Ministry of Food

Because I just can't get enough, I went to Jamie Oliver's website to see the latest Jamie At Home info, but he has already moved on. You know how Texas gets everything later than California and New York? Well the UK does everything before the US. He's already starting a new project called the Ministry of Food, and I haven't even had enough of Jamie At Home yet. I was bummed, until I checked it out. It's pretty fabulous. Go look...

Wanting to contribute to the "food revolution" I've been trying to utilize what's in season. However, for those of us a few generations removed from the farm may not know what is in season. Check out this great website updated weekly to let you know what produce is freshest!

Since potatoes are in season why not try this incredible recipe from Alice Water's The Simple Art of Cooking

OMG super simple and super tasty. If you are a vegetarian this is a main dish!

Potato Gratin

butter a casserole dish

peel and thinly slice (food processor or mandolin) 4 large potatoes

make a layer of potato slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper (i added fresh herbs also)

make another layer of potatoes and repeat once more to make 3 layers total

pour 1 cup of milk over the top, the liquid should come up to the first layer

dot the top with 3 tablespoons of butter

Bake 350 degrees until the top is browned and slightly bubbly (approx 1hr)

P.S. Another interesting website along the "food not grass" guidelines is http://freedomgardens.org/

Simple Pleasures

Like three year old girls with sparkly pink shoes, and red berries from Nandina bushes, it doesn't take much to make me happy.

Today I am amused by Craft Sanity's podcast with Anna Marie Horner. She is so inspiring! {I will admit to a slight case of career and blog envy.}

And these links could keep me busy for hours. Art, Art, and more Art!

http://simplystated.realsimple.com/home/2008/03/affordable-art.html

http://www.thing-of-beauty.com/100-great-artists-etsy-you-might-want-to-visit

one more added

http://pikaland.com/

Mags

Remember this post about the dear loss of Blueprint Magazine? Let me share with you what I've been reading to fill the void. I've really been enjoying Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion. This magazine cultivates an indie fresh feel. I was pleasantly surprised. It's a bi-monthly subscription, and the April/May issue has a nice spread dedicated to Heather Bailey with her gorgeous photographs.



I'm also a fan of Country Living. It is not "old lady" like you might assume. (Or maybe it is and I'm becoming old lady without even realizing it, you know my 29th birthday is right around the corner.) It has great decorating ideas, nice articles, and scrumptious recipes.



Then for an edgy balance I love Domino! Ahhh Domino. It's hip and trendy. This month has an article on Drew Barrymore and her production company. I haven't read it yet, but I love Drew!

While we are on the topic of magazines, what the heck happened to Adorn Magazine?? No current issues? The blog isn't updated?? Where did it go?

Yellow and Gray

I have this uncanny knack for knowing what colors will be the season's it colors. Sometimes I'm a year or two ahead, and sometimes just a season. I've done this since I was a kid. I don't know why I know, or even if it's important to know, but I do draw great pride from it for some unexplained reason. :)

I knew baby blue and brown a year in advance. I knew this green before it started showing up everywhere. But my big call for spring and summer this season will be yellow and gray (or silver). (image from Spiegel) Last summer one of my students made clay beads with yellow and silver. And it instantly became a favorite combo of mine and I heard that still small voice in my head say, "that's a comin"... (image from Target)

One afternoon last year, while coloring with my girls, a red and turquoise crayon were laying next to each other, I saw it and knew...It's very strange!

(image from Pottery Barn) Yellow for sure is the it color this spring. You will also see lime green and brown try to make a cameo, but believe it or not I think people will finally tire of brown. Nice plum purple will also be every where this spring and summer. Primary colors will hold on a little longer. Last year it was primary yellow, primary green and royal blue. This year I think it will be more like navy blue, primary red and white~patriotic I guess??

It's not science, but welcome to the inside of my brain and the knowledge it chooses to obtain.

St. Valentine

I did some etsy looking today. There's lots of fresh stuff. If you need to buy for a Valentine check out some of these ideas...

Is your guy handy in the kitchen?
Does he love the Sopranos?
Does your man kick it old school?
Maybe he drinks coffee all day at work?
Does he have a great sense of humor?
And the grand prize winner for my redmeat lover of a hubby.


Or deck a gal pal out with these ridiculously cute accessories.
How about a cupcake bath bomb?


Looking for cards? Maybe something from this gal,
and I don't know if cards get any better than these.


Or for your little Valentine...



of course there are these for your girlies,
barrettes, tutus or some of these would be cute.
Oh, oh look at this pretend baking set.





