Papillion arrived today. All forty pieces with its dramatic Jacobean and rose florals and occasional butterfly.
Moda says: "Papillon captures all the romantic splendor of a lush garden estate".
I don't know squat about garden estates but I do know a fabulous fabric collection when I see one.
Friday Kara and Andi will be cutting kits for this beautiful quilt.
It's not too late to reserve one.
Call me.
Go here for the free pattern.
Encourage one another,
When we first unpacked this flannel collection, Andi took one look at it and said she wanted to make a rag quilt.
Sometimes fabric speaks to us and tells us exactly what it wants to be.
Barbara selected the fabric for this adorable little apron then switched it up at the last minute when THE perfect black and white stripe arrived - it just screamed Bee Apron.
Fabrics talk - all you have to do is listen.
Encourage one another,
I've been reading a lot lately about how we should limit dairy and how good almond milk is for us. After being very disatisfied with the commercial brands available I thought I'd try making it from scratch.
Last week Jermaine from French Kissed did a beautiful blog post on making almond milk. That did it. I had to try it. She made it all look so elegant and easy.
As I washed and soaked my two cups of almonds I fantasized about sharing with my friends
bringing them bottles of pure homemade goodness.
After all, a batch lasts only a couple of days in the refrigerator and since I only use milk on my oatmeal I surely would have plenty to share.
Em...right.
Here's what they don't tell you:
1. Two cups of raw unsalted almonds in two and a half cups of purified water yields just two cups of almond milk. There is a whole lot of pulp that gets thrown away.
2. It is terribly slow going. I worked in small batches and it took me more than an hour to get just two cups.
3. It's a messy job.
4. Almond Milk is expensive to make.
Here's the process:
Once I soaked the nuts overnight I rinsed them and added four dates and two and a half cups of purified water to my blender and blended them well. Then, working in small batches, I pushed the nut mixture through a strainer, pushing out all of the liquid.
I poured the milk that filtered through the strainer into cheesecloth and strained it again
by squeezing the cheesecloth and letting the milk
SLOWLY collect in a cup.
If you're thinking of making almond milk for a family I'd consider getting a goat.
At this point in the process I was convinced his would be my first and last batch of almond milk.
But what I wasn't prepared for was the unbelievably wonderful favor and texture of homemade almond milk compared to what I had purchased in the grocery store. There is just a hint of sweetness from the dates and the consistency was perfect; thick and rich like cream and nothing like the nasty stuff I'd bought in the store.
Now that I've experienced homemade almond milk I will definitely make it again.
Costco has raw almonds in four pound bags for a little over $9.00 and Sunday I noticed they had Vitamix blenders for around $350. If you make a lot I figure you can get the price down to oh, say 30 bucks a quart.
Here's the recipe just in case you want to try it:
2 cups raw almonds soaked overnight
2 1/2 cups filtered water (add more or less depending on how thick you like your milk)
4 dates optional (pits removed)
Rinse the soaked nuts well in a strainer. Place soaked nuts, dates and water in a good blender and blend on high until smooth. Strain as shown above. Enjoy!
PS: I just ordered a nut bag from Amazon. I'm hoping it will make the straining process quicker. Next time I'll add a bit more water which should help too.
Encourage one another,
I received a belated valentine on my beach walk yesterday.
I've had this life long love affair with the ocean and I now know.
It's mutual.
Those who live by the sea can hardly form a single thought of which the sea would not be part. Hermann Broch
Every few months something causes the tiny bait fish to congregate in front of our house. Oh, I have my fantasy's about a huge fish driving them down here or maybe it's that sea monster... but for whatever reason,
the pelicans circle over head until they spot their prey, then dive bomb into the water from twenty feet up with a loud splash.
They make such pigs of themselves that they can barely fly way - slapping their wings against the water as they try and try to become airborne only to return to gorge themselves again. It's a wonder they float at all!
Our harbor seals must have heard the news too:
Party at the Zingg's - all you can eat - come eat yourselves silly!
