Violet Jam. Fail. Lemon Tart. Not Fail.

About a month ago J gathered a packed cup of violets from the yard for me. I really really wanted to like this idea from SouleMama. The color is divine. I may not have read the pectin package right, but it never jelled into jelly and stayed syrup-y - and tasted like spicy grass smells, with lots of citrus from the lemon juice. Not very pleasant, and not really anything we wanted to eat. So I started to think, if I did this again I might make a lemon curd recipe but add some violets for color. Next spring, will have to try that. J had fun gathering the violets, after all!

While I was thinking about lemons, I happened across this recipe on Epicurious. I cannot tell you how yum it was. Very tangy, and I switched out the pastry crust called for with a chocolate/oat press-in crust - the hint of chocolate was just the right counterpoint to the rich custard. In addition to being so luscious, this is one of the easiest desserts I think I've ever made, next to jello. So thank you, violet jam, for leading me to lemon tart.

Toddler Dragon or Dinosaur Costume

From three different tutorials! Thank you, the Internets!

Dinosaur sweatshirt was pretty easy and very quick. Take an existing zip-up hoodie and cut straight up the back to the hood. Create your spikes from felt or fleece pin the whole thing together and stitch it back up.

(see Rae's tutorial for the dino shoes here - must make those to complete the look, right?)

The tail (from this Celebrate the Boy flickr pic) was just an oblong tube from an old grey sweater sleeve, with fleece spikes at the end. The spikes came out kind of twisty - I want a horn hat from these for Halloween! Instead of making it a belt as in the tutorial, I attached it to the back of the hoodie.

The wings were party favors from turning 4, also spotted on Celebrate the Boy. These were the most time-intensive, you bend wing shapes from wire hangers (scored for free from a local thrift store - when I walked up to the counter to see if she'd sell them she asked me to please just take them and did I want more), and sew fleece around the frames. Elastic hold them on at the shoulders.

To be clear, J knows that Stegosaurus did not have wings. He knows lots of dinosaur facts. But he likes the wings as part of the ensemble. Slippers next.

Welcome Spring!

Hello to everyone visiting from Pinterest, Momtastic or Modern Parents Messy Kids!

We had some toddler guests over to our house a couple of weekends ago and look what we did! A fancy flower garden in our front hall and in the office art area. Thank you Valerie of Frugal Family Fun Blog for the idea.

This was a super easy craft and very easy for young children (2, 3, and 4). And it didn't take a long time to set up. I get a bit miffed with kid craft projects that take me a precious hour to put together for 5 min of crafting time!

Valerie used flower-shaped postit notes, but I couldn't find any without going to more stores than I wanted to, so I bought a pack of 4 pastel colors and before the activity I cut them into petal and leaf shapes. By cutting about 5-6 sheets at a time each flower had a little "petal pack" that the toddler could use. We also had some left over heart shaped postits from Valentine's day crafting, so we used those for petals too. I dug out a roll of green package ribbon and we taped that up for stems - the taping was an in-demand toddler activity, even more so than sticking the postit note petals! Go, fine motor skills, go! Finally, we had the littlest ones help with sticking label "dots" for the center of the flowers the bigger ones had made.

The kids were really cooperative about this activity - I don't know if it was just because we timed it right or because I'm starting to get better at keeping activities short and focused. After a flower fury of five minutes or so, we all raced outside for play. The only clean up was to put the unused petals and scissors up out of reach! Definitely my kind of kid craft.

Thank you Valerie and Stephanie!

Spring Color

Good grief look at this chair.



I LOOOOOOVE it. Could I ever do it? Remember my hideous brown chair still waiting for what I now think is an utterly mundane and boring coat of white paint?



Maybe it is just waiting for spring but I am really seeking color. Here are some more colorful blogs if you are too!


Modern Parent Messy Kids




Attic24 (found through a Flickr search for log cabin knitting)



And Dana's Peeps Bunting on MADE are back for Easter, in this post with a bunch of other crafty colorful suggestions

Japan Relief - Crafty Benefits!

Another great round up of Japan Relief crafts from Alicia of Posie Gets Cosy Definitely scroll through the comments for even more links to artsy things for sale or raffle to benefit Japan.

