bee's nest

Felt Flower Pin Tutorial

2012-01-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

My mom just reminded me the other day that there was one more handmade Christmas gift that I never blogged about: these super easy felt flower pins.

I love an instant gratification craft, and I love a glue gun so this is the perfect little craft for me. I made oodles of these and used them to jazz up my Christmas gift wrappings. This is my first attempt at making a photo tutorial so please excuse the wonky bits. Without further ado....

theme and variations:
--glue to barrette back instead of pin back
--glue several to one piece of felt to make a larger multi-flower pin or a bib necklace
--vary the size by cutting wider pedals and/or using larger strips of felt

Walking in the Woods on a Snowy Day

2012-01-16T10:26:00.000-08:00

I don't miss living in snow, but I do miss playing in it. I've been wanting to share the joy of snow with the Sprout this winter. All week, Portlanders were abuzz with rumors of snow. But seven years here have taught me to be skeptical of our chances of getting any REAL snow in Portland. So we headed up the mountain on Sunday to get our snow fix.

We didn't go any further than the ranger station in Zigzag because we didn't want to chain up, but that was just far enough to get into 5 or 6 inches of fresh, beautifully-packable snow. The Sprout's been battling a cold this week so we didn't want to overtire her. An hour was just right for tromping around in the woods, making snow angels, snowball fights and eating plenty of snow (mostly that was on the Sprout's behalf, but I'll admit to always having to take a bite or two myself).

As we drove down Mt. Hood back to our own cozy house, the snow kept falling. We ended up with a light dusting of snow in our own yard too while we took our afternoon naps. Perfect Sunday.

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all photos taken with Canon Rebel xTi, 50mm 1.8 lens,

Made: Christmas Gifts

2012-01-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

I made a few handmade gifts this Christmas, and I thought I'd share now that the giving has been accomplished. In the rush to get gifts shipped, I didn't snap many pictures so some of these photos are from my inspiration sites.

Photo from H is for Handmade

--Infinity Scarves:
When I saw this photo on Pinterest and read H is for Handmade's tutorial, I knew I had to make a few infinity scarves for my sister-in-laws and nieces. They were dead easy, and I really like how they turned out when made with soft flannels. I need to make a few more to keep. A scarf is a great way for me to layer at work as I move between schools with a variety of heating issues.

Photo from Saltwater Kids

--Indoor Camping Kit
Girls are easy to make gifts for but often my little nephews get less in the homemade gift category. This year I was determined that at least a few of them would get a homemade gift. I was inspired by Saltwater Kids fort kit, but took a few liberties to design my own Indoor Camping Kit using a bag we had laying around the house, some cheap IKEA sheets and a bunch of supplies from the hardware store and the dollar store. The Wise and Bearded One even designed a logo for the bag. I hope they are having fun with it because I had fun making it.

--Sparkly Play Dough:
Play Dough has become my go-to gift for the under-5 set. It's easy to make, the Sprout can help a little, and I'm always pleased with the results. This time around we used two packs of Kool-Aid in each batch for color and scent, and at the end we added glitter to make the Play Dough extra Christmas-y.

--Laundry Soap
Over the holidays I renewed our homemade laundry soap supply. I decided to share some of it with a few family members that I thought are pragmatic enough not to scoff at a Christmas gift of laundry soap :) My basic recipe is here although lately I've been using Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castille Soap and no essential oils since there is already peppermint in the soap.

--A back quiver and arm guard
Last, but not least, is this odd little gift that didn't get finished until after Christmas. My sister let me know that my nephew was getting a bow and arrows for Christmas and would really like a back quiver and an arm guard. I, honestly, had no idea what I was doing but a little Googling is a dangerous thing. I found an army green purse at Goodwill that I demolished for parts. I handstitched all the faux-leather pieces because I was afraid to put them through my machine. I even had enough left over for a matching wallet. I have no idea if this quiver and arm guard actually work....I fear the quiver may be too short. Next time I think I'll just order him something from Cabella's :)

Sunday Photos: Family Photos in the Park

2012-01-08T09:44:00.000-08:00

Although we tramped around the park today, these photos are from last weekend. Our talented photographer-friend, Roger J. Porter, met us in our favorite park, and took some family photos for us.

Although the rainy weather sometimes gets to me, it has one huge redeeming value--the multitude of greens. Roger captured the beauty of hiking in the woods on a rainy, winter day. Of course, Mt. Tabor is always, always beautiful, and one of my favorite places to take photos.

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Check out Roger's Etsy site here. He has five kids and a job to pay the bills, but the heart of an artist. If you live in Portland, I recommend him for professional, reasonably priced photo sessions, weddings, etc.

New Year Buzz

2012-01-05T10:39:00.001-08:00

Wow! This new year is buzzing along already.I started off the new year with a Sunday Crafternoon with a few creative women: the talented Rachel Austin, the uber-crafty Emily Flippin Maruna, and my dear friend Stacey Sholes. Emily and I had never met before, but I read her blog and knew she lived close by so I invited her on a whim. It was a good whim.

We spent most of the afternoon folding these map paper globes garlands inspired by Pinterest. They turned out really sweet and I'm going to hang a banner of them in the Sprouts room. You can see Emily's version on her blog.

Normal school schedule resumed on Tuesday and we are right back in the thick of the semester. I'm trying hard to maintain a bit of Christmas in my heart in the midst of the daily buzz. I hope you are too.

Made: Sunki Dress

2012-01-01T00:48:00.001-08:00

I fell in love with the Sunki dress pattern as soon as Figgy's released it this fall. I prefer simple, clean-lined clothing, and this little dress is all that and more. I love the way the side panels swoop down into the pockets. And I adore the ikat fabric from the sample above so much that I tracked it down and bought the rest of the bolt for some future awesome project (yet to be determined).

I made my "trial" Sunki out of a soft green corduroy from Bolt. I originally had some contrasting fabric for the side panels but I chose not to use it at the last minute. The pockets were the trickiest part of the dress to sew but the directions are clearly written and the diagrams were helpful. I ended up pinning the whole panel together before I sewed a stitch just to make sure I had everything lined up correctly.

I made the 2-3 size and it fits my tall two year old perfectly through the shoulders. It's a tad short in length so I will make the next one a size up. If I am going to sew clothes for the Sprout, I want her to be able to wear them for more than a few months. She is aptly nicknamed since she seems to sprout up when I'm not looking and suddenly need longer pants or bigger shoes.

Since I didn't use a contrasting side panel, I highlighted the side panel seam with the asterisk-looking fancy stitch on my Janome. I finished off the cuffs of the sleeves with the same stitch. I am really happy with the results. I can't wait to make another one with a more adventurous fabric choice.

I also bought some knit to make the leggings that come with the pattern. The Sprout and I do love a dress with leggings. It's a combination that works much of the year here in the Pacific Northwest. I'm thinking this little dress and leggings lends itself to be made in multiples so you can be sure you'll be seeing more of the Sunki around here.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T23:58:00.001-08:00

Studio Hinrichs Typography Calendar, a photo by ndmiller on Flickr.

My one New Year's Eve ritual is to hang a new large-format calendar in the dining room. I love seeing the blank pages of possibility ahead. I am not one for New Year's resolutions (I make mine in the summer), but I do think about what I hope the new year holds. I'm hoping for expansiveness (more saying yes, more adventures, more laughing) and more creativity in my life.

Happy New Year!

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This is our favorite calendar: the Studio Hinrichs Typography calendar.

These Days

2011-12-26T13:07:00.000-08:00

Dear friends across the miles,

Thanks for reading my blog and making kind comments and, in general, letting me know that I am not alone in the world. This blog has been a bit quiet the last month, somewhat intentionally, as l tried to focus on living out my Christmas manifesto and crossing blogging off my internal to-do list was one easy thing I could do to simplify my life. Thanks for sticking around.

And Christmas came and it was delightful. We went to Christmas eve services at church and had a Christmas party for Jesus. We opened up all the packages from our friends and family that have arrived in the mail over the last few weeks (Santa doesn't bring Christmas around here....it's the mail carrier and Auntie Amazon.com). We gathered up some other Christmas orphans and had a big Christmas brunch. Like I said, it was delightful.

But these days after Christmas, these days are my favorite days. I love the traditional church calendar Christmas--the one that begins on December 25 and ends on Epiphany, January 6. For me, these are the true days of Christmas. The days to be cozy at home with the ones we love. Not the busy-ness and pregnant anticipation of Advent, but the quiet, hazy days after the Child is born.

So snuggle up on the couch, light some candles, quaff a warm beverage, catch up on your internet reading or read a real honest-to-goodness book. Hug your snuffly, sick and grouchy husband (scratch that, he says he's just "moody"). Watch your little girl spin around the living room in her new Christmas tutu. Be in no hurry to remove the Christmas decorations. Put away the cluttery bits that annoy you, but keep the lights and the tree and the greenery. Keep reading the stories of hope and faith and love.

Let Christmas continue in your heart.

Much love,
Deb

P.S. I just amused myself by finding that I wrote almost the same post last year. :) At least I'm consistent.

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More photos on Flickr for the grandmas, grandpas, aunties, and other internet stalkers :)

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-26T11:33:00.000-08:00

From our home to yours!

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Photos by the Housemate as we headed off to the early Christmas Eve service.

Sixteen Years

2011-12-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Wise and Bearded One,

Sixteen years ago we began this work in progress we call a marriage, a partnership, a friendship, a life-long fling. There are few hearts and flowers in this romance. Tears and silences and reconciliations and laughter and joy and long talks deep into the night are the hard work of making a safe haven for each other and a home.

I still choose you.

Deb

Whewww!!!

2011-12-18T10:51:00.001-08:00

It's been necessarily quiet here on the blog the last few weeks as my focus has been elsewhere. The first weeks of December are always busy in my job as the census to determine special education funding for the next year happens on December 1, and there is a flurry of activity that accompanies it.

December also brings a slew of birthdays, anniversaries, and, of course, Christmas to our family. Since our gifts need to be shipped to Indiana, the last few weeks have also been a flurry of making, buying, and wrapping. We don't give big gifts but we do try to show our love to each member of our family in some small tangible way. Saturday we made a massive post office visit. Thank you, USPS, for flat rate shipping boxes and automated postage machines.

Now that the far-away gifts are shipped and school is out for the holidays, I can take a deep breath and relax into cookie baking, hanging out with friends, and sewing a few cunning little things for the Sprout that may or may not be finished by Christmas day. Less flurry, less hurry.

The irrational season

2011-12-11T21:29:00.001-08:00

This is the irrational season
When love blooms bright and wild.
Had Mary been filled with reason
There’d have been no room for the child.

Madeleine L'Engle

Christmas Manifesto, Take Two

2011-12-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

Last week was intensely busy at work for both the Wise and Bearded One and myself. Then, over the weekend there was a Christmas party to go to and a some friends in town that necessitated giving our house a good scrub down so we could have them over for dinner. And we got a Christmas tree. And we did some yard work. Suffice it to say, it's been busy. And all the while the to-do list in my head for Christmas won't shut up.

I sat myself down and reminded myself of my Christmas Manifesto from last season. And I said, "self, take a chill pill." I'm hoping it's working.

My Christmas Manifesto:

This Advent Season...

I will sit down for a cup of cocoa with a friend.

I will delight in time with my husband and daughter.

I will make cookies with my girlfriends.

I will sew and make and create, as I have the time.

I will give handmade gifts when I can, and when I can't I will not beat myself up for giving a store-bought gift or a gift card instead.

