Red Red Completely Red

{a chevron quilt}

2012-02-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

This is a quilt for a friend's first little girl, Autumn, who's due this month.

Chevrons, from a selection of the best of the Freecycle fabrics (surprisingly, no cats made the cut), and long patchwork stripes, which were leftover from the binding of Tilly's signature birthday table cloth.

Tilly performed her happiness-stamping ritual in her most cheerful (clean) pink crocs. It was really quite hard to part with.

{yarn bombing comes to texas}

2012-02-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

A little birdie just told me that a yarn bombing of the Texas A&M campus is underway, featuring the artist Magda Sayeg, of knitted-bus fame. For the trippiest website you've ever seen, click here. (But maybe give it a miss if you're epileptic, or have had more than two cups of coffee today).

There'll be info sessions taking place:

Tuesday, February 7th, 1pm, Rudder 402
Thursday, February 9th, 6:30pm, Rudder 410

Tilly and I plan to stop by tomorrow -- a room full of yarn bombers sounds like quite an experience in itself!

{fashion with a face}

2012-02-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Freecycle,

I'm sorry I gave up on you. Two weeks of mass emails about other people's rubbish was too much for me, as was the disappointment of never EVER being quick enough to claim any of the loot. But clearly, you are a goldmine of garbage, a treasure-trove of trash. You deserve more patience. Take me back?

Love, Astrid.

Lucky for me, I have friends who Freecycle, and last week, Kathryn managed to claim three bags stuffed full of fabric scraps, which I happily picked up and sorted through.

In the bags were lots of tiny scraps, in every colour of the rainbow, a giant piece of beautiful Christmas linen, patterned with holly, and... an enormous variety of CAT FABRICS!

I gasped (having never seen cat fabric in real life before).

I laughed (having always wondered who, exactly, ever owns the $9-a-yard designer cat fabrics in the Hancocks magazine. Me, now, apparently).

And then, as I pulled another, and another, and then yet another whiskered face out of the bag, I started to panic. Where would they all live? There simply aren't enough shelves around here to house an extended feline family.

And so the cats stayed piled in the living room, judging me with those little black eyes, until the next morning, when Tilly found them and let out a very very loud miaow.

And so how could I resist making her a little "miaow-miaow" skirt with one of the scraps, plus a little grey binding? I sewed it up this morning, while she was (supposed to be but not) napping, and presented it to her in her bed when I went to get her out. Never has crying stopped so quickly.

So here we have Tilly's predictions for Spring 2012 toddler-wear: Fashion with a Face. And to accessorize, a giant stuffed beaver, of course.

P.S. After I wrote this, I happened across this adult version of the cat skirt. So if you want Tilly's look...

{brought you some red}

2012-02-01T19:46:00.000-08:00

A few lovely reds that have been inspiring me this week. Life's not all stylish greys, you know.

1. Wine tags by REDSTARink 2. Red-and-White Tribute quilt by Thelma Childers 3. Emily Barletta's stitched art 4. Red lighting via Design-Shimmer 5. Log cabin quilting from 1955 from A Piece of My Soul

{still life}

2012-01-31T08:18:00.000-08:00

The chaos has won.

Every surface in our home pays homage to the abstract -- each a collection of a dozen objects, none of which has anything to do with another. Pistachio shells, cough drops, pampermint foot cream, packing tape.

It's like a puzzle.

It's like a crime scene.

Candles and bills. Lipstick and nasal spray. Undelivered Christmas cards.

Sorry.

Perhaps now is a good time to admit it -- I picked a word for this year, a word I hoped would inspire me throughout the year:

expand

It made sense at the time. You know, expanding horizons and boundaries and various other vaguenesses. But it seems, so far, to have applied only to clutter. The stuff has expanded. My capacity to live with and put away all of the stuff has not expanded.

So, instead, 'expand' has been relegated to a word of the month, January. And for February, to hopefully take life back from the chaos, I'll be going with:

reduce

{a bad news, good news kind of day}

2012-01-27T17:27:00.000-08:00

Bad news: Horrible lady at the post office refused to send my parcel for less than $8, when it would normally cost $2.50. Apparently, it was a millimetre too thin.

Good news: Didn't cry. A different postal worker would send it for $2.50, and promised to give the other lady a "good talkin' to".

Bad news: Broke down on the highway for the second day in a row.

Good news: Didn't die, for the second day in a row.

Bad news: Estimated cost just to "check out" the car -- $96.

Good news: Warranty.

Bad news: Two hours with Tilly in a car dealership while they fixed my engine.

Good news: Giant balloon clusters.

And let's face it, any day that involves giant balloon clusters is a pretty good day.

{how to have fun and learn nothing}

2012-01-24T13:33:00.000-08:00

We are in quarantine, keeping our coughing, snotty mess of a life to ourselves. To celebrate our fourth day of seclusion, we turned to the humble pompom for entertainment.

It was supposed to be an exercise in colour sorting. But who wants to put things into muffin tins when it's so much fun to tip them out?

So, we invented a game.

All you need is pompoms, a funnel and a muffin tin.

Once you've got the hang of it, you have to come over and play it with me, because really, Tilly and Bella aren't much competition. And I need a challenge. (Well, or a dose of reality)

{doing a little happy dance}

2012-01-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

With seven little quilts to finish this week, sewing-time has started to creep into the bright hours of Tilly-awake-time. As you might imagine, there's been a fair amount of unravelling of thread, a good deal of playing hide-Mummy's-ruler-under-the-sofa, and I've used the phrase "pins are SHARP, please don't stand on them" more than anyone is supposed to in one lifetime.

But along with all of that, there's been so much joy in sharing the process of sewing with Tilly. The way her eyes lit up when she first watched a bobbin being wound. Her intense love of all of the animal-print fabrics -- ooh ooh! tweet tweet! pthbthhhhhh! (That's an elephant, if you weren't sure.)

And, Tilly has discovered that quilt batting has a very similar texture to her favourite thing in the whole world: her sheepskin, GoGo.

This means that when I lay a quilt out to put the three layers together, Tilly will, without fail, toddle over, throw herself on top of it, put her thumb in her mouth and roll around in happiness. (To the future owners of these quilts: if you're wondering why the layers are so bunched up in places, wonder no more.) Certain lucky otters have also been known to go for a roll.

Once the quilts have all the layers attached, and thus, the "GoGo" batting is hidden, Tilly will instead run over and stomp on the quilt, shouting "Happy! Happy!"

I've always believed that handmade things get a bit of love stitched into their seams, which carries over to the person they are given to. So surely, surely, these children are going to feel some of that happiness that Tilly has so loving ground into their quilts with her heels?

In fact, there are so many layers of love and happiness in these quilts. One of the fabrics used was the tablecloths I made for Tilly's first birthday party. Another, the little pink birds, were the first fabric I bought after we found out Tilly was a girl. Some of Justin's favourite shirts were so beloved that he wanted to wear them again when he saw them being cut up -- despite the fact that they fit him ten years ago!

Wondering what all of these quilts are for? Read more about our quilting for community project, and see the sewing in progress, over here.

{how to be british}

2012-01-19T06:16:00.000-08:00

(photo: Alex David)

Overheard in Barnes and Nobles:

girl on phone: Yeah, I totally want to go abroad this summer. You know, wherever I can do the most good. I was thinking China, because, you know, they need it. Or London, because I totally should have been born British.

...

girl on phone: Really? Huh. I love England!

...

girl on the phone: Yeah, I'm always doing British things. Like, I say "huzzah". You know how I always say "huzzah"? ...Well, I totally love British culture, and I've even watched the whole first season of Downtown Abbey on Netflix. And I want to watch the British Office, too, before I go, but I'm already watching How I Met Your Mother, and how many shows can a person really watch?

I flicked through my copy of How to Be British later that day, but sadly found no reference to our country's use of "huzzah". Maybe it's new -- I've been abroad for a few years. What I did find, though, were a few helpful tips on manners.

How to be Polite:

In short, British people won't do anything for you unless you have at least three "sorries" and an "if you don't mind" in the request. And the more times you say "bother" the better.

But it also works the other way round -- I am utterly incapable of asking anyone to do anything for me without all the politeness jabber. Even something nice:

Sorry to bother you, but I wonder if you'd mind coming round for dinner this week, as long as you're not busy and it's no trouble, of course. Astrid x

How to Complain:

And there's the truth -- we British are complainers, just secret complainers. (All covered up by excessive use of the word "lovely"!)

An example: Justin and I were out to dinner last week, and the shrimp I ordered were a bit cold. I wouldn't have even complained to Justin, but the waiter forgot to bring us cutlery and so we shared anything remotely finger-foody, including my shrimp, while we waited. Two seconds after trying one, Justin was hailing a server and getting us another order of free fresh hot shrimp. No problem! They'll be right out! And though I couldn't decide which was more embarrassing -- complaining about the food, or having to have someone else complain for me -- the warm shrimp were very good (and having double the shrimp was even better)! And that's where having an American other-half comes in handy.

Huzzah!

{on imagination, and tiny kitchens}

2012-01-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

This is not a post about amazing transformations. Your eyes will not pop. Your jaw will not drop. You might find yourself asking just what you're supposed to be looking at (I mean, apart from the cute baby).

That's okay.

What I can show you is a broken old cabinet becoming a pint-size kitchen, while still looking pretty much like a broken old cabinet.

But this post isn't really about kitchens. I've seen so many clever and beautiful little play kitchens that nothing really amazes me anymore. Oh, it has a fully-functioning stove that you built from tissue-paper and pipe-cleaners? What, it only cost you $74, and took sixty hours to make? That's nice.

This post is about imagination.

Not my imagination; my big clomping parent imagination. That's what I'd been caught up in. Imagining what I could build, how I could have the most fun decorating it and all the cool features I'd like to add. It'll be all white with grey details -- modern, Scandinavian, she'll love it. No, I'll love it.

Instead, we went with a bare little kitchen that I hope will let Tilly's imagination run wild. Our cooling rack, upside down, jammed where the drawer used to be. Wooden pegs and double-sided tape to hold up her apron. An Ovaltine pot for utensils. And... done. A zero-budget kitchen, built in ten minutes.

If she wants the counter to be a stove, she'll put a pan there. If she wants it to be a sink, a bowl. If, in a week or two she wants to add knobs and burners, we'll draw some on, or cut some out of felt. The point is, the designing is fun. And now she can be a part of that fun.

I promise, this is not a post that is against fancy play-kitchens. I just about die with envy whenever we get to play with a beautiful shiny little stove, and raid a well-stocked mini-pantry. Aw, the tiny pizza. Aw, the tiny utensils. This post is against sitting around feeling defeated that you'll never make anything as good as the things you've seen online, though.

And maybe that's something I need to remember about more than just play kitchens. We don't need to be the best of the best, the most original, the most creative. Sometimes, it's enough to make do. Sometimes, it's okay to be in progress, and let your unfinished edges show.

{a bun in the oven}

2012-01-14T06:11:00.000-08:00

Over the next few days, you might see my belly starting to expand. Is it a boy? Is it a girl? No, it's a batch of The Best of the British Bake-Off's double chocolate buns.

Like muffins, but a bit thicker and richer, the chocolate buns gave all of our kitchen equipment a work-out, including the little digital kitchen scale that I got for Christmas, and every single mixing bowl we own, plus a couple that I'd put in the garage to give away -- sorry, local charities, I guess we're keeping them!

I've never really enjoyed baking before, (eating, yes, baking, no), but I loved the challenge of this recipe.

