The Rainbow Brite Hat

As a child of the 80's I definitely remember Rainbow Brite - do you?  Her colorful costume is exactly what came to mind as I was crocheting this little baby hat for my sweet Lila.  

 

I'm no great crocheter or knitter, but I do have a thing for yarn, and as soon as the weather gets a little chilly I love to curl up with a cup of tea, Norah Jones, and a lap full of yarn.  This is just a simple single crochet hat - nothing fancy.  I used a free pattern you can find here.  I added the ear flaps because it will never stay on her head if I don't tie it on.

  

So how about you - any crochet/knitting projects up your sleeves?

xoxo

jessica

Hitchcock's Birds live in Japan...

I apologize in advance to those of you who fear birds...

 (source)

Meet the Black-Eared Kite - a medium-sized bird of prey that soars above the island of Japan searching for fish, or small animals...or food that stupid Americans feed it.  They are such aggressive scavengers that many Americans have found it amusing to have these "seahawks" swoop down and snatch the food that they toss into the air.  So apparently there was a memo or "tweet" (couldn't help myself) sent to all seahawks - come to Yokosuka!!  

Amused Americans Offer Free Food for all!

And so they hang out, waiting.

Our first seahawk experience was here at our home - I had a small bag of old bread and thought Charlotte might enjoy feeding the tiny little birds hopping around our bushes.

  

Aww... cute little birds.  See how they hop out from that bush to get the crumbs?  Adorable.
  Then we see a shadow.  

A large bird has perched on top of the roof of the building next to ours.  Weird.  

Probably just some grumpy crow or something.

Then another shadow, circling above us.  

Then another.

Suddenly 5 or 6 large birds of prey have gathered above our town home and are circling over the crumbs Charlotte has spread on the ground.  

Quick - grab the kid, sit inside, and watch in shock as these giant birds swoop down to the ground for a few crumbs of bread.  

Wow.  What a sight.

Note to self - don't eat food outside.

Should have made a bigger note.

Fast forward about 6 months.

We had gone to the Officer's club for lunch.  We do that quite frequently when we are on base at lunch time - it's actually one of the cheapest places to eat.  They always have these yummy rolls.  Charlotte loves them.

She drops hers on the floor and asks for another.  "Sure" we say, but how about we take it to-go, since we need to get going.  Charlotte takes the roll into her tiny little hand and out the door we go.

Daddy and Charlotte walk ahead of me - one of Charlotte's hands holds Daddy's hand, the other holds the roll.

Suddenly a shadow.

Before I even can speak - the shadow swoops down - his wings brush Ryan's cap 

and he DIVES AT CHARLOTTE

- successfully snatching the roll from her hand - and flies away.

This was a bird with a 3-4 ft. wingspan.

We all stand there stunned and Charlotte bursts into tears.

I almost burst into tears.

Charlotte escapes with only a tiny scratch on her hand - the bird has good aim, and apparently NO fear of humans.

Lesson learned again- don't eat food outside, don't eat food outside, don't eat food outside.

xoxo

jessica

Been doing a little Studying...

Field Studying that is!  Anna Maria Horner's new line Field Study came out a few weeks ago.  I've been wanting to revamp the futon that's in my living room and this collection was just begging for the job.  I promptly ordered two FQ bundles from Hawthorne Threads (Gypsy and Patina palettes) and then tried to wait patiently for them to come in the mail.  When they got here, last Wednesday, I immediately flew into a cutting and piecing frenzy (take out dinners anyone?) and completed this futon cover in two days :)  

I'm really loving the way it turned out.  It kind of feels like a party in my living room all the time now - which I'm thinking is going to be perfect for these fast-approaching dreary winter days (that's when I miss Florida the most...)  So here's a question - pillows or no pillows?  and should I stick with the yellow pillows or choose another color?  

Thoughts please.  

Have you made anything with Field Study yet?

xoxo

jessica

{DIY} Confetti Garland

Do you ever have left over confetti?  I always do, and most of the time I just don't have the heart to throw it away (does that make me a packrat?...oh well..).  So, I was digging through my Halloween decorations the other day and I came across a bag of old Halloween confetti.  It is probably about 6 years old - yikes.  So, I decided to put it to good use and create this sweet little bat garland.  

Simply thread your machine with two different colors of thread - I used silver and black - and then feed the confetti through as you sew.  

Obviously this works best with the larger pieces of confetti.  You can make the garland as long as you like, just keep feeding the confetti through.  I suggest using a new needle - and then throw it away when you're finished, this process will make it dull. 

I found that adorable printable at The Graphics Fairy.

