a gardening mothers day

The last few weekends here in northern Delaware have been spectacular! I've never felt compelled to do so much gardening. Today I had intended to be in my basement studio making a pattern for this bubble romper I've been thinking of, but then I went for a walk. There was no going back inside.

Since I only have gardening on the brain right now, I bought this perfect little card for my mother-in-law for Mothers Day on Etsy from redcruiser. If I could buy it for myself, I would. Actually I did buy myself my own gift- kelly green pants that fit like a dream- thanks, honey. But I refuse to buy my own card- kids, get busy!

Also got her these Bahco pruners that are so nice, they are not available at Home Depot. The have different sizes depending on your hand size. Get them here.

Took a detour the other day to Terrain and it looks like full-on summer there. The cafe there would be a lovely spot to bring Mom on Mothers Day, but don't try it without a reservation. Even on a regular weekend you need one now.

As soon as it rains I'll get back in the studio...

into matryoshka dolls

I don't know why, but I'm into Matryoshka dolls, also known as Russian nesting dolls, at the moment. I guess I should say I'm STILL into them since I wrote about them a while ago here.

They just seem so festive for the holidays to me. I found these great matryoshka doll items browsing around on Etsy:
Antique Russian nesting dolls from amberfilikins (oh darn, they're sold!)
Matryoshka doll letterpress birthday card from dutchdoor
Mother-daughter nesting doll pendant set from shoplolli
Matryoshka doll bobby pins from MelissaAbram
Kokka Japanese import matryoshka doll fabric from MoonaFabrics
Hand printed matryoshka doll kitchen towels from CuddleCanvas
Matryoshka doll baby quilt from SweetnCozy
Tiny needle felted matryoshka doll from CattaDolls

And I've been working on my own items for chirp & bloom.

I made an applique onesie and big sister tee in time for the last Clover Market of the season two weeks ago, and I think they came out pretty cute. People liked them at the show anyway, so now they are in the shop.

It was fun to finally use some of the floral ribbons from my trip to the NYC garment district and it was my first time using ink jet printable fabric sheets by Jaquard. I really wanted something realistic for the face, so I created the image in the computer and printed it out. I did a wash test and the ink ran some which wouldn't do at all. So I tried again, and heat setting it with the iron, then soaking it in salt water. That brought the color down a bit, but I like the more antique look and when washed  again, the ink didn't run. See? Even in a small business you have to do quality control testing. I'll add to that that I've tested the best way to finish the edge of ribbons and ric-rac. Between Fray-Check and singeing, singeing wins as long as the content is polyester. I use a Darice craft wood burning tool for the singeing and it works great.

Back to those printable fabric sheets- they are so cool, my daughter wanted to try them too, so we had a couple of friends over to do her craft idea here.

a very etsy birthday

I celebrated a very nice birthday last week starting off the morning with one of my items being featured in a front page treasury on Etsy!

I've become easier to buy for now that I've been making treasuries and bombarding my family with them. Mom & Dad gave me this card from a sweet little Etsy store called {paper & type}, which goes nicely with the pretty poppy tee they gave me.

It's from another Etsy shop called Uzura. I had featured the shirt in a treasury a while back, so they knew I would like it.

Then I kind of bought myself something... these hand block-printed birds from Anna See on Etsy as well. To make these muticolor block prints requires several blocks, careful registration, and skill by the artist.

I had bought the robin a couple of months ago and loved the texture of it and the little details. She inspired my robin coin purse. After I got it, I knew I would have to buy a few friends for her. My intention is to create a sort of aerie using the birds in our attic guest room once the repairs are finished.

This is the "before" of the room. The futon bed has to stay because of the narrow turned staircase leading to this room. I'll keep the side tables too. I'm thinking of making a padded headboard and hanging the birds above. I'll have to think of a cool way to frame them so the deckle edge of the paper shows.

But first these leaky window wells have to be repaired once the weather warms up a bit more. This will be our 4th try with yet another contractor! It's always something with an old house. Hopefully they will be fixed by the time I am done with the Art Star show and have time to devote to the project...

overdue baby gifts

Finally! Those overdue baby gifts are done!

I rationalize that the gifts are for when the child is older, so I take my time. I want the child to get some wear out of whatever I make, so I rarely make anything smaller than 18 months size for my gifting. I picture them wearing the stuff when they are old enough to walk and go places and not spit up on themselves every 5 minutes. Although that spit-up age is so very precious, I think a boatload of bodysuits is more useful then.

I made this appliquéd dress for my cousin's little Gwenyth. I actually got inspired by this card I bought over a year ago from Sugar Paperie at one of the indie shows. Baby girls get so overloaded with pink. Why not yellow for a change?

