Silent Sunday::Feeding time

Baby Barn Swallows ready to be fed @ Penland Lower Clay Studio

Friday Field Trip::Tudor Place

While I’m away in NC I’ll leave you with one more post and a field trip my Mom treated me to a few weeks ago.  Tudor Place is right in the heart of Georgetown, just blocks away from the shopping and dining district.  Even though I’ve lived in the DC metro practically my entire life I can’t say I’d driven by or even heard much about this little jem of a museum.  This is a private museum with both house and garden tours available.  The garden tour is free and open to the public almost every day.  The house tour is the real treat though.  What is amazing is that all the items in the house are family heirlooms and antiques of origional provenance to this family home.  The home was built by the grandaughter of George and Martha Washington, Martha Custis Peter, and her husband, Thomas Peter.  It was lived in as a private residence by several generations of the family for over 180 years until it was turned into a museum (by family trust) in 1988.  If you like history and historic preservation you will want to see this museum home.

I couldn’t help but sneak in one little picture inside…

and I might have pinched a small bit off this stunning coleus that I’d never seen before.  Have you seen this one?  Apparently there are hundreds if not thousands of cultivars of coleus!

I’m not sure of the provenance of the garden but it seemed to contain many plants that would have been used in the historic period of the homes use.  I wish I knew more about this plant which I’d never seen before.  It smells heavenly, like Jasmine and the flowers open a beautiful deep lavender and fade as they mature to white, isn’t that different (it seems that colors in plants usually intensify)?   I would love to find this plant but I don’t think I could maintain it indoors without having good light or a green house.  Have you ever seen Brunfelsia astralias?  It comes up under rare plants!  What a joy to have seen and smelled it in bloom.

Friday Field Trip::Textile Museum Green

I saved a few field trips up for you for my time away.  I hope they keep you coming back and you find them just a little interesting.  Back in June (which was not that long ago, boy time is flying this year!) I went to see the Green exhibit at The Textile Museum.  If you have been following my blog over the last couple years or if you happened to read my old blog you know that the Textile museum is probably my favorite museum.  It is a little hidden jem in DC, not far from Dupont and nestled in a row of Embassy housing.  I love going there and upon arriving at the street of the museum I feel transported to a more serene place, it’s almost gentile and reminds me a bit of Savannah or Charleston.  In the midst of the city here is this small treasure that’s quite and peaceful.  I wish that more people knew about the museum but I’m also glad that for now it stands in a hidden corner of the city.

The current exhibit is all about Green: The Color and the Cause:: re-purposing of materials (textiles) for textile art.   For someone who is a huge fan of the museum you might think I’d follow the rules but I’m a bit of a rule breaker when it comes to taking photo’s…so here are a few.  I don’t have a lot of details but the online catalog is quite extensive and you can find additional information about the artists and the cause here.  These are just to whet your appetite…Enjoy:)

I do apologize, some of these photo’s are not the greatest but that’s what happens when you are sneaking around behind the back of the guards trying to get a few shots.  I hope these peak enough interest for you to visit the online catalog or better yet, the show in person.  There were a tremendous number of contemporary entries and a slide show that shows the work of all of these talented textile artists.

Wednesday Wellness:: PowerBalls

I think I tweeted about this last week and now I’m finally getting around to posting the recipe!

In my quest to eat almost Gluten Free I have been experimenting with recipe creations.  I love almost all the flavors of Lara Bars and a friend of mine shared a recipe creation she made in her quest to recreate something similar.  I decided to give it a go and have made a couple variations on this.  I call them Power Balls because I don’t make them into bars, just small little nibble sized bites.  Here you go, please experiment and let me know what you think!