This garland was the perfect addition to this little corner -it's starting to feel a little spooky in here!

Happy first few days of fall!

xoxo

jessica

{DIY} Crabby Marshmallow Pops

Hello, hello!  I hope you are all doing well!  Last week we celebrated my oldest daughter's 4th birthday!  If you follow me on Pinterest, you know I've been pinning mermaid-themed parties for a while now - and last week we created our own little under-the-sea party!  I'll share the rest of the part with you next week, but today I wanted to give a tutorial for these little crab pops that, aside from cake, were the hit of the party!  

These are easier to make than cake pops, but have the same cuteness factor.  

You could use these with a number of themes(mermaid, pirate, nautical, etc.) - and they are gender neutral too! 

So here's what you'll need to make your own:

Large Marshmallows

Mini Marshmallows

Mini Chocolate Chips

Pretzel Sticks

Small Red Gummy Candy (I used Welch's Strawberry Gummies)

Vanilla Candy Melting Wafers

Red Food Coloring

Non-stick Aluminum Foil

Lollipop Sticks

Brown Sugar (for display)

  (Kinda looks like I'm about to make sushi right?)

Step 1: Prepare the eyes and claws.  Stick the mini chocolate chips into the mini marshmallows - really squish them in there.  Next, use a pair of kitchen shears to snip a triangle out of the gummies.

Step 2: Break each pretzel stick into 4 pieces, then stick each small piece into a large marshmallow - creating the "legs".  Place each of these onto a sheet lined with non-stick foil.

Step 3:  Melt the wafers using the instructions on the package.  Then add the red food coloring.  If your wafers start to get tough (like mine did) simply add a little whole milk and continue stirring until they are smooth again.  Use a spoon and pour this mixture over each marshmallow.  As you go, stick on the eyes and claws.

Step 4:  Insert a lollipop stick into each one - I cut mine in half so they wouldn't be so tall.  Let them dry for several hours at room temperature - cover with plastic wrap if you're worried the eyeballs might dry out.

Step 5:  Pour some brown sugar onto a platter.  Use a slotted spatula to gently lift each crab off the foil - break off the extra pieces of red coating, and place onto the "sand".

There you go!  An adorable crowd-pleaser for all ages!  Enjoy!

xoxo

jessica

Hokokuji Temple - A Bamboo Fantasy

Okay, so this is the first Zen garden I've been to, but it's probably my favorite place yet in Japan.  

It's simply magical.

Zen means absorption or a meditative state.

It definitely puts you in that mood. 

Imagine: you walk through a giant bamboo forest along a stone pathway to a hidden tea house.  

Sit under an awning, sip green tea, gaze upon a small waterfall tucked in between the bamboo stalks.  The cool shade, the sound of running water, the smell and taste of tea - a treat for all the senses and only 10 minutes from our house.

 

Everything was so wonderfully green.

 

Don't you feel peaceful just looking at those pictures?

sending some zen your way

xoxo

jessica

Staging Your Home: The Hostess's Secret Weapon

While I was in college I worked for an interior design firm one summer.  I mostly did things like pickups, deliveries, paperwork - but for a few weeks I was assistant to a decorator who staged model homes.  Or actually re-staged model homes.  We would go into an existing model home - she would survey the situation, and then we would  proceed to rearrange the entire house (great exercise) until it looked new and fresh.  Occasionally we would bring in some new accessories, but usually we just worked with what was already there.  This little skill has come in handy many times in my life - especially when I find myself trying to sew 10 new pillows the night before a party.  

So I thought I'd share this with you.  

If you're getting ready for a party or gathering, don't worry about buying new stuff or making 10 new pillows the night before - simply take things from elsewhere in your home (especially if there are rooms in your house the company won't see) and place them in the main gathering area - giving it fresh new life without spending a dime.  This is what I found myself doing the other day as I was getting ready for a meeting in my home.  So I took before and after pictures.  

The before looks pretty sad, but it certainly create a dramatic change ;)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

So here's what I did: 

• I brought in a bench to serve as a coffee table - it was by my front door, really not serving any purpose but to collect junk.
• Most of the pillows on the two sofas are from the guest bed upstairs.  They matched the living room just fine, and no one was going to go upstairs to see the bare bed.
• I took the blue mason jar from the bathroom and created a floral arrangement with flowers from our bedroom.  They really brightened up the corner.
• And of course I cleaned and picked up too.

So I didn't do anything too complicated, but those small touches made the room feel complete.  I hope this little tip is helpful the next time you are having a party - don't spend a lot of money, just use the things you have in a new and fresh way.  

Happy Decorating!

xoxo

jessica