A taste of sunshine

I have returned from a lovely Florida holiday. It was wonderful to see the sun and all the lovely colors that come along with it. Palm trees, flowers and happy faces. Delicious.

Now we are home. It is snowing. It is brown and muddy. The sun is nowhere in sight. Please tell me the winter will soon come to an end.

HELLO Dolly!

So, here is my first tentative foray into dollyville... When I heard about the Dollies for Haiti campaign from the lovely(and very talented doll making team) ladies at Third Street Handcrafters I knew I wanted to join in.

Being a stay at home mom and therefore a woman of very modest means I have been wondering how I could make any contribution to the massive needs of a country so decimated by disaster. My hand sewing skills are very undeveloped( I am a slave to my machine), but I do bring something else to the table. I have two crafty hands and a heart full of love.

I hope that she will bring companionship to someone in need of it. Her arms are stretched wide. She is ready to give the hug I am too far away to deliver myself. Safe journey little friend.

SNOW DAY!!!

After months of waiting, my kids were rewarded with the most coveted of winter happenings.. the first snow day of the season! What a joy it is to see a sleepy school morning face transformed into the euphoric "school is cancelled" face.

Many hours were spent frolicking in the sizable dumping of snow. There were tunnels and snowmen and many pairs of wet mittens and snotty noses.

Jiao zi

Before I fell in love with my sewing machine, I found my creative expression in the kitchen. This weekend, being Chinese New Years, I thought I would pull myself away from sewing projects long enough to make something to contribute to my family's epic Chinese New Years feast.

I cracked open my latest issue of Fine Cooking and decided that Chinese dumplings would be the perfect thing. Chinese New Year traditions are all about starting off the New Year with good luck and all of the food and celebrations are filled with things symbolic of good health and wealth. Long noodles for long life, red colors and loud fireworks to burn or scare away all the bad spirits. Any food that has a Chinese name that brings to mind money, gold or wealth is considered good luck. Jiao Zi (Chinese dumplings) means "money" in Mandarin. Here is a whole heap of good luck to start the year off....

Kawaii cuteness

I have been obsessed for some time now with Japanese fabric. One particular sort is referred to as "kawaii" which encompasses a wide assortment of adorable prints. Little deer, mushrooms, bunnies, dolls and all manner of cuteness abound in the kawaii category.

Here is my latest "snazz" offering to use some of my Kawaii stash. Japanese fabric is more expensive because of its quality and the fact that it is imported so I try to use it mostly for smaller projects. I have been using it recently to make wallets as well. So many possibilities....

Tragic Beauty

I love to find beauty in those things and people that are just a little different. Perfection is not as appealing to me as slightly flawed.

I knew this was the tomato for me as soon as I saw it. Field fresh and beautiful and just a little weird. I thought the strange appendage looked like a nose but others in my family saw it differently. Degenerates all of them.

He(definitely a he) was a good tomato. Juicy and flavorful and the perfect ingredient in a mouthwatering B.L.T.

Wake up and smell the Craft Show

Okay..I know it has been some time since my last entry. Suffice to say I had a lovely summer surrounded by friends and family and now it is autumn..

I was very excited to participate in a local craft show this past weekend. It was hosted by the ladies of Vervain Designs. It was a grand afternoon of schmoozing with like minded people and snacking on possibly the best bowl of chicken noodle soup I have ever tasted.

The crowds were not what we all hoped for but I did manage a few sales and even got a custom order from one of my fellow vendors to make a tote bag for her paintings. I also bought a gorgeous necklace for my sis in law's b day.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable day and a great experience. I love the crafty folk. They are some good people.