Spring Sewing: Wiksten!

In an effort to expand my spring wardrobe and do so on a budget, I just purchased my very first Wiksten pattern.  Hurrah!  I've been crushing on them for so long now.  Jenny Gordy of Wiksten just recently released downloadable PDF sewing patterns which make her limited released patterns much easier to snag.  I ordered the Wiksten Tank.  It seems like to perfect top to carry one from the spring into the summer and will still look fabulous with a cardigan.

Wiksten Tank Downloadable Pattern, Source

Wiksten Tank and Dress, Source

The design is very simple and it seems to have so many possibilities depending on the fabric that one chooses.   It can also be sewn up as a dress, which is really very nice.  I'm looking forward to many belted dresses when fall rolls around.  But for now, I'll be working with a Kaffe Fassett 100% cotton fabric.

Kaffe Fassett Asha in Grey, Source 

I've had much luck with Kaffe Fassett's fabrics, particularly his hand-dyed shot cottons.  They are a dream to work with and I think that his Asha pattern in grey will prove no different.  It seems like just the perfect pattern for spring time. 

Have any of you had experience with Wiksten patterns?  If so, I'd love to hear about them!  Which patterns and what sort of fabrics did you use?  I'm so excited about all of the possibilities!

Designs by Ryann Photo Necklace Giveaway!

A very exciting announcement:

My friend and fellow jewelry artisan Ryann Thompson, of Designs by Ryann, is running a giveaway for her popular and personalized Photo Necklaces in celebration of the new finishes and sizes she will soon be offering in her Etsy shop!!  Before she can add them to her shop, she needs new pictures to show examples.  This, my friends, gives you the opportunity to win FREE JEWELERY. Awesome, right? And what is even more awesome is that the jewelry will feature photos submitted by the participants! 

The giveaway started last week and is quickly coming to a close.  Tomorrow, March 13th, Ryann will select 3-5 photos to be used in her new pendants. As a BONUS- anyone who submits a picture to her by March 13th will receive a coupon code for 20% off a photo necklace just for participating!!

Please send the original JPEG image to Ryann@DesignsbyRyann.com

Source: Designs By Ryann

Here is a little info straight from Ryann's original giveaway post (and then scroll down for some gorgeous examples!):

What am I looking for?
Anything. Really. When in doubt send the photo.
I want pictures that will show all that my photo jewelry has to offer.
Wedding pictures, kids, pets, your favorite vacation spot...there are so many possibilities!!
You can even scan an old family photo to send to me - your parents wedding picture.


Be creative and think outside the box!!
If it is important to you, we can turn it into a keepsake that you can carry with you for years to come!!


Please Keep in mind when you submit your photos...

• Your necklace will be shown in my Etsy shop, blog and facebook page. You may even see it on a banner during my festivals. Please make sure it is a photo you would not mind having shown to others - keep in mind if you plan to give your necklace as a gift.
• Your image will be downsized to fit into a 1" or 2" pendant. Anything in the background behind your subject matter will probably not show, and should not be too "busy".
• If you would like more than one person in your photo, make sure there is not a lot of space between them so I can fit everyone in.
• There is no limit to the amount of pictures you can submit.

Send your pictures to Ryann@DesignsbyRyann.com by March 13th.

It will take about 2-3wks form the time the contest closes (March 13th) to receive your  

FREE necklace! Everyone else will receive their coupon code on March 13th.

Below are a few of my favorite pieces.  Ryann's personalized necklaces go beyond a photo encapsulated under resin.  She takes the time to pair your photo with the appropriate bezel finish and often adorns the pendants with her hand stamped polymer clay charms or her delicately hand formed polymer clay blossoms.  They truly are one of a kind pieces of art.

Source: Designs By Ryann

Source: Designs by Ryann

Source: Designs By Ryann

If you are interested in seeing more of Ryann's awesome work, visit her on Facebook page or her Etsy shop!

Dreaming of Spring

Last week I added two new pieces to my shop that have me seriously longing for warmer weather.  I think it's that gorgeous blue of the Amazonite stone featured in both necklaces that making me a bit impatient for the spring and summer sunshine just lingering over the horizon.  This stone, which at first glance seems to be a Turquoise look alike, is quite lovely and has an interesting lore behind it.  

