Swirling Tree

Valentines

2012-01-08T13:45:00.003-06:00

Christmas is lovely and now we've already moved on to Valentine's Day!

I think all of the un-decking of the halls leaves the home a little blah, so we need to throw some hearts up for a little color.

Hint, hint.

I made a felted wool heart mobile for my mom for Christmas (hearts aren't only for Valentine's Day, of course) and everyone loved it so I made a few more for my shop. The hearts are sewn from felted wool sweaters. The various textures really make the mobiles lovely. My mom hung her mobile in between her living room and sunroom, and I have one hung against a wall. I think they would be lovely in a nursery, too.

I hope to make more woolen items, but it is getting hard to find wool things in the thrift stores. I need to make a trip to "THE CITIES" (the all caps and quotes are for fans of The Church Basement Ladies) and look in the big huge thrift stores.

Final bit of business: I was the lucky recipient of a NEW sewing machine from my in-laws (a Janome) which zipped right through my super bulky wool. I'm also using it to sew cute little fabric hearts onto pretty chocolate brown paper for valentines, also available in ye old shoppe.

Perhaps I will use this machine for some more "regular" type sewing, too. :)

New Leather

2011-11-29T09:00:00.002-06:00

The cyber world has officially taken over the Monday after Thanksgiving. I am thankful for all of my sales yesterday. Giving a 25% off discount really works. Awesome!

After packaging up my orders late last night I finished 4 new leather journals. These have been sitting in my studio nearly finished for a few weeks as I waited for metal eyelets to arrive in the mail. I am adjusting to living in the country after living in St. Paul for a few years - there were so many art supplies stores within minutes before and now I need to plan ahead for a trip to the city or else figure out a way to get things online. I found these great metal eyelets in an Etsy shop. Did you know that Etsy has an entire category of art and craft supplies? It's a great way to find unique supplies as well as tried-and-true items.

Cyber Monday

2011-11-27T21:05:00.005-06:00

SALE SALE SALE!

Save 25% in my shop on Cyber Monday when you use coupon code "cyber25" at the checkout!

WOOOOOOWEEEE!

This was the view outside our patio door Friday morning. It's not exactly the red and green holiday colors you associate with this time of year but they certainly were intense. The lake was glowing pink.

We enjoyed our "Black Friday" at home eating swedish pancakes, playing and working outside, organizing the barn, and feeling cozy inside our house with the early nightfall. It was great. No crowds around these parts.

Hopefully everyone participated in "Small Business Saturday" by supporting a favorite small business. It is wonderful to support local small businesses, but also those of us found on the web :). Etsy is great place for holiday shopping, so take some time to browse on "Cyber Monday."

I decided to offer a pretty drastic discount on Monday. I have about 20 new brag books in my shop and quite a few hardcover albums and journals.

Happy Shopping!

Show!

2011-09-22T11:39:00.003-05:00

What? Work? Me?

Well, not really. I am just getting things ready for an art show at Levandowski Pottery in October. To my amazement, there were over 30 necklaces in my stash that I had yet to photograph. Huh, I guess I forgot with the new little one around. I will have brag books, albums, and journals there as well. I'm running short on leather journals but will try to make more before Christmas.

I recently cleaned up my studio a bit. Since I haven't been using it much I moved my work table into the kitchen as an island. Basically, I do all of my creative work in the kitchen now - cooking that is. I am using our old August Earth sign as my work table now. So aesthetically pleasant.

I am much more motivated to spend time in my studio now that things are out of boxes. I have collage on my mind, so hopefully this winter I have time to tinker with all of my mixed mediums that I've been collecting over the last 12 years. I want to start with some wall art for over our couch. Right now there is a painting I made in 10th grade in that spot. Yikes. I keep stashing it in the basement but it ends up back on the wall. The husband likes it. It's a tree in front of a pink and purple sunset. It is just so...pink and purple.

Bee in the Buckwheat

2011-09-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

Ivy!

2011-08-21T18:45:00.005-05:00

Ivy is two weeks old today! She is doing well and she's ready for her blog debut. Here are some highlights of her life:

Her last hours in the womb. Yes, I am in labor here. Obviously I'm between contractions.

And she's out:
Visit from GG:
Tiny hand:
Eyes!
FGH finally held her after she was home for a week:
Well, the baby awakens. More later.

New Website

2011-08-07T11:40:00.003-05:00

I have again started a new website/blog. I feel weird posting all this farm stuff on my "art" blog, so I've set up an August Earth website again. Check it out! I have a handful of posts on the blog, some farm photos, and a ton of recipes from our old CSA newsletters and some others I've discovered since then.

I DO plan on making art still. It's just so wonderful to be working outside again. It being Minnesota and all I know that winter will come and it will be long, and my little art studio room will beckon me. Plus, I just signed up for an art show for the late fall which is a motivating factor to get some work made.

No baby yet. I'm due. I don't want to think about it. It will happen eventually.

Oh, the above photo captures the 3 acres of buckwheat that is just starting to flower in our field. It's so pretty. I blogged about it.

Happy August!

Blubarb Pie

2011-07-15T21:29:00.003-05:00

We made a pie today! This is a feat, something I have not tried yet as a gluten-free citizen. We used a mix. It worked pretty well and tasted super - 5 tablespoons each of butter and earth balance margarine. It's blubarb. FGH enjoyed it immensely. Actually, none of us really wanted to eat supper because we knew pie was coming. I think the crust might have covered a little better if we used something besides a play-doh rolling pin.

Growing

2011-07-12T15:55:00.005-05:00

Things really like to grow here! It is quite a joy to walk around our little farm and see things thriving. I can't say we've really put in that many hours of labor, either. We've used some older-than-the-hills seeds (5 years old in some cases) so even when things germinate I've been excited. Hurray for low standards! That's some napa above, with a lone green cabbage plant and some Red Russian kale.

I have two gardens growing, one up by the house where the previous owner had a garden and a plot in the corner of our 3 acre tilled area that was in corn/soybeans in years past.

This is the plot by the house, any bare area you see is where I am expanding for next year. We just planted buckwheat in these areas to act as a ground cover and to add fertility. I wanted to avoid planting in sod. My vision is to make this into a large asparagus and raspberry patch. We got quite a bit of asparagus out of the existing row that has just in the past week gone into the huge healthy fern stage.

I started tomato plants in St. Paul, and my in-laws had some extra plants, so I now have over 40 tomato plants growing here. I might have to take some trips to the farmers' market this fall to get rid of some of them, as they all look awesome, even the pathetic 2" plants I transplanted are a good 3 feet tall already and full of blooms and little green fruits.

We've been eating basil like crazy. And the purslane. Wow, can't eat all of that. Purslane is a "weed" that is super tasty and high in omega-3s. It also looks prehistoric, which is fun.

The other garden plot has been put mostly into buckwheat but we saved this corner for some personal vegetables. We've had some pressure from cucumber beetles - oh how I hate them - and also deer, but I think we've gotten past the point of no return and will end up with some bounty. I think our first zucchini will be ready to harvest tomorrow and we're going to have buckets of green beans in no time. And beets. We had a lot of beet seed.

A rogue red lettuce seed made it into the green beans. Sneaky fellow.

Orange day lilies are everywhere right now. I look out any window and see them so I feel I need to coordinate my paint colors and fabric choices.
Ahhhh, blue skies after a day of rain.

This is our chicken coop, the old milk house attached to the barn. We've let the chicks out for a 1/2 hour or so, but we're worried the dog and cats will bother them, so I suppose we'll have to build a fence. Wonk wonk wonk....
Green!!!

Chest Adornment

2011-06-27T14:42:00.004-05:00

For about a year I've been tinkering with the idea of necklaces. Well, the broader idea is to branch out from book arts while still holding on to the fundamental skills I've acquired while making all of the hundreds of books I've made in the past few years. I've done some collage items (still to be extensively tweaked before a reveal), and I've done some things that fall under the category of jewelry. Some necklaces have finally made there way into my shop and I've officially settled into a production routine for making more. To me, this is the most fun part of Swirling Tree, the moment when I am happy with something and ready to go into production mode.

Some of these new pieces are pendants, some are mini (and I mean teeny tiny) leather journals and some are miniature versions of my brag books (like a locket).

All of the new jewelry items in my shop are pretty affordable, everything is under $30 and some just $12. Eventually I plan on making some a little more high-end with fancier jewelry hardware, etc. But hey, who doesn't like a good deal on a clever casual necklace?

Crappie

2011-06-23T11:46:00.000-05:00

Freddy caught a crappie!

Local Frittata

2011-06-18T07:54:00.003-05:00

We have eggs up the wazoo right now. Our chicks aren't producing yet (October), but we've found some local sources so I loaded up.

There's a (non certified) organic farm very close to us, Windjammer Farm where I bought a few dozen. These were added to the two Larry Schultz cartons of eggs that I actually found at Cash Wise. My MIL brought me some "Fertile Eggs," from Fertile, MN then Freddy and I visited the Mankato Farmers' Market on Thursday (which seems like a decent market). I bought some eggs and frozen OG chickens as well as some produce -like a quart of homegrown strawberries for only $4! It was a good trip. In general, I'm still in the exploring stage of moving and, so far, that is really focused around food sources. I still need to make it to the new St. Peter Food Co-op. Maybe today if it rains.

I'm considering selling some produce next year at the Mankato Farmers' Market, so I talked it up a bit with the vendors there. It has been a tough spring for growers which makes me want to put up some high tunnels and do things with a little more control over the elements. I'm still deciding what it is I'm going to plant next year. I'm going to see how things grow here, and so far, everything is coming along wonderfully in my garden plots. That said, there is plenty of time for disasters to arise this growing season. Weather and bugs being the most feared culprits. And deer.

In the meantime I'm enjoying my food searching. Suddenly, I found myself eating an almost 100% local frittata for lunch yesterday which must mean the season is moving along. Eggs from Windjammer, asparagus and steamed nettles from here, green onions from the farmers' market, and cheese from Wisconsin. Not bad! If only I had used some local butter instead of olive oil.

Aside from frittatas we are eating eggs as swedish pancakes, egg tortilla wraps, and egg salad in addition to our scrambled dishes for breakfasts. We will have them taken care of in no time.

Farm Fun

2011-06-15T10:02:00.004-05:00

Our new kubota tractor! It is awesome. We went for a brand new diesel compact tractor with a 60" deck, huge snow blower attachment, and a cultivator (not a tiller). I don't know who is the biggest fan around here. My mom says it is the the "Cadillac of mowers."
Madi and Freddy at the Lake Hanska beach, about 1 mile from our house. We can walk there through the woods.
Gma Margie from Anguilla visited this week with her sister Vinette, Peter's parents and sister, our nephew Aksel, and Vinette's son Lyle. It was a little chilly compared to the Caribbean but it was a fun visit.
Roz and Aksel looking down at the paddle boaters about to shove off.

Hot Baking

2011-06-07T16:20:00.002-05:00

I would like to bake my favorite cake but I'm wondering if it's strange to turn on the oven when it is 100 degrees outside. I might wait for the morning when the temp will be down 30 or so points.

The only reason I'm even considering baking is because we have central air for the first time ever. When we started farm shopping almost a year ago Peter was choosing listings that were extreme fixer-uppers, and I told him I wanted a house a little more...fixed already.

"Like what?" He asked

"Central air would be nice." I replied.

"Central air? How much is central air? How do you install central air???" He exclaimed, not realizing that it's not THAT big of a deal. But today it does feel like a big deal, because when I open the door it feels like a giant hair dryer is blowing across the county. Oh, those poor little plants trying to survive out there!

So, the cake I want to make is this one. Again. It's my favorite and so easy to substitute for gluten free. I'm thinking I will pair it with a tart rhubarb sauce and some fresh whipped cream tomorrow for a visit from my Mom (happy belated birthday!) and Grandma. I'm anxious for visitors...feeling like we're in the boondocks a little bit after living in the big city. Hint hint to anyone reading this post that wants to come visit us!

Naked Root Beer Break

2011-06-04T16:43:00.005-05:00

We are officially back into the good old fashioned farm fun business!

We are able to catch our breath this beautiful Saturday afternoon thanks to all of the folks who helped us move and start some home improvement projects during the past two weeks.

Thanks, people!

We've torn out carpet, sanded floors, removed wallpaper, taken down paneling and even a wall. There are new chicks peeping in the barn. We've been harvesting rhubarb, nettles, and asparagus. There is a garden plot with new raspberry bushes, chard, kale, basil, herbs, and tomatoes. There's another garden plot with squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchini, and melons. We have plans to invest in a tractor on Monday. My studio is again up and running, and Peter is studying away for the bar exam. Phew.

