Fall has Arrived

Our 5 Acre Wood is littered with black oak trees. Scattered among the abundant black oaks & pines are a few live oaks. As we were doing some fall clean-up last weekend I noticed beautiful velvet capped acorns. I had to capture this one hanging from the tree in our front yard. Gorgeous! Several years ago I was inpired by this natural beauty to create an acorn and oak leaf smocking design, think I'll make a tea cozy using this pattern.

In September I had the thrill of visiting the French General store in Los Angeles. If you have not heard of Kaari Meng and her lovely projects check out her website www.frenchgeneral.com. My daughter was with me and we were able to meet Kaari, have her sign our Home Sewn books and purchase a collection of glass flower beads to create a very sweet bracelet. If you're ever in LA on a Monday (the only day the shop is open) swing in and get inspired.

Inspiration

Well, almost 6 months later again! I cannot tell you where the time has gone or what, of any significance, I have accomplished. I guess it's just life.

My husband and I were recently with family and my sister-in-law and I were talking about??? She is very perceptive and she said "you're not inspired". Those 3 words have hung heavy in my mind for the past week and she is right. Oh, I have sewn and baked but my heart is not in it. The results may be beautiful but it was pure determination to get them done.

It seems that inspiration may have arrived this morning wrapped in a precious bundle of pink. My third granddaugther took her first breath just before 7 a.m. PST and her first call was to anxious Noni waiting many miles away. I am reeling with the possiblities of wrapping her in handmade love. And so...we'll see if inspiration has truly returned. I have only about 4 weeks to accomplish something great to welcome our baby Princess, tho I'm sure just a visit from Noni & Boppa will thrill her more than anything.

In the meantime here are a couple of recent projects.

Snickerdoodles lovely blue eyes will shine even brighter in her gorgeous new winter coat. This vintage Vogue went together beautifully using Pendleton wool and black velvet I had in my "stash". The cut plastic buttons are from LaMode and were found on a sale table. I love the overall, classic feel. "Sunbonnet Jane" is an original smocking and dress pattern I have been working on. I love it, what do you think?

Happy smocking!

6 months later........

October, November, December, January, February and now, here we are at March! Nearly time to be thinking ahead to the summer months. We have a new grandbaby due in August, that's always fun. For now, tho, I will take a look back at last summer and my little ladies who love to dress up-

Happy Spring dreaming to you all-

Our Princess....Cupcake!

Cupcake turned 5! Has it really been 5 years since I looked deep into her brown eyes for the first time? Since I first held her? Hard to believe, she is such a big girl now. Big enough to have a 5 Year Old Trip with her Noni & Boppa. Where else to take a princess-in-training than to visit the REAL Princesses at Disneyland! And..what fun for Noni & Boppa to be the ones to introduce her to Disneyland. We could not have her looking like a commoner so I made her a pink princess dress.

I used Simplicity 2563 and found the scoop of the neckline too deep and wide. I was able to adjust it in the shoulders so that it was o.k. but will make better adjustments when cutting out next time. The best part was when she tried it on for the first time (along with her sparkling pink princess shoes). She twirled in front of the full length mirror in our motel room and sweetly said "I feel special".....just how we had hoped she would feel!

On the table now.....I am actually making something for Huck Finn! Should go get to it now-

French Macarons!

I am THRILLED! I can hardly believe that these little beauties came from MY kitchen! Any of my friends in my town can attest to the fact that I have been trying to re-create the macarons I first tasted in Paris in 2004. I have tried many recipes, following them to the T to have the result be a yummy but ugly cookie. Obviously I have some work to do on the fillings. My ganache is a little runny and my buttercream, while lovely, does not taste great....learn from my mistake and do not substitute salted butter for unsalted. Still, I am one happy baker.

