kit and caboodle

Early Fall Harvest

2009-09-29T21:25:48-07:00

Got out in the yard on Sunday and harvested what must surely be the last of the late summer/early fall fruit and veg. A glut of little tomatoes ready to eat and some big 'uns needing to ripen on the windowsill. Oh, and a whopping cabbage which I thought I'd use as the base of colcannon. I washed all the leaves pretty carefully (having had more than a few 'organic' experiences with resident insect populations in the past), but obviously didn't do it as well as I thought - we now have a shoebox containing a handful of sleepy caterpillars. They're munching on the choicest leaves from the cabbage, of course, courtesy of the kids.

And the leaves are finally beginning to fall from the trees whilst the air is constantly chilly. Makes for an invigorating run. There's a great shot of the angry clouds over Green Lake this afternoon here.

Art Dolls

2009-09-25T13:35:27-07:00

Some new faces for upcoming art doll kits. Made from air hardening modeling clay and nearly ready for acrylic paint.

Listening to A Prayer for Owen Meany from Audible which is ranking among my favorite audiobooks - highly recommended.

Headed here this weekend for our annual visit:

The kids look forward to making little wooden boats, fishing for trout and eating salmon. It's always a fun event.

And about to subscribe to this season of plays. A great package this year - we're blessed with a range of fine theater for every taste here in Seattle.

And it's still sunny, sunny, sunny.

Dog Days

2009-09-03T08:05:57-07:00

We found the perfect baking activity for two enthusiastic eight-year-olds - making dog treats! The girls were closely supervised by Woodydog Wilson who cleaned up all the bits of dough, cheese, peanut butter and spinach which ended up on the floor (a fair amount!).

We checked this book out of the library and made 'it's a formal affair' peanut butter snacks and 'pupeyes' spinach and parmesan cheese.

This is the end result, sampled by Woody and young J, my 11 year old son. He said they were 'chewy yet tasty'.

On the basis of this positive feedback, we gifted a few bags to our neighborhood dog friends. A bit like Girl Scout cookies, but in a furry and gobbly way.

Speaking of homemade canine chow, we discovered Darwin's Dog Food this weekend. I'm always a bit suspicious of what goes into the dodgy-looking pellet food we've been buying, but have stopped short of serving the dog a portion of what we eat. So we'll give this a try - love the free home delivery!

The Back-Yard Dutch Oven

2009-08-18T07:10:30-07:00

Inspired by a weekend in the woods (with the girl scouts, actually) when we cooked monkey bread, pot pies and a delectable dish called 'catastrophe' in dutch ovens, my folks got me my very own for my birthday. It's basically a lidded cast iron pot on little legs designed for cooking outdoors on campfires using charcoal briquettes.

Each briquette (and we learned than only Kingsford will do) is equivalent to 25 degrees of heat, so to cook at 350 for instance, you'd need 14 lumps of charcoal distributed below and on the lid of the oven. We decided to trial a gourmet tater tot casserole in our back yard, and I have to say the results were pretty delicious (in a messy-looking way)!

I found this website, which is a great resource. I'm always fascinated by other people's interests/obsessions. Papa Dutch. Wowee.

Fabric of Life Foundation

2009-08-17T11:21:48-07:00

Please consider supporting the inspiring Carol Schillios as she camps on the roof of her shop, Fabric of Life, in Edmonds WA. From her blog:

Eleanore Roosevelt said “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I believe in what can happen when we step out of the shadow of our fears. I’m 57 years old. That in itself is scary. I’ve never blogged before. Even scarier. I thought blogs only existed on the moors of Scotland. It’s scary to “reveal” your inner self in public. Yet here I am. I’ve decided to follow Eleanore Roosevelt’s advice.

The idea to live on the roof of my Foundation’s fair trade store literally popped into my head one day last May. I’m often described as “crazy” when I’m introduced. Personally, I think of myself as “bold” or “gutsy”, both of which require a bit of crazy, don’t you agree?

So this is my chronicle of being UP ON THE ROOF. I have no idea how long I will live in this tent. I’m not coming down until I come down. If that statement makes sense to you then you probably understand me a little bit. I hope you’ll learn as much about yourself from this journey as I am about to learn about myself.

Carol is now UP ON THE ROOF!

FOLLOW HER BLOG:www.upontheroofwithcarol.org

She's indeed living in a tent until

1 million people tell her what they're doing to change their world and send $1.00 to

Fabric of Life Foundation

a 501(c)3 nonprofit

Hello dear friends!

Yes, you read that right....I'm now living in a tent on the roof of our Foundation's non-profit fair trade boutique in downtown Edmonds, WA untilONE MILLION PEOPLE each send me $1.00

AND EQUALLY IMPORTANT....when you send a dollar, tell me what you're doing to make your world a better place. "YOUR WORLD" might be within yourself, your family, your neighborhood, your community, your state, another country -- whatever "world" you choose.

