Spring Manifesto

Now that it finally feels like Spring has arrived here, it's time for a little manifesto.  Of course, we could still get a nice big April snowstorm, but I have a feeling that's not going to happen this year.

This Spring, I will...

} Pack a picnic on our bikes and ride somewhere sunny.

} Invite friends over for an evening fire in our chimnea.

} Plant two gardens and do a little bit of transforming of the landscaping at our house.  Make it our own.

} Start my wardrobe challenge project (more on that later).

} Work towards reopening my shop, which has been on hiatus for close to a year.

} Read a book, preferably while sitting in the sun on the back balcony.

} Eat as many meals as possible outdoors.

} Fill the house with lilacs from our two(!) lilac bushes.

} Enjoy the first fresh produce of the season...rhubarb (which is already coming up in our backyard), morels, asparagus, and maybe even try out some fiddleheads for the first time.

What are you looking forward to this spring?

ps: last year's manifesto, here

spring manifesto

so, only about a week late, but it's actually starting to feel slightly spring-y here.  i'm biting my tongue because i know it could snow more, but i'm also feeling optimistic about the coming warmer weather.  my seeds arrived yesterday and while i had convinced myself that i do not have the time to start seeds indoors this year, i realized that my kale seeds should be started early (in fact, i think they should have been started a couple of weeks ago) and  i've also decided to give it a go with tomatoes and peppers.  so this weekend will be dedicated to putting together a makeshift seed-starting area in my basement.  wish me luck!  i am overflowing with gardening ideas for this year, but i'll save that for another post.  

it is, in fact, spring, and i'm feeling full of energy.  here are some things on my list for this coming season...

:: make at least two garments to carry me through summer.
:: try sourdough again.
:: begin quilting my quilt.
:: start doing yoga again.
:: spend as much time outdoors as humanly possible.  
:: puddle jump.
:: clear out the freezer and make room for this season's produce.
:: hang more art in our house (and maybe even start my family photo wall).
:: plant a new garden filled with vegetables, flowers, medicinal herbs, and plants to use for dyes (!)


well okay then. i think that's a good place to start. what do you have on your lists for this spring?


{i know, i need a new banner, i'll get on that as soon as it starts looking spring-y around here!}

a big smile

hello friends. i hope you all had lovely weekends, i know i did. it started out with a last minute dinner with friends on friday night. saturday held a beautiful walk with jared and freddie, some sewing (finally), and more hanging out with friends. sunday, more sewing and then the spring meeting for my community garden. the garden meeting, together with the absolutely beautiful and warm weather got me really excited about spring and summer. i even defrosted another bag of strawberries from last summer, thinking that we should really use up those berries since we'll be getting fresh ones soon! okay, i know i'm getting a bit ahead of myself- we've still got at least three months until strawberries.

and now, it's sixty-five degrees at 7pm and i just took freddie for a very long walk and then came home to a sweet letter and sat on the porch with bare feet, short sleeves, a glass of ginger ale, and my puppy. it was lovely. i just cannot get enough of being outside right now. it feels so liberating to be outdoors without being bundled up under multiple layers of clothing! i just can't stop smiling about this sunny warmth. yeah, i can tell it's going to be a good spring indeed. i've started thinking about my spring manifesto, but i think i'll wait to share it until friday, when it's official.

A few of you asked about the recipe for the ginger ale- I used this one. Depending on how you mix it, the syrup really does make quite a lot of ginger ale. It was very easy, and I can see this being a staple from now on! {as a bonus, it's also delicious mixed with a little whiskey...}

on spring. and being better.

here we are...the first day of spring. usually on the first day of spring, it's looking much more like winter outside, but this year i actually believe it to be true. spring has arrived. shari and some friends are sharing some other spring manifestos over at her space this week, be sure to check it out. i'd love to hear what's on your list for this season. here are a few things to keep me busy [and happy] this coming season...