Ankara Necklace

Capri Bobble Necklace

Amazonite can be traced back to ancient Egypt, where it was employed in jewelry designs, inlays and ornamental carvings.  It is said to have been named after Amazon women warriors and thus is known as the stone of courage.  Some say that the Amazon river itself is reflected in this blue-green stone. Amazonite is also said to enhance creative expression, sooth nerves and improve self-worth.  And perhaps my favorite is that it is also known as the hope stone as it inspires confidence and hope.  Just looking it, I find hope for the warmer days to come.  :)

This stone also has a personal connection to me.  It reminds me of the waters of Capri which is why the Capri Bobble Necklace is named so.  In particular, it recalls a trip Dan and I made a few years back to that gorgeous island in the Tyrrhenian Sea.  We travelled there in the winter, January to be exact, while I was living in Italy.  During these chillier days the island seems barren- we honestly felt as though we were the only two people exploring it.  I really wouldn't have had it any other way- some of our best memories were made on that little island.  

I'm looking forward to being transported to warmer weather on Friday (mentally, any how) when I meet up with my mom for a trip to the Philadelphia International Flower Show.  This year's Hawaiian Islands theme promises a tropical experience.  This will be my first year attending and I'm sure I won't be disappointed.  

I plan to snap lots of photos and I'll be sure to share them with you all next week!  

Tweet

Risotto with Leeks, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Truffles

Allow me to introduce you to my favorite new guilty pleasure: Risotto with Leeks, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Truffles.  I was introduced to this dish while perusing the great interwebs for a recipe to make for a little dinner party at our apartment last Thursday.  Dan's boss was our special guest so the dinner was kind of a big deal and I wanted to make something really special.  Dan planned on grilling steaks so my choices were narrowed down from the start.  I knew that this dish was a winner the second I laid eyes on it.  Immediately, my taste buds began to salivate with the thought of the earthy, truffle essence combined with the creamy risotto and the meaty roasted shiitake mushrooms.  There was no doubt in my mind that this was the one.  I muffled out the Chef Ramsey voices in my head screaming out "Who made this risotto?!?! It's raaaaawww!" for I had never made risotto and the thought of it made me a bit nervous.  

But after a bit of research my nerves were quieted when I concluded that making risotto isn't too difficult after all. One writer even described it as meditative and quite relaxing, as you stand at the stove stirring and stirring, adding your liquids a little bit at a time until you reach that perfectly creamy and al dente state signaling that your risotto is complete and ready to be devoured.

I was also head over heals about the fact that this dish required me to purchase white truffle oil- an ingredient we have unfortunately never had the pleasure of owning.  If you can't find truffle oil in your local specialty store or you aren't fortunate enough to have actual truffles at your disposal- like me, I've read reviews where the dish was made without the truffle oil and it was still amazing.  However, for us it was an absolute staple to the dish.  

Allegory of Spring Jewelry

Over the past few weeks I've been busy stocking my shop with new items, mostly earrings.  A design that has received a lot of attention on Etsy are my Allegory of Spring earrings.  They feature raw brass stampings in a floral motif recalling the Art Nouveau movement of the late 1800-1900's. A trio of Czech glass fire polished beads are suspended from stamping.  I stocked them originally in the pale, opaline sage green shown below and also in a blue opal and milky blue and lavender.  They are delicate, feminine, and just lovely.

I was requested by a friend last week to fabricate a necklace that would match the Allegory of Spring earrings.  He was purchasing the earrings in blue opal for his wife as a birthday gift and wanted a matching earring and necklace set.  Luck was on our side as I had the perfect Picasso finish Czech Glass beads in my stash in the right shades of blue and green that would echo the Allegory of Spring's opal blue beads perfectly.

Faceted gold pyrite cubes and a 14 k gold fill chain finished the necklace.  I was rather happy with the way it turned out and how it complemented the earrings so nicely.  It is now one of my favorite designs and I plan to make it in an array of Czech glass and semi-precious stones in the near future.  Like the earrings, the necklace is feminine and subtle.  It will work with so many outfits and occasions, too.  

