Travel Copenhagen

Tivoli Gardens - especially for Biggity

René Redzepi's Noma - excellent article on Noma at The New Yorker.

Gavin - children's clothing

Travel: Charleston

I don't really want to visit Charleston, per se. But I do want to visit Sean Brock's two restaurants, which happen to be there:
Husk
McCrady's

The reason being this excellent article about Sean Brock's cooking at The New Yorker (you may need a subscription to view this).

Lexicilogy: Flora

English-French-Latin names for flowers at Earthly Pursuits

Books To Read

China Miéville's Embassytown - "read" it as an audiobook for reasons of the language

Why you should read it.

15.xii.11 UPDATE: Excellent read. The audio book does a great job of conveying Ariekei Language.

Party Planner

Just a list. Not necessarily in this combination.

Hallelujah! Party in a box:
Amanda Jane Jones's grown up versions of Party in a Box - courtesy of Oh Happy Day!
Acme Party Box Collection
Make it Mine Parties

Themes
All about (oversized) balloons at Design Mom
Dinosaurs at Wants & Wishes - active volcano cakes (recipe here!)

Miscellaneous
Zubbles - coloured bubbles
Origami lidded boxes by Dave Brill

Invitations
Mini Frisbees
A message in a whiffle ball, perhaps?
Inflatable Beach Balls by Silke Stoddard over at the Crafts Department - perfect if the ball idée fixe sticks around.

Decor
Paper Airplane Garland at Armelle - I'd like to see a room-spanning garland like this!
Huge Balloons with streamers from Geronimo! - expensive
Felt Balls from YUMMI Shop - there must be a use for these!
Whiffle garland?
Re-nest's Newspaper Pom Poms
Jordan Ferney's Frilly Streamers at Oh Happy Day!
Origami Waterballs for a Garland at The Hurried Housewife
Tissue Pom Poms by Prost to the Host
DIY Tissue Pom Poms at Martha Stewart
Paper Lollies by Make and Takes
Tissue Paper Garland at Prudent Baby
Fabric Pennants at Form and Reform
Ruffled Streamers at My Paper Crane
Pennant Cupcake Toppers at Fog and Thistle

Favours
DIY Molded crayons and glitter crayons at Mini Eco
Chalkboards by Making It Lovely - she suggests them for New Year's Resolutions.
Molded Crayons from Lil Doodlers
DIY Scratchers at ArtMind - just remember: detergent + metallic paint!
DIY Animal Crackers and Bags at Celebrate Creativity
Superhero lollipops at Zakka Life.
Kick Balls!
Traditional Medallions by Twig & Thistle
Mod Medallions by Alissia Melka-Teichroew
Match Boxes at The Storque
Toys on top of cupcakes = Party favours and toppers
Clown noses
Top Hats
Thaumatropes
Martha's Bouncy Ball Party Favours

Food
Black Dinah Chocolatiers Froglets
Molten Chocolate volcano cakes recipe at Wants and Wishes
Cupcake topper pennants like these at Oh Happy Day
Cupcakes in a Jar at Cakies - a bit mooshed looking ... hmmm. Might rethink the presentation (i.e., shorter jar, no layers?)
Cake Pops
Planetary Cake Pops by Paper, Plate, and Plane - Marbelizing Candy at Wilton.
Inarizushi at Ready-Made
Chirashi by Tea and Cookies
Red Velvet [Cup]Cakes
Popsicles

Activities
Poof Balls at Tops Malibu, courtesy of Oh Happy Day
Dinosaur Egg Hunt at Wants & Wishes - eat the "eggs" afterward!

Costumes
Rabbit Mask

Suprises
Balloons in boxes and out the window at On-Hand + Modern

Christmas Crackers

Ready-Made
Robin Reed - especially their Concerto Crackers!
Tom Smith
Roundup at The Independent - Smythson's sound nice
Wee Birdie's covetable roundup - with links to more!

DIY
Templates by Kate at Minni Eco (more great, and often kid-centric, Mini Eco tutorials here)

Dollhouses: Prêt-a-Porter

Casas de Beltrán - Spanich architecture, refreshingly different from the usual crop

Image by Upon a Fold
A less practical dollhouse but very pretty in all its pristine paper whiteness.

Maileg Mouse Milk Carton House

More Paper:
Kroom's cardboard dollhouse.

