Filigree

I've always loved the delicate and intricate art and look of filigree, be it in jewelry, lace or paper. Recently I took an amazing filigree jewelry workshop at The Richmond Art Center (www.the richmondartcenter.org).  The teacher Yehuda Tassa is a master at Yemenite filigree.  It was a bit difficult for my first jewelry class, but the end product and knowledge of an ancient craft made it worth the frustration.

I made these beautiful hoop earrings in the two day workshop.  Both pictures are of the earrings I made.  (in the top pic I put the earrings on a page from the Barney's catalog, the bottom pic just looks gold from the camera)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving is one of my more favorite holidays.  As a child it was a time for lots of cooking and baking and vacation from school.  Every year my mother  had my brother and I help with the preperations and pick a dish of our own to contribute to the feast.  I always picked the pumkin pie and my brother picked jello salad.  It was a time for good smells and food, good friend and family, and beautiful fall weather in the country.  As an adult it's  pretty much the same, except the vacation is my children's.  I still make the pumpkin pie, and look forward to the fall weather and a table surrounded by hungery loved ones.

For the last couple of years we've been brining our turkey and removing the back bone, it cooks quicker and stays juicier.

If it's thanksgiving it's got to pumpkin!

Halloween 2008

So... Halloween was a few weeks ago now, but I thought I'd put these pictures up anyway. The boys and I made some yummy and scary cupcakes to celebrate the day. Nico my little guy went as a space man, and Enzo went as Han Solo from star wars. His Han costume came out pretty good and realistic enough to please him, although he was disappointed with the especially ordered Han Solo gun that turned out to be bright blue and orenge. 

We visit a great farm in Petaluma every year and always get pumpkins in all different colors and sizes.

I made apple pie. Orange and purple sugar made it look festive.

Celestine

Dharma Trading Company is a great yarn and craft resource store in San Rafael. A couple of months ago while making a regular visit to the store I saw a wonderful creation sitting on their counter. It was the Celestine ball by Berroco, a dodecahedron, or twelve pointed star. I had my three year old son Nico with me at the time and he was just as in awe of the creation as I was so... I let him pick out some yarn and went home to get the free pattern off the Berroco website.

www.berroco.com/exclusives/celestine_sox/celestine_sox.html

This is how it turned out.  Nico picked this thick colorful wool yarn that I knitted then felted. Mine came out much bigger than the pattern because I changed the yarn and needle size.  It's a great ball, but I really love it as a pillow on the sofa.  I loved the first one so much I made another one for my nephew.  This time I used the recommended sock weight yarn, I also changed the pattern to be more pointed at the tips.

A work in progress, and the finished thing.

Side by side.