A really good idea...

ow pretty is this storage for needle felting needles or extra large, long needles, like the kind I use for doll/animal making? The best part is I found all of these glass salt and pepper shakers at the Dollar Store (both for $1). So, I guess that makes it a Dollar Store craft. Of course, you will see, I use these for my glass glitter collection. If you have a few clear vintage shakers, all the better. I have some of my glitters in those as well.

To make a needle holder you will need some wool fiber or a small wad or ball of 100% wool yarn.
Stuff it firmly in your shaker and replace the lid, and put your needles through the holes on top.
Natural wool fiber has lanolin in it, which has the added bonus of keeping your needles in tip top shape!
I also appreciate the fact, that I can leave them in a safe place in between projects, yet readily available. In the past I had used cocktail straws, cut down to size, to protect them. This is a good idea for the extra needles you may have. My fingers have barb scars, everywhere.
Let me know what you think? How do you store your "dangerous needles"?

Meet Abigail...

Abigail and Phineas

sn't she adorable with her little mouse friend? I was lucky enough to find a vintage infant's dress on Etsy, and it fits her perfectly. I wish you could see it in person, the lace is so beautiful. The fabric is cotton velveteen, that I dyed myself, she has rust ticking arms and legs. I think after Halloween I will display the dress elsewhere, I just can't bear to put it away for another year. Speaking of bears...

Finnegan

 Here is Finnegan or "Finn". He is the bear I made for my newest grandson, Eli. I can't wait to give it to him. Seth and Danielle will be visiting in November and I am counting the days. He has a blue scarf because Eli's favorite blanket is also this color of blue. I am thinking, he likes that color. Unlike most babies, he actually picked a homemade blankie to be the "one". It was made by his other Nana and is so beautifully knit with gorgeous cables all through it. Danielle says he won't sleep with out it.

Elijah

Isn't it pretty? Oh, and the baby is too, look at those eyelashes! Love you Eli bean.

What projects have you been working on? Check out my pinterest DIY board if you need some inspiration...I have too much inspiration, right now! 

Abigail pattern available here:  The Cheswick Company on Etsy.

Finnegan pattern available here: Judi Lynn Designs (Tyler Bear).

Fabulous Shortbread...

t has been a while since I have shared a recipe. Be forewarned, you will have a hard time staying away from this shortbread, so, for your own sake, have a few family members or friends around to share it.

We are not discussing the fact that I made these yesterday, I am home alone and there are only three left. Let me just say in  my defense that I have a genetic fault that causes me euphoria at the mere thought of butter. When I was eighteen months old, my mother sat me in the grocery cart and when her back was turned, I opened up the pound of Land O' Lakes (butter), removed a stick, peeled it like a banana and well, ate it. My mother loves to tell this story, and like all children before me, I blame her. She, who hails from St. Louis, Missouri and never stopped talking about "Gooey Butter Cake" and how her father took two buses every Saturday morning to get her one from the preferred bakery. Who leaves a butter obsessed baby(with these sorts of genes), alone with Land O' Lakes?

She also gets the credit for the many children I have, I am an only child. You see, I tended to romanticize brothers and sisters, so I knew I wanted lots of children. Yikes, you think I would have figured it out after the second one; I don't know, maybe after my son turned the blowup pool, upside down on his infant sister????? Fortunately, for me my wise and laid back friend, Linda (one of five children), said, " that's nothing, wait until he hangs her over the balcony in a few years". What? No, no, not my babies, they are going to love and respect and take care of each other, right? Right. Flash forward to Thanksgiving morning, two sisters home from school for break, Mom comes downstairs to find one of them pinned up against the pantry door...no feet touching! (It seems someone borrowed a certain jacket without asking, and someone else found it in a ball at the bottom of a closet, oops.) For the record, no one actually hung anyone over the balcony, threatened, maybe.  No, I am not quick on the uptake. But, I digress...surely you can understand why I cannot give up butter, don't you? 

It's okay, Mom understands.

 I want to hear from you if you do not think this is the best shortbread you have ever tasted!

Shortbread

1 1/2 c. unbleached flour
3/4 c. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. plus 3 T. *superfine sugar, divided
1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature (1 hour), cut into 16 pieces
2 t. vanilla extract

Position rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 300 degrees.
Lightly butter (I use the wrappers) a 13x9 inch pan.

Sift the flour, cornstarch and salt into a mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup superfine sugar, and , with electric mixer on low speed,
mix just to blend ingredients. Add butter pieces and vanilla and mix until large (1/4- 1/2 inch) crumbs form, about two minutes.
Very gently, press the crumbs evenly into pan. Don't pack the dough into the pan. Bake until the top of the shortbread just begins to turn golden, about 1 hour.
If your oven is hot, be sure to check sooner. Sometimes it will take an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle remaining
3 tablespoons  superfine sugar over the top. Using a sharp knife now cut the shortbread through to the bottom of the pan in 1 1/2 in x 3 in pieces. Cool completely before lifting the shortbread out of the pan.

