Sarah Nussbaumer

A New Direction, A New Location

2014-06-28T14:33:00.003-07:00

It has been almost a year since my last post. I have been working hard at charting a new course. Textiles and patterns have always fascinated me. When Spoonflower launched I was sure they had opened just for me. After the first blush of creative excitement began to fade I realized that I wanted to make beautiful complex patterns for home decor, apparel and paper goods. Practicing on the weekends and whenever I had a spare moment was great but not quite enough. Last summer about this time I discovered Skillshare. Two wonderful classes were giant steps to getting serious about pattern design. Kristi O'Meara's class got me totally hooked on pattern design. Then I worked through Majo Bautista V's class. It was a follow up post from Kristi that introduced me to Pattern Observer and Michelle Fifis and her team at the Design Lab. I am now part of a great community of designers who are so interested in patterns, design and taking things to the next level. It has been a rush of activity, learning, growing and new friendships. Above is a screen shot of my new site and blog at s-nussbaumer.com this is where I will be posting and sharing my pattern journey. Take a look around, leave a comment. Let me know what you think. Sign up for my newsletter for sneak peaks at new patterns and the latest at my Etsy and Spoonflower shops. See you there.

Orchids

2013-06-14T04:07:00.000-07:00

An afternoon at the garden. Looking through my files I revisited the folder with shots from the Matthaei Botanical Gardens.

Wing Pattern

2012-09-11T04:36:00.000-07:00

Guinea Fowl. Beautiful feather patterns. The contrast between the plumage and the bare head may be explained in the new book Feathers by Thor Hanson http://www.feathersbook.com/.

Bounty

2012-07-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

But now the question is "What to do with all the zucchini?". So far we have grilled, sauteed and included in lasagna. Now it is time to share or bake.

In my last three garden summers the zucchinis got sick and died. This year they thrived. I forgot how prolific they can be and am caught with out a plan.

Restraint is the Key

2012-06-27T19:08:00.001-07:00

Restraint is the key. This year we scaled back and we still have plenty and more. Four kale plants even seem like a lot now. So tonight we had our first kale salad. It was wonderful. I'll get the recipe together in another post soon.

Miniature Forrest

2012-03-18T12:57:00.002-07:00

Everything is very early this year. The moss is particularly lush.

New Favorite Book

2012-03-02T19:57:00.001-08:00

My sister and I came across this charming book at Anthropologie recently. The sketchy style is perfect for this story about growing up and inventive reuse. The book is published by Abrams books. Boni Ashburn is the author and Julia Denos is the illustrator. It is my new favorite.

"Pleanty"

2012-02-06T17:44:00.000-08:00

This past holiday season a friend told me about this cookbook and then gifted me with a copy. I've shared it with family and friends. We pour over it and plan what will be the next tempting sensation for the table.Yotam Ottolenghi, author of "Plenty" a stunning book of recipes focusing on wonderful ways to prepare and present vegetable dishes teamed with photographer, Jonathan Lovekin to delight and nourish the spirit as well as the person.

Time to Plan

2012-01-30T03:48:00.000-08:00

It is the end of January. It is snowing. Mother Earth News offers the perfect way to beat the wintertime blues. Try out their Garden Planner to layout your ideal garden.

Culling the Herd

2012-01-18T04:25:00.000-08:00

Ten mugs less in the cupboard. It is the beginning of my new year's resolution which is to go through all of the things that have accumulated. The goal is to have a leaner more meaningful home and life. It is hard though. The mug without the handle was a gift from my daughter when she went to camp in fourth grade. The red mug was part of a valentines gift. The dotted one is the last remaining item from one of my favorite wedding gifts, a set of four dotted breakfast plates and mugs.The blue and white one is from the grocery store, but I really like the pattern. The rest are easy, they all came on their own as giveaways, promotional gifts, or advertising.

It is Done

2012-01-17T04:24:00.000-08:00

It is done! Finally finished the recipe drawing for Nate and Salli's website They Draw and Cook. To see my recipe full size look here. It is so much fun participating and following what others are submitting. There are so many delicious recipes to try. Use the Dial-a-Dinner feature to breakout of the dinner dulls.

Left Hand Page--They Draw and Cook

2012-01-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

This is the left hand side of the recipe for They Draw and Cook. It is almost done. I hope to post it to the site soon.

Right Hand Page--They Darw and Cook

2012-01-06T04:11:00.000-08:00

The image above is the beginning of a new recipe illustration for They Draw and Cook. The holidays was a fun time for us in the kitchen. Everyone pitched in with great ideas for meals. As a conclusion to the feasting, my daughter and I plan to make this intriguing citrus salad over the weekend.

