momma ginger

music

2010-10-12T00:49:00.000-06:00

i have a friend who has the blessed gift of knowing exactly the kind of music i will love.

she sends me morning concerts every once in a while (which make the day, of course, divine). this was the last morning concert. enjoy.

swings

2010-10-11T00:17:00.001-06:00

my favorite art time periods are rococo and impressionsim. this wonderful necklace reminds me of the top right photo (one of my absolute favorites of the rococo period) and made me love it through the end of time. it also doesn't hurt that my favorite part of parks are the swings. my parents built a swing inside the doorway to our kitchen so i could swing whenever i wanted. similar to back to the future (the first one), when the parents left the baby in the crib all the time because he screamed whenever they took him out and he later spent a lot of time in jail (aka, behind bars, just like his crib)...what would my profession be then? a tester for these? (photo on right) and, my kid's favorite part of the park is the slide so will the picture below be his passion? wouldn't it be kinda neat if everyone ended up being what they loved when they were 2? i guess there'd be no ditch diggers or garbage men, though--there might be quite a few farmers, racecar drivers, & superheroes (i'd have little girl examples, but i don't have a little girl, and i've wanted to be a pilot from the beginning of time, so...)

what would you be if you had to chose at 2?

country living: october, how i heart you: not halloween

2010-09-20T00:33:00.003-06:00

country living: october isn't just good for halloween stuff--they had a great popover recipe that just looked so divine i couldn't pass up making them that very afternoon! (let's not overlook the super sweet cupcake tins in the picture...what a good idea!) the recipe i coupled the popovers with was this wonderful autumn soup...one i think is wonderful, but my husband will only eat a half-bowl of it and then he's on to the leftover pizza in the fridge. more for me!

it also has great decor--this is not something that is realistic in my life right now, but i certainly do think it's gorgeous. I think the key for the clothes looking pretty are the wooden hangers--my mismatched, plastic, seafoam green, blue, and don't forget the silver ones, walmart special, would just not cut it if i was looking for elegance. the pink satin curtains are absolutely divine, and the duvet cover is of COURSE from anthro--i think it would be pretty easy to make, but probably cost the same in fabric as it would to just buy it, so you might as well just save time and go buy it. i love the top-to-bottom curtains behind the bed. i might have to try that in our next apartment, since we won't be able to paint. it has a really pretty, old style to it, but the colors and minimum use of patterns make it a little more modern.

this is in a house that's super old-school, but has some of the coolest rooms. they have a room with lamps that look like WWI army helmets, and a bust of abraham lincoln--it's their dining room...why not? this is their mudroom. i don't think it's super logical to have a rug in their mudroom, but i do think it's genius to cut the legs down on a gymnastics horse for a bench, and to also wallpaper the doors covering their washer & dryer in order to hide that the washer & dryer is in there. i would not have even guessed...

that is the end of our country living: october collection! hope you enjoyed it--i know i loved every second!

country living: october, how i heart you: halloween edition, part deux

2010-09-16T00:18:00.001-06:00

this floral arrangement and the wreath are made out of black streamers--i know, right? it shows in the back how to make them, and i feel like the flowers aren't explained very well, but i'm sure it could be figured out, but the wreath--the wreath is e-a-s-y to make! i'm thinking about it, very strongly. i really REALLY like my autumn, barbed wire wreath i put out in the falltime, but for the month of october, or even the last couple weeks of october i'd be happy replacing it with this bit of awesomeness. don't you just love the black fruits, also in this picture? for our wedding i wanted a so-dark-purple-it's-almost-black bouquet, but it didn't happen. i'm happy to have them on my table during the month of october, though. i think one of those fruits on the plate are figs--have any of you just eaten a fig (nope--not a fig newton, but a legit fig)? they are GREAT. i had one in june, so i don't even know if they're ripe in the fall, but if you can find some eat them, because they are very tasty.

has every home in america had the snow cities on the mantle, or bookshelf, or on top of the piano during Christmastime? well, ours certainly did and i love this idea of making it halloween! if you have a lot of pumpkins, this is perfect! they have moss & things to look like a fence--how cool!

these people have a fireplace, but for those of us living in apartments without a fireplace, here is the answer! i would never have thought of this, and it is such a great idea! i think those flames might be a little tough to make look so smooth, though. maybe i'll need to start practicing now. what is the trick to making pumpkin carvings smooth?

i wish i had thought of this last year--we had lots of pumpkins and we definitely had a bookshelf that could have had a tree in it! you don't even have to carve this--it's just paint!

country living: october, how i heart you: halloween edition, part une

2010-09-14T00:16:00.002-06:00

i've only been reading country living a couple years--i don't subscribe to it (how i wish i did...maybe one day), but my grandmother does, so i get her left-overs. what joy entered my heart when i went to pick up her mail and there it was, anxiously awaiting my excited fingers to finger through its every page and gaze wide-eyed, trying to absorb every divinely creative and beautiful image. the next couple of posts will be dedicated to the divinity that is...country living: october.

i don't know why i love halloween, but i love it. i don't like the scary stuff people try to do with it, but i certainly do adore the silhouetted (let's be honest--i'm a sucker for silhouettes) witch cupcake toppers that are on the front cover. i don't think i've even ever worn black and orange together--even on halloween. it's always orange and brown--i even just bought a shirt from forever21 that was orange and brown. i love making making the most fantastic halloween treats (which starts october 1st), thinking up genius, creative costumes (even though sometimes those are just ideas that turn into "oh crap--i was too busy making spiderweb caramel apples! on to kmart!" [i don't know why, but their halloween stuff is AWESOME--i don't even go there any other time of the year...])

this great idea to festive-ize your mirror i think is just the genius idea! the film you're supposed to buy to make this work is a little expensive, so i was wondering if you could get a similar look by painting glue onto the mirror and making the image by taping off the areas you don't want glue on. has anyone tried anything like that? i need to give it a go before the wonderful 31st day comes along...

also, i wish i had more white sheets (and by more i mean, even one set), because what a stupendous way to make your house look like a haunted house! we might be hitting up the DI a couple times in the next few weeks to check out their white sheets...

check in soon for the next country living update!

falltime music...maybe just falltime.