This one is for my friend's baby Lillie. I just love these old-fashioned names! This friend appreciates vintage textiles, so I thought the vintage pillowcase dress would go over well. This type of pillowcase dress that I invented with permanent ties and elastic instead of a drawstring fits the little ones so much better. Now that I know how to make padded hangers, I include one with every gift dress to give that extra boutiquey oomph.

Now I'm warmed up for spring...

bust magazine craftacular 2010

It's the height of holiday craft show season! I've missed a bunch in Baltimore and Philly, but I made up for it this past weekend in NYC by attending Bust Magazine's Craftacular held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea. I arrived with my posse of friends, and we immediately lost track of each other in this 300 vendor, heavily attended show. Deep breaths, deep breaths.

I just love a good indie show. Nothing is too precious. It's all about cleverness and good design, all within reach of the average buyer. You won't find the wooden bowl man, the decoy-maker, or the blacksmith, but you will find paper goods, soft goods, jewelry, bath & body, and baked goods. You may think to yourself, "I could make that", and yes, maybe you can because many vendors have gotten smart and come up with kits. But then, who would have the time to attempt them all, and here they are all finished and ripe for the picking!

My favorite kit of the day: terrariums. I spied the inviting Twig booth from across the room and made a bee-line for it. When I was growing up in the '70's my mom made a terrarium in a big jug with a light fixture attached, so there is some nostalgia to the whole terrarium concept for me. I'm tickled that they've come back into vogue, so I snapped up a small kit for my 9 year-old daughter. The larger ready-made terrariums they had, like this Sound of Music-inspired one, were really fun to look at.  Maybe we'll work our way up to a big one if this starter one works out.

Next favorite kit: sock puppets by Tigercandy Arts. The kits come with supplies to make 3 different puppets.

 Or you can buy them ready-made of course. There were about different 20 choices!

Oh lookee here. Kits to make teensy tiny stuff by Mochimochi Land. Creator Anna Hrachovec has a book out about making these tiny collectible amigurumi.

So adorably tiny and cute! I get it now.

DIY charm necklaces and bracelets by Brooklyn Charm.

Brooklyn Charm's inspiring array of supplies. They even had things like vintage skeleton keys to use in a necklace. I'm told they have an even larger selection at their storefront in Brooklyn.

Everywhere you turned at this show, you could fine original festive stuff. Kitty Jones makes stuffed and needle felted cat toys, but came up with a gorgeous wreath using needle felted balls.

I'm always impressed with the unusual materials some of the artists are able to make stuff with. Glitterlimes uses real candy and fruit coated in something (resin perhaps?) to make cuff links, rings and pendants. Perfect for my 9 year-old girl or someone young at heart.

I thought these roses by Calamarie were leather, but they are actually dried and dyed orange peel that would otherwise have been discarded, made by female artisans in Columbia. Catalina Lemaitre is the brains behind the fair trade enterprise designed to empower women in that country.

Clever reuse of vintage bingo cards by Another Work in Progress. I'm always a sucker for anything vintage!

I've wanted to try linocut printing since reading the book Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin, but haven't had the time yet.

 In the meantime, Katherine Watson's prints, reminiscent of Indian block prints, are so detailed and gorgeous that I bought a few card sets to tide me over.

A woman after my own heart! Rosi Zingales loves appliqué, feedsacks, handkerchiefs, and vintage textiles as much as I do. I thought these hand towels with Christmasy feedsack appliqués were wonderfully shabby-chic.

And Rosi's tiny dresses of fine baby cord with appliques of vintage hankies were perfect for the colder months and definitely had that "aaaawww" factor.

Finally, the real reason I trekked up to this show, here is Amy Sedaris autographing her Simple Times book for me. Such a good time!

grandma's peanut brittle recipe

My grandmother was here on the east coast for Thanksgiving for the first time ever this year. She was quite the cook in her day. She ran the cafeteria where her kids went to school back when the food at school was homemade and tasty. Large quantities were no big deal to her. Besides cooking at school, she made meals at home from scratch for a family of nine seven days a week without skimping on the sweets.

During the holidays, she'd pull out all the stops and make trays and trays of turtles, fudge, and peanut brittle. The whole extended family would receive a large goody box for Christmas. The boxes stopped coming a few years ago when my grandmother's eyesight began to fail along with my grandfather's health, and the two of them retired to an assisted living place with not much of a kitchen.

While she was here, I persuaded her to walk me through her peanut brittle recipe.

Grandma's Peanut Brittle
2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp salt
2 cups raw peanuts, shells removed (with the brown skins still on)
1tsp vanilla (omit if using vanilla flavored corn syrup)
3 TBS butter
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Combine sugar, corn syrup, hot water, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil & add peanuts.