I will not let the to-do list in my head get out of hand.

I will take my dogs for long walks.

I will not waste time at the mall buying deals that I do not need.

I will find a way to give of myself to someone in need.

I will dwell in the divine mystery--that God wants to be with us, is with us, Emmanuel, the God-Man. I will tune out the doubts and just enjoy the Story.

Sunday Post: Advent is Here!

2011-11-27T12:28:00.001-08:00

Craft Friday

2011-11-25T19:48:00.001-08:00

We got our craft on today. The Sprout even got into the action using a scissors to cut "pizza" slices from paper. A couple of friends stopped by to chat and make things. We got a little carried away making felt flower pins. I'll take some better photos tomorrow.

Blessed and Thankful

2011-11-24T11:55:00.000-08:00

On this cold, blustery autumn day I am thankful for a good cup of coffee, a new furnace pumping out warm air, and friends and family who have called, texted or emailed their love across the miles.

And I'm thankful for you, blog readers, for your encouraging comments, for your inspiration, and for the sense of belonging to a community of like-minded people even though we may never meet in person.

Happiest of Thanksgivings to you and yours!

Deb

Photo source

Pre-Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-23T13:18:00.001-08:00

Well, I didn't get to any of the things I wanted to this weekend. I was battling a cold toward the end of the week and on Saturday and Sunday, the cold was winning. I went to the doctor. She confirmed it was just a really bad cold (on top of the vestiges of an earlier cold) and told me to go home and rest. So I did.

"Resting" is interpreted in my world to mean surfing the internet from the couch for hours on end. Here's some things I've been crushing on. Hard.

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Figgy's

Once upon a time, I did some pattern testing for Patterns by Figgy's. I even met the designer, Shelly Figuroa, in the park for a play date once, and I can attest that she is a genuinely-kind Midwestern woman transplanted to the Pacific Northwest and that her patterns are have great directions that even a beginning sewist could figure out.

I also took a Japanese sewing class at Modern Domestic with Daniela Crane, and I know she is a talented designer and has a great eye for uniquely-modern clothing.

Figgy's is Shelly and Daniella's new collaboration of patterns. I am madly in love with this little jacket out of Pendleton wool and the dress and legging pattern.

So many sewing patterns seem boring, uninspired or old-fashioned. These look modern and clean to my eye. I know part of it is the fabric selection and styling, but I am madly, madly in love with them. Did I say that already?!

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Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.

We have Schoolhouse Electric light fixtures in our kitchen, and I have loved their classic, utilitarian products and showroom ever since we arrived in Portland. I heard the rumblings on the internet that they were extending their line to products for the whole house, and this week the catalog came in the mail.

Ah. May. Zing. I want whoever styled those photos to come live in my house. Right now. They seem to have found that perfect mix of spare utilitarian objects mixed with warm woods and textiles that somehow reads vintage and modern simultaneously.

And it makes me all wanty inside. You can see their catalog here.

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I am quite committed to no Christmas before Thanksgiving. But the Friday AFTER Thanksgiving is the perfect day to spend crafting homemade gifts. In fact, I host "Craft Friday" every year on "black" Friday. If you're a Portlander and would like to come hang out with other women and get your craft on, please leave a comment below and I'll email you my contact info.

Today is the day to gather supplies. If you're looking for ideas here are some DIY gifts that I've made in other years:

Quick and Easy:
Photo Magnets
Felt Barrettes

Slightly More Complicated:
Doll Maker's Kit
Freezer Paper Printed Jersey Scarves
Fizzy Bath Bombs
Natural Lip Balm
Basic Bath Salts
Freezer Paper Printed T Shirts

What are you making this year? I'm still gathering supplies and ideas for gifts this year. I'd love to hear what you're up to.

Pinspiration: Autumn Chopped Salad

2011-11-22T16:00:00.000-08:00

On Pinterest:

On my table:

Although I'd like to eat salads more often, I am an uninspired salad-maker. I saw this combination of pears, cranberries, pecans, and bacon and thought I could sell it to most of the members of our household. A little bit of bacon goes a long way in enticing some of the less-inclined members to eat their veggies. And I'm not just talking about the toddlers, if you get my drift.

We probably erred on the side of over-indulgence. The Wise and Bearded One happened to purchase a more expensive and more pungent goat cheese that we tried to use in this salad. It really over-powered the rest of the ingredients and all the flavors just didn't seem to work together. We also didn't have any balsamic vinaigrette so we skipped that entirely.

I'd be willing to give it another shot with a milder cheese and maybe trying the poppy seed dressing mixed with balsamic vinaigrette that the recipe recommends.

In the meantime, 3 out of 5 stars. Recipe HERE.

Portlanders, Take Heed...

2011-11-18T13:55:00.001-08:00

Two "crafty" events this weekend are calling my name.

1) What: The DIY Fair
     Where: Imago Dei Community 1302 SE Ankeny, Portland, Oregon
     When: Saturday November 19, 10:30 a.m. -2:00 p.m.

My church hosts this every year as part of the Advent Conspiracy.  It is always interesting and a lot of fun. It's basically an exchange of ideas of things YOU can make to give as gifts. I don't have a booth this year, but if you're curious about what I've done other years click here or click on Advent Conspiracy category on the sidebar.

2) What: The Colette Sewing Book Signing and Fabric Swap
Where: Powell's Books, 1005 W Burnside, Portland, Oregon
When: Sunday, Nov. 20 at 4pm

I mentioned last week that I was sorry to miss the party thrown in honor of this book. But Sunday afternoon I may have a second chance to meet Sarai Mitnick, buy a copy of her beautiful book and maybe even swap some fabric. Any Portland fabric-hounds wanna go with me?

Happy Weekend whereever you are!

Pinspiration: Zuppa Toscana

2011-11-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

I posted a few months ago about my love affair with Pinterest. The affair is still going on hot and heavy, and I've actually started to make some of the things I've "pinned". Here's one:

On Pinterest:

On my Table:

Obviously, I'm neither a food stylist nor a great food photographer, but this recipe is Ah. May. Zing! With sausage, kale and potatoes it makes a hearty cold-weather dinner. It will be making repeat appearances in the Miller household this winter.

5 out of 5 stars. Recipe HERE.

On Solitude

2011-11-16T21:25:00.001-08:00

Not much has surprised me about motherhood. I certainly had many close friends and family members who blazed the trail before me. Dear friends with similar personalities who didn't sugar-coat the sacrifices while still revealing their joy in the process. And, mostly, I've loved being a mother these past two and a half years.

The surprise for me is how much I miss solitude. To be alone with my thoughts for hours on end. To be able to read a book from start to finish. Or for that matter, to think a thought through from start to finish.

Last weekend I took a mini-vacation to the coast with some of my teacher friends. I love hanging out with them. We are old friends at this point and comfortably relax, cook together, laugh together, stay up late or go to bed early at our own choosing. We take long walks on the beach. We go check out the little shops together. It is relaxing and fun.

And after everyone took off on Sunday afternoon, I drove down to my favorite beach and walked all by myself for a while. And went to a coffee shop and drank a latte and read a book all by myself. And then I drove the two hours back to Portland listening to some of my favorite music all by myself.

It was good. I need to remember to make time for solitude.

Pictures in the Park

2011-11-12T20:00:00.000-08:00

A cute two year old + a park + a crisp autumn day + a camera

A Convergence of Good Things

2011-11-09T16:13:00.000-08:00

This post goes out to the Portland readers! Next week we're a very lucky city with three fabulous events all happening on one night. Why does it always happen this way? Nothing that calls to me for weeks on end, and then--bam!--all the good things happen at one time.

Thursday November 17

1. Lucinda Williams at the Crystal Ballroom
     One of my favorite nitty-gritty singers, songwriters and poets comes to town.

2. Over the Rhine at the Aladdin Theater
     The Midwestern band that I have followed for almost twenty years in one of the coziest venues.

3. The Colette Sewing Handbook Launch Party
   Our local "celebrity" pattern designer and sew-ist, Sarai Mitnick, throws a party that would be worth donning a vintage frock to attend. If you're not a Portlander, you should check out her website and blog here.

Where am I going? To Over the Rhine, of course. Lynford Detwiler and Karin Berquist have provided the soundtrack to my life and my love for so many years. Their intelligent lyrics, dedication to lifelong flings, and music inspired by the American patchwork quilt of music--gospel hymns, blues, old time country and rock and roll--appeal to me even more today than they did when I was nineteen. Their songs feed my soul.

Here's one of my current favorites:

All My Favorite People

All my favorite people are broken
Believe me
My heart should know
Some prayers are better left unspoken
I just wanna hold you
And let the rest go

All my friends are part saint and part sinner
We lean on each other
Try to rise above
We’re not afraid to admit we’re all still beginners
We’re all late bloomers
When it comes to love

All my favorite people are broken
Believe me
My heart should know
Orphaned believers, skeptical dreamers
Step forward
You can stay right here
You don’t have to go

Not-A-Fashion-Blog Friday: You Look Fab

2011-11-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Although I would never claim to know a lot about fashion, I read a lot of fashion blogs and think about body image, apparel, and personal style on a daily basis. Occasionally on Fridays I highlight something "fashionable" that's caught my attention.

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One of my favorite fashion bloggers is Angie from You Look Fab. Her short hair and sharp, minimalist style appeal to me and she's based out of Seattle so she gets the Great Grey that is the Pacific Northwest for too many months out of the year. While she isn't my body type, she is among the few fashion bloggers who are well out of their twenties and have a more mature fashion sensibility.

While her personal style appeals to me, I like other features of her site as well. She partners with Nordstrom and highlights good clothes that I could actually buy (on the half yearly sales). She weeds through the trends and recommends which ones are actually wearable, by whom, and how to style them. And then there's a forum where women post outfit photos of themselves and ask each other for help. Don't you sometimes wish you could have someone give you an honest critique of what you're wearing? I haven't tried it, but apparently if you send your photo to the forum, you'll get it.

Most of all, I love her Mom-On-The-Go Flop Proof formulas. For you mama-readers (and you know who you are, my dears) who have talked to me about wanting to look a bit more polished than a tee shirt and yoga pants, I give you Angie's formulas.

For example this is Fall Formula #1:

Jeans + embellished / graphic T + new look cardigan + ballet flats

Here's an artsy take and a more refined/modern version of the same formula.

Here's my personal weekend favorite:

Skinny jeans + long sleeved T + scarf + tall boots

Did that get your attention? To see links to all the Flop-Proof Formulas, click here.

And if you want a little personal style exercise, read Five Adjectives to Define Your Style and the comments following the post.

Here are my five adjectives:
clean-lined, modern, bold, practical, creative

Hmmm....still needs some work....

Your turn. How 'bout you take a stab at it in the comments section below?!

Two Little Princesses

2011-11-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

True confessions: I'm a Halloween grinch. I just don't get it....I don't like creepy, spooky things and I don't want my child consuming piles of candy so....I'm a Halloween grinch.

But when you have two little girls in your house who love to dress up, it's hard to stay grinch-like for long. One can not resist the urge to dress them up and take their photos. Oh, and let them knock on the neighbor's door and get a couple of pieces of candy for being so cute.

P.S. Being the changeable beasts that two year olds are, after these photos were taken they immediately transformed into a unicorn (the Sprout) and a chicken (the little housemate).

P.P.S. Thank you, oh hand-me-down boxes, for the princess play clothes. And thank you, Fairy Godmother and Honorary Auntie Amy, for the perfect princess tiaras!

