A Pincushion of Possiblities

Skipping through blog-land one meets the most enchanting people. A few weeks ago I met Kristin (well, actually, Kristin found me because I had put out a call to find the originator of a wonderful wooden top craft I had pirated.) Poking around Kristin's blog Kleas, I discovered, not only are both our birthdays one day apart, but that Kristin makes the loveliest pincushions! For years I have been using the most practical & pedestrian of pin cushions, however Kristin has opened to me a world of pin cushion possibilities...

Her pin cushions bloom like gardens in so many colors...

And flowers grow right off her pincushions in three dimensions...

Her pincushions come to us from sparkling tide pools...

They are post-card memories of lands far away...

They grow magically in Cinderella's pumpkin patch...

And if you follow the yellow brick road, you may discover that, at the end of the rainbow, there's no place like home...

But my favorite of all is this handsome rooster and his most elegant plumage... Thank you, Kristin, for introducing me to a world of pincushion possibilities!

(Note: this post is dedicated to Shannon who showed me I could not only be "famous in my own pincushion," but I could dance on it, too!)

News Bulletin: Soup to Swoon Over

News Flash! We interrupt our usual programming for this news bulletin. The best soup ever created by the hands of a mere mortal was served last night at a kitchen table in California. Please stay tuned for further updates.

It was the best soup ever. It was so good we licked our bowls clean.  I based my endeavors on this recipe for molasses roasted squash and soup.

Molasses Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients

• 1 large squash
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter(horrifying, I know... use less if you prefer)
  
• 1-2 TBL sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup dark unsulfured molasses

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Score squash with a knife several times and place in the microwave for approx. 3 minutes (this will make it easier to cut up.) Peel the squash and cut into 1-inch dice. Place in a large bowl.

Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter ceases to foam and has turned a light brown, pull the pan off the heat and add the sugar, vinegar (stand back so as not to get splattered), molasses, salt & pepper. Mix well and let simmer over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes.


Pour the vinegar/butter/molasses mixture over the squash and toss well, then transfer to a heavy rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and large enough to hold the squash in a single layer. Place in the oven for 20 minutes, toss and return pan to the oven for about another 20 minutes until squash is very soft. Set aside until cool enough to handle. (Note: the smell of the squash roasting with the molasses had me swooning...)

* * * * *

Roasted Squash Soup
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• salt to taste
  
• ground black pepper
• About 4-5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups Roasted Winter Squash recipe
• 1-2 TBL red wine vinegar
  
• 1/2 cup half-and-half, optional

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, celery & carrot. Saute until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add stock bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes. Stir in the squash then simmer gently to let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes.

Puree the soup with a hand-blender until smooth. (The soup can be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for several days or frozen for about 1 month. It will thicken as it cools and may need thinning with stock or water when reheating.)
Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently. If the soup seems too sweet for your taste, add 1-2 TBL red wine vinegar to counteract the sweetness. Adjust salt to taste and add the half-and-half, if using.

* * * * *

We apologize for this interruption and now will return to our usual programming...

Softearth's World (& a Give-Away)

Have you ever visited Marie of Softearth's World? She creates magic with soft New Zealand wool.

Thanks to Marie, my springtime mantelpiece has come to life with little doves nesting beneath a pussy willow bower...

And Crystal Gnomes guarding the light of hearth & home (doesn't the round shape of these little gnomes make you want to pick one up and cradle it gently in the palm of your hand?)

Another of my favorite creations by Marie is this Koru fern princess (she has not yet joined the celebration of my springtime mantelpiece, but perhaps someday soon...) Here is her story:

Deep in the New Zealand bush, a little Koru forest princess dwells. With her beautiful unfurling fern frond, she sways in the gentle breeze and smiles. When the trampers walk by, they cannot detect her, though they comment on the beautiful ferns laid out on the forest floor.

KORU- The Koru is the Maori name given to the new unfurling fern frond and symbolizes new life,growth,strength and peace.

When I mentioned to Marie that I planned to feature some of her creations on my blog, she generously offered to turn my blog-post into a Springtime Celebration Give-Away!

Please leave a comment at the end of this post if you would like to win a Spring Fairy, garbed in green...

Four Dew-Drop Children...

And a bevy of Rainbow Birds (or as Marie says, "Out of the sky and under the rainbow flew these rainbow birds!")

Don't forget to leave a comment if you would like these treasures from Marie's Soft Earth Art Etsy shop to join your Springtime nature table (and please feel free to re-post about the give-away on your own blog, if you wish!) Comments for this give-away will be open for one week.

Thank you, Marie, for offering this generous give-away, and thank you to everyone who has stopped by my blog today to say, "Hello..."

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 UPDATE: A winner for the give-away was chosen by random number generator. Congratulations to Jen of SewnNatural!

Nine Months

Happy nine-months to our wee Bloom...

This shirt seems specially made, just for him. His name is the Hebrew word for "heart."

Tip-Top

This wonderful project was originated by Kristin of the blog Kleas. I came across the project on Crafty Crow and had to try it out. It's a perfect project -- very simple and a lot of fun to play with!

