OUToftheBOXcalifornia

color inspiration: california surf pop culture

2012-02-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

I'm spending my Saturday morning designing some surfboards for a new surfboard baby mobile. I have one in the Etsy shop, but I'd like to use the same transfer process I used for the owl mobile and make some cool, retro surfboards in bright colors. Speaking of colors, I got a little sidetracked trying to find some color inspiration - a little Frankie and Annette to spark some color combinations. Hmmm... it just might work.

wooden owl mobile perfect for a modern crib, nursery or playroom

2012-02-24T09:34:00.001-08:00

Let's be honest, I usually draw wings on little critters that normally don't have wings. So what am I doing sketching owls? Well, owls really seem to be the thing right now, don't they? If you do an Etsy search for "owl" you'll get nearly 106,000 items. An Etsy search for "owl mobile" will land you with over 500. So, I began work on an owl mobile of my own. Why not? (notice the new mobile hanger?)

And it was actually quite fun. (I wouldn't have done it if it was going to be pure agony. And, no, if everyone was jumping off a cliff I wouldn't jump just to be like them.) I made a few owl sketches before going to bed one night and then woke up bright and early the next morning with new ideas. These owls had to be my own. I wanted them to fit in with the style of the OUToftheBOX Etsy shop. So I flipped through my sketchbooks and found some patterns that would work well with these little feathered friends.

And, of course, they had to be colorful! And I had to add some of my (what I call) signature mobile shapes. I think these little guys fit in quite nicely in the shop and provide another range of owls to the hundreds of owls already out there in the Etsy universe. I hope they find a happy home somewhere soon.

Owl fronts are on both sides in four different color patterns and designs. So no owl backsides on this mobile! Only happy, owly faces. Check it out in the Etsy shop. If nothing else, would you mind clicking on over? It helps my ranking in "owl mobile" searches and I would be greatly appreciative... and I'm sure you'll have good karma for the rest of the day for supporting an artist. :)

A-Side

B-Side

color inspiration from Disneyland and Disney California Adventure

2012-02-23T08:22:00.003-08:00

Last month we took the boys to Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. This was our second time going as a family and I was worried that the magic from our first trip wouldn't be met, but it was all I could have hoped for. As we learned last year, the end of January seems to be the perfect time for visiting the Disney parks. Not only did we get a great deal on our stay at the Disneyland Paradise Pier Hotel (included in the package were two Fastpasses per person to be used at any time in any park and Magic Morning Hour privileges) but we found that all of the lines were tolerable. In fact, the boys are quite spoiled. They seem to think that waiting any longer than twenty minutes in line is pure torture. Oh if only they knew what this magical place looked like in the middle of Summer!

As always, I had my own kind of fun just walking around, taking pictures and finding inspiration in the most unlikely places. This is Disneyland, afterall, where every single detail is intentional. Once I got home and began looking through the photos I'd snapped I found myself quite pleased with my compositions and the way that I'd captured the color. But then it occured to me... ANYONE could have taken this photo! These details were planned and arranged to appear just perfectly (or, not so perfectly - but again, it's intentional) in the lens.

I love this "dilapidated" shoreside fence that leans and looks like it's been through years of wind and salty air. Things like this always make me smirk, shake my head and chuckle with amusement. Since we stayed at the Paradise Pier Hotel across the street from California Adventure, this bay and the ferris wheel were our view for two nights. Such a pretty view with lights twinkling and reflecting in the water. [Tip: We booked a "theme park view" room and got a room on the 10th floor which was perfect for seeing the World of Color water and light show.]

So, color, right? I wish I could find a place around the house to do a mosaic like this one at California Adventure! If you look closely you'll even see things like spoons and marbles. The boys took delight in finding the common objects hidden in this colorful artwork. It's chaos, but reeled in enough to make it beautiful.

As we walked around the parks I took mental notes of color combinations and patterns. I have strange photos of tiles, floor design, murals and light fixtures. If anyone noticed, they must have thought I was crazy pointing my camera down at the ground or standing six inches away from the wall and trying to focus on the hand-painted detail. My poor family, always saying, "Where did Mom go? Oh, she's taking a picture." What I really need to do is put together an album for all these inspiration shots. A lot of them aren't very pretty photographs (too dark, too bright or out of focus), but all I'm after is recording this thing that inspired me. When I go back through these pictures I can remember what it was about that detail that appealed to me. So I wouldn't really call myself a photographer - I'm more like an explorer, a scientist or a surveyor taking notes and compiling a document of inspiration. And it's not really worth sharing here because what inspires me isn't necessarily what might inspire you. It's a very personal thing. A collection of images that will get me one step closer to seeing my own creative visions.

But what's probably the greatest thing about Disneyland is just the fact that it is there. That it began as this little concept in sketchbook - like so many of my ideas. That after all these years it has become what it's become. Yeah, it's magical. And as much as I'd love to get season passes and go every month, I think it's important to hold back and go once a year. Preserve that magic. I don't want to get tired of it. I like that I still get excited about going and I want the boys to feel the same way.

Japanese-inspired hanging mobile for the baby nursery

2012-02-17T06:28:00.001-08:00

I've always loved Echino Fabric by the Japanese designer Etsuko Furuya. It was so much fun finding coordinating prints and colors for this Japanese-inspired hanging mobile for the baby nursery. Aren't these prints fun? Car, scooter and bicycle seems like great decor for a baby boy's room.

And on this mobile I decided not to distress the edges like I've done on my previous mobiles. Once I sanded the edges I liked the look of the woodgrain. I think it gives the mobile a more modern feel. This actually got me thinking about all the different types of wood I could work with. Currently I'm working through a pile of reclaimed cedar that was left over from building our fence. I've had it stacked in the garage for years and it feels so great to be finally using it. I couldn't bring myself to throw away perfectly good wood... even though, at the time, I had no idea what I'd do with it all. So once my stash is depleted, I'll have to experiment with some other kinds of wood. Maybe Poplar? We'll see!

Hanging Wood Baby Mobile - Mobile for a Modern Nursery - Car Mobile - Bicycle Mobile - Scooter Mobile available now in my Etsy shop, OUToftheBOX.etsy.com.

making baby mobiles: new wood mobiles in the Etsy shop

2012-02-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

I've had the constant aroma of sawdust on my clothes, in my hair and practically all over the house. I started making one of my wood baby mobiles last month for a custom order and realized that it is the perfect combination of everything I love to do. I really enjoy being out in the garage - my woodshop - shaping wood, sanding it and bringing out the natural beauty of the wood grain. And then I bring all my pieces into the studio where I sort through my growing collection of fabric and paper to piece together the perfect combination of colors and prints. It's a lot like quilting, without the time-consuming process of actually sewing a quilt. (I still have my Christmas Quilt sitting on my work table patiently waiting to be completed!) Once I've made my final selections the real fun begins - decoupage! It's just like arts and crafts hour in school. Glob on the Mod Podge and watch how the fabric or paper magically seems to become one with the wood block. After this step I get a little impatient. I hate waiting for the Mod Podge and then the varnish to dry. I'm always extremely anxious to start stringing all the pieces together to see how it comes together.

While in the middle of waiting, I was brainstorming new mobile designs and I decided to try adding some of my drawings to the mobiles. Naturally, my first try at this included my flying animals. This mobile still has a few decoupaged blocks to add color.

I especially love using fabrics designed by Heather Bailey, Amy Butler, Erin McMoris and Anna Maria Horner. You'll find that I use a lot of orange prints. I'm all over the orange. Every once and awhile I try to put together a color palette with pinks because I know nurseries for baby girls tend to lean in this direction. But I'll take oranges and greens any day.

But the mobile I'm very excited about is one I just finished last night. This is my "Pacific Blue" mobile with drawings of kelp and sea turtles. The starfish are decoupaged with fabric, but I've hand painted some detail to make them look like starfish.

And now that I've figured out a way to put my drawings on wood, I'm anxious to continue experimenting. I like how you still see the wood grain through the solid color. I think my next mobile will be more girly with a collection of all the different kinds of flowers I've drawn in my sketchbook. I'm on a roll now. I love the smell of sawdust and Mod Podge in the morning!

flavor packed super bowl party: third course

2012-02-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

And finally, sweet and sour meatballs. This recipe called for diced shallots, ginger, water chestnuts as well as some bread crumbs and egg whites. Cooked them up in a frying pan with a spray of olive oil and then served drizzled with sweet and sour sauce. I added some sesame oil to the meat before rolling into balls. I love sesame oil! Nothing has more flavor than a teaspoon of sesame oil.

And I think that'll do it. The game is almost over so I think this kitchen is closed. Maybe some popcorn later. I can't believe I can still think of eating something, but, yes, popcorn sounds really delicious!

flavor packed super bowl party: second course

2012-02-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

Boneless Baked Buffalo "Wings"

Here's How:

I marinated sliced chicken breasts in a mixture of 3 Tablespoons apple-cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons chicken broth and 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce for about 20 minutes. Then I added 1 beaten egg before dredging each "wing" in seasoned bread crumbs. These were baked on a cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil (the "wings" themselves were also given a good spray of olive oil) in a 350-degree oven until done. The dip was made from 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese, 1/2 cup plain fat-free greek yogurt and a Tablespoon of fat-free sour cream. I'm amazed at how spicy these suckers are for only marinating 20 minutes in the hot sauce marinade!

flavor packed super bowl party: first course

2012-02-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

Trying something new this year. A grown-up super bowl party. Oh let me count the times that we've noshed on queso and chips and beer and some kind of fried deliciousness. But now we're actually thinking about what we put into our bodies. Trying to be healthy - but while also enjoying good flavors. So for today's Super Bowl, I'll be serving a series of munchies that we won't have to feel too guilty about. The idea is to keep our tastebuds happy with a variety of fantastic flavor throughout the afternoon without filling up on greasy, cheesy over-indulgence. To start...

Fire Feta Dip with Baked Pita Chips

Here's How:

Sliced some whole wheat pita, then sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic powder, pepper and chili powder. These baked in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes (or until crunchy). I used this recipe for Volcano Feta (I call it "Fire Feta" because that's what Daphne's calls it). Yum!

Next up...

Boneless Baked Buffalo "Wings"

a pirate party for five-year old finnegan

2012-02-01T06:11:00.000-08:00

As soon as the New Year began, so did preparations for a pirate party. This was such an easy theme for a party. I found so many great ideas online - check out all my resources below. It was a beautiful Southern Californian day and the entire crew of scallywags had a yo-ho good time.

The Birthday boy.

We jumped,

we drank,

we munched (Pirate's Booty, of course... or as Finn calls it, "Popcorn Booty"),

we crafted,

we dined,

and we celebrated.

It was a perfect, pirate party.

Now, let me give credit where credit is due. The pirate party decor (bunting, cupcake wrappers and utensil decorations) were printables from Cottage Industrialist. I copied the pirate cookies from The Cookie Mama. And the kits for decorating pirate hats were from Oriental Trading. These kits were great and we have hundreds of stickers left over, so the pirate fun will continue.

inspiration: a mushroom in the middle of a theme park

2012-01-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm always finding things to photograph that usually aren't the main attraction. Yesterday at Legoland my camera snapped a few flowers, trees and this lovely mushroom. I'm always amazed at how fast these guys pop up and how perfect their shape is. This looks like a perfect shady spot for a lego gnome.

you belong in the zoo - a day at the San Diego Zoo

2012-01-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

This being the last week day of the Winter Break, I decided it would be good to get out of the house and do a little exploring at the zoo. But as you can see, while the kids are looking at animals I am quite often pointing my camera up or crouched down low to look at all the plant life. I could easily spend a day by myself in the rainforest-inspired aviaries where I would imagine that I'm actually out in the rainforest studying botanicals and wildlife. Maybe someday I'll have to do that.

Oh, my camera saw a few animals as well...

work in progress...

