Briar Rose Fabrics

I stopped by my newest favorite shop yesterday, Harmony.  I wasn't shopping for fabric, but once I glanced at their newest line of Windham Fabrics titled "Briar Rose," I was smitten and had to buy myself a yard.

They are sweet, sweet florals with little lady bees buzzing around.  Here's the same pattern but in green.

Here she is with a more modern geometric print.

And there's crickets too,

...and strawberries.

Are you as taken with them as I am?

While the salesgirl was cutting my yard of fabric, I glanced at another set of beautiful fabrics.
 It was Martha Negley for Rowan Fabrics.  I had to have a yard of her Dahlia in deep pinks and olive.

Here are some other amazing choices from this Artist.

Wow!  I am reading Anne of Green Gables right now, (one of the perks of nursing a baby is how many times I day get to sit down and read.)
I am a "kindred spirit" with Anne in the fact that we both have "beauty loving eyes", and these fabrics make me giddy with their beauty.

A Mommy Uniform

I remember reading an interview with Gywneth Paltrow years ago where she talked about having a mom uniform.

Something comfortable yet stylish, and very washable.  

A few weeks ago I went to hear Courtney Kendrick speak at a BYU conference.  

She shared the same idea, but her version of the uniform is a mumu dress.  Again comfortable, and a style that makes her happy to get dressed each morning.

When I looked up pictures on the web, there is actually a wide range of dresses that fall into the mumu category.  I liked this vintage pattern that I found.

I definitely like the concept of having a mommy uniform.  The only times I am interested in giving my outfit extra time and contemplation is on date night.  For me I have found a few items that wash really well.  I mean over and over for years and years!  They have passed the test of time.

Undertease t-shirts.  My black top is still very black four years later.  I bought mine from Nordstroms, but when I was searching for links, it seems that Undertease has been bought by Modbod.  Hopefully they are still just a good.

I have skirts from Garnet Hill that are similar to this picture. 

  They are made of 70% cotton and 30% modal and never pill.  

After having spent $50 on a maxi skirt from a different store, which looked worn after the second time wearing it, I really appreciated how smooth these Garnet Hill skirt stay.

Orion

It's March 1st!  We've made it through the dreariest months of winter and even though there is still over a foot of snow on my lawn, I know spring is on its way.  These last couple weeks the sun has been shining strong through the west windows of my kitchen.  Today I will be pulling out the Easter decorations and deciding what fabric to use for my accent cushions in the family room.

There is one thing that makes me sad to think winter is coming to an end.  Orion.  He's the one constellation I can identify in the night sky, and he only shows himself during the wintertime.  Is that weird that he brings me such joy and comfort?  Well, I do have a few other things I'll miss when winter is gone and then let's review some mythology.

1. Orion
2. Christmas music
3. Feeling like a stolen bride as I walk from the house to the garage for a new gallon of milk
4. Cold weather makes my fingers smaller, so my rings fit better

There are two different versions of the Orion myth, depending on the identity of his parents. The first of these identifies the sea-god Neptune as Orion's father and the the great huntress Queen Euryale of the Amazons as his mother. Orion inherited her talent, and became the greatest hunter in the world. Unfortunately for him, with his immense strength came an immense ego, and he boasted that he could best any animal on earth. In response to his vanity, a single small scorpion stung him and killed him.

Another version of the Orion myth states that he had no mother but was a gift to a pious peasant from Jupiter, Neptune, and Mercury. "Orion supposedly was able to walk on water and had greater strength and stature than any other mortal. A skilled blacksmith, he fabricated a subterranean palace for Vulcan. He also walled in the coasts of Sicily against the encroaching sea and built a temple to the gods there"(Magee, 48). Orion fell in love with Merope, daughter of Oenopion and princess of Chios. Her father the king, however, would not consent to give Orion his daughter's hand in marriage--even after the hunter rid their island of wild beasts. In anger,