Not-A-Fashion-Blog Friday: Already Pretty

2011-10-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

Although I would never claim to know a lot about fashion, I read a lot of fashion blogs and think about body image, apparel, and personal style on a daily basis. Occasionally on Fridays I highlight something "fashionable" that's caught my attention.

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Already Pretty is Sally McGraw's style and body image blog. I've been reading it for well over a year, and, while I don't dress anything like Sal, I've come to appreciate her daring personal style (she'll try just about any color combination!) and her call to other women to quit judging ourselves and each other on our looks. It's quite a trick to have a blog about how you look and your personal style, while at the same time extending grace to women of all shapes, styles and persuasions. Sally does it.

I've found her blog entries on developing personal style to be some of the most helpful. Plus I enjoy seeing Sally try out different combinations of shapes and colors of clothing every week and I am inspired to try new combinations of my own.

Here are some of my favorite entries.
-Style Evolves
-Intermediate Style
-Organize Your Wardrobe, Hone Your Style

And, if Sally is not your cup of tea, her weekly "Lovely Links" may guide you to another thoughtful fashion blogger who is.

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I'd love some feedback on this. Is personal style/fashion a topic you're interested in? Do you read any personal style/fashion blogs that you recommend? And if you're not interested, let me know that too. Hey, I know some of you are just here to see pictures of the Sprout! :)

"I JUST TWO!!!"

2011-10-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

In which the toddlers in our household disagree mightily about counting.

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And while I'm sharing a video, let me share this one that I'm obsessing over.
I love Rube Goldberg machines. They remind me of something my father would have created as a young man if he would have been a bored city kid instead of a busy farm kid. OK Go--This Too Shall Pass

Found via Benita at Chez Larsson (a gorgeous blog if you love Scandi design and WHITE).

Design * Sponge Book Signing and Craft Event

2011-10-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

I think I've been a fan of Grace Bonney and Design*Sponge for as long as I've been addicted to the internet. And that's a long time, folks! I subscribe to most blogs for a couple of months, and then unsubscribe as I lose interest and move on to greener pastures. But Design*Sponge, Design*Sponge stays in my reader. It is always fresh and clean and modern. It features both professional designers and DIY projects, aspirational high-end looks and creative homes decorated on shoestring budgets. I always find something unique or interested on Design*Sponge.

When Design*Sponge decided to branch out to the printed page, I was ecstatic! I love interior design books more than I am willing to admit in public. And I knew Grace would have a fresh take and feature creative people in their own homes.

I was even more excited when I heard that, instead of a traditional book reading/signing, Grace and Company were hosting craft events around the country. I signed up right away and coerced my housemate to go with me (it didn't take much arm twisting). The event was held at the Cleaners at the Ace Hotel which is one of my favorite Portland venues. The craft chosen for the day was a block printing project.

I'll have to admit that I was so excited to see the book and Grace, that the printing project was an afterthought for me. I was mostly enjoying watching other people make their projects, taking photos, talking to Grace and looking at my lovely new Design*Sponge book.

I only printed a small portion of the fabric I brought along. I'm thinking that I might attempt block printing curtains for the Sprout's room. I'll let you know if that comes to fruition.

In the meantime, I am thoroughly enjoying the Design*Sponge book, and I think it would be a great Christmas gift for a friend or family member who has an eye for design and an interest in DIY.

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You can see "official" photos of the craft event and book signing over here, if you're curious.

Sunday Photos

2011-10-23T13:54:00.001-07:00

Happy things:
-Digging out all the fall clothes
-My beloved Frye boots, getting better every year
-Cider and pumpkin cake donuts. The taste of autumn.

***Portlanders, I just discovered that Staccato Gelato makes the BEST cake donuts on the weekends. The Ginger and Cardamon donuts are amazing! Dangerously delicious.

Not-a-Fashion-Blog Friday: My Body Gallery

2011-10-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

Although I would never claim to know a lot about fashion, I read a lot of fashion blogs and think about body image, apparel, and personal style on a daily basis. Occasionally on Fridays I highlight something "fashionable" that's caught my attention.

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My Body Gallery

In my conversations with other women, I know that almost all of us struggle with living comfortably in our own skin. We think we're too fat, too skinny, too curvy, too straight. And I'm always amused when one my beautiful women friends exclaims about how her boobs are too big, her butt is too flat or some other perceived figure flaw. Learning to love our bodies is a challenge when we're constantly deluged with "perfectly" shaped celebrities and models.

That's why I love My Body Gallery. Real women from all over upload their own photos so you can see what a woman who is 5'7" and 174 pounds looks like (just for example, not like I know anyone who is 5'7" and 174 pounds, of course!).

"In a world full of images of how we "should" look it can get difficult to tell how we DO look. Our hope is to build a site where women can see what real women look like. What we really look like. Most women have spent so many years looking at themselves in mirrors that we can no longer see what's really there. The My Body Gallery project's goal is to help women objectively see what we look like and come to some acceptance that we are all beautiful."

I think it's a fabulous project. And I hope other women around the country upload their images and view the gallery to see that women's bodies are incredibly diverse and all beautiful.

Made: End-Of-Summer Bag

2011-10-19T20:00:00.000-07:00


(image sources linked via Pinterest)

This summer I was loving some tote bags I saw on the internet that appeared to be made out of rag rugs. Now I'm far too cheap to buy something that I think I can DIY myself so I bought a small cotton rug at IKEA (remember this haul?) and built my own bag. Of course, by the time I made it, it was the end of summer and so it only got to go on one trip to the beach and a week or two of going to work with me before it got replaced by my cold weather tote bag (made by my MIL). But I imagine it will survive many future trips to the coast and the pool in the coming summers.

One IKEA cotton rug
Two yards cotton webbing
Denim scraps for binding and inner pocket

Now I'm inspired to try to replicate a bag like one of these for fall:

(once again, image sources linked via Pinterest)

Two and a Half!

2011-10-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Sprout,

At two and a half, you clearly have a mind of your own. There are so many things I want to remember about this inquisitive and charming stage of your life.

Words to describe you: Determined, Fierce, Persistent, a bit Reserved,
Favorite store: Trader Joe's
Favorite food: potstickers!, gnocchi!, and Papa Cookies! (Papa Cookies are Trader Joe's version of Oreos)
Favorite songs: ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Like a Dino in the Sky), Jesus Loves Me, Little Bird Fly through my Window, Three Little Birds ("don't borry, 'bout a ting, 'cause every little 'tings gonna be alwight"), and You Are My Sunshine (a perfectly Portland song)
Current Obsession: Dora and Deigo ("Guh-gay-go") You love yelling incomprehensible words in Spanglish at the television screen ("Abeeba!")
Best Friends: Tait and Renatah
Person you pretend to dislike: Papa "I no bike you, Papa! Go abay!" but then a few minutes later you will say "You are my favorite boy Papa in the whole world."
I'll miss: The "fronting" you do on so many words with a d or b sound replacing the initial consonant. It makes a conversation with you a verbal treasure hunt--guessing the meaning from context and intonation, not from the words. For example: "Mama, I taw a butter ball!" had me confused for many minutes until I realized we had passed a water feature that looked like a water fall.
Favorite book: We're Going on a Bear Hunt (you mostly know it by heart)
Bible verse: "I am with you always. Matthew 28:20" said or sang at the top of your voice (you learned it for CBS).
Greatest accomplishment: Potty Training. You are potty trained except for night time.
New favorite game: You just started playing a modified version of the "Memory" matching card game.
Favorite word: "Poopie", of course. You're two and a half.

I love you,

Your Mama

Rainy Day Photos

2011-10-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hello there,

If you're at all like me, I often find photography more akin to alchemy than a true science. All the lingo seems designed to confuse and the math is contradictory. Bigger numbers for aperture when there's a lot of light, bigger numbers for ISO when there is less light... Do you get my confusion here? Or am I all alone in this? Anyhow, I've tried dozens of times to master the illusive equation of aperture + shutter speed + ISO by reading manuals, talking to other photographers and surfing photography blogs on the internet. Somehow, it just never seems to stick for me.

My dear friend, Stacy, to the rescue! She saw a Groupon for a Chimpsy class and pursuaded me to sign up with her. Chimpsy hires professional photographers in larger cities to host "field trips". Basically we met up in the photographer's studio on a rainy Saturday. He talked us through some basics and made sure everyone knew how to find all the functions on their DSL cameras, and then he took us out on the town to take pictures.

Since it was a really rainy Portland day, we hung out under the Fremont bridge. I don't know that there's anything remarkable about any of these photos. But they are remarkable to me, because I shot them in FULL MANUAL SETTING or shutter priority. It's the first time I have felt like I had any understanding of how to make these work for me. I'm pretty doggone proud of myself, I gotta say.

And this time, I think the lesson is sticking! Woot!

Here's to good friends who egg us on to small personal accomplishments,

Deb

Bloggity Backlog: Labor Day Weekend

2011-10-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

I seem to have an extensive backlog of blogs written in my head. Unfortunately, the wireless device connecting my brain to Blogger has yet to be invented. And blogging from the iPad still seems wrought with problems. So it's likely the extended version of these posts will never be written. Instead, we'll just hit the highlights.

One of September's highlights: a long weekend at Manzanita with some of our favorite people in the world, Uncle Wil and Aunt Kathy.

We love the moody weather of the Oregon coast--both the bright sunshiny days and the grey, foggy days. We love tide pools and sand castles and our favorite bookstores and coffee shops in Manzanita. We love renting a house far nicer (and cleaner!) than our own. We love the crabcakes and fish tacos that the Wise and Bearded One makes with fresh dungeness crab and halibut. We love living less than two hours from the ocean.

Sunday Photos

2011-10-09T23:21:00.001-07:00

The Wise and Bearded One went mushrooming again. The Sprout and I went to church and had currant buns and egg sandwiches at Little T Bakery. And then we took naps. A perfect way to spend a rainy Sunday.

Hello October!

2011-10-02T23:39:00.000-07:00

Hello there!

It's been cool and overcast this week and really feeling like fall. Today the house has a pleasant earthy-sweet smell---the smell of the forest and the chanterelle mushrooms that the Wise and Bearded One collected on his tramp through the woods this weekend. A solitary hike in the woods is a way my introverted husband feeds his soul. Some chanterelles to feed our bellies are just an added bonus.

While he was on the mountain, the Sprout and I took a quick trip to the Oregon Zoo. We have a zoo membership, but we forget about it most of the time. The Sprout likes the Pacific Northwest area (brown bears, mountain goats, salmon streams, frogs and snakes) and the Farm animals. But apparently what made the greatest impression on her was the bottle of apple juice I let her drink at lunch. At least that's what she told her papa about when he got home.

I've missed blogging this last computer-less month. I've got a ton of pictures that I just uploaded to Flickr so I hope to catch up on a few posts this week.

Happy fall!

Deb

Test post

2011-09-26T22:07:00.001-07:00

My laptop tragically died three weeks ago. Sudden death.

My husband surprised me with a shiny new iPad. It is lovely for reading blogs but so far I have been frustrated with posting from it. Two attempts at this post have already disappeared into the ether.

If you have any experience with blogging from an iPad I would love some tips!

Happy to be back to my Internet addiction,
Deb

Read: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

2011-08-29T23:52:00.001-07:00

I love to read and I track the books I read over on Goodreads. Occasionally, a book is so good that I want to tell everyone about it. I've decided to share these books here on my blog.

