Fine Friends

One of my dearest friends, dark cloud blue sky, sent me a bunch of very old dress patterns a few years ago and now that the girls are not getting up at all hours I have finally had a look through and found one that I love. It is meant to be a nightgown, floor-length and with a bow at the empire waist (you know I could not have that). Or, alternately, worn mu-mu style with no gathering at all. I have found that I am way to short to wear a tent so I ruled that option out right away. The only thing the pattern lacks is pockets but I will add some the next time I make it.

I think I lived almost exclusively in dresses last summer and since all I can think about at the moment is the end of *&%@! winter, I am working on my summer wardrobe. This dress is perhaps also a bit short. I think it would benefit from a great slip rather than more length though as the problem is mainly evident in the bending over. Since I am the only one here who picks things up off the floor, I do rather a lot of bending over. The pins are from, of course, Postmodern Hausfrau. She is the source of all my fashionable accessories I noticed, since I was actually looking for another knitted pin that she sent me and, lacking time substituted these sweet pins, but did in that search find two other pins she sent me in years past. And I found another two pins from dark cloud blue sky.
Really, I have the greatest friends.

Red Dress

I made this red dress simply to test a pattern with the cheapest fabric I could find. I've been burned before and made dresses of fabulous fabric only to discover that the dress is hideous when worn. Now, this red dress is perhaps a bit bolder than my usual attire (to say the least). Boss Hog thinks I am a public spectacle in it and won't be seen with me. But I did go to the trouble to make it and it does fit... so it seems to defy logic, and my inate sense of thrift, not to wear it. The pattern is very easy Vogue and is meant to have an enormous bow that ties around your middle.

I can not abide wearing giant bows. Eden and Arlo are obsessed with Cinderella and we have already discussed how, while the birds and mice are sweet to help her make her dress, they should know better than to tack a giant pink bow smack in the middle of Cinderella's chest. Wildlife can't be expected to know this I suppose, but Princesses would do best to excercise caution in the giant bow department. Likewise, best to steer clear of the butt roses often found on bridesmaids dresses. There is really so much wisdom to impart to the girls I barely have time to sew.

And, while it is still troublingly frosty here, the light is longer and the birds are starting to chirp and squawk in earnest causing me to become quite restless with the need to garden. Without planting to distract me I have gone quite senseless and run outside for a photo op in the red dress and my favourite blue shoes that have not seen the light of day in months. In the last photo you can see the sweet red slip peeking out courtesy of Postmodern Hausfrau. And winter would not be nearly as divine without my standard aplication of thigh high socks from Sock Dreams (a very fine way to spend a winter's evening browsing if you too are stuck in a weary winter wonderland and in need of some consumer joy).

Heaven

Salted caramels are nothing new. And dipped caramels are the first chocolates to disappear from any box entering my house. But seriously, someone should have warned me what would happen if I made them myself. Sigh, I am in love...

Boss Hog and I make dipped chocolates every Christmas for our friends and family. This year (after the mad rush of the holidays was well past) I decided to take on caramels and perfect them for next years giving. And now I have to stop perfecting them or I will surely be twice my natural size by the end of this year.

They are pure love. Soft, creamy caramels dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled lightly with salt. My husband realized when he saw me slumped in a kitchen chair with chocolate smeared on my mouth that I might trade him in for more sweet, sweet caramel. Yup.

There is something totally reassuring in knowing only the best ingredients went into these chocolates. All natural. No weird, hard to pronounce stabilizers. And yet there is something so dangerous in knowing that most of these ingredients are totally ordinary and rather close to hand every single day in my kitchen. I am not even going to post my recipe. It is too dangerous. It is out there and I will give it to you if you NEED it. But be warned, it is both a blessing and a curse.

Tiny Baking Day

You already know how much the girls and I love making and eating the delicious Peppernuts. They were our cookie exchange contribution this year. But now we have a savory favourite in the tiny category too. We made garlic cheese crackers in tiny pinches the other day and they are so good I have forbid myself to make them for "fun". Boss Hog and I ate most of them and they are addictive. I based the recipe on a plain sweet shortbread recipe and took enormous liberties.

Yes, I am one of those people. Yeah, the kind that make up recipes out of their heads and don't write them down. The basic idea is to take a shortbread recipe, remove the sugar and replace it with finely grated strong cheese. Sprinkle in any herb or spice that tempts you and season with salt. Then see what you have. Is it too wet? or too dry? Add flour or yogurt to make the dough stiff enough to roll out or pull apart. I know this haphazard method of baking would drive some people mad but this is the most fun! How can you go far wrong with a base of flour, butter and good cheese. Bake it up baby!

First (and last) Christmas dresses

I misguidedly decided to sew the girls Christmas dresses this year with little matchy shrugs. My parents were coming up to visit and the girls are already so adored, no matter what wretched trouble they are making, that I thought I would throw the family into saccharine overdrive with some sweet holiday sewing.

Somewhere, some little devils were laughing their wee horned heads off.

I found beautiful fabric with little cardinals and chickadees on it in two different colourways, and (pat on the back) some co-ordinating shiny red and red wine coloured shiny fabrics in the bargain bin. Oh yes, I am thrifty too. Did I mention the shiny fabric that was large enough for Eden's dress matched the bird fabric in the green colourway?
Eden here hates green. And Arlo of course hates dresses (I could not even find one photo of her not trying to tear her dress off). Yet through this I soldiered on, determined to get two lovely dresses ready for Christmas day. I cut out Eden's entire dress in the green birds fabric with assurances from Boss Hog that she would warm to it regardless of it's greenness. Silly silly mom. Not a chance. So back to the dress once again and cut it out of the shiny wine coloured fabric. She does love it, but she looks a bit as though she's wearing a negligee. We did manage to get one picture of her wearing both the dress and the abominable green birds shrug. Click. The birds will lay in a heap until Halloween and maybe then Arlo will be some kind of pants wearing forest sprite.