Fourth of July Parade

I usually love the tutorials on made, but when I saw the one for Ruffled Streamers... with all the projects on my to do list, I did't see myself sitting behind my machine and sewing together yards and yards of crepe paper. 

But when she posted it again with a patriotic twist, I was suddenly inspired. We were decorating my dad's iconic 1971 GMC truck for the Crozet Gazette float in the Crozet Fourth of July parade, and ruffling my red and blue streamers together suddenly seemed like a must-do. 

I used the trick of keeping the rolls turning on a dowel and it was really quick work. She says she used the tightest tension on her machine, and even held the spool of thread to boost the tension more, but I only had to set my machine's tension at 7 (out of 10). At 10 the ruffles were too tight. I wish it was so simple to ruffle fabric.

My other day-of craft project for the parade was the bunting for the truck's grill. I made the CROZET flags in Illustrator to add to Martha Stewart's "festive pennants" download from the July issue. Printed them on my own printer. I punched holes in the corners and strung it on kitchen twine. 

The truck didn't win any parade awards but it was still my favorite float. Plus they threw some nice candy.

Berry Birthday Beer

My youngest sister Isabelle is turning 21 today! In honor of this fun occasion, AJ brewed her a birthday beer this winter. It's a brown ale with 40 ounces of organic raspberries thrown in during fermentation.

Click to read on...

Deodorant Update: Men's Edition

Same recipe, less girly packaging.

Homemade Deodorant

For a few years AJ and I have been on a search for non-toxic deodorant. AJ is actually really sensitive to traditional antiperspirants and deodorants, and considering I've been pregnant and/or nursing for the last three and a half years, I've been trying to minimize the number of chemicals and carcinogens I smear on my skin...

We were happy with Arm & Hammer Essentials "natural" and unscented deodorant for a while, but it was discontinued at the Crozet Great Valu and we couldn't find it anywhere else locally. Then I found Soapwalla's deodorant cream on etsy, which I still love and highly recommend (her pregnancy body oil is also fantastic). It works great, but when an old friend directed me to Amy's recipe on angry chicken, I figured it made sense to make my own.

I've been using it for several months now, and it really does work. AJ uses it too. So now I am giving it to a few special people for Christmas. I have to admit, during the hot months at our non-air conditioned house, I keep this in the fridge. Shea butter gets soft even at room temperature--but that is part of what makes this deodorant so quickly absorbable and easy to use.

To dress it up a little, I found some pretty pink generic deodorants at Dollar General, and cleaned them out for the containers. (Our trashcan still smells of "cucumber melon.")

Then I made some labels, and in a pinch, sized them down to packing-tape width, printed them out and taped them right on. Not exactly waterproof, but they'll hold up okay.

daniela dorothy

My friend Daniela has a photography show up at The Local in Belmont right now. I made her some business cards to leave at the restaurant so people know who to contact with inquiries (or purchases!). She wanted something subtle and minimalist, but also eye-catching. I love yellow right now.

T Towel Tea Towel

Guess what came today? My t towel tea towel! I've been kind of obsessed with these ever since my friend Erin showed me a prototype last March. I think the concept is ingenious, the execution is impeccable, the look is hip, and, overall—it's just so darn clever. Comes in blue or red.

Only problem is, I don't want to dirty it. However, to not use it is to deny it some of its cleverness. For if it is just a "T" typography screen print that I hang on my wall, the pun is dead. And I love the pun. But I also love the design, so—my chocolate-milk-fingered kitchen, this tea towel shall not dry.

Maybe it will make an appearance at my next tea party, however.

How do you like your T?