wallpaper 101

there's stuff still to do, but i couldnt resist sharing where we are at!

we were a little nervous about this DIY project. in preparation we watched a lot of videos including:

this one

and

read up about it on good old msl








in the end (and d may beg to differ) i thought it went up rather smoothly (no pun intended!) i had experience, a long long time ago, putting up pre-pasted wallpaper with my mom. the kind you soak in a tray then apply to the wall. i must say, though my memory may be failing me, i think this was a much easier, and cleaner process. we had to search a bit for a paste (we found it at Lowe's) but it was easy to work with and set-up and clean-up were quite basic.

items of note:

* have a long clean smooth table top surface to work on. this made applying the paste a great deal easier
* wipe down said smooth surface between paste applications. we did have a minor mishap with the paper sticking to the table and tearing. luckily we had ordered extra.
* order extra (see above). we used the calculator on the wallpaper direct site. glad we did.
* it is a two-person job. sure one person could have done it. but it was great having an extra pair of hands (especially as first-timers). d did the cutting, paste-up, application to the wall and trimming; while i was his spotter, and followed him with the tools to push out any bubbles, roll the seams and sponge down. (it was a great team-building exercise!)
* invest in a good roller. we had a cheap one that came with the kit d picked-up. we ended up using a clean brayer which worked much better.
* prep prep prep! d's careful preparation of the wall (sanding, patching, sanding, priming, and sealing) made a huge difference to the outcome.



i really love how it looks. (d is getting tired of hearing me go on about it!) it ties into the theme of the house in color and its retro vibe. the natural wood furnishings keep it warm and inviting. our chaotic neglected bedroom has turned into a "crisp clean space" and a "cozy refuge".

wallpaper: dandelion mobile in porcelain with powder blue by miss print purchased at wallpaperdirect.com (but sadly no longer available).

still to do: walnut shelving, bedside built-ins, baseboards and having ceiling painted. we are close!

this just happened!

hot

based on the pattern in Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing


starting a bit back with quilting the fabric - and taking advantage of the rainy day today, i checked this little project off my list. (i had burnt a big hole in our oven mitt - and decided on making the replacement instead of searching for a mitt i liked.) i am trying to use up my stash of japanese fabrics (this one 'Pear Branch' by Yumeji Takehisa and Yurio Seki) - as well as some yardage of insul-bright i can't recall why i bought (though i have a strong recollection it had something to do with melissa ...). it was simple. and thus rewarding. i was pretty proud of myself getting it done. i should focus on more of these little, do-it-in-an-hour projects.

::

modern macrame

breaktime sewing

i took a break from writing this weekend with a quick project that has been in my "to do" file for too long.

this was super easy sewing. but considering i haven't made anything (not counting hallowe'en costumes which really don't count) since k's quickie duvet cover a year and a half ago (!) it felt like a big deal.





e loves it. it used up some of my overwhelming fabric stash.

30 minutes well spent.

pattern via charmstitch. e's kindle is a touch so i adjusted the measurements accordingly.

keeping cozy

we've had record low temperatures at night. it has finished up some of the veggies in the garden - but has also motivated me to get on with planting more winter crops :: brassicas in particular. not sure about my gourd. thinking it may end up a teeny tiny bird house. note to self to definitely plant earlier next year.

the girls still share the bottom bunk and the duvet cover - purchased when k first went to a "big bed" was completely thread-bare. i kept telling myself that i would make them each a quilt this summer. but i didn't. it is still on the "to do" list, but until then, i whipped up a simple new duvet cover out of two thrifted sheets. easy peasy. simply used the old one as a template. extra happy that the fabric matches the roll pillow i thrifted some years back.



cozy too.



back to school tomorrow. it has been a full and wonderful break. next stop: Hanukkah!

Happy Hallowe'en!

home again home again :: soup's on

we are home. it was a fabulous trip.

it is cold and rainy. the days feel short. darkness arrives early.

i love it.



we are in full soup mode.

our favourite winter squash soup recipe includes apples and apple cider vinegar - but with E's newly diagnosed allergy to apples we had to make a few changes.



here is what I came up with:

Feel's like Winter Winter Squash Soup
about 40 minutes. serves 8.

we used the acorn squash we had on hand from the last of the summer CSA boxes! butternut would be really yummy too.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 acorn squash peeled and diced
1 large onion chopped
3 carrots peeled and diced
1 1/4 pint homemade chicken stock (it's what I had on hand - veg stock would be good too)
1 1/4 teaspoons thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons sage
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt and pepper as you like it

Pour olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add squash, carrot, and herbs and sauté until squash begins to soften. Add stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Working carefully, puree soup with immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)

served with a freshly baked loaf of soda bread. yum.

may day, may day.

inspired by made by joel, we decided to follow his instructions for may day baskets.



i was not at all familiar with this holiday, until seeing baskets pop up on blogs over the last few years. i think here first. it is a lovely tradition. (e immediately related it to the distress signal, which we learned, is completely unrelated.)

we invited a few younger neighbors over to our house to make the baskets and fill them with blooms. we all chose older neighbors to deliver to. perfect. they were so pleased to see us. and knew may day from their childhoods. i think we will make it our tradition too.

happy may day!

s{cowl}

so here is the cowl finished. e was disgusted by my frogging of the entire thing and insisted i begin again. i am not 100% happy with it. it does look very cute on e as she can pull it down and wear it like a mini poncho kinda thang.

