Nesting In The 21st Century

Chez Fifi

The thing I love the most about the Internet is the ability to find treasure troves of beauty and inspiration.  I particularly love that the Internet allows Artisans a platform for their artistic point of view which is pure and direct.  There is no need to homogenize the vision to apply to the masses...it only need make sense to the author. 

An analogy would be some of  the cooking magazines on the shelves.  The recipes are often woefully unseasoned and conservative.  They are made to appeal to a huge variety of people who live in many different parts of the country and vastly different access to ingredients.  So...it can come off a bit homogenized.  Don't use those habaneros in the jerk chicken recipe...many won't be able to find them...and they might be too hot.  So, jalapenos instead.  The Internet provides a wonderful array of cooking blogs which supply an endless variety of recipes with a very specific point of view.  They don't worry about appealing to everyone.  They appeal to those willing to give the recipe a try.  That Jerk Chicken recipe is from the Simply Recipes blog and is one I am trying this Tuesday by the way!

All of this brings me to today's most wonderful find.  The kind of blog which makes my heart beat faster as I discover an entire new treasure trove of inspiration and purity of vision.  The blog is Chez Fifi.  It is rather new and undeniably fabulous.    I have always been a francophile...toile, champagne, Paris, Pain au Chocolat, Provence...I love it all and this blog is a wonderful connection to that most wonderful place.  Fifi was born in Paris and has transplanted to Florida bringing her style and joie de vivre with her.  I am thrilled to add it to my list of "must reads"...the blogs which I visit daily and become old friends...cyber wise anyway.

This was a super quote on Chez Fifi.  This collage was so beautifully done by  Shawn.   (The Auntie Pea blog is another fun find).

I love the Internet.  It has become my gateway to a galaxy of inspiration and just plain fun.  I don't know how the Jerk Chicken will work out...but what I do know is that we will be trying something spicy and new...and that, ultimately, sure makes life fun....even on a Tuesday night.

The Hoyts

When I get frustrated as a Mom....feeling overburdened and stressed I think I'll watch this video to remind me what a parent should be.  Don't miss the video at the end. (Get a tissue or two.)

Strongest Dad in the World

From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly
I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans.  Work nights to
pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.
But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day. Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back

mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S.on a bike.

Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;''  Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old.  "Put him in an institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes
followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to
the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was
anything to help the boy communicate.  "No way,''  Dick says he was
told.  "There's nothing going on in his brain.'' "Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school  organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want to do that.'' Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker'' who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says.  "I was sore for two weeks.''  That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed,  "when we were
running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!'' And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.   "No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially:  In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made
the qualifying time for Boston the following year. Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried. Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?
Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own?  "No way,'' he says.  Dick does it purely for  "the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together. This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time'? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of  these
things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.  "No question about it,'' Rick types.  "My dad is the Father of the Century.''
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race.  Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged.  "If you hadn't been in such great
shape,'' one doctor told him,  "you probably would've died 15 years ago.''

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life. Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland,
Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around
the country and compete in some backbreaking race every  weekend, including this Father's Day. That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

"The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types,  "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

Here is the Video...

Sassy Sachets

I have added some delicious Lavender Sachets to the store.  Yummmmmy.  They are from Primrose Design and I have one in pink in my side table.  That wonderful lavender scent drifts up whenever I open the drawer.  I debated leaving it out on my dresser it is so pretty but I decided that I would rather "discover" it every time I open the drawer.

The thing I love about them is that they are quite big 5 x 7.5.  In the store I have one in Daisy Yellow, one in Violet and one in Peach Melba.  De-lish.   I wish I had these around when it was time for Teacher Gifts.  I always struggle with what to give. 

I think my favorite thing about Nesting With Style is that I get to meet a work with so many really nice people (like Janet from Primrose Design.)  I am not one to be really "out there" with promoting my things but for some reason it is easy for me to promote other Artisan's work.  But I have quickly realized that it is important for me to like who I am working with.  I am not doing all of this to not be happy...I have had way too many jobs where that was true in the past.

