snowflake bentley: a spectacular gift

This simple picturebook book tells the true story of a man who was so enamored by Nature's intricate details that he couldn't stop sketching, photographing, sharing, and journaling his observations of snowflakes, dew, grasshoppers, and other fine details.

Wilson A. Bentley is the man who photographed the first image of a magnified snowflake.

This book-- seemingly written for children-- tells his story of success. It is a unique story of success, since it doesn't involve the acquisition of a perfect romance or grand fortune. The success is one of heart and mind-- of tenaciously pursuing the most natural thing in life: the thing that rivets and fulfills you most, no matter the cost. For Bentley, it just happened to be snowflakes.

Snowflake Bentley's story would be an ideal gift for anyone.

In fact, it was recently given to me by a dear friend and mentor in honor of finishing my Fall semester of graduate school, and it has left an impression on me which I cannot convey in mere words on a blog...

Plus, the illustrations are by the very talented Mary Azarian.

scattering profiles: pumphouse studios

I found these bird plates in a shop called,

Pumphouse Studios.

I immediately clicked on the profile thinking, this shop name has to have a story!

And it does.

This artist's story is so beautifully written, I have to share it verbatim....

My mother was a potter and art teacher. Under her influence I grew up making art, but concentrated on the written word in school, eventually earning a PhD in literature in 1994. That same year my mom died from breast cancer, leaving me her well-used wheel, kiln, and a series of mysterious glaze recipes. It took nearly ten years and several moves later to see what I had inherited. I found myself in Southern Oregon, teaching literature but connecting with a group of ceramic artists who showed me how to shape the fog of grief into the delight of working with clay. During those years, my studio was a 6X6 foot pumphouse where I worked every spare moment, making pots and competing with the pump and waterlines for space. My kiln was outside. As a result, I like to say that my apprenticeship in ceramics was literally affected by the rolling of the seasons and the events of the natural world around me.

I think these three would look superb hanging together.

blood-locked seasoning

Picture the weather so sticky and thick it looks more like a foggy morning than a smoldering summer day. Picture the moss hanging lazily from the antebellum oak trees, oscillating fans, energy despite the oppressive heat, and an artful laziness despite the energy.

 

Think pretty cotton fields, fierce alligators, steeping gumbo, superstition, boiling crawdads, cayenne peppers, andouille and boudin sausages. Think spice. Now we’re on the right track.

Husband made a unique Cajun spice blend this weekend.
When I think of this blend, I think of the days when spices were valuable, exotic trade items. I think of historical books I read as a child that told of ships carrying colorful silks, fragrant soaps, silver platters, creamy china, and spices into provincial ports.

This recipe was hand-scrawled on the back of an envelope during an SEC football cookout on Auburn University’s campus. Husband had been hoping for years to win the trust of the man who made a blood pact with the Cajun sea captain who developed this combination of Acadiana taste-bud glory.

Finally, the man offered it to him—although not without deep whispers, stern glances, furtive handshakes, and other clandestine behaviors, and he explained to us both how each spice is tasted on the tongue at singular points, covering the whole tongue with a symphony of flavor from the tip to the tonsil.

Here are some spice blend recipes that would make great gifts for neighbors and friends:

French four-spice blend from Gourmet (I plan to make this one!)

Mexican Spice Blend from Foodista

Moroccan Spice Blend from Gourmet

Mulling Spice blend from Cooking Light

A Cajun Spice Blend that's not blood-locked or written in ounces :)

And for the presentation:

These spice jars have a nostalgic shape, reminiscent of old-fashioned milk bottles, and these have spirited red tops. Both are great prices!

Are there any favorite spice blends in your family?

no wonder she's in all the good magazines...

In the last three years, I have seen features on Anna Maria Horner in Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living, Southern Living, and over 20 others.

And it's no wonder. She essentially takes old-fashioned, boring crafts and makes them not only aesthetically-pleasing but also trendy and fun-- all while managing a house full of children ranging from 18 to toddler. Talk about amazing balance and ingenuity.

Her latest brainstorm is a sewing commercial made to a Regina Spektor song. The combined talent and funk of these two unique artists will get those creative juices flowing just in time for the weekend:

What's more, Regina Spektor has a very interesting, extraordinary life story and climb to fame. Read some of it here. To see why this commercial was made go here.

roxaboxen, if you haven't already

This book is illustrated by Barbara Cooney, author and illustrator of this blog's namesake: Miss Rumphius The Lupine Lady.

It is a book about the power of imagination and shows how something merely imagined can become a memorable, impacting experience.

Without spoiling the book: Roxaboxen is a town.

