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Well. I think I am back to blogging. I really can’t explain it, but when I got back from Lake Tahoe, something in me just wanted to be quiet for awhile. And so I was. And so now I am back. I think….but this could also be a one off post again.

Life around here has been happening at a whole different pace than it was while I was away in Lake Tahoe. It is a good and productive busyness though, and I feel satisfied at the end of most of my days. I have taken a part time job organizing a charity fundraising walk in August, and we are planning to list our house for sale in a few weeks.

That hasn’t left a lot of time for crafting or sewing, although I did manage to make it to one Market this summer so far, and I have turned out a few house projects that I will get around to sharing one of these days. I am hoping over the next few weeks to share some of the events and projects that happened during my little blog-break. There has been a lot going on, and I would still like to document it. So…..I’ll be back soon!

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Since returning from Tahoe, I have been gripped with a mix of spring fever/reno obsession/clutter overload that has been consuming all my time. So….some projects to show you soon, but for now Stella has been coming up with some good ones lately.

This morning before we went to daycare for the first time I asked her if she was going to be good today and she says ” I’m going to show Erin (the teacher)  how sweet I mam.” She ended up having a perfect day – she is so ready for more social interaction and it is really fun to see her with the other kids.

I  know that there are so many other things she has said lately, and now that I sit down to write I can’t remember them. Sigh. Maybe tomorrow.

selling out

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Well…not really. But I am going to close up the little (yiddle in Stella-speak) shop as of May 15th. I have so many ideas for projects in my house and my yard, and I feel like I need to focus on one thing at a time for a little while. It isn’t like the shop is terribly busy, but I am always thinking about it, and how to make it busier and prettier and better, and so I am giving my mind the summer off.

I have some ideas for the future of my business percolating on the back burner, but I don’t know what direction those will take me. I am reasonably sure that it will involve craft, recycled things, thrifting and hopefully some photography/design/other stuff but I have absolutely no idea what that will practically mean.

So for now I am planning to do lots of sewing and craft projects strictly for FUN(something I haven’t done in ages), spend lots of time outside with Stella, play around will all kinds of art supplies, take more photos, drink plenty of mojitos on my deck with my friends and wait and see what happens next.

my saturday was…

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Breakfast devoured.

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Nature considered.

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Library explored.

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Band (Ten Mile Tide) at Earth Day Festival rocked.

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Face painted.

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Toddler done.

Earth we thank you…

In honour of Earth Day I thought I would share my favourite earth-honouring Etsy peeps.

eco friendly quilted vintage fabric card cozy...sustainable wallet

One of my long time favourite girls is rikrak, a fellow Canadian who uses vintage and recycled fabrics. I think these little wallets are so charming, especially the little rikrak tag!

Dial My Heart - Recycled Cotton/Plastic Material Grocery/Shopping Tote

I am a big fan of all kinds of reusable shopping bags, but these ones from EarthCadet are extra charming.

Hoot Owls Pincushion Recycled Candle Holder and Wool Knit

Oh how I love owls, and this pincushion is absolutely brilliant. I never have a pincushion when I need one so this is perfect. Nicely done blackbirdfashion!

Recycled Skateboard Coasters - Set of Four

I came across 2ReVert (another Canadian) when I was buying Christmas gifts this year for my skateboarder brother in law. I bought a coaster and a necklace for my sister and they were thrilled with them. I really like all of their items, especially these coasters.

SALE The Seed Bag Clutch in Recycled Grey/Blue Canvas 20013

This clutch, made from 100% recycled materials is so adorable. If only I didn’t have a toddler that made a clutch purse impossible. I love the detailing on this, and all the other cute bags by humade.

Happy Earth Day everyone!

 

John Engstead/Look Magazine/ MFK Fisher in 1942

I am not entirely sure how I haven’t come across M.F.K. Fisher until now, but I am glad fate intervened before it was too late.  I managed to get my hands on an original copy of  How To Cook A Wolf Trb, and fell in love with her writing. I mean, anyone who can use the word “huggermuggery” in a sentence is someone to read in my mind (Seriously….huggermuggery? How can I use that in my regular vocabulary? It is my new favourite word).

