Makaio's Tooth Fairy Pillow

My nephew, Makaio, just lost his first tooth! What a big boy! Can you believe I hadn't even made him a tooth fairy pillow yet? What kinda auntie am I anyhow??

He was a little uneasy with the idea of someone coming into his room while he slept, so that bought me a little time.  But now I have redeemed myself and he can carry on losing those teeth.  It's actually not a pillow at all - this design fits better under his pillow. Or maybe I should have made one that hangs on the doorknob.... oh, well.

Remember this one I made for Malia? 

Here's the front:

The back (aka where you cash in).  I made it nice and roomy so the tooth fairy can fit packs of gum, hotwheels cars, or large wads of cash (inflation, y'all):

I hope he loves it!

Minty Lip Balms

The lip balm factory was open again today.  This time, mostly because I had a surplus of Altoids Smalls tins (addict?) and also because I was inspired by the excess wax comb from my neighbor's bee hive.  I didn't end up using that comb because it smelled like smoke, and nobody wants a hickory-flavored kisser.  So I used regular wax...intended for such things as lip balms. 

I used this recipe again, which I love because it's simple and I had all the ingredients on hand.  Aaand, it's a pretty great lip balm.  I used a jar in the microwave this time instead of a double-boiler and it was A) much quicker, B) much less messy, and C) now I have a container to hold the leftovers until next time.

If you try this recipe in Altoid tins, be careful not to fill the tin past the hinge as your lip balm will leak out the back (which I learned the hard way). And for this reason, you might not want to keep this in your purse, in case it heats up too much (like, if you left it in a hot car or something) and leaks all over your very expensive purse.  This is best kept in a bedside table or medicine cabinet. 

But isn't it so cute?!

"Wild" Blackberry & Rosewater Jam

To those of you who aren't familiar with Oakland, you might be surprised to know that there are wild blackberry brambles in several parts of the city (we also have a serious deer problem, which I may or may not have told you about... more on that later).  

On one of our walks recently, D and I noticed a very prolific patch of them and made a mental note to return when they ripen. So yesterday, we marched right down there with our bucket (and ladder, maybe) and got to pickin'.  In half an hour, we picked about seven cups of beautifully wild blackberries!  (I think the movement is called "foraging," and while very trendy a term, it still sounds like "scrounging" to me...so I say "wild")

 These guys were a little fuzzier than regular blackberries, but after a good soaking, the fuzzies came right off. 

 

For a little added interest, I put about one teaspoon of rosewater in the jam.  You can find rosewater among the Middle Eastern or Indian products in specialty/ethnic stores.  It's not expensive, but it is potent.  A little goes a long way! D was worried that even the little tiny teaspoon I did add was too much, but it's actually just right.

 

Look how gorgeous and deep the color is!

And now it's officially summer, now that we've canned something.  Sidenote: This is my all-time favorite size/shape/brand of jar, in case anyone cares. Simple design (no cornucopias embossed on the other side), not too big, not too little, nice and wide, easy to pour into, easy to get jam out.

Oh, yeah. Fruits of our labor. 

Wild/Foraged/Scrounged/Organic Oakland Blackberry and Rosewater Jam

All Grown Up

I know you've seen these guys before, but I like to think I'm expanding my repertoire a little.

My nephew is 7! *sniff*  He's become such a smart, funny, energetic, sweet guy!  Since he was learning tick marks in school recently, I thought this would be appropriate.

 

And while adults seldom broadcast their age, my sister-in-law expressed some interest in displaying her name on a shirt, and, well.... I jumped on that!  Thirty-one is her lucky number and this happens to be her golden year!  Happy (SUPER BELATED) birthday, Jess!  And so I made her a birthday shirt too, but little more subtle...

Crafty Niece

My niece, Malia, is growing up so fast!  And it warms my heart that she is becoming a very crafty girl.  I wish I could take credit, but my sister (her mom) is pretty creative herself!  Take this cutest little key holder, for instance:

Adorable, no? My sister orchestrated this activity for Malia's Campfire Girls troop's Father's Day gifts (yes, way back in June) and I think they turned out awesome!! Malia chose a bicycle because her dad is a big-time cyclist - smart girl.

