May day is lei day! I’m sort of in love with fragrant flowers made into lavish garlands to wear around my neck. They are the first thing I’ll gift you when you come to visit me in Hawaii (and you should), and I sort of insist on Mother’s Day that Garth and the kiddos pick one out for me to wear all day. This coming Tuesday is may day and on the mainland that meant placing flowers on your neighbors doorstep but in Hawaii it is a celebration of Hawaiian culture and the lei. I made a gaggle of these leis to send in candy tubes to some neices and nephews and wanted to share how to do it (super duper simple!).

Supplies:
assorted paper
scissors
seed beads (I used a couple of bracelets that had lost their elastic spring)
crochet thread and needle
paper punch and small hole punch

Punch lotsa flowers and then punch little holes in the center of them (my hole punch is 1/16th of an inch). Cut your crochet thread to about 30 inches, string on a seed bead, and knot the string at the bead to secure it. Then string on two flowers. Then string on a bead and knot it about an inch from the last beed. then string on two flowers. Then string on a bead and knot it. Then two flowers and a bead and two flowers and a bead……..

…until you’ve used all of your thread! Finish it off with one last bead and knot, leaving a couple of inches at the end the tie it. It looks pretty cool at this point, but it looks more lei-like if you take each set of flowers and gently fold them away from each other, making them like little bowls. This gives them that va va voom fullness that looks so lovely.

I used a couple of different color combos and tried a few kinds of paper (colored vellum is so great for this!) and I’m sort of itching inside to try a bigger punch (I used a 1 inch punch here)- maybe for mother’s day!

Then I packed them in candy tubes, covered them with stamps, and handed them to my mail carrier who did not seem surprised in the least. I hope that they reach those tiny adorable necks in Spokane before Tuesday!

Happy weekend friends- I’m off to force myself to work outside for a few hours. The end is in sight for the studio!

xoxox
elle

As always my intentions are expectations lean on the side of the ideal. Yes, 29 days is long enough to build a little backyard studio. No, it’s probably not enough time for someone who has two small children, lives in a place where it rains (pours buckets) daily, and has never constructed so much as a fence in her life. When we sat down in early February to pencil in our working days for this projects we found that we only had a handful of days where Garth wasn’t working AND the kids were in daycare. But surely if we planned it all out, shopped at night, and tag teamed the whole thing, we could still do it. It was pretty dissappointing then when on several of those days it was too rainy to be using power tools outside, and most of the remaining ones I had to be inside with Ginger who was not able to be in school because of her randomly dripping bowels. The two photos below represent a 23 day difference.

And, this is how it sat for many days there in the middle. So sad.

March has been much kinder to us and we are a few solid days work away from completion. We have learned SO MUCH from this little endeavor- lessons that I will share at the happy completion of this project. In the meantime: happier photos of the progress from the last couple of weeks. Enjoy.

As you can see we still have to finish the roof, add siding, fit the windows and doors, build the built-ins, and paint. Oh, and build the deck on the front of it, move my stuff in, and clean up all of the construciton mess from the yard. Easy. That’ll take us like 2 more days, right?

We’re gearing up here for some pretty awesome company next week. We’re work and school free for the week and planning on just enjoying lovely Hawaii with my most favorite sister and her husband. Next week rules.

xoxo
me

oh Re-use Hawaii, how I love you. Here is a place that is half hardware store, half thrift store. You can find 10 foot sliding glass doors and 1950′s mint green sinks. I like to go just to wander and dream.