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I rarely read non-fiction because I like to travel in my imagination through story, and non-fiction is often a bit...clunky, for lack of a better word. But this book came highly recommended from my reader friends, and I enjoyed it far more than I expected to.

This is really three stories--the story of Henrietta Lacks and her family, the story of the He-La cells, and the story of Rebecca Skloot winning the trust of the Lacks family so she could tell their story. The book was highly researched and populated by many characters so it could have been written in a disjointed and dispassionate style. However, the author's inclusion of her own interactions with the family and her engaging style really made the story come alive for me. I could imagine the fear that Henrietta must have felt as she succumbed to a particularly virulent cancer alone in Johns Hopkins. I could feel the distrust that lack of information, lack of education and blatant exploitation created in the lives of the Lacks children as they tried to understand their mother's death and the immortality of her cancer cells. I could join with Rebecca as she became more attached to the Lacks children and worried for their own health and well-being.

The book reminded me a bit of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down---the intersection, and often clash, between Western medicine and traditional cultures. Except in this case the Lacks were poor black Southern farmers. I recommend The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks if you have an interest in the history of science and medicine, the Civil Rights Era, or if you just like an intriguing true story once in a while to balance your consumption of fiction.

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If you love to read, how about joining me over on Goodreads so we can trade book recommendations? Or you can just comment below and tell me what you've been reading lately.

And THANKS to those of you who comment regularly. You give great feedback and keep me wanting to write this blog. I've recently added Disqus to the comments section that will hopefully allow us to have better discussions in the comments. Come check it out!

Light, Bright Living Room, Part 3

2011-08-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

In the last two posts I recounted how, overwhelmed by the plethora of children's toys and adult clutter, I felt compelled to repaint my living room. Fortunately, the Sprout was at the Super Sitter's house for a couple of days in a row. That gave me some blessed time to clear the room, do the prep work, and slather on the paint. Since there are only about eighteen kazillion shades of white, it took me forever to chose a paint color. I stared at little color samples for hours on end. I wanted a bright white but with a hint of warmth to it. Finally, I said "eeny, meeny, miney, mo" and settled on Vanilla Ice Cream (Mayonnaise and Sugar Cookie were close contenders for those of you paint junkies and/or food-names-for-paint junkies).

I've used several different (cheaper) brands in the past, but this time I used Benjamin Moore. I appreciate the staff's knowledge and the customer service at my local Ben Moore store, and I believe they take environmental concerns seriously. I used one of their zero-VOC (including colorants) lines, I think it was the Eco-Spec line. I also painted all the trim a bright white paint that I already had on hand. I was a little disappointed that the walls took three full coats to get the even, light white I was going for.

Of course, re-painting a room means you need to re-style it too, right? So I took a quick trip to IKEA to pick up some photo frames and, um, yeah.... I came home with this pile. I couldn't resist those bold, geometric-print pillows! (Apparently, I couldn't resist a whole lot of other stuff either). I also cleared the mantel, switched out a chair and a rug, and washed the curtains.

Viola! A whole new feel. Here's what the room looks like now. Note the Sprout's "parking lot" for all wheeled vehicles by the front door.

There are still a few tweaks to go. I've got some plans for that mirror over the mantel. And that brass fireplace surround has GOT to go. Someday. Also I'm considering adding some shots of red or green (pillows, art, etc.) to liven it up. But I don't want to undo the bit of tranquility I've brought to this half of the living room.

"Half of the living room?!" you say. Why, yes. Yes, there is another half that is still a work in progress. Perhaps it will get a furniture re-hab and be presentable for blog pictures in the next few weeks. Perhaps. For now I will just enjoy this calm space in a house inhabited by three adults, two two-year-old, and two large dogs. Hey, you take what you can get!

Sources:
Mirror and pillows: IKEA
Couch: Don't remember it's so old, we've had it for at least 10 years. It was our first "adult" furniture purchase.
Chairs, tables and table lamp: Craigslist
Mini-rocking chair: a delightful gift handmade by our friend Michael for the Sprout
Wool Rug: West Elm, moved from a bedroom

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Thoughts? Compliments? Constructive criticism? Bring it on. I'm eagerly awaiting your comments.

Light, Bright Living Room, Part 2

2011-08-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

As promised in yesterday's post, here is the "before" photo:

Christmas 2010

Or a more accurate "before" picture might be these taken on a laundry day in June:

Yeah, it really does get that bad around here sometimes!

What you can't see in these photos is the part of the previous paint job that was driving me the most insane! In a misguided belief that we would one day install crown molding, we never painted the gold color up to the top of the wall. This left about two inches of jagged white primer showing. It was driving me loco! That and the laundry and the kids' toys everywhere and the oversize Weimaraner underfoot. Loco enough to clear the room out and repaint the walls.

During:

Come back tomorrow for photos of the completed project. Or, the as-completed-as-it-is-going-to-get-now-that-school-is-starting-up-again project.

Light, Bright Living Room, Part 1

2011-08-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Waaaayyyy back in October, I posted about wanting to re-work our living room. I said, "Our living room is a long, bowling-alley of a space. It's been a design challenge since we first moved in. Most of the time we have furniture clustered in one end and the other end is basically unused. In the six years we've lived here the space has evolved, but it is still lacking in some specific needs: lighting, toy storage, landing strip/coat hanging, and seating." Over the winter, we added some toy storage and coat hanging, but we didn't get any further. Nearly one year later, we still have most of these needs.

In the Great Grey that is Portland winter/spring/early summer I especially yearned for greater lighting and brightness in this space. I collected even more inspiration images, because I want to do it right this time (version 2.0). It soon became clear that white walls were a requirement for the the clean Scandinavian-influenced style that I'm drawn too.

The nice thing about being really, really slow to make changes around here, is that by the time I get to them, I am really, really sure about what I want to do. And what I wanted to do was paint our gold living room walls back to white. I mean "wanted", as in "I don't really want to go through all the torture of prepping and painting, but I'm too cheap to pay someone else for what I can do on my own."

And so, the other week my painting project commenced. Come back tomorrow for "before" and "during" pictures.

Sisters, Oregon

2011-08-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

I love living in Oregon. This past weekend we took a mini-vacation to Sisters. Nestled in the Cascade range, this faux-cowboy town doesn't have a whole lot going for it as a town, but the view (The View!) and the easy access to the pleasures of the back country make it a fabulous place to vacation.

We did a little hiking, some fish feeding and some photo taking. We celebrated my 38th birthday by going out to dinner one night. But mostly we took it easy, sleeping in each day and spending afternoon nap time at the cottage we'd rented from a friend. Oh, and we worked on potty training. The ice cream cones, they were a reward for...um...doing the business that needs to be done where it needs to be done.

Feeding the fish at Wizard Falls Hatchery on the Metolius River

Proxy Falls, on the rainy side of the mountains

The freakish landscape of the Belknap lava fields

Sunset over South Sister, Middle Sister, North Sister and my two most beloved people.

Gwyneth's Homemade Veggie Burgers

2011-08-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last summer I was on the quest to find the perfect veggie burger. I tried several different recipes and never got to one that I truly liked. And then, voila! Gwynnie saves the day! These black bean burgers are made with ingredients I usually have around the house and they have enough spice to make them interesting. I like them with sour cream and salsa.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp course salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 14 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp safflower oil (I substituted olive oil)
4 sprouted grain or whole wheat burger buns

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-low heat. Saute the onion, garlic and cumin together unitl softened and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, beans, and rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the cilantro and mash the mixture with a potato masher just to combine and get some cohesion--you want the burgers to have some texture.

Let the mixture cool until it's easy to handle. Form the mixture into 4 patties. At this point, you can set the burgers in the fridge for a few hours. Dust on both sides with flour. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the burgers on both sides, about a minute on each side. Serve them on grilled buns with all your favorite fixings.

(From My Father's Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow, page 100)

Happy Summer Eating!

Cooking with Gwynnie

2011-08-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am not much of a cook, I'll admit it. My husband does a lot of the cooking in our household because he takes pleasure in cooking. I take pleasure in eating. And thinking about cooking.

I really like reading cookbooks. When I heard Gwyneth Paltrow out promoting her new cookbook a couple of months ago, I knew I wanted to check it out. I've been a fan of Gwyneth ever since watching Spain: On the Road Again which she filmed with Mario Battali and Mark Bittman as they ate their way across Spain. When I saw her lunge into a perfect churro, I thought, "There's a girl who loves to eat!"

The cookbook is a mix of simple, accessible recipes with a few Big Deal recipes that would take a lot of work. Although Gwynnie doesn't eat red meat, she includes a recipe for beef brisket just because it is her family's traditional meal. She often includes "healthier" alternatives for ingredients (example: substituting spelt flour for all-purpose) and several recipes have a standard and a "healthier" variation. As a mother trying to reduce the sugar in our diet and still have meals that are attractive for children, I appreciate the attempt to keep it healthy.

So far we've made:
-Homemade Veggie Burgers (great)
-Vietnamese Prawn Sandwiches (good)
-Fish Tacos (superb! I will never be able to eat these in a restaurant again now that I know we can make them better at home)
-Blythe's Blueberry Muffins (mediocre...but I'm picky about muffins)

The personal anecdotes interwoven with the recipes draw me into the book, and the photography and styling is simply beautiful. Brief fantasies of dressing in only white linen float through my head... And then I remember that I live with toddlers and dogs and dirt. Sigh.

Gwynnie writes an enjoyable read of a cookbook. I recommend it if you're a cookbook-reading geek like me.

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What's been inspiring your cooking and eating lately? Are you put off by celebrity cookbooks or do you secretly find them fascinating?

It's been a little quiet in the comments section lately, so I'd love it if you'd pop in and say hi. And if your blogger profile allows me to, I'll even reply right back.

We Be Jammin'

2011-08-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of years as we've been landscaping our property, we've slowly incorporated edible plants. We have a fig tree, blueberry bushes, rhubarb, asparagus and strawberry plants alongside ornamental grasses and native perennials. But my husband's favorites are the two black current bushes in the side garden.

The other day he harvested the berries, macerated them overnight with sugar, and then cooked down a batch of black currant jam. He used this recipe.

He has several avid fans (including me).

"You mean you made all that jelly and you didn't save any for me?!"

Now that's better! (However, Abraham remains sorely disappointed.)

The Never-Ending Summer List

2011-08-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

These words from Melissa at All Buttoned Up resonated with me today.

"I like to work hard and I do not like to hear myself complaining. These days, though, I'm tired and have very little to show for it. You know-- no big things are getting knocked off the list. In fact, I think the list is lost. I have never been a mother bustling with energy or boundless optimism-- I was never that person! But, I often forget that parenting young children is a stage and that it will pass. I might not get any less tired, but I'm certainly going to stop worrying that somebody is peeing where they shouldn't or where that weird smell is coming from (unrelated) or why they want to scratch each others eyes out over using that one, specific spoon. Right? Right. I have a great life. I have been taking great comfort in being absolutely sure on several points: I am not alone. Parenting is hard and nobody has ever said otherwise (and if they have, then they either suck at it or have never done it). So get over myself already. My children are healthy and generally happy and want for nothing.This world is full of dark and danger and I have the great and undeserved privilege of raising my children away from most of it."

As I've mentioned before on this blog, I have an on-going list in my head of All The Projects I Will Do This Summer. I work for a school district so I have summers off, but when I look at the calendar I see the weeks of summer rapidly running out. We're down to about 3 weeks. That's not a lot. Not nearly long enough for my to-do list. I often feel like I'm not even making a dent into all of the things I wanted to accomplish. And, like Melissa, I'm tired at the end of every day.

