Happy Halloween

Pink Pearl apples from the market.  This post explains their Turkish crabapple lineage. Happy times here: apple cider and cinnamon sticks in the crockpot, orange construction paper pumpkins on the windows, beautiful Jack-o-lanterns for the porch. I'd like to find some nice leaves to dip in wax for the windows as well.

Floorquilts

The subtitle says it all: "Fabric Decoupaged Floorcloths - No Sew Fun". I have always planned on doing a floorcloth - painted heavy cotton canvas with layers of varnish on top, but now I'm excited to try a fabric decoupaged version. I'm using Denyse Schmidt's book for inspiration. I keep thinking of the "unswept floor" mosaic in the Vatican Museum. Gold Japanese Maple leaves would be lovely decoupaged onto a floorquilt like this - or letters on a hallway rug beneath the mail slot, Hubba Bubba wrappers in the diningroom, rose petals in the bathroom.

Mechanical pencils

Like all my obsessions, it began with a handful of hand-me-downs. I love the tiny golf pencils, the bullet pencils, but the advertising pencils are the best. These make great gifts with a personalized notebook or moleskin. Some have loops for attaching tassels or cords.

Printing by Hand

The artsy Miss Lear has been doing some screen printing at school, and now we are all wild to do the same. I just got Lena Corwin's Printing by Hand and I'm throwing it right into the runcible bin with the sticker book and Sonia Delaunay. I'm counting on some wonderful ideas to brew over the weekend for gift wrap and t-shirts.

Newsprint background

I love this picture of a Handmade Expressions bag from Country Home. I like the idea of printing on newsprint for gift wrap. I also love using newsprint fabric in quilts. I've been playing around with applique in newsprint fabrics - like practice silhouettes or practice templates. I would like to decoupage the interior of a desk drawer with newspapers and ticket stubs, etc. I have to fiddle with this a little more.

Clay, beads and wire

I tore this picture of Iradj Moini's insect brooches from an old Vogue. I would like to make creatures like these with leftover clay and wire - fantastical creatures and backyard specimens. I love clay pots with wire handles, why not clay beetles with wire legs - that hold the mail, my glasses, Bart passes?

A Platter of Figs

I love cookbooks, especially when they are beautifully photographed, written and printed like David Tanis's A Platter of Figs. I need to concentrate on making platters for these menus. I also need to roll out some plates and whistles for Christmas.

Another Stairway Walk

We hiked another of Adah Bakalinsky's Stairway Walks in San Francisco. This was Walk 1 which includes the nineteenth century alleys around the Pyramid, the parrots of Telegraph Hill and Chinatown. Chinatown is best early Sunday mornings when the funeral bands go by, but twilight is good too.