swatch swap

Jesse is organizing a handprinted swatch swap. I'm excited to see what everyone comes up with. I've really been enjoying printing with linocuts, I love the tactile-ness of the stamps themselves. Making them is just as fun as printing.  The swap will give me an excuse to get some of the designs that have been floating around in head down on  paper/fabric! 

*photo courtesy of Jezzeblog

news

We're trying not to melt here in brooklyn, and not really succeeding, I must say. As I write this, my laptop is scarily hot. Almost too hot to type. I better turn this baby off and forget about all the work that needs to be done. In addition to work that requires the service of my trusty laptop, I have a great deal of ironing to be done. Why does it always turn out that when you have tons of ironing to do, that must be done before you can do any other work, there is a massive heat wave? Why? 

In non-heat wave related news, there are some new items in the Etsy shop. It's stuff I've been working on for some time, but for some reason it's taken me a while to get the shop updated. But it's there now!

Jewelweeds is also a part of the Poppytalk Handmade Market for June. The theme is "Here Comes the Sun!" and I think the new poppy pillows and bags are a perfect fit. 

some sadness

I just read the most devastating and true column. I didn't realize that I missed Judith Warner, I guess I really did. There's not too much to say about, you really just have to read it for yourself. I've never kept my views on the state of feminism (or much else for that matter) under wraps, and I've endured much derision as a result, so it was such a breathe of fresh air to know that there are intelligent people out there who are also able to see this ugliness in the zeitgeist. I was very encouraged by a vast majority of positive comments about this column. I have to say that is a little scary at this moment of the world to be at the front door of starting a family, I worry a lot about how hard it will be to raise girls and boys in a 'Sex and the City,' 'Hillary Nutcracker' world. How do you instill in children the importance of civic involvement if the civics are throughly and doggedly uncivilized?

If you need any more proof of this, please watch this.

I would also like to point out that Belva Lockwood, my great-aunt, at least six generations back, is undoubtedly whirlpooling in her grave.

growing & cooking

The beginnings of some yummy beans (and rice) featuring window-grown bay leaves. We got too hungry to take pictures of the finished product, but it was good. You can see the Sweet Bay in action at the far left of the bottom picture. I think we have broken the record for amount of plants crammed into one window. It took quite of bit of arranging and re-arranging, but we did it and it makes both of us really happy.

beginning, middle, end

First rhubarb pie of the season (and a bit of a delay in posting...) and a little bit of show and tell for my latest ebay finds. A lovely set of robin's egg blue vintage pyrex bowls and a set of silverplate serving utensils. More to come soon! (I've been experiencing a little bit of an ebay problem lately....)