This year instead of documenting my to-do list, I think I'm going to record what actually Gets Done. Maybe I will never get to sewing or decorating or painting, but I am doing a lot of important stuff. Here's what's been done so far:

-One very dirty car washed and detailed
-One very dirty kitchen cleaned--cupboards wiped down, floor mopped, some reorganization
-One toddler's potty training is about 75% complete
-Three overgrown shrubs on front of house pruned back
-Five garden beds are producing and look great. Wups, I just looked again--it needs to be tended to.
-Many strawberries and blueberries picked and frozen.
-Three afternoons spent in the backyard with the Sprout in the sun and wading pool. Yay, sunshine in Portland!
-Two story hours at the library.
-Four playdates with friends.
-One date with the Wise and Bearded One to the Werner Herzog movie about the caves.

I'm trying not to pay attention to the slightly-panicked voice in my head that summer is flying by. I'm trying not to focus on all the things I should be doing.

I'm raising a beautiful, strong-willed, fierce girl-child. I'm going at her speed. I'm remembering to play and to give thanks for this privileged life.

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Here's a question for other mamas out there: There are still some things I'd really like to get done this summer. How do you DO when there are little ones around? Any tips?

Sunday Photos

2011-07-31T17:04:00.001-07:00

My daughter could choose a board book or a little toy for her prize in the library's summer reading program. OR she could get a coupon for a cupcake. She chose a Saint Cupcake coupon with glee. That's my girl!

Saint Cupcake shares a space with Noun: A Person's Place for Things, arguably the best named shop in Oregon.

Happy Sunday!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Summer Vacation Photos, Part 5 (and last)

2011-07-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Wise and Bearded One and I had wanted to see the Canyon de Chelly cliff dwellings so we talked the whole doggone family into trekking down into that canyon with us. It was an adventure. Not so much because of the cliff dwellings, but due to the HOT hike and hauling 3 toddlers in backpacks and keeping track of a passel of kids in a somewhat treacherous landscape. I think we were all glad we did the hike but even more glad when we were finished. Although not a fan of McDonald's, I have never cherished a McDonald's burger and fries so much in my entire life as I did the meal immediately after our hike. Every calorie was welcomed by my weary body.

After a week in the heat of Arizona, which included sleeping on an air mattress on the hard church floor and a severe allergy attack for me, we were happy to head back to our cool green Portland. But I am so glad we had such good family time. And I am so glad the Sprout got to know all of her uncles and aunts and cousins. And, last but INFINITELY not least, I am so glad I got my dose of vitamin D that is in short supply this year in Oregon. Thank you, Arizona sunshine, for that!

Summer Vacation Photos, Part 4

2011-07-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

After a couple of days in the heat and the swimming pools of the Phoenix area, we loaded up the vans (we had two minivans and a Suburban full of members of the Wise and Bearded One's family) and headed north. One of his brothers and his family live on an old Mennonite mission on Third Mesa of the Hopi Reservation north of Flagstaff. We try to respect the Hopi request that no photos be taken of Hopi villages or people so there are mostly pictures of family members.

Unphotographed, but not forgotten, was a fascinating tour of the historic Walpi village on First Mesa, seeing golden eagles and hawks being raised for ceremonial purposes, and trekking down into the incredible terraced gardens behind Hotevilla. I am impressed by the Hopi who have sustained a culture and a livelihood for thousands of years in what my Oregon eyes see only as arid desert.

A Hopi man (who gave consent to be photographed) gave the guys a tour of his land including this cliff with pictographs on them. So cool!

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More vacation photos exist on Flickr for our friends and family.

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Post Script: apparently flickr hates me and is somehow making some pictures unavailable even though I linked them all to the post in exactly the same way...I'm attempting a fix.

Now That's Pinteresting

2011-07-27T22:32:00.000-07:00

There are a few more vacation photos yet to come, but in the meantime let me tell you what I've been obsessing about lately--Pinterest! And obsessing may be too mild of a word for my addiction.

For several years I've kept file folders on my hard drive of inspiring images from the internet, so when I first heard about Pinterest, I was reluctant to switch over to a different system. However, there have been several times when I wanted to find an image's source and I just couldn't in my old system.

Enter, Pinterest. Pinterest, in the rare case that you haven't heard about it, is a virtual bulletin board where you can "pin" all sorts of images. I am ridiculously in love with it. Mostly I'm collecting ideas for remodeling or restyling places around our house. You can find me over at http://pinterest.com/beesnestdeb/ if you're interested.

I'm sure I'll be using Pinterest images for future blogposts but let me tack on two photos from my latest most favoritist kitchen since a picture-less post is like a hairless cat. Just wrong, all wrong.

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Both photos from Amie Weitzman's house via Design Sponge

Summer Vacation Photos, Part 3

2011-07-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to uploading the rest of our vacation photos to Flickr so now I can put a few on the blog.

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When we arrived in Arizona it was a blistering 116 degrees so we spent a lot of time in the pool at the hotel and then at the home of friends in Black Canyon City. The Sprout was terrified of water last summer so I was wondering how she would react this year. Never fear, she started out a bit cautiously but by the end of a couple of days of watching her cousins play in the pool and experimenting a bit herself, she was willing to be towed into the deep end and learning how to blow bubbles in the water. I hope to get her into the pool at Mt. Scott Community Center some yet this summer and fall so we can continue to build on her beginning swimming skills. I didn't learn to swim until well into my teen-age years and I'd like her to be a much earlier and more confident swimmer.

The Sprout and I

The Sprout and her Papa

A bunch of cousins spent every waking minute in the pool. Even little cousin Checky got in on the action.

This shot gives you an idea of the great pool and view from the house where we stayed in Black Canyon City.

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Many more photos from our travels are here on Flickr. I seem to be having some issues with Flickr right now. Let me know if you'd like to see the photos and can't figure out how to view them.

Sunday Photos

2011-07-24T18:14:00.001-07:00

Well, this first photo is actually a Saturday night photo as my friend Tristan's bachelorette party was yesterday. A tribute to her excellent taste (and probably why I like her so much) is that her ideal bachelorette party included berry picking during the day and a delicious dinner at Gruner in the evening.

Of course all those blueberries we picked have to be dealt with. Since I am a lazy preserver, most of these will be laid out on cookie sheets in the freezer before they get tossed into bags for future muffins and smoothies. We also made some blueberry pancakes this morning before we headed out to the Farmer's Market and church.

If you scroll down to the miserable photos from last Sunday, you can see what a difference a week has made. This weekend has been spectacular--sunny and in the 80s. For this, we are grateful.

Happy Sunday!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Three Generations of Friends

2011-07-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

One of the true delights of visiting Indiana is that often my dearest childhood friend, Amy, manages to arrange a simultaneous trip to our hometown so that we can spend a day together.

This is Amy's mom, Joy, and my mom, Rose. They've been friends since they were in college.

This is Amy and this is me. We met when we were in elementary school. We have been friends ever since.

This is the Sprout and Amy's daughter, Little A. They met when they were babies. Now they are two and three. We plan on them being friends too.

Little Farm Girl (Or--Summer Vacation Photos, Part 2)

2011-07-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Sprout was a champ when it came to travelling. She really likes flying on "hairplanes" and thought the "hairports" were pretty great too. But her biggest thrill in Indiana is seeing all the farm animals. My parents live out in the country and every drive involves passing farms with cows and sheep and horses. One day, we stopped by my Uncle Dave's farm and the Sprout had a chance to sit on a tractor. My brother points out that it's practically obligatory to take the portrait of each child in our family on a John Deere. I think similar photos exist of each of my siblings and me on John Deere's when we were kids.

Precious Summer (Or-- Summer Vacation Photos, part 1)

2011-07-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hello there. Is this thing on? It seems like it's been forever since I posted anything of substance. Sorry 'bout that. It's been a little busy around here. After we wrapped up the school year, the Sprout and I travelled to Indiana to spend time with family and friends. Then we flew to Arizona where we met the Wise and Bearded One and spent a week with his family on the lovely mesas north of Flagstaff.

We've been home for about a week now. You'd think that I would have gotten around to blogging by now. It's not for a lack of things to say, and there are pictures just waiting for their debuts. But returning home from vacation has its own challenges. First there are the multiple loads of vacation laundry to be done. Then the garden, which appears to have been stealthily taking growth hormones while we were gone, needed to be weeded and harvested. And the shrubs around the house, how did they get so big and ungainly? Our house looked vaguely neglected. So that had to be attended to before blogging.

Then there's the Summer List....an ever-expanding unwritten list of All The Things I Will Do This Summer that I have been formulating in my head for the last several months. Sometimes I'm simply paralyzed by all the possible ways I could spend the few short weeks between now and late August. (And I went to Target the other day and the Back-to-School section was already installed and I had a momentary panic as I felt my summer had just begun!)

So, while I try to figure out what's what around here, I'll post some photos of our time in Indiana. It was precious time for the Sprout to love and be loved on by her grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. It was also precious time for me as I got to sleep in a few days and meet up with friends for coffee all by myself, since there were some grandparents around eager to entertain the Sprout. Here are some of our precious family members.

My parents and their five grandchildren....who would not cooperate for a picture.

My mom, my grandmother and my daughter. Precious.

Sunday Photos

2011-07-17T12:21:00.001-07:00

Oregonians do it in the rain.

We're delighted that a new Sunday Farmer's Market just opened a few blocks from our house. A little rain couldn't keep us from our organic veggies, artisanal cheeses and pedal-powered music. Yes, that's right, the sound system is powered by volunteers pedaling away on stationary bikes. Oregon. Dirt-lovin' hippies, I love you.

Unfortunately, my Hipstamatic got accidentally switched to black and white. I'm not sure you can tell the extent to which I am drenched.

Happy Sunday! Rest, play, pray.

Indiana

2011-06-27T11:51:00.001-07:00

Hi there, faithful readers. Although this supposedly an art/craft blog, it is still quiet on that front as the Sprout and I are spending a week with our family in the Midwest. Blue sky. Fun with cousins and aunts and uncles. Visits to the farm to cows and kitties and tractors. That's what we're doing.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Catching Up + Random Links

2011-06-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Yikes! I didn't intend to let the blog go silent for more than two weeks, but the last two weeks of the school year really kicked my tail. I had little energy or enthusiasm left for creativity. But I made it through and finished strong. And now it is SUMMER!

Or is it? Portland can't seem to make up it's mind. We continue to have grey cool days with only intermittent sunshine to tease us and give us hope. The Sprout and I are heading back to the Midwest next week and then to Arizona for some family time. I'm quite sure that between Indiana and Arizona we will get our quota of sunshine and heat.

Since I don't have much original creativity of my own to share right now, I'll share a few links I've been loving lately:

--Stuart Ian Frost, sculptor and environmental artist, manipulates found organic objects in unusual and compelling ways. Some installations are site-specific (alla Andy Goldsworthy), others are museum pieces. "Iris", shown over here on the left, is made of seagull feathers. I geek out over people who have the eyes to see the potential of what I probably would have thought of as trash. Seagull feathers, really?!

--Under the Cottonwood is a design and lifestyle blog by Susan Hazel. She has a great eye for fresh clean style and does a nice job of blending high-end items with more economical options. I'm looking to update my summer wardrobe (if summer ever comes) and I've been browsing Susan's site for inspiration.

