every little thing

I didn't really know how much I loved Cuban food until I went to Kuba Kuba, a tiny, unassuming restaurant in Richmond.  I was sort of surprised to find that they actually have a decent website, since there are scarcely 15 tables in the whole place, the menu is written on giant chalk boards hung overhead, and the building itself is rather tucked away off the beaten path. The black bean soup (above) is not from the restaurant, but rather is a cheap imitation I made to hold me until my next visit.  I mean, the soup I made was OK, just not Kuba Kuba.  The squeeze of fresh lime did help, though.   

The cornbread I made, however, was not OK.  Was not good at all, actually.  I would have been better of with the old stand-by box of Jiffy Mix. At least I tried.

So this post is not merely a tribute to a wonderful restaurant (the plantains-tostones are like little bites of heaven!) but also to the revival of interesting cooking I hope to make a part of our daily menus.  Things get stagnant so quickly, don't they?  I used to be adventurous in the kitchen, and now I'm resorting to the old can-of-soup casseroles way too often.  I also love how the arrival Spring and Summer helps to firm my resolve even more, it's amazing how the promise of a tomato with actual flavor will inspire one to try a new recipe or find a new cookbook.  I'd love some suggestions for new and exciting recipes, if anyone has a favorite! 

I noticed that I haven't posted many pictures of our house lately.  This is currently our little dining area, (I say currently because our home, space, rooms and furniture are constantly moving and shifting!)  Just look at that giant glass of sweet iced tea!  Mike makes delicious tea, and I think it always tastes a bit sweeter when someone else makes it, you know?

Happy weekend!

My Big Fat Greek Belly

I bought this Built By Wendy pattern on Etsy last month, and I've been looking forward to making the top (view C)  for weeks.  I finally found some time, and a few yards over super soft gray seersucker, and here is the result.  Very easy pattern, fast and pretty and totally wearable.  I simply love the top.  My one complaint?  It's too small!  To use a quote from AbFab, "...it fitted, but it was filled to capacity."  Definitely a little disappointing, because I measured and everything!  Hmph.  And I ain't even that big up top, so I can't imagine what the deal is.  I feel bad for you bustier gals, 'cause this definitely wouldn't be the pattern for you.  I am fairly confident I can make another one that will fit properly, and I have plenty of that same fabric left (found 5 yards at the thrift store for $2.)  I really wanted to make the top to go specifically with this skirt:

You know, so I can pretend I'm Samuel Clemens, (and wear seersucker and white linens.)  Or I could use one of these freshly thirfted fabric instead:

 

They are both super light-weight cotton, just perfect for garment making.  What do you think?  The lighter or the darker one?  Or should I just crash-diet and try to fit in the first shirt I made?  Ha..are you kidding?  Diet?  who could think about dieting when it is almost time for..........

GREEK FEST, BABY!!!  WOO!  It starts tomorrow, and I'm 'bout it.  I swear, I gain 10 pounds during Greek Fest week every year, and I DON'T CARE.  So worth it.  I start getting giddy as soon as the sign goes up (yes, I took this picture out of sheer joy and anticipation while driving by.)  I actually am Greek, too (in case you didn't know) so I really have to go.  Sometimes twice.  It's a moral imperative.   

Chow Chow

 

I was thinking that my blog is kinda drab these days. Stale.  Boring.  While pondering the ways I could drum up some action over here, I couldn't help noticing that other bloggers seem to really respond favorably to photos and posts about family pets.  (People like adorable animals, go figure?)  Since we don't really have a live-in pet a the moment (Sydney is still on loan to my brother,) Charlie is the closest living pet relative we have.  We adopted him 10-ish years ago, when we lived in Idaho.  He lived in California also, before settling here on the East Coast, staying briefly with Mike and I in our first apartment and finally settling in with my mom.   I guess their isn't much to say about him really, except that he's awesome.  And I saved him from the terrible fate of being named "Peanut Butter" by my little sister.  It took a while, but once I had everyone calling him "Charlie," she eventually gave up.  Now we sometimes call him Chow Chow, or even just "Chow."  Not sure why.  Anyway, feast your eyes on the preciously adorable kittyness.

