autumn

'tis the season for acorn caps

wishing you a beautiful & bountiful autumn

breathless...

this book trailer has left me feeling breathless...

fig jam with cognac

My parents have a fig tree in the garden of their house in Los Angeles.  They arrived for a weekend visit and brought me 5 or 6 pounds of figs.

What's a girl to do but make fig jam?

This year I had help.

Just in case 5 or 6 pounds of figs are also dropped in your lap, here's a recipe.  I've used this recipe for the past 5 years -- easy as pie and the taste is rather amazing.

just for fun :: a list

A list, via Che and Fidel, Blue Bird Baby and Spun Monkey  

I am…

making : peg dolls.

cooking :  butternut squash soup.

drinking : coffee (as usual.) 

reading : wonder by r.j. palacio, the night circus by erin morgenstern & the impossible lives of greta wells by andrew sean greer.

wanting : time to slow. there never seems to be enough and it flies by so quickly.

looking : for acorn caps.  my pockets are full, and still i look for more.

playing : picco duetto. over. and over. and over. and over.

wasting : as little as possible.

sowing : tete-a-tete jonquils for springtime blossoms (does one sow bulbs or plant bulbs? plant, I think, but suspect I am answering literally when this was intended metaphorically?) 

wishing : upon a star.

enjoying : my toddler spreading his small wings at a little preschool program 2 mornings each week. he is loving it.

waiting : to see my parents (they arrive this afternoon for a quick weekend visit.)

liking : early dusk. we have resumed lighting candles at supper.

wondering : if I will make the deadline for this new book.

loving : my family. 

hoping : the chemotherapy treatment my mother has been receiving is effective.

marveling :  at the acrobatic squirrels who eat acorns whilst hanging upside-down by their toes from the top branches of our oak trees.

needing : to limit the amount time I spend reading the newspaper and thinking about current events.  this world is so very complicated. nothing is black and white.

smelling : beeswax wood polish. 

wearing : a new pair of black clogs.

following : my instincts.

noticing : that my mopsy-topped boys could probably use haircuts.

bookmarking : wonder, the night circus & the impossible lives of greta wells by andrew sean greer (see 'reading' above)

giggling : because my children are playing off-tune ukeleles & singing puff the magic dragon. at the top of their lungs.

feeling : grateful.

Toll Bridge, Troll Bridge

Back in January, I wrote a post about verified gnome-sightings in a city local to me.  Now there have been verified troll-sightings (spotted beneath a local bridge -- where else would a troll be seen?)

The troll first appeared following the Loma-Prieta earthquake in 1989, after repairs were made to a section of the bridge which had collapsed. It is thought that the troll took up residence to bring good luck and protect the bridge from further disaster.  There is also theory that, when the new bridge was being built, the project was plagued with problems due to the impending demolition of the old bridge span (which is home to the troll.)

If you like, you can read more about it here, here and here.

Vegetable Garden

Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,
Do you, I, or anyone know how
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow?

In early May we set our vegetable garden in the ground -- though really, it's not much of a vegetable garden. All we seem to successfully grow over at the side of our house are blue-lake green beans, strawberries and tomatoes.

And now we head into Indian Summer for a final month of growing and ripening... 

About four weeks ago I caught a low-grade flu.  It was odd to run a fever and sniff and cough my way though most of August.

My green bean gathering duties were sorely neglected; those beans grew and grew until, one afternoon, my husband walked in the door and handed me a rather spectacular pile of green beans.  I sauteed them in a bit of olive oil with garlic, salt, pepper, a few bits of herbs and a finishing dash of lemon juice.  They were delicious.

I hope your harvest this summer has also been good!

Hobby Horse

Trot trot to Boston, 
Trot trot to Lynn.

Trot trot to Salem, 
And home again!

My older son received a hobby horse for his third birthday. We named the horse Trusty, and for several happy years they galloped together near and far. Then Trusty retired to a closet.  Two days ago, I realized that my wee Bloom was the perfect age for a hobby horse and so Trusty came out of retirement. He was taken for a gleeful gallop through the house, but I quickly realized that Trusty needed a companion.  It's much more fun to go for a gallop with a friend (or older brother or mama) at your side.

 

Not wanting to lay out money to buy a new horse (a fine stallion, after all, can cost a pretty penny), I grabbed an old broomstick, some felt, some stuffing, my sewing machine, needle, thread and a glue gun.

