on sewing



one of the Easter dresses my mom sewed for me

When I was little, my mom made most of my dresses.  She made my brother and dad matching plaid pajamas, created mommy and me outfits for the two of us, and sewed all of our halloween costumes.  She even had a small side business called "Double Takes" that featured some of her sewing designs for toddlers and moms.

me and my brother in mathing outfits made by my mom. excuse the haircut.

I have a theory that daughters with moms that sew don't end up sewing much.  I think part of it is because we have a go-to person who can make our outfits, dress our American Girl dolls, sew some pillows, hem our pants.  Although I started many a project so that I could learn how to sew, my mom ended up finishing most of them. 



another matching Christmas outfit made by mom

 Anyway, now I'm feeling the need to buck the trend.  Learning to sew would be a great skill to cultivate for now and beyond, when I have my own little ones.  So, with that in mind, I purchased a sewing machine this week.  It's nothing super fancy, but the reviews were great, it's tailored to beginners, but advanced sewers appreciate the features, too, so it will grow with me as I learn the basics.  I've been finding the following blogs and tutorials very helpful as I being my foray into sewing, though some of the projects are likely too ambitious for me at this point:

Sewing 201 by Elizabeth

Sewing Tutorials by Liz

Sewing Basics by Holly

Sewing Archive by Craftzine

Do you sew?  What's something you would love to learn how to do, but haven't yet taken the plunge?

fresh-squeezed orange juice



nectar of the gods

 I just broke down and got a juicer.  I’ve wanted one for years, and I couldn’t hold out any longer.  And I found an inexpensive, yet still electric one. 

it takes several oranges to make a glass of juice. but oh so worth it.

I just made a little bit of orange juice this afternoon to test the juicer out, and it was AMAZING.  I’m never going back to regular oj again.

lip-smacking good: crab-stuffed potatoes

my crab stuffed potatoes

This weekend, I was invited to a Mardi Gras-themed barbeque.  In preparation, I scoured the internet for appropriately-themed recipes, finally settling on cajun crab-stuffed potatoes.  The picture caught my eye, and then the ingredients list sold me.  I tweaked the recipe a bit because I wanted to make a lot of little potatoes, since it served the needs of the party better.

I used small red potatoes to make bite-sized appetizers

The goods

• 8 small baking potatoes
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions or chives
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can (6-1/2 ounces) crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed or 1 package (8 ounces) imitation crabmeat, cut up
• Paprika

the potato innerds and all the fixin's

To make

 Nom, nom, nom.  I will definitely be making these babies again!  Enjoy!

• Bake potatoes at 425° for 45-55 minutes or until tender.
• When cool enough to handle, halve potatoes lengthwise.
• Carefully scoop out pulp into a bowl, leaving a thin shell. Set shells aside.
• Beat or mash potato pulp with butter, cream, salt and pepper until smooth.
• Using a fork, stir in onions or chives and cheese. Gently mix in crab.
• Stuff shells. Sprinkle with paprika.
• Return to the oven for 15 minutes or until heated through. 

interview: nick trapp

self-portait of Nick

I first learned about Nick Trapp's artist skills when I came upon a video on Facebook of him drawing a classmate.  Nick put a standalone video camera behind him as he drew, and then edited the film down so that you could see how the drawing evolved an a few minutes.  His rendering of our classmate was so spot on, I was amazed.  He captured this guy's essence, and I wanted to see more of Nick in action.  Soon after, I saw that Nick posted an offer to draw for people if they sent photos of their subjects into him.  He was trying to grow his YouTube channel, and though this would be a good incentive.  I quickly subscribed to this channel and sent him a picture of my brother.  I thought it would be a great present for my mom and dad.  Nick later got in touch with me and I was blown away again by his ability to capture my brother so perfectly.  He'd never even met him.  There was no way I could keep the drawing  from my parents, so I gave it to them last weekend.  They were thrilled and asked me to contact him about drawing me, too.  Typical parents!  Anyway, I so wanted to share Nick's talent with you, so I asked him if he would answer a few questions about himself and his art.  Below are his thoughtful responses, as well as some pictures of his art. 

Who or what inspires you?People inspire me. Their personalities, their faces, everything that makes a person truly unique. I always strive to capture a person's individuality when I draw their portrait.
As far as artists go, ever since I was little I have been attracted to Norman Rockwell's work. He is able to portray so much character and energy in his paintings; every scene is filled with so much life.

Who or what do you consider your most important form of support?I am so grateful that my friends and family have always supported me. Most of all I feel support from the love that I give and receive through my artwork. Love is what drives me to share my talent with the world.

How has your art evolved over time?I started off doodling and scribbling, making abstract finger paintings. Sometimes, I would even made up my own styles of writing. I drew things that caught my eye, trying to copy them exactly; I guess I have always been a perfectionist when it comes to art. I was really into comic books as a kid, so I drew a lot of super heroes. I imagine that's where my love of drawing people started. I slowly progressed over the years experimenting with different media, but my favorite is still pencil. I took nearly every class offered at my high school. College is where I finally found that portraits are what I love to do.

