So Many Cherries: In Honor of Homemade Jam

How do you reign in the first heat of summer?

Do you steam up your hot summer kitchen with summer jam? When pounds of produce make their way to our kitchen counters I know that summer has quite officially begun. And I get giddy with all the abundance and aromas and the heat and the chance to make a jam concoction that is just a bit closer to perfect than last summer's.

So we picked 10 pounds of cherries and now our urban homestead is officially aflutter with the season. But how could we refuse? Now we are cleaning and pitting in preparation for many jars of jam. We will make a rhubarb-cherry, a plum-cherry, and then the classic plain-old-cherry too.

I was doing a bit of flavor research and now I'm also daydreaming about this jam class over at Blue Chair. I'm thinking Rhubarb Jam with Plum & Ginger sounds completely divine.

xoxo,
k.

A Treasure Chest of Vintage Photos

On my last trip to NY I found a treasure chest. And this treasure chest lives at my mother's house and sometimes it makes its way out into the open space of the family room when we all gather together to eat and drink and tell stories and laugh and argue and ultimately remember. And every time the treasure chest is opened there's a slight chance you might leave with one of the treasures in your pocket.

And sure enough, this time the heaping box of family photos was hefted from its space in storage and I was lucky to leave with a pocket-sized treasure of my own. Just one small package from a commercial photo shop and on the back in my father's young handwriting it reads, "Rodabaugh, 8/19/60, 1 each wallet, print regardless". And inside there were 12 tiny packets of photographs-- mostly black & white, mostly from the 1950s, mostly of my father and his family-- tucked neatly into the aged packaging as if waiting to be found.

xoxo,
k.

Seeking Summer and Cozy Hues

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I am so persuaded by the change in weather. Finally, our cool days have given over to warmer whispers and promises of summer. I am reveling in sundresses and cool mint tea and open windows tossing curtains in the breeze. I'm ready to curl up with quiet shades of peach, sage, and beige while basking in the softest and laziest early summer light. We have been very busy around here. Between travels to the East Coast, big shows, and beloved house guests, I am now officially seeking what is cozy and hushed.

And the farmer's market is an ever-optimistic summer adventure on Sunday mornings. This weekend we came home with heavy bags full of peaches, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, sweat peas, onions, and fava beans. Our own little garden is still finding her footing, but already she's providing the prettiest lettuces and herbs. Dear summer, I cannot wait for your official visit so please do come soon.

xoxo,
k.

Quiltspiration

Source: flickr.com via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: folkartmuseum.org via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: dsquilts.com via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: ianhundleystudio.com via Katrina on Pinterest

Source: kathrynclark.com via Katrina on Pinterest

What could be cuter than pies and quilts and a group of friends gathering to eat one and stitch the other? Last week was the first "Ps and Qs" gathering at friend's house, complete with strawberry rhubarb pie and blueberry ice cream pie--both delicious. We ate pie and settled about her Oakland apartment with our various fabric projects--hand embroidery, machine quilting, and cutting squares seemed to be most popular.

It might take me several months to finish my not-yet-started quilt project, but I'm going to do it! Now is the fun stage-- dreaming and collecting images and conducting research. I'm telling you, in a former life I was a craft research director. No, I've never heard of this position either but I trust it does exist. Maybe it's another position to add to my long list of in-another-life career options along with florist and interior decorator and marine biologist.

What's your alter ego do for a living? My husband says if he leaves his work as a theater designer he's going to be a forest ranger instead. Or a potato farmer. I suppose my marine biologist and his forest ranger could still be a good match. I hope you enjoy this collection of quilts--what a friend calls, "quiltspiration".

xoxo,
k.

PS-- Lots of talk about this recent NYTimes article featuring yarn bombing. My favorite quote from the article, "Yarn bombing grows out of the larger D.I.Y. movement, which seeks to resurrect traditional handicrafts more typically associated with grandmothers, like knitting, canning, gardening and even raising chickens". On that note, if you haven't heard about craftivism, you might enjoy Betsy Greer's website too.