2011-12-22T16:45:00.000-08:00

Running on little sleep. Still so much to do. The end is in sight, yes, but I won't be happy until I have a few more projects completed. I've been working on everything all at once - bringing each project up to an equal level of completion.. But at this point I think it would do some good for my morale to actually finish something, wrap it and slide it beneath the tree. If I can stand it, I think I'll try another almost-all-nighter so that come Christmas Eve I can find myself in a deep slumber along with the kids.

handmade holidays 2011: handmade gifts from my little workshop, day 6

2011-12-20T17:11:00.000-08:00

T-shirts for Robbie's entire class. What was I thinking?!? I had the kids write their names and I put these on the back of the shirts with their class logo ("The Cheetahs") on the front. I love silkscreening, but doing shirts is something else entirely from doing fabric. I was on pins and needles every single time I printed each of 25 shirts, twice (front and back!). I smudged 2 and had to face the outrageous line at Michaels to buy new shirts. But it's done now. They'll be ironed tonight to heat set the ink and then passed out at tomorrow's class party. Oh, and the teacher gets a canvas bag with the same images.

handmade holidays 2011: handmade gifts from my little workshop, day 5

2011-12-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

Lots and lots of owls. Every year I stitch up ornaments to give away. Last year's ornament was much more labor intensive. These little owls take some time, yes, but I think I might actually finish all that I need, unlike last year. I've made around 25 so far and have about another 20 to go. Some get stuffed and those that will go in the mail remain flat. I drew up a faux bois background with a little family picture and these get adorned with the owls. Time for me to get back to stitching!

a southern california christmas parade

2011-12-15T13:14:00.000-08:00

It isn't a parade without...

the marching band,

a bag pipe band,

and some horses

(these horses were spooked by two jets doing a fly-by)

It isn't a Vista, California parade without...

a tank,

some low-riders,

the Yellow Deli bus,

and, of course,

Santa!

(and a few precious candy canes)

handmade holidays 2011: handmade gifts from my little workshop, day 4

2011-12-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

Just put the finishing touches on a couple coin purses I've been carrying around with me to crochet while at Robbie's tennis lesson, Finn's gymnastics class or in the car between picking up one and/or dropping off another. I'm very jealous of the crochet-buffs out there who can stitch up huge blankets or sweaters. Small little projects like these are more my speed... for now, anyway. Maybe someday I'll work my way up to a really complicated project. This Christmas, though, two little watermelon purses will make their way under the tree for giving away.

handmade holidays 2011: handmade gifts from my little workshop, day 3

2011-12-14T11:52:00.000-08:00

First it hit Robbie, then Finn and now me... miserable with a cold. So I'm taking a break from sewing today and started making some jewelry. It's a nice, quiet project. A good thing to do with a hot cup of tea. Hoping I bounce back quick. Still quite a lot to do. But if I don't, at least the ladies will get some pretties for their ears.

handmade holidays 2011: handmade gifts from my little workshop, day 2

2011-12-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

Continuing to stitch my way through the hours. Here's what I've got in store for all the good little boys... patchwork snakes! My boys have picked up stuffed snakes from the zoo and just love them. I like them a whole lot better than the rubber snakes - which, in a certain light, can look too much like the real thing. Apparently, when I was maybe 6 or so, I ran out into the backyard screaming to my parents, "There's a snake in the bathtub!!!" They amused me and followed me into the house only to discover that there was, indeed, a snake in the tub. So maybe this is why I'm slightly fearful of snakes in the house. But bright, colorful, fat and sleepy snakes? No problem.

In other handmade holiday news, I'm finding that laying out the Christmas quilt to align with the back is going to be tough. Every time I try to position my pieces a little someone thinks I'm setting up a special holiday nap spot. I'm beginning to think that seasoned quilters must not have cats.

handmade holidays 2011: handmade gifts from my little workshop, day 1

2011-12-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

This weekend kicked off the start of my handmade holiday. My work room is becoming quite the little workshop with piles of fabric stacked for making toys and bags, pretty beads ready to become jewelery, crochet yarn in the process of being whipped into cute coin purses and an enormous Christmas quilt that is ready to sandwich. There's also THE LIST... my to-do list, with all my projects parceled out over the next 12 days. Christmas Eve is going to be busy visiting with Family and friends, so my 12-day countdown to December 24th has begun. Lot's to do!

I'm making several of these adorable Molly Monkey dolls from a pattern provided by Larissa Holland on her blog mmmcrafts. My boys have even begged for pirate monkeys, so I hope to have time to be able to finish those in time to put under the Christmas tree. Like I said, lot's to do. Aren't the little shoes precious?

before thanksgiving there was a birthday: a clone trooper party!

2011-12-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

Every year becomes especially busy for me right after Halloween when I go into birthday party planning mode. This year, our growing boy turned 8. And it seems like the fascination with Star Wars (and with the Clone Wars, in particular) may be something that actually sticks around a little longer than did the obsessions with trains, then dinosaurs, followed by Lego. So this year we had ourselves a little Star Wars the Clone Wars Clone Trooper party. Early on in the planning process I was quickly schooled by the Birthday Boy that the trooper I was drawing was actually a Storm Trooper, not a Clone Trooper. I responded sarcastically with something like, "Oh yeah, like anyone knows the difference... they're both black and white and carry blasters, right???" No. So upon further examination and explanation, I saw the difference. It's all in the helmet. So the Storm Trooper cookie cutter I had would require some alterations. Nothing some icing couldn't fix.

[A Star Wars lesson for other confused Moms out there: Check out the cookies in the photo above. Storm Trooper is on the left and Clone Trooper is on the right. Clone Troopers are good - they fought the bad guys BEFORE Annikin fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader. Storm Troopers are bad - they fought for Darth Vader. Isn't is clear now?]

For party favors I silkscreened Clone Troopers onto wood for stand-up cutouts and onto fabric for some Clone Trooper plush. These were both customizable by the kids. We put out some sharpies and the kids could color and design their troopers. This is something my son loves to do with his Star Wars figures. I love watching him hunched over a figure with his paints, creating new designs. So I thought this activity would be a perfect way for him to share his hobby with the friends at his party. And, it's something the kids could take home... something that wouldn't find itself on the floor of the car or between the couch cushions.

The party was a success. Robbie and his fellow troopers all seemed to have a pretty good time. And we were so lucky to squeak by without the rain that was in the forecast. All week before the party I was constantly checking the weather forecast, excited when "Rain Likely" was reduced to "Chance of Rain" and finally down to "20% Chance of Showers". And as my optimistic husband reminded me, that simply meant we had an 80% chance of no rain.

discovering california with a thanksgiving in the kern river valley

2011-11-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

This year we began what I'm sure will become a tradition for years to come. We loaded up the minivan with Legos and Star Wars Toys and trekked up North about two hundred and fifty miles to my parents' new vacation home deep in the hills of Lake Isabella and the Kern River Valley. It was great to explore an area of California that was completely new to me. The kids were ecstatic that snow was only another twenty minutes up the mountain in the outer edges of the Sequoia National Forest. We did some hiking in the BLM (land protected by the Bureau of Land Management) and climbed the river-polished boulders of the Slippery Rock Picnic Area. I loved studying the Oak Trees, Manzanitas and pine cones. Our drive up took us through Los Angeles, over the "Grapevine" and into the San Juaquin Valley before making our way up the mountain East of Bakersfield. Coming home, however, we decided to go down the Eastern side of the Sierras and drive through the Mojave Desert on Old Highway 395. It was such a beautiful drive. I think we'll always go up and down that way from now on. The Joshua Trees were spectacular and I always love seeing those long, long freight trains that travel through the desert. I feel like we really took in the full scope of California's landscapes- golden hills spotted by burly California Oak Trees, green river valleys accented with bright yellow Fall foliage and desolate desert pierced by lonely highways and railroad tracks. I'm very thankful to have had such a beautiful week with my Family and I'm inspired to discover more of California's secret pockets.

getting ready for easter

2011-04-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

Used stickers to put all the kids names on these goofy sippies.

Eggs all ready to be dyed!

Attempting to avoid excessive candy-filled eggs in our egg hunt, so I used this idea from Martha to wrap larger goodies (small markers and tubes of glitter glue) to look like carrots.

new look for strawberry baskets

2011-04-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick little Easter project I put together for the Parentella blog.

Have a lovely Easter weekend!

pacific blue: surf boy fabric

2011-04-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

Got my test swatch back for Surf Boy from Spoonflower. Needless to say, I didn't make it to one of the final ten spots in the Project Selvage Competition. But, it's not all that upsetting because the competition was TOUGH. So many awesome designs! Looking forward to seeing the finalists' collections come together and I'm also motivated to continue designing my collection, Pacific Blue. Why not? Reading the e-book, How to Enter the World of Textile Design, by Lizzy House to get some guidance. Dream job.

hour of happy

2011-04-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

Back from a great camping trip on the beach with the kids. It's a lot of work to camp! Laundry that smells like campfire is still piled in front of the washer and the tent needs to be set up in the patio to dry out since we were rained on during our last night. I'll get to all of that - all in good time. (Yesterday was National No Housework Day, afterall!) A post about all the camping fun is soon to come... but last night's happy hour with Tom was much needed. Long Island Iced Tea, appetizers, chips and the best salsa this side of the border at Coyote Bar and Grill.

I could use your vote!

2011-03-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

The design I submitted to the Spoonflower & Michael Miller Project Selvage fabric contest is one of 75 semi-finalists. Would you mind voting? Look for "Surf Boy" by OUToftheBOX. Thank you!

sunday morning slow cooking

2011-03-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

My husband suggested that he run out to pick up some breakfast.

But I felt like cooking.

Something new.

Not Pancakes, again.

So I opened up the cookbook and looked for something with eggs and potatoes.

(Had plenty of both.)

A frittata!

The kind of breakfast that will stick to your bones till dinner.

Well, an early dinner, that is.

print making tutorial

2011-03-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

Tutorial for making potato stamps is up on the Parentella Blog.
Check it out!

print making with potato stamps

2011-03-10T15:09:00.000-08:00

I had fun making some prints with potato stamps with my son this morning. I might have even had a little more fun than he did! This makes me want try carving some blocks for print making. (Like I really need something else to do.) I'll have a tutorial for this project up on Parentella soon.

a new project

2011-03-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

I haven't been very active here on my little blog because I've been busy with a my new project for 2011: Me! Something has finally clicked (I've grown up!) and I've been making healthier food choices. It all started with Whole Living Magazine's 28-Day Action Plan. I've cut out artificial sweeteners, processed food, excessive dairy and gluten, preservatives and soda.

It's been extremely enlightening to discover some of my food sensitives and then shape my menu around those. I'm feeling better than I've ever felt in my adult life - and, surprise surprise surprise, I'm even exercising! My goal was to get healthy. And I really do feel healthier. My weight is going down slowly... slow and steady wins the race! After over 2 months of maintaining awareness of what I put in my body I'm happy to say I'm still motivated and encouraged to continue. Sure I could lose weight faster by popping pills, starving myself or handing over all my money to a weight loss center... but I'm looking for a lifestyle change I can incorporate for the rest of my life.

And that's what I've achieved with the Whole Living Action Plan. I've been trying new recipes, blogging about my experiences and really enjoying being part of the Whole Living Community. If this interests you at all, check out my journey.

Hoping to get back to sharing some of my craft/sewing/building/gardening projects again. Maybe now that I have more energy I'll get better at it. :)

loaves of fun

2010-12-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

Click through to read my post for Parentella about making cute bread creatures for holiday giving.

cleaning out the fridge

2010-12-05T06:59:00.000-08:00

I cleaned out the fridge last week and a lot of good stuff went into the stockpot to make a rich broth. The recipe I used for baking my Thanksgiving ham suggested keeping the ham bone for making soup. It always feels so good when I'm able to use something and avoid throwing it away.

The house smelled like home cookin' when I had this simmering on the stovetop. That night we had a delicious risotto for dinner, enhanced by all the flavors from this stock. And there was quite a lot of stock leftover, so that has been frozen into small batches in the freezer for adding flavor to future dinners.

Is it too early for resolutions? I won't make any official proclamations... but, I do want to make a promise to myself to make more of our meals from scratch using whole food ingredients. Here are some of my favorite cookbooks including both editions of the Gourmet cookbooks and The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. The morning I spent preparing this stock was so satisfying on several levels. I was using up all the vegetables that would have otherwise gone out with the trash, I was cooking the base for a delicious dinner and, as with everything I make, build or create, I had the satisfaction of making something from almost nothing. (Like Stone Soup!) Maybe next week I'll have to try making a batch of Corn Chowder with this rich, almost smoky (from that ham bone), stock. Mmmmmmm!

morning stitches

2010-11-30T08:21:00.000-08:00

My handmade holiday season has begun!

Growing up, my Aunt (or, rather, my Dad's Aunt... so this would make her my Great Aunt?) would give intricately stitched felt Christmas tree ornaments to the family every Christmas. One year it would be Santa Claus and the next year, Mrs. Claus. I think there was a Christmas wreath and maybe even a reindeer. They were stitched with mini pearls and sparkling sequins. I imagined her sitting in her sewing room all year long cutting, stitching and stuffing.