"Fold in the flour with a metal spoon", it said -- could the book could see me, there in the kitchen, a cheap partially-melted plastic spatula in my hand, advancing towards the mixing bowl?

Mum? Is that you, in recipe form?

Anyway, if you like the look of the buns (or like the sound of anything with "double chocolate" in the title), here's a link to a similar recipe, by one of the Bake-Off contestants, which also has directions for filling the buns with more chocolate. Just when you think life can't get any better...

{it's raining letters}

2012-01-12T05:49:00.000-08:00

You might have noticed, we've gone a bit alphabet crazy around here. Two weeks ago, I was grumbling my way through Elmo's utterly incoherent volume of ABCs, when Tilly suddenly pointed to the letter A and said "A". In all the surprised cheering and dancing that following, we must have happened upon an ancient tribal rain dance, because suddenly letters started pouring from the ceiling...

... drenching Tilly's room in learning goodness, with a pop of colour.

So far, she's got "A" and "O" down, and with a bit of prompting can show you the "B" and "Q", too. What, you're meant to learn them in order?

And by the way, this is the new paint job we finished back in the autumn that I never put up photos of.

Greyish.

That's really what it's called -- nothing about moonbeams, thunder or stone. It has the most amazing power to make the room lighter when you want it light, darker when you want a certain someone to go to sleep, and is just warm enough of a colour without having any tint of anything. So, phew, all those hours of staring mindlessly at paint samples taped to the walls weren't in vain.

And since we're doing a bit of a room tour, here are two prints I framed and hung above the changing table.

If you've ever met (and, therefore, been roared at by) Tilly, you'll know that she's all about the animals (seriously, she was making monkey noises for months before she bothered to learn to say "mama"). So, I tried to find as many animals as would fit onto two A4 pieces of paper. Would you believe, her favourite is the shark, and she sings the music from Jaws in his honour -- duh dun, duh dun...

{paper cut lyrics}

2012-01-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

Who's that over there, taking photos of the rubbish bin? Why, that's me, of course...

Through real-life eyes, I loved how the wood around some of the letters had chipped off, making the text look like a paper cut. Once I ran the photo through a grueling marathon of Camera+ effects, I loved how the letters seemed to glow, like Elvish letters thrown into the fire. One bin to rule them all...

Anyway, it reminded me of a post over at The Fable of the Table a few weeks ago, showing how you can make your own virtual designer paper cuts, courtesy of Victorinox.

I ran a couple of favourite song lyrics through their very fast paper-cut-erizer, and loved the results. Totally inspired to whip out a knife and start slicing up some paper. Well, that, or whip out Photoshop and use these to make some prints, minus the Christmas trees and company logo.

(Lyrics by Mumford & Sons, and Paolo Nutini)

Pop on over and have a go -- I'd love to see what you make with it!

{b is for birthday}

2012-01-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

This week, we celebrated Justin's birthday, with an all-day tribute to his favourite foods, and a few little handmade surprises.

Tilly got in on the fun, and completed this "portrait" card of Justin -- multi-coloured eyes and a shining orange halo. He loved it!

She also dictated her message to him -- I tried to convey her intonation as best as possible, but she felt that some words needed a little colourful emphasis.

And, as a little last-minute pressie, I put together this alphabet T-shirt. It makes more sense if you know that earlier that day, Tilly had been fixated on trying to read Justin's "Run for Compassion" T-shirt -- the text on which is curled and slightly gothic. She couldn't make out any of the letters, and Justin remarked that he'd like to have a shirt which simply had the alphabet printed on it.

One trip to the craft shop, twenty-six iron-on decals, and four hours of ironing later (yes, the "60 second" recommendation in the instructions was a little off), voila...

Although it is primarily for Tilly's benefit, Justin loves the fact that it brings them closer... literally, as Tilly leans in, peers at the letters, and then proudly exclaims "A!" "A!" "A!" while poking Justin in the chest! So, happy birthday to Justin, who fills our lives with love, happiness, and now, the alphabet.

{a year of graces}

2012-01-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

This year, I got myself a free little calendar, with space to fill in one good thing about each day -- a moment of joy, a small, beautiful something. You can print your own over at Ann Voskamp's site.

I love the simple photos that accompany each month -- a nice reminder to be thankful for the eggs in your fridge, or the view from your window.

Also nice is that if you do forget one day, it's really rather easy to go back and fill in the days before (as I did ten minutes ago...). So far this year, I've been grateful for:

a New Year's Eve that reminded me that you can still have great nights with friends after you have children,
a bit of last-minute inspiration that turned into a make-it-the-night-before birthday present for Justin,
and a day of enjoying all of Justin's favourite foods -- chocolate chip waffles, Taco Tuesdays at Rosa's, macaroni and cheese with bacon, and finally, peanut butter brownies (and we'll shortly be enjoying time at the gym to pay for all that...)

Hope there's been lots of joy in your year so far, too!

{my creative year}

2011-12-31T12:52:00.000-08:00

Today is for looking back. Today is for pulling out the old photos and exclaiming, "Can you believe how bald she was back then?" Today is for watching as more of the signs and turns on the path of your life come into focus, and for seeing that now, right here, is where you've been heading the whole time.

This is a little glimpse at my year, and all the things that have inspired and built upon each other in 2011.

In January, my first (and only) loaf of bread was baked, and I ate it all by myself, in one day, with vast amounts of butter. A good day.

One night in February, freezer-paper stenciling was demonstrated on my kitchen table. I was in love.

In March, I began knitting the giant patchwork blanket which later accompanied Alice off to university.

In April, the preparations for Tilly's birthday party were well-underway -- a rainbow of felt.

In May, I finished Tilly's party dress -- a vision in ruffles, a true labour of love. She wore it to Justin's cousin's wedding, and later, to her birthday party.

In June, we hammered together the world's cheapest photobooth, and celebrated one year of Tillyhood.

In July, I slowly, slowly embroidered over all of the names on the signature tablecloth.

August saw us jetting off to Denmark. All of our creativity went into entertaining Tilly on the plane.

In September, my granddad turned ninety, and we threw a bright and artistic party for all of his painting-class friends. A wobbly cupcake stand was made out of a cardboard box, and many batches of Bakewell Cupcakes were baked and pigged.

In October, Terri taught me to make aprons. One of which the Royal Mail seems to have swallowed up. Must I lose something to the postal black hole every year?

November was a blur of orders -- enough felt Polaroid frames were cut out to circle the world, enough pegs were stamped to number the stars, enough trips to the post office were made to drive me half insane.

And December, a quilt thought-up and completed and donated. And then a little rest -- a bit of sorting, a little Lord of the Rings, and tonight, a celebration of the year with friends. Hope you all have a lovely end to the year (if it's still 2011 where you are...) and see you in 2012.

P.S. Want more? Check out last year's mosaic: My Creative Year 2010

{merry christmas}

2011-12-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

Hope you had a lovely Christmas! We were in San Antonio this year, celebrating with icy wagon rides, too-cute T-shirts, and lots of playtime with Tilly's little cousin, Will.

Tonight, we're busy eating all of our Christmas chocolate and having a restful night, just the three of us and a pot of left-over advent tea. What a lovely end to the holiday.

{abstract art, junior}

2011-12-20T12:52:00.000-08:00

This Christmas, we decided to take advantage of Tilly's new colouring craze. I saw this lovely idea on Pinterest, to frame a child's art along with a photograph of them creating it.

So, out came the crayons and the camera, and we got to work.

(Can you spot Justin's drawing of a baseball bat bat? Genius)

Of course, when buying the frame, I didn't think to check it was the right size for my photo -- a 5 x 7 frame for a 4 x 6 photo. Rather than leaving blank space around the photo, I cut out an extra big piece of art -- enough to fill the lower frame, and serve as a mat for the photo in the top frame. I love how the colouring overlaps -- because, really, what fun is it to stay within the lines?

Signed and dated, of course, for future reminiscing pleasure. It seems we've got another lover of red in our midst...

Note: Our quilt for this month is finished -- have a look here.

Also Note: I was lucky enough to be a part of The Pickled Herring's Scandinavian Christmas again this year. You can read my post on the Danish nisse here.

{magazine break}

2011-12-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

There's nothing I love more than making something totally impractical. Giant knitted blanket in the middle of summer, anyone? A four-foot-high stuffed rabbit called Pumpkin who is sitting creepily in the corner of our bedroom to this day? I don't know how I (who almost wet myself watching Donnie Darko) can sleep at night. You think I'm joking. Maybe I'd rather I was...

But there's impractical and then there's downright silly. And here are a few pictures that I naughtily snapped in Barnes and Noble (oh, yes, Mr. Book-stacker, you thought I was reading a message. You were fooled...) that seem to toe that line. What do you think -- worth the effort, or not?

Paper pie speech bubbles, and miniature balloons on wire

Photos stitched together, and miniature clay deer heads

I have to admit, I'm already thinking about what our pies might say to us. "You really take the cake." Or "Shut your pie-hole!"

{a community quilt}

2011-12-10T13:16:00.001-08:00

Last night, as the clock struck twelve, the last of the tea was drunk, the final ginger-chocolate-chip biscuit was scoffed, and the 130th square was slipped into place on my living-room floor. The enormous grey and yellow geometric pattern is a first effort at community quilting -- quilts made with donated fabric, by volunteers, for local people in need of bedding.

You can read more about the project, and get involved, here.

P.S. Anyone else imagining a bumblebee? You know, the modern sort of bee, who's strictly about organic honey, wears waistcoats, and comes home to a minimal, Scandivanian-style hive?

{write on: an easy handmade gift for men}

2011-12-05T15:25:00.001-08:00

I'm rubbish at thinking of presents for men. And men who don't use electronics are even more of a challenge. What can you make them a cover for?

Inspired by my friend Terri's crayon rolls for kids, this grown-up version gets its modern style from all the grey felt accessories I keep seeing this year, like this glasses case. With a little personalisation, it makes a lovely gift for the writer (or crossword-puzzler) in your life.

Want to make one yourself? Here's how.

Materials:

Grey felt

Small strip of twill tape (to stamp on)

Rubber stamps and ink

Thread

From the grey felt, cut two rectangles 8" by 12", and one rectangle 4" by 12".

Onto a 3 1/2" strip of twill tape, stamp the lucky person's name using permanent ink (I use StazOn). I couldn't bear to pass up the rhyme for my granddad, Kenneth, and I hope that if you've got a Ben, Glen or Sven in your family, you'll make them a pen roll, too.

Sew the twill tape along one short edge of the small felt rectangle, using a zig-zag stitch around the edge.

Pin the small felt rectangle to the bottom side of one of the large felt rectangles, lining up the edges. Make sure your twill tape label is visible. Sew straight lines, using running stitch, across the width of the small felt rectangle, about an inch apart. These will hold the pens in place. Sew a couple of backstitches at the start and end of every row, to prevent the stitches unravelling.

Tip: Between rows, lift up the needle and foot, but don't snip the thread -- just begin the next row. You can go back and do all the snipping later, and save time and thread.

Place the two felt rectangles that you've just sewn together on top on the third rectangle. Place a large elastic band (hair ties work well) in between the two large rectangle layers, half way down one of the shorter sides. Pin in place, so that a good 1/2" of elastic band is hidden inside.

Sew all the way around the outside edge of the roll, making sure to go through all the layers and the elastic band.

Now fill it with pens (or a single, special pen), and roll it up, starting with the end without the elastic band. Slip the elastic over the top of the roll, and you're ready to go!

P.S. In need of other gifts? Check out CMP's and WV's Holiday Gift Guides, and see if you can spot some familiar (Polaroid-framed) faces...

