A Ferre Tale

It's Valentines Art Market at Sugarhouse Garden Center!

2012-02-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

Today and tomorrow! (Friday and Saturday)

Art Market of Utah

Sugarhouse Garden Center

1602 East 2100 South

Salt Lake City, Utah

Friday, Feb 3rd from 11 am- 6pm

Saturday, Feb 4th from 10 am- 5pm

Come see what I've created for those you love.

Love Story (false book to hold all your Valentine cards)

Velvet heart boxes that doubles as a wall hanging

Love Potion No. 9 (Grenadine syrup) and sweetheart straws, French apothocary jar of candy hearts, and glass cylinders of Mexican Wedding Teacakes

It's not Valentines around my house without my homemade almond fortune cookies dipped in semi-sweet chocolate with sweet love messages inserted.

Love birds in cages with the message "Fly away with me." Great to sit in empty pots on the front porch or on a console table inside.

Don't forget the kids! I made a huge variety of novelty toy valentines. All created in my original lettering and individually handpainted and machine sewn.

Valentine card making kits

Sparkle wands with fairy Valentine wishes

I love these solid brass lockets that have tiny brass notes inside that read "I love you." Oval picture lockets available too!

Heart Pouches

Sweetheart wreath

Ornament Exchange Extraordinaire 2011

2012-01-14T17:11:00.000-08:00

The Annual Christmas Ornament Exchange with my gal friends. It was all about the Sugar Plum Fairy and sweets this year. I couldn't resist. The red and green glass cupcake appeared as the green glittered Sugar Plum Fairy waved her magic wand. The box of ribbon candy was the real deal.

No package of mine is given without a stitched, hand lettered and painted tag.

The Sweetest Holiday Season

100 Bottles of Grenadine on the Wall

2012-01-14T17:01:00.000-08:00

And the Christmas Holiday? It's All Been a Blur

2012-01-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the bad photos, but the phone camera was all I used this year, I have no idea why.

The stockings hung from the windows with care.

Could I hide the fact that I STILL don't have a mantel any more?

Matt's Christmas Tree

My Christmas Tree

Who has 5 sets of Christmas Dishes? I know, ridiculous, right?

June has begged for lights on our house every year. This was the best I could do for you June.

Hope Santa was good to you this year!

Holiday Art Market was a...

2011-12-17T13:31:00.000-08:00

...a great success. Matt has my camera down in St. George for the girls basketball tournament, so I don't have great quality pictures to post today.

This past month, my grandfather passed away and I left town unexpectedly a few days before the Holiday Art Market show began. It was a challenge to get the word out and post preview pictures of what would be available at the show, if I wanted to actually finish the projects. So, it just didn't happen the way I would have liked, and I've been playing catch up ever since my return home, so I've shared nothing with you this season. There are certainly things that come up in our lives that become more important. I was so grateful I could be at grandpa's funeral to a honor him. He was just a few months shy of 99 years old. Rest in peace Grandpa.

I snapped a couple pictures with my iPhone before loading my car with one of the hand painted chairs, so the quality isn't super, but you get the idea. I had 3 different chairs available, all of them sold, but I wanted to share the fun. Samantha, I hope Santa's visit to your family Christmas party was extra special with the official Believe chair. The one below was just so festive with all the little finials and curves, the decoupaged music and the hand lettered painted phrase, "Santa stop here, pretty please". The embroidered upholstery reads, "Believe". I like to think of these chairs as a new tradition for those that have the jolly old elf in the big red suit make his annual visit to the church or family gathering. And they are smaller than an artificial tree, right? I have a duplicate one that I never put out at the shows, I'm just really quite attached to the idea of keeping it now. But do you remember the new, "No more chairs" rule Matt has established around here? I need to gently work him up to the idea before putting it out by the fireplace Christmas Eve.

Speaking of traditions, my Grandma June always had a flocked Christmas tree in the big family room. She adorned it with toys, elves, nutcrackers and birds. I loved her flocked tree. I miss her around Christmas. She made everything magical for her grandchildren. This wreath was definitely inspired by her. I think other shoppers at Art Market had similar grandmas from the feedback I received.

I have a few things left over from the show, and some individuals have asked me if I would do one more showing. So, this Monday, I have decided to open my door to those last minute shoppers and friends. I will make a few more decor items today, because several items sold out and I have a limited amount of extra supplies. So it will be a small sampling, but hopefully you are all organized, unlike me, and can just come to shop for a few little things (by appointment only). I should be ready by 10 am, Monday the 19th. Call or text me if your interested in coming, 801-550-9207.

Please come back here and visit me next week. I'll be posting all my home preparations and recent creative work I've done during the Christmas countdown. I've got my nephews coming, so it's going to be extra magical. I can't wait to have this little guy and this little guy here again on Christmas morning. The. Best. Lots of family will be coming to our house for a Christmas dinner, and then a talent night, caroling, a Santa visit, and probably the best children's Christmas Pageant ever.

Holiday Art Market 2011

2011-11-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

Come join me! This is my favorite show of the year. Do I say that about all of them? Seriously though, it's my real favorite.

I almost didn't remember my blog address tonight, it's been so long since I've met my standard with my blog postings. Today would have been a great post too. I went to a paper mache class / artist retreat with Terri Brush. The unfortunate reality is that I left my two days worth of projects and the soldered winter scene up in Layton at the hostess's home. Could I be more absent minded? That is how much is on my mind these days, I walk out after 2 days with nothing to show for myself. I felt right at home with my security blanket of market totes spilling over with crafting curiosities and tools, and not a clear surface in sight between the 6 banquet tables set up in Lorraine's basement. I met other creatives, experienced my A.D.D. at it's peak of relapse, swapped supplies, enjoyed collaborating and ate amazing food. I only wish I could have stayed longer, but it was late notice for me when I signed up and I couldn't swing all the mom duties back at the farm. I'll give you the nitty gritty of the who's, what's and where's, as soon as I can pick up my winter vignettes and menageries of snowmen & disassembled angels.

The Perpetual Planner

2011-10-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

Every year around this time, my blogging posts go out the window. All I can say is look at my upcoming November calendar of expectations. I am pretty committed to my production schedule, only because I can't seem to find anything I want to weed out of my holiday craftings this season. It will all be available to you at the Utah Holiday Art Market, December 1-3 at the Sugarhouse Garden Center 1602 E. 2100 S, Salt Lake City. I probably will take the next 3 weeks off for creative time, so check back November 20th. I am a big one for surprises, so no sense in sharing a peek into my creative chaos at the moment. I can guarantee one thing, it will be my best year ever, well, at least from what my right brain is forecasting.

I see the cutest paper mache santas, snowmen and angels mounted on beautifully painted pedestals. brightly colored stockings spilling over with toys and presents. my family's traditional birds' nests with the famous handwritten legend of prosperity and happiness. lighted and flocked wreaths filled with vintage inspired ornaments. sweet birds with crowning adornments, German glass glittered stars, reindeer, little churches, foodie gifts, funky lettered wooden signs, and of course, my grandma june inspired advent calendars that sold out last year after the first hour of the show. You will not want to miss this one.

Where Did the Time Go?

2011-10-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

So much to blog about, but so little time. Lots happening, promise. It's just been too much to think about blogging the lots of happenings. I may back up and post some things of the past, but I may need to just press forward. We'll see where my posts take me, but tomorrow I officially begin my holiday crafting for the end of November - beginning of December show. It's my favorite one of the year at Utah's Art Market. It really is the best show of the Beehive state, and I'm not really biased. I am going to be creating non-stop from here on out this season. If I complete even half of my master list, it'll be awesome. So keep up here to see the progression.

Here's a little visual feast of my UEA weekend with family. I like to think of it as a one of Heavenly Father's big shows. He is definitely a living God, I see Him everywhere.

Fall Art Market: There is Still Saturday

2011-10-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, October 8, 10 am - 5 pm

Sugarhouse Garden Center

1602 East 2100 South

Salt Lake City, Utah

The big kick-off for the holiday arts and crafts season began today. Well, for me anyway. I wish everytime I wouldn't be so dissappointed of what I didn't get to make on my list. I only had a week to prepare this time, so I made claims I wasn't able to get to. So sorry if you went looking for my hand-lettered potions, the ones you see pictured are all from Jeni Gochnour's inventory. The good news is they have almost moved from the designing phase (for the third year in a row) to the crafting phase. I also had to forget my painted lawn signs, handmade paper mache witches and a myriad of other pretties. Nanette continues to remind me that there is always next year's show. I kept whispering that to myself last night as I put on my jammies to just go to bed.