Ahh.  Now to sit back and watch my blog stats skyrocket...

And the Hero award goes to...

Mommies!!!  (of course.)

Happy early Mother's Day, everyone! 

My Mother's day treat is an afternoon with my boys seeing  Speed Racer at the movie theater.  They crazy part?  I'm actually really looking forward to it.

~see you next week!

Catching Up

I'm still here!  Been busy around these parts lately, and I'm trying to get every little thing done.  I'm one of those people who, when faced with a deadline, will find anything and everything else to do except the task at hand.  I've been working to correct this habit, so I'm attempting earnestly to complete things in order of importance.  Unfortunately that means that blog-time gets the shaft.  Sigh. 

So, lets catch up, shall we?

1. The yard+estate sales last weekend were disappointing to say the least.  We gave up after a few hours and just went to a thirft store.  This season did not start out with the 'bang' that I was hoping for.   But, I did find some sweet deals while thirfting (including lots of seersucker fabric yardage, oh joy!)  and even some lovelies for the vintage shop, so you know, hope springs eternal.
2. The serger is BACK, baby!  The repairs cost $60 so I really need to get rolling on my projects to make some of that moo-lah back.
3. I did get the update live over in The Emporium a few days ago, and there's some really fabulous new cupcake goodies!  I also want to mention that I raised my shipping prices for the first time in, well, ever.  It's still a flat rate in the US, no matter how much you buy, shippin is now just $1.85 (still pretty cheap, I must say.)  And some very tiny, light-weight items are still the old rate of $1.25.  I hate it, really, but postage rates are going up on May 12th and I gotta do what I gotta do. 

Cupcake liners and new sugar posies.  It took me ages to find these specific wafer flowers, but is was well worth the wait.  Aren't they just perfect?

I don't think the pictures do the pinwheels justice, because they are so amazing.  I literally can not stop blowing on them and giggling while they spin.

Summer-time cupcake decor is pretty hard to find. 

These skulls glow-in-the-dark! (for realz.)

These are definitely on the larger end of the miniature spectrum, but I'm always willing to try new things, plus they're are straight-up retro to the core!  Even the train box looks fabulously old-school.

 

Oh man, are these hilarious, or what??  Who knew that bakery labels could be so subversive.  My favorite is "Better When Warmed." 

...and these are just cute.  If I found them in a thirft store, I would swear they were vintage. 

I'd also like to give  a shout out to some awesome websites that have recently featured items from A. Bel Emporium.  It is always a treat to see your shop admired, and I'm very grateful for the mentions!

Whorange    -  lovely design blog, be sure to checkout the Mother's day gift guide.

Craftershock    -  awesome, crafty-showcase website.

Papyrophobia   -  you had me at "cornbread and butterbeans" 

And  you all know about the Naughty Secretary Club, right?  Well, Jen has written a book about jewelry making and, low and behold, on the cover is an adorable pair of earrings made from the mini-fawns she bought at my shop!

How cool is that??  I mean, I didn't make the earrings OR the fawns, but I'm still super-jazzed about it She was even kind enough to add my shop in resources guide.  What a peach!  I can't wait to buy the book myself, since I don't know nothing 'bout makin no jewelry.  Thank you Jen!!!   The book looks so inspiring, and I'm very excited to be even the tiniest part of it!

(Ok, enough me, me, me for one post.  Back to work.) 

Summer Lovin'

 

No Friday's Hero post today, sorry.  I had one in mind, but  then I found myself completely distracted by the ENORMOUS number of yard and estate sales that are on for this weekend!  Hot dog!  It's finally open season!  I like to use the online classifieds to scope out the sales in advance, you locals can find it here.  Just use the drop-down menu to select a city, but don't forget to check out the Estate Sales, too.  Of course, if you may want to cross-reference this with your Saturday paper, too (God forbid you miss a single sale!)  If all goes well, I should have some exiting finds to post about on Monday.