I have made these in the past with colored (and non-colored) wire in the shape of a heart, star, or the Golden Gate Bridge, but I think the colored twine gives it a much bolder appearance.

Seriously people, you could hammer (pun intended) one of these out in less than an hour.  So easy, so cute, so functional.  Christmas ideas??

Brooklyn Baby

The recipient of this quilt is getting a baby brother!  I simply cannot wait to meet him!!

So this quilt shall be called Brooklyn Baby (since they've recently moved from NYC). 

Orange binding and the 2D Zoo I'm in so love with as backing.

Aunt Sara and Uncle D love you already!  We can't wait to meet you in September!

p.s. I've been informed that the quilt has already been hijacked by big brother, Charlie, upon which to host stuffed animal tea parties.  This makes me immensely happy.

Max's Blankie

I've got one more baby blanket ready to go for my friend's baby, Max!

If Max is anything like his parents, he will go bananas for the orangeness of this blanket... I just know he will.  I love this 2-D zoo print, and have for a while.  I'm so glad I have an excuse to finally use it!

And my new favorite binding is the faux bois, any color will do.

The other babies are enjoying their quilts, and  I hope Max will too!

Look Familiar?

I have a pretty fabulous group of girlfriends.  Three of them decided to simultaneously get pregnant with boys.  Ok, maybe it was a coincidence, but they all had healthy, beautiful boys within the last 2 weeks!  Nothing like the birth of a baby to motivate you into finishing a gift for them!

Here's Baby Celio's quilt:

We didn't know the sex, so I tried to make something gender-neutral.  And luckily, the quilt matches his room perfectly! 

 

I used green faux bois for the binding and I love it!

He is such a beautiful, perfect, sweet little baby and he smells delicious! I can't wait to babysit!

Matchy Matchy

My sister, Monica,  is a little obsessed loves the Amy Butler Barcelona skirt.  I have made her several and she wears them all the time.  And they look totally great on her too!

She's stopped waiting for birthdays or Christmas to receive them as gifts, and now just supplies me with fabric any ol' time of year :) I'm cool with that! I had a little left over to make a Lazy Days skirt for Maile.

Monica kindly snapped this photo with her fancier-than-mine camera.  Would you look at that photo styling?  She's hired!

Kate, I'm pumping out skirts for you!

Miss Maile is Four!

My littlest niece, Maile, is getting so big!  She turned 4 today!  I can't even believe it.  She's having a rainbow party this weekend, so I had to make sure she was ready for the party in rainbow-wear.

 

I found this very appropriate rainbow fabric at Birch Fabrics, which is dangerously conveniently located on my way to San Luis Obispo.  

Kate is having her Summer Skirt Challenge, so this was perfect timing!  I used the Lazy Days skirt pattern, per the usual.  It's tried and true and fast as ever. 

I hope she loves it!  Happy Birthday, Miss Maile!  We love you!

Bikey Blankey

My good friend just had her first baby boy! His name is Freeman - isn't that such a great name??

Daddy is a big cyclist, so I simply had to include bicycles in the quilt!  I love how it turned out.  Sweet, simple, and wrinkly.  Nicey bicycles! 

I hope there will be many snuggles, cuddles, tummy-, nap-, and play-time, drool, and forts made with this blankie.  Welcome, Freeman!  I can't wait to meet you!

I Heart Muji

Every time we go to New York to visit D's family, it's compulsory that we go into the city and visit Muji. I would liken it to a Japanese Crate & Barrel. Everything is so simple and sleek. D likes all the little boxes and the fact that everything is paper-bag brown. I like the clever-grasshopperness of their products, and all the fine-tipped pens.

One perceptive little Easter Bunny put these alphabet cookie cutters in my Easter basket, which I am in love with. That Easter Bunny, he always knows...

photo from Muji

Turning 6!

My favorite (and only, but nevermind) nephew in the whole wide world is turning six! That requires, like, 2 hands to indicate your age! So old - I can't even believe it!

Look at this guy! Could you just eat him up?

He is kind and smart and funny and will do just about anything for Legos.... and he pretends to love me in order to play Angry Birds on my iPhone. He's just his own little self and I just think he's the greatest!