Orion attempted to gain possession of the maiden by violence. Her father, incensed at this conduct, having made Orion drunk, deprived him of his sight and cast him out on the seashore. The blinded hero followed the sound of a Cyclops' hammer till he reached Lemnos, and came to the forge of Vulcan, who, taking pity on him, gave him Kedalion, one of his men, to be his guide to the abode of the sun. Placing Kedalion on his shoulders, Orion proceeded to the east, and there meeting the sun-god, was restored to sight by his beam.After this he dwelt as a hunter with Diana, with whom he was a favourite, and it is even said she was about to marry him. Her brother [Apollo] was highly displeased and chid her [she was, after all, a virgin huntress], but to no purpose. One day, observing Orion wading through the ocean with his head just above the water, Apollo pointed it out to his sister and maintained that she could not hit that black thing on the sea. The archer-goddess discharged a shaft with fatal aim. The waves rolled the body of Orion to the land, and bewailing her fatal error with many tears, Diana placed him among the stars (Bulfinch's Mythology, 191-192).

It is also stated in some versions that Apollo, worried for Diana's chastity, sent a scorpion to kill Orion.

My Book Wish List

My decorating magazines always have a page featuring new books and I am often sold.  Here is my current wish list.

                                                   The Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte

I have been interested in sprouting and I think I could do it with some instructions plus recipes.

                                          The Italian Table by Ron Suhanosky

There's a recipe for Eggplant and Peach Parmigiana!

                                       Be Your Own Decorator by Susanna Salk

She poses the question "why not create a kitchen that feeds your appetite and your soul?"

Life in Color by Annie Griffiths

 Taken from National Geographic's collection of photographs, the book is a celebration of color.

Here is one the pages.

Reminds me of another book I've had on my list for several years.

Apples For Jam by Tessa Kiros

A unique cookbook where the chapters are separated by color instead for conventional categories

I've included links for all these books to Barnes and Noble.  Gotta support the only bookstore left.

Ralph Lauren Collection

You watch Downton Abbey don't you?  Let's just indulge in a few pictures before I move on to my topic.

                          Last Sunday night's Episode One of Season Three.  It was a good one.

Okay, so I noticed that Ralph Lauren was sponsoring PBS and Masterpiece Theatre.  I wondered if he was being influenced by Downton Abbey, and if he had any 1910's or 1920's dresses in his collection.

                              I discovered no Titanic style dresses, yet it was still fun to look at his influence for the Fall '12 and Spring '13 Shows.

                            Yes, I see English "Weekend in the Country" with the tweeds and knits,
but I'd say 1930's is more influential in this line with the trousers and hats.

Click here to see the entire Fall 2012 Collection

Now just for fun, let's check out how different the Spring 2013 Collection is.

 
France and Spain are the influences and some 1970's.

 
Click here is see the entire collection.

One last thing.  It's January and the best time to go shopping because you can get 30% off already reduced prices.  I've been hitting all my favorite stores at the mall, but I had forgotten about looking online.  Here is the link to Ralph Lauren's Sale page.  His stuff is pretty pricey but gorgeous, and I did find several sweaters I like in $50 range.

Little Miss Austen

For Christmas my sister'n law Helen gave me the DVD of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly.  I have never seen this film before and am not familiar with the story as I am with Sense and Sensibility.  But I knew   everyone raves about it and also the BBC version from the 1990's with Colin Firth.

So as soon as the boys were back at school and Teddy was down for a nap, I placed my pile of ironing in front of the television and was ready to enjoy myself.  What is it about the 1800's that makes their stories so cozy and so appealing?  Well I decided in those next two hours what book was going to be on my reading list this year.

The very next day, look what I found at the BYU Art Museum Gift Shop!  The cutest board book.

            A counting book for little girls.   I don't want to spoil your discovery so I will only show one page.

After looking online, I found this author and illustrator have also made counting board books on Romeo and Juliet,  Alice and Wonderland, Jane Eyre, Dracula, and A Christmas Carol.  Such a great idea.

The Memoir Project

My mom recently sent me a book called The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life by Marion Roach Smith.   I have been hooked from the very first page.

