Read This: Seasons

I love this book.  So much.  I really bought it for me--but am happy to share it with Beeper too.   It is entitled, Seasons, and is by the fantastically talented french illustrator, Blexbolex.  It is a thick book, grainy image stacked upon image, printed on this creamy paper that evokes the drawing paper I most commonly used as child.

It is a book about, naturally, the seasons and the everyday wonders and activities and things and moments that mark the evolution of the seasons for us...

...but it is also a book of analogies, opposites, cause and effect, words that sound a little alike when you say them aloud, related things, images that rebound between one another in their similarities, and some more oblique pairings.

It is a visual meal so rich you can dig right in (no need for fork or knife), but it is also good for conversations about the details in the images and how these connect to the bold red letters that label each image.  It informs, and invites imagining of the story that is there between the images. 

The bright colors, the bold red block-style text, the stark layered screen-printed images are so much happiness for my eyes.  And I love that the book feels both modern and retro--just  looking at this book I get nostalgia for the library I used to visit as a 5-year-old and the alphabet book I loved most there, but it also feels cool enough to set out on my coffeetable for others to enjoy.  I so, so highly recommend this book--it would make a most lovely holiday gift for your child, or for your artsy friend, or your hip niece in art-school.  If you want to see more, there is a lovely little Youtube video about the book put together by the publisher--check that out here.

Sandra Dieckmann's Illustrations

Sandra Dieckmann's illustrations evoke winter for me.  It is the combination of natural themes, the bright colors on pale backgrounds and the stark black and white lines underpinning it all.  I have always said ours is a house that feels right in winter, something about all the dark wood and the glut of drafty windows and the brick fireplace--the house just feels more at home in winter, if that makes any sense--and for these reasons, I feel like her work would be so right at home in my house.

Digital Artist Magazine says this about her work: The best folktales have a dark edge.  Conversely, the best folk art pops with colour--perhaps as a visual way of whistling in the dark, perhaps a celebration of the richness of northern Europe's storytelling tradition.  Sandra Dieckmann's nature inspired illustration has got that elusive, comfortable yet disquieting quality in spades.  Yep.  

 You can read more about Sandra and view more of her work here.  She also has an Etsy shop where you can buy prints, totes, cards and pocket mirrors--and there is an even larger selection of her prints available here, as well as t-shirts and skins for your i-thingies available at Society 6.    Have a look.  She has a lot of wonderful, wonderful work.

A Bit of DS Inspiration

I realize I am probably about the only crafter who did not know about it, but I just discovered the Denyse Schmidt Daisy Mae fabric line at Joann Fabrics.  Luckily, it was all 40% off when I came across it because as you can see I sort of fell in love with much of what was there.  Not sure yet what I am going to make with it but holiday gift-making is just getting into full swing over here so I suspect some of this will make into some little lovelies for family and friends (although I did actually return to Joann a couple of days later to buy 2 more yards of that blue diamond print so I could make myself a pair of pajama pants with it--it is so retro and old-mannish--which reminds me of this old man's pajama shirt I used to wear with jeans in college--ah, the grunge days of yore...).

My Etsy Toy Gift Guide

My Etsy toy shopping is mostly done but I thought I would still slide in here with a little show of all the fantastic handmade stuff out there I love this year--there was a lot I loved.  Much more than you see here--but here are the links to the stuff shown (left to right, from top):

