Another one!

Also from Doug & Kathryn ♥

Well, not technically a cuckoo, I suppose... nothing pops out. But the water wheel on the side turns!

Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

I asked Kathryn & Doug to keep an eye out for me on their frequent antique outings for a cuckoo clock, but I didn't have high hopes- they're so expensive on the 'bay!
But! Look!


A VERY reasonably priced german cuckoo clock! It's so beautiful, people. It works, supposedly, but I don't know how to string the chains through the bottom correctly (I have the pinecone weights, too)... Does anyone know how to do it?
-
So, I had to have one for the dollhouse, too, of course:

More dollhouse pics tomorrow...

Collodian Shoot

Doug & Kathryn have been taking a lot of collodions lately... they had me model for some:


This one's my favorite:

They gave these three to Chris for his birthday. I love playing dress-up, so don't be surprised if there are more to come!

Recent Acquisitions: Birthday Edition

Hello loves!

Here are some things I have been kept busy with since my birthday:

French Macarons from Chris (I've been craving these for sooooooo long!)

-

Coraline doll from Doug & Kathryn! I think my lil' Rement dresser is perfect for her!

-

What can I say? People know what I like. Autographed Judge Judy photo from DeWayne & Christina. You've already seen the painting.

-

Pullip Cinciallegra from my mama! She needs a name! Anyone? She's already traded shoes with Beatrix...

Sausalito Blythe Meet Up!

Kathryn and I went to our very first Blythe Meet Up on Saturday (I'm slowly talking her into taking the Blythe plunge)! It was in lovely Sausalito, which I have never stopped in before, and I would love to go back to again. Everyone at the Meet was so very nice, and I can't wait to go to the next one! Here are some of the pics that Kathryn took (proof versions):

Here is the rest of the flickr set!

House•Work

Chris and Kathryn are having a show opening this weekend! The show is really fantastic (I'm not being biased, really!), and anyone in the Sacramento area should try to make it out. If you haven't done Second Saturday, you're really missing out, so this is the perfect time to start! It will be up the whole month, though, if you can't make Saturday.

The show is at the Viewpoint Gallery, which has a nice slideshow of some of the work.

Kathryn Mayo and Chris Fraser: House•Work
March 11 to April 4, 2009

Second Saturday Reception — March 14, 5:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Autumn Happiness

Kathryn's birthday is today & these were her presents:

Vintage Salt & Pepper Shakers

(She collects shakers)

-

Acorn Earrings

(I might have to make myself a pair of these, too!)

-

I suppose you can tell I'm in a Autumn-y mood...

-

Here's my Thanksgiving tree:

I actually put it out in September, sans turkey ornaments, but the Halloween tree goes up in between...)

-

The Porch:

I have a thing for acorns.

-

I also must add how very happy I am... I'm so proud of our country today- there will be so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! Huzzah! <Picture me doing the Snoopy dance>

It is a bittersweet victory, though... I'm proud of the US, but disappointed by my love, California. Prop 8, people? Really? I suppose we're made huge strides lately towards erasing bigotry, but it looks like we've got a lot more work to do, and soon.

The 2nd Annual Mills College MFA Table-Tennis Mac-Off Tournament of Champions Winners!

We won one part!

Last Friday, I won the Mac & Cheese cooking contest for Chris...
(Mine's in the pink casserole)

As you can see, there was some pretty stiff competition:

Not only is that a baked tower of mac, it was also set on fire. That's right. Fire. Every entry was fantastic, though. I pretty much could have eaten all night long. Altogether, I think there were nine entrys, including one plate of bacon. Just bacon. It took fourth place.

Unfortunately, neither Chris nor I were any match for Doug's prowess in both the Table Tennis and Pellet Shooting arenas... Congrats, Doug, on winning Master of Arts!

The lovely and amazing Gina took these pictures... thanks to her for that and the use of her oven for reheating the mac I carted from Sacramento. Speaking of, there were some recipe requests, so I've posted it below... The original recipe came from Kathryn (thanks Kathryn!), but I modified the hizzy out of it. Here's my version:

Serious Mac & Cheese
16 oz. pasta (I like mini penne) - cooked al dente
2 cups cottage cheese (whole) - creamed
8 oz. sour cream (whole)
3 eggs - slightly beaten
1/2 of a whole nutmeg - freshly grated
salt & pepper - to taste
6 cups cheese (I like 1/2 & 1/2 sharp cheddar and
gruyere) - freshly grated*
*I avoid pre-grated cheese in general because
of the extra additives and weird texture...

Preheat your oven to 350°. Mix the cottage cheese, sour cream, eggs, nutmeg, salt & pepper in a large bowl until well blended. Mix in the grated cheese (reserving 1/2 to 1 cup for the topping), then the cooked pasta. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour - until top is nicely browned. Eat, eat, eat.

That's it! You don't even have to make a roux! Yaaaaaay!

Fair Trade.

I commissioned this painting:

by Doug & Kathryn's lovely daughter Hailee.

I loooooove foxes, and the painting!

We traded for a custom Totoro hat… she wanted one like this one, but the knitter had unfortunately not taken any notes or anything, so I had to try to figure it out.

I think it turned out pretty well…

These pics of Hailee (& Trixie!) were taken by Doug.

This the most complicated colorwork I’ve done,

mostly because I’m not usually a fan.

But I am a fan of Totoro! And Hailee! So there you go...

It was meant to be.

Lovely gift from Kathryn & Doug:

I knew she had to come to me someday... Or maybe K&D just read the title of this post...

Japanese Super Fun Animal Plush!

I acquired some Japanese craft books via Etsy to help in my sewing endeavors... I'd like to make my own patterns, so I wanted some help in the construction, since I'm quite a beginner. My first project from them was this:

Alligator from Animal Mascot

(ISBN-10: 4391624206, ISBN-13: 978-4391624205 )

On Crafting Japanese

For Kathryn's (belated) B-Day,

made with vintage velvet from my bedspread as a child,

cotton fabric, wool felt, beads, and embroidery floss.

This book is pretty popular and fairly easy to find (on Etsy or Ebay) and has super cute designs with clear pictorial instructions (the text is all in japanese). I also picked up a couple without names (as in, I can't translate the names):

I haven't seen these anywhere else (I got them on Etsy), and they are pretty fantastic. The instructions are not as clear as Animal Mascots (and the projects are a bit more advanced), but I think I'll do alright with them still... There are more pics of them on my Flickr.

Gifty

Soooo.... Chris made it into grad school, which means we can't spend any money for the next two years... then we'll be paying back loans, so umm, maybe more than two. Anyway, peeps will be receiving handmade goods for awhile:

---

Tammi's Birthday Cupcake:

---

Kathryn & Doug's Housewarming Present:

The pattern for Lambkins is here.