Childrens' Halloween Parade masks. Or Mardi Gras. Or Masquerade. Take your pick.

I wish you could see how cute the ravens are with their black glittered beaks and eyes, ruffled collars, striped painted legs, and party hats. We became instant friends as soon as the party hats were on and the bows tied.

Oh my, these sea salt caramel toffees in the mini coffin boxes turned out so tasty. Great gifts for neighbors and teachers.

The handpainted recycled old spooky books created some last minute fun for me.

More New Years Eve masquerade and Witches Night Out masks.

Elsa painted and assembled all these little witchy finger cards. Thanks my little apprentice!

Really fun streamers for your school classroom party, mantel or dining room table. Some are fringed and some are just dual colors ruffled. So fun to make!

More of Elsa's work.

Do you spy the little witch shoes? I am so mad I didn't get a close up of these, they were my pride and joy. The tag reads, "Trick or Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat." And this table had the jar of frou-frou princess masks. Pink, purple, and lots of sparkles. Poisons by Jeni Gochnour.

This children's spinner game is so fun. I have used it every year for one of my girls classroom parties over the last 10 years. I re-created the game from one my friend, Jennie, found online from the 1930's or 40's. The wording is just too cute. You gather a few basic household and food items for the game, and them just spin away.

Fall Art Market this Friday and Saturday!

2011-10-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

Please come! I'll have a variety of handlettered potion labels, festive crepe paper streamers and other frights for your Halloween table, a childrens' spinner game for your family or classroom Halloween parties, spooky handpainted yard signs and more! Sorry no pictures yet, you know how I am, chaotic creativity going on downstairs?

Chloe Asks Nice Boy to Halloween High School Dance

2011-10-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

Chloe came home from school a couple weeks ago on a Wednesday night and announced she was asking a boy to the Halloween dance that night at 8 pm.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, really? You just turned 16, don't we want to gradually work up to the dating thing?", I questioned.

"If I don't ask tonight, he'll be asked by Friday, " she responds. "I have to."

"Okay, well the dance is in like 6 weeks, are you sure this must be done tonight?" I doubted.

"I'm sure. I'm just glad you are so creative Mom, I'm sure you can think of something really cool," she brown-nosed.

No pressure there. I had the Guynn wedding the next day and she had a Young Women's activity that night, so time was of the essence. Chloe and I speed brainstormed for 10 minutes. The result: Uncle Sam and his slogan, "I want you!" marry The Wizard of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West, and her finger-pointing threatening line, "I'll get you, and your little dog too!" We discussed what the picture inserted at the end of the book should look like. It would be the Wicked Witch of the West, and she should be pointing her long, green fingers at him (Eddie), when he opens the book. Chloe found the perfect image online in 2 minutes, maybe less, gotta love Google. We made a quick trip to D. I. to purchase a couple of books. Then Matt saved the day and drilled the massive hole. I lettered, painted, glued, burned and packaged, at Chloe's request, after all, who was asking who to the dance anyway?

After all was said and delivered, I had the sinking feeling that we had just set the bar very high for Chloe's invitations and acceptances to the potential 36 other high school dances for the next 3 years, and then there is still Elsa and June to follow ... I sure hope he says "yes", or there is going to be one mad witch at our house, possibly two. And we might get his little dog too. (long cackle)

Who does he answer?
Hint: This book belongs to Chloe Ferre.

Is she sending subliminal messages in the book titles she chose? Quite Possibly.

A new wax seal from my recent purchase at Tail of the Yak.

Matt drilled some very large holes through the inside of the two layers of books. Super cool.

Notice the 3-D witch finger?

Just when I thought we were done with the project, Chloe wanted to burn and distress the cover page.
Details, details, I just don't know where she gets that from ...

Eddie, I hope you have the heart of the tin man and say "Yes!" Just follow the Yellow Brick Road up 114th, you can't miss us on the north side. She's patiently at home clicking her heels together for your affirmative reply, but her dad has considered sending the winged-monkeys after you.

(an even longer cackle)

Lindsay Guynn + Nate Jackson

2011-09-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

My cousin's in-laws were in a bind a week before their daughter's wedding. There were some bumps in the road in the floral and executing the bride's wishes. My part in this event was to design all the floral that was going to be on display around the buffet, gift, guest book and cake tables. I was to arrange all the buffet tables and direct any other design work at the event. I hand-lettered food signs and added some of my own linens, ribbon and floral vessels to make it all work. There were many friends and family assigned to different areas, so I didn't have to do it all, just orchestrate the evening. It was a lot of work last minute, but actually a lot of fun. The Guynn family was phenomenal to work with and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. So folks, if you want to design most of your wedding and don't necessarily want a wedding coordinator, I can make sure it happens on your night with just a little extra design assistance from me. It's a win-win, I promise.

Lindsay's colors were eggplant, navy, gold, and sage green, it's tough to find floral that is exact to that palette, but I think I made it work.

The desserts were so good, most were from the Corner Cafe & Bakery in Salt Lake City, don't mind the cheesecake that had a transfer malfunction.

Her cake was a gold dust buttercream, you should have seen the shimmer, g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s!

Live canaries were a sweet attraction for the little children.

Each table had a cluster of vintage bottles Lindsay had been collecting for weeks, filled with lavender, sage or rosemary sprigs and a single yellow ranunculus. Perfect vintage touch for the Kimball House at the This is the Place Monument Old Deseret Village.

The bonus was that they sent me home with all the floral from my candy jars and the bottle clusters. I enjoyed them for a good week in my dining room.

The exquisite layers of petals in a ranunculus bouquet.

Beautifulness from My Belated Birthday

2011-09-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

The Meyer's dish & hand soap is so fragrant, I don't know if I can ever go back to Palmolive. Jennie picked the Geranium scent for me. Mmmmmmm, I need any excuse to do my dishes.

And that little orange colander is the perfect size, I've used everyday since.

An exquisite ranunculus in full bloom from the weekend's wedding.

Thank you girlfriends for brightening my kitchen.

Rotary Dial and Heavy Metal Keys

2011-09-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

I asked my dad if he could find me an old telephone and typewriter like the ones our family had when I was a child. He travels all over, and can locate just about anything you can imagine. A few weeks ago, he paid a visit and brought me this old telephone (I think he found it in Uruguay) and a Royal typewriter. It came from his good friend, Dr. Blair, who passed away a few years ago. He told me Dr. Blair purchased this typewriter after his service in the war. He used it throughout his schooling and even wrote a book with it.

I remember our family had a telephone like this one. The earpiece was very heavy, and there was all this waiting in between dials. We are much too impatient in this age to make a call like we used to do. The dial had to make it's complete rotation before you could dial the next number. Imagine the frustration when trying to be caller number one for a radio station contest.

My parents had a typewriter similar to this one that my mom used to type up her college papers. We had her typewriter in the family room of my childhood home for a number of years, until one day my parents sold it. All those great times of playing office were now just memories. My sister and I struck the keys to fill out pretend office forms and then pushed the carriage return to make that zip sound with the little bell; it was true entertainment for two little girls. Some things are just so easy now that technology has changed, and yet I feel this nostalgia. I think I miss the slower processes.

I have this phone displayed in my family room and have set the old telephone ringtone to my iPhone. I'm sort of caught half way between craving the past and yet still wanting the convenience of the present. I ask how I got along without my mac or iPhone? It's inconceivable. But 10 years ago I was much more present in a conversation during an outing with Matt and friends or with my kids. Maybe the present isn't all that enhanced with these modern conveniences. Maybe we just have created more pressure for ourselves. I appreciate the ease of finding information and communicating, and then at times, I feel these modern day conveniences have become a burden in my life.

Aren't they just cute?

But in any case, these old reminders of our history are curiously beautiful. And well, June, she couldn't be more entertained by these old additions to our home.

