Scandinavian Stitches – holiday houses

I got a fantastic sunburn this weekend at my nephew’s birthday party. Honestly, I am just excited to have enough sun to burn that I don’t mind! However, I did manage to sneak in a bit of holiday stitching from the fantastic and brilliant Syko‘s Scandinavian Stitches.

I had to wait forever to get it from the local library, and now that I have seen and used it I will be adding it to my sewing book collection. The ideas are playful and exciting, and use color in bits and pieces which I especially like.

I was so pleased with the ease and flexibility of the tutorials. You could really decorate your house in any direction. I stick to more traditional Christmas colors, and didn’t really follow the pattern because I wanted a variety of sizes and structures. Inserting the chimney took my brain a good wallop to figure out, but when you stitch inside out then reverse to stuff it you will see what you’ve done.

Mostly I had too much fun picking out buttons and matching up doors and windows.

If you like sewing for the seasons, you must check out her book, it’s fabulous! I love most of Stash Books’ – they make pretty things.

Have you made anything by Kajsa’s tutorials or from her book? I think I will try the sweet and sour apple coasters next (while I sit here with aloe and lavender oatmeal on my shoulders, trying to keep my skin from peeling.)

Love,

MaLora

PS: Is it too organized to be sewing Christmas gifts in April? Tell me honestly.

The Brain to the Heart (Diagram)

A dear friend of mine is going back to school (not easy to do, when you’re a decade older than most of the students.) to become a nurse. I am excited and proud of her all-at-once. How often do I daydream of pursuing my own education, and completing my Masters that I promised myself I would when I was 10? I haven’t forgotten that promise, made so long ago, a devoted and serious child, I had my life plan completed in 4th grade. I would get a BA in English, then my Master’s in poetry, then maybe a PhD if I wanted to teach college or keep my Master’s and just write until I died and became famous like Emily D. (Sometimes, the heart speaks first, and confuses the brain.)

So she is off taking pre-reqs and probably annoyed as hell at algebra and facts and figures that would seem almost unnecessary to becoming a nurse. So I whipped up this cute pillow to help her focus on what she wants, (a nap during homework? a lap top pillow? a way to get comfy when highlighting books?) to become a nurse. To help others, I know she is good at that. She often reminds me of Snow White, kind to all animals and like Disney, birds and small creatures come to her when she walks by, flowers and plants sprout and unfurl in her steps… but here I am, daydreaming again.

Spoonflower came to the rescue, as so often it does. If you don’t know about it, you should. It’s expensive, but so much fun. I haven’t yet made my own designs, but I will. The quality of fabric is fantastic, but sometimes, as in the diagram above, the image is a little blurry. You should order a sample if you are doing a large order. (Some of us learned that the hard way, and ruined a significant portion of fabric-buying-funds.)

I love jumbo ric-rac, don’t you?

So someday I’ll have to make a pillow of my own, and put words on it that will speak to my brain, just to see what the heart says back.

For now, I leave you with one of the best poets I have ever read, Yusef Komunyakka.

The Brain to the Heart

Stars tied to breath
don’t have to be there
when you look.
No more than drops
of blood on ginkgo
leaves & inconsequential

eggs & frog spittle
clinging to damp grass.
Sure, I’ve seen doubts
clustered like peacock
eyes flash green fire.
So what?

When days are strung together,
the hourglass fills
with worm’s dirt.
What do you take
the brain for? I know
how hard you work

in that dark place, but
I can’t be tied down
to shadows of men
in trenches you won’t
forget. You look at
a mulberry leaf

like a silkworm does, with all your insides,
but please don’t ask me to be responsible

Love,

MaLora

Surprise Birthday Party

A surprise bird themed party was a delight to throw for my dear friend Crystal in July. I spent some time planning, wanting to do things affordable and as gentle-on-nature.  I only purchased things for decor that would be re-used, and carefully made decorations that could be 100% recycled. It was a gorgeous sunny day in Seattle, and the colors of sunny yellow and summer pale green were inviting.

I stayed up late hand cutting out yellow and green card-stock birds from Martha’s bird mobile, forgoing the tail feathers. You can see her version here: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/bird-mobile

I strung them pretty much anywhere I could, being sure to keep them high to not hit heads (my husband is 6’5, and is a perfect marker for such things. As you can see from the picture below, he was essential in hanging up the banner since our ceiling peeks in the center!)

I had great fun researching bird ideas, and came across a great many tutorials. I found such great ideas, I thought I’d share!

• Cupcakes: http://blog.thecelebrationshoppe.com/2009/03/11/baby-bird-nest-cupcakes/
• Sewn bird mobile: http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/2009/08/27/bird-mobile-for-a-designers-baby/
• Cloth birds: http://www.etsy.com/listing/49912841/wedding-cake-topper-love-birds-grey-and
• Baby’s Breath Garland: http://www.oncewed.com/7167/diy/babys-breath-garland/

I will make the baby’s breath garland one day! It so cheap and beautiful.

I did however, spend time using some simple yellow and green card stock, for the birds below, and for a circle punch and small buntings both outside and in where the light could catch them. The paper looked so good and twirled in the breeze, I might make some in wax-coated for all year-round!

I loved the simple and $1 bird houses from JoAnn’s, so I painted them white and hung them about the house and deck. They came out nice, and will be used again! I even let the birthday girl take one home.

I really loved the selection and prices at the best website ever, http://www.save-on-crafts.com/. While my order shipped accurately and quickly, the box had no care and no stuffing, so some rather delicate things (hand-made nests and delicate sola flowers) were just kinda tossed in there with large wooden bird houses and other birds. It was a bit of a jumble, but it turned out ok.

I had such fun, I didn’t get as many lovely photos as I had planned. But I did discover my favorite soda  from the Dry Soda Co. in Pioneer Square, it is lavender flavored! We had a complete buffet of Dry Soda, fresh fruit, and a vegan cake from the Flying Apron. So delicious! See all the photos here.