don't know what you've got till it's gone*

A while back, I found this vintage Horner's toffee tin in a local consignment shop and knew I had to have it. I love old confectionary tins in general, but to find one that features photos from Niagara Falls, my birthplace, seemed particularly serendipitous. So home it came where it has since been filled with vintage buttons from a couple of other recent antique store outings.

A few years ago I tried to find the house we lived in when I was born. I had the address, a map and this photo from the family album plus my mom's recollection that there was a cemetery a block or two away. After driving up and down the road several times, and watching the street numbers disappear where the house was supposed to be, I had to admit defeat. It appeared that the house with the beautiful rose bushes in the back yard that my mom loved had been torn down and replaced by a Quickie Mart.

Even though I have no actual memories of this house, the fact that it had been bulldozed to make way for a strip mall disturbed me a little. Since then I've kept my eyes open for vintage memorabilia from Niagara Falls. In addition to the tin I have a few travel brochures from the 70's that are pretty neat - I love the old illustrations.

*lyrics by Joni Mitchell 

Baby Roboto

I just found out that some dear friends welcomed their third baby boy at the beginning of January. An impressive seventeen days late, eleven pound bruiser of a baby boy, no less. Wow, just, wow.

Fortunately I always have some pre-washed cotton onsies on hand and ready for embellishment at a moment's notice. I pulled out one in size 6-9 months along with my just arrived stack of David Walker Robots fabric and set to work. I hadn't added an applique of this size on a onesie before and was a little worried that my hand-sewn blanket stitch wouldn't be enough to keep it attached, but it seems pretty sturdy. And really, it's only going to fit him for five minutes or so, right?

I added this pair of the stay-on baby booties that I seem to be obsessed with knitting and whipped up a monogrammed drawstring bag to wrap them in. Hopefully Baby E. won't have grown out of them by the time they arrive.

Recipe of the Week

Recipe: Feta, Garbanzo Bean, and Eggplant Pita Sandwiches
Source: Bon Appetit

Ingredients: ****
Eggplant, garbanzo beans, and feta are some of my favorite ingredients. Here they get used in a way that I wouldn’t normally use them. Typically, eggplant gets used as a pizza topper or roasted with peppers, onions, and mushrooms for a side dish. Garbanzo beans get whirled into hummus. Feta, well, feta can go anywhere. I’m also stretching myself by using an ingredient not typically found in my refrigerator, mint. Mint is something hard for me. Its flavor is never quite what I expect it to be and I’m often disappointed, except is the case of mojitos. Infer what you will.

Preparation: *****
They, the great chefs of the world, always say to prep your ingredients prior to beginning a recipe. I rarely do that, being in too much of a hurry to get food into my rumbling tummy. Here, however, it really is a good idea because the cooking just goes so quickly. I did greatly reduce the amount of mint I added at the end, using only about a tablespoon.

Taste: ***
The first stuffed pita half I had was really good. Reducing the amount of mint was a good call. It was just enough to add some flavor to the mix without being overpowering. By the time I neared the end of the second stuffed pita half though I had had enough. Not as in I’m bursting at the seams, couldn’t eat another bite enough. It was more like this is boring and it’s time to move on. So I don’t know what to recommend to you, dear reader. It’s a toss up. I can offer nothing further.

etsy Shopping Spree

I had a little etsy shopping spree two weeks ago. My focus was accessories with a thought towards spring. I’ve been eyeing these sellers for a while and finally splurged on their beautiful wares.

From monicajtwo I got this great copper and turquoise bracelet. I almost missed out on this. I had browsed rather frequently at this piece and when, at last, I made up my mind it was gone! Thank God for etsy conversations. I crossed my fingers as I typed a message asking if she’d consider making another like it. The reply back was perfect! She’d love to make one for me and she would make it that very day. That is some amazing service to go along with an amazing bracelet.