“How to Cook a Wolf” (the title a reference to “the wolf at the door”)  is a collection of essays interspersed with recipes that focus on the topic of cooking during food shortages and wartime. What I found most interesting about it was how relevant it seemed now even though it was written in 1942. It is full of  wonderfully vintage language, and quite a few recipes that I am sure aren’t ever made anymore( such as a sludge made of cheap meat and wilted vegetables recommended if you must keep yourself alive for under 50 cents a week), but she also wrote of many issues that seem to be just as timely now as they were then. For instance, she mentioned often the tendency of magazines and popular advice to confuse us as to what is best to do, rather than offer anything of substance – something that I think is even more of an issue now with the abundance of information that we are exposed to on  a daily basis.

I found the chapter titles very charming.  ”How to Rise Up Like New Bread” ( a Tolstoy reference),  ”How to Be Cheerful Though Starving”  and “How to Distribute Your Virtue” were just a few of my favourites – all referring to the general principles of economy and survival in difficult times.

I also enjoyed her thoughts on what was considered a “balanced diet” at the time and how that way of eating was prescribed so religiously, causing “gastronomical monotony” and loads of extra strain both on women and on food budgets.  She advocated creativity in the kitchen, recommending that as long as you balance the day with a good amount of variety you will still be healthy enough and likely find more enjoyment in food. One of my favourite lines in the book was her reference to institutional “balanced menus” as “…what kills the least number with the most ease.” I have eaten in enough institutions (colleges, camps, hospitals) to know this is still true!

Throughout the book she advocated using good sense  “..weeding out what you yourself like best to do, so that you can live most agreeably in a world full of an increasing number of disagreeable surprises.” I think this advice holds true today, as it is so easy to be mindlessly swept up in what the current advice is from media, or other people around us. We each need to find our own path, both in the kitchen and elsewhere, and I found much of this book to be a good reminder of that. She says to use our minds as well as our hearts when approaching the tasks of cooking for ourselves and our families and to “live gracefully if we do at all”. I find this an inspiring thought, as I am often overwhelmed and bored by the tasks of cooking.

Another of the ideas that keeps coming up in the book is the fact that “…sharing a meal makes it dignified” and that no matter what we have or don’t have on the menu, approaching it gracefully and thankfully and in good company makes “flavours clearer and a certain philosophic slowness possible.”  I love this approach to food – it is better shared, and when approached with creativity and love, you can dine like kings with next to nothing.

All in all I loved this book, and thought it was charming, engaging, funny and very quirky. For her time, she was quite advanced in her thinking, and I think that is why it seems still relevant. I haven’t yet read any of her other books, but I am keeping an eye out for them now.

Any other MFK Fisher fans out there? I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this book as well…

 

 

 

E is for Easter

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Off to find some eggs…

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I have been saving this dress for Stella for a loooong time now. I made it with the intention of selling it, and then couldn’t bring myself to do it. I used a vintage embroidered sheet to make the dress, and lined it with some pretty yellow flannel. It is the perfect Easter dress because it was a little bit cozy and not too light. My mom knitted the sweater to go with the dress, and the tights were in the clearance basket so all round it came together pretty smooth.

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 I love that she is starting to cooperate with me when I want to take photos of her. We had a lot of fun taking these ones.

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Hope the Easter Bunny made it to your house!

sheer awesomeness

I love this so much, for so many reasons, and am now daydreaming about pulling off some public acts of dance of my own. How fun would that be?

the beach

The weather around here has warmed up considerably in the past weeks, and so Stella and I took to the beach.

Stella at the beach

She is surprisingly adventurous in around the water, given her normally cautious nature, and she loves splashing in the water in her boots. This beach is really shallow, with sandbars that create nice big “puddles”.

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This is the first season that Stella has been OK with the idea of getting dirt on her hands. So we spent some time exploring the beach, looking for shells and writing in the sand. This being a lake though, there wasn’t exactly an abundance of shells. This was about the biggest one we found.

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I was surprised that such a nice beach was totally deserted. I suppose the locals don’t consider it to be warm enough yet, but for me no snow and sunshine is warm enough! I will be back soon with more beach pictures, since that is all we seem to be doing lately.

and the winner is…

Amanda! Thank you so much for all the lovely comment and link love everyone! It was very sweet and I wish I could give something to everyone but alas….you are not that lucky, as I am not that rich!

Amanda…I will be in touch. Have a sunshiney weekend lovelies!

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