a new sink

I really loved sharing my daughter's party with you last week. Your feedback meant a lot to me. I was aware of how "unflashy" it was in this day and age of fancy parties and the blogs that go with them. I wondered how our humble affair would be perceived. So many of you appreciated the low budget aspect of all of each detail, and recognized that fun doesn't need to be bought.  When you focus on making less waste and more handmade,  you become intimately connected to your choices and intentions...  the bonus:  it often doesn't take a chunk out of your wallet.  I'm  thrilled that you appreciate that, too. What a wonderful community this is!

Before the party, I had been sharing my mother's relocated sewing corner... and how she had to make room for her new upstairs bathroom. So today let's talk about that bathroom. A little reminder: the barn's upstairs is one large room.

The studio and bedroom are divided by a stairwell. The bed and bath share a common wall, but there are no doors... and no closets for that matter. We've  played with impromptu privacy screens before. Here is the latest(and wildest) iteration.


Suitcases, a birdcage, rag balls, a goose... oh my! Her dream sink for upstairs needed to be able to play double duty as "master bath" (insert giggle) and an art studio utility sink. My mother waited until  just the right one showed up at Significant Elements, our local salvage store. It obviously had a busy former life, and we love that.

She had come close putting in an IKEA sink found at a garage sale this summer. Not only was it too small, but it didn't seem to have anything remarkable about it. Nothing wrong with that, but she/we prefer a little history if possible. Now, this sink has SOUL! The new galvanized pipe legs were intentionally left exposed to let the sink's whole story be visible.

The "where do we hang a hand towel" conundrum was solved when my mother tied a length of sturdy rope across the pipes. A great reminder that this fabulous and funky little space is not so "precious"... it is also a place of work- the studio washroom!

Function meets whimsy... that's my mother!

Well, friends thanks for another visit! Hope your week is off to a great start... and please stay healthy. The deep winter cold & flu bugs are out in full force and knocking on every door.

winter whispers

There are secrets and memories of summer hidden beneath my snow covered world.  If I look closely, I remember all that is silently waiting. If I listen deeply, I may hear the whispering beneath snow-laden thrones... as tender new grass patiently anticipates rebirth. In the meantime, this frozen landscape continues to captivate me.

Wishing you a wonderful winter weekend!

The Piñata

 

 This piñata really deserved its very own post. Not only was this the first time I had one at a party, but it was the first time I had made one. They had been avoided until now, because I always associated them with a wild crazy free for all at the end. As a child I loved piñatas, but as a mother they felt like a recipe for disaster... if not tears. Until a Montessori teacher/mother modeled a new way for me. Before any bat swinging begins, the children all know the rules: when the piñata breaks everyone helps to gather the contents into a large bowl. Then a parent distributes the treats fairly. No tears. No child with less or more than another. It gave me the courage to give it a try.

One of our favorite books, El piñtero/The Piñata Maker, is all about a traditional piñata artisan in Mexico. It's a blend of culture and artistry, as he shares his process of making and selling amazing piñatas in his town. Wonderful photography brings his story to life. My whole family is captivated every time we read it. Of course, we'd have to make one of our own! Even if it was only a humble cat head shaped from a balloon... and made in a little snow covered farmhouse ever so far from Mexico.

I researched the steps and set up shop in front of the wood stove... because everything we do is close to the stove in January. Plus, I figured it would dry faster. I didn't want it to be such a sturdy cat that we couldn't break it, so two layers of paper sounded right. My son and I stayed up late on Friday night applying strips of newspaper with a paste of flour and water to our balloon. 11/2 cups of each made just enough for one layer. We hung it to dry from a beam near the stove and went off to watch a movie (Stardust). It was still drying when we went to bed. In the morning it looked like this.

And this.

 

Yikes! Or as my 12 year old would say: "EPIC FAIL!"  Was there time to start again? We went for it. No hanging to dry this time. No way! We still kept it close to the stove for drying puposes. 12 hours later- with two layers of newspaper, one coat of paint and glued on felt ears... it was ready! Thank you wood stove! We filled it the next morning with lollipops, cat buttons, silly bands my daughter was ready to let go of (finally!), rainbow crayons... you get the idea.

I poked a nail into each side near the top and then used wire cutters to clip a hanger and attach it. A   party hat  was glued on to cover the hole that the balloon had slipped out of and that the treats had gone into.

