I have lots of new iPhone apps so I am going to review one each week.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am completely non directional. Worse yet I tend to park my car and walk away not really paying any attention. So this is the app for me. I just set it up and can’t wait to use it. I can set an alarm, take a picture, write myself a note. All very good things. All this for only 99 cents.

Do set up your notifications before you use this. You want to make sure everything is working.

Honk is an HD App that saves you from another parking ticket with a swipe of your finger. Honk helps find your way back to the car through its unique handwritten memo, photo, voice memo and automatic GPS functions. It also sports the minute-by-minute update of remaining time on the meter on its Icon badge. It helps you locate nearby ATMs, cafes, Parking garages and, gas stations. 

Simply swipe your finger across the meter to set how long you plan to park. As you quit Honk, it will mark your parking location on the map, and when the time comes to head back to your car, it will honk you. On your home screen, its icon will also display the remaining minutes. Just a quick glance, you can go back to your important conversation with a peaceful mind! It even features sync alarm/gps between your iPhone, iPad and even Macs via iCalendar!

Have you ever forgotten where you parked, and embarrassed yourself on the wrong floor, while your family had to follow you along one painful step after another. During winter in Boston? Overcomplicated controls in most apps make you feel like you are trying to heist a federal bank? 

Use Honk’s simple note pad to scribble down your spot, in a language of your choice, using the most trusted tool you have: your index finger. It also allows you to take a snapshot of your spot and superimpose the photo on your handwritten memo. Of course, Honk has a built-in map with useful functions to guide you safely back to your parked car. -iTunes

really cool tip. This is for an iPhone or iPad and Safari.

1. Open a  blog post in Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
2. See the gray button that says Reader.

3. Click on the Reader button and you get a much more readable version of the post. It takes out all the clutter. This will be especially helpful on your iPhone.

(Thanks Paul, Apple Store Genius!)

actually vote for my t-shirt. (Sorry for the shameless self promotion). I very rarely enter contests but I do like my co-op and wanted to make sure there was a good t-shirt to vote for. And I had this cute font of fruit and veggies that seemed perfect.

To vote you must be a member of the Willy Street Co-op. If you are you can go here and vote for my shirt.

Thanks!

Back in high school I knit several sweaters but not since. I don’t really wear sweaters. But I would like this one. I get bored knitting sweaters. Too many pieces all the same. But this sweater has a different pattern for each piece so I think that will help. Plus I just like the asymmetrical look. I would really like a whole wardrobe filled with this sweater in different colors and weights.

Since I see it as an every day sweater I am knitting it using Cascade 220 Superwash Sport wool. The yarn is discontinued so I really hope I have enough. The pattern is Thames by Erika Knight who I have a huge knitting crush on. If I designed a sweater this is the one I would design. Even more exciting I saw a crochet wrap I wanted. When I decided to hunt the pattern down it is by none other than Erika Knight! That is a lot of fiber excitement.

The only problem is that I don’t crochet. Of course the best thing would be if Erika dropped by someday for tea and taught me. Since I doubt that is going to happen (although we have a really nice guest room) I found that she has written many books. So I got two.

These little slippers are rather intriguing.

This one has a crochet necklace made out of linen. Erika added some buttons to hers but I am seeing rhinestones and a couple Bakelite beads on mine.

In order to not lose interest in my sweater each month this Summer I have to finish one piece of the sweater before I can do any other knitting or crocheting. But I cannot wait to dig into my new books!

Thanks Erika!

Every year I try and grow tomatoes. Every year I have less than great results. Each year I learn a little more, try something different and try a different location in our small condo yard.

Now I am buying the biggest plants I can get at the Farmer’s Market. That does help. Plus the woman told me that I have to water daily and water 1-2 gallons per plant. And in the heat of the Summer water twice a day. Watering certainly has been part of my problem.

Location is another as we don’t have a really sunny spot. This year I am using the sunniest spot in the yard. The wooden slats were on our upper balcony on the rubber roof. We are replacing those and the good little recyclers we are decided to use them for the garden area.

John moved some perennials and dug down and leveled the ground and put two of these in, one on top of the other.

Got some deeper, bigger pots for the tomatoes. Other pots are for basil. Will add another row of smaller pots for other herbs and some maybe some flowers.

This is this Summer’s attempt at container gardening. Can’t wait to plant but it is still too early here. What plants I do have need to go out during the day and come in at night. But a sure sign that Spring is right around the corner.

you can never have too many Paris books. I am finding this one really intriguing because it is almost all illustrations. Really nice detailed line drawings. The kind you can look at and study for a long time. It is a nice over-sized almost square format which is quite satisfying too. I am like a kid with a picture book with this one.

