West Elm Dhurrie

West Elm had a dhurrie a long time ago similar to this one that I obsessed over in orange and then in gray, but they discontinued it before I had money or space for it.

Way to go West Elm in reincarnating it here with an even better pattern and in citron. I would love a big one in our bathroom.

I Want to Sleep Here

Fluffy bed #1 by Suzanne Kasler via House of Turquoise



Fluffy bed #2 by Ashley Goforth via House of Turquoise



And my favorite, Fluffy bed #3, by Ashley Goforth via House of Turquoise yet again

Feeling Pregnant...

and wanting these so badly.

Salted Chocolate "Twix" Bars from Crepes of Wrath

I see a little silhouetta of a clam. Scalamoosh! Scalamoosh! Will you do the fandando?

"Thunder bolts and lightening! Very, very frightening!"





Why do I love it so much?

A Canopy and Some Ruffles

We sewed and hung a canopy for Bradly this weekend. This was my second try after a frustrating bout with staples and trying to shape those pleats on the fly with the whole heavy mess draped over my head. This approach--tacking the pleats with a few key stitches and using molding to secure it all to the wall and ceiling--worked much better.


I also added trim to her crib skirt... and I like the idea of it, but I think the color is off.



I started by trying to sew on the little corsage/rosettes that people were doing on t-shirts a la J.Crew for awhile, but I couldn't get them to look right, and I realized it would take me forever to do the whole crib skirt, so I used an off-white scrap to make a ruffle. Unfortunately, the bumper pad and canopy and curtains are all in a darker, creamier shade than the ruffle and pom pom trim. It's harder to tell in these pictures, but in person, it looks off. It just doesn't tie together very well. I have a feeling I'm going to be tearing out that ruffle and replacing it with one from the canopy scraps.


I still haven't attached the ties to the bumper pad, but here's a close up of the inside. Sorry, no fitted sheet yet.


Yep, I'm definitely going to replace that ruffle. The crib skirt just doesn't look like it goes with everything else, but at least I've had some ruffle practice now, and I feel like we've made some progress in there.

Wall Flowers

by Umbra

For my Girl

I would love to pin these to Bradly's bulletin board in the nursery, particularly the Bronte quotations, giving a little nod to Charlotte. I also like the way the bird and feather prints would jibe with the egg prints already in there.



Bronte Upward print




Austen Beast print




Austen Run Mad print




Bronte No Bird print




Dickinson Feathers print

Weeks 25-30

I fell behind on the vegetal, gestational development pictures, so here's a catch up photo for the end of my second trimester and entrance into the third.

Week 25--Bradly is (mysteriously for the second week) the size of an eggplant.
Week 26--She's the length of a cucumber.
Week 27--She's the size of a head of cauliflower.
Week 28--She's the size of a small head of purple cabbage... Is she shrinking? That seems smaller than both a cucumber and an eggplant to me.
Week 29--She's the size of a butternut squash... which I already used a long time ago and didn't have any use for so decided to just not include it in my cornucopia.
Week 30--She's the size of a head of lettuce... and again, that seems like a decrease in size. I think they ran out of vegetables and are just picking random ones now.

Sorry there's not really a belly shot. It just couldn't be done. I will also say that it took some talent to hold all those vegetables at once. The positioning of that cucumber gave us special problems. Carter was trying to help arrange things, and I dropped the cucumber which broke it right in half, and then I got mad and threw it forcefully in the trash and was done with my photo session for the evening.

EEEEEEE!!!!!! and also OH. EM. GEE!!!!!!

David Leibovitz will be in Fort Worth January 14 at Central Market.... AHHHH! If you think I won't use my big fat preg belly as a battling ram to knock other women down in order to get into this class, YOU ARE SO WRONG. SO WRONG. Carter, take note: I don't care if I am actually IN LABOR--I will be in this class. MARK MY DRAMATICALLY CAPITALIZED WORDS.