And a print/notecard shop donating to ShelterBox, which provides crates packed with place-specific needs for self-sufficiency after disasters - in this case, tents, cook stoves, warm blankets, etc. They've already raised $8000!

Yellow

Photo by Mr. Sycamore. Makes me happy.

In other news, check out the downloadable instructions for the mitred square cross blanket over at Mason Dixon. All the proceeds are going to Red Cross Japan and they have raised over $5000 in something less than a week. The blanket is totally lovely and looks easy.

Kay and Ann pointed out that Ravelry has a Japan Relief Thread listing patterns where the seller will make a donation.

And you can search on Etsy for amazing cuteness that also benefits Japan Relief There are over 9500 items already listed.

And... I'm totally overwhelmed by my friend Stephanie's idea to hold a bake sale in her (big) office building for Japan Relief. She raised over $1000 bucks in two days and her company matched it. She posts that she is tired and completely out of flour and sugar. But that everyone who bought a cookie did a good thing.

I think of these options I may head over to purchase the blanket instructions. Or maybe buy something cute on Etsy to send to Stephanie!

I HAVE to Make These

dragon wings
Originally uploaded by da-atis

Dragon Wings. Wow.

Featured in Celebrate the Boy over at Made by Rae

http://feelincrafty.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/dragon-wings-tutorial/

Celebrate the Boy is Baaaack

For a whole month over at MadebyRae and Made , with photos and tutorials and lots of linkies. Check out the flickr pool and upload some of your own clever, cute, awesome boy crafty things.

After looking through the photos I have about a dozen new ideas and as many cool new blogs to follow or etsy stores to drool over.

Just look at all the onesies! Only scratching the surface, I tell you.




1. Mad Men Don Draper Inspired Freezer Paper Stencil Onesie, 2. necktie onesie, 3. Baby Animal Onesie Rolls2, 4. Upcycled Elephant Onesie, 5. Beep Beep!, 6. Razorback Applique, 7. Acoustic | 6/12 mo, 8. tie onesie, 9. 1st knit shirt, 10. milo, 11. Freezer Paper Fun, 12. Robot 2, 13. new fall outfit, 14. gocco dog on a new shirt, 15. Applique Tops, 16. little boy's tie

More Last Minute Knitted Gifts

Thank you Joelle (and Mr. Sycamore, and Mom and Dad. I may have mentioned once or twice how much this book was on my list, because I got two copies!)

And within one day I had popped out this! I think I'd use smaller needles to make it a bit more petite. But it couldn't be more cute. Or easier to knit up and decorate.


What did you knit up for the holidays?!

Procrastinating. And Another Advent Calendar

All right, I do know that it is the 6th. That just seems to be how my organizing skills are functioning this year. And this fabric-pocket advent hanging - and the sweet grandchildren cards within - is a fantastic idea. Thanks Florence!

And remember my plans to make at least one tree skirt before we needed one this year? I'll let you guess.

But really, nothing can dampen my spirits about this time of year. I love it. We headed out to the hills yesterday in the howling wind to choose our tree, and sat by the fire and visited with the bunnies on the farm to warm up. When we got home my big big 3 1/2 year old put ALL the glass balls on the tree by himself almost before I had turned around. He found all the hooks he needed, then, full of concentration, walked them each over to the tree, up the step stool, and onto branches. When I asked why he had them all clustered together and suggested he spread them out he explained as if I were completely hopeless:

"Mommy. They're a family."



Hoping you and your family have a wonderful, joyful, and peaceful holiday season!

Leftovers

Its all about the leftovers. My dad used to push back from the Thanksgiving table and ask jokingly "who's ready for turkey sandwiches?" but only half kidding. What other time during the year do you have all the fixin's for the best turkey sandwiches ever?

I love all leftovers - what else is thrifting? Someone used this Roman-looking silver plate gravy boat and mis-matched ladle, then it was left over, and now we're using it for our fancy dinners. Well, fancy, but not schmancy.

I hope you and yours had a lovely holiday with your families, and are now enjoying leftovers too. If you have extra time for a craft with kids, here is a cool and easy tutorial for a recycling inspired home-made advent calendar from Maya. Happy weekend!!

