Under a Blue Moon

Pickled onions

Happy 4th of July! This is going to be a quick and easy post. I am packing up to head over to my son's and his wife's house to do grandma duties then we are going to have a bbq to celebrate our country's independence.

This recipe for pickled onions is so easy and is perfect for Summer menus. It's great thrown in a salad or coleslaw or used as a topping for burgers, hot dogs or any kind of sandwich (banh mi, anyone?). And some people are known to just eat it straight out of the jar..ahem.

The jalapenos add just the right amount of heat but if they aren't your thing feel free to leave them out. I prefer to use rice wine vinegar because I think it is a little more delicate than regular white or apple cider vinegar but either will do in a pinch.

On to the recipe!

Pickled Onions

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

In a medium sauce pan bring vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil. Add sliced onions and jalapenos and simmer for a minute or two. Take off heat and allow to cool slightly. I used a clean 13 oz. jam jar and this batch fit just perfectly. Let chill at least an hour, overnight is even better. It will last a week or two in the refrigerator (if it isn't eaten before then.

I hope you'll give them a try!

Doll bed and quilt – part 2

Doll bed and quilt – part 1 (in case you missed it)

I am 95% finished with this project. I finished the quilt and the pillow case this weekend and even made a mattress for the bed. The bed is painted and assembled but I don't have the retro nursery furniture decals for it yet. I thought I had some saved from the last time I did this project but I must have tossed them. The waterslide decal paper doesn't age well. It tends to curl up after a while. Next time I'll keep them pressed in a book (and will have to write down where so I don't forget).

Don't look too closely at my piecing work. No matter how carefully I cut, how carefully I watch my seam allowance; things always get wonky. Ah well – I know you don't come here for my mad quilting skills.

The quilt is made up of 1 1/4" squares (12 wide and 10 long) with a 2 1/2" white border all around. The overall dimensions are 19 1/2" x 22 1/2". If I did it again I would have gone with a two inch border. It could have been a smidge smaller.

I used flannel for the backing (no batting) and did a simple diagonal quilting across the white squares.

I used the sweetest crocheted edge double fold bias tape for the binding. I just sandwiched the quilted top and back in the fold and pinned the heck out of it and then sewed it on, praying the back would catch properly (it did). We won't talk about what I did at the corners. Like I said, I hope you come here for the witty repartee and not quilting tips.

I decided at the last minute to make a mattress for the bed. My original plan was to just paint the mattress platform white and call it a day but it sits about an inch below the side rails so the quilt looked funny when the bed was made. I just made a simple box cushion type cover and stuffed it with batting.

I did a simplified version of a box cushion. Rather than cutting the top, bottom and four sides I just sewed two pieces together and then sewed across the corners and clipped them. I wanted the mattress to be about an inch thick so I opened up the corners so the seams were matched up, and the corners formed a 90 degree angle, with the seam down the center. Then I lined a ruler up with this seam and marked a 1" clip off the corner. I sewed across my marking and snipped off the corners. I think a picture (even a crappy one) is warranted:

I tufted it using some vintage mother of pearl buttons. If I had used foam for the mattress, instead of batting, it would have been a little more structured looking but I'm happy with how it turned out and it was worth the effort for the overall effect.

My granddaughter turns two on Sunday and this will be one of her birthday presents. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did making it.

Friday Favorites

Oil Paints ◊ spices ◊ Eskimo ◊ Verse

I seriously need a greenhouse (or conservatory, as I prefer to call it…)
What a beautiful fruit bowl. A statement piece (and price) for sure
So true story here – About two weeks ago I was walking in our local supermarket and the woman in front of me had the prettiest, casual kimono on with jeans and a tank top. I ran into her again in the produce section and I complimented her on her outfit and she said she got the kimono at Target. You better believe I made a bee-line over there and bought it and I have had more compliments on it than I can recall getting on a clothing item
Okay I know everyone and their grandmother has probably seen this but this video of Paul McCartney had me grinning and getting teary eyed all at the same time. Just lovely. I remember my older sisters listening to the Beatles so I feel I like I grew up with their music. Blackbird is my favorite Beatles song

Happy Friday! We made it to another weekend. This week has been rather hectic. It's always hard to re-enter the workplace after a few days off and I had to hit the ground running when I went back on Wednesday. I did have such a lovely few days off with my dad and my sister. I am so happy I was able to do that. It is so lovely to be home with Rick, though. Home is where your heart is, that is for sure.

When we were sitting in the gate area, waiting to board our return flight, my dad turned to me and said "That is probably the last time I'll see my sister" and it broke my heart in about eight million pieces. I said "who knows – we could be back next year."

Spend time with your family. Treasure every moment.

Back from Belleville

I just got back from my trip to Belleville, MI with my Dad and one of my sisters. We had a wonderful time visiting my Dad's sister, my Aunt Pegi. That is the two of them in the picture above. In every photo of my dad he is always formally dressed. Either picture taking was a serious business back then or he always dressed like that. My dad was always the more serious, studious of the two and my aunt was much more mischievous. They are still that way!

The trip was very low key and relaxed since it is hard to plan too many activities with a 92 year old and and 86 year old. Their minds are still sharp as can be but the chassis are wearing out a bit. So we mostly visited at my aunt's house and looked at old photos, a bunch of which I will be sharing here.

