creativebug: what will you make today?

Ladies and gents (or the four of you still reading this site): For a past few months, I’ve been hard at work with a pretty terrific team bringing a new website into existence. It still feels a little unreal, even spooky, that this particular job appeared that sits at the exact intersection of my experience and my interests. Here’s a taste of what we’re up to. For much, much more, you can head right here.

We’re super proud and hope you love it.

sound of the weekend

If this game had been a movie, it would have been terrible. I never would have believed the twists and turns and anguish. Being married to an Irish guy has made me a soccer fan. And this weekend was the nail-biting end to the English Premier League season.

spring gardening

I love this time in the garden. Everything is in the ground, I haven't forgotten to water yet, nothing has nibbled away at the tops of the plants. It's pure promise out there in the soil.

sound of the weekend

Dappled sunlight, a picnic blanket and some warm weather cocktails.

tissue paper pompoms

Bright flower poofs suspended in a clump make everything more happy.

Courtesy of the lovely Courtney.

sound of the weekend

All these little voices at my niece’s school. So tiny and light and pure.

hot diggity weekend

We hit the brakes when we drove by this wagonload of mascots from San Francisco's beloved Doggie Diner.

newfound embroidery love

This is what I have taken up in recent quiet moments. This ingenious embroidery sampler made by the immensely talented Rebecca Ringquist. I took her class the other week at A Verb for Keeping Warm and ever since, I have been carrying this tray around with me, practicing my french knots and chain stitches. As you can see, I have some work to do on keeping my floss tidy.

I still love the sewing machine – its heft and efficiency. But this embroidery business matches my speed and mindspace at the moment.

sound of the weekend

Embarking on a new project at the dining room table. Scissors chomping through fabric. 

freshly-dug potatoes

The gift in the garden that just keeps giving. They smell like wet rocks and starch.

sound of the weekend

Is there any more promising sound in spring than the sound of a metal shovel digging into the wet-smelling dirt of a vegetable patch?

jem fabric store in nyc

Walking through a fabric store is a lot like walking through a library for me. I slip into a sort of sleepwalking, day-dreamy state taking in all the possibilities.

This is Jem in NYC, where I was this time last week. A particularly funky and creative store with a graffiti sign out front, a coffee stand, creaky wooden floors and racks of marvelous things to gaze upon. Plus a workshop in the back for a still-secret project that I'm helping cook up that I can't wait to tell you about. Heaven!

diy confetti napkins

Confetti and polka dot projects are having a big moment right now. And why not? They make everything more happy and festive.

Before my heart confetti napkins, I made straight-up confetti napkins. They're way better than real confetti because the confetti stays in place and you don't find errant pieces in your hair (although that has its own charms). I’m telling you, a whole world of possibilities opened up when I realized I could make polka dots and simple patterned stencils with a hole punch.

The instructions are exactly the same as these napkins, using a regular hole punch instead of a heart-shaped one. When you're done, they make even a simple breakfast feel triumphant.

sound of the weekend

A late afternoon horsehoe game at a pit with a killer view.

(PS: Apologies for the lack of posts. I was out of town again and messsed up the auto-posts. So more soon. Also, for those of you reading this through a reader, these weekend sound posts include a short audio file that doesn't appear in most readers. Thanks for bearing with me through these lean posts. I have a big secret that is taking all my time but all will be revealed in a month! xo) 

sound of the weekend

A night at the local circus school with high-flying trapeze and rope performers, and a very funny umbrella act.

diy stuffed state plushy

This is my first attempt at a new baby gift: a stuffed state for faraway friends. I made this late at night before hopping a plane to the East Coast and the next time around, I think I will make it out of a different color (not pale pink) so it looks less like a small intestine and more like California.

The only trick here is making sure you cut the fabric correctly for both sides. The easiest way is to lay your fabric wrong sides together and cut. I added a heart where San Francisco is, sewed the fabric together leaving a couple inches to add stuffing, and slipstitched it closed.

sound of the weekend

Sweet pitter-patter of rain on the umbrella. Taking in big lungfuls of wet air on a slow Saturday morning walk.

restorative pesto

While I crave a handmade life, sometimes it’s all I can do to get a handmade meal on the table. We’ve had a lot of bombshelter meals lately, raiding the pantry and non-perishables to scrap together a warm dinner. So when I made this pesto, it was like reawakening my sense of smell. Restored with a quick whirl in the food processor, and that smell of earthy, peppery and green.

sound of the weekend

On a blustery day, a walk down to the Wave Organ with our niece and nephew, pressing our ears close to the cement pipes to hear the deep, gurgling bellows of the tides.

(It was too windy to make a good recording with my phone. This one is pretty poor, so go visit in person to hear the full-throated, watery churn)

easy succulent centerpiece

When Sarah and I hosted diner at ALT, we kept the decorations simple so the food would shine. But every table needs a hit of pretty, so I ran to Home Depot and picked up a tray of succulents and cover paper from the paint department. Run some glue dots or double-sided tape around the top of the pot, cut a length of paper to fit, and secure with washi tape. Since the top of the pot is wider than the bottom, you can make a little pleat in the paper or leave as -is.

The plants are low enough to talk over, and succulent colors range from green and juicy to dusky and calm if you look closely. Even better if you can display them on lovely rounds of birch, supplied by my timber framer brother-in-law (thanks Hunter!). If you make these for a dinner party at home, you can send your pals home with a sweet little potted plant at the end of the evening.

Or keep them for your kitchen island. I won’t tell.