{advent is brewing}

2011-11-30T14:08:00.001-08:00

Tea is arriving, beautiful, from all around the world.

As it goes up onto the advent tea wreath, I'm eagerly awaiting the first cup tomorrow -- I'm thinking we've got to start with a Teapigs tea 'temple', sent from England!

{designed by you}

2011-11-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks, I've worked with a number of lovely people on custom orders for all sorts of animals. What fun! Though the foxes, bears and deer never get old, it's refreshing to have a big old wolf to sink my teeth into.

It's been so much fun, in fact, that I've got a permanent spot now for anyone wanting to design their own custom piece of art. What will it be next -- armadillos? meerkats? wombats? I can't wait...

P.S. As it's the last week to order before December, all advent calendars in the shop are now 15% off!

{most of a part of a bit of a quilt}

2011-11-17T17:28:00.001-08:00

Roaming the pinboards for inspiration, I stopped short when I saw this piece of patchwork, from haven.

I've been wanting to use some of the old quilt scraps that Justin's grandma gave me to make a new quilt -- to take some of that beautiful hand-stitching and not just recycle it, but take it back to its old life a little bit. And maybe transfer some of that seventy-year-old magic to my slightly more modern choice of fabrics. Red, white and grey -- the official sponsors of Christmas 2011.

Can you spot the antique?

(No, Justin's ten-year-old shirt doesn't count!)

Happily, my giant pile of "nice fabric" old clothing is shrinking down to a single box. The lid doesn't quite fit on it yet, but we're getting there.

Also in the mix: a pair of baggy Thai trousers from our honeymoon that never quite looked as hip once we were back in America, mikodesign's lovely russian doll fabric, a great stash of red fabrics from my Mum, a rather more revealing top than I'd ever like to admit to wearing, and a couple of those $1.99 a yard! fabrics I see now and then at Walmart and can't resist, though I don't know what to do with them.

Of course, even after cutting and piecing six king-size rows of strips, the whole thing is looking a little short. Wrap it around yourself on a chilly morning and you'll have some frost-bitten ankles. So, back to the cutting board for now...

{oh happy grey}

2011-11-15T08:14:00.001-08:00

Just a little note to say hello. And that we haven't fallen off the face of the globe. It has been painting week here, and we've been busy to-doing, unscrewing, spackling, de-crackling, stirring, concurring, drilling, filling, second-coating, and then doting on Tilly's newly grey room.

No photos of the actual room yet -- Tilly is in bed woofing (hopefully a pre-nap woof) -- and so I'll give you a couple of photos of rooms I'd pinned for inspiration. And yes, patient Pinterest followers, all of the pins simply titled "grey walls" will now stop, I promise. (Well, until we do the kitchen...)

1. Buymodernbaby 2. The Good Report 3. Tarpapercrane

P.S. Thanks to all of you who are joining in with the Advent Tea Swap! It's now closed, but if you'd like to arrange a swap of your own with family and friends, I'd be happy to share a tip or two if you drop me an email.

{outlook: cloudy}

2011-11-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

Where I grew up, it was cloudy 364 days of the year. Grey clouds, black clouds, it's-about-to-rain, oh-wait-it-is-raining clouds. Even on sunny days, there were wispy white clouds, which often produced rain by the afternoon. But Texas is almost cloudless. There are a few days of ominous monsoon thunder clouds, and then the blue sky is wiped clean.

All that to say, I'm a bit cloud crazy at the moment. Whether it's missing the familiar clouds of England, or just feeling the need for soft fluffy things to lounge around with, I'm loving the way something wet and drizzly can become bright and beautiful.

Cloud rugs, Geometric cloud, Rainbow cloud, Red drops cushion, Wooden clouds, Doily cloud

{the second annual advent tea swap}

2011-11-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, dust off your teapots -- it's time for the Second Annual Red Red Advent Tea Swap!

As the first swap was such a success, we are really excited to repeat the tradition! Last year, teas arrived from all over the world, including China, Finland, England, and America. We tried unusual flavours, found some new favourites, (as well as discovering that Justin thinks chamomile tastes like "warm urine") and loved sharing the experience with some of you.

Would you like to join in this year? Here's how it works:

What you'll need: 25 bags of tea. (20 to swap, 5 for yourself)

What you'll do: You'll be paired up with four other tea swappers, and send each of those people 5 bags of tea. 20 bags of tea will arrive for you -- paired with the 5 you kept for yourself, you'll have enough for one bag of tea for each day of advent, and a one for Christmas Day.

You can make yourself a tea wreath to display your advent tea, check out my advent tea calendars, or just keep all your teas in a nice pot by the kettle!

How to join in: Send me an email at astrid@redredcompletelyred, before November 13th, including your mailing address, so that we'll know where to send the tea!

(Note: if we have enough local interest, Bryan/College Station folks, we can have a separate swap group without the need for postage)

Looking forward to sharing a nice warm cup of tea with you this winter...

{diy: stamped ornaments}

2011-11-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Beautifully heavy, these lovely ceramic baubles felt much fancier than the $1.99 price tag (and 40% sale) suggested. I came home with three, fully intent on hanging them, pristinely white, on the tree. "It'll be so simple and Scandinavian," I told myself, happily imagining a whitewashed house, ten feet of snow, and a sauna in our (imaginary) basement.

And then along came this pin. Abby, of Aesthetic Outburst, had found the same baubles, and drew on hers. Is there anything that woman can't draw geometric shapes on?

After our anniversary plate painting, though, I'm a little wary of ceramic paints. Our fancy-schmancy Porcelaine pens dribbled, spat, globbed, or did nothing even after twenty minutes of furiously bobbing them up and down. So instead, out came the stamp pad. Two minutes later -- with no arm bobbing and minimal dribble (from the stamps, at least) -- ta da!

This is the point where everyone says, "Who on earth is Matilda?" -- yes, that's Tilly. Spin Tilly's bauble around and you'll see the year she was born printed on the back. (Spin mine around and you'll have no such luck... I'm predicting that there'll be a point in the not-so-distant future that I won't want that information available to the public).

Now, should I run back and get another one (two? three?) to save for imaginary, possible, hypothetical future family members, or is that really just asking for trouble?

{pinterest challenge: woolly letters}

2011-11-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

Starting to think I'm going Pinsane? Maybe. But with 3682 pins, I couldn't stop at recreating just one. I'm hoping I can stop at five -- that seems like it should Pinough for now, right?

I fell in love with these wool-wrapped words, originally posted here. As you might remember, I've gone on about how I love capturing handwriting in stitches and stencils, and now in pipe cleaners. It's true -- the way you shape letters, even with an awkward piece of fuzzy-covered metal, takes on your personality, somehow. That, I love.

The word love, on the other hand, wasn't quite doing it for me. Not that we don't like love, or need to remind ourselves of it -- it just wasn't screaming "make me!"

We're in the process of giving Tilly's room a bit of a makeover, and, strange as it might sound for a little girl, we're going to use a lot of grey. Grey, white, and, of course, some lovely bright red! With those colours in mind, I had a go at bending Tilly's name out of pipe cleaners, and wrapping it up nice and warm for the rare chilly weather we're enjoying.

Something else Pinished -- four pins down, 3678 to go...

{pinterest challenge: ruffles}

2011-11-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

This tutorial -- seen on, you guessed it, Pinterest -- was for a ruffled tote bag to take Trick or Treating. With a different set of colours, though, it was easily adapted for a new season of celebration.

Don't know how to make ruffles? You will after sewing this bag. (Note: you'll probably also have discovered how NOT to do it!) Tilly has been trotting around with ours today, and I love how it looks as if she's wearing a floor-length flamenco dress!

P.S. Looking for a free Christmas present? I'm giving away a new piece from my shop over here -- stop by, leave a comment, and win yourself an original bit of Red Red.

{pinterest challenge: little houses}

2011-10-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Pinterest Challenge is back! The idea: to take an idea you've pinned, and make it a reality. Last time, a blurry shot from a room set became a giant canvas. This time, I'm working on a smaller scale...

Inspired by all the miniature clay houses on my Little Houses board, I picked up a few packs of Sculptey on sale, and a jar of enamel paint. How hard can it be to make a pointy square?

Turns out, not hard at all, with the help of a steak knife and a rolling pin. The difficult thing was preventing crumbling. As you can see, lots of my houses have that chalky rubble-sort-of-look of a thousand-year-old Danish church.

Spread out across a map, it was just like looking across the fields in Jutland as we drove across Denmark this summer, seeing spire after spire poking out of the trees. (Just pretend it's not a map of Japan, where, I'm sure, mini skyscrapers would be much more appropriate)

A bit of stamping...

...and we're red-dy to write our own little house messages. I'm playing with the idea of an advent town -- twenty-four houses, stamped with the numbers 1 through to 24, one of which will appear each evening as Christmas grows near.

P.S. Bonus Pinterest Challenge also completed: to use a map, somehow, anyhow. Since Sophie kindly sent in the antique French map, I've bought a hand-drawn map of Bungay in Suffolk, been given the Japanese map above by my Dad, and a map of Bahrain by Justin. Now, to put them to use!

{it ain't me babe... or is it?}

2011-10-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Just to give you a bit of a scare, pre-Halloween, here's a little trip back in dressing-up history. Can you pick celebrity from impostor?

One pair of perfect sunglasses

a million bobby pins

a bit of pout

curly hair and a big nose (thanks, Dad)

Bob really is Just Like a Woman.

{confessions of tillyless tuesdays}

2011-10-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

I was just going to show you the sweet little baby head with its sweet little baby mullet and the progress on tilly tuesdays: volume II, but then I decided I should tell you the truth. The truth is, I haven't consciously taken a photo of Tilly on a Tuesday for sixteen weeks. There have been plenty of photos, and there have been the usual amount of Tuesdays, but if they've occurred together, it's been purely by chance.

If you remember, tilly tuesdays: volume one was a handmade book of photographs, taken each Tuesday of Tilly's first year. Ah, younger Astrid, and her need for perfection. Once, late on a Tuesday evening, she did the unthinkable -- the most taboo act of motherhood -- she woke a baby just for an authentic Tuesday photo. (Yes, I can hear your collective gasp, echoing around the world... don't worry, I've learnt my lesson.)

But earlier today, wanting to read an email without being asked to see "beh-bee? beh-bee?" (and then screamed at when the email had no baby in it), I pulled down volume one. Fifty-two weeks of beh-bee, in handy sit-on-the-floor format. Peace. And then I realised -- today is Tuesday, and I hadn't yet taken a photo. I didn't take a photo last Tuesday, the Tuesday before, or any of the fourteen great-great-grand-Tuesdays that came before that.

Luckily, present-day Astrid cares very much less about perfection. "Ah, close enough," was my mantra of the afternoon photo sorting, along with "If I tell myself enough that the dates are accurate, I won't know the difference." Sorry, future Astrid, it doesn't sound like I've got much faith in your memory. At least I've labelled the book for you so you'll know which child is in the photos. You're welcome.

Okay, enough words. You're here for the photos, I know.

While the first volume was full of milestones like Tilly smiling or eating food for the first time, this year the firsts are of a rather different nature. Two months ago: the first time she sailed around a miniature version of the world in a Lego boat. A month ago: the first time she picked up a ladybird. A week ago: the first time she really played with a friend, rather than just trying to hit him on the head with toys (sorry, Ewan).