To get started making these sturdy little wooden tops, all you need are 1/4 inch thick dowels and some small wooden wheels from the craft supply store. Use a pencil sharpener to make a points at the ends of your dowels and then sand with sandpaper just above points. Keep working at it, round and round, until your dowels are thin enough to fit the holes in the wheels.

Cut your dowels to 1 3/4 inch lengths, sand the ends and insert the dowels into the centers of your wheels. They should fit snugly... if they're loose, you can apply a bit of glue.

Then paint, paint, paint...

Ta-daaa!

Little Mr. B. said, " They sort of look like dancers standing on tip-toes, spinning around..."

Another Blue Bird

Last week I was browsing through a beautiful paper craft book called Creative Paper Cutting and stumbled across a project based on Maurice Maeterlinck's story The Bluebird. You might remember the story from this post here...

Post haste, I enlarged the project pattern from the book, dug through my stash for some heavy-weight scrapbook paper, unearthed an old, dull craft knife and got to work...

Given the pathetic state of my craft knife, I simplified the project (and have since purchased a new craft knife...)

To secure the hanging-strings, I used a hole-punch to cut out little circles of matching paper & then glued the strings in place, sandwiching the ends between the tiny circles of paper & the house silhouette.

Happy bluebirds to you...

Happy Bluebirds to You

Happy little bluebirds sing,
"Tra-la-la, it's time for Spring!"

A Bluebird Picture Lantern (and a Bluebird Story for You)

When I was about 5 or 6 my mother took me to a screening of the 1940 movie The Bluebird starring Shirley Temple, based on the 1908 play by Maurice Maeterlinck. The story is about a brother & sister, Tyltyl and Mytyl, who are sent out by the fairy Berylune into various magical realms to search for the Bluebird of Happiness. Returning home empty-handed, the children see that the bird has been in a cage in their home the whole time. When Tyltyl gives the bird as a gift to a neighbor's sick child, the bird flies away. The moral is that, ultimately, happiness can be found within oneself.

There are two scenes from this movie which have stayed in my mind all these years later... The first magical realm the children visit is a cottage where their deceased grandparents live. The children have a nice visit with their grandparents, however as they prepare to leave, there is sadness. The grandparents reassure the children that, although they no longer reside in the world of the living, as long as the children hold them in their memories, they will still be awakened to life.

The second scene I loved showed Tyltyl and Mytyl visiting a misty realm where children are waiting to be born. In this realm they are guided by a personification of LIGHT and meet a child who will be born as a new baby into their family.

I hope you find the Bluebird of Happiness in your home and within yourself... always...

Visits from the Tooth Fairy

A Spell for Summoning Fairies

Sit where the cat sits. Cross your toes.
Close your eyes. And smell a rose.
Then say under your breath:
"I believe in Fairies, sure as death.

Gadflykins! Gladtrypins!
Gutterpuss and Cass!
Come to me fairily
Each lad and lass!"

(From Lady Cottingtons Pressed Fairy Book)

In addition to our wee Bloom getting his first teeth, our Little Mr. B. has been losing his baby teeth and getting a set of new ones. Hence, the tooth fairy has been a frequent visitor at our house. Up until now, this has been a perilous proposition for our dear local tooth fairy. She has had a choice, you see, of coming down the chimney (rather sooty) or using the cat door (perilous, indeed.)

So, I solicited the help of a marvelous and magical maker of fairy doors...

Nothing, however, gets past this cat. I'm afraid, the tooth fairy is still going to have to brave the dangers of our lurking kitty on her next visit (I suppose the spell for summoning fairies does, after all, say to, "Sit where the cat sits...")

Flower Lanterns for Spring

Until a few weeks ago my winter garden was looking dreary & drowsy under somber skies. Then who should emerge from their wintertide dreams but the jonquils... They rubbed the sleep from their eyes to make their pretty faces shine. Now, they seem to laugh at the antics of the squirrels and mock the Sun who is still hiding his face under blankets of gray.

Inspired by my friends the jonquils, I have made some picture-lanterns. I love this project because it is so gratifyingly easy. In December, my seven year old created an elegant lantern striped with circles of green, blue & brown with hardly a word from me (he just got busy, and when I looked up from my own work, he was nearly done!) I also made an ocean-themed picture lantern which you can see here.

To create your own picture lanterns, all you need are some recycled jars, mod-podge and German kite paper. To start off, I like to cover my jars with white kite paper or tissue paper. This creates a uniform background for the pictures you will create and candles will have a softer glow when lit inside.

To cover your jars, brush a thin layer of mod-podge all over the glass and then lay the paper on top of it. If any areas do not stick well, you can also go over the top of your paper with a bit more mod-podge. The paper will wrinkle as you wrap it around the jars (as you can see in my photos) but I personally like a bit of texture anyhow.

Either before you put your base-layer of paper on your jars (or after the mod-podge has dried) you will want to measure the height of your jars and also around the middle. Then trim some plain white pieces of printer paper or newsprint to the measurements from the jars. This will allow you to know how much space you have for your picture-collage and help with the design...

Then you can start cutting and arranging...

