Monday, May 3, 2010

Some Weekend Things...

GR&DF yes, the cake was a big hit - I am so happy that all I got back was an empty plate. Heaven only knows - that is the last thing I need sitting around the house - a delicious pineapple cake - or just about any cake needs not to be sitting around the house!!

For the weekend I had set some things in my mind to accomplish and although pretty easy to accomplish as a group - I have to almost make a list so as not to forget anything. One of the things I wanted to do last weekend was to try and make those Madeleine cookies - I found the recipe and thought - "I can do this." But, last weekend came and went and not a cookie was made. This weekend was quite a different story.

I should do this chronologically - shouldn't I - On Saturday we did the estate sales and thrift shops. I did find a few things.... here is a snap -


From left to right - a large cup and saucer with "Mom" in gilt for Rico's Mom - she has wanted a largish cup for a long time and this will certainly fit the bill. Then I found this little English Ironstone platter with this great border, a slim Christmas cookbook, a bone china commemorative Charles and Diana Wedding cup, and a very early copy of Mastering French Cooking (I had a copy but I think someone borrowed it and it never came home). We stopped for lunch at Kitaro - which has now become a fav stop for sushi for we three - my lunch -

I had a Rock and Roll roll and a 49'er roll and some gyoza - it really hit the spot!! Walking back to the car we passed a shop and look what they had out front....

The first local cherries of the season - if the boxes are to be believed they are from Stockton - which is in the San Joaquin Valley. I love me some cherries and if they are really coming in I just might have to make some cherry preserves!!!!

After I got home from our early day adventures I got a wild hair and wanted to get crafty. A while back I found at some house sale I bought some nice, but bland, 32ct linen.

These are the three pieces ..... I had sweet Vonna's super instructions for making some fabulous "aged" linen - her soak and bake method works a treat!!! So I got together some old coffee leftover from the morning and made some more - I also made some strong tea. After throwing caution to the wind I took each piece of linen and turned them into these......



I couldn't be happier with the way they turned out and will never buy aged linen again -this was so easy I have no idea what I was so afraid of - or why I was hesitant. I guess since I hate to even cut into a beautiful piece of linen it was kind of hard to submerge it in a black cauldron of the unknown, but the results where super!!! Thank you dear Vonna!!!

Now Sunday morning came and I needed to get the cookie dough started as it had to sit in the refrigerator for a "few hours" before I could use it . So I got up and got things together...

and then put the finished dough in the fridge...

and it was off to breakfast - and a quick visit to the farmers market...



Looking east towards Alamo Square - the large apartment building was where we used to live about 10 years ago - the corner on the 3rd floor.

After we got home I threw myself into making these cookies - I reread the directions and can pretty well figure things out!! Here is the last fill of the cookie pan - you have to well grease these suckers and there is still a bit of sticking -


the recipe made about 3 1/2 dozen cookies....

Although not all of them are picture perfect they are pretty tasty and I sent a bunch to work with Rico - so I will here about them this afternoon. They are much better than any of the packaged one I have gotten - and I have tried lots of them!!

I think that pretty much wraps up the weekend!! I do thank you for stopping by and for all you kind comments about Fridays post!!! Do come again!!

Take care,
edgar

29 comments:

  1. It sounds like you had a wonderful weekend! Great thrifty finds and I love your dyed fabric - I have yet to try my hand at aging fabric.

    Have a great week.

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  2. great finds, cookies look yummy. I LOVE your new header pic! And I bet you are now hooked on dyeing your own fabric. it is so much fun and you can make them darker or light if you want. just remember when you iron them after stitching they tend to get a bit darker as well.

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  3. Love the new header pic! Very nice! I love your estate finds too -- I'd love an older copy of Julia Child's cookbook. At the moment we don't have a copy at all. One of these days! And the cup commemorating Charles' and Diana's wedding! Cool! I can't believe you all have cherries already! I want some too! lol! Oh, and the linen -- beautiful! I'm still too chicken to try it myself.

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  4. Edgar, I am a new follower of your blog and love the dyed fabric! I also love your two 'wawa's' in your profile! I have two also, named Kia and Peanut. I love all of the samplers on the blog page; I am very fond of stitching samplers. Did you stitch all of these pieces?

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  5. Your linen turned out perfect!

    Wonderful finds over the weekend. Anything with violets captures my heart, and I love the platter too!

    Have a good Monday!