And that is why I have to keep it up -- so that all these photos don't fade into the jumble of "when she was little," but get to tell their stories and take their place in this weekly history of a person. Well, that, and I love the thought of teenage Tilly going to the photobooth each week to take her picture, twenty-year-old Tilly taking blurry self-portraits on a 'vintage' iPhone, eighty-year-old Tilly sleeping in a room full of filing cabinets (a la Bill Cunningham) filled totally with Tuesday photos...

...let's see, 80 years x 52 weeks = 4160 photos. Okay, she'd probably just have them on a CD.

{the anti-ant alliance}

2011-10-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

Not everything that is red is good. Fire ants, the little spot of red in our back garden, are most definitely not good. They've had there nasty little teeth (or whatever ants have -- pincers?) in my feet once too often this week.

Armed with a bottle of cheap vinegar, a hose pipe, and Justin's shoes (so as not to get my favourite red ones all anty), I set off in search of the Queen. And no, I wasn't going to offer her cucumber sandwiches.

Of course, no mission is complete without a band of trusty sidekicks. Bella, the scout, Tilly, the designated stamper (wearing thick protective wellies), and our mascot, one lucky Lego sheep, who may or may not have been lost in the grass along the way.

Success? I don't know. We saw a lot of ants, gave them a good pickling with vinegar, and retreated to wait for the next battle.

P.S. Wondering why vinegar? I read that vinegar confuses the ants' sense of who are their friends and who are their enemies, so they start to attack each other. Hopefully, they're wiping themselves out right this very second...

{let me eat cake}

2011-10-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

One year old seems like ancient history now -- the frantic machining of Ruffle Fest 2011, the last minute erecting of The World's Simplest DIY Photobooth, and the whirlwind of a Cheese themed party. Really, it was only three months ago. Long enough, though, that I swooned with nostalgia when I saw Little Starling's first birthday photo shoot, using a strand of Red Red bunting (from my shop).

What a perfect little red chair! Our good old IKEA high chair is shaking its plastic tray in envy. And, for even more good ideas for birthday photography, you can see more photos from her shoot, including chubby little baby legs covered in cake, here.

{matilda}

2011-10-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

While back in England last month, I came face to face with twenty-something years of my stored stuff. A little trip down Sentimental Lane, yes, but knowing that whatever I saved, I'd have to carry in my suitcase and drag half way around the world, I was ruthless. Goodbye, ugly Beanie Babies (yes, you, Millennium bear, you purple monster). So long, high-school yearbooks, and all your teenage stress. Farewell, and sorry, plastic animals that I chewed legs off of.

But one thing that definitely made the suitcase, packed safely beneath two hundred Duplo blocks and three dozen slightly mangy Sylvanian Families, was a book. My favourite book. A book I've read at least twenty times, often in a single sitting. A book I was given just before my seventh birthday, (ta, Jenni) and which has proved to be rather important in our lives...

Matilda. This is what our Matilda, our fifteen-month-old Tilly-Bear, is named after. I loved the idea of infusing her with a bit of magic. Yes, we might have long afternoons of sitting on the bed trying to move pencils with our eyes, but who knows, perhaps she'll be able to.

And can you believe, it wasn't until two years ago, when I was telling my grandma about my favourite names for girls, that she mentioned her mother, my great-grandmother, was also called Matilda? Cha-ching, bonus family connection! It was meant to be.

Reading the book again, I'm finding lines that are full of the brilliance of Matilda. Wouldn't that be a lovely reminder of her namesake -- a quote from the book, displayed somehow in her room. It's not all boastful parenty if Roald Dahl said it, right? And, perhaps, a bonus photo of her great-great grandmother on the wall too, just for total Matildination.

{a little pot of happiness}

2011-10-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

Inside this pot is the secret to happiness.

Well, lots of different ingredients to happiness, really. From making up a batch of Nigella's chocolate mousse to slipping on my threadbare red flannel pajamas, these are the things that have the power to turn any rough day into a smooth, rich and creamy day (yes, I've got my mind set on that mousse now...)

Of course, it works best if you can build up a stock of happy little slips when you're having a good day already. Whenever you bake a delicious new cupcake, discover a favourite new place to sit and read, hear a quote that speaks to you or a great song, add it to the pot, ready to be pulled out when you need to recreate that feeling. (Congratulations to Mumford & Sons, who made it into the pot less than a week after I'd heard of them!)

And it doesn't just have to be ideas. Along with the slips of paper, I keep a couple of stones in the pot. The chalky one, I found on the beach at Mariendal in Denmark, where we stayed this summer; it carries the taste of ice cream and Fransk hotdogs and the feeling of adventure. The striped stone is from Southwold, the nearest beach to my parent's home in England, and reminds me of long, peaceful walks along the shore, with the sea to one side and the bright beach huts to the other. Like tickets to another place -- and another state of mind -- just rolling them around in my palm is like an instant holiday.

So, all you need is a pot, a jar, a tub, and you're ready to start your own...

{red red Texas reds}

2011-10-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

The annual Texas Reds Festival took place just up the road from us this weekend. Some go for the steak, some go for the wine. I go for the red.

Well, that and the free samples. Spicy shrimp-and-bacon meatballs took first place in free grub this year, followed closely by sausage-on-a-pretzel dipped in barbeque-and-cream-cheese sauce.

Our littlest food critic was thoroughly impressed, and received everything with a "nunga-nunga-nunga" (Tilly language for "give me more of what you've got"). We firmly believe that our visit to the Festival last year in June, while I was a full nine months pregnant, was what finally encouraged Tilly to join us in the real world. Either she wanted a grilled corn on the cob for herself, or she wanted a free hug from the shaggy barefoot Texan who has roamed the streets both years.

{where words once were}

2011-10-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

While giving our Mormor tree a much needed drink of water today, I saw that the fabric hearts I hung had changed colour in the sun. The papers on which we wrote messages to Mormor were still safe in their pockets, but, magically, the ink had vanished.

Surely, when words disappear from our world, they appear in the next.

I like to imagine that as each letter I wrote faded over the summer, bleached by the Texas sun, the message grew clearer and darker and more defined somewhere else, somewhere Mormor is able to read it.

(Read about the meaning of our hearts here, and see how to make your own hearts here)

{the leaning tower of cupcakes}

2011-10-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

Step back in time two weeks. Take one ninetieth birthday party, two days to get it all sorted, three tons of moving supplies from my parents' garage, and a glimpse of this Lakeland cardboard beauty. It could only be a job for the butcher, the baker, and the cupcake stand maker.

It all centred around sliding artist's palette-shaped cardboard pieces onto an old kitchen roll. Now, if Kate Spade or Paul Smith made kitchen roll, this is what it'd look like: brightly striped. Unfortunately, neither of them has had that idea yet, so I used coloured tape (that matched our cupcake flags) to cheery the whole thing up a bit. Because, let's face it, bare cardboard hardly says "Get your party on."

What does say "Get your party on" is a dozen Bakewell cupcakes (again, from our recipe, inspired by Britain's second best amateur baker, Holly). As do the Union Jack cake cups. But what most definitely does not help the party mood is when adding the cupcakes to your cupcake stand makes the whole thing topple over. Ever think you're going to be the least popular person in the room? Well, drop twelve Bakewells on the floor fifteen minutes before a hoard of hungry pensioners arrive, and you will be. Guaranteed.

Kitchen weights to the rescue. Of course, meticulous Holly might throw a razor-edged meringue at me if she were to see her prized cakes being served on such a precarious pile of old cardboard and rusting metal. But she'd have to throw it rather hard to reach me in Texas, so I feel relatively safe showing you the photos now.

So, there you have it -- cardboard box to cupcake monstrosity in twenty-five moderately difficult steps. What can I say, at least it didn't overshadow the cakes. Which were, as always, scrummy.

{nano cam}

2011-09-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist sharing this little Pentax camera with you -- a real working camera, onto which you can build your own designs with Nanoblocks. Only from Japan, of course, but surely they'll make it over to the rest of the world one day?

My Dad brought one home from a recent business trip, and it went off with my sister, Alice, to her first year of university last weekend. You can bet that that camera will see a lot of good times!

We saw Alice off to her new life, and then made the long trip back home, where we're slowly remembering what 'real' life is like!

{diy: washi tape flags}

2011-09-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

Washi tape. Chances are you've seen a roll in a pattern you can't resist, and bought it. Chances are, once you've got one roll, you've decided to become a washi collector. Chances are, you now have an entire cupboard piled high with red tape, blue tape, tape with musical notes, with Japanese stamps, with the entire words of Shakespeare printed in miniature.

But what do you actually do with the stuff?

You make flags. And then you make cupcakes. And then you stick the flags into the cupcakes and have a jolly good time.

Having made ~~millions~~ ~~hundreds~~ dozens of little flags for Mossa's birthday earlier this week, I've got the method down. Is it so basic that you could probably do it in your sleep already? Yes. Am I going to share it anyway? Yes. It might save you a bit of awkward finger/scissor/tape/cocktail stick manoeuvring.

(Are you drooling over those cakes above? Bakewell Cupcakes, baked by my sister, Alice, they use The Best Cupcake Ever recipe that I shared the other day)

You'll need:

scissors
cocktail sticks (long or short. I prefer long as you can cut them to make short ones, too)
washi tape

Pull one end of the tape out, a good ten centimetres, and place the unpokey (i.e. 'blunt', for people who use 'real' words) end of a cocktail stick in the middle of the length of tape.

Fold the end of the tape over the top of the cocktail stick, sticking it to the tape on the other side of the stick. (Note: at first I was very worried about lining up the edges on both sides of the tape, but then got over myself and decided it looked quite nice uneven anyway.)

Snippy snippy. One straight cut, to separate the flag from the roll of tape, and two pointy cuts, if you like the snake-tongue effect.

Here's another case of unnecessary worrying -- I oh-so-carefully measured the first two or three flags, and then decided that it was all a bit faffy, really, and decided to enjoy a variety of lengths of flag. Perfectly imperfect. Or, so I tell myself. We also scribbled '90' onto the flags in a very imperfect and blobby blue biro.

We stuck the flags in cupcakes. We stuck them in Fruit Pastilles. We stuck them in Cadbury's Giant Chocolate Buttons. We slotted them into the holes in Polo mints. I even poked a couple into the tail feathers of my Mum's favourite straw chickens, to give them a bit of festive 'pluck'. In short: stick a flag in anything, and it becomes more exciting.

So, tell me: am I wrong? Do you have tons of uses for washi tape? Have you never heard of the stuff, much less been tempted to buy any? Or do you, in fact, have the complete works of Chaucer on washi tape instead?

{diy: custom sketch pad}

2011-09-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

What do you buy for the artist in your life? You know, the person who always gives you personalised paintings, artwork they've slaved over. For my granddad's 90th birthday, I found him a nice big sketchpad, but was rather unimpressed by the grizzly brown banana on the cover. Really, who gets inspired by rotting fruit?

To make it a little more special, I gave it a little make-over, adding a custom cover. While I ripped the original cover off in a fit of anti-banana rage, I'd advise you to peel it off carefully. But then again, a good angry rip does feel rather good.

Print out a photo, for your new cover, onto photo paper (the heavier-weight works well to protect the pad). I used a photo of Tilly trying to steal Mossa's walking stick and chew on it -- at the time it provided a good laugh for both of them.

At this point, I found that the photo paper and the sketch pad were, unfortunately, different sizes -- the photo was a few millimetres wider, but also more than a centimetre shorter. The extra width was easy to remove, by trimming the photo with a paper cutter...

...but adding length proved a bit more difficult. Eventually, I used a fat bit of white packing tape -- lining up the bottoms of the photograph and the pad, and using the tape to fill the gap. Yes, this cuts about a centimetre off each page of the pad, but it seemed to stick it all together quite well.