We are hungry and tired and ready for the next thing.

I can see why you're supposed to keep your stress levels down during pregnancy. I have been worn out nearly every day during the past month so I'm hoping things soon get, well, boring. Decisions like which lawn mower to buy are enough to send me over the edge. It's frustrating to "take it easy" when there is so much to do. But wow, even an hour of planting or weeding and I am shot. Freddy and I have been taking lots of breaks, though I haven't had a naked root beer break yet.

Chicks!

Runnings, our local farm store, won't have chicks for that much longer so we decided to just jump right in and buy 12 last weekend. Inside our milk house there are four each of Barred Rock, Aracauna, and Production Red chickens running around in Fredrik's kiddy pool. The plan is to get a coop built (by sectioning off part of the milk house with a little chicken door to the outdoors) this weeked (or next it is seeming).

Freddy wasn't 100% about the chicks. Their feet were too "pokey."

Tom's Thumbs

2011-04-20T08:13:00.004-05:00

A million months ago I drew some drawings for Mike Van Auken from Forest City, IA. They are now printed in a children's book called , "Tom's Thumbs."

It was a fun and challenging project. The biggest challenge for me was finding the time to get into the creative zone. I'm racing around here with a mile-long to-do list every day, sometimes I have 7 0r 8 subcategories of ideas and tasks scrawled into my journal. It's absurd, but things do eventually get finished.

The Tom's Thumbs drawings were eventually in the "done" category and then it was just finding the best file formats for blurb.com. Mike used Blurb to publish the book which are for sale at blurb, or contact me and I can hook you up with a 7"x7" paperback copy for $15.

You can page through the digital version of the book here. (Click on preview the book).

HOUSE NEWS!

We are officially still buying a farm on a lake. We have been jumping through hoops since we are using the USDA Rural Development program for our financing. What a surprise that getting a federal loan for real estate would be so hard! Things are set for May 20th. We're going to work on a few projects for a week then move on the 27th. That seems like a long time to me, which is ridiculous, I know. I should be packing but I still have some work to do in my studio. But really, after that I need to start packing boxes. REALLY.

We're also killing some "extra" time by starting some seeds for our big vegetable garden at the farm.

Here's my helper with some of our seeds. We reused some produce clamshells from the co-op since we're doing smallish amounts of things. They look nice. Real nice. T'would be nice to get them outside when the snow stops. Groan.

Lastly, a photo by Fredrik. He also took a picture of his sister, which was a very flashy picture of my shirt that looked like white light, so it didn't make it to the world wide web.

Commissions

2011-03-26T21:32:00.004-05:00

I've had a few commissions lately that resulted in some very interesting books. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, commissions are really fun. I love working with other people's visions. It's challenging and I always learn a thing or two.

"P" Book: 10x12 coptic bound with collaged P.

Wish Book for the Clay Coyote Gallery: I used a screw posts for this one, so the pages will be refillable. It's a new binding style. It worked well and I well use it again. The pages are lettered in the upper corner. I used "carbon" paper with the Papyrus font (there logo uses that font) and prismacolor pencils.

5x7 Wedding Album: A sweet little guest book for a wedding. I used watercolor pencils for the names on the first page.

10x12 Swirl and Star Album: This one was sent off this morning. It was a fun project. I love the heft of the 10x12 books, I use two boards for each cover. Thanks, customers!

March is Lame and Food is Good

2011-03-23T20:24:00.004-05:00

March is the worst month of the year.

It's so long.

It plays with your emotions.

The warmish thaws, the jubilation of going on a long leisure walk outside without a winter coat, all that squashed, the next day, with a big dump of snow.

Depression and hibernation, welcome back.

Usually Peter starts to beg about moving somewhere warmer in January, I can hold out until March and then I'm the one checking the forecast in, say, Mexico. But really, I would be happy if I could just spend Jan-March there.

That's all.

Then we can move back to good ol' Lake Wobegon.

This was just on Saturday!!!

I refused to leave the house today, so Fredrik and I cooked and baked and painted and colored and puzzled and read and on and on, so many things. It may seem obvious and cliche, but I've recently discovered the creative satisfaction I get from cooking. As days go by and I don't have time or energy to work in my studio I start to feel a little dreary. I then find myself spending more time in the kitchen, and even feel a little upbeat. Even with this weather a pleasant mood came about.

Today we made a yellow cake. Now, I know it's going to sound really pathetic having just talked about how creative I am in the kitchen, but I've had this gluten free Betty Crocker cake mix in my cupboard for over a year and I wasn't about to head out to the grocery store to get any ingredients - and I'm already thinking about depleting our food reserves since we'll be moving in less than 2 months- so that's what we made. Plus, I AM baking with a 3 year old.

The cake turned out fine. A little sawdusty, but still reminiscent of "real" box cake mixes (if I can remember correctly back to the last funeral I attended when I was still eating gluten). I think it was all the vanilla. But, despite the lack of great flavor, it had a good texture, and that's a feat with GF.

I knew the boxed yellow cake would have to be saved by frosting, and we only have this supposedly healthy sugar in the house (turbinado I think) which seemed not very likely to work. Doesn't one usually use powdered sugar for frosting? I thought about pulverizing the sugar in the cusinart, but didn't want to go to such a length for frosting. Also, we were almost out of butter thanks to the full stick in the cake.

So, I heated a double boiler, added about 3/4 cup chocolate chips, a few scoops of peanut butter, and a little whole milk. It was good, actually. And quick. Fredrik helped spread (eat) it and it tasted like melted peanut butter cups. We ate the cake later with banana slices which was really really tasty.

For lunch we had another "creative" adventure. Chicken and Rice. Seriously, I'm so darned creative. My little sister was telling me how she makes chicken and rice regularly and I thought, hmmm, I've never made that. I don't know how you are supposed to make it, but I just did it, and it was good and FGH ate it like it was the finest meal ever served in this house (besides raw cake batter).

I did it all on the stove top in my beautiful Cazuela pot from the Clay Coyote, which, may I say was a huge splurge that I do not regret at all. It's pottery for the stove top, hello! It just makes food taste better. Especially things like chicken and rice. I mean, really, cooking in metal or glass? Try artisnal flameware pottery.

I'm guessing most chicken and rice recipes ask for some sort of canned soup. I used vegetable boullion instead. And brown rice. I'm not a stickler for brown rice, but it was good here. I threw in some chopped onions and celery and dried herbs, than 4 chicken breasts and later, with about 15 minutes to go, I topped it all with broccoli. Last time I made it I covered it with carrot sticks. I think we will get four meals out of this and it was one pot, pretty much no mess at all.

Farm to City to Farm (and Lake)

2011-03-12T21:03:00.002-06:00

It's official!

We are moving back to the country.

In two months we'll be packing up for farm living outside of Hanska, MN, just 14 miles south of New Ulm. The past two weeks have been a blur of driving, researching, planning, strategizing, budgeting, and stressing. This is Peter and my third real estate purchase in our 9 years together, and I think we fretted the most about this one. Getting older makes you wiser and more of a worrier, I guess.

So, yeah.

This summer we'll be:

1. Moving to a new community

2. Starting a new job (Peter)

3. Planning a new farm business

4. Having a Baby

5. Living without any income for 3 months

This new place is just gorgeous, 10 acres on a lake! The house is 115 years old, but it's been updated (to a point). There is plenty of room for home improvement projects, but nothing major. I'm thinking a few coats of paint, a few less layers of wallpaper, and removal of (cat) hairy carpet will make everything just dandy.

As for the outdoors, I'm going to get organic certification started (there is a 3 year transition period), some perennials in the ground, and some chickens in the barn. But that's it. Well, a big garden for ourselves. But really, we'll have too much going on to do more. But it would be nice to put up a hoop house. Oh, lord.

New Listings and French Country Kitchens

2011-02-03T15:23:00.006-06:00

At last I have put a few more things into my shop! Aye!

Nothing too exciting, some brag books -which I had said I would make no more of, yes, but they are so highly sought after that I had to churn some out. Though I probably won't become a millionaire (please read that word like Regis used to say it) they are quite enjoyable to make. The sewing aspect actually gets my sewing machine out, which I love, and it continues to sit out since I have a creative urge to work on other projects big and small (ADD?).

I also have a couple more leather book keychains in my shop which would make a good little valentine gift.

In may spare time I have been house hunting with Peter. We have looked at quite a few farmhouses between New Ulm and St. Peter. All of them are very different making this project super frustrating and exhausting. It seems farmsteads can go many ways.

1. They can remain somewhat close to how they began, a humble home with a big kitchen and really thin windows.

2. They can get torn down by a tornado and a new efficient (and expensive) home will be set in it's place.

3. They can be remodeled so many times that you don't know what the heck is going on anymore. Some homes are houses added to other houses.

They're all different distances from nearby towns which makes them even harder to compare.

So, I have been focusing mostly on the land since I hope to once again make some money growing things from the ground. One place has the most darling chicken coop which immediately makes me want to move in. Fredrik needs to be chasing chickens.

Some of the homes, the ones in the categories not involving a tornado, are a bit of blank slate as far as decorating which jars my brain out of living-in-a-rental mode and into obsessively looking at "French Country" websites.

I was very happy to today figure out that "French Country" is my home decor style of choice (I have a category!). It took many looks at Ikea, Home Depot, and other such sites before I figured out French Country. I just don't love modern and modern just looks strange in an old farmhouse, I think. Plus, the few pieces of furniture we now have (thanks, mom!) will fit right into this genre.

I'm really jumping the gun by researching flooring and heating systems, but, I figured the time will soon be upon us when these decisions will be necessary and I will try not to be overwhelmed. Plus, it's fun.

Flooring! I looked through all these options on the home depot site, just to realize that anything I like is about $7/sq. foot. Yikes. Then I was brought back to our home in Superior where we stripped the floor down, layer by layer, staple by freaking staple, and it was a lovely wood floor. Better yet, I LOVE the painted floor look so this is what I will opt for if the opportunity arrises. Though French Country floors are usually stone or tile, I can't afford that, and painted wood is also very popular with furniture, so why not floors?

Example from this Design Sponge before and after:

I would live here, yes. I love the ceiling, and chandelier, and fireplace, and the table, though I would probably opt for an island since it's a good height for...cooking.

And here for sure. Pots must hang. Plants, wood, wine...

and here (in Provence) with the herbs and dried things, thick butcher block, bottles upon bottles of oils and vinegars, and that wood under the island - is that liming? I always like that.

French Country decorating philosophy requires the kitchen to be as big as possible, since life revolves around cooking and eating, and you are either cooking, eating, or sitting in the kitchen trying to be close to the action of someone else's cooking. Cooking pots, pottery, ingredients, etc. are also in plain view most of the time, for ease of use. And, to show off your fancy stuff. Agreeable!

Good Gravy

2011-01-13T10:31:00.003-06:00

Every time I open up my computer I stare at my blog, and if I have to look at that photo of Santa for another week I think I might go crazy. Is that a good enough reason to type a paragraph or two? No. But here goes. Out with 2010 already.

January is the new year and my birthday month, so even when I try to belittle the marker of the changing calendar year and be somewhat against the notion of making resolutions I still seem to always have a bit of a reflective and planning-ahead-for-the-future type of month.

I had an exciting and prosperous year with Swirling Tree. I created a lot of work and I don't have much left in my inventory. I had some good shows in the summer, fall, and winter, including an impromptu little event in the Mpls skyway in December which was a lot of fun.

Etsy was busy and I'm thankful for all of my customers.

Good stuff.

I'm taking a little breather now, mostly since I don't really have the time and energy to work. I am playing around with some new (non-book form) work and I'm trying out some other techniques but my stress level has gone down to about a zero so I would have to say I'm not super motivated. I'm spending more time cleaning the house and trying to reorganize all of our stuff. Where did all come from? This house is so small!

Above that we're house hunting and I'm toying with some farm-type endeavors for after we move back to rural America. I'm planning on attending the MOSES conference in February, a great place for farmer types to learn new things and congregate. More on the farm ideas later. They aren't even quite half-baked yet, more like an eighth baked.

House hunting is miserable. I'm guessing many more listings will be coming about as we near spring, but if anyone has a 10 acre or so parcel of land with a decent home on it let me know!

Santa.