2010-08-25T22:24:00.001-06:00

does anyone have falltime music? last year it was alexi murdoch for me, almost the whole time. i've been listening to Angus and Julia Stone some, but not a whole lot else. the backpacking trip got me a little into the falltime music. we didn't listen to any music, mostly just me singing "high on a mountain top" in my head the whole time, but it reminded me about rhythm in our lives (corny, i know).

falltime is different everywhere. northeast = full of color, southern utah = finally not so blasted hot, southeast idaho = the terror of winter getting closer and closer...etc., but things like back to school, sweaters, the closing of the great season of summer, and the intro to the holidays are the same all over. there's a wonderful, slow-almost, sadness kind of, but then you have halloween and then there's no more slowness--it's just a blur of scarves, hot cocoa, and holiday planning.

i love running in the fall. that would account for the lunch runs i'd do in the fall in the woods--15 minutes in, and bolting 15 minutes back so i have time to change and get to my physics class. it just smells good to run in the fall.

fall fashion is fantastic, also. this was funny.

i love the fall.

Backpacking!

2010-08-18T00:54:00.002-06:00

I have been invited to an all girl's backpacking trip this weekend at Kings Peak in Utah! I'm going with a girl in our church and five of her friends, and it's going to be great! Here is the list of things to bring:

Individual Gear:

Headlight

Base layer (thermals)

*Lightweight jacket

Change of socks

Hiking shoes (something close toed and sturdy for the ascent)

Camp shoes (some type of sandal to let your feet air out)

Sleeping pad (thermarest)

Sleeping bag

Bowl

Spoon

*Toilet paper (biodegradable can be buried rather than packed out)

Toothbrush

Hand towel

Wash cloth

*Whistle

*Walkie talkies (If you have a set, bring both of them so we have backups when the battery dies, if you don’t have any, don’t worry about it)

*Poncho (disposable works great)

*Bear spray

*Lighter

*1 qt. Water bottle (i.e. Nalgene)

*2 qt. Camelbak bladder (on our ascent day, we will have to carry water most of the way, we won’t be able to refill anywhere.)

*Band Aids (5 or 6)

Daypack (we won’t carry our packs for the ascent, we will only carry daypacks)

*Emergency blanket

*carried in daypack

Group Gear

Tents (2 or 3 depending on how many come)

Stoves (3)

Fuel for stoves (we will split the cost of fuel)

Duct tape

Rope (to hang food from trees)

Sunscreen

Bug spray

Shovel

Striker

Collapsible water containers

Water filter (2)

Water purification drops

Toothpaste

Soap

Sanitizer

Pots (3 medium to big)

Med kit

For meals, we'll boil water for breakfast to put in oatmeal both mornings, do our own lunches, do our own snacks, and then have dinner together: Day 1: Refried beans, tortillas, string cheese Day 2: pasta roni, tuna packet

Info for hike:

Day 1: Park car by noon at base so we can get a good 5 hours of hiking in to get to the place we'll sleep and leave our big bags so we can just take our day packs up the peak.

Day 2: Hike 5 hours to peak (including a half mile of almost vertical the last bit), spend time there, hike back down to where our stuff is

Day 3: Hike 4 hours down (it'll take less to get down than it did to get up) and drive home!

Fun facts about Kings Peak:

Highest summit in Utah

26 miles of hiking (I've read 26 & 32, but 26 more often)

We'll park at 9,800 ft and climb to the summit at 13,528 ft.

There are lakes intermittently on the hike (cool!)

I've never been backpacking before and I'm REALLY excited about doing a legit backpacking trip! I've been wearing my hiking boots around a little to make sure I'm comfortable in them, and I've also been walking around with my pack a little heavier than it needs to be so when we really do go out I'll be somewhat used to it. Jordan's going to watch Porter for those 3 days, but he'll also be playing with the husband & kids who are also being left behind so I think they're going to have a blast (I think a four-wheeling trip has been discussed...)

Je suis de retour

2010-08-14T23:45:00.001-06:00

After a long hiatus, the desire to write on here has returned.

Being a little farther North, it feels like Autumn here in Idaho, which has brought on the longing for warm food (includes pumpkin anything & hot chocolate). I made Butternut Squash Soup a Wednesday, Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Thursday, and when we went camping last night, and I volunteered to make a dutch oven pumpkin dessert. It was divine. Here is the recipe:

Pumpkin Heaven in a Dutch Oven
1 large 29 oz can pumpkin
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups melted butter
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Mix together everything but the cake mix & 1 cup melted butter.
Pour into greased dutch oven.
Sprinkle cake mix on top of pumpkin concoction until fully covered.
Pour remaining 1 cup melted butter on top so all the cake mix has butter on it.
Place on top of hot coals, place ~14 coals on top of lid.

Notes:
Depending on how hot your coals are will determine how long it will take to cook. It took us about an hour--keep checking it.
All the spices are just a rough approximation. I always put more cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves because I loooove them.
I'm nervous that it won't be sweet enough, so that's why I put the white sugar, but you can put a whole cup of brown sugar if you want, or even a whole cup of white sugar if you don't like the denseness of molasses.

Happy Autumn August!

P.S. I have discontinued my Etsy shop, realizing I'm not a very good seamstress, and have begun to design patterns for the quilt shop Fresh Picked Fabrics (aka Cranberry Quiltworks), and I also do their weekly emails and write for their blog. This therefore means that I've deleted the link list of shops where we were advertising together. If you were on that list, sorry--you can take me off yours. I might put up some pattern previews if anyone would be interested.

vacation

2010-06-12T00:18:00.005-06:00

via this is glamorous

i know i have 17 followers,
but i really don't know who reads this...

i've been on vacation--
i was planning on writing a few posts ahead of time
and then filling in the blanks with really past posts
and neither of those things happened.

in the last two weeks we
moved
moved grandparents
went on vacation

real life will resume monday night...

i feel like tuesday's post will be about
how mindblowing travel is--because it is.

here are some summer colors to tie you over.

happy weekend!

L

2010-06-01T10:50:00.003-06:00

i love the letter L.

i always have. i used to write a cursive, capital L over and over and over all over my paper in big cursive letters that sometimes connected to make a long strew of curly shapes. i love upper case L's and lower case L's, cursive or not. i think the attraction for the non cursive L's come from my math-love. what could be better than a pure, straight line? what about a 90 degree angle? then the cursive--you don't have to stop like you do for C's (i HATE C's), or O's, or U's--it's just one flowing stroke of the pen, just like cursive should be.

the way the letter L fits in my mouth is also especially desirable. i don't know what it is, but i just like the way it feels and sounds gliding across my lips. when words have L's in them, it makes them that much more beautiful.
examples:
lilac
linen
love
lovely (i LOVE this word)
listen
line
lake
last
lily (used to be my favorite name...now it's margaret which questionably has no L's...olivia does though, and that's my next favorite)
little (i call my little one, little love--what a wonderful combination of L's)
leather
lab (either from science or a dog...love it)
leaves
lady
ladle
left
low-key
literacy

and let's be honest--there are soooo many more beautiful L words.

my middle name is elaine, and i had a friend who called me elle (pronounced el) for a little while--it was nice.

you can find a sesame street video about the letter L, crafts with the letter L, and more L activities. how fun!

i am glad the letter L is in our alphabet.

looklet.com = sooooo cool (and lots of "where did the time go?")