Ragnar: San Francisco to Napa with Flip Flop Runner

2011-09-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

A week ago today, I, along with my two sisters, cousin Garrett, brother-in-law Tim, nephew Parker and others on my team I didn't know before, participated in the nearly 200 mile running relay race that began just below the Golden Gate Bridge. Below, see our team's first runner, Garrett Hill (A.K.A. Flip Flop Runner and my cousin that is more like my brother) twittering before the gun goes off. He ran in swim trunks, no shirt, new sunglasses (well ... they looked new because he leaves price tags and stickers on everything, and I'm pretty sure they were cheap or free), and the neon yellow safety vest Ragnar requires of it's participants between the hours of 6:30 pm and 7 am. I could write a book on Garrett. He is a fascinating guy, and he finds joy and fun in just about any circumstance. He believes everything happens for a reason and that we are given many "signs" that have specific meanings. After spending the weekend with him, I actually agree.

Garrett twittering 2 minutes before the race

Garrett STILL twittering 10 seconds before the race.

Because of bridge construction, runners could only run halfway across the bridge and then the van picks them up and the team drives to the next exchange, where Garrett passed the slap band to me for my first leg of the race. I ran to Sausalito, another one of my favorite towns, purely romantic at night with a great little handmade card shop I discovered over 15 years ago store called Pinestreet Papery. I didn't have the chance to see if it was still there. I literally ran right out of town.

Emily after her first leg of her first big race, she did awesome! She made some major milestones this trip, way to go Em!

Garrett got Ragnar's email that everyone was required to have a safety vest. So he went right to eBay and purchased the below cutie for around $3 with no shipping charges. It was all about finances, and less about style. But if you could only see how the LED's light up and blink while screaming "Vegas!", you would see how function turned to fashion and then strategy. With a sheriff on the run, everyone always slows down to stay behind him, right? It seemed to be the best winning strategy for our team at this point.

Em, in the coveted vest of the team.

Below Garrett taking off for his 2nd leg of the race. Now I need to mention that he was injured through over training and running races in flip flops for reasons you must go to his facebook page or website to understand, but in a nutshell he is raising money on behalf of a charity organization that benefits children and women in Zambia, a Southern African country plagued by disease and poverty, by running over 1000 miles in flip flops on the street or barefoot on the beach). He was barely walking 2 weeks before this relay race. He nearly pulled out of the race altogether, but stuck it out for his team. At one point in the race, we passed him in the van, and he was limping like a bird with a broken wing, and yet still passing runners on his path. It was amazing, he seemed to be keeping his 7 minute mile pace, maybe it was faster.

Go Garrett!

Garrett was the highlight of my people experience this trip. He made it all so fantastic. As I was struggling to find rest at 3 am in our cold van with no blankets or pillows in the Sonoma high school parking lot, Garrett jumps in the van and after his muffled low and airy laugh he comments on the school gym scene he just left. He spoke with such animation in his voice about how amazing it was in there.

"There are people just standing in lines for the bathrooms", (which I later discovered may or may not be stocked with toilet paper.)

"And," he continues, "there is this concession stand with locals selling a bunch of stuff."

He described bodies, pillows and sleeping bags that were strewn across the gymnasium floor, where some participants were trying to catch a few moments of sleep before their next leg begins, and others were just playing cards and talking shop. I was confused by his captivating dialogue of this comfortless camp. So I paid a visit to the gym to see all the excitement he described with my own eyes. For the next half hour, I waited in line to use the bathroom, and contemplated on what could possibly be so much fun about this part of the Ragnar experience to cause such laughter from Garrett. But the guy just makes every experience fun in his head. Truly. He is the male cast of Pollyanna. I love this about Garrett.

Garrett's last run started at the van exchange in the Sonoma High School parking lot, he gets to the start line to wait for Trevor to pass the band to him. We know he's coming, there have been calls made to Joel already that Trevor will be running in very shortly. I'm freezing and still trying to catch some shut eye in the van. Garrett runs back to the van and announces he has had a thought and has ultimately opted for a costume change. Emily and I sit there trying to figure out why a "costume change" at this late moment was a priority, this IS a race. He quickly zipped this hoody over his lower body so as to discreetly change his bottoms. He took off his board shorts to replace with his grey underwear. I'm not talking boxer shorts either, I'm talking, tight, knee-length underwear. He's shivering and chuckling the whole time he's changing. I think to myself, "It's freezing out there, he's got no shirt on and now he's going to wear his underwear, soley his underwear? He's gonna die."

He makes the change. I yell, "Okay now, go!"

But he claims the outfit still isn't complete. He then throws on the Sheriff's vest to his bare chest, and lights it up like Christmas before running into the sunrise.

Garrett, minus his underwear costume change. He tweets that morning, "Flip Flop Runner shoots the sheriff and all he got was this awesome (pic)"

Just a little house in Napa that I loved. I texted Matt a picture and told him it was for sale. I never heard back from him, I guess he figured it was out of our price range.

Living on borrowed grapes.

My nephew. What a cool kid, 15 years old and running in the middle of the night, in the heat of the day, and picking up an extra 7 mile leg because 2 teammates had to bail two nights before the race.

Van 1, done!

You can't see, but below is an outdoor communal dining establishment entitled "Farm to Table" in Napa Valley. There were long wooden farm tables of people eating outdoors under massive shade trees. It looked like a family reunion. The place even had a tire swing in front. I wanted to just pull over, grab a bite to eat with them and gab in the shade with a tall glass of cold lemonade. In Napa, I bet they weren't serving lemonade though. The whole drive along the main highway was peppered with these cute little places. The architecture was exquisite, but an iPhone camera couldn't possibly do the scenic views justice. I'm not a wine lover, but I am definitely a lover of this wine country.

32 something hours later, a severe Cliff bar overdose, heat exhaustion, muscle fatigue, physically spent, this race was all that and more.

Some of my teammates and one of the only pictures I got after the race of the Ragnar sign.

Garrett receiving his Ragnar medal.

Garrett and I made a huge effort to get to church the next day. We found out the meeting schedule online. We ran to the Bart station from the hotel in 8 minutes with all our belongings in hand. Garrett had stuff spilling over his Trader Joe's reusable shopping bag: His free food in plastic containers, flip flops (of course), balls of clothes, and lots of other ... well ... I just don't know what to call it other than, "crap". About 100 yards from the Bart station, his backpack's zipper gave way. I couldn't help but laugh as belongings scattered on the sidewalk and asphalt. You just had to be there to witness this Garrett moment to fully appreciate the humor. We rode Bart from Pleasanton to the Fruitvale stop. Then we transferred to the 54 bus. We waited along with another gentleman that was anticipating to sing rap at his church off 35th street in Oakland that morning. Our driver was unfortunately late, and we were all a little put out by it.

I was dressed for church already. Garrett would dress on the bus, he assured me I wasn't to worry. He had a system down, he just puts everything on over his existing attire. Ingenious. He unrolled this wrinkled, white button down oxford shirt from the front pocket of his backpack and found pants that looked between beach trunks and warm up pants for the gym. But it was all good, because there was a floral red and blue tie nestled in this teeny, tiny pocket. I reluctantly told him he should remove the price tag and sizing stickers off the pants so no one at church thinks he just stole them off the rack an hour ago. I don't know if he had to really consider it, or if he was planning on removing them, but they were all discarded when we got off the bus. I realized looking at the pictures below, he decided against the tie. Maybe the flowers clashed with the lifeguard numbers on his pants, I don't know what helps him make his decisions, but for one reason or another, it didn't work in his mind. And there would need to be a reason, believe me, because he does not make random choices from my observations. Everything has meaning to what Garrett does.

According to my iPhone GPS, we walked a mile uphill to get to church. I like to call this part of my trip, the last real leg of the Relay. It was hot and my glutes felt every foot of the hike towards heaven. But when we got to the top ... it was all worth it.

Me and my cousin, Garrett going to church at the top of Oakland, we called it the Mountain of the Lord. And I say that with all the reverence in me.

The Church meetinghouse is right next to the L.D.S. Oakland Temple. What beautiful grounds to visit. To the right of the temple is the most spectacular view of the entire city and the neighboring cities. It was a perfectly clear day, so we saw all the bridges and buildings you would want to see.

