Claire Bean Salad

Food has still been weird for me since the whole crazy sick for weeks (months) thing settled down. All of my usual favorites don't cut it anymore. It's rare than anything hot, or even warm, sounds decent. All I ever want is fresh, cold snack sized portions of fruits and veggies in various forms. Basically, I've been thriving off of smoothies, apples and this salad.

I can't get enough ceci (garbanzo) bean salad. It's become quite the sordid love affair. So, when I put it on the table this evening, and the setting sun caught the crisp baby spinach and quartered grape tomatoes, it struck me as a thing of beauty. Then I laughed at myself. Then I took a picture and decided to post it so the rest of you could laugh at me too.

Crazy like a Fox

I've been full of jewelry ideas lately, which is particularly unsettling given that I rarely wear the stuff. But I can't get it out of my head. So, the other day, after all of my sewing failures, while B masterfully sculpted his Play-Doh, I pulled out my polymer clay and made these guys.Now, it's just polymer clay, perhaps the cheesiest (if user friendly) medium out there. But I love this stuff. I love the color, and I love these foxes. So I'd love some input from anyone out there on another more durable and classy looking medium. Perhaps something that could be cast from a mold? Painted with enamel?I'd also like to state for the record that not all of my jewelry ideas are quite so Kindergarten Teacher Chic. I hope to pull of some legitimately grown up looking things, but it might not happen as long as the Play-Doh is flying.

Stay tuned for Crazy like a Fox Part 2: The Daddus Edition

A Very Happy Birthday

I turned 28 today! Some old friends showed up to celebrate and partake in my amazing sour cream and raspberry cornbread muffins. It's been a great day, including an evening delivery of balloons and a baguette that made B go completely nuts. Completely. Nuts. Thanks to everyone for making me feel so lurved.

Another Trial, a Lot Less Error

I made another drape cardigan. This one's long sleeved and with a different collar shape. The fabric is crazy light and thin too, in addition to having the same softness and stretch as the green knit. It's so comfy, I've barely taken it off since I whipped it up yesterday. I'm loving it with this old belt of mine. Of course, I don't have Helen's svelte figure, but it's pretty cute at an empire waistline too.Now I'm working on something to wear it with for a mellow night out tonight. I'll post anything worth posting (I already had one ridiculous failure this morning) as soon as I can.

***UPDATE*** Two more ridiculous failures and I'm throwing in the towel for the day. So don't expect any more sewing posts right away. I have an idea for something else, but don't hold your breath. It's cool to love the above cardigan so much that I still feel super successful after such a botch-tastic morning.

Couch Potato

When asked if he's feeling alright, he replied "I'm doin' great. Just feel like having a day on the couch." And so he is.

If it Ain't Baroque

Check out this accidental Flemish still life photo I took while playing with the ISO and aperture on my little digital camera. Isn't it troublesome? It makes me want to paint with oils and claw my eyes out at the same time. Hmm... curious.

Trial and Error

Zion brought home a french curve, a pattern drafting tool that has long mystified me, for an early birthday present the other day. This is the result of my 1st (major fail) and 2nd attempts at drafting a sleeve pattern. The 2nd pattern worked out, but unfortunately my sewing skills don't match my drafting skills so the seams have weird puckers. And, as usual, it looks better on Helen than on me.

But hey, it's pretty darn cute, and it fits, the fabric is super comfortable, the color is nice, and there's enough drape to cover myself while nursing this summer. I'm hoping to work out further kinks and make a few of these cardigans before June.

A New Season, a New Header, and a New Keanu Reference

The sky is bright and dramatic, my fingernails are perpetually lined with planting soil, and we just had our first March windstorm. It feels like Spring, and I'm sprouting new ideas from my soggy Winter brain. But first I need to get started on a long overdue bookplate project. B seems to be experiencing a fresh burst of independence this morning, so I had a chance to peruse a few of my favorite reference books, and get some drawing synapses firing. Research is such a luxury to me these days, and the rare coffee and books moment is more like a friendly ghost from my past than anything tangible. So, I thought I'd commemorate this morning and the new season with a new header.