And then it awaited its fate. 

If you haven't made one before, you've gotta try it! Even with the botched first attempt, I'm still looking forward to making another next year! Do you have any piñata tales of your own?

whoops!

Sorry for the previously published partial piñata post! It will return in its completed state when my trigger happy finger lets me finish it and add some photos:)

cat party! part two

On the morning of my daughter's cat party, she carefully hung gift bags up by the mantel as we cleaned and decorated the house. It's become a bit of a tradition. Guests always enjoy arriving and instantly seeing that something special is waiting for them. I used bits of fabric from one of my overflowing scrap buckets.  I sort my scraps by size and color. This makes it easy when I have a specific project in mind. Each bag is white, but not exactly matching. I carved a party cat, stamped it on the front, and added a quick drawstring with twill tape. On the back of each tag was the recipient's name. As you may have noticed, there was no real color scheme to the party- we used what he had. Fabric stamping ink in dusty purple- sure. Lots of extra twill tape in yellow- yup. Matching dishes and cups- nope.Various bunting and garlands from previous years- hang them up. It was eclectic. It was just right!

Back to the bags... they were empty- waiting to be filled with piñata prizes and little gray cats. I whipped these up the night before. Just gray paint, a sharpie, wool scraps and a glue gun. In retrospect, this might have been a fun craft for the children to make by themselves with me as the master gluer. Next year...

Do you ever get an idea in your head and can't stop thinking about it? That's how it was for my daughter and pin stick the hat on the cat. Poor girl, we didn't get to it until the morning of. But it ended up being fantastic to give her a focus for all that excited pre-party energy.She channeled it right into this sweet kitty!

We sketched the body together and then she painted it. I did a little outlining, but she truly created almost all of it and was so proud to show it off when her friends arrived.

 The hat is just a piece of cardboard with paper pasted on one side.Those eyelashes... my favorite part!

A donut of Duct tape is on the other side and stayed sticky for several rounds of playing. "Around and around goes the cat... then she stops just like THAT!" I chanted as I slowly turned each child in circles before pointing them in the right direction.

Other party details:

•  there was fishing for cat food (construction paper fish and paperclips) with magnetic fishing poles (dowels, string, and magnets)
• they made bagel cat faces
• chocolate cupcakes were served with all the fixings for more cat faces
• although there were other activities in the queue, masks invite dramatic play. Making sure there was plenty of time left for that was important, too.
• a piñata! That post will have to wait one more day, because I have some work I must get to and off I go... 

Thanks for coming to the party with us!

cat party! part one

I love throwing memorable birthday parties for my children.  This blog didn't exist for most of them, but I've hosted an insect, space, lego, Magic Tree House, fairy, and unicorn party to name a few of the early childhood ones. This year's request: a cat party.  My daughter had three wishes: a piñata, pin the party hat on the cat, and mask making. Some active tweeting gave me a few other great ideas, and we were off and running. Cat calls were made:) and on a brutally cold day... seven cats gathered for celebrating

We began with masks. After looking around the web for an interesting tutorial,  good ol' Martha pointed me in the direction of this Mardi Gras supply store in New Orleans. Just what we had had in mind... and one less thing for me to make. I ordered paper mache blanks for each child and set out paint for them. After doing a trial mask the the day before, I decided not to get too complicated with glue and whiskers. I knew the girls would want to wear them immediately... so we stuck with one medium (paint) for all of the decorating. This turned out to be a great move, because with the wood stove cranking, they dried in minutes. (There's daddy cat in the background adding more wood!)  They slipped them on as they made and ate a snack- mini bagels decorated as cat faces. Don't those cats look grand?! It's like a storybook come to life!

The girls took their "costumes" very seriously... masks have powerful transformational qualities. Suddenly, we had a house filled with very playful and animated cats. Perfect timing for some movement. We played musical cat beds for the longest time. How to play? Just like musical chairs, but folded towels acted as cat beds. My son is a wonderful pianist and entertainer, so he played as they crawled. When someone missed a bed, they got the lucky job of sitting on the couch to be fed a "cat treat" (a sunspire chocolate drop). The intention was to diminish any feelings of being "out" or losing. No none of that and it's amazing how effective a little bit of chocolate is.