And Marion was mayor, of course.

There were shops, bakeries, ice cream parlors, and houses of jewels.

(Adults will enjoy this one, too :)

In other news:

I loved reading all of your First Blog Experiences yesterday!

Thank you for sharing.

A few new blogs I found through you:

Inner City Observations

From the Narrows

Sweet Sassafras

Soule Mama

Jane Brocket

meet claude... and the champion of truffle cakes

This is Claude Snowman.

And like every Snowman, Claude has a story.

His life was short, but it was full.

It all began in a place where snow-- the stuff that made Claude who he was-- comes like a thief in the night. Only the truly watchful residents of the place could have hoped to design a specimen with the caliber of character Claude possessed.

And the residents of this place were truly watchful. They watched the weather and the skies all day until snow started to fall. Then, while the rest of the neighborhood was sleeping, they made snow angels to ensure it was just the right snow. And it was.

Then, they fueled themselves on adorned pancakes and rest until the morning light seeped in,

And they consulted the secret blueprints that had been waiting for just the right snow to fall.

And it was then that Claude was conceived in a ball of leafy, dirty snow, which the truly watchful residents took great care to purify before Claude Snowman was introduced to the town of Backyard Bliss.

Each piece of Claude was rolled with care,

Given buttons of solid Holly Berry,

Molded down to his very feet,

And patted to a state of perfection that few others in his species have ever known, even if their lives were longer.

And the truly watchful dogs of the neighborhood wondered silently what their humans were up to. They wondered if perhaps their humans needed to fetch a ball-- the good, yellow bouncy kind-- in order to lure them back into reality.

Until,

The truly watchful residents stepped back and said hullo

To the exquisitely amiable

Claude Snowman.

At least 6 feet tall and more stunningly charming than his blueprint suggested he would be.

And suddenly,

Even the dog understood.

So, that's the story of Claude Snowman.

I will not share the pictures of Claude's demise later in the afternoon. I want the world to remember him in his prime.

Our Valentine's Day

consisted of none other than Julia Child's

French Onion Soup,

which I've been wanting to try because of the Farmhouse Kitchen's raving review.

And it did not disappoint.

And for Husband:

the world's Gold Medalist in the Chocolate Truffle Cake event.

I will post this recipe sometime this week. It's one of the few desserts that I have made more than a few times. Husband loves it, hence the Valentine's Day meal.

It's so good that I have to hurry and brush my teeth after dinner so I can say NO to a slab of it right before bed. This isn't the stuff you want hanging out, making itself at home in your gut just before snuggling down for the night, I assure you. It would move in and set up camp in the thighs, chin, and upper arms and only leave by severe force. It's the kind of stuff you want to eat much earlier in the day-- like for breakfast-- so you can burn off at least a smidgen.

It's MMMMMMMMM!!!!!

Speaking of, I think it's time for breakfast :)

I hope you all enjoyed meeting Melissa of Hoot Baby and hearing her career story yesterday!

Welcome to the world of Hoot Baby!

knot tunic sets from Indian Summer collection

I'm so delighted to be here on Scattering Lupines today-- thank you so much for the invitation! I'm Melissa Tarleton, from The World More Beautiful, fellow lover of Miss Rumphius and the face behind the children's brand Hoot Baby. Hoot Baby was born not long after my second son, John-Harper, in early 2009. We're a small company dedicated to creating delightful clothing for little girls and boys, with extra-special attention to comfort and a big dose of colorful style thrown in.

Chinoiserie float set from Picnic collection

When my oldest son, Grady, was very small, I discovered the wonderful world of European children's clothing. The soft fabrics, bright colors and simple, child-like embellishments were so different from much of what was offered in my local chain stores, and I was smitten. I have always loved to create-- and I was bitten hard by the bug of creating for my child. It was so much fun to design tiny outfits for my son using some of the aspects I admired in my favorite brands-- sophisticated colors, classic shapes, and a lack of "frou-frou" that could get in the way of his movement and play. I played around with different methods of seaming-- my goal was to eliminate the itchy, bulky and (to me) unattractive serged seams that hold most children's clothing together.

Peek a Pop of Daisy Dress from Indian Summer

I began to make clothing to give to friends with little girls-- there was so much wonderful fabric to choose from! Pretty soon, people began to ask if they could buy things I made. Well, OK. As I got more and more requests to sew up "whatever you think will look good"-- and began to have lots of smiling customers-- the idea took shape that maybe I should put together a group of clothing for sale. (My background is in Creative Writing-- I have an MFA-- and Montessori education-- I was a Primary teacher for many years-- so this was a big step in a different direction for me.) I spent a few very busy months (when my youngest son was just a couple months old-- thank GOODNESS for the invention of the Moby Wrap!) learning to draft patterns, choosing fabrics, designing, sampling and photographing a small (about 20 piece) collection for girls, called Indian Summer. This was quickly followed by another, larger collection for girls and boys, Schoolkids in Paris.

