Button, button...she's got the buttons!

While not yet in need of a 12-step program, I do have a certain fondness for buttons, old, previously-used buttons in particular. Turns out my friend Cherie St. Cyr shares my predilection for vintage buttons.

My last visit with Cherie occurred this past February, while she was in the winter apartment she owns in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This time we met up in Madison, Wisconsin, where she spends the rest of her year. Cherie is a textile artist currently focusing on art quilts, a massage therapist and tarot card reader.

Find out more here at her web site:

http://www.cheriestcyr.net/blog/

Beyond just chatting, I admit to an ulterior motive; I needed a tutorial on free motion sewing, with a hands on demonstration preferred. Her skillful instruction helped me generate this sunflower and cat thread sketch on a white fabric and batting sandwich.

 

The buttons in Cherie's basement studio are sorted into a variety of glass jars by color family.

In the past, she has revealed a particular fondness for red buttons, which may explain why they occupy the fanciest jar on the shelf.

If you have a button stash, the next time you look through it, check out how few of the buttons are green. Yellows are also less common, found more often an women's blouses and dresses.It must have taken a while to gather all these.

Blue buttons are found on both men's and women's garments and are a little easier to obtain.

These larger white carved buttons likely adorned a light colored sundress many decades ago, the plainer buttons something a bit more utilitarian. 

Button collections are a relic of a different era. Our grandmothers and sometimes mothers stockpiled such accumulations. Often stored in fancy tin, they amused many a child or grandchild in the sewing room. Button containers and jars belong to an era when clothing was repaired and when the garment was finally worn out, the buttons were cut off to be used to repair a different garment.

While sorting my own buttons by color will wait for another day, I thought Cherie has found a fabulous way to display these little treasures.

Carina

Jennifer Street - Madison, Wisconsin - August 2012

Bohemian...Hippie....Green

These are adjectives easily applied to Jennifer Street. Jenny Street runs parallel to and one block over from the busier Williamson Street in the Marquette neighborhood in Madison, Wisconsin. This neighborhood is one of Madison's oldest with a plethora of architectural styles, including Greek Revival, Italianate and Arts & Crafts bungalows. 

During my recent trip to Wisconsin, I inhabited this vicinity while staying at my sister-in-law's house between Willy and Jenny Streets. While strolling on Jenny Street, I photographed these two yards, about a block apart.

Obviously not available at the big box stores, these yard art dogs have none too shiny, gravel teeth...

 ...and sport dark sunglasses.

Serious party animals, these two.

 I'm willing to bet they howl just fine when the moon is full.

 You may have seen painted bowling balls utilized as yard art before, but these demonstrate the power of quantity and repetition.

The pink zinnias set off the blue bowling balls, offering a pleasing counterpoint.

The lady of the house was sitting on the screened in porch and she came out to chat.

One of her favorite features in the yard are the moon flowers shown here in bud. She grew them from seed.

Stay tuned for more trip photos.

Carina

Drunken Worms

 I've been in the kitchen channeling Alton Brown, a frat brother and my own inner child. As is often the case,  Facebook played a part, reeling me in hook, line and sinker. One of the "friends" linked a photo and recipe for Jello worms, maybe from Pinterest. She vowed to make these worms the next time the grandchildren visited.

Intrigued? You bet I was, but an adult version of this concoction was in order.

Here is my kitchen work and wisdom, should you feel the need to follow my example.

 

First gather your supplies. Bendy straws are required.The unflexed bendy part gives your finished worms that distinctive earthworm bit of anatomy called the clitellum. I suggest looking for wide straws, they unmold a little easier.

You will want a container that holds the straws snugly. A tall, narrow glass is used here. A washed, used orange juice carton holds more straws and works well too.

The recipe:
You will need

The bigger box of raspberry jello

Peach scnapps

Heavy or whip cream 

Peach nectar (found this in the Mexican food aisle of the grocery store)

Knox unflavored gelatin

green food cloring

boiling water

Put it together like this:

1. Start 1 and 1/2 cups of water boiling

2. Sprinkle 1 package gelatin over 1/2 cup peach nectar poured into a nonreactive bowl.

3. Add boiling water, jello powder. Stir until everything is dissolved.

4. Add 3/4 cup cream, stir.

5. Add 1 cup peach schnapps.

6. Add green food coloring to get your desired reddish-brown, wormy coloring

7. Pour into straws, leaving a little room at the top.

Leave a little empty space at the top of your straws. Chill in the refrigerator until set, generally several hours. To unmold, allow the worms to warm a little at room temperature. Grasp the unfilled end between thumb and forefinger. Place the other thumb and forefinger next to the first, with a traveling pinch push the jello worm out the open end, onto some wax paper. After a few tries, you will get the hang of this maneuver and develop your own rhythm.

