EAB Designs

Future Designer in the House?

Today, I walked into my 16 year-old's room and this is what I discovered on her dress form.  Isn't her design pretty?  It just love it - especially the tucks of fabric and the bustle on the back.

She used an Anna Maria Horner fabric that she asked me to order from Etsy and, just like a Project Runway contestant, pinned it to her dress form to create this dress.  I'm not quite sure how she even managed it, because the fabric is still in one piece of yardage and was never cut.  I also noticed underneath the dress, she used thin strips of my husband's colored painter's tape to outline the design on the form - a step frequently seen on Project Runway.  And speaking of being crafty, while I was in her room I snapped a couple pictures of this necklace holder she made.  She asked my husband to take her to Home Depot where she purchased some wood, hooks and paint to make this.  I think it looks great in her room.  She never ceases to amaze me.  Makes me want to run right over to school to give her a great big hug!

A Day of Crafts & Cooking

I've been busy since early this morning with preparations for Saturday evening's Halloween activities.  First up was making a big batch of chili for our dinner guests.  While the chili was simmering, I made my "Posh Squash" from the kits I ordered from Olive-Juice & Co.  I just love how they turned out.  The hand-dyed velvet is so beautiful and they will be perfect for our Thanksgiving decor as well!

 

 

After completing my "Posh Squash" it is was back into the kitchen to prep the ingredients for the remainder of our menu:  Buttermilk Cornbread, Pecan and Goat Cheese Salad, and Apple Crisp.  For my sweet girls, I also made our annual treat of caramel apples. An all time favorite of mine since I was a kid.

 

Autumn in Northern Virginia

After several days of rain, the sun came out for a brief time today so I quickly headed outdoors.  Of course, I took along my camera so I could share all of our beautiful fall colors with you.  I threw on my cap and sunscreen (a must to keep those freckles at bay) and headed out for my walk. The reds and yellows were so vibrant with the sun shining on them.

One of the advantages of living here are the many parks.  We're lucky to have one right across the road from us so I took a walk through the winding path to take a few photos there.  I love acorns, and unlike last year, they now seem to be in abundance.

Returning home, I took a stroll through our yard.  Remember my favorite hydrangeas that I used in my summer arrangements for their beautiful creamy white color?  Well, now they have turned into gorgeous shades of bronze and pink - perfect for my table this Saturday evening.

Right beside our home, we have a very old, seventy foot black walnut tree. For those of you not familiar with black walnuts, the tree starts dropping its nuts in September and continues through October.  The nuts are enclosed in hard green hulls (about the size of clementines) and when they hit our roof and skylights it sounds like we're under attack!  I cannot even estimate the number of walnuts we pick up each fall - countless bags!  It's shear joy when the last nut falls and very entertaining to watch the squirrels carry them around in their mouths.

Hope you enjoyed coming along on my walk.  Note to self:  next time wear my wellies, lots of rain brings lots of mud!

Vintage Sewing Pattern Tissue Flowers

I have lots of vintage sewing patterns stashed away and love the graphic quality of the tissue.  I used some of it to create these flowers for a pair of journals for myself.

Using a pair of scalloped scissors, I cut long three inch wide strips.  I then ran a long basting stitch up the center of the strip and gently gathered the tissue.  Once the strips were done, I formed them into blossoms, starting at the center, and secured them with a few stitches through the center.  A small pearl was sewn to the center of the smaller flower and a vintage rhinestone was used for the larger blossoms.

The background of the journals are from an original 1862 indenture (deed of trust) document.  I also added flocked paper, alencon lace and vintage millinery leaves.

The flowers would be a wonderful addition to tags, cards, gift wrapping or collage projects.

Apothecary Bottles - Added to Shop

I have listed some additional one-of-a-kind embellished apothecary bottles in my etsy shop. (The previous collection is now sold out.  Thank you!)

Holiday Collection Frame Preview

Thought I'd share a preview of a few of my new designs which will be introduced at my upcoming holiday shows.

I love the combination of the dark chocolate brown hand-blocked paper with the Italian script.  I located a supply of rhinestone buttons, which are very similar in shape to the lace-like pattern, and they became the perfect embellishment.

Black and white/cream frames are always one of my most popular sellers.  This year I paired a script and ink pen decorative paper with an embossed floral background.   The simple, but elegant, design allows me to embellish the frame with large crystal and sterling silver beads.

I love the richness of these four different handmade papers and the way they blend effortlessly into one another.

When designing frames, I think about what colors are popular in current design trends, such as this robin's egg blue.  I love the texture of this paper and created a row of folds with a scalloped edge.  As always, a great big thank you to my sweet girls for happily allowing me to use their photographs.  Long time customers who visit my shows have literally watched them grow up through my pictures.

Congratulations to....

The winner of my Blogiversary Giveaway is ...

 

Congratulations Cathy!

Please email your address so I can send out your gift package.  

Thank you to everyone for your sweet comments. xo - Julie

Velvet Pumpkins

 

Olive Juice & Co posted a picture of these adorable "Posh Squash" on her blog last week and I instantly fell in love with them.  The great news is, she is now offering them for sale as kits.  You can find them for sale in her on-line boutique.  I ordered the raisin, caramel and saffron colors and can't wait to get started on them.

If you haven't entered my "Blogiversary Giveaway" yet, it's not too late.  A winner will be drawn on Saturday morning.  Just click here to leave a comment to be entered.

One Year Blogiversary Giveaway!

Today is my one year blogiversary!  To celebrate, I am hosting a giveaway.  One lucky reader will receive the following gift package:  a set of my jute napkin rings with rhinestones, two embellished mercury glass votives and one of my handcrafted journals.  To enter all you have to do is leave me a comment on this post.  You do not need a blog to enter, but please provide your email address so I can contact you if you win.  A winner will be randomly drawn next Saturday morning, October 10th. Good luck!

Homemade Pizza

Friends are always amazed when I tell them that it only takes an hour to make your own pizza dough and sauce and have it in the oven in an hour. Best part, it takes ten minutes to bake and is so delicious!  Of course, it helps to have the best ingredients on hand.  For tonight's pizza, a typical New York Style, I always use San Marzano tomatoes (I buy mine at Whole Foods) and fresh mozzarella cheese (a bit more expensive than a general grocery store brand, but definitely worth it).

It also helps to have a mixer on hand, to speed up the kneading process, and a couple essential "pizza making" tools.  The first would be a pizza peel and the second a baking stone.  Don't be alarmed at the site of my stone, it's had years of use and, believe it or not, this is what it looks like when it's clean!  My parents gave me my Kitchen-Aid mixer when I first got married and it still works like a charm.

The pizza dough recipe is easy and comes out perfect every time.  It takes about 8 minutes to make and within the hour it will grow from this cute little ball of dough into a wonderful smelling pizza dough ready for pizza making.

While the dough is rising, I make the sauce.  A handful of ingredients are added to the San Marzano tomatoes and simmered over the stove, cooled and set aside until the dough finishes rising.  Both recipes can be found in James McNair's "Pizza" cookbook, a wonderful addition to your cookbook collection.

All that's left to do is to shape your pizza (I'm actually pretty good now at tossing it in the air), place it on a corn-meal dusted pizza peel, add your sauce and any toppings, and slide it on top of your pizza stone that has been heating in the oven for the past hour.  Ten minutes later, your house smells fantastic and you are eating a slice of one of the best comfort foods around ... so much tastier than anything you could have had delivered.