it's astonishing.

i'm amazed. astonished. flabbergasted. blown away. overwhelmed. astounded. stupefied. by what? the internet.

there is just. so. much.

so many great things. so many good things. so many things i wish i had thought of. honestly, i'm having a hard time not being a bit cynical these days, because i'm so inspired but simultaneously baffled by my own lack of creativity these days.

oh, i know what this kind of admission arouses in the poor people who have to read it. i'm not feeling sorry for myself (that was yesterday), and i'm moving past obsessively reading blogs to find some clue for where these people come up with stuff. i know it's all a matter of perspective--and documentation. but i also know i'm not the only one who feels like i don't do "anything" (besides keep three kids alive and happy and try to make dinner and sometimes clean my house and make myself presentable and NOT eat chocolate, among other things).

so i need to do something already.

now.

okay, i will, but first i want to do a bit of a brain scrub, to slough off all these dead thoughts i have swirling around in my head. because nothing cures dead brain cells like a list! (and you know you really need to do this if you type out brain cells as one word.)

*my recipe collection is now online here. the idea is to use the site as a place for my sisters-in-law and me to share recipes. everything is gluten-free. it still needs some editing, and more pictures, but mostly i'm really excited about it.

*speaking of food, i think about food all the time. it doesn't help that i currently have six jamie oliver cookbooks checked out from the library.

*i've been mildly obsessed with clothes lately. it wouldn't be too big a deal if i just had a small fortune to spend on clothes, but my clothes budget is only one of those things--small. much of my free time lately has gone to window-shopping, online window-shopping, slight coveting, actual shopping, and returning items i think i could find for cheaper or make in the hypothetical world where i sew. i'm ready for this rollicking process to be over already.

*wool felt. i just want to make stuff with it and maybe drape myself. just kidding, it wouldn't really drape well.

*coconut. and oats. and triple layer cakes i really want to make 37 days from now.

*stripes. i love them. i want to make my kids clothes from them. and wear them almost all the time.

*all things tiny. i will have to explain this more later.

*eating muesli for breakfast. or having a fruit smoothie. i looove strawberry yogurt honey smoothies. i will have them in my heaven.

and now, in picture form, thought not complete:

that may not be a complete list, but i feel better. now to see how my freshly-scrubbed brain works. i hope my will now glow.

favorite things from 2010.

somehow there are two days left of this entire year--did it sneak up on anyone else? before 2010 is completely over, i wanted to note some of my favorites from this year of wonder. it was full and lovely and i look forward to 2011, whatever it holds.
note: some of my favorites did not come out this year, but they're my favorite things from this past year.

album: broken bells by broken bells.

i listened to this over and over when it came out in the spring. james mercer (the shins) has such a great voice, and this pairing with danger mouse is pure greatness.

album: the suburbs by arcade fire.

musically there's a lot going on, and lyrically too. plus the songs will always remind me of wandering the streets of nyc with b--we traded off humming "the suburbs" and other arcade fire riffs while we waited for the subway or looked for cool buildings.

album: abbey road by the beatles.

i have to admit i always respected and admired the beatles, but i didn't really get it until this year. i didn't grow up listening to them, and hadn't listened much at all until we started introducing some beatles songs to the kids--fun early stuff like "twist and shout" (which g calls "shake it up baby now") plus later fun stuff like yellow submarine" and "octopus's garden"--b made some beatles cds for our road trip to utah, and that was it. the medley on abbey road is incredible. "golden slumbers" is probably my very favorite, but it's really hard to choose just one favorite beatles song.

children's book: knuffle bunny free by mo willems,

& film: toy story 3 by pixar. for more in depth reflections on both, see here.

film: inception.

i love movies, but find very few that i am willing to pay full movie theater price times 2 + cost of a babysitter for three kids, so i rarely see movies at the theater. the only movie i saw in the theater this year. we saw it on an imax screen, and it was well worth it. the visuals were stunning, the plot and characters were intriguing, and one of our favorite buildings made a cameo appearance.

film: 500 days of summer.

we finally saw it on dvd this past summer, and i loved it. something about it just stayed with me. i especially loved the dual-screen scene that showed how tom wanted the party to go and the reality of how the party went. i've always wanted to do a scene/short film like that, and they did it so wonderfully. it was also fun to see a film appreciate the architecture of downtown los angeles, because b and i share that appreciation.

film: scott pilgrim vs. the universe.

fun fun fun. that's what this film was. fun on so every level.

live concert: neko case.

she is incredible live. it was amazing to hear her in person.

sewing project: christmas tree advent.

inspiration from here (some of it very direct). i finally finished our advent. i'm pretty proud of myself because it was a big undertaking.

cookbook: cook 1.0 by heidi swanson.

swanson is the writer/photographer behind 101 cookbooks. this vegetarian cookbook is so wonderfully simple. i've really been inspired the recipes this week--we're due for a major detox around here after all this holiday bliss.

book: silas marner by george eliot.