It's easy to be overwhelmed by the enormity of issues we face. We find ourselves thinking "what impact can one person possibly have?"

So I've decided to "shout from the roof top" how people are making a world of difference. One person. One action. One dollar at a time.

I've choosen to live in a tent to bring attention to the issues and celebrate the good being done in our own communities and around the world. Send your dollar and I'll "shout from the roof" what you're doing to make this world a better place.

And EVERY DOLLAR goes to the 501(c)3 Fabric of Life Foundation for programs that support women, children and their communities both in developing countries and right here in the U.S.

Please contribute ~ just click on the "GIVE NOW" button right on this page. (Pls note a 7% admin fee applies to donations on this page) OR you can mail me a check to Fabric of Life Foundation P.O. Box 547 Edmonds WA 98020 with no admin fee.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Follow me UP ON THE ROOF on our blog www.upontheroofwithcarol.org

THANK YOU!

Carol Schillios

(Questions? Email me at c.schillios@verizon.net or feel free to call me at 425-478-6711

Needle-felting Party

2009-08-14T07:07:06-07:00

Whilst the weather was hot and sunny in Seattle, blogging was low down my list of things to do but since we've had rain and clouds for a few days now, I thought it might be time to share some of the pictures I took back in June! We had a needle-felting morning with six willing young crafters, a pile of roving, needles and blocks of foam. Most of the kids hadn't tried this particular craft before, and were skeptical about how it would all work - how the pile of colored fluff would hold together and take shape. They soon got the idea though and they quickly learnt how to model their work into the shape they were aiming for WITHOUT stabbing their fingers in the meantime. I was delighted with the results - and so were they!

SUPERWORM!!

Le curtain est fini!

2009-07-13T08:21:15-07:00

Finally...the long-running Mason Dixon Bubble curtain project is finished. Started this time last year and doggedly picked up at irregular intervals, it's been one of those knitting projects which just runs and runs, never appearing to get any longer until suddenly... it's done! I'll never knit another curtain, that's for sure. The best part of the whole deal was blocking, and watching the crumpled heap miraculously stretch and open up into a curtain-like shape. I soaked the curtain in cold water, then used a million pins to fasten it to a large bit of plywood which I propped outside in the sunshine. It took only a couple of hours to dry and along the way I squirted it with copious amounts of starch for added stability and form.

And finally...the grand hanging! Amazingly, it was the right size for the window! (my sizing is a hit and miss affair...) The starch helps it hang without sagging whilst the holes and 'knittiness' of it lets the light filter through. You can't see through it from the outside, either. Phew and yay.

The easiest skirt ever? Maybe...

2009-06-11T06:24:00-07:00

In my quest to find things I can make in an hour or less which are both wearable and good-looking, I came across this pattern from Oliver and S. It's a simple idea - the skirt is a rectangle cut in one piece across the width of the fabric and the length is up to you, based on the look you want to end up with. The waistband is gathered with elastic and it's hemmed with ribbon to make it look a bit special. Here's my attempt for child #4, made in about 45 minutes. Perfecto.

Sewing for Sleepovers

2009-06-09T10:22:46-07:00

I spent a few hours each week in April and May preparing for and teaching a 'sewing for sleepovers' class for second through fifth graders. It was fun! The group sewed and stuffed pillow liners and then made knotted covers from fleece or wool melton. They added little pockets to the front of their pillows to carry stuffies which they also designed and made.
A few examples of their creative work!

The group especially enjoyed digging through my scrap box of fabrics, felt, sequins, buttons, beads and cut shapes and I was very impressed with the variety of ideas they came up with.

We made small bags to hold toiletries - here's my (rather wrinkly) class sample:
We finished it all up by decorating canvas tote bags with fabric paint, felt shapes and buttons and packed them full of our handmade goodies.

June! How did that happen?

2009-06-04T18:08:57-07:00

That was an unintentional blog break but lots to write about! I'll put up a few photos of some of the events these past couple of months:

Much of April was gobbled up by the annual school plant sale - one of our big fundraisers for the kids. My pal Wendy and I were the organizers for the third year running. A lot of work but fun and rewarding. We did well, despite the poor economic climate - I guess folks are happy to spend money on plants and we bought heavily into veggies, berry bushes, tomatoes, herbs and a great selection of Northwest Natives. These plants looked kind of dull next to their flowering neighbors, but do great in yards round here. I added a selection into our teeny yard - mostly sword fern, salal, and flowering currants which do well in the shade.

This wall panel is made up of tightly-packed sedums and was on display when we visited one of our suppliers - it was quite amazing. Look at these heucheras - they're a pretty good investment. I brought a few three years ago and they've come back each year in all their marmalade glory.

And a couple of scenes from the sale - these lanterns added a festive twist to the event!

And yet more sedums - I love 'em....