And, for a while, I took on this tradition as well. I think it was when I was in High School. One year I stitched up felt earth globes with big red bows, another year it was a felt dolphin with a hand stitched wreath around its neck and then there was the teeny tiny felt goldfish that sat in a clear, plastic globe filled with sand. (This last one had some consequences... the sand, fresh from the beach, eventually caused mold to grow on the goldfish after a year in storage. Should have bought sterile sand!) But then I started college and had no time for stitching.

So it's time for me to jump back into that tradition - what, gosh... 20 years later! But I'm not about the sequins anymore. I want good, old-fashioned stitches. I am still all about the felt, though! Now, however, I know about good felt. I'm all about wool felt. Yes, I line my baby shoes with eco-fi felt which is made from post-consumer plastic bottles, but I always like to use wool felt in places where it is seen because it doesn't tend to get that plastic-y shine. The wool felt always looks soft, and stays soft even after years of going in and out of storage in between holidays.

So, hopefully, for what will be the first of many more holidays to come, here is the hand-stitched ornament I plan to give out this year. These days I'm not entirely about dolphins and Mother Earth, so it's a little more whimsical and fun. But, this isn't something I've been working on throughout the year, so I better get busy. And since these mornings are getting chilly (for California standards, anyway), there's nothing better than starting off the day with a hot cup of coffee, sunshine and stitching.

2010-11-17T10:19:00.000-08:00

Here's another little post for Parentella about a project you can do with the kids. This wreath of thanks can be quite humorous when the young ones are asked to name all the things they're thankful for. Read all about the funny things my son added to his wreath - and follow my tutorial for making one yourself: Wreath of Thanks.

papier mache tutorial

2010-10-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I was invited to be a guest blogger for Parentella, a wonderful parent-teacher networking site. You can find my tutorial for making these cute little papier mache jack-o-lanterns on their blog: Papier Mache Jack-o-Lanterns [Parentella Blog]. And, while you're at it, check out some of my other kid-friendly crafts: Dawn [Parentella Blog]. The Parentella Blog has daily posts that cover all the hot topics for parents including education, socialization, schools and, of course, arts and crafts! Check it out!

tower of jacks

2010-10-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

Every year it seems I craft up some new Halloween decorations to get this little house decked out. Ghosts, a pumpkin wreath and now my tower of jack-o-lanterns. And this one was SO on the fly. I was at Target looking at decorations and they had all these $1 jack-o-lantern pails stacked so that they looked more fun than the actual packaged decorations they were selling. So I bought a few and added a few that have been hanging from the rafters in the garage from years past. Simply drilled holes in the bottoms of all but the top and bottom pails. Drilled a small hole in the back of the bottom pail for the cord and then strung some LED x-mas lights throughout. (My guess is that the LED will not emit heat... so the hot glue that is keeping them stacked will not melt and there is not a concern with having the lights inside the plastic.) Oh, and I used a black pail for the top as a way to keep the light in. I didn't want a spot light shooting out of the top. This was a 20-minute project. So satisfying to finish something so spectacular in so little time. My intention was to put it outside, but it is a very uncharacteristic Southern California day today. Rain rain and more rain still. But now that it's sitting here in the house, I kind of like it. We'll see if I move it or not.

new booties in the Etsy shop

2010-09-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

Just finished up a couple pairs of baby shoes for the Etsy shop. The pair up top has a cute Michael Miller print on the toes. I'm always keeping my eye out for smaller prints that will work on my bootie toes. This one just barely worked. Elephant's trunk and feet got slightly chopped, but I think it's still obvious what he is.

The print I used on the pair below is a sweet piece of fabric I got while in Hawaii over the summer. The past couple trips we've made have been great fabric shopping trips for me. I love browsing through all the screen printed aloha prints and imported Japanese cottons. I could easily spend hours in Hawaiian fabric shops. I found this print, however, at Walmart. Even they have a great fabric selection in Hawaii! The other thing to raid at a Hawaiian Walmart is the scrapbooking section (turtles, surfboards and flip flops!), stamps and origami paper. Love it! All of the Walmarts around my part of town here in California have stopped carrying fabric and this pleases me immensely because now all the fabric shops will pick up the business. But, I sure hope they continue to carry fabric in Hawaii!

live healthy - buy flowers

2010-09-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

A book I pick up often is Dr. Andrew Weil's 8 Weeks To Optimum Health. As you know, I love books that lay it all out for me, like an instruction manual for life. I'll have to admit that I haven't ever made it past Week-3. How long have I had this book? Too long to admit. I know there's no excuse for taking care of yourself. So, someday soon I'll stick with it and find myself in optimum health. I love Dr. Weil's mental/spiritual task for Week-1: "Buy some flowers to keep in your home, where you can enjoy them." I can do that! He explains, "Flowers manifest the beauty and wonder of nature and delight the senses. It feels good to be around them. They raise our spirits."

I brought this bunch of sunflowers home yesterday and I didn't want to trim those lovely, long stems! So there they are in all their tall glory. I wonder how long it will take for a ball or toy flying from some little rascal's hands to topple the whole thing over. Not soon, I hope. I can't believe how much water sunflowers drink. It's almost like having a pet when you bring a bunch of sunflowers home. Fresh water every day!

I'm in love with that shade of green in the center.

swatches

2010-09-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some fabric swatches I recently got back from Spoonflower. Yes, I finally learned my lesson. Not that long ago I would order up a yard of fabric and then get it only to find that the colors weren't exactly what I had hoped for. So now I chock up $5 for a test swatch and patiently wait for my samples to arrive before ordering any major yardage. In fact, the swatch up top is a revision of one of my first fabric designs. I'm still trying to find ways to use up the fabric I ordered where the brown looks black and the beige looks off-white! This one is in my Buzzing Bog Collection and can be ordered directly from Spoonflower HERE.

These prints were inspired by our recent Waikiki holiday. The lotus flower was actually something I saw over the summer at the pond in Balboa Park, San Diego. I must have taken dozens of photographs of those lotus blooms. And the vertical orientation reminds me of my mu'u mu'u. I'm still not completely sure about the color, but they are available from Spoonflower as well. I call this collection, Hawaiian Hybrid.

This design might look familiar. I designed it for a Spoonflower contest and then never had a swatch printed up. Shame on me! But the colors are exactly as I pictured. I think the design could still use some edits, but it was exciting to get this one and see it printed up on fabric.

If only I had more hours in the day for designing fabric! So many ideas, too little time. I really want to design a cheater quilt like the one created by The Dixie Chicken. Too cute! I've got to find a way to be able to sacrifice sleep for creativity. Getting swatches back from Spoonflower is incredibly addicting!

new booties in the Etsy shop

2010-09-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

I played around with my bootie patterns over the weekend and created this new profile that includes those little tabby-things on the back for gripping while slipping onto baby's foot. (Do those have a name?) I've also started raiding my fabric stash for accenting the toes- I love this Michael Miller print called "Sophie's Garden". Aren't the colors wonderful? Find this pair in the shop.

the architect in me

2010-07-12T17:30:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to brainstorm a new way to package my booties and make them easier for gift giving. As is usually the case when I'm trying to figure these kinds of things out, I revert to my training in Architecture for rendering my ideas. In my head, I could fold some acetate in such a way as to create lovely little bags for my booties, like this:

new packaging,
originally uploaded by out_of_the_box.

To see if what I was visualizing in my head could actually work I used some good, old-fashioned, architecture-school model building to work out the details. (yes, this is what I do for fun) After a few stabs at a prototype, I had it all figured out:

So when there I times that I start to get down on myself because I'm not out there using my degree for building things architectural, I must remind myself that everything has it's place in the snowball effect process that got me where I am today. No, I'm not carefully constructing scaled models of buildings, but I did figure out a pretty nifty way to bag my booties!

P.S. New booties in the shop!

strange summer weather

2010-07-06T08:59:00.001-07:00

4th of July Barbecue,
originally uploaded by out_of_the_box.

Oh my... how quickly the weather can change from being perfectly lovely barbecue weather to a damp morning of rain. July, you're a mystery to me! But waking up to all this moisture on a Summer day makes the house feel like it must be in Kauai, Hawaii. I LOVE morning showers in Kauai. There's a wonderful scent in the air - a combination of rain drops on green leaves, wet earth, damp grass and blooming flowers. Yes, I keep wishing for the sun to come out (especially since we've really only had one clear, blue sunny day so far this Summer), but I'm not going to complain about this morning's shower. Saves me some time now that I've started hand-watering everything to conserve water. So, thank you, July! You've given me at least an hour for some other kind of fun. There's that pile of wonderful fabric waiting to be transformed into matching quilts for the boys. I'll sit here next to the open window and cut fabric. Can't ask for a better morning than this!

summer project 1: sand dough

2010-07-05T09:53:00.001-07:00

Summer Projects

no. 1

Sand Dough,
originally uploaded by out_of_the_box.

We're a few weeks into Summer Break now and I'm happy to report that I've been successful at keeping little boys busy. The best thing for all of us to do is arts and crafts. It's something we can all enjoy together. One of our latest projects was making Sand Dough. In concept, it's a lot like making regular, homemade play dough, just add sand. The boys got a kick out of it and especially liked the idea that they could build sandcastles that wouldn't get stomped on or washed away by a rogue wave. I suggest giving kids a small piece of wood or a cutting board for assembling their creations. This way you can easily move it to dry once they're finished.

The recipe is VERY simple. But since it involves some cooking on the stovetop, the task of making the dough should be for grown-ups only. (while you're making the sand dough, have kids sort rocks and/or seashells for using to decorate their creations) Combine one cup of sand, one cup of cornstarch and one cup of water in a saucepan over medium heat. It will be watery, but don't worry, it should start to thicken up as the mixture warms. Once it starts to come together into a ball of dough, transfer to a clean bowl to cool before little hands start working their magic.

From here you just let little imaginations run wild. Finn enjoyed simply mooshing his ball of dough around on his board. Robbie proceeded to build a fortress for his "seashell". I made "starfish". This batch of dough was made from a scoop of sand I grabbed from the boys' sandbox. I suspect that real beach sand would be even better. The sandbox sand is a little too white and artificial looking. As I was molding my "starfish" I found myself wishing the dough had some specks of black like at the beach. Once the creations are complete, put them out in the sun to dry. If pieces fall off (as they did with Robbie's castle), use some white glue to reconstruct the masterpiece once it is dry.

I couldn't stop thinking about how dough made with crushed coral sand from Hawaii would look. There are so many possibilities! I'll probably turn my small creations into magnets for the fridge. Next time I make a batch, I think I'll mold some into small blocks of all shapes and sizes. Once they dry they would make excellent sand castle blocks! (that might be more fun for Finn who, at 3-years old, is more excited by stacking than molding) Regardless, the kids were very intrigued by the whole proecess. You can definitely expect to fill an afternoon with this project. Have fun!

nothing says summer like corn!

2010-07-04T11:14:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July !

Ready to barbecue
originally uploaded by out_of_the_box.

I'm sure everyone is off at the beach or the lake, having a picnic or getting settled in for a fireworks display. Here at the Huntington house, I'm getting ready for a little Independence Day barbecue. I've got my corn all prepped- pulled the husks down and removed all the silks before tying it back up with some hemp twine. These will soak in some water for 10 minutes before I brush them inside with a chili-rub. Then they'll sit on grill while our turkey and hamburger sliders cook. Sound good? Give it a try! Here's the recipe for the chili-rub:

(for 4 ears of corn)
1 teaspoon melted butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients and brush on the corn kernels after allowing the cobs to soak in some water. Pull the husks back up and tie to secure. Place corn on the grill and cook until tender, 15-17 minutes. (if they seem to be cooking too slow, I often make a big pouch out of aluminum foil to wrap up all the ears of corn together - since the husks still have some moisture in them, this creates something like a steaming tent and tends to speed the process along)

offline

2010-06-01T12:57:00.001-07:00

Things I've been doing instead of
sitting in front of the computer...

watercolor painting
decoupage
browsing cool new fabrics
buying cool new fabrics
brainstorming
sketching
gardening
gardening
gardening

All this smooshed between the boring stuff.
Must find a way to live with a little clutter,
chaos and dust so I can make more
time for the fun stuff. Need more fun!

perfect poppy

2010-03-22T20:56:00.001-07:00

*
Because I just can't get enough of orange and green, together.

color me passing strange

2010-03-21T11:57:00.001-07:00

I'm going to take a small break from sharing stitches, paint and doodles to tell you about something I've mentioned a time or two before... I want to share the work of another kind of artist- a poet, a musician, a performer. His name is Stew.

