Spring Step Forward, Snow Step Back

This past week Spring began bursting out all over.

First blooms of Spring
Mid-week the trees were bud-heavy, but before you could say "Bob's your uncle" they looked like this.

March on springtime!

Wouldn't you know? Sunday morning dawned with a dusting of snow covering those delicate pink petals. Thankfully, by noon it had all melted away.

Spring Bling Pink Prep

White stuff got me off my duff to bring some Spring indoors. Putting pink blossoms on my shuttles is my bling-erific goal.

So far I have painted one pink Clover white and am ready to apply the first coat of Mod Podge and flowery napkin.

AUGH! Had to stop to deal with family matters. In this instance it was the breakdown of the car. The mechanic says that it needs a new fuel pump (costing $1,000) and Big Daddy doesn't want to put that much money into it. He prefers to spend that money for a down payment on a replacement vehicle. So we're off to Carmax to shop for mini-vans.

Like Spring, my progress seems to be of the "one step forward, two steps back" variety. Shuttle will have to wait. For now.

Tatting Tea Tuesday - Macarons

To celebrate Macaroon Day (March 20, 2011) I drove 15 miles to a Swiss Bakery and picked up these little gems. They were sold in sets of 3 or a larger package of 6. I saw no reason to limit my taste test. All in the name of blog research, of course.

Their size may surprise you. At roughly 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter, they are tiny bites of pure pleasure.

Carol Gillott, author of Paris Breakfasts blog, advises, "Macarons are supposed to be petit - un péché mignon (a little sin)."

Macarons also come in two larger sizes but not many people buy them. Parisians prefer the smaller, guilty pleasures. Who am I to argue?

Light, crunchy meringue exteriors give way to soft, gently flavored interiors (lemon, lime and  strawberry are pictured) with a buttercream or ganache filling.

I am so wild about these almond-and-air confections that I bought this from Amazon.com:

The book should arrive later this week. Once it does, it will be time to get baking! Cross your fingers that I will be able to make macarons to feed my foodie appetite.

A Time for Tatting

As for lace, I have finished the first of two 12 1/3-inch (32 cm) edgings and am working on the second.

Nelson Edging © 2011
Design by Orsi (part of her Napoleon series)

These edgings will adorn a pair of Easter socks.

Adult size Easter socks for my niece Jalice. Silly hats and crazy socks are popular pieces in the fashion repertory of my family.

I still haven't begun the meandering vine edging that Lace-lovin' Librarian Diane has been testing for her sister. And there are still Easter egg laces to try. So much to do and so little time!

Wishing you all blissful me time to create something beautiful. See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!

♥ for Postie and Spring Bling

This past week I received three wonderful packages that made me feel so special! One had traveled all the way across the sea from JaneE. It reaffirmed my faith in Royal Mail.

This image is from Jane Eborall's Etsy shop listing. It is the butterfly bookmark I bought for Igoya, my twin sister.



Forgot to snap a photo before mailing it out, so I had to wait to share the images. Igoya should be receiving it today. Jane did such a splendid job!

I did, however, remember to take this seahorse bookmark photo. Isn't he a handsome gent!

They are both really stunning lace creations. It was quite difficult choosing which to send and which to keep.

Spring Bling

This second package was actually the first to arrive, but my dithering kept me from doing anything other than fondling the pretty papers and holding Clover shuttles up to them. Thank you, Lace-lovin' Librarian Diane, for your generosity and color-coordinating everything in advance.

The shuttles are mine for the blinging. Diane did not send them. Her gift of papers was generous enough!

Giveaway Prize 

The third package was jam-packed with even more shuttle decorations. Thank you, Bree, for sharing so generously. It is the biggest giveaway prize I have ever received. Now to get blinging!

Dip a Toe or Jump in?

So the moment of truth has come. I decided to toe-dip instead of jumping in.

I covered a bon bon box with mulberry paper and lined the inside with a glittery gold. Toss in a few shamrocks for luck and...

Voila! A travel box fit for a leprechaun.
(He might need Ray-Bans^®...)

(Image courtesy of Ray-Ban^® Virtual Mirror)

Holy cow! Where has the time gone? I have another whole post worth of macaroon goodness to share for Tatting Tea Tuesday. Ah well, it will have to wait until tomorrow. Check back for Mad for Macarons

Happy Macaroon Day!

