jars

Not sure what it is about jars - Ball, baby food jars, La Parfait, Weck, Ikea Fido Jars - I'm in love. Maybe it is the endless possibilities of what can go inside. I have everything from beans, to laundry detergent, to vintage stamps filling jars. In our kitchen I've been using the Ikea Jars to store all of our pantry items and I have started slowly collecting some La Parfait {side note: how dreamy are the jelly jars they make}. So that my Ikea jars didn't feel left out of the orange-gasket-greatness I bought a 12 pack of gaskets and there you go, happiness. It's the little things.

house keeping + DIY + giveaway

House Keeping: Thanks to the absolutely, amazingly fabulous Ana of Blog Milk I am 100% up and running on my new blog. All of my links work perfectly now {it only took me a month to get my act together and Ana 30 minutes to set it up}. I even have a button so that you all can get a F&F app on your phone and a new link to Instagram.

So I just jumped on the Instagram bandwagon and WOW! it is much fun. Even if you don't feel like posting photos I highly suggest getting an account. In a lot of ways it is like blogging but just on a smaller, quicker scale. I feel like I take photos of all the little things that I think, "I should post that", but never get around to. I love it. I also highly suggest following my sister V {vblackblack}. Her photos are so much fun. I am living vicariously through her as she travels the world with her super cute {Jude Law body double} boyfriend.

DIY: I had so much fun making these banners for our blogger resource party. All you need is felt, twine, a sewing machine {although hot glue would totally work} and scissors. I cut zillions of circles in all sort of colors and at random sewed them on the string about 5-8 inches apart.

Giveaway: I decorated Henry's room with some of this banner flair but I have about 7 yards left and would love to share it with one of you. Leave a comment by Sunday night and I will announce a winner {at random} on Monday.

Bink & Boo's ABC {ankle biter collection}

Since my sweet friend is on my mind today. I thought I would post a photo of her Ankle Biters, Henry and Conrad both have a pair... they are my favorite pants. Although they are good for everyday I think they are at their full potential after a long day at the beach. I usually have a clean pair folded up in the bottom of my bag. After a brutally cold shower, I carry my little guy to a warm car, cover him in a healthy dose of baby powder {best thing since sliced bread, dries them off and gets rid of the sand} and slip a pair of these over his little bunsies.

best book ever.

For the past year I feel like the books I have read have been just OKAY. In fact lately when I have finished a book I think to myself "did I even like that book." Well folks I have finally broken the Just-Okay-Book streak. A Homemade Life is absolutely divine in every way. How many books do you read that keep you up at night and then join you to the grocery store? No seriously I have been taking the book shopping with me so that I don't miss an ingredient on any of Molly Wizenberg's amazing recipes. Okay here is the idea... Young brilliant girl with a passion for France losses her father. As the only child she is devastated and her PhD gets put on hold for an adventure to France. As she is trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life she uncovers her deep love for food and starts a blog, Orangette. {This may be totally old news to many of you but if you have never heard of the book or blog MUST READ NOW}. Each chapter in her book is a recipe. A recipe that has shaped her life in some way... maybe the Eggs Italian Grotto {page 140} which was one of the last meals she had with her dad. Or her uncle Arnie's famous Cider-Glazed Salmon {page 181}. Or the Fennel Salad with Asian Pears and Parmesan {page 238} that she ate every single day when she was falling in love with her to be husband {who by the way met her via Orangette}. Or the Hearts and Minds Cake {page 312} that was served at her wedding. For me this book was the perfect mix of heart, soul and food. The three most magical things on Earth. In the past 2 weeks I have made 5 of the recipes in the book {a Dutch baby, Tomato Fennel Soup, Ed Fretwell Soup, Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Dried Fruit Pie and tonight Zucchini Noodles with Pesto}.
So here is a funny story. About 2 and a half weeks ago a girl I went to high school with knocked on my door. I think the last time we talked was maybe grad-night and then I think we Friended each other a couple years ago. Any way she was so incredibly sweet saying she wanted to come by to say hello and to tell me that she loved reading my blog {so kind}. Any way we were talking and she asked if I had ever heard of Orangette and that Molly was her roommate at Stanford. That is where my love for Orangette started. The End.

Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle de Borchgrave

If you are anywhere near the Legion of Honor in San Francisco you need to go see this exhibit. In fact my mom and I have even thought about flying up for it. Isabelle de Borchgrave is known for her painting but in this exhibit she shows her passion for textiles and costumes. Everything in the exhibit is made from paper that she has painted and manipulated. It is just amazing and so inspiring. Here are some photos from the shows catalogue... I would love to see it in person, isn't it incredible?!

my new creative love: needle felting

I feel so lucky to have Karin Grow as a neighbor. She is so crazy talented, she has a little mini farm in her backyard, filled with chickens, beehives and all sorts of curiosities. I asked her if I could be put on her 'crafting roll call' meaning if she feels like crafting I will come over and play. So this week she invited me over to felt. OMG! It was so much fun... I am totally addicted and don't know if I can even wait for my shipment of tools from The Felted Ewe. I feel like I am channeling a mommy from the 1800's in Ireland who just shaved a sheep to make toys for her little one due in July :). So here are a couple tips so you can teach yourself even if you don't have a Karin Grow in your neighborhood.

First get your supplies from The Felted Ewe...
If you are super adventurous you could get the natural felt and dye it yourself although Karin suggests using the pre-dyed.
You will also need the felt for the inners... this is usually more coarse but you generally don't see it.
I suggest you make a big order... the 1oz of felt is around $2-3 and the shipping is pretty inflated so it is nice to get a bunch at once.
You will need needles {I got an assortment of sizes}.
I don't think the needle cases are necessary although I have only made two birds so maybe I will change my mind?
You will also need a foam felting surface. {I went for the $3.50 version and can upgrade on my next order}.
Find a good friend to felt with, some tea & some tunes.

Here is a Youtube video on needle felting that might get you started... Needle felting is so forgiving that once you start I am sure you will get the hang of it... start with making something simple like a rock and move on from there. {How cool would a globe be!!}.

enjoy!

Summerland Mercantile {part duex}

Here are some more photos from my day in Summerland. Cathy's house was so stunning. And I am so excited for the new Summerland Mercantile Atelier that they are building on Cathy's property. It is going to be a store {open one day a week} and a space for classes... the unveiling will be at their Garden Sale May 7th. So exciting.

PS. I think I have said this before but I have had a couple people ask how I know the ladies of Summerland Mercantile... well, Cathy and I met in France this summer... I thought she was the bees knees and we have stayed in touch. I met her business partner at French General a couple months ago and there you go... they invited me to teach a class and now they won't be able to get rid of me ;).

Community Silverplate

For my wedding my grandmother {my mother's mom} gave me her set of silver. She told me the story of how she collected coupons to get the set. The story is very foggy for me and I don't really remember all the details. In fact I kind of forgot about it. I was given my set of Williams Sonoma 'everyday stainless' for our wedding as well and had the box of silver under my bed. I didn't really think of using it everyday. When my grandmother died this summer I thought of that silver. I thought of what a big deal it was for her to give it to me and in many ways I had a heavy heart that it had been living unloved. Since then I have used it everyday. I so wished I could have talked to her more about those coupons. When did she collect them? What kind of coupons were they? Was the silver something in her hope chest or did she collect it when she was already married? I often get sad that I wasn't more 'present' when she told me the story. I wish I hadn't have taken the moment for granted.
On Monday {I promise this has a point} my dad came to dinner and saw my silverware. He told me that he had the same silverware when he was a kid. He didn't know the story of the coupons but I couldn't wait to call my grandmother {my dad's mom} and ask her all about it. She told me the story of the coupons. She thinks it was part of a cereal campaign - like Kellog - that you could collect the coupons on the box to get a peice of silver. When she was engaged to my grandfather she was a teacher and her students threw her a shower {isn't that sweet}. They had all collected the coupons for her and collectively got her a set of Community Silverplate. They had the letter "B" engraved for her new married name. This led me to believe that my other grandmother wasn't married yet when she collected for the silver because there wasn't a monogram, maybe she didn't know what her last name would be. I think it is amazing that two grandmother's picked the same style - Morning Star - and that both had recieved it through coupons. I now know something that I will be digging for at flea markets and thrift stores. Ask your grandma maybe she had it too.