Love This Bag

While I'm still working on photos of birthday presents, another bag I love, from my favorite funny knitting blog, Mason-Dixon Knitting.

Needlecraft Primer

Along with drool-worthy kits. Recently posted on Purl Bee.

http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2010/8/22/mollys-sketchbook-welcome-to-the-lovely-world-of-needlework.html

What Was Left

After our yummy mussels and leeks dinner last night. I can't even tell you how good this was. The recipe is a combo from several sources including a Norwegian cooking guy on a latenight show I watched sitting up with sweet P a while ago - he cooked these on a kind of bunsen burner right next to the fjord where they had been caught.

2 large leeks, chopped, plus onions/scallions if you have them
Tbls olive oil
1 bag mussels (for two adults)
1/2 c white wine
1/2 c stock (veg or chicken ok, water or all wine also fine)
handful fresh thyme, about 10 sprigs
1/4 c half and half or heavy cream (milk works but makes a weaker broth)
lots of bread for dipping

Saute the leeks and onions in the olive oil in the bottom of a large pot. When translucent add the wine, stock, and thyme. Once that boils, add the mussels and cook covered for 4-6 minutes until all the mussels open. Turn off the heat (if cooked too long they will get rubbery). Add the half and half and stir gently to distribute. Ladle up the mussels into individual bowls and top with the cooking broth/leeks. Discard any mussels that didn't open. Serve immediately with bread to sop up the broth.

While I'm on a sea theme, check these out.

http://resurrectionfern.typepad.com/resurrection_fern/ Her photos and crochet are breathtaking.

I stumbled on this over at the Purl Bee, as Margaret Oomen is a featured artist, with a tutorial on creating sea-urchin-esque covered stones (you have to see them. click the link! click the link!)

I immediately forwarded this blog to my mom, who loves nature and photography, and crafting. And now I'm forwarding it to you.

New Homesteading Theory

I read a post about women who homestead - specifically, who are building coops for their first chickens - when I was first back from camping and have been thinking about it a lot since then. Aside from the horrible title - the "femivore" sounds like an alien that only eats women - I'm really interested in the story, and it has really got me thinking.

Let me start by saying I'm always suspicious of trendy trends... but this is not the first time I have been doing my own thing only to find that everyone else is doing the same thing too.

Let me also say that I suspect this is not a trend that comes upon a well-educated feminist out of the blue. I'd venture from my own history and from reading blog posts about cool 70s hippie parents who tried out a lot of this stuff back in the day - and grandparents going even farther back (and the "depression ethics" that are emerging now - reuse it, wear it out, do without) - that a lot of the "homestead" movement has its roots in those homemade 70s and also values the slow-food slow living movement that's been building in the last few decades. I know in my case it is both an opportunity to explore what you can do when you are rooted in a big old house after decades of moving around between small apartments and disparate cities; and a reaction to the exponential growth in marketing/consumerism I feel pressing in on me and especially on my kids. Consuming is always about making choices - what I'm trying to find is a balance between choosing what I care to consume, and not throwing away everything as soon as the next shiny new thing presents itself. And after a dual-income city-living period where we pretty much ate out whenever we wanted and bought whatever we wanted, having kids and downsizing one income has forced adjustments to our mental process around consuming.

I suppose I'm also reacting to the kind of busy-ness that you feel when you work in a modern career multi-tasking for 50+ hour workweeks. When my kids were born, I really wanted a break. And I needed a break. And I was doing all this multi-tasking at home suddenly, just to get the laundry done and the dishes done and the meals on the table and the toys picked up, I didn't want a management job on top of that to worry about, and I really didn't want a job that just paid for daycare - when I really wanted to be with my kids. Last week in Pennsylvania Dutch county, how I longed for a simple plain house on a simple plain farm with no tv, no computer - knowing, of course, it takes a simple plain family of 8-10 kids and a whole community around you to keep it going. And I did come home and give the washing machine a gentle pat, because I could not live with just a mangle, no matter how simple it seems.