We went in to the meeting house to discover that an earlier special conference had already taken place that morning. Garrett rearranged his "crap" in his bags, we took several photos, talked to a few of the locals and visitors, then turned around and got back on the bus with our transfer ticket to the Bart station. We missed church. But we felt the spirit of the Sabbath day, our efforts granted us at least that.

And all I brought home to show my kids was this amazing medal.

Whoever designed this thing has got it down. I love it.

Sidetracked from the Ragnar Relay: Meet Tail of the Yak

2011-09-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

I ran the Ragnar Relay Race from San Francisco to Napa this last weekend. But I flew in Thursday morning, just so I could go to some of my favorite places.

Below are pictures from my favorite store ... ever. I've been coming here for over 15 years. And I admit that I love that one of the owners told me on my trip last year that they will never sell online.

Gatherings from Tail of the Yak

3" moss green double faced satin ribbon, Japanese washi tape, wooden paper clips from the Philippines.

Handmade paper & foil flowers by a local paper artist

The cutest flower pins ever

Gatherings from my other favorite store in Berkeley

And of course I must go thrift shopping, I hit the Goodwill right by the U.C. Berkeley

Handmade Italian orange shoes, love. Can you believe they fit like a glove? $7.99 price tag.

A beautiful shirt from Anthropologie, I think I paid $4.99

Book Group Roster & Schedule: Check-Out

2011-09-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite clients needed her book group's roster made up for this year's schedule and member contact information. She loves square anything, that was pretty much her only input for the project. I had several ideas in my mind, but I was still loving the old-book style from my recent projects.

Remember checking out books at the school or city library where they stamped the lined 3X5 cards? We even had to sign our name on some of them. I remember in the summer going to the old Mesa Library. I loved the smell of the stamp and ink pads. I loved the little manilla pockets glued on the inside of every book cover with 3X5 cards inserted in the pockets. Why was that fun? I don't know, maybe because the summer was so hot that office work inside seemed like play to me. I loved to play librarian at home, with my mother's stamp supplies, I'd stamp plain white cards and papers and make stacks on the roll top desk. I'd fuss with pencils, staplers, paper clips, rubber bands and anything else I could find that represented office work. Then after all that fussing, I'd smile at my playmate, hand her the stack of books and say, "Thanks for coming to the library today."

I guess with this project, I was still trying to play library, this time in my grown up office. I got to stamp 10 different dates on 15 different cards. I got my fill of stamping.

Last year my dad gave me an old black phone, at my pleading, like the ones we use to use in our house in the 70's. They had a rotary dial. Do you know what a rotary dial phone is kids?

Sometimes I think about the process of doing things the long way, and feel a longing for the way things used to be. We hand wrote phone numbers in a pocket roster book, we didn't synced them to an electronic device. Remember typing everything, including school papers several times before you submit your final draft for your grade? That was actually in my lifetime. I had a typewriter in college. But mine was one of those modern ones that had auto correct on it. Oooooh, I was luuuucky. Don't get me started on old processes, I feel like my grandparents when I start that conversation. Old phones and typewriters ... I think I'll save that for a later post this week.

Post Partydom

2011-09-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

I feel a little deflated. I hate coming down off party month.

"My Girl's" Sweetest Sixteenth

2011-09-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

I've been a little pre-occupied this week as I usually get when I'm on a project. But this wasn't just any project. This was "Project: My Girl", my first born's sixteenth birthday celebration. And it was a surprise, which added difficulty and an emphasized focusing when I had free chunks of time.

Now I'm not gonna brag. No, I really can't. I just won't do it online. I know deep down inside, no one else cares to hear all about my daughter, well except her grandparents. Alright, I'm gonna brag.

This girl of mine has been my friend and daughter for 16 years, and I have rights to share my personal thoughts about her, however public it may be. She is a peacemaker. A great student. A friend who watches out for you. She's tall. She can, wants to and will play basketball anytime. An unusual fact about Chloe is that she still doesn't have a cell phone, and never complains to us about it, in fact she has embraced the fact her parents totally belong to the "Flat Earth Society" when it comes to raising their children. She has a great sense of humor and seems to laugh about everything, including herself. I love that about her. She has all kinds of friends, and she is a loyal and thoughtful friend. And I have yet to meet one of her friends I don't like. This weekend, a bunch of her friends gathered in our backyard to pay tribute to "My Girl". The invites went out on Friday, the party was Saturday. I didn't want her friends to know about the big surprise until the day before, you know how things get around and then the secret is blown? The other factor is that tradition has it around here that a mass text goes out, and suddenly the whole high school is there, including too many kids that the person who the party is actually for, doesn't even know them 70% of them. I'm gonna say one thing right now, Chloe's friends are about the coolest and most respectful kids I know. We had roughly 75 kids there and 7 adults, and the house ruled of fun, amazing kids all night.

They surprised.
They ate.
They danced.
They gabbed.
They played basketball, (the sport of choice around here).
They sang.
They watched film.
They sat by the outdoor fire and shared stories.
And most of all, they supported and showed love and friendship to my girl!

Here are a few highlights from the week and the big day. I believe there are some photographs from the scavenger hunt I sent her and a group of friends on at Temple Square downtown yesterday, just to keep her out of proximity, I may share those later if I can get some downloaded from my neice's camera.

Chloe, Elsa, Maddy, Crystal, and Holly heading to the temple after school.

Birthday morning

The decoy slumber party

I told them they really didn't want to stay up all night, I knew they had big day ahead of them, but they stayed up anyway.

Surprise!

"What the heck!", my girl kept repeating over and over again.

She was totally and utterly clueless.

She was shaking for over an hour from the shock.

My girl's friends, Tag and Max helped me big time.

You see the "Wow" factor right?

Well, it's there because of these two boys that designed the ceiling.

The spot where the kids received most of the nutritional value during the evening, NOT!

The candy bags and invite on display.

The handpainted birthday banner, of course, ribbons and color all over.

Chloe loves her grandparents!

and her Aunt Lynnie.

And her Aunt Karen.

A couple of Chloe's friends performed musical numbers before we started the movie. I wish I had have gotten a picture of Abby Lund, who composed and sang a song, accompanying herself on the guitar. It was so sweet. Kramer Morton sang "My Girl" and both were a hit. I will figure out how to download the video we got of Kramer and you can see Chloe's smile and bright eyes in the background.

I really couldn't ask for better friends for my girl.

Do You Love Me?

2011-08-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

Matt and I celebrated our anniversary last week among the crazy schedule we both have right now. It feels as though it's December. We were going to take a raincheck on our quiet dinner out, because of the time restraints of the week, but Matt called up that afternoon and said, "Let's go. Let's just go and get away." So we did. We left the visitors staying with us and the projects on the table and went up to Ruth's Diner where we got engaged. I made this quirky little muslin notebook paper-like letter. I stitched the lines, punched the holes and wrote the note. I'm still waiting for him to check the appropriate box. I hope still he loves me after nearly two decades.

Cheers to Chairs at Apartment Therapy

2011-08-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

I could write a really great Dr. Seuss book about my many chairs. It would start off with, "Cool chairs. Old chairs. New chairs. Hard chairs. Soft chairs. High chairs. Low chairs. Designer chairs. Ten chairs, twenty chairs, thirty chairs, lots of chairs. Three cheers for sixty chairs. It's all about my many chairs. These chairs need cheers, so please Matt, don't chuck the chairs."

Look what question was featured on the popular design blog, Apartment Therapy, HERE a few weeks ago. Too bad I was typing from my iPhone and I couldn't see well enough to notice that I had spelled my last name wrong in my question that linked all A.T.'s readers to my blog!

Matt and I laughed so hard at some of the comments that we were gasping for breath and our bellies ached, especially the commentator that recommended I throw Matt in the dumpster and keep the cool chairs. I just have this serious addiction to chairs, not just any chair, they must date at least 1975 or older. But if they happen to be mid-century modern, I'm ecstatic. I have no desire to quit collecting them cold turkey, and I won't admit myself into rehab for the multiple chair hoarders addiction either. Whether I find the chairs in sets or as single stray cats, I can't let any of them go. It's as though I've fed them once on the porch, and now I'm emotionally obligated to them. So I took the time to count my chairs at the house today, just to see how ill I really am. I have over 60. I won't give you an exact amount, because then I would be admitting more than I want to. All I can shout is, "A hundred cheers to my chairs!

