Adventures in Sewing

More Made in Japan needle holders, and yet another woman gritting her teeth 

to get through the experience of mother daughter sewing.

We really don't understand the connection between hand sewing and spaceships, 

but these girls at least look to be having a bit more fun than the above duo.

Maybe they just sent their pile of mending to the moon.

Fifteen Minutes and Counting

Guess who has the exclusive on Pop Art tomato soup? 

Yes, that's right, Target and at just 75 cents a can.

And did you know Campbell's Condensed Soup has it's own facebook page? 

Yep, That's right, even soup is on facebook before we are.

The Buzz Around Town

...is that neighborhood bees from The West Hill Honey Company need a kick start. 

Typically we wouldn't recommend that you disturb a hive, 

but after you read  The Story of a Blossoming Honey Business and learn how you can help a young entrepreneur succeed at growing her business through Kickstarter 

you will want to give those bees one swift figurative kick to help get things going.

Of course all of us West Hill gardeners feel invested in this venture just by virtue of the nectar our flowering plants produce and share with Natalie's bees, but how can we pass up the opportunity to be part of enabling  this industrious young beekeeper to get the equipment she needs for her pretty darn sweet 

and very local business to expand? 

Check out the fun appreciation gifts for each level of pledge. 

Tell all your friends about it too.

Act soon. The pledge period ends on September 20.

Scenic Sewing

It is a pleasure to sit and stitch with doors and windows open to the 

sights and sounds of the forest and lake.

It is even more fun to be working with themed materials that fit perfectly with the work environment. These pillowcases are made with Woodland Friends fabric designed by Ellen Crimi-Trent  for Clothworks and will be used for guests staying in our new basement treehouse. Sounds crazy, but it's true.

This pattern from Kickass Country Store is similar to the one we use. Missouri Quilt Company has a  really good tutorial on YouTube that demonstrates the steps of the (at first) somewhat confusing process very well.

If Dishes had Wishes

This fun thing came in a $2.00 bag full of vintage patterns found at a local estate sale. 

You can still buy #3528 - Animated Dish Motifs on the internet for $1.50 plus $2.50 shipping at 

Colonial Patterns, Inc.,  and we spotted them just this week in a local craft store's ad at 4 for $6.

Not too very long ago we purchased some fine examples of these patterns embroidered on tea towels
 by the mother of an antique store owner.

Moda seems to have revived some older designs for a line of vintage inspired kitchen linens that you may have seen while browsing in gift and kitchen shops.

Many of the products can be found at the online store House 8810.

Here is the truly vintage apron that Moda's replica is based on,  pictured previously
 in the NDL post "The Man Behind the Pan".

It is interesting to see how trends come and go and come around again.

Time to Hit the Books

Orange you lucky! makes going back to school fun.

Helen Dardik designed bookplates to help your little one's literary show and tell items

 make their way home again after being loaned to little fellow bookworms.

Here are a few titles for last minute peptalk/storytime reading before the big first day of school: 

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

My Name Is Yoon by Helen Recorvits

Chrysanthemum  by Kevin Henkes

David Goes To School by David Shannon

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg

Check out more suggested first day of school books at goodreads and then find them at your local library or favorite bookstore. Better stop at the store and buy the biggest box of tissues you can find too.

Be safe kids and remember: Stop, look, and listen.

And for you older students:

Don't get stuck in the bathroom with the kid known for giving "welcome swirlies".

 In other words, one doesn't outgrow the need to stop, look and listen.

Grownups: You too.

Best wishes to all for a great school year.

Give Me a W

Enjoy the last days of summer.

Image courtesy of 521 Lake Street.

Garden Meetings

We have never had good luck growing ageratum, aka flossflower, until this year when we received a beautiful specimen with impeccable breeding that was destined for greatness in our container planting.

Wisconsin Federated Garden Club convention speaker David Zlesak had a few tiny seedlings of his latest 

hybridization to give away to some lucky conventioneers. His creation, which he calls Rendezblue, 
may someday be available for sale at nurseries along with his other cultivars: 
First Editions® Little Devil^TM ninebark, American Nursery Landscape Association’s Garden Idol Award as the best new plant of the year; Oso Happy^TM Smoothie rose; Oso Happy^TM Petit Pink rose, 
Winner of the American Rose Society Award of Excellence for miniature roses 2012; 
Oso Happy^TM Candy Oh! rose; 'Tuscan Sun' heliopsis; 
Monarch Mediano^TM and Monarch Grande^TM series of ageratum 
(featured in display gardens outside the horticulture building at the 2012 MN State Fair).