Joe Freedman's beautiful but 1/2" scale paper dollhouse.


Wood:
Image by Playsam
Check out the curves on this beauty by Eva Schildt, available from Playsam.
Image by David Lee Design
This is an intriguing design from David Lee Design. Be sure to visit his site for more pictures of it unfolded. It should be available in October. I am waiting to hear back how much it will cost. I am a bit worried about its scale. It seems a bit small for 1:12.
17.xi.10 UPDATE: I read somewhere that this is not 1:12. What a dreadful shame! I believe it is 1:18 or something along those lines.

Image by Our Children's Gorilla
Nice geometry here with punchy colours.
Available from Our Children's Gorilla and other retailers.

Decor:
Image by Chen Karlsson
And if you do not have room for a dollhouse, not even a roombox, you can shell out for this clever display.

Plans:
Betsy McCall Dollhouse No. 150W

Digital:
Online subscription based Digital Dollhouse.

Art:
Heather Benning's giant dollhouse installation.

And I must not forget I still have this hiding on top of the refrigerator. Tsk, tsk.

Sewing Techniques

Tutorials galore at Colette Patterns

Bias Tape

Printable (!!) Bias Tape Makers by The Scientific Seamstress - 1/2" wide single fold bias tape version and 1" wide single-fold bias tape version.

Fastest method I have seen yet at Prudent Baby.

Tutorial at Don't Look Now!

Tutorial at Posie Gets Cosy

And if you cannot find your bias tape maker, here is Creative Little Daisy's tutorial.

Gifts: DIY Food

The Easiest Cookies Ever at Blog Con Queso, courtesy of Design Mom - not very haute cuisine but apparently easy and tasty!

2011 Xmas Toys

Melissa & Doug's Folding Castles - Fold & Go Castle
and the even better Folding Medieval Castle (hmmm, I can see some decorating possiblities there!)
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins

Blog Tips For David, Part Four: Pages

STEP 1: Activate Pages Gadget

Select Design Tab.


Select Add a Gadget.


Select Pages in the new window that appears.


Edit (if you want to) and save.


Save new blog layout. You have enabled Pages for your blog.


STEP 2: Use Pages

1. Select Posting tab and then Edit Pages. Select New Page button.


2. Add anything you want here ... just like a post.
It will live on the new page and not mingle with your regular posts on the home page.

Add text.
Add links.
Add images.

Publish and view page or blog.


3. Here is how it looks:



You can create up to ten pages.

Now when you select Edit Pages, you will see all pages all as icons. You can view, edit, and/or delete them as you wish.


STEP 3: Rename, reorder, delete pages.

1. View Blog; click on crossed screwdriver and wrench icon.


2. You can drag and rearrange the order of the pages, rename them, or hide them here.


3. Remember: to delete a page, visit the Posting tab and then the Edit pages link.

Scarf Tying

Courtesy of Making It Lovely.

Grub: Hallowe'en

Ghost Meringues at Anthologie
Eyeball Cookies at Craft Gossip
Snakes on a Stick at Food.com
Anatomical jellies.
Cthulhu like Spaghetti Dogs by Plum Pudding.

These might look great with meat balls too. Can you boil meatballs?

Cinéma Verité: Amy Merrick at Design Sponge

Amy Merrick at Design Sponge tells you how to live like they do in the movies.

Some Personal Favourites:
Fortnight Oxfords from Howards End
Lana Shoes from Heathers
Pith Helmet from The Sheltering SKy
Holly Golightly's sleep mask from Fled Flare

(Good Looking) Chocolate

Clever Pie Chart from Chocolate Editions - also their funny Googly Eyes
Ticket Kitchen's ingot-like chocolates on a stick - I love how the mint squares are jammed into the chocolate of these (courtesy of Simplesong)

Connect Four

It is all Making It Lovely's fault: a dreamy photo of Connect Four, being played by her darling daughter, and mention that the pieces are pink and brown!
Now, what is not to like about Connect Four? And how to resist one that is as pretty as this one? I am even willing to overlook the JC packaging.
My rationale is that it will make an excellent fine motor skills development tool for Big Boy. As for the pink, well, he can use the brown discs.

19.x.11 UPDATE: CB2 is carrying a beautiful version of this in Monkey pod wood and rubberwood. Sold!
Image by CB2.