2010-12-07T16:06:00.004-06:00

Fredrik met Santa at the Forest City Stockade Pioneer Christmas and it was pretty reminiscent of last year's visit, but this time he shouted " 'Lectric A-tar!" This is what he wants for Christmas, and boy, he really really wants it. I'm a little nervous that he isn't going to like any of his other gifts until he gets this one, but he has to wait for Santa to bring it... We've been trying to use the whole "making a list and checking it twice" when he is misbehaving but he just gets really hyped up about Santa. The other day I sat with him while he tried (for over an hour) to fall asleep and asked him what was wrong. He told me that he was too excited about Santa and presents to sleep. I think that was on Dec. 2nd. This poor kid isn't going to get any sleep during Christmas week. AND, I'm getting pretty tired of talking about Santa.

On Thanksgiving Day my aunt set the stage for lefse making AND gluten free lefse making. Here's my big sister Amy rolling some of it. It went ok. I really didn't do a great job with the recipe. I forgot my potato ricer (which has play-dough stuck in it) and then misread the part about chilling the mixture before adding the TWO CUPS of heavy cream. Still, it rolled out well. Transferring it to the griddle was a challenge, without gluten it just broke where it hung from the lefse stick. Still, we came out with a pile of decent looking pieces. The texture was pretty doughy. It was like flattened dough that was warmed on the outsides. Even with butter and sugar it tasted pretty weird. Then, it seemed to congeal back into a ball of dough in my stomach. I thought it might be better after it chilled, but, alas, it became the merry treat of some dogs that snuck into the box where it was being stored in my in-laws chilly garage. Oh well, maybe I'll try it again in the coming weeks.
Next on the list, macaroons. I used this recipe from Martha. Apparently they are called Fraser Bells, as real macaroon are those little egg-white fluffed meringue sandwich cookies. I like these. I don't know if I used this method last year, but sweetened condensed milk certainly made this recipe easy and tasty. Freddy helped, he made some mini cookies and thought of adding sprinkles. He loves sprinkles.
Thirdly, we tried toffee. Here Peter is the designated stirrer. I didn't have a candy thermometer, but Target had this deep-fat-fryer/candy thermometer that I decided would be pretty necessary in making candy. It burned a little because of the spot under the (very large) thermometer not really allowing stirring to occur right there. The slightly burned flavor is delicious, as are the almonds, chocolate chips, and pecans. This treat is hiding in the basement in a sealed tupperware. The caramel/toffee mixture was not adequate in volume to cover the pan, so I think I will do a 1 1/2 batch next time.

We get our tree soon which is exciting and space-consuming.

Also, I have decided to run a last minute pre-holiday sale. Well, it will probably be going on post-holiday as well. With coupon code "swirling2010" you will get 10% off your order! Yay! I will do another post about it later since this is at the end of a very wordy post. I have done some etsy shopping of my own and am excited to wrap up all the goodies being delivered to my door.

MEGA SALE

2010-11-23T13:50:00.003-06:00

FREE SHIPPING on all items this Black Friday-Cyber Monday.

That's the 26th-29th.

I hope to get all of my work into my shop by then, but these next few days are jam-packed with the holiday rush at the co-op, pretending to be a woman involved in a Porsche lawsuit for a mock trial, lots of driving in bad weather, holiday prepping...and of course, Thanksgiving.

I really couldn't fit much more into this week, so I think I will just keep moving forward and hope for the best! No worries!

Treasury

2010-11-19T20:30:00.002-06:00

I just figured out how to include a tiny version of an etsy treasury in my blog. If you have not used the etsy treasury function yet, you can try it here. It's a little hard to just browse etsy sometimes. When you are shopping in a real-life store it's fun to just saunter around, but etsy is just so big and it's hard to think of keywords for searches all the time. Treasuries are made my etsy users. I was lucky to be included in this fun treasury today (you can click on any item to bring you to Etsy):

'future is' by RedBracelet

dark

La Nube Necklace TheAngryWeathe... $55.00	Vintage Porcelain O... uncommonvintag... $16.00	Trick or Treat // R... SpectacularStu... $1.50	Rich Brown Woven Ba... nowvintage $12.00
Pewter Hammered Chu... LTCreatesJewel... $29.00	Autumn Flowers skir... twirlaway $14.00	Romantic OOAK beaut... artefyk $39.00	Neckwarmer fingerl... Ayca $98.00
JERSEY SCARF - Scre... sweetharvey $25.00	Happily Ever After ... Doodlage $25.00	White gold spinner ... tinahdee $820.00	Floral Multicolor B... SchickiMickis $38.00
Repurposed Leather ... swirlingtree $	Small Silkscreened ... ladylotus $22.00	design handmade dou... onlyforu $	Maine road map--ori... saraheshaw06 $35.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Snow!

2010-11-16T11:22:00.003-06:00

What a pile of snow. Sheesh. It was late this year, but it still shocked all of us weathered Minnesotans. I have to admit, I felt a little trapped and even made a slushy trip to the closest grocery store to get some provisions - as if we didn't have enough food in our house to get through 24 hours. The weather just left me feeling a little murky. I blame the darkness for that, too. No wonder we get into the holiday spirit so early around here, we need some bright lights and merry-making to pull us through. I mean, the snowman photo was taken in the middle of the day and it's pretty dim out there. The endless weather talk on the radio told me that November is the dreariest month. SO, after Christmas we have the bitter cold, yet cheerfully sunny, month of January to look forward to. Until then, it's eggnog time. Wahoo!

And shopping time, too!

The sale at the Skating Center went well despite the weather. First it was TOO warm and then it was TOO snowy (according to the buzz at the show), but really, there were big crowds almost every day and my load was much lighter when I packed up my goods on Sunday.

Still, I really produced a lot of books in the past few months and I spent two hours this morning taking photographs for Etsy. I will be adding an item or three every day for the next few weeks so keep checking by, y'all!

I have some journals to add, and many albums of many sizes. I also made some leather book keychains. And more brag books, which I'm thinking I will soon be done with. I have made hundreds of them and I think that is plenty.

A Darn Nice Squash

2010-11-14T20:09:00.007-06:00

So, there I was working at my Co-op job a month or so ago, helping one of my favorite local growers, Wheatfield Hill Organics, unload a mound of pumpkins. Among the pumpkins was this beauty of a squash that I at once swiped. The farmer told me it was a Long Island Cheese Wheel squash but I think it may have been a Muscade de Provence - both varieties I have admired in the Seed Savers catalog in the past and I was very excited to try one. Weighing in at 17 pounds it was HUGE and I couldn't wait to get it home as a lovely object d'art. As you can see by the picture it was quite sizeable:

Last week it started to seep sugar around the stem. It was time to cook it.

It was super orange inside, and oh so full of flesh. It took about 2 hours to bake the pieces and they barely all fit into my oven. It yielded 23 cups of sweet sweet puree. That's almost enough for 12 pies.

It was a bit stringy but the cusinart took care of that. I froze most of it for later use and made some of it into a crustless pumpkin pie...which is maybe more accurately described as a pumpkin custard. It turned out very orange, like a carrot pie, and I swear it has a bit of carrot flavor but maybe that's just my eyes playing a trick on my brain.

I used the Joy of Cooking recipe and a Clay Coyote Cazuela Pot (A great gift for the foodie in your life...a clay pot that can be used on the stove as well as in the oven).

Abiyoyo

2010-11-11T21:05:00.002-06:00

A nice little clip of our little banjo player singing Abiyoyo, a Pete Seeger story/song. I love how he's trying to modulate his voice to match the banjo. What a sweetie.

God Jul

2010-11-10T08:40:00.003-06:00

My work is still being shown at Peggy's Holiday Boutique at the Roseville Skating Center through Sunday, November 14th. This leaves my Etsy shop a little empty for the next week, but I'm excited to add my new God Jul notecards and a few other new things as I find time to be in my studio.

God Jul is Swedish, or course, for Merry Christmas.

I drew these three illustrations to send out as cards this year and you can do the same if you would like. They make dandy framed Jul decor as well.

The straw horse, dala horse, and heart cookie worked well on the gingerbready craft paper. They come with craft paper envelopes as well.

These notecards are featured in a darling cozy wonderful holiday treasury right now. This is a fun treasury so be sure to click on the link!

My mom always makes the classic gingerbread hearts with frosting lining the border, they are hung on the cookie tree with glee. Not having a photo of her cookie tree I found one online for sale from Fforests Fancies: It would be a fun thing to make, don't ya think?

Round and Round

2010-11-06T20:48:00.004-05:00

The time of eating and merry-making is upon us and I am pumped. It's always around this time that my brain starts working overtime thinking about all the creations I want to make for the holidays. I'm talking mostly edibles, but some gift ideas have sprung up as well. I think it's the sweetest feeling this time of the year to list all of my to-dos. In just a few weeks I'll be up to my eyeballs in work and the weekends will fill with parties and my list will be modified time after time, so I best enjoy the idea of all these snacks right now.

So, in case anyone in the world wants to know what is on my list today, I will share it. I usually go for candy as cookies are in well supply in my family. Plus, candy is usually gluten-free and oh so very naughty.

1. Toffee. A darling story next to a simple recipe in the last edition of the Co-op Mix periodical has me convinced that toffee is a must-have this year.

2. Macaroons. The cakey kind. I made some like these:last year and they were super super good. I have no idea what recipe I used so we'll see what happens.

3. Gluten-free lefse. I miss lefse. Do fresh homemade corn tortillas with melted butter and sugar on them taste like lefse? SORT OF, at least the butter and sugar part. This will, by far, be the most challenging task of the season. I considered making it the past couple years but didn't get much further than some online research. Perhaps this or this or this very long-winded account will lead to success.

4. Turtles. This is becoming a staple since I made a batch with my friend Heather in high school. It's easy. I'll probably just make an itty bitty batch.

5. Peanut Butter Cups. I already know I will probably not make these but I just know my hub would love them. I have made them before. They are good. I mean, you mix peanut butter with butter and cover it with chocolate. Hello!

That's the sweets. They will be a nice addition to Christmas, and Solstice, and Lille Julaften, and all the rest.

On the less-sweet note we will be assisting once again with potato sausage and beer making this year - I even hear talk of a gluten-free home brew. Wow. We've got a pile of buckwheat groats and sorghum syrup in our fridge waiting for the big brew day.

I guess all of this holiday prep makes the dark days go faster. Not that I've noticed time moving slow ever in my life, but still, being stuck inside just makes you want to plan a party. Well, I better go cook some squash for "pumpkin" pie and think about what I'm going to make for Thanksgiving.

What are others thinking about making this year? Anything new?

Fall/Holiday Calendar

2010-10-17T20:10:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year again!

There are gallery open houses, art crawls, and shows happening all over. I will have some of my Swirling Tree work at two events this fall.

I opted to limit my shows to just two so I can keep my etsy shop well stocked. I'm feeling good with my inventory levels and trying to finish up a few loose ends for my first show this coming weekend in Dassel, MN with Levandowski Pottery. Stop by if you can! It will be a good show, they are unveiling their new gallery and five guest artists (including moi) will be peddling their wares.

Next on the agenda is Peggy's at the Roseville Skating Center November 6-14. This is a fantastic show with loads of artwork. Come and fill a basket with wonderful creative goodness. I did a lot of my holiday shopping here last year...and some shopping for myself as well. It's a unique experience where all of the artwork is set up as one gallery, so you can pay once and not have to hop from booth to booth. The artisans volunteer throughout the week to help with bagging, greeting, arranging, etc. It's a fun time with live music and lots of food goodies as well.

It seems early, but with a little cold snap I think people will be able to think about Christmas shopping, really, there are only 69 days left to shop. Heck, FGH already has his Christmas outfit. Hanna has a sale going on so it was hard to resist. Thanks Gma Barb!

There are quite a few things I have not put into my shop that I will bring to the shows. I have yet to finish and photograph my latest creations, but one nice specimen is pictured at the top of this post. I have a whole line of what I'm calling "Artful Journals." This one has some unique beads made of coral, an interesting raised surface on the front cover, Nepalese Lokta papers, and coral-colored end sheets. I have high hopes, as usual, of getting all my books and cards made for this Holiday season, but it all comes down to what kind of work time I can fit into each busy day. Speaking of, I best get cutting and tearing and folding paper into rectangles.

Oktoberfest

2010-10-03T20:22:00.003-05:00

Happy October! The Equinox passed us quickly and here we are already celebrating October. Time is passing much too quickly. I feel like every time I blink another week has been crossed off the calendar. We headed down to our future home town of New Ulm for Oktoberfest on Saturday. It was a cool but sunny day and we took in nearly every sight including a hike to the top of Hermann (the German) which was very scary - especially with FGH refusing to come back down - all three of us had a shaky few moments getting down the top of the winding staircase. I had to talk Fredrik into squeezing Peter's beard and closing his little eyes while Peter held him tightly to his chest. It was ridiculous. Still, it was a good view when we were at the top.

