Archive for August, 2010
Checking out Upcoming Craft Shows
I’m going through some major writer’s cramp lately. Maybe it’s the start of school, maybe it’s me overextending myself, as usual, or maybe it’s Typical-Me expecting to write earth-shattering, life-changing posts all the time. Could be topic overload too. Could be burn-out or fallout from attending the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show. Everywhere I turned, incredible displays were in my face.
Display for Prima Products
Tell you what, I have a backlog including a couple of craft locations and restaurant visits. I just haven’t felt the initial inspirational spark to start writing. Look at that journal I saw from CHA… I’m pretty sure that was a Donna Downey sample. So beautiful. Talk about inspired writing… sheesh.
Before the school year and activities completely swallow me up, and before I get even further behind, I wanted to share these events to anyone interested out there!
- Coming to Chicago in September Renegade Craft Fair
- Also in September, Craft Social. While not a craft show per se, it’s a blast of an evening with make-and-take projects, light eats and lots of friendly faces. Check out the social from last spring.
- Urban Craft Uprising is out in the Pacific Northwest and is taking applications for their Winter show. I visited the Summer show while I was in Seattle.
- Keep a lookout for Indie Jubilee next year… I missed their inaugural show this past summer while I was away.
Tags: craft and hobby association, craft show, craft social, crafts, fun
T-Shirt Quilt in Progress
I’m happy to report, some significant progress has been made on the quilt over the last week. With the quilt taking shape, I was starting to ask myself, why did I start with this project? Couldn’t I have started with a smaller quilt? I suppose my “starter” projects were the craft aprons I made almost two years ago, or the baby blankets I’ve sewn now and again.
Last week, I got over the “still-cutting-fabric” hump, and am piecing the shirts and borders together now. I’ll have to return to the cutting mat later this week (hopefully) for the sashes between the columns. I picked a “coal grey” Kona cotton as the border – good neutral with the rainbow field of colors.
Now I feel like I’m in the “I’m-almost-there” or “Am-I-going-to-get-through-this” stage? (Do a lot of quilters/DIY-ers go through this?) And it’s not like I’m NOT enjoying myself. I actually love the listening to the sewing machine late at night, or when the kids are playing with each other. There’s this peaceful, rhythmic drone, except for when I busted the sewing needle one time because I didn’t take out the pins as I was sewing (which I normally do). It was an awful THUNK sort of sound, but just a small delay changing out the needle and I was up and running again.
It’s just that this project has been in the making for a long time. I’m learning to be patient with myself especially when I have to get friendly with my seam ripper. Thank goodness, it’s only happened three times so far.
Summer Reading
I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve read books that don’t rhyme every other sentence. I mean, I do read from time to time, but mostly it’s with the kids. And then there’s my long relationship with craft books and other DIY manuals, but not a lot of fiction. Abby is an avid reader (we are so proud of her), and right now she loves mysteries. She would rather read than play soccer, I think.
Ollie on the other hand is still in the picture book stage, and once in a while we borrow graphic novels from the library (think comic book) like Teen Titans or Iron Man, to satisfy his superhero cravings.
So, the last two summers I signed up for the reading club at our local library. If the kids signed up, why shouldn’t I? It definitely forced me to pick up books I normally wouldn’t even give a second thought, and in one case, I was introduced to a historical fiction/mystery series that I’ve come to enjoy. Unfortunately, since I’ve only read them during the summer months, my husband pointed out that it may take me sixteen more years to finish (eighteen books in the series – I’ve read 2).
Here are some favorites:
Food Books for Kids
picture from taliajenea.blogspot.com
Food for Thought: The Complete Book of Concepts for Growing Minds (Elffers & Freymann) * The pictures are clever, creative and well done! Makes you want to take a closer look in the produce section.
picture from www.jamakimrattigan.com
Dumpling Soup ( Jama Kim Rattigan) * In this book, the family celebrating New Year’s with dumplings and relatives is so much like our our family. If you go to the author’s site, you’ll find a recipe!
By Amy Wilson Sanger: Yum, Yum, Dim Sum (board book) and First Book of Sushi and Let’s Nosh * I love the colorful collage images
Mom’s Historical Fiction Picks
Picture from www.ameliapeabody.com
The Ape who Guards the Balance by Elizabeth Peters (The Amelia Peabody Series) * A slow start for my second book by this author, but I’ve grown fond of the characters. I really should start with the first book next time. Set in 1900s Egypt, follow the Emerson family through archaeological exploration, mystery and murder.
Picture from www.ameliapeabody.com
The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters (The Amelia Peabody Series) * My first Amelia Peabody book, but number eight in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between protagonist, Amelia Peabody, and her archaeologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson. In 1900, The Emerson family gets caught up with a mysterious criminal to find a lost queen’s tomb in Egypt.