Not to leave my ears out I picked up two pairs of earrings from MDsparks. The prices on her pieces are absolutely unbelievable. I’m not sure how she does it. What I do know is she does it simply, beautifully, and very well.

This year I am bound and determined to find a new spring coat. On that coat’s lapel I’ve imagined a fantastic vintage pin. I had been thinking a bright enamel pin but then I saw this funky rhinestone pin at VermontJewelry and knew it would be perfect for whatever coat I end up with.

Yep, a little retail therapy goes a long way to improving winter moods.

(photos by shop owners)

My Funny Valentine

Now in case you got the wrong idea, I did not forget Little Miss Lou on Valentine’s Day. Tiny embroidered dolls are not her idea of fun though. In fact, for some strange reason, she thought they were socks. In her defense I guess they do (kind of) resemble a pair of rolled up socks. I do think she was relieved when Daddy told her he had given her the wrong wrapped package from the box.

More to Little Miss Lou’s liking was the Swing, Swing Smock. In fact, the story goes she immediately put it on and wore it the entire day. Also a big hit were the little notebooks I made her. We must be on the same wavelength because we had the exact same idea as to their purpose. “For menus, you know, when you take orders for playing restaurant.” That girl makes my heart smile.

Baby Dolls

Last summer, sitting in the sun, I began and completed my first Stitchette. Things happened, time passed, and snow began to fly. It was the perfect time to get back to stitching the remaining girls of summer. And complete them I did on quiet Michigan mornings before Christmas, where tons of snow was flying both from the sky and the ends of shovels.

I knew what these girls would become then but they sat in the bottom of my project bag until the weekend before Valentine’s Day. Out they came to be ironed, matched with fabrics, and sewn into rough doll outlines. A bit of stuffing was added and they became the cutest little baby-sized dolls I’ve ever seen.

Baby B, at just two months old, doesn’t quite have the ability to grasp more than a handful of hair. I’m hoping, though, that soon these will be loved, waved about, and slobbered all over. For now I’m so happy to know that Mommy thinks they are the most perfect baby toy ever.

Geekfest 2009

We had a mini craft fair on Saturday at a ham radio club flea market (the president is a friend). "Ham radios?" you may be asking yourselves, "how do Tory and Elise expect Funky & Delightful to go over in this world? These girls are wack!" Well, dear readers, we have a confession to make. Not to reveal too much about our real life identities, but Tory and I are pretty comfortable in the world of precision instrumentation; one might say we speak near fluent geek ourselves. So, when offered an exclusive gig selling our handmade wares at an event where 200+ men would be in desperate need of last-minute gifts in attendance on Valentine's Day we couldn't resist.

Given our last experience with local craft fairs, we had pretty low expectations for this one so we decided not to go to town putting together an entirely new collection. We managed to cobble together quite a few odds and ends left over from past events: bibs, onsies, wallets etc. Of course, we did add a few new items: Tory whipped up a few charming handbags and some coffee cup cozies and I put together a handful of patchwork scarves and some fabric flower pins. There were a few late nights and weekends spent in our respective sewing rooms, but overall it was a pretty low-key effort.

Saturday morning found us in a middle school cafeteria surrounded by vendors and collectors offering a huge array of vacuum tubes, resistors, radios and computer parts. It was really fun, we had lots of people stopping by to chat with us and just about everyone was friendly and interesting. I'd like to think that our amazing table drew people over, but I'm sure it helped that we were the only two women under 50. Someone, assuming that we were students at the school, asked us where the bathrooms were; it was pretty funny. As for sales, we exceeded our goal and are pretty sure we saved a few husbands from the dog house by making sure they didn't go home empty-handed. We even sold the one remaining apron from our very first craft fair which was a bit of a relief. As an added bonus, I managed to score a few cool items for myself. On a table of mostly technical manuals, I found a 1969 Sears Roebuck catalogue in mint condition plus a handful of vintage travel brochures. All-in-all, Geekfest 2009 was a roaring success.

In closing, here are a few photos from the day: