PEACHES

Pippi Flamingo Haute Couture

You guys, if you ever get into a Facebook discussion about making the Pippi Longstocking theme song your ringtone, make sure the person on the other end is an expert seamstress, because, if you are lucky, maybe one day she will send you a flamingo dressed as your favorite Swedish childhood folk hero, and then, if you play your cards right, you can get on your blog and boast about it, because, if there was ever something worth bragging about, a flamingo dressed as Pippi Longstocking is it.

Now, as if I needed to tell you, Pippi and flamingos are two of my favorite things (naturally) but when I opened the box this morning my head just about exploded. I mean seriously. LOOK AT THAT FACE.

I wish y’all could see Kelly’s work-–the stitching, the bloomers, the little handmade shoes, the apron, the two tone stockings….as someone who has read the Pippi Långstrump series, oh, about a hundred times, I know nearly every detail Astrid Lindgren wrote about her clothing and Kelly nailed it right down to the pinafore pockets. It’s amazing!

Seriously, her pigtails are wired and move around. MOVING PIGTAILS, I SAID. I’m going to be up all night fussing with those pigtails, I just know it. Lola is going to be so ticked.

And this isn’t just a lovely doo-dah, it’s a one of a kind work of art. The very idea that Kelly made it with me in mind makes my heart smile wider than you can imagine 🙂

Now, I should say, to be fair, this was part of a swap. I sent Kelly something too (more on that next week), but it wasn’t nearly as awesome as this and I am feeling mighty inferior at the moment. How was I to know she was going to send me something so cool!?!

Many, many thanks to Kelly for this beautiful creature who I will treasure forever and display prominently. I have a feeling she will be a conversation piece for many years to come.

PS: be sure to stop by Kelly’s blog Zerbert, to see more of her amazing creations!

Things That Keep Me Awake At Night: Jelly Beans

by PEACHES 17 Comments

President Obama was on the television last night talking about the crisis surrounding America’s debt ceiling and how the whole country could very easily go to Hell in a hand-basket in the next two weeks.

Good times y’all.

But somewhere between his firm-yet-persuasive hand gestures, he made not one, but three separate references to Ronald Reagan, which is kind of weird, because, you know, as presidents go, they aren’t exactly birds of a feather. I’m sure it was something that his handlers told him to say in effort to appeal to Middle America, and I think that’s even more weird, because, you know, Middle America wanted him to stop talking so we could go back to watching The Bachelorette.

I’m not sure why Ronald Regan is suddenly the apple of President Obama’s eye, but I must confess a soft spot for him ever since someone told me the Reagans kept loaded candy dishes in nearly every room of their house at all times, including a famous bowl of jelly beans on his desk in the oval office. He said, You can tell a lot about a person’s character by whether he picks out all of one color or just grabs a handful.

And while it would not be politically correct to say aloud, I’ll bet he could also tell a lot about a person by their choice color of beans. For the record, I’m the type to choose yellow or green or pale orange….cheerful and acidic. That’s me in a nutshell. But what about the person who chooses the purple beans? Or Heavens To Murgatroid, the black jelly beans? Would Ronald Reagan have entered into Iranian hostage negations with the guy who plucked out the black jellybeans?

These are the things that keep me awake at night.

Oh Lydia, Oh Lydia

by PEACHES 7 Comments

Anyone remember this post from last May about a fish sculpture in Takoma Park Maryland?

My friend Leah posted the photos of the most amazing bottle cap fish on Facebook a couple years ago and I got obsessed and wanted to make my own…blah blah blah…of course, surprise, I am still working on that project too.

But then, last week, through the wild and wonderful powers of the interwebs, the mysterious origin of the bottle cap fish was reviled when I received an email from Krista…

She is on my front lawn, her name is Lydia Capulet and she ran in the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture race in 2009 (snakehead).

All photos courtesy of Krista Weiss Tretick

Turns out, Lydia is more than just a pretty face—she is mode of transportation!

Having never heard of the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race prior to Krista’s email, I was a little confused at first….is it a parade? A boat race? A tandem bicycle competition? An art show?….well, it’s all that and a bag of chips!