Nick's favorite piece of his own work

What’s your favorite piece of your own art and why?My favorite piece would have to be my largest one. It is a 41" x 32" portrait that I did of myself and one of my good friends. I spent so much time on it that, to be honest, I loathed it by the time I finished it. I love it now because it is my biggest accomplishment and it reminds me that I can finish any drawing no matter how big or how long it takes.



Nick's rendering of one of the dorms on our college campus



Who’s your biggest fan?My biggest fan, without a doubt, is my mom. None of my pieces are ever bad according to her, even when I know that some of them have been.

Nick's drawing of my brother, which he drew based on the picture I sent him on the right.


Final words? Advice for other artists and aspiring artists?Art is what inspires you to express and share your talent with others. It is not just drawing, painting, singing, etc., art is the giving and receiving of love through whatever form best suits you. Do what you love to do and never stop giving of yourself.

Thank you so much, Nick for sharing your art and words! 

rooster. or how i discovered fried egg sandwiches.



child renderings of roosters can be found all over the restaurant 



If you live in St. Louis, you've no doubt heard of Rooster, the breakfast crepe, sandwich cafe downtown on Locust.  The restaurant owned by David Bailey (who also owns Bailey's Chocolate Bar, Bridge Tap House and Range), has won numerous awards for their menu and atmosphere, and they have not dissapointed.  Several weeks ago, I introduced a few friends to Rooster, and they were also pleased.  I always like to split food when I go out to eat so I can try a few different things.  But, there were no takers, so I had to think creatively.  Wanting to have something both sweet and savory, I opted for the least expensive savory thing on the menu: a fried egg sandwich.  I figured this would enable me to get my savory and sweet fix without breaking the bank.  I'd never tried a fried egg sandwich, but the ingredients looked pretty good, and I was feeling adventurous.

  

the fried egg sandwich in all its glory
photo via

Wow am I glad I tried the fried egg sandwich.  It was satisfying enough that I didn't even end up wanting a sweet crepe (though I did get a few bites of another friend's dessert).  Since discovering this sandwich, I've gone back again to order it.  It is my go-to thing when I venture into Rooster now.  And Iive looked up recipes so when I'm in the mood for one, but don't want to go all the way downtown, I can make it for myself.

Do you have a favorite food you discovered by accident?  What is it?  How did you come across it?

confluence trash bash

Our trash bash group

This morning, Joe and I participated in Trailnet's Confluence Trash Bash at a local park near the river.  Equipped with large gardening gloves and several trash bags, we walked the gravel paths around the park picking up old bottles and cans, cloth, old tires and paper trash.  Among our most interesting finds: a porcelain sink, a couch, a car bumper, a deer hide and several tortoise shells.  Trailnet decided to make the trash bash more interesting by encouraging us to keep track of our most interesting and most valuable finds, to be shared later in the afternoon, during lunch.

some of our findings

We walked with two nice couples who, we found out in conversation, knew some of the same people that we did.  One of the husbands, who made his own trash pick-up skewer/stick (the technical term, I'm sure), let me borrow it on the way back and I had a blast harpooning the heck out of cans and bottles alike. 

Joe with one of several bags of trash

All in all it was a great time.  The weather was beautiful, the route was scenic, the people were fun and it was a worthy cause to support.  I've been wanting to do more in the way of community service, and Joe and I brainstormed other ways we could support our city while we filled our garbage bags.  What sorts of things do you like to do to give back to your community?

dusty the destroyer: dashboard edition

About a month ago, I took Dusty in the car with me and headed over to work.  He hadn't wanted to stay home by himself and he loves the car, so it seemed like a good idea.  He has been in my car countless times and usually sits patiently and waits for me.  He chews on a bone or jumps back and forth from front to the back seat and enjoys having all of the car to play in.  And somehow, too, I think he feels closer to me when he is in the car instead of at home.  I went out during lunch to take him out and play with him, and then returned to work.

When I came out a few hours later to take him home, Dusty was in the passenger's seat with a guilty look on his face.  I noticed, to my horror, that he had chewed and scratched my dashboard.  Much of the leather was in shreds and the batting exposed.  While one of my first thoughts was gratitude that it hadn't been so bad as to trigger the airbag, I was furious with Dusty.  The seatbelt was bad enough, but the dash is so noticeable, so non-essential to fix, but now aesthetically horrendous.  There is no hiding it.  And, since the damage was done and he had likely forgotten about it, I found it hard to scold him effectively to deter future damage.  It isn't practical for me to banish him from the car (though I did for a while).  And he gets out of his crate despite several strategically-placed locks on different parts of the cage.  This is something the dog training videos just don't cover.  Cesar, I need your wisdom, pronto!