T-Shirt Hack

Becky's T-shirt widening tutorial at Craftzine - not that I would ever need to make a T-Shirt bigger.

Dollhouse: Inspiration

Image from The NY Times Magazine
General:
Enfilade - but at a Gustavian scale not a Baroque scale
Eloise Moorehead's renovation of her childhood dollhouse - but also anything else she has to say on the subject of dollhouses.

Now I know what to do with that small, white, glass Red Rose rabbit that has been rattling around my kitchen.

Diary of a Dollhouse
Lucy May Schofield's Dolls House
Lonny's 2010 1 Week Challenge Dollhouse from Curbed.
Mousehouse's bright and pretty, but still modern, playline renovation.
Michael Williams's Johnathan Adler-esque Barbie House - this one is actually a set of dioramas but is has a great, bold sense of colour and pattern.


Architecture:
Secret Rooms - Meghan Boody’s at The NY Times Magazine (courtesy of Eloise Moorehead) - The Secret Playroom reminds me of my less tricked-out cupboard childhood lair

Walls:
Phases of the moon like those by Bartsch
Cole & Sons Woods wallpaper - ominous
Cole & Sons Woodstock wallpaper - à la Suspiria

Stairs:
A ribbon for a runner like at Making It Lovely

Painted Wall Patterns

Not wall paper but painted walls from Bartsch - I agree with Jordan Ferney, Croissants de lunes are the best

Container Gardening

Compact and integral system Mobile Food Garden by Nancy Wang (Courtesy of Shoebox Dwelling) - elegant but are those pots really big enough?

Big Wooden Boats

Image by Postlerferguson
What
Where
And here too.

Cottage Town

Remember Minature Gardens and Thyrza Segal's creatures?

In a similar vein: Cottage Town by Ontwerpduo. From their site:

Change your potplant into a mini village with 'Cottage Town', and ordinary plants will be turned into huge trees or fields. These tilted tiny constructions in soft colours are made of waterproof 'paper', and can resist rain from a watering can. Fold and place your own house into the nicest plant you can find, or give away as a present with the enclosed wishcard.

Available at BijzonderMooi

Book Stand

Image from Levenger.
I have always wanted one of these in a kitchen for cookbooks. I need to get the kitchen big enough to hold it first!

Night Stands

DH said look at these. He likes this one.

I like these:
Kalon Studios Caravan Dresser - mod lines in wood
This oldie but goodie from Martha Stewart

Levenger actually has some promising tables for readers:

Periodical table - imagine an Ipad on that lower, sloped shelf.

An argument for a higher bedside table at Apartment Therapy.
Inspiration at Apartment Therapy NY

Poufs

DIY Moroccan Pouf by Bromeliad - pattern and tutorial

Humidifiers

Anton by Stadler Form - review at Shoebox Dwelling.

Naoto Fukasawa for Plus Minus Zero - $$$$ at Japan Trend Shop

(Big) Baskets

I need a robust, huge basket in which to put some huge blankets that are in heavy circulation but always underfoot.

Pottery Barn's Beachcomber Baskets fit the bill but those handles!
Crate & Barrel's Basay Basket is in a similar vein

Spoons

Image from Leif.
Glittery but not impractical spoons by Leif (courtesy of Making It Lovely) - they also have tart and salad servers!

Grub: Breakfasts-To-Go

Crustless Mini Quiches at The Kitchn
Ham and Cheese Casserole at, again, The Kitchn - Aychihuahua recommends not cubing the bread.
Heidi Swanson's Cottage Cheese Muffins.

Shawls

What are nupps?

Echo Flower by Jenny Johnson Johnen
Evelyn Clark's Swallowtail
Funky Summit Shawl - are those snakes or circles?
That Peacock Shawl by Gail Nightsong.
Canary Knits Wishlist - Aeolian and Laminaria are pretty.
Torreyana Shawl

Shawl Yarns To Consider:
Tanis Fiber Arts Pink Label

Garden Wishlist

Image by Botanical Interests.