New School Schoolgirl smock from Schoolkids in Paris

I couldn't believe how much FUN it all was. I was very lucky that shortly after launching my website, Gabrielle Blair, of the amazing blog DesignMom, did a feature on Hoot Baby. This wonderful exposure led to a lot of other great opportunities for me, and Hoot Baby began selling through in-home Trunk Shows in the fall of 2009, as well as through our website. We are slowly moving into retail sales, and hopefully you'll be able to find Hoot Baby in a store near you very soon!

Vroom Vroom Vespa Tee and Old-Fashioned Bike Pants from Schoolkids in Paris

One of the things I'm most proud of about Hoot Baby is how our clothing is manufactured. It's very much a collaborative effort between me and a small group of local folks in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. Our area is one that's taken a huge hit as textile, furniture, and apparel manufacturers have taken their business overseas. My idea was to start small-- and very close to home-- putting one of these skilled tradespeople at a time back to work. I still cut out every single pattern for manufacture, and I spend a fair amount of time behind my own sewing machine producing all of the hand-appliqued clothing in our boys' collection. The rest of the sewing is done by talented sewers in their own homes-- it's very much a cottage industry approach to production. I am proud of our sewers, whose attention to quality and detail show in every piece, and I'm proud to support members of my community through fair wages and sustainable production.

Picnic Shirtwaist from Picnic collection

Our newest collection, Picnic, is arriving right now, and will be available for purchse in the next few days. Thanks so much for taking a peek at Hoot Baby! As an extra special thank-you to Scattering Lupines readers, we'd like to offer you a coupon code to use on any non-sale items you'd like to purchase between now and March 15. Just enter the code lupines at checkout! Please feel free to contact us with any questions at contact@hootbabydesigns.com. We're currently booking our Trunk Shows, which will begin in March, and we'd love to offer our discounted prices and a special thank-you discount to all of our hostesses!

All of our outdoor photography is courtesy of the oh-so-talented Cophia Lee.

the story tellers

They constitute a major chunk of every culture, religion, socioeconomic class, era and corner of the world.

"Story Teller" by Eunice LaFate

"Give me a subject. Everything depends on that.

Once the subject is given, it is easy to embroider."

-from Tolstoy's Anna Karenina

"The Boyhood of Raleigh" by Sir John Everett Millais

An excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath:

"The migrant people, scuttling for work, scrabbling to live, looked always for pleasure, and they were hungry for amusement. Sometimes amusement lay in speech, and they climbed up their their lives with jokes.

Image via here

"And it came about in the camps along the roads, on the ditch banks beside the streams, under the sycamores, that the story teller grew into being, so that the people gathered in low firelight to hear the gifted ones.

"And they listened while the tales were told, and their participation made the stories great [...] and their faces were quiet with listening. The story tellers, gathering attention into their tales, spoke in great rhythms, spoke in great words because the tales were great, and the listeners were great through them."
-John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath

"Jesus the Story Teller" from Angel Studio

I work with a little boy whose very being generates too much energy for his small body to handle. The energy has nowhere to go but out, and so he is always moving, touching, squirming, running, destroying, laughing, yelling, crying, talking and engaged in full-fledged acrobatics every possible moment.

Until a picture book is brought forth, the pages opened, and the story begun.
Then, he suddenly becomes very still and quiet like a nesting bird, chin in hands, eyes locked on the page, aware of nothing but the story unfolding before him.

The story enraptures and transforms.

Some Related Sites:

The National Storytelling Network
A listing of Storytelling Festivals, these are mostly USA festivals but there is one listing in Graz, Austria

engaging the elements of visual art and language

I'm looking forward to a lazy weekend and flipping through this magazine.

It just seems to have a little bit of everything,

with a lot of grace and charm and warmth,

and some amazing images that really give you a sense of place:

I can't wait to find out if the writing is as good as the visual appeal.

Judging from the Table of Contents, the articles seem to range from:

Croquet to

The Nature of Dove Hunts to

Gardeners and Gardening to

Quaint Towns to

Authors to

Fireflies to

Compasses to

Picnic Boats to

Artists and their Art to

The Perfect Desk to

Architecture to

Bikes to

Dancing to

and, of course, to Scuppernongs.

I can't wait.