If you are interested in a custom version of this necklace, I can make it in any shade of the rainbow you can dream of!  Please email for details.  In the meantime, be on the look out for it in my shop.  

 

Poached Eggs with Arugula and Portobellos

Dan was out of town on business yesterday so I took the day off to devote an entire day to catching up of projects I've been working on and running some errands.  I spent the day sewing Anna Maria Horner's Sidewalk Satchel- a pattern I've had for a few years now.  I started the bag shortly before Christmas but had to pack it away until everything settled down after the holidays.  

I'm looking forward to sharing the completed bag with you all.  It's being sewn up in two gorgeous prints from Amy Butler's Lark collection that I got for an absolute steal from Drygoods Design (amazing service and communication, by the way.  I can't wait to shop here again.)  Anyways, I spent nearly the entire day sewing away, interrupting myself only to give Heidi belly rubs and take her on walks, when I realized that I had made a huge error in the construction.  Rather that ripping all of my seams out and growing even more frustrated, I took the higher road and calmly put the bag away and will approach it again when my mind has cleared.  Ah, so frustrating!

By the time the materials were all packed up I was starving but didn't have the patience to make too much for dinner.  I opted for a delicious light meal of two poached eggs atop a bed of arugula and sliced portobello mushrooms.  

The meal was so tasty and was as easy to prepare as it sounds.  Simply poach two eggs in an almost simmering bath of water.  I add about two teaspoons of white vinegar for two eggs.  This addition will assist the egg whites in congealing and makes your life a whole lot easier.  While the eggs were poaching I dressed a bed of arugula and sliced portobello mushrooms with a drizzle of fruity extra virgin olive oil that we purchased in Sonoma a few years ago and an aged balsamic vinegar from a local store in West Chester.  I added a bit of sea salt and cracked pepper to taste and topped the dish with a shaved, nutty cheese (Creamy Toscano Cheese Soaked in Syrah, from Trader Joe's- delicious, by the way).

P.S.

For a great write up on poaching eggs, I suggest a visit to  Smitten Kitchen.  

A belated Happy New Year

fHappy New Year, dear readers- new and old!  I apologize for my disappearance after the holidays.  The day after Christmas I got really, really sick and did nothing but lay in bed for nearly four days.  Then Dan got sick.  And then it was New Years.  It's been a bit crazy ever since, but I'm catching up with my little shop and blog.  It's about time and I've got lots to share.

I wanted to thank all who participated in the Sew Mama Sew giveaway!  I had so much fun reading your comments and thank you for sharing your favorite holiday traditions with me.  I think I might be incorporating some of them into our holiday festivities in the future!  I love your comments so much, that I wanted to share them with you all.  Maybe you'll adopt one or two as your own tradition.

But first, I should officially announce the winner. Heather, comment number 40, was selected via the Random Number Generator.  Heather was notified immediately after the contest was finished, but I figured I should make it official here as well.  (Heather, your necklace in the mail and should be on your doorstep any day now.  Again, thank you for your patience!)

Favorite Holiday Traditions from Helen Ethel Studio readers:

My favorite tradition is our annual Christmas Breakfast! It is a nice time together and always filled with wonderful treats! - Jingle

I love attending the Festival of Lights in Lyon during the holiday season - Sarah

Every Christmas we all go to the midnight church service on Christmas Eve - it's so magical! - Gill

We make fudge - and give bags of it to everyone we know!! - Second Chance Tan

We have one that involves pouring over all the pictures we took during the year and picking the perfect one for our Christmas Card. The discussions are lively!!  - Spontaneous Threads

No idea what my favorite holiday tradition is, but some include our elf Noel that visits us in December and surprises the kids with a new hiding spot or other fun things each day. I also love baking and making goodies to give with gifts. And a personal favorite has been making a move to mostly handmade items for presents.  - Kelli @ Gohn Crazy


Lighting the advent candles every night, and making and decorating cookies! - Kristi

I love putting up the tree and the daily count down on the advent calendar! - Nancy

We love making gingerbread houses every year! - Deserae