For your little dudes maybe try






From my Valentine I would love to get any of these...
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9085948
maybe a print like this firefly print or this Amelie print, or this lovely milk print
or maybe this t-shirt

any of it, i'm easy to please :)

Look At These

by Pink Lemonade Boutique

Are these the cutest bags you've ever seen? I think so. Look at her photo stream. Does anyone know anything about Flickr ? I really want to make one of those square mosaic favorites posts like I see everyone doing. I think they must be done on flickr??? I find flickr a little confusing though! Any help?

I've been searching for how other artisans photograph their goods. I really feel my "novelties" lose some of their charm online. I think to see all my stuff collective, and to be able to touch and see the fabric makes a world of difference. Soooo I've been researching and noting what photographs I love. I really like bright photos with natural light, colorful photos, photos with a focused foreground and fuzzy background (neg aperture????). So we shall see what I can come up with.

Today I was planning on blogging on not exactly knowing what to do with myself now that the girls are in school. Since the summer I've lost the momentum I had from last year, and now I'm struggling with how I should be using my time. But it looks like I'm not the only one feeling this way. House on Hill Road says, "I realized that it's time to find a new rhythm. The girls are settled in school and adjusted to their routines, but I am walking around not sure how to handle my new found time. I need to get my act together. So, it's photos posts this week."

More Flickr Finds:

Swallowfield

Tutti Fruitti and her blog

And a few new favorite blogs:

Anna Maria

Retro Mummy

Ridiculous!

I needed some time off!!

It's been nearly a month since my last blog. That's just ludicrous! I will admit it's been crazy around here, but come on???? We've had high school reunions, vacations, in laws visiting from overseas, buying of a new house, meetings of sibling's significant others, beginning of school for kindergartners, but come on... 22 days since the last blog????? You think I could carve out a bit a time for my one true addiction?? Actually my one true addiction is Diet Coke, but blogging runs a close second.

To catch you up I'll post pics of our Florida vacation. NICE! And my kindergartner on her first day of school. SWEET!

I've done absolutely no sewing or crafting. I've not even been reading my favorite blogs. But that is all about to change. I will have a booth at the Fest of Angels again this year, and on Aug 28th I will find out if I will have a booth at Stitch this year. I'm so excited about Stitch!! Can you believe it's been a year since that madness. (Look up Nov 15, 2006.) And maybe I'll be a vendor this year????

This year I'm so into quilting. I will be introducing new products. I can't wait to bring the ideas to fruition. I hope to introduce some appliqued bags, the log cabin pillows, the quilted coasters, the quilted cards, and the children's aprons. Of course I will keep the appliqued T-shirts, ladies' aprons, and current line of cards. I also hope to make a little art this year. I want to make some new collages and collage cards. So I better get busy. The links are to keep you busy until I can post work of my own. However the timing is bad, because all I can think about is how I want to decorate my new home, and what I need to do to my current home to put it on the market!

P.S. The above photo is by my friend Tim Romano, of our friend Charlie Bloch. That, I promise is not his best side. :)

Just Surfin' The Web

The girls are gone for the afternoon, and I have made a lasagna, and cleaned the pantry floor (I MEAN CLEANED...ie SCRUBBED, MOPPED, THROWN AWAY, ETC) and I'm totally indulging in some web surfing. I want many things. First and foremost I am grateful that I truly do NOT want for anything. What a blessing. I am grateful and a good steward, but if I were indulgent and could get what I wanted when I wanted (I would be spoiled) I would get...

1. Bending the rules by Amy Karol


2. Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter


3. Quilts by Denyse Schmidt


4. Denyse Schmidt fabric


5. Heather Bailey fabric

These have been on my wish list for some time, and I'm sure I will get them all eventually. In the mean time I've been listening to pod casts lately. I really love craftsanity right now. It's all these really great interviews with fun people in the DIY industry. Of course I particularly like the one with Amy Karol, Denyse Schmidt, and Claudine Hellmuth. Some of my favorite artist!

Here are some others recommended by the Adorn blog.

I've also been looking for places to buy Denyse Schmidt fabric. I can't find it around here, but I have found it on this website http://www.ciaspalette.com/categories/new.html

Other than that I've been busy with craft camp this week. We are having lots of fun making duct tape wallets, shadow boxes, polymer clay beads/projects, and macrame projects! Cute group of kiddos!

The above photo is of my nephew hangin' 10, at least getting his practice on!