2010-05-31T07:28:00.000-06:00

looklet.com is a website created by ollie hemmendorff (from yesterday's post) in which you can create "looks" with different models, clothes, and backgrounds. it's super super super cool. so far i've only made two "looks," and i haven't tried to be creative. it's mostly stuff i would wear myself on a daily basis, but there are an infinite amount of things you can do with it!

here are my two looks so far

these are looks from other users

from nirvana

from fitrisaras

so cool, huh?!?!?

register and share with us your looks!

memorial day wonderfulness!

2010-05-27T23:39:00.002-06:00

memorial day weekend is upon us which means the summer foods are here and we're happy about it!

i get better homes and gardens updates (because while i won't fork out the $10 or something a year for the magazine, i WILL sign up for their free newsletters!), and the latest one was 84 all-american recipes! now, i don't think of myself as a dessert person. i almost never get dessert in a restaurant (sometimes i'm just so disappointed...) but the desserts on this email were to-die-for! something i really enjoy is richness. i'm not a huge fan of crust on things, and
bread (kind of at all...) because i feel like it's a filler. i don't want bread with my soup--i want to taste SOUP. so, i was fanTASTically excited about the first picture--a black raspberry cream pie! it just looks like pure rich, divine, taste! click here for more recipes, decorating ideas, etc.

don't forget the cook-out! i'm not a veg-anything, but i try to get as many veggies in my little one, so i LOVED the idea of these black bean burgers! combined with unfried tomatoes, what more could we ask for!? (both recipes via svelte gourmet)

Black Bean Burgers
Serves 4-6

2 cans black beans (14.5 ounces each), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (using whole wheat earns you bonus points!) 1/2 cup wheat bran
2 eggs

That's it! Roughly mash the beans with the back of a fork or potato masher, incorporate the rest of the ingredients and the flavorings of your choice! Grill over medium heat for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through and misting with olive oil or butter spray so they don't dry out or burn.

Unfried Green Tomatoes
Serves 4

2 large green tomatoes
1 egg
1 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded, NOT grated)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
Olive oil or cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mist a baking sheet with olive oil or cooking spray. Slice tomatoes between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Beat egg. Combine Parmesan cheese, panko and spices. Dip each tomato slice in the egg, then into the breading mixture, pressing to coat both sides. Place breaded slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Mist tops with olive oil or cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. No need to flip them.

don't forget your patriotic attire!

via anthro (of course...)

happy memorial day!

food in fashion

2010-05-26T22:28:00.000-06:00

from sarajevo designer belma arnautović via chichi

i know--i just want a pair so people will ask what's going on with my shoes!

swedish designer/illustrator ollie hemmendorff

who was commissioned by nike to interpret their sneakers

found at bp fashion board

should food and fashion be combined?

SIlhouette Tutorial

2010-05-26T00:40:00.003-06:00

I wrote this for a girl in the blogging community but it didn't make it, so I'm sharing it with you! (click on picture to view in its entirety and full size)

Silhouettes are such a great way to put a personal touch on absolutely anything (pillows, mugs, baby announcements, t-shirts, necklaces, etc...), so here's a tutorial on how to make a silhouette digitally with Photoshop so you can make all those things yourself! (You can do it in other photo editing software such as Picnik or Picasa--just follow the same instructions.)

First take a picture of whoever it is you want the silhouette of (here's my boy in the bathtub...). Make sure the background contrasts the skin color.

You need to have the picture black and white, so put the image in Grayscale. Image>Mode>Grayscale

You then increase the contrast (put it to maximum contrast) in order to get a crisp outline of the person. You'll need to repeat this step a few times in order to get the person to be absolutely black. Image>Adjustments>Brightness/Contrast

You then need to click the Quick Selection Tool (looks like a magic wand on the left) so you can delete the background. You just hold down the mouse over the areas you want to delete and it'll select the areas that are similar (with a dotted line). Then click Delete. If you think you're going to delete the whole part, never fear, Ctrl-Z or Alt-Ctrl-Z will save you!

You could stop there and show the whole body, or you could edit it into the standard silhouette bottom.

Voila! Here is your silhouette to print onto transfer paper to put on a t-shirt or cut out and use as a template for anything!

i made these...(kind of...)

2010-05-25T17:01:00.003-06:00

it would be my dream to run a b&b that had an entire book theme. i love, love, love, love books. i saw these images and idea at down and out chic who found them on forever is today, and decided to make them for a few friends for their birthday. i'm really bad at birthdays--i love birthdays...it doesn't make any sense that i'm bad at them. have the best intentions but that doesn't get anyone anywhere, and it's no excuse.

i went to a used bookstore and was looking for pretty books (like in the picture) that i could make into a clock (with a clock kit i got at michael's) but they were so expensive! instead i got less-pretty looking books and will hopefully make them look great.

i'll post pictures when i finish them!

recipe for the weekend!

2010-05-21T12:13:00.001-06:00

fun food is great for the weekend--here's some mediterranean food!

hummus

1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt

puree all together, and enjoy!

roasted red peppers
preheat oven to 400 degrees F
slice peppers
put aluminum foil on cookie sheet
put peppers and some oil (olive or canola or veggie--it doesn' t matter) on the cookies sheet
cook for 15 minutes, flip or stir around
cook for another 15 minutes until really soft

pita bread
cut into 6 pieces (i use kitchen scissors)
throw on cookie sheet while cooking roasted red peppers until crisp (10-20 minutes?)

enjoy!

3 things from tonight's google reader

2010-05-19T23:41:00.006-06:00

i died.

team coco

if you're worried about square footage, this is the answer.

all found on swissmiss

um, are you obsessed with winco?

