In a Creative Fashion

We all scream for Arcata Scoop! That's right...Arcata is now home to the best ice cream! Organic, local, and home made!

It was a real push for Garret and NIcole to be able to open on Friday the 13th but they did it! Renovating the Minor House was no easy feat! But they did so in true Humboldt fashion with hydronic heating, recycled or reused wood floors and trim, cement counter tops and table tops, a beautiful side handicap access area, and stunning tiled counter wall. But the best part is the twelve flavors they will have-you just can't go wrong! Even if you're not a strawberry fan- you will instantly be a convert (like me!) and that is just the beginning...with non-dairy options using hazelnut and almond milk and sorbets there is something for everyone. My favorites are the cardamon (yes- that's right, cardamon), chocolate orange chip, mint cookies and cream using Newman O's! and honey vanilla lavendar.

     There is usually a line out the door and smile behind the counter and a cosy atmosphere!

Don't you love our scoops! I tried in vain to attach a photo of the actual ribbon cutting with Garret, Nicole and Taylor found in the Arcata Eye- so alas! The only photo I have of one of these three is Nicole  from six years ago! At left is a photo of me with Cricket at 3 months with Dana, Nicole and Melinda (she and her husband, Ray founded the Fairfax Scoop which Garret and Nicole modeled Arcata Scoop after). At right is my Cricket at 6 and Dana's triple scoop: Oskar (3.5) Liv and Ren (9mo)- all wearing Scoop shirts - one with a black eye (that's how you get your child to sit and pose for a picture holding a baby with two other kids! just kidding).

   Well, for those of you out of the area now, I'm sure you're rushing back right now! One more reason making this area a gem! Arcata Scoop forever!!

 

Every year, Cricket gets obsessed with catching a leprechaun. "Momma, when I catch him, you can wish for all the dresses you want." "Momma, I'm gonna wish for a yard big enough for a pony and things to take care of him." " Momma, aren't you excited about catching a leprechaun?" "Momma, do you think I'm going to catch a leprechaun?"

     We read every St. Patrick's Day book, fairy book, and leprechaun book we have (by the way, we have A LOT). It is so sweet, so fun, and yet so heartbreaking all at the same time. I want her to catch a leprechaun so bad, I think sometimes that I will make him stay in her trap. Oh, that's right...she doesn't just have one trap- we have six this year!

Yes, that's right...SIX! They are all over the house and each one has battery operated votives inside of it, on top of it or surrounding it. This one is one of her more sophisticated traps. The toothpicks at the entry are meant to be slipped on, thus making the toothpick holding open the door coming crashing down and bopping the little guy in to the trap. There is tempting 'gold' on the inside to lure him closer.

 

Anyway, she made others and the others are proven...last year, they caught one but he ended up getting away (after the Principal put him in a little bag and he chewed his way out by the time the students got there). The other style trap is one that is a box the leprechaun needs to get on top of (lured by shiny objects of course) but the trick is that in the center, is a hole covered in tissue paper. He unwittingly walks on the fragile floor and falls in to the box.

    So I know you are wondering if she caught one, or six. And she could barely get to sleep last night (not until 940!! very late for our girl!). Most kids can't fall asleep when Santa is coming, ours loses sleep over the leprechaun she could be trapping!

At left, you can see the more functional trap but also that we caught one!!! Alas! He carries a pocket knife and cut a little door to escape through...but not before leaving behind his hat where he hid a gold coin! And also after he had played lots of tricks on us! He tied all of her green clothes in to knots...put marbles in our shoes, a slipper in her coat pocket, a monkey under Michael's pillow, plus more that we haven't discovered yet, I fear. Here is the little hat and gold coin and a fairy he left as a gift. Boy, I'd love to know where he gets his hats made! Those must be some tiny sewing machines!

Ok, this is in response to anthrogrrl's blog, When life gives you lemons. I have been so excited for this time of year knowing that my friend Tracie will occasionally bring me some lemons from her trees down south. But I crave something different!

Lemon Drops!

Recipe from Drinkology, The Art and Science of the Cocktail (we love this little book and take it on trips to a Smith River cabin-it is well-used and essential for most parents):

 

 

Lemon Wedge

superfine sugar (we whirl some granulated in a food processer for this)

1 1/2 ounce lemon-flavored vodka

1/2 ounce Cointreau or triple sec (I only have the cheap stuff right now)

1 ounce fresh lemon juice

1/2 ounce simple syrup ( recipe: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Cool before using, bottle and refrigerate.)

 

 

Rim a chilled glass with the lemon wedge and dip it in to the sugar. Discard the lemon

 wedge. Combine other ingredients in a shaker with ice (get them really cold and cooling your glass first really keeps your drink stay cold while your drinking it-unless you gulp them down like me!) Shake well and strain in to the glass.

Voila! Enjoy!

Even cocktails are seasonal....