We took the horse-drawn trolley ride, listened to music, had some beers and brats, did some shopping, visited the Wanda Gag house (super fantastic), headed out to Flandrau where Fredrik eagerly looked for the "beach" (sand-bottom pool) and was not disappointed that the water was gone since piles and piles of sand was an awesome find. It was a good time and we all feel pretty drained today.

Newness from the Studio

2010-09-11T20:51:00.006-05:00

Even with longs walks in sudden fall temps I have managed to finish a few books (such a satisfying moment when I stick that Swirling Tree sticker on the last page of the book as the final step). I know I need to start busting into production mode in my overly crowded studio, but this weather is just way to conducive to feelings of leisure.

SPEAKING of fall...

This wonderful autumnal wedding album set was recently commissioned from an etsy shopper and is about to head to the post office. The bride-to-be had some really clever ideas for a large photo album for herself and her soon-to-be husband, plus three smaller albums for the parents. The tree on the front is part of her wedding logo.

The large 10"x12" album is covered in Amate bark paper, rust red book cloth, and has 64 pages in fall colors.

The image on the front has been converted to a duotone (using two shades of brown) and printed on art paper, then nestled into a "window" on the front cover with some dark brown nepalese lokta paper as accent. There is a paper CD holder inside the back cover and the bride and groom's wedding date has been attached to the back cover. The three smaller albums are 6"x8". They have the same tree image, fall colored pages (the pages themselves remind me of leaves), the date on the back, and the CD envelope. They differ by the book cloth and inside covers, one each of gold, green, and rust.

LOVELY, LOVELY. This project has convinced me to make more 10" x 12" albums for my shop and shows and self. Golly I have a lot of photos that need a home. We're talking thousands.

So, another new thing in my studio are my Green Journals.

Inspiration struck a few weeks ago when I saw this:

and right away I knew, with my love for shades of green, that I would need to make journals of these fabrics. So, I bought the Robert Kaufman bundle of greens, made a large pile of bookcloth while watching Jaws (surprisingly still great after all of these years) and proceeded to make the cloth into little 4x6 125 paged hardcover journals bound with hemp twine. I decided to sell the books in sets of three to stick with the shades of coordinating greens theme. I designed a tag, bundled them up, and there you have it. They are not just the color green, but made of recyled materials and the natural undyed hemp thread. They turned out just as I hoped. There is at least one set in my shop with a big stack to be added soon.

Forest City Stockade

2010-08-25T09:30:00.001-05:00

We visited the Forest City Stockade last weekend. The above picture is my favorite spot, the homemade ice cream station. So delicious. Peter and I worked at the Stockade a few times when we were farming - we made the fry bread - and it was super fun and we miss it! Hopefully we can get back to volunteering when our lives settle a bit. (Will that ever happen?)

It was a fun (hot) day with a chance to chat with potters and the like. That's Tom on the wheel from the Clay Coyote. There were people making candles, soap, honey, newspaper prints, buffalo burgers, fresh apple pressed apple cider...you know, the pioneer way.
FGH and Madi had fun. They got to try out some antique desks and slates in the schoolhouse - and play games outside with the "teachers." Very adorable.

The trip to the stockade made us feel pretty darned excited about getting back into rural life. Peter is of the opinion that we move into something like this. I'm more of the opinion of something like this hobbit of a place. We've also been thinking that we will most likely be modifying an existing structure. We aren't exactly in the position to be building right now, but I think it will take a good few years to research how to build, anyway, so waiting is fine. Whatever the case, I'm now pretty keen on the idea of having a huge garden with a wooden Peter Rabbit type fence around it!

Quickie Vacation

2010-08-11T22:54:00.006-05:00

We headed north (and east) for a quickie vacation with my folks and sister this week. I brought a little work with but really I just took a few days to play. I would say relax, but it's more like constant activity with a toddler - which is fun, of course! We took in a bit of a ski show which was really exciting, did some hiking at above favorite spot, ate lots of sweet corn, fished off the dock (at least one of us), swam...you know, the whole nine yards of cabin fun.

I brought with The Handmade Marketplace, a book I have been hemming and hawing about for a few months and finally ordered last week. I'm about halfway through and I indeed have jotted down a pile of notes and tips in my work journal. The chapters are short and to the point, which makes it a nice little reference book. I would recommend it to crafters starting out. I feel like I have a bit of a grasp on most of the topics from our farming business, but there are so many more things to learn and the tips from other crafters throughout the book are very motivating.

Our itty bitty vacation ended quickly and I found myself in my little oven of a house all too soon. And wow, so many emails in just 2.5 days! I found myself in two new treasuries which is always flattering. First a nautical theme featuring my leather and hemp fiber journal and then a blue theme featuring a hand painted book of mine. Fun, fun.

I also somehow managed to make and send off these two wedding albums this week. The first is a 7"x9" plum and lime album with a long stitch binding and blank deckled edge pages. The second is one of my Custom Wedding Books complete with lined pages, pages for bridal showers, family trees, etc. It's a pretty yellow and (slightly off-white) white color scheme. I love making wedding books. Finding the right colors is a treasure hunt and I love when it forces me to order more paper because I always end up with new ideas and new textures.

I guess it is HUGE news that we found out this week that we are officially moving back to the country in 12 months. Ze husband landed a job in New Ulm, so after one more year of law school we will be buying some chickens and a riding lawnmower and everything else that we need that isn't in storage. Phew. We are considering building a house, a small "green" house. Any recommendations for books to read on this topic? "The Not So Big House" looks interesting. There seem to be quite a few directions to go with it. Where to start with such a project???

"Tee Hee," says he with the fishing stick.

Sepia Garden

2010-08-03T11:40:00.005-05:00

Clay Coyote Open House

2010-07-20T15:26:00.002-05:00

Clay Coyote Openhouse! This Weekend! July 24 (10-6) and July 25 (12-5)! Be There!

I will be peddling my wares this weekend at the Clay Coyote, located just outside my old stomping grounds in Hutchinson, MN. I have been diligently working in my studio trying to boost my inventory and I have managed to create about 100 new books for this sale! I will also have my prints for sale.

I'm really excited to spend the weekend at the Clay Coyote. While farming I spent the winters working in their pottery studio - wedging clay, loading kilns, and mixing glazes. They have FABULOUS pottery and a wonderful gallery full of fine American craft. The Clay Coyote has become a bit of a cultural mecca for the Hutchinson area and I feel very privileged to be part of their open house.

That said, hope to see some Swirling Tree fans there as well! Here's a link for those who need directions.

Oh, Summer

2010-06-24T22:16:00.002-05:00

Sun, gardening, a patio, snacking on snap peas off the vine, eating meals outside... summer is so great. Working every weekend has it's drawbacks, but I will guiltily enjoy my leisure days with the boy during the week until we have some sort of schedule change around here.

I have, however, been thrown into production mode in my studio. I have a show coming up at the end of July, at the Clay Coyote Openhouse outside of Hutchinson where I enjoyed many winters prepping clay and loading kilns. I'm super excited, but my inventory is dwindling thanks to my steady Etsy sales (yay! thanks, people!) and recent press including the inclusion of one of my brag books on the Parenting magazine website. It's a slide show about great gifts for new babies under $20. Cool! Check it out, I am the 8th slide in the slide show.

Also, I've been included in a handful of treasuries. What is a treasury? It is a little showcase Etsy users can put together, matching a selection of handmade works together for promotion. It's a fun way to shop and the treasuries are constantly changing. There is probably a way to include treasuries in my blog post here, but, I am so tired right now I can't figure it out. So, links are the best I can do. This treasury is all about Swedes and my little Dala Cards are included on bottom right. This treasury is about Earth Love. This one is a father's day collection that is just dandy. Treasuries are fun and I feel honored to have been chosen three times so recently.

So, no photos. I have misplaced my photo card for my camera and it's just so darn small that I'm not sure I'll ever find it again. There goes another chunk of change. Wonk wonk wonk.

I'm on my way to a retreat this weekend. I have about 2 months worth of work piled up ready to go. I have high hopes that I will get about 50 books made. We'll see. Turbo.

Last note, sorry about the wonkiness of my blog right now. I got all excited about the new blogger templates that I started changing everything, and suddenly 30 minutes had passed. I will fix it up when I have spare time. (My favorite joke).

Repurposed Leather

2010-06-10T21:58:00.004-05:00

I have always wished that I could make leather journals, then I thought, why not just try, and so I went to Unique Thrift Store and found some gigantic leather skirts and discarded leather jackets. It was an odd feeling to pile my huge stash of leather goods on the cashier's counter, so much that my bag was as big as a huge plastic yard bag. It turns out that I don't have a great eye for leather, when I started cutting things up I realized that I had some faux in the mix. Wow, some of that stuff looks so real. Then, I started measuring and sewing and attaching...cutting again...sewing again....

Here are some of the results. Some are in my shop, some are already in transit to etsy customers, and some are still waiting to be listed.

First off, a faux leather journal! It is made from an old portfolio, those oldies that have metal on the top and stay popped open like a diamond. You know?

I love figuring out how to make new things. I'm so very good at starting new projects and thinking I have time to do it all. Despite the lack of time to get things done, husband forced me to go to a concert at The Cedar last night. It was First Aid Kit, a band consisting of swedish sisters (and a drummer). I mentioned them on this blog months and months ago when I discovered this youtube video. It was good stuff.

Spring Pesto

2010-06-02T14:01:00.004-05:00

Not to brag, but my little garden is pretty awesome. Already we've eaten many meals out of that little square of land - and the pots that are filling up our patio. I really know nothing about container gardening, or square-foot gardening, but I'm destined to learn to what extremes I can push these plants. In a field I would plant tomatoes a good 3 feet apart, and zucchini plants a good 6 feet from each other. In my garden I've got two tomatoes growing in each cage, and the cages about a foot apart. We'll see. I can always sacrifice some plants, yanking them out for the benefit of the others if I see too much struggling.

The beans are planted in a grid-like pattern so we're going to have a green bean hedge. There just starting to pop in this picture taken last week.

The spinach is still hanging on despite the hot weather we've had. Spinach hates to germinate in hot weather, but this stuff was planted long ago when we were still getting nights in the 30s and has not bolted with the hotness. I'm pulling individual leaves off of the plants to really maximize our bounty. The radishes have been OK, they are beautiful and crisp, but the flavor isn't there. Actually, that goes for all of our harvests so far. I guess this wimpy soil, though amended with compost and potting soil, is just not the same as our old primo ag land. Go figure!

So, my latest creation was Parsley Spinach Pesto. Pesto is one of those things that is extremely versatile with what you're pulling out of your garden (or CSA box, or local Co-op produce department). The classic basil/pine nut/parmesan/garlic/olive oil combination is of course delicious but why not try something else...like parsely/spinach/garlic/walnut/olive oil with a sprinkling of aged white cheddar?

Pluck some leaves:

Chill them in cold water to avoid wilting (plus, submerging in water is the best way to get the grit off of your leaves, the dirt sinks)
throw everything in the cuisnart:
Hand over to a little leprechaun for inspection:
Toss with hot pasta (this is brown rice penne) and enjoy!
I guessed on amounts which worked pretty well since I've made a lot of pesto. I would suggest going by a recipe- here's one from our farm website - and substituting your fresh herbs and greens for the basil. NOTE! If you are going to use kale or another hearty green I would steam blanch them before pureeing unless they are baby-sized. Be creative! Cilantro lime! Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme!

Garden Update

2010-05-17T22:57:00.005-05:00

Oh, how spring has sprung. We finished putting our miniature garden in this afternoon. It was jolly fun and the sun was really shining. I'm using the "square foot gardening" mentality to maximize space. Things are going to be bursting all over the place in a couple of months since I'm planting everything so close together, but hey, I can handle it!

In the front (opposite the fence) we have a row of radishes ready to pluck, 2 rows of spinach (at the baby stage right now), some parsley and kale tucked in, about 20 tomato plants (we need to buy more tomato cages), 9 bell pepper plants, and an eggplant, a pile of green bean seeds, and a row of cucumbers along the fence line that we hope to trellis up up up. 'Tis a lot in that little space! We planted some zucchini seeds in the landscaped garden of perennials. There were a few bare spots. I decided to keep them out of the garden since they get so huge.