The first time I heard Stew and his band, The Negro Problem (and this is up for debate because the husband is sure we heard of them long before this program, but...), was on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic". (Click the link and listen- I'm thrilled they still have it available for streaming. You'll need RealPlayer, as far as I can see... but I promise you it's worth it.) I was hooked! I was entranced by "The Statue Song (Indoors Again)". Listening to that song was like watching a movie. "Ken" was an equally brilliant and sympathtic (and fucking funny) song about Ken, who is forced to be with Barbie and who only wants to love as he'd like to (with G.I. Joe). And then I was pushed down memory lane with "Monsanto". (Remember that strange "Adventure Thru Inner Space" by Monsanto ride at Disneyland that was usually the first ride you hopped on because it was right there at the entrance to "Tomorrow Land" and very rarely ever had much of a line? You'd sit in those white pod-like chairs that swivelled and looped you through, making you believe you were shrinking and have become the size of an atom being looked at under a microscope? Thinking about that stirs something up, doesn't it? Yeah, and Stew put it in a song!) On "Morning Becomes Eclectic" it was sung slowly with a banjo in a different tune so I could grasp the lyrics - unlike the recorded version where Stew's words fire out like a machine gun.

"Monsanto, come back to me.
I'll wait there
I'll wait there
To Disneyland in Winter
To Disneyland in Winter
When everybody else is gone
Take a ride a million times
There ain't nobody standing in line
Everybody oughta have a mother or a brother
who would take them on a magical time
To Disney land in Winter
To Disneyland in Winter
Ya know when everybody else is gone"

A lot of Stew's songs are like that- where you miss pieces of the lyrics and they are left up to you to fill. He stitches words together so they all kind of seem like one big word, with a melody. (I've always thought that about Tracy Chapman as well. Isn't is FUN singing "Fast Car"?) And in the blogs and message boards Stew fans all offer their interpretation of those lyrics because, as they also like to mention constantly, Stew never publishes his lyrics.

Stew has an incredible discography, but also not to be missed is a wonderful little diddly he wrote for "Spongebob Squarepants". Yes, I said "Spongebob Squarepants". (Additionally, I have heard a Stew song on the long gone television series, "Ed"... God I loved that show- especially after I heard a Stew song playing in the bowling alley!) "Gary's Song" was written for the episode where a distraught Spongebob is searching for his pet snail, Gary, that ran away from home.

So after hearing this awesome band, I kept my eyes peeled for them. This was before iTunes and even a little too early for Amazon. Back then, when you heard about a band, you went to a record store to buy the CD, if they had it. (Yeah, back then they were "Record Stores".) So it wasn't until we caught them at one of their gigs at Java Joe's in Ocean Beach that we finally picked up a CD. The show was, obviously, even better than hearing them on the radio. We were so entertained by Stew's expressions when he sang. When we would listen to the CD in the car, the husband and I would repeat the hand gestures and facial expressions of Stew as we sang. We had to. That was part of the song. One time we were lucky to catch them singing just down the street from us at the "Adams Avenue Roots Festival". There were lots more Java Joe's shows and even a few trips up to their native Los Angeles for gigs. One L.A. show was an installment of "The Cover Problem" where they would sing their versions of covers for a single artist. The show we went to was Madonna. God I wish I could have a recording of that show. It was fantastic!

Cut to a lifetime later (the husband and I are now daddy and mommy) and we hear news of Stew taking his little Public Theater production, "Passing Strange" to Broadway. I check ticket sales almost daily, trying to find a way to get us there. Can we take the kids AND my mom so she can babysit the night of the show? Can we fly for one night and leave the kids? Dammit how can we do this?!? We keep waiting for an answer to hit us when... we read that the show has closed. We waited too long. So we wait impatiently for Spike Lee's release of his filming of the musical. (watch the trailer HERE) We finally got it and I've been watching it for a couple weeks. This ain't your Granny's musical! I suppose I should just buy the dang thing because I'm holding up the Netflix queue. (Don't want to keep others from seeing this amazing show.) I'm just so moved by songs like "Arlington Hill" and "Keys". (see their performance at the Tony Awards HERE)

"You know those L.A. ladies
in their Mercedes
They lock their doors if he just sneezed
Now he's like- Bitch please
She gave me her keys
He said the kind of place I wanna be
is where no one is cold or scared of me
And then she handed them these
Her keys
No one ever made him feel as real
as when she handed him her keys
Welcome to Amsterdam"

I'm moved by the whole thing, but mostly I'm moved by songs that really strike a chord with me. And what I hear most is me asking myself, why didn't you get yourself out to New York to see this thing? It's the same feeling I had when I was in High School and falling deeper and deeper into my appreciation for John Lennon, knowing I would never know what it was like to see him perform live. Only, I could have seen "Passing Strange" if I had just pushed it. One of those things I'll always regret. So, lesson learned - I will never miss those kinds opportunities again. But back to the show, watching it is like being at the theater, at a rock show and at church all at the same time. You get pulled into the emotion of the story and then you're bopping your head and rocking out. There are truly deep songs like "Arlington Hill" that haunt me and stop me dead in my tracks to ponder the meaning of life. (Watch the video HERE and imagine these words opening the scene in clip #1: "He took a trip for the first time in a bug on Arlington Hill") And then there are songs like "We Just Had Sex" that I find myself singing to myself again and again and again. (Watch the video HERE- clip #5) And, I absolutely love how the show starts:

"You don't know me and I don't know you
So let's cut to the chase the name is Stew
I'll be narrating this gig so just sit tight
We might play all night
Been on the road- me, her and this band
For one thousand dates of one night stands
Oh, and by the way can we crash on your couch tonight?
Say is that alright, is that alright?
Well before we get to your uptown flat
We're gonna do a little play since you paid for that"

When I saw that at the start of the ride I thought, "Yeah. That's Stew!" The same Stew I can picture sitting on stage at Java Joe's singing and chatting in between songs about things like how incredible greasy taco stand quesadilla cheese is and asking for a couch to sleep on in a way that sounded like a joke but kind of really didn't. So many times I wanted to say, "Come on over!" Don't drive back up to L.A. tonight!" but didn't and probably should have. Why not?

"Passing Strange" is pure genius and I recommend it to everyone I know , and don't know, for that matter. So rent this, if you can. Read Stew's blog, if you want. Listen to some music, if you will. I think you'll dig it. I'm still diggin' it after all these years.

"After so long feeling so alone
I feel like picking up the phone
and calling up that place called home
To say I've found a brand new family
a place where I can be that thing called me
No more saying uncle to Uncle Sam
Now I'm telling L.A. just who I am
Color me Amsterdam
Amsterdam"

sushi anyone?

2010-03-18T12:21:00.001-07:00

Don't know why I decided to do this - where do ideas come from? They just hit you when you least expect it! Sushi on baby booties? I don't know... I think it will be cute. I've got to finish them today and see if I'm completely nuts or if they actually look kind of cute. (I like this photo of the sushi sitting on the bootie. The cuts in the bootie piece look like chopsticks!) One of these days I'll have to try eating sushi. See what all the fuss is about. For now I just appreciate the beauty of sushi. So beautiful! Wish all food could look like that!

Ponyo

2010-03-15T10:33:00.001-07:00

I cannot,

will not,
stop
watching
"Ponyo".

The kids keep watching it and I find myself standing there,

mesmorized,
after a half hour.

It's whimsical and beautiful
without being falsely so.

Garbage, pollution, industry are almost just as beautiful
as the dark and mysterious depths of the ocean.

Like I said,
MEMORIZING.
I could stare at Hayao Miyazaki's ocean for hours.

As much as I loved "The Little Mermaid" when it came out,
I'm pleased that my boys will grow up with Ponyo.

another spoonflower contest!

2010-02-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

I've been working on this fabric design all week to submit in the Boba Baby Carrier contest being held at Spoonflower.com. (click on the photo to see the design in repeat) Flipping through the sketchbooks, drawing, scanning, manipulating, tweaking, thinking, tweaking, re-thinking, re-tweaking... I'm done. For now. For this submittal, anyway. Now I need to get some samples run and there'll probably be more tweaking to come. And then the fun begins - sewing something with it.

I still have to post birthday pictures. Don't know why I'm procrastinating on that.

party prep

2010-01-29T14:20:00.000-08:00

More party planning pics...

I think that one of the greatest inventions since microwave popcorn has got to be Google Image Search. You can find just about anything for including on your party tags, labels and invitations from the image search. Grabbed this classic Mickey image from a Google search and used it for making the thank-you tags for these goodie bags.

I've got half of my sugar cookies iced. The other half will be red. I LOVE the combination of this light blue with red. (notice the ribbons on the goodie bags?) I found some great polka dot napkins in light blue and in red from Target for the party. Aside from Mickey, my theme is polka dots (think about Minney's dress) and the colors light blue and red. I like putting my cookies in this big glass jar. Everyone can help themselves to a cookie during the party and I don't have to worry about the little ones getting into them. Next up... the cake. Everything is baked and now it's all about assembly and decoration.

The husband comes home every night and hesitantly asks, "So how's the party prep coming along?" He knows how wrapped up I get in it all. It consumes my life for the week prior - and, I LOVE it. Love having these kinds of projects. Once they're over, I actually feel kind of sad. (But, no worries... I've got the next BIG project brewing up my sleeve, so stay tuned.) The party prep is right on track. True, I am a bit behind on my to-do list... but I'm feeling ambitious this afternoon and am confident that I can catch up. Time to hit the yard and tackle the mowing, weeding and gardening. It's a perfect day to be outside. So, time to put on my gardening hat and iPod and get my hands dirty!

if you've got ears, say cheers!

2010-01-27T10:42:00.001-08:00

My late night project: Mickey Mouse ears. We're gearing up for another birthday party! My BIG 3-year old (as of yesterday) will have his birthday celebration this weekend and it's all about Mickey. At least 30 of us will be all ears!

I was so pleased to find stiffened, black felt at JoAnn's. And it's Eco-Fi (made from recycled plastic bottles) to boot! I wasn't sure how I was going to get black felt ears to stand up... and fortunately I didn't have to. This felt, sold by the sheet, worked PERFECTLY. I simply sewed a sleeve to slide over a plastic headband, catching the ears in the seam. These will be so much cuter than the paper ears we saw at the party supply store and a whole lot cheaper than the $5.99 fabric ears I found online. I have this vision of a whole crowd of ears at the party. They'd better wear them! I'll be the honorary ears police making sure they do.

And now I'm off to do more party prep. The yard work will have to wait until last night's rain dries up. (Yes, MORE rain! Am I in Washington state?) There are Mickey sugar cookies to be iced, a cake to be designed and baked, toy clutter to attempt to manage and goodie bags to be stuffed. God I love throwing birthday parties! Can't even imagine life before the kids and all the birthday party fun.

sand and snow

2010-01-24T08:36:00.001-08:00

I will always be a California girl. I LOVE being 10 minutes away from sand and 60 minutes away from snow. A couple hours from LaLa Land and a very short drive to Mexico.

Last week's storm brought a sufficient amount of snow to Palomar Mountain. The boys and I have a good snow trip routine that involves snowballs, snowmen and sledding followed by hot chocolate and comfy, cozy blankets for the ride back down the mountain. Of course this is followed by religiously checking the Palomar Mountain Web Cam for any signs of snow!

tweet tweet

2010-01-22T17:13:00.001-08:00

I think I prefer short and quick peeks into people's lives. You can get just enough detail to be able to compose for yourself the whole picture. I like Twitter. I love Facebook Status Updates. I am addicted.

So I think I'll make this blog more like that. I might come back here more if I knew a post could be just a small thought or comment about the day's activities. But this would be cooler because I could include a snapshot and I wouldn't spend half my time trying to trim down my "bite-sized" update to 140 characters. Really, I waste a lot of time editing my updates! And, yes, I DO have far better things to do with my time but for some reason I'm convinced that the world simply pauses while I'm completely absorbed in Twitter or Facebook or, I hate to admit it, FarmVille. Yes, the world just stops and, so, this means that I have not wasted time at all.

So now I'll find a way to make myself waste more time on Blogger.

Why not?

So little Superman, here, and his fierce watchdog, Ringo, are securing the perimeter following a week of stormy weather. It's just not natural for little boys to be cooped up inside! Thank goodness the clouds parted so they could play off some energy and I could take advantage of the soft, rain-soaked soil to do some weeding in the garden.

a toast

2010-01-01T18:57:00.001-08:00

*
A toast to Twenty-Ten... a wonderful year to come!
*

Started the first day of the New Year properly- behind the sewing machine, getting quite a lot done before breakfast. I've got BIG goals for the shop this year. Aiming high. So I'm hoping this is a sign of good production and creativity to come. I'm happy to be having friends for lunch tomorrow. I'll be making Bellinis. Yum! In the new year, I hope to be better about photographing everything. So hopefully I'll have a lovely photo spread to share. We'll see.

little universe

2009-12-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

I went out into the garden the other day to check on things. I haven't been out there much in the past few weeks, what with all the Christmas hoopla and preparations and such. So I was kind of timid about going out there. I was sure that after weeks of neglect everything would be brown and dead. But I was wrong! Everything was green. Mother Nature took care of everything with all of that much needed rain. Even the brown spots in the lawn are gone now and it's even about time to bust out the mower. God bless the rain!

