Another San Francisco Treat

LaLa is here for a visit and we've made our annual pilgrimage across the bridge to our favorite city. We started out in Golden Gate Park and made our way up to the Legion of Honor and saw the outstanding display of Artistic Luxury-Faberge, Tiffany & Lalique. Ohhhhh! So good. I'm trying to figure out why I love it so much... maybe seeing anything with LaLa is special and amazing. We finished our day with a lovely meal at the museum cafe. The food is wonderful and the sevice was delightful.
Thanks for everything LaLa.
Below is the picture we did last trip to SF.

Song by Scott Mckenzie - San Francisco

Let the Games Begin

The Easter fun has begun!

The song? Spring Fling by Fabian's Children

What's on My Wall Wednesday

I really don't have a lot of art on my walls to show off so I haven't ever participated in What's on Your Wall Wednesday. I've seen Blue Sky Dreaming and LaLa in La posting their enviable art collections and I find it interesting what people choose and enjoy. My Botticelli muses (shown above) have offered me a lot of companionship since receiving them as a gift from my dear friend Sara three or four years ago. (You might remember my friend Sara since I started this blog. We were neighbors and spent many times together chronicled on this blog. Here's one. ) One day Sara and I were in her storage space and she had it against a wall amongst a bunch of stuff. I drooled when I saw it. That glimmery aqua blue and the amber's. And the scale! They were like Amazon gals. It wasn't until a year later that she mentioned she was letting it go and I jumped on it. I have loved it ever since.

Peep Peep

I took the time and finished the girls nighties, and then I couldn't figure out how to fashion something for Hollis with the same fabric and design. Everything I tried looked really feminine. So my solution was to make him a pillowcase with the same stripes and chick image. I hope he feels included and cared about.
Now onto menu planning and some housekeeping before our guest arrive!

Happy and Energetic

I been totally happy and energetic towards projects around the house and studio the last few weeks. Yeah! I've had so many plans and ideas for sewing, gardening, blogging, kitchen, etc. all Winter long and it seems that Spring has brought me the focus and energy I've been waiting for! I've finished the Easter dresses for Annie and Lucy (above), and now I'm cutting into some Kelly green and white striped knit to make some simple jammies that I want to make for dear Hollis and for Annie and Lucy. We'll see. I'm not going to push it if I don't have time.

We've been active in the garden, adding new soil, re-seeding, plus we added three new terrariums to our growing collection of indoor "gardens" which add a wonderful aliveness to my desk and studio. (See the second photo down below.)

Annie has been toying around with the idea of starting her own blog for a bit now. She had made a banner (bottom) and chose a title, and last night I helped her launch it. She's so excited about it. It's called Goofing Off! And be prepared, it is uncensored goofiness!

The great song is Sugar and Spice by Zach Aston

Blow Wind Blow

There's definitely electricity in the air! We've had a lot of wind each night and yesterday it was windy all day! Really crazy wind at times! As soon as Annie woke she was out there on the trampoline, and after a few jumps the static electricity was incredibly high. Was it the wind? All strands that could were standing on end!

I tried to capture it with the camera before I went to make breakfast and return a few phone calls. While I chatted away and cooked, I noticed Annie was leaving me a message with the Scrabble tiles. "Your not lisoneng (listening) to me!" which I think means "Stop talking and feed me!"

The song is Blow Wind Blow by Lionel Belasco's Orechesta Featuring Houdini

What's on My Lap Wednesday or Pink - Colors of the Rainbow

I'm enjoying each step of making these sweet little Easter dresses. I'm especially enjoying sitting in my studio rocker and doing the hand work. (And watching a BBC broadcast of Lord Byron.)

It was during a short break after my second term at Art Center that I learned to sew. I went to visit a friend in S.F and we went to see Out of Africa, and that was it. I HAD to learn to sew so I could make beautiful clothes like the character Karen Blixen wore. I bought everything I needed, plus a Simplicity pattern and I read and reread the pattern, studied the diagrams and the simple glossary terms that are stamped on every pattern, sewed and ripped until I finished a passable white nightgown with lace trim. With each subsequent project I attempted, I learned. Every project, even the items I never wore, I enjoyed making.

Now, I hardly sew with a pattern. I mostly copy items or I use an old patterns for size, etc. I guess my style is a bit commando. Clearly I am not a traditionalist nor a tailor. I just love to sew, especially stuff to wear at home, and I really love to sew for Annie! I had a little stash of pink gingham and some wonderful voile that went well so together that I copied this Boden dress, times two. One for Annie and one for Lucy, our dear little Easter visitor. I'll post them when they are complete.

Oh and the bottom photo...he's not on my lap, but he keeps trying to be!

The soundtrack - Theme from Out of Africa by John Barry