You know what that means, don't you?

When you see little bits, you know I went to Tumbleweeds! I love that there is a killer  the quilt shop 5 minutes up the street from my house. (And it's on my way home from work. Good for my stash, bad for my wallet.)

I went there with a new friend. Jess is a reader who commented on a previous post about little bits. She grew up on the Cape and is a longtime customer of Tumbleweeds and she loves those little bits like I do!  We went to the same high school,  and graduated just a year apart.  

Currently living in New Jersey, she frequently visits her parents who live on the Cape. This is lucky for me because she is awesome! Sunday we met up for the first time, effortlessly gabbing away for a good hour and half like we'd been friends for a long time. Don't you love when that happens?

Jess's birthday was last week, so when we first sat down I said, "I have a present for you!"

To which she replied, "I have one for you, too!"

I squealed, "Ooh, I love presents!"

She said, "I know!"

Did  I mention how much I love blogging?

Look at this:

Pitter-patter goes my heart. A gift. Wrapped in fabric. Wrapped in bee fabric. Tied with real ribbon. Swoon.

I mean, that right there is thoughtful enough, right?

Beautiful golden honey! Local honey from where Jess lives. And I'm betting it didn't come with that little jammy fabric bonnet. This only occurred to me as I was photographing it. I bet Jess put that on there. I wouldn't put it past her. She is my kind of girl.

It gets better.

Can you freaking believe it? She made this for me! I am smiling right now just thinking about that. You know what's cool? It is the same size as the mini quilt that Scott made for me! They are going to look so cute hanging next to each other!

And a detail I noticed when I got home:

At first I thought they were flowers, but It's quilted with little four-leaf clovers! 

Wow. Thank you so much, Jess! So thoughtful and generous.

Visit Jess at her new blog Juicy Bits, where she has already started posting tutorials and sharing her mad sewing skills. Jess is one to watch!

xo, m

I have been itching to do a giveaway.

I finally put together the bundles for my 200th post winners, so I could justify doing another.

I mentioned that I am a wicked procrastinator, right? Well, that works to your advantage sometimes because when I make you wait that long for a present, I go a little overboard:

Next time I am going to put the bundles together first like a normal person. That way you'll only have to wait for me to get around to sending it.

xo, m

hey , thanks for all of the recipes! I'll ask my sister which one she tries and get the details.
You guys are awesome.

Today I spent a few hours at the beach for the first time this summer. And it's almost August! Yipes. First, we tried to get into Sandy Neck (which you may recall is inappropriately named) . I was happy that the lot was full because it's on the north side of the Cape where the water is freezing! So we went to Dowses Beach (home of the best rust ever) and the water was so warm. It was dreamy. I probably stayed in for 45 minutes just flipping around, floating, doing watery handstands, smiling.

I am sleepy from all the sun, so how about some pictures from one of my visits to Madelyn's?

That's an old cab in the garage.

It doesn't get out much.

I can relate.

xo, m

Hey, my sister Krissi is looking for a blueberry muffin recipe. Maybe you can help? You, with all your mad skillz.

" i grabbed some from allrecipes.com and other locations , the one i tried i wasn't fond of
and the others are like 30 ingredients
so without trying all the ones i find called  the best blueberry muffin recipe in the universe( or world, solar system, town, etc.) i wanted to find one that someone i know actually says is the best blueberry muffin recipe in the universe, world , solar system, town. "

(Muffin designs done a couple of years ago. I always loved them! I know the formatting is weird, but I have to go to work.)

Help us out with a personally-tested muffin recipe, won't you?

xo, m

 good morning.

xo, m

Hey,  recognize the scarf  at the end of this Orbit Gum commercial?

Hint, hint.

Funny!

Good morning, pumpkins.

Did you know that I love presents?

Take a look at this lovely package I received in the mail last week:

Cute tissue, tied with fabric, bee stickers: Awesome.

And even more awesome? It was wrapped by a boy!

My  pal Scott from Blue Nickel Studios sent me a birthday present:

A handmade mini quilt! So thoughtful. 

I love the homespun feel, the stitching and beading. One of my favorite motifs: house/home. And a pink kitty!

Also:

Yup, bee ribbon. You gotta love a guy who pays attention. (thank you so much, Scott!)

There is still time to enter Scott's Tootsie Pop Mini Quilt Challenge - entries are due August 15! It looks like fun!

xo, m

The other day, my honey said to me, "After work, I'm taking you somewhere and you need to bring your camera."

Oooh! A surprise photo location? Cool!

He said, " I'll give you one word: RUST."