it's a simple story, but so beautifully written it really left an impression on me. it took a bit for me to get into eliot's 19th century writing style, but once i was in i was spellbound. i recommend it to anyone.

children's book: iggy peck architect by andrea beaty.

the illustrations are fantastic, and the rhyming tale of the young architect is refreshingly tight and charming. i need to find more rhyming children's books that have the same respect for meter.

website: fabricworm.com.

i love looking at their wide selection of fabrics, from heather ross to japanese imports, and their prices are pretty reasonable. right now i'm loving this.

literary discovery: the new yorker.

two of my favorite authors are new yorker writers, and i finally started reading it online more this year. i'm very excited to start getting it in the mail (thanks, whit!)

treat: homemade strawberry ice cream (made with organic strawberries) and ginger snaps.

a friend gave us some organic strawberries, and using this recipe. if you haven't had organic strawberries you should. the difference is incredible. i'm afraid i can't go back to overgrown grocery store strawberries. i was also excited to adapt my great grandma's ginger snap recipe to make them gluten-free.

restaurant meal: curry dosa at hampton chutney company in new york.

it was so good we went back with friends. mmm.

in the kitchen: heavy aluminum round cake pans with removable bottom.

perfect for cheesecake, and great for regular cake, too. this was a favorite purchase this year.

from the market: arugula.

i hadn't tried arugula before this year. it's delicious in salad and on pizza.

first with lulu: evergreen city ballet's production of the nutcracker.

it was just my lu and me. she sat on my lap for a lot of it. we were both mesmerized. she loved the music/dancing/costumes/everything. i loved sharing a favorite (ballet) with her.

one of my favorite memories with g: jane's first day of school.

we went to get donuts at a nearby shop. we both missed jane terribly. he's my special little guy.

first with flora: trip to utah to introduce her to family and give her a name and a blessing.

it's fun to see the effect our calm, sweet girl has on everyone we love. she belongs.

memory with b:

i can't choose just one because b gave me a lot this year. he won a trip to new york so we could go together, and our time there was amazing. for our anniversary he surprised me with tickets to bumbershoot, which was awesome.

favorite colors this year: yellow, pink, and gray or light blue.

what are some of your favorites from 2010?

darling cake topper.

meet this cute little peggie. i would love to put her on top of flora's first birthday cake.

images from and peggie here.

flower tees.

i've talked about sewing before. still, without a deadline it can take me a while to work up the gusto to actually sew something. this week i finally finished this corsage tee.

lulu's reaction was so great and it felt so good to make something, i went on to make this blossom tee.

lulu adores it--there's something so refreshing about gray + pink.

instructions for the blue shirt here.

instructions for the pink flower here.

hazel.

i would wear these darling clothes if they came in my size. lulu loves the rose shirt and taupe coat. i love the colors and the attention to detail.

i heart pie.

thanksgiving week is nearly upon us, and i'm looking forward to baking and cooking up a storm.
aren't these pies pretty? i might get daring. i might not.
what are you looking forward to making/eating this thanksgiving?

image (and techniques) via martha stewart.

collections: ideas.

i am my mother's daughter, and really, my grandma's granddaughter for that matter. i have a blue file labeled "writer's prompts." for the past several years i've used it to collect ideas--articles about writing, interesting stories and anything that i find interesting. i am in the process of scaling down the file and going more digital, especially since i have found many of these articles or stories online. i will be sharing some of them on here, too.

we realized when we moved to this house, we decided to make the third bedroom a nursery/studio space. i also decided that i wanted to hang a bulletin board to use as an inspiration board. for months it has helped me stay on track with the color scheme i want for flora's side of the room. plus the pictures make me happy.

when we were visiting my family this summer, b pointed out that my mom has a similar bulletin board hanging over her desk in the kitchen. i knew this when i put up mine, and once again, chalked it up to being my mother's daughter.

how do you collect ideas and things that inspire you?

i heart hable.

i think you will too. unless you already do.

here.

hats.

i would almost learn to knit because of this cute hat. via.

noel is on my mind.

homemade christmas ideas take more planning--and much more time.

i seem to be very keen on felt. this is just a handful of what i would like to do, especially since this will be our first christmas in our own place. we will miss family, but it will be nice not to travel.

newborn wish list.

i wish, i wish....i'm on a roll with wish lists lately, and the nursery is not lacking. i have been blessed with many beautiful and practical gifts with the arrival of each of my children. still, if money were no object and i could buy anything for my newborns that i wanted . . . yeah, here are a few things on that list.

netto bassinet. phil & ted stroller (so smart!) baby gym (love the wooden one from ikea). a great chair (like the tok by stokke). beautiful clothes from the tea collection. a mobile by flensted. eames elephant. swaddlers by aden and anais. wooden rattle from alouette.

children's books: a few favorites.

my mom has her master's degree in library science, and studied english as an undergrad. this apple didn't fall far from the tree; i love books, especially children's books, especially those that showcase great stories or beautiful art--or both. some favorites:

alphabeasties. a smorgasbord of beautiful typography in an alphabetic setting--with animals! i think this book will find its way under our christmas tree this year.