A brilliant souvenir of the City of Light for people of all ages, back in print for the first time in forty years. In the early 1960s, Robinson, an illustrator celebrated for his drawings of buildings, documented Paris in his signature style. More than forty years after its original publication, Paris, Line by Line returns to print. Page after page is filled with Robinson’s beautiful, precise drawings: be it an aerial view of the Right Bank, the hustle and bustle of the Champs-Élysées, or a show at the Moulin Rouge, Robinson’s meticulous recreations perfectly capture what makes Paris such a beloved destination. From a Latin Quarter restaurant to the quays of the Seine; from a parade through the Arc de Triomphe to arrivals at the Gare du Nord; from strollers in the Tuileries to the crowds in Place Pigalle, Parisians and tourists alike will savor this panoramic souvenir, which uniquely celebrates the elegance, excitement, and spirit of the City of Light. – Random House

(Broadway) Like so many others, I dreamed about living in Paris ever since I first visited the city in the 1980s. Finally, after a nearly two-decade career as a pastry chef and cookbook author, I moved to Paris to start a new life. Having crammed all my worldly belongings into three suitcases, I arrived, hopes high, at my new apartment in Paris.

But I soon discovered it’s a different world en France.

From learning the ironclad rules of social conduct to the mysteries of men’s footwear, from shopkeepers who work so hard not to sell you anything, to the etiquette of working the right way around the cheese plate, here is my story of how I came to fall in love with—and even understand—this glorious, yet quirky city.

The Sweet Life in Paris was a finalist in the Best Literary Writing category, in the 2010 Cuisinart/International Association of Culinary Professionals awards.

I can’t wait to start this book!

no you won’t be able to see the Mona Lisa but there is a lot of fun art happening in Madison.

Gallery Night
sponsored by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
May 3, 5-9 PM    www.mmoca.org/programs-events/events/gallery-night

Salvage Art Show
benefits Habitat ReStore
April 19 to June 2  www.thedailypage.com/theguide/details.php?event=300861

Marquette Art Walk
May 5,  11AM-5PM www.thedailypage.com/theguide/details.php?event=300917

Fresh Air Craft Fair
May 11, 10AM-3PM  www.cityofmadison.com/parks/celebrate/CraftFair.cfm

Lots to see and do and it even appears the weather is finally going to cooperate. Enjoy!

Last weekend we got a new grand baby! We dashed to where they live to pick up Jackson at daycare and spend time with him while we all waited for his baby brother Alex to arrive. It was a lot of fun. These were some of the things I took.

For Jackson who is 2… this 18-card set of flashcards. Lollipop Purple, Starfish Orange, and Grasshopper Green are just a few. Each card has a solid color, such as Duckling Yellow (Pantone 1215), on one side. When you flip the card over, additional colors in the same color family (yellow) are introduced in the context of an illustrated pattern, and the child can pick out Duckling Yellow. These are made out of thick cardboard to take some abuse.

I recently posted about 2 iron-on transfer books I bought so I thought I would share some of my results. I hear these transfers don’t last forever, but then the baby won’t be wearing little onesies all that long either. I thought they turned out really cute.

Now I have to learn to make cookies. Good ones.

F arm Doodles is finished and for sale everywhere. Whew. Each new font always feels like such an accomplishment.

It is the perfect collection of illustrations to be used for everything from the farm to table movement to the current weddings on a farm trend. 30 illustrations of farm animals… beehive, fish, bunny, chickens, cows, goat, sheep, pig and horse. Farm buildings, weather vane, windmill, tractor, milk can, hay bale, trees. And food… tomato, carrots, peas, spinach, apples, beets.

If you want to buy this font I suggest going to my etsy store where you will get an immediate download. My new friend David is working on a real shopping cart for this site. Next project is to rework about 90 pages. But then if you buy here you can get the 3 or $49 deal. Whatever works for you.

this recipe originally comes from my friend Chris. I modified it a little. It was a nice hearty little soup for a gray, rainy day.

6 c peeled, diced potatoes
5 c water
2 c diced onions
1/2 c chopped carrots
1/4 c butter
4 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
12 oz can evaporated milk
8 oz cheddar or colby cheese, shredded. I use whatever cheese I have handy.

1. Combine all ingredients except milk and cheese in slow cooker.

2. Cover, cook on high 6-7 hours or until veggies are tender.

3. When everything was tender I used my immersion blender to make the soup creamy. If you like your soup chunky  you can skip this step.

4. Stir in milk and cheese.

Variations:

1. 3 crumbled slices of crisp bacon

2. I had some ham which I added.

3. Top individual servings with chopped chives.

Enjoy!