Ornamentals:
Porcelain Berries, 'Elegans' - invasive?
Viola Cornuta 'Black Magic'
Varigated Nutmeg Geranium
Heuchera
Nectaroscordum siculum
Thunbergia alata "Spanish Eyes"

Edibles:
Kumguat or Mandarinquat Tree
Hairy Cucumbers
Costoluto Genovese
Borage

Tools:
Besom √

Decor:
Bamboo and twig trellises

When Sam Is Older:
Japanese Lanterns/Physalis alkekengi

Style: Mrs. Frederick

Image from Warehouse 13
When I grow up, I want to look like Mrs. Frederick.
(Isn't C.C.H. Pounder the best?)

Big Boy: Clubhouse

Mossy's Under the Stairs Clubhouse - So much better than Harry Potter's (courtesy of Making It Lovely)

Apparel: Interesting Big Boy Clothes

Zara Kids - I wish that they extended their baby sizes up... the boys stuff is not as cute.
Tea Collection
Olive Juice
Black Kite - great prints on their wovens

Dollhouses: Tools

Small Manual Saws
Karin Corbin's Roundup - the flush cutting saw sounds useful!

Digital Calipers:
Karin Corbin's Review
Amazing Miniatures's Review
Wixey

Miter Cutter
MidwestProducts Ultimate Cutter - Amazing Miniature's Pick
Miter Master

Needle-tip Glue Applicator

Micro-Mark's Magnetic Gluing Jig

Clamps

Dollhouse: Amsterdam Canal House

Image from Our Lord In the Attic.

Josje's Canal House - this is exactly what I had in mind!

The Crooked House from Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place
Anne Frank House
Getty - nice sections and elevations

Cookie Ziemba's 17th Century Dutch Canal Dollhouse - built by Peter Mattinson
NGA Kids - Interactive Dutch Dollhouse

Related:
75 1/2 Bedford Street - not Dutch and not a canal house but narrow and reminiscent; great description by wallyg.

Jewelry: Lockets

I love the idea of glass or gemstone lockets where you can see, not always clearly, what is inside.

Basil the Cat's lovely vintage, refurbished moonstone four-in-one locket

But Beklina has some very pretty French enamelled lockets.

More pretty lockets, er, "safekeepers," at Old Gold Boutique - they even have a camera!

Dollhouse: DIY Supplies

Architectural Elements
Miniatures.com

Victorian Dollhouse
Swan House - nice selection of architectural elements

Decor:
Itsy Bitsy Mini - wallpaper, fabric ... murals!

Furniture & Tchoktes:
Kari Bloom - Arts and Crafts and other retro style furniture
Marquis Miniatures - messy, nitty-gritty accessories of life

Many, many of these were discovered while reading Eloise Morehead's blog.

Besom

So this is where you find a besom (a real, workhorse deal of a besom and not a Wiccan altar besom):

Moontree Forge & Broom on Etsy - her long whisk brooms remind me those Indonesian street brooms; this is the one I have (and love).
Justamere Tree Farm - seen in Martha Stewart Living 10/2009
Hida Tool & Hardware Company
Building for Health Eco-Center

Or you can make your own.

Sprout

Evan Gant's ingenious Sprout topper for empty milk jugs in order to better deliver water to plants.

DIY Masks

Image by Martha Stewart

Maholo felt masks at Etsy (and capes too!)

Bird Masks at Martha Stewart

Beautiful Inspiration by Lenaah

Milk Jug Bat Masks at Filth Wizardry.

Oodles of downloadable masks courtesy of Super Punch (the official Star Wars ones are superb not to mention the Clone Wars ones, and these earlier Star Wars ones)

Paint-by-Number Murals

Prêt-à-porter Paint-by-Number mural: wallpaper by WallPaintbyNumber.
Making It Lovely piqued my interest in PBN's as murals with her round up:
I love how Curtis Robinson's PBN mural wraps the corner but would have forgone the red barn wall treatment.
Beautiful inspiration at Camp Wandawega.
Cabin Collective does these too.

Elly MacKay

Steam and Sails by Elly MacKay.

Based on her process shots and descriptions, she appears to be photographing a type of collage, or more accurately, a set, carefully lit within a toy theater. They feel very evocative to me and dreamy without being too sweet. Steam and Sails (shown in this post) is on its way for display Big Boy's room. I was interested to learn that she studied in Nova Scotia too.

EllyMackay.com
Theater Clouds is her Etsy Shop.
And she shares her approach along with some dreamy process shots here.

