CHICKPEA SEWING STUDIO

My MIL, E. gave me a large metal bowl yesterday, it was sitting outside full of garden pots and very dirty... I liked it at first sight though, ready to give it a chance. Well well, a large blister later I am almost completely convinced the piece is made of copper. Firstly there was a ring of green crud that could be verdigris, secondly it's not magnetic, thirdly I scrubbed like my life depended on it for the better part of one hour and there is no plating loss (if the metal was merely plated) and fourthly the pot is now shiny as a penny as if strait from the shelves of William Sonoma, cough, cough... I just hope E doesn't ask for it back!

Imagine the possibilities, filled with ice and libations at parties, pinecones in the winter, magazines and emergency clutter collection (lego anyone?).

And now for something completely different:

Did you notice my new banner and buttons? if you reading this with a feed you might be missing out, wink.

sewing on ribbons and tiny tags

I gave decorative stitches on ribbon a try yesterday. It turned out to be really easy with a minuscule amount of practice. Choosing what to embroider was the most challenging step. I like looking down menus on the Bernina 580. It's still a very new machine for me and I am constantly discovering what's in there. This "Polish" snowflake caught my eye.

Under the ribbon I place a 2 inch wide strip of tear away stabilizer and then go for it! It's important to try a scrap first as the motif might not sew completely centered. Just adjust how you hold the ribbon accordingly. This method only works if you won't be seeing the back of the ribbon because the stabilizer is impossible to pick out of the tiny stitches. In any other case I think a heavy soluble stabilizer would work.This piece will become folded over tags, so the back doesn't matter.

Now onto the subject of 'les petites etiquettes' or the tiny tags that can be made fast and well with technology. My friend A sometime borrows a Cricut machine (or should I say computer) from a family member and knowing my love for 'les etiquettes' proposed to give it a try. We made those below with the Plantain cartridge, which to my unknowing eyes is a font collection.

These little ones, 7/8" wide and 1 3/8" long, will be so useful for weaving to mark samples in the selvedge and take notes. A. also mentioned seeing those as price tags at flea markets and such. We should be so lucky as to have a flea market here!

smelling good, tasting better

This picture doesn't help illustrate the fact that I have drastically tried to curb my all consuming enthusiasm for all things sweet: macarons, bonbons, limonatas... It's been three days and I do think that my body is already thanking me but I do feel so hungry right now!

What I wouldn't do for a couple of macarons right now or even the bow they come in to store my ribbons. I need to contact a certain Parisian cousine about it eventually... To calm my hunger for lovely packaging if not the actual starvation for all things sweet I picked up this collection of soaps.

They are rather large so they should keep us clean for about six months, not that we are particularly dirty, except for the toddler's feet of course; how do they get that way I wonder?

Bath Bomb

Have ever tried a bath bomb? it's a bit ominous but fear not, they are really great fun for all ages even lets say... 4 years old. Finn and I used "Bath Bomb" by Elaine Stavert to make our own following the basic recipe which can be found about anywhere online.

Lavender Oatmeal Bath Bombs

1 Cup of citric acid ( I bought mine from Dharma Trading)

2 Cups of baking soda

1 package  of colloidal oatmeal powder

1/4 teaspoon of olive oil

1/8 teaspoon of Lavender essential oil

How to:

First mix all the dry ingredients with your hands ( you can wear gloves for all the steps)

Add the oils and mix again. Spray with water little by little while working it in until you get the consistency of wet sand that packs in you hands. The mixture will feel very cold and fizz  while you do this.

Place in molds and wait a little before un-molding. let dry overnight.

We used a sheet of silicone brioche molds with success, because all the ingredients are food safe I had no issues using a kitchen mold, or finn for that matter!

Finn was so delighted with the entire process and resulting bath that he decided to gift some bombs to his teacher. That set me sewing a linen cone, and drafting some tags. I love the font on them, it looks like Bonne Maman jam. The back of the cones is monogrammed with her initials:

I think we might soon get round molds to make larger bombs, more bubbly baths! and the possibility of hiding something in the middle...

la bonne chine

In French, the verb to thrift (looking for treasures at local thrift store) is 'chiner'. The resulting purchases are 'la chine'. I always wonder if it has anything to do with China, especially since increasingly everything at the thrift store is made there. I need to ask my mom about it someday. On Mondays I often plan an expedition to a few stores. It's a very methodical thing lately, do they have planters? linen dish towels? vintage Pyrex bowls? stationary? crystal glasses? old Living magazines?

This fabulous little cast iron planter was waiting at Savers, I think made a little scream:

I don't know if it's because of the bargain prices or because gold is surrounded by so much horrid junk but finding things like this cast iron urn feels amazing, like realizing it's Saturday when you first wake up in the morning. I had Bill at Cactus & Tropicals stage it that same day. He told me that they used to sell this exact model a few years back.

Goodwill was rich in books this time with a classic find for the garden:

and for K, something we had seen and giggled about on pinterest, hand delivered the same day:

Do you like the thrill of 'la chine'? What do you run to first when you get there? and what would be your absolute find of a lifetime? Tell me yours, I will tell you mine:

A table loom.