And won't Michael be excited to see one already made and waiting for him in the fridge when he gets home from work...yeah, I know, you probably think I drink them for breakfast but I have other addictions before noon to satisfy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all know that Cricket is a prolific artist. I get piles and piles of creations each day. Recently she purchased a set of pastels and a nice drawing pad with her own (tooth fairy) money. I liked some so much I scanned them in and then printed them out on to special fabric. I then ironed on vinyl to protect them and give them more body. I made this little bag with all scraps of material, ribbon, binding and even an inner pocket I didn't use on a previous project. I really like the result. The fabric obvisouly doesn't print out as saturated as the original piece of art but I do not have the most sophisticated printer either! I am using it as a small knitting project bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pricelss part of the whole project is Cricket's attitude toward it all....she seems to think that all parents print their child's artwork on to fabric and then whip up a darling bag of their design. And I definitely am not doing it fast enough for her demands!

     The upshot is that after her day at craft camp last Friday, she is showing moderate interest in felting and other fiber arts and, suprise! I have all the stuff to do those things. They just weren't appealing when her mom did it. Now it's cool. Who would have thought these issues happen at size years old?

It can't be any harder than this to chomp some chocolate! What is a girl to do...well, I tell you what, if it's an apple or a nice healthy dinner 'momma, I can't bite in to this' but if it's a treat, look out! She can find a way to make those gums or snaggle teeth work!

Happy Valentine's Day to my Cricket! Will she wear it? Probably not! But no one can say

I haven't tried each holiday to give her unique and hand made gifts. Strange isn't it? I mean, one day, when she is older, she will look back fondly on all the goofy things I have done over the years for her, as I do for my mother, and then she will try and emulate that for her daughter (like I am doing now) but at the moment, it will probably get thrown in to the dress-up bin.

 C'est la vie!

I also finished my own scarf. I couldn't use the heavier weight thread I had planned on but didn't need to after all. They look different than I pictured but I'm pleased with how they turned out. I think I will do a few things differently next time, as usual!

  As a funny thing to do, I took a photo of all the technolodgy I have to carrry between my studio and the house...don't forget the camera that I took the picture with too!  Yes, I do indeed carry that each time I go out for the

 

day or come in for the evening. House phone, mobile, hot tea, itouch, camera. This doesn't include any other items that I need to pass between the two buildings like purchases, packages, receipts to be recorded, and countless other daily things. I have a basket to carry it all in on a good day (meaning if me and the basket are starting off in the right building together-otherwise I juggle-not so good for my last cherished tea pot!).

   I'm going to Handmade Craft tomorrow for a ribbon cutting! I think I'll pick up more real wool felt colors! What about a rainbow scarf in circles, squares, and triangles?

I'm back! Well...I'm trying to be back!

Lately I'm so busy with trying to work a little more, teach at the high school, and still make fun stuff to post on etsy but some things in my life have simplified and I'm hoping that this will help me to stay on top of something like a blog. Tomorrow is Valentine's and while it is not necessary for me to celebrate.....Cricket is all about it! I am making her a little scarf out of felt hearts that I double felted and hand-cut. There is a great new store in Arcata promoting hand craft and all things fiber, felting, spinning and waldorf. She has felt in 72 colors!! That would inspire anyone! I am making myself a scarf too-leaves. I will sew them together with a nice decorative stitch on my home sewing machine with a heavier weight thread. This will link them together. I will post after!

I also just got this adorable bag on etsy! The creator (iscreamseams) screens each item and there are some cute pockets on it as well. 

Cricket looks like a little hockey player these days. She is limited on the foods she can eat because she either can't bite off a piece for lack of teeth or a loose tooth is too sore to use. It's cute though! I wish she would stop getting chapped skin around her mouth so I can hire a photographer! Once in a lifetime baby!

 

Well, if I'm to make this a successful new beginning, I need to keep it short so I can move on with my day! I will close wiht my lovely daughter showing off her homemade catnip toy (which Haku obviously enjoyed) and Cooper's toy - he played with his a little but he is a little harder to convince.... and sporting her hockey grin. She's lost one more tooth since these photos were taken!

Here is my next task!  I knew instantly what I wanted to

make but then on further inspection of the quantity of the materials realized it wouldn't work so I will have to save that idea for a future project.  Instead, I will do something similar but smaller.  I stayed up late last night going through some magazines and books I find inspiring and planning it all out.  I am pretty excited!!  I even did a trial run of one of the elements for my project.  I won't say what it is but I do have a photo of it in my pictures...hmmm...which one is it?

Don't you love it?  I gave my friend the materials on the left plus some red paper nad she gave me the star book on the right!  The book is made so that you can catch a glimpse of the flowered paper on either side...little hints of the reverse catch your eye.  I love this little inspirational decoration sitting close by in my studio.

I will post what I was given and what I made with it soon!

My first Kasityo!  What a great endeavor to get together and make something from items that have been given to me that I did not choose.  It is

really making me step outside of my box.  (But I do love boxes and containers of every sort.) On the left is the items I assembled to give to someone in the group and voila!  She gave me the most adorable set of coaster, each hand-embroidered with a little picture relating to something you would set on the coaster...martini glass, peanut, taxi, pizza, television and a soda-brillilant!

On the right is what I created for another group member from what she gave

 me. This little hanging is a picture of my friend's dog, Gretta. My friend gave me the following items: the ribbon, the beads, the paper (shown as triangles around the perimeter, pink foam and a pink scarf-which are the background.  I

added the two fabrics for the dog. Sorry I don't have a picture of the raw materials-I'll see if I can find them.