Smalltropolis

  Wow, here it is, December already. The year has just flown by. I have done a lot this year, though. I've worked quite a bit on my house, I've started to get certified to teach yoga, I helped throw a surprise party for my sister...just so many things. Anyway, I better get dinner started. Jay will be home soon.   Wren

It was almost 100 degrees here today. Too hot to play outside...and tomorrow will be the same. Hmm. I guess these are good days for staying inside, daydreaming and eating strawberries. Florette'ette

Rosemary came over to visit us from London this past week. Here we are having strawberry shortcake out in the garden. Ivy and Paz

Making a fabulous strawberry shortcake is not hard. You just have to think fresh, wholesome ingredients. Start with the freshest berries you can get your hands on. (I just picked these from our large patch out in the garden.) Clean them and let them sit in a bowl with a bit of sugar sprinkled on top. After they've gotten nice and juicy, mash them up. While the berries are sitting, make the shortbread. Select a good, basic recipe. I like this classic one from Betty Crocker : Sift together: 2 Cups flour 2 T sugar 3 t baking powder 1 t salt Cut in 6 T unsalted butter Stir in 2/3 to 3/4 whole milk Bake for 12-15 minutes at 450 degrees. While the shortbread is cooling a bit, make the whipped cream. Beat heavy whipping cream until it's a nice whipped consistency, add a bit of sugar and whip it just a few seconds more. (Be sure not to overbeat, as it will turn into butter!) I know many people are tempted to head straight for the Cool Whip, but it's loaded with

Fall may seem ages away but designers are already putting finishing touches on their lines. Here at Smalltropolis, we were lucky enough to catch up with Madame Dandelion (possibly our favorite designer!)  and she let us have a small glimpse at what's coming this fall. Here we see the beautiful Autruchette Lemarchal in a stunning floral linen jacket. So sixties! A trim wool skirt, classic patent leather bag and satin flats with ties complete the look. Photos shot at the amazing Jardin de Poupée.

We all know the dark side of global warming: drowning polar bears and island countries swallowed by rising seas. But what about closer to home? Well... This picture is not from last year. The plant is. And yes, it's blooming...in April. Hello? This is zone 5, people! This thing should be brown twigs with some seed heads on top. And the seeds in those seed heads should be sending up tiny little sprouts in, I don't know, in a couple of weeks? And my friend's rosemary plant that stayed outside all winter? Doin' just fine, thank you. Don't get me wrong. I love snapdragons. One of my favorite things is watching a big ol' bumblebee try to climb inside one of them. But there's something really wrong with this. Our climate is definitely changing...and we're at least partly to blame, no matter what some people think... Check out this picture I found on planetsave.com Good one, huh? It's also good that when it comes to helping our planet, there&

We have so many little birds in our garden. Here's one of them in the lilac tree. I like listening to them and watching them, and even sometimes writing poems about them. I especially like haiku because it's so quick and simple. For example: head cocked, intent... OK! listening time is over ee-ep ee-ep chek chek chek chek chek chek chek chek chek I know a lot of people wouldn't consider that proper haiku because it doesn't follow a lot of complicated and arcane rules. I don't really care. I have The Haiku Handbook by William J. Higginson and it certainly goes over traditional forms and the background of haiku. I never even read that part of the book. I skipped straight to the simplified lesson plan. In that part, here's what it tells you to ask yourself about your haiku: Is it brief? Does it present one or two clear images, with no metaphors or similes? Does the image, or do the images together, create an emotion in the reader without telling

Materials: Two pieces of fabric, each about 15 1/2" x 24 1/2" Pocket, approximately 8" x 8" Cording, 2 pieces, each 72" long (About 1/4" wide — purchased or sewn from 1" fabric strips) Two 1" Grommets Make and attach the Pocket: I upcycled a pocket off an old pair of shorts. You can also make a pocket. Stitch it to the front of the knapsack, centered about six inches from the bottom. Sew the bottom and side seams: With right sides together, stitch the bottom edge of the knapsack with a 1/2" seam allowance. Then, on both the front and back pieces, mark the side edges 3 1/4" from the top. Fold the edge over 3/16", stopping at your mark. Press. Fold over 3/16" again. Press. Stitch these folds down and then, with a 1/2" seam allowance, stitch the sides of the bag, stopping about where the folds start. Make bottom pleat in bag: Turn bag right side out. Bring the bottom of the bag in 2 1/2" to create