When I decided to do this whole crazy studio in the backyard thing- I made the plans in jello to accomodate whatever awesome things we would find at reuse. What was planned as a childless one day shopping trip turned into an entire three day weekend in a rented truck with the kiddos. But find awesomeness we did. The most amazing thing we packed in that rented truck was 4 panels of pre-contructed maple gym flooring. Like- only-non-skid-shoes-please, stay-behind-the-free-throw-line flooring. Out. Standing. We also bought 9 doors, 7 windows, and a gazillion linear feet of cedar tongue and groove siding. It’s all sitting out in our driveway anxiously awaiting installation (shhhhh! don’t remind me that it’s March and I said I’d get it done in February…)

Garth and I have three + days this week to work on the studio so I’ll give an update at the end of the week. We’re looking at installing walls!

love ya’ll
elle

Hello there friends. I heard that it was National Hot Cocoa Day (did ya’ll know that there’s a food holiday everyday? I didn’t. but now I’m thinking that a year long celebration is in order!) and by some chance Garth and I were working on our mexican hot cocoa recipe last night (it was a lot of measuring and taste testing). Our love for Abuelita has grown and we wanted to make something similar (since we’re all about making things ourselves). Our masterpiece of a recipe and the way that we made little indivdual servings to send out to our family follows.

First, the recipe. We like it kinda spicy, but sweet, with a touch of cinnamon. It is highly recommended that this cocoa be served with marshmallows or (even better) whipped cream.

elle & gee’s mexican hot cocoa

4 Tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
1 Tablespoon Kaffree Roma
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch chipotle chili pepper
dash ground cloves (whole or ground)
smidge nutmeg
3 cups milk

Bring milk to a boil over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Whisk in hot cocoa mix until frothy. MMMMMMmmmmm enjoy!

We made a huge batch last night and wanted to make them into little individual packages to send to our families on the cold half of the country. We filled little treat baggies with 3Tb of the hot cocoa mix, folded them over a few times, and then stapled a folded piece of cardstock over the top (the die-cut floral stuff is from a roll of paper ribbon that I found in the wedding aisle at JoAnn). Then we wrapped a ribbon around to cover the staples and slapped a sticker on the front and back to keep it in place. The front stickers were printed on sticker paper and cut out using a paper punch. The back stickers we printed the same, but cut by hand.

And then we thought that it might be nice (for those so inclined- like Garth and my Mom) to include a little extra kick. So we made little packets of chipotle chili pepper and labled them “for the BRAVE”. We used bits of ribbon left over and the text is handwritten since our printer ink ran out mid-way through the project.

YUUUUUMMMMMmY! This hot cocoa will make you make faces like this:

Happy National Hot Cocoa Day!

yours in all things warm and snuggly,
elle

I know that Halloween is long gone and it’s time for Christmas-ie things, but the accident really screwed up my to-do’s and I am just now getting around to finally doing a proper costume post. So, without further excuses, I present to you the fabulous gnome family costumes.

We chose these costumes because we thought that they would be fairly easy to assemble (we chose them less than a week before Halloween) and comfortable enough for the parents as well as the kids- and we were right. We liked wearing them so much that we wore them almost non-stop from Friday afternoon right on through Sunday evening.

Now let’s start with the Papa gnome and make our way down to the baby gnome, shall we?

For Papa gnome we bought some blue corduroy and Garth used one of his long sleeve PT shirts to make a pattern. The sweater tights were purchased at Target. The hat I made using a felted wool sweater. The beard is a piece of fleece in the shape of a beard with lines of wool roving sewn into place by machine and tiny elastic loops for the ears. Garth wore a leather belt and leather shoes that were already in his closet. If we had more time we would have fashioned some sort of boot for him and (ahem…) hemmed his tunic.

For Mama gnome I tweaked a Simplicity pattern slightly to have a sweet peter pan collar. I used a yellow linen/rayon blend (that I dyed a peachier color since when I got it home I didn’t really like the yellow) and a polka dotted quilting cotton for the lining and collar. The hat was fashioned that same as Papa’s out of a red wool sweater. The thigh-high socks I purchased as a ren fair several years ago and that apron is vintage. I braided my hair into two braids at my ears and wore clogs. I really wanted to wear some red chunky mary janes, bust couldn’t find any on the short notice. My dress was (and still is) unhemmed as well and I wanted to make an apron that matched Ginger’s but the little things didn’t quite get done.

