Paper Pie

Four Years Later

Oh my, this is awkward, where do I even begin. I feel so rusty, dusty and out of practice. Maybe the best idea right now is to keep this very short and sweet. I've missed this blog of mine, and I've thought of it often in the past few years, knowing that when the time was right I would get back here. I knew that life, in all of its glory and mystery would let me know when it was time to pick back up with this beloved practice. And well, I believe that time is now. I promise there is a lot more to say and share here, and that I will be doing just that much more often. To new beginnings, and lighter days. 

"Smile, Breathe and go slowly" - Thich Nhat Hanh

Autumn At The Shore

Even though we are far from Autumn now, I want to share our camping trip to El Capitan State Beach that we took during Thanksgiving weekend this past year. You may remember our trip to this same campground about a year and a half ago, it is an incredible, majestic place. Our outing fell in that couple of months that I was on a bit of a blogging hiatus. Now that I am back at it, blogging that is, I wonder how I ever let that time pass without checking in here and there. Busy, I guess. But still, it feels great to be back. We are approaching the fourth year of this blog's existence and through the years Paper Pie has been so many different things to me at different times. Sometimes, it has solely been a place to record my projects and work. Sometimes it has been an outlet for my feelings (and work out my feelings) about motherhood, living a creative life and all the other stuff. It has seen the creation of two fabric lines and the birth of our most precious Rylie, and simultaneously a rebirth in myself. It has seen our living space in it's many states and forms and week to week, month to month, it has seen my knitting journey unfold. It's hard to believe it is four years now, but as long as I keep showing up it will continue and sometimes in order for it to go on, I need to step back, take a breath and make sure that it still means to me what it once did. What I am finding out is that it means even more to me now. Four years offers some perspective and what was once a record of my art and craft projects has become the story of us, our growth as a family and how we spend our days months and years. That is worth all the time, effort and keystrokes that make there way into this place with each post.

Anyways, that was quite an unexpected digression there, I want to tell you about the amazing camping adventure we enjoyed back in November with our family. We had never been this late in the season, but it was perfect. It seems to be somewhat of a thing that people do around here, camping for Thanksgiving that is. We did not go on actual Thanksgiving, but the Saturday and Sunday following. The crowds were thinning out by then and on Monday we had the gray and chilly beach to ourselves. See that picture of Rylie next ot the great big tree? It is the fourth one from the last photo. It reminds me of this photo a year previous and she is wearing the same sweater. Like her mama, she loves the big trees! We also fit in a trip to the Coronado Butterfly Preserve. Remember when we went there last year? I brought my zoom lens this time and got that shot above of one of the clusters amongst the Eucalyptus. Magic. There were less butterflies this year because Thanksgiving was a week earlier in 2012 as it was in 2011. As autumn turns to winter, the number of butterflies steadily increases until about late February when they leave and go back whence they came. I'm sure I said this in last year's post, but if you live in Southern California it is well worth the trip to check this place out. You travel down an unassuming neighborhood street in Goleta and park your car on the side of the road, get out and head up the big hill into the forrest. On the way you will pass the home of an old man that knows everything there is to know about the Monarchs and their habitat and he is eager to share his knowledge. He is short in stature with a cheerful open face and very large round glasses that are as sincere as himself. He was present at the site both times we have been there and both times he was wearing the same blue t-shirt emblazoned with large, bright orange monarchs. He is a forrest butterfly gnome, I think. If you go to the Autumn Beach, you'll see how this could be true. The chilly air, noisy birds and vibrant butterflies are pure enchantment. 

Snowy Getaway

We were lucky enough to turn over the new year in the mountains with our dear friends Mandy, Griff and Fauna. We spent New Year's together last year in the same, most magical, of places. I am hopeful that this could become a very special tradition for our families. Oh, I hope so, I really really do. We also snuck in a trip for St. patrick's Day last year, too. We love it so, and it is relatively close to the city. It was warm when we left LA, but as we approached the mountains, the clouds kept piling up on top of each other and the lazy hazy fog appeared that could only mean one thing: SNOW!! Our hopes and wishes of the past few days were gloriously granted.


