30 Mar 2013
by Sue Schlabach 129twigandvine
in Art Portfolios, Artists, Creativity, Design, Holidays, Spring, Vermont
Tags: covet garden, Easter, easter spirit, Masako Kubo, montreal, nature, Rabbit, Spring, spring weather, Terrain, vintage birdcage
A tiny touch of spring weather is in the air for Easter weekend here (this means sunny and a high of 48 F, with possible high 50s for tomorrow). The snow is receding. The farmyard is muddy. The sugarhouses will be boiling today.
I came across this rabbit artwork by Masako Kubo on the Covet Garden blog. A tea towel of the art is available at Terrain. I was smitten with its simplicity and it, along with the sunshine, are putting me in the Easter spirit. Masako’s illustration is so clean and fresh. I like her simplified palettes and use of words and emblems. Her rabbit may just inspire us to decorate some eggs today.
Yesterday I perused my photo libraries from spring in the last few years. All the blooming crocus, daffodils and tulips don’t show up until the April 20s of later, so I’m going to have to be patient. Tiny tips of green are popping up on the south side of the house where the snow is gone. And in three weeks we’ll be in Ireland where there will be plenty of green and spring flowers.
I leave you with two photographs I took in Montreal last May. A vintage birdcage that I plan to paint in a loose style on canvas (I’ll share if it’s worthy), and a cheery display from a favorite fleuriste.
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06 Jan 2013
by Sue Schlabach 129twigandvine
in Christmas, Holidays, Natural world, Seasons, Vermont, winter
Tags: end of holidays, flock of turkeys, new year, rosemary plant, snow, snowshoe, wild turkeys
Today I took down the Christmas tree. The momentary sadness was instantly replaced with the euphoria that comes with moving the furniture around. I trimmed the rosemary plant of dry ends and woody twigs, filling the house with its piny scent, to replace the traces of balsam that went out the door moments before.
R placed the now-bare tree outside the window in a snowbank like we always do, and found a wild turkey feather in the snow which he tucked into the branches. (A flock of turkeys have been roosting in the crab apple tree each night and eating below the bird feeder in the mornings.) We’ll try to add to the feather as we find other natural flotsam and jetsam that flies in on the wind.
This afternoon was windless and not very cold. We walked down the road and then snow-shoed onto a trail nearby. Breaking new trails in deep snow is never easy.
Farewell to another holiday season. What new trails will we break in 2013? Time will tell.
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23 Dec 2012
by Sue Schlabach 129twigandvine
in Christmas, color, Garden, handmade, Holidays, Natural world, Seasons, Vermont, winter
Tags: christmas eve, felt beads, home, lemon curd, nature, sewing, snow, White Christmas, winter, winterberry
Winter kept us waiting. But yesterday seemed to seal our chances for a white Christmas. Curtains of snow fell, finally blanketing the last of the kale in the garden, and coating each branch with nature’s best holiday tinsel. Even the animals seemed to enjoy the snow.
The last of the bold red winterberry—uneaten by the birds—shone out against the monochrome sky.
I strung a collection of felt beads into a garland and hung it from the cupboard above the teapots and bowls. 
The world is still after a windy night. I filled containers to make ice lanterns (how to make them here). The mercury will dip well below freezing tonight.
A friend sent me a lemon curd recipe and the house filled with the sharp crisp scent of citrus as I zested three lemons this afternoon. Sun streamed into the kitchen—a welcome sight after a gray week—and the curls of zest cast their own inner glow. 
From the eve before Christmas Eve I wish you and yours a festive holiday time of togetherness, warmth and gratitude. May the peace of the season be with you all.
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21 Dec 2012
by Sue Schlabach 129twigandvine
in Christmas, Creativity, Design, DIY Tutorials, handmade, Holidays, winter
Tags: Bookpage Christmas Tree, Holiday DIY, Paper DIY Christmas Tree, Paul Lowe, Sweet Paul
from Sweet Paul blog.
I plan to try this over the weekend. From the talented Paul Lowe of Sweet Paul blog where you will find the complete instructions and many more DIYs for the holidays.
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17 Dec 2012
by Sue Schlabach 129twigandvine
in Christmas, Creativity, Design, handmade, Holidays, Interior Design, Scandinavia, Seasons, winter
Tags: Carina Olander, Lantliv magazine, Natural Christmas, Norberg family Sweden, paper stars, pine boughs, Swedish Country Life magazine, Swedish holiday
from Lantliv magazine (Country Life, Sweden) Photo Carina Olander.
Someday I’d like to visit Sweden. Either in the darkest winter, or in the endless sunshine of summer. For now, I live vicariously through books and blogs.
This article in Lantliv magazine sums up the airy, bright beauty of the northern winter light. I’m smitten by the simple paper and evergreen decorations in this house where the Norberg family lives. It makes me think that the simplest things: apples, cut paper, pinecones, hyacinths and pine boughs are the best way to deck the halls. I’ll be adding the orange of clementines and the red of pomegranates too.
Photo Carina Olander
Photo Carina Olander
Full article here. Thanks to Apartment Therapy for guiding me to Lantliv.
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14 Dec 2012
by Sue Schlabach 129twigandvine
in Christmas, England, Holidays, winter
Tags: Desborough Island, England, English post box, Focused Moments blog, Lyme Regis, photography, Rachael Talibart, Royal Photographic Society, snow
Postbox in Snow, © Rachael Talibart.
A red English postbox is the essence of beautiful utilitarian design in my book. And this snow dusted postbox seems to be the essence of holiday anticipation.
Rachael Talibart, based in the south of England, is the photographer, and shares about her travels and life through photography at her blog Focused Moments. She is a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society and captures light beautifully in her many atmospheric photographs. She sells prints of her landscape and nature work here.