Encourage one another,
One of the nice things about owning your own store is that you can order pretty much whatever you want. If you're really lucky someone else may want it too so you won't be stuck with a dozen or so of the same thing.
I found these adorable flowers from Bethany Lowe last month at the LA Gift show. Aren't the boxes fun? All vintagey and charming.
The flowers come in three different colors but what I really love about them is
the soft green velvet leaves!
I use a lot of velvet leaves in my crafting but unfortunately can't always find them when I need them. My stash was getting disturbing low as I'd hunt and dig through my big plastic bin of defoliated flowers. So you can imagine how happy I am now knowing there are twenty four precious velvet leaves in each box. I'm happy to share but will be just as happy to have them all to myself if no one else shares my passion.
I adore Bethany's hydrangea nosegays too. They are such exceptional quality - something that is hard to find anymore. I'd say they are the next best thing to true vintage.
Isn't this twine holder cool? It's really heavy and rotates so it stays put as you pull off just the right amount of twine and guess what? Those funky scissors really cut! Imagine that!
We go through a heck of a lot of twine at our weekend home when the kids come to visit since it makes THE. BEST. crab catching line. A few feet of twine with a bamboo pole at one end, a piece of bacon on the other, a whole lot of patience and you are almost assured of catching yourself a crab! The crabs grab onto the bacon and start munching away as the fishermen slowly starts pulling the pole up, up, up and over oh. so. slowly. to a big bucket of water. Caught one! is shouted as everyone comes running to see the catch. There is usually some screaming and hopping about since the thought of getting pinched is aways present. This is the Deadliest Catch - Ventura style! If the crab is smart he lets go and falls back safely into the water. But about half let greed get the best of them and they are ours for a while.
The kids collect them in buckets until they're ready to be returned to the ocean. We all are entertained for hours and the crabs get a yummy bacon morsel for just a few hours of inconvenience. It's a win - win for everyone.
These flour sack towels are by Mary Lake-Thompson. I "needed" them to go with our country french fabric
and Mary's new salad plates.
They come in a pretty round decorative box so if you know a chicken collector (and there are lots of you out there) these would make a great gift. If you really want to impress her with your styling talents you could make napkins or a table runner to match.
These bangle bracelets are from Chelsea Blue and come in several sizes and calico fabric like patterns. Very British!
Speaking of royalty, I'm totally into anything with crowns. You know, fabric, jewelry, trinkets and these
fun plant or candle holders with an old industrial vibe. I know my violet feels like a princess in her regal new home.
Well that's it for now. I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. I'm off to the health food store for probiotics and fix'ns for making almond milk. Can you believe it? This green smoothie drinking has taken me to a whole new healthy eating place and I'm loving the adventure!
Encourage one another,
This morning I opened my computer to find this from blog reader Candy:
Not hearing from you for a week is so hard!!! I look so forward to your posts. More importantly I hope everything is okay and that you are just crazy busy.
Thank you Candy; you brought tears to my eyes. Such caring, concerned words from a friend I'm not sure I have ever met. I'm fine. Busy yes, but just fine. I hate the thought of disappointing you...you coming here expecting, I don't know what, and finding a week old post!
I have a few excuses although none of them are really any reason to totally ignore my friends.
Earlier in the week I wanted to show you this when my camera's card reader failed to cooperate.
It was waiting for us when we arrived to work early Tuesday morning (actually there were four of them - one for each of us that worked that day).
Candy from a sweet, thoughtful customer. Reminds me of Valentines Day when I was in the fifth grade and a boy from my class left chocolates at my front door, rang the doorbell and ran. I'll never forget how special that made me feel. After all these years I still smile when I think of the courage it must have taken for him to do that. No matter how old you are, being thought of like that is such a nice feeling.
Bill sent me these beauty's.
As pretty as they look, they smell even better! This year we just exchanged cards and choose to stay home and eat a healthy dinner instead of fighting the crowds at a restaurant.
