James Hance

This guy is one of my new favorite artists. James Hance. He makes "Relentlessly Cheerful Art." We have dreams of putting his artwork in the main upstairs area. It is only $10 a print too. Not badl. Someday we will own some of his art. Here are a few of my favorites, although I think I love just about all of his stuff.

"Fraggle Rock Band"

"Sir Didymus"

Although it is not currently available, bummer!

"The Man & The Muppet of Steel"

"The Dark Starry Night"

"The Meep"

Here is his website. Seriously go check it out! This is only a sample. He is awesome!

Stuffed Yo-Yo Pumpkin Tutorial

We're guest posting this tutorial over at V and Co. today. I happened on her blog about a year ago, and coincidence of all coincidences, she lives in the same tiny little town as my mom and dad. I recognized the mountains and landscape in her photos before I even knew it was the same town. If you haven't visited her site, spend some time over there, and you'll feel like you have a new best friend. Thanks, Vanessa, for hosting us today!

So this is a continuation of my post last week, since I already professed my favoritism of pumpkins. For some background, a couple of years ago, I took a ferry ride with my sister and good friend to Bainbridge Island to do a little shopping around town and, by design, spent most of our time at Esther's. Seriously a jewel of a fabric shop with mostly quilting cotton but a surprising amount of wide-width fashion, exotic and home decor fabrics. And, they display quilts on. the. ceiling. I love that.

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Anyhoo, I saw some cute little pumpkins scattered around the shop, and when I asked if there was a pattern, the woman working there said, "Easy! If you know how to make a yo-yo, you already know how to make a pumpkin!" The shop owner, Jennifer (don't you love her beautiful name?? :-) ), was gracious and enthusiastic about serving as the inspiration for this tutorial. If you're ever in the Seattle area, make it a point to take a scenic ferry ride to Esther's, and be prepared to be inspired yourself.

So, without further adieu, as promised, here's the tutorial for a super easy, cute pumpkin...it's addicting. "No one can [make] just one!"

Here are the supplies you'll need:

• fabric of your choice
• scissors
• poly-fill stuffing
• green floral wire
• silk leaves (yes, I know mine are maple leaves, but with a stuffed pumpkin, I'm not exactly going for horticulture accuracy!)
• glue gun
• needle and thread
• small tree branch picked up from your yard (not shown above)

1. Trace around a circular object. Keep in mind your finished pumpkin will be roughly 1/2 the size you are tracing. So, this 14" pizza pan I'm using yields a pumpkin 6-7" in diameter. Like my "helper?" Cut out your circle after you've traced it.

2. Sew around the edge of your yo-yo. Fold over approximately 1/4" to the wrong side of the fabric and sew a large running stitch all the way around. I used quilting thread because it's stronger and you'll be pulling it tight later. If you don't have quilting thread, just double your regular thread.

3. When you get all the way around, pull up on your thread to create kind of a bowl. Hold off on knotting your thread until you've stuffed the pumpkin.

4. Stuff it! Fill opening with fiber fill stuffing. It doesn't need to be stiff like you would stuff a pillow. Just fill it to your desired squishiness.

5. Tie it off. Pull up on your thread until there's just a small hole in the top. For a pumpkin this size, the hole was about 1". For smaller pumpkins it would obviously be a smaller hole. You don't want to completely close it up so you have room for the finishing touches.

6. Time for finishing and embellishing. Wrap your green floral wire around a pencil to make a curly pumpkin vine tendril. Leave a straight tail on the end to put into the hole in the top.

7. Using your hot glue gun, apply a generous amount of glue to the bottom inch or so of the tree branch. Poke it down through the hole and twist it a bit to make sure it's secure inside the stuffing. Snip off a couple of silk leaves, leaving some of the stem on the bottom. Apply glue the same way as before and place them right around the stem so they'll cover up the hole and batting. Glue the straight tail end of the green tendril the same way as the branch, and tie a ribbon or fabric strip around the stem for a final decorative touch.

Have fun making tons of these little cuties in any and all sizes!

Raindrops on roses? Or maybe whiskers on kittens?

Oh, I am so fickle sometimes! It's because Scorpio is a water sign, or something, I'm sure. Favorites come and go around here all the time, it seems. Some extra special things stand the test of time for me, though, and I hold onto them dearly. Here are a few. And where there are links, go on and check them out - maybe you'll find a new favorite, too!

The gray wool scarf I bought in Prague that one October.

The hymn, "Our Father, By Whose Name"
I especially love the second parts of each verse:
1 - "Bless thou all parents, guarding well,
with constant love as sentinel, the homes in which Thy people dwell."
2 - "Our children bless in every place,
that they my all behold Thy face, and, knowing Thee may grow in grace."
3 - "In all our hearts such love increase,
that every home, by this release, may be the dwelling place of peace."
If hymns are prayers, this hymn is my prayer every day.

Vanilla ice cream. Yes, I said vanilla.

Caramel rooibos tea.

Curling up under a blanket with a good book and some mulled apple cider when it's freezing outside; and lounging on a blanket with a good book and some lemonade when it's hot.

This recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

Listening to The Writer's Almanac on the radio. Oh! and also Selected Shorts and The Play's the Thing. The latter two are best listened to while doing some late-night baking.

Cemeteries. Especially old ones. I promise it's not morbid or creepy! I just love reflecting on people's lives, and seeing how people care for their memories after they're gone. There's so much beauty in that to me.

Finding a way to work some orange into every room in my house. While I wouldn't say it's my favorite color per se, orange is so comfortable and friendly.

Peonies in the spring and dahlias in the fall.

It's my Favorite!

The cello has always been my favorite instrument.  You are surprised?  "But wait!" you say.  "You play the violin?  You have always played the violin?"  I KNOW and I do love to "play" the violin but I melt when I hear the creamy low tones of a cello.

Growing up a violinist I envied and loved the sounds that came from my brother's room as he played his cello.  I knew one day I would have a kid who would become a cellist whether he wanted to be one or not.  He would be my favorite son...and he would play for me every day until I died.  Good thing I only have one son and that I'm a little bit less crazy now that I'm wise and mature...right?  I'm crazier...I know.  But that is how much I love the cello. 

When my then little two year old ASKED me if he could play the cello I lost it!  I was jump-up-and-down-thrilled-to-my-depths excited.   First of all, I had never heard of a two year old cellist so I waited...he waited and for the next three years he still would come and beg me to have one after listening to them on the radio. I told him he could try it out when he turned 5. 

The time arrived the week of his birthday.  We took off as a family and visited one of our favorite little shops in Issaquah, Wa to get him his little cello.  I just about lost it again when he strapped his itty-bitty cute little cello onto his back.  I saw him 16 years later going off to college with a cello scholarship in hand. Probably would want to become a doctor or something but man would he be able to impress the ladies with a talent like that!  I'll tell ya...the ugliest man on earth could play a cello for me and I would melt.  It'll be a powerful tool he'll have.  I KNOW!!!  I am dramatic and cheesy!  You would be too if you saw how cute he looked that night.  I was already a proud mama and he hadn't even played a single note. 

 He has been taking lessons  for 2 weeks now and I am in cello heaven.  I love every little honk that echos through our home (thankfully cellos do not squeak and screech like violins do) and every little twinkle in his eye as he asks to practice. 

Music has always been a legacy in our family that goes way way back and a little while ago I kept that going by providing my son the same opportunities to grow and strengthen others through music.  That is my favorite!  One day I hope you get to hear him play.  He's going to love music and you'll want to hear his soul!