Here's to a productive Spring, because this baby is a ticking (kicking?) time bomb that will effectively end all production unless the wheels are already in motion. Uh... I just made my pregnancy sound like the plot of a certain Reeves/Bullock classic, or maybe the next in the franchise! Speed 3: Internal Combustion. "Pop quiz, @**hole, you've got 3 months to start something lucrative, or say 'hello' to a dairy cow Summer. What do you do? What do you do?"

Purple Rain

Isn't this pretty? It took me right back to art school and had words like "hues," "shades," "harmonious" and "analogous" running through my brain. This is result of the latest shopping excursion for my dear friend Mia's bridesmaids. She's pretty much the chillest bride ever. These aren't necessarily the final picks, as not all of the girls have checked 'em out in person, but this is the sort of overall coordinated look we're hoping to achieve. It's great to not have to worry about 4 very different (1 very pregnant) bodies fitting into the same dress, and I love the range of colors. So so pretty.

With Belles On

Just thought I'd leave you with a little taste of David Belle before we head out of town. Have a great weekend, everyone! Keep working on that tuck and roll.

Being Benched

I wanted a bench. A child-sized bench with a little storage, nothing fancy. You have no idea how ill fated this seemingly simple mission had become. I was mere seconds from scrapping the whole idea when Beckett spontaneously announced, "I want a toy box for my toys with clouds. White clouds with light blue 'cause that's what the sky looks like."Killing two birds with one IKEA trip has never been so gratifying, mostly due to all the aggravation leading up to this point. Beckett picked out the color, and even got to wield the paint roller a time or two. The clouds were just some quick contact paper stencils (I've had a roll of that stupid stuff taking up space for years, good riddance!) placed over the original white panels.I'm still going to give them legitimate cushions, 2" foam covered in some coordinating fabric. But just thinking about finding a "coordinating fabric" to match (or subdue) all of the crazy we have happening in the playroom right now makes me break out in hives. Any suggestions would be warmly received! Also please ignore my dirty carpet. Much obliged.

Just Some Thoughts

- Does anyone else find Toyota's "Moving Forward" slogan grossly inappropriate and brilliantly hilarious given recent events? I mean, honestly folks, it's just too perfect.

- Is the point of parental language policing to keep our children away from a certain list of naughty words, or to steer them away from the use of expletives? Beckett has invented his own, "feef". As in, "Oh feef!", "Mama, you're a feefy girl!", "What a feef!" It's hysterical, but I'm not sure if I should be laughing. I guess I'll know for sure when it progresses to "feef that!", "feef you!" or "motherfeefer!"

- I can't get enough of this parkour movement. I object to 90% of the soundtrack music picked for the available youtube videos, but even that can't stop me from getting my little David Belle fix daily. Last night I dreamed of my husband running, jumping, leaping, rolling and flipping his way across town and into my bedroom window. Whoa, Nellie!

- There's really no mental state, drug induced or otherwise that can compare to pregnant dreaming. It wins.

- I've been sadly listless without the Olympics, but a certain piece of devastating pop culture news has made me firmly turn my back on our golden boy. My disappointment is profound and no amount of Listerine can rinse away that lingering taste of cheese. Gross, Evs. I'm now fully prepared for this weekend's sequin-free F1 season starter.

- It's funny how getting officially excused from jury duty kind of gives you a whole new lease on life. I can thank the Whatcom County Jury Coordinator for the completed bench/ toy box project I'm about to post and for the much needed jump start to tackle my growing, neglected project list. So, here I go. You know, moving forward.

Up to Something

More to come soon.

Friday, I'm in Love

Spent a second on the roof before another busy (and somehow unproductive) weekend kicks off and subsequently ends in the blink of an eye. Oh, the little things. Funny how a jar of past-prime blooms and a $6 t shirt can really rock your world on certain weeks. Let's hope for higher standards next week. Or not. I can't imagine ever finding myself unmoved by a Mason jar of my own roof grown flowers, and it'd be a sad occasion if I did. So, I guess I'll just hope for a week of better health, more projects, and fewer video rentals!

Lost Things

Lost Things by Angela Kohler and Ithyle Griffiths
Music by A Fine Frenzy



I came across this stunning stop motion animation in my post Olympic malaise. Very inspiring. I'm almost inspired. Almost. Speaking of lost things, if anyone can tell me where I've misplaced my spark, I'd be much obliged.