Young Women Values Throne

One of Grandma Barbara's green velvet chairs

I have 13 of these, original Thonet's that came from a dorm in Kansas

A little D.I. find that I reupholstered.

I love this little cutie. Also a D.I. find for $15.

I helped some friends move and these were sadly in the D.I. pile. Couldn't let that happen...

"Aunt Aimee, I Want a Robot Party"

2011-08-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

This little boy likes Ironman, Bionicles, Buzz Lightyear, Transformers and anything else that resembles a robot with super powers and of course, weapons built in the arm. I could probably insert any little boy's name here, but today, it's all about Morris, or affectionately known as Mo-Mo. His mommy incentivized him to give up a certain something in order for me to be able to even throw this little techy wonder party.

I've been loving to make these little ruffled crepe paper streamers, and for this party, I wanted lots of bright colors for this little boy who loves to paint and draw.

The Gerbera daisies from Saturday's baby shower were still fresh and beautiful.

I couldn't keep the balloons from wilting over in their vases, so I just filled with bright crayons to stabilize the balloon sticks.

What kid wouldn't want ginormous pixy stix and fun dips? Thanks Aunt Karen!

Bright helium mylar balloons for all the kids, provided by Grandma Peggy

Here is the only clue from this party that it was a robot party, it was all in the mini cake decor. These homemade Ding Dongs from the baby shower the day before, were just as good and moist as the day I made them.

I hope you get what you wish for Mo. You deserve it this year.

Optimus Pri-Mo-Mo

This little redneck got his glow from the robot in action. Matt wondered if we could please take out the batteries. It never said, "Noise included". Please?

A Bionicle. Wow. Something I have never had to get excited over with 3 girls.

Mo-Mo's party crew.

Bubbies, I know it was a little spur of the moment planning, but your 4th birthday party was Optimus Primo. Watching your bright eyes as you opened presents was my favorite part. I hope it was everything you thought it was going to be in your head for the last several weeks, because you don't just give up "blank" for nothin'.

Mrs. Ferre & the ABC School Baby Shower

2011-08-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

The composition book for guests to sign.

The school lunch trays.

Fruit cups with side dip.

You have your choice of lemonade or milk. What'll it be?

With these semi-sweet chocolate Ding Dongs spread with rich chocolate ganache and filled with homemade marshmallow cream? I think I'd choose a cold glass of milk.

The vanilla cream homemade "Twinkies" were quite the novelty.

Since chocolate isn't my vice, these P.B. & J. bars were yummy and gave a little nostalgia from my school lunch box days.

The pink daisies and stitched dual-color ruffles add just the right baby girl touch.

I picked up a few of these cafeteria trays at my favorite D.I.

A simple pink zig zag stitch connects two colors of crepe paper streamers to create a unique paper ruffle.

Can't forget the Pink Pearl that Kaitlin's baby will wear around her tiny wrist.

I will not chew gum in class.

Notice the muslin fabric notebook paper with the stitched pink and blue lines? When baby girl is born, I'll stitch her name and other important information on it and then frame it up for the nursery.

It's class picture time for the mommy-to-be...

and the daddy-to-be.

Mikey + Kaitlin = baby girl, it's pretty simple math really.

auntie & cousin Norah

another auntie

Mrs. Ferre, and every student guest had their class picture taken for the composition book. The whole class wrote sweet wishes for Kaitlin and baby girl, in their best handwriting of course.

mom + 3 sisters

Baby Lola and Auntie Jaecie, just making the regular girl talk on the playground.

New school shoes.

The lunchroom

and don't forget recess!

Baby, It's Back-to-School

2011-08-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

It's Back to School time, and I couldn't resist using the yummy Pink Pearl erasers as my inspiration for this baby shower for my cousin on Saturday. And the ideas just kept coming...

This sentence was just quirky enough that it reminded me of a spelling and vocabulary sentence I would have written in my composition book at school.

Now come back to class and see how I carried out a "school lunch" for my guests.

I Like My Birthdays

2011-08-15T09:02:00.001-07:00

Won't say when it was exactly, but you may have noticed I didn't blog much this week. We like to call it birthday month around our house. Just in case we need a do-over. Some dear friends remembered and kindly brought sweet gifts to celebrate. Do you remember the phrase from the classic (well, maybe not so classic) movie "Nacho Libre", that went something like this,

"Everything that you just said, is MY favorite thing to do EVERYDAY!" ?

Below is the miniature lemon curd poppyseed cake and berry cobbler from Food for Thought in Draper. Sweet endings.

This darling aqua pedestal was made by my neighbor of 7 years while living in Sugarhouse downtown. My giving friend knows I can't get enough of his pedestals for displays around my house. I absolutely adore this color. I've already used it for June's birthday party this past week. See HERE. The journals fit exactly into the box.

Oh my goodness, if you haven't tried this hand cream, you are missing out. A silk blanky on your hands! I'm not sure where my friend purchased this, but I have found it at Anthropologie in an array of soft scents. And the packaging? Well the packaging is as sweet as it smells.

Orange Chrsyanthemum vase

Well, everything that my dear friends did for me, took me to and gifted me this week, was my favorite thing too!

*Please note: These endorsements were prompted by my own personal love of the products. I receive nothing for saying so.

There ya go!

Carnival Birthday for June Bug

2011-08-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

The Invite

Bright and Happy Scenes from the Afternoon

Ignore the snowflakes in August, I just loved the colors

The Concessions

super healthy State Fair corndogs

red striped strawberry cookies and clown noses

mmmmm, pink bubble gum cotton candy, the hit of the party

The Photo Booth

The birthday girl and present time

u t a h e v e n t r e n t als

So fun, once we involved H2O. We had to loan out a few bathing suits, but it all worked out. Click on the above link for information regarding bounce houses and cotton candy machines.

(just be sure to keep away from the motor and electrical)

facepainting

by Chloe (for hire - jut contact me, she's pretty good and she's my daughter)

The Gallery:

giraffe balancing on a mushroom, hmm interesting

kaleidoscope

monkey

jellyfish

butterfly

el Sol

Jaws

miss cheetah

a tree? really?

snake

In honor of her best friend (pictured right) who moved to the big spacious Panhandle state last year, Chloe had a "Don't mess with Texas" painted on her face.

The Favors

Of course you gotta send them home with something, salt water taffy in state fair flavors (buttered popcon, cotton candy and bubble gum), stacked bear crayons and polka dot sidewalk chalk.

circus journals

megan whitehead + remington bassett

2011-08-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

Some young women, I just adore.

Remember her bridal shower?

So glad I could help you out, Meg, on your wedding day...

{custom wedding garland for Megan & Remington}

Materials: Various ribbons, silver painted then glass glittered chipboard sparrows, acrylic painted carnival initials mounted on chipboard with crepe paper ruffle, silver handpainted last name initial "B" with silver glass glitter on yellow & purple fabric covered chipboard layers with crepe paper ruffle, black and white photographs of bride and groom clipped on with mini black clothes pins.

The beautiful venue was Cactus & Tropicals at the Draper location.

"B" is for beautiful bride, blessings & Bassett
The bride wanted to display some additional photos from the couples photo shoot taken during their engagement, so her thoughts were if I created a name initial garland, it would be simple to just intersperse favorite photographs between all the ribbon and glitter. The result was darling. The garland was draped over the cake table for guests to enjoy during the couple's traditional exchange of sweet cake bites.

Confessions of a Thrifting Shopoholic: Eames Era Simmons Walnut Formica Chairs

2011-08-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

I am busted when Matt gets home...

Matt warned me that there was no more room in the house for one more chair. But when when you find four very unique retro chairs, how do you pass up the s e t ?

I wouldn't have passed up 1, let alone 4.

Oh dear, I'm running out of places to hide my thrifted furniture finds. My little sis suggested the cold storage room.

Unfortunately, I'm maxed out with the dishes I'm hiding in there. Any other ideas?

There was a label partially peeled off under the seat of one of the chairs that read:

S i m m o n s.