Yarn Stores

Artfibers - They are back in the city on Sutter near Grant!
266 Sutter St., third floor (elevator)
San Francisco CA 94108
Phone: 415.956.6319
Toll Free: (888) 326-1112
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday: 11-6 closed Monday
http://www.artfibers.com


Jimmy Beans Wool - excellent online service; Panda Silk available
5000 Smithridge Drive #A11, Reno NV 89502
Phone (775)827-YARN (9276)
Toll Free (877) JBW-KNIT (529-5648)
http://www.jimmybeanswool.com

Atelier Yarns
1945 Divisadero St
San Francisco, CA 94115-2518
(415) 771-1550
http://www.atelieryarns.com/

Imagiknit - massive selection
3897 18th St. (at Sanchez)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 621-6642
Monday-Saturday 11-6:30, Sunday 11-4
http://www.imagiknit.com/

PURL
137 Sullivan Street
New York, NY 10012
phone: (212)420-8796
(212) 420-8798
Monday through Friday 12-7;
Saturday and Sunday 12-6
http://www.purlsoho.com/purl

Granny Circle

Image from Where Your Heart Is. (But first spied at Oh Happy Day!)

Note that stool cover as a possible cosy cover idea for the bathroom's toddler step stool. I could totally make that!

UPDATE: Apparently, this is a cover to beautify a rattan stool.

Tops

Colourful and beautiful Klaus Mader tops at The Wooden Wagon
Handcarved Japanese Wooden Tops at The Curiousity Shoppe - I have one of these and they are gorgeous.

Zenith 548/E Plier Stapler

Beautiful, Italian office equipment.
Stapler of the Week has a nice biography of the Zenith Stapler.
I was driven to purchase one by Oh Happy Day! (a name that is cropping up around here more and more!)

You can find these at:
Silver Crow Creations
Plastica
Castle in the Air
Amazon
ASC - best price!

Light Balls

Spherical, colourful lights from La Case de cousin Paul, Courtesy of Oh Happy Day!

Also available locally at Kinokuniya in J-Town.

Florists

Studio Choo
c/o Prairie Collective
262 Divisadero Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
Wednesday through Saturday 12 to 6PM
Sunday 12 to 4PM
T: (415) 624-5981
http://www.studiochoo.com/

French Tulip
3903 24th Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Monday – Sunday
T: (415) 647.8661
http://www.frenchtulip.com


Birch
3263 sacramento street
san francisco, ca 94115
415.922.4724
tuesday through friday 10 to 5 pm
saturday noon to 5, unless booked with an event

or

564 hayes street
san francisco, ca 94102
415.626.6860
tuesday, wednesday and saturday 12 to 6
thursday through friday 12 to 7
sunday 12 to 5
http://www.birchsf.com

DIY: Exploration Bottle

I first saw one of these up close at the vacation house we stayed at recently. It seemed to be geared towards grown up but even Big Boy was curious about it. Then recently, I saw a lot of online buzz about The Crafty Nest's nicely executed DIY versions.

SHOPPING LIST:
Empty bottle - Vanessa uses a Voss bottle in her tutorial and I think she nailed it aesthetically. I had a terrible time sourcing the plastic version of the bottles locally but finally found some at the local Bristol Farms.
Tchotkes - anything non perishable and interesting that you can fit through the neck of the bottle. My button jar is a bit bare but I hit the motherlode online at the Sausalito Ferry Co. Other sources could include Etsy and Tiny Things Are Cute.
Filler - the tutorial uses popcorn but I am toying with using rice or orzo.
Glue

I will post photos once it is complete!

Chalkboards

Outdoor chalkboards at Ohdeedoh and Angry Chicken - could this work on a balcony too? Hmmm.

Wallcandy Arts Mini Chalkboards - I have had these for a while for we grown ups and they're great! Just recently, I did a second, lower installation for Big Boy. It's been a hit.

Eton Suit

Big Boy needs an Eton Suit to wear at his Godmother's wedding.

What is an Eton Suit?

From 1820[24] until 1967, boys under the height of 5'4" were required to wear the 'Eton suit', which replaced the tailcoat with the cropped 'Eton jacket' (known colloquially as a "bum-freezer") and included an 'Eton collar', a large, stiff-starched, white collar. The Eton suit was copied by other schools and has remained in use in some, particularly choir schools. From the Wikipedia entry.

