Bella Dia

Encylopedia of Me Meme

Okay, here's the meme that I was thinking of: Starting tomorrow, August 1st, I'm going to make a post each day of the month beginning with "A is for..." and on the 26th day, "Z is for..." Now, I know there are only 26 letters of the alphabet but that gives everyone a little elbow room in posting. My posts will be different random topics that somehow relate to my life and at the end I should have something similar to Amy Rosenthal's Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.

"Rosenthal has collected a lifetime of thoughts, observations, and decisions, and created an alphabetized personal encyclopedia, complete with cross-referenced entries and illustrations..."
~quote from Daphne Durham a book reviewer for Amazon.

Some of the things I've thought of so far are "Q is for Queasy..." and I'll tell you what makes me queasy, "I is for Idaho..." and I'll tell you why I like living in Idaho, "F is for Fort..." and I'll tell you something about my childhood, etc. Does that make sense? If you go to the link for Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life you'll see some examples from the book and it will probably make more sense than my explanation. This is obviously *very* open-ended and most likely I'll have multiple topics for several of the letters if I can't make up my mind on some. I hope you will do it with me because I think it would be a great way to get to know everyone better and it will also be a nice memoirs for yourself to look back on (and also I don't want to be the only one...).

Please leave a comment if you plan to participate and link to this post (use the "permalink" highlighted below this post) on your blog so others can join in too. I'm looking forward to reading your entries and getting to know you better. I've roped my children into doing this on their personal blogs so I'm excited and curious to see what they'l come up with.

*I purchased the unfinished stitchery in the picture above at the thrift store. Cute isn't it?!

Doodling with Embroidery

Hello, hello! We went on a little getaway last week and went camping. It was my first time to go and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be even considering it rained four of the five days we were gone. My favorite parts were making my little nest in the tent, setting up house - I mean campsite, s'mores by the fire at night and the chipmunks waking you in the morning with their chatter . My least favorite? The bathroom situation and having to get dressed in various yoga positions in the tent. I'll share more about it later but I imagine we'll be going on a regular basis from now on.

The picture above is an embroidery I did a bit ago. My approach to it was just like doodling. I had no pre-conceived idea of what I wanted to do and made random stitches in various colors as it appealed to me at the time. After awhile I felt it was taking a more literal direction and continued with that until I felt like it was complete. A very fun exercise especially when you've been having crafter's block. Ah-hem.

This is my stash of leftover embroidery floss. (The embroidery in the background is a new one I'm working on.) I don't wind leftovers back on their little cardboard I just toss it in this bucket*. Probably 95% of the floss I use for my doodles comes from this bundle and I challenge myself to use as much of it as I can. I've been doing this embroidery at bedtime when I don't feel like reading and find it just as relaxing.

*The bucket is a little wooden one that I found at a thrift store and covered with vintage pattern tissue and Mod Podge.

For the month of August I've created my own meme based on the book An Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Stop by tomorrow and I'll explain a little more about it and maybe you'll want to do it with me!

Everyday Totes

I made a couple of new totes over the weekend.  I love the fabric on both of these - I think they are vintage decorator samples.  No pattern on these, just made it up as I went along.  The orange one is a little bigger.  I'm planning on making some more that I'll put in my shop.

This is the interior of the blue one; it has this large pocket on one side and a smaller pocket on the other.  Both bags are reversible.

The interior of the orange one; a large split pocket on one side and a smaller pocket on the other sized for a cell phone.  This bag is going to my sister.

I've got a busy week ahead of me and it is still hot, hot, hot!  Thank you to everyone for your Little House love.  I haven't been able to get back to everyone yet but your comments mean *so* much to me, thank you!

How To Throw Away A Needle

I hate putting broken needles or bent pins into the trash because I'm always afraid it will put a hole in the trash bag or poke one of the boys when they are taking out the trash. Can you tell I worry a lot? Anyway, this is how I throw away a broken needle: I tape it to a piece of cardboard with packing tape first then I toss it out. I've been a little hesitant to post this 'cause I was afraid I'd hear a resounding chorus of "duh!" from around the world, but I guess if it keeps even one person from being poked with a pin then it will be worth it!

Happy Fourth of July & My Best Mojito Recipe

I started making this drink last year and everyone who has had one said it's the best ever. Two things make the difference here: key limes - you can use regular limes but get key limes if you can, and lots of mint leaves. I get ours from my mother's garden but to get that refreshing minty taste don't hold back on this key ingredient.

Here's what you need for one serving (about 12 oz):

1/8 to 1/4 cup Bacardi rum (1/8 cup for my sister and I, 1/4 cup for everyone else)
2 - 4 splashes of bitters (you can buy this at the grocery store)
juice from 1 key lime, maybe a little more
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves washed and dried
2 - 3 tsp sugar (it's a bit to taste)
10 oz bottle of tonic water already cold
crushed ice

In a smallish round bottom bowl combine the mint leaves, the sugar, and the lime juice. You need to mash the mint leaves really well so use the back of a spoon or something comparable to get the job done. (I use a wooden Mexican hot chocolate mixer - I know, odd, but it's what I had that worked.) Spend a little time mashing the mint, ultimately you want it to look like cooked spinach, then set it aside. Fill your glass/cup about 1/2 way with crushed ice then fill about 2/3's of the way with tonic water. Add the rum and a few splashes of bitters. Now pour your mint mash in and fill the rest of the way with tonic. Stir or shake really well. Top with a fresh sprig of mint and give it to someone you love!

Have a Happy Fourth of July everyone!