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falling cables [a capelet to knit]

a few years ago, Jennifer at CraftSanity contacted me to see if i would design a knitting pattern for an upcoming issue of their print magazine.  it was early summer when i started, although we were looking ahead to the autumn issue.  Fall is my favorite season of all (if one can truly have a favorite season, they are all so uniquely beautiful here in Ohio).  i closed my eyes and thought ahead to the textures and hues of Fall.  the lovely people at Briar Rose Fibers offered to contribute my choice of wool for this project, and their rich colorways helped put me in the right mood to knit for a cooler season.  before i knew it, the idea quickly surfaced for a slim-fitting capelet draped with cables:  Falling Cables.

it's a great piece for nearly every season, as is evidenced by my daughter's recent restyle of it to wear to school in springtime.  i love pieces that can transition from season to season, and especially for children, pieces that grow and evolve with them.  one thing i really dig about Falling Cables is that i had not even anticipated my girls would do wear it as a skirt someday, but there it is.  imagine if you had two differently-aged children, they could even share wearing it for years.  love that.

simple + superdelicious supper: DINNER PIE

the last-minute dinner-making scramble happens to the best of us.  especially when there are activites, lessons, sports, and not to mention a sunny day when everyone (including the cook) would rather be outside.  enter the simple supper.  i have a few go-to entrees that i rely on for when time is tight, leftovers are plentiful, or i just don't want to do so many dishes.

Dinner Pie is a favorite.  now you may be saying, "hey jennifer, that's just a quiche."  au contraire, mes amis.  perhaps some may call it quiche, but if you are looking to sway a skeptical diner or two (children... husband... just saying), my experience is that calling it "pie" works wonders.  try it on for size.

a shining star

the devastating passing of Kathreen Ricketson and her husband Rob Shugg has weighed heavily on my heart all day.  Kath was a truly inspiring creative force with whom i have had the honor and pleasure of working with over the years, as have so many of you.  her legacy will live on in the inspiring community she pioneered all those many years ago.  and she will be missed dearly.  xoxo.

patchwork switch plate : HOW TO MAKE

fact:  there are scraps of vintage fabrics strewn about the house.  i can never seem to part with even the tiniest bit.

fact:  for months, the light switches in our sunroom has been without a cover.  it was misplaced during the renovations and had yet to be replaced.

one thing led to another...

eeep!  patchwork switch plate LOVE!  want to make one?  or more?  (me too!)

WHAT YOU NEED:  fabric scraps, a switchplate (they are stock items at most hardware stores; this one cost < $2), Mod Podge (i used Fabric Mod Podge, but regular Mod Podge would also work fine), a paintbrush, wax paper or freezer paper (to protect your work surface), and a craft knife + self-healing cutting mat.

HOW TO MAKE:  lay out your fabric scraps in a way that makes you happy.  place a piece of wax/freezer paper on your work surface.  brush a thin coat of Mod Podge onto the switch plate, then apply a fabric scrap to the surface, smoothing out any air bubbles with your fingers.  apply another coat of Mod Podge on top of the fabric scrap.  repeat this process with the remaining scraps to cover the entire top surface of the switch plate, including the openings.  allow to dry overnight on a piece of wax/freezer paper.  when dry, place the switch plate onto a self-healing cutting mat with the right side facing down.  use a craft knife to carefully cut out the excess fabric that covers the openings for the switches, plugs and screws.  use appropriate hardware to fasten the switchplate to the wall.  super simple + love!

i hope you enjoy it all the time :)  happy making, friends!  xoxo

surfacing

oh, hello there.

my goodness, how time flies - or drags or slips away from you, depending on how you look at it - when you are busy.  life since my last post many weeks back has been full and rewarding in so many ways.  you see, i have been working on something near and dear to me.  something big.