Tip: I found that using a generous bit of tape (i.e. extra on both sides), and letting the top of the pad hang off the table while you're taping helps it all to look a bit neater.

Trim the packing tape, and bend it over the top off the pad, and around the back (covering any scruffy marks left from where you ripped off the previous cover).

Hopefully, Mossa will remember his afternoons with Tilly whenever he does a little sketching.

In case his memory does fail, we penned a quick note in the front cover, just reminding Mossa who the pad was from (and how old he is). Add a pack of his favourite drawing pencils, and it's ready to be wrapped. Quick. Simple. And, hopefully, a good way to ensure you keep getting those lovely framed sketches as pressies. Everybody wins.

Do you have any quick presents to whip up for friends and family? Please share -- I've got a little collection going here. With Christmas approaching, we're all looking for inspiration!

{a ninetieth birthday in photos}

2011-09-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

It's the end of a long day of party poppers, pass the parcel, and Polo mints -- a ninetieth birthday party with personality. As all of our energy has been used up, scrambling to get the biscuits baked before the old folks arrived for their lunch, I'm simply going to show you some photos and go to bed. (With a leftover biscuit... or two!)

{through the keyhole: into your house}

2011-09-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

Over this holiday, we've stopped in to see many of you, family and friends. Perhaps you invited us in for a cup of tea. Perhaps you gave us lunch. Maybe you even let us stay a night (or ten). And now how are we going to thank you? By showing the world your secrets. Your stylish secrets.

Swing low, sweet Tilly! Our cousins, C & A, hung this giant swing from the centre of their playroom, and it was the perfect way to amuse a very energetic two-year-old, a curious Tilly, and a gobsmacked seven-month-old. The large mesh seat could happily hold two children, and looked much more comfortable than the wooden plank versions you usually see in edgy New York apartments (like these).

Again, there's something unusual hanging from the ceiling -- can you tell what it is? This was the dining room in the summerhouse where we stayed (or 'the Oasis' as our cousins, K & K called it), and ripe bunches of grapes dangled above our heads. As you can imagine, fresh fruit was always on the menu.

A stylish house of a smaller size! We spotted this playhouse in the garden at L & JP's housewarming party, and couldn't stop thinking about it. (On the DIY list? More like on the garage floor!)

Another idea from L & JP -- this sweet letter C is on the wall in their daughter's nursery. Unlike the usual painted or ModPodged wooden letters, this beauty was soft and stuffed and covered in fabric. If I can get over my initial dilemma (an 'M' for Matilda, or a 'T' for Tilly?), I'll have a go at making one myself.

And one more shot before we leave them alone... the white nursery, with a single red wall. Beautiful. (Ignore Tilly's slightly non-plussed expression -- she did like the colours, but was a little miffed to have been removed from a large stack of Dick Bruna books and popped into a cot with four other children, simply for the sake of us mothers taking a photo!)

Another red wall, this time at our cousins K & K's real home (as opposed to their summerhouse). I've got a thing for houses. For two years, while studying art, I only painted pictures of houses. This might have rekindled the obsession.

Ever been to someone's loo, and emerged with one of their paintings in your hand? This seaside piece, by St. Ives painter Susie Brooks, was hanging in our friend L's bathroom, and she kindly showed no signs of alarm when I came out holding it -- with clean hands, of course. What I love is that while the sea is painted, the land and houses are left white, simply outlined in black. Landscape painting gone modern?

Though her house is green green completely green, L added a red pepper to the salad to make us feel at home. (And Marimekko napkins for lunch -- the height of luxury!)

And last but not least, a quick shot from I & I (aka Mum and Dad), who have managed to squeeze a gigantic collection of Chinese ceramics into their new home in England. This set of Mao figurines, on top of a cupboard in the kitchen, brings back many happy memories of Dirt Market bargains.

Thanks to all of our wonderful hosts -- we have but a week left now in England before flying home. Tomorrow, we'll be celebrating my grandfather's 90th birthday, so stay tuned for a special party post. Pass the parcel for ninety-year-olds. It's going to be great!

{meanwhile, in texas...}

2011-09-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

Leave a man alone for a week, and the house becomes a building site. Here are a few photos from Justin of the forest he has just cut down.

Without a certain someone running around chewing on wires, it seems all the drills and saws and other woodworky things that I don't know the names of have come out to play.

It has been a little rainy this week -- perhaps this is the beginning of our very own Slagle Ark? (Bella has a spot -- one more dog allowed!)

{the great british cake off}

2011-09-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

Round here, we are crazy about The Great British Bake Off, a BBC cooking competition that has contestants cooking everything from loaves of bread to meringue pies. An hour of deliciousness every Tuesday evening at 8pm. (And, lucky for those of us outside the UK, episodes can be seen online here)

Of course, after seeing all that amazing food, we wanted to try it for ourselves. Many of the recipes are available on BBC Food, and we've also found that some of the contestants have blogs -- not only do they share the things they cooked on the show, but add other things that they're cooking in real life, too. My favourites are Jason (because I wanted him to win) and Holly (because her recipes seem the tastiest, if a little too perfect), but the whole list of sites can be found here.

The first dish to be cooked up by our very own home cooks: Best Ever Bakewell Tart Cupcakes, (our recipe, based on Holly's recipe). Slightly almondy sponge cake, raspberry jam, and a dollop of icing. Here's Chef Alice gently blowing crumbs from the tops of the cakes, while Chef Louise finishes filling them with jam, Chef Mum adds the icing, and lucky little Chef Tilly eats the cut-out middles of the cakes.

Twelve of them disappeared frighteningly quickly. Make sure you check out the finished cakes over at The Fable of the Table -- with fresh raspberries on top, they are rather pretty. And, dare I admit it, we're making another batch tonight, with a different kind of icing...

{i see london, i see france...}

2011-09-13T00:09:00.000-07:00

Happy mail. Special delivery. A good post day. Whatever you call it when something that is neither bill nor junk mail shows up in the postbox, this is it. From the moment I caught sight of all those red stamps on the outside of the envelope, I knew it was going to be good.

Inside the envelope was a map. Not just any map. My first map.

It's a beautiful map of Lyon, France, and the surrounding area, from the 1960s. Ooh la la indeed. It was sent to me by a generous reader, Sophie, (merci!) who had no use for it as the map didn't quite stretch to include her hometown.

One of my favourite details is the town of St. Etienne. Though Justin has already firmly vetoed the name, I've always loved 'Etienne' for a little boy. (He's more into naming boys after ferocious animals -- Bear, Wolf, ~~Komodo Dragon~~). Ah, well, now I can enjoy it on a map. Whatever I end up making, you can be sure that this section will be used.

Notice that the roads are all marked in red? Perfect! Clearly, it's quite a bumpy, twisty mountainous area, and I'm imaging many of these roads running along crests of the Alps. Who fancies a bit of skiing? (And a nice hot pain au chocolat afterwards...)

So now, (well, once we're home again) perhaps some of our map projects can start to take shape. Although I'm finding that it's much easier to think about cutting the maps up when you don't actually have any... in person, this one really does look quite nice whole!

{the art of the acrostic}

2011-09-10T03:13:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you didn't have your magnifying glass handy the other day, and wondered what you were supposed to be looking at in this picture from Mad og Bolig magazine.

Well, here's a shot from inside ARoS museum in Aarhus, where we happened to spot the original of one of the framed prints. (Note to ARoS museum police: I'm very sorry, but I didn't spot your white-on-glass 'no camera' signs until too late. If it makes you feel better, we got a parking ticket while inside the museum. Possibly at the very second I took this photo)

Oiseau, by Poul Pedersen, as you can see, is an acrostic. As far as I can tell, it reads: Where, Here, Paris, Stranger, France, Poul. And then downwards, the letters spell Bird. Perhaps not my choice of words, but I love the restrained use of red letters, and the way the words are arranged. With a set of alphabet stencils and a few tubes of acrylic, this would be quite simple to recreate -- either with your own acrostic poetry (ooh la la), or with a meaningful word, place or name in the centre.

After much searching, it seems that Poul Pedersen has kept himself rather quiet. A Danish artist, his paintings all seem to be collected around the Aarhus area, and very few are visible online. How lucky that we did venture into this corner of the Contemporary Art floor of ARoS (most of the art on which inspired rude comments like "I could do that with my eyes closed" and "Tilly made something just like that yesterday with squashed blackberries).

(source)

I did find another of his works, La Toile, that I also love. Unfortunately, my French isn't quite up to deciphering it all: You, Beneath the stars, The stars, Beneath the _______, The _______, Beneath You, The ______. I know, it's turning into a language test over here, but any help on what a toit is would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully it's not too rude to say in the comments.

I've been sketching away already, trying out different words for my own version, ready to paint once we're home again. Any ideas? Do you have any words on your walls?

{five things you didn't know you could make out of wicker}

2011-09-08T00:14:00.000-07:00

Wicker. Yes, it's nice enough, but I wouldn't call us wicker fanatics. However, while in Denmark, Justin, Tilly and I found ourselves at the wicker festival in Moesgaard, just a few kilometres from our summerhouse, surrounded by wicker, wicker weavers, and fellow wicker-weaver watchers. And let me tell you something. It's not all about baskets.

Hobbit homes. Is it just me, or have you ever wanted to live in The Shire? I can just imagine Bilbo's little face poking up through the window of this little wicker hut. Precious.

The willow branches, though cut from the tree, can take root and start to produce leaves of their own after they've been woven, giving the little huts a healthy mop of green hair, which you could trim or style as you like.

Wouldn't it be fun as a little playhouse in the garden? Tilly could pretend she was a panda. I'm sure, given the chance, she'd be gnawing on the shoots quite happily.

It seems simple enough to create at home -- winding, bending, in here and out there. Our neighbours across the road even have a willow tree in dire need of a prune, so perhaps they'd be happy to let us help ourselves to some branches? Verdict: We could make that.

Basket Huts. If you're not feeling Bilbo's hobbit home, what about a more Dr. Seuss-esque hut, with a strange and bendy chimney? Verdict: This seems rather more intricate (i.e. not for us first-time wickerists)

Pig-tail Trees. Another simple idea that we saw was braiding several willow branches, and then planting them in soil so that they took root. I'm not sure how well they would survive, or continue to grow, but they might look lovely sprouting up from the plant pot bench I mentioned last time. Verdict: Easy weave.

Evil Pigs. I know, you're wondering where the red is in this leafy middle-of-a-field post. Look no further than Mr. Pig's knobbly little wicker eyes. I'm imagining Watership Down, but with crazy pigs. Scared? Yes, me too.

Tilly, though, loved the wicker pig, and pestered him through the fence so much that the artist set him loose. Nevermind that I will have nightmares about Piggy standing in the corner of my room, his glowing red eyes fixed on me.

Miniature Replicas of the Space Needle. Or is it a tiki torch? Verdict: Tilly gives her seal of approval.

Yes, there were baskets, too. But they were interesting, slopey-topped, bulging-bottomed, baskets with character.

This lady was off home with her new bit o' wicker. Go on, take that helmet off and put the basket on your head... you know you want to.

What about you -- did you think wicker was wicked already? Does that pig give you the heebie jeebies too? Do you ever want to drop everything, run off to New Zealand, and become a hobbit?