:: take a bike picnic [we already did this once last weekend and it was wonderful, can't wait to find more spots around the city to visit!]
:: visit the eloise butler wildflower gardens, can't believe i haven't been in almost two years!
:: sew myself a new garment [this is an old standby for pretty much every manifesto...]
:: plan that honeymoon
:: get that beautiful garden in [i think i might start on this this week, i wondered about early planting over at tend yesterday]
:: continue organizing and cleaning out the house. i got a good start on this back in january and february but then got a little sidetracked.
:: sit on the porch and read, or knit.
:: keep learning more lettering styles.
:: fresh flowers. more of them. everywhere. 


i write all of this with the knowledge that the world right now is a crazy crazy place. there are shootings of innocent people happening all over the place [florida. france. afghanistan. to name a few]. an election that frightens the crap out of me, as hopeful as i may try to be. people [men, mostly, to be honest] who think that women's health is something to be decided for us, and to be used as a political weapon. and right here in my own state, we will be voting on some frightening issues this year [like this and this]. with all of this going on, it is sometimes hard not to think that all of these lovely, beautiful things i try to do are completely trivial. but i know that the best thing i can do to make this world a better place is to be a better person. and try to help the people around me be good people too. and to love. yes. i can do that. we all can do that quite well.

on the first day of spring it snowed

and then it rained. But I'm so happy that it's spring! As promised, here's a little manifesto for the new season...

::Have more picnics. Whether it's in my backyard, at a park, or wherever. Just eat outside on a blanket.

::Plant flowers in my front yard, even though we live in a rental, and flowers aren't edible.

::Give more presents for no reason at all. Because everyone loves getting presents.

::Plant my awesomest garden yet.

::Dry my clean clothes on the clothesline.

::Notice the change in the dog park as the snow and ice melts, and Freddie decides whether he likes swimming in the Mississippi or not (right now, he's leaning towards not.)

::Eat lots of morels and fresh asparagus (and try to ignore the price tag. Because they are seriously that good).

::Draw more (or, draw at all).

::Dedicate more time and energy to my shop and make all (or at least some) of those ideas that have been swirling around in my head for months a reality.

In honor of this last item in my manifesto here, I'm offering a 15% discount in my shop for the next week (until March 27). Just type in "celebrating spring" in the notes to seller and I'll refund you the difference. I've got a couple of new items in there, including some pocket blank notebooks, so go check it out!

So there you have it. I've seen a few really inspiring manifestos out there recently including Shari's, Brian's, and Hannah's. What's on your list for spring?

Herbal Oil Infusions

In January, I took a class on winter skin remedies at my local co-op.  Ever since I got on my herbalism kick last summer, I've wanted to try out making some body care products, but to be honest, I was a little nervous about trying it on my own.  Taking this one-evening demonstration class was just what I needed to realize that it's seriously not that hard to do this stuff on your own.  I'll get to more details about what I made once I get the photos back later this week.  

One of the ingredients in a few of the products that we made in the class (lip balm and healing salve) was an herbal infused oil.  Last summer, when I was first starting to think about all this stuff, I planted some medicinal herbs in my garden- including calendula and lavender.  I dried the flowers from those plants and had them stored in jars all fall, until I finally got around to covering them with olive oil and parking the jars in a sunny window for about six weeks.  


Now that spring is upon us, and I had my first community garden planning meeting this afternoon, I'm starting to think about what medicinal plants I want to grow this year.  So far I'm planning on more calendula, lavender (I'm hoping for even more blossoms this year), chamomile, and feverfew.  I'm sure I'll come up with more as I start to finalize my plans for planting.  


And, as for my herbal infused oil...the lip balm that I made in the class is just about finished.  I picked up this book at the library this afternoon, and at first glance there are some pretty amazing looking recipes.  Also, have you all seen Amy's e-mailorder #11: Potions and Concotions?  It even comes with printable labels!  I downloaded a copy right away and am already hooked on her favorite tea and can't wait to try more recipes.  


{PS: Spring Manifesto should be coming this week.  I've been having some technical difficulties, so a new banner will follow soon.  I was out of town last week and will be again next week, but I'm hoping things will settle down soon and we can return to regularly scheduled programming.  Thanks for hanging around!}

a little inspiration

here are a few things that have been inspiring me lately...
:: shari's spring manifesto series. i know i mentioned it when i posted my own manifesto last week, but it's only gotten better. really. check it out, i can't even pretend to choose a favorite.

:: the cloisters gardener's blog. i think i've only visited the cloisters once, when i was in high school, but i'm thinking i might try to make some time to go again when i'm in new york next week.

