Farewell Father

Rest in peace dad.

New Years Meal

Smashed garlic potatoes, purée of concombre, Salmon with thyme, and carmelized onions. It was tasty.

Bonjour, Salut 2012

I went a little crazy with the cuphooks. But I love how it all looks. The tiny teddy was one the the first I made 15 years ago.

The little green bear was made by a japanese artist who used to sell on Etsy. She hasn't listed anything since before the tsunami. A french artist named Marion made the little white bear in the cone.

I rang in the new year by organizing my bedroom. I reworked a jewelry holder I DIY'ed from an old picture frame I scored for a buck at the thrift and wire mesh found on the curb. Some uber cool chicks, way craftier than me post some of their earring racks on Pinterest. They used eyebolts to hold earrings. One uber cool chick complained how bad her fingers hurt from screwing in umpteen eyebolts for her earrings. Really? What about drilling pilot holes? And I used cuphooks so that I could hang necklaces too.

Using wire and needlenose pliers, I added extra hooks to the wire mesh in order to hold more earrings. French wire backs slip onto the mesh, but the other kinds need the hooks. I screwed the cuphooks around the outside of the frame, eyeballing a symmetrical layout.

Next I tackled my messy dresser. UGH! It was getting really out of hand. I admit to not taking a before shot. It was horrible, trust me.

And this is midway. Obviously the Christmas bling needs to go away again for 11 months, sniff sniff.

And who wants to look at that messy victorian glass deer sculpture? The cat destroyed the dome that protected it, and now it keeps getting more breaks. Time to stash it or get rid of it.

I made the dresser scarf from a dress that looked like a sack, none too flattering, but I loved the little putti on it. So I spent an hour ripping out the seams to harvest the panels. Because in the DIY world cheap is in. And you must constantly brag about how little you spend when you are redoing your rooms. Next time I will just buy the pricy stuff I wanted. Drilling pilot holes was easier!

I love how it looks now! This glass tray is cracked, but I don't care. I've had it too many years to count. The little water baby is the perfect place for my starfish earrings. The bracelet was made by a local lady, and I wore in it Paris in 2010. A woman on the 72 bus said, "C'est très jolie, ça!" We struck up a conversation, and we chatted all the way to the Hotel de Ville. She pretended not to notice my American accent.

And finally the finished look. I love it! Are you organizing your spaces? It's worth the effort. Every time I walk into my room, I think I'm in some chic little boutique.

Goodbye 2011

December went by in a blur!
I had a birthday, spent some precious hours with the grand babies,
decorated for the holidays,
cooked some paneer for family and friends,
enjoyed the tree,
and realized how fortunate I am. I wish you all a very healthy, Happy New Year!

Tis the Season

To do good. Here is Leah, doing her part! Great weather for it too.

Went to Third Sunday

I miss doing shows. Maybe next year I will do a few but for now, I have no time. I went to the Third Sunday Market in Bloomington to see a fellow artist whose creations I adore.

I bought the Merry Christmas picket and the little witch on the post seen below Kristy.

I loved this witch in the Crayola tin. I have one of these tins. It's such a lovely fall color combination, blackish green and gold.

Kristy holding my witch alongside a happy customer. It was a lovely day for the last market of the year.

I know I've been scarce around here.

This is the last batch of beans I bought a while ago. They are out of season now. I took a lot of photos intending to blog about how much I love these!

Add some fresh garlic.
I gathered them up and cut them to a uniform length.
They are looooooooooooooooooooooooog in length and their flavor is good too.

I have taken so many photos but my career takes up all my time. My garden is sadly neglected again as well. But that is a different post for another day.