If you haven't seen Janet's Blog (she is the designer behind these adorable sachets) you should check it out.  She always has something fun goin' on.  I love all the vintage things she finds.

More Apron Love

  It has arrived.  My brand new and hot out of the sewing machine apron from Carrie over at Sommer Designs.  I love it!  I wore it today and have felt happy all day.  It is funny what a difference something like this can make.  I think it comes down to adding beauty and grace  even to the most common objects.  Everyday objects don't necessarily need to look ordinary. 

I was looking at my desk today and wondered why so many of the objects on it are poorly designed.  I don't mean in the functional sense but in the design sense.  I am on a mission to replace each and every ugly (but useful) item on my desk and find something wonderfully designed (and equally useful) to replace it.   Let the search begin.

Online Fun

As if I don't spend enough time online already I found a delightfully fun site called Design Her Gals to keep me online even longer.  You can make a little figure which looks similar to yourself complete with hair, eye, and skin color.  As well as body type, clothing, shoes, accessories, sports equipment, even your pet.  Then you can apply this design to note cards, stickers, recipe cards, invitations, etc.  It is hilarious to do and quite fun for us non-illustrators.

You can order note cards, recipe cards, stickers etc. from the site or you can pay a $24.95 a year fee and print what you want ( all year) yourself.  I made a set of 8 note cards for a girlfriend's birthday and another set for my pregnant sister.  I'll do another for when the baby is born in September.  (I can even have her carrying an infant carrier.)  I thought I would like to print up some recipe cards for fun and a set of note cards for my daughter's thank you notes.  I think stickers would be fun to label packages.  I sure wish it came in a boy version for my sons.

All I need now is some yummy envelopes from the Paper Source (A2S for the note cards) and I am good to go.   I love the colors and usually can't decide on the color.  Right now I am into chocolate brown and pool blue.  I really like that combination (just as much as the favorite blossom/chocolate brown combo I have been loving.)  I like all the different envelope sizes and that everything can be purchased separately.  Most times I mix and match cards and envelopes...I don't like everything to match.

Speaking of the Paper Source, I am totally addicted to their site.  It is everything I love.  Lots of neat things in beautiful colors.  Delicious.  Last time I ordered I bought a Paper Flower Kit which I am dying to try.  I have gobs of leftover card stock and fun paper from various projects and making these flowers would sure use some of it up.  I haven't made on yet and hopefully it isn't one of those things which takes forever and isn't worth the trouble.  We'll see...I am all set up to make some tonight.  I am planning a shower/luncheon for my sister and I think these flowers would be great on the table sitting on each person's napkin.  I think I'll write the name on the leaf and use them as place cards.

Apron Love

I love aprons.  I think my habit began when I was a caterer.  Aprons were a daily necessity.  First thing in the morning the crisp white apron would go on, I would tuck a towel in the tie and off I went.  It wasn't long before I began wearing the same white aprons at home.  It just felt so right when I cooked.

Years later I saw a vintage floral apron in a thrift shop.  It has been lovingly worn I surmised and I thought it might look nice hanging in the kitchen.  But when I got home I decided that I should be wearing it.  The apron was in good shape after all.  I had stopped catering by that point and was raising my first child so in some ways it felt strange to be wearing the "professional" apron from my catering days. 

That orange apron began an apron collection which I daresay has grown and grown.  I have all types of aprons.  Toiles, florals, stripes and vintage.  I still wear one each time I cook and I like fitting the apron to the mood I'm in.  I'm not sure why some days I feel "toile" and other "Cabbage Rose" but I do.

I have never made myself an apron but I am contemplating joining Tie One On.  I love the tagline "About All Things Aprony."  It is a theme based apron making group which seems like so much fun.  July's theme was Pink Lemonade and wow did that look like my cup of tea but alas I missed it.   I am waiting for just the right theme and then I will jump in also!