2010-05-18T00:13:00.002-06:00

i had never been.

my man said i'd love it, and that i didn't have any idea what was in store for me.

he was absolutely right.

winco is divine...wait.

word: divine
definition: sanctified
synonyms: adored, among the angels, beautified, blessed, consecrated, enthroned, exalted, glorified, hallowed, holy, inviolable, redeemed, revered, rewarded, sacred, sacrosanct, saved, unprofane.

yep. all of those things.

winco has bulk candy. this is not the best section of the bulk. they have bulk quinoa, whole flax, stone cut oats, soy protein powder, brownie mix, and the list goes ON AND ON AND ON. everything is 10,000x cheaper than in all other stores, which means i got to buy 4 mangos, 2 butternut squashes (squash? squashes?), 3 lbs of yams, 1 jicama (did NOT think i'd find that one...), and SO MANY OTHER THINGS!

they also have a bakery section. this means that their wheat bread had 6 ingredients, and none of them included enriched whole wheat flour (i HATE trixy advertising...this means white flour). they also had black bread which we almost bought, but didn't. next time.

we spent $91 and we might not need to go to the store for 3 weeks (this is not an exaggeration). which cuts our grocery bill almost in half.

i heart winco.

milton glaser - 10 things i have learned

2010-05-17T14:52:00.002-06:00

i found this website through the blue hour that has beautiful photographs. it's on milton glaser's 10 things i have learned - the secret of art. you can find all 10 here, but i really liked #7.

7
HOW YOU LIVE CHANGES YOUR BRAIN.
The brain is the most responsive organ of the body. Actually it is the organ that is most susceptible to change and regeneration of all the organs in the body. I have a friend named Gerald Edelman who was a great scholar of brain studies and he says that the analogy of the brain to a computer is pathetic. The brain is actually more like an overgrown garden that is constantly growing and throwing off seeds, regenerating and so on. And he believes that the brain is susceptible, in a way that we are not fully conscious of, to almost every experience of our life and every encounter we have. I was fascinated by a story in a newspaper a few years ago about the search for perfect pitch. A group of scientists decided that they were going to find out why certain people have perfect pitch. You know certain people hear a note precisely and are able to replicate it at exactly the right pitch. Some people have relevant pitch; perfect pitch is rare even among musicians. The scientists discovered – I don’t know how - that among people with perfect pitch the brain was different. Certain lobes of the brain had undergone some change or deformation that was always present with those who had perfect pitch. This was interesting enough in itself. But then they discovered something even more fascinating. If you took a bunch of kids and taught them to play the violin at the age of 4 or 5 after a couple of years some of them developed perfect pitch, and in all of those cases their brain structure had changed. Well what could that mean for the rest of us? We tend to believe that the mind affects the body and the body affects the mind, although we do not generally believe that everything we do affects the brain. I am convinced that if someone was to yell at me from across the street my brain could be affected and my life might changed. That is why your mother always said, ‘Don’t hang out with those bad kids.’ Mama was right. Thought changes our life and our behaviour. I also believe that drawing works in the same way. I am a great advocate of drawing, not in order to become an illustrator, but because I believe drawing changes the brain in the same way as the search to create the right note changes the brain of a violinist. Drawing also makes you attentive. It makes you pay attention to what you are looking at, which is not so easy.

running out the door

2010-05-14T16:28:00.001-06:00

i'm about the run out the door, so here are couple quick things to enjoy!

land of punctutation.

there's a lot of swearing, but here's a really funny writing assignment...

so cute.

jealousy is oozing out of me...

happy friday!

inspired for pesto...

2010-05-13T01:09:00.008-06:00

sometimes i feel like 70% of my day is spent figuring out what my little one's going to eat and how to get 5 fruits, 5 veggies, only whole grains, and enough protein in his system without giving him an ounce of milk. sometimes sister-in-laws are just the answer. she made spinach pesto for her family, and even though i couldn't use her recipe (which incidentally came from one of my friends!) it inspired me to make some of my own! i used pasta that has veggies in them (i don't know if it's even enough to count--i might have been suckered...), and started with this recipe but tweaked it. i used peanuts because we have an all-but-peanuts nut allergy living in the house. something i appreciated is that there is no cheese in it. i also deleted the chilis and amchoor powder...i didn't want to experiment today.

spinach pesto pasta
serves 3-4 (...or 1)

ingredients
3 cups frozen spinach
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
~1/3 cup olive oil
4 tbsp peanuts (smash them up beforehand)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp dried basil
freshly ground black pepper

pasta for 3-4

directions

throw it all in your blender or food processor until it's to the consistency you want it.
boil pasta
put pesto in microwave for 2 minutes (i had to microwave it because i used frozen spinach)
combine
experience divinity in a bowl.

my little one was licking the pesto off the spatula--i couldn't have been more happy at that moment...i think i got all his veggies in for the day.

maybe we'll get lucky with fruit tomorrow (i tried a smoothie this morning...no go. i've gotta get more yummy fruit and see if he goes for that).

eat pray love...yourself

2010-05-12T14:45:00.008-06:00

i really enjoyed eat pray love (which i'm really excited to see as a movie with julia roberts), and the woman who wrote that book wrote an article (i found it on the elements of style blog) on how we as women need to lighten up and appreciate the wonderfulness of all that we do, even if we don't feel that we do that much. the only thing i don't really like about it is that all the women she refers to DO have big careers and big accomplishments, so i don't really feel like it helps those of us who DON'T feel any better, but other than that, i really like the article. enjoy!

continue...

irish music

2010-05-11T03:40:00.005-06:00

i have a secret spot in my heart for irish music. it doesn't matter if it's fast or slow (i have a bigger spot for the slow kind...), i love them both. i don't watch brothers and sisters, but someone else in my house does, so i was sucked in for a few minutes while listening to this man's beautiful voice sing the parting glass.

i might not have a loyalty to irish music though, because loch lomond is a scottish song and my love for that song is located in the same place as the parting glass.

sooo cute fabric dolls

2010-05-10T13:52:00.009-06:00

there's a blog that i follow (i know...another blog i follow. i get like, 100 feeds a day...it's tough to keep up with them) called made by joel. i've stopped bookmarking individual posts of his in my "kids" bookmark tab because every single thing could be bookmarked, so anytime i need ideas for what to do with my little one, i have a tendency to scan his site.

this post on vintage fabric dolls is to DIE for. i like how simple the concept is, and how really, dolls can be any shape and size--it's whether your child loves it is what matters. i haven't made these yet, but i certainly plan to!

i want you back

2010-05-07T00:00:00.005-06:00

i cannot listen to this enough times. i don't think i've ever gotten sick of this song, even though it was on a mix cd that i listened to at LEAST 500 times, and while this isn't by the genius, original performers, i still love love love love love love it. you'd think i was in a crowd of dancing people by the way i've been freely dancing around the room on this thursday evening at 11:03 pm.

hope it puts you in good spirits for the weekend!

i know i wouldn't wear them....