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan * Take a (fictional-with-a-bit-of-fact) look into the life of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, his choices, and relationship with Mameh Cheney. I’ve studied FLW’s work and biography, so I knew how the story ended. And even then let’s just say, without spoiling it too much, I had a slightly difficult time getting through the tragic ending.
Anyone out there have favorite summer reads from this year to share?
Did I Hear My Kids Singing?
Alright, my kids really don’t perform in front of people. With the older one, it’s definitely not her style, she doesn’t enjoy it (she’s quite talented when it comes to drawing, though). I still have a chance for a fine arts performer with the little one… maybe. But the other day, my husband and I were sitting at the dining room table and all of a sudden we heard Ollie’s little voice singing to the tune of Smash Mouth’s “All Star”:
Somebody once told me the world’s a macaroni/so i took a bite out of a tree
It tasted kinda funny so I spitted out a bunny/and the bunny started pooping on me
Apparently, it was his older sister’s creation and she lovingly taught it to him. Precious. I can only imagine what I have to look forward to as their music tastes develop.
Unrelated updates
- Some of my recent article postings at Craft Critique can be found here and at this search results page.
- I’ve finally restarted my t-shirt quilt and am happy to report it’s shaping up nicely. Pictures soon!
- The garden has survived the crazy 90+ degree weather we’ve been having. We’ve even had a few tomatoes. Unfortunately, I haven’t put as much time into the garden as I would like because of the heat, rain and vicious mosquitoes. (Sounds like we live in the tropics or something.)
- Lastly, the compost barrel is working out nicely, but I’m afraid to look inside it. I just open the hatch, dump my scraps, latch it back up and run.
- School starts next week for my daughter!
Tags: kids, music, singing, Smash Mouth, summer
Visiting Valhalla Coffee in Tacoma
- Valhalla Coffee booth
We made a new friend at Tacoma’s farmer’s market, Valhalla Coffee. This is Sam trying to educate us on the finer points of the Valhalla blends. He did his job, because we really wanted to visit this independent roaster.
It would seem the thing to do… to drink coffee, at a coffee house, in or around Seattle. How pedestrian. But not really, it’s Tacoma’s only independent roaster who roasts five days out of the week on location at 6th and Proctor. You walk into coffee saturated air, it’s intoxicating. Store decor is minimal, but you only need somewhere to sit to enjoy the freshest cup of coffee. And, their prices are comparable to the big corporate store that started it all. When we were there in the mid-afternoon, the store was peaceful with a few customers checking up on their e-mail and reading the paper.
Store owner, AJ, was on hand that day to chat and brew some Valkyrie Blend: Ethiopian, Sumatra and French Roast. The French press was perfect and piping hot.
We asked AJ for some coffee to bring home… and he blended it right there on the spot. Could it get any fresher than that? There’s no pre-packaging, no pre-blending, no foolin’ around here. This guy runs a top-notch coffee spot that, well, serves a great cup o’ joe without all the merchandise distractions.
Bringing Coffee Home
If you’re into coffee, a 1/2 pound of Valkyrie Blend instead of a lavender sachet in your suitcase does wonders. My suitcase (and clothes in it) smelled so good when I opened it… *reminiscing and inhaling deeply now*. Somehow, I think that this novelty has probably worn off for baristas and employees at Starbucks. Speaking of Starbucks, when we got home, I said to my husband, we need to have Coffee Friend over for a tasting. I’ve known Coffee Friend for 25 years, and certainly he’s one of my best friends since before high school. He has a great palate and a knack for verbalizing it, and he works for the big corporate coffee shop. We don’t hold that against him. As for the unimaginative moniker, he’s okay with it. I asked.
The last time we had a coffee tasting with Coffee Friend, we had some really bad jitters and my husband, oy, he felt all buzzy-headed for a few hours. We took precautions this time: only one brew, not three. We opened the bag of Valhalla Valkyrie to smell the sweet, dark roasted beans, and got the French Press out. Personally, I loved the symphony of fruity and spicy flavors.
From my notes, here’s what Coffee Friend had to say: The Ethiopian component was delicate, but hard to taste with the dark, strong flavor of the Espresso French Roast. At the first sip, when it’s piping hot, you can taste the fruit. It also has a bright floral acidity. Then comes the earthiness and spice from the Sumatra. As it cools down, you get the maltiness. Overall, the blend has very nice layers of flavor.
Here’s what my husband said: “I just know I like it.”
Thanks, AJ and Valhalla Coffee crew! My brother-in-law got us some more of your awesome roasts! Can’t wait to brew a cup!
Tags: coffee, coffee blend, coffee break, espresso, independent business, vacation, Valhalla Coffee