It wasn't long before we saw kids and adults alike taking advantage of all of that snowy goodness. This particular hill was so steep and icy, I was very happy to whizz by as an onlooker from my toasty warm heated seat.

Pine Mountain Club is a private community nestled in the Los Padres National Forest in a deep valley on the San Andreas fault. It is a sleepy place of beauty, filled with vacation homes for rent and surrounded by mountains. Unlike other mountain communities in Southern California, PMC is not a mecca for winter holidayers from the city. That is why we like it, it is quiet, like really quiet (like the town's two restaurants are closed on New Year's Eve, quiet.)


We arrived at our very well-appointed rental just in time for lunch. 

After lunch there were puzzles to do, birds to watch, books to read . . .

and I sat and knit knit knitted my head off as I had a hat to finish.

After all of that fresh snow had fallen we had to get out and play regardless of what time the clock said.

In the morning when the static electricity has wreaked havoc on your already infamous bedhead . . .

. . . it's really nice if you can have your best friend there to tame it for you.

If it still doesn't calm after all that fuss, you can alwyas pull on your new hat!

After more snow play, our New Year's Eve was filled with cake-baking, spoon-licking, castle-building, book-reading, fire-making, teddy bear-carrying, and game-playing. We said goodbye to 2012 doing all of our favorite things with our favorite people. Perfection.

On New Year's Day, we went up up up to the very top of the big mountain wrapped in all of our warmest woollens and sleds in tow. It was cold up there, but filled with people young and old playing together. So many sweet sights as we climbed the mountain: tiny dogs in even tinier Scandinavian ski sweaters, tailgaters cooking food on barbecues that they hauled all the way to the top, cozy clad children sipping warm mugs of soup, fresh families hugging fresh snowmen. So many people taking advantage of the holiday and starting the year off with such fun.

I honestly could not have imagined a more picturesque, storybook setting to play, sled, and explore. We made our way through the snow on the top of the mountain and took in breathtaking views that surrounded us on all sides - ancient Ponderosa Pines, and lichen covered rocks. 

If you are wondering the perfect way to end an enchanting little respite in the mountains with your most wonderful of friends, the answer is with a moustache party (of course!)

 

***************************** HAPPY NEW YEAR *******************************

Magic Snow

We are in the land of snow and pine for the turning of the New Year. We got our wish for magic snow this afternoon, so pretty. I can't wait to tell you all about it (and my birthday too!) when we get home.

A very happy and safe New Year to you and yours!

An Apron for Olivia

A love for aprons should start early I say. That is why I made this apron for Olivia's second birthday and why I plan to build upon Rylie's apron stash in the coming months. I used a fat quarter from the Good Folks collection for the bodice and the skirt is leftover from this project. I love both of these fabrics, especially together, and I am making a public challenge to myself to spend out, and use up my stash of precious fabrics that I am subconciously saving (hoarding.) It's along the same lines as never using the special china, the well-pressed linens. Everyday is special occasion enough I think. I want to live that way. I love this apron and so does Rylie, and I think Olivia will love it too. An apron makes a great gift for a 2 year old (for anyone, really) Here are some notes about the process:

* the back is lined wth the same fabrics making the apron double-sided. Probably not necessary in the future if I am short on a certain print.

* I used velco on the neck closure because I didn't have enough of the yellow gingham to do a stretchy-over-the-head jobby. I have mixed emotions about velcro. It is as scratchy as it is functional. Another option would be to tie it at the neck as it does at the waist.

* I sewed both the bodice and the skirt in the seams of the sash, but this was tricky with a lot of profanity involved. I think an easier way would be to fold the sash in half lengthwise, stitch around and then attach it to the other components. Again, it would not be double-sided this way, but I think that is ok.

And, on a COMPLETELY unrelated note:

*How dreamy would it be to live on a farm in Denmark? I may need to get back to my roots.

*And does anyone in California (or visiting California) want to take a houseboat sailing adventure with us? Seriously.

Cousins!