2010-05-05T00:51:00.002-06:00

i have over and over bought heels--i desire to be someone who wears heels on a regular basis...it just isn't happening. i bought a pair of boots with a 2" heel--thank heavens i could take them back because while i loved every second of wearing them, i just couldn't get over how awkward i felt wearing them. i just can't do it. this doesn't halt the fact that i luuuuuuuurve them...

therefore, without further adieu, presenting:

found at april in paris

and while we're in the subject of animal prints...what about these?

found at polyvore

oh yeah...and again with the animal prints but not as glamorous...

found at wellie-boots

but again with the first ones....oh how they take my breath away...

i may have found the solution...

2010-05-04T01:08:00.002-06:00

it's $25...it might just be worth it. i'm going to see if fry's has something like this i could get. i can't really find anything on their website, but i'll ask someone when i get there.

this does not have to do with electronics, but thanks to a wonderful, fellow, thai loving, friend, i have been introduced to this recipe called chicken curry in a hurry (which can be found here). it looks great, even though i haven't tried it yet--but it WILL happen soon!

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained (optional)
1 rotisserie chicken
2 cups cooked white rice (optional)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes. Sprinkle with the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the yogurt and cream and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, and tomatoes (if using). Remove from heat.
Slice or shred the chicken, discarding the skin and bones. Divide the rice (if using) and chicken among individual bowls, spoon the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the cilantro.

losing things

2010-04-30T15:10:00.002-06:00

there are 3 things in my life that at all times 1 of them is lost:

wallet

keys

phone

i've tried a bag, i've tried leaving them in the car, i've tried having a jacket where there was a pocket for each thing, but i can't keep anything consistent.

what do you do to not lose those three items?

let's go fly a kite pencil skirt!

2010-04-29T13:58:00.001-06:00

last saturday night, as i was thinking of what i was going to wear the next day at church, i could not put together one more unique combination with the skirts i have, so i decided to make one with some great fabric i recently got from fresh picked fabrics in brea!

i love pencil skirts with all my heart, but don't have a single one, so i decided that was the one i'd make! the one i made is very high wasted, and i also made it longer--below my knees (like the picture), in order to stay modest as my little one is climbing all over.

coupled with a mustard sweater, skinny pink belt, and a blue striped shirt (talked about here), it was perfect!

trouser top

2010-04-27T13:38:00.003-06:00

some things are just genius--this is one of them

why, yes that is a pair of pants upside down making a shirt.
found at pour porter

my list of sewing projects in order:
finishing etsy back orders
man in my life's father's day quilt (leftover from last year)
girlfriends' baby clothes (so many friends are having girls right now!)
TROUSER TOP
doily cardi (below)

hopefully some more orders?

maybe some skirts for me?

yes, i know, i died after seeing how cute this was too...

i didn't save where it's from--
if anyone knows, contact me and i'll give them proper credit

happy tuesday!

getting enough fruits and vegetables each day--bran muffins

2010-04-26T06:30:00.003-06:00

i'm trying to get my little one enough nutrients each day, and i am in love with bran muffins, so here is a recipe that i don't know how i can get it any more healthy...try it out!

The Healthiest Muffins Ever
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. ground bran flakes (i throw them in the food processor)
2 c. shredded carrots
1 c. shredded zucchini
1 lg. apple, peeled and cored (they don't have to be peeled...)
1 T flax seed
3 T water
1 banana
1/2 t baking powder
1 c. applesauce
2 t baking soda
The rest is all optional, because it's for flavor, so you can add any and all you want...
1/2 c molasses (this is the best addition...even if you're trying to be healthy, do it)
if you add the molasses, add 1/2 t baking soda to the recipe
dark molasses is the best...ever.
3/4 c. raisins
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 T cinnamon
1/2 T nutmeg
1 1/2 t grated orange peel
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 1/2 cup muffin cups with paper baking cups. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, mix all wet ingredients in another bowl, then combine. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Serve immediately!
Tip: If you want to keep them from drying out, immediately put them in ziplock bags when they come out of the oven--that way the moisture from the heat will stay in muffins instead of going into the air.

Enjoy!

geocaching

2010-04-23T05:09:00.000-06:00

i was back-track-reading my missing posts on mackin ink (she's the outrageously spectacular writer for the sweeterie to go with the knock-out pictures), when i discovered cheeky minx. it's a post full of pranks, including a note at the bank by a boy saying he was being held captive by a crazy lady (his mom...). my mind snapped to my first geocaching experience a few summers back when a few of us were four-wheeling through the mountains and found a really old hunting shed. inside was a canister that had a little notebook, and explanation of what geocaching is, and a little trinket. you're supposed to write what you're doing when you find the canister, take the trinket, and put a trinket you have inside. i wish i had written down precisely what the man in my life wrote, but i didn't...bummer. this is it, paraphrased:

day 41: last night was a cold one, and we don't think little johnny will make it through another night. we found a mangled squirrel in the branches of a tree that we ate for dinner, but there wasn't enough meat to really go around. poor guy, it looked like he just slipped and fell. speaking of falling, susannah tripped on some rocks a few days back and her leg is now really infected. we've tried to keep it clean but our rags of clothes just can't be sacrificed any further. hopefully tomorrow will be a better day...

i don't even think we left a trinket--i just think we took the one that was in there. great geocachers we are...

have a great weekend!

p.s. the reason this post isn't filled with how wonderful the trunk show was tonight, is because in my excitement i didn't realize until tuesday that all cities that start with "santa" in california do not mean they're near me just because i live by mexico...they have them all over. this means that the trunk show was 6 hours away...i mopped the floor of spaghetti instead. bummer.

happy earth day!

2010-04-22T12:18:00.006-06:00

Earth Day 2010 Kicks Off With Lyrid Meteor Shower

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - Earth Day 2010 kicked-off with a spectacular Lyrid meteor shower in all of its glory in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday.

According to NASA , early risers who were lucky enough to witness the spring meteor shower as it reached its peak on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, got to see about 15 meteors per hour between 2 and 5 a.m. on April 22.

