What The Heck?

Is this supposed to happen? My first indoor bulb experiment has gone awry. Thank goodness for shish-kabob skewers and trash ties!! But look at this :: the amaryllis has started to grow like crazy! A little touch of sunshine in the cold days of winter. I'll definitely be doing this again next year.

Happy Weekend Everyone!!

Inside and Out

This was the view from inside most of the day yesterday. The back window was covered with ice and there was a thick, white fog as far as you could see. So I put on my coat and scarf :: well I actually put on two scarves :: and then took photos of those scarves for you to see:: And headed outside. It was a little eerie but beautiful at the same time. By late afternoon, the fog cleared and this gorgeous scene appeared: The crocheted scarves were quick and really fun to make. I like the "girliness" about them. The pattern came from The Happy Hooker. Another great book by Debbie Stoller.

Fresh and Yummy

Our "go to" salad dressing is called Sweet and Sour Vinaigrette. The recipe was given to me by a friend many years ago. It is so good and easy to make :: we rarely buy pre-packaged anymore.

Sweet and Sour Vinaigrette

1 1/2 cups olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

3 cloves garlic

4 tablespoons sugar (I use about a tablespoon agave nectar instead)

4 tablespoons dijon mustard

Wisk together and serve with mixed greens.

Last night we served it on this salad made of fresh organic spring greens, avacado, mango, baked salmon and freshly ground black pepper. Delish!!

A Little of This and A Little of That

I went to an Asian market nearby with a recipe for Miso soup in hand. There were several ingredients on the list that I was unfamiliar with and was having difficulty locating. The lady who was working the counter pointed me to this product:

Just heat some water, add a scoop of the paste and stir. You can add tofu and scallions, but I didn't have any on hand. It tastes delicious :: just like you would find in a Japanese restaurant. Here is just one of many writeups about the health properties of miso.

The table runner was a fun project I did using natural linen and my first ever piece of Liberty of London fabric.

The table is in our basement. I purchased it at a yard sale, but it originally came from the library at Penn State University. When we flipped it over to load it on the truck, we saw lots of pieces of dried chewing gum stuck to the underneath. They're gone now, but it's something we still chuckle about.

Let's Pretend

The paperwhites have bloomed!

Just for today :: let's pretend it's spring.

Fancy

A journey to one of my favorite little thrift shops months ago led me to these beauties. I was lucky enough to be the new owner of four of them. They were part of a collection of hats that were donated by a man whose mother had recently passed away. She must have been a very social lady, and probably had a fancy hat for every occassion. I don't know much about her, but I know she had a great sense of style and that she shopped at Garfinkels and Woodward and Lothrop. What kind of events do you think she wore them to? And wouldn't you love to see the dresses that she paired them with?

And, do you recognize this picture? Well, as soon as I saw it I knew it belonged with those hats.

If only I could tell her that her beautiful hats are in good hands and will be treasured for a long, long time.

Did You Know?

Did you know today is National Pie Day? Me neither until my mom showered me with gifts this morning in celebration. I had to look it up for myself (not that I didn't believe you Mom). Sure enough. The American Pie Council says so. And here's absolute proof from Epicurious. So, do you want to see my gifts?

One gorgeous apron handmade especially for me by my mom...................

One matching dishtowel also handmade especially for me by my mom.......

And a can of apple pie filing so I can partake in the holiday and make a homemade apple pie.

So in honor of this special day :: go on :: celebrate pie!

Treasures

Here are a few thrift finds from one of my recent trips.

A couple of vintage sheets in the yellow family :: a granny square afghan :: and a very cheerful little cottage print. I can hardly wait to show you where the cottage print ended up.

It's tough to do a photo shoot around here without one of my kitties hamming it up. Butterscotch claimed the afghan as soon as I took it out of the bag.

And a follow-up on the Avacado Orange Soup I talked about making in Tuesday's post :: we give it 3 stars out of 5 so it doesn't qualify as a keeper.

Not Crazy About It

Wardrobe sewing is definitely not my strength. I want to like it, but find that the items I make get folded up and put away, never to be seen again. I can't quite get the knack of sewing three dimensional items :: quilts are what I'm most comfortable with. So, I thought, how can you go wrong with a flat wool scarf? I don't know about this............I think I like a skinnier scarf :: maybe two-thirds the width of this one. Oh well. I'll keep trying.

In The Kitchen

Here's a little glimpse into one corner of my kitchen. What's that hanging on the doorknob you ask? Why it's an apron. One of a group of seven that I ordered from ebay. They came from a lady who said she just didn't need them anymore. Some required a little repair, they all needed a good soaking and then a starching and pressing so they could hang proudly. I like to rotate them to add some color and cheerfulness to my kitchen. This one is a favorite of mine :: I like the color and the scalloped edge :: I think Molly likes it too.