Mr. Zlesak gave thanks to the Garden club for helping him on his way to becoming an accomplished plant breeder and UW River Falls professor of horticulture by giving him a scholarship early on in his education. He also told the story of how he first became interested in plant breeding. 

The story is retold here at the blog of The Plant Hunter.

Clever garden club planners had obtained small specimens of Mr. Zlesak's OSO Happy Petit Pink rose to feature as the evening's table decoration and to give to each convention attendee. This summer's challenging weather has been hard on our own little OSO Happy, but she's hanging in there.

 If she makes it to 2013 you will be informed via a victory blogpost.

Hungary?

Try a recipe from this sweet little cookery book.

Found at a flea market, published in Budapest in 1964, and illustrated in the most whimsical way, this charming book is chockablock with amazing recipes.

We will pass on the Jellied Carp, Pickled Scraps of Sucking Pig, Pancakes with either Crayfish or Calves' Brains, but the Transylvanian Layered Cabbage and Stuffed Pullet sound tasty.

No. 46. Exquisite Goulash seems like the best bet for less adventurous eaters who would like 

a taste of classic Hungarian cuisine. Oh no, we sent the cookery book on to a friend without copying the recipes for recipe No.1. Csipetke! Now what will we serve with the Gulyás?

Thank goodness for the internet. Here is a recipe for Csiptke, aka pinched noodles.

And if you celebrate Farsang you will need a recipe for Carnival Donuts. 

We hear it is impossible to have a carnival without them.

Before Daisy Mae

 L'il Abner must have used these to keep his one suspender up.

Caving to reader pressure Al Capp finally gave in and let L'il Abner Yokum and the woman who had pursued him for 18 long years get hitched. 

Because of the huge popularity of the the comic strip that ran for 43 years it was probably not a coincidence that the image chosen by the TipTop company closely resembled
Dogpatch's most eligible bachelor.

We found no evidence that the company is still in business so perhaps taking a wife really is the most reliable way to keep from losing one's buttons. We acknowledge however that some would say otherwise.

What a Difference a Day Makes

A few weeks back a blessed cold front rolled through on a Friday and left behind a beautiful weekend.

Our wonderful Wisconsin weather.

Kaleidoscope

This magical photo option alone is reason enough to own an iPad.

What a wonderful way to see the world.

Everyday Art

Beautiful and functional.

As it should be.

Please - Don't ever wear clothes with ugly buttons. Call us. We'll help.

Cheddar Wrestling in Aisle 2

Remember these guys?

Well, we recently spotted their carb cousins.

Yes, it's true, we can't get enough of anthropomorphized groceries. You?

Reproducing Provence

Recently reunited Provence Odyssey pals visited the Eau Claire Farmers' Market, 

raided the Abbott -Anderson West Hill Cooperative Garden 

for homegrown yukon gold potatoes,

and then worked together to create a marvelous meal featuring a deliciously creamy

 kale and potato dish based on a Chez Madelaine  recipe for Rapid Potato Gratin.

Subtract the Gruyere and add a bunch of kale that has been de-stemmed and de-veined, 

torn into smaller pieces, and quickly blanched, to alter the recipe as we did. 

Everyone, even a diner who has been known to regard seriously green food with suspicion, 

licked their plates clean.

#17 - #22

Six more reasons Canada is awesome.

(As if we needed any more.)

#17 - They make macaroni and cheese sound classy.

#18 Male chickens get equal treatment in the soup department.

#19 - Five simple words - Ballpark Hot Dog flavoured chips.

#20 - Their cookies demand respect. "That's Mr. Maple to you punk."

#21 - They dare to stew and eat monsters from the deep.

#22 - For your convenience they sell mole meat in a jar.

We want to go to there.

Moisture Control

Remember the bag lady? Maybe this little incident will refresh your memory.

Well, she's been at it again re-purposing  bags from all kinds of  products into clever and useful totes.

In our drought state of the last weeks we really have had no problem with moisture control except for that of a personal nature.

Maybe that is why the women working in the Flower and Horticulture department at the fair 

began tittering in amusement when we walked in glowing (dripping) with perspiration (sweat) 

and carrying this very appropriate satchel.

Thanks Honeybee and Bag Lady for the gift and a chuckle.