I bought this book for him when he was just a little baby. I'm so excited to finally give it to him! It will teach him all the really important "boy" things like how to tie knots, identify insects, make paper airplanes, and play chess. (Yay! for rad photos...ugh)


And bless his little heart, almost every time I see him, he's wearing his birthday shirts. So, of course I made him another!


And don't tell, but I used one of D's old flannel shirts he had in the Goodwill pile. I just thought it was so manly & perfect! Don't worry, you will see more projects made with this fabric...I'm thinkin' manly patchwork baby quilt?

Happy Birthday, Makaio!!

Love Me Some Lotta Labels

Remember when I went to Lotta Jansdotter's studio in Brooklyn last year? Well, while I was there I picked these little guys up. And I'm so glad I did! (p.s. I didn't realize these photos were quite this blurry on my iPhone - sorry!)


I use them to spruce up the simplest of packages. My favorite is brown postal wrap with baker's twine. And I use the large Avery Manila Shipping Tags (for everything, basically) and adhere the Lotta stickers. Often times, in lieu of a card, I write my message on the back.

Wedding shower:

Baby gift:

Birthday gift:

Easter Un-Candy

Who says an Easter basket has to be filled with candy? Growing up, my favorite non-candy treats OUR Easter Bunny put in our baskets was Aveda Shampure. Such a luxury back then! I think I once found an artichoke in my Easter basket, which I also thought was the greatest.

[Ok, but Cadbury Mini-Eggs and peanut M&Ms are also compulsory...]

Anyhow... say you want to give an Easter gift to a little friend who doesn't eat much candy? How about these Springy reminiscent-of-Easter-eggs bean bags? Great for juggling (or pelting). Also, they can be heated for a few seconds in the microwave and serve a little hand-warmers! So cute & so easy!



I made these using 5x5 squares and filled them with flax seeds. I tried making them egg-shaped, but it didn't work so well. If you want to be really awesome, you could make 12 of them and present them in an egg carton.

I'm pleased as punch. I feel like juggling.

All Your Cookie Are Belong To Me

D is a big cookie guy - lucky for him, I like to bake! We got this cook book for our wedding, and it is awesome! I made the Chocolate Oatmeal Walnut cookies after dinner last night. They were HUGE!!

See?



Woops, See?


I did NOT need too many of these lying around the house, so I pre-portioned some scoops and froze them for another moment of desperation.


My favorite part was that we were almost out of chocolate chips (we had 1 of the 12 ounces required for the recipe) and so D and I were scouring the kitchen for chocolate bars. We were able to scrap together 9 more ounces of chocolate. Yay! It was plenty. And the cookies were chewy and amazing! I think the secret is the molasses, personally. But I do love me some molasses.

Here's the recipe, if you dare.

Thanks to Sandy & Vince for the book - we love it!

Little Man Shirts

I totally forgot to post about this one... D's godson, Charlie, turned two (way back in August). He's totally like 2 1/4 by now, such a big boy!

I'm so excited because we leave this Friday for NYC and we'll get to see him!

(like I said, I'm out of this woodgrain fabric and still so sad about it... keep your eyes peeled, people!
But glad I was able to make a super-manly "2" shirt with it before I ran out!)

This is Charlie's 2nd necktie shirt, but when you're a city guy, you've gotta step up the class, you know what I'm sayin'?

I just can't get enough of these necktie shirts... good thing there are lots of little boys around to wear them!

Makeup Brush Roll

I didn't make too many Christmas gifts this year, which was surprisingly liberating. I do love making gifts, but I just end up putting so much pressure on myself to make "the perfect thing".

In any case, here's one pressure-free gift that I did make. I used a modification of this tutorial.




I used a couple of coordinating Joel Dewberry fabrics (I'm obsessed with the herringbone fabric).

And what is super-awesome about using this fabric for a brush roll is that I was able to hide the seams for the brush pockets. They vary in size, which is perfect for brushes that vary in size. High kicks for that!


See? You can't even see the seams!!

This project will take you all of 30 minutes (at most), and if you're not a makeup brush person, you can use it for knitting needles, colored pencils, or even your chopstick collection! :)