That is my Dad at 18. He said the happiest time of his life was being in the army. To which we always say "Gee, thanks Dad." He wasn't in it very long – WW2 was over when he was 19 then he came home and enrolled in the University of Michigan where he mastered in both material science and math (for fun, he said) and then went onto get his PhD.

We spent one morning driving all over Ann Arbor to see some of his old haunts at UofM. We found Fletcher Hall where he lived, the engineering buildings, the Men's Union (where women couldn't enter through the front door, if they were allowed in at all. They started letting women in around 1959 and it's now called the Michigan Union) and the Intramural Sports building. There are so many new buildings that at first he didn't recognize anything but we hit all the high points he wanted to see.

This is the house he grew up in. His parents owned forty acres of land which he and his sister inherited. It has since been sold and there is a large development being built behind the house.

Another thing he and I did was go visit his mother's grave. It is is a lovely, old cemetery. I do have a thing for cemeteries. Fortunately it was pretty small because I had to walk up and down the headstones to find it.

His mother was beautiful. I never got to meet her because she died two years before I was born.

His father was buried in a different cemetery and we didn't have time to go visit there. His father was quite handsome as well.

I love this picture of my aunt and three of her friends. She is the one with the jaunty neck scarf. She does look like she was full of fun and mischief (or, as she says, a trial to her mother).

I'm going to finish with two more photos. I was really taken with this picture of my aunt when she was three or so years old.

After looking at it for a while I realized it is because my granddaughter bears an uncanny resemblance to her!

Thanks for indulging me – I know this post will probably only be of interest to family members but it was so nice to go back in time and reminisce and look at old photos. It makes me want to go through all my old pictures and write on the back who is in the photograph and the date. And to print off some of the million digital pictures I have and do the same. All that history will be lost otherwise.

Friday Favorites

Paris Metropolitain ◊ Untitled ◊ Untitled ◊ books

Sweet side tables from Anthropologie. I think the bunny one would be perfect in a nursery, next to a glider or rocking chair
Lush houseplant inspiration. Oh how I need a conservatory!
It's no secret I have a love for New Orleans. This house tour makes me want to embrace the whole "French eclectic Bohemian" style aesthetic. I love everything about it
Life lessons from three centenarians

Hello from Belleville, Michigan! I'm posting this in past (by the time you read it) so I can't tell you how it is going or what we have been doing but I do know I'm with two easy going travel companions so I'm sure it's going splendidly. I'm hoping Monday's post (internet, technology, and all that willing..) will be some snapshots of what we are up to and some of the sights we have seen. The last time I was here was in 2011 for an aunt's 81st birthday.

Happy weekend everyone! I hope yours is fabulous!

Doll bed and quilt – part 1

I really should be packing for my trip to Michigan (umm….leaving tomorrow AM…packed? That would be a big no.) but instead I got a notion to start a doll quilt to go with a doll bed for Gwen, my granddaughter, who will be turning two in a couple of weeks.

A few years back I made a similar doll bed and quilt for a dear friend's granddaughter. It was such a fun little project and has been a favorite toy of the recipient's.

Cue grainy cellphone photo:

The bed itself comes from IKEA. I painted it and added retro looking decals. Lest anyone give me credit for coming up with such an adorable idea – I completely stole it from Amy Sinibaldi. I went with a more gender neutral yellow and will be doing the same with Gwen's.

Step 1 is to venture to IKEA. I am one of those people that LOVES IKEA. Loves. It. The trick is to go on a Thursday evening around 7:00pm. The place is empty and you don't get all stressed out with having to go the direction all those arrows painted on the floor want you to go in. After you look at all the 325 sf apartment layouts that you just know you could live in happily and efficiently, you venture to the children's section where you will find the bed. It costs $15 and, like all IKEA furniture, you will need to assemble.

I tossed the bedding except for the pillow insert. I'll be using that. I find it's best to paint before assembling. I give it a good primer coat using my go to spray primer. I know it isn't very cost effective but lord is it easy. Just a couple of light coats and you are good to go.

I then gave it the first of several coats of a buttercup yellow chalk paint. While the first coat is drying I moved onto the quilt. I wanted to stick with a pink/yellow/green color palette because those are the colors of the quilt that is on her bed. My colors are a little brighter than the inspiration quilt.

So that is where we have to leave it. I have to jump on a plane but I'll get back to it next week. I'll share the final pictures and the details of materials used.

I have a number of sewing projects up my sleeve. My little Janome is getting quite the workout lately.

Whilst I will be on vacation until next week I do have posts lined up and I'm hoping to do one on our travels. This trip is very special to me. I offered to take my 92 year old dad to visit his sister in Belleville, Michigan. He is at a point where he really can't travel by himself and I am delighted to be able to take him on this trip. My sister Mary is going to meet us there. She is in Wisconsin so it's a fairly short flight for her. She and my aunt have a special bond so I'm certain it will be a fabulous trip all around. My dad wants to hit up some old haunts (at least for a drive by) and I would like to partake in any antique stores the area has to offer.

Okay – I REALLY need to go pack….

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