Jack gnome was my favorite one I think. He had an orange felted hat, fashioned the same as Mama and Papa’s. His beard, made just like Papa’s but smaller, wasn’t even worn long enough for a photo. I sewed the jacket out of a lovely brown linen from a little boy’s trenchcoat pattern. The leggings we purchased at Target and the shoes were thrifted. We purchased two belts from the thrift store and put the best parts together for his belt. I had a pair of snow boots that I had purchased at the thrift store meaning to spray paint them- but I’m sort of glad that I didn’t- those little suede velcro shoes were great. Jack loved wearing this and kept his hat on most of the time. He looked so so so adorable.

I made Ginger gnome’s dress out of a lovely plum linen/rayon blend. I used mustard wool felt for the peter pan collar and scalloped strips of it to also add to the hem. The apron was a little too small for her- I made it from some vintage flocked polka dot fabric, patterning it after my favorite vintage apron. Her leggings were from Target- I purchased them last Christmas from the dollar bin before we even knew we were having a girl. The hat is the same as the rest of the family’s in pink. We knew that we were going to be driving her around in the stroller so I draped a green knit fabric over it and safety pinned wool felt flowers (remnants from the hats!) to it to create her own little flower bed! She was so dreamy floating down the street in her garden carriage.

SO FUN.

For more fun check out past years costumes, Popeye and Olive Oyl, and Peter Pan, Wendy, and Captain Hook.

Can’t wait till next year when we have two toddlers!

lots o’ love
mama gnome

4 costumes to make and just about 24 hours remaining. This is my little pile of completed pieces. I wanted to photograph the pile of things that I still need to complete, but they are spread out all over my making room- one is on my lap at this very moment. Can you tell what we’re going to be?

And, speaking of the making room, it’s featured on The Indie-Pendent today- looking rather clean and costume/clutter free (and you can even see Ginger hainging out with me by my computer!) Check it out here.

Did you know that you can make caramel apples from scratch just using honey, cream, and salt? (and apples, ha!) The recipe is here and we’re going to be checking it out as soon as we restock our honey supply. (we tried making some last night using brown sugar, cream, butter, and vanilla and they were grainy and not very gooey caramely….)

Did you also know that Pandora is awesome (you probably did, I am a little slow). Yesterday I typed in Regina Spektor and was amazed that I loved just about every song that came on. Today I typed in Monster Mash and have been listening to awesome kitschy spooky pop all afternoon.

Ok, back to the costumes. I am hemming next. I hate hemming- which is probably why I took this little break to pop into my blog and say not very much. Press, press, press.

xo
elle

Just a little sample of the custom orders I’ve been working on this last month or so- all wedding except for the bow tie/cummerbund set, which was a prom set for a preppy football player.

Lots more bow ties being added to the shop this week, and dozens more in progress. So, back to work for me!

xo!
elle!

I hate to announce that the summer is here in Florida. That means that I am hiding inside my house, blinds closed, fans on high power, wishing that I was somewhere else. I just keep saying to myself, “this is your last summer here Laura, enjoy it”, and I am trying to do just that. At least between the hours of 5 and 7am- since that seems to be the only time that it’s not miserable outside. I popped out to take some photos on the front porch for this post this morning, and was instantly sticky. ick. icky sticky. And without further whining- a show-and-tell of what I’ve recently made and thrifted.

I’ve been wanting a clipboard for the market and was having the hardest time finding a small one that was awesome and less than $15. This is so simple it’s ridiculous- just an old book cover cut down with an extra large clip. It’ll be used when someone needs to sign a credit card slip at the market. Garth tells me everytime he sees this that he used to have this book when he was a kid.

new screenprinted journals! I have so many blank covers and have been wanting to print something on them. I love this tiny phrase and love how these turned out. I am less thrilled about the hello my name is journals that I also printed.

The sisters in my relief society wanted to make sock monkeys, so I made one to see how it was done. He’s cute, but does not compare to Oliver, the real sock monkey.