When my dad died , my mom asked me if there was anything I wanted of his. I wandered around their apartment, looking at things. Yes, it would be nice to have some little memento, but what? Everything just seemed like empty objects, like I would get it home and it would simply add to the clutter. But this weekend, as I slid a pan of banana bread batter into the over, I realized I already have something to remember him by: this 1950's darkroom timer. My dad and I started developing photos together when I was in high school. He and my mom had done it quite a bit, years earlier. So, he had all the equipment and he taught me how to do it. Our photography, and therefore our printmaking, covered a range of subjects. For example, we had quite a few pets, who were always up for having their pictures taken. Or I sometimes went around town and staged wacky photo shoots with my friends. And there was always the option of choosing from the boxes and boxes of negatives taken before I was

It's been pouring all day. This after a week of temperatures nearly in the 90s. (Average temps here in March are usually in the 40s.) With all that heat, and now the water, my daffodils are shot. I have an insane number of them in my yard, because for several years running, I simply could not resist either the cheap bags of bulbs at the hardware store or the huge, mail-order "money-saving" bulb samplers. Now I literally have hundreds and hundreds of daffodils. It's an amazing sight when they're all in bloom. But when I left a week and a half ago, the buds were barely swelling. It was cold out. I packed long-sleeved shirts. A black sweater. Lots of underwear. I really didn't know how long I'd be gone. My dad was sick. Well, no, he was dying. That much I knew. I also knew I wanted to see him and talk to him one last time. And he waited for me. He waited for my mom, and Robin and her family to gather around him. And then, as all of us will one day, h

I've started reading the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and it's really got some great ideas! One of the suggestions is a specific way of planning out your time. I looked online for a planner with this layout but couldn't find one, so I've created my own. I wanted something that would hold these 8 1/2 x 11 planning sheets but could fold up smaller, to fit in my purse. I'm not going to make this a tutorial, (there are several things I'd change if I did this again) but I'll give you a few ideas so you can design your own! On the inside of the wallet, the planner sheet is held down with a piece of elastic. I thought about tying it with ribbon but decided that would add too much bulk when the wallet was folded up. There's also a small pocket and pencil holder. This clear vinyl pocket has its edges sewn down with rickrack. This is for my personal mission statement. The book suggests you write one for yourself and then keep it some

Have you ever thought about making your own bias tape? It's not that hard and it means you can have bias tape (or piping) in any color or pattern! (Before we start, I recommend reading the instructions all the way through once before you start. And in case you didn't know, you can click on a picture to see it larger—and zoom in!—in Flickr.) To check if your fabric will look good as bias tape, fold the fabric on the bias (from corner to corner and, using a piece of paper or other neutral object, cover all but the very edge of your fabric. I've found that stripes and small polka dots almost always work. Larger dots and really large prints can be iffy and, as you see in this photo, medium-size prints make for very abstract bias tape, which sometimes works and sometimes not. After you've decided on fabric, make a perfect square by cutting or ripping on the grain. (Perfect? Well, as close as you can. The more accurate you are throughout the whole process the closer y

I love my new scooter! Nia

As long as I'm on the subject of making gifts look nice , why not sew up some quick and easy gift bags? For this striped bag, I used: Two pieces of fabric 7" x 14". (2.5" of this will be folded over for the cuff.) Two pieces (each about 24") of seam binding, ribbon, or sewn-together bias tape Small scraps of cloth or fabric flowers To start, sew on small pieces of scrap fabric for decoration. Use a zig zag stitch or even leave some of the raw edges to create a "fringe." (See the orange bag below.) On the wrong side of the fabric, on one side edge, place a mark 4.5"" from the top of the bag. Place another mark 3.75" from the top of the bag. Mark the other side edge in the same places. Using 1/4" seam allowance, sew the two pieces of fabric together along the sides and bottom edges, leaving the spaces between the marks open. Press the seams open at least as far down as the holes. Fold the top edge down 1/4' and

I've finished making a whole pile of frayed ruffle hearts . They're cute the way they are, but to make them extra special, I'm putting them in pretty cellophane bags, with curly ribbons and hand-made tags. Sometimes I get lazy and don't spend the extra effort on great gift wrap, but it's so worth it, isn't it? The other exciting part of this is I'm not just sending these hearts to family and friends. I've got 3 set aside for Aunt Peaches Valentine Swap ! Yea!!!