We also had our first harvest today. We enjoyed a mix of baby spinach, young kale leaves, radish greens, and parsley with our supper. Delicious.
We went a little nuts-o with the peas, they are everywhere - in a few pots, a window box, and a bare spot in our lawn. The seeds were plentiful. I caught FGH nibbling some of the leaves today. The birds like to nibble on them, too.
We have plenty of seedlings left on the picnic table next to a lineup of bonsai that Peter has been training (there are many more not pictured) :)
Ice cream cone!
Our yard is bursting with green already. Lovin' it.

Great Strides 2010

2010-04-30T05:38:00.002-05:00

Team Madeline is walking in the Great Strides walk tomorrow morning around Lake Calhoun. Thanks for all the donations so far! Please support our team at this link! We need to keep raising money until we find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. It's very possible!!!

New Work

2010-04-15T20:50:00.002-05:00

Spring is really here in all of its glory. We are loving the rain. Having been through many droughts while farming will forever make a good rain warm my heart. Peter and I have just been happy plunking seeds into pots and watching our seedlings grow. Plants are amazing and I'm glad we're growing some this year. Not having a garden last summer was the pits. I think we may actually be capable of producing a decent amount of food, too. That said, we still joined our CSA and I'm getting PLENTY of food from the Co-op. Gotta love vegetables.

Somehow (ok, it's mostly with the help of caffeine) I've found some time to work in my studio this past week. I've been doing some drawing for the children's book "Tom's Thumbs" that I'm illustrating, working on more brag books (I have 14 pouches to sew tonight), and some new items.

First off, Kid's Journals! I think it's a good idea, does anyone else? Even now little FGH is starting to scribble and paint with vigor, so I thought he deserved a hand bound journal for himself. The scraps of paper he draws on become lost in the shuffle and they really are precious. The inspiration was also from some great Cosmo Cricket fabric I recently acquired which I made into book cloth. This is a new thing for me and I LOVE IT. I love the feel of the soft fabric on the cover, and the selection of awesome fabric in this world is nearly endless. I'm going to make some of these smallish elastic closure journals with less juvenile fabrics, too.

Accordion Book Necklaces. They are a work in progress but so far I'm liking them. Tiny little accordion book lockets paired with leather chording and semi-precious beads. Kinda fun! I should try to finish a couple and get them in my shop but before that I need to start a few more projects (and go to work a few times).

That's that.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Out Like a Lamb

2010-03-31T10:37:00.005-05:00

The weather here is insanely wonderful. Usually the most miserable month in Minnesota, March has seen not a flake of snow and today the temperature is projected to be in the mid-70s. Wow. While I hate to impy that we should ignore all the bad implications of the messed up weather (global warming, plants that will probable get hit hard by an April frost...) and just enjoy the day...

This morning FGH and I have already had our hands dirty. We repotted some of the sunflowers (temporarily and very messily). He was pretty upset I didn't let him dump the plants out after we filled the pots, but he forgot all once the hose was in his hand. Yes, it's warm enough for hoses!

I even had a spare second to photograph some books outside. I've been using our little breakfast nook for my staging area but nothing beats the outside light. I was happy to have some new books to photograph,(getting a job has really cut into my studio time) and wedding book commissions have continued to come my way (thanks, brides!) and they seem to get added to the top of my to-do list. I'm officially attending a summer and fall show, so building my inventory is starting to become a necessity, which is why I made a set of 8 brag books. When I finished I thought, wow, 8 isn't that many. Maybe I'll starting doing sets of 20. Here's one of them after the outdoor photo session this morning:

Starting Seedlings, Part I

2010-03-24T10:49:00.008-05:00

Ahhh, it feels good to have my hands in wet soil mix once again! Our first seeds are popping. I started a couple of weeks later than I had planned, but I figured since we don't have a greenhouse, there is really no need to be super early since we will be having a little trouble with leggy plants. I thought I would share a bit about our seedling setup since I have people asking about it on a regular basis, and since I'm doing a small garden-amount of plants, all the easier for sharing with other home gardeners.

1. Plastic trays with drainage holes, these are cheap at greenhouse stores, and you can keep reusing them. Forget any sort of plastic cell or peat pot.

2. Small Soil blocker, probably mostly found through the mail, Johnny's is a good spot to shop. This is the greatest. I will try to post photos next time I use it. We have the larger size, too. Once your seeds germinate they will be transferred to the bigger blocks.

3. Soil mix, we sell it at Mississippi Market, but you can find organic mixes here and there. We usually made our own soil mix at the farm, but wow, is it easier to just buy from a respected producer.

4. Clear plastic lids for your black trays. Find these at the same place you buy the trays. Seriously essential for keeping your seeds moist and warm. You will remove them after germination, so you don't need a lid for every tray, just have a couple for your germination station.

5. Light(s). We always used regular fluorescent bulbs, but we are being fancy this year and using purple full-spectrum bulbs. It's cheaper when you are buying 2 bulbs vs. 20.

6. Seeds. I ordered a lot of tried-and-true varieties. Hybrids are legit, but stay away from treated seeds if you are trying to be organic. Many hybrids are available as organic. I balance my tried-and-true hybrids with some artisanal heirlooms. Like all things in life, finding a balance is essential. You don't want to order all heirlooms and have a lot of trouble with production.

7. Heat. This year I am using an actual heat mat that is supposed to be used for germinating seeds. Peter was using it for his bonsai this winter. At the farm we actually used heating blankets which can be found on clearance this time of year. If you use a heating blanket, make sure you cover it with plastic. Space heaters help, too. We're having a warm spring thus far so the mat seems to be doing the job. Your lights will give off heat, too.

We have a darling table to use. My dad made our old CSA farm sign into a table. How fitting. It's in our living room. It's warm in there and really, we like to watch our seeds grow, it's way better than TV.

Plastic trays - one with the plastic dome lid still on top. Make sure you label! You will not remember what is what, especially if you have one more variety of pepper, or whatever. The heat mat is under the trays with a layer of plastic under the mat to protect the table. I may add a cookie sheet to catch more moisture.

The lights are low, this prevents some of the legginess. As the plants grow we will move the lights higher.
Peppers germinating. In this batch I started parsley, bell peppers, chiles (WAY to many but I will just pick the best when transplanting), and some flowers. The flowers are in one tray and the peppers in the other.
Some sunflowers getting huge already. I don't know why we started these already, for fun I guess. They will be giant before we're ready to plant them outside.

I'll be starting tomatoes, eggplant, and kale next. Stay tuned!

Green Man

2010-03-17T14:16:00.004-05:00

We've been playing with some play-doh type stuff lately that is a little more foamy, soft, and stretchy (thanks Gma B!) This is the collaborative "snowman" that FGH and I made the other day. It may just be the scariest creature yet. There's a big duplo stuck up his...um...bottom, cookie cutters repeatedly smashed into his head and tummy, a blue chalk nose, and the pencil in his chest, that really takes the prize. For some reason, he insisted on the pencil being shoved in as hard as possible. Now this boy is not really into cuddling dolls or stuffed animals, but this green man really tugged on his heart strings.

Life is busy with the new job and lots of book commissions (yay!). The weather is so wonderful right now so today we opened up the porch and expanded our house with a whole extra room for playing. It's been very fun to get outside again. Our seeds are waiting patiently, it's getting to be a little late for peppers, so we're going to try to get them started this week in our spare time (my favorite and most used joke). Really, we aren't starting that many, but we need to get the set-up going. The yard is looking bigger with all the snow melted away and I'm trying to decide how I'm going to fit so much into our garden plot and also where to get some big pots for container gardening (Sarah???).

More Wedding Books

2010-03-08T18:09:00.004-06:00

I just finished sewing together a couple new wedding books, the first is a commission for a "brown and burnished olive dragonfly" themed wedding. These wedding book commissions are so interesting, I love the endless combinations of color. The second book is going into my shop, not a commission, but I think suitable for many-a-wedding. White with a touch of soft blue, it could simply be the "something blue" for the big day.

I found a new printer to deal with, good riddance to fed ex kinkos. My new printer of choice is just 4 blocks away right here on our street. It's the opposite of kinkos. Old, small, dark, with friendly people and a big black shaggy dog. The price was comparable and they folded and trimmed my text blocks for me AND fully understood what I wanted them to print for me in about 10 minutes (compared to the kinkos fiasco: 65 minutes of me explaining over and over again what a signature is) so, again, local small business = good.

Other than books, mothering, a new job, and a slight thaw in the tundra outside, I've been baking a bit. I tried this walnut cake recipe, converting it to be gluten free. I used teff flour (an Ethiopian grain) plus a 1/4 teaspoon of guar gum instead of the 1/2 cup of flour the recipe calls for. The results were quite good, and FGH even ate it up. I was a little lazy about the jam. We did try it once with some peach jam and vanilla ice cream, but nothing as beautiful as the original post I found the recipe on. I think I'll make it again since really, it's a great kid food, especially for kids like mine who eat the bare minimum before heading off to play again. 1 1/2 cups of walnuts, 4 eggs, and 1 mass amounts of butter are good things for a developing boy (and for us big people in moderation) plus, the teff flour is crazy high in protein.

Early Birds

2010-03-02T14:05:00.003-06:00

I'm excited to be back in the work force, but boy am I tired. I just started working at Mississippi Market, a Food Co-op in St. Paul. I'm a produce person. It's great, handling produce all day, trying samples (yesterday we had a citrus taste test where we compared the 12 or so different oranges, grapefruits, mandarins, tangelos, etc.) , and getting a paycheck. The downside? The hours, 6-2. I guess these same hours are the upside since I can find time to work on the weekends and early mornings when Peter is at home so he can be the parent-in-charge. It's a bit of a shock to have the alarm go off - at all - but 5:00 am, that's like the middle of the night! So, I'm adjusting and still finding a little time to doodle, which brought about the sad looking, yet cute, spring birds. I made the sketch into a new blog banner and also made some adorable little pamphlet style notebooks for my shop.

Bug Party

2010-02-28T08:17:00.005-06:00

We celebrated birthday numero dos this weekend with a bug theme. It was a toss up between bugs, tools, and trucks. What a boy our boy is. Our house is pretty small, so I went with a one-bowl chile lunch that was easy to eat perched on the couch or even standing since our table only holds 5 and we had closer to 20 here. I used this recipe, my favorite chile (love the use of dried chiles and not a boat-load of tomatoes).

So, the bug theme was a hit with the kiddos-we had three two-year-olds here including FGH.

My mom and I made some bug hats out of paper plates and pipe cleaners. They weren't worn for long, but they made cute decorations on the table!

My mom also made these cookies! FGH took a bite out of at least five. She got creative and used multiple cutters for each cookie (the dragon fly is a bat (reformed) and two hearts). Very darling!

Great Grandma June made the bug cake. It's two layers of white cake with green buttercream and m&m bugs. The legs are melted chocolate.
Serious task going on here:

Cousins examining some of the presents. I like the walrus looking on.
We had a bug hunt in the kitchen (the most unpopulated room). We found a pile of fake bugs and some plastic bug collecting gear at the dollar store. It was a blast. The toddlers did really well!

And the suit. Target had this gem for the low low price of $24.99, and that included the clip-on tie! Who is this kid? Pee Wee Herman?

Crazed Farmer Talk

2010-02-23T13:56:00.006-06:00

Peter and I attended the MN Sustainable Farming Association -SFA- conference at St. Olaf in Northfield last weekend. We were a little apprehensive about dipping our toes back into that world, the memories it might conjure, the strange welcome we might get from some of our old cohorts. As a young organic farming couple we were activists; someone even once called us "the poster couple of sustainable agriculture." We apparently still are the poster couple of sustainable ag, since our picture was blown up in the front of the auditorium as part of the SFA logo/letterhead. We are also on their website banner. Weird? Yes.

The conference was actually extremely motivating and enlightening. Mark Ritchie gave the Keynote and it was very encouraging. He stood in front of the crowd of activist farmers/chefs/retailers and talked about the importance of mainstreaming the ideas that a lot of us stand for- and in order to do that, we all need to become leaders and go out into the public with confidence and be heard. As the MN Secretary of State, he also talked about economic issues, the hard times, and the importance of entrepreneurship and small business. Good stuff to hear.

I also attended a workshop about local foods in both the city and country with Homegrown Minneapolis Megan O' Hara ( mayor RT Rybak's wife) and Dorothy Rosemeier of the U of MN program "Buy Fresh Buy Local." It was quite nice and frankly, overwhelming, to hear about all the hard work that has been put into local and sustainable food systems in Minnesota. I have always given credit to the farmers and consumers, but really, there are a lot of people in the middle that do a heck of a job bringing it all together. There are people fighting for grants to keep vendor fees at the Mill City Market affordable for producers, there are people (Homegrown Mpls initiative) starting mini- markets in high rise neighborhoods where poverty-stricken people don't have easy access to fresh groceries or even pots and pans. Kudos to all these people (including SFA!)