So what do the photos of trashy, romance novels have to do with all of this (you may be asking yourself)?  Well, I can't really explain that right now because I broke my serger a few weeks ago. I know, I was so pissed.  But, there a two things that give me hope: A.  I saw the piece that broke off, so it looks like the repair should be pretty simple, and B:  the repairman said the machine is worth $600 and I paid only $90 for it (sweet.)  The fact that it is still in the shop going on 2 weeks now is dampening my spirits a little, but I'm trying not to worry.  You see, I have this great project I want to start that involves these juicy paperbacks, and I need the serger to make it all happen.  Are you intrigued yet?  Too bad, you'll just have to wait.

Here's to a steamy and tawdry weekend, everyone!

Love (and other indoor sports,)
~Amanda

At long last, I am finally updating my Handmade-Shop with brand new goods!  Hooray!

A few of the usual suspects....

      

Sweater Creatures and Tissue Cozies (in bright, sunny colors.)

And a new little item that I actually designed over the Holidays, and am just now getting around to making them for the shop!  They are my little Good Luck Birds.

    

   

Seriously, who doesn't love a mushroom bird?!?  It's practically a crafty requirement.  They are just so sickeningly sweet and optimistic-looking.  You can add them to just about any project, and everyone goes ga-ga over them.  These little trinkets are made with a wreath form wrapped in vintage seam binding, adorned with silver and gold leaves, vintage chenille flowers and (of course) a plump birdie.  They are also come super-sweetly gift wrapped.  you can pop over to the SHOP to check out the details on that.  The 8 listed are all I have left at the moment, but I plan to have another batch with even more color variations ready soon, too.   And, call me crazy, but I think they'd make really fun and easy do-it-yourself kits.  I've never put together a kit before, but it's something I've always wanted to do.  Hmmm...we shall see! 

Last but least, a few New Tote Bags:

   

I'm calling these The Joanie Market Totes, and they are exactly like the Garden Variety Bags I made last year except, instead of the fruit and veg appliques, I used vintage doilies from my stash.   I like making simple bags, not too many bells and whistles, but still unique and special.  I'm also not a huge fan of stiff interfacing, I like a soft and floppy bag that forms to whatever it's carrying.  I hope to have more of these soon, as well.  They really are fun to make!  Nothing extraordinary, sewing-wise, but just putting together vintage fabrics and notions, buttons and details, different colors and patterns...that's my favorite part.   

Thanks for taking a peek at my new goods!  You can see all of this and more at my online shop,  A. Bel Studio,  if you are so inclined.  I'm going to try and keep up the momentum and plan an Emporium Update for tomorrow, too!  (Lot's of  fab new miniatures, new cupcake liners and new sugar flowers!  Come back and see!)  Sorry for all the shop-talk, I'll get this out of the way soon so I can get back to my regular, mindless babbling!

Sea & Garden

Friday was beautiful , so we went to the beach.  We played baseball, and read books and swam (just a little, brrrr!)  The construction work on the new pier brought to the surface large lumps of beautiful, smooth clay.  (We think it was clay....it looked  and smelled like clay.)  Not brave enough to slather it on our faces as a beauty mask, but perfect for making pinch-pots and shell "fossils."

Fun, and educational and free.  Ah, nature, how we adore you.  You even provide us with confetti, in the form of old roses ready for dead-heading. 

   

Hope you all had a peaceful weekend, too~

 

Yes, I am a fan of all his movies, but I am most particularly in love with Rushmore.  (Bottle Rocket being a close second.)  I can't say for sure why I've become so attached to the little worlds he creates, but I know I'm not the only one.  I even found a Wes Anderson related swap over on SwapBot a while ago, and I just had to join up. (And I don't sign up for many swaps these days because of my over-commitment phobia, so this was an exception.)  The requirements were pretty open, you just had to include items related to his movies (any or all) and at least one quote.  After a lot of though, I decided to just stick with Rushmore since it's my all-time-fave.  I started with this great vintage book:

Then, I cut out a hidden compartment inside.  It was a very fun project, even if it took a long item to cut all of the pages.  I just used a ton of Mod Podge to seal the whole thing when I was done, including the outside edges.   It worked quite well, and now I actually want to make one for myself! (You know, for all of my contraband.)