Oh my goodness, well, where has all of the time gone to? Ryan, Rylie and I have traveled to and from Michigan since the last time I was here. And for the best reason: My sister had a baby! Her fourth! And a boy! His name is Kyler and since meeting him, Rylie has paraded around the house shouting: Baby Kyla! Baby Kyla! endlessly. Needlees to say she was quite taken with him and had no problem with me holding him as long as she was right by my side.

He is as perfect as perfect can be and looks exactly like his daddy, it's uncanny, really. And remember her cousin Kenzi that was born on the exact same day as her? Here they are now at 20 months.


While we were there we got to play frisbee and blow bubbles at my Grandpa's. Those rad throwback neon hightops belong to Rylie's older cousin Kelci.

After a long day of playing, we did one of my favorite things to do in Muskegon: we took a ride around the lake. That phrase may lead you to believe that we were out on a boat or actually interacting with the water, but no, it is just what my family has always said when they take a drive by Lake Michigan. Every time I go back I am struck down by the quality of the light: the angle, the brightness, everything is in focus. And the moments before dusk that we call The Golden Hour here, lasts for four hours there. It seems endless and stays light until 9 pm this time of year.


After the long flight back we were all pretty excited to be on the ground and heading home. Rylie, so much so, that she squealed the whole way down the colorful corridor to the baggage claim. We are happily settling back in, but we are truly missing our cousins too and we know that baby Kyler has probably already turned into a different baby since we saw him last.

If You're Going To San Francisco

Easter Sunday 2012, San Francisco

In the late 90s, (seems like a lifetime ago) I spent about 2 years living in the Bay Area. My dad was woking there and I took the opportunity to live with him and to explore what, in my mind, is one of the greatest of American cities. I loved San Francisco then and it was hard to leave when my dad had finished his contracted work. But we packed it up and headed back to Michigan where I finished college and got on with becoming an adult. That little respite from real life was amazing and taught me so much about myself and who I was at the time. Over the years I have been back to that great city a time or two to visit friends or to pass through. And this past weekend, I spent the most time there since I was a resident. I had not been back in over 5 years and Ryan had never been, so we decided it was time to head up to that special place that is a short plane trip away.

The contrast between Los Angeles and San Francisco is shocking. San Francisco is a very well planned and contained city with diverse and distinct neighborhoods, a proper downtown, a lush city park, public transport and it is clean as a whistle. LA sprawls and sprawls and is really more like 50 small towns all stuck together. I never go to downowtn LA, not because there is nothing there, in fact that is where the art district is, but more because it is so out of the way and there is no easy way to get down there. But, more than just being different from LA, San Francisco is different and distinct from any other city I have ever visited. I gave it a lot of thought this weekend and decided that it may be best described as New York meets Portland with a strong Western European influence. I'm not sure if that is even close but that was my impression on this trip. The weather is brisk and the landscape is beautiful, just like Portland. And there is also a laid back, earthiness going on that reminds me of the Pacific Northwest. But then you can not deny the cosmopolitan sophistication, the unparalled art and design scene, the shopping, the neighborhoods, and the food (oh my, the food!) the style, the energy, and the amazing architecture that could only define one sppot in the whole world - San Francisco. We squeezed a lot into our trip, and though urban travel with a toddler has it's challenges, we rolled with it and had quite a fine Easter weekend.


*We explored and had dinner in Chinatown.


*We strolled around North Beach and had cappucino, chocolate and lunch at an Italian deli.

*We drank a whole lot of coffee.

*On saturday morning we visited the farmer's market at the Ferry Building.

*We spent time in the park,


The Haight,




and soaked in the ubiquitous eye candy.



*Of course we pondered the bridge.



*And our Easter dinner was at a Taqueria in the Mission.



*Rylie's vacation highlight was the hotel telephone!

*Daddy's vacation highlight was the Rogue Ales Public House.

For today at least, it is safe to say that our hearts are still up there in that city by the bay.