Blue Linen Suit at The Best Dressed Child.
Navy Blue Velvet Suit at The Best Dressed Child.
Navy Blue Navy Blue Pique Suit at The Best Dressed Child.
Black Leather Oxford shoes at The Best Dressed Child.
Patent Leather Oxfords at Dapper Lads.

Dollhouse: NYT Article with Sources

This New York Times article comes courtesy of a good friend in, suitably, NYC.
J. Courtney Sullivan's list of favourite online miniature sources form the article:

Boston Miniatures - apparently her go-to site.
Kent's Minis - especially for the laundry.
Amazing Miniatures - also a very good blogger.
Literature in Miniature - The Origin of Species or Mrs Beeton's Household Management is just what I need.
Tree Feathers - a miniature house of cards!
Pepperwood Miniatures - they do Tiffany lamps!
L. Delaney - clutter up your house in style and in scale.

Tiny Things Are Deadly

Enchanting but addictive sites for small, cute, and (un)necessary tchotchke:

Harapeko Doggy Bag Store - it always seems to have those Re-ment sets you can never find (or afford) elsewhere.

NRFB Queen - Priscilla really is the queen of reasonable Re-ment rates and wonderful service.

Tiny Things Are Cute - an as of yet outmatched inventory of quirky, cute, tiny thingamagigs (e.g., those houses!)

Decor: Swingline by Henry P. Glass

Nice summary of Henry P. Glass's swingline pieces by Whorange.

Decor: Glimpt

Swedish design duo that specialize in Scandalicious (i.e., Scandinavian + Delicious, word courtesy of Grassroots Modern), knockdown furniture with nice lines and bold pops of colour.

Decor: Snail Candles

Rad Megan's tutorial (via Craftzine) for snail shell candles inspired by that beautiful scene from a terrible movie based on a fantastic book (well, it is by Michael Ondaatje)

Art: David Barth

David Barth - pages filled with detailed animals, bugs, birds, and snakes!

Decor: Cable Management

Applecore International - I have a few different sizes of these. The small ones are especially good for earbuds ... and cute.

Søren Refsgaard's Great Ball of Wire - gotta try one!

Sunhats

I love sunhats and I love what they do (yes, I am one of those palid people).
Jordan Ferney reminded me of this with her recent, post-holiday photo/post. Her hat-crush is made by the
San Diego Hat Company

The local branch of The Gardener carries their highly covetable baskets/bags. It never occured to me, despite the obviousness of their name, that they might also carry highly covetable hats. The only thing that worries me is whether they will or will not fit. I have a massive head.

The Gardener

San Diego Hat Company

DIY Solid Perfume

Kate Pruitt's beautiful tutorial at Design Sponge - extra points for her choice of receptacle.
Fashion Art's and Kate Morawetz's tutorials let you use your own perfume.

Some possible receptacles:
Vintage Estee Lauder Flowering Tangerine box (Used by Kate Morawetz)
Vintage Estee Lauder Pleasures Solid Perfume Spinning Top Compact

Decor: Tubtrugs

If I had not found the wonderful, hose-able Land of Nod bins for Sam's room, I might have considered Tubtrugs.
Maybe the balcony could use one.

Kumquats

Two techniques to candy them by Katherine Martinelli

A larger, sweeter alternative: the mandarinquat

Four Winds Growers

Vietnamese Coffee

Kiss My Spatula's meditation on, and instructions for, Vietnamese Coffee ... the most delicious beverage ever.

Shopping List:

sweetened condensed milk
medium-ground, dark roast coffee with chiory (e.g., Cafe du Monde)
ice cubes
Vietnamese drip coffee filter
small glass
tall glass
spoon

Claire-Anne O'Brien

At the complete opposite end of the scale from Petit Tricotage, we have Claire-Anne O'Brien's jumbo knits:

Knit Stools
British Wool Chair

From her website:

"... Her work plays with technique and scale creating playful and tactile fabrics for interiors. This sculptural approach to textiles brings fabrics to life in three dimensions through form exploration and furniture."

Ukuleles: Chords and Tabs

Ukulele Hunt's Chord Tutorial
Ukulele Hunt's Tab Tutorial

Big Boy: Tunic

Because I have so much free time ... Made by Rae's awesome Charlie Tunic. I made the 2T, which fit for all of about five minutes. A size 3T is underway.

