Thinking About Upgrading Your Mask?

January 31, 2021 by mymateriallife

If you’re thinking about upgrading to a more effective face mask you might want to check out the videos available on YouTube from a guy named Aaron Collins (that’s the name of his channel too, Aaron Collins). My friend Jill sent me his link and told me he is her source for mask info, so that was good enough for me. Not knowing Jill, you might require more of a reference. What I learned from Aaron’s videos is that he […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: aaron collins, covid, kf94, protective masks

Maida Heatter’s Heirloom Walnut Icebox Cookies

January 18, 2021 by mymateriallife

These walnut cookies are so delicious. Though the spice ingredients are familiar, their combined flavor isn’t like anything I’ve had before; it’s warm and mellow, exotic and nostalgic at the same time. Maida called this “the perfect icebox cookie”. So comforting with a cup of tea or coffee. They make a lovely gift stacked in a cellophane* bag. Do you know Maida Heatter? She passed away in June 2019 at the age of 102. I never met her, of course, […]

Categories: Sweets • Tags: baking, cookies, heirloom walnut icebox cookies, maida heatter, maida heatter's brand-new book of great cookies

Woolly and Fuzzy Felt Building Ornaments

January 9, 2021 by mymateriallife

These were such satisfying gifts to imagine and stitch, a very last-minute inspiration that started with Sofia’s house. She’s a baby who lives in my neighborhood. Many months ago I told her parents that I was going to knit her some socks, but I had some trouble with them and eventually decided I didn’t like the yarn I was using anymore so I scrapped them. Then I found a booty pattern that seemed like it would work well with some […]

Categories: Christmas, Embroidery & Needlepoint, Sewing • Tags: alicia paulson, christmas, felt ornaments

Bright and Shiny Christmas Things

January 4, 2021 by mymateriallife

A very happy new year to you. I hope that you are well and feeling hopeful. I do wish I’d been able to share a few Christmas ideas before the actual holiday started, but that was not to be. It’s only the eleventh day of Christmas, however, so rather than eleven pipers piping I’ll share these with you now anyway. You’ll find purveyors of fine craft supplies for one thing. And it’s not too early to start thinking about how […]

Categories: Christmas, Paper • Tags: diy christmas crackers, dresden trim, paper mache ornaments, salt dough ornaments

Greetings From The Enchanted Pumpkin Patch

November 6, 2020 by mymateriallife

Halloween has come and gone, but you can still join me for a visual tour of the enchanted pumpkin patch. Did you happen to see the Blue Moon come up that night? It was spectacular. A quiet night around these parts, but there was definitely magic in the air … and on the ground. New tissue paper, cardstock and acetate covers for the lantern. Skeletons adorned with pumpkin heads made of tissue paper, glue and felt. I’m not sure I’d […]

Categories: Halloween • Tags: cinderella's coach pumpkin, halloween, pumpkin houses

Favorite Halloween Display Tricks & Techniques

October 10, 2020 by mymateriallife

What are you planning for Halloween? It’s a bit scary, the thought of anyone ringing your doorbell these days I know. I haven’t figured this year out myself. Will there be candy set out at the end of the driveway in individual little bags? Will there be Honeycrisp Apple Sangria for my adult neighbors? I don’t know, I only know there will be a display. Oh yes, there will be decorating! Here’s a photo from last Halloween. We hosted a […]

Categories: Halloween • Tags: disneyland, halloween, halloween display, handmade halloween, haunted mansion, madame leota, pink pixie forest ghosts

Uplifting Things to View on Your Screens

September 16, 2020 by mymateriallife

Hello. How are you holding up out there? I’m probably the only one in my household who is particularly well-suited to the quarantine kind of lifestyle but I tell you – after a month of these fires and the claustrophobic feeling of not being able to spend time outside or to even just open the windows because the air is so unhealthy, not to mention the terrifying stories you hear from those directly impacted – it’s a spirit sapper for […]

Categories: TV & Movies • Tags: bambu productions, dance of dreams, escape to the chateau, grand hotel, high seas, lucy wyndham-read, netflix, san francisco, san francisco ballet, vertigo

A Paper Gardenia for Anna

August 15, 2020 by mymateriallife

I’ve been wanting to make my Godmother a paper gardenia for a couple of years now. She turned 88 earlier this week so I figured it was time to get on it and make one for the birthday box I sent her. Why a gardenia? I think there is some nostalgia in it, but I can’t say why for sure. Anyway, it’s a relatively simple flower to construct and awfully pretty. I found the instructions in Jennifer Tran’s excellent book, […]

Categories: Paper • Tags: flowersmith, jennifer tran, paper flowers

Tante Marie’s Chocolate Apricot Ice Cream

July 22, 2020 by mymateriallife

So much has been happening in our country since the last time I wrote that it’s like a different time or a different pandemic now. I hope you’re staying well through it all – finding ways to move forward, connect with friends and family, and enjoy some simple pleasures. I haven’t made anything exciting to share with you lately, but I did make ice cream last week. The recipe comes from Lisa Prince Newman’s book, For The Love Of Apricots, […]

Categories: Illustration, Paper, Sweets • Tags: chocolate apricot ice cream, for the love of apricots, lisa prince newman, mary risley, mats gustafson, tante marie cooking school