocked to see that by the morning of November 1, my grocery store had done an overnight transformation from Halloween to Xmas decor and that they were actually selling fruitcakes. It's November, people. But I digress. Back in September, I ordered both the Walk In The Woods and Ice Skate Afternoon felt ornament kits from Alicia. Normally I don't go for these kits -- I'm kind of cheap and would rather save some dough by putting together the supplies for myself. But, the luxury of letting Alicia do it for me (and thus, letting me avoid a trip to the craft store) was too much to resist.

I have a bunch of work stuff I have to do before I dive into these beauties, but I'm really excited about them. The plan is to give one each to Ruby's teachers, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to part with them. Either way, I'm excited. And while the kits are sold out, Alicia does still have PDF patterns for sale. Less luxurious, but just as festive.

Wedding Bells

Do you have a go-to wedding gift? Like when nothing on the registry seems quite right (or there is not registry at all) and you're not sure enough of the couple's mutual taste to buy something really unique? My go-to is what you see above: the deluxe edition of Scrabble.

My friend Joanne told me years ago that this is her go-to gift, and since we've never been mutually invited to a wedding, I promptly stole the idea. I usually add a little note" "Now that you're an old married couple, here's a little something to help you pass the time." We're going to a wedding reception on Saturday. Guess what I picked up today while helping Santa shop for some very coveted Polly Pockets?

Under The Sea

As promised, here's the post-mortem on Ruby's mermaid costume. As previously mentioned, I used the Simplicity 4043 costume to make Ruby the costume that she'd been asking for for a year. I thought I'd be able to find an official Disney-sanctioned Ariel costume, but alas, the pattern books only had Cinderella, Snow White and maybe Jasmine. Because most amateur sewers aren't crazy enough to make a mermaid costume. Time to start calling me crazy.

Regular readers know that I like to sew but I'm more of a doll and pillow sewer. Basically, other than a very simple skirt, I would never make myself something to wear, because I take pride in the way I look when I go out in public. I like the instant gratification of sewing, but I'm not great at paying attention to meticulous detail. So, this pattern was definitely a challenge for me. Also, the material was a bit finicky -- stretch knit with a sequined lace overlay, lots of poly lining, and a shiny, very synthetic satin-y thing. Basically, that meant that the magic of pressing was not an option and I actually did melt the fabric in a few places. Oops.


I did make some modifications to the pattern to make it easier/less time consuming. I skipped on some of the sequin applique, and hand-stitched the stuff I did use, rather than machine stitching (though I did do a machine stitch under it to get a quilting effect). I skipped the zipper and the boning. I did not properly finish all of the inside seams of the lining. But I finished it and Ruby loved it. And I did take a look at some of the store-bought Ariel costumes in the Disney Store (which were basically just a cheap-o pencil skirt with some fins sewn on the side) and, frankly, mine is waaay better.

A note on the photos: why did I not actually take a full body shot of Ruby in costume so that I can admire my work 20 years from now? And prove to her what a doting mother I was when she was little? Either way, you get the drift, and believe you me, she did look like a beautiful mermaid.

Mystery Gnome Revealed

So, since I figured that this was the last year I had to totally humiliate the child at Halloween, I made Henry dress up as a garden gnome. It took most people a few minutes to figure it out, especially since he would only wear his fake beard like a bib, but all in all, I think he's adorable. And he wore that elf hat all day without complaint. I was very proud of him.

And boy, did this kid ever dig trick or treating. I stayed home to hand out candy, but apparently he'd march up to every door, drop his plastic pumpkin bucket on the welcome mat and yelp "treat!" before looking up at the resident with his big chocolatey eyes. His bucket was more than full by the time he got home and he's been begging for the candy ever since. Poor guy. Little does he know that I'll probably throw it all out long before he has a chance to slip into his desired sugar coma.

I'll post some pictures of Ruby's mermaid costume tomorrow. NaBloPoMo, you know.

Happy Halloween!

Yes, the day is almost over (about five minutes left for those of you out East), but I've finally found a minute to wish you all a Happy Halloween! Our day was full of costumes, parties, candies, treats, friends and family. Hope yours was too.

And, for next year, as an ingenious kids craft, take some nails and use them to tack buttons, ribbons, fabric, pretty papers and other odd items to a mini pumpkin. Instant art!

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.