Recent Posts
Sweet Sassafras
Return To Blog Listing
Sewing, knitting, and crafting in style, with a vintage flavor.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'life'
Fall garden
Isn’t chard beautiful? This is my fall garden. It looks a little battered because it’s been raining, but it’s pretty hearty. I planted dragon carrots (they are small and deep red), parsnips, broccoli, chard, and kale. I am a big...
Making Fire
We have a wood-burning stove in our kitchen to help keep it heated. We are getting the hang of using it, making fire and keeping it burning slowly through the day. It’s incredibly cozy and smells wonderful. Kenn is very proud of his newly ...
Beautiful fall
Hello, I’ve missed you. Things have been insane around home/work lately as I prepare for the next launch of the patterns. But I’d like to share some beautiful fall things from around my home, if nothing else than as a reminder to breat...
Iceland
They call Iceland a land of contrasts, and that seems the only way of describing it. There is the landscape of fire and ice, boiling water and icy waterfalls, steaming geysers and giant glaciers. There is also the pride in their unique history and ...
The Victoria and Albert Museum
One of my favorite things we did in London was a visit to The Victoria and Albert Museum. I’ve read about so many amazing fashion exhibits at the V&A over the years, so seeing the fashion and jewelry collections there was quite an experie...
London in Fall
We went to London! I happened upon a very cheap fare to London and Iceland (more on that later), so off we went to experience this mythic city. First, let me tell you that I had big dreams where London is concerned. I am a voracious reader, and I...
Words of fall (and the giveaway winner)
Wow. I asked you all what you love about fall and the responses were amazing. There were over 80 responses and I read them all, getting happier and happier with each one that rolled in. You guys clearly know a good season. Above is a word cloud I ...
Noble deeds and hot baths
I was rereading one of my favorite novels recently, Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle. One of the best lines in the book is when the narrator says, “Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression.” I’ve been tak...
Nana
Last week, my wonderful Nana passed away. I’ve been going back and forth between here and California the last couple weeks, and was lucky enough to see her before she left us. My sister and cousin said a very astute thing about this. When y...
Blog break
I always struggle with what to say when bad or difficult things happen. I generally blog to share a bit of happiness and inspiration, and keep quiet when things are not so great. But I should let you know, especially for those of you who might wond...
We’re having a heat wave
I know it’s dull to talk about the weather, but it is broiling here. It hit 107 yesterday. We have no air conditioning, only a ceiling fan that poor Basil is terrified of. The kitties are sad, they lay all stretched out on the floor in their...
Birthday gifts
I received some amazing birthday gifts this year. At the risk of sounding like I’m bragging, I must share. From Kenn: Sage Perfume in Onyx. I am really of two minds about perfume. I’m fascinated by it and I don’t think thereR...
Root: Vintage liquor
You all know I love a good cocktail. We drink some fancy concoctions around here, which Kenn often writes about on his blog, Cocktailia. I wanted to share this particular bit of heaven. A group of artists in Philly have recreated a spirit that has ...
Birthday Camping Trip
This past weekend was my birthday and we went camping with some friends in Viento State Park. It was gorgeous, right on the beautiful river. We climbed up some rocks to see a waterfall, ate delicious camping food, sat around fires, played with dogs...
Garagesaling
I’m late on posting abut this, but we went to the Eastmoreland Neighborhood Garage Sale recently, and it was pretty fun. It was a beautiful day in a lovely much-swankier-than-my-own neighborhood, and we spent hours wandering around. Over 100 ...
Outisde our house
A while back someone asked to see more photos of the outside of our house. We finally took a few more photos, now that everything is overgrown and lush and lovely. It’s all a bit ramshackle, but I like it that way. What I like best is that t...
Housewarming, etc.
It’s been a hectic week, so not much blogging I’m afraid. We had a housewarming party last Friday, and I made huge amounts of food. It was so fun to spend time with new friends and old friends, I just can’t wait for things to warm...
Rain rain rain
It’s been raining a lot. I actually really like it, we just stay in our cozy little office most of the day, drinking delicious tea and taking breaks to pet the kitties. This is what I wore yesterday, as we were heading out for lunch at the cor...
Beautiful Barkcloth
I’ve always wanted to have a bathroom that’s a little bit glamorous. Why not? I spend an inordinate amount of time bathing. The tub is one of my favorite things in the world, a true sanctuary from daily life and a place where I can reg...
Thank you, ladies.
I cannot believe how wonderfully supportive all of you have been. I wish I had words to describe how grateful I feel for the outpouring of kindness, support, and sweet thoughts I’ve received from all of you since I launched the shop last week....
Sunny day, sunny dress
We are having such fine weather the last few days. It’s sunny and beautiful and all the tulips in our yard are abloom. I finally thought it was summery enough to pull out this yellow dress. It’s an amazing little number, I think probab...
Making It Work
When I posted recently about my new life in Portland, a few of you asked for tips about leaving the corporate world to pursue a creative life. I’m not an expert by any means, but I can tell you my experience. Back when I was in grad school at ...
My new life
My life has undergone a very sudden transformation. My days used to be full of meetings, calendars, reports, and presentations at a rewarding but challenging corporate job. Now they are full of planting seeds, dreaming up ideas, baking bread, and t...
Homemade hair cream
This is my homemade DIY hair cream. I labeled it pomade, but I think it’s more of a cream/shine product than a sticky pomade. Obviously I didn’t spend a lot of time on making it look fancy, since it’s labeled with masking tape and...
Ici
One good thing about daylight savings is that there is still light enough in the evening to go for a stroll and enjoy an ice cream sandwich from Ici in Berkeley. We shared a candied meyer lemon sandwich with gingersnaps....
Wavy lady
Once upon a time I had stick straight hair. I’m not sure what happened, but in recent years it’s developed a definite wave. I’ve decided to go with it, so I’ve been playing with the wave a bit. I basically just use a teeny d...
Lighting out for the Territory
Hello. I have an announcement. Next month, our little two-person-and-two-kitty family will be relocating. If you’ve been reading a while, you can probably guess where we’re going: Portland. I am very excited. It was a tough decision to...
Portland
I’m still alive, it’s just been a very busy week (and weekend). I’ve been working on the patterns non-stop, mostly putting the finishing touches on the instructions and getting everything laid out perfectly before going to print ve...
Tiara
I have this chest of small drawers where I keep all of my stockings, tights, etc. I was rooting through yesterday morning, trying to find some plain black tights. When I opened this drawer and saw it stuffed with warm pink tights and a tiara, it ki...
Portland recommendations?
Lovely readers, I’d like your input! Especially those of you who live in Portland. We’re taking a little trip up again this coming holiday weekend, and I’d love any recommendations for things to check out… especially anything...