{magazine break}

2011-09-05T03:55:00.000-07:00

You'll have to forgive me. Taking photos of magazine pages, one hand holding the page open, one hand (my wrong hand) holding the camera steady, in the evening light -- it doesn't make for the brightest of pictures. But I loved these ideas, found in Mad og Bolig (the Danish Food and Home) magazine and in the Illums catalogue, so much that I thought you had to see them, too. Make yourself a cup of tea, and have a flick through with me.

This is a bench that I would like Justin to make. The Chunky Monkey, I think I'd call it. Or Fatty Fatty Square Legs. As you might remember, our woodworking skills so far consist of nailing two planks to a fence and calling it a photobooth, but thick beams, straight lines -- how hard could that be?

This is art by Poul. (No, we're not on a first name basis, I just can't remember his surname. Googling 'art by Poul' has, unfortunately, not helped) I saw this in the magazine and loved it, and then, surprise, surprise, we saw one of these same paintings on exhibit in Aarhus. More on that later.

These are luggage tags, made from maps. Let's just add them to the giant list of map projects I've got. (Though we have yet to find a single map to make them all with...)

This is a piece of art I loved. Reading the Danish caption now, I can confidently tell you it is by Michael Brammer. The title, Kareligheden og Speijlaegget I'm not so confident about. Any help, Danes? Any guesses, non-Danes?

This is a pillow. A pillow that looks as if it's been knitted from the inner tubes of bicycle wheels. I wonder what size needles you need to make that?

This is bench number two on Justin's to-build list. Held up by plant pots, the bench lets trees grow up through the seat. Plant big enough trees and you'll have some shade; make them apple trees and you won't have to get up for a snack.

Keep your tools out, Justin -- two circles of plywood and a tree branch, and we've got one of these designer coffee tables. I love that the base would slide under the sofa, so you could have the table over your lap.

And now, something for me to make. Here we've got a pompom circle, a rag rug circle, and what looks like a collection of black felt stones. A perfect set up for a game of The Floor is Made of Lava.

Going straight to my I Could Make That pinboard when I get a chance are these two canvases of small lines. Doesn't it look like marks to count down the days? Perhaps send a canvas to the local prison, and have an inmate keep track of his sentence artily for you.

And, just for fun, some Pantone cups, so you can have a cup of tea while deciding on your paint choices, and... guess who? He's Alfi-licious. He's Alfi-tastic. He's Alfi the super thermos.

That's all. Break's over. What's your favourite magazine for inspirations?

{inside the rainbow}

2011-09-03T03:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what the inside of a rainbow looks like? No, I'm not advertising Skittles, or high on Lucky Charms. I've got some photos to show you from the amazing exhibit, Your rainbow panorama, by Olafur Eliasson, that we saw in Aarhus.

The panorama is a circular walkway that sits on top of the ARoS art museum, with walls of coloured glass panels. The colours have been arranged according to the colour spectrum, so that one gradually changes into the next.

From inside, you look out over Aarhus, seeing different parts of the city through different tinted panes. The orange section almost made Denmark look sunny (quite an achievement), in an end-of-the-world, sky-of-fire sort of way.

And what a surprise -- an art exhibit that is perfect for energetic toddlers! As a complete, closed-in circle, the panorama was the perfect place for Tilly to run around. The further she ran from us, the closer she got (from the other direction). Perhaps Olafur would be interested in doing an installation on our roof at home?

We didn't stay in the orangey-red section the whole time, and ventured through the eerie yellowy-greens, the deep-sea blues, and surreal pinks and purples, too. Here's a favourite colour combo, taken from outside, for any fellow Swedish-furniture lovers.

With the combination of funky built-in filters in the windows, amazing views, and constrained family members, the rainbow was the perfect spot for a bit of photography. It was very strange, though -- because your eyes adjusted to the different colours and began to see them as normal while inside the walkway, the camera saw things in a much more saturated way. Take this shot of extra-terrestrial Tilly, for example. The dangers of too much broccoli?

Of course, most of the world won't be in Aarhus anytime soon, but I'm sure you could have a very similar experience if you took a pair of old glasses and some cellophane chocolate bar wrappers and climbed a nearby electricity pole. Your rainbow electrocution. No, please, don't do that.

{flea market: danish style}

2011-09-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

My sister and I have been playing a lot of "Would You Rather" recently. One of our favourite head-scratchers: would you rather have a human body and a dog's head, or a human head and a dog's body? (We're both going with the dog's head, in case you're wondering)

But now, one for you. Would you rather go to the world's best flea market, and be able to take almost nothing home with you, or go to the world's worst flea market, and take home whatever you want?

Without a doubt, the flea market we visited in Viby (near Aarhus) was the best I've ever been to. Rather than feeling like you're rummaging through rubbish and clutter, it was like having your pick of props used in a Scandinavian style magazine. White ceramic teapots aplenty, Royal Copenhagen dishes stacked to the ceiling, a little red typewriter that even had keys for the three extra Danish vowels... ah, our suitcases had never seemed so small.

This ceramic butcher's pig made our shortlist, mostly because his sweetly named Picnic Shoulder made us dream of wicker baskets full of sandwiches. Okay, also because his Butt was right behind his ear. Hehe. But unfortunately, his weight and breakability ultimately left him there, staring wistfully at us from his shelf.

Also high on our list of maybes was Alfi, and his metallic brother, Robo-Alfi. Just a few days earlier in the trip, we'd been out for the day with our cousins and had packed ourselves some lunch, cake, and tea. The tea had come along in their Alfi pot, whose lid screwed down tightly so nothing spilt, even after bumping around a safari park in a pushchair. That night, as I unscrewed the lid to clean Alfi, a cloud of steam rose up. After ten hours, the leftover tea was still piping hot. Amazing! So, story short, we're big Alfi fans. In fact, we've raved about Alfi so much to friends and family since, I think they're wondering if we've got shares in the company.

Not really our cup of tea, but interesting nonetheless, were these pots. Labelled gamle danske honningkrukker, I'm assuming they are honey pots from the days of Viking Winnie the Pooh.

Justin and Tilly, who were less impressed with all the pots I was oohing over, finally found something they'd like: a two tonne helmet, with horse's tail headdress. When I pointed out that it would never ever fit into the suitcase, Justin offered to wear it home on the plane. (No, I made that up. But I would love to hear airport security ask him to remove his belt, watch, and helmet)

A rainbow of pots -- couldn't you imagine a picnic of pasta salads packed into them? Yes, clearly I'm picnic-crazy at the moment. Hopefully, by the time we're back in Texas, it'll be cool enough to venture outside during the day.

So, onto the things that we did come home with. Number one: Children's Scrabble, in Danish. I couldn't get over the tiles with those Danish vowels. There's a chance we'll play it, but I hope to hang it somehow in Tilly's room.

Numbers two, three, and four: a lovely sturdy mixing bowl (ours at home melted slightly in the dishwasher and is now a Dali-esque deformed shape), a polka-dotted cake plate, and an aebleskiver pan. Anyone notice a favourite colour?

Aebleskiver, in case you're wondering, are little fried apple pancake balls that the Danes have around Christmastime. The fact that ours is painted red means that it's probably no good for actually making aebleskiver (that would be too useful) but we did enjoy putting the blackberries we'd picked in it. Good portion control. Or a way of keeping greedy piggies from eating your share.

We also found some perfect gifts for our Mums: a glass lemon juicer for mine, and a silver spoon marked Kobenhavn for Justin's. I'd never have thought of flea markets for gifts before, but I love that these souvenirs are so authentically Danish -- owned by actual Danes first!

What do you think -- could you have left that lovely butcher's pig on a shelf? Do you have any great flea markets or thrift shops near you that are full of things you can't resist?

{farewell, denmark}

2011-08-31T02:42:00.000-07:00

Our two weeks in Denmark have come to an end, but what a lovely time it was. Sand, sea, and rain. Had I really forgotten the Danish weather so completely -- we had packed entirely too many pairs of shorts, and not one umbrella!

When the sun was out, we went to the beach, which was just up the road. Tilly loved examining the sea shells, turning them over in her hands, and having a little nibble on one occasionally. She could run up and down the shoreline for hours, following other children and trying to take their buckets, or simply enjoying her freedom!

Before you start to think we were in a tropical resort, let me show you our feet. Wrapped up in hand-knitted Danish socks whenever possible. What a lovely feeling to slip into these after having your toes in the rather chilly North Sea.

We stayed out in our cousins' lovely summerhouse, which was so special. Beautifully Scandinavian, all white and wood, with a garden full of flowers and fruit. Fresh blackberries for breakfast, apples for dessert. Tilly didn't even bother picking the fruit, but ate it straight off the bushes!

And before I forget, here's a flodeboller. Chocolate shells, wafer bottoms, creamy marshmallow centres. Still just as delicious as I remember.

Of course, I've still got so much more to tell you about. We went to the most amazing flea market, attended a wicker festival, walked above Aarhus in a giant rainbow, took a trip to Legoland, and made note of all the Danish designer things that we plan to make ourselves at home. Is there a more inspiring place than Denmark for design?

I'll have all that for you once I've come to terms with the 1036 photos I took in the space of twelve days. Yikes! Hope you've had a lovely August, and thanks so much for all the comments. I loved having our guests, and am so glad you enjoyed their posts too.

{for the love of burlap -- with m'lynn}

2011-08-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here we are again with the last in our series of guest posts. Today, we're welcoming M'Lynn of The Creative Cup, who also writes a beautiful and thoughtful blog here. She has put together a

burlap wreath, made all the more perfect by the red flowers! Inspired? Yes, me too...

Burlap is my go to medium for ~~most~~ all of my home decor projects. I'm head-over-heels in love with this fabric because it is so inexpensive, it has wonderful texture & colors, and it helps fill my home with a rustic-country flare that suites our decor and agriculture lifestyle.My latest burlap project just happened to have a little touch of red to fit with Astrid's love of the color. Inspired by the wonderful wreaths I found and pinned on my Pinterest board HERE, I made this scrappy burlap (with red) wreath to welcome guests into our home.

I used exactly one yard of burlap, a heavy duty wire wreath frame, and fabric scraps left over from previous projects. No sewing was required, just knotting, tying, pinning, gluing, and twisting.

May this burlap (with red) wreath be a pleasant way of welcoming our friends and family into our burlap-filled home.

Thanks, M'Lynn. A lovely choice of colours, and what a brilliant way to use burlap! Thanks, again, to all our guest bloggers -- I'm on my way to England tomorrow, where we'll have Internet access, and we'll have some photos of Denmark up to show you very soon!

{emergency purse kit tutorial -- by terri}

2011-08-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to continue this little series of guest posts with you -- creative minds from near and far, who have focused their ideas on red, just for us. Today, we're welcoming Terri of The Mommy Shop,

who has put together a tutorial for a stylish and useful sewing project that's perfect to make as a gift for just about anyone!

Hello all, my name is Terri and I am a huge fan of Astrid's style and creativity over here at Red Red Completely Red. I was thrilled when she asked me if I would be willing to do a guest post for her while they are off traveling. I absolutely love sewing, crafting and using my spare time to come up with new creations for me, my kids and my etsy shop. However, as a stay-at-home mom of a 2 year old and 1 year old, projects that are expensive, non-practical, and take more time than what I can finish during the 30 minute window my kids are both asleep at the same time are not at the top of my list. So today I am so excited to share with you a tutorial for an inexpensive, very practical and time-efficient project I created. I call it the emergency purse kit!

Supplies:

2 pieces of fabric 5" by 9"
1 piece of fabric for the pocket 3 1/2" by 9"
thread
a hair band
sewing machine
scissors

Skill Level: Beginner. I am not always the best at explaining things so I like to include a lot of pictures. I hope that you find this to be both simple and fun!

