behind the pages of weekend handmade: photo shoot

Who knew that a photo shoot was such a coming-of-age process? A funny thing happened where it felt like all the projects I made and fussed over at home – like they all of a sudden grew up and headed off to college and I was visiting them in their new world.

I made them at my humble, messy dining room table. Then at the shoot, they were placed within gorgeous settings which prompted me to look at them anew – after photographer Thayer Allyson Gowdy, and stylist Karen Schaupeter interpreted them and imagined whole little worlds to surround them.

I’ll give you an example. Here is the photo I snapped of the planters that are on the cover of the book.

And here is the world that sprung up around them on the shoot (complete with adorable shoes.).

photos by Thayer

It was quite a magical process, watching these little projects head out into the big, wide world of Weekend Handmade.  

lazy summer visits pigeon toe ceramics

For this installment of Lazy Summer Radio, we’re back in Portland, chatting with Lisa from Pigeon Toe Ceramics. Want to know why her brand is called that, and why it’s so utterly gorgeous? Listen on, friends. She’s wonderful.

beach tunic transformation

I am gone! To the East Coast, where I hope to find summer rainstorms and lakes to swim in. But I can never really leave town without embarking upon some madcap project when I should really be doing laundry and packing my bags. This particular burst of energy resulted in transforming a huge beefy tee into a beach cover-up.

Three snips and one line of elastic thread, inspired by Heather’s love of the stuff (it really is like magic, and she gives a great how-to on sewing with elastic thread in her book). A little doodling with these nifty fabric pastel sticks I just discovered, and scene.

You’ll have to forgive the dodgy lighting – inspiration didn’t exactly strike in the best possible light.

Here’s how to do it: Take one extra-large men’s teeshirt, put it on, and stand in front of a mirror with a piece of chalk. Mark the new neckline, then cut. Put the shirt back on, and next mark under your bust, as a guide for the row of elastic stitching. Remove and use the mark as a guide for a straight line across the front and back of the skirt.

Using the elastic thread as the bobbin, sew around the line. Spray with water bottle and iron to “smock” the fabric. Trim sleeves as desired, and draw some little doodles with the pastel sticks. Toss in a suitcase and hop on a plane to Cape Cod!

behind the pages of weekend handmade: creating atmosphere (part 3)

While at work on this book, there was one word I kept coming back to again and again: atmosphere. When I talked to Melanie and Sarah (the amazing graphic designer), and Thayer and Karen (fantatic photographer and photostylist), I used it over and over again. I didn’t mean to be so repetitive, but that was my default word to describe all the intangibles I hoped to create: A texture that evoked the feel of a lived-in weekend. Pretty without being precious. Creative but attainable. Familiar but still aspirational.

I guess in a lot of ways, I imagined the book as the very best version of a weekend in my life. Crafts! Dinner outside! A picnic on the beach! Only with better clothes and lighting. Of course, the stunning location didn’t hurt: a little wooden beach cottage at Stinson Beach.

When we started, the projects themselves dictated a direction for the photography and design. But there are so many opportunities for it to go off track. Or – in my incredibly fortunate case – for it to get even better. Much of this had to do with the photographer Thayer Allyson Gowdy, who is wondrously skilled in capturing the big set-ups as well as the sweet, small moments.

all photos by Thayer

For months, I saw the images and layouts on-screen and then in lo-res for copy checks. When I finally received a bound copy, I turned the pages and proudly realized that we achieved those intangibles. The feel, the photography, the graphic design – yes, I’ll say it one more time: the atmosphere.

sarah's roast cherry tomatoes

Sarah is sparking some big New Jersey pride here, with her romps around her home state and talk of the Shore. She’s keeping it up with these roasted tomatoes that she made for her mom. -Kelly

As we kick around the east coast, I have been yanking the steering wheel over to hit every farm stand in our path. Clearly a sucker for distressed, wooden signs of oversized produce.

We just made it down to NJ to visit the old homestead and along the way, I veered off the path to grab my first fresh NJ tomato in four years. My mom said I was price gouged with what I paid, but I didn’t care. The little appetizer I made for everyone when we got home was well worth it.   
 
My mom used to roast tomatoes with breadcrumbs for us all the time and when I’m visiting home, the dishes I grew up with are what I crave. Among a million other things, my mom taught me that in the kitchen, it doesn’t need to be complicated to be sophisticated. I always loved this dish and it was all pleasure to make it for her tonight. -Sarah
 
12 large, ripe cherry tomatoes
¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 tbs chopped fresh basil
2 tbs butter
kosher salt
fresh, black pepper
 
Preheat oven to 400.
 
Wash and half tomatoes and place cut side up on a sheet pan. Sprinkle liberally with breadcrumbs and basil and dot with butter. Add salt and pepper to taste (my mom just said to add parmesan cheese if you really want to get funky).
 
Roast in the oven until the tomatoes start to bubble slightly and the crumbs are golden brown, about 10 minutes.

summer, norcal style

This time of year when we are socked in with damp, heavy fog, I get wistful for classic summer, East Coast style. Fireflies and summer rain, crickets and swimming.

I’m about to head East – but in the meantime, the relentless fog provides good incentive to hustle over the bridge and find summer, Northern California style. Which can be a lovely thing when I force myself to stop comparing the coasts.

Especially when the day’s outing ends with watermelon sorbet in a waffle cone.

behind the pages of weekend handmade, part 2

Between now and Sept 1st, I'm writing a weekly installment to give you a glimpse into the process and behind-the-pages thinking. You can find the first entry here.

When I started the book, we decided that it made sense to divide it into Make, Grow and Gather chapters. The Make section offers projects to wear or decorate with; Grow presents projects inspired by gardens, fields, and farmer’s markets; and Gather projects – from an appliqué tablecloth to cement trivets – can be used to pretty-up casual get-togethers.

I’ve realized about myself that I respond well to working within a defined structure. Like my college poetry class, when I was the only student who found any joy in writing a sestina, a crazily-structured form that dates to the 12^th century.

Working within the three chapters of this book was a whole lot more flexible than a sestina. But even still, I needed to achieve a good balance of projects. So after drawing up the master list, it was time to make everything.

Some projects came together in a snap. Some evolved so far beyond my initial imaginings that they barely resembled what I set out to make. And some were dogs. A couple times, my husband cut me off at the pass and pointed this out to me before I showed them to Melanie. One cuff bracelet project in particular – that I made with linen and spent a weekend sewing to elegantly wrap around my wrist – he told me looked like an old bandage from World War II.

Ouch. Back to the fabric store. But who ever said making a book full of pretty, doable projects was for the faint-of-heart? Between my internal criticism, Mike’s feedback, and Melanie’s guidance, I feel like I ultimately pushed and stretched each project into its best manifestation.

This is why, as a reader, I love a well-conceived, well-edited, and well-thought out book. Because the author has done the hard work of re-working projects so you don’t end up with a bandage trying to pass itself off as a bracelet.

sarah's lobsta roll

While I’m murking around the dreary San Francisco fog of summer, Sarah is living it up on Cape Cod right now. These photos she sent over would plunge me into utter despair if it weren’t for the fact that I’ll be there in one short week!

My family and I have headed East for the month of August to chase what is left of summer. Growing up a Jersey girl, we went “down the shore” each August for what seemed like an awesome, never ending rotation of soft serve, bumper cars, swimming and sun burns. But I married a Bostonian and naturally, he leaves his heart each summer on Cape Cod.
 
It’s a little hard to find the “cheese factor” I grew up with on the Jersey Shore here in historical Harwich, and I have to admit, I sort of miss it. But one New England seaside tradition I have no problem rallying behind is the local obsession with the Lobster Roll (can also be pronounced “Lobsta Roll”).
 
If you ask, every Cape Codder will gladly tell you where the absolute, definitive, best Lobster Roll joint is on the cape. According to my husband’s folks, it’s Sesuit Harbor in East Dennis and I have to say, it’s not too shabby. And with a 50 minute wait on any given night for what is essentially fast food, many others feel the same.   
 
But if you can brave the line and the accents, your reward is a huge load of claw and knuckle meat, tossed lightly in seasoned mayo and piled high on a toasted and buttered  hot-dog style bun. It’s rich and filling and a total cholesterol bomb, but worth every single bite. You can even hit the much less crowded raw bar while you wait for your order to down a quick dozen oysters on the half. As my husband would say, “it’s wicked Beachie.”

It’s also wicked tasty. -Sarah

pompom windows

Too hot or lazy to sew? Perk up a window with frilly, cascading lengths of pom-pom trim in colors inspired by zinnias and Bollywood. Open the window and let the breeze work its magic.

one month until weekend handmade arrives!

One month until you – yes you! I wrote it for you! – can buy Weekend Handmade in stores. In honor of the countdown, I’m offering a weekly installment between now and September 1st to give you a glimpse into the process and behind-the-pages thinking.