Once you are satisfied with your design, brush a thin layer of mod-podge over half of the jar, arrange your bits of paper and then proceed with the rest of the jar. Note: After I have placed my colored bits of paper on the jar, I usually brush them over again quickly with some mod-podge to help them stick and lie flat.

If you wish, after your design is set on the jar and the mod-podge has dried, you can go over it all once again with a thin layer of mod-podge. This will seal things up nicely.

The Vernal Equinox will be here in less than a week... wishing you endless flowers to welcome Spring with joy!

Another Book by M. B. Goffstein

As you may have noticed from yesterday's post, I am utterly enchanted by M. B. Goffstein's book Goldie the Dollmaker. I was aware she'd authored & illustrated a number of other books, however I'd only ever seen two others. Our local library system owns 7 of her books; I wanted to have a look at the others so, a few nights ago I went Alibris to see what I could find. Today a package arrived with a bundle of books!

My favorite among them is Me and My Captain. It's narrated by a small wooden doll who imagines what her life would be like with the captain of a toy fishing boat set on the window sill below her shelf. It's a tiny book filled with whimsical melancholy & the loneliness of a little doll:

I dream of her captain somehow coming up to see me. He would notice at once that I have a ship in a bottle and a collection of sea shells, and ask me to marry him. Then I would invite him to stay for dinner.

The little doll goes on to sing the praises of eternally appetizing doll-house food (which is made of plaster!) Toward the end, she says:

Since the captain of a fishing boat is often gone on long voyages, my dog and I would stay here, and our life would be just the same as before. But we would have someone to watch for and wait for and hope for good weather for...

Even without knowing him, when I look down at the captain's boat on the window sill, I feel happy because he is there.

A sweet little book full of longing.

I Made this Doll for You

...Goldie got out her paints and carefully mixed a flesh color for the doll. She covered its face, neck, and ears, its arms and hands with the rosy tan paint, and then waited for it to dry.

As the day went on, Goldie ate buns and drank tea, and painted the doll's curls a glossy dark brown. She painted a white camisole and matching knickers on the doll's body, gray stockings on her legs and pretty black shoes on her feet. Then she painted a little gleaming black eye on either side of the doll's nose and finally, holding it firmly around the waist with one hand, Goldie smiled and smiled into the doll's eyes in the friendliest, sweetest way, and she painted a smile right back to herself on the little doll's face.

From Goldie the Dollmaker by M. B. Goffstein

In February, I started off my invitation to the wooden peg doll-exchange with the above quote from Goldie the Dollmaker by M.B. Goffstein. For me, this is a very special little book. It was originally published in 1969 and most recently reprinted around 1993. At the time of the 1993 reprint I was given a copy by my brother and another copy by my mother (this is how I end up with multiple copies of the same books on my shelves... I am given gifts by those who know & love me well.)
However, the quote at the top of this post is only half the story... 

A little more than half way through the book, Goldie enters a small shop which sells her dolls. It's a shop of treasures and Goldie spots a small Chinese lamp -- the most beautiful lamp she has ever seen. The lamp is painted with pictures of "A Chinese family... having a picnic by a little stream, beneath a lovely drooping tree. Two children... sailing flowers in the stream while an old man and woman in flowing robes sat on red chairs, watching..." She takes the lamp home with her and then regrets the expensive indulgence. In the middle of the night she has a dream:

She dreamed she felt a light tap on her shoulder.
"Please," said a warm, polite voice. "Please!"
"Yes?" said Goldie.
"That lamp you bought."
"Yes?"
"I made it."
"Oh, it's beautiful!" said Goldie... "But who are you?"
"I made the lamp you bought today!"
"Oh," said Goldie, "Oh! I see." And she sat for a moment, smiling. "But you don't know me," she said suddenly.
"Yes I do. I made the lamp for you..."
Goldie laughed and laughed.
"You understand!" cried the voice.
"Yes," said Goldie. "That's the way I carve little wooden dolls and paint their clothes and faces on them."
Through this conversation, the author of the book gently describes how souls can connect through artwork, even if they've never met. This is what I love most about this book. And this is what I love most about the swaps or exchanges in which I've participated. I love making something for a person I don't know very well (or don't know at all.) I love sending my package off with a wish and prayer. I love imagining that, when my package is opened, the recipient will smile with the pleasure of knowing that this treasure was made just for them.

Hoot

A wise old owl sat in an oak.
The more he heard, the less he spoke,
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
How I wish to be like that wise old bird...

These little lovelies were inspired by an upcoming Southern Hemisphere Autumn Exchange.

In November I participated in a Southern Hemisphere Summer Season Exchange. While it felt rather topsy-turvy to me, living in the Northern Hemisphere, to dream up summer-time inspiration, I enjoyed getting to know my swap-partner and it was an altogether delightful experience. Katie will be officially opening sign-ups for the Southern Hemisphere Autumn Exchange on March 14. As the date approaches, you will be able to find out more information and contact Katie through her blog here.

Hoot!

8 months

Our wee Baby Bloom is 8 months old tomorrow. It's time to do some baby-proofing... He also gave me a very nice birthday present on Saturday -- he cut his first tooth!