nanaCompany

silver spoons

For Mia's first birthday we didn't throw a large party but we did celebrate with friends at the park.  I made cupcake treats accompanied by tiny silver (plastic) spoons and brought bubbles ~ it was perfect if you ask me.

Mia and her friend Sam had a surprisingly good time just playing with the spoons...

Happy 1st Birthday, Mia!

{ The cupcake treats were chocolate cupcakes cut in thirds.  The filling was a combination of cool whip, cream cheese, and crushed oreo cookies.  Chocolate frosting topped them off.  Yum! }

xo amy

easy as a-b-c

The morning the kids went back to school, I held Mia in one arm and whipped up a pavlova with the other.  I was feeling kinda proud of myself until I completely forgot about it ~ left it baking in the oven after the timer had rung ~ though I saved it just in time!  The meringue was browner than usual, but still super yummy.

We always top ours with unsweetened whipped cream and berries (some people call a pavlova "berries on a cloud"), but I've never used blueberries before and let me tell you: when the strawberries you've just bought have completely vanished from the fridge, blueberries may become your new fave.  

So the kids went back to school... and getting into the routine hasn't been too painful.  Actually, it's been kinda nice.  Right away, I sat down with the magical box of scraps sent by my friend Kristyne, and pulled out a loooong strip of white fabric covered with pale pink pin dots.  That was the point of departure.  It yielded a nice little stack of 2 1/2" squares, which I sewed into a checkerboard patchwork using my faves and lots of Sandy Klop's American Jane.  It made a nice, simple little doll quilt... but I sat there squinting at the checkerboard... and it begged (seriously now!) to be more than just a doll quilt.

I added a few borders, and then a few more... and then at last, after the tenth border, it looked balanced and finished and perfect.  Now I'll have a stroller quilt for Mia this winter~ to keep her warm as we walk Nicholas to and from school.  And I love it, I absolutely love this "abc" quilt top.  I can't wait to quilt it, bind it, and see it all finished ~ but you see this little baby here? 

Sooo distracting.

1. thread for floral medallion blocks, 2. Fat Quarterly Issue 1 - Jewel Quilt, 3. happy birthday, katie!, 4. Free Pattern - no 111 Baby Bib, 5. nani IRO blanket, 6. mini apple pincushion, 7. New crafty paper collection, 8. Anano Cafe Bear, 9. blueberries., 10. Faux Fun, 11. faster than expected, 12. Little mending kits, 13. T-Fresh Flowers

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

xo amy

:: first sewing of the year

hello!  Unexpectedly my best friend came to stay with us for a few days, so my hopes for a New Year's Eve full of food and movies was spot-on.  But after that gluttonous start to the New Year (a roast, potatoes au gratin, creme brulee, more eggs benedict, red beans and coconut rice, pavlova with raspberries, pasta in cream sauce with sausage, fruit and chocolates and cookies...) I'm actually glad that life has settled into its less indulgent normalcy. 

The kids are all back to school and I have returned to my sewing corner.  First sewing of the year?  Mini paper tags with fabric scraps... I love making these to put in my shop orders when I have the time.

But this morning, I got to some more substantial sewing with a fabric jacket for my composition notebook ~ the one in which I write down notes and ideas and sketch pics of new projects...

I made a mistake in my measurements, so the dots on the bottom weren't planned, but I like it better this way anyway.

Actually, I love it. 

xo amy

:: indeed, the weekend was a blast

It was a lovely weekend... ended with a blast.  The husband was home with us the whole time.  He and I even had a date one night.  Just a quiet dinner and then a quiet coffee and tea.  Quiet is a luxury for us.

Friday, I tried out my new cookbook and made this dish, which is made up of only five ingredients: Potatoes, tomatoes, onions, torn basil, and parmesan cheese.  Oh and olive oil, salt and pepper.  I liked it, didn't love it.  Definitely had a peasant dish feel, very simple.  Maybe too simple for my family.  I have a feeling that if I add a ton more cheese and a sprinkle of bread crumbs, it might please everyone a little more.  Next time.

Late after dinner that night I went down to my sewing cave and began cutting 2.5" squares from my new fabric (that's how I usually begin anything), and fiddled with them awhile, uninspired.  Then, with sudden enthusiasm, I decided to finish something I started over a year ago.  When I opened the quilt top I couldn't believe I'd let it sit for so long.  It started off with ten embroideries...

... and ten nine-patches...

... and now there is a finished quilt...

It's small (about 30" x 36") but it took me all day Saturday to quilt by hand.  X's in the nine-patches.  Squares just inside the embroidered blocks and around each animal.  I also did a scalloped stitch in the border, and sewed the binding by hand.  I love it.  Again, can't get a single good shot of it with my poor sick camera, but in person it's so pretty.  So pretty I don't know what to do with it.   I'll probably throw it on the wall for now.  What would you do with it?

But oh, what a feeling!  It's great to finish a project ~ especially one that's been sitting around for more than a year.  And it's perfect when you finish on a Sunday when Monday is a holiday.  Yes!  To celebrate the 4th of July, we had a picnic at the park.  The kids rode bikes, my husband and I tossed a football, and later we went to our friends' house for fireworks.  Even our cake sparkled... 