Lettuce is bountiful even in December!

Then I found myself with a thought that I always get when I'm out there- and then quickly forget until the next time. Being outside makes me happy. When I'm out there I'm not stressed, I'm not moody. Being outside, poking around at weeds and watering the bamboo is extremely satisfying and fulfilling. "I need to do this EVERY day," I tell myself. And then I forget. Until the next time. So I'm saying it here and I'm saying it loud- Get yourself outside EVERYDAY!

The Gingko tree has lost it's leaves for winter.

When I'm in the garden, I'm often inspired as well. I see a leaf or a flower that I want to sketch. I plan plots and imagine things I'll build to make the garden more intimate. I think about color. I promise myself I'll start some seedlings. Grow some roots! I'm very drawn to the notion of establishing roots. We've been in this house for over 6 years now and I'm finally feeling like we're establishing some roots. This is OUR home. Undoubtedly! There's the oak tree growing in the front yard that started as a seedling collected from the canyon behind my childhood home. A swing for the kids in the tree, the bench given to me by my husband for my birthday and the plumeria trees that started as cuttings from my Grandmother's plumerias. We're settling in. And that feels nice.

The Nasturtium seeds I scattered are finally growing.

And so as we begin a new year, I immediately start to think about this house- my little universe. I think I'm going to be spending a lot of time right here in 2010. I don't feel the push to go anywhere. I want to tend to my garden, do repairs and renovations around the house and work on my projects here in my "Craft Cave". (Snoop Dog was on Martha a couple weeks ago and he talked about his "Man Cave". I have a "Craft Cave"- and with shelves piled nearly to the ceiling it really does feel like a cave when I'm sitting at my table. I LOVE being in here!) And so I roll out my resolutions for Twenty-Ten...

1. Garden every day.
2. Sketch/Sew/Craft every day - keep my mind focused on creativity.
3. Cook from scratch - Whole foods - Sign up for an organic produce delivery.
4. Avoid negativity. Don't allow myself to get stressed out over things I can't control.
5. Write & illustrate the childrens' book that has been brewing in my head. This is the year!

Mostly, I want more focus in 2010. Keep my mind healthy (gardening), my body healthy (whole food living) and my soul healthy (replace negativity with creativity) so I can FOCUS on what's really important: my family, my designs and my little universe.

Happy New Year
to you & your family
in your little universe,
wherever that may be.

patchwork year

2009-12-30T08:45:00.000-08:00

Wow, that was quick. Christmas gone, January a couple days away. Wasn't Halloween just yesterday? It was a busy couple of weeks- sewing lots of handmade gifts, baking, decking the halls and all. I finally dug my work area out from piles of fabric, wrapping paper and boxes. Actually got to sit down at the sewing machine yesterday to work on some new things. I have a pile of onesies that I purchased eons ago with intentions to silkscreen or embellish with applique. Finally getting around to that now...

I did some quilting for the holidays. I love matching up fabrics. Now that my fabric stash is organized by color it's much easier to do. Maybe it's going to be a patchwork year. This onesie is another way of blending different prints together. I'm pleased with how it turned out and am anxious to do some more. I picked up some WONDERFUL prints at Maisonette last week. I currently have my half yard of Echino "Quiet Yard" hanging in the workspace. It's almost too beautiful to use!

some etsy picks

2009-12-08T10:08:00.001-08:00

I've been doing a lot of Etsy browsing this week- searching for that perfect gift, getting inspiration for projects to come in the new year and updating my shop for some last minute shoppers. (This is a good week for making purchases! Next week will work too, but it's starting to push it in terms of shipping time... so start shopping now!)

There are so many wonderful things on Etsy, so I've decided to put together a little gift guide with some wonderful picks. So many to choose from, so maybe I'll continue this again in the days to come. For this edition, I've picked a lot of holiday inspired items. Additionally, there are some great stocking stuffer ideas as well. This reminds me of the year I made Christmas stockings for everyone and filled them with goodies as their gift. I might have to do that again next year. Stocking stuffers are so much fun to buy! But it helps to spend an entire year shopping for those- stocking stuffers aren't things you head to the mall in search of; rather, you pick them up here and there as you find them. Yeah, maybe that's my plan for next year.

First is a wonderful pouch for your iPod or iPhone from downstairsDesigns. I love that it even has a place for your ATM/Credit Cards. When you head out for a walk, this is all you need! Wouldn't these lovely knitted candy canes look so festive on a package wrapped in brown paper and tied with string? Made by BadAmyKnits, they're the perfect example of a Handmade Holiday. I love all of the things from HeyYoYo, but this cupcake container is the best. It reminds me of the sack lunches I used to take to First Grade. "Holiday Tree" is a precious sketch by Etsy artist naokosstoop. Love the wood grain and can imagine pulling it out every year to dress the house in the holiday spirit. This Eames inspired recycled wood business card holder by andrewsreclaimed would make a perfect stocking stuffer. And, finally, how about this vintage red and ivory ribbon? It's too special for gift wrapping, but this ribbon from SugaredSongBird would be perfect for making bows on a vintage inspired wreath or tree.

I hope you enjoyed these items as much as I did when I stumbled across them. Happy Holidays!

baking is in order

2009-12-07T08:12:00.001-08:00

Oh Boy! The Holiday Season is here!
*
And it's actually raining here in parched Southern California. What a treat.

Are you making it a Handmade Holiday? I'm trying. Busy making some last minute things for the Etsy shop... like these elves. (I've also got a great pocket calendar, so check that out if you're looking for some teacher gifts) Come back soon for photos of my amigurumi animal parade! It's so satisfying to crochet these cute little guys. Making a couple zoos for some special little ones.

Meanwhile, I think I'll try to make the beautiful pop-up tree that was made on Martha last week. I've already folded up one of the magazine Christmas trees featured. Love the way it turned out. And on a wet day like today, though, I think some baking is in order.

*
Happy Holidays!

winning birthday cake

2009-11-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

I think I might have stumbled upon the birthday cake solution for all birthdays to come! This cake was a huge hit with the birthday boy AND it didn't take me all night to decorate. Here's my advice: save yourself the time- decorate the cake simply and throw a much-desired toy on top! It's even better if the toy correlates with the party theme as ours did- Star Wars the Clone Wars. Like my fondant planet? Our big six-year-old was so excited to get the lego ship off (which took me longer to assemble than it did to ice the cake) that it was a couple hours before he realized he never even ate a piece of cake!

In our household the time between Halloween and the end of January is major push time. Our oldest little boy (now SIX) has his birthday right around Thanksgiving, then there's Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year and finally the youngest little boy's birthday at the end of January. It's a concentrated period of time where most of our toy accumulation occurs. This is quickly becoming a problem in our overstuffed, small house. So now that the birthday party and Thanksgiving are over, I am desperate to start sorting through toys before Santa arrives. It's always hard to dedicate time to chores like these when I'd rather be making things. And I've got a long list of gifts on my handmade holiday list. So, I'll probably work in spurts- tackling one cluttered toy bin a day until we've got boxes and boxes of toys to give away and plenty of room for new toys. The question is, do I involve little boys in the process so we don't end up with any surprise disappearances? Or do I just move about independently and play dumb when inquires are made about a toy that has been passed on to the Goodwill? "It'll turn up," I've been known to say.

If I plan my time right, there should be enough hours between now and Christmas to get it all done. There are lots of crochetted socks and toys to whip up, the holiday baking list (I'll share soon), Christmas quilts, tote bags and personalized gifts to get busy making. So, maybe I should just stop sleeping. That would certainly give me the time I'll need. I'll sleep on Christmas Eve.

pendants

2009-10-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Slowly getting the Etsy shop stocked up and ready for holiday shoppers. I've added some new pendant designs that would make excellent stocking stuffers! Check it out...

The weather has been absolutely beautiful. I'm feeling inspired. I'm anxious to start making some mobiles using a technique for transferring images to wood that Katie from Matsutake demonstrated in her tutorial. If you're thinking of giving it a try, here's a heads-up. Instead of prepping a piece of cardstock, coat a transparency sheet with the glue before printing. This makes it MUCH easier to peel off the wood.

costume designer no more

2009-10-15T13:18:00.001-07:00

Now why did I go and spend all that money on a costume when Finn could have just as well dressed up as a Home Depot bucket for Halloween?

This year was all about store-bought costumes. A Star Wars Clone Trooper for one and Scooby Doo for the other. *Sigh* Is this the end of mommy's homemade costumes? Maybe one of these years they'll let me create something like a two-headed monster that they can both wear together. Hmmm... on second thought, that sounds a little dangerous. It's not like they need an excuse to hurt one another and if they were bound together? That would be nothing but trouble!

pumpkin patch with my pumpkin

2009-10-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

A day at the pumpkin patch.

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.
I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.
But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.

I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?
Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.
Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?
- Robert Frost

holiday preview

2009-10-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Some holiday crafting going on...

Elf
(perhaps an Elf on the Shelf?)

Amigurumi Monkey Ornament

time for another project!

2009-10-05T15:36:00.001-07:00

I saw a cute little Halloween wreath at the store a couple weeks ago. I've been itching to get a wreath of any kind up on the door. I don't know what it is about something decorating the door. It makes me happy. But I just couldn't justify spending the money for one, so I hit the craft store and brainstormed a way to make one of my own instead. How hard could it be?

Well, it wasn't hard but it was slightly more time-consuming than I imagined it would be. This, of course, makes me wonder if it really was worth it to make my own, because time is money, after all. I do love having my own little jack-o-lantern faces to get the house in the Halloween spirit. So, yes, it was worth it. This wreath, along with my ghosts in the trees outside (they've actually weathered pretty well over the last 5 years!), has me very excited for All Hallows' Eve.

Make one yourself! It's easy.

Here's how I did it:

To start, I picked up a bag of sticks to use for the pumpkin stems and to connect all the pumpkins. You'll also need about 10 wooden circles and 4 wooden ovals. (My craft supply store didn't have a wooden pumpkin shape that I liked. If yours does... lucky you! Feel free to improvise with whatever materials you find.) You'll also need some paints, paint brush and glue.

1 - Using acrylic paints, I started by painting the edges and then moved on to painting the fronts with orange and blending in some brown for shading.

2 - Paint the stems. I used a light and dark green and made stripes. Use a darker orange to paint the groove lines on the pumpkins. (wait to do the faces after the pumpkins are all arranged in their circle - because some of them in the background won't need faces)

3- Once the paint is dry lay the pumpkins in a circle with painted side down. Using popsicle sticks (or, as in my case, the same sticks used for the pumpkin stems) connect the pumpkins together. Keep 5 or 6 pumpkins aside and glue these on top of the first layer once the wreath of connected pumpkins is dry enough to flip.

4 - Cut and glue on stems.

5 - Paint faces. I found a jack-o-lantern sticker that I loved and that's where I got the inspiration for my toothy grins and googly eyes. Have fun with it.

6 - Once the paint is dry, give the wreath a coat of gloss varnish. I even used a coat of sparkle varnish to make it glittery.

And now it's time to bring out the Christmas crafts. Yes. I said Christmas. (I've been waiting all year for this)

guilty

2009-09-29T07:07:00.001-07:00

"Organize Now! A Week-By-Week Guide to Simplify Your Space and Your Life" by Jennifer Ford Berry is one of those books that, once I stumbled across it, I couldn't resist buying. I am guilty of judging a book by it's cover... and this one is so cute. It also had me with the words "week-by-week guide". I'm a sucker for anything that promises a week-by-week plan. Love the idea of someone else planning all my time and guiding me through the week.

I'm not too far in, but yesterday it prompted an exercise to help prioritize your time and it's just so simple that it's quite possibly brilliant. For this week's goal, I'm to make a list of my top ten priorities. Simple, right? But once I numbered a piece of paper from 1 to 10 and began the exercise, it was a little more difficult than I expected. I scribbled out the first few rather quickly...

