Birthday party season :: ctd

I made it! About right in time! I just finished two more drawstring bags, for two of M.'s friends this time. These two are slightly different from the other one I made earlier this week - in that I didn't line them, but used a particular technique to finish them off nicely on the inside. If you're interested in finding out what it was that I did, you're lucky, as I plan to write down everything in a tutorial, hopefully somewhere next week.

Don't you like the drawing? It's from M.'s hand - I love her black pen drawings... She made this picture after seeing the fashion insert in a newspaper. In case you're wondering - no, I don't own a Chanel purse...

Need to go now as I still have a zillion things to get done before I'll go pick up the girls from school!

Have a great weekend!
P.

Birthday party season

It has been a crazy week so far. Busy as usual - just a normal week except for an emergency dental appointment on my behalf - but with K. gone for most part of this week things have been a little wild for me. Today he'll be back, though! Everything back to normal...sort of. The girls have busy calendars right now - with sports events dominating last weekend and birthday parties the weekend to come - three to be precise (good two of M.'s friends have decided to have their parties together!)! So, we'll be busy wrapping presents the next few days. We got all of the presents yesterday, so that's a good thing, and the girls will take care of the wrapping. They like to do this themselves. They love to decorate their friends' presents and to write little messages on them. I always keep a stock of (colored) plain wrapping paper or craft paper at hand. With that and colorful markers they come a long way in giving the presents a little personal touch!

A couple of times I've also sewn a fabric bag to wrap the presents in. And that's exactly what I've been doing yesterday evening for H.'s best friend, whose birthday is coming up next Sunday. H. made a portrait, which I scanned and reduced and then printed on - yes, you've guessed it - iron-on transfer paper (I didn't forget to mirror-print this time - isn't that amazing?!). The result you can see above. I'm actually really pleased with the way it turned out. Making a drawstring bag like this is fairly easy. What makes this one special are the details, not in the least the nice portrait H. drew. She used opaque pigment markers which I got a long time ago. They're meant to be used on terracotta, tile, wood... but we've used them for many other "applications" as well, like decorating wrapped up presents... and now this portrait. They have this velvety look, almost like when using soft pastels, only they don't rub off like soft pastels do. And because of their opacity they are extremely well suited for scanning pictures, I noticed. Something to remember.

The bag was just hands-on sewing. Took the scissors - cut the fabric (linen and cotton, same as usual) - sewed the seams and that's basically it. I might write everything down, as I plan on making one for H. too. I did a drawstring bag for M. a long time ago (she liked it and is still using it!) but H. never got one of those. First, however, I need to make two more for M.'s friends. Though I think I might go for an even simpler version, without the lining to start with...

Nested eggs

Was it the feathers on the beach or just me longing for spring, but as I was cleaning up my little craft corner and came across a bobbin of metal wire, I had this Aha-moment: a bird nest with felted eggs! (Some of you might remember the wire-wrapped felted heart from a while ago). I didn't do much crafting over the past two weeks (to the extent that I feel a little deprived...) since the kids are on winter break, but last night I had a go at it. And here's the result with a short how-to. Hope you'll like it as much as we do!



For this craft you'll need:

- metal wire, round nosed pliers and cutting pliers
- a small amount of roving, felting needles and a foam pad for needle felting the eggs
- some raffia, or other bits and pieces (newspaper, fabric, burlap, yarn, grass, twigs,...) for weaving into the nest

Step 1: Wire-wrap the nest and eggs.

Try to do so without cutting the wire - keeping the wire in one piece. Start at one side of the nest and bend, twist, turn, ... ending with the loop part for hanging. Don't worry about the wire popping up or not staying put while you go. You can correct this later with your round nosed pliers. Cut wire with the cutting pliers and wrap the end around somewhere on the side, to secure. Now, using your round nosed pliers you can perfect the wire-wrapped nest, shape the eggs,...