--Josh Garrels, a fellow Indiana-to-Oregon transplant, just released his latest album, Love and War and the Sea in Between. He has a gentle folk singer-songwriter sound layered with lots of harmonies, talented instrumentalists and bits of electronica and hip-hop that pop in now and then as a pleasant surprise. His lyrics are riddled with literary and Biblical imagery. I especially like the third track, "Farther Along", as I've always loved the gospel number it is based upon. And best of all he is giving his new album away FOR FREE. You can download it here.

What's been inspiring you lately? Have you seen or heard something lately that made you smile? Please share!
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Last minute addition: Did you know you could win a trip to Paris on Oh Happy Day? Click here: http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris/

Father's Day

2011-06-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

I am blessed to be well-fathered. My dad has been a steady, supporting presence in my life as long as I can remember. He intentionally worked to make sure my siblings and I knew we were loved. And we did.

And my daughter is well-fathered too. I always knew the Wise and Bearded One would be a good father because I saw the affection he had for his nieces and nephews. But he has far surpassed my expectations these past two years with the Sprout. He delights in her and she delights in him. No one else can make her laugh as deeply (and nearly-hysterically) as he does. He has given of himself and of his time in remarkable ways.

All I can say is thank you.

Inspiring: Kelly Neidig

2011-05-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

I've been really drawn to landscapes recently. Abstracted landscape paintings to be specific. I think there's always a part of me that sees a quilt in every view. My housemate recently went to a show at the Guardino gallery on NE Alberta here in Portland. When she came back she said, "Deb, you're going to love Kelly Neidig." She's right.

Kelly Neidig trained as a landscape architect before pursuing art. She states:

"The fundamental influence on my art comes from my education in Landscape Architecture. I learned how to create three-dimensional space and how to represent that on a two-dimensional surface. My abstract landscape paintings also stem from an interest in urban sprawl and it’s consumption of forests and farmlands. I have lived most of my life in urban neighborhoods so many of my experiences of the places where suburban meets rural come from glimpses I catch passing by on the highway. ...Brightly colored stripes represent details of the landscape that vanish to the horizon and are juxtaposed against unmoving skies. The colors become an element that creates a feeling of nostalgia for place. The overall effect is a view of the land as seen from traveling in an automobile at high speeds."

I love these paintings. I see them as inspiration for future quilts (?!). And pieces to save my pennies for.

Images provided by the artist. These paintings were inspired by a month-long trip Kelly took to Iceland in February.

1. Vik, 18x18", oil on canvas, $648
2. Sheep Crossing, 24x24", oil on canvas, $864
www.kellyneidig.com

A Little Breathing Space

2011-05-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

It might be a little quiet here on my blog for a couple of weeks. I work for the director of special education in a nearby school district and the last few weeks of school are chock full of IEP meetings, wrapping up items from this year, and trying to plan ahead for the fall. I don't even realize how busy I am until about 8:00 in the evening when the Sprout is in bed, and I have time to make something or blog about making something. That's when I realize that I am absolutely exhausted.

It's a good time to take a deep breath and remember some of my favorite bits of nature found in the Columbia River Gorge:
--water falling (duh)
--basalt rock columns
--trees covered in fuzzy mosses
--maidenhair ferns with their purple-black spines
--the thousands of shades of misty, mossy greens

I love this place!

Hiking in the Gorge

2011-05-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

Sunshine and blue skies are a welcome sight after months of grey and rain. Portlanders know how to exploit every minute of spring sunshine gobbling it up like a kid with a tray of warm chocolate chip cookies. We're afraid that if we look away even for a moment, the sun will disappear and we'll be back to the blah.

Last Saturday we decided it was time to get out into the Gorge and see how the Sprout will react as a hiker this year. We chose a short one-mile trail for starters, into Wahclella Falls and back. The Sprout has been a pretty good sport about walks around town--to the Library, the Taco Cart, and the grocery store--so we thought she would hike a portion of it on her own and then we were prepared to take turns carrying her the rest of the way. Since it was such a short hike we didn't bother with digging out the backpack for her to ride in. And, frankly, I'm not sure she'll tolerate riding in it much this year. One of her favorite phrases right now is "Me do it!"

And "Me do it!" she did. She hiked over 75% of the two-mile trip, including some elevation gain. I'll admit that my heart was in my throat at various points as she walked on the narrow trail hugging the side of a cliff. The Wise and Bearded One tried to stay between her and the drop off so she was always safe, but it was still a tiny bit scary. She did ask for a few piggyback rides but within 5 minutes or so she was ready to walk again.

She was less excited by the falls --"It bet (wet))!" "It bindy (windy)" were her complaints--than she was by the many sticks and rocks to be found on the trail and hucked into the nearby creek. She got lots of praise for being a good hiker and for going forward (instead of turning around and backtracking as she is prone to do). The last quarter mile back to the parking lot is a long wide flat trail. She was full of joy and still had vim and vigor left. She would crouch down and say "Ready! Set! Go!" and take off and run a few feet. Laugh with glee and repeat.

All in all, it was a lovely little hike and hopefully a precursor of many hikes to come this summer.

Some of these photos are thanks to the Wise and Bearded One (and can we say Handsome One, too!?). More photos exist over on Flickr if these aren't enough for you (Hi, Mom!).

Re-Post: Obsession with Quilts #4

2011-05-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

I posted earlier about the little crib quilt that I pieced for my baby sister when I was 8 years old. My mom read the post, and last week an unmarked package arrived in the mail with this inside. (Thanks, Mom!)

Although I probably wouldn't pick mint green and pale pink as my favorite colors today, I do still think the prints are sweet and appropriate for a baby girl. The quilt's held up remarkably well. It is (clears throat) 25 years old and still feels soft and snuggly. Sis, I made it all for you :)

I wonder if other people have a "first project" that they can think back to--a first photo taken, a drawing, a cake decorated, a story written.

What was your "first project" and how did it turn out?

Re-Post: Obsession with Quilts #3

2011-05-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

While I'm on a roll recording my obsession with quilts, I'd be remiss if I didn't spend a little time talking about my great-grandmother, Ida Ramer.

Most people don't have the priviledge of knowing their great-grandparents well, but I'm one of the lucky ones. When I was small, my parents and I lived in a mobile home on my Great-Gramma's property. She was already old--white haired and stoop-shouldered in her 80s. But she vigorously tended a vegetable garden and allowed old-time flowers like bachelor's buttons, "pinks" and hollyhocks to grow around its edges. She no longer had any farm animals except for a couple of mangy old cats to whom she fed milk and table scraps. She had an old, unsafe ringer washing machine in her basement and would wash her clothes and hang them on the line to dry.

In the winter, she'd close off the "parlor" of her house (I don't think she ever called it a parlor, but I imagine it that way) and would retreat to the half of the house she kept heated. She always had cookies in the cookie jar for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My favorite were the soft, sweet molasses cookies. In the evenings she sat in her rocking chair and sang old gospel songs with her grands. I remember she loved "The Old Rugged Cross". And during the days, she pieced and quilted.

Yes, she made quilts. Many quilts. Each of her grandchildren received a quilt when they got married (or when she gave up on them ever getting married and just gave them the quilt anyway). She also made quilts for the Relief Sale. One year, my grandpa went to the quilt auction and bought a quilt--one that Great-Grandma Ramer had made. I think my grandma thought this was a little ridiculous--to buy a quilt when Great-Grandma surely would have made one for him for free if he had asked. But my grandpa has a big heart and he wanted to make a donation to the Relief Sale. I think he also knew that my great-grandmother's quilting days were coming to an end. He gave the quilt to my mother.

And, yes, her quilting days did come to an end. She lived on into her 100s but her eyes began to fail her and she could no longer do the intricate work a quilt requires. But we have that quilt, the one she made and sold for charity and that my grandpa's big heart bought and gave away to his only daughter. And that is our treasure and our treasured memory.

Quilts remind us of those who have gone before.

P.S. The photo from the top is my first attempt at piecing something myself. I had a bunch of scraps left over from the bags I made at Christmas time so I just started to sew them together. They actually ended up looking more "planned" than they were.

Re-Post: Obsession with Quilts #2

2011-05-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Growing up Mennonite in northern Indiana means that the "Relief Sale" is the highlight of each autumn. Some people dream all year long about the delicious apple dumplings, pulled pork sandwiches, headcheese & mush, haystacks, homemade applebutter, monster cookies, pluma moos, funnel cakes, peppernuts, half-moon pies, and other ethnically Amish-Mennonite food ("eat for the hungry" is the unofficial motto). Some people train for the Race for Relief. Still others volunteer their time and their talents to make this festival work so all of proceeds can go to relieve hunger and poverty around the world.

But for me, the greatest draw of the Relief Sale was always the Quilt Auction. Usually my parents were volunteering at one of the booths, and I would take off to find Grandma. I'd stand at the entrance to the auction barn and scan the backs of the heads until I'd find the head that was my grandma. Then I would have to figure out how to navigate a route through the 1,300 chairs set up for the quilt auction to get to her.

Grandma would have already been there for hours. She would have the Book with her--the one that describes each quilt: it's name, size, who quilted it and who donated it. In the margins Gram would have neatly written in the amount that each quilt had sold for. Sometimes Gram would let me take over the Book for a while so she could go to the restroom or the concessions stand. But mostly, we just sat there together and commented on each quilt. What designs and patterns appealed to us. Which color combinations were the most successful. What we thought the quilt should sell for.

Even as a college student and a young adult I would try to come home on Relief Sale weekend to watch the quilt auction with Grandma. Now I live too far away and each fall I miss it. I suppose I could go the west coast Relief Sale. I think they have one in Albany. But it just wouldn't be the same without my Grandma beside me.

Quilts are pieces of art to be enjoyed with those you love.

Re-Post: Obsession with Quilts #1

2011-05-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

I joined the Portland Modern Quilt Guild this month! To celebrate I am re-posting a series of posts about how I came to my love of quilts. If you are a long-time reader of this blog (hi, mom and mom-in-law) you have my permission to skip these posts.

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Originally posted 8 February 2007:

I come from a large Mennonite family. My great-grandmother was a quilter. My great-aunts were quilters and one even owned a quilt shop. My grandmothers are quilters. Several of my aunts are quilters--some for pleasure, some for profit. My mom has pieced a few quilts to sell at the Christian school's fundraising auctions. Quilts are in my blood.

Some of my fondest childhood memories involve quilts and the act of quilting. I have a distinct memory of a sunny winter afternoon spent under the quilting frame at my great-aunt Grace's house. I lay on my back and admired the dappled patterns of light and color seen through each different block. I watched the needles of the women seated around the quilt frame flash in and out of the bottom of the quilt. The less confident ones kept their left hands under the quilt guiding the needle and thread. The hum of women exchanging small talk, gossip and family stories swirled around me. It's a gentle memory.

Even as a young child I can remember being allowed to stitch a few inches into a quilt. I'm sure that a more experienced quilter came along later and removed my scraggly stitches, but I felt like I was an active participant in their craft. When I was eight years old, my mom was pregnant with my little sister. Mom and grandma encouraged me to make a crib blanket for my sister. I remember it as being pale greens and pinks but my memory of the actual blanket is hazy. I am pretty sure that it was my first real project completed on a sewing machine and I remember helping my mom and grandma knot the blanket together in my grandma's kitchen. I wonder if that little old crib blanket still exists somewhere in my mom's closets?

Quilts are a practical objects made with those you love.

Inspiring: Renee Hartig

2011-05-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

I posted this earlier this week, but apparently when Blogger had it's giant "hiccup" this week the post was deleted. So here it comes again. Apologies to anyone who's reading this a second time in their reader.

