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

Ten Years On, A Few Favorite Things from the Blog

May 8, 2020 by mymateriallife

My ten year blog anniversary was in March. It didn’t seem right to recognize it at the time, but after 501 posts and for reasons both personal and pandemic, I’m in a period of looking back. So here are some favorite projects that I’ve documented in this space. They’re not the ones with the highest traffic – not like this one that was picked up by HuffPost, or this one that was included in a list of “Impossibly Cool Crafts […]

Categories: Embroidery & Needlepoint, Kid Stuff, Paper • Tags: embroidery, kids' crafts, my material life blog, paper projects

Happy May Day My Dearies

May 1, 2020 by mymateriallife

These are both California natives – dusky rose poppies and lilac verbena De La Mina ♥  

Categories: Floral, Other Holidays • Tags: dusky rose poppies, lilac verbena de la mina, may day

A Weekly Calendar to Print & Bind at Home

April 25, 2020 by mymateriallife

Lately I’ve been wanting to make some kind of record of what happened when, so I created a little weekly calendar that I could use to jot some notes down. This allowed me to complete a brilliant little binding project from Jennifer of Sea Lemon. The binding for this calendar is all hers, right down to the use of a La Croix box for the cover. I’ve probably been holding onto that box for over a year now – whenever […]

Categories: Paper • Tags: diy, diy staple-bound book, paper, print at home calendar, sea lemon

Pleated Masks With Adjustable Headwrap Elastic Ear Loops

April 24, 2020 by mymateriallife

I made some more masks this week. This time I used the headwraps that I purchased at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago for ear loops – one headwrap cut in two provided two ear loops for each mask. I got an idea from a photo of masks on the Steele Canvas website for how to make the loops adjustable. It looks like some of their masks have a small loop that the elastic is threaded through on […]

Categories: Sewing • Tags: adjustable ear loops, coronavirus, diy masks, face coverings, new york times masks, sewing

This Easter

April 10, 2020 by mymateriallife

I ordered some tiny Italian baskets from my favorite purveyor of holiday ephemera, Blumchen, back when I had no idea that this Easter would be so different. The flowers came from some Italian chocolate eggs we had years ago. Here they are below … That was seven years ago. It seems like we’ve mostly been at my sister’s house on Easter since then. I’m planning to make two of the same dishes I made back in 2013 this Easter – […]

Categories: Easter • Tags: bunny crafts, easter

An Elastic Score from the Grocery Store

April 7, 2020 by mymateriallife

Did my food shopping this morning and found these Goody reversible headwraps in the hair care section at my local Safeway. These can work as ear loops for face masks like the one shown below … They can be cut and adjusted for length to suit your wearer and face mask. More info on how this mask was made here. ♥

Categories: Sewing • Tags: coronavirus, diy masks, elastic for masks, masks, sewing

Sewing Improvements for Pleated Masks

April 6, 2020 by mymateriallife

Last week I went to the grocery store in the first cotton mask I sewed. Unfortunately, my ties felt like they were slipping and I kept fiddling with my mask until I finally tried to retie it and pulled one of the ties right out from where it had been attached to the mask. An all-out failure. Before I left the house I added the plastic sheet protector face guard that I clipped to my glasses, but unfortunately my glasses […]

Categories: Sewing • Tags: coronavirus, diy masks, face coverings, masks, new york times masks, sewing

Things I’ve Been Eating Lately

April 4, 2020 by mymateriallife

I’ve been thinking about food a lot in the last few weeks as I’m sure a lot of us have. How to get it, where to find it, how to stay safe while shopping, and what to do with what you buy. I look forward to visiting a Trader Joe’s again, but in the meantime the lines to get into my local store are still too long and then you have to wonder if the wait will be worth it […]

Categories: Savories • Tags: egg and tomato sandwich, miso soup, nut butter cookies, olive oil and garlic spaghetti, recipes, toad in the hole, tomato and mustard tart