"The best way to observe the show is to recline comfortably, facing anywhere from north to east and gazing nearly overhead," an astronomer for the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, Anthony Cook told NationalGeographic.com . "The best location is a region far from urban light pollution with a fairly open horizon."

While this annual event has appeared in the Northern Hemisphere every April for approximately 27 centuries, this year it made Earth Day extra special, reports Space.com .

The Lyrid meteor show began on April 16 and will continue until April 25, but the greatest number of shooting stars was forecast for Thursday when the first quarter moon had set to give greater visibility.

Continue article here.

what are you doing for earth day? we're riding the tandem all day today--car free diet!

are you a tree hugger? do you use reusable grocery (or not grocery) bags? (found on oh hello friend)? what are your earth day resolutions? (found on good measure)

in defense of food...

2010-04-21T14:48:00.002-06:00

i found this great post about food...all the rules make sense to me. it's from a book by michael pollan called in defense of food: an eater's manifesto

7 Words & 7 Rules for Eating

Pollan says everything he's learned about food and health can be summed up in seven words: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

Probably the first two words are most important. "Eat food" means to eat real food -- vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and, yes, fish and meat -- and to avoid what Pollan calls "edible food-like substances."

Here's how:

1. Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. "When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can't pronounce, ask yourself, "What are those things doing there?" Pollan says.
2. Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.
3. Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop on the perimeter of the store. Real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh foods when it goes bad.
4. Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot. "There are exceptions -- honey -- but as a rule, things like Twinkies that never go bad aren't food," Pollan says.
5. It is not just what you eat but how you eat. "Always leave the table a little hungry," Pollan says. "Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full. Islamic culture has a similar rule, and in German culture they say, 'Tie off the sack before it's full.'"
6. Families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a TV, at regular meal times. It's a good tradition. Enjoy meals with the people you love. "Remember when eating between meals felt wrong?" Pollan asks.
7. Don't buy food where you buy your gasoline. In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car.

yes, i do judge a book by its cover

2010-04-19T22:18:00.002-06:00

at our library, there's a huge bin of board books that i mostly just sit by and pick out of to find books for my kid. i was looking for airplane books, but when i saw the color combinations on the cover of this book i just had to get it. His different reds plaid jacket (just looks comfortable, doesn't it?), his overalls, the lighter greens in the grass so Oliver stands out--it's just wonderful. those same facial expressions when he's thinking and crying, my kid makes on a daily basis, and the shape of his little bear body...they're right on the money. plus, i really like the story! but, i can't deny that the colors are my favorite part--it's just really aesthetically pleasing...

story by phyllis root,

illustrated by christopher denise (he has a super sweet blog, with reaaaaalllly interesting posts on his illustrations,so click on his name to check it out!)

i do not own the images, and do not claim to.

The Sweeterie

2010-04-16T09:28:00.004-06:00

I follow a blog called The Sweeterie. I look forward to their posts more than any other blog. Most of the time their posts are sweet or just beautiful, but yesterday's was amazing--hilarious, unexpected, and oh so true.

audrey hepburn complex...

2010-04-15T14:46:00.002-06:00

oh my gosh...

oh my gosh...

oh----my----gosh...........

ohmygosh.

i love this site.

this is a tumblr site by a girl who, while she is an amateur photographer, is sharing with the world wonderful pictures not taken by her.

she just has the best eye for photos.

i love the style of each one.

i love the topics.

i just love this site.

i just can't help myself...

2010-04-14T00:55:00.004-06:00

i've been looking for a huge, silver, men's watch for two months. i want everything about it to be big--the face, the band--everything so my (hopefully) tanned wrist can look dainty and beautiful. i thought i had found the perfect one, but then the band was leather which is not what i want...i want the whole thing to just be bling (not diamond bling...just silver), and i want it to be huge. Like this, only silver:

then, something wonderful and conflicted happened--i admired a calculator watch by a fellow nerd (because something about calculator watches suck me into their fantasticness), and as a result, i received one! even though the style inside is screaming and slowly dying of shame, the nerd is beating her down with a TI-89. i wear it over my sleeve because i don't like the bulkiness of it being underneath, and everyone can see it--i wear it proud. i love it...i can't help myself.

windows 7 was my idea...with solid colors

2010-04-13T00:56:00.002-06:00

ya know those commercials that are "windows 7 was my idea" where the person in the reenactment is much better looking than the person in the commercial? (what a hilarious concept--good job on whoever came up with that...) i am going to use that concept in this post:

i have come to the realization that all but 1 shirt i have is a solid color. ALL BUT 1! I would say that the best way to show my usual wardrobe would be this:

(windows 7 was my idea...of course this is what i look like)

therefore, it should not have been a surprise to me that when i saw MAAN i wanted it to be my wardrobe of choice for the summer...even though they're kids' clothes, the look is so fresh and fun, and even though i'm not going to wear short shorts (i would love to but it just isn't going to happen...), i would love to wear a skirt everyday or regular shorts...

as soon as i finish my current orders, i'm heading over to fresh picked fabrics in brea, ca and buying all the fabric i can to get these looks...i just can't get enough! i look at the website (i'm trying to quit...) at least once a day to see if i can get some inspiration for my outfit that day, but i just need to hurry up with my orders so i can get started!

i also need to hurry up because i want to make something to wear for lex designs trunk show next thursday. i've followed alexis's blog for a long time and i'm just so excited to see her stuff in real life!

i heart tina fey

2010-04-10T00:03:00.002-06:00

i am very looking forward to seeing tina fey and steve carell in date night, and thanks to today's cup of jo post i discovered this interview by tina fey! the whole thing is funny, but especially the part about her kid and her tracy morgan impersonation...died. enjoy!

loveology/oh, hello friend

2010-04-09T13:43:00.000-06:00

loveology (a blog i follow) is doing a giveaway by oh, hello friend (also a blog i follow). oh, hello friend is a gorgeous shop that has beautifully, dainty little additions to your accessories. when i went on her etsy shop i thought everything was going to be wayyyy over priced, but they are perfectly affordable! (there's even a 5 or 10 section where everything's either 5 or 10 dollars) if you want a chance to win something from oh, hello friend go here and comment on the post, twitter or blog about it, and then comment on how you're celebrating today (what a great thing to do...)!

out to sea

2010-04-06T00:42:00.004-06:00

why, yes I do think I will buy sandals made of rope (no sarcasm...) these are gurkee

having already bought myself this shirt from h&m, and loving all things that deal with knots and ropes, and all navy, white, and yellow (or gold) things...it seems all things "out to sea" are right up my alley, or pier...

