Holey Sugar Skull!

My friend asked me to make the raffle ticket box to go with the DIY Christmas ornament kit I made for the raffle. I said, "Sure," while the intersect searched for what a raffle ticket box looked like. Then she said, "You're probably gonna do something really cute."

"Well, I am now!"

So I bought a box at a thrift store and cut the top edge down to make it shorter. Then flipped through my book Embroidered Effects by Jenny Hart, found the sugar skull pattern and began poking holes in the box with a thumbtack. The box had a lot of layers, including a glue layer.

Embroidering paper was a lot easier than I thought. Like when I messed up, I just pulled out the stitches. And it doesn't ruin the fabric. Because the holes are already there! Maybe I won't do lazy daisies again, but otherwise, good times.

After I finished embroidering, I had to make it a ticket receptacle. The ticket slot is a little crooked and I accidentally sliced the top while cutting it out. And don't get me started on the inside!
I heard people liked it more than the kit I was raffling!  

Skip to my Lou!

Petting Zoo

Have I mentioned that we don't really watch tv anymore? In the traditional sense, I mean. So I have to find stuff to watch add it to a queue and then hope it's as good as the stars have indicated. Or decide whether or not to believe netflix when they recommend me stuff.  Which means I have a lot of down time. Waiting for disc two of seaon 3 of Chuck? I guess I'll watch Jamie Oliver...again...

That means I get bored. So, unless I just sit and internet for a few hours, which just makes me want to buy stuff, I have nothing to do. 

I thought to get back embroidering again before Christmas and went to etsy to try to find a fun pattern to stitch while I watch Jeff Goldblum solve a mystery. And I found this:
which made me immediately stop. The girls in the pattern look exactly like Deborah's three girls! Crazy! Well, now I have to do it.
I bought the pattern and stitched it and now it's hers.

I think the hardest thing was choosing the dress colors. The teal shoes were a given...

Feliz Felt!

Getting in the crafting mood!
Also, I offered to put together an ornament kit for a school raffle. You could win this:
Now I just need to write the instructions...that's gonna be interesting...

2319!



Vision Quest II: The Prequel

Last night I wandered into zillow.com and looked at houses. I drive by a few and I wanted to know how much they cost. And maybe look inside. I found this awesome house I want to marry. You have to ignore the furniture. It looks like Ruthless People up in there. Most homes had the WORST furniture. Red stained woods, black leather, glass coffee tables...Maybe everyone's selling their homes because they really want new furniture?

All that home lookin' made me think about the guy in The Secret movie who bought the exact house from his old vision board without realizing it. Which reminded me of the house I had on a "vision board" when I was in high school. Which was actually a book, an awesome Young Women style puffy book. With edgy fabric and lace...

The house I wanted in 1994 is not in anyway like the 2011 house I want. And that's best.

Also? Tucked inside that very book were pages and pages of clothing I had designed. Tons. On any scrap of paper I could find.

Would you like to look inside? Brace yourself...
 Guess where I worked?
 It gets worse, here's the bad...
The red one in the top left is actually the dress from "Fancy." Satin dancing dress, split from the side clear up to her hip, velvet trimmin', and a heart shaped locket.
That crazy orange one is a redesign from an orange velour thrift store find.  And let's just not talk about the red hearts over boobs number.

My brother went to The Citadel.
Dresses I actually made. The one on the left was for my sister.
This one was for Jill. I think she had shoes that were green and gold. She loved those shoes...
This was my prom dress. I didn't design it, Bill Blass did. I think it was the first time I manifested shoes. I really, really wanted navy Kenneth Cole shoes, but the ones I wanted were sold out. My mom and sister found the last pair in my size at a random Robinson's.
Here are some notes from Economics. I got a pity D. I wonder why...
And now, My Dream House:
Ah...back when I was headless. I didn't count on all the cake haters. 

Here is the floor plan of my Georgian Mansion. I still love that staircase.
Next, I give you the decor for The Gathering Room. Do you like neon? 
At least the purple couch is still awesome. I've always loved a curved sofa. What is with that dog table? And the matching light up phones? 

Oooh! next is the marshmallow sofa....
And a wheelbarrow full of flowers? That seems Elton John excessive. But those wavy lamps are keepers. I'm positive I've seen them at a thrift store lately. Next to a The Club and a Bedazzler.

Oooh! Bathroom! Do you like marble?
It's labled "Tinkle Room." What was I, a babytalking bombshell? Gross. 

Moving on to the Kitchen. Actually, shockingly close:
Wainscot, pretty dishes. No blue, but still!