From the official website:

Kinetic Sculptures are amphibious, human powered works of art custom built for the race. Each May, the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) hosts the East Coast Kinetic Sculpture Race Championship on the shore of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in central Maryland. The eight-hour race covers 15 miles—mostly on pavement, but also including a trip into the Chesapeake Bay and through mud and sand.

Now, having read the rules (no seriously y’all, check out the official entry rules) I am all kinds of jealous. The very thought of people getting dressed up and teaming together to build, ride and race using living works of art has me all aflutter… Who thinks of these things? Where do I enter? If I build a giant, water tight sculpture of Lola, will anyone come to race her with me? What if we don’t have a kinetic race where I live? Maybe I can do my own in the bathtub? Yeah, that’s it, the bathtub!

All photos courtesy of Krista Weiss Tretick

Many thanks to Krista for sharing Lydia and introducing me to this amazing event!

Nature’s Bounty

by PEACHES 9 Comments

Okay, so, bounty might not be the most appropriate word here. But let’s be honest; is there anything more rewarding than biting into the first homegrown tomato of the summer?

I guess writing that letter paid off.

Icicles and Wild Flowers

by PEACHES 15 Comments

Something about hot weather always gets me dreaming of the cold days of December. I have been known to play Christmas music in July.

This is also the season for wild flowers, which I adore, but they never seem to look right when I try to arrange them with other flowers. They refuse to be tamed! I needed a vessel to hold them solo. A vase with multiple holes does the job, and I just love putting something so summery into something with a wintery look. Makes for good contrast…yin and yang….ice cream and pretzels…icicles and wild flowers 🙂

This project is super easy and requires very little time or talent. Traditional paper mache can get messy (not a bad thing in my book), but you could probably replace that step with a decent layer of tape.

Send me pictures if you make one of your own!

She Comes in Colors

by PEACHES 14 Comments

For anyone who has ever felt old before their time, hush up and watch:

This lovely lady, Ilona Royce Smithkin, is the living embodiment of youth. Optimistic, open minded and living for every moment, she doesn’t give a rip what anybody says or thinks about her appearance. She isn’t wasting time accommodating some aesthetic expectation set down by me, or you, or Vogue magazine. She is beautiful. She is 90. She is what I want to be when I’m a grown up.

Oh crap.

I am a grown up.

When did that happen?

Many thanks to my pal Justin for introducing me to Ilona via my new favorite blog, Advanced Style, a blog devoted to people of a *certain age* who are living high on the hog with gobs of style. So inspiring! Love it. Love it. Love it.

Happy Fourth of July!

by PEACHES 8 Comments

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans. Get out and enjoy some sunshine and hot dogs!

Somewhere between the smores and the fireworks, if you can, take a moment to read The Declaration of Independence. Preferably out loud and in front of munchkins. With gusto. Not only is it beautifully written, it’s one heck of a story and pertains to a lot more than just one nation, one day of the year.

That Thomas Jefferson was one cool dude.

Happy Fourth!

Who wants some patriotic bottle flowers?

Happy Birthday to Us

by PEACHES 22 Comments

It’s true. Lola has major coffee breath.

And yes, it’s also true: I’m proud to say that this this little blog was born one year ago today. Hooray!

According to wikipedia, today’s July 1st birthday is shared with Pamela Anderson, Princess Diana and Canada. Note, if you ever want to feel like an uncouth fat kid, find a way to group yourself in with world’s most famous, beautiful, skinny blond chicks, and an entire nation of ridiculously nice people.

At least my horoscope fairs better, You can experience bursts of creativity and energy that help you to further your goals. Healthy risk-taking is likely this year, as you are more able to spot an opportunity when you see one.

Sounds good. Lola and I are celebrating with fish fingers and The Liza Minelli of Cake. Who is in?

And yes, I know what you are thinking: A cat with coffee breath AND fish fingers? Who can turn that down?

You’re so right. I better scoot before folks start beating down the door.

But before I go, in case I never said it, thank you…

Thanks for reading, thanks for commenting, thanks for stopping by. Thanks for writing in and sharing. I started this thing as a simple way to record some thoughts and projects before I lost my mind and ran out of brain space…I never imagined it would bring me joy and introduce me to such wonderful people. The last year has brought so many new names and faces into my life, well, I feel like I know some of you already. I hope you feel like you know me too. The way I see it, this isn’t the anniversary of my blog, it was just the beginning of our conversation.