And did you see the wooden spoons? My dad made them. He made them! Aren't they fabulous? I remember them hanging in the dining room when I was growing up. Right now they are hanging with quilting pins (sorry Dad) but my vision is to replace the pins with some handmade iron pegs/nails that are just the right size :: do you know where to find handmade iron pegs/nails?

And here's another little corner of my kitchen.

I'll need to peel and freeze those bananas today so they'll be all ready for my favorite breakfast shake . And the avocados are going to become Avocado Orange Soup from the Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates cookbook. It's a "new to me" recipe so I'll let you know how it turns out.

Dessert Without The Guilt

Savoy Truffles

I was trying to decide whether or not to post these truffles. You see, when I post a recipe or link to a recipe that I've tried, I want to feel confident that it's a great one :: one that you would be happy you took the time to make. I really like these truffles but I do have a somewhat "alternative" approach to food and I thought this recipe surely needed a preface. Something like this:

"I think this is a fantastic recipe. However, in my quest for healthy eating, my tastebuds have evolved. I no longer enjoy fast food (detest it really), primarily eat a vegetarian diet, actually get excited about pure and healthy food, and have been accused of being less than normal by the males in my family."

Now, that said, don't be fooled. I still struggle with sweets of any kind (right now it happens to be Ben & Jerrys Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream).

These "Savoy Truffles" are in a cookbook called RAWvolution, by Matt Amsden. They're made with ground almonds and have no refined sugar. All the ingredients are healthy. And. They. Are. Delicious. I shared them with a couple of girlfriends and guess what? They liked them! And, they said I should definitly post about them and I don't even need a preface.

I hope you like them too.

It's Cold Outside

This is what I want to do today. How about you?

Ninety-Two

Our Nana turned ninety-two yesterday. Isn't she beautifully stylish in that photo? And she still is today. Nana is an incredibly talented lady. Although she would never admit to it, she is a talented artist, an amazing seamstress, and a wonderful cook. Those hobbies are difficult for her today, but she still enjoys knitting and crocheting and can crank out projects like none other. Here's a fun little story about a special gift from Nana. A couple of weeks before Christmas about forty years ago my sister and I were devastated because we couldn't find our favorite baby dolls anywhere. While we were frantically trying to find them, Nana was frantically designing, fitting, and sewing an entire wardrobe for each doll. On Christmas morning, under the tree, this is what we found.

And here is my doll today, modeling one of the beautiful outfits for you. She may have aged a little, and she might be having a bad hair day, but she still fits into each and every piece of clothing just as she did forty years ago. You go girl!

You can see the rest of her wardrobe here.

And the quilt? It was made using the free "Belle" pattern from Amy Butler and this gorgeous line of fabric from Heather Bailey.

All Better Now

It's been a little busy around here the last couple of days. Lots of motherly-love given to my college student who's been under the weather with a stomach bug. You know :: crushed ice, chicken noodle soup, fresh pillowcases and, of course, hugs.

And now :: lots of disinfecting to do. See you tomorrow.

What Would You Call It?

Attraction :: Obsession :: Fascination :: Compulsion

Infatuation :: Addiction

Call it what you want. I love vintage pillowcases. And...........I collect them. Lots of them. Take a look at these lovelies. Don't you think they have a happy little quality about them? They speak to me.

I dream about what they might become someday. Maybe one or two will end up as summer pillows tossed on the front porch chairs. Or maybe one special one will be paired with another piece of beautiful fabric and turned into a cheerful little apron. Some might be "meant to be" as a vintage-style quilt. And maybe, just maybe, some will cover the pillows on the bed exactly as they were intended to do. This floral fabric started out as a vintage pillowcase and ended up as part of a patchwork quilt: Oh, how I do love vintage pillowcases. And by the way, I love other types of vintage linens too........but I'll save that topic for another day.

Sneak Peeks

In the studio.............

Remember the wool? Slowly but surely it's taking on a new life. The floral is a thrifted piece too :: did you know I love thrifted things? My friends (you know who you are) think I've gone mad. They wrinkle their noses and say things like "I'd rather set my hair on fire than _______!" or "I'd rather stick red hot pokers in my eyes than _______!" You can fill in the blanks with knit, sew, crochet, quilt and thrift shop. All said with love, of course. Isn't it wonderful that we can have different interests and still appreciate each other for who we are?

Also in the studio :: a sneak peek at a quilt I'm working on a little bit at a time.

And one more photo just for fun.

Do you like old buttons? I really like old buttons.

A Hint of Spring

I belong to a quilting guild. In addition to the monthly meeting, some of us get together at my home once a month to work on unfinished projects. We call our gathering Sit and Sew. One of my new friends gave me an Amaryllis bulb kit as a hostess gift at our last Sit and Sew. It's been planted for about ten days now and it's beginning to come to life.

I enjoyed the idea of having indoor flowers in winter so much that I started some Paperwhite bulbs as well.

I thought I'd use a couple of my thrifted vintage pillowcases as a backdrop to keep with the floral theme. I'm in love with vintage pillowcases. More on that later this week.