(one of my favorite parts about the necklace is that it has a "lobster claps." I hope whoever designed it did that on purpose and thought it was hilarious because I sure do.) (both from anthro...)

oh my sea (not land...), and pirates...i totally forgot about pirates...

if you'd like to learn how to look "pirate chic," click here. it leads you to wikihow.com under the title "How to Have the Pirate Chic Look," and step #1, choose the hairstyle. what a wonderful idea...

Yes, please

2010-04-04T23:23:00.000-06:00

I follow Elements of Style Blog and she posted a "Lifestyle Lust" about Emersonmade's lifestyle, and I was in love after like, three pictures...and then I saw the whole rest of the post and died of how wonderful everything was...

enjoy!

to continue with the post, click here!

Another food post...grilled

2010-04-03T00:36:00.000-06:00

Food is just on the mind lately, hasn't it been?

Tonight was a bbq night. It's been warm (70's), but kinda chilly as soon as 5 o'clock hits. That didn't stop us from having a bbq! We can't get enough of Nathan's Hot Dogs, so we had those and then hamburgers. I have to say though, my favorite part about bbq's are the grilled fruits and veggies. Pineapples were $2 each, so we grilled those (divine), and grilled onions. Neither takes very much time to do but it is sooo worth it. We didn't have any tomatoes, but if we had we would have grilled those too, because I just eat those with a fork when we have those. I've started to broil them in the oven when I want something with that kind of taste...

Anyway, it was a great bbq night--do any of you have bbq favorites?

Fondue

2010-03-29T13:07:00.002-06:00

I've only had fondue one time in high school, but there's a restaurant nearby (The Melting Pot) that we're going to sometime. I'm a "club member" which just means I get emails once a week from them about specials which I never take advantage of. BUT, something that was in this week's letter was a recipe for their Feng Shui Cheese Fondue which sounds divine, so those out there who do do fondue, here's a recipe to try!

Feng Shui Cheese Fondue

1 ½ cups shredded Butterkäse
1 ½ cups shredded Fontina cheese
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup white wine
½ cup dry sake
¼ cup rice wine
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped scallions

Toss the Butterkäse and Fontina cheese with the flour in a bowl. Place a metal bowl over a saucepan filled with two inches of water. You may also use a conventional double boiler. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and pour the white wine, sake and rice wine into the bowl. Stir in the garlic, shallots and red pepper using a fork. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add half the cheese blend and cook until the cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Add the remaining cheese, blend a small amount at a time, stirring constantly in a circular motion after each addition until the cheese is melted. Pour into a warm fondue pot and keep warm over low heat. Garnish with the scallions.

crepe party

2010-03-26T16:41:00.005-06:00

i have found that since i'm overwhelmed with the orders i'm doing i don't know what to write on this blog because i don't really have updates, so here's what's happening for date night tonight--a crepe party! i enjoy savory crepes much more than sweet, so while we certainly will have sweet things (strawberries, whipped cream, etc), we are mostly having things like chicken, basil, hummus, roasted red peppers, marinara sauce, and things like that! if i had my way we'd be wearing striped blouses and petticoats but striped shirts from h&m might just have to cut it. au revoir!

Shop of the Weekend--Fresh Picked Fabrics!

2010-02-26T14:56:00.005-07:00

I've decided to start having a featured shop each Friday for shoppers to hit up on the weekend!

Our shop of the week is Fresh Picked Fabric / Cranberry Quiltworks / Threaded Pear! There's a shop here in southern California that is to die for. Their fabric selection is amazing and gets new stuff in all the time!

The Cranberry Quiltworks part is that they have quilt machines you can rent and make a quilt right there in their store! It's a great idea and they have classes in order to get your "driver's license" to "drive" the machine.

Threaded Pear Patterns are the pattern company they own and sell in their store. There are sooooo many patterns from aprons to dresses to anything else you can think of!

It's such a quality shop and it seems like there's so much new stuff popping up every week! Gina is the owner and she's almost always there which makes the shop so much more personal.

Their address is 3810 Prospect Road, Yorba Linda, CA (it's sort of in between Tall Mouse and Calico House if you're in the area and visiting either of those stores...) Their website is www.cranberryquiltworks.com and they've just started a blog at freshpickedfabrics.blogspot.com

Go visit!

Another Non-fashion

2010-02-20T19:37:00.006-07:00

I loooooooove this. I love toast by itself because it's plain, but I looooove that this makes toast fancy. I found this from my black book. Go look at the whole Table Manners Collection here because it is so fun--I love this also.

not a fashion post

2010-02-16T03:20:00.000-07:00

i've been trying to keep this blog on a fashion or blogger theme, but i just cannot resist this...

somethings this is the most satisfying sight:

i also found this (on another blog...i'm sorry i didn't save where i found it or else i'd reference it, but i didn't think it would be a big deal, but it's JUST SO COOL THE MORE I LOOK AT IT!!!) since my egg is a large, straight from the fridge, and i like it runny, this is what shows up:

then a timer shows up and you can watch a video to pass the time of waiting for your egg to cook---GENIUS.

i might just be cooking eggs tomorrow just so i can use this!

Valentines Day Card Swap!

2010-02-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Even with my mistake of sending blank cards, I still loved sending and receiving them!

Here are pictures of the cards I sent from Joanne's Ready Set Craft blog.

As of today, I've gotten 3/5 of the cards that are coming, but here are pictures of them! I got a great one from Erin with a packet of tea (does she know me, or what?), one from Angie, and one from Ally--all so beautiful!

Inspiration

2010-02-09T03:08:00.000-07:00

(via Crown & Crumpet website)

There are fewer things I love more than tea and "happy colors" and at Crown & Crumpet we have both! It's a fantastic tea shop in San Fransisco that if I lived there I would absolutely go to every day! Everything inside it is gorgeous and I have some clutches that are coming up with the color combinations inspired by Crown and Crumpet!

FINALLY

2010-01-24T01:41:00.000-07:00

i have been trying to figure out what to do with a chocolate brown and white striped shirt that needs to be upcycled, and i've finally figured it out! there's going to be tulle in it and it's going to be so pretty!

also, i found these by BonaDrag found here, which i'm not going to buy, but would love them...because just as Lola said on her blog about them earlier this week, there is a little secret-ballerina that's hidden deep inside me.

i've been doing some sketches, and will hopefully have some new stuff out soon.