Since I missed Macaroon Day last year, (organized by François Payard himself to coincide with the jour du macaron in Paris), I feel compelled to spread the word about this little French confection.


This Tuesday, March 22, I propose celebrating the arrival of Spring by settling in for Tatting Tea Tuesday with your favorite cuppa and a tasty macaroon.

Who's with me?

---

Curious about these meringue-like marvels?

National Public Radio published this story earlier this year:

NPR - Move Over Cupcake, Make Way for the Macaroon

Paris Breakfasts shares Jour du Macaron 2011 photos.

One of my Twitter pals, @NotQuiteNigella, posts this about her love-hate relationship with macaroon baking.

The Macaron Whisperer

I even competed in @NotQuiteNigella's Ultimate Chocolate Cake Challenge in 2008 and did much better than I expected.

A Parently Speaking (2008)- The Ultimate Chocolate Cake Challenge

A Parently Speaking (2008) - You Still Have Time to Vote

Whether or not you have means to bake or acquire one or more of these tasty treats, I wish you a very Happy Macaroon Day!

Paper, Podge and a Plane

My poor abused fingers have been bandaged lately, which makes tatting awkward, so I switched to scrapbooking and experimenting with Mod Podge.

Here is the first digital scrapbook page I finished. Of course, one very eager elf leapt with glee as soon as I agreed to post it.

The bottom section leaves room to add hybrid items, such as bits of tatting and an accordian-fold mini-photo book.

The journaling wraps around the page. It is hard to read unless you can enlarge the image to 8x8 or larger. So here's what it says:

It's up, up and away for Ciarrán the leprechaun! Here he is taking advantage of a fine Spring day to joy ride on Birgitte Tessier’s model airplane.

Waving goodbye, our intrepid lep' takes to the skies and sets his sights westward. It is a quest he hopes will end in romance as he heads off to win the heart of his lady fair. Ciarrán had the good fortune to train with her during his academy days in a remote Irish location.

With naught but a lucky coin and his passion to guide him, it will be the adventure of a lifetime. Good luck to you, Ciarrán!

The photos were taken LAST Spring, hence the May 2010 date. Since then I have not heard heard the end of lep pestering to post this page.

Does Ciarrán have secret motives? A flight plan?

I did spy him skulking through the kitchen the other night. The next morning there was an unsealed letter addressed to a lady lep sitting on the breakfast table.

'What does that wily sprite have up his sleeve?' I thought and peeked into the envelope.

*gasp* A glimpse inside the card...

The card bore the lady lep's name as well as a bit of Irish poetry. Not wanting to spoil the surprise in case the recipient reads this blog, I cropped off those parts. (Sorry!)

But oh, it makes my heart glad to see that Ciarrán has not given up on romance. His resolve hasn't waned in spite of receiving no word from his lady fair in a year. And let's not forget he has a rival.

Will Ciarrán's love interest favor him with an answer?

Stay tuned for more Adventures of Ciarrán the Leprechaun.

---

This post has gotten quite long so watch for details of my experiments in Mod Podge in the next post.

Next:  Dip a Toe or Jump In?

Civil War Tatting

On Saturday I will be giving a short talk on tatting at a stitcher's guild meeting, and hope to mention how tatting fits into the Civil War timeframe.

I am not well-versed in Civil War historical research. Luckily I don't need to be. Virginia Mescher has published a great article on Civil War tatting that Kersti kindly posted with permission over at InTatters forum.

Follow this link to read all about it: Civil War Tatting

Or read it via the Online Tatting Class: Civil War Tatting

Historian Lorene Payne of the Southern Fauquier Historical Society is coming to speak at the Piedmont Lace Guild's April meeting. She will give a presentation on Ladies Wear of the Americas in full 19th century garb!

The program is open to guild members and guests.
E-mail info@piedmontlace.org to join me as my guest.

Hope and Union

design*sponge loves this little peek inside a sunny, Charleston, SC coffee shop called Hope and Union and I must confess to mirroring her yearning to move inside. But for a different reason.

I want to tat there! Bet I'm not alone.

Who lives close enough to this coffee shop to go, tat and take pictures so I can live vicariously through you?