a little linen, a little hemp

I received a package of lovely fabrics yesterday. All are linen, hemp or linen/wool blend. I love the linen binding tape and the heavy linen thread. I can't wait to get sewing...

simple sewing project

Here's a sample of terry cloth bibs I've made for my kids. I have a whole cupboard full. My baby wears one everyday. They are so soft and obsorbent. After baby's done eating, I wipe her hands and face with the bib. I like these so much better than plastic bibs. A. They are prettier; B. They are softer; C. They are fun to sew.

To make the bib, trace a simple bib pattern on a newspaper. You can trace from a bib that you already have if you like. You can use a lightweight broadcloth for the top piece and a soft terry cloth for the bottom. Bath towels work great in lieu of terry cloth; and they come in more interesting colors too. Sew the two pieces of fabric (wrong sides facing out) together, leaving a little two inch opening to turn right side out. Once you've turned the fabric right side out, iron flat, then top stitch around the edges. (Make sure that the fabric on the two "arms" of the bib that snap around baby's neck are wide enough; if you make the fabric pieces too skinny, you'll have a bugger of a time turning them right side out after you sew them.) Then you can put little snaps to finish off the bib. (You can find a little snap kit at Walmart.) Snaps work much better than velcro; they don't stick to or snag other clothing items in the wash.

These make great baby shower gifts. They are also a great way to use crazy fabrics that you wouldn't dare sew into a shirt or a skirt.

Earthy

Here is a terrarium project, as seen in Cookie magazine. I really like the idea of cramming all of the little bits and pieces of nature that your children find outside into some kind of container that they can see through. We have one started: so far it has a lot of rocks and two stick-magic wands that the kids found on the playground. I definitely think I need to throw in some moss for good measure...

seeing red

Red is cheerful, potent and full of energy. In small doses, paired with a neutral color like tan or grey, it offers quite a sophisticated look. I spotted this beauty on www.nursery.apartmenttherapy.com.

Here are some pictures of my little work area. I found the wicker bird cage at a thrift store for $1, and put my very small collection of yarn and knitting/crochet needles in it. I think I would like to take up crocheting or knitting once more as yarn is so pretty and soft (a thought I have every year as it starts to cool off) but unfortunately I keep forgetting exactly how to do it, which puts a damper on my momentum. (The number of times I have googled "how to crochet"...)

a little coffee table glamour

Here's a little coffee table I made about two years ago. The tile is shimmery Oceanside glass tile, www.glasstile.com. I bought the coffee table at IKEA. It's has simple metal legs and an oak top. I didn't even bother with tiling the sides; the exposed edge of wood adds warmth. The tile is set in the cement a slight bit unevenly; which adds to the charm and homeyness of the piece. The corners were initially razor sharp. I was sure a child would fall and end up with stitches. As per my practical friend Jen's suggestion, I simply filed the corners smooth with rough sand paper.

The bookcase is an Ebay find purchased years ago when the euro was low. It's turn-of-the-century rosewood from France. It was a bugger to assemble, but it was well worth it. The antique map was a find from a street vendor in Dijon. Amidst a jumble of enormous bags, I carried this map, rolled up in paper with a long string as a handle, on trains, cars and the airplane. It was a royal pain, but also worth it, in my estimation. Sometimes our favorite pieces are those that carry an interesting story...

estate sale blue

This short, sassy dress is made from stretchy whale corduroy purchased from reprodepot.com last year. I found the mini ball fringe trim at Michael's. The dress contrasts nicely against the worn, blue linen upholstery of my new $25 estate sale chair! I fell in love with this linen beauty and hauled it home myself; however, I'm such a germaphobe, that I don't dare sit on it until I get it steam cleaned. (My kids don't share my microbe paranoia!) It will be a lovely addition to the t.v. room, once I annihilate all the dust mites!

oh dear, more flor

Another Flor catalog, another picture I love. Can't wait to try this out, come December!