At five, we headed home (we work together), grabbed the camera, hopped in the Little Car and headed out. Ten minutes later, we arrived at our destination, Dowses Beach in Osterville.

From the parking lot, we took this sandy lane through the Cape Cod roses (rosa rugosa) to get to the beach:

Camera in hand, I followed him to the  jetty. We climbed onto the rocks and carefully made our way to the end, the Atlantic Ocean splashing up against our raised path. I looked out and saw nothing but a  seam of sea meeting sky.

But that's not what I was there for.

ooooooh. What is that?  

Only the most amazing bubbly rust that I have ever seen. 

Looking down toward the base:

Can you even believe it?

Closer:

Top view:

(stupid monkey toes. Damn that longer second toe!)

Awesome painty crackles on the other side:

Ok, so I pretty much got every surface.

But can you blame me?

Ready to leave, I looked down with the camera and he got all  cute and shy with his feet, the sillyhead!

 Thanks, sweetie!

good morning!

I just got back from a walk, and I'm all, "Why am I not doing this every morning?"

It feels so good to move. You may recall that I need physical activity to work off my stress-anxiety-depression tendencies. I have not been getting enough exercise lately and I can feel it. And unfortunately for everyone around me, so can they! I really should, at the very least, work out as a service to the people in my daily life. Poor things.

So I still have pictures from the Boston Handmade Marketplace last month. Hope you aren't sick of hearing about it. Here goes.

Being a fan of Ashley Anna Brown's photo stream, I was excited for the chance to see her Fern Animals up close (and personal.)

Till July 25th only, Ashley is accepting custom orders for animals.   Get on it! Ooooh, I wish I had some of my fabric samples. Maybe she'll still make me one when I get them, if I beg. I am so not above begging for stuffed animals.

Aren't they amazingly cute?

It's hard to get a sense of scale from these pictures, but they are petite.

Tiny!

Here, see how giant I am in comparison?

And I am but a wee lass!

I love that little lion. Oh my god. Did I mention the cuteness? Are you sensing it? Do you get the cuteness?

I was all exuberant about them like that while I was there looking at them. I think Ashley may have been frightened.

Charming  hand-painted signage:

Check out this adorable collection of strawberry pincushions:

Vintagey, non?

I love the linen one:

Birds!

I mean, who doesn't love a hand made bird softie?  Aren't they perfect?

Since the creatures weren't in my budget, so I was happy that she had some smaller ticket items:

I didn't get the buttons, but I did get some of these:

Again with the cute signs!

I was psyched that these cards were so affordable. (That little one on the right is her business card.)

They are really nice quality postcards with brown envelopes.

I love them.

I don't even want to send them to anyone, that's how much I love them. 

Ok, time for work. Tell me how you are.  I want to know.

xo, m

Hey, I'm back.

Went to Providence for the weekend. I hung out with Madelyn and her friends Kath and Norma, danced in the streets (literally), bought some art supplies and thrifty stuff, ate yummy food.

Friday night, The Best Grilled Cheese of My Life was consumed at The Red Fez, a very hip, dimly lit restaurant  that was playing Nick Cave and Depeche Mode. After dinner, Maddie and I went to Whole Foods to get dessert. We decided on a giant peanut butter cupcake and a mini raspberry pie. But when we got home we were still too full from the crack-laced grilled cheese and french fries, that all we could do was lay on the couch and watch Flight of the Conchordes.

Saturday night, we partook  of the finale of  Providence Sound Session, a week-long music festival that culminates in a parade  from  Water Place Park to Westminster  (!)  Street, where there are a few different stages set up- music everywhere . It was awesome, as it was last year. My favorite part is the What Cheer? Brigade, a kooky  marching band (way more cool than it sounds). We joined in the parade behind them  I got a chance to bust out my shimmy, which was a treat. Live drumming always wakes up the shimmy. I didn't take pictures because I had to choose between blogging and dancing, and I really needed to dance. I haven't been getting enough exercise and I have been stressed, so the dancing was a great release. Plus, Maddie and I did our usual laughing like hyenas, and that was good medicine.

Toward the end of the night I leaned over and said, "Hey Maddie, you know what we're gonna do when we get home? We are going to wreck that cupcake from last night."

Sunday, we had waffles and mimosas in Kath's garden, which was just lovely.

St. Francis:

Kath's yard had some delicious textures:

I was really happy that I brought my camera.

mmmmm. nummy.

An old bike becomes a garden ornament:

Yum:

Blackberries:

Kath has chickens!

The front yard is incredible - all garden. Even the little strip of grass on the other side of the sidewalk:

I bet all the runners in her neighborhood look forward to passing by her house. I know I would!