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  6. Edgar, The cookies looks yummy. You can see where my mind is, I comment on food before the beautifully aged linen LOL Which by the way turned out great, see it's not so bad to mutilate the linen when it turns out so pretty LOL

    I really love your new header pic. Great way to display those gorgeous finishes. Hope you have a super Monday!
    Take Care

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  7. You certainly had a great weekend. Wish I was there, especially for those cakes and I could have brought over a new English cup and saucer for Rico's Mom.
    Love
    Patti xxx

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  8. Edgar,
    Great photos again. The linen came out great - maybe now I'll get the nerve to try Vonna's "recipe". And the madeleines - the one time I made them I had such a terrible time with their sticking, despite thoroughly buttering the form, that I never made them again. Maybe it's time to dig out that pan again. You're inspiring me!

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  9. It sounds like you had a great weekend!

    I love your dyed fabric, and the cookies look delicious :o)

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  10. LOVE that linen! Yours looks spectacular :)

    And I must say, those cherries I can have, the cookies I can't - but I'd love to get my paws on them and gorge! :)

    Your header is FANTABULOUS!

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  11. Lovely, lovely,lovely! I love this post and I really like the way you changed your header picture. Let's us all get a better glimpse of your stitching! You know, it's funny , but I was just thinking yesterday about the "plain" linen that you found at that estate sale and wondered if you ever got around to dying it. I was going to mention that to you today and WHAMO, you had it on your post! Isn't that wild?!

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  12. Love the new header!! Very creative twist!

    You certainly find some fun things at all the sales you go to.

    Your attempt at dying the fabric is perfect - love the look you achieved!

    Have a great week!

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  13. I love your hand-dyed linen. You did a fabulous job with it. Can't wait to see what you stitch on it. Also love your new header -- very creative.

    I hope that your week is a great as your weekend!

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  14. Love the new header photo- nice job! Your Madeleines look great. They're my son's favorite cookie. We actually saw a madeleine pan at a cooking shop this weekend. He likes to cook and bake so I may have to go back and get it for him. Your fabric came out great! Can't wait to see what you stitch on it! Nancy in NY

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  15. Et le régime???????????? Gare aux kilos!!!!

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  16. Great new header !!!
    And what a weekend you had :)
    Looking forward to see what you will put on your newly made antique linens too and read your new posts as well, love your blog!
    Cheers from Budapest,
    Emese

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  17. LOVE your new header. Some day (when you have nothing to do) could you take a picture of each one....she said with a smile!

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  18. I love the new photo on your blog!
    Cherries! I love them too!They are not here yet!How much were they sold for?I was in Barcelona,Spain before Easter and the first cherries of the year were 75 euro a kilo!!!!!!!Ariadne from Greece!

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  19. I've been reading your blog for about a month and I quite enjoy it.

    Can you share, or direct me to Vonna's instructions for dying? I love the way that turned out. I'm not a fan of simply making the fabric darker. What I love is the cracking or marbling.

    ~Faith

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  20. I love the new header pic! Any way you could tell me the details on the stitched piece with the skeletons (I teach medical gross anatomy & I'm just a sucker for all things skeleton)? I also really liked your aged linens and the cookies just made me hungry!

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  21. Edgar, I always love your tour of the city sights. Thanks for taking us along.

    Love the new header "finish flower" with the little piece in the center. Very cute arrangement!

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  22. Oooo, Edgar! Your linen turned out delicious!

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  23. I was on the phone with a friend when I clicked over from Reader to your blog to day--he was quite startled when I exclaimed "Oh My God!!" Your new Banner pic is so dramatic!! Love it! I didn't think it was possible to top the last one, but you may just have done it! :)

    I tried my hand recently at tan-overdyeing some linen I didn't like following Staci's tips and I LOVED it! Now I'm wishing I could get some more of that linen! :D Your aging looks fabulous (now how often are your friends gonna tell ya that!?)

    Your madelines have got me wanting desert now; I feel like I can hear a large piece of tiramisu calling my name, lol!

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  24. Mmmmmmmadeleines! One of the two french desserts I really enjoy! The other being crepes, mais bien sur.

    Yours look so delicious!

    I love the new header picture. What a creative way to lay out all of your works. Maybe when I have enough stored up, I can do the same.

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  25. Love the pinwheel affect of your header! Your home-dyed fabric looks wonderful. Congratulations on your success on your first try! Sounds like you had a really productive weekend!

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  26. Edgar I love your new header! Those are some great finds...and, well...the sushi...YUMMMO!!!!

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  27. Sounds like a wonderful weekend! I love your new blog header picture. Same samplers just aranged differently and I really like it!

    I always tea dye my own muslin but dyeing stitching fabric is just different, isn't it!

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  28. The Madelines look great and yummy. Love the way the linen turned out, should be fun to stitch on.

    What great finds, after seeing Julie and Julia my family want me to make Boef Boullinase (SP??) but now I need to get Julia's cookbook!!

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  29. Yum the cookies look delicious and the linen couldn't have come out any better. A baker, a dyer wow! - you put me to shame!

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