Qu'est-ce que c'est Anthropologie?

I am head-over-heels in love with all the Christmas decorations and ornaments at Anthropologie. Some favorites:

Eye candy

This crocheted wreath from Garnet Hill.

These bed linens from Ikea.


And this adorable passport cover from Etsy shop revontulitikku.

GABA-dabba-doo

Am I the last person on Earth to find out about GABA rice? We eat a lot of rice at our house, 99% of it Calrose. I recently picked up a copy of The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood by Dr. William Sears which really drives home the benefits of eating brown rice. Now, I grew up eating brown rice, but Big Omi refers to it as "dog food." I can see why, too, since our rice cooker does a very poor job with it (see how I conveniently blame the rice cooker when it's likely that I should be soaking the rice prior to cooking it, but we'll get to that) and it often comes out underdone and slightly crunchy.

As it turns out, scientists have discovered that pre-heating brown rice at 104°F for 2–8 hours before cooking it activates "gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an amino acid believed to have health giving properties such as lowering blood pressure, improving kidney function and relieving stress" (from the Zojirushi Web site). Wow. I should point out that it was Big Omi who came home with this information, saying that he was on board with making the switch to brown rice, but was I ready to commit to the extended heating and cooking time? And, oh, yes, we would probably have to buy a fancy new rice cooker that has settings to pre-heat your brown rice and get the GABA flowin'. Okay... now all I need to do is find a good local source of quality brown rice.

Small and mighty

Calling all earlybird Christmas shoppers...

Have you seen the new Loop Troupers at The Small Object? These remind me of my all-time favorite Christmas tree ornaments, tiny wooden angels with darling little smiles and delicate little triangular wings. I used to pretend that they came to life at night and had little adventures in our living room.

#12 and #20 look like Little Omi to me.

That's how easy love can be

I'm totally in love with these stainless steel ABC magnets from Pottery Barn. I hate a cluttered fridge, even though ours tends to get papered with items important and not-so-important pretty often. (A current inventory shows there are 2 drawings by Little Omi—the first of many, I'm sure—plus a paper towel we tie-dyed left over from Easter, a hand turkey from last Thanksgiving, various papers, an award certificate for Big Omi, and a list of all the U.S. presidents.)

I am really looking forward to the alphabet-magnets-on-the-fridge era of Little Omi's childhood. Plus, she has the added advantage of being able to spell her first name without needing 2 of the same letter. Not that we planned it that way. :-)

Sunbonnet Omi

I took the plunge and cut into some of my new Superbuzzy fabric today and made this sunbonnet for Little Omi. My mother had bought one for her at a farmer's market in Montana, and I loved everything about it except for the fabric, which was just a little—ehh. So, I got out my trusty seam-ripper and carefully took the whole thing apart and made a pattern from it so I could make one with fabric more to my liking, and that would match Little Omi's wardrobe a bit better. It was really satisfying (and quick) to make so I am already looking at the rest of my fabric with the notion of making several more as gifts for all of the little girls we know.

::: a few hours later :::

Looky what I just found in my Inbox from Amy Karol (aka angry chicken):

It looks a bit fancier than mine, more of a Sunday best Little House bonnet as opposed to the running-down-the-hill-with-outstretched-arms style. I like it, though. I am on board for bonnet mania. This pattern comes with grown-up sizing, as well. Little Omi probably needs a dress-up bonnet, and I might need one, too.

Wanty!

Oh, just look at these gorgeous letterpress cards, a joint effort from Kirin & Co. and Satsuma Press, and try not to reach for your wallet! They are just my cup of tea, and the type of card I might never, ever use because I wouldn't want to sully them with my dull handwriting. I have always been a super sucker for lovely stationery; my love of paper goes back even farther than my love for fabric. (When Big Omi and I were married, we made our own invitations and lined the envelopes with paper we had bought in Japan at a shop where I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I still have all the scraps!) I even worked at a papeterie for a few months during my "lost years" (between starting college in Oregon in 1993 and finishing in Colorado in 2000) and got a decent discount, so of course I used it to build up my now-dwindling stash. I do own a Gocco (purchased to make the aforementioned wedding invites), and I've been seeing lots of good Gocco work out there lately that it has inspired me to re-stock my supplies and perhaps try a little printing. Until then, I will have to make do with drooling over those letterpress cards while trying to think of a way to justify the expense....