Community advertisment found here

weekend part 2 {French General}

For Christmas I was given a day of crafting at French General {thank you Gigi!}. Until this weekend I had never seen Kaari's shop in LA. I went to France site unseen. It was everything I had hoped for and more. The store is filled with the most beautiful French ribbons and curiosities. And the classes I took were wonderful. One was how to make a box out of an old book taught by the O-so fabulous Molly {plus a pair of earrings for inside the box... haven't taken mine off}. And the second class was kind of a fabric, sewing collage. Both wonderfully fun. A highlight was that I sat next to Cathy who I adore and met in France. She has a company called Summerland Mercantile which I am sure you will hear me talking about more {I am determined to go up for one of their sales}. Between Alt a couple weeks ago and now this last weekend I have reconnected with 5 of the amazing ladies I met in France... what fun!

Kaari, me, Molly, Kick {Kaari and Molly's mom... and the sweetest lady in the world} and Cathy.

my great great great great grandmother's mending basket

One of my highlights from my grandmother's funeral was this basket. It was given to me by my second cousin Julie. She told me that she had had this basket for 35 years and never knew the story until recently. This basket was my grandma Larita's, grandmother's mending basket. It was lined with the satin from my grandmother's wedding dress and filled with all sorts of goodies. I have taken each little item in and out of the box a dozen times. I think about all the things that must have been mended; gloves, cushions, socks, jackets, sweaters... I wonder what happened to mending? I guess that we are not as invested in the clothing that we wear. I think if it took me hours to make a pair of socks I surely would mend them.

I wish I could remember what these were called... these were used for mending gloves or socks. You would hold the piece of wood in the area that you were mending so that you could keep the shape. I love the little pointy one for gloves.

in honor of Larita

Thursday is my grandmother's funeral. I wanted to make something that everyone at her service could wear. As I searched the Art Barn for every little piece, I thought of all the things my grandmother held dear. I used old sheet music because of how musical my grandmother was. I made a flower because of her love for nature. The antique lace {which was just given to me by Karin... thank you! you knew I would use it} is in honor of her love for my grandfather. They had only been married for 10 years when he was killed but there wasn't a day were she didn't talk about him or think of him. She never remarried and on Thursday she will be buried next to him. The lavender ribbon is to remind us all of her beauty. I am not certain that it was her favorite color but a lot of things in her world were this color. When she wore lavender her eyes and silver hair sparkled. The bird and wings in the center of the flower are there to represent where she is now. She is hiking, dancing and laughing with all of her favorite people in heaven.

Oh the pins on the left are for the guys... I didn't want them to be left out.

the art of tapestry

One afternoon our group went into town to meet a tapestrier. This is a profession that takes years and years of training and years of apprenticeship. This particular woman was schooled for 10 years. Out of school her first job was to make tapestries that lined the first class coaches of trains. She said the seats, walls and ceilings would all be covered in tapestry. Now she has a studio on the 1st floor of her house. It sits on the street and has a store front. Forty percent of the room is dedicated to a huge loom which she sits at from 8am to 5pm {with a break in the middle}. One tapestry can take 18 months working on it everyday. One of the things that really stuck with me is the lost art of mastering something, she has dedicated her life to tapestry. She said that there are only 5 other people in France that do tapestry by hand anymore, now it is all done by machine. What a gift to have met her and see her masterpieces.
Oh one more thing... she talked about the power of color. Imagine the tapestries she works on can be 12 feet long and 12 feet tall so she could be working with one color for days, weeks. She said that she hated working with orange and purple. She said that they make her angry and irritable. When her mother died she took a year off to make a tapestry for herself. It was an image of a still waters set in nature. The colors she choose were all muted, tan, cream, light blue... she said that these colors helped her grieve her mothers passing. They were calming and comforting for her.