This is one of the last pictures I took of my dad. I have it framed in my living room, right under his geology map that I had mounted on wood. The picture is a little dog-eared from carrying it around with me for so long before finally framing it.

I love this photo because it reminds me so vividly of that impromptu KFC picnic we had, right along the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago. You can see his AAA map too, something he never left home without. Dad had flown out to visit me while I was staffed on a business continuity project at State Farm with Ernst & Young. We had so much fun that weekend, touring the city, spending time together and just having really, really good conversation.

I’m thankful for that trip because it leaves me with such warm memories to look back on. Of course that makes it harder sometimes too. Looking at those pictures always leaves me happy-sad. Like today, when Dad would have been 66. Which is why I just wanted to say: happy birthday, Dad. I love you.

He asked for it, he got it.

My first of what will hopefully be many wallets to come, this one was made from the BART/DHL All-Star Game banner donated to the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse and subsequently snatched up by moi.

Christine carved this awesome rubber stamp today using the Speedball carving tool set I left for her over Thanksgiving. It’s only the second stamp she’s ever carved, which makes it that much more impressive. Ain’t it cute?!

It wasn’t pretty, but it was tasty. And I made it, so it counts as a “project” and I get to post it to the blog.

It was a pumpkin pie. It was Cook’s Illustrated recipe for “The Best Pumpkin Pie”, to be specific. And, as most Cooks Illustrated recipes are, it was very involved. A little too involved if you ask me. But I was surprised that I screwed it up, because CI recipes are usually so detailed that the end result, though painstakingly achieved, is usually pretty darn perfect.

Well, to show you what I mean, here’s my pie crust for starters:

It’s just all short and thick, kinda like I’ve been feeling all weekend. I guess the problem as Don explained was that I rolled the crust too far back in so that instead of being “flush with edge of pan lip”, my dough was more flush with the upper rim of the pan and, after baking, shrank even lower into it. I could have used an extra illustration in the recipe, as this obviously didn’t quite do it for me:

4. Fold dough in quarters and place the corner in the center of a Pyrex pie plate measuring 9- to 9 1/2-inches across top. Carefully unfold dough to cover pan completely, with excess dough draped over pan lip. With one hand, pick up edges of dough; use index finger of other hand to press dough around pan bottom. Use your fingertips to press dough against pan walls. Trim dough overhanging the pan to an even 1/2 inch all around.

5. Tuck overhanging dough back under itself so folded edge is flush with edge of pan lip. Press double layer of dough with your fingers to seal, then bend up at a 90-degree angle and flute by pressing thumb and index finger about 1/2-inch apart against outside edge of dough, then using index finger (or knuckle) of other hand to poke a dent through the space. Repeat procedure all the way around.

Say wha?

Still, like I said, the pie was quite delish if I do say so myself. We had excess filling because of my teeny weeny crust, but we poured it into a couple of ramekins and stuck it in the oven along with the pie (Don’s suggestion - he’s a dessert master), which gave us a pre-dessert to snack on while we waited for the real deal to cool.

And that’s the story of my very first pumpkin pie!

I was tickled pink when Joanne asked me to make a custom bag for each of her lovely bridesmaids back in August. She wanted a tote bag large enough to hold some beach-y accessories in theme with her summer Tahoe wedding that she planned to stuff inside the bag: flip flops, sunscreen, etc.

We threw around a couple of shapes and sizes and came up with this version of my Big Lug bag! We then picked fabrics for each of the gals that we thought would reflect their styles and personalities, and I embroidered their names onto a stuffed zipper pull that I affixed to each tote.

Since I had the pleasure of attending the wedding, I got to see the bags in action for myself. They looked pretty cute if I do say so myself (pat pat pat, ha ha ha ;). More importantly of course, I think the gals liked them too.

I’m on a break from making custom bags at this juncture, but I finally got around to uploading my photos so wanted to throw up a quick post about them. Thanks for the support, Joanne, and congratulations again!!!

>> see more photos (including some “making of” shots =)

Another bag has been borne of my reclaimed BART banner. It’s the MLB All-Star Tote!

One side bears the MLB logo; the other side reads well…All-Star. DHL All-Star, actually. Doesn’t hurt to acknowledge the commercial sponsor I suppose.

I love the colors of this banner, with its bright reds, yellows and blues. It’s definitely more summer than fall/winter, but when are happy splashes of color NOT in season? Heh heh heh.

>> see more photos

Ever wonder what you’ll come back as? Assuming you believe in reincarnation, that is. Not to say that I do. But inanimate objects are another story.

What I’m trying to say is, this happy little lunch tote was once a BART banner for the 2007 All-Star Game here in San Francisco! I reclaimed the banner from the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, a treasure trove for junk seekers.

Itching for a break from all the DIY wedding projects, I made this snappy little thing last night. It fits the square-sized Rubbermaid TakeAlong food containers perfectly, as shown in the Flickr photo set. I can’t wait to make more. The next one will be a little taller, I think, to fit the extra fruit or snack or whatever.

>> see more photos

Since life has been consumed by wedding research and planning lately instead of making items for the Etsy shop, I thought I’d post some of the sewing-related tips I plan to use.

The bridesmaids are deciding between a handmade silk dupioni skirt or one of a few designer dresses.

vs.

for example. The left one being the Glam Wrap Skirt from Martha Stewart’s Blueprint Magazine, the right - Melissa Sweet Style 102.

While buying up a few yards of silk dupioni from favorite fabric store Stone Mountain yesterday, the woman at the cutting table whose name I don’t know unfortunately told me about an article in this month’s Threads Magazine about sewing draped skirts. I was super-excited to find it online this morning in Hit Your Mark with Darts, especially after seeing the end product:

Purty! A little more involved but still manageable, I think. It also requires less fabric than the Blueprint method: probably no more than 1-1/4 yards of a 44″ bolt, as opposed to 2-1/4 yards of a 54″ bolt (although for the latter, my bridesmaids could probably get away with just 2 yards of a 44″ bolt).

Other online Threads Magazine videos/articles to look at later:

Video Tip: Making and Using a Muslin
Boning - Not Just for Corsets
Video Tip: Helpful Hints for Sewing Silk