And, tags for my bow ties! I’ve been waiting to make these until I purchased an embroidery machine, but that keeps getting pushed back because of clutches and other almost-emergencies, so I made do. As always, making do is so much more interesting than my first idea. These are screenprinted and just the first version, but I love the idea. They are preppy, colorful, and fun- all things I want to have associated with my brand.

And now the thrifted!

The ladies at the thrift store where I grabbed this dress were fawning over it when I brought it to the checkout. They were quick to point out that of the three of us standing there, I was the only one it would fit, so it should go home with me. I then moved Jack to my other hip to show off my 6 month baby belly and explain that it’d be at least a year until I fit a vintage size 8. Maybe longer. But oh lovely hawaiian thing, we’ll show ‘em all.

I am always on the lookout for ties- but rarely (have I ever?!) do I purchase a tie to keep as a tie. This one was too wonderful to turn into a bow tie (plus, I don’t think that the pattern would convert well). It’s a clip-on, which my husband won’t wear, but it came home with me and is now hanging out by my sewing desk, just to make me smile.

a quick trip inside a small thrift store on a rainy saturday (with sleeping Jack and sweet Garth waiting in the car) yielded the best find in months! This vintage board puzzle is missing one piece, but is otherwise looking awesome. I had to get it since it’s a boy named Jack. LOVE this. Plans to replace the missing piece are already in the works (probably just in time for Jack to lose a few more!)

Gazillions of bow ties are being produced in this little room and will be making their way into the shop this week and next. I want to have 100 listed before I take a break!

Until next time, stay sweet,
elle

The last few weeks before Halloween were crazy for me! I made 7 Moishe costumes- skipping meals, showers, and sleep to send each one out on time. Each one takes about 20 hours to complete. I made my first adult-sized Moishe and I made a set for 4 month-old twin boys. I took some photos before I sent them out and I just wanted to share these. One day I’d like to do more of the monsters from Where the Wild Things Are.

I had so much fun photographing myself wearing it- and it was one of those days where everything just works and the lighting is magical.

I finished the smallest ones for the twins in our nola hotel room and Mr Jack tried it on for me and coooperated for eactly three pictures before losing control. Luckily I got this shot.

So there you have it- the largest and smallest Moishe costumes that I created this season. I want now to start thinking about things to make for winter, but I know that I am already behind the game. I must plan better next year so that my Halloween making doesn’t overtake my Christmas making.

until I have something more interesting to say,
Laura. =)

It’s Moishe! I just recently learned that Maurice Sendak, during the adaptation of his book to opera, named the characters Tzippy, Moishe, Bruno, Emile, and Bernard- after relatives. I made my first Moishe costume last year and made more mistakes than I care to remember. This year the process was a wee bit easier on me and I think that the costume benifited from my experience. It still took about 20 hours- but with all of those tiny scales to cut out and sew in and the head and tail hair to hand root- I don’t know how to make it go quicker…

I am also making Sally dresses like a mad woman. I really enjoy the process- it’s lots of hours in front of my sewing machine- but I think that it’s just the way that Sally would have done it! This past weekend I made a dress for a three month old- it is by far the most adorable Sally dress I have ever made.

And finally, Mr Garth and Mr Jack and I need your help picking out our Halloween costumes! Garth and I each wrote a list of our top ten ideas and we narrowed down both lists until we each had only one left. To be fair we thought that we would have our friends and family decide. Here are the two choices:
one. Jack in the box antena ball dude (garth), hamburger (laura), order of fries (jack)
two. Peter Pan (garth), wendy or tinkerbell (laura), and Captain Hook (jack).
Leave me a comment or e-mail or tweet or text or esp and let me know what ya’ll think. We’ll be tallying the votes tonight and deciding. And if anyone needs costume ideas feel free to hit me up- we’ve got a list that’ll last us at least the next 15 years.

xoxo
elle