The Turkey of Christmas Past

In 1995 I started what would become an annual tradition: I sent my family and friends a simple black and white postcard with a drawing for the holidays. I was not long out of college, with a low-paying internship and it was an inexpensive way to send out my greetings for the year. I would have them printed on card stock at the local print shop around the corner from my office. Several years in a row they did the job for free because it was such a small quantity as compared to their industrial-sized print jobs. (Can you imagine that at Kinko's?!?)

The postcard tradition lasted until I started Sloe Gin Fizz in 2008 and I started sending "real" cards — with an envelope, full letter postage and everything. That's thirteen years of postcards … except for 2003. I missed that year and had so much guilt about it (my family is very big on traditions) that I sent this Turkey of Christmas Past just in time for the following Thanksgiving to make up for the missing greeting. I couldn't let a year pass! I looked through all the old postcards recently and it has me thinking maybe I should rekindle the tradition.

In honor of the Turkey of Christmas Past and in the holiday spirit, I'm offering my blog readers a special 15% discount throughout my Etsy shop now through Monday, November 26. Simply use the code: TURKEYLURKEY.

Don't be crewel, Anthropologie

I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw this photo on the Anthropologie web site last night. It's an incredible hand-stitched pillow covered in funky colorful birds of all shapes and sizes and backed in luscious orange. Super cute, right? Well, let me show you why I was shocked … have a look at this photo from our old apartment:

Notice anything familiar in the upper left corner? How about a closer look:

Shocker, right? My mom stitched this crewel work piece in the 1970s and it hung in our room as kids. It's one of my most treasured possessions and now here it is at Anthropologie. The web site says it is a one-of-a-kind creation by the fair trade artisans of August Morgan. This apparently is the company of Kate Hersch who transforms vintage needlework into one-of-a-kind pillows and furniture. So is there really only one? Where did she find it? I know my mom's was from a kit, but it's still amazing to see it brought back in this new form.

Update: Kate of August Morgan saw this post and contacted me (she was unable to comment here). She clarified that the pillow is, in fact, one of a kind. She found a vintage kit and had just that one stitched by a fair trade organization in India and then hand-sewn into a pillow in Austin, Texas. Kudos, Kate! 

The crewel birds were the inspiration for my popular Three Masked Birds design.

Book Business Tuesday: An Everlasting Meal

An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler seems a most appropriate thing to talk about right before a holiday so focused on the meal. This is the only book in recent memory that I checked out of the library, read cover to cover and then immediately purchased for myself. It is a wonderful meditation on cooking, eating and living well.

"Cooking with Economy and Grace" is the subtitle and it describes this book fully. There are eloquently written passages spelling out the wisdom of stretching the ends of one meal into the beginnings of the next and learning to truly appreciate the value of cooking.

It is about the magic of transforming the most humble of ingredients into a full and satisfying meal: Soaking a few slices of red onion in some wine vinegar with a pinch of salt transforms fresh ricotta on toast into a luscious sandwich. Add a few herbs and a drizzle of olive oil and it's heavenly. And don't throw away those onion skins or herb stems, here's what to do with them …

This is everyday cooking at its finest presented with intelligence and charm. And yet there is so much more in this book … I can't say enough about it. Read it.

The Sarah Elizabeth Shop

I have to tell you that I've been snatching up lots of goodies this fall during my travels and at craft shows. I'm feeling the nesting urge and what better things to add to our home than those made by the hand of someone I've met and visited with. I have many to show you, but thought I would start with this gorgeous block printed lobster hanging.

It was printed by artist Julia Garrison at The Sarah Elizabeth Shop in Rockport, Massachusetts. I visited with Julia at the shop where they have been producing original block printed fabric and other items on an historic Acorn Press in Rockport since 1974. 

The history of the shop and its designs dates back even further to the late 1930s. The shop's namesake, Sarah Elizabeth Holloran was a member of "The Folly Cove Designers," a collective of designers that emerged from a design class taught by non other than Virginia Lee Burton. She is one of my favorite illustrators and storytellers of all time. You may know her from some of my favorite children's books: The Little House and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. 

Both of the pieces I bought were designed by the  vivacious apprentice designer Isabel Natti who worked alongside Sarah Elizabeth until Sarah Elizabeth's death in 2009. Isabel continued designing and printing her own work as well as Sarah Elizabeth's until her own death in 2011. Now Julia, a local painter and fabric artist, continues the tradition of offering original designed block printed fabric of her own as well as of the women who inspired her and taught her how to print. 

If you are ever in the area, I encourage you to check out this charming shop. I wanted to buy up everything in sight. In the meantime, you can also check out the Sarah Elizabeth shop on Etsy. 

Show time: Ridge Fine Art & Handmade Wares Show

This Saturday I will be in Ferndale for the Ridge Fine Art & Handmade Ware Show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is a wonderful show organized for many years by Siouxsan Miller and brings a great mix of vendors. Come on down and get a jump on your holiday shopping! 

