CHICKPEA SEWING STUDIO

I could not help myself...

I don't know what happened, I went to SF for the weekend and then all the sudden I was wearing it on my neck... Ok, the truth, it was very premeditated! and worth it, I think. I catch myself smiling a lot.

In the mood for sharing.

I rarely talk about things here, stuff to buy or covet. But today I am in the mood and I thought I might as well share with you a few of the items  and ideas that have caught my eyes and crossed my mind. I do like it in magazines when they have holiday gift lists or 100 favorite things to burn money on. Even though most prices are so stratospheric they are rather hilarious, such as let's say $500 sandals.

The first is actually free. It's a pattern I tried out for origami fabric flowers from Primerose Corner. I made my own out of vintage kimono silk. The piece was probably the size of a fat eighth and still had the tag attached after years of sitting on a shelf. I needed every last piece of it, that must prove it was meant to be: a fabric flower.

It's very relaxing hand work, but the silk really makes it tricky.

The second item I stumbled upon by chance, On the Macy's web page. I can't post any picture but I urge you to check them out for yourself. I have bought a similar basket from Ten Thousand Villages and it's been very durable and useful.

The next item is likely to be on the 100-great-useless-stuff-you-really-need list. A Tiffany Key pendant:

or two... A girl can dream!

I also want to recommend a book, a very dear book. I started listening to it on cds again and wonder why I waited so long to enjoy it again. It's called Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I just found out that Keira Knightley will star in a movie adaptation they filmed this year. This book is not light reading and at the same time it's easy to read. It's a keeper.

 

The last idea is something to eat. I tried to make goat cheese croquettes last night, in France you buy them already prepared in the Deli section. They were delicious so here is the recipe:

A log of goat cheese, sectioned in 8 pieces and rolled into balls.

Panko bread crumbs.

one egg, beaten and seasonned with salt and pepper.

Flatten the balls slighly and dip them in egg batter before rolling them in the bread crumbs. Place the croquettes in a few tablespoons of hot oil and saute until golden on each sides.

Serve warm, on top of lettuce leaves, with a vinaigrettes and maybe a with pomegranate kernels.

Happy Feet

To go with the bag I just finished, I returned a pair of heels I got for my birthday and was probably never going to wear and got those sandals instead. I painted my toes pink et voila!

Really not... Who said painting your toes is relaxing? I just don't think so. Many bad things happened to me, like Dandelion fuzz for example:

Arrrr... The shoes sort of make up for it don't you think?

Update: here is a link to the shoes. I coudn't find a US link. It's odd because I bought them from the Macys down the road.

Fabric Shopping Online, recap.

I want to thank you for all the suggestions you left in the comment box regarding internet fabric retailer. You saved me a lot of time and headaches and I think that I found some good options out there. The quest was made even more exciting yesterday morning when the new Ottobre kids arrived. It's really good, and for the first time I noticed that they used some American fabric, such as Anna Maria Horner quilt fabric. I found that interesting.

I have tried to explore all the links that were sent, some of which like etsy shops, Reprodepot.com, and Superbuzzy I already used.
So far when it comes to apparel fabric, I found these following options worthwhile:

Fabric.com: the baby & children page is very good for solids from corduroy to knits. The colors are pretty and fun too.They sell Robert Kaufman Gingham in 100% cotton under $7 a yard. The Lime featherwhale corduroy looks just fantastic and it's only $4.78 a yard from $12 until the end of the month.

 They also carry an intriguing "Liberty-like" line of cotton lawn called london calling for about $9 a yard.

SewZanne's Fabrics: the knit sections has some truly cute print such as this little horses on green which I was thinking of pairing with the following turquoise velour to make the Jacket #8 in the new Ottobre Kid.

Fabric Hound: This shop is not cheap but they have Iron-on appliques to die for! They also have some pretty cool knits:

That's it so far! not bad for a rainy weekend, much better than driving around to find out that it's all ugly out there...

 

Orla Kiely at Target...

Last night was some good shopping! Stephanie sounded the alert and I had to grab my keys right there and then...
Here is a peek at the bounty:

The magazine holder will keep my Ottobre collection cosy...

Weekend Sewing

I spotted this marvel here and in the new Domino last night. It's 'only' $129, hum...A good thing that it's not yet available because I might have some expensive trouble with self control!

I am now determined to make a sling this weekend. Thomas is painting the kitchen ( brave, brave soul) and I love to work on something while he's doing something next to me. By the way, since it's shopping day for sling fabrics, I might mention that we used Aura paint from Benjamin Moore, and it's terrific! I was a little worried about the initial cost of the gallon but no longer. The paint is thick, covers beautifully and doesn't smell at all.For the living room khaki walls we choose light beige. We didn't have to prime the walls first at all. two little coats later, the room is much much brighter.

Enough about paint, what am I going to use for the sling? Maybe heavy weight Amy Butler Nigella or this linen spotted at Joann's and on the small object in February (!).

Pick-Me-Up

My last Etsy purchase arrived on Monday. It my best impulse buy ever! I made it a week or so ago when the future seemed all gloom and doom. Scarfs have the great advantage to be one size fit all, and that means a lot right now (being that I still live on one sole pair of pants and pregnancy T-shirts only). I did know then that It would be a welcome change to all the burp cloths that most commonly adorn my neck, however trendy the fabric I sew on them ;)

The scarf is a Syko product ( I am a huge fan of hers). When I saw the post about it I started hyperventilating (polka dots will do that to me) and as it was still mysteriously available I knew it was simply meant to be.

Truly Ugly

Today I went thrifting with my friend Sara. It was a mildly successful adventure, and if I end up making anything from those vintage mason jars and bead packets you will be the first to know!
However I believe that in a contest for the ugliest thing seen this year I would get the prize.
This chair is unbelievable! I had to share. What can this paint finish mean? It leaves me baffled.

Scissors Paper Glue

I received my first etsy order on Saturday, from Scissors Paper Glue.  When I opened the box I immediately understood that this would be different than all my previous mail-order experience.  Everything was beautifully wrapped, and It took me a while to get the courage to open the little packages. They contained hand felted mushrooms that I just want to look at all day. After some pondering I am storing them in a clear jar, so that they remain dust free from many years to come.

I really wish I could hand felt too. They are so much sculpting possibility there. None of the knitting shops around me seem to teach classes though. Maybe someone knows of a great how-to book?

Post update:
Ever delightful Kristin, from Kleas, sends this link from her blog. She received the most amazing things from Jen, the mind behind the Scissorspaperglue blog. Check it out, or recheck it out as is the case for me. I had no idea it was from the same crafty lady!

Weihnachtsmann

                                                                           

Tom bought me this little guy half an hour ago and I am already in love. I can't get enough of watching him blow smoke out of his little pipe. We found him at a little shop called Mount Olympus Clocks, the kind full of nutcrackers and pendulum clocks. The real purpose of the visit was to find the tiny candles that fit in the pyramids like the one in the photo below, but we were unsuccessful. I guess they still make the pyramids but not the candles anymore. Two years the store has been out of them. I might try the candles that go on Menorahs and see if they will fit.

  This figurine is a Christian Ulbricht, which I believe is from east Germany, which doesn't mean GDR anymore. The pyramid on the other hand I purchased last year in from Kathe Wohlfahrt in Rothenburg which is in the south of the country. Don't be fouled however, it is horribly cold out there right now. The coldest I ever felt. I love the little persons on the pyramid, they remind me of the Peanuts. especially the one with the baseball-looking hat in the back!