1) baking/cooking healthy, whole food meals for my family
2) involve my boys in creative & stimulating projects
3) create wonderful memories for my family
4) nurture my creative outlets

And then I drew a blank. Wow, ten is a lot! After a lot of thinking I came up with the rest:

5) organization & clutter control
6) gardening (creating a comfortable outdoor space for the family to enjoy)
7) sew my own wardrobe
8) a healthy & fit lifestyle - lead by example for my children
9) fix up this old house
10) dedicate time to a book idea

I've never had a problem identifying what it is I enjoy doing with my time. But most of the time I find myself always feeling guilty for doing this and not that. Yesterday, I took the boys to the park and filled a bag with some crochet projects to do. On most occasions, I would find myself sitting at the park feeling guilty because I wasn't at home. Maybe because I left the breakfast dishes in the sink or I knew I should be on the computer working. But yesterday it occurred to me that I was knocking off two whole priorities by going to the park: creating memories for my family AND nurturing my creative outlet. No guilt! Done, that was all it took. This simple little exercise was nothing short of enlightening for me. Try it yourself. Especially if you're quite often riddled with guilt like I am!

pumpkin to start the weekend

2009-09-26T10:26:00.001-07:00

While looking for a can of soup the other day I found a can of pumpkin puree and haven't been able to get it out of my mind. Technically, it's Fall. But with Santa Anas followed by heat and humidity, the last thing I crave is pumpkin pie. In fact, I never could understand why Starbuck's introduces their seasonal pumpkin spice latte before the end of our hot weather. I know it's cooler in most parts of the country and Starbuck's rolls these things out franchise-wide, but we live in an age computers and technology for Pete's sake! Surely they could probably adequately handle introducing seasonal products when it's appropriate to specific geographic regions. But, I diverge... point is, I was starting to vaguely crave something resembling pumpkin pie. So this morning, using the fog as my inspiration and excuse for baking, I made some pumpkin muffins before the sun could have a chance to make the kitchen miserable.

The recipe is adapted from the "Deceptively Delicious" recipe for Applesauce Muffins (I substituted pumpkin for squash/carrot puree and added salt & vanilla) :

T O P P I N G
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
pinch of salt

B A T T E R
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats (I used steel cut oats because I used all my old-fashioned oats for the topping - worked perfectly)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg

1 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prep a 12-cup muffin tin with baking spray or paper liners.

2 - Make the topping: Stir together the oats, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut butter into small pieces and use fingers to work the butter into the oats mixture until it has a coarse consistency.

3 - Make the batter: Combine the dry ingredients and stir to mix. In a separate bowl, mix the applesauce, milk, pumpkin, sugars, oil, vanilla and egg with a whisk. Add the dry ingredients, and stir until just moistened.

4 - Pour batter into prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the topping. Bake until topping is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffins - about 18 to 20 minutes.

end of summer

2009-09-25T12:10:00.001-07:00

Summer is over, right? Around here, the weather hasn't quite figured that out yet. I'm waiting for anything even closely resembling Fall.

The end of Summer was particularly significant in this house because it marked the start of Kindergarten. Now that we're several weeks into the rhythm of waking up early, rushing off to school and finishing homework before going to bed at a decent hour, I'm thinking that the undeclared break I took from blog posts should come to an end. I don't know if ANYONE out there even notices (friends and husband excluded)... but this little blog is also a scrapbook for me. It helps me feel like I've accomplished something when I have a photo and a story to post. So I'll try to get back on the blogging wagon. I think it will be good for me - get me out of my funk.

Last weekend I planned a big birthday feast for the husband. We started with a breakfast of Migas (Chilaquiles) followed by a lunch of Currywurst. The Chilaquiles was in memory of the incredible breakfast we had on a trip up to Washington state a few years ago at a long-since-gone cafe in White Salmon. For years I've tried to recreate this scrambled egg with bacon, tomatoes, peppers and tortillas concoction. When I was browsing through The Gourmet Cookbook, I came across the recipe! (the recipe on Epicurious.com looks pretty close to the Gourmet recipe) It was right there on my shelf all this time. Go figure. The Currywurst was on the day's menu because I do believe it is quite possibly the husband's favorite meal. I was happy to stumble across this recipe on Saveur.com. I've tried several recipes for curry sauce and I believe this one actually tasted pretty close to the Currywurst stands we've been to in Germany. And for the piece de la resistance, for dinner I prepared Beef Wellington, grilled shrimp and homemade spinach pasta with heirloom tomatoes. I didn't quite get enough prep done in the days leading up to the birthday dinner - so I looked like I was in an episode of Top Chef with the clock ticking, things bubbling over and me dashing back and forth from stovetop to cutting board. In my haste to get dinner served, pictures of the final product didn't get taken. So use your imagination. But this photo of the cake is much more telling without the chocolate glaze. This was a recipe for a layer cake from a German cookbook we have. This was a very time-consuming cake - but worth it. For each layer, a few tablespoons of batter were spread in the pan and then cooked for a couple minutes until the top was golden. Then another layer of batter was added and cooked before adding the next layer, and so on. Pretty.

So that's what's been cooking in the kitchen. Aside from that, I've been busy clocking hours for paycheck work. When I haven't been doing that, I've been crocheting. I crocheted my very first pair of socks and am working on another. One of my bad habits is to go out and buy tons of supplies when I start a new project. So now I've got a huge bag of yarn waiting to be crocheted up into socks, amigurumi critters and toys for Christmas. Speaking of Christmas...

I've decided to start early. I always hate to find myself on Christmas Eve with tons of ideas left untouched. So I'm starting on those handmade gifts, decorations and a baking plan. Going to make this the best Christmas yet! Last year was SO much fun with the boys - I'm really looking forward to another magical holiday season. Now if only the weather would cooperate.

what are YOU lookin' at?!?

2009-09-10T14:32:00.001-07:00

At Kindergarten orientation, parents were asked to fill out a questionare with responses from the Kindergartners-to-be. In answer to the question, "What do you want to learn in Kindergarten?" our little rebel replied, "I want to learn how to spell 'I hate Kindergarten'." Despite that, though, he's been having a pretty good time with school. That is to say, all except for picture day...

This photo SCREAMS, "I HATE Kindergarten!"

Love it.

WAY more interesting than if he'd actually been smiling. For the most part, he's a very happy child! You'd just never know it from this photo!

hot glue + hot sun = no hula

2009-08-30T07:10:00.001-07:00

Dear Hawaii,

Please do not use a hot glue gun to assemble your dashboard hula girls. You see, when the car is exposed to even the smallest amount of sun, the glue melts and our poor girl not only topples over but begins to lose her skirt as well.

Thank you.

Best-
Dawn from California

my so called life

2009-07-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

(The rambling and the photos have nothing to do with one another. This little frog (crochetted from the same pattern as THIS one, is on his way across the great wide pacifc to the cutest little Hawaiian Boy you've ever seen)

"My So Called Life" is the DVD-go-to whenever I'm searching to watch something while doing something else. (And by "watching" I actually mean "listen to" and "visualize" the screen because I've seen it so many times that I don't really have to stop what I'm doing and look up to see what's going on - I see it all in my head while I'm listening... does ANYONE else do this???) So I threw it into the DVD player today as I was getting ready to settle down and sew a skirt.

But something strange happened when I watched it today.

[For anyone who doesn't know about "My So Called Life"... it aired in 1994. It's about a teen (Claire Danes) who is starting to experience the shift from the good, Daddy's girl she's always been, to the experimental, open-minded, woman she's trying to become. And when it came out, I suppose I was going through similar shifts. I was in college, I was still living at home but spending a majority of my time on campus, at work and with my then-boyfriend (now loving husband). It really spoke to me. All the things Angela Chase (Danes) was going through, I felt like I was going through too. New friends, old friends who I no longer have as much in common with, rifts in the family dynamic (complications with the parental unit) and a new way of looking at the world - all big and wide and full of potential. So, until today, I always identified with Angela...]

And then, suddenly, I started identifying with the mom, Patty Chase (played by Bess Armstrong). Suddenly, I knew EXACTLY what she meant when she said, "Do you think I LIKE sounding like this? Do you think I ENJOY sounding like my mother???" And it just hit me like a ton of bricks. At the end of the first episode when Angela goes to her mom (after having just been picked up and takend home by cops at an over-age club with her drunk, new-best-friend) and tells her she's sorry for dying her hair "crimson rose" and for leaving the house when her mom didn't want her to go - for the first time, all I could feel was the overwhelming flood of emotion, as a mom, who is so absolutely relieved that her child really does appreciate her and respect her, who wants nothing more than the very best for her child, and only wants to wrap her child up in the biggest, warmest hug and fall asleep in bed ,together, until pancakes and bacon the next morning.

Shoot, I really wasn't expecting this when I popped in this DVD. Just goes to show you how powerful this short-lived series was. And here I am, about to hop on a plane, with quite a few things left on my to-do list, writing about a TV show from the past. Aw, whatever. It was an awesome show. It was an awesome diversion, but now back to sewing my beach skirt and packing up the last remaining odds and ends. Aloha, everyone. A L O H A !

clockwork

2009-07-01T10:39:00.001-07:00

"I'm going to be 40!"

"When?"

"Someday! And it's just sitting there like a big dead end!"
(When Harry Met Sally)

So.... today I am 36. And, yes, it has me thinking A LOT about 40. Somehow, at age 35, I couldn't quite see it. But now I do... not that it really matters or anything. Whatever. As you can see, mother nature has granted me once again with the first blooms from my plumeria trees for my birthday. Just like clockwork. Little boys aren't happy with me on the computer, so I'm off. A very merry unbirthday to you! (unless you're a July 1st baby too)

in control

2009-06-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

Two reasons.
Two reasons why my fingers haven't touched my sewing machine all week...

Today is the first morning we're not rushing off to swim lessons or summer school. Today is the first morning that little boys let me sit down at the computer - my window to the outside world - for a moment with my morning coffee. Still waiting for my laptop to be repaired, so till then I've got to sneak into my workroom to use the desktop. And I'm sure little boys have rigged up a silent alarm that I trigger whenever I come in here. I usually can't make it 2 minutes before I've got little boys hovering around me asking, "what you doing, Mommy?" and pulling supplies off the shelves and wanting paper and pens and glue for very special projects that they insist require no supervision. I've got adorable little Aloha shirts all cut and ready to be sewn for our quickly approaching trip to Hawaii. (yay!) And I want to sew some cloth bags for organizing our packing - yeah, like that's really going to happen. (bags to separate 2-year old clothes from 5-year old clothes and mommy intimates from daddy undies... good idea though, don't you think?) And I want to silkscreen. I want to silkscreen!!! (yeah, like that's REALLY going to happen) I guess I just hope that I still want to do all this stuff once these little boys grow up a bit and give me some time to do it all. Because I'm certainly not finding the time to do any of it now. No sir-eee bob. Speaking of Bob, you know you've completely given in to the little ones in your life when you start to find Spongebob funny. Found myself re-enacting a scene from Spongebob for the husband last night. When he gave me that look (head tilt, concerned eyes - "are you okay?") I realized that I should probably be trying to spend more time reading a newspaper instead. Yes, I am a grown up. Yes, yes, yes. I am in control. Yes. (just keep on saying it)

crash

2009-06-16T23:19:00.000-07:00

I have become THAT person - the one who must have everything written down in ONE place or else her entire world will just crumble into a million little pieces. Sure, back in my working days I had day planners and calendars and... shoot, what were they called? Ah yes, PDAs. ("Personal Digital Assistant" - if only it were all that- that name makes it sounds so all-encompassing, like that just by owning one your entire life will be magically organized and orderd as if you were suddenly Marth Stewart) But once I started the stay-at-home-mom gig, I got lazy and there just didn't seem to be that much I needed to pencil in anymore. I'd occasionally scribble something on the Hawaiian calendar we hang by the microwave, every once and a while I'd update an address in Outlook - but that's about it. Then the Summer of '09 hit. We've got summer school, swim lessons for two boys, my own work deadlines, vacations and birthday parties galor. I quickly snatched up one of the pocket calendars that wasn't quite up to perfection for the OUToftheBOX Etsy shop last Christmas and began using it myself. It has helped tremendously! I was a signature away from signing a check for the youngest son's swim lessons before I realized they were in conflict with oldest's son's already-paid-for swim lessons when I saw the problem in my handy dandy little pocket calendar. And yes, maybe I should be methodically inputting all this stuff in a PalmPiolot or a PDA or Blackberry. But there's something about the scribble on paper - while it helps to keep my head from spinning, it also feels strangely wonderful to fill up those days. I'm here this day, there that, busy celebrating this then and dedicated to him, her or them on a week from this, that or next Saturday. Clear as day. And, paper won't crash. (filling up sketchbooks is equally as satisfying to me)

clarity

2009-06-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, another pair of felt booties. But what I'm trying to show off here is the photograph. With the new Nikon, I'm able to get so much more clarity - love how this shot came out. The weather here has been strange. It hasn't been the typical "june gloom". Woke up this morning and the ground outside was actually damp - those clouds DID look darker and like they were threatening rain yesterday! Gloom is just that - gloomy stuff in the sky that blocks out the sun - but not rain clouds, not the appearance of a brewing storm. Whatever this is, I hope it disappears by July. I'm ready for a bright and sunny summer.