This is what they have planned:

David Lebovitz, Award Winning Cookbook Author, Pastry Chef, blogger, Culinary Tour Leader

Discover the complexity and satisfaction of desserts with a little zing. David Lebovitz, a master of creating enticing endings, will introduce you to a number of techniques that you'll want to include in your repertoire. The subtle flavors of citrus will wake up your palate in these tempting finales:

• Meyer Lemon-Buttermilk Ice Cream Sandwiches with Nonfat Gingersnaps;
• Spiced Hot Chocolate Cakes with Caramelized White Chocolate;
• Candied Tangerines & Dark Chocolate Shards;
• Goat Cheese Souffles with Mixed Citrus Compote in Sparkiling Champagne & Yuzu Jelly;
• and Tangerine Floating Island with Blood Orange Caramel

My status is confirmed.

My Coasters are Crusty

I'd take these as replacements...


or these...

or these...

Something Like That

If and when we spruce up the kitchen, I think we could achieve something like Caitlin Creer's redo. We already have 1) white cabinets; 2) nickel hardware; 3) the mosaic, Carrara, backsplash tile waiting out in the garage... so, in my mind, all we'd need is a Carrara counter top and someone to install it all out of the goodness of his heart.

(I wouldn't argue against a new stove and dishwasher and under-cabinet lighting, but that's just icing.)

Lonny Favs

I like these shots in the Lulu Power's article in Lonny this month.

Sick

As paradoxical as it might seem, I want to mention that I'm absolutely using sick in both ways here. It's kinda gross, AND it's kinda awesome, isn't it? Mr. Frog is beyond my budget for knit dissections, but if he weren't I might have to find a place for him...

Memo for Santa

Cute Short Family on the Corner has two kids. While Carter and I were walking the other day we noticed something written in chalk on their front walk.

"SANTA STOP HEAR!"

Wax Seal

These wax seal initial necklaces from Eng Lady are nice. We used a "W" wax seal on our wedding invitations, but I lost it somewhere along the way.

In the Spirit...

Okay, I'm not Catholic, and I'm not a Josh Groban fan per se, but my Pandora Christmas channel just pulled up "Ave Maria" by the angel-throated Mr. Groban, and I might have gasped a little. It is beautiful.

I couldn't find "Ave," but here's "O, Holy Night," which might be even better... Enjoy.



Create a MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com


Also, I might have started crying one time in the cool down of a yoga class when they played "You Raise Me Up" by, apparently my favorite artist, Josh. Can I nickname him Jo Gro?

I have to hit Target this afternoon for a few odds and ends--I think one of those might have to be Josh's Christmas CD...

Check Us Out

Sister-in-law posted some baby-anticipating, family pics taken for the Wooten Christmas card. Go see.

The Lion and the Lamb

from Every Eskimo's Esty shop

Nursery Progress

We repaired and cleaned up a chair for Carter (because he's too good for just a stool). He declared with great drama that he would never sit on the stool. It was like a vow or something. All I can say is that I used a lot of hot glue and Endust on that wicker.

I hung some pictures (with bows!).


The changing table has a bulletin board, basket, lamp, and pad... but no pad cover yet. I tried to hide that still-in-box Diaper Genie back there to the right, but it's insistently peeking out anyway. Curtains need to come down soon. The linen and shelf brackets cradled on the changing pad are awaiting their lofty destiny elsewhere.


I sewed velcro to each crib skirt panel and to the frame of the crib so that 1) they could be easily removed for washing and 2) they could be easily removed to access to storage space underneath the crib. They're pretty humble right now, but stay tuned for a mean flowery trim coming soon.

The bumper pad panels have been cut out and artfully draped where they will eventually go. I'm thinking of it as an avant garde kind of bumper pad installation. The mattress pad and crib sheet are soon to be Dreft-ed and installed.


Look, I made pillow cases out of my leftover scraps from the bumper pad velveteen and bulletin board damask. Good for those of us around here who need extra lumbar support.

My Affection for Gold Spray Paint Knows No Bounds

It's Christmas time up in here.

Thought Bubble

I like the idea of something like this for a birth announcement... but instead of a pillow, we'll have a cushy, snuggley little babe in the background.... and obviously, it would say "Charlotte Bradly" or "I'm here," or "6 lbs. 2 oz." or something.