sketching baby shower invitation

I received great news of a little niece in the making today. Joy, joy, joy :) This little watercolor sketch came to life on my desk.

 more baby sketches

I am working on a sweater for Max :) should fit him in the spring. Will hopefully 

look something like this when finished.

Sightglass Coffee, best coffee in San Francisco

On a trip to San Francisco today, my friend suggested that we should stop by a coffee shop on 7th St on our way into town. My friend sure knows her coffee so I took her advice and we pulled up in front of  Sightglass coffee. I discovered what is now my favorite coffee shop in town :) 

High ceiling, industrial rough concrete, dark wood, burlap and 

very good coffee. 

Love at first sight. Sigh!

Oh, and long after, when I reached home in the evening, after dinner and clean up etc. I made my first spun cotton mushrooms

here are two in progress.

Early bird gingerbread baking

First day of Thanksgiving break today. We enjoyed every minute of it. Cookies were baked and friends came over. Great start of the school break!

IKEA sells frozen cookie dough this year. The dough is ready to roll out after defrosting for one hour on the counter. Roles out easy and tastes great. I am going back for more after Thanksgiving :)

new needle felted Nisse

The weather is cooling down  ( a little) so I got the wool and needles out and started working on my little 'nisse jente' . She is heading to Norway in time for the holiday market at Vøyen Gård. She will travel with a group of other little 'nisser', yet to be made.

sewing a cat for Max

My little nephew Max will soon find a blue cat in his

mailbox. I just finished the last stitches.

I will let Max name him. That will not happen anytime soon as

Max is only a few months old. I will wait patiently though and hopefully the cat

will get a name one day.

Sweet Tallulah

 Made from cotton, wool and stuffed with bamboo/poly fill, removable

 hand knit leg warmers and scarf. 

We named her Tallulah.

new rag doll

made from cotton fabric and wool felt, 

soft and huggable 

a nice outing

 Miss C and I stopped by our favorite place, Filoli Garden yesterday. The place

is yet again blooming in abundance

This little blue tailed guy was quick to hide, he had a beautiful blue tail

Begonias in abundance, they never look this great when I plant them at home...

Twirl and dip - best popsicles in town

 On an outing to Golden Gate park in San Francisco today we passed by a food truck selling handcrafted soft serve ice cream and fruitsicles. They were made by Twirl and Dip . What a treat!

O & C tried the strawberry pops, O's were dipped in chocolate, on the spot... I had
watermelon w/white pepper, very refreshing!

We had just been to the De Young Museum to see the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit. The exhibit is absolutely worth catching, hurry up if you have not been yet, it is up until August 19th.

The ice cream truck was cute and who can pass up hand made ice cream? Not us that's for sure. 

The weather was overcast and not at all warm :) but we did not care, we were very 

happy to sit down on the nearest bench to enjoy our treats before we were so cold

we had to run back to our car to warm up :) 

Happy summer!

wildflowers in Half Moon Bay

Walking along the costal path in Half Moon Bay the other day was beautiful.

Lots and lots of beautiful wildflowers in

shades of yellow and orange

work in progress

bunny girl in swimsuit progressing

new Spun Cotton characters

work in progress

this will be a little 4th of july bunnygirl

woodland fairy house birthday party

Little Miss C turned 9 this weekend. She knew exactly what she wanted to do for her birthday.

She wanted to have a party at our house with a few good friends, they would make flower fairies and fairy houses. She had it all figured out.

 We gathered sticks on our hike to the local creek, bought moss and feathers, bird nests, toadstool 

mushrooms, artificial flowers, tiny clothes pins, decorative rocks and glue at various different

art supply/ craft shops.

A long table in the sunroom served as a crafting table. 

We had cut a cardboard base for each girl ( the girls painted them with poster paint before starting their project). Each girl received a bag with some treasures to start out with. The rest of the supplies were placed on a separate table.

 Floral wire, artificial flower petals, wooden beads and yarn were used to make the flower fairies.

The girls were so busy they barely had time to take a break to eat cake. 

Yes! I am sewing again!!

I am so happy to be sewing again. Just finished a snack bag.

Have to admit I first put it together completely wrong. Tossed 

the fabric in the garbage it was not usable :) Had to

think for a while to figured out how to put this together.

Love this quick little project, I will make more, thats for sure.

time to sew

I have not touched my sewing machine in months, so today I made myself make a few small

 drawstring bags for little miss C.  She can store some of her itsy bitsy tiny little

things in them. She is always looking for a little bag

to bring her toys to paces.

wisteria in bloom at Filoli Gardens

The wisteria is in bloom for 

a very short time.

Hurry out to Filoli's have a look

or whiff :)

spring flowers

I love spring!

finished knitting bunny, just in time for Easter

This bunny is ready for Easter. Perfect for little hands to hold. He might get some

clothes eventually.

Knit with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, pattern was made up as I moved along.

Stuffed with bamboo.

Allied Artist Guild in Menlo Park

A visit to the Allied Artist Guild in the rain. What a hidden gem! I had been there almost 20 years ago, oh that made me feel ancient... 20 years ago during my first year here in California, I stopped by

the Allied Artist Guild in Menlo Park. I don't think I knew how to appreciate such a beautiful

garden then. 

I stopped by with a friend who had reminded me of this

beautiful place. The magnolia and cherry trees were blooming. Mandarins

hanging on the citrus trees. 

Artists rent working/retail space and show case their work here.

We stopped by a very cute pottery place and charming floral shop/boutique.

Found this treasure at Royal Bloom a shop worth coming back to! The hair pins are made

by Joan O'Neill a local artist. 

Next time we will stop by the Blue Garden Cafe for lunch and hopefully sit outside 

in the sun.