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We managed to make it to the Super Colossal Crafty Wonderland sale on Saturday at the Lloyd Center. We didn't get there until near the end of the day and the Sprout is clearly NOT a fan of overwhelmingly large venues. She immediately started saying "Go 'ome!" So I didn't get to linger and soak in all the creativity the way I prefer. Instead it was a lightning quick trot through the aisles saying hi to a few of our artist friends.

But Renee Lynn Hartig's paintings brought us to a halt. All three of us. The Wise and Bearded One liked the strong lines and colors. The Sprout liked the choo choo trains and the puppy dogs. And I love the Burnt Sienna base painting that peeks through these landscapes. They somehow cross that representational/abstract divide for me. We bought a pair of abstracted landscape oils on paper that I can't wait to frame and hang in our house.

Perhaps Renee's work appeals to us because, like us, she has strong midwestern roots--completing most of her education in Michigan before moving to the Pacific Northwest. Perhaps it's that she explores the intersection of man-made vs. nature that I am continually drawn to. Perhaps its the way her brushstrokes remind me of some Impressionist...I'm not sure who...Cezanne perhaps? Art History, why did I not take you more seriously when I was in college!?

Regardless, beautiful inspiring images abound on Renee's blog here. I can see some serious quilt inspiration in the colors. Stop by her blog and say hi (and tell her that I sent you).

All images used with permission from the artist.

Mother's Day Thoughts

2011-05-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

My two-year-old woke me up this morning singing happily as she came up the stairs carrying a gift bag from her papa for me. She couldn't quite remember how to say the "Happy Mother's Day" she had practiced so she told me emphatically to have a "Happy Day." I did.

I treasured this day. After several weeks of feeling...ughh...both physically and emotionally, I feel like I'm on the mend. We went for a walk on the esplanade together and watched boats on the river. We went to Powell's City of Books. We snuggled up together on the couch and read. She said, "I wub you, mama" when she went to bed.

I am learning to treasure these moments of motherhood. They are passing by so quickly. I must remember to mark these days. To feel that wash of unconditional love. To note that this is sacred.

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Here's a four generation photo of me when I was about one and another (below) of the Sprout when she was a baby. When I see these pictures I am reminded that my mother was so young when she had me (more than 10 years younger than I was when I had the Sprout). I am fortunate to have had a loving mother and grandmother and great-grandmother. Although my mom and I have very different personalities and have knocked heads through the years, I have never doubted that she loved me unconditionally. The more I work with kids raised in dysfunctional, emotionally-harmful homes, the more I value the way I was raised---firmly, gently, pushing me forward, yet protecting me. The unconditional love of my mother and the mothers before her is a sacred gift.

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I'm also thinking of women I carry close to my heart who are grieving today. The friend whose mother died this year. The friend whose baby died in childbirth. The multiple friends who have had miscarriages. The women I know who long to be mothers but struggle with infertility or simply can't find a partner who shares their longing.

Especially, I am thinking of my Aunt Esther who will bury her young daughter-in-law who died this week from liver cancer. I am imagining how she, with her own heart breaking, will steady her son Tim as he walks through tomorrow's funeral ceremony. How she, who lost another son in a tragic accident 20 years ago, can see the long dark days of grief ahead for Tim. How she is steeling herself to be strong for him, to comfort him, to walk beside him as he has to make a life for himself entirely different from his dreams and plans with his bride.

And yet I know that she will do it. She will grieve and she will put on fake brave smiles and she will love Tim unconditionally. And that is motherhood and that is sacred.

Sunday Photos

2011-05-02T20:41:00.001-07:00

We took a quick trip to Seattle Saturday and Sunday. Basically I needed to get out of town for a day, clear my head, unwind. We got to spend a little time with some friends and got a little sunshine.

My favorite moment occurred after we got home. The Sprout had seen her little friends with "blow flowers" (dandelions) but she couldn't quite figure out the technique herself. So the Wise and Bearded One knelt down in the weeds with her and blew with her. She was delighted.

I love these two. (Yes, that means you too, Wise and Bearded One. Even when you're in a funk.)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

- Photos taken with my iPhone and edited with Instagram

Got 'em!

2011-04-28T22:25:00.001-07:00

IMG_9767_edited-1, a photo by ndmiller on Flickr.

I made it to Joann's this weekend and scored my $1.99 Simplicity patterns. You'd think that 4 patterns at $1.99 would lead to a roughly $8.00 tab at the check-out. Not so. Not so. Because I had to check out the Lisette fabrics too and of course the D. S. Quilts fabrics. Even with my 40% off coupon my tab was....well, let's just say a lot more than $8.00.

It's tough week over here. As everyone knows by now, funding for education is in huge crisis. This week it's hitting the teachers in my district particularly hard as we prepare to close a school for next year and two more schools the following year. While my own job appears to be safe for the time being, I am surrounded by teachers who are really unhappy to have to change schools, classrooms, or positions for next school year. A few will lose their jobs or be reduced to part time. It is heavy.

This would also be the week the Sprout has decided to wake up screaming bloody murder in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. I swim my way up through the layers of deepest sleep, pad over to her crib, find her pacifier, and attempt to comfort her. Sometimes she is so distraught that we end up going downstairs and getting a drink or walking about a bit. Usually by the time she is calmed down and falling back to sleep I have just gained maximum alertness and then I have trouble getting back to sleep.

The combination of emotional and physical weariness means I'm laying low this week in the blogging world and in the crafting world.

"All will be well and all will be well and all manner of all will be well" as my friend Cris reminded me of the words of Julian of Norwich this week.

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On a happier note, Susan and Daniela shipped their first 30 quilts to Japan this week as part of the Quilts for Quake Survivors' project. I couldn't be prouder of all the sewists and quilters who've risen up to contribute to this project.

Sunday Photos

2011-04-24T23:22:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter! It was a restful day after a busy week.
The Sprout picked out her own Easter outfit including hand-me-down sparkly pink shoes. The Wise and Bearded One cooked up a ham and mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts. I worked on a quilty project (no photos yet,it's a hot mess).

We went to a moving church service that reminded me why I believe. There is profound hope and freedom from fear in the power of Jesus' death and resurrection.

May you experience hope with each breath of spring.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Reason to go to Jo-Ann Fabrics??

2011-04-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

I have enjoyed sewing the Oliver + S patterns and fabric so much for the Sprout that I nearly shrieked when I found out that Liesl has also designed a set of adult size patterns for Simplicity. You can see the whole pattern collection over on the Lisette blog. I'm particularly partial to this Passport dress and jacket because I think it could easily be work-appropriate for me. I'm also really like the Traveler's Dress that looks like a classic shirtwaist dress with some body-friendly variations.

From the Lisette blog I learned that Liesl is also working with Jo-Ann's to come out with a fabric line. It looks like a great mix of heavier weight canvases and twills and lighter poplins and apparel cottons. And the colors are bright and cheerful and not some sort of dreadful floral print like most Jo-Ann apparel fabrics have tended to be. They seem to be either a dreadful print or made out of the cheapest of polyester blends that I want nowhere near my body.

And to top off the great news, I just saw that the Goddess of Modern Quilting herself, Denyse Schmidt, has put out a line of quilting fabrics at Jo-Ann's. The flickr fan groups are abuzz. You can see some fabric swatches here.

So despite my long disdain for big-box craft stores, I'm afraid I'm digging through my trash to find this month's 40% off coupon to Jo-Anns so I can venture forth some evening this week. I hope the superfans haven't snatched up all the good stuff already.
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I just found my JoAnn's flyer for this week and it looks like Lisette fabrics are 50% off this weekend and Simplicity patterns are $1.99 (at least at my local Portland Jo-Anns). So....off to the big-box store I go.

Made: Oliver + S Hopscotch Dress v. 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0

2011-04-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

After the first version of this Oliver + S dress, I made a few small changes. First I moved up to the 3T and decided to only minimally hem the sleeves and skirt so there's plenty of height for my tall girl to grow into. I decided to line the entire bodice with iron-on interfacing to keep it from stretching out all funky like the first one. This worked great and the interfacing I used is soft enough to still let the neck opening flex enough for my girl to get dressed without distress.

I copied out a simple legging pattern from a Japanese children's clothing book. I was able to cut both the dress and leggings out of 1 yard of fabric. (Yay! I love minimal-waste sewing.)

Then I went to a Friday Night Sew-cial at Modern Domestic and cranked out versions 3 and 4 in less than three hours. I love having sewed the same pattern enough times that it comes together quickly and easily. I love being able to use MD's serger even more. Ah, bliss! The serger whips out knit garments so quickly! I serged the hems too so they're neatly finished but extra long for my quickly-growing Sprout.

Here's the Sprout's spring wardrobe--4 dresses, 3 pairs of leggings, a green polka dot t-shirt and some soft green corduroy pants. I have green polka dot knit fabric too but when I dug into the box of 3T hand-me-downs I found this polka dot shirt and pants already made. Now I'm thinking that I'll use the green fabric to make a little jacket to round out the collection. Perhaps it's time for another Little Woo.

Like I mentioned earlier, the Sprout is not a cooperative model these days. Here's the best photo I could get of her. Zoned out, watching cartoons, with her hand up her shirt. Yup, she plays with her belly button or her chest pretty much constantly. We're hoping that if we ignore it, she'll quit doing it on her own before she hits adolescence.

Made: Oliver + S Hopscotch Dress, version 1.0

2011-04-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

Along with my fabric haul (aka "Christmas present") I finally bought one of the Oliver + S patterns. I've been drooling over these patterns ever since Liesl Gibson first published them. I'm a total sucker for the paper dolls on the covers, and I saw so many great garments that other sewists have been making from this line. The patterns run about $16 in the local shops which I find hard to swallow when there are so many free tutorials and cheap patterns available for children's clothes. But I finally splurged and bought one.

Of course, I was in such a hurry to get sewing that I tossed my new fabrics in the laundry as soon as I got home from the store. Imagine my shock when I changed the load from the washer to the drier and discovered that I had inadvertently washed my gorgeous new pattern. Oh the horror! Fortunately the pattern was in a plastic bag which saved it from almost certain demise. I was able to dry the pattern out. iron it, and still use it. Although it does look a little bedraggled to say the least.

The pattern was worth all the fuss! The directions and technical drawings are clear. There are good tips for sewing with knits both on standard sewing machines and sergers. And the design of the dress is really cute and kid-friendly. Those of you who dress toddlers know that they go into extreme freak-out mode if their head gets stuck in the neckline in even the slightest way. The overlapped front bodice in this design gives a lot of space for big-headed children to get in and out. I suppose the small-headed ones would be fine too.

The Sprout isn't a big fan of stiff pants or anything with much of a waistband these days ("It's tigh'!!! Hurt mah belly!!!" Sigh.). I chose to make her the longer dress version of the knit top in the cover illustration. A dress and a pair of leggings work well in our 50-degree-forever springs around here. Stick a cardigan on her in the morning and she's good to go.

Here's the first version of the Oliver + S dress I sewed for the Sprout. I made the size 2 and it fit perfectly. In fact a bit too perfectly. If I'm going to take the time and money to buy fabric and sew her clothes I want to make them a bit roomy so she can wear them for more than a few months. I also wasn't happy with the neckline and bodice. I don't know if you can tell here but I stretched the fabric too much while sewing and it still looks sort of sloppy. But overall, I'm becoming much morecomfortable sewing knit fabrics and I liked the style of this little dress enough that I went on to make version 2 (and 3 and 4)

Below is a photo of the Sprout who is currently a very uncooperative model. She is in constant motion and is not keen on the idea of posing for a photo. I think it lets you see the dress and the fit a bit though. The leggings are just some hand-me-down Carter leggings that had holes in their knees so I threw on some patches.