It will be a scary rolling boil, but don't turn it down. Our first batch was a failed batch because we didn't get the temperature high enough. A little drip of the hot syrup into a cold cup of water should yield a crunchy thread, not a chewy glob. For the second batch, we used a candy thermometer and cooked the mixture until it reached 300° F. As tempting as it may be, DON'T lick the spoon. Any higher & it will burn, so remove from heat right away, add the butter, vanilla ,and baking soda. Stir quickly.

The baking soda makes the syrup foam up, adding air into it making the brittle pleasantly crunchy rather than rock-like. Immediately spread the mixture onto a large buttered cookie sheet to cool.

To release from the pan, twist the pan as you would an ice cube tray.

In a tin or boxed up nicely, this candy makes a great little gift. I'm thinking this year I'll take a break from my usual granola and give peanut brittle.

butterfly project

A few years ago, we received a ButterflyGarden kit from Insect Lore as a gift. Those folks at Insect Lore are on to something, because that present brought us years of fascination. For $20 or $30, the kits make a great battery-free gift for kids between age 4 and 12 (my daughter says she'll still like it when she's 12 anyway). All it is is a mesh zippered cage and a plastic cup filled with Painted Lady caterpillars and their food (weird grey stuff). You can reorder the caterpillars over and over, which we did. We used it so much, we wore it out and decided to upgrade to the Butterfly Pavilion.

You just leave them in their cup and watch the caterpillars form their chrysalises. When they start to hang from the top in a "J" shape, you know they will make a chrysalis soon.

The caterpillars attach their chrysalises to the paper under the lid.

Then you transfer them to the cage by removing the paper and safety-pinning the discs to the inside of the mesh.

If your timing is right, you can watch the butterflies emerge from the chrysalises (freaky cool!) after about a week. This time around, they decided to come out in the middle of the night. No worries- we'll just order another batch of caterpillars.

The promise of more caterpillars makes it bearable for the kids to part with the butterflies.

We even made a special butterfly garden in a corner of the yard to release them in and hopefully attract some wild ones as well. It's not fit to be photographed at the moment. We'll weed it and post it when more stuff is in bloom...

brooklyn renegade 2010, part I: fathers' day gift roundup

I've just returned from a successful visit to the Brooklyn Renegade Craft Fair held yesterday and today in McCarren Park in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. My friend Maria and I braved the sweltering heat to go out and support handmade and soak up some of that amazing indie creativity. There were sooooooo many inspiring vendors, that I decided to break it down into two posts.

Since Father's Day is only two weeks away (June 20th), part of my mission was to seek out gift ideas beyond the standard shirt & tie that most Dad's have seen plenty of, and look what I found! I still can't get over how easy it was to find suitable masculine gifts. Since it's too late to run out to the show now, follow the links to the artists' online stores to shop for the daddies in your life.

Shara Porter's booth of screen printed leather goods was Fathers' Day Central. She prints her daddy-friendly images on wallets, card cases, coasters and even reclaimed leather goods.

T-shirts are so much more fun than dress shirts for Dad. Jennie Howard of Handsome Howard shows off her nostalgic Brooklyn water tower t-shirt which is available in her online store along with many other masculine images emblazoned on tees, ties, pillows, and totes. Got this one for my own daddy-o.

More cool daddy-centric t-shirts from Jason Laurits of Paste T-Shirts.

Love this steampunk-style image from Paste.

That Jason's got a dry sense of humor!

For the literary type: recycled book journals from Ex Libris Anonymous.

Couldn't resist this one for my dad.

Interleaved with the acid-free sketch paper are a few pages from the old book it was recycled from. Gotta love 1960's food styling. They had many other manly journals as did Overdue Industries.

Here's something different: blocks of wood with building facades printed on them from Bladon Conner and Eddie Huber of scraptones. These would make excellent desk accessories or library decor, don't you think? My hubby is an architect and would love one of these...

An alternative to the "#1 Dad" mug: hand thrown ceramic tumbler with the image of a noble wolf by Susannah Tisue of SKT Ceramics. She has many other wildlife images available on mugs and tumblers in her Etsy shop and every weekend at Brooklyn Flea.

Too clever: cufflinks made out of vintage typewriter keys by The Weekend Store. They also have cufflinks made out of map snippets.

The mesmerizingly intricate block prints of Tugboat Print Shop would be perfect for art-lover Dad, or even for the dad who doesn't know he loves art yet, but needs to fit out his man-cave or office. I love this fanciful boat image. They also have amazingly detailed map and scenic designs all HAND block printed from HAND-carved plywood blocks. These are original limited edition HAND-pulled prints!

If you get nothing else, you must get a card. A handmade one always seems more thoughtful than one from the drugstore. I couldn't resist the screen-printed underpants card by Gold Teeth Brooklyn. I also got a more sophisticated letterpress card from Sycamore Street Press.

A great selection from Gold Teeth Brooklyn.

These were just a fraction of the 300 vendors exhibiting at the show. Up next: pretty stuff from the Brooklyn Renegade show.