Step 2: Needle felt the eggs
I've used soft tones for this project, but of course the possibilities are endless. You could try to do colorfully decorated Easter eggs, for one thing. Use your imagination! First felt a little piece slightly bigger than the egg on your foam pad. Next, put the nest with eggs on top and wrap the excess over the wire and felt to secure. Keep punching those needles, flipping the project a couple of times to avoid everything getting stuck to the foam pad and in order to have both sides nicely and evenly felted. Don't worry about the wire showing, this actually adds to the charm of the project. As I wanted the eggs to look like eggs (well, sort of...) I added a little roving as I went, to give them some "body".

Step 3: Weave in some raffia or anything else you have at hand.

Other options: I think this project would work well with papier-mâché eggs, which you could paint then. This would make it a suitable project for kids (which needle felting certainly is not!!).
Need to try this with my girls!

Egg-free Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

We made some Chocolate Chip Cookies this afternoon!! The three girls together! We just did our first tasting and they are GOOD!! Really good! M. took one to gym-class now for her coach...

We haven't done any baking since, well... I believe since we've left California. We used to bake a lot. From cookies over bread to fruit pies. For quite a while I would bake all of our bread. The bread soon became a staple at potluck dinners. I just loved every single step in the process: the kneading, seeing it rise, the smell while it's rising or in the oven, the excitement every time you take it out of the oven, as every loaf looks different from the previous one, the sound of the knife in the freshly baked crust...
Since we moved to Paris, there is no incentive for baking our own bread anymore. We have at least ten bakeries within close walking distance...and the bread here is SO good - what did I say? Outrageously good!

For cookies and pies, Martha Stewart was my main resource. I just loved her recipes. I subscribed to Living and Food Every Day, would buy the specials,...
However, we had one limitation: no eggs! no nuts! - as one of our girls was diagnosed with a severe egg and nut allergy when she was about six months old. As most baking recipes call for eggs, baking cookies was quite a challenge at the beginning. That is, until I found out about EnerG's Egg Replacer. It took a while to get the dosage right, but once that problem solved, we could make just about everything - and I believe I can say no one ever noticed there weren't any eggs involved! Baking became a fun activity with the kids. Especially little H. enjoyed our baking sessions.



The absolute favorite were our egg-free chocolate chip cookies. The recipe below is an adaptation from a Martha recipe - tried-and-true! Instead of using water to dissolve the egg-replacer, as suggested on the box, I use milk - something I do for most baking recipes. Also, the egg-replacer tends to color down the cookies a bit, so I've replaced part of the granulated sugar by light brown sugar. Depending on your oven, you might also want to increase the baking time a bit. Just keep an eye on them as they bake!
A batch of these usually doesn't last long, here!

Egg-free chocolate chip cookies

US version
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 teaspoons egg-replacer dissolved in 8 tablespoons (lukewarm) milk
2 cups semisweet- or milk-chocolate chips, or a combination of both (about 12 ounces; Trader Joe’s semisweet are great!)

European version
250 g self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
150 g unsalted butter, softened
150 g granulated sugar
50 g packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 teaspoons egg-replacer dissolved in 120 ml (lukewarm) milk
200 g dark or milk chocolate chips, or a combination of both; if you can't find chocolate chips, just smash a bar of chocolate to pieces...

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175-180°C). Whisk together flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl beat together on medium speed butter and sugars until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce to low speed and add vanilla and dissolved egg-replacer; mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. If necessary, add more milk, one tablespoon at a time and no more than two. Stir in chocolate chips.
2. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through baking time, until centers are set and edges are golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature up to 1 week (but they usually don’t last that long…).

A little side-note: As I don't have a decent mixing bowl nor a good mixer, the batter would keep splattering around. I had already moved the whole setting to the counter near the sink, when M. got a paper plate. "Hey, wait a minute! That's a great idea! Let's cut a hole in it and place it between the mixer and bowl", I said. The girls thought it was hilarious, but it worked! A more transparent plate would have worked even better! And M.? She went to get her little camera...

Disclaimer: Before starting, make sure to check all the labels of all ingredients you're about to use for the presence of possible allergens!!

