Archive | arts and crafts

the dress her mama made her

February 8, 2012 at 12:52 pm

When Lena was just a twinkle in my eye, my mom and I sewed little dress for her. The pattern was Laura Ashley, one of our old favorites. My mom spotted a darling print a la Liberty of London and I bought a couple of yards of it the next day, matching it with a sweet eyelet lace and pearly buttons.

And then the sewing commenced. I cannot promise you that it was easy for me, or that we worked very quickly, or that the dress was completed by the time Lena was born. No, in fact none of those things were true! We actually finished sewing the dress when Lena was a newborn. While we worked at my mom’s sewing machine nearby, Elliott (at work soldiering in Egypt) kept watch over little baby Lena on Google video chat. Talk about a baby monitor!

The dress didn’t fit Lena for a long time, although I tried it on her many times to make sure I caught the window. Recently, Lena was invited to the 1st birthday party of her little friend Sam, and I tried it on her again for that occasion. I think it finally fits quite well… with a little room to grow for when she takes her first steps!

10 :: in arts and crafts, Lena

Becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom: taking down Christmas

February 6, 2012 at 5:39 pm

Elliott and I have only celebrated two Christmases together as a married couple. Last year over Christmas we were visiting Israel while Elliott was deployed to Egypt. No Christmas decorations on that trip! This year was the first we had a Christmas tree.

Of course, after the Christmas season is over, someone has to take down the Christmas tree, the ornaments, the garlands, the wreaths, the Nativity… it really can take awhile, can’t it? Usually even after all that’s done, there are still remnants of Christmas here and there. Such as jars of candy canes sitting on your kitchen counter. For weeks.

Fortunately, I had a plan for these sweet little leftovers. The idea came from my friend Joy, who is a fellow resident of Sicily and has a wonderful cooking blog that is well-stocked with true Italian recipes. With her permission, I’m sharing her own recipe for Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies. I made them the other day and we devoured them in much less time than I care to relate!

Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
12 large candy canes or 6 oz. peppermints crushed into pieces (make sure not to crush too much or it will become powdery)
1 (12 oz.) bag white chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Beat butter and sugars at medium speed until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla, beating until blended.
Combine flour, baking soda, cocoa, and salt in a small bowl; gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended.
Beat in candy canes and white chocolate chips just until combined.
Drop using a 2 tbsp. scoop onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake 10-14 minutes. I bake them 12 minutes).
Remove to wire racks and cool completely (about 15 minutes).

P.S. With the flecks of red-and-white mixed in with chocolate decadence, who says these can’t double as Valentine’s Day goodies too? Enjoy!

4 :: in arts and crafts, eat this, holiday

Christmas party prep

December 27, 2011 at 3:32 pm

A very [belated] merry Christmas, folks! It’s been such a cozy Christmas here in Sicily. My three siblings and my parents arrived on Saturday morning and we’ve been savoring all our favorite parts of Christmas: family together, holiday music, roaring fires, hot breakfasts, homemade wassail, thoughtful conversations, no schedules, group games, and tables laden with good food. My sisters have been documenting almost every moment, so there will be many photos to share soon.

I wanted to share some photos from our Christmas party last week. Unfortunately, we were too busy hosting to think about photos during the party, but we got some shots beforehand.

I spent the day before baking and preparing. This little cutie and I had fun in the kitchen!

Elliott and I eagerly prepared our house for this event, and I think we gave the impression that we are [almost] settled in! Elliott had a fire going in our “hobbity” fireplace to keep our guests warm:

The other half of our living room:

I made a Christmas tree cheese plate and added sundried tomatoes from the local market and green olives grown and harvested by our neighbors. The “star” atop the tree is a mushroom; I used the tip of a knife to press the star shape into it. This was a huge hit! After the party, not a scrap of the tree remained.

And many desserts, including the sweetest mandarins from our neighbors’ groves:

I did hours of research on recipes before this party. Here are links to some tried-and-true goodies:

Peppermint Bark
Harvest Pumpkin Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Christmas Tree Brownies
Spicy Gingerbread Men
Pretzel-Kiss Candies
Christmas Wassail (set up on a crockpot on the table… also not a drop left at the end of the party)

5 :: in arts and crafts, eat this, holidays, home sweet home, hospitality

it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

December 19, 2011 at 12:26 pm

It has taken us awhile to get our act together, but this weekend we kicked into gear and did some Christmas decorating around here.

This is our pride and joy: our book tree. I mentioned before that we might make one, and finally we decided to give it a shot! We chose all our favorite books for the tree, and for a tree topper I cut out a cardboard star and covered it with tin foil. Sweet and very appropriate for this family.

In the rest of the house, there are bows on our front door…

… and garlands on the staircase. (And a very cuddly snuggle muffin after her bath.)

We also have a miniature artificial tree that my grandmother gave us. It is originally from Switzerland and comes with itty-bitty wooden ornaments. So far Lena hasn’t reached either tree or the presents, but I wouldn’t put it past her.

This is the first time in our marriage that Elliott and I have had a tree or any Christmas decorating whatsoever. For our first Christmas, Elliott was deployed to Egypt. I left our little undecorated apartment to spend Christmas and New Year’s with him. It seems appropriate that we make up for it this year!

(Although… to be perfectly honest, I think we’re more motivated by peer pressure. Elliott’s vet clinic staff are coming on Thursday for a Christmas party and then my family arrives on Saturday. Just the inspiration we needed to deck the halls!)

4 :: in arts and crafts, family, holidays, home sweet home, hospitality

will knit for food

November 8, 2011 at 5:56 pm

My grandmother taught me to knit when I was seven years old. You should have seen the scarf we made together: three tidy little rows at one end where she got me started and then a gnarly mess with undulating edges as I haphazardly added and lost stitches along the way. I still have that scarf and I wore it with pride.

Over the years my knitting skills have improved somewhat, and I find deep joy in crafting a hand knit gift. Right now our coffee table is overflowing with books about knitting and sewing that I checked out from the library. I am trying to figure out these days if I would enjoy turning my love for knitting into a business.

Eek! Yes. A business. Still in the “how am I going to do this??” stage, but now Elliott and I have been talking about this for weeks. Months.

sideways fingerless gloves from fine Italian merino Garber siblings enjoying Charlottesville and new gloves!

Recently I went on a fingerless-gloves-knitting-kick and made four pairs of gloves for friends and sisters-in-law. They love them! The orange and green gloves were made with the autumnal Blue Ridge in mind. I used a fine Italian merino wool called Ella Rae; it’s my new favorite yarn and the colors are magnificent.

The brown and pink gloves were made from a soft silk-merino blend and the product was delicate as well as toasty warm. Well, toasty warm in Texas, that is. The recipient of these gloves lives in Boston; I only hope they provide enough warmth!

As I think about starting a business, I would love any tips or advice from other crafters out there. Also, if any of you are interested in commissioning me to knit a gift for one of your loved ones this Christmas, just send me an email at beccagarber@gmail.com. I’d be delighted to send pictures of other projects I’ve completed, including multiple baby items (sweaters, hats, booties) and projects large and small for adults or the home.