six swans

Do you remember the fairy tale about the six swans? When I was little it was one of my favorites. I just found my old Grimm's Fairy Tale book and re-read it. I remembered most of it: a king had six sons and one daughter, and the queen died. He remarried a woman who happened to be a witch, so he decided to hide the kids in a castle in the woods. He visited them every day, which made the wife/witch very jealous, so one day she followed him and after he left, she snuck in and turned the boys into swans. The girl, who had been off playing by herself, came back and discovered them, and somehow found out that the only way to make them human again was to be mute for the next six years and weave them each little shirts out of sharp, pointy nettles. So she started to work... and somewhere along the line another king came along and fell in love with and married her. And then as soon as she finished the shirts, the swans flew over one day and she threw the shirts up on them, and they became her brothers once again. Happy happy!

What I did not remember, or perhaps had purposefully blocked out from my young mind, was that the girl's new mother-in-law was ALSO a bad witch, and during the time when she was mute/making shirts she had 3 babies. And each time she had a baby the mother-in-law would kidnap the baby in the night, murder it, and wipe the blood on the girl's mouth to make it seem like she ATE THE BABY!!! When the girl finally finished the shirts, she was about to be burned at the stake for eating her children, but then at the last second the swans flew over and she somehow threw the shirts on her brothers and they became humans and her silence was broken, enabling her to explain to everyone that it was really the bad mother-in-law. Wow, huh? That's quite a story for a young one to take in!

twirly skirt

This skirt is meant to twirl and swirl. It's full gathered skirt and embroidered "x" fabric is a bit reminiscent of European folk dresses. My girl felt so pretty in it, she didn't want to take it off. I guess that's the true sign of success. (And it's not even pink or sequined, or covered with Disney princesses!)

on shoes

I fell in love with this fabulous pair of stripey ribbon shoes at Target. I bought them a size too big as there were only two pairs left in our store. With a comfort insert inside, they fit just fine. It's always a pleasure to find such a sweet item at such a great price.

The lovely orange ribbon shoes in the second photo are a pair from a painting in the Metropolitan Museum. Wouldn't they make a lovely pair of shoes today? I wish I knew how to make shoes, for I would make this pair. Imagine these orange shoes with some fun stripey tights and a short sassy dress. Adorable.

The painting is of the Raymond children and was made ca. 1838 by Robert Peckham. It's a beauty isn't it? The faces are incredibly realistic and finely worked. My son was wondering why the girl had short hair. With a change of dress she would look stylish today with her short hair and her amazingly lovely orange shoes.

the smell of paint

I recently finished teaching a little series of art classes to the coolest family ever. (Number one, because they happen to all be amazing, hilarious people; number two, because how neat is the mother of teenage boys who goes and finds an art teacher so her family can take art classes together in the evening? What a great way to live.) Anyway, here are a couple of my favorite paintings they made. The still life is by Marla, the mother's, from the night we learned about Cezanne, and the portrait is by Matthew, age 14, from our self-portrait night. Aren't they fabulous?

possibilities

I found these paintings on velocityartanddesigns.com I love the color combinations and the expressions. Wouldn't they be adorable in a little girls room? I picture grey walls, charcoal Flor carpet and a soft, handmade quilt, pieced with grey flannel wool. Wouldn't that be lovely?

at home with nature

There's nothing like panoramic nature wallpaper to make a home feel natural. When I was a kid, my friend Lisa had a beach scene mural in her basement. We thought it was so beautiful. We would strike Hollywood poses in front of it and take pictures. We felt so glamorous. I found the amazing bedroom in the first photo on poppytalk.blogspot.com. It was designed by the Dutch bag designer, Esther Veereschild. The second photo is of a dear Belgian friend's home. I'm contemplating a mountain scene in my son's room. Though maybe it's a bit to kitschy for resale. What do you think?

my magazine problem...

Is there anything better than the feel of glossy pages?? I have a total addiction to decor magazines. I'm trying really hard to show more self-control, but I couldn't resist the new Blueprint. It gave me great satisfaction to flip through it Friday afternoon. And I LOVE this yellow Ikea bed!!!!