Our Valentine cards to one another have certainly changed over the years. Mine was about him allowing me to hog all the covers (which he does because I do) and his was something about me buying too many shoes (which I do). What hasn't changed is our love for one another. He is still my favorite valentine!
Well, I'd better push the post button on this so Candy can quit worrying that something horrible has happened to me.
Thank you all for being here.
Encourage one another,
It's always exciting around here when Moda precuts arrive. They're like getting a little preview of the collections to come. The problem is that by the time the bolts arrive the jelly rolls, layer cakes and charm squares are usually gone. I guess that's because you guys know you've gotta get 'em early or you run the risk of missing out.
Many of you indicated you'd like to make this quilt when I first showed it to you from my Quilt Market post.
It's Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket - a vintage beach inspired line filled with warm summer colors that are perfect for picnic quilts, sundresses and beach bags. We're getting the half circles made for our model in the next couple of weeks so when the bolts arrive next month we'll be ready to applique them down. Aren't we clever?
Fig Tree's California Girl has a vintage summer feel
and mixes a light-hearted array of prints with fresh, clean colors calmed with soft creams and light greys. Perfect for Spring and Summer projects.
Let us know if we can reserve one or two for you.
Encourage one another,
As exciting as the basic colors in a brand new box of crayons, this is Pezzy Print by American Jane for Moda. These are dots gone modern with a bit more of a masculine feel than their polka dotted little sisters.
Sweetwater's Reunion captures the excitement of special occasions in this collection featuring banners and dates in colors that blend nicely with their previous collections.
So what else besides fabric was in all those empty boxes that filled our backroom?
Oh, just upcycled chandeliers, bird pictures
and marching bands to name but a few.
Until next time...
Encourage one another,
I'm tired tonight so I'll make this quick. Today was another busy,busy day with an unbelievable mountain of freight to unpack and put away.
By the time we got to stop for lunch the staff room was absolutely filled with empty boxes. Barbara called it her fort and burrowed in for a quick bite to eat.
I wanted to show you these adorable flannels that just arrived. Forest Friends.
We haven't really carried many flannels lately. To be honest I haven't liked many of the flannels that have been out there, but lately they've been just too stink'n cute to resist!
Stripes, plaids cheveron stripes, mushrooms, owls and hedgehogs!
Awk! So cute...in girl colors
...and boy.
Tomorrow I'll show you two collections many of you have been waiting for.
Until then...
Encourage one another,
What would my life be without Peltex? I know I promised to stop with the Peltex projects but I have just one. more. idea. then I'm done. I promise.
It's just that I got to thinking about these little pockets that could hold candy, cards, gift cards, diamonds. Whatever. And thought since next week is Valentine's Day and these take just minutes to make...well what the hay, I'd just go for it.
So I ironed fabric to each side of a piece of Peltex,
then traced two heart shapes and
cut them out just inside the line.
Next I sealed the edges
with Mod Podge so they wouldn't fray and let them dry.
I think what is so fun about these is that they can be as plain or fancy as you'd like.
You can sew on bits of trim or add lots of embellishments.
But I digress.
With wrong sides together,
start sewing at the heart's widest point about 1/8" from the edge
and stop on the opposite side.
This creates a little pocket just big enough for a few treats.
Here's how I made the handle:
From 22 gauge wire, I wrapped about 27" around a wooden spoon handle or pencil kind of loosely
you'll want it to look something like this (hopefully your cutting mat looks nothing like this).
Then, just above the the start and stopping points of your stitches, poke a little hole with an awl, large needle or seam ripper
and thread the ends of your wire handle through the holes.
Roll the ends to create a little knot in the end of the wire so it won't slip out.
Give it a squeeze to keep the wire where you want it.
That's it! Just leave them plain and fill with goodies
or goop them up with lots of googa.
Here's a couple without the wire handle. I think they make cute table favors.
So quick and fun to do.
Encourage one another,