I was able to acheive this feat through the help of a wonderful little cookbook called "I Love Macarons" by Hisako Ogita. Let me back up a bit....notice the picture from Ashland, Oregon and my recent Oregon Shakespeare Festival adventure. I take this trip every other year with my dear friend Jacque (far right). Jacque and I often try to find a unique cookbook to buy. This year my usual haunt did not turn up any great cookbook. While shopping the town we wondered into another favorite spot "Prize". This sweet little emporium is a french themed general store. I like to go slow and take in all the delights from french penny candies to lovely diamond necklaces and everything in between. Tucked just under a batch of Laduree shopping bags was this book.....I Love Macarons. How could I not pick it up? Making perfect macarons is on my list of things to master before I die. I was enthralled but what I did not know is that Jodi (2nd from the left, just left of me) already had it in hand for a late birthday gift to me. Jodi....thank you! I love it and I hope you will love it, too!

Our Cupcake is turning 5! Hard to believe that we are grandparents, let alone grandparents to a 5 year old. Many years ago a friend of mine told me about what her in-laws did for their grandchildren....a 5 year old trip. We have been looking forward to this since she was born and in late August Cupcake gets 2 days alone with her Noni & Boppa doing Disneyland. Not sure who is more excited...Cupcake or Noni & Boppa. I did get her birthday dress done and shipped but not photographed. Up next is a princess dress for her to wear to the princess breakfast....oh how we love being grandparents!

OSF Here We Come!!!!

with my daughter in law Kristine, my daughters mother in law Robyn and my daughter, Robyn

It's here, finally here and less than 1 week away. My daughter is flying home on Thursday with her mother in law and almost as soon as the sun is up we will head north on Friday morning. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has become an every other year event for myself and my dear friend Jacque. Ashland, Oregon is nestled against the Siskiyous and is enchanting in every way. The theater productions are first class events. On my first visit it rained during one of the shows. The theater is an outdoor theater and many seasoned event goers were prepared with rain ponchos. We were situated just under the eves of the roof, on the first row of the balcony and so we were protected. The stage was quite wet but the show went on and the rain was even worked into the play (she weeps.....and so do the heavens). We were hooked from that point on and the next year, when Jacque came with us, she too was hooked. If you read Shakespeare word for word you might get lost but taking it in as a whole I find it very easy to track with and so have enjoyed each and every show we have seen. Every trip has had a different vibe since we invite different guests to join us, one year with our husbands and another with the 2 of us. Mainly it is a girlfriends event and this year is a full crowd. I expect it to be just as magical as every other time and yet, unique in it's own way. Shakespeare.....I recommend it!

We eat (roadside picnic with Jacque, her daughter in law Ashley and my Robyn)

We shop ....Prize, with it's Parisienne flair is our favorite store

We take photos in Lithia Park, we peruse The Tudor Guild gift shop, we buy bread at Ashland Bakery, we eat dinner over looking Lithia Creek, we stay up late and talk.....can you see why we love it so?

A June Bride..

My how time flies. I kept thinking I would get to this...and now it has been 6 weeks since I last wrote! I went to visit Snickerdoodle and her big sister and baby brother but did not get a better picture so the trampoline shot will have to do. Besides....we have so moved on!

Here is a beauty. I have known this lovely creature all her life. She has been one of my youngest sons best friends and we have shared so many experiences. She is a hair sytlist and I like to tell people that she got her start at my house, cutting hair off  of my daughters Barbies, before turning the scissors on her own hair. She wore my smocked clothes as a little girl and I was honored when she asked me to create her veil. What fun I had trying to figure this out and when the actual sewing came along it went together like a breeze. For her veil she chose a "mantilla" style and it worked perfectly with her classic dress. Thank you Gracie, for allowing me to share in your special day...actual all of your special days. You are dear to me.

Wedding clothes are some of my favorite sewing projects. In 2009 I created a silk confection in red & white for my friends daughter to wear in her aunts wedding. We copied a dress she already had, using the wedding colors and adding some more formal details like a lovely, puffy bow and a sparkly button (not shown, dress still has pins in it at the time of the photo).

The summer prior to that I made a "little girl" dress for a 2 year old to prance down the aisle in. It was made of batiste so it quickly got that old fashioned, wrinkled look. I  made a self-fabric ruffled trim to outline the neck, armholes & hem, and attached ribbon bows under the arms.  So sweet, so pretty and so festive!

The wedding season is winding down around here, we have attended the majority of those we have been invited to this year. I always love attending weddings and seeing the personalities of the couple and families come through. Hope you enjoy a summer of celebrating!