January 20th, 2009

... inauguration day of Obama! The world is watching... And so will we!
But also: Daddy's birthday!! Double hurray!


The girls have been really busy in anticipation of their Daddy's birthday. Last week they've secretly made this banner, a tradition by now in our household. I love the little details. Did you see the glasses? A little inside joke, as K. has been complaining about his sight lately. They found it hilarious when he couldn't read the instructions on a package of rice noodles last week. Hence, the glasses!



Also last week, they've made this painting. Together, we browsed through "The weekend artist"-book to find the concept. They decided to use the stamping method, using a plastic yogurt cup and an empty spice jar. M. came up with the idea of adding crosses -- kisses! -- in the center. Doesn't it look great? I only helped them painting the background. Everything else is theirs - including the choice of colors! Of course, they couldn't wait giving it, excited as they were, so he got the painting over the weekend, as an early gift.

Me, however, I didn't come up with anything yet, I'm afraid...Bad planning, again!

So, what about lunch today? Just the two of us...


Update: I did find something! Cool, isn't it! Thanks to One Pretty Thing I discovered the Obamicon.me site where you can create these. Check it out!

Happy birthday!
Love
xo

Sewing too

"What's so interesting about an apple, bread, a plate and coffee?" That was H. yesterday when she saw me taking this picture. She's right. Nothing. But that wasn't what this picture was about. I just wanted to take a picture of the napkin with the napkin ring her sister made. M. made it the night before. She'd disappeared again in her room, but not to write, read or draw this time, but to sew! And it was a present for ME! Just like that. For no reason. Though initially meant to be a bracelet, we decided to re-purpose it as a napkin ring -- I guess I have big hands. I thought it was really cute. She made it with things she found in her own stash -- the piece of fabric came with a jar of jam someone offered me, the flower she got from her aunt. She even threaded the needle herself.

I think it goes really well with the table set my mom sent me a couple of years ago for my birthday.
So, thank you M.! Thank you so much!

Kitchen science lab

Santa came a little early this year. Mommy Santa and Daddy Santa couldn't wait any longer, I guess... The girls were really happy with the presents they found under the tree this morning. An absolute topper was the experiment kit Santa brought for M. - something K. spotted while we were out hunting for Christmas presents over lunch break a couple of weeks ago. Both girls have been into "experiments" lately with all my glass jars disappearing into their rooms, filled up with, well, stuff: liquid stuff, colorful stuff, even yukky stuff. With this kit I won't have to go look in their rooms anymore for a jar with lid when making a vinaigrette. The science kit included, among other equipment, testing tubes and litmus paper strips. We almost ran out of litmus paper as we've been "experimenting" for a major part of our Sunday morning. The whole family got fascinated by these little pieces of paper changing color. Tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, coffee, vinegar combined with baking soda, salty water, coke, milk, apple juice,... you name it, we've tested it! Fun and exciting!!

Another fun thing Santa brought was this pompom maker. Some pink-purple pompoms have found their way into our Christmas tree already... No need to worry anymore about a lack of Christmas decorations ...

Christmas break, finally!

I'm glad the Christmas break finally is here. We so much are in need of a little break over here. I'm just off the antibiotics, feeling OK again. K. hasn't been feeling well for about a whole week now. He still has a couple of days in the office before he can take some time off. Little H. actually missed her last day of school. She came down with a fever on Thursday night (luckily that was after her Christmas recital in school, which she had been looking forward to so much), and told us she was "épuisée". And sure she was: she fell asleep on the sofa, was even too tired to have dinner. She stayed home from school on Friday, still sleepy and not hungry at all (which is very unlike her...). Today, however, she woke up just fine and I'm really happy about that. Now I keep my fingers crossed Margot won't get sick as both sisters like to share, even their glass of juice... They helped themselves this morning and prepared their own breakfast: one glass of juice and two straws! How sisterly cute...

