12 Friday Oct 2012
Posted in Inspiration
Tags
Dr. Seuss, Halloween, Halloween costume, Ikea pillow, Inspiration, Instagram, Kids, Knitting, mermaid costume, vintage quilt
Instagrams from the week:
*Knitting Ada’s Mermaid Costume
*Flying Josie
*Reading
*Sleepy Baby Feet
Have a great weekend!
09 Tuesday Oct 2012
Posted in Projects
Tags
apple jam recipe, breakfast, cheese and crackers, diy apple jam, food, Food in Jars blog, home canning, Honey Lemon Apple Jam, honey recipe, lemon apple recipe
We are getting addicted to canning things around here. When I saw these Meyer lemons at Greene Grape Provisions I decided to work them into a jam with some of our abundance of apples. I love planning food around what looks good at the market. We used this recipe from the Food in Jars blog and added 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and the seeds from one vanilla bean to the cooking apples. (I like to keep the split bean in there too). The resulting jam is very honey/lemon flavored. It is a bit odd on a PB&J sandwich, but I just put some on toast with blue cheese and avocado and it was delicious. It would be great with cheese and crackers or stirred into a hot drink as the weather gets chilly.
08 Monday Oct 2012
Posted in Inspiration, Likes, Projects, Shop, Vintage
Tags
costume supply, DIY Halloween costume, mermaid Halloween costume, millinery flower, Tinsel Trading Company, vintage flower, vintage millinery, vintage trim
Finds from a recent visit to Tinsel Trading Company in Manhattan. Tinsel Trading is a magical place that has been run and owned by the same family for generations. Their story can be found here. They have the most amazing selection of vintage millinery flowers, trims, buttons…I designed many projects around Tinsel Trading finds when I was in fashion school and I used to visit often for inspiration when I worked in the city. There is a huge set of drawers in the back of the store filled with an ever-changing array. This visit it housed unused paper labels, cardboard animals and new old stock of red paintbrushes among other things. I love wandering in without a specific project and letting the treasure speak to me. I have yet to bring Ada, but Tinsel Trading is pretty much a crafty four-year-old’s dream. Here is what I found:
* Reproduction French sticker labels. (We will use them for jams and gift labeling).
* Vintage silver ribbon. (Waiting to trim a package).
* Vintage gold stacking beads. (I am thinking these would make a pretty necklace mixed with seashells we found this summer for Ada’s mermaid Halloween costume that I have been knitting).
06 Saturday Oct 2012
Posted in Inspiration
Instagrams from the week:
* Antique Lace, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
* Bathroom, Red Rooster Harlem
* Cy Twombly Detail, Metropolitan Museum of Art
* Sleeping Child, Metropolitan Museum of Art
03 Wednesday Oct 2012
Tags
autumn, Ebay, gingham fabric, gingham rainboot, kid style, kids rain boots, Korean design, rainboots, shoe design, style
Autumn means the rainy season in these parts. Thus begins the yearly search for the perfect rain boots for the girls. I found these on Ebay last week. They are from Korea and were on sale for $10 with free shipping(!) Korean designs are so cute! I love this smart use of gingham fabric stretched under the waterproof rubber. Why didn’t I think of that when I was designing shoes?
02 Tuesday Oct 2012
Posted in Projects
Tags
acorn necklace, acorn pendant, diy, DIY necklace, fall necklace, project for kids, scrap yarn, The Farm at Miller's Crossing
There are acorns falling in these parts, and it is the perfect time to make acorn necklaces. We first learned to make this easy project at a visit to our CSA farm a couple of years ago. It is a great project for tiny bits of leftover yarn. Kids can help with the acorn gathering, and yarn choosing and twisting. To make your own you will need:
*Acorns with Caps
*Small Screw Eyes
*Yarn – at least two colors
*Scissors
1. Gather freshly fallen acorns and wash if necessary. Snip off stem from top of acorn with scissors, leaving a flat spot at the top of acorn cap.
2. Twist screw eye into top of cap. If cap pops off it can be glued back on with craft glue.
3. Choose two contrasting strands of yarn and cut about 36 inches of each. (Adjust size per wearer).
4. Tie two strands together. Stretch out yarns with knot in the middle and have two people hold each of the two ends. (Or tie one end to a door knob if you are alone).
5. Twist each color of yarn in the opposite direction until yarn coils back on itself. Bring the two loose ends together and grasp. Grab the knot in the center and pull away from loose ends until the twist evens out. The two colors should now be evenly twisted around each other. Loosen or tighten twist until you like the way it looks.
6. Slip screw eye over the twisted yarn strand and tie the ends together.
Happy Fall!
01 Monday Oct 2012
Tags
Ebay, Elephant's Trunk Flea Market, glass drawer pulls, headband crowns, home, kids rooms, shopping, vintage, vintage basket, vintage furniture
Happy October!
My friend Leslie and I spent a kid-free morning yesterday at The Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market. (Thanks Dads!) It was a beautiful fall day, despite a few sprinkles, and the leaves had just started changing colors in Connecticut. We both found some great stuff and had a lovely lazy morning wandering around. I am still jealous of the bright blue and red umbrella Leslie scored! Flea markets are my favorite way to spend a morning. I love nothing more than wandering around and getting ideas, thinking of new ways to use old things, and finding inspiration. Here are my finds:
Ironstone butter pats – also great for holding small jewelry or marbles, spices when cooking, or for mixing watercolors. Ebay has some here. (The opal glass is for Ada’s collection).
Glass drawer pulls in various sizes. You never know when you will need the perfect set! I am putting the small set on Ada’s dresser today. The rest will be saved for future projects. Etsy has some here.
Balsa hat form. I went specifically to the flea for this and found the perfect one for $25. I love it when that magically happens! I am using it to photograph my headband crowns for my opening-soon Etsy store.
Giant wicker basket. I love this thing! I bargained it down to $35, and had no idea what I would do with it. I was thinking of maybe using it for a laundry basket, or blanket storage, or towels, or maybe a future baby bed…It seemed to grow when it got into the trunk of our car and by the time I got it home it seemed really big. Ada and Josie saw it and begged to put it in their room as a ‘nest’. They have been reading books and snuggling bears in there. I am still not sure where it will end up, but it is good in the corner of their room for now. This figuring out the perfect use for something that was once loved by someone else is exactly why I love the flea market.
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