:: the wilder quarterly blog. i first came across this beautiful magazine through jen's blog--i may have to treat myself to a subscription, but for now the blog is a beautiful substitute. this post in particular is gorgeous.

:: domestic scientist. this post about her experiments with natural dyes is so inspiring. i really need to try this out this summer.

:: keith haring is one of my all-time favorite artists. he was my first "favorite artist" when i was a kid and i still love his work. i remember thinking that one of my life-long goals was to own an original keith haring piece. when i was a kid. i remember going to someone's house whose son had ripped a keith haring chalk drawing out of a subway station (he was famous for doing work in empty advertising spots in subway stations in new york) and framed it . the corner was even torn from where he ripped it out. i was mesmerized. the keith haring foundation has scanned years of his journals and posted them online here. i'm definitely hoping to see this exhibit in new york next week.

and there you are, a couple of things to keep you busy. what's inspiring you these days? i'd love to know.

in case you haven't noticed, we are back to regular posting over at [tend] for the season. everything is so early, but i of course already feel behind on my garden. i gotta get on that. as i mentioned, i'm going to be in new york next week for some good family and friend time, so posting will be light until i get back.

take care friends. xo

summer manifesto

Even though summer began a few weeks ago, I feel like I'm just starting to find my summer groove.  I can definitely tell that this summer is going to fly by, with our weekends quickly filling up with visitors, events, projects, and a road trip later in August.  Before we know it, Jared will be back in school and summer will be just about over.  


So...I'm making this list so that I can remember some things that I want to do to savor this summer, our first summer in our house!  (You'll notice that I'm carrying over a few things from my spring manifesto- either I didn't get to them, or I just want to keep doing them!).

:: Take some evening bike rides in search of treats (I'm thinking of this spot, and this one too).

:: Swim in at least one new lake (and old ones too).

:: Keep working on my wardrobe challenge (I have made progress and will share soon!).

:: Make lemonade, limeade, and other fun summery beverages (suggestions welcome!).

:: Have a picnic.

:: Sleep outdoors.

:: Be lazy.

:: Eat food straight out of the garden. 

:: Try some new preserving recipes (this weekend I'm doing medicinal honey) and dry as many of my herbs as possible.  

What's on your list for this summer? 


psssst: if you're reading this in a reader click on over to see my new summer header, it's pretty!

a manifesto for summer

In looking back at last year's manifesto, I realized that I didn't do so many of the things I had hoped to. You may recall that Jared ended up spending almost the entire summer in California working, and this really put a damper on my summer as I was not nearly as motivated to get out and do things on my own as I wish I had been. In contrast, this summer has already been a major improvement over last year. But I'm still not feeling like I want to make such concrete goals anymore. Have you all read Andrea's manifesto? No? Well get over there right now and read it. It makes me want to fly. Really, go on. I'll be here when you get back.

Okay, welcome back. Wasn't that amazing? Sometimes I wish I was that good of a writer. But I'm not. Back in the spring, when Jared got a new job, a job that's allowing him to be here this summer, and to have regular, working person hours, and be home at night and on the weekends, and to not be broke, a job that, despite all it's benefits, kind of thwarted some incredibly exciting plans that we had started to make. Back then, I declared this to be the summer o' fun. I think I'm doing a pretty decent job so far.

We're taking walks with the dog. I'm biking almost everyday. We're eating dinner outside. I'm getting my hands dirty in the garden. And am starting to eat the fruits of those hands in the dirt. I'm preserving food for the winter. I'm visiting new parks and exploring the city and going on plant walks. We will watch movies outside in the park. We will go camping and hiking. We will swim in the Ocean (that's right, the Ocean) while on our two trips to Maine, and in the lakes, while at home. We will bike to our friends' houses and just hang out in the backyard with the dogs and some beers. We will research getting a bike trailer for the dog. We will look at houses. We will have quiet nights at home with early dinners and music on the stereo and working on projects.

This summer, I will make a dent in my polaroid stash. I will lay on a blanket in the backyard and read a book. And write letters. Drinking rhubarb soda. Eating raspberries straight off the bush. This summer, we will enjoy the life we have. Because we have it. And that's reason enough to celebrate.

