This one is made from vintage cotton with a little green pearl. It is lined with interfacing and backed with felt made from recycled bottles.
This pendant is a more delicate version. It is made with silks and wool that were naturally dyed with lichen dye and goldenrod. It is lined with the same felt as the item above. The little embellishment is a small piece of vintage lace and a silver-violet rondelle pearl.
(I’ll be uploading more naturally dyed hexagonal brooch pictures shortly.)
These earrings are made of off white lace knots which I sewed together by hand and stiffened with starch. It has a small silver link and earring wire which I also shaped myself. They remind me a bit of celtic knots (and pretzels ; P ).
He’s such a sparkly and mischievious friend.
This little sprite is made out of reclaimed earring parts, lace, reclaimed red silk and coconut beads for his beak . The brooch is backed with felt (made from 100% recycled bottles) and a bar pin back. It is reinforced with interfacing. I put a little faceted black glass bead on the brass chains that dangle from his eye. It is one of a kind and handmade.
These two lovelies are made with oval pieces of lace which are stitched on to a small piece of silk. The blue silk is reclaimed from a dress, the champagne is also reclaimed silk which I dyed with naturally with onion skins. They are reinforced with interfacing and backed with felt (made from 100% recycled bottles). They have bar pin backs.
Radiolarian Cameo
Black lace and blue silk, the radiolarain is reproduced from a drawing I did with fine tipped pens. It is affixed to a large shell bead.
Microscopic Cameo
Black lace and silk naturally dyed with onion skins.
Here is just some of the new things that are available. Details on where to pick them up will be up as soon as everything is finalized.
All of the earrings are made with fine sterling silver ear wires and eye hooks which I shape by hand. The lace is hand stitched and starched into various forms inspired by the natural world. This time I’ve added new colours to the collection; golden yellow, blue and sea foam. The larger dangles are also decorated with reclaimed chain, glass beads, pearls and/or semi-precious stones in jade, labradorite, serpentine, green turquoise or zebra jasper. Even the boldest styles are light, delicate and easy to wear.
Watching Cosmos on You tube stirs my heart.
Sometimes we need a little reminder of our place in this physical existence. That we are part of something amazing, that our origins are tied to the story of the larger universe, no matter how minute we are in the larger scales of things. Here’s where a Cosmos break comes in, enjoy.
Cosmos episode 1 (part 1):
Cosmos episode 1 (part 2):
Dan and I whipped up this cake for a special Canada day treat. It’s tangy and quite sweet, perfect birthday cake. Here is the recipe just in case you feel like making one at home.
Vanilla Cake Batter: 1 1/2 cups cake flour, 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar, 6 egg whites (keep your yolks for the curd), 1 cup of milk, 4 tsps baking powder, 2 tsps vanilla,
Preheat your oven to 350f. Cream the (room temp’) butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, this will take about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and egg whites, give it a gentle stir after each addition then beat for a few seconds after you have added the final egg white to bring the batter together. Add half of the dry ingredients and gently mix together, then add half the milk and gently mix it together. Repeat with the remaining additions. When the batter is ready spread it into two 8″ pans that have been greased and floured.
Lemon Curd: 6 egg yolks, lemon zest from 1 lemon (at least), 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 stick melted butter
Set the egg yolks and zest aside in a large heat resistant bowl. Melt the butter, sugar, lemon juice at a low temperature in a small saucepan with a heavy bottom. Once the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid is beginning to get hot pour it slowly over the eggs while wisking constantly. This is a bit tricky and would be easier if you had a friend pour so you could wisk, or vice versa. Once all the liquid is added wisk for another 30 seconds or so before pouring it back into the saucepan, you will continue to wisk constantly so the mixture keeps moving around and cooks evenly at a low temperature. This way you’ll get a nice smooth custard texture. If it is not treated with care and wisked constantly then the egg will cook and form hard bits in the lemon curd, so don’t walk away from it. It won’t take long for it to thicken, it is ready once it nicely coats the back of your spoon and will thicken up a bit more as it cools in the refrigerater.
Ripe strawberries, sliced.
Vanilla Icing: 1/2 cup of butter, 2 to cups of icing sugar, 2 tsps vanilla, 2 tbsps (approx) of milk. Cream all of the ingredients on high until light and fluffy. Adjust your consistency by adding more sugar or milk if necessary. I admit this amount of icing will barely cover the cake, so you an double the recipe if you’d like. I thought this was plenty since the lemon curd is so rich.
Very Simple Assembly: Once everything has cooled cut the domed cake tops off the two cakes. (I like to eat this part right away, often as a “cake sandwich” with icing.) Spread a liberal amount of lemon curd on the top of once of the prepared cakes, staying shy of the edges so the filling doesn’t leak out. Top this with as many sliced strawberries as you think you cake will hold without slipping apart. Spread a little bit of icing or curd on the other cake top and sandwich them together, this will help hold it together a bit more.
Add most of your frosting to the top of the cake and spread it around gently with a spatula, if you have a turntable or lazy susan it will really help. Any extra on top can be easy spread on to the sides of your cake. If the icing won’t stay down and seems to curl back it it too thick. It should be easy to spread, but not so thin that you can see the cake through it. Add more lemon curd to the top, just a thin layer, pile more strawberries on top of that. Yum, you’re done. No fancy decorations this time, just deliciousness. Enjoy!
A curious bluejay and little chickadee come to visit me in the mornings, sometimes they perch on the prayer flags that blow in the breeze out back. I think this may be the same bluejay that shared peanuts with us in the mornings this winter.