I've been doing a lot of sketching lately and wanting to get back into silk screening. I love the yardage I've been having printed up at Spoonflower, but I'd like to start having some silk screened linen to sew with. While doing some googling to find a tutorial on silk screening a repeat pattern I came across a wonderful blog by Michelle SaintOnge called Print Cut Sew!. The series on screen printing registration is exactly what I was looking for. And, once again, I am so thankful for the wonderful world wide web.

balance

2009-06-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Some random pictures of some of the latest things added to the OUToftheBOX Etsy Shop. Finally got a new order of fabric that I had printed from Spoonflower.com photographed and listed. Working on some new things, but it sure isn't easy finding the time!

There's something about this time of year that will always make me feel like all I really should be doing is heading on over to the beach. It's summertime - no worries, just sit back and let my legs get some color. Of course, now I slather myself in SPF100 and carefully inspect all those freckles acquired from years and years of sun-burned shoulders. School is out for the 5-year old and he'll be starting Kindergarten in the fall. (Yikes! How did that happen?) I want it to be a fun summer. I want us to have adventures - take the train downtown, picnic at the beach, explore the zoo, maybe even brave the summer crowds at Legoland. At the same time, there's a lot I want to do, creatively. So I realize I've got a lot of balancing to do - finding that right balance of focus on activities with the kids and creative projects that help me feel accomplished in my art + craft. I've been losing it a little too much the past week. Struggling with that balance and losing patience with the fact that two little boys quite often don't want me to have anything other than them to focus on. And yesterday, it occurred to me that the solution to my frustration might exist right here - within me - and I just need to acquire the right tools for unlocking the patience and understanding that make a good mother. So I picked up some books:

The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness

Practical Meditation for Busy Souls

I'm hoping these readings will help me approach each day with an appreciation for what I have - to stop beating myself up because I didn't have a chance to list something new on Etsy, to enjoy this moment with my two growing boys, to create some wonderful memories for my family, to do what I can when I can and be absolutely content with that. I often don't give myself credit for all that I am able to accomplish in a day. My instinct is to, instead, look at all that I did NOT get done. And that's simply just got to change or else I'm going to drive myself crazy. Just breath. Going to close my eyes, breath and find that balance.

AND, I've got to get these seedlings planted! Garden Update: everything has sprouted and many are quite honestly threatening to kick the bucket unless I give their roots some room to grow. I hope to go pick up some supplies and start building these raised beds from Sunset Magazine. Must get to it! But... first... breath.

Sam Maloof

2009-05-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

"Ray Charles couldn't see my furniture," Sam Maloof told a reporter. "But he said he could feel that it had soul. When he asked about my rocker [at a friend's house], his host told him, 'That's a chair made by Sam Maloof.' Ray ran his hands over the wood shouting, 'I know this man! I know this man!' On his next visit, the first thing Ray Charles said was, 'I'd like to touch that furniture again that Sam Maloof made.' "

I was fortunate to meet Sam Maloof about 9 years ago. My Dad headed the project to move Sam's house from it's original location (in the path of a freeway) to a new location after his house was declared eligible for the National Registry of Historic Places. Sam Maloof spent over 40 years hand-crafting his house. A beam made from the limb of an avocado tree he planted himself when it was only just a sapling, a hand carved wooden spiral staircase, furniture built to fit in special niches, hand carved door handles and latches - it's a house that tells a story. (Oh, and not to be forgotton were the incredible collections of Native American art that is enough to send a former Art History student like myself into a tailspin!) Now, all these years later, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have visited his home, on it's original parcel, before the move began. The house meandered and molded itself to fit the landscape. Groves of citrus and avocado determined the path of Sam's expansions. And somehow, the house was moved piece by piece and reconstructed exactly as it was - flaws and brilliance in tact.

This is the real deal, guys. Here was a craftsman. This is a real life example of a craftsman who was able to make a living from his CRAFT, and it all began from a set of furniture he built for his newlywed wife from plywood and fruit crates. Years later, his hand-carved chairs would sit in the White House, he would meet with Hollywood's high profile celebrities for custom projects and he would sell rocking chairs for thousands of dollars. And yet... and yet... he would continue to support the local artists in his community. What I remember most about wandering through his house was the art (and craft) that was on display. And from the stories I heard, there were long evenings of cooking and stories shared with artisans in his and his late-wife, Alfreda's, kitchen as they laughed and explored creative possibilities together.

I could write on and on about Sam. But so many others have written far more eloquently than I ever could. (Jonathan Fairbanks, Larry Harnisch, Janet Eastman) I only wish that something I say could inspire you to dig deeper into this life that a little man named Sam Maloof created for himself. This was a time long before Etsy. This was a time where mass-produced furnishings were introduced. And yet... and yet... his work shined through. He was and will always be a true inspiration to me.

Sam Maloof passed away at the beautiful age of 93 in his beautiful home on Thursday. He called himself a Woodworker. With a legacy like his that I'm sure will continue to live on, I'm certain he will be remembered as much, much more.

not just for the birds

2009-05-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

I've been a little obsessed with birdcages lately. I have this vision of little flying elephants and giraffes in a decorative birdcage. I did a Google image search and found a slew of birdcages in all different shapes, sizes, materials and functions. Yes, functions. Apparently, birdcages are not just for the birds anymore. For example, check out this birdcage handbag by Maximilian’s Pet Shop:

And I don't pretend to be the first person whose ever thought of drawing birdcages. What is it about all those lines on a birdcage? I'm drawn to them. I want to sketch them and construct them. This print by Jenny Bowers and this fiber art by Tamar Mogendorff are so precious and give me so much inspiration.

Maybe I might even have to pick up an ornate birdcage of my own to fill with stuffed Buzzing Boggies. But there are so many to choose from! I love the hand constructed bamboo ones in the shape of beehives from China. But there is also something lovely and modern about these colorful metal cages from Rose and Radish:

Of course I could always just opt for some wall art like this eye popping piece from Wall Sticker Shop. As much as I love the idea of having sweet chirping birds in the house, I remember the mess they can make. And by the time you do all you can to keep the birdseed contained inside the birdcage, your lovely imported, hand-crafted, bamboo cage from Vietnam is all covered up. I think the only way to go would be a large outdoor cage in the garden. I think the birds would rather prefer the fresh air too.

Now I'm off to the drawing board (or sketchbook). But as is always my problem, too many ideas - too little time. I've been warned by the 5-year old that a mess has been made by the 2-year old while I've been sitting here daydreaming about birdcages. I suspect that dresser drawers have been emptied... his new favorite trick. So, before I can open that sketchbook I'll have to assess the damage and quite possibly spend the next hour sorting through clothes and putting them all back where they belong. But maybe I'm expecting worse than it is. Let's hope it's not as bad as I suspect. Fingers crossed!

craft of the day!

2009-05-14T10:13:00.001-07:00

I'm so honored to be a Martha Craft of the Day !

I want to take this opportunity to say "hello" to all the new people visiting my blog for the first time. I've been getting a lot of e-mail today and it's wonderful to hear from everyone. To answer the most frequently asked question... Yes, I will be offering my fabric again really soon in my Etsy Shop. (by the end of the month) But I'd also like to tell you about a wonderful relatively-new company that will print your images/designs/drawings onto fabric for a very reasonable price. The company is called Spoonflower. So if you like the concept of making personalized fabric bibs but aren't too sure about tackling the technique I demonstrated on Martha, visit Spoonflower and have them make your fabric for you. Happy sewing!

grow green with me: weeks 1-2

2009-05-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

I've got big plans for a vegetable garden this summer. It seems to be the trend, right? I've got everything started - all my organic seeds are soaking up water and sun and finally starting to poke through. I've discovered that the only way to grow seeds properly is to use a good seed starting mix. I have no idea what's in this stuff, but it soaks up the water like a sponge and keeps these seedlings damp all day. I don't know why it took me this long to figure that out. (if you're going to do something, do it right, correct?)

Here we were at Week ONE:

For some, it didn't take long at all (corn, watermelon, zuccini). Others are still working (basil, carrots, peppers) and I suspect my pumpkin seeds might have expired because I would have expected to see some green from them by now. As you can see, it's just about time for me to get my ground ready...

Week-2

In the spirit of water conservation, I'm going to place raised beds in strategic areas on the lawn where the sprinklers don't quite make it and I find myself watering by hand all summer long. So we'll have corn in the front of the house, watermelon on the side lawn, most of the kitchen veggies (stuff I'll pick as I need it) conveniently located in my backyard planting area and pumpkins growing on our front bank where we need some ground cover anyway but aren't going to tackle during a water shortage. This will be our sixth summer in our house. It only took six summers for me to finally grow my own vegetables. Stay tuned!

craft*topia

2009-05-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

Are you in Southern California? If so, consider visiting the wonderful women of the Oceanside Craft Mafia this Saturday at Craft*Topia. I apologize for my lack of posting the past couple weeks. I've had a lot of things brewing - yes, I'll call it that because though it may be true that I should be busy making things for Craft*Topia, I've been spending most of my mind brainstorming. And even now, with just a few days left, I'm surprisingly calm. I'll get it done... somehow... I always do. I'm PRAYING that I get my shipment of fabric from Spoonflower this week. Because then, if all other creativity fails, I can sell fabric. Fingers crossed!

ka-pouch

2009-04-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

...new series of pouches in the Etsy shop...

Life has sort of taken over for the past couple weeks. How did that happen? My poor little Etsy shop has been neglected. Finally managed to get in some sewing time over the weekend and listed these pouches. The first one uses some of the wool sweater I felted - In my head I imagined it would look like a field of pebbles. Does it? The second pouch is a design that has been selling - so I followed the trend. I like the modern, graphic feel of the spots against the reeds.

I need to get myself in a good working rhythm again to prepare for an upcoming craft event: The Oceanside Craft Mafia's Craftopia coming up on May 16th. If any crafters in the San Diego County area are interested in participating, I've heard there are spaces left. Visit the Oceanside Craft Mafia info page and inquire via e-mail.

Etsy Day!

2009-04-24T11:16:00.001-07:00

snap snap snap

2009-04-13T07:59:00.001-07:00

Can't remember if I mentioned it here or on Facebook, but after the death of my camera (a Pentax Optio point-and-shoot) I was dragging my feet about researching new ones. I finally decided to put some feelers out there and posted an inquiry on the Etsy Forums asking for suggestions. (Which, by the way, is an EXCELLENT place to get all kinds of advice on nearly anything related or not related to selling on Etsy.) I was surprised to get a lot of people responding with Nikon as their camera choice. I see so many Canon cameras that I was actually expecting to get a lot of recommendations for Canon. I was happy to see that Nikon came so highly recommended because my very first, what I like to call REAL, camera (because it wasn't simple point and shoot) was a Nikon. My parents gave it to me for my high school graduation. By getting a Nikon I sort of feel like I'm coming full circle. Found several wonderful reviews on CNET.com for the Nikon D40 - "a good introduction camera to the SLRs". It's priced good and seemed to be a good transition from my very simple Pentax. So I had some fun experimenting with it this weekend...

At first I was a little intimidated. I wasn't used to having to use the viewfinder for taking a picture. The digital camera has spoiled us by not forcing us to look in close but instead frame our subject in the window of the digital screen. I didn't think I was going to be able to adjust to this. But once I started snapping photos and discovering how, without even trying, the quality and clarity was incredible I was hooked. And lets face it, I need something to capture my goofy guys. These expressions happen in a span of a few seconds and I don't have time to set up the scene in the digital screen, zoom in and out by push push pushing that zoom button and then waiting for the auto focus to do it's thing. With the SLR I can zoom in, see EXACTLY what the camera sees and snap snap snap. Oh snap! I think I am in love.

modern munchkins

2009-04-08T07:35:00.001-07:00

I was SO happy when I was able to elbow my way into the Etsy Treasuries over the weekend and curate this treasury I titled, "Modern Munchkins". In the past I'd occassionally look in the treasuries to see if by some small chance the treasury was open for new lists. It wasn't until I started reading comments in the Forums that I discovered the strategy behind snagging a treasury. So I followed all the advice and was able to jump in.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that my very first treasury made it to the Front Page! This means it was worthy of being one of the faces of Etsy for a brief, albeit glorious, moment! Yay! I was bummed to miss it, but certainly appreciated all the comments from fellow Etsians to let me know that my treasury had been selected for Front Page status. Yes!