And driving home we saw fireworks exploding in clusters all over the city.  What a great weekend.  I hope you enjoyed yours, too!  xo amy

:: fancy cake for the father of the year

I had extra little helpers in the kitchen when I made this year's Father's Day cake, and I think it came out that much sweeter...

It's a simple chocolate cake with candy bar filling ~ which is the easiest way to make a cake fancy.  Just crush two of your favorite candy bars (we used Skor bar, which is butter toffee covered in chocolate, like a Heath bar) into tiny tiny bits, and mix into your favorite frosting.  Spread it between the cake layers... yum.  (Slice two cake layers into 4 thin layers to make it really fancy.)  Now close your eyes and imagine your fave candy bar in there... which one would you choose?

Well the recipient of this cake couldn't deserve it any more.  He definitely takes our award for father of the year.  Husband of the year.  Favorite person of the year.  He's pretty popular around here.  And besides the cards and presents that seemed to particularly please this Father's Day, I did finish (just in time) three "milk & cookie" mats for my three cookie monsters.

One for daddy...

Nicholas...

and Olivia...

Better than paper plates.   Reusable, washable, and handmade with love.  I'll try to get the template done up as soon as possible.

And I'll say one more time to my Dad and husband... Happy Father's Day.  Love you guys...

xo amy

shhhh... don't tell my dad

... but I'm going to share with you his father's day present a few days early.  And, it all revolves around cookies.  Do you remember this from last Christmas?

Well, to sum it up, my mom has a talent for baking cookies and my dad has a talent for eating them... Not too many of them.  He is a diabetic and he has Celiac disease, but everyone deserves a treat every once in a while.  (I have just discovered that Poppycock can not be my treat because I have absolutely no control and I will eat the entire bag in one sitting.  Then I get a tooth ache.)

So I made my dad a snack mat.  A milk & cookie mat to be precise...

I picked up the plaid fabric a while back, with no project in mind, simply because it's so soft and lovely in person.  Well, it was perfect for this and I really love the end result, which can't always be said.  The simplicity of this cookie mat reminds me of those darling Japanese zakka crafts I love so much.  I saved the details so I can make a few more for my children and possibly even one for my husband ~ the biggest cookie monster of them all.  Let me know if you're interested in the template.

Well, I am off... to post this, to the gym, to the farmer's market.  (Nicholas' first words this morning: "It's farmer's market day!")  Love it.

xo amy

a little bit of this and that

What a blast we had this weekend, hope you did too.  There was a ton of family stuff, some sewing, some cleaning (gasp, yes!) but with the music on loud, and a whole lotta eating.  First, Nicholas got a new library book bag...

Linen, ikea red stripes, and a little bit of "Thomas the Tank Engine."  It's simple and uninspired, there it is.  

Friday, we didn't make it to Disneyland (going today instead), so we made our first trip to one of those classic golf 'n'stuff places for mini-golf, kiddie rides, and arcade games.  Let me just say, my family is seriously cute.  We all stink at golf and Olivia thought it was her job to run around picking up our golf balls off the green.  Good times.  Needless to say, we didn't keep score.

(whee! Yet not quite Disneyland)

Saturday, we took the kids and their friends to Expo park, to the California Science Center and to the Imax theatre, which was also good times.

(view of Expo Park from the California Science Center)

For any of you who live near Los Angeles, I'd like to point out that the California Science Center is free.  Mmmhmm.  FREE.  Bring the kiddos for hands-on exhibits that will keep them entertained for hours.

Sunday was a bit lazy, but I did manage to sew up one more set of these cocktail napkins...

(In the shop)

Memorial Day, we did some much needed house cleaning while Anne was in the kitchen for hours, whipping up a Banoffee pie (banana + toffee) that tastes a lot like dreams come true...

It starts off with a graham cracker crust, then a pudding similar to dulce de leche (it involved sweetened condensed milk, a water bath, and stirring every 15 minutes for an hour and a half), fresh banana slices, and homemade whipped cream.  Need I say more?

Diet: officially ruined.  Thank you, Anne!

In the afternoon, we took the little ones to the park near our house and ran ourselves ragged...

Finished the day with chinese food and then went home and passed out!  Honestly, I think we've been having a little too much fun lately, but I promised the kids Disneyland today ~ and I like it as much as they do.

xo amy

:: delicious

Made another "strawberry picnic" bib...

Definitely a favorite out of all the bibs I've made.  And now I can make another check on my to-do list... (which is like a drop in the bucket).

Thursday, at the farmer's market, I smelled the most fragrant basil and had to bring it home... it inspired a perfect dinner of chicken parmesan and pasta with my own homemade chopped tomato sauce.  The greatest part is that you don't cook it.  Just add...

4 tomatoes, discard seeds, diced

1 onion, grate about two tablespoons

1/4 cup chopped basil

2 cloves garlic  (I put them through the garlic press, or just mince)

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

liberal salt, pepper

Combine in bowl and let it sit on the counter for a few hours to let the flavors mix.  Pour it on your breaded chicken, sprinkle with parmesan and bake.  I sprinkled the rest on some buttered pasta... so simple and so delicious. 

If you can get these fresh ingredients, get to it!  So good.  xo amy