Book Business Tuesday: Postbound

Let's get down to business! Book Business Tuesday, that is. This week I have a project I've been bursting to tell you about while I waited for it to go live.

There is a new company launching in Ann Arbor called Postbound that creates custom handmade, hand-bound, hand-crafted books (by hand!) filled with personalized messages, letters and thoughts for that special someone. You simply invite other friends, family, whomever to contribute their messages to the book and Postbound puts it altogether in no time.

I worked with Jeff Brun and his team at Postbound to put together the above video to explain the process. This is such a unique gift idea — I love it! You can read more about Postbound over on their Kickstarter campaign page. By supporting their launch, you have the opportunity to have a book made in time for the holidays. I hope you'll check it out!    

Weasel Friday

I'm wrapping up this week on the blog with young Mr. Weasel. He's a multi-tasker at heart, whipping down the street with his book-laden skateboard while slurping down an ice cream cone. My friend Amanda taught a silkscreening workshop at the Ann Arbor District Library this fall and asked if I could draw up a fun image for the workshop. This is what she got. In exchange, I got this awesome printed tea towel — AND a fun tote bag with young weasel. Thanks so much, crafty lady! See? you should be watching your AADL calendar more.

Craft Shows and Country Living

Have you seen this month's Country Living magazine? 

 It has a nice little article about visiting indie craft shows this holiday season.

The article features write-ups of seven shows around the country, including Renegade Craft Fair, Art vs. Craft, Crafty Wonderland, No Coast Craft-o-rama, The Big Crafty, Craftland and Crafty Supermarket.

I was contacted by one of the editors at Country Living a few months back about some photos from various craft shows they saw right here on this blog. And so … that little photo above of the gorgeous necklaces from Off the Beaten Path at Crafty Supermarket in Cincinnati was taken by me. Shazam! This makes me very happy.

Run out and pick up an issue of Country Living on newsstands or your favorite bookstore to see it for yourself!

Holiday cards

I know it may seem early—it being Election Day and all—but the other holidays will be here before you know it. Stock up on cards now so you have plenty of time to write out thoughtful notes to your loved ones far and near. Now available in the shop: Holiday Geese and Holiday Sledding.

Black sheep in the family …

Happy Monday morning, everyone. This weekend was a whirl. Thanks to everyone who came out to Craft Circus on Saturday. It was a blast! I got to draw this sheep fella recently as a tattoo design. I was going to wait to show you until it was on actual skin, but I just help myself … Isn't he bold!?

Pez Visitor Center

As promised, I'm back with more photos from my stop at the Pez Factory Visitor Center in Orange, CT. They opened the center about a year ago, though the factory has been in that location just off of I-95 for decades. The center has an impressive collection showcasing the largest public display of Pez memorabilia in the world, including the world's largest Pez dispenser, views onto the Pez production line, cases of Pez and Pez dispensers embedded in the floor, amusing vintage Pez advertisements and displays. So much fun and color! Have a look around … 

Show time: Craft Circus

The circus is coming to town! This Saturday, November 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. I'll be running away with the Craft Circus at the Ypsilanti Senior Community Center. Twenty-five local artists and crafters will be coming out for a fun, low-key day of handmade crafty goodness. Come on out and get some early holiday shopping out of the way.

Spooooooooky

Happy Halloween … from the Log Lady and the spirit of her dead husband. 

Show time: Liberty Local

This Saturday is the second annual Liberty Local Handmade Craft Fair at the Ann Arbor Art Center and I will be vending along with a slew of talented crafty types.  I took part in the show last year and my favorite thing was the number of vendors who I had never met or seen before, making for a really great mix of goodies to browse. We'll be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. — plenty of opportunity to stop in!

And, for a bit of extra fun, I'll be on the AM airwaves Friday morning with Lucy Ann Lance having a chat about the show. Tune in to 1290AM around 8:30 a.m. to have a listen.

Spicy Carrot Sandwiches

Before we return to our regularly scheduled feature of Book Business Tuesdays, I wanted to jump right in with a recipe because I know you guys kinda like it when I do. I had this for lunch yesterday and was itching to write it up immediately. It is an open-faced sandwich with a beautiful balance of flavors -- not to mention pretty and colorful on the plate!  It combines carrots with caraway, something I would never have thought of but works tremendously well. I played around with the Food & Wine version substituting a white bean spread where they called for hummus becaue that's what I had the fixins for and really liked the results. I also garnished with a little fresh oregano instead of cilantro because I thought it would play better with the rosemary in the bean spread. Do what you will ... it's bound to be good!

Spicy Carrot Sandwiches

Adapted from Food & Wine

Serves 4.