First you want to take your 3 1/2" by 9" piece of fabric and hem the top under half an inch so it looks nice and finished off.

Next, lay the 3" by 9" piece on top of one of your 5" by 9" pieces. You will want to make the bottom edge of both fabrics line up as shown below.

Once you have them lined up, you will sew straight lines down the front of the fabric to create pockets. This is where you have some flexibility. I sewed six pockets because I had specific things in mind that I wanted my kit to hold. If you know you have more stuff you may want to use a little bit longer piece of fabric and sew more pockets. Or, if you know you have an item that will need a bigger pocket, you could sew one large pocket and four small ones, etc. I decided on six pockets, each about one-and-a-half inches apart.

At the top of each pocket, I did a quick back stitch to make sure that the thread will not unravel. Another little trick to save time and thread is to not cut your thread between each line. Simply make sure your needle is up, raise the sewing foot and scoot your fabric over the the next line. I usually go down one line, up the next, then back down again and so forth. Once you are finished, you can go back and cut the thread between each pocket.

Once you have all your pockets stitched, you are half way done.
Next, you will lay the second 5" by8" piece on top of the first 5" by 8" piece with the colored sides of the fabric touching one another.

Now sew down the bottom, around one side and across the top leaving one end open.

Once you have done that, you will turn the fabric inside out. It may be helpful to use something like a crotchet hook or pen to push the corners all the way out.

At this point you should still have one open end.

You will want to turn the open end in and pin the rubber band inside the pocket it forms.

Now you are on your last step!

Simply sew around the entire rectangle.

And you are done! These are so easy and affordable to make. I think these would make great gifts for a bride, bridesmaids, girls going to prom, stocking stuffers for all the ladies in your family etc. Feel free to add your own suggestions on things to fill it with too! Mine carries my essentials: mascara, lipgloss, mini lotion, a stick of gum, a band aid, bobby pins, a rubber band and a travel kit of Advil!
If you want to make one of these for your kids you can make the pockets about an inch apart and use it for a crayon roll-up, too.

Thanks, Terri! It looks great! Looks like my family know what to expect in their stockings now...

{dala horse hot pad tutorial -- by the pickled herring}

2011-08-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to share this little series of guest posts with you -- creative minds from near and far, who have focused their ideas on red, just for us. Today, we're welcoming Kathryn of The Pickled Herring, who has a tutorial for you on making your own Dala Horse hot pad...

Hello! I was tickled red (ha) when Astrid asked me to do a guest post over here at Red Red Completely Red. I love Astrid’s simple yet unique style and have loved reading her blog ever since I discovered it just over a year ago. So thank you, Astrid, for letting me be part of your blog today!

Red. I, too, love red things, perhaps not quite as much as Astrid (or my husband, for that matter), but I love the boldness it can bring to a simple project. Today I want to share how to do an inverted or reverse appliqué using red as the “popping” color. The following will be a tutorial for a reverse appliquéd pot holder.

Gather your supplies:

Three 8 ½ inch x 8 ½ inch fabric squares: 2 the same color, 1 red (use a durable fabric)

One 8 ½ inch x 8 ½ inch square of quilting batting

Scissors – a small, sharp pair would be best

Sewing machine/thread/needle

First things first, pick a simple shape (or a tricky one, if you feel daring). Make a paper cutout of this shape. I did a Swedish Dala Horse as my shape since I love all things Scandinavian and am currently doing a Dala Craftalong.

Next, cut out your 3 squares of fabric and 1 square of batting. I used 2 black pieces of fabric for my main pieces and 1 square of red felt for the popping fabric.

Pin your popping fabric square behind one of your main squares. Pin your cut-out shape onto the front of these two squares. I pinned my cutout in the center, but you can change it up and put it on the lower corner or wherever you like.

You can either trace your image directly onto your fabric with a washable fabric marker or sew around the actual cutout. I chose to sew around the cutout. Do so very slowly and carefully. Note: You should be sewing through 2 layers: the popping fabric and main fabric layers.

Next, very, very, very carefully cut only the top layer out so that your other fabric peaks through. I pull the popping layer back while I do this. This is where the small, sharp scissors come in handy.

Be careful not to get too close to the edge. You don’t want to cut the outline you sewed.

The hard part is over – yay! Now, place the layer of quilting batting behind your appliquéd squares. Place your other main square on top, right sides together. So your 4 squares should be in this order, from bottom to top, quilting batting, peaking fabric, main fabric with appliqué, main fabric. Pin all sides together and sew around the edges, leaving a 2-inch gap in the center.

Trim the edges and trim the corners for an easier time turning it right-side out. Turn right-side out through the 2-inch gap you left. Fold the edges from the gap inward and pin.

Sew along the edges, about ¼ of an inch from the edge, starting with the pinned gap.

I like zig zag stitches so I added a zig zag border.

Now, bake or cook something hot so you can use your brand new reverse appliquéd hot pad!

Thanks again, Astrid, for letting me be here today! I hope you all enjoyed the short tutorial!

Thank you, Kathryn! A beautiful way to carry your hot pots. I'm sure we'll all be by the check out your Dala Horse Craft-along. And, if you're looking for more Dala inspiration, check out my D is for Dala pinboard!

{a spot of red in the room -- with dutch.british.love}

2011-08-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to share this little series of guest posts with you -- creative minds from near and far, who have focused their ideas on red, just for us. Today, we're welcoming Jadyn of Dutch.British.Love, who has put together a collection of gorgeous interiors for your viewing pleasure, each featuring red elements. Old road signs and Union Jacks? I'm in love...

- - - - - - - - - -

Much like Astrid, I believe a bit of red brings things to life. While red isn't the main ingredient in the rooms here, imagine them without the red pieces in them and you'll see how red makes these rooms,
even if added in small doses.

{JMarx Atelier}

How lovely and vibrant are this fiery red desk and filing cabinet? Looks like such an inspiring and energizing place to work.

{Ellen O'Neill, via House Beautiful}

This room struck me as very 'Astrid'. A white room with whimsical red chairs and a vintage British road sign? Yes please!

{VTWonen}

I love the softer red on the painting and chairs here as well, giving this room a lively but slightly softer look than the one above.

{Canadian House&amp;amp;Home September 2009 issue, photography Michael Graydon}

Just a bit of red on the pillow brings this room to life, don't you think?

{Image from MiCasa}

Even red in small doses adds vibrancy, this room wouldn't be the same without it.

Thanks for having me at RedRed, Astrid!

Thanks to Jadyn for the inspiration. We'll be modeling our kitchen after that gorgeous House Beautiful one, for sure! Watch out, neighbourhood road signs...

{how to take a one-year-old across the world in six easy steps}

2011-08-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

We are by no means experts on traveling with children. But, having made the trip to England last Christmas with a five-month-old Tilly, to Oklahoma this year with an eleven-month-old Tilly, and now preparing to jet off again to Denmark with fourteen-month-old Tilly, we've learnt a couple of things about keeping babies happy on planes. And, as some of you have asked how we survive the flights, here are a few things that have worked for us.

One. Choose your travel times wisely. It is much easier to spend ten hours with a sleeping one-year-old than a waking, shaking, trouble-making one-year-old. Travel at night, when you can. Bring bedding.

Note: Don't count on any sleep yourself. Channel your caring-for-a-newborn self.

Further note: As you will most likely be beneath the sleeping one-year-old, do not count on any toilet breaks. Drink sparingly.

Further further note: If your baby is generally a light sleeper, think about bringing infant earplugs, or improvising some sort of ear covering so that the incessant announcements from the cockpit don't keep waking your little one up. I'm planning to stick a semi-chunky hat over Tilly's little ears. And whack any air stewardess who comes by with duty free after Tilly nods off.

Two. Pack as lightly as possible. How lightly? Well, a good rule of thumb is that you can physically move all your bags, plus your baby, all in one go. Common sense? Maybe, but picture this very real scenario: the park-and-ride bus drops you off in the middle of the road outside Houston airport. You, husband and baby have three large bags, three small bags, a car seat and a push-chair. Can you make it out of the street, with your stuff, before a passing truck flattens you? (Hint: If the answer is no, maybe you don't need ALL those changes of clothes!)

Three. Bring entertainment. Not wanting to spring for the portable DVD player that some people recommended, we tried hiding a few of Tilly's favourite things a week before we left. We brought the hidden books and toys with us on the plane. She loved them already, plus she missed them, so we got a good few more minutes of interest from each one.

Note: Keep weight in mind. No matter how much your baby loves that set of fifty wooden blocks, you will not want to carry them around for twelve hours. Compilation books, with more than one story inside, are a good choice, as are toys that can be played with in more than one way. I packed Tilly's toys into a case that Velcros shut, creating the extra game of take-things-out-and-put-them-back-in.

Four. Bring food. As many Gerber Puffs as you can carry. Other favourites of ours for baby-friendly snacks are blueberries, cooked macaroni with melted cheese, cheese cubes, cranberries, raisins, and cereal. Beware of bananas -- it's oh-so-easy to squish one against your passport!

Five. Dressing your baby in layers allows for high or broken air-conditioning on the flight (both of which we've experienced already with Tilly!) Also, something with easy access down there makes using the tiny changing tables slightly easier. If you're flying overnight, pajamas might remind your baby to go to sleep.

Six. A secret Weapon. Okay, you don't normally let your little one watch TV/have sugar/chew on your phone, but bring something that you don't normally allow, just in case of a major meltdown. A friend recommended lollipops -- this is our secret weapon this trip. We've also heard that stickers work well, paired with plain paper. Of course, any new toy might calm a crying child through novelty alone!

And, a few other things that might make travel easier:

packing pajamas near the top of the suitcase, for easy access the first night
a push-chair that locks when folded, for easy storage on the plane
a large bag to stash a car-seat in, to keep it a little safer on route
imagination -- anything can be entertaining, from plastic cups to pictures in the in-flight magazines

If all else fails, repeat my little mantra to yourself:

It's only ____ hours. I'll never see these people again. It's only ____ hours. I'll never see these people again....

Have you got any tips to share? We'd love to hear them! Just get them in quickly -- we're off to the airport in a few hours!

{creative ways to record your travels}

2011-08-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

We haven't even left yet, and already I can't resist thinking about how we'll record our trip to Denmark. Of course, we're planning to build our postcard shelves (which, due to warped planks, will now be when we get back), so we'll be sure to pick up a nice Danish postkort to display. But, loving maps as much as we do, here are a few other ideas for remembering trips:

This felt pillow has been embroidered with travel routes, each trip in a different colour. Just don't try to fly from Los Angeles to Japan -- you'll have to go the long way round! (Paola of Atelier Pompadour, via Apartment Therapy)

Feeling stitchy, but don't want to bother with all that felt? What about these simple postcards, onto which you sew your journey. Perfect for our upcoming postcard wall! (Uncommon Goods)

Add a little scent to a postcard collection with these lavendar-filled postcard sachets. Probably not worth the risk of getting them through customs, but buy an extra stamp while you're away, and sew these up at home. (Victoria)

Frame photos, using maps as matting. Choosing a map of the destination where the photo was taken will make it extra special. (Martha Stewart)

And, if you love your maps so much you can't bear to cut them, frame the whole thing in an embroidery hoop! (Brigitte.de)

These pillows bring maps down from the wall and turn them from crinkly to cuddly. We are playing with the idea of having a map theme in our guest room, so these would be fun on the bed. (My Bearded Pigeon, via Re-nest)

And as the guest room is also serving as Justin's office at the moment, this map-covered stag would be right at home. Could we make it a moose, though, please? (Steph Goralnik, on Flickr)

Okay, perhaps I'm getting a little carried away here, but if we're going map-crazy, why not throw in this map chandelier, too? With a $5 IKEA light-kit, I'm sure this would DIY in no time. (Umbu)

Do you have any travel traditions? Any special souvenirs you try to find while you're away? It looks like we'll have to save space in our suitcase to bring a map or two home with us!