I've added some pictures of (a selection of) the creations the girls brought home from school. They've done some cool things this term. I particularly like H.'s skeleton and body book - a project they've been working on in English class for several weeks. I can only say she has an incredibly good teacher! The body facts she came home with, the songs, rhymes and poems, the skeleton (did you notice the lungs - little balloons!) - really great! M. went to the "Musée Bourdelle" and made the head (I couldn't find the proper word, but I'm sure you know what I mean) out of clay during the on-site atelier they had afterward. I just love it! That's just another thing I like about breaks: the little treasures they bring home from school!

Finally, I'd like to conclude with this quote I read in an editorial today, from the French scientist and philosopher Lavoisier (1743-1794): "rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée, tout se transforme". I found this a very interesting thought - in the article it was used in the context of how we, humans, deal with the Earth and its resources. Just think about it...

Have a fun and relaxing weekend!

Goodbye present

Just a quick post to show off the little goodbye present M. made last night for a classmate who's moving to the other side of the world over the Christmas break. She made a couple of these last year for her Californian girlfriends (pictures below). It's an easy craft for little hands with not too much sewing involved. The felt zippered purse we still had (I got a bunch of these last year at "Le Pain d'Eipces", one of my favorite toy and craft stores here in Paris). The decoration, however, is from M.'s hand. She chose the felt flower, the fabric in the middle and a matching button, things I keep at hand for small projects like this one. All she had to do was to sew on the button, the rest being caught underneath. She embroidered the stem and leaf, and ready! This project took only about half an hour (designing included), but I think it looks really cute.
Oh, and the painting underneath is one H. made: a mandala, colored in with the watercolor paint Sinterklaas brought. I think this one will make it to our kitchen wall...

Some of last year's little purses...

Love in a box

We had quite a busy but fun weekend. Oma Nicole and Opa Bert visited us and brought the presents Sinterklaas dropped off in Brussels for the girls. The girls really enjoyed the special attention only grandparents can give. There was a lot of laughter, silliness, cuddling-up and "conspiracy" (H. packed some personal belongings as she wanted to go back to Brussels with Oma and Opa). As the weather was nice (though cold) we walked quite a bit through Paris and showed the Montmartre area, made a long walk along the Seine, went to the the Marché aux Fleurs et Oiseaux (maybe not such a smart thing to do as M. really wanted to adopt one of those cute, fluffy, little rabbits).
And in between all these activities and M.'s homework we even found time to make lots of snow flakes (thanks to maya*made: newspaper snowflake garland: a tutorial - as I was a little lazy we just used Origami paper instead of cutting our own squares) and to decorate and fill up our shoe box for the "Love in a Box" project which was due today. With just some tissue paper, a couple of snowflakes, glitter and lots of glue we were able to produce a really nice box. I hope we'll make a little girl happy with the small gifts inside.
Inspired by the first box, M. wanted to decorate a box of her own to stuff her little secrets inside. We worked on it together after grandma and grandpa had left and this one too turned out beautifully. I really like how she decorated the lid: yellow for the day, blue for the night.
The craft paper Sinterklaas brought came to a good use already... Dank u, Sinterklaasje!

A creative night

We had a fun, creative evening tonight! We had an early dinner and then, instead of winding down in front of TV, the girls and I decided to do some crafts. I'd started a collage earlier this afternoon that I was more than happy to finish. And when I told M. that I really liked her self portrait I saw this morning in school, she wanted to make some more of that (they worked with soft pastels in art class). H. joined in and chose to work with some aquarel paint she still had left from a birthday present and tried the pastels too. And here are the results! M. made the nice tulip and another self portrait, H. did the three hearts and the colorful, happy house. (I still need to glue them onto the background paper and then these pictures are ready to go onto our kitchen wall!) Done that!!



The idea for the "what's cooking?"-collage came this afternoon when I was trying to figure out what we should have for dinner tonight. K.'s still out of town and usually he comes up with something when I'm running out of ideas for meals. After this collage and with the other stuff I still had on my to do list, for sure it had to be something fast and easy. And fast and easy it was!