They are contructed out of a molded plywood with a Formica laquered walnut grain looking veneer. The legs and seat frame are painted ivory and "metal protected by Bonderite (PARKER RUST PROOF CO.)", according to the label. Does anyone know anything about these chairs, I would love to to know the specifics of the approximate date manufactured, and the designer? If not, oh well, they are absolutely adorable and I have no idea where I'm putting them.

We're Back

2011-08-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

The Idaho ranch, new calf feedings

Mack's Inn (from our back porch)

West Yellowstone

Hot Pool

Geysers

June paddle boarding on Jenny Lake

Beautiful pond at the Continental Divide in Yellowstone

I needed oxygen at this point.

Grand Tetons

The Trip Download:

Visiting mom and Reed in Idaho was relaxing. The fields go for miles. I ran over 8 one day, I had no clue, the road just kept going. And that fresh strawberry pie I "whipped" up that night? Worth the 8 mile run. Thrift shopping in Idaho Falls was just a fun excursion with the teenagers.

We hit The Playmill in Island Park and saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The theater hall was a little on the warm side, but a great production for $18. Mack's Inn had old rustic cabins with waterfront rooms. I won't talk about the small shower and iffy toilet. But my morning run? Well now that was priceless.

Hearing the earth below roar and spew steam or watching the gurgles of bubbling mud and minerals in Yellowstone was powerful. You realize who is in charge of this world when you witness the grumblings up close.

Jackson Hole is always amazing. Jenny Lake was gorgeous. I got about 30 mosquito bites, 12 on my head alone. But the Hidden and Cascade Falls hike with my sister Luisa, was spectacular. That evening we ate mexican at Merry Piglets in Jackson for my brother-in-law's birthday. The vegetarian chimichanga was so savory and the fried ice cream for the birthday boy was festive. We stayed in Thayne, Wyoming at Wolf Den Cabins. Again, my morning run up in the hills was beautiful. To say the least, it kicked my can. The air and temperature was perfect though.

The river run down the Snake was a blast. With Matt as our guide, we hit Lunch Counter rapids at full force and nearly tipped. No one voted for a second run though. The resistance started with my 5 year old nephew and trickled down to the teenagers. And I was supportive of their resistance just thinking about the 5 hour drive ahead of me (which called for a Code Red - Mountain Dew, I had to take extreme measures for this exhausting trip).

Star Valley is the greenest I've ever seen it right now. The whole trip was a scenic drive through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah. I've never seen it all look so gorgeous. Maybe it's because I actually was awake.

It's good to be back home again... all except for the Grand Tetons of laundry.

Ricks Ranch: A Family Gathering

2011-07-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

If I were this horse,

I'd be givin' my girls the eye too.

"Please!"

"Don't be braidin' my hair!"

Then there is my nephew, Luke...He has waited days to ride a horse. He's talked about it everyday. Dug out his favorite boots and long sleeved plaid shirt to pack just for the occasion.

He got just a little anxious at first.

And now...well now, he's just a regular cowboy, ("Towboy").

He's five.

The Details in Even the Door Knob

2011-07-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

Do you ever just wonder at the little details in things? I love the Salt Lake Temple. I went to a special ceremony last Friday involving my unofficially adopted sister. As I walked into one of the rooms of that beautiful building, I couldn't help myself but touch the antique, handcrafted doorknob before entering. It was so exquisite. The solid brass material. The intricate design. The beehive relief. Even the dates were set in the mold. That little knob was so full of beauty and craftsmanship that I just wanted to gaze at it for a time. Study it. Who designed the mold? Who cast the knob? The whole building is a labor of love. A forty year project. If only for that one, little door knob, it would be a labor of love. I gazed all around me after sitting down. The fine gold leaf stenciled on the ceiling. The chairs and the upholstery. The finish carpentry and window details. Everything felt pure and perfect. It's what I believe heaven will be like. Heaven will have many details. Many exquisite, perfect details. I just know it.

From Me to You : A Back to School Celebration

2011-07-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

These are the 3 boxes we want to fill with Back to School items for children in Utah that don't have the resources to gather their own supplies. I had to promise I would not involve glitter in this project as these boxes will be on display in the Primary rooms. (It was terribly hard. I try to glitterize everything everywhere. You can usually find it on my cheeks and nose, and trails of it throughout my home.) This activity will involve the primary children (ages 18 months-11 years old) in our area to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints welfare program.

Baby Boy Coming for Cousin Kelsey

2011-07-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

So we had reason to celebrate last night with a baby shower at my Aunt Karen's. I got out of having a food assignment by doing the tables and flowers. Love that. Sometimes I surprise myself with what I can pull out of my basement in 30 minutes with just a little warning.

Actually I'm never surprised.

I have a lot of stuff people.

I was going to use this striped orange fabric for beach bags next year, but look how fun it is as the tablecloth.

Whitney's limeade "brew"

Kelsey's mother's family traveled to Utah every year to see relatives and would make an annual trip to Dunford Donuts during their visit. So naturally Kelsey had the same tradition with her parents, and they love them as an official family comfort food. My auntie was so thoughtful to include chocolate Dunford Donuts on the dessert table for Kelsey.

Old glass baby bottles from the 1950's purchased at an estate sale years ago.

Yellow spider mums

Lemon teacakes with vintage baby bottles in the background.

Gotta have candy and bubble gum for the kids, right?

We had a nice buffet dinner too, and I could have sworn I got a couple pictures, but I guess I just got only one of the platter with caprise on baguette slices. So below is my one and only image of the lovely buffet. It is beautiful, isn't it? I guess the meatballs and jasmine rice didn't want to smile. And darnit, the salad was so pretty with sliced strawberries, beautiful greens and chopped walnuts.

Congratulations Kelsey! We'll miss you when you move, but look forward to meeting new baby boy at Thanksgiving.

A 'Round the Clock Bridal Shower Invite

2011-07-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

I used a walnut color "wood veneer" paper to feel like home.
The crocodile embossed paper reminded me of a watch band Megan would wear. She is a girl with spunk and fun written all over her all the time.

One of 4 poems available on the link posted below.
I hand-lettered it for the invitation.

All lined up for envelopes

Machine zig zag sewn, back of invite detail shown.
The sewing machine saves so much time for me, here I got 5 layers attached with one zip on the machine.

an insert for gift ideas and contact information for those throwing the shower,
background is watercolored

My darling friend, Megan, is getting married in a couple weeks. When my little Junebug saw her invitation to her wedding, she turned to me and matter-of-factly stated, "That's the right guy for her Mom." I don't know how June knows that, but she said it with an undoubtable confidence in her voice. I actually think she's right.

Some mutual friends in the neighborhood are throwing her a shower and asked if I could help out. The theme is "A 'Round the Clock" in which guests bring a gift that coordinates with the hour of the day that the hostess has assigned them on the invitation. So in the invite pictured above, the clock is set for 6 p.m.. Whoever receives this invite could possibly bring something that is to be used in the kitchen at dinnertime. My friend sent me a link HERE for ideas to help me create these invitations. I thought there were darling poems and ideas available and wanted to share them with you.

Confessions of a Thrifting Shopoholic: Strip, Refinish, Reupholster, Repeat

2011-07-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

Red Poetic License rose sandals: $3
Cream Ann Taylor mule sandals: $4
Both brand new and showed absolutely no signs of wear, (until I wore the red ones this past weekend at our explosive dinner party).

Remember the other vase I found at D. I. similar to this one? I think I'll use them together at some point.

Funny story: I went to buy these cherry salad servers at my favorite kitchen store while visiting in NYC several years back. I had purchased a set for my father-in-law the year before and he loved them so much, I wanted to buy me a set. I walked several miles to get to the location only to find they were closed and moving to a new location that week. I never got to buy them. I've never seen a set quite like them since. Until today. I found them for $1. Love that.

Okay, these little books are seriously treasures. The pages are as sweet as they come, wish I could show them all to you. These might be new additions to my Valentines candy jars.

No idea what I'll use this trim for, it's white and gold and most likely from the 70's by looking at the typeset on the side label.

These are shallow bowls that match some of the teacups I've been collecting.

The nightstand above compliments my bedroom furniture set that was once my grandparents (and extremely sentimental). I'm deciding how to refinish it all and I fluctuate between stripping off the shiny coat of lacquer to re-stain and varnish or rather just paint it. The wood is veneered, so not much left to sand down. I'm thinking about all the options. But bottom line, I love the era and I hate to just slap on a coat of paint to hide the chips and scratches. It very well could be my next summer's tedious project, remember this?