Power Balls

10 Dates, pitted

2 Tbsp protein powder (I used vanilla flavored Spiru-Tein)

6 Brazil nuts (or similar quantity of other nuts- pistachios, walnuts, pecans, cashews or almonds)

6 Figs (dried)

6 Apricots (dried)

2 Tbsp dried shredded coconut

1 tsp flaxseed oil

1 Tbsp flaxseeds (optional)

1 Tbs Almond meal (or oatmeal would work)

Combine all ingredients in bowl of a food processor and process by pulsing until mixture begins to hold together.  The motor will warm the ingredients up and it should be soft enough to form a ball.  Taste and adjust proportions of wet to dry as needed.  Using a cookie or small ice scream scoop, scoop out individual balls and place in small paper cups or on a flat layer to store (at room temperature for 1-2 weeks or in the refrigerator).

The great thing about this recipe is that there are endless variations!  In my last batch I used dried apples instead of the apricots and added a little cinnamon.  You can also make them chocolate flavored by eliminating the apricots and adding some cocoa powder, you will need more dates in this case.  These make a great healthy snack and are full of powerful antioxidants and super foods (nuts, flax etc.)  Enjoy and be Powerful!

Friday Field Trip::Pile of Craft Roundup

I’m currently on my way to my biggest field trip of the year!  I’ll be at Penland School of Craft for the next two weeks so postings will be spare in my absence.  I can’t wait to participate in The Art of Fiber Collage with instructor Jason Pollen! I’ve shared bits and pieces about this upcoming excitement but honestly, this is something I’ve wanted to do for over 10 years.  Since I now have the flexibility being self employed I took the opportunity back in early spring to apply for a scholarship and YES, I got one!  I’ve been super busy over the last week or so preparing for this “Camp”.  The list of supplies is lengthy and I’ve been challenged to remain very organized in my preparation!  Even though I typically am very organized about travel, this trip requires many extra supplies including art and craft and some borderline camping type supplies.  Laundry facilities will also be limited so I’m having to pack more clothes than I normally would for a two week trip.  Lists, lists and checking my lists…The last remaining item for me to decide on is my sewing machine which was listed as a item that is suggested but not necessary.  I guess if I can fit it in the car then it goes!

While I’m away I’ve prepared a few posts and in the spirit of Field trips I’ll leave you with some favorite items from vendors I saw when I helped my friend Betz White with her booth at the Pile of Craft show in Baltimore.

I love when craft crosses over into organizing, these re-purposed denim & fabric buckets fit the bill for anything from yarn to makeup or mail sorting.

The “neighbor’s” on one side had these adorable figurines.  On the other side of Betz was Volta Organics.  The photo I snapped wasn’t so hot but do check out their products.  I fell in love with the Vanilla and Pepper scrub (they were brilliant to put a sample of this in one of the bathrooms at the show!).

Across the way from us were these beautiful Japanese print and sewn textiles from Namoo.  Again, these HUGE paper clips are another crafty way to get yourself organized.  What a great way to keep papers sorted by category!

The worn but beautiful architecture in this old church is a charming setting for the show.

I didn’t catch the name of these two vendors but I love the “scrabble” coasters and leg plant ID “tags”.

Gorgeous threads from re-purposed goods made by Malagueta fall into my wishlist category.

I crafting in motion and several booths including Hello Craft and Carlybird Weaves had demo’s set up.

And finally a few familiar finds including Claire McDermott’s recycled skateboard accessories and jewelry.  There were some brilliant repurposed and recycled items at the show, I love seeing this category evolve and become more sophisticated.

One last thing we did before we left the show was step into the photo booth of Annaeka Photography and get a little goofy.   What a blast to have an old school photo booth right at the show!  We accidentally walked away without picking up our photo’s and Anna was super sweet to send them to me right away, thanks Anna!!

I’ll see you back here with a full report of my field trip to NC in a few weeks.

Declaration of Independence

Happy4th of July!  Today is a day to remember that we are lucky enough to be an Independent Nation with Freedom of choices.

(Having a little fun with flowers that remind me of fireworks, filters and Kim Klassen’s latest texture link up)
Express your Independence, today and every day!

Enjoy your day with family, friends, festivities, fireworks and fun.