Come back tomorrow if you're curious about further iterations of this dress. Or if you just want to make fun of me for throwing my patterns in the laundry.

Sunday Photos: French Dinner

2011-04-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

I love little rituals and routines that punctuate our days. One of my favorites is what we ambitiously call "French Dinner". This happens most Sunday nights at our house. It involves a crusty baguette (preferable from Little T), assorted cheeses, fruit and meat (a great salami or some proscuitto). The Housemate is the originator of this ritual. Often a friend or two is also at the table. Basically it is French Dinner because when we were in France we would go to the grocery store and buy just such a spread and have a picnic.

Sometimes we dress up the table with a tablecloth and nice dishes. Once we even tried to eat by candlelight. With two toddlers that lasted for exactly 56 seconds before we had to turn the lights back on.

I love this way to end one week and start the next with some of my favorite people in the world.

What rituals and routines mark your days? What moments do you treasure each week? Please share.

Meet Jane: A Brief Review of the Janome New Home 1860

2011-04-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

I've been holding out on you all. The six of you who read this blog being "you all", minus the three who are uninterested in the art/craft side of the blog since they're our family members only looking for new pictures of the Sprout. So technically "you all" refers to three people who read this blog and are wondering why Deb doesn't write about art and craft projects anymore.

So now that we're down to those of you who care, here's a little secret I've been holding out on. My very generous husband gave me a new sewing machine for Christmas! Yes, a new sewing machine! A Janome New Home 1860. The Wise and Bearded One buying me a new sewing machine is the equivalent of me buying him a new flat-panel 1080P 60HC LCD Television (I have no idea what that means but he would probably love it). He claims stepping into a fabric store gives him hives. Which means going to a sewing machine dealer and talking with a sewing machine salesman was probably a life-threatening situation for him. Which means love, true love.

A new sewing machine requires new fabric, I am sure we can all agree, so I promptly went out and bought a pile of fabrics at Fabric Depot for myself . (You do that too, right? Buy yourself your own "Christmas" presents? I hope I’m not the only one.)

Here's the Fabric Depot haul (top to bottom): Scandi Chirp from Michael Miller patterned knit, moss green and mustard cotton velveteen (the moss green already became pillowcases in my bedroom), and then four beautifully soft knits from Liesl Gibson's Oliver + S line from Moda.

And then the new machine and the pile of freshly-laundered fabric sat there for January and February as we weathered a death in the family, a home improvement project and two months solid of sickness. I swear I didn’t even crack the machine out until March.

She’s a nice solid machine. She has all the basic stitches, a few fancy ones, and a decent buttonhole option. Not a lot of bells and whistles but certainly an upgrade from my skip-every-third-stitch, ball-up-bobbin-thread-underneath, make-me-swear-under-my-breath old Singer. I really like the steady, even stitching. My only complaint, and it is minor, is that I like to sew fast and I feel like Jane the Janome doesn’t quite know how to keep up with my petal-to-the-metal ways. There are three speed settings and when I'm on a nice straight seam the highest speed still feels like I'm in the slow lane.

But Jane is great and as we've been getting acquainted over the last couple of weeks we've been cranking out a few new projects. This weekend we got just enough sunshine to take a couple of photos so expect some actual sewing posts coming in the next couple of days.

Scary-Bright Ball in Sky Will Go Away

2011-04-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Oregonian is generally a rather staid institution (in fact, I've heard it referred to as the Bore-gonian), but even they couldn't resist a bit of mirth when we had sunshine for a whole day last week. I thought readers who don't live in the Great Grey that is Portland, Oregon would get a kick out of this front-page newspaper heading last week.

Unfortunately the heading was only too true. We had a few hours of chilly sunshine Saturday morning to get in some gardening before the rain and the clouds rolled back in. At least all that rain is good for something: luscious spring flowers!

Our Housemate: Rising Blog-Star

2011-04-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

My Housemate, Cara, is one amazing woman. I can say that honestly having lived in close quarters with her for six months. She has a dramatic and difficult personal story, struggles daily with the challenges of single motherhood, yet finds moments of joy in every day. Her blog, Hide & Seek, is her collection of bits of beauty she's gleaned from life (and the internet)---music, movies, artists, and her own reflections.

Recently she guest-posted on Team Boo where she talked about the challenges of being a single mom and how the rest of us can help single mothers. I highly recommend you click on this link and read what Cara has to say.

Quilts for Quake Survivors, Part 2

2011-04-06T21:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few (poor, Iphone) photos that I wanted to share from the Quilts for Quake Survivors sewing night at Cool Cottons this week. There were just six women sewing away, ironing, and laying out quilt designs. The generous ladies from Cool Cottons donated their demonstration squares from their Block of the Month patchwork classes. Linda and Denise sewed white sashing to join those together to make two gorgeous full-size quilt tops.

Denise must be a serious quilter because she brought in a bunch of pre-made squares that I got to sew together into a charming crib quilt. Another sewist brought in a half-completed kids quilt top and finished stitching it up. And there was a fifth quilt top in progress when we quit.

Four quilt tops in two hours is good progress in my book! There are additional quilting parties coming up so if you're a local sewer, please come on down. Really you only have to sew a straight line.

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The hum of sewing machines running and the murmur of women chatting makes me happy. I think it's nostalgia for all the women's church sewing circles and my great-aunt's quiltings that I remember from childhood. Mostly I remember running around with my friends and cousins and then collapsing on the floor under the middle of the quilt when I was tired. I loved looking up through a quilt in frame.

Does anyone else have memories of women gathering together to craft that you experienced as a child? Do you think that influences your interests in art/craft today?

Quilts for Quake Survivors

2011-04-04T23:33:00.000-07:00

I have been sewing a TON the last couple of days. I have so much that I want to blog about but we're really busy LIVING over here and so the blogging will wait for another night.

I just wanted to take a moment to plug the Quilts for Quake Survivors project that has been started by two Portland sewists that I admire. Daniella taught the Japanese Sewing class I took last summer and is a sportswear designer by profession. Susan is a prolific crafter and the author of West Coast Crafty and several books including the beautiful Modern Log Cabin Quilting book that I just started diving into.

Anyhow, the concept is simple, sewers and quilters are invited to contribute log cabin blocks to the project or to come to any of the sew-alongs here in Portland (I hear they're cropping up in other towns too). The plan is to sell some of the quilts at auction to raise money for quake survivors and to send some of the quilts directly to Japan to be shared with needy children and families. There's a lot of information available over here on their website.

If you are here in Stumptown, I plan to be at the Cool Cottons event Tuesday night and hope to help sew together blocks or do whatever is needed in the next several weeks. Drop me a comment if you're interested in joining up with me.

Here are upcoming Portland events:

T 4/5/11 – 6:30 – 8:30 pm, host: Susan, Cool Cottons – please bring machine and fabrics if you have them

F 4/8/11 – 6:30 – 8:30 pm, host: Susan, Cool Cottons – please bring machine and fabrics if you have them

Th 4/14 – 12 noon – 4 pm, Sew On Studio, 6635 North Baltimore Ave, Portland OR 97203

F 4/15 – 2pm – evening, Sew On Studio

T 4/19/11 – 6:30 – 8:30 pm, host: Susan, Cool Cottons – please bring machine and fabrics if you have them

T 4/26/11 – 7-9pm, Host: Daniela, Modern Domestic – machines provided, please bring fabric if you have it

T 5/4/11 – 7-9pm, Host: Daniela, Modern Domestic – machines provided, please bring fabric if you have it

P.S. Needless to say, this project makes my little Mennonite heart proud. If you haven't been reading this blog very long this comment may not make sense. Read this post.

Sunday Photos

2011-04-03T23:27:00.001-07:00

The Sabbath is for praying and playing according to our pastor's message today. We did both.

Egg and avocado toast. I took the picture while the bacon was still frying so I look all healthy and righteous.

The Sprout wearing her new yellow dress and leggings and picking up every stick between the church doors and our car.

Intense joy.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Spring Break Photos

2011-03-25T20:15:00.001-07:00

We're at the coast for Spring Break! I'll resume my normal irregular-posting schedule when we return.

The Oregon coast is wind-swept, rugged, and, today, gorgeously sunny. One of my favorite places on earth.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday Photos

2011-03-20T14:16:00.001-07:00

"...Why should the world need more anger, more outrage? How does it save the world to reject unabashed joy when it is joy that saves us? Rejecting joy to stand in solidarity with the suffering doesn't rescue the suffering. The converse does. The brave who focus on all things good and all things beautiful and all things true, even in the small, who give thanks for it and discover joy even in the here and now, they are the change agents who bring fullest Light to all the world..."
--Ann Voskamp in One Thousand Gifts

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

bee's nest

Felt Flower Pin Tutorial

Walking in the Woods on a Snowy Day

Made: Christmas Gifts

Sunday Photos: Family Photos in the Park

New Year Buzz

Made: Sunki Dress

Happy New Year!

These Days

Happy Christmas!

Sixteen Years

Whewww!!!

The irrational season

Christmas Manifesto, Take Two

Sunday Post: Advent is Here!

Craft Friday

Blessed and Thankful

Pre-Thanksgiving Day

Pinspiration: Autumn Chopped Salad

Portlanders, Take Heed...

Pinspiration: Zuppa Toscana

On Solitude

Pictures in the Park

A Convergence of Good Things

Not-A-Fashion-Blog Friday: You Look Fab

Two Little Princesses

Not-A-Fashion-Blog Friday: Already Pretty

"I JUST TWO!!!"

Design * Sponge Book Signing and Craft Event

Sunday Photos

Not-a-Fashion-Blog Friday: My Body Gallery

Made: End-Of-Summer Bag

Two and a Half!

Rainy Day Photos

Bloggity Backlog: Labor Day Weekend

Sunday Photos

Hello October!

Test post

Read: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Light, Bright Living Room, Part 3

Light, Bright Living Room, Part 2

Light, Bright Living Room, Part 1

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Cooking with Gwynnie

We Be Jammin'

The Never-Ending Summer List

Sunday Photos

Summer Vacation Photos, Part 5 (and last)

Summer Vacation Photos, Part 4

Now That's Pinteresting

Summer Vacation Photos, Part 3

Sunday Photos

Three Generations of Friends

Little Farm Girl (Or--Summer Vacation Photos, Part 2)

Precious Summer (Or-- Summer Vacation Photos, part 1)

Sunday Photos

Indiana

Catching Up + Random Links

Father's Day

Inspiring: Kelly Neidig

A Little Breathing Space

Hiking in the Gorge

Re-Post: Obsession with Quilts #4

Re-Post: Obsession with Quilts #3

Re-Post: Obsession with Quilts #2

Re-Post: Obsession with Quilts #1

Inspiring: Renee Hartig

Mother's Day Thoughts

Sunday Photos

Got 'em!

Sunday Photos

A Reason to go to Jo-Ann Fabrics??

Made: Oliver + S Hopscotch Dress v. 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0

Made: Oliver + S Hopscotch Dress, version 1.0

Sunday Photos: French Dinner

Meet Jane: A Brief Review of the Janome New Home 1860

Scary-Bright Ball in Sky Will Go Away

Our Housemate: Rising Blog-Star