And the chair? Well, I love the rattan back and how lightweight it is. I'm loving the style as well. I'll reupholster the seat cushion and use it as my sewing chair.

There were a few more items I purchased, but won't be sharing until I unveil them at a very special birthday party for my main guy around here. I've been collecting these for a few months now.

An Explosive Evening of Friends and Food: Eye Popping, Colorful & Flaming

2011-07-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

beautiful colors.

let the fireworks begin!

firework food: garden fresh beets, cheese and herb appetizer by Jennie Lloyd

tiny watermelon vessels filled with basalmic vinegar garnished with basil or mint leaves by Jennie Lloyd. don't they look like japanese sake cups?

herbed shortbread

homemade foccaccia by John and Natalie Banks

sundried tomato hummus and pita chips (don't know who contributed???)

Nanette was just too picturesque to not capture her fine server skills and colorful attire. notice her enameled flower necklace by Kristy Braby designs.

Cambry Morely, the super fine hostess, dressed in the signature color of their home. I should have photographed their front door. yep, it's orange.

husband wife coordinated orange shoes, I mean really, how darling is that?

love this platter courtesy of Nanette Amis

we all assumed we must wear bright colorful shoes to this eye-popping evening.

loved the cloths

herbed butter for the corn

grilled corn

garden fresh squash by Nanette and Jeff Amis

another fresh beet salad with special ricotta and right-from-the-garden, spicy arugula by Nanette Amis

homemade tabouli by Julie Roberts (Don's mother's recipe....mmmmm)

killer mushrooms, some kind of white wine I'm guessing, whole shrimp with an herb cream sauce to be poured over salmon medallions by Brent Morely. amazing.

tied salmon medallions with mushrooms poaching in pan

the fine hostess couple, Brent isn't posing at all.

I love their living room

and their light fixtures,

and all their little nooks.

The shrimp cream sauce in it's final cooked state

a bowl of fresh lettuce for the tabouli, so pretty that I needed a picture.

The seafood all served up.

as beautiful as this is, it tasted even better, thanks Brent, it was definitely worth the wait.

the food plated up.

we won't discuss this part of the evening, the details still seem pretty vague as far as who was inolved and what was used. but be assured that nothing was harmed in the making of these images, well except for a box of all-bran, and I guess a lemon was shred pretty badly, but hey, the watermelon was saved by a faulty fuse, and the 2 pound bag of powdered sugar smelled of cooked caramel in the end. don't ever use potato chips, I mean seriously, ever.

a pile of dust bran and cardboard shrapnel.

the evening's interactive food fireworks finale.

the girls all helped create these beauties in the kitchen.

I brought homemade fillings: lemon curd, marscarpone cheese sweetened whipped cream, chocolate ganache, dulce de leche, vanilla pastry cream. it pained me that I left the freshly whipped sweetened cream in my fridge, so sad.
Then came the homemade cupcakes (no Nanette, not a single box cake or canned frosting was used in the styling of these photos): lemon vanilla, moist devil's food cake, vanilla, and pavlova meringue.
Then the garnishes: dried pineapple flowers (took a ridiculous amount of time- 4 1/2 hours as opposed to the 1 hour suggested time frame given), golden raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, dark swiss chocolate squares, semi-sweet chocolate shavings and sliced lemons.
did I mention I was in the kitchen from 8 saturday morning until we left at 6 pm? but worth it.

Rustic Leather Bound Book for a Cowboy at Heart's Birthday

2011-07-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

He is a Harvard graduate. I'm pretty sure he likes fast cars. He has a clear perception and is well-informed of his business world. Pure integrity guides his actions. He is an avid outdoorsman; loves to fish, hike, and go where no man has gone before. He collects rocks, gems and minerals. My daughter, June, can't stop talking about the visit she recently had with him when he showed her his collection and even gave her a treasure that she keeps in a special case. For that reason alone, June adores him. I adore him for the fact he took some of his rare free time on a Sunday afternoon to spend with my 9 year old who has a fascination with rocks. In addition to his career and interests, he helps save souls on the side. In our religion, we refer to him as President Pugh, as he is a steward over 7 congregations of the L.D.S. church in our Sandy area. He has served in this capacity nearly a decade. He publicly speaks with precision in his words and has the ability to spiritually discern the needs of his audience. Our family has a deep respect and love for him that will remain in our hearts forever, long after the release from his current church calling.

So a few months ago when his granddaughter, Hannah, asked me to help with a special book for him, I didn't even hesitate to respond affirmatively. I was honored and grateful for the opportunity to spend time with my friend Hannah, and at the same time, create a unique keepsake that would honor such a well respected and beloved man as President Pugh. The custom, hand bound book contains a collection of letters and photos from those family and friends who share an admiration and enduring love for him.

Hannah and I talked about the project and discussed a few design elements. She really wanted leather as the primary material for the book. So we started at the leather shop and went from there. We hit a couple of my favorite places downtown, Reuel's Art Supply off of West Temple and The Leather Factory (a long time fave place of mine). It was all I could do to pull myself away from the leather stuff, calligraphy inks, soft paper and acrylic paints. I could have drank some of those bottles they were so tempting. I did manage to purchase a vibrant orange and a stunning pink calligraphy ink. I must write Matt a 19th anniversary love letter with something bold, right?

When Hannah saw this leather skin in the leather shop, there was no question in her mind, this is exactly what he would choose. I actually know she was spot on with the gorgeous chestnut color. It is similar to the color of those van der Rohe Barcelona leather chairs that used to be in their living room for years, and now sit in his home office. I bet it is the color of his favorite saddle too.

She wanted waxed sinew-looking cord to stitch the pages. She also requested an "X" in the binding on the spine. She loved that detail.

And she wanted a long strap to wrap around at least 2 times. You can't see from the photos, but it did.

For the pages of the book, she chose beautiful deckled art paper in cream and a mustard brown color. She has great taste. The paper was rich and soft with those classic watermarks imbedded in the fibers.

Hannah carefully worded the dedication page, and each word had a precise order.

Gold calligraphy ink seemed to be the best choice to inscribe the dedication, he's golden and refined.

The unbleached cotton muslin protective wrap with fine linen twine and a red sun wax seal.

The final packaging, I just couldn't do a bow.

Happy 70th President Pugh. I hope you get some free time with the horses out on the range, find some rocks on a hike, catch a fish or two, and enjoy a dutch oven meal for your birthday. The heavens only know, you deserve it.

Bookbinding Classic

2011-07-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

You ask why I haven't been back as I promised. I will admit to you I'm an addict with my Pinterest account. It's embarrassing really. But I've had so many images on my hard drive that I have wanted to file away, and this little app has allowed me to do so. Click on the icon below to see my latest pins. But beware: It's HIGHLY addictive once you have created an account.

So my absence excuses are Pinterest and a little visit from some darling Arizona cousins.

I only wish I had taken pictures of all the cousins in action with the castle fort they spent the day building, remodeling and adding on more spacious wings. It is most likely Wikipedia's explanation of summer imagination and dreaming. We needed a little playing around here, afterall, it is summer vacation.

Now that I got that clarified, here is the latest project on my work table. It is on behalf of an incredible man. I'm not saying much about it, other than, it's gonna be a classic book when it's done. I'll post pictures of the completed bookbinding project probably by Monday, but I wanted you to have a little creative snack until then.

My tools for creating this rustic scrapbook.

A spool of sinew for binding.
I love my journal to the left, the inspiration for this project.

The naturally seared flap was perfect.

"Pinto" Nepalese handmade paper for the inside fly sheets.

I even had the right size. Notice the hand torn deckle edges.

Hint: It's easier to tear when you take a straight edge and a fine,wet paint brush to first wet the edge you will tear, it softens the rip and looks more like a natural deckled edge.

The 4 signatures of beautiful cotton art paper scored, folded and the sewing stations punctured with an awl ready to handstitch.

Kids Basketball Camp this Thursday-Friday

2011-07-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

I promised my daughters I would publish this on my blog, but come back later tonight and I will give you a little creative snack.