 My mom is a historian, genealogist, and connoisseur of reading and writing.  So as my mother's daughter, I have been working on my life story off and on since I was in high school.  I was really excited when Marion declared my stories have value.  Value for my family, and for a larger audience, plus value for my creative writing.  Here are some good quotes from her intro and first chapter.

,

"Right now my life is packed with middle-aged friends engaged in all manner of dangerous behaviors again - the ones they forgot we did in our twenties.  They insist that they are trying to feel something.  I suggest honestly writing about your life.  You'll something, I promise."

"After you learn how to truly observe the life you live, the result may be excellence - in both writing and in the living."

"One of the things I know for certain is everyone has a story."

"When you write memoir, you'll be writing what you know."

"Let us into your story by shedding light on our own dilemmas, fears, happiness, or wide-eyed wonder."

Marion's formula is "this is a story about x and the illustration is y".  For example:  This is a piece of humor, and the illustration is that day at the proctologist.   Topics can be anything, such as pity, freedom, tragedy, redemption, mercy, patriotism, etc, etc.  And the illustration has to be small enough to capture.  But the neat thing about this formula is "it makes room for the reader."
The book is made up of 112 pages and filled with engaging and very useful help for aspiring writers.  I am still working my way through it, but I am really looking forward to sharing with you my first attempt using her method.

Here is a lick to an NPR interview
Here is a link to Marion's blog with even more ideas for your writing.  Are you as excited as I am? 

C. Jane Kendrick

I found another blog I really really like.

http://www.cjanekendrick.com/2009/06/nothing-to-hyde.html 

the address is cjanekendrick.com but the link above is to a story she wrote about her husband.  This is a great example of what I was saying a few weeks ago about Christmas presents.  What could be better than recording a sentimental memory?

Jane's blog includes alot of current events for Provo, Utah, but  if you look on the left side column you will find a whole collection of personal essays!  Maybe you could find some inspiration while you search through her topics.

 I enjoy her story telling, and am very inspired by her ability to hear the promptings of the Holy Ghost.  So far with the ones I've read, my favorite is the hourglass theory.  I was enthralled as I continued to read pieces of the story coming together and then arriving at the end  I felt so happy and energized with her theory running through my mind.

Travel Journal

Last year my mom bought me a small journal with Paris labels all over the front and a variety of lined and unlined paper inside.  It took me awhile to figure out how I was going to use it.  Then last Christmas I decided a travel journal would be quite useful, and this little book would be perfect for the job.

The book is naturally divided into sections because of the assortment of paper, so I have designated them into categories:
1. Basic Itinerary - what I did each day, with whom, and what I ate.

2. What I packed that worked well, and what I never want to forget again.

3. Design Inspiration -  I always see art and fabric that is different from my regular world.
I have written a few notes, but really a photograph of the item is most effective for remembering.

4. Business Cards of Hotels and Restaurants that I loved along with ticket stubs and other Mementos

5. Capture the Moment - a descriptive essay of something extra funny from each trip
So far this year I have written about:

"Gaynor and the Smelly Dog"
"Reminiscing with Kip about 1980's food"
"Daniel and the Hair Dye"
"Exchanging Recipes with Men in a Race"
"Mental Breakdown on the top of a Cliff"
"Walking Runaway James Back to His Room""

6. Ideas I bring home for my Guestroom

Here is a link for an online store selling similar journals made by the same company, Cavallini & Co.
There are lots of great choices, and just think of all the wonderful things you will record!

Aden and Anais

                                                                Crazy what can happen in a year.

Photos: by Sarah Clayton Faubus

I am a lucky girl to have access to such talent, but I think everyone should take advantage of Sarah's services.  A great photo shoot is a gift for the rest of your life; I am happy every time I walk past her portraits of my boys on the stairway walls.

I was thinking about my Aden + Anais muslin swaddle blankets, and realizing that they have been the most used baby item in the past year for Ted....and his giraffe teddy that he cuddles while he sleeps.  But these blankets are big, soft, breathable and take up very little room in my diaper bag.

I am writing this post to recommend them to all mothers and to all shoppers of baby gifts.  Your money will be well spent on a pack of three from their website for around $40.  Or even better is a four pack at Target for $32