Maddie gave me some prayer flags for my birthday. Seeing Kath's made me itch to put mine up!

Actually, now I am itching to make some. Spiritual Bunting.

I just love this with the blue sky:

And sunflowers!

Ahhhh. Isn't that, like, the essence of happiness?

After brunch, Kath, a lifelong seamstress,  let me forage for sewing supplies in her basement. (Thanks, Kath!) You will not even believe what I have to show you! I need a sunny day so I can take pictures. Prepare yourself.

I like Kath so much I told her that on my next visit, I want her hands all over my naked body.

She's a massage therapist.

xo,

m 

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ok, first: Someone please tell me that you got the title of the previous post.

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 Yard sale cuteness from last weekend:

Oh, yes. Vintage ceramic elves. Love them.

Big feet! And you know what that means. (Big shoes, you naughty bird.)

Look at the the darling expression:

Such personality with just a few strokes.

Uh oh:

Thor makes an appearance! You know you missed him. It was a balancing act to capture this cuteness while being ready to catch one of the figures should Thor knock it off the windowsill. Worth it.

Hey, did I ever tell you that I can juggle? I taught myself in  the spring of 2000. If I've been practicing a lot, I can even juggle four, but just for 3 or 4 passes. That is hard, yo!

Juggling is awesome because it requires total focus. It's actually a great meditation and stress reliever. Learning to juggle is funny, because you absolutely will suck at it for a few hours and then gradually you start to get it.

It's really useful to be willing to be bad at something. It builds perseverance and humility. And in a way, faith. I kind of wish I could go through the process of learning to juggle again, because I sure could use some of that faith stuff.

Top o' the mornin' to you, my friends.

Drinking my soymilk coffee.

Listening to Iron and Wine.

Tired. You know, as much as I loved going to Quilt Market in Portland, it really knocked me on my ass. I feel like I'm still recovering.

I'm going to Providence again this weekend. Good for me, bad for my poor neglected garden!

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From Madelyn's:

Love that.

Madelyn and a friend of hers joined forces to create these ornamental trellises:

They are hard to photograph!

I want some.

Another collaboration:

Mmmmm, rust.

Oh, that reminds me: I bought a metal headboard for 5 bucks at a yard sale that I am going to use as a fence/trellis for my roses! I'll take pictures when I finally get around to doing it!

Great contrast of industrial and homey, don't you think?

I'm so jealous  of this curbside find:

So cute!

(((Looking at all of these pictures of Madelyn's place makes me think 'Oh, my poor garden.' I am being a bad  garden mama this year. Not watering, not weeding. I have to just let it go for now because it will make me crazy if I think about it. Gardener's guilt!)))

Maddie's bird sculpture:

Check out this awesome hanging planter:

And more on the porch:

Don't they look great all together like that?

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I feel boring today, so I will leave you now.

xo, m

More from Boston Handmade Marketplace:

Right when Maddie and I  got there for setup I noticed this shirt (and the girl wearing it):

That's Beth from Elizabeth Brennick Designs. She's a spitfire! (and so is her husband! What a sassy couple!)

Isn't that shirt awesome?

Here's the back:

No, she didn't make it. I think  she said she got it at Forever 21. There is so much to love about it, but the stripey binding especially kills me .

And her products are  awesome , too!

Recognize any of the fabrics? Mostly Westminster, baby! Love that.

Beth's 2 kids were  selling cupcakes that they made at home. Smart, smart, smart. I knew they would go fast, so I bought 4.

Would you like to know my special cupcake-eating technique?

First, pull off the top  to separate the cupcake into 2 layers:

Next, hold the top upside down, so the frosting is on the bottom and place on the other half of the cupcake:

Now you have a cupcake sandwich. The frosting will be evenly spread throughout your eating experience.

Enjoy. You're welcome.

Back to Beth's stuff:

I love this top with the teardrop shapes:

If you must have something Beth made, you can always check out her etsy shop.

She had a great looking booth.  I particularly liked the clothesline action:

Cute magnets:

And cute shoes (not for sale):

Mimi, me, and Beth:

I love meeting such talented and wonderful women.

More soon, gotta get ready for work.

xoxo

m

Good morning, loves!

Back to the Boston Handmade Marketplace:

You know how I was looking forward to seeing Mimi's men!

 And Mimi, of course.

Oh my god, they are so cool! 

I have an unnatural love for these guys:

I am feeling , uh, a little unphotogenic lately, so pretend you don't notice the my dark circles and wacky hair. And giant fivehead. But do feel free to notice my cute headband.

