rouge

striped stockings were the original plan, but time and tide wait for no doll. her dress is a vintage dishtowel; the embroidery was too lovely to actually use it. you can't quite see it, but there's a frost of glass glitter on the velvet petals that hold (not an easy task) back her hair; those petals graced a snow-covered table in a long-ago christmas window. the heavenly felt leaves are from bell'occhio in the city (if you haven't been there you have to go, it's like the eighth wonder of the world).

beauty on the inside is perhaps more important than beauty on the outside, yes?

glass slippers and all that

cinderella here was finished a bit before midnight, and the perfectionist part of me wants to go back, take another snapshot, snip loose strings and delete the errant piece (or two) of thread- but it doesn't seem in keeping with the "finish one project a day" ethos of the challenge.

We were put on earth to make things- W. H. Auden

bits of ribbon, again; felting wool, beads from long-ago earrings, waxed cotton string from god-knows-where. a snippet of burlap that was left after the rest of the roll was employed as a runner in an oak grove for a remarkable moment two summers ago. the dress, a vintage hand-towel always too sweet to be used for it's original purpose: my stitching isn't anywhere near as brilliant as the frieze of birds below, but the whole endeavor was fun. tomorrow's rag doll will (i hope) be a bit simpler. did i mention the orange ribbon was once curled tightly around a tiny, hand-made corsage? it seemed a shame to ever iron it out, once the rose done been and gone.

wabi sabi

decided the other day to set a challenge for the new year: make something every day, and use- as often as possible- only materials at hand. this may be the week of the rag doll; the cat came about from bits of ribbon, a much loved sweater, tiny mittens (ornaments from another christmas) and other odds and ends. 

with special thanks to ed young, who inspired a post several years ago.

wishing you a happy, happy 2015. 

requested repost: Apple Pie, to Prague with love

Sweetbriar Apple Pie

Crust:

• 1 pound of butter

• 4 cups of good fresh flour

• 2 tablespoons, sugar

• 2 teaspoons, salt

• 1 cup water, with ice cube floating around (note! you will not use all the water!)

• NOTE: this will be enough crust for 2 or 3 pies

Innards for each pie will be:

• 4 or 5 sour-ish green apples (granny smith or so), peeled and cored and sliced

• 1/4 cup, sugar

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 1/4 teaspoon each of: grated nutmeg, ground mace...and maybe a tiny scosh of cloves and cardamom? whatever. up to you. be creative (which you always are).

Make that crust, just like you have been (i.e., that amazing picture you just sent) but: leave it twice the size, roll it out, and have some nice crumbly artistic edges...you will be folding it over the whole apple deal, in a very soigne way... (For those who would like a lovely pie crust recipe, click here.)
Put this artsy pastry into a nice big pie plate, and chill for about 15 minutes...afterwards, fill 'er up with apple slices, enough so that it looks nice and heaping but not overmuch or too little....
Now, the fun part: shake that sugar softly over the apple slices, and happily dot little bits of butter around. Sprinkle spices on quick-like. Now, fold up those artistic pastry edges, sort of on top of each other. It will seem rather random, but I promise it will come out of the oven looking quite handsome (and taste lovely, to boot). Try to cover up most of those slicey apples, so they are tucked in nice. But don't spend much time on this part.
The pie usually takes about 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven. The crust will be look done, and you'll know. Cool for a few minutes, and then sklather on freshly whipped (no sugar, ist besser!) cream. You can add a bit of grated nutmeg on the top if you want to get super-snazzy.

Enjoy. We will miss you at the turkey table, but we send blessings your way every second of every day.

The Holiday Keeper: Never Stop to Think... Do I Have A Place For This?

Time to start thinking about what to get for those we love. 

The book at the top of the list: Never Stop to Think...Do I Have A Place For This? 

Mary Randolph Carter continues to show us how to live with what we love, and rejoice in it. How to share- with panache- the memories: how to make room for new ones. How to honor the past and delight in the present. 

Illuminating each space in her inimitable way, the author guides the reader through extraordinary dwellings and collections that fire the imagination. 

A book to be adored, thumbed through incessantly, and referred to often. A holiday keeper.

MARY RANDOLPH CARTER: NEVER STOP TO THINK...DO I HAVE A PLACE FOR THIS?

PHOTOS: CARTER BERG

go

play's the thing

matter

sort

represent

I Love California

be calm honcho

popcorn

sometimes

goethe