Stone Fruit Pie

I've yet to have time this summer for making jam or pickles or any canning of anything, so to make myself feel better about the situation, I've been making pies instead.  This one turned out so pretty, I decided to be vain about it and put pictures on the internet.

I got the recipe from the August issue of Bon Appetit, and I basically followed the whole thing.  What's awesome about this recipe is that you can use any assortment of stone fruits, so whatever you can pick or buy that's in season will work.  For my part I'll try to plan ahead better next time and use fruit that's absolutely ripe instead of just questionably so...but i was determined to have pie the same day I thought of it.  In the end it was a little too tart to call a masterpiece, but the fruit was beautiful and I loved the colors of the different fruits together.

Stone Fruit:  Peach, Black Plum, Cherry

The mini pie my son made from the leftover filling and pie dough scraps while I was turned around putting the finishing touches on mine.  I was all telling him over my shoulder how one day he too might be genius enough to make a pie by himself, blah blah blah, and then turn around to see this tiny, perfect version sitting there.  Sigh.  I'm an idiot.  At least he was nice enough not to point this out.  

Stone Fruit Lattice Pies

Super delicious sugared lattice crust

The full recipe for Stone Fruit Lattice Pie after the jump!

Quite Strong

I know, I'm horrible.  It's been way too long.  But you know, summer = crazy busy.  I have been:  filling custom orders, going to bike races, sewing, cleaning out the basement, driving to Wisconsin, camping, going to the lake, building forts in the backyard, filling a CorAzon order, and having bonfires.  See?  So busy.

But.  In way more interesting news, let's talk Quite Strong.

The Quite Strong Home Page: http://quitestrong.com

Quite Strong--"creatives of the female variety"--is an awesome site put together by smart ladies that's part resource page, part support group.  The site's founders are based in Chicago, but the creative women profiled there are all over the map.  And as of last week, you can find me representing Mpls (girl!) at the top of the "B" listings (Bekah Worley).  Each profile shows samples of the artist's work, bio and contact info, plus a little wisdom on working in the creative field.  Definitely worth a look if you're a creative, or a woman, or just like creative women.

My Profile on Quite Strong's Lust List

MN Cozies

I heart MN summers.  We all know they're gonna be short, so we make it count, don't just save it for the weekends.  At the end of the day, hit the backyard with a cold can, start the grill.  Basic perfection right there.  And in this season of outdoor drinking, a cozy is pretty much one of the bare essentials.  You don't want your beer sweating all over you, getting warm.  Sad!

I made this first set for a custom order.  The design comes from the MN Love series, and it's def one of my favorites.  Kinda coveting the green one actually.  After stitching the design onto repurposed fabric, I quilted it into cozy shape and added the elastic tab to make sure it hugs the brew nice and tight.

This set is taken, but follow the jump to peek at the other cozies still for sale in the shop.

Set of Two Radiant MN Cozies from the MN Love Series: custom order

Quilting detail from green Radiant MN cozy

Quilting detail from red Radiant MN cozy

Summer. For Real!

It hit a hundred degrees on Tuesday, and Wednesday was the last day of class for my dudes, so it's official: summer's here!  I've been soaking up the sun like a crazy lady.  So exciting!  And also a complete one-eighty from that one time (and then also that other time) I was sad about clouds.

But bad attitudes are in the past now.  It's time for awesome summertime handbags!  These are all freshly listed in my Etsy shop, so be sure to visit there for the real nitty gritty.  Also!  I've been doing so much custom work lately.  So much.  Which I totally love.  So if these aren't quite your speed or you just want something all your own, definitely contact me for details.  I promise, it's super easy!

Paisley Shoulder Bag at www.soulsister.etsy.com

Paisley Shoulder Bag bead detail

Blue Chambray Wrislet bow detail

Blue Chambray Wristlet at www.soulsister.etsy.com

Beachy White Mini-Wristlet bow detail

Beachy White Mini-Wristlet at www.soulsister.etsy.com

Coconut Cupcakes + Spokane Wrap-Up

So, Spokane was really really great.  Basically I got home and crashed and didn't get up for a week.  Also, it was my birthday week, so I was extra lenient about time off.  But it was wonderful to meet so many supportive and fantastic people!  I sold a bunch of stuff, and took a lot of orders which I will be cranking out this week.  I think one of my favorite highlights from the trip was the spontaneous purse party at the P.I. wherein I sold two purses while perched on a barstool.  And when I say "I," I really mean my friends and rockstar sales team Katie and Brian.  Thanks guys!

And now the birthday part.  We did the annual backyard party, which works great since my birthday falls on or near enough Memorial Day weekend.  And this year I decided to try one of my grandma's recipes I discovered a few weeks ago in my mom's stash.  My grandma, who passed away several years ago, was an incredible home cook.  I still dream about her potato salad.  So when I found this recipe for coconut cake, I knew it was going to be this years' birthday dessert.

Candied Coconut Garnish=Deliciousness!

Grandma Aldridge's Coconut Cupcakes

A few notes on my tactics:  First, I haven't consumed a ton of coconut cake in my lifetime, but this seemed pretty mild on the coconut scale.  I even won over a few devout coconut-haters!  Second, since it was a backyard party, I turned it into cupcakes.  Third: her recipe calls for fresh coconut, which is a legitimate hassle, but kind of a fun one.  I went for the caveman approach and split it by whacking it on the back sidewalk.  Classy!  After prying chunks of the meat out of the husk, I trimmed off the brown skin on its backside with a paring knife before shredding it on a cheese grater.  And finally, fresh coconut isn't sweet like that angel stuff you buy in the grocery aisle, so I candied some for garnish.  Which was DELICIOUS.  Instructions for that follows the recipe.

I Made Even More Purses + Spokane is Fun

You guys, I'm leaving for Spokane tomorrow!  Excitement abounds!  I'm looking forward to meeting a bunch of awesome people out there and hanging with my girl KT.  If you happen to be attending the Womanhood Weekend as well, you have to stop by my table and say hi!  I'll be selling my handmade bags,  as well as cozies, zips, and maybe a few toys, plus I'll be taking orders for custom items.  And!  Don't forget about the Yoga Tote.  That's gonna be there too.

Anyway, I'm pretty much out of time for any more making of things, so this here's your last preview of stuff I'll be taking with me.  And I have to say that while I always like the purses that make it to salable status, there's sometimes one or two that I kind of psychotically adore.  And this red and blue plaid is one of those.  Those colors?  Please.  It's like what you get when you mix Paul Bunyan with Even More Awesomeness.  Plus, it's a fun contrast to the subtler tones in many of the fabrics I've been using this season.

Paul Bunyan Purse

Paisley Zippered Tote

Paisley Zippered Tote Handle Detail

Brown Velvet Bow Wristlet

Brown Velvet Bow Wristlet

Ps:  Spring finally feels like Spring!  It was so beautiful and sunny yesterday I had a hard time finding a spot shady enough for good photos.  I ended up taking these on top of my kids' treefort under the giant ash tree in our backyard.  You can still see all the sun glinting though around the edges.

I Made Purses

It's May!  I'm way late saying this, but here we are.  I've been busy.  Being sick and/or accosted by allergies, hitting up my favorite garage sale weekend, entertaining house guests, thoroughly enjoying Mothers' Day (my kids=insanely awesome), and yeah, SEWING.  This spring, maybe because of its slow, rainy start, I've noticed that I've been drawn to mostly subdued colors and patterns.  A few wild ones thrown in there too, of course, but here's a sampling of my favorites in the subtler tones.  (This group is earmarked for the Womanhood Weekend in Spokane...T minus 9 days!  Hope to see you there!)