As you know I have a real weakness for chairs. When I saw that the UW SWAP was featuring these I made an early morning trip to stand in the rain for a half an hour to try and score them. I really wanted one to use with my Dad’s small mid-century desk. But they were heavy and all stacked together so I took them all. I thought I was buying 4 and was surprised when I got home to find I had 5. So I sent them a check for the one I didn’t pay for.

They are in good shape and sturdy and surprisingly heavy. They have the ‘Thonet Original’ mark burnt into the underside of the seat. I love the red legs. The shape of the leg and the bent plywood suggests to me that they are mid-century.

I looked online and found absolutely nothing. Has anyone ever seen chairs like these? I am curious as to whether they are important enough that I should be cautious in what I do or if I can just take them apart and refurbish. Any ideas anyone?

last week I had a lovely coffee date with my friend Jessica of Jack & Ella Paper Press. I had ordered some of her sympathy cards and she brought me a couple extra treats. I can’t wait to drop someone a note using this personalized stationary. And I am crazy about this pale salmony pink color. (In fact I’ve just started to knit a sweater in a slightly darker shade of this pink.)

I am sure I am going to have to order more of these. I like to keep sympathy and thank you cards in the house. And the beehive is from my not yet debuted new font Farm Doodles. Just too cute.

Two more cute girlfriend cards. Jessica does a lot with the kraft look in her etsy shop. She uses this look on most everthing from Christmas to weddings. Check her out. If you don’t see these items in her shop just ask, I am sure she would be happy to print you some. (Just FYI all the little illustrations on her cards are from my fonts.)

And Jessica casually mentioned that Pottery Barn featured her office nook and house on their Inside & Out blog. You can take a peek here. I always want to see where creative people work and live. Enjoy!

Hamilton Type Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin still needs our help. Neenah Paper, also in Wisconsin is taking donations and matching them for Hamilton. You can make a $5, $25 or $75 and get a letterpress poster.

Last Summer we visited the Hamilton Type Museum and had a great time. If you are able please help them with their move and to keep this wood type museum open. This piece of typography history is really worth saving.

this week I am taking a bus trip to the Art Institute of Chicago for a major Picasso Exhibit. I am looking forward to it as it is a day with a girlfriend, someone else drives, gives us our tickets and a little talk and even snacks on the bus. Can’t beat that. And today I have a Picasso DVD to watch while I work.

Drum roll please… here is our renovated main floor half bath. It has been a 2 month DIY project. My part is to have the vision, source the things needed and get them. John has the much bigger part where he learns the skills needed and executes the plan. And he did a fabulous job.

The mirror came from Crate&Barrel years ago and was in our bedroom. I often use something in one room and then move it to another.

These are the sinks in all 3 of our bathrooms. Circa early 1970s. While still sturdy and usable they are dated and showing wear. The worst one was in this bathroom. It never looked or felt clean no matter how we scrubbed.

John tore the sink and cabinet out and put it on the curb during a week of off and on snow. And someone came along and took it. We were delighted. He took the mirror to the ReStore. They were happy to get it and we were happy to take a tax deduction.

Our new sink mounted on the wall so we needed some matching tile for the empty space where the bigger sink was. John learned to lay ceramic tile and did a perfect job. We scored matching ceramic tiles at the ReStore. We bought all they had since we have a lot of this tile. John found someone who cut the tile for him.

Next came painting. Two charcoal gray walls, two white walls and new white trim. In March Ace Hardware had Free Quart Saturday so we got our wall paint for free. The trim paint was outrageously expensive but went on beautifully. We did have a $35 Bucky Book coupon for part of one gallon.

We did have our guy Scott come in and rework the plumbing for the sink. It has two drawers and is from IKEA. The shiny white cabinet will someday match the kitchen and buffet cabinetry. IKEA sinks have plastic pipes which lay flat against the wall. So Scott reconfigured the old metal pipes so John could attach the new plastic ones once the sink was installed. Since the sink mounts on the wall John had to reinforce the wall. We are still looking for some simple feet to put under the sink just in case someone ever decides to sit on the edge.

This is an average small half bath. Putting a smaller sink in gives the illusion of the room being bigger. And I like that. Plus instead of just one empty space under the sink I have 2 nice, far more useable drawers.

Added a simple IKEA hook to hold the hand towel.

I then hand painted the dots using the slightly shiny trim paint. Did not take much time as they are kind of bloby dots, quick and easy.

And I finally framed and hung two collages I made probably 6 years ago. I am delighted with our major Winter project. Happy to have it done as Winter is ending and happy to have a fresh new bathroom.