The conference did have an awkward point while we were watching a college produced movie about farming for the future (or something similar). All of a sudden, there was our farm on the big screen in front of us, with other owners of course, our old greenhouse and Toblerone...and what was the topic? The acquisition of the farm. AWKWARD! Could've used a head's up on that one.

Also worth mentioning about the conference, we are still quite skilled in "crazed farmer talk," the running at the mouth that happens when a farmer (who spends a lot of time alone) is asked how things are going. We will no doubt be back on a farm once again and we'll just be patient until then. And we'll take it easy. Just chickens for eggs. Veggies for ourselves and a small market business as a side business. And a CSA if it works out. And a goat maybe. We'll be over our heads and stressed out in no time.

He's Two!

2010-02-23T09:11:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday (yesterday) to our little Busca!

We spent a good piece of the day at Como Zoo and Conservatory. I tried to get a good "2 year" portrait which was really hard, that boy can really move and the zoo was a little distracting-though the lightening was great in the conservatory! We have a big party coming on Saturday, a bug theme for the toddler cousins.

Spring Fever

2010-02-18T19:43:00.003-06:00

It reached a balmy 34 degrees today which lightened the mood of Minnesotans just a bit. Spring WILL come. The sun felt sunny, the sidewalks melted away for a few minutes before turning back into ice, and we even saw a huge flock of birds filling the sky as we drove in heavy traffic tonight. "Nature!" I thought when I saw them overhead.

I took out my seeds and admired them tonight. There is so much potential in the packets. I ordered from Johnny's Selected Seeds, Seed Savers, and Seeds of Change. It was a bit ridiculous to pay for shipping three times, but I'm pretty particular about my varieties. I stuck with the basics, a few fun varieties, but mostly tried and true seeds that ensure some bounty. I figured I need all the help I can get since I won't have the greatest growing conditions.

I can't wait to get going with my container gardening. I saw a lovely book at a shop about the topic yesterday, but $25 is a bit out of my budget since I liked it more for aesthetic inspiration. I may need to take a trip to goodwill this coming week and scrounge around for some shabby chic type receptacles. The book suggested big cans, bowls, all sorts of things.

My studio is more of a piled mess since I haven't been it for a good 10 days or so. It makes me crabby. I hope to get some solid hours in this weekend. I have a super exciting illustration project to work on, a children's story called "Tom's Thumbs," by Mike Van Auken. I sent him some preliminary sketches and, though many changes to come, this is the main character, Tom. Now I'm working on sketching the entire storyboard. I've certainly read quite a few children's books quite a few times, but it's still a challenge figuring out the best flow for the imagery. Fun, though. Very fun.

Carnival

2010-02-12T14:28:00.006-06:00

It's soon Carnival! (Mardi Gras). To celebrate this festive occasion the Bookbinding Team of Etsy (BEST) is hosting an online exhibition/contest much like we did for Halloween. I joined the fun and entered an accordion-style artist book. An artist book differs from my usual books because it has content of some sort. My book is best displayed opened up as a sculpture with the pages being a mixed-media expression of the colors - and feathers - of this festive day. You can visit the BEST blog and vote for your favorite book (mine is called "mixed media" on the ballot).

I have never been to Mardi Gras, I did however have the good fortune to visit Carnival in Malta when I was there. It was CRAZY. No, not crazy in a girls-showing-boobs-for-beads-while-being-really-drunk sort of way. It was very much like being plopped into another culture's very specific holiday celebration and feeling very very much like a tourist. There was a big show with costumed dancers and characters, sort of like a marching band type of show. There was a parade with huge floats that people were carrying. I remember at one point the parade stopped for a short while and a guy starting peeing from under one of the floats. How awkward. Later that night everyone was costumed and there was much ado about food vendors, music, and fun.

Perhaps we'll have a little mardi gras celebration in our house since we missed out on Valentines Day because of a bad case of stomach flu (Peter). We were in the ER all day Saturday (IVs and ultrasounds) and Sunday was a day of recuperating. No heart shaped pancakes...wonk wonk wooonk.

XXOOXOXOX

2010-02-11T14:16:00.003-06:00

I couldn't handle splitting this little book duo up, so I listed them in my shop as a set. How darling for you and your valentine to each have one! They started out as paintings, black gesso on BFK rives with watercolors, gouache, and colored pencils. Being the book person that I am, they ended up torn into squares and affixed to book board. You never quite know what you're going to end up with sometimes. I just love them as a set, the icy blue on the left and the fiery one on the right. That's all the commentary on that, no need to go into depth since I was working more from my gut than brain so I don't really know that they mean anything. That's the fun of art, I guess.

We do have some plans for the weekend, nothing too romantic. Out for a little shopping trip tomorrow sans child, and a dinner and movie double date on Saturday...we're opting for the mexican food + margaritas and beers over a more romantic steaks + wine. Since the double date is with my sister and bro-in-law, romance just feels, well, creepy.

As for gifts, I need to make a trip to St. Paul's best food destination, The Golden Fig. I bought some of their aged balsamic with dill for Peter for Christmas and we quickly drained it. They have quite an assortment of balsamics, decadent chocolates, artisanal local cheeses and meats, and such splendors that I do not have the time to list. It's worth a stop. We're not big on gift giving since we're near broke, but it seems ok to spend a little extra on good food now and then, plus, it's local and all that good stuff.

I guess the other item on the agenda is making valentines with fgh. I think holidays are still a little over his head, being 23.5 months old, but we'll try to do something pink and heart-shaped.

Maybe heart-shape pancakes with strawberries???

Tea Party

2010-02-06T17:49:00.003-06:00

We attended a darling tea party for cousin Madi's 2nd. It was just darling. Little tea cups, teapot cookies, tasty crumpets (or the like), and lots of running about. And hats.

Creativity and Motivational Dorkiness

2010-02-06T16:42:00.004-06:00

I've always liked to think of myself as a creative type, and I think I am, but as I sit down to work day after day on creative sorts of things I've been learning about my own personal creative process. I feel like it usually takes me about 20 minutes of fooling around with the mouse (well, laptop touch pad actually), pencil, paints, cooking ingredients, etc. to really start making things that even remotely look good. Maybe my brain power is switching from the left to the right. It's hard to believe that it takes that long, I'm actually probably always switching back and forth. Maybe that's why I'm so indecisive, it's like the whole devil and angel on the shoulder thing.

Here's a fun online quiz that I took that tells me I am 54% right brained. So, that's pretty much 1/2 and 1/2 with a little leaning towards the creative side.

But really, aren't these quizzes just a load of bull? I feel like the real trick to creative breakthrough is persistence, just like anything else. When most people start a project, it looks like total poo right away, right? At least in my studio, to me, the creative process is less divine genius (capital A Artist) and more vigorous problem solving (little a artist). The key is not to get frustrated and give up. It is FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT! (in toddler voice). Plus, artists go to school to learn color theory, etc. So it's learned right? Oh such topics, dare I mention them to philosopher husband? That would be a door opened for the night, no doubt.

That brings me to the second part of the title for this entry, motivational dorkiness. It helps. I just bought a lousy made-in-china mug with "Wish it, Dream it, Do it" on the front. How embarassingly cheesy. Yet, I like it and it gives me the power to keep fixing.

If I hang a big poster with an eagle on it in my studio, I've become desperate. The mug IS slightly cool.

I'm spending more of my creative time (which has shrunk to about and hour/day lately) on the new business endeavor, so not many books are making there way into the finished pile. However, this new endeavor is farming related, so I'm super pleased.

Switch back to left brain, time to go make supper...or is that right brained? No recipe=right?

Humor in the Day

2010-02-02T19:37:00.004-06:00

Ugh, the doldrums of winter. Everyone I talk to seems a little depressed. Peter has started his yearly rants of,

"Why do we live here, we're moving to ______," after which he goes and researches real estate in Hawaii or Nepal or somewhere less arctic.

I feel like I'm constantly drinking coffee or eating to stay energized. The coffee is now being weaned away, but that made the snacking worse. Argh!

Busy is somewhat slow compared to November and December so my drive to make books is down.

My "new business venture" has me excited but that too is a warm weather affair.

Out on a walk today I decided all these doldrums were telling me to refocus on the present and the amusing things that happen each day. Do you ever just find yourself in a situation where you think,

"How the hell did I get to be doing this?"

Well, that happens to me pretty often. I remember once feeling so strongly of that emotion when we were sharecropping at Food Farm in Wrenshall, MN. We were in an old van, about 5 of us, out finding smallish birch trees to cut down to be used for tomato trellising. We were cutting them down, throwing them in the van, then hanging on for dear life while the van tore around the countryside. I was hanging on to the back of the van, the back doors were off or open and I was standing on the back bumper. All of a sudden I couldn't stop laughing at my predicament. Oh, the joy of laughing at one's self.

Today it happened on that walk I mentioned. It was a balmy 20 and partly sunny, so I wanted to get outside. It took a good 40 minutes to get ready. His snowpants and boots were in the car, the sled was buried in a snowdrift (now ice) which was hard to find and harder to defrost, etc. etc. etc. Finally, I loaded fredrik into the backpack since the sled was just not suitable, I put a pair of my mittens on him since in the time it took me to find and then abandon the sled he had wet two pairs of mittens. So there we were, booking it down the sidewalks, snowflakes fluttering, sun shining, dog on his bright red leash, mukluks kicking the powdery snow, fgh nodding off, my rhythm was good, it even felt like exercise. Then, whoops, I almost fell, not on ice but on my mukluks, one of the leather ties had come undone and somehow whipped around and tied to the other mukluk's lace. Crazy! I bent down to untie them, fgh's mitten fell off, I tried to put it back on while he was on my back and asleep, that didn't work so I had to take him off not realizing to do this I dropped the leash. So there I am, messed up shoes, boy trying to sleep in the snowy sidewalk, dog running into the street. Thankfully our dog is well over the hill and not up for any crazy adventures. He just waited for me to suit up and we were on our way.

I like this picture because it sums up our house. Plastic pig, red socks, crooked picture, random tool in hand.

Weddings

2010-01-28T21:06:00.002-06:00

The frigid weather and lack of light and endorphins of this season has been met with vigorous wedding album construction around my studio. Nothing brightens the mood like spring colors, googling wedding color trends (more flower photos) and dealing with the young-and-in-love. Well, an occasional bridezilla is always something to be feared, but luckily the etsy crowd seems to be filled mostly with happy people.

I have revamped my wedding album from last fall to focus on colors. All the books will have similar features, book cloth covers, long stitch binding through the spine, complimentary wedding colors on the inside of each cover which are the same lotka paper as the damask cut-out on the front and back. The text block will remain the same. I would like to limit the amount of hours I spend at Kinkos/FedEx. It is not pleasant there. I would very much like to go in, print 30 text blocks, and never go back.

That said about making everything the same, I'll start the photos off with a variation I just did for our great etsy customer. They are having a red and black "steampunk" wedding on Valentine's Day. I designed the patterned paper to look steampunked (think gears, industry, etc). The same paper is in a damask shape on the front with a vintage mirror bead and their stamped initials. I also had this one printed with their names (obviously) which looks great, but again, kinkos, hard to deal with. I need to find a different printer.

Rearrangements

2010-01-25T13:23:00.004-06:00

I am one to rearrange often. It's exciting to make a space look and feel like new. Thanks Mom, for saving all those episodes of Design on a Dime on Tivo! That show is (was?) awesome. My favorite part was the last section of the show where a designer rearranges a room to look totally awesome without buying anything new. True, she usually steals the furniture and decor from the other rooms of the house, but as long as one room looks good, who cares.

I've had my studio in the living space since we moved here. Yesterday we moved it up to FGH's room and moved his "room" into our room. He sleeps in our room every night anyhow. Now his mattress is next to our bed (used for playing so far). The living space is opened up for more running-about room. He loves it. I love it. When Peter is playing with FGH I can go upstairs, shut the door, and have full use of my brain, which will be necessary now as I'm embarking on a new business venture with a friend alongside my books and prints. Details to follow later on that!

Here's my new studio space. It's not decorated or completely set up, but it's good enough. I've already cranked out some wedding books since last night.

And now, FGH has more room to act like this:
We hope to feel more relaxed in our living space, too. Having my studio in the living room felt like there was always an aura of work in the air.