Put the lovely, unmolded worms back in the fridge to firm up a little, perhaps after tasting a few to check flavor.

Worms could probably be made with any red jello and the alcohol flavor is up for further experimentation.

For extra versatility your worms can also be used to decorate desserts. They are rather tasty.

 

Enjoy in moderation.

Carina

Proof Positve

While my husband contends that I sometimes drive like a bat out of H E double hockey sticks, may I offer proof to the contrary. After all, how fast can you be going if you get passed by a mere kitchen appliance like a toaster

Well maybe not....




This Honda element was actually parked next to me in the parking lot and I thought the bumper sticker was pretty darn cute. As for my driving, my last speeding ticket was 25 years ago..... really it was.

Carina

Ultimate Air Dogs

 My primary reason for heading up and over the mountains to Asheville for Bele Chere is the chance to take in a diverse array of musical groups for cheap. It costs me nothing more than the car trip, as admission is free. There were 4 stages, each with 4 musical groups playing between noon and 10pm.

Along with the music there are hordes of people (an artifact of free admission), food vendors, arts and crafts for sale, an interactive performance area and kid and family friendly events. The pictures I'm posting here along with this video link are from the family friendly portion of Bele Chere.

http://www.ultimateairdogs.com/youtube.html

Ultimate Air Dogs is the brain child of former Detroit Tigers pitcher Milt Wilcox. Started back in 2005 in conjunction with his son Brian, their show offers a variety of water events including dock jumping and lure coursing. Getting involved as a competitor with his lab Sparky after seeing the great Outdoor Games on ESPN in 1984, Milt so enjoyed the events that he went on to founded Ultimate Air Dogs.

Any dog can compete, regardless of size or pedigree. Most of the competitors Saturday were dogs associated with the water, Newfoundlands,  various Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and at least one Curly coated Retriever.

 Once upon a time, about 20 years ago, I owned an Airedale Terrier that would have been a natural at these events,but my current pack is rather reluctant around the water.


Carina

Delta Rae @ Bele Chere

They were playing the only cover I would hear as I approached the Biltmore Stage at the Bele Chere Festival in Asheville Saturday. It was vintage Fleetwood Mac, The Chain, off the Rumours album. The strong vocal interplay by the voices of Brittany Holljes and Elizabeth Hopkins took the lead and reeled me in. I would eagerly watch their entire set and not wander off to see anyone else on any other stage.

Delta Rae has 4, count them four lead singers, three of which are siblings. Besides Brittany, her brothers Ian and Eric play instruments and have great pipes too. The brothers are the primary song writers and they have crafted some sweet and some powerful tunes. Rounding out this sextet are Grant Emerson on the electric and upright bass and Mike McKee on drums and other interesting percussion like chains and trash can lids.

This link will take you to Delta Rae's first professionally produced video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bimam2j2gEg

This band is not easy to peg, as I found while cruising the web and gathering a little background  for this blog post. Various different sources called them Alt-Pop Americana, a Folk-Rock sextet, Americana pop or as decreed by their publicist Mumford and Sons meets Fleetwood Mac. Whatever category you put them in , the band weaves together multiple influences into a dynamic stage show that has been honed by significant quantities of travel and practice.

 

Delta Rae may be poised to take the next step toward larger audience recognition. From their self titled CD funded by Kickstarter, the band has recently signed with Sire records, a subsidiary of Warner Music. Their CD Carry the Fire was released June 19th and a week later they made their national television debut on the Jay Leno Show.

Signing posters and CDs after the performance.

Currently on tour, if Delta Rae plays near you, make a point to get yourself in the audience. You will not be disappointed.

Carina

Tattoo a banana - not quite a review

 

 A recent trip to the bookstore once again demonstrates that my credentials as a grownup could be up for review. My eyes spotted the book entitled Tattoo a Banana by Phil Hansen. That would be Phil Hansen the X-ray tech and artist, not Phil Hansen the former football defensive end for the Buffalo Bills. Of course I had to purchase the book.

www.philinthecircle.com

Apparently, Phil has found ways to augment his lifestyle on credentials as suspect or even more so than my own. He has an intriguing website and this is first book.

The first project in the book does indeed instruct the reader in all the techniques required to tattoo a banana. The supply list includes a a banana, a pushpin or needle and a template. With practice you could either design your own template rather than using one photocopied from the book or freehand the task.

To watch the process, see time lapse of the bananas going to black and see Phil plug his book go to this video link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXE1Y3m4j7o

Can't wait to try the other ways to turn anything and everything into Art.

Carina