last summer, after many long discussions with my husband and friends about directions in life, i came to the realization that in my heart of hearts, i am both a maker and a teacher.  i love to make things by hand:  knitting, sewing, whipping up something delicious in the kitchen, or crafting with my kids.  i taught foreign language for over a decade (prior to becoming a mother) and loved it.  yet it took me all these many years to recognize that even though i was no longer working in a traditional classroom setting, i have continued to teach all along.  it has simply surfaced with different subject matter (handcrafts + homemaking) and in different formats and venues (writing the blog, magazine articles, and books).  part of what i love most about making is sharing the whole "How to Make" with people like you.  and i want to continue along in this direction.  so i hunkered down and devoted considerable time and energy to creating my next proposal.  much to my delight, shortly after it was sent into the universe, it was warmly embraced by Roost Books (an imprint of Shambhala Publications).  yes, friends, i have written another book!

breakin'

the girls are on Spring Break this week, yippee!  work necessitates blocking out a few hours each morning for them to hang out in their pjs and play while i work on my manuscript (due very soon, oh my).  but come late morning, work will be set aside in favor of swim lessons, libraries + museums, roller skating + bowling, hiking + biking (on new bikes as per Santa's instructions), cooking + baking, treasure hunting, and hopefully a bit more cross-country skiing.

and most definitely there will be crafting, because as the girls would be the first to tell you, "it's our thing."  they've been looking through our book for ideas that might get them started on new creatons of their own - lately it's been paper dolls and painted bead necklaces.  neon is all the rage, yo.  (apparently i am on trend, who knew?)  and of course there is the ongoing list of really cool ideas i've pinned on my summer camp board on Pinterest that the girls might enjoy trying.  i'm just putting it out there... i pity the fool who says, "i'm bored."  xoxo

any new fun crafts you and your kids are into these days?  if you have something special to share, i'd love to hear 'em + pop me an email (jenniferATjcasahandmadeDOTcom).  thanks + happy spring breaking to you!

found : our piano

a bit of magic happened last week.  i looped through neighboring towns to visit a few resale shops in search of vintage bed linens for a project i am working on.  and when i opened the door of the final thrift store of the day, there it was.  

a piano.

"oh, HELLO."  i said, as my pulse quickened.

it was old.  it was white, oh my!  it appeared to be well-loved, or in the very least dusty and well-used.  i instagrammed.  i casually asked how long it had been there (a month).  hmmm.  i looked over my shoulder to see if anyone else realized what was happening.  nope.  then i tiptoed over to have a closer look.  was this thing for real?  i looked around for that guy from candid camera, because this is pretty much the last place i would expect to find a piano.

let alone this piano.

and so i played it.  every key from bottom to top and back down again.  i played a few songs, and pinched myself in between each one.  not only was it basically in tune (!), but when you opened the lid, the inside was in really good condition.  i texted PLC the photo and was greeted with an enthusiastic response of "benny and the jets."  could this be happening?  we have keyboards which we use for our band, mild mannered, but had only just started saving for a real family piano.  and saving for something like that takes time.  especially after all the work we did on our home this year.  a family piano was a distant dream.

i wrote down the measurements and, trying not to seem too eager, mentioned to the manager that i might be interested, but needed to check measurements at home, etc.  it was too good to be true.  and that was before i even knew anything about this particular piano.

i bought it the next day.

and that saturday it was delivered by professional piano movers (who cost as much as the piano and were worth their weight in gold).  since then, our house is filled with the sounds of fingers dancing across the keys with a little "doe a deer", a little brahms, and more than a few original compositions by each and every one of us.

OUR piano.

i still feel like i am in a dream.

a little research (thank you, interwebs) led us to discover that our piano is an antique upright mason & hamlin, made in boston in 1908.  (i know!  just think of all the history in there, oh my goodness!)  there is serendipity in the fact that the original mahogony finish was sloppily painted over because the white suits our decor like a charm.  i will get a professional piano tuner in here soon to give her some love, to be sure; but in the meantime she's playable and a dream come true for all of us.  xoxo