Garden

2010-01-21T13:31:00.003-06:00

This time of year was always so exciting on the farm, lists to make, seeds arriving in the mail, prepping the seed starting area for the onions that would soon be planted into trays...

This year FGH and I are going to have a garden in the backyard. I've been not so excited about it, since it's really quite a bit smaller than 40 acres, but now that I'm about to put the seed order in the mail I'm getting excited. We're renting here, so I don't want to add any more tilled area besides the 8'x8' garden spot that already exists. So, I'm planning on some major container gardening. I've never done this and I'm a little nervous. I will continue to have a CSA box every week from our old farm (now loon organics) as a back up.

My list so far:

For containers:

Tomatoes (of course)

Bell Peppers

Peas (trellised in a pot)

Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Oregano for sure)

Salad Mix

Precious Garden Plot Area:

Green Beans

Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Oregano for sure)

Kale (a lot of bang for your buck space-wise)

Heads of Lettuce

Zucchini (trellised)

Cuke (trellised)

Spinach

Radish

Things I'm NOT growing:

brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, caul, bok choy...)

potatoes

winter squash

corn-I have always thought it so funny when home gardeners plant 6 stalks of corn!

everything else

I really like fresh eggplant, but it takes up some footage....might try it in a pot...we'll see.

If anyone has some container growing advice send it this way. I'll do some googling about it. I'm going to need a lot of pots, too. Hmmmm. I'm guessing water will be the biggest factor. I will have a toddler helping me, and he will probably REALLY like the hose next summer so TOO much water is probably the actual problem with those pots.

Here's a gardening journal that will find it's way into my shop soon. It's a journal made from a variety of papers from the "Veggie Line." I may have to keep it for my own gardening notes come to think of it.

More Album Sets

2010-01-19T22:14:00.005-06:00

Two more baby sets have landed in my shop. I really really enjoyed making them. Once I printed off the patterned papers I was just too excited to wait and quickly cut them up into carefully measured pieces. The fabric lining the brag book pouch is also made from one of my patterns. I actually fed fabric sheets through the inkjet printer and it worked. Well, I cheated a bit, they were paper backed when I bought them. However, I have since purchased some gorgeous fabrics that I am going to try to back with freezer paper and feed through the printer. It's supposed to work. So, the top set is the Dala Set. One of my dala prints is on the cover, and the lining paper of the large album is the blue, white, and red star paper from a previous blog entry. The blue and yellow dala paper and beige patterned paper are part of the new "Dala Line." Nice!

I've gone a little wild with the "Veggie Line." Peas, tomatoes, squash, elf shoes, flowers...there are about 8 patterns in the series. I'll try to get them scanned tonight.

Next I plan on evolving into some more organic (strange to use that word not referring to USDA organic) patterns. I'm going to use some watercolors i'm working on, scan them, and print them on lotka papers. Hmmm. Could be great or could be a disaster.

Thirty

2010-01-16T18:50:00.004-06:00

Thirty it is.

And I got thirty presents from my mom.

And a bunch more, too.

Thanks everyone!

I took an I-Spy type photograph of some of the thirty gifts from my ma:

Can you find the delicious Mr. B's Chocolate Bar?

There are assorted antique brass bells that will be great hung on a hook or maybe on a wreath.

Vintage metal stencils may find there way onto a book cover.

A tiny white charm dog from my Great Grandma Mort's jewelry box is very mysterious, much like the odd vase that was my Grandma Myrtle's GRANDMA's (that goes back more than 120 years), very intriguing item!

Threads and soaps and sticks, fun fun.

And me! How serious I was and am.

An orchid now graces the presence of my messy studio area. Studios are meant to be messy. I have recently decided this despite all the magazine articles that pressure me to spend January organizing. Thanks for the fleur, Peter!

Fear of Sleep

2010-01-15T13:25:00.002-06:00

I came down to the kitchen this morning, groggy, ready for a cup of coffee, needing a little wake up time. Surprise! We never cleaned the kitchen last night. Oh.

Now, it's 1:30 and the lunch dishes are piled on top of the supper dishes.

Not to mention the other chores, and Fredrik's been wearing the same socks for two days (gasp!).

I keep filling my sketchbook with ideas...but they don't get started.

It is the fear of sleep.

I finally diagnosed it.

Nothing has been working to get that 23 month old to sleep (except holding him in the sling that had been retired to a drawer a good 10 months ago).

We've tried the cry-it-out which was more of a yell-it-out, he just yelled, "mama, daddy, eggs, outside, thomas..." until he was hoarse.

We've tried soothing music, putting the lights down, calming baths, negotiations, snuggly toys, switching to a toddler bed (QUICKLY BACK TO THE CRIB!), our bed, and skipping the nap.

He looks so bedraggled.

So does our house.

Then, today we visited the Monroe Family Playroom at the Monroe School-which was awesome by the way, and free, and included 45 minutes of parent/child yoga-and during the free play portion of the morning I picked up a copy of "What to Expect...the Toddler Years (or something close)" and they mentioned that some sensitive kids will develop a fear of sleep. The cry(yell)-it-out method usually just makes it worse.

I think it fits.

He just wants to be up, to play, to read, to learn, to talk.

So, they suggested laying with your toddler until he falls asleep so we tried that today. He, in his exhaustion, fell asleep almost immediately on my shoulder in his room. I waited a good 10 minutes to transfer him, then covered him up (still sleeping at this point), covered him up so he felt secure and rested my hand a bit longer.

Soon, he opened his eyes and said,

"Screwdriver."

Seriously!

And he's been in his crib a good 20 minutes now listening to guitar music and talking about Thomas.

He's so tired.

The house is so dirty.

Well, up I go to try again.

Patterning

2010-01-14T12:51:00.006-06:00

I love the making of patterns. Who knew?

These are some of my favorites thus far.

From the Love Ostriches line:

And the Veggie line:
Also from the Veggie line, made out of elf shoes:
And the Dala line:
It is extremely playful to make these. I use photoshop. Cutting, pasting, rotating, sizing, coloring, repeating...it is great fun. I'm thinking about selling some of the papers in paper packs. Could be fun. And, who knows, maybe someday Moda will ask me to design fabric. You never know.

Me+Me

2010-01-12T14:54:00.003-06:00

A few weeks (months?) ago I split myself into two, swirling tree and swirling tree people.

The books vs. the drawings and prints.

My book shop was feeling cluttered with the prints and notecards so I thought they should be seperated.

Well, now I've brought them together into one big "me" collaboration.

I was crabbily working (tis frustrating to learn new things) on patterns to go with my new designs for about a week and a half and now I have produced these:

A whole "elephant ballerina" line of papers and even some printed fabric for the brag book pouch. Phew. I wasn't sure if I was going to pull it off. As you can see, the green elephant paper is made of repeated smaller green copies of my original elephant which is on the large album. The flower pattern comes from the corner detail on the drawn frame around the elephant. I'm selling all three books together as a set. So darling, if I do say.

The inspiration for these projects came from some christmas gifts from Peter. "Bend the Rules with Fabric" by the Angry Chicken blogger Amy Karol, and a silkscreening kit from the Center for Book Arts, and from my parents (with sis's help), the letterpress printer from Archivers. Aside from the book, none of these were exactly used for this project, but getting all of these printing related products spurred me to think about patterns and making my own decorative papers and fabrics. The letterpress and silkscreen are taunting me to learn more.

I have some veggie-people albums and brag books on the way, and then dala horses. I'm not sure if the movie fox will be appropriate as these seem geared towards baby gifts. Anyone have any input? Would someone want a set of albums and a brag book with a sly and cynical movie-loving fox on the cover?

Hmmmmm.

Toddler Muffins

2010-01-11T08:48:00.003-06:00

Freddy and I made muffins the other day and much was learned about baking with people of the toddler variety.

1. Have things ready as though we are on a cooking show. A quick trip to the cupboard to get vanilla may result in eggs in the honey jar.

2. Use the biggest bowl possible if you are to let the little one stir.

3. Flour is slippery (more so with gluten-free flour?)

4. Do not expect the product to "turn out"

5. The toddler will fill with pride and adore the baked creation, even if it crumbles to a pile of dust when touched.

Next time we may try instant pudding.

January Sunshine

2010-01-04T15:06:00.002-06:00

I'm a big fan of January. I put my cuddle duds, wool sweater, wool coat, wool everything on and embrace the bitter cold. There is always so much bright sunshine in January that the cold is made tolerable ---OK, to and from the car is basically the only time spent outdoors on days like today when it hovers around zero degrees, but still, I have no bad feelings about it. The days are getting longer...and it's almost my birthday which is, of course, a cause for celebration. It's the big 3-0 this year. Despite the frozen tundra, we have some blooms in the house. Peter just scored a huge jade (monster plant is what he and Freddy are calling it) at Mississippi Market. IT IS HUGE. It took the place of our Christmas Tree, is is THAT BIG. Peter is freaking-out excited about it. Bonsai plans are in his head (Jade's are fun to trim...sculpt...not sure what the correct term is there). It's even blooming. I didn't even know that they could bloom here. Here is some photog of the monster tree:

Now that Law School is back in session, I am putting things back onto the back burner to simmer. I did, however, have a majorly productive couple of weeks so I feel OK for slowing up a bit and getting back into the normal routine. Here are some 5x7 albums that are among the many things I finished during the break:

Happy 2010!

2010-01-01T14:51:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!

I am extremely excited for 2010. I have SO MANY ideas for new drawings, books, kits, and the like.

For example, I had decided that I wanted to draw a fox. I like foxes, especially those of the cartoon variety. So, as I sat down to draw a fox, I drew this guy, sitting in a chair with popcorn and pop. What the? I guess I had watched Avatar in 3-D the night before (it was totally awesome), so that must have been my inspiration.

I am one of those artists that just starts drawing without a plan. It's the opposite with bookmaking, since the structure sort of necessitates a plan and cutting accuracy.

Below Movie Fox is one of my new journals, Red and Green Clock Journal. It's cute. It's clever. Both items are in their respective shops and more are soon to follow.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T22:10:00.000-06:00

Feeling the Darkness

2009-12-21T07:02:00.003-06:00

What is soltice, anyway?

That is just what we've been trying to figure out the past few years. At the farm we started to feel very pagan, we were outside most of the time, the moon shone into our bedroom window at night, we were connected with the seasons since we were growing for a living- constantly witnessing the cycles of life with all of the plants and animals and the cycles of the seasons. It was only natural for us to feel the darkness of the winter solstice. We were suddenly inside so many hours and we waited for the light to come so we could get out and get a little work done. It felt good to have the forced rest that the long nights gave to us, we wanted to fill our bellies and hibernate!

I really miss that in the city. This month has been the busiest of my year! I'm very thankful for my customers and sales, but wow, I am tired! Peter is spent from finals and papers, and we're both trying to get all of our holiday prepping completed...busy busy busy! So, today, the shortest day of the year, we are going to try to feel the darkness and celebrate the light that will soon lengthen our days.

But how!?!

That has been the question but it really feels important now that FGH is around. We're trying to formalize the "feeling" we get this time of year in regards to the season so it can become an official tradition. Presents seem to be in order, at least a couple, and one that is sitting under our lighted tree right now is a shiny red sled that will be used for our solstice outing. Indeed, being outdoors needs to be in the equation. And pancakes. They are in the oven waiting for the rest of the family to wake up. Nothing says connectedness with the winter like banana pancakes...hmmmmm, they're good anyway.

Tonight we are going to have a little candlelight and a tasty dinner. Our menu was starting to sound like Christmas Eve, potato sausage and the like, so we switched it to chicken tika masala, spicy sweet potatoes and coconut rice. It isn't CHRISTMAS yet after all.

Well, I hear that boy stirring... I'm contemplating keeping the lights off or at least dimmed today so we notice how short the day really is.

Thanks!

2009-12-15T13:45:00.003-06:00

A big THANK YOU to everyone that celebrated Holiday Handmade here on Saturday. It was a great day and wow...I have a very small inventory now!

Also a big thanks to everyone that helped me set up. It was a lot of monkey business to get my messy studio/toddler house into the form of a little art gallery. I can't believe how great it looked.

I am very surprised and excited about my online sales this season as well-thanks etsians! I may have sent the last etsy package today since we all safely want those brag books, albums, and dala horse prints under the tree in just 10 days. Christmas has never come so fast.

Yet another thank you now, to the artists that displayed their wares here for HH. FGH is completely in love with Mr. Bacon, Mr. Egg, and Mr. Toast. They go on the tree, he fake eats them, he carries them around, he stacks them on his train, back on the tree...they are super.