They could have played this for hours, but I was concerned about little knees on our sisal rug. We moved right into freeze dance. While the music played everyone had to do their craziest cat dance... the photographer got in on the action too, so sorry no photos... but it was good fun. Tomorrow I'll share a few of the handmade items crafted for our cats friends.

GreenCraft!

 I was so happy to pull the latest issue of GreenCraft, out of my snowy mailbox on Friday. Unfortunately, I had to show complete restraint and only glance at it. I had major prep for my daughter's cat party on Sunday, and there wasn't time for any distractions. After a full weekend of paint, frosting, balloons, and lots of CATS... my treat was to crawl into bed and leisurely go through the spring edition. I was honored to be asked to contribute my instant recycled paper flowers and couldn't wait to see how they'd be photographed.

Many months ago I created an entire box of assorted paper flowers and thought they looked so lovely clustered together as I sealed them up for mailing off. Apparently, GreenCraft felt the same way upon opening that parcel! And here they are!

Even one can make a strong statement as a solitary, long-stemmed (twigged) blossom.

The entire magazine is filled with fun ideas and new twists on using old materials. In this issue I recognized a strong emphasis on projects containing sewn paper, a personal favorite. In fact, I was so inspired by scrap paper being quilted and pieced together by artist Jeannine Stein, that I'm curious to go investigate her book:  Re-Bound: Creating Handmade Books from Recycled and Repurposed Materials.  I'm pretty sure GreenCraft has hit the newsstands, so go check it out!

I'll be returning with a post or two on all of the fun party details, including my piñata escapades.

barn sewing corner and traditions

Since I so enjoyed showing you my updated sewing spot,  I thought I'd share my mother's sewing corner at her barn. Some of you may even recall a few years back when she had claimed the area plumbed for a future bathroom, as her sewing room. Here's that post in case you missed it. This past summer a toilet was installed, and she had to squeeze her collections of bits, bobs, and haberdashery back into the studio. It worked out just fine, if not a little cozy.

These vintage soda pop crates make a perfect hutch with a spare board on top. The table is an old Hoosier enamel counter on top of IKEA sawhorses and covered in oil cloth. I'm sure the minimalists out there are wincing, but there is truly a spot for everything. Baskets, tins, and jars keep it all sorted. I've been known to get lost lifting lids to peek in, fondling velvet trims, and sifting through buttons.

My daughter often comes with me for studio time. The record player is out and ready for those dates. Together we listen to a combination of children stories from the early 80's (on good ol' 33's) all the way back to the original 45's and 78's that my grandmother played in her nursery school during the 50's and 60's! These are the very same recordings that I listened to when I was her age. My daughter hasn't done any machine sewing, except for in my lap or "driving" the pedal. When she's ready... we'll be coming right here, since that Kenmore is the one I learned on with small hands! We'll put on a record, and it will be quite romantic. History and traditions. They make me whole.

my current sewing wall

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading all of your comments yesterday. The whole world is filled with lovely sewing machines GIRLS!

I'm a bit busy working on a little project, so I'm just peeking in on my lunch break. I wanted to give you a stepped back view of my sewing wall. I moved things around recently and am loving this window's southwestern light. I thought I'd wait to share this until I had sewn a new curtain and it was all "styled", but frankly I'm just happy it's tidy in these photos. Right now, this surface is covered in thread and fabric! The table is an old high school science lab station from Craigslist. It has two work spaces and thus fits my serger right next to whichever sewing machine I'm currently working with. It's very sturdy, but a little tall. I have an adjustable dentist stool on wheels that I've hitched up and roll around on. Someday I dream of covering its white vinyl cushion in something prettier. However, I did recently make over the lampshade. An old lace runner is simply safety pinned securely around the shade. Talk about the fastest diy ever!

I used to have an inspiration board on the wall above the table, but they get so busy... so I relocated it and put up favorite artwork instead. I tend to sew with a soft and natural palette, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a splash of color in front of me. The two framed prints on the right are done by Helen of ZukZuk. I love her work so much and could see filling my entire home with her happy art!  The psychedelic pregnant chicken is an original silk screen my mother did in the 70's and represents my wild and creative childhood. It reminds me to make my own rules when I sew, just the way my mother taught me! The pink coconut masks were brought back from Mexico, where I leave my heart every time I go. That clementine box needs a little straightening, but there you have it. A fresh place to stitch and smile.

She's back!

