Serviceberry and other spring wonders

In our side yard, we have this serviceberry tree (Amelanchier grandiflora).




It's so lovely -- covered now with little white flowers along the gray stems.




The berries will follow -- looking like tiny blueberries. If the robins didn't eat them all first, I could make serviceberry jam:

Serviceberry Jam
10 cups ripe serviceberries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar per cup of pulp
6 oz liquid pectin

Wash and stem the berries. Place into a saucepan and crush. Add the water and cook over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes. Measure how much pulp you have to determine the amount of sugar you'll need. Add sugar and return to pan. Place over low heat and cook for a few minutes more or until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and add pectin, then hold boil for 1 full minute. Remove from heat, skim foam, and pour into hot, sterile jelly jars and seal.

from Klehm Plants newsletter




Checkered lily (Fritillaria meleagris)




Birch catkins in the rain



Blue and white scilla . . .


snuggled against the birch's roots.

And some spring thrifted treasures -- little bone china cups, sans saucers, become storage for little white buttons.




I'm inspired!

Yummy Spring

Spring!

Every year these lovely, nodding hellebore blooms amaze me.

First garage sale finds of the spring: vintage wooden-spool threads in vintage cups sit on an old bench in my garden . See the leaves of rhubarb behind the bench?

Yummy threads. Yummy rhubarb.

Yummy colors of spring.

Little Lavender Dresses . . .

Most recent theme for our (three sisters') ATC exchange: Lavender.

Check out that little English lustre saucer. Couldn't leave it behind at the thrift - - what else was I going to do with that 40 cents anyway?

These little felt dresses are stuffed with fiberfill and a bit of lavender, a la Alicia Paulson's little pincushion dresses (in the Softies book?).

For once, I finished my ATCs on time!

Crafty creativity has now derailed here, however. Trying to finish up the taxes (ugh!) and to get all the garden designing, container planting, invoicing, contract writing, and all the rest of doing-business business rolling. The season has begun. And I miss my sewing machine already.

Sewing Cards Trio

I made this trio of cards for J.

Am finding that my style in creating papercrafts is rather simple and clean. The placement of each object on the card is important . . . balance . . . color . . . repetition.

These cards are like a postcard -- no interior -- and I imagine them posted on an inspiration board or lined up on a windowsill.

I love them (said modestly).

I hope J loves them, too.

Potted spring + birthday card

This is one of two pots at the entry of a client's home. Because it's still too early for pansies and other spring annuals, I used mossy twigs, pussy willow, horsetail grass, and pink statice in these potted gardens. The entry is covered, so the pots are never hit with snow or rain. I pushed the stems directly into soil and then watered the pots when done. The statice and grass should hold up for several weeks.

The pots have to be redone fairly often when I use living plants because the light conditions are poor. Will probably interplant some violas and stock later. I like the twigs and pussy willow stems for the extra height and more dramatic scale they provide at the entry.

A windowsill garden for me. Found the tulips and hyacinth at Home Depot -- half-price after Easter -- and planted them into a copper window planter. So cheery to see it right outside the kitchen window.

Birthday card for sister's birthday, coming up on April 20.

Back of the card, with a little 'legend' explaining all the elements on the front.

All in all, a creative weekend.

Spring Green

Could it be? Pushing through the brown and gray of last year's leaves . . .


Wearing caps of cotton instead of wool . . .


Encompassing a world of hope . . .


Delicate spring green.

Recent projects

Recent sewing projects: purse/tote bags using this tutorial. This one uses some vintage, some new fabrics -- the French linen is from superbuzzy.

Here's the inside pocket -- with a mini rickrack trim. (Colors in this pic are a little bit truer.)



I love the polka dot fabric -- only have a couple of strips left and am hunting for more. Funnily, the fabric stores here don't have red with white dots. So onto the web I go. Any suggestions?

This next bag is one of three batik bags I made -- all three have sold. As usual, I forgot to take pics of the first two! This is the third.



A couple of years ago I found batik remnants at a store -- shown here on my clothesline. The colors are so saturated and so beautiful. Brought them back out of the stash during Project Runway and found myself inspired to do a 'series' of bags. (My own collection!) The other batiks are thrifted or newly purchased.



Piecing on the straps -- I love the movement of the fabrics up and down.




Inside quilted 'hanging' pocket -- and metered corners on the binding using Alicia's instructions (Feb 21 Binding Tute). The binding goes on so neat and proper.

Well! Next up is a custom 'sputnik' bag for Cousin N. Will take pics. Promise. No really. I will remember.