{bon voyage}

2011-08-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Goodbye, Texas. Hello, Denmark! This week, we're off -- flying to Copenhagen, and then driving across to Jutland for a little holiday by the sea in our Danish cousins' summerhouse.

Beder, the little town we'll stay in, is a little off the beaten trail, it seems -- when searching for ideas for day trips in the area, Trip Advisor came up blank, and kindly informed us to go somewhere else! But that just adds to the adventure, right? We'll have sand, sea, and access to flødeboller. What more could we want? (Never heard of a flødeboller? I'll eat one and take a picture for you...)

Justin and Tilly, of course, have never been to Denmark, (I, on the other hand, lived there for four years, while in high-school) and so we'll be spending a few nights in Copenhagen, too, to see the sights. We'll stroll along Nyhavn,

...browse around the amazing Marimekko Concept Store, swing by my old school, eat some more flødeboller, and spend an afternoon at Tivoli Gardens. And, of course, there'll be the chance to practice my very rusty Danish. Justin, who, for seven years has been telling people I'm fluent in the language, is in for a nasty shock!

While we're away, I have a little treat for you. Over the next two weeks, special guests will be popping in to share their own little bit of red with you. I've seen some of their ideas already -- wonderful stuff, don't miss it!

{the pinterest challenge: fine art edition}

2011-08-13T05:35:00.000-07:00

So, having finished the background yesterday, I started the painting of the dandelions. Did I wait twenty-four hours? Most definitely not. A scant five hours after painting the background, I found the paint brush back in my hand.

I unstuck the paper towel templates as I painted each dandelion head, but kept them nearby as a guide. With the dandelion seeds, I was going for not too hearty, nor too blobby. I know, all very technical.

In case you're wondering about paints, for the flowers I used Burnt Umber brown acrylic and black fabric paint (I'd run out of black acrylic). I'm not sure that's ideal -- they seemed a little shy at first, and took a good deal of stirring to get comfortable enough to mix with each other.

And, of course, there's the obligatory red. Seeing as the painting's beauty came from its complete lack of colour, the red had to be very subtle. Just five small dots, next to the far right stem. Just enough to make sure my granddad, who always says that every work of art needs a dot of red, is happy.

And before we have the final reveal, I just thought I'd remind you of the inspiration (a painting spotted on Pinterest):

Here is our version (I don't know when Mr Dala Horse crept in there... perhaps, subconsciously, I'm putting a spot of red in all my photos now, too):

What do you think? Passable as something to hang on the wall? Justin's kind reaction was "It could be a tracing!" (a la Michael Scott at Pam's art show) I had to laugh at myself as I was trying to copy the little imperfections from the original -- notice the seeds slightly out of place above the second and fourth dandelions?

It turns out there's a whole movement now of people recreating things they've pinned. To see some of the amazing creations, pop over to YHL's Pinterest Challenge.

{photos of paint in various stages of drying}

2011-08-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

Today you're going to get a little peek behind the scenes at Red Red. Glamour, this is not. It's the every day, bit-by-bit process of creating, whenever I can fit it in.

This is me painting a white canvas white. Seriously. Someone once told me that canvases should always be painted white first. I can't remember who, I can't remember why. But as the laundry sat unfolded, the dishwasher sat unloaded, and the baby lay sleeping, I painted a white canvas white. It was sort of zen, in a mindless-task-that-has-no-practical-value sort of way.

This is a sketch. A half-hearted, I-can't-be-bothered-to-fill-it-all-in sort of drawing. Recognise it? It's that four dandelion piece of art (from our large art round-up).

This is paint. My artistic friend, Whitney, who has a background in decorative painting, is mixing up a nice shade using colours from her own walls. Check out the toe-decoration -- and she didn't even know her feet were going to be on camera.

And here's me, slapping it on, crissing and crossing and trying not to listen to the perfectionist in my head. Good job you can't see my toes. I'd be like the Ugly Step-Sister of feet.

The base colour done, I then played around with slightly different shades on top -- a layer of the base colour with more white, a layer of the base colour with less white. The bottom layer wasn't quite dry, it turned out, when I started adding new layers, so I got an interesting texture where the half-dry paint below got pulled along with the brush. I meant to do that. Ahem. Not.

A little darker in the corners, a little lighter in the centre. According to Whitney, this is how multi-millionaires like their walls painted. Ooh la la.

(P.S. By the way, there are three unseen --but very present!-- children in the background, and at all times, one of us was fending off Tilly, who was determined to step in the paint...)

Not wanting to have too much of the pulled-off-paint texture, I'm giving the background a good twenty-four hours to dry before adding the dandelions. But, in preparation, I cut the approximate shapes of the flower heads out of paper towels...

...and taped them to the canvas. (There's no artistic reason for using paper towels -- I was just in the kitchen, and they were handy)

Just like the masters did it. Everyone knows Van Gogh stuck paper towel sunflowers to his canvases before painting...

And I'm sure good ol' Vincent held up his iPhone pic of the art he was copying to check the placement of said sunflowers, too.

Stay tuned! Tomorrow, when it's all dry dry completely dry, I'll add the flowers.

{inspiration: that's a stretch}

2011-08-11T06:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all your input on the ideas for giant art! I'm happy to say that an artistic friend has offered to guide me through the painting of those four thin dandelions -- so cross your fingers, hold your horses, we might have our own version of that beauty one day soon.

As many of you suggested, we are also considering simply stretching a large, bold-printed piece of fabric over canvas stretchers, and hanging that as art. Here are a few ideas for how that might look:

Stretched Marimekko Fabric by City Refugee. One of my favourite prints of all time, I'm thinking that this could be even more affordable and personal if I stenciled my own version of the famous UNIKKO print. Large shapes, simple colours -- me and my freezer paper can handle that.

This ELLE Decor set-up, via Room Interior Design, has a much softer feel in warmer colours, and shows that a medium-sized print will work nicely, too.

Stretched Stems via Real Simple. The grey seems like a perfect balance of neutral and interesting.

Button Art by Little Green Notebook. I'm picturing it on a white background, for a slightly fresher look, but the loosely-matched colours of the rows of buttons are perfect just as they are.

Stretched IKEA Fabric by Jenn and Romy. Recognise this fabric? I snagged three yards of it on clearance a year or so ago, sewed up a table runner, and declared it to be my favourite fabric ever. Admittedly, it might be a little busy for the wall, but as we have a yard still lying around, it might be worth a try.

Have you had any success with fabric stretching? And prints or patterns that you think are totally art-worthy? Or have you ever tried to rip-off an expensive designer print with freezer paper?

{in progress: shelves and nails}

2011-08-10T06:31:00.000-07:00

In between unpacking and repacking suitcases, we are still finding time to get our woodworking on. Remember the world's cheapest shelves that we're planning to put up in the office?

The plan was to use the eight-foot planks that we'd used to construct our photo booth (tutorial here, if you need a reminder). After hauling the planks in, though, (yes, giant nails still attached... apparently I have no sense of danger) and propping them roughly in place to see if we liked the look, it seems that these planks are just a little too narrow at one-and-a-half inches wide. Yes, they hold postcards. But they look a little strange. Plus, Justin is very eager to try routing a groove down each plank (just as they did on Young House Love), and one-and-a-half inches leaves little room to get his groove on. Plus plus, our planks are a little warped, which is fine for a photo booth, but rather more of a problem in shelving.

Therefore, we've decided that it's better to spring the $8 for new, wider planks. As we'll have to buy a drill to put this all together anyway (ours, we believe, was stolen while we were out for a walk -- can you believe that?), I'm thinking that the title World's Cheapest Shelves isn't quite so accurate anymore. But we're excited to get working on them... until then, I leave you with Rock Pig:

{inspiration: large art for cheap}

2011-08-09T05:23:00.000-07:00

Over the years, we've collected several pieces of art that we really love. As we've had to move every year, and have been on a small budget, almost everything has been 8x10" or smaller.

Now, looking for a way to fill our ginormous living room wall, our pint-size frames simply aren't cutting it. Still on a budget, though, and with giant paintings not coming cheap, I've decided to create the art myself. These are a few ideas, none of which I've committed to yet, which all look beautiful and make-it-yourself-able.

Colour Blocks via Apartment Therapy. Modern art, simply by framing layered pieces of paper.

Striped Panels by 4 Men 1 Lady. Though the colours here aren't my cup of tea (a little too green tea), I'm imagining that in red, yellow and orange this would look rather Kate Spade.

Tandem Canvas via Apartment Therapy. What's cheaper than one giant canvas? Four small canvases hung next to each other.

Abstract Tutorial by Oh Happy Day. I do love these, but I'm a little afraid it might look as if Tilly got hold of some oil pastels. Maybe I should give her some oil pastels (in a well-covered and confined area) and see what happens...

Potato Print Dots by Oh Happy Day. This idea can actually be done with the kiddos -- potato prints and dots. Plus, she shares her secret of cheap framing.

Golden Mesa I by Sean Jacobs. This one isn't really a DIY-- it's an actual piece of art from World Market. But it looks easy, doesn't it. Deceptively easy? Probably.

Sun Shower by Today's Nest. A collage of droplets, which could be made it any colour scheme. I love the idea of using a bunch of different papers -- anything from birthday cards to junk mail could lend itself to this.

Four flowers via Decorno. This is my favourite right now, but again, not really a DIY, just art that I'm wondering if I could knock off. What is it -- framed paper? Canvas? I can't tell. But I love it, nonetheless.

Giant Portrait via Pinterest. Can I please live here, please? That giant portrait peeking through the doorway is just so clever. Can I make it? No. But look closer -- can you see the painting of a dog with a fish bowl for a head? It totally reminds me of Justin's birthday card to Tilly -- her head on a dog's body! We could paint that one, I think.

So, what do you think -- do any of these ideas seem do-able? Or perhaps you've got other ways of filling up giant walls that you'd like to share -- please do, we're all ears!

{beside the seaside}

2011-08-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

You might remember getting a few close-up glimpses of patchwork a few weeks ago? The mini quilt was made as a housewarming present for my parents, who recently moved back to England after nine years in China. As I was able to deliver it to them earlier this week, I can now show you the whole thing, without spoiling the surprise!

Their new home is just a short drive from Southwold, a little seaside town with rows of brightly-coloured beach houses along the shore -- and that was the inspiration for this quilt. Three little linen beach houses sit along the striped promenade, looking out to sea.

The sea, as I might have mentioned, is a patchwork of squares cut from the vintage linen tea towels that Justin's grandma gave me, mixed with other cotton prints (including one that became Tilly's second homemade dress!) After a little mix-up with the pinning, my carefully-planned order of squares ended up totally random -- but luckily the bird still ended up above the boat, and the boat above the fish, so there was some semblance of logic.

At present, it serves as more of a mini runner or mat, but I sewed up two loops in one of the fabrics, so that it can hang at some point -- possibly from a nice piece of driftwood found on the beach!

I was also able to give Alice the giant knitted blanket I made back in March, which will accompany her to university this autumn. Ever the fashionista, she found she could wind it around her neck as the world's chunkiest scarf. It's lovely to know that it'll be keeping her warm, at home or on the town!