Family Chic by Camilla Fabbri ©2009-2012. All rights reserved. The blog

Brocade Bracelets

camilla — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:56:10 +0000

No sewing needed for this easy project; bohemian-style bracelets are made in moments from brocade trim, hot glue and velcro…

The older kids can make these on their own – they are so simple.

Make a few and pile them on – they look great in bunches.

I got my trim at Joann Fabric and Crafts Stores ($8.99 – $14.99 for 9 foot spools). You can also check garage sales, Etsy and EBay for vintage trim too.

For this project you will need: brocade trim (available by the yard or spool at fabric and craft supply stores), velcro and a glue gun.

Cut brocade trim to a length that will fit your wrist with about a 1-inch seam allowance.

To finish the ends, fold ends in (about 1/2 inch) and glue down with hot glue.

Hot glue Velcro pieces to each end – one on top and one underneath so the ends will lay flat when your bracelet is closed.

To make sure the Velcro is secure, allow glue to dry for at least 15 minutes before wearing.

My daughter loves these.

Enter For A Chance To Win Rachel Khoo’s “The Little Paris Kitchen”

camilla — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:50:32 +0000

Take a few minutes to check out Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen on The Cooking Channel and you’ll become a fan straight away. I first discovered her show a few months ago and have been following her ever since. Rachel is a British chef living in Paris; a food creative with a contagious passion for creating beauty in the kitchen. What I find appealing, is the way she makes French cooking seem so doable. Rachel creates beautiful dishes that are homey and down to earth—nothing too fussy—but always quite elegant. Her show is filmed from her tiny and very charming Paris apartment. She prepares and serves incredible meals in extremely cramped quarters with just a mini oven and a small two-burner stovetop. Check out the following clip and you’ll see what I mean…

“The Little Paris Kitchen – 120 Simple But Classic French Recipes” (Chronicle Books, 2012) contains easy instructions for creating familiar French dishes like coq au vin and boeuf bourguignon, but Rachel puts her creative twist on these traditional meals and makes them so much more approachable. She also has a ton of truly different salad dishes and sweet and savory open-faced sandwich recipes that can be prepared in under 20 minutes and look like a million bucks. In addition to stunning photography and lovely illustrations, tucked in here and there, are heartwarming stories about her life in France. Rachel shares her favorite places to shop for culinary supplies and background information about French culture. I love a cookbook like this one—it’s inspiring and not intimidating at all.

After spending the afternoon pouring over Rachel’s amazing book, I got myself into the kitchen to try my hand at a few of her recipes. I made her winter salad with goat’s cheese mousse and eggs in pots—both had a prep time of under 30 minutes and turned out great.

I love egg dishes – they're perfect for a satisfying meal at any time of day. These oeufs en cocotte (eggs in pots) are simple to make, taste amazing and present well. Crème Fraîche and eggs are seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg and chopped dill, baked in ramekins (or teacups) and topped with fish roe and fresh dill. Everyone loved this one (image from The Little Paris Kitchen).

Looking forward to trying her potato and pear galette with Roquefort (image from The Little Paris Kitchen).

Rachel's winter salad with goat's cheese mousse was one of the best salads I've ever had – so unique and very easy to prepare (image from The Little Paris Kitchen).

Love the illustrations too – very charming (image from The Little Paris Kitchen).

The photos are beautiful – makes me want to get on a plane to France right now (images from The Little Paris Kitchen).

Thanks to Chronicle Books for hooking me up with a copy of “The Little Paris Kitchen” for a Family Chic giveaway.

Enter for a chance to win this delightful cookbook by leaving your contact information in the “comments” section of this post or email me at camilla@family-chic.com. One entry per person, open to US residents only. Deadline for entry is May 31, 2013. Winner will be drawn at random and contacted via email. Good Luck!

Report Cards & Art

camilla — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:11:02 +0000

We always hang up our daughters’ artwork, but it made the girls feel pretty special when Dad posted their report cards on the fridge with some positive notes…

Even though we told them we were proud of their good work, displaying our daughters' report cards alongside their artwork made them feel extra special.

The de Young w/a 12-Year-Old

camilla — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:02:47 +0000

A recent walk through the de Young Museum in San Francisco with my daughter, Grace, provided me with more comedic material. Her typical preteen crankiness and lack of interest in all that the museum had to offer was quite amusing…

I love this girl.

Catching Fireflies Giveaway

camilla — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 19:49:52 +0000

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO CATHY T. FROM PA!

Thanks so much to the kind ladies over at the very cool online shop, Catching Fireflies for hooking me up with this great giveaway for my readers today. I wasn’t familiar with their site before they contacted me, but when I checked it out I could instantly see the appeal. They have a huge selection of fun and interesting items for the home, kids, gifts – you name it. I thought you’d be into it too, so they are offering Family Chic readers a chance to win a $43.00 Catching Fireflies gift certificate. Their prices are reasonable, so this will go far!

To enter just leave your contact information in the “comments” section of this post or email me. Deadline for entry is April 15, 2013 – 12:00 PM CST. One entry per person, open to US and Canada residents only. Feel free to fan them on Facebook or follow on Pinterest too.

##Catching Fireflies is also offering all Family Chic readers a discount at catchingfireflies.com when they use coupon code: FAMILYCHIC for 20% off their purchase (expires May 6, 2013).

Here are a few things from catchingfireflies.com that caught my eye (click on images to link thru to prices and full details)…

Wine Glass Top Appetizer Plates from Catching Fireflies.com. These are clever – love that they're made of wood too.