Rae used this tencel/linen blend from The Material Girls for the body and this fantastic print from Cosmo Cricket for the trim.


09/23/11 UPDATE: We caught Rae's eye! Yay!

05/31/11 UPDATE: Rae's released the pattern!
03/15/11 UPDATE: She's working on a pattern! ¡¡YAY!!

Technology: Dish Dryer

Image from Shoe Box Dwelling
If you love Dyson's Blade, you will love this concept dish dryer, called the Breez from a, ahem, Canadian designer, Andrew Parsons.

Travel: Seattle

Sights:
Observation Deck of the Columbia Tower - best, free overlook of Seattle ( with Starbcks at hand) courtesy of Not Martha
Food:

Eats:
High 5 Pie

Big Boy:
Frantic Foodie's staycation with kids

Travel: Hawaii

KAUAI

THINGS TO TRY
Ukuleles

Why buy one
How to choose one
How to play one

FOOD
Koloa Fish Market, 5482 Koloa Rd., Koloa, Kauai, (808) 742-6199 - get the poke, lau lau, and kalua pork

Rentals:
Shells at Poipu, 1660 Kelaukia Street, Poipu, Kauai
Plantation Cottage, 2254 Pane Rd., Poipu, Kauai
Marriott Timeshare Villas - kids activities and Marriott points but the nearby beach is rough
Waimea Plantation Cottages
Kiahuna Beachside - calm beach and " a GREAT toddler kiddy pool lined with sand" (BPN).

Things to see and do:
Slow Travel USA's kid-centric itinerary
Marriott Kauai Beach Club - feed the koi daily at 9:00 AM
Hilo Hattie's - they'll give everyone a shell lei at the entrance
Poipu Beach - you can see the sheltered area here in the background
Kauai Plantation Railway - at the Kilohana Plantation
Lydgate Beach - calm with lifeguards ... and fish!
Kamalani Playground (next to Lydgate)
Poipu Beach/Poipu, Kauai - good beach for kids ... with a nearby park
Dangers of Kauai
National Tropical Botanical Gardens - an easy toddler "hike"
Little girls' hula dancing at Coconut Marketplace, Wednesday at 5pm
Strings and Things, 5 5190 Kuhio Hwy., Hanalei, Kauai, (808) 826-9633 - LYS

Christy says:
Puka Dogs, Poipu Shopping Centre
The Fish Hut across form the P.O. in Kiloa Town
The Old Movie House, Kiloa Town
Roy's and Kioki's, Poipu Shopping Center
Toddler Beachwear - UV t-shirts from GAP + sunblock + umbrella
Whalers Cove - nice and right on the beach.
The Kauai Tree Tunnel is beautiful
Wild chickens
Hamura Saimin, Lihue, 2956 Kress St, Lihue, HI 96766, (808) 245-3271 - order "the special," large ... and the lilikoi pie!
Koloa Landing Cottages
The Whaler (condos – right on the ocean)
The Sheraton
Suite Paradise
Marriot Waipoli

Per the Berkeley Parents Board:
Baby's Away - equipment rentals

"Don't bring a stroller, there are no long paved places in Kauai to use them. It's all road or beach."

"I've heard that the north is better weather in the summer months, and the south has better weather in the winter. But you know the south is nice year round and has more baby friendly beaches ..."

"The North Shore is at it's best in the summer (June-September I think). Outside of those times it can be rainy and the surf can be rough."

OAHU

Things to see and do:
Matsumoto's Grocery, Oahu, Hawaii - Shaved Ice, Oahu

HAWAII

Things to see and do:
Yarn Basket, 50 East Puainako Street, Hilo, HI 96720, (808) 959-0034 - LYS
Tink n Ink, 73-5568 Olowalu Street, Kailua Kona, HI 96740 (808) 326-2820 - LYS

Leaf Identification

LeafSnap app by CU, UM, and the Smithsonian - I have been dreaming of this very thing forever!

Travel: San Francisco

Yeah, I live here. But I might not forever.
And maybe someone is planning a trip here?
And maybe I might need to entertain some visitors?


Saint Francis Fountain - Oldest
What/Where to eat in SF - according to 7x7, their 2010 version
Mighty Girl's handy-dandy Map Version of 7x7's list
Mighty Girl's list to visit like a local.