I have recently discoverd the gorgeous aprons over at Sommer Designs.  They are divine!  I love  the variety of prints and patterns.  I decided that the one in the middle was the perfect cup of tea for this summer. There is another one "Marmalade" on the site which I might need to pick up as well although I couldn't justify buying two in one shot.  (Even after the tough night last night.) 

It is fun to collect something so useful.  It is also great to discover lots of others on the web collecting and making the same thing.  The Tie One On group is a nice example of what is good about the web.  I never would have had the opportunity to see their amazing work or that of Carrie over at Sommer Designs if it weren't for the internet.  Funny really.  Something based in technology helping to connect collectors of a most old fashioned thing.  Wonder what June Clever would have said.

Handmade Heaven

Love my mailbox!  I received a wonderful package from Amy at the Inspire Company yesterday.  I ordered two of her amazing charm bracelets and a cupcake change purse just for fun.  I also bought a set of the pink toile personalized note cards which I have had my eye on for quite some time.  I would have ordered earlier but I couldn't decide between the pink, green and blue.  Luckily I did wait or I would have missed the charm bracelets. 

I love the way everything came packaged.  It was like getting a present instead of a delivery.  It was so personal and fun.  Everything was wrapped up with ribbons a stickers.  My mailbox has been a bit empty lately and this little package really made it sing!

My daughter has already taken the cupcake change purse (now why didn't I see that coming?)  I'll need to order another for myself.  I didn't realize when I ordered that the cherry on top is beaded.  Adorable.  It will be fun to have in my purse.

The charm bracelets are so cute.  One is a gift for someone special who has been needing a lift this summer and the other (pink) is for moi.  They sparkle and shine and are so fun to look at.  I love all the little doo dads (I sound like Missy Mo now.)

I love buying handmade things.  I feel like I am purchasing more than a bracelet or note cards.  There is more of a connection to the item.  Someone dreamed up this bracelet.  She picked out what she would need and lovinly made it with hopes that someone, somewhere would like it enough to buy it and wear it...and that someone is me! 

I feel that I put a bit of myself into everything I make.  A little bit of me.  Creating is such a personal activity.  No matter how beautiful or exclusive mass produced products can be they just don't carry that soul.  A machine made them or worse something made by who-knows-who, who-knows-where in who-knows-what conditions just dosen't connect in the same way with me.  I think that is one of the reasons I love vintage so much.  It has a story.  A history.  Handmade things have a history even though they might have been just created.  The history of the one who imagined it and created it.  A necklace from Target might be pretty but dosen't have that mojo. 

Thanks Amy.  For your charm bracelets and your creativity.  I can't wait to put on my pink t-shirt (I know, I know, I am attempting to wear something new...just not tommorow) and put this charmer on.  Now that is Indie Mojo.

Tidy Up Task Cards

  I have found a super blog called Kiddley .  In the site description they write "Kiddley is about taking a little time out every day to remember how exciting childhood (and parenthood) can be with just a tiny bit of imagination." and they aren't kidding.  It is a wonderful resource for cute ideas, books and projects for kids.

I love that the projects and ideas don't take two days to complete. Everything is really do-able.  Last week there was a coconut chocolate pudding we made on the spur of the moment.  Delicious.

What inspired me to write about Kiddley today is that I have been fretting about the state of the house.  The kids are home and quite frankly the house is a disaster.  Not a take-a-minute-to-tidy mess but a I-think-we-should-just-move type mess.  And lo and behold Kiddley had a great link to a job chart site called DLTK's Custom Chore Chart .  Voila!  Charts for all the kids.  Spongebob for the older boys, Thomas for the little guy and a customized one for my daughter.  Just what I needed. 

It is amazing what can be found on the web and how quickly it can be applied to life.  I could have spent a half hour making job charts or as Kiddley calls them "tidy up task cards" but within a few minutes the cards are on the fridge and I am feeling better about the day.  I might even celebrate with a trip for ice cream...although if I don't dig us out we won't be going anywhere.