ALSO,
there is a huge sale at Old Navy, where everything in the clearance section is 50% off, and you get an extra 10% off if you use a gift certificate. i bought $337 worth of stuff for $29! that's more than 90% off!!! i got a ton of stuff for the shop to reconstruct and make spectacular. i got all xxl sizes so i had as much fabric as possible.

Valentines Day Card Swap!

2010-01-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

I am going to be a part of a Valentines Day Card Swap hosted by Auburn Street, and you should do it too! Go here to look at the information and if you want to, you can do it too!

The gist of it is that you send 5 people Valentines Day cards and you receive cards from 5 different people! I'm excited to get the creative juices flowing!

Lace Headband Tutorial

2010-01-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

I can't figure out a way to make money off this idea so I'm going to show everyone how to do it!

I made myself a lace headband as a little flair to a plain outfit. I can't wear headbands with backs because it gives me a mullet look (not cute...).

I started out with a piece of lace (I used lace hem tape from Walmart, but I'm sure you can use anything), measured it around the top of my head...it was just over a foot. Used two bobby pins, one on each end, and just pinned it behind my ears under my hair. I loved the look, it didn't give me a headache (like most headbands I wear), and it was just a pretty little detail!

buffalo gals reconstruction!

2010-01-13T23:10:00.001-07:00

this is a buffalo gals shirt!

this white dress shirt (by Miller Stockman for Western Living) has been reconstructed. the shirt could be put under a vintage label because i think it was bought in the 70's. There isn't a fabric label on it, but i think it's 100% cotton.

it's been made into a size medium but could be made smaller if needed. it has a mandarin collar with silver buffalo buttons. i cut down the sleeves to be 3/4 length, and there are big gathered pockets on both sides that just make the shirt. soooo cute!

here are pictures of it. i got my husband to take pictures of me and he just laughed and laughed and laughed the whole time...how awkward...and that second picture is a nice armpit shot too, huh? it was just too good of a picture to pass up.

The only additional picture from the etsy site is the cuff shot because we can only insert 5 pictures.

new beginnings!

2010-01-12T01:32:00.000-07:00

it's a new year and among the many new years resolutions is keeping up with this blog! there is always something i'm working on to add to my etsy shop and i want to keep everyone who likes my shop updated.

first thing, as part of my Christmas, i got tickets to the people's choice awards. it was my first opportunity to do anything like that so i went all out! i made both my dress and my clutch, which i was very proud of, and the clutch is for sale! it's made of black, faux leather, with off-white fleece on the inside. there are magnetic clasps on the inside, but i can put a zipper in if someone wants. it's sooo chic and whoever ends up with it is a lucky duck! (see my shop for more pictures)

we're living with my in-laws right now (bummer, huh?), but something good that's come out of it is my husband going through all his old stuff and getting me great fabric to upcycle! there are lots of dress shirts i plan on making some really cute tops with (big pockets are in store...!), and if i can figure it out i want to make some of them into skirts. i also have a ton of fleece left over from orders, and so am going to make lots of flower pins (for hair or clothes), so that's coming up too! we're in los angeles right now, so i have access to some GORGEOUS fabric, but trying to save money, i'm trying to stay away from them. however, my birthday is coming up so i might be getting a hold of some lace and make some gorgeous skirts--i'm just dying to get them started!

1:51 am

2009-11-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

It happens once a week--I just can't sleep, and I begin to fantasize about all the gorgeous creations I'm going to sew as soon as I finish the orders I already have lurking in the baby's room, anticipating construction. Fabric flowers; burnt ribbon; anything that can be conjured float across my imagination until I just can't lie in bed anymore and have to get up to work on current orders so one day I can finally build ces créations de beauté that spark in my mind.

So, here we are, 1:51 in the morning, and I'm getting started on an order for a size 15 men's slipper. How lucky he is that I have the conscience to work on his first instead of the dark silver, Christmas party dress that is awaiting composition.

christmas items!

2009-11-30T05:37:00.000-07:00

i've been working really hard to get everything ready for "cyber monday". i've had a lot of ideas in my head of things that I've wanted to make but haven't had time to create them until i couldn't sleep tonight and made it happen! the party skirt is sooooo fun to just wear around. if i wasn't afraid of getting animal crackers all over it i'd wear it all day. also, the coat is to DIE for. it is so comfortable, and so warm, and let's be honest--it's so pretty! the flowers are also perfect to just add a little oomph to an outfit, and they're so classy!

i'm also going to be in a craft fair at the idaho falls lindon park (i think it's a middle school) on december 12th from 10-5. there'll be lots of things and some surprises, too so if you're in the area, stop by!

anyway, look forward to more updates on what's coming up!

first craft fair ever!

2009-11-10T03:15:00.001-07:00

i had my first craft fair ever, and it went ok!

i didn't know i was doing it until the day before, so i spent the whole day and night working on the stuff i'd be selling. i was really scared about it when i got there, and felt really ghetto but it ended up going well in the end. at the beginning i only had a card table and two chairs, so this is how i set it up.

a few hours later i got another longer table, so we put the quilts on that.

at least i got my name out there, and had my first experience at it. i'll know what to do better next time!

p.s. if anyone wants any of these, just convo me on etsy and you can order them (the headbands & flowers are $5, baby girls' tube dress with leggings $8, aprons $12, and quilts $20).

headbands and clips!

2009-11-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

in between working on some orders, i made a couple headbands and flower clips. they are absolutely adorable, and will be up on the shop soon!

both orders of fabric have arrived today, so if you've made an order, i'm putting them together today and tomorrow and will be out to you shortly!

probably not super productive...

2009-10-09T22:28:00.000-06:00

this isn't going to make me any money, but i discovered celestefrittata on etsy, and if you are a lover of absolument tout harry potter, you should go to her site because it is absolutely spectacular!

welcome!

2009-10-09T17:39:00.000-06:00

welcome to the momma ginger blog!

right now i have nursing covers, headbands, boots and shoes (both indoor and outdoor), and photographs available on my etsy site, but there are more items to come soon! for halloween, a pair of black shoes that have a glow in the dark skeleton foot up next--you can pre-order a pair if you'd like!

we're also working on dairy-free ice cream mixes and dairy-free hot drink mixes. if you want us to rush our progress just e-mail me or convo me on the etsy site!

thanks for the visit!
ginger