Chloe and Elsa are doing a *kids basketball camp* this Thursday and Friday, July 14th & 15th. K-3rd grade, 8:30 - 10:30 am. 4-6th grade, 11-1 pm. The cost is $15 for 1 day and $25 for 2 days. Includes snacks & prizes. It is taught by my daughters who will play for Alta High School this year. Chloe was invloved in the State Championships this last spring where Alta took the State title in the 5A division. Elsa is just a sweet, little player. It will be in our backyard on the court. If you are interested, you can email me at adeidra@yahoo.com with the subject entitled "Kids Basketball Camp" or you may call me on my cell at 801-550-9207. They need to earn over $1000 this year to pay for their basketball fees this year, so I personally would grately appreciate the support :-). They do a fantastic job and work hard at these camps they organize.

And We Lived Happily Ever After Girls Camp

2011-07-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

I worked on this Girls Camp decor project for about 3 weeks, but I've been planning and making sketches since late April. I think among the fluff and fru-fru that was produced, there was actually some meaning for the girls. I loved creating for this, and part of that love comes from the fact that I simply love the program The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has for the Young Women of the church ranging in ages from 12-18. The whole camp theme was based on this talk by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf entitled "Your Happily Ever After".

The standards the church recommends for Young Women to follow is exactly what girls these ages need to help keep close relationships with their Heavenly Father, spirituality and family. I love these values my daughters learn.

Handpainted lettering of the YW motto (Aimee Ferre) and images of the class symbols of the beehive, Mia rose and laurel wreath (Jolene Farley) on muslin. I loved this shared peice of art. Jolene seemed to have a window into my vision and then exceeded my expectations.

I learned to use a jigsaw last week and cut this puppy out. Then sprayed with silver paint and glittered it. It was a perfect {and economical} solution for the Royal Ball.

Value pendant flags above sewed by my daughters and Taylor and Savannah Reich.

Little cupcakes from the Royal Feast. The strawberry shortcake ones were my favorite. Thank you ladies who cooked for us that day, it was divine!

My girls and Holly, after recieving their jewels and tiaras for the ball.

I had to have a photo "booth" at camp, why not make it your FB profile picture?

And why couldn't the picture be with Prince David Archuletta?
Image created by Jolene Farley and then painted by my daughters.

Our sleeping chambers sign.

The entrance to the ampitheatre

The sign was two sided. The lettering was handpainted by me and the beautiful roses by Jolene Farley. She's amazing! She also painted the turrets and the stage backdrop, keep going and you'll see.

Doesn't every fairytale story have to have bluebirds flying around in order for it to begin with "Once Upon a Time" and end in "Happily Ever After"? My daughters painted these little cuties.

Distances and directions from our campsite to all 13 LDS temples in the state of Utah.

The ampitheatre.

I wish we could have gotten a better picture of the 8 value flags. They were so beautiful. I got a few close up and then got distracted.

Freehand machine embroidered lettering using a quilting foot on my machine.
Spray painted gold PVC pipes with slits cut at the top to hold the flag.

The Princess and the Pea, Little Red Riding Hood, Belle, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

Our fearless Head Princess leading the girls in Princess Practice.

The camp royal crest.

The backdrop with a few of the Value chairs. Remember them? See a few before pictures HERE.

"The Daughter of a King" throne using every color that represents each value.

Handpainted by me and Jasmine Myers. I used the different value flag fabrics to make up the seat cushion.

I loved all the signage made for around the campground. It made all the walks comical or inspiring, depending on where you needed to go.

Going up towards the ampitheatre (the Castle) and the pavilion (the Great Hall of the Castle). The girls walked this path at least 3-4 times a day, if not more.

We purposely left off the "men" at the end of the phrase. It's girls camp afterall.

We put this at the entrance to President Back's tent spot.

Each ward decorated a flag to go in front of their camp spot. Some really charmed it up with fairytale structures.

The Princess and the Pea(ce)

Rapunzel

I can't remember which fairy tale they were.

Cinderella

Yes, there were 3 chandeliers in this ward's camp spot.

Not sure if you can see the carriage in the background. It had sparkle netting and lit up at night, oh my.

The Princess and the Frog

Snow White

A day at the spa for the girls. I'll remind you, it's still girls camp. There was a fantastic hot chocolate bar in the background. The weather was beautiful. Only one downpour, a few very light sprinkles, and the rest perfect temperature on the cooler side of summer.

The last day, 8 women (5 within our stake) performed this beautiful program that was written by Carrie M. Wrigley about women from the scriptures who represented the 8 Young Women values.

From Left to Right: The Widow of Zeriphath (Faith), Ruth (Good Works), Mary (Divine Nature), Queen Esther (Integrity), Abish (Individual Worth), Sariah (Choice & Accountability), Mother Eve (Knowledge), and Hannah (Virtue).

The girls all wrote a birthday wish to our stake president and we put them in a false book to present to him on the last night.

The front cover, freehand machine embroidered, glued onto a pre-made false book I purchased from Michaels.

Time for me to sign off. My packed suitcase, sleeping bag and tools etc. are all waiting to be unpacked, not to mention my need to shower. I will probably have more pictures later this week. My friend has a great camera and took so many more pictures from the week.

Have a great weekend!

Off To Girls Camp

2011-07-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

So, I'll be signing off until Saturday night. It's a week of bugs, no sleep, crazy girls and potential thunderstorms. But I'll be back to post lots of pictures, with lots of my handwork. So come check back for possibly my most favorite post ever. I hope Matt can keep the house in check and June in order.

Ferre Fourth, Fun & Fireworks

2011-07-05T09:02:00.002-07:00

Prelude patriotic songs by a dear neighbor, her family has hosted this pancake breakfast for 32 years. Thank you!

My incredible in-laws and their pretty great son, Matt.

It wouldn't be a Ferre function if there wasn't a game of basketball.

Notice the Rainbow above.

Yankee Doodle Came

2011-07-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Life, Liberty, & Pursuit of Happiness everyone!

Among the prizes for the girls were: Glow sticks, chinese yo-yo's, Bugles, festive nailpolish, Statue of Liberty sunglasses, homemade caramel and nougat treats from Food for Thought in Draper, clothes, and lots of little outdoor sparklers and snappers, (legal of course) for tonight's guests.

Hope your day starts off with pancakes, and filled with parades, popcicles, sparkle, glitter, and lots of loved ones!

The Eve of The Fourth of July

2011-07-03T22:37:00.000-07:00

Twas the night before *The Fourth* and all through the house...

Sharing a forgotten cake in the fridge for yesterday's birthday girl. (So good, Raspberry Coconut Cream from Food for Thought in Draper.)

Such tiny little pieces to share, we didn't bother telling the daddy. He could have had the whole thing on a toothpick.

The neighbors were stirring with fireworks from Wyoming. (I'm pretty sure they weren't legal. In fact lots of my neighbors were stirring illegal sparks. Too bad my camera couldn't show them off.)

And my nightime welcome for tomorrow's annual BBQ guests.

Mine eyes have seen the glory.

The Ferre Fourth

2011-06-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Welcoming friends and family with {*a zig zag border stitched, handlettered, acrylic and watercolor painted, with some rubber stamps and ribbon embellishments*} invitation.

And they all know the place.

Chloe

2011-06-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

So I try not to post too much about my "darlings", because you most likely don't care. But Elsa snapped this picture of Chloe this morning and I thought it was a pretty interesting perspective. I know, I'm a bit biased. You don't have to care. Just look.

I have a lot I'm working on creatively, but a little apprehensive to share just yet, for fear I will spoil some girls camp surprises. So I planned to post my Fourth of July invites today, but they won't be done until way late tonight. All my meetings went OT today, so can you wait until tomorrow for my 2011 Ferre Fourth invite?

Hugs, sparklers and glitter sprinkled everywhere!

So Much To Share

2011-06-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

So, we've been vacationing in California. It's been amazing and I haven't even wanted to open my computer to post. So much to do to be blogging while relaxing and playing with family. We left this morning at 4 am and I've been planning my July projects the whole way home. You should see my lists. They are long, detailed, and totally scheduled, just the way I like them. I don't know why list making is so fun for me, but when I dream, that is part of the process. I'll catch up with you tomorrow. Promise. We are minutes from home, and I'm excited for the week ahead.