charley harper's abcs. vivid, graphic illustrations of animals and birds. we love charley harper.

iggy peck architect. poetic, fun, and more beautiful illustrations.

pippi longstocking. a new edition of the classic swedish tale with illustrations by lauren child of charlie and lola fame.

follow the line. and anything by laura ljunkgvist, really. we love her version of snow white.

babar. the original stories by laurent de brunhoff are whimsical and beautiful.

mary blair. her beautiful storyboards for walt disney classics such as alice in wonderland, peter pan, and cinderella have been reinvented as illustrations for children's books by renown author such as jon scieszka and cynthia rylant. you can buy alice in wonderland on amazon right now for a steal--this is another book you'll find under our christmas tree (i know there's no images on amazon, so either trust me on this one or google "mary blair alice in wonderland" to see what i mean.)

this is the short list--so many books! what children's books are on your short list?

fall is nearly here.

this week we are having a nice little preview of the pending winter rains, and i find myself craving apples and vegetable soup and hot chocolate, scarves and sweaters and boots. i'm also looking for more ways to spruce up our home for the coming months--it can be pretty gloomy when it's pitch dark by 4.30pm.

what do you crave in the fall?

last bit of summer.

school has started. it's raining. summer of 2010 is coming to a close.

there's still time for one more little summer post.

some highlights from the end of our summer: my semi-surprise birthday dinner at the lake; picking blackberries; homemade chocolate hazelnut gelato; an outing to the seattle square (where we met the lovely people who made that ice cream poster) and pike place; bumbershoot; and this pizza.

that's prosciutto, arugula, and organic sun tomatoes. mmmmm.

we have at least one more trip to the farmers market. the parks are still there. we'll make gelato at least once more. and there will be blackberry pie in the near future.

roses headband.

inspired by these and with the help of this tutorial, i made a roses headband yesterday. it felt really good to make something--really good. maybe it's her name, but almost anything flower seems appropriate for this little blossom.

ohdeedoh 1: toadstools.

i recently applied for a freelance position with ohdeedoh--along with about 160 others. we finally heard our fate last week in the nicest rejection i may ever get. anyway, i thought i would share my submissions here.
i have been enchanted by mushrooms lately, so for my roundup entry i found toadstool nursery decor. this is my expanded list--i submitted five--and the i found the larousse page after the fact.
Bunnies and squirrels and owls, oh my! Woodland motifs are still catching our eye in the nursery. Not to be outdone by their fauna counterparts, toadstools are just as whimsical and charming for a little one’s space. Here are some of our favorites.



















anthropologie
the small object
etsy set with hedgehogs
wool felted toadstools
cosmo fabric purl soho
mahar tea set

bike love.

b showed me this site last night and we couldn't get enough of the bikes. we watched the slideshow for a while, mesmerized, trying to pick which bike we would like to call our own.

there are many beautiful bikes coming out lately, but the dutch beauty above (the biggest picture) is our favorite. a bike like that just adds romance to the daydream lately i've had where the freeways are filled with bikes and pedestrians instead of cars and trucks. i'm not against cars or anything, i just like the image of that wide expanse of concrete, so noisy and fast, filled with colorful bikes and people, out and about in the fresh spring air.

inspiration: frame a dish towel

i have a good friend who has beautiful taste and often comes up with great decorating ideas. Her latest: framing this dish towel from anthropologie. she found a frame at ikea that works perfectly, bringing her grand total to less than $25 and her effort to little more than shopping for the two pieces.


















i love this idea, especially since it costs about the same as a print and has added charm and texture as an embroidered textile. i have to admit, she had me eying this sea scene with the same purpose in mind. i have nurseries on the brain lately, but this whimsical piece would be lovely in any other space, too.


















what are you making this weekend? planting our new strawberry and grape tomato plants, making cupcakes, customizing shirts, the LOST finale and finishing a couple sewing projects are all on my mind.

pretty things for may

sometimes i just like to look at pretty things. pretty things make me happy.

i love these reused spoons.

found at fine little day.

& this elephant plate.

it says, "am i still an elephant if i'm really small? yes! i am."

found at kate quinn organics.

a lovely little clock.

found at anthropologie.

toadstool pushpins.

found in the cupcake girls shop on etsy.

favourite things lamp.

found on bloesem.

happy shoes.

found at anthropologie.

public d bike.

found on bikes by public.

what little lovelies are making you happy this spring?

A Bright, Cheery Kitchen

I stumbled on this article about the kitchen of Lauren Childs, artist behind such beloved characters as Charlie and Lola. Being familiar with the style of several of her books and the show Charlie and Lola, I wasn't too surprised to see what her kitchen looks like:

I love the clean white walls and open shelves with all the brightly colored kitchen tools and art works. It definitely seems like a great place to create works for children.
You can read the full article here.