Etsy is seriously starting to become an addiction for me. I find myself getting sucked into the Forums - "chatting" away with fellow Etsy crafters. I love browsing the treasuries to see what collections other people come up with. It's easy to become addicted. I'm SO in love with Etsy.

upcycled?

2009-04-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was telling the husband about the popular new craft of making felted material from wool sweaters. I made a comment to him about how I'm sure all the second-hand stores must be experiencing a wool sweater shortage because everyone's encouraged to wash them, shrink them and craft with them. But when I told him that this is being referred to as Green crafting, he objected. True, it is recycling (or, upcycling, as I've seen a few webs/blogs call it), but - as he so eloquently put it - what's Green about taking perfectly good clothes that could be warming our nation's poor and homeless in the name of craft? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I was still itching to try.

While at the Goodwill Store I did, in fact, overhear a couple women seeking out wool sweaters as well. I selected a few sweaters and a wool sports coat and felt like everyone was watching me. I expected someone to come up to me and ask, "What exactly is the purpose of your acquisition?" I avoided making eye contact with anyone. I was sure the clothes police were going to swoop down on me the second I stepped outside. Totally felt like I was buying contraband.

I'm still struggling a bit with the ethics of felting second-hand clothes. But I really adore the felt. Makes these booties so much softer than the wool craft felt I typically use. I love how much thicker it is.

Do you think it can be considered a clean wash if I donate a couple jackets and sweaters? I'll go through my things and replace the sweaters with my perfectly warm clothing. Even steven, right? And if it makes anyone feel better (it makes me feel better, anyway) - the orange wool sweater had a hole in it. So that one was truly upcycled! Guilt free on that one.

the way boys play

2009-03-31T12:30:00.001-07:00

I just love it. Love it when I stumble upon some Star Wars battle re-enactment. "This is the one, you know, where they saved Stinky, you know?" And there's something about these storm troopers and their hinged arms and legs that make them look so realistic. Sometimes I feel like I've caught them in the act, forcing them to freeze where they are - like in the Toy Story movies.

Obviously, for me, it was Barbie. My sister and I would set up elaborate Barbie houses by standing up books to create rooms. (yes, an architect at age 8) The bummer of it all was the house rule - Barbie houses had to be taken down at the end of each day. I proclaimed that when I grew up I would have an entire room in my house devoted to Barbie houses that I would never have to take down. Um... yeah, that didn't happen. But I do often let scenes like this one remain intact and let the house rule bend.

finish it friday

2009-03-27T06:38:00.001-07:00

I don't know what it is, but it's been really difficult to get anything done this week! With more light in the evening it takes a lot more to get the kids to wind down. So maybe that's to blame. We had the big birthday party last weekend, so maybe I'm still recovering from that. (sorry, no pictures - can you believe my camera finally died?) But something's got to give. Maybe today I need to just pick myself up and focus on my projects - like this drawing. I've been carrying it around with me all week. Just finish it! Maybe I should call this Finish It Friday.

up + down + round + round

2009-03-25T18:09:00.001-07:00

Sometimes life just takes over, doesn't it? But somewhere in the blur of the past week, the boys and I managed to drive up to work with the husband and spend a morning at the Santa Monica Pier. Weather was perfect and the boys had a blast. There was a lot of up and down on the ferris wheel as well as a lot of up on top of the pier and down below the pier.

And there was also a lot of round and round on the merry-go-round. The carnival sound of merry-go-round music is capable of luering any red-blooded child to those brightly painted horses and galloping jackrabbits. I could have stayed there going up and down and round and round all day long... as opposed to stopped dead in my tracks in traffic on the I-10.

can't pinch us!

2009-03-17T12:11:00.001-07:00

Did some potato stamping for this fine St. Patty's Day

(it didn't even occur to me until now how appropriate it was to use a potato)

The young lad had a dandy time painting.

We turned his artwork into this flag to hang outside. It's my goal to have him make one for every holiday - I say this now... let's see if I make it happen.

new

2009-03-15T10:27:00.001-07:00

New pair of booties in the Etsy shop.

A new take on the old design.
Also a new toe embellishment.

you have to try

2009-03-13T10:57:00.001-07:00

It worked! I was so happy with the way these pendents turned out that I went to the craft store and bought up all the wooden circles they had! Now that I've got the process down, I'll be printing and sealing and pouring and drilling every chance I get.

There is nothing more satisfying, to me, than figuring something out. Not only figuring it out, but really succeeding at it - and by succeeding, I mean getting something to look the way you saw it in your head. (I haven't tried selling one of these, so who knows if they're going to succeed in that respect!) I'm ALWAYS seeing things in my head. It's a lucky occasion when I actually get to see it with my eyes. Yes, there have been many failed projects - but where would I be if I didn't try? You have to try.

(writing this makes me think of that Lyle Lovett song : "Look, I understand too little too late. I realize there are things you say and do you can never take back. But what would you be if you didn't even try? You have to try. So after a lot of thought, I'd like to reconsider. Please, if it's not too late, make it a cheeseburger.")

It's going to be a busy weekend of getting ready for another big party. My father-in-law is going to be 85-years old AND my husband's uncle is going to be 75-years old. BIG party in our backyard next weekend. This means it's time to do some sprucing up out there. Weeding, trimming, planting and sweeping out the cobwebs. On the invitations I drew up acorns on the front and an oak tree inside. So I may try to incorporate the acorn theme... somehow. Time to take my mind off resin and focus on party planning. Looking forward to buying some flowers and adding some color to the yard. With the recent rain we've had we're not short on green, but the temperature hasn't been warm enough for color. Time to import some.

WIP: pendents

2009-03-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

My recent attempt at making some resin jewelery using a mold has ricocheted me into a new direction, putting a pause on molding resin for the moment. Inspired by all the Scrabble Tile Pendents on Etsy, I'm trying to make something similar using these wood circles instead. Right now it's just a work in progress... still need to experiment with applying the resin. So, if it doesn't work out, you may never see these again. But I'm going to be optimistic. It may very well work out. I'm a sucker for materials - so I like how the wood grain shows through and serves as the backdrop for my flying animal bugs. That's the biggest complaint I have about the Scrabble tile jewelry - unless you turn it over, you have no idea it's a Scrabble tile. (the more I type out S-C-R-A-B-B-L-E, the more it looks like a word I made up and not like a real word at all)

Happy Wednesday, all!

sweet things

2009-03-10T14:39:00.001-07:00

A little surprise package arrived in the mail yesterday. Inside was this beautiful hand-crafted felted bowl made by Cose Dolci (www.cosedolci.etsy.com). I had it in my Etsy Favorites and the dear husband got it for me - just because!

I love the detail in this bowl. All four sides are embellished with hand stitched and felt circle trees. And notice how there are mirror image trees also stitched up inside the bowl in white? That's what I call attention to detail. This truly is a "sweet thing" (= cose dolci). I have it sitting on the dresser now and may use it to hold earrings or my favorite necklace. (maybe the very colorful beaded one Robbie made for me at school) Of course, I don't want to fill it up too much because then I'd cover up those ghost trees inside!

I'd love to fill the house with wonderful little items like this. Everyday I find the greatest things by artists from all over the world on Etsy. This is so much more thoughtful than flowers. Flowers die. This little treasure will be with us forever and I'll always remember it was... just because.

Now go check out Cose Dolci !

world wide window

2009-03-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ever since watching Slumdog Millionaire my mind has been swirling with colors, especially after I bought and played the soundtrack. Greens with orange, teal with red and a beautiful rust color that isn't quite orange but too beautiful to be brown. Oh, and curry yellow. I even fixed a delicious shrimp curry for dinner last week. I think my new color inspiration can be seen in this goldfish mobile I made. I used some Heather Bailey scrapbook paper as well as some Japanese origami paper. I was wishing I could hop a plane to Mumbai and collect some fabric and paper from an Indian market. I did a search on Flickr for "Mumbai Market" and was instantly transported cyber-style to streets lined with overloaded carts carrying fruit in every color of the rainbow, storefronts painted in bright shades of aqua and green, and stacks upon stacks of gorgeous fabric. I even had the instinct to reach for my camera to capture what was clearly already captured by someone else who was actually there walking the streets. I wanted to copy and paste a lot of the photos here, but that's just plain unethical. So do a Flickr search yourself if you want to take the trip I took.

It's amazing how open the world is to us now with the internet. When I was growing up, my Grandmother took a trip to Japan. I remember how I thought Japan was as far away from here as anything possibly could be. The Japanese language was something I knew I could probably never learn, so I thought if I didn't go with my Grandma to Japan (who spoke a little Japanese and understood a little more) that I'd never visit this beautiful land of temples, tea houses and origami paper cranes. The world was SO BIG to those of us born before 1980. The only window we had was a dusty set of encyclopedias with teeny tiny pictures of all these far away places. I never did make it to Japan with my Grandma, sadly, but it doesn't seem as far away to me now... and maybe that's because I'm not 10-years old... but I know I'll go... someday.

"Oh, the places you'll go," I often find myself saying to my boys. I guess every parent wants their children to see and explore more of the world than they did. I just hope that someday it's safe to visit all the places I'd like to see. I often get the wanderlust, but then I open the newspaper or watch the news and I'm quickly satisfied with staying locked up at home with the computer screen as my window. I'd like to think that we're becoming more accepting as a civilization with things like the wonderful world wide web to show us that we're really not all that different from one another. I wish we could all see the beauty in our differences and be inspired by them rather than offended, threatened and terrified. Maybe the more time we have to look at one another the less we'll start to identify each other by color, religion and culture. I'd like to think that could happen, anyway.

stitching

2009-03-04T17:55:00.001-08:00

just keep stitching
just keep stitching

just keep stitching, stitching stitching

www.OUToftheBOX.etsy.com

resin!

2009-03-03T09:39:00.001-08:00

One of the greatest things about the internet is the ability to self-teach yourself just about anything. While wandering the aisles of Michaels a couple weeks ago (something I like to do to clear my head while Robbie is at school and Finn is napping in the stroller) I came across a box of Clear Casting Epoxy Resin. Could I do this? I decided to wait and go back to buy it once I knew what I was doing. A simple Google search presented me with several tutorials and even several demos by different artists on YouTube. After an afternoon I felt like I was armed with enough information to really have some fun.

There was a bit of trial and error. My first attempt didn't set up right - I must not have completely dried my measuring cups. I've since read that even the slightest amount of moisture will keep the resin from hardening and leave you with a sticky, sappy goo. My second attempt was slightly better - although next time I'll wait for the first layer of resin to set up even more so that when I lay in my image it lays flat and without bubbles.

These are photos of attempt-2. These ended up worthy enough to show off here and wear myself, but not quite yet perfect enough to throw in the Etsy shop. I won't repeat a lengthy tutorial here, but here are several great links I found:

YouTube - Resin Tutorial with John W. Golden

Skinner Studio Tutorial (How to embed paper image)
Pink Lily Designs: Resin Jewelry Basics

time out... for mama

2009-02-28T11:07:00.000-08:00

I sure do love my little munchkins.
But they definitely know how to wear their mama out.

I'm home alone on this fine Saturday.
The house is quiet...
no music today...
just the sound of birds chirping...
and an occasional airplane passing overhead.
(even the dog is off for his grooming so there aren't monotonous episodes of barking whenever the wind blows - which, seriously, is all it takes to get this mutt all riled up)

Daddy has taken the boys out for a day of fun.
He misses them (long hours at work this week)
as much as I miss my silence.

It's a day for catching up.
It's a day for recuperation.
A day to make my ears stop ringing.
A day to reconnect with my projects.
(Maybe even a long bubble bath)

finder's keepers

2009-02-27T08:16:00.000-08:00

Beautiful bumpy lemmons hanging on our side of the fence.

Mine?

(said in manner of seagulls on Finding Nemo)

quilt

2009-02-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I finally made a quilt with some of my fabric? I think it's been over two years since I first started making fabric and promised myself I'd make a quilt. (see it in the Etsy shop) This has become a pattern with me - ideas that take entirely too long for me to get around to developing. At least I've finally learned to jot these concepts down in the "Idea List" I keep in my iPod notes. The ideas, you see, often strike me when I'm working out. What is it they say about exercise and endorphins? Whatever it is, it gets my creative juices flowing. Unfortunately, when I hop off the elliptical there are little boys with questions, breakfast dishes to clear, laundry to fold, beds to make and little tummies to feed, so I never can just sit down and get to it with the creative ideas. Thank God for my idea list.