So happy birthday to us!

Thinking in Swatches

by PEACHES 5 Comments

Never thought I would get up on the interwebs and sing the praises of teal and gray. Yet here we are, a week after I took this picture, and I’m looking to insert these colors into everything in sight. Last night I started wrapping a butter yellow napkin around to my old green garden hose because they looked so pretty together. So now my hose has a stylish neck-kerchief.

Awesome.

Now, I like to think I have always been sensitive to color, but this whole ‘thinking in swatches’ is new. If I get arrested for putting pink peonies in navy blue post boxes, I’ll blame it on Color Collective.

Fun with Munchkins: Tea Party Paper Bowl Hats

by PEACHES 12 Comments

I love any excuse to wear a hat. Doesn’t matter if it’s a pipe cleaner tiara or an old scarf wrapped around my mangy hair; give me a legit excuse to wear a hat and I’m there. Parties are good, but parties where all people are encouraged to wear head gear are the best

So when my friend Brendan asked if I could help with his daughter’s seventh birthday party, and it was going to be tea party themed, and the girls were all bringing their dolls, I said “I’M ON IT.”

What a perfect excuse to use up some of my craft stash and put a new twist on an old classic: paper plate hats.

If you have ever attended a bridal shower where the gift ribbons get stapled to a paper plate, you know what I got the idea for this project. Of course, when my BFF got married last year, I went all over-achiever and made her ribbons into a rose bouque, thereby missing out on all the paper plate and ribbon fun. Until now….

Materials (for each hat)

one paper or plastic bowl
two pipe cleaners
one headband (they sell five for $1 at my Dollar Store)
six strips of tissue paper, roughly 23″x10″
Fun stuff: Stickers, ribbons, feathers, etc… I suggest you route around your cupboards and empty out all the little bits from leftover projects. Hush now, you know you have some.

This makes a great party craft for a wide window of age groups, but could certainly be done on a one-on-one basis too. The flower pinching/twisting process is a pretty easy concept to grasp for kindergarten and older, although some kids, even, ahem, big kids, may appreciate a hand with a delicate touch when it comes to pulling apart the tissue paper. The best part is that every hat comes out in its own special way, and the munchkins feel special when they wear it.

Sound good to you?

Let’s get started…

Use a needle or pointy object to poke two pairs of holes on opposite sides of the bowl. Lace one pipe cleaner through each hole, leaving a loop on either side.

To prepare the base, thread a headband through the pipe cleaner loops, twisting the pipe cleaners to secure the bowl to the head band. Gosh I hope that makes sense 🙂 Note: If you are having a party, I suggest preparing all the bowl/headband bases in advance so the kids can get started with the fun part. Also Note: I like to fasten the bowl in a jaunty, off-center fashion, but many of the munchkins later moved the hat to the dead center of their head. It’s a matter of preference. Not all munchkins embrace the jaunty. Kids…

To make the flowers, layer two strips of tissue paper, roughly 23″x 10″ in size, and pinch in the middle. Use the pipe cleaners on one side of the hat to twist and secure the pinch point. Repeat on the other side of the hat.

Now for the fun part! Use the pipe cleaners to twist on just about anything; ribbons, feathers, tulle, fabric scraps, silk flowers….anything and everything you have laying around the house. Remember this is a stash busting project–a great excuse to use up all the shiny little bits you have laying around your crafty cupboards. Once complete, wrap any extra pipe cleaner around your finger to form a spring shape, and gently pull apart the layers of tissue. Some munchkins seem to struggle with the whole concept of gentle, in which case, you may want to help them out.

If you love craft foam like I do, you have a shoebox of these laying around already. If not, go get some. It’s good stuff! On this particular occasion, I told each girl they could chose ten stickers, and with the exception of one “SHE GOT MORE SPARKLIES THAN I DID” out cry, there was zero bickering over the sticker box. Everyone was far too anxious to don their new hat and get to the tea party.

!!!!!!!! TA DAH !!!!!!!

PS: Anyone interested in making super unique party hats should check out this photo Kara sent me of her friend Lydia’s birthday party last month. Custom party hats at their best. Happy birthday Lydia!

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