2 large carrots, coarsely grated

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
Salt
Crushed red pepper
4 slices of multigrain bread or two 8-inch whole wheat baguettes, split lengthwise and grilled
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white bean dip (recipe below) or hummus
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper

In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the carrots, garlic and caraway, season with salt and crushed red pepper and cook until the carrots are just wilted, about 4 minutes. Let cool.

Spread the white bean spread on the bread. Sprinkle with the carrot mixture and dollop on the yogurt. Top with cilantro, season with black pepper and serve.

White Bean Dip

1 (15-ounce) can white beans such as cannellini or great northern, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 Tb olive oil
2 Tb fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in a small food processor. Puree until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper, to taste. 

East Coast trip: Part Two

On to the rest of my road trip … after part one, I launched into a weekend of World Maker Faire at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows. I was a vendor in the Bust Magazine Craftacular section of the show and had a wonderful time. I had extremely kind and talented neighbors and met some really great new customers. And did I mention there was a flaming unicorn? Amazing … 

I headed east on the Monday after the show and met up with a wonderfully dear friend on the North Fork. It was a perfect and sparkling fall day and we had a delicious lunch—and visit—here. The farm fields were looking lush and green and the wine grapes were heavy on the vines. All of which I have not a photo to share. So sad, but it is vivid in my mind. 

And then, after a recuperative stay with my aunt and uncle, I headed north across the Long Island Sound via the ferry on my way to Boston. I love me a ferry ride—especially with views of red tugboats!

I quickly veered off the highway at the first sight of a sign announcing the Pez visitors center. What?!? I have driven this section of I-95 MANY times and had never seen this before. Apparently there has been a Pez factory in Orange, CT for many, many years but just opened this visitors center open to the public last year. More details on this stop later this week! 

I made a little detour to take a quick walk through the campus of my alma mater. And more importantly, had an incredibe lunch at First and Last Bakery and Cafe in Hartford: prosciutto, fig and asiago panini. mmmmm. 

Several days spent in Boston with more dear friends whom I hadn't seen in WAY too long. We went to the aquarium where we became pals with the sea lions, had a decadent lunch at the Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum and more. Again … no photos. I kept forgetting my camera. This trip is making me realize I am terrible about taking photos of people, or even when I am with people. Hmmm. I'll have to work on that. Although it is probably, too, that I enjoy the time with those people and forget about "documenting" which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Thoughts, anyone?

My trip continued north up the coast of Massachusetts to scenic Cape Ann and specifically Rockport. The sun returned and I spent several days wandering the quaint streets, soaking up the salty sea air and catching up with friends. Including not a few of these … 

Last but not least, I made an all-too-brief stop in rural Vermont. I had forgotten how mountainous, colorful and breathtaking Vermont can be. After a "wild and cozy" evening with my friend in her temporary farmhouse home, I set out for a somewhat grueling 12-hour drive home. It was SO worth it!!

And now I am back in the saddle again and will have tasty treats for you this week here on the blog. Promise!

East Coast trip: Part One

Hi friends! As I mentioned last time I checked in here, I was on a long and intense road trip from Michigan to New York and beyond. I packed in a ton of visits and had a terrific time.  Here's a look from along the way… 

I took a slight detour into Cincinnati to visit one of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives finest: Lucky's Cafe. Owner Heather Haviland grows a ton of the ingredients used on the menu and sources much else from local farms and businesses. I had the ridiculously good shipwreck: hash browns, eggs, seasonal veggies, bacon and cheddar cheese. Having set out at 6:30 a.m. that day, I was ready for a nap after this meal. But I pressed on …

After a quick overnight visit in New Jersey to spend time with my brother and his family, I made my way through the rain and the Holland Tunnel into Manhattan where I shacked up with a friend in a teensy hotel room with distant views of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings and around the corner from a gorgeously colorful mural and the New Museum seen below. It's crazy to me to see a Whole Foods on the Bowery. What?!?!

After puttering around a bit, I headed out to Flushing and the New York Hall of Science to check in for the Bust Craftacular. While I was there, I had a chance for a little up close and personal with some of the World's Fair sites I love … Men in Black anyone?

We rounded out the day with a visit to the High Line — loved it! — and an amazing cocktail hour at the Top of the Standard. Apparently the bar was initially called the Boom Boom Room and I'm going to stick with that in my mind. It is a magically theatrical room filled with shimmery gold and curving lines. Before we even made our way into the room, we heard some kind of quartet with a woman singing in peppy yet lounge-y French — accompanied by a young male tap dancer. What?!? Very Matthew Barney as my astute friend pointed out. The female servers were decked out obscenely revealing skin tight dresses made from the most luscious materials in gold and lavendars. This is what I miss about New York! Though I think if you live there, you may tend toward a type of jaded attitude that keeps you from being wowed by this kind of performance. I was wowed. Not the kind of room you snap a lot of photos in, but here is one of the ceiling. *Le sigh.*

 More on my adventures soon …