I remember a post from a while back about whether or not it is "honest" to present your life on your blog as if there are no bad days - well, at least no bad days that you document. She never posted about her kids eating fast food, for example - which made the poster wonder if she is just greenwashing her life on her blog - presenting it the way she would like it to be. I responded that I don't want to see posts about bad days - online, in homesteading and crafting blogs, in my friends and their farms, I'm looking for possibilities. I like thinking about life the way I would like it to be - and inching closer and closer. Which doesn't mean I don't also enjoy an evening on the porch with a glass of wine and fireflies, or listening to my son chatter on and on about giants, or any of the other million present moments that fill up our days. Or even a lunch at a fast food place with a playground on a million-degree day where my daughter unexpectedly decides that today is the day she does the slide (I'm looking at you, Chik-fil-A).

So those are my thoughts on finding myself labeled. I agree, but isn't it more complicated - and I'd like to check out that book - from the library :)

Here's the full link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/magazine/14fob-wwln-t.html?_r=2.

What do you think? Are you a femivore?

Summer Top

Remember my crush on the schoolhouse tunic in black and white check back in spring top week? Well, here is my attempt. My fabric (from Joann's) is not so drapey - the trapeze-type body isn't working for my mama body, so I plan to do some darts in the back to gather it in a bit. But Mr. Sycamore declared it does not look maternity-esque, so it is a start. Used the Market Shirt pattern (meant for a much lighter voile) from Weekend Sewing - had to lower the neckline considerably and in retrospect I would have made the sleeves shorter and the body longer, but overall I like it!

Vintage Swaps Summer 2010

I've been following Shivaya Naturals for a while now - can't remember how I came across it, I think probably off of Soulemama. I really love how Heather combines joy in her kids' activities, food, crafty stuff, design, yoga, landscape. She's inspiring me to improve my photos too. Anyway, having seen previous posts about the Vintage Swap I thought I'd join this time, and got matched up with Halima at Old World Knits. I can't wait to get started thrifting for the swap. Check out Halima's blog for some thrifty goodness and great links.

Meanwhile, I may have blogged about these hand-mades before, but below you will see the chef's hat and all-purpose toddler apron in action. The chocolate cake was as good after it came out of oven as it was on the spoon.

Weekend Sweater Link

Check out this fabulous post from Farmama! Starting with the actual sheep, through fleecing, spinning and knitting - and ending up with the most amazing folk-art crocheted pockets, because as she notes, every Mama needs pockets (oh, yes. See this post here:)

Thank you Farmama (and Country Girl Couture) for inspiring with your blogs!

Last Day to Vote on Spring Top Week 60

Another top I already blogged about made the cut today! Go check out MadebyRae if you haven't already, you can vote until 7pm tonight. This may be my first chance to vote for the top that wins, Florence is currently in the lead with her olive colored Ruffle Top (I'm 0 and 4 so far this week) As you can tell from the posts below, my aesthetic is not exactly that of most voters, apparently. My top also did not make the cut to the top 60, which I was secretly hoping, since after seeing the voting I'm not sure I would like being in the mosaic but having NO VOTES AT ALL. Kind of like being back in high school.

But I'm very happy to have finished a sewing project for myself, which did take 28 days after all, and I probably wouldn't have except for the added incentive to enter. So thanks again Rae for organizing it all.

Out of time at the moment, this weekend will blog my extra tops that I like that didn't make it into the final cut.

Chair Redo

First, let me say I love love love this table and chair set. It was a total score off Craig's List from a guy moving out of a group apartment where it had been the kitchen table. I keep hoping I'll see the missing two chairs somewhere local - I look in the thrift stores, at the dump... no luck yet. If you see them let me know!

Here was the covering when they came to me - very dingy. When I recovered them I found a pretty cool 70s print underneath that also looked like a redo. In any case, Sweet P already helped me pick out the chair fabric ("PINK")

Awesome mid-century lines, and very well made. I mean, really, how gorgeous are they. The table top is worse for wear with several water rings and deep scratches - so it is a great sewing room table - but it could be sanded and refinished (if I ever got around to it.) Yay wood over pressboard.

I had to pull at least a million heavy duty staples from the hardwood backing, and our shop stapler is very temperamental, so I just used our swingline, worked great. The oldies are the goodies, right?

In the spirit of Maya's fixit Friday.