we have one of those weekends ahead that you dread well in advance. puts me in a sour mood just thinking about it. it is full. and none of it has anything to do with valentine's day. so it goes. (that sourness doesn't extend to your visit sunday sam! that is the shining light at the end of it all! xo)


my mood has been alleviated with daydreams of building a new space up on the island, and redoing our pool here at home. (and looking at this picture now has me dreaming of new wallpaper for the bedroom.) ahhhhh dreaming.

oh and i am very excited about the olympics. the girls are really into it. i think seeing the activity in vancouver when we were there plays into it all. we have the curling schedule down!

i'm smiling just thinking about it.

happy friday.

downpour

we are on "storm watch". i love it. d not so much. for him it involves sandbags and swearwords. for me, it involves shelter for wet chickens, and rainboots on a budget.

i wanted these. but got these at our local hardware store. $17.99. (it only really rains here at most 6 days a year so i couldn't justify the price difference.)



made them look much better with these liners. easy peasy project. (i think i found this via hannah. though i can't find where now.) i used scrap i had around - fleece from a cape project for em, and some cute japanese corduroy.

it is weather. something i crave living down here. i think that is why i like it so much.

and we are in no serious danger. we don't live in an area that is at risk of mudslides. the only real concern is the water that pools around our house. i am grateful. for so much these days.

it is a crazy busy week. if i don't see you - enjoy & stay dry.

whipped shortbread

the girls are out early every day this week. i thought if we made a cookie a day we'd have a nice selection to take up to the cottage for the holidays. and it's raining, so my initial idea of some hiking during this extra daylight together, has given way to baking.



my mom's whipped shortbread

1 1/2 cups softened butter
3/4 cup icing sugar (sifted)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
nonpareils (who knew they had such a history?)

::whip together butter and icing sugar until creamy and light::add flour and cornstarch and mix fully::roll into a smallish ball::dip into red and green nonpareils::place on cookie sheet with silpat or parchment::flatten slightly with a fork (my mom never did this but it is k's favourite cookie making task so we add it in whenever we can)::bake in a 300 degree oven for about 25 minutes (or until just turning golden at the edges::enjoy with a cup of tea::

makes about 3 dozen

::Hallowe'en 09::

Inspired by Charley Harper I went for handmade masks this year for David and I. (When I told D I wanted to be a "fox" he had something completely different in mind involving satin shorts and rollerskates. But I think in the end he was happy how these turned out.) They were so much fun to construct. (I miss my sewing machine!)

We had a fabulous Hallowe'en! Biggest neighbourhood parade turn-out to date :: Fantastic Dios de los Muertos neighbourhood party with dear friends :: E's first visit to a "real" haunted house with her Papa, and her bff :: K and I watching Kiki's Delivery Service (I love this movie!) and handing out treats

And can you believe its November?

More Hallowe'en pics here.

my mom would be so proud

my first macrame project.



a rope for our bell. (our signal to the kids that its time to come home and get ready for bed!)

makes me recall all those great macrame items from my 70s childhood. (like this, this and even this.)

i have told my neighbours that macrame is hot right now. really. but they don't seem to believe me. maybe its over and i missed it? (i do see a wall hanging in my future though. sorry d.)

loving this book. (found via lena corwin)

mobile. home.

we brought one home with us. to remember.



a bit more info over at two green chickens.

progress

at least something around here is making some.







after battling high fevers and upset tummies i have high hopes for the long weekend. (watch for another weekend garden project we are working on over at Jumilla Productions.)



{instructions on folding paper pots (courtesy of d) may be found here.}

on the table

trying to return to my domestic groove... (aside from the prep work we are doing to remove - gasp! - 152 cubic yards - i think that is something like 4000 sq ft - could that be right?? - of asphalt from our neighborhood schoolyard next weekend! whoo hoo!)

knitwit

i do not really consider myself a knitter. more of a yarn-lover. i do enjoy knitting and have found myself picking up my needles more often as of late. my grandmother was always knitting. my mom learned from her grandfather and spent time over the holidays teaching her granddaughter.

i gravitate to ease. so these toast mitts (beginnings in the photo above and finished in the photo posted below) were a perfect fit. (thank you friend!) and completed with a yummy merino/silk i picked up at purl when i was last in ny. (do not be intimidated by the number of needles. these are easy to do!)

i have just joined ravelry (inspired by rosa's cowl) and have a list of things in my queue.

inspiration abounds. perhaps a sweater is in my future?

sew sew

oh right. i like to sew.

trying to reacquaint myself with my machine, and get some holiday goodies together.

k had been asking for a "chicken jacket" for a while. i put this together last night on a hand-me-town hoodie. it's a little wonky to me. but i am pleased she likes it. this morning she told me she was "totally happy" (yes my gals are true valley girls!). that it is chick-a-dee.

what to do next?..

better

a jumper for e that i cut out months ago. finally sewn up last week. i had lost the directions to the pattern and winged it (wung it?). i wasn't happy with it and returned to it to sew down the pleats and add some buttons. much better. of course yesterday while cleaning out my work-space-to-be, i found the directions and read all i had done wrong. no matter. i will reuse it in some of the cotton lawn perhaps as a spring dress for k. the "right" way.

i am feeling better too. spring feels like it is really here and the blue funk i have been riding all winter will lift. it has been a tough one. and i thank you again for all your kind comments, thoughts and messages. it is all really appreciated.

to spring!
happy monday