Adjustments

I feel like I'm going through a period of transition and introspection right now.  I am really emotional about the oil spill in the Gulf, and that's on top of already feeling overwhelmed by all of the recent earthquakes and floods and economic strife and atrocities that humans commit against each other.  It's all just too much.  I find myself sitting down to write and not knowing what to say because there's just too much to say.  At least for now, I will revert back to what I know; what I can touch right now; the minutia that is daily life.  I will breathe in and breathe out and notice this moment right now because it is really all that I have.  And in being available for myself, maybe I can also be available for someone else.  That's a start.  This mother Merganser was seen by my friend Barry, who took this picture as she shuttled her babies down the falling tide on Woodard Bay.  A perfect example of being in the moment, I think.

Bronwyn is on summer break, and I have to say I am loving my mornings with her.  Instead of rushing to get out the door, we snuggle and read books and maybe take a tub just for fun.  I have been taking some time, too, to work on a fun new clutch design.  I haven't gotten things perfect, but I'm enjoying the process of fiddling.  I have discovered that I love pleats and so this new clutch will feature at least one.  Here is what it looks like so far:  These are being donated to a friend's raffle to raise money for breast cancer research.  Hence the pink theme!

Peace and love to you my friends; have a lovely week!

Sunny Happy Love

At last, the sun has made an appearance.  It is amazing to me how much of an impact it can make on my attitude, for the better.  Bronwyn is officially on Summer Break and she's sleeping in, which is lovely.  Time is of the essence, though, so quickly I wanted to show you what is making me happy in the creative department.

One of my favorite surface designers, Heather Ross, has come out with her latest fabric collection.  Her prints are on linen this time and the line is called Far Far Away, Chapter II.  It is full of fairy tale, sketchbook whimsy and I'm in LOVE!  I got my first shipment of a couple of her prints and immediately made these sweet zippered boxy cases.  I can't decide which one is my favorite!  They are all available in my Etsy and Artfire shops. 

Summer Time

Well it's official.  It's summer.  And I feel a bit blue.  It has been raining to beat records here and my tomatoes are wondering, "What the heck?".  Today is Bronwyn's final day of school, and I just can't seem to get everything done.  I decided that maybe summer needs a bit more encouragement to make an appearance.  Why not?  So I made a Strawberry Clafouti in the hopes that the season would feel more welcome in my home.  So far, it's still raining, but at least the house smells lovely!

Here's the recipe for this delicious, slightly sweet, creamy custardy treat.

STRAWBERRY CLAFOUTI

8 oz fresh, washed, strawberries, cut in half lengthwise

2 tsp cornstarch

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

2/3 cup flour (I used unbleached white bread flour)

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

powdered sugar (for the top)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a shallow 2 quart baking dish (I used a glass pie plate). 

In a bowl toss strawberry halves with the cornstarch until evenly coated, then arrange the berries with cut side down on the bottom of the dish.

In a blender, whirl eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth (about 15 seconds).

Pour batter over strawberries.

Bake until puffed, golden brown, and set in the center (about 50 minutes).  Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.  The fruit rises to the top so you can see it and rests on the custardy filling.

Cozy and Bright

Oh boy is it ever raining!  It is relentless, and there's no end in sight.  It's warm out, though, and so the plants are vigorous with growth.  It feels a little tropical here, actually. 

This week I found some time to sew up a couple of pillow covers. I found this fabric designed by Laura Gunn for Michael Miller and immediately felt connected to the lush, tropical feel.  I think they look really fresh!

You can find them in both my Etsy and Artfire shops.

The Second Bag

Just a quick post to show you the second bag that I made for my neighbor.  I'm so pleased with the way that these came out; I hope they provide lots and lots of good use! 

Sewing For Myself: Well... Sort Of

In keeping with the theme of taking time for myself, I decided that I really needed to boost my exercise routine. I love to exercise, and running is my work-out of choice (because it serves a dual purpose of physical and mental exercise). But a knee injury had left me feeling despondent and resolved to being in my 40s. Luckily for me, my neighbor and friend is a personal trainer and agreed to take me on in exchange for some messenger bags! Win-Win! Here is the first bag that I made for her. I love it's sunny brightness combined with the art nouveau design. Of course, the print is designed by Anna Maria Horner, one of my favorites! And since I've been working out with my neighbor, I'm feeling much stronger and was even able to run a little bit last weekend without knee pain. HOORAY!

Princess Petticoat

One of the ways that I'm trying to reduce stress this year is by saying "No" more often to custom sewing projects.  It's not that I don't like doing them, it's that they take so much time that I fall behind in my other tasks.  But I don't want to say no to every project, and this one was very rewarding for me. 

One of Bronwyn's friends is playing Little Miss Muffet in the school play this year, and she really wanted a big poufy petticoat for her dress.  She asked me to help out, and I was happy to oblige.  First of all, sewing for kids is very satisfying because they go into their world of fantastic imagination and they don't care what the seams look like, as long as the outcome is "Poufy".  Secondly, working with tulle makes me feel all girly and it makes me remember how it was when I was seven years old.  Back then I believed in Fairies and in Princesses who happily picked daisies in the sunshine all day. 

So on sunny days, I sat out on the porch and pinned tulle onto the underlayer and pretended that I didn't have a care in the world.  It was very theraputic. 

For this project, I basically made a tiered skirt out of white muslin, and sewed 6 yards of tulle to it.  Very simple, but time consuming!  Thank goodness for sunny porch days!