My first assignment was to create a mood board – a collage that would capture the colors, materials and overall feel of the book. So I slowly flipped through magazines and books, tearing out images that resonated with me, and gathering snippets of materials. I laid everything out on the living room floor, then subtracted and subtracted until it felt cohesive and sparked an almost physical response. I knew I was done when I realized I actually wanted to step inside the mood board and live there.

When Melanie first tasked me with creating the mood board and told me how I would reference it throughout the rest of the process, it almost felt silly. That one collection of ripped-out images could anchor and inform a 150-pages. But it did guide everything from color choices to fabrics to photography and graphic design. I still have the mood board tacked up in my office nook. It’s sort of looking at baby pictures of yourself. You can see who you'll become buried in that miniature version of you; but it also stops you in your tracks to realize everything that lies ahead – all the joyful and hard and rewarding stuff that adds up to what you’ve grown into.

Here's the baby photo:

lazy summer visits grace from design*sponge

For this next installment of Lazy Summer Radio, Sarah and I kicked around the Ace Hotel in Portland (the drinks! the lounging! the cool coziness!) and spent some time chatting with Grace Bonney from Design*Sponge, who is as lovely and inspiring as her site. Enjoy!

Opening song by The Burdens. Longboard print available here.

summerdrink: sarah's aqua fresca

It’s hard to believe that most of the country is broiling in a massive heat wave when it’s 65 degrees and raining in Seattle. My mom, who is currently roasting in New Jersey, said it’s so hot she heard that even the animals at the Bronx Zoo are cranky. When the tri-state area along with most of the country is reaching temperatures that even the chimps can't tolerate, what else is there to do but take a load off (and probably most of your clothing), break out the blender, and cool down with an ice cold agua fresca.

Agua fresca is served all over Mexico and Central America, where it's cooled down nationals and tourists for years. It literally means, “water refreshment” and is simply pureed fruit, sweetened with a little sugar and strained of it’s pulp. What’s left is pure fruit juice and the perfect cure for the searing summer heat. I made this with a stalk of rhubarb from the backyard and a pint of strawberries, but you can (and should) experiment with whatever fruit you have on hand.

Stay cool, people!

2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
1 cup rhubarb, cut in 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 c water
Juice of 1/2 a lime

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. Place a swatch of cheese cloth over a medium bowl and strain the puree of it’s pulp. Pour remaining juice into two glasses with ice and garnish strawberries or whatever fresh fruit you’ve got! 

summercraft: the simplest stamps

I know I mentioned this a while back, but remember Texas? As soul-satisfying as it was to be there for all the swimming and two-stepping, I was actually there for another reason entirely. And that was to meet the team behind Michaels Stores.

I was one of lucky ten folks Michaels brought down to Dallas last month. It was kind of like finding the golden ticket in a Wonka Bar. I don’t want to sound too PR-y but going into the trip, I imagined Michaels as a big corporate behemoth when in fact, it’s run and populated by a close-knit, dedicated and talented group.

Jo Pearson was sort of like our den mother, even having us over to her wildly creative home for lunch. It was a hospitable, warm and authentic gesture from an equally hospitible, warm and authentic lady. It was an honor to be there, meet everyone and get creative together. But the Michaels folks were so welcoming, it kind of felt like one big slumber party. With crafts.

One of those crafts was this technique for dead-easy stamps. You know those adhesive ubiquitous foam sheets sold in every craft store? Well, it turns out that you can just draw right on them with a ballpoint pen, and that leaves enough of a depression to make an instant stamp. Plus, the foam squishes in a really satisfying way as you draw.

This isn’t a technique that will replace the crispness of silk-screening or hand-carved stamps. But it is so fast and easy, that I made up some jam labels when I got home.

You’ll Need:

Adhesive Foam Sheets

Ballpoint pen

Scissors

Wood blocks or something else for adhering the stamp

Paint

Paper

Brayer or rolling pin

How To:

1. Draw a design in the foam sheet, keeping in mind that what you draw will be reversed out of the design. Alternatively, you can cut out shaped and stick those onto the wood, as shown above.
2. Trim around design, peel off backing and adhere to wood block.
3. Using a foam brush, apply a layer of paint. You might want to test a few stamps to see what thickness of paint you prefer.
4. Place stamp on paper and press. Use a brayer or rolling pin to apply pressure to the stamp.
5. Let dry and trim. Punch holes or round corners as desired.



lazy summer radio visits not martha

Time for the second installment of Lazy Summer Radio. This time, we're taking a picnic blanket to a lovely Seattle park and chatting with Megan Reardon, crafter and all-around gal extraordinaire from Not Martha. Enjoy!