I wish I could post a stack of green-enveloped Christmas cards into this wintry postbox. Or feed into its mouth a brown paper package bound with red and white string. Instead, I will take my letters and packages down to Greg, at the post office in town. With its big blue lozenge of an ugly post box sitting outside.
Winter on Desborough Island, © Rachael Talibart.
Road to No-where, © Rachael Talibart.
Summer Evening, Lyme Regis, © Rachael Talibart.
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02 Dec 2012
by Sue Schlabach 129twigandvine
in Christmas, Creativity, Friendship, handmade, Holidays, Natural world, Seasons, Vermont, winter
Tags: "Barrett Hall", Christmas, holiday traditions, Jingle Bells, old town hall, prints in snow, snow, Strafford, Strafford Vermont, Vermont, winterberry
Fresh snow fell yesterday morning. A nice way to begin December.
I pinned the first of Peggy’s jingle bells to the hem of my coat, opened the first of my 24 advent packages—a gorgeous garland of rustic wooden stars—sent from my dear friend in France, and headed to Strafford, Vermont.
Who is Peggy? Why did I go to Strafford?
I wrote about Peggy’s jingle bells last December 1. Here is an excerpt. See photos and the entire post here.
My daughter is the one who found the little red box full of jingle bells and safety pins.
We were at the rummage sale last summer in the old town hall near where my parents live.
It was my mom who told us who the bells had belonged to, and the reason for the safety pins.
Peggy used to live in the old brick Cape cottage across from the town hall. She moved into assisted care housing last year, and her nieces and nephews went through the house to choose things to keep and things to sell. Many wonderful things arrived at the rummage sale, and I am now the happy owner of things from Peggy’s house.
Among these things, are the bells.
On December 1—every year—Peggy would pin a jingle bell to the hem of her skirt. On December 2 she’d add a second bell. And on and on, up until Christmas day when her hem was a sparkling, jingling masterpiece.
I pinned the first bell to the hem of my coat this morning.
Strafford (home to July 4 parades featuring dachshunds!!) had its holiday extravaganza yesterday and we Henhouse Fibers and ilo collective makers set up a table and had a great day hanging out in Barrett Hall—a classic Vermont building with high ceilings, big windows, a stage, good cheer. It was full of local artisans and folks coming through to do their Christmas shopping. Very festive.
Outside the snow fell gently all day. Inside the air smelled of pine boughs.
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22 Nov 2012
by Sue Schlabach 129twigandvine
in Autumn, Eating and Cooking, Family, Holidays, Travel
Tags: family, Feast, Flea Market, Kansas, Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving from the American prairie.
Here we are in Kansas. An eclectic feast is simmering in the kitchen- tamales side-by-side with turkey gravy. Two pumpkin pies bake, scenting the air with allspice and cinnamon.
We’ve come here from Vermont, Pennsylvania and Brooklyn, to gather and cook, laugh, catch up and relax at the home of my sister and brother-in-law.
I’m grateful for the brief change of scenery and climate (it’s warm here!). The wide plains of golden fields, baked crisp from the summer drought, and greening fields of freshly planted winter wheat are vastly different from my view at home, yet so beautiful to me.
In our flea market exploring yesterday I found this vintage bakelite telephone. It reminds me of all the connections in life-near and far.
I immediately dialed my childhood phone number, and for a moment the years slipped away. I almost expected that my 10 year old self would pick up. What would she say? Probably, “When will the pies be ready?”
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16 Jul 2012
by Sue Schlabach 129twigandvine
in Holidays, Summer, Vermont
Tags: Dachshunds, Fourth of July, Parade, Strafford Vermont, summer
The town of Stafford, Vermont, holds one of our favorite parades of the year the weekend closest to the Fourth of July. Last Saturday rain threatened, but held off. And still a crowd formed around the green in Strafford’s upper village to see kilted men and women play kazoos, gleaming tractors, welsh ponies ornamented with flowers, kids on tricycles, antique cars, and—our favorite—the dachshunds on parade.
My husband grew up with two dachshunds, and stories about them are immensely popular around the dinner table. So we go to see the dachshunds, to visit with our Strafford friends, play old time games on the green, and rummage through the library book sale (almost as much of a highlight as the wee dogs).
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14 Feb 2012
by Sue Schlabach 129twigandvine
in color, Creativity, Design, Family, Holidays, Seasons, Vermont, winter
Tags: Fever, No Snow, Paper Hearts, Valentine's Day, winter
So Happy Valentine’s Day. And all that.
Around here things aren’t terribly festive because the little one has a fever, the second day running. It sort of pops the balloon for eating lots of chocolate. And this is not the first time she’s been knocked out by a fever this winter. Just a fever. No other symptoms really, beyond the usual headache.
And so the house isn’t festooned with hearts and ribbons. Some years we do things up, and I share a photo from last year’s twig and paper heart display that hung above the table.
My mother has always brought out a large antique bottle at this time of year. It is heavy and doesn’t topple easily. She goes and cuts a many-twigged branch to place in the bottle and then she and her two grandchildren (and before them, she, my brother and I) decorate the branches with paper hearts, paper hands and other decorations of the season. As time passes, the hearts are exchanged for decorated eggs.
It’s a lovely tradition that is a nice thing to do after the decorations of Christmas leave the house feeling bare.
I have some pictures of my mom’s heart tree that I hope to share. I’m just a little behind with the sickness in the house….but still grateful for love, and family, and friendships. All worthy of pondering on a Valentine’s Day in the winter of unexplained fevers, and little snow.
{A number of hours later… Drumroll…}
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