Signal Return Letterpress Workshop

2011-12-12T04:43:00.000-08:00

AIGA Detroit arranged a great workshop this past weekend at Signal Return. It is a nonprofit studio dedicated to advancing the art of letterpress printing. The shop plans to offer an ongoing schedule of workshops, present exhibits and offer items for sale.

Season's Change

2011-12-01T04:16:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was a telecommute day because of the snow and rain this area experienced. The drive home Tuesday evening while slow and intense, had its moments of beauty as the snow swirled wildly. The real reward was waking up to a frosted wonderland. The first sticking snow of the season. A lunchtime walk along country roads was a delight.

Detail-French Songbook

2011-11-28T02:55:00.001-08:00

Some details from the back of an old French songbook. I found this when cleaning out a closet at my mom's. She had it saved at the bottom of a stack of towels. I love the style and the old four color printing. The bottom detail shows how the background was made. It looks like a jumping off point for personal explorations.

French Lesson

2011-11-17T04:52:00.001-08:00

From a Heath's Petit Larousse Illustre, 1924

Yesterday's Walk

2011-10-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the air was cool and crisp. The sun came out after the midday sleet. It was a perfect afternoon for a woodland walk.

The End

2011-10-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the weather was glorious. It was also the weekend to put our 10'x10' garden to bed for the winter. Even though the wheelbarrow was full of exhausted plants. we took home a large bag of end of the season spinach, lettuce, dill and carrots.

Salt of the Earth

2011-09-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

WW Cinnamon Raisin bread from Salt of the Earth Bakery and Restaurant is a most delicious treat.I had grand plans for it, luscious overnight custardy French Toast in thick slices. The loaf was so good that we just ate it toasted with fresh butter. We had it for breakfast and desert for lunch and desert for dinner. You get the idea, it was just irresistible. Overnight FrenchToast or Custard French Toast come closest to how my mom made french toast.

Josephine's recipe

3 eggs, beaten yellow and frothy
1 tsp. sugar for each egg used

1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. milk

4 slices sweet or sour dough French bread, 1 inch thick
2-3 tbsp. butter

It is important to let the bread soak up all of the mixture. If the bread seems to be dry in the middle add another egg and a 1/4c milk and sugar. Once the bread is fully saturated carefully transport to a heated skillet with melted butter. Adjust the heat so that the bread toasts but doesn't burn. Serve with more butter and dust with powdered sugar to finish. The best weekend breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on your mood.

Nature's Pace Organic

2011-09-19T03:41:00.000-07:00

New to the Clarkston market this year is Nature's Pace Organics an organic farm owned and operated by Katie and Jacob. Their delightful blog charts the enthusiasm and commitment they bring to whole living. For great variety and wonderful quality produce their booth is always worth a visit. The head of lettuce was the centerpiece of a very tasty recent summer salad.

She Liked Them

2011-09-07T04:25:00.000-07:00

It was a garden plant that was always there in the background. A bunch of Gaillardias blooming profusely from July into August were always part of the little garden at the family cottage. They were part of impromptu bouquets made for the big round oak table that dominated one end of the central room.One of the best things about Gaillardias is their long season,often blooming for months. They are tough, hardy plants, returning for decades, increasing each year requiring little water or special soil. Gaillardias are a wonderful native wildflower, sometimes known as Indian Blanket or Firewheel. I like the firewheel name. They blaze away all summer.

Red and Ready

2011-09-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

After anticipation comes inundation. This year I cut back, way back. I only planted one brandywine, one beefsteak, and an heirloom of some sort. Even so they are now producing loads of lucious red ripe tomatoes.

Seeds

2011-08-30T04:38:00.000-07:00

Beautiful graceful heads of dill were ripening in the garden several weeks ago. The soft feathery greens long gone but enjoyed earlier this summer in a variety of dishes. I let two volunteer dill plants grow in our plot and was rewarded with all of these seed heads. What to do with dill seeds, Onion Dill bread at Cooks.com looks like a great choice. I plan to try it this weekend when we have family home for the holiday. The other recipe that looks like a winner is the potato and yogurt dish with dill seed.

Braids and Bunches

2011-08-29T04:09:00.000-07:00

If you have ever done French Braids the same technique applies to onions. We planted purple onions this year all along the edge of our 10'x10' plot. After harvesting and drying it was fun to make these beautiful braids.