Must try:
Ilaria and Chinotto at Una Pizza NapoletanaMission Chinese, courtesy of Siri

Kid-Friendly Hikes courtesy of SF Gate

Art: Nina Lindgren

Nina Lindgren's Cardboard Heaven

Decor: Kast van een Huis Cabinets

Image from Tulp Kids
Meant for children's clothing storage but wouldn't you like to store all manner of your grownup stuff in these?

Sewing: Periodic Table

The Scientific Seamtress's free printable of this very clever poster.

La Clonette

Image from Facteur
Who is La Clonette?
Where can you find La Clonette?
How is she made?

Accouchement machine clonette by FC

Decor: Coil Lamp

Image from Craigton Berman.

Coil Lamp by Craighton Berman

Available as a kit or prêt-à-porter.

Decor: Lightbulbs

Image by Plumen.
Fear of incandescent bulb extinction is causing a mild panic in some circles (thanks for the link to the NY Times article, Siri!).

But these beauties from Plumen can help sweeten the change.

Totes

BAGGU Duck Tote - this was a pleasant suprise; I use my nutmeg one 99% of the time.

Moop, of course - I have/love a Rosewood Market Tote but I "need" The Porter and, possibly, The Very Useful Tote

BAGGU - These are my work horses. I have Big Baggus for laundry, Baggus for groceries, and Baby Baggus for everything else.

Gildem Leather Tote - not sure how it would handle a heavy load but, dang, it's pretty.

Apparel: Turbans

Remember all that hoo-hah about turbans over at Petit Tricotage? Well, apparently they are of interest in the 1:1 world too right now.

Say Yes To Hoboken shows how to wrap two turbans for everyday, rather than Norma Desmond, style.

Decor: Occasional Tables

Gnome Tables by Phillipe Starck for Kartell - especially the black version, seen in Kevin O'Shea's living room with a tray on top

Eileen Gray's glass & chrome adjustable end table

Elephant Tables

Decor: Balcony

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I think about the balcony a lot. It does have the Adirondack chair and the garden gloves but we're are doing the "right thing" and growing our herbs and vegetables in white food industry plastic buckets rather than beautiful planters.
That's why Design Sponge's post about Creating An Outdoor Room has me in a lather. Yes, I definately need an outdoor rug!

Tiered Serving Tray

I love tiered serving trays. They make me think of high tea.


Koziol's Collapsible Babell - you can find it at Amazon
DIY ÅRYD Server at Ikea Hackers

Rerooting

Pronged Reroot Tool

Buy one at Dolly Hair
Make one at Dolly Care
Use one at Dolly Hair

Knotted method - my favourite

Locked-loop method - default method for Blythes as seen at the Puchi Collective

I wonder if there is a way to combine the knotted method with the rerooting tool to avoid opening a Moof head?

Decor: JuJu Hats

Gorgeous feather hats from Cameroon - seen at Design Sponge

DIY faux hats at Flutter Flutter
Get the real deal at Authentic Africa

Apparel: Caftans

Weekend Designer sews a caftan (great images too).

WD's pearls of wisdom:

Measure from the nape of your neck down to the desired length: purchase twice this amount of 45″ [114cm] wide fashion fabric and four and a half times this amount of 2″ [50mm] wide flat braid trim .

Teacher Appreciation DIY

This year we put in chocolates, cute stationary items like jewel-toned bulldog clips, and a lotto ticket.

A Little Hut's Slide Lock Boxes (pictured) or Gift Boxes - next time use skinnier pencils or make slits longer

Cake Favour Boxes - Template at eWillow

Owl Gift Box template at Nina Makes - for wise teachers!

Quilt: Hoo-Ha (a.k.a. Cathedral Windows) Pouch

Patchwork Notes has a tutorial to make a very pretty small pouch that features Cathedral Windows.
Read the intro to get the joke.

NB: A great deal of hand sewing is involved!

Grub: Espresso

Presso by Patric Hunt - manual but some argue this makes coffee but not espresso (something about a lack of steam)

Handpresso - another hand-powered model that can work with or without pods; not as pretty as Presso but it has good reviews

Ye Ol' Moka Pot - still only for "espresso-like" coffee

But none of these seem able to make true espresso, according to the people who know ... or at least the opinionated people who post comments on the sites that feature these. More research is in order!