The detail on the faces is incredible, as is the amount of personality they each have.

>sigh<       sepia!

Arrrrrr:

You can't see it in that photo above, but there is a little skull and crossbones on his hat.

It was neat to meet Mimi. We hope to get together soon so we can actually talk and get to know each other a bit. It was hard to focus with so much going on!

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So, it was my birthday on the fifth, Saturday. Very low key.  Yard sales. Pizza and sangria.

But first, in the morning, coffee and this:

My new boyfriend looks good in pink.

Thanks, sweetie!

 When I go to Madelyn's, it's like an inspiration  buffet.

I mean, even her doorknobs are awesome:

I was walking around her place (taking a million pictures like I usually do) and I kept saying, "Maddie, you are so cool. You are the coolest person ever!"

She said, "No, you are."

I said, "Well, I'm okay, but you are the coolest."

We were standing in the hallway, she was asking me something- I don't remember what because I interrupted her with a stream of swears when I saw this :

Can you believe the awesomeness and perfection? No, you can't.

I love those trees and the daisy-headed lion.

I don't know the name of this plant, but I was taken with it's silhouette:

Detail of one of Maddie's sculptures:

I took a ton of pictures of her newest series of sculptures, which I will share soon. They are incredible.

Remember scratchboard? It's a cardstock with a black ink coating and when you scrape away the black it reveals a colorful base layer? Years ago, Maddie gave me a little scratchboard notebook and the first thing I did with it was make this as a thank you:

She is, too. Did I tell you how we met? I was sixteen and she was my Sculpture teacher in high school! She was 23, fresh out of college. The same age as my boyfriend at the time! Yes, really.

We connected right away and I was crushed when she decided not to continue teaching after that year. She returned to Providence and we stayed in touch through letters and occasional visits for the first couple of years and then more and more visits and phonecalls (and letters!) as the years went on. It has been...eighteen years? Holy shit, can that be right?

Sometimes when we are goofing around, laughing like hyenas, I look at her and say "You were my teacher in high school!" and we bust out laughing even harder. But Maddie isn't just fun. She is one of the most inspiring, honest, generous and kind-hearted people you could ever hope to meet.

I have so many pictures to share with you. I'll have to step up the posting to cover it all before I forget.

Detail of a painting in Maddie's kitchen by her friend Monica Shinn:

From the same painting:

I love that!

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Oh, hey, I am writing to you this morning from my new laptop!

xo, m

Wow, I am exhausted! Good thing it's a four day work-week.

I went to Providence for the weekend to visit Madelyn.

Friday night: Vieux Farka Toure free concert in the park. Met some of Maddie's friends there.  Blanket on the grass, picnic. Watched the guy who dances at every event and  Dubbed him Sir Dance-A-Lot. Drank Perrier.

(Excuse me, but my mind is being blown right now. How did I ever not see this video of Crazy by Gnarls Barkley? It's amazing.)

After the concert: Went to Cuban Revolution. Had Cafe Cubano and flan. Yum.

Saturday morning we went to The Happiest Place on Earth: Savers! (pictures to come)

Next, we headed to Somerville for the Boston Handmade Marketplace, where Maddie was a vendor. 

Jessica did an amazing job of putting on this show. The merchandise was varied and high quality, turnout was great, set up and takedown was hassle-free. The live music really made it special. 

I met some wonderful people, saw awesome stuff and took tons of pictures, which I will post this week. But first I must pimp share Madelyn's darling pottery.

Fez Monkey Teapot!! Kitty Mush bowls!
By now you know that you can visit her etsy shop, Lucky Monkey, right?

I love those egg cups, above. Do you recognize that chicken? 

Maddie's newest motif:

Oh. My. God. Raccoons! So cute! 

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Sometimes I find myself pleasantly surprised at how different I am now.
There was a time when I wouldn't have agreed to help Maddie at this show because my anxiety would have been unbearable. I would have not believed in myself enough to know what to do (or be comfortable not knowing). I would have been afraid of someone looking at me trying put up the tent and I would have been sweating and blushing and embarrassed. It's not rational, it doesn't make sense - but that is how I lived most of my life: in constant fear and panic. I can feel it fluttering in my chest just by bringing it up. Sometimes I forget how bad it was and how much it ruled my life.
I don't like scary and suspenseful movies or haunted houses. That state of anticipation and adrenaline that they invoke is a feeling that  I have worked very hard to soothe  and talk myself down from.
It is so rewarding when I notice that I am perfectly comfortable in an environment or situation that would have totally freaked me in the past.
That happened on Saturday and it was cool.

More soon.

xo, m