Bits 'n' pieces

Just a few quickies tonight:

*I'm working on a tutorial for a fabric flower corsage for Dwell Well--sort of a last-minute Valentine's Day project. Here's how it looks so far:

The color scheme was inspired by Emerson Made (and by the fabric scraps I happened to have on hand), but I wanted to use a flower that would be easy for folks to make, especially at the last minute. After much trial and error, I think I have a fabric rose anyone could handle.

Or does it look like just a bunch of mushed up fabric? Back to the drawing board or get on with the toot, already? Here's a closer look:

*You probably all know about this already, but just in case ... The Uniform Project . In a nutshell: woman in New York wants to raise money for kids who can't afford to go to school in India (where 7.5 million kids don't get an education). Her friend/designer sews up a dress--a "uniform"--that she'll wear every day for a year to raise awareness and dough. The dress is simple black cotton little number, and every day for the last months, she has accessorized it in some creative way (linking to designers who send her accessories to wear). So far--$52,000+ raised for kids. Brilliant. And so much fun to look through the "dailies" to see what she has done with a little black dress. (Doesn't hurt that she's adorable to begin with.)

*Breakfast at Etta's in Seattle. As delicious as this crab eggs Benedict was ...

... the French toast from the kids' menu was to die for:

The server said the secret is to:

a) use Half and Half instead of milk in the batter

b) add orange juice to the batter

c) after frying the French toast, pop it in a warm oven for a few minutes to give it a crunch on the outside (but not so long that the inside doesn't retain its custardy goodness).

She had me at Half and Half.

Etta's was nice, but my favorite Tom Douglas restaurants are Serious Pie and Palace Kitchen. Bo ate a whole trout at PK when she was 3, pretty much all by herself. Except the face. She just thought that part was kind of funny.

Speaking of fish, what trip to Seattle is complete without watching the guys throw fish at Pike Place Market?