For the musician/cook in your life – these Mix Stix (drumstick on one end, spoon on the other) are the coolest.

We try not to use paper towels too often in our house, so I am always on the lookout for cool dishcloths. I love the graphic design on this earth-friendly Swedish Dishcloth from catching fireflies.com.

A Different Focal Point For Family Photos

camilla — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:00:48 +0000

During our recent visit to San Francisco – my daughter Grace was wearing a vibrant pair of red skinny cords one day. They looked so good on her long legs in the bright California sun; my eyes were drawn to them over and over again.

Since the girls were thoroughly annoyed with my frequent requests for photo poses – I decided to try something different. Grace’s red pants and her movements around town that day became the subject matter for a series of vacation photos that I call “Grace’s Red Pants in San Fran”. I am planning on printing and framing these shots for her room — she’s quite happy with them…

No posing necessary – just grab shots when you see something good.

Half the time, Grace didn't even know I was shooting her.

I love the movement and shadows in this one.

Grace, eating a food truck samosa, on the steps near the de Young Fine Arts Museum Of San Francisco.

I love the way these photos capture her activities from the day.

Can you spot the red pants in this one?

Finding Humor In Real Family Life

camilla — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:43:16 +0000

We just got back from a wonderful, week-long trip to California. We flew into L.A., rented a car and drove up the coast to San Francisco — making stops along the way and visiting with friends. How grateful I am to have been able to get out of town, relax, reconnect with my husband and kids and see so much beauty. I feel changed by the experience. Even the usual post-trip chores (doing numerous loads of laundry, restocking the fridge, returning calls, going through stacks of mail) are cool with me right now. I’ve made a sincere promise to myself to try hard to hold on to this zen-like content and to not let the old stresses sneak back up on me.

Although our vacation was incredible, we were traveling with our kids, so my husband and I were periodically peppered with insensitive complaints, long bouts of whining, insulting comments about our parenting style — the usual stuff. Our younger daughter would also instantaneously drop to the ground and refuse to go any further unless carried. That’s fun.

Fortunately, I was able to capture a lot of these moments on film…

The family at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, CA. – thinking about making this one our Christmas card.

David and the girls at the J. Paul Getty Museum in L.A.

Grabbing a cup of tea and some serious resentment from Grace at the Getty (if it were up to her we would have stayed in the hotel pool all day long and ordered room service for every meal).

Refusing to show the slightest bit of interest at the Getty.

Trying to get a family shot outside of the Getty.

Impromptu family meeting about "adjusting our mood" in a corner of the Getty.

Me, with a bored to death Jane, on the terrace of the Getty (I think the museum should use this one in their promotional materials).

Jane.

Trying My Hand At The Wheel To Cope With Loss

camilla — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 03:18:18 +0000

I am so looking forward to spring. These Midwest winters can be such a drag; each cold, gray day seems indistinguishable from the one before. Monotonous weather, combined with the fact that my dad just passed away from cancer in December, has me working harder to make myself feel OK lately.

I once read an article about how learning a new skill can help boost one’s mood by creating a positive feeling of accomplishment. I thought I’d draw on this knowledge, so I signed myself up for a pottery throwing class at a local studio. I’d always had a desire to get my hands on some clay to see what I could create.

After many failed attempts at centering and raising my pieces, I’m finally getting the hang of it and things are almost going my way now. I’m not great, but I am slowly making improvements and I am feeling pretty good about myself these days as a result (turns out the theory holds water).

Thanks to my teacher Andrea Horyn for sharing her incredible talent with me, for all of the great talks and laughs we’ve had during the process and for (unknowingly) throwing me a life preserver when I felt like I was struggling…

A few of my pieces — I've started on bowls and I'm moving on to plates and vases soon.

I'm into glazed, bright interiors and flat, white exteriors.

They nest too – this is a big deal for me.

My kids are getting behind the wheel too – I love their beautiful work.

Me and my dad in November, 2012. He gave the most courageous and admirable fight; he always stayed positive and interested in life.

Even when his cancer and radiation treatment were taking a toll on him, my dad could always muster up the positive energy for one our famous outings. Here's a photo of us with my daughters, on a visit to one of our favorite spots in Tarrytown, NY — the historic home of Washington Irving.

From the 1970's – an old photo of me with my mom and dad. My mom made the dress I'm wearing in this shot as well as the quilted ottoman cover and my dad made the built-in bookshelves in the background. My parents taught me everything I know about creative family living.

My parents, Joan and Sam.

My Interview & Home Tour On DesignMom

camilla — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:26:04 +0000

So grateful to Gabrielle Blair of DesignMom for the interview and tour of my home! You can check it out over at DesignMom.

Our living room — you can see the full house tour on DesignMom.

Stitched Coasters For Teachers

camilla — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:43:48 +0000

I’m already thinking about Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6-10) and cooking up ideas for homemade gifts that the girls can give to their amazing teachers. These easy coasters can be made in a flash with leftover fabric and yarn…

These are quite simple to make — just cut out 4-inch circles from a heavy-weight fabric (we chose burlap) and have the kids do a simple straight stitch in a circular design with yarn.

This project allows the kids to practice their stitches. You can let them do whatever they like – there are no mistakes with this one.

These look fun and festive on the table.

Ready to give — we covered a box top with a page from a resale shop book and tied it with a ribbon.