(PS, if the buffering is driving you bonkers, just hit pause, wait until it's done and resume)

homemade ice pops

Did you see the Mark Bittman recipe for popsicles yesterday? He offers recipes for the following flavor categories: fruity, savory, creamy, boozy. I can already taste the slushy sweetness.

Yunhee Kim for The New York Times

I have some popsicle ideas in my book, and from my experimentation, can highly recommend this ice pop mold if you're ready to step up your popsicle game. 

lazy exploration

Biking slowly makes me happy. Especially in legwarmers. 

summerfood: sarah's bruleed figs

I am a total sucker for figs. I come home with pints and pints each summer, but the rest of my family won’t eat them unless they have been “Newton-ed,” so I try to get creative to keep things interesting for myself. As my mom has always said, you have to make it nice, even if you’re the only one eating.

Figs are great because you can go savory (sliced in a fresh mozzarella panini or braised in a chicken tagine) or sweet like this beautiful and simple dessert. No oven or grilling necessary. All you need is a brulee torch, available for $20 at most cookware shops and a love for setting things ablaze, which I do. Just split the figs, sprinkle liberally with sugar and get to torching. The result is a warm, creamy fig, with a delicate, paper-thin caramelized crunch on the outside. A little fresh greek yogurt and mint pull it together on the plate and palate.

Pair it all up with a glass of Riesling and a warm summer night. -Sarah

Recipe:
6 large fresh Black Mission figs
4 tbs granulated sugar
1 cup fresh whole milk yogurt
1 tbs honey
Mint sprigs for garnish

Cut the figs lengthwise and place cut side up on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle each fig liberally with sugar and melt with a brulee torch until the sugars are brown, bubbly and caramelized. Set aside.

Combine yogurt and honey in a small bowl and stir to combine. Divide yogurt amongst four dessert plates and top each with three fig halves. Pop on a few mint leaves for kicks. Serve with a chilly glass of Riesling.

summercraft: coozie makeover

I recently had my first can Tecate of the summer, while digging into a new novel on an outdoor lounge chair, on a roasting hot day in Northern California. An experience that would only have been improved upon if I had a coozie to keep the beer at a refreshingly-chilled temperature.

When I got home, I dug into our dingy collection of coozies and decided an overhaul was in order. Now, don’t get me wrong. There are some coozies that – no matter how stained and grubby – I would never gussy up. Like my beloved Winks coozie from the Outer Banks, and the pair of coozies from my sister’s pre-wedding softball game.

But for others, a little sprucing-up was in order. You can chose to embellish or not, but either way it’s dead easy. The cork adds a natural feel and dare I say, can make coozies downright pretty.

You’ll Need:

Coozies

Self-adhesive natural cork (I used Con-tact brand from my local hardware store – it’s a good thickness and is very pliable)

Pencil

Scissors

Rub-on transfer, stamp, etc to decorate (if desired)

How To:

1. Place coozie along bottom edge of cork and wrap cork around until the whole cooize is covered. Mark this spot with a pencil where the cork starts to overlap.
2. Make another mark along the top edge of the coozie. Remove the coozie and use a ruler to connect the markings, then cut along the lines.
3. If you’re adding a decoration, lay the cork flat and add it now (I used rub-on transfers from Hambly).
4. Peel off the backing and wrap cork around the coozie. If it’s a little proud at the top or bottom, trim as needed.
5. If you did add a design, you may want to add an acrylic sealant. 



lazy boating

When my parents got married forty years ago, they moved into a houseboat on the Potamac after their honeymoon. So when they came to visit recently, they decided to reprise their first home, and they rented a houseboat for the week in Sausalito. Thank goodness for anniversaries that benefit all of us, hey? The whole clan was there for evening cocktails on the Lito deck, long al fresco meals, sunset boat rides. Even my five-year-old niece’s first attempt at roller-skating.

This was the lazy boating life people. No manning any mains or sails. Just manning the bar.

lazy summer radio debut

Welcome to Lazy Summer Radio. Yay! If this looks handmade, it’s because it is. As you can see from our, ahem, lean credits, this is as small scale and DIY as it gets.

Sarah and I have had a great time kicking around interviewing people so far this summer, as she snaps away and I direct the microphone. There's a lot more awesomeness in store, and there will be a chance for you guys to pitch in on the series. So stay tuned.

It's hard for me to lob something out into the world that I would prefer to hunker down with and perfect, but here goes. This is going to be an evolving experiment, and I'd love your feedback. So without further ado, I give you the humble launch of Lazy Summer Radio.

(here's a tip: if the buffering is driving you crazy, hit pause, let the whole thing load and buffer itself silly, then slide it back to the beginning and hit play)