1. Little Play House by DoggiePiggie, $40

2. The Gray Fox by Les Peluche d'Eveluche, $140

3. Circus Car by Fidoodle, $22

4. Kitten Pals Button Pack by The Black Apple, $8

5. Coco Doll by Goodbye Blue Monday, $44

6. Superhero Shoes Gold Wings by Small Fly, $24

7. Wooden Constructor by Dominna, $30

8. Superhero Felt Mask by Frida's Tierchen

9. Karim the Penguin by Raplapla, $40

10. Francine and Simone Stamp Creation Set by The Small Object, $35

11. Yellow Friendly Ghost Brooch by Misako Mimoko, $28.50

12. Color Your Own Plush Doll by Green Star Studio, $15

13. Wee Elephant Pouch by Blueberry Bandit

14. Color Wheel Barrettes by Nest Pretty Things, $16

15. Set of 8 Crayon Rings by Oh My Lucky Star, $36

16. AnaPad Wooden Creative Tablet by Twig Creative, $38

17. Printable Solar System Cards by Wild Olive, $3

18. Almost an Animal Alphabet Book by Eightbear, $18

19. Indoor Croquet Bocce Ball Game Set by Jack Be Nimble

20. Basil the Bee Lambswool Plush by Sara Carr, $44

21. Clara Paperdolls by Cupcakes for Clara, $6

22. Monkey Farts Fizzy Bath Bomb by Fresche, $3.50

23. Wooden Balancing Toy by Smiling Tree Toys, $38

24. 3 Mini Felt Woodland Friends by Royal Mint, $65

25. Butterfly Life Cycle Playset by Mud Hollow, $55

26. Clothespin Dolls by Mooshoopork, $45

27. Golden Wooden Sword by Friendly Fairies, $50

28. Circus Rabbit by Miko Design, $62

29. Fabric Alphabet by My Wife, Your Wife, $47.50

30. Stacrobots by Board Games

31. Bird Doll by Timo Handmade, $57

32. Folky Guitar Plush by June Craft

33. 12 Wood Peg People by Green Mountain Wee Woolies, $36

34. Splendid Coloring Book by Lund Studios, $10

35. Little Doll's Chalet by Mmthings, $75

36. Sticker Set Collection 2 by Minifanfan, $5.50

Happy Handmade Toy Shopping!

Eat and Drink This: Truffle Kettle Corn and Cranberry Fizz Cocktail

I first ate truffle kettle corn about 6 months ago at The Red Stag Supper Club here in Minneapolis.  It blew my mind--the combination of flavors was so much euphoria in my mouth.  I imagined it must be a little like shooting up heroin because it was so hard to stop eating and it was so good.  And then I became obsessed with learning how I could cook up my own version at home.  As it turns out, it is easy.  Once you locate where to buy a bottle of white truffle oil, you are so in business.   The hardest part is not burning the sugar, but after I figured out that you should wait to add it until your popcorn has begun popping, that was no longer a concern.  Okay, you do still have clean out the pan which does get seriosuly gunked up from the cooked sugar once it cools, but just put some water in it and let it soak until the next day and it will not be so much of a prob.  

Needless to say, this is perfect holiday gathering food.  So easy and inexpensive to prepare (yes, the truffle oil is not cheap, but a little goes a long way so think of it as an investment in your mouth's happiness) in mass quantities.   All you need to accompany it is an easy little holiday-ish cocktail--so I made up one of those too.  Again, this drink is easy to make by the carafe, delish and refreshing without being overly sweet.  And it is a perfect complement to the truffle kettle corn--and listening to holiday music while you deocrate your tree or play games with your kid or have friends over...trust me, this is your holiday go-to dish and cocktail to serve up at a moment's notice.  They feel a little special but they are so easy to make.  Just try it.  Let me know if you too find yourself a truffle kettle corn junkie too.

DOWNLOAD TRUFFLE KETTLE CORN AND CRANBERRY COCKTAIL RECIPE

In My Shop: Nature Explorer Bag and Child's Sewing Kit

I have just put my one and only Nature Explorer Bag, fully outfitted with explorer supplies, as well as my one and only Child's Sewing Kit--also fully tricked out with all manner of sewing supplies--in my Etsy shop.  You can find the Explorer Bag here, and the Sewing Kit here.

Of course, if you have the time and inclination, you could make your own of either of these--check out the tutorials for them over here.  

A Full Advent Forest

We finally have a complete pine tree advent calendar forest.  I began this project last year as part of a project I put together for the Women's Day Christmas issue, but I only made half of the trees, mostly because I got lazy.  Of the 12 that got made, Socrates got hold of the number 4 tree and made off with it, never to be heard from again.  So, this year I set myself to finishing the whole set of 24 trees, including the long-lost tree #4.  And so this is it.  Done.  And actually, it wasn't that hard or even that time consuming--just a bunch of hand-sewing the trees into cones while I watched old episodes of Nurse Jackie. If you are up for the challenge--or maybe just want a few trees for decorative purposes, you can find the project links for it here.

(Side note:  I am so hating the yellow walls in my living room.  They came with the house when we bought it and honestly I am not sure how I have been living with them all these years.  They are so urine-yellow.  Barf.  First resolution for the new year is to paint them a lovely creamy white...)