Now it's on to my own holiday preparing. I have a long list and high hopes. I want to make at least two kinds of cookies-macaroons for sure. I'm looking for another gluten-free cookie that is, well, desirable, so serious web surfing will soon take place. After the cookies come the present wrapping, which is by far my favorite thing to do. I'm going to start that tonight and after they are tidily wrapped and placed on top of the piano (under the tree? that would be crazy!) I think I will have a better idea of where else I need to shop. Our little family of three celebrates on the Solstice (we are so unitarian), we started the tradition on the farm and would have a bonfire outside. This year I'm thinking more along the lines of a winter walk, brandied egg nog, and Fredrik opening gifts (one of which is a mini guitar). We usually have a feast of lutefisk and the like, but really, feasting is not in our vocab right now. I think we'll do a reasonable meal and then eggnog and treats. Our holiday continues in Forest City with Peter's family and family friends on the 23rd, Lille Jul Aften. On the 24th we head to church and to Grandma June's for C. Eve, then stay at my parents' house and wake up for a C. Day breakfast. The solstice is Monday, so really, I have only a few days to finish my handmade gifts, make the cookies, finish shopping...Is everyone else feeling this right now? I'm really not stressed (yet) but excited. Christmas music makes it all better. That, and Peter getting done with his semester in just about 48 hours. That will help, too.

Holiday Handmade TOMORROW! Anyone that is cool will be there.

2009-12-11T15:42:00.002-06:00

We've been setting up our show all day...it is fun...and a good amount of monkey business. The displays are looking fresh and well-stocked, the signs are up (they wouldn't stick into the frozen ground so look for signs stuck into Menards buckets), and our little house is Christmas-a-fied.

We'll be open from 9-4 Saturday, the 12th of Dec. We are right on Lexington Pkwy North in St. Paul...#609.

Here are some of the goodies awaiting you:

pottery:

veggie people and christmas tree man prints and cards:
awesome beaded jewelry:
dala horse prints and cards:
oodles of brag books:
felt goodies, including bacon, egg, and toast ornaments:
knit hats:
billfolds and checkbook covers:
More to come, too!

See you tomorrow!

Holiday Handmade is Upon Us

2009-12-07T14:23:00.007-06:00

I'm getting pretty antsy about the upcoming Holiday Handmade Open House. Today I am printing and distributing flyers, making some yard signs, and trying desperately to get my inventory up. I have been happy to see many packages leave here over the past two weeks-21 etsy sales! Thanks everyone! In the pile of packages were many commission orders. One of the best parts about buying something straight from the buyer is the ability to converse with them and get the best possible product for your specific use. Today I am shipping off a set of three 10-page brag books (10 grandkids in the family, I imagine). Last week a made a very lovely (if I do say) wedding book with a black and white motif and 150 pages suitable for 150 5X7 prints. Dandy. In fact, my orders seem to consist mainly of album and brag book sales. I enjoy making both of these so there you have it.

I'm not letting these hot sales completely dictate what is going on in my studio. I am still moving forward with the digital illustrations and art books...which have a smaller audience at the time but I enjoy making them so I shall persist.

Here are some visuals of what's been happening around here:

black and "watermelon" wedding shower guest book/album

chocolate brown and lime wedding shower guest book/albumblack and white wedding album (blank pages)

vintage button clasps (sorry about the pixelation here)
black and white album stitching
big 10-page brag books
again
camel and yellow album with hand stamped botanicals (in shop now!)
green art book-the paper on the front is cut from a painting of mine, twigs sewn to front with a blue glass gem (also in shop(soon)).

December!

2009-12-01T14:06:00.006-06:00

I am calling my Cyber Monday sale a success, many views, many hearts, 2 sales, and 3 commissions. Thanks, people!

Here are some non-bookbinding related goings-on from Thanksgiving weekend:

The weekend started with some late-night home-brewin':

Aksel and Lachen took turns leaping off the couch. I have about 40 pictures to prove it:
Jonah (very happy!) and FGH enjoying some cherry pie AND raspberries:
The four boys, this was as still as we could get them for even a moment:
Lachen and Aksel (I think it was both of them?!?) decorated the table with many "Thanksgiving" drawings:
Roz bringing the bird (A Red Bourbon from a nearby farm) to the table:
Feast:
Fredrik's second attempt at dinner (he had jello and a pickle dipped in bbq sauce for the first round):
Saturday we headed to Great Grandma June's house for potato sausage making, here are Madi and Fredrik taking a break from tearing around the house:
Grandma June!:
My mom glovin' up for some sausage catching:
Bev, Tim, Peter, and Curt stringing the casings onto the...thing(cranker?):
How artsy, and disgusting looking:
FGH modeling his coat and hat that was Peter's as a lad:

Cyber Monday

2009-11-29T19:13:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow, November 30th, is CYBER MONDAY, so I am throwing a little promo in my shops:

$1 Shipping for each item WORLDWIDE!

That equates to a $2-$8 savings per item. Wahoo!

My inventory has gotten pretty low, but today I have added three items to Swirling Tree People and I'm in the process of adding 10 new brag books to my Swirling Tree shop. Also, some books that had been taken out of inventory for art shows are now back in again.

Here are some new things you will find:

Dala Horse Cards Sets, Four cards (one of each print) bound with a pretty ribbon. They come with envelopes. (These are good for framing, too):
Dala Horse Gift Tags, so adorable! Set of 8 (2 of each color):
Christmas Tree Man (or Solstice Tree Man) set of 8 gift tags:
Chartreuse Lotka paper brag book:
Cloud Brag Book with Pouch:
Rudolph brag book:

So that is what's new here.

Happy Monday and Happy Holiday season!

Dala Horses

2009-11-23T21:24:00.003-06:00

My vegetable-people drawings are morphing into something new for Christmas...dala horses! For those that do not have Scandinavian ancestry (I mainly claim the Swede, though Norwegian and Danish blood runs through me system as well), dala horses are traditional hand carved and painted Swedish folk art. They are not particular to Christmas time, but for some reason I associate them with the holidays. Perhaps it's the fact that one's cultural heritage is really put into full swing this time of year (lefse, herring, glogg, rosettes, St. Lucia, rice pudding...).

I've really really been enjoying my new photoshop trick of designing original patterns. These drawings are full of vintage-looking patterns in all of my favorite colors. Basically, I drew one horse with some fun framing, then colored it in four different ways. My mom and I are currently searching for the perfect way to frame them all together. I have also created 5x7 greeting card packs and little gift tags which will appear soon in my shop. The prints-- in a 6"x6" format-- are in my shop right now.

Holiday Handmade

2009-11-22T07:47:00.007-06:00

Join me and some friends for cider, cookies, and handmade items! I'm turning my little house on Lexington into a gallery for a day. I'm pretty pumped up about it!

I'm going to share some of my new work (some of it not yet on etsy!) and the other work over the next few days on ze blog here. Today I'll focus on myself and Stacey Lynn.

I will have quite a few new brag books. These came out of a collaboration with my sis-in-law Anna, I made the book and she the pouch for my mom-in-law. I've sold quite a few since then! They are fun to make, too. They come with 6 or 4 board "pages" adorned with photo corners:

Stacey from Gentry Night Studios and Jewelry by Stacey Lynn is bringing felt owls and other wonderfully whimsical items such as this fried egg Christmas ornament. Freddy has one of her owls and loves it. Who wouldn't? She's an etsy seller and also has a shop with jewelry as well...with items such as this awesome Yellow Calcite and Orange Necklace:

New Developments

2009-11-11T18:49:00.005-06:00

I've been walking further down the "natural" road with more books. The first one uses some very cool paper made with carrot greens! It's very pretty. I also have a 5x7 nearly exactly the same as this in my shop, and tonight I finished a little notepad book which I will try to photograph tomorrow when the sun shines.

This one seems very much in the vain of vampire/goth/renaissance festival:

And some red marbled paper finishes this set of deckled edged books.

I have major mom guilt today. I was going to get the h1n1 for FGH, but time didn't allow for me to drive to our clinic (still in Litchfield) and back, and he was exhausted from ecfe, so I decided not to get it and now I feel like he's going to get sick. Peter is going to try to bring him tomorrow since I "work" at Peggy's Holiday Boutique in the afternoon. I'm just including this tidbit in case anyone else has insight with all the flu shot business.

Another tidbit, which fits under the label "New Developments" is that we will be moving to New Ulm, MN for the summer and possibly for the next chapter in our lives. Peter landed a summer position. Good work! We will be testing the waters this summer. I miss nature and New Ulm has that.

To celebrate I scored these buttons on etsy from XOhandworks:

Baby Craziness

2009-11-10T20:53:00.003-06:00

It has been baby central around here this week!

Welcome to:

Evelyn Noa Eckberg born Nov. 9 at 5 lb. 12 oz!

Wesley Alton Schooler born Nov. 7 at 8 lb. 15 oz!

Ayla Brin Nelson born Nov. 8 at 8 lb. 5 oz!

Good Work Moms! (And Dads Too!)

Since I don't really have permission, I'm not going to share the first birth photos of these cute little kids. Just know that they are all adorable!

Creative Boost

2009-11-02T22:56:00.003-06:00

I had a very creative morning yesterday and today I tried out some new photography techniques. I am happy with the results (both the books and pics). Natural lightening really DOES make a huge difference.

I stuck all but one of these books in my shop so far. They will be out of the shop already on Wednesday, so if anyone wants to snap one up, you have about one day to do it.

New Shop

2009-11-01T20:16:00.006-06:00

My etsy shop was getting a little messy with the prints and notecards intermixed with all of my various books, so I decided to create a second etsy shop for these very non-book items.

Introducing: Swirling Tree People!

Check it out! Here's the link.

In other news...Sundays are my designated work day around here. Peter and FGH have a solid day together while I putz in my studio. Today I did more than putz, I finished 5 books (almost 6). They are much more organic and daring, so I'm excited to get them in my shop in a couple of weeks after the next show is finished (unless they sell, of course).

Art shows. I guess you win some and you lose some. It seems pretty risky with the time and money that usually go into them. My first show went pretty well, especially for the ST People prints. The second was a dud, I only sold two things. Most vendors had a bad day, so I didn't feel like a total loser. A million excuses come out of my mouth when I talk about it; the recession, the wrong type of customer, the weather... but it doesn't really matter. I'm just going to look forward to the Roseville show that starts next weekend (at the Roseville Skating Center for you locals!) and continue building my etsy shop.

Stay posted for more book photos in the near future.

Dragon Day

2009-10-31T20:36:00.005-05:00

A house 3 blocks from us was selling pumpkins all month. We finally got there today, and there weren't many left, but it was still overly exciting for FGH Dragon.

I could not get a picture of him standing still!

We had a candlelit feast. At least two of us. The third one was having toddler tantrums and didn't eat until later (I think he was holding out for pumpkin pie).
After we ate Peter carved a pumpkin with Freddy. Fredrik would not touch it and was dismayed that Peter was cutting it up. I've never seen such a pouty lip on him!
Still not sure about it.
This did not help. It was the scariest thing imaginable.

FGH and Handmade Scores

2009-10-31T08:03:00.004-05:00

Happy Halloween!

We haven't planned much for this holiday.

I used to LOVE Halloween, dressing up was indeed a major part of my high school and college years. I think my favorite costume was a Ghostbuster, but I had a pretty kickin' Princess Leia costume too. This year I have art shows taking up a lot of my energy. After next Wednesday I should be able to rest easier for a couple of weeks. Peter is putting the final touches on his long paper for Law Review. Last I heard he had written over 66 pages. That's long enough to bind! Hmmm, that's a dandy Christmas idea, an handbound law review article. Anyway, his paper is due at midnight tonight, so we didn't even make any Halloween plans. FGH has a dragon costume that we'll put on for some neighborhood trick-or-treating. I suppose I should buy some candy, too, in case we get any treaters here.

FGH has had some major scores lately thanks to grandmas and grandpas:

First, a Halloween Cookie Play Date with Grandma Barb and Madi (and Aunt Bub (Bev)). They did really well for 1-year-olds!

Next, a fun quilt from Grandma Roz. The entire Very Hungry Caterpillar book is on this quilt! So much fun! Freddy is deep in thought about it:

And a stool from Grandpa Richard! It's adorable and coveted by this toddler. Major tantrums occur when he's taken away from "sink." Yesterday he helped me stir cornbread when I put the stool next to our island- with a small spoon to limit the amount of cornmeal flicked out of the bowl.