 

A few hours later, Trusty had a new companion -- a handsome fellow named Ed to gallop at his side.

My pattern was not fancy (you can see it was cut from some scrappy drawing paper.)  I cut 2 of the main head pattern piece, 2 small ears, 1 gusset (the piece which is pointed at the top), and a 3" x 12" rectangle for the hair.

I stitched in the gusset from the chin down to the neck and then sewed over the top & back of the head with the hair sandwiched between.

Cut the hair into fringes, appliqued eyes and stitched on the ears... Stuffed the front of the head, inserted the broomstick and stuffed the neck around the stick. Used hot-glue to attach the bottom of the neck to the broomstick and finally, cut a wide strip of felt and hot-glued it around the base of the neck.

And then our new friend Ed was ready for a ride!!

For inspiration, I found a number of tutorials online. One of my favorites was this one here at Pink Stripy Socks -- a hobby horse made from a hocky stick (and there is a also a dragon design... brilliant!!)

My other favorite tutorial was for these sweet hobby horses at the blog Light Blue Grey.  I love their button eyes and irresistible grins!

Giddy-up!

Average & Everyday

cover Average Magazine: junk drawer photo by Kate Procrass

Things that are seemingly average and easily overlooked are in reality very special and quietly magical.  --Kate Procrass

Last Sunday I was sitting at the kitchen table, eating buttered toast and reading the San Francisco Chronicle.  I opened up the Style section and was greeted by a double page spread featuring photos of people who had been asked innocuous questions: What's your morning routine? Something you enjoy that most people find boring? Have you bought anything online recently? Something ordinary which inspires you? What do you like to spread on your toast?

I continued nibbling my toast and felt a small kinship with those other toast-eaters.  What do they like to spread on their toast?  "Cow butter mostly, with peanut and almond butters as frequent understudies."  "Butter and jam, peanut butter & honey or Nutella."   "If I have toast it's butter. Real butter. On rye or wheat."

Below the double page spread of random questions and answers was an article about Kate Procrass and her magazine called Average which focuses on the simple, mundane and everyday.  The cover of the magazine features a photo of a junk drawer, and inside, among other things, is a photo of bottle caps embedded in the pavement in front of a street-side snack kiosk in Cairo, Egypt; an article on the humble sheet cake; an interview about the history of a favorite pair of clip-on earrings; a series of photos taken of the interiors of people's refrigerators (I found these photos at once fascinating, and at the same time utterly horrifying.)

I loved the article in the SF Chronicle and especially the following quote by Kate Procrass -- "I don't think there's a problem with being average, or seemingly average.  I don't know why people think that's a bad thing. There are lots of  superlatives used to describe things, but I'd like to describe things for what they are, and recognize that that's still special."

And so this bears the question: What do you like to spread on your toast?

Making Peg Dolls: part deux

Although I haven't made any formal announcements, it hasn't been much of a secret that I am working on a second book.  Yes, the second book will have peg dolls, but it will be quite different from the first book... and ummm... I'm afraid I cannot say much more than that right now (sorry.)  The book is due to be released Autumn 2014 by Hawthorn Press, and as the publication date approaches more will be revealed, I promise!

Meanwhile, you may notice that things are more quiet than usual around here. Don't worry -- I'm still here (just hard at work), but please feel free to drop me an email anytime you want to say 'hello.'  And, in the interim, I offer you some possible titles for the new book...

How about Valley of the (Peg) Dolls?  Night of the Living Peg Dolls? Peg Dolls vs. Godzilla?  Or the ever popular Return of the Peg Dolls!

Which title is your favorite?  Do you have any other suggestions?

Mirabelle Preserves

 We picked mirabelles...

 And then made preserves.

 Links to recipes here...

Thank you Angelina Jolie

On May 14th, the NY Times published an op-ed piece written by Angelina Jolie titled My Medical Choice.  In her piece, Ms. Jolie revealed that she had been diagnosed with a BRCA genetic mutation and decided to undergo a prophylactic double mastectomy to avoid the high risk of breast cancer the mutation affords.

The NY Times published this piece by Ms. Jolie two months ago, and I have spent the past two months thinking about it.  Yes, it has taken me a while to write this post.