At Highpoint

Here are some more shots that I took when I went to Highpoint a couple of weeks ago (ack! That was almost a month ago, I am so behind!). I wish I had taken more photos, but I guess I was just having so much fun doing the actual printing that I forgot to document it until it was just about time to go. I was really inspired by Abby's photos of Chelsea's studio, and her more recent ones of The Creative Force for Efficiency and Morale. I love the way she captures the essence of other peoples' spaces and I'm trying to do that as well.

Back tomorrow with my Spring Manifesto!

three things i love.

1. corduroy
2. dark purple
3. the tulip skirt

i think i've had this project on my list since immediately after i completed the last tulip skirt.  i knew it would be perfect in corduroy. and boy was i right.  i think i picked up this fine wale dark purple corduroy at joann's or mill end or some place like that a few years ago, and it's been waiting patiently ever since to be turned into a skirt.  which is just what i did over my spring break two weeks ago.  

this pattern (the tulip skirt by jenny gordy from the fall 2008 issue of stitch magazine) was a dream, just like the first time.  a little bit fussy, but in a good way.  i made a couple of careless mistakes that aren't even worth mentioning, and overall it turned out just fine.  before i started this, i checked my post from the first tulip skirt (that's really what this blog is good for!) and remembered that i wanted pockets.  at the time, i thought adding inseam pockets would be so easy.  however, i have since made inseam pockets and although i could have figured them out and added them (and that would have been completely rad) that would have taken this project out of the instant gratification category.  and, to be honest, that's really what i was looking for. 


so there you have it.  garment #1 for spring.  and corduroy to boot (which was a holdover from the fall manifesto, double win!). 

speaking of dresses...

I made one too! I mentioned earlier this summer, in my summer manifesto, that one of my goals for these past few months was to make a dress to wear to my dear friend Marieka's wedding. Well, as some of you may have noticed, this summer kind of got away from me a little bit. I had a bunch of other projects to work on, and the hot weather isn't really the best motivating factor for sewing. I did some research earlier in the summer and found a good pattern. But then I got stumped. I had no idea where to buy fancy fabric, and I didn't really love the idea of ordering it online. Time was running out, and I started to think that I wasn't going to have time to make this dress. I was sort of resolved to just wear something that I already had.

When my parents came to visit and we were taking a little driving tour of St. Paul, we drove right by this fabric store, Treadle Yard Goods on Grand Avenue. I had heard of it, but had never been there. Frankly, I had thought it was a hardware store with some industrial fabric ("yard goods" to me meant, like, yard work. My mom was kind enough to inform me that it's actually an old fashioned term that was commonly used for sewing stores. Duh!). We went in, and I discovered that this was the store I had been waiting for. They had an amazing selection of fabrics, from Japanese imports and Amy Butler, to silk, to organic cottons, and everything you would ever need for making garments. I decided to make the dress after all.

I picked out some silk dupioni, the pattern I had chosen is Simplicity 3867 (view B). I was super nervous about making this, since I really wanted it to actually look nice and not, well, homemade (in the bad sense of the word). I know I've made lots of clothes this past year, and I know that my skills have really improved since that very first skirt I made last spring. But sometimes I let the little details (like zippers) slide, and I'm normally okay with things not being perfect. But for this dress, I really wanted it to be perfect, and professional looking. Plus, I had never sewn with silk and didn't know what to expect. The women at the store were really helpful and reassuring that I would be able to do this. They even made me feel better when I had to go buy another yard after cutting half of the pattern pieces in the wrong direction on the fabric!

I took it slow, sewing the entire dress over three evenings last week. I only made one minor mistake, which is that the zipper doesn't go down as far as it should, but that's not a big deal, and is something I can fix later on if I want to (I can't deal with fixing anything on this dress right now). Otherwise, I think everything came out just perfectly, and I'm really really happy with it. The fit is a bit looser on the top than I would like, so I think if I make it again, I will take the bodice pieces in a little. I would like to make this again, probably just out of a light cotton for a nice sundress. It was very easy and the instructions were really straightforward.

The wedding is next weekend, so I finished in plenty of time. I had lots of visions of me sewing up until leaving for the airport (which I've done before) and I'm really pleased that I don't have to worry about that! I'm super excited to wear this dress, and now I'm scheming up other fancy parties that we'll have to throw or go to just so I can wear it! We're off to Oregon on Wednesday night, so I'll pop in here again before we take off. Happy Sunday, friends!