Here we have the Den...wait for iiiiiiiiit...
Zebra wallpaper, leopard carpeting, a sofa made out of cartoon animal fabric. If it weren't for the fact that I still want the camel sofa and leopard carpeting, I would be really embarrassed. Maybe the stuffed animal monkey is a bit much...

Let's go upstairs and check out the master suite.
My moms words still go through my head when I see this. "Looks like a Victorian whorehouse." Never has she been so right. I guess I really wanted to be an unmarried romance novelist. In fact, there is no trace of a man in any of these plans. (Except my dad, that's later). I love high school feminist Courtney, she was awesome!

Take a right and we enter the kids room. Please look at how I labeled the page.
Kiddie Room (I think). Didn't want to scare off any potential mates!  I better put, "I think." Now this crazy book won't freak them out! Also, Hartwell would frickin' LOVE that Barbie car.

Let's relax in the backyard, shall we...
A hammock for my dad. And a birdbath? I lived in Arizona, it's too hot for birds in Arizona. That thing would boil a bird. We had lizards. That's it. But! I did marry a birder. So there's that.

I'm actually really glad I still have the book. It's embarrassing, but sort of affirms where I am now. I'm a designer, interior, not clothing and I still cut out pretty things I like and keep them in books. Or on pinterest. Turns out I've always been a very visual person. Something I learned only recently even though I've been doing it forever.

Also? The past is awesome. I don't want to go back, because, really, the clothes are crazy! But, I look at that book and remember what I wanted to accomplish and think, I have so much to do now.

Things I Will Have Wednesday

I know! Most people enjoy the alliteration of Things I Want Wednesday, but then I'll spend eternity wanting and not having. (P.S. I just watched The Secret movie again).
So have I will. Just like Yoda.

A silpat mat so I can make this. I had one long ago, but it got very used.
A food mill. So I can make this.
Fabric so I can recover that chair. This one or this one.
And this. So I can be truly outrageous. Truly, truly, truly outrageous.

We have pie in vodka.

Fall somehow brings out my inner chef. I'm always so hot and tired in the summer, but at the suggestion of fall I go into a cooking frenzy. 

Oliver's Twist is about the only thing I've been watching lately, which isn't helping. Hartwell likes to read the episode titles and then choose the one we watch together. I knew that kid was gonna like cooking!

Along with TV, I've also been reading food blogs. Like Choosy Beggars and Thursday Night Smackdown.  Which are deliciously entertaining!

Last weekend I found a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Vodka and all I wanted was to  do was make it and then put my face in it. ..as an astringent...

Looks like Beckett beat me to it.

"I was in charge of cups!"

Lots of pretty new/old stuff  added to my etsy store...

Find it here:

When life hands someone lemons...

make them peanut butter cookies!

I threw a batch of these together for a friend who once told me her favorite cookies were peanut butter flavored. And because peanut butter cookies don't work with natural peanut butters, I got to buy Jif.  (I'm a choosy mom). That stuff is delicious! I got a little on my finger and it was like eating peanut butter frosting! It made me rethink my anti-peanut butter stance. Which is similar to my anti-banana stance. Stop putting it in everything!

Not surprisingly, I'm also against the fork criss-cross thing that usually happens on a peanut butter cookie. I've always just used a juice glass to press them flat.  That was before my mom bought me this awesome cookie stamp.
Which is especially perfect if your friend is also Norwegian*.




*She's about 8 times more Norwegian than me.

In a pickle.

John and I have been taking the boys to the farmers market every Saturday. It's full of deliciousness and next to a playground, fun for everyone!

I used to walk through a farmers market and look at stuff and not really buy anything. Or we'd buy food that we ate as we walked. But for some reason I have been actually buying stuff and taking it home and making stuff with it. It's weird!

First, it was an apple chutney. Do yourself a favor, make this and then thank me. And bring me a slice of whatever you make with it.

Next, I found pickling cucumbers and sliced them and made refrigerator pickles. My grandma made some once and I remember instantly going from pickle hater to pickle lover. Have you had refrigerator pickles? Lord, they're good.

Next up? Pickled jalapenos. John mentioned he wanted to make some but was intimidated by the canning portion of the recipe. Luckily for him, I've been reading about canning lately and feel like a genius!

So I donned some gloves and sliced away! I chose this recipe from Purple Foodie because of the pretty pictures and the pink peppercorns. I'm a sucker for color!

We made one jar that went straight into the fridge, think crunchy fresh, and a bunch that will marinate until Christmas.  (Act surprised!) John has already eaten two jars and I get the feeling he's pacing himself.

I've found a bunch of other recipes I want to try. Including a strawberry jam and an infused vodka. My winter is going to be delicious.