You see, I too have a BRCA genetic mutation, passed down to me through my mother, and nine years ago I underwent surgeries similar to those Ms. Jolie discusses.  During the time of my surgeries, I had the support of most family & friends, but there were a few who insisted my choice was a radical one.  These several family members & friends suggested I monitor, meditate, sniff magic aromatherapy oils, etc...  Nine years ago, there was no movie star paving the way to help people understand and validate the choice I had made.

I am very grateful to live in an era when I can take a blood test to detect this genetic mutation and then choose to have surgeries to minimize my risk.  The surgeries are long behind me now, but there are still repercussions and ramifications which lead me to write blog posts like this one here.

Thinking about the piece written by Ms. Jolie, what I like most about it is this: she wrote, "I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer," and this is the same thing I tell my children.  Is there any better reason to undergo testing and surgeries than to stay healthy and alive for one's children?  That's why she did it, and that's why I did it, too.

Thank you, Angelina Jolie, for helping women who are faced with a diagnosis of the BRCA genetic mutation. Thank you for paving the way and validating difficult choices.

Picking Mirabelles

These golden plums have as pretty a name as they deserve. Mirabelles... doesn't the name suit these beauties?

Here in my neighborhood there is currently a surplus of mirabelles and yesterday we were graciously invited by a friend of a friend to come and pick to our heart's content.

With everyone scratching their heads about what to do with so many golden plums, I hit the internet for some solutions.  There are these tarts and this tart, and oh my, this tart.  There is this jam, this conserve, and if all these recipes are not enough, here is a link to a Pinterest Board featuring savory recipes created using mirabelle jam.

Now, if you will excuse me please, I have, among other things, five pounds of plums to contend with (if you'd like a few, please stop by -- I have plenty to spare!)

Japanese Inkan Stamps

If you've ever received a doll from me, chances are 50/50 that I remembered to sign it. And if I did remember, my initials were likely hastily scrawled in an untidy jumble.  I've been searching for a solution to this problem and found an answer at the shop Talk to the Sun.

stamp and photo by talktothesun

Riyo, the artist behind Talk to the Sun, carves beautiful stamps, and she also creates custom inkan-style stamps.  Inkan stamps are personal seals used in Japan in lieu of signatures -- and now I have my own inkan-style stamps, hand-carved by Riyo, for marking my dolls.

stamp and photo by talktothesun

Riyo lives in Japan, "in a farm house surrounded by mountains and rice fields." Her style reflects the sensibilities of her homeland, especially in the way she renders elements from nature and everyday life in clean, simple designs.

stamp and photo by talktothesun

 The elegant rubber stamps she carves have the look of wood-block prints...

stamps and photo by talktothesun

And Riyo's work is also influenced by her travels around the world (she says that these stamps were inspired by houses she saw through train windows during visits to Sweden and Germany.)

stamp and photo by talktothesun

You can visit Riyo's etsy shop here, and she has a blog which you can find here.

Riyo was a contributor to the book Stamp it!: DIY Printing with Handmade Stamps.  For the book, she created a fun project of stamped railroad tracks (plus accompanying trains and scenery) for a child's placemat or game-board.

stamps and photo by talktothesun

And guess what?!  Through the end of the year, Riyo is offering a coupon for 5% off purchases over $10. The coupon code is: 4nextpurchase5off

Thank you, Riyo, for creating such lovely stamps for me and my dolls...

Wool Felt 'Finger Leg' Puppets

A few weeks ago I created some finger leg puppets for my wee one, and they were so much fun that I decided to have a go at making more durable versions from felt.  Viola! These new puppets were finished just in time to give him as a little gift for his 3rd birthday!

After a few minutes of searching online for ideas, I came across this pattern at Wee Folk Art.  The concept behind the pattern at Wee Folk Art is clever, uncomplicated, and was easy to adapt to my own design.  There is a downloadable pattern at Wee Folk Art plus very detailed instructions. And, just for fun here are my own step-by-step photos...

After creating my own paper pattern, I cut out two bear-shaped pieces per puppet, plus I cut a piece of just the legs (one per puppet) to form a pocket for fingers of the puppeteer.

Next, I cut faces from contrasting felt and added embroidery...

 Here you can see how the pocket was sewn at the back.

And here you can see their smiling faces!

Happy Birthday little one.  Now it's time to blow out your candle so we can go and play!

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Happy Birthday to our very own little Yankee Doodle Dandy (and Happy Birthday to the U. S. of A., too!)

We will be celebrating with cupcakes and firecrackers, and if you are here in the U.S., I hope you enjoy the fireworks, too!