*If you do not have superfine sugar; pulse regular sugar in a food processor for about 30 seconds.

New project...

found a beautiful hutch on craigslist. It was just the right size for my studio space. It was solid cherry, a lovely Temple-Stuart 50's piece.
I am painting it of course, and I am feeling a little guilty about it...not enough to stop me, however. The price was right, $50. Here is the progress so far...

The cabinet knobs and pulls are being replaced, I found these small matte black, clay knobs at Hobby Lobby for half price. The drawers will have matte black, bin pulls that I ordered online. They are cast iron and have a raised design of rose and thistle, love them. Painting the hutch with Annie Sloan, old white, has been easy and the results are just what I was hoping for. Two coats, straight on, clear wax, distress edges, dark wax, buff to a gorgeous sheen. This is my second project using this paint and the blog land hype is well deserved. Next up is the cabinet and hutch top. I will water down the paint slightly and roll it on with a foam roller. The surface area is large and the results will be smoother than painting with a  brush. Hopefully, soon I will have the finished furniture to show you. Do you think I should paint the back of the hutch another color or wallpaper it?

Studio inspiration...

 n the basement studio, there just isn't the kind of light I crave, need really. So, it has become a storage (dumping gound) for my endless supplies. It does have two small windows and wonderful built-in storage drawers and cabinets (thank you, Mr. B.), but I feel so disconnected down there. Consequently, I make many trips up and down to finish and clear away projects. When I have a friend over to work with me, well, then we take over the whole kitchen! I will probably use the basement room for some of the storage, for example, seasonal supplies.  Here are a few inspiration studio favorites from my Pinterest board, Studio.

My son Matt's old room will become my new studio. The light is very good and I will have some space to spread out and keep current projects out if I need to.  First, I  have to clear out his "stuff",  all the things that he did not take with him. I will pack them up and put them in the already overflowing attic. My boy is sentimental about everything, there are actually a couple of old T.V.'s up there that he won't let us part with. I know, I know, where do they get this from???

The room is not very big, about 11 x 13, so I will have to be very organized and storage is a must. First, I will need to remove the "old world map" wallpaper from the back wall. He had a 1930's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" thing going on, complete with bi-plane hanging from the ceiling, that is painted like sky with clouds. Yes, there will be lots of painting. A new floor as well. Mr. B. wants to put hardwood up in the three bedrooms in the children's wing.  I think this will work, since much of my studio work involves sewing and fiber. Wet or messy projects can still be handled if care is taken. I used Make Room courtesy of Urban Barn, to lay it out. (Yes, Mr. B. it is to scale, and yes, I am fitting a lot in there.)

work table 42"x60"
desk/sewing table 24"x75"

The color I want for the walls will be a neutral warm greige. The trim will be a warm white. Mr B. will build me a worktable similar to this Ballard Designs one, I just love it and it will give me the room I need to spread out. The zinc top is perfect and impervious. It will also have a couple of stools and in one corner of the room, I will have a comfy chair for hand sewing, knitting, crocheting, etc. I am on the lookout right now for a hutch/ buffet piece that I can paint out, for the back wall. A couple of old file cabinets to paint and an old door on top, will become a desk/sewing table in front of the window. The wall from the closet side wrapping around to the desk side will have pegboard, so that all my tools and thread can be handy. I have this down in the basement room and it is so nice to have everything in sight. The work table wall will have a large pin board and chalk board for inspirations and notes. The chair will have a floor lamp and maybe a small stool or table for my tea! The desk will hold my IMac/printers/silhouette and my sewing machine. The bookcase will hold reference materials and my favorite art books. I particularly like the idea of an old hutch/buffet combo. It will allow me to display some of my favorite things, and be a photo prop for product shoots. The closet has lots of built in shelves, too.

What do you think of my plan?

For your Sunday pleasure...

Source via The Paper Mulberry

Source

ay I suggest a little eye candy and a very interesting story? My friend Glenda at The Paper Mulberry has the most beautiful blog. This post on natural table settings is gorgeous. It has all of our favorite things, English, old, worn, reused, renewed, whites, linen, farmhouse, and an eye for photography that will take your breath away. You will be clicking all of the archives, I just know it. Glenda and her family live in an Elizabethan era farmhouse, yes that's right from the 1500's. Her story about the house is fascinating.
She lives my anglophile fantasy...

Source via The Paper Mulberry

Thank you Glenda, for sharing your amazing home and for the all the other lovely posts that inspire.

Picnic Table...

ove my new red picnic table made by Mr. B. It is eight feet long and thirty-six inches wide. We used the free plans from Ana White's site, here, and adjusted them for a bigger size. Now, it just needs a little accessorizing! Perhaps, an outdoor chandelier??