The secret compartment isn't particularly relevant to the movie (though the 'Deep Sea' topic is, )  I just thought it seemed fitting, and I liked the idea of all the extra items fitting inside.   So inside the book there are:

"Save Latin" buttons, Perfect Attendance and Punctuality award pins (made from shrinky dink), Kite Flying Society postcards, and a mix CD of songs from the soundtrack (OK, the CD is a little  on the unimaginative side, but everyone loves music, you know?)  When I found out my partner lived a mere 20 miles from me (what are the odds?) I thought it would be really awesome to include 2 tickets to the Virginia Aquarium.  But alas, there is no way to buy them in advance and at over $20 a pop, that would have been overdoing it a tad.  I'm not bucking for swapper-of-the-year, or anything.  For my quote, I wrote the famous Cousteau quote onto the inside of the book before I sealed it:

I received the package from my partner a few days ago and if was very cool!  The savory snacks (a nod to Darjeeling) were so delicious I think I am officially addicted. 

So yes, I'm a Wes Fan.  I don't know if I would recommend his movies to everyone, though.  I think they definitely fall into the you'll either "love it or hate it" category, and I hate to gush over something just to have someone look at me blankly like, "I just really don't get it."  (Which is the same look I give to people who gush over David Lynch movies.)  Whatever floats your boat, folks.

And do I even need to point out the Bill Murray factor?  I mean, I would still love the movies if he wasn't in them but, to use a Val Kilmer metaphor, Bill Murray acting in Wes's films is like lasing a stick of dynamite.

And that's all I have to say about that.

 

We're Back!

(The little bird ornaments are a new item I had designed for the Holidays, but well, never actually got around to making before Christmas!  I decided that they could work year-round with some color adjustments, so I made a few for the show.  I really do like them, they are quite simple, and they seem like little good-luck tokens to me.  There will be several available in my Etsy shop very soon!)

I have to apologize for the cruddy, fuzzy pictures because I always forget to bring my tripod to craft shows.  Which is ridiculous, because I usually end up dragging along everything except the kitchen sink. 

   

The Richmond Craft Mafia put on a fantastic show, in probably one of the hippest venues ever.  Sadly, the weather was not very cooperative and the rain poured all day long.  Monsoon like, really.

(Sister's bike seat covers.)

Despite the apocalyptic skies, tons of people braved the elements to come browse and shop, and the day was still cheerful and bustling.  The best part of shows, for me, is justing seeing all of the crafty people together in one place.  It's so darn inspiring, to be part of a movement like this, *sniffle*....better move along before I start to get all gushy.

So, I try not spend all my profits on shopping at the shows I'm in, but that can be difficult with so many talented people around.  This time I had my heart set on buying a necklace from a local jewelry maker I know & love.

    

Isn't this just perfect??  I didn't even fully realize how symbolic the little girl with umbrella was until later.  The perfect memento for a very, rainy day.  The pendant is double-sided, and made by the very snazzy Mood Swings (of which I'm sure you are all familiar with, because she's famous and all.)  Something else I love about this piece is that the vintage flower bead at the top actually looks old.  I love it when people aren't afraid to use vintage pieces that really have age to them, stains, fading and wear.  Love it.  I'm so happy!

I do have lots of leftovers to list in the etsy shop, and I hope that I will get to that tomorrow.  I've been playing catch-up on my shipping this week, and Max and I had a super-fun-rainy-day-out on Monday that included a long overdue library visit (get it? over-due visit, haw haw!) and a matinee at MacArthur Regal of Nim's Island.  We both completely loved the movie,  I highly recommend it.  Perfect for the 5 to 10 age group but still interesting enough for an adult to enjoy.  (Yes, Jodie Foster is in it but she's not that annoying.  After watching Contact about a gazillion times, I'm sorta Jodied-out.  "ssshoulda ssentt a poet...ssso, bbbeautiffful....") Kristy, I know you remember that.  Still, not quite as frightening as the migraine-inducing number of times we watched The Man in the Iron Mask at the dollar theater.  What was wrong with us??