Works of Art

At the beginning of the school year I signed up to give Phia's kindergarten class a little presentation on Andy Warhol with one of the other mothers. If the focus is on pop art, you have subject matter that is definitely fun and appealing for little art enthusiasts. Celebrities, canned food, and a mouse in bright colors- how could you go wrong with that?
After the presentation the kids had the chance to make some personalized pop art. I did a little tinkering with their class photo, and came out with some high contrast black and white portraits for them to color in to their liking. As predicted, they loved coloring in their own faces- almost all of them had a little lipstick, glasses, and mustaches. My favorite: lightning bolt scar
This is Phia's mulligan- I asked her to color this one in at home for framing purposes. While there are some other really neat tutorials ( 1,2) on how to make Warhol-esque portraits, I took the easy way out- I cropped the face, erased the background, increased the brightness and contrast, played with the curves, and then changed the picture to black and white.

Part of Your Balanced Breakfast

This is definitely the most important meal of the day when Ori looks that excited before devouring it.Even though little man loves yogurt to start with, its always a treat to watch him "oh & ah" and dance around a bit when we dress it up with some fruit.
What gets your day started? Lately my day begins with coffee- a habit I am trying to get out of.

Think Pink

Phia's obsession with the color pink is unwavering. Any time she spies pink fabric in my sewing room, she requests that it promptly be made into a dress. I think it was only made worse after I showed her this little gem from "Funny Face".
Little girl was so excited when I finished this simple little a-line dress. Like surprisingly excited. I feel like I should be sewing up more just to see her so delighted. Since it was pretty easy to put together- the pleats at the neckline totally cooperated for me- it would be well worth it. She paired it with a mini-drapey cardigan made from the same abandoned project as this top.

February

I seem to have missed two weeks- I might need to catch up on some of the highlights of February.

Ori turned four and mastered the iphone camera
Valentines meal made by Danny
Cookies enjoyed by Ori and friends

Love is in the Air

After more procrastination than I would like to admit to, I finally got my yudu up and running just in time to make some Valentine's day inspired prints.
I feel like any prior dawdling has been equalized since I knocked out some gifts for teachers and friends for the upcoming holiday in such non-last minute fashion. So unlike me, I know.

I am kind of into the fun yet polished take on Valentine's day kitsch, and have a couple in my shop if you are too.

In Forty Minutes: Black Bean & Mushroom Tacos

Tacos in the middle of winter- why not? I'll take anything that reminds me of summer right about now- especially if that means feasting on fresh salsa.

I like to start the salsa first so the flavors can mingle a little, and then I jump into preparing everything else- a process that usually runs a little over thirty minutes.

Room to Grow

I have been squeezing Ori into too-tight shirts- my boy hit a growth spurt and has been in need of new duds.
Based off the size of an old shirt, I made him this little pullover with a medium weight knit I found while thrifting.
I was so happy when I made my first successful placket, and have been looking for excuses to make more. It was a simple 1.5 hour project- most of the time was spent on the buttonholes.
Thankfully, he's a fan.

My Treat

One of my tried and true standbys for last minute party favors, and favorite little treats to indulge upon, have to be truffles. Clean and classic, these are a chic little delicacy that are sure to impress. I made a batch for a recent "ladies night out" for my daughter's school- a last minute decision that proved to be a good one. Although it is a little involved with chocolate melting and hand dipping, it is relatively low key since the oven and mixer are not needed for this confection.