In The Mountains

I am convinced that something marvelous happens when you head for the mountains. Energy shifts, the universe aligns, and it's as if the climb in altitude directly affects the odds of magic showing up. When I was all of 19, I took a road trip from Michigan to California with some friends. In Denver, we climbed into the Rockies and we were sitting along a stream in the middle of the night when a very kind man came along and played a flute for us by moonlight. He never said a word, just stopped, played and moved on - mysterious as it was wonderful. Another time, at our wedding in the mounrains above Malibu, I know it was nothing short of the dreamy location that got my dad onto the dance floor. My dad! Before that day, I had never seen him on a dance floor in my entire life.

My conviction of mountains equaling magic was made all the more strong this past weekend when we headed up to Pine Mountain Club in the Los Padres National Forest to ring in the New Year with another very special family. As we were making our way up the hill, I knew that the weekend was going to be lovely. Mandy, Griff & Fauna have so quickly endeared themselves to us. We are so similar it is shocking sometimes. We joked about this as we both showed up to our cabin rental with almost the exact same groceries. But we are different too, in complimentary ways. Like I am kind of a quiet introvert, and Mandy is one of the most extroverted people I have ever met. Best of all though, we are young families at the same place in life - likeminded and on the same wavelength. And our girls. Or girls seem like sisters. They are both calm, and even tempered, just nine months apart.

When we were not hiking, eating, or hot tubbing, we were dreaming together, brainstorming, talking and tossing around ideas. It was refreshing to bond deeper with such genuine and inspiring folk. We got to know them better, to dig deeper. I was touched when Mandy showed up with a birthday cake for me and though we went up for snow, it was so warm, we were able to have our New Year's breakfast al fresco. After three full days in cozy quarters, I left with nothing but joy and gratitude in my heart. There is magic in those mountains, I tell you. They bring people together and encourage kinship. I could not think of a nicer way to ring in a new year and it has inspired me to set an intention of meaningful connection for the coming year.
We love you guys.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Amanda Soule 

Topanga

If you leave my house and head west on the 10 for about 6 miles it will come to an end at the Pacific Coast Highway, also known as the PCH or Route 1. If you follow it north up the coast through Santa Monica, and Pacific Palisades, you can look out the driver's window and see the ocean like glitter under the sun. You might think Mother Nature is winking at you as you spot a few dolphins traveling alongside you up the coast. As you continue north, gratitude in check, you come upon Topanga Canyon Blvd. You can hang a right on this road and it will wind you through the mountains. Suddenly you feel very small, like the earth is surrounding you on all sides. Things like cars, cell phones, and radio reception start to seem silly and inconsequential. It's a little eerie, like you are transversing boundaries. As you curve through the jutting rocks, you will eventually come to a village of sorts, a small town right in the heart of the canyon, it is called Topanga.

If you decide to stop and take a look around you will discover something special. It may inspire you to think that if this little gem has been hiding from your awareness for so long, there most be thousands (millions) of discoveries waiting for you. And as big as those mountains are, they shrink in comparison to the size of the world and all that it begs you to unearth, to find, to seek. The notion that you are 20 minutes from Santa Monica is confusing, how could that be? This is clearly a mountain community. We are far away. Remote. If you venture down skinny dirt roads you will find kind folks that are living all sorts of experiences and lifestyles and wear t-shirts that say Follow Your Heart. There are log cabins as big as mansions, with windows just as large, right next to inhabited teepees, buses, late model motorhomes & trailers. There are fences made from reclaimed wood, horseshoes as art, and new purposes assigned to old objects. And horses, lots and lots of horses. Neighbors chat with babies strapped to their bodies, while dogs romp nearby. And if you ask nicely, people in Topanga that will let you visit with their wonderful animals.

After your baby kisses the horse and you are positive that your heart is surrounding you on all sides, you may need a rest. In the middle of town, there are quaint cafés filled with antiques and warm light serving organic food and strong coffee. When your baby begs for the chocolate truffle at the counter, you'll be relieved to know it is made from dates and completely raw. At your table you'll find a basket filled with mysterious reading about faeries, oracles and of course, the tarot. On your way out the door, you can choose from a bunch of cards in a teacup, each one has a single word message.

My card said Purpose. Topanga, I will be back...