This old blue singer has been on display in my studio for over a year. I've been a bit intimidated by the motor's loud roar, so it sat idle on a shelf day after day.  I'm also very attached to my younger and quieter sewing machine...  but back in December, that trusty "new" Pfaff decided that it had seen one too many coffee sacks without a tune up- and quit. What poor timing. It was just the nudge I needed to finally dust off the Singer, put in a pair of ear plugs (just kidding!), and give her a whirl. The manual helped me to adjust the tensions and understand a few quirks. I felt very resourceful and even a bit Fix It Friday-ish. I made a few simple projects, but honestly I just couldn't stop pining for my Pfaff... who was taking weeks and weeks to be repaired. I truly moped about my studio without her. I don't usually attach gender to inanimate objects, but sewing machines seem to be my exception. I've often thought of them as friends (or foes) and they are always feminine to me.  My love for this particular sewing machine runs deeper than any other that has ever been in my life.  A couple of days ago I got the call... she was ready to come home.

I feel a bit silly sharing my elation, but it was similar to the reunion of a long lost friend. I even made calls to the important people in my life to announce her return.  Please don't feel worried about my abandoning the little blue one.We're buddies now. I will be sure to bring her out to play more often,  but... well- this photo speaks for itself!

I'm off to SEW!!

weekend cheddar crackers

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We took full advantage of our snow.  Above my daughter and I are making a trail for my son out back... there are several cleared acres of an old horse pasture that make for loads of fun... and an aching back from all of that pulling!  My boy has long grown out of his ski boots and now we take turns wearing mine. They're already too tight, so that won't last long. He's also only an inch away from matching my height.  I think there will have to be a special ceremony when my first born and I are able to gaze directly into one another's eyes!

There's nothing like coming in from the cold to the cozy smells of fresh baking. So we made sure there was lots in the oven... from bread to crackers! The crackers were a new recipe to us and totally outstanding if you like rich and cheesy... which we do.  My family would have eaten the entire batch in seconds if I hadn't requested a slow down. A New Year's goal was to move away from store bought snacks foods. These crackers were an attempt to replace the cheddar bunnies my children have a serious weakness for. They are a million times better, and we made them.  There were a few adjustments; like substituting the white flour for whole wheat pastry and omitting salt since we used salted butter. Here's the original recipe.

Easy and addicting. The flatter you roll them the crispier, but we discovered that the puffy, thicker, and chewier version is our favorite hot out of the oven. For our second half of the batch, we only made them big and thick (1/4 of an inch) and used heart shaped cookie cutters just for fun. These were baked specifically for storing in a glass jar to test how well they'd keep.* The problem is no one can keep their hands out of the jar! If you're looking for a good homemade cheddar cracker to replace those bunnies (and fish) this one's for you!

*Suggestion after sampling the next day: thicker and puffier for instant eating; thinner for storing.

  

And for today... we may revisit our favorite pretzel! Any baking happening in your oven, these days? We're always on the look out for new recipes!

It arrived!

We finally got our snow!



And here comes some more!

Be well! Be cozy!

ironing board nightstand

My mother's bed is tall and luxurious. Once settled in, it's hard to leave. Because of the distance to the floor and the lack of room for an ample nightstand- books, computer, and notepads often pile into bed. It can get crowded on that fluffy down comforter. Something needed to be done.Hoping to help the cluttered surface situation, I temporarily slid an ironing board (a vintage wooden one as you would expect) between the wall and the bed.  She wasn't sure if it looked right... she does have quite particular aesthetics, that mom of mine! Needless to say... the ironing board nightstand was an amazing platform. It functions beautifully and has  become indispensable! Here it is in a sparse and minimal state,  but you'll often find it with a laptop, stack of books, magazines and room to spare. The genius (yes, I'm tooting my horn just to get my sweet mom's goat!) of the ironing board nightstand is not just in its "roomy design", but its adjustable height! Perfect for her tall bed, but easily reduced for bedsides with different proportions. If you're looking for a nice landing for all of your bedside reading, and only have a narrow space to fill... this might be a solution to consider.

p.s. This would also be a wonderful addition to any mama's repertoire for comforting a sick child(or any age for that matter) who was stuck in bed and needs everything within reach. Maybe I even need to sew a customized ironing board cover with pockets... so many possibilities from a humble repurposed ironing board!