hopeful sounds...

A new birdy cake topper has landed itself on a branch in my shop. I've gradually been working on a few new things for the shop...and I think this particular bird would be lovely upon a simple white frosted cake for a special lady or birthday girl.

I've had little songbirds on the mind today ever since this morning when I heard the sweet song of one just outside my window. It was only a short song...just a long high note followed by a steady low note. But that first hopeful sound of a bird singing caught my ear and reminded me that Spring will someday arrive...eventually...even though it seems on this dreary January day to be lightyears away. Sometimes I forget how quiet nature is in the wintertime. Until I hear that first birdsong and it awakens my mind to memories of warm Spring mornings, sleeping with the windows cracked, and hearing the birds of the forest begin their sweet songs early in the morning. I can't wait for those Spring mornings!

More birds, more soon! ~L

cravings

While down in the Cities last weekend, Hub and I had dinner at Cafe Latte. For weeks and weeks before this, I'd been craving a BIG slice of their Raspberry Creme Torte...and it didn't disappoint!

I would say that I really haven't had any strange pregnancy cravings...or really any cravings at all, besides maybe ice cream...and hot chocolate too? Since I've cut out coffee and tea, I've become a bit of a hot chocolate connoisseur. Which reminds me, Cafe Latte's hot chocolate is amazing too!

raspberry pink...

...baby booties for a precious new niece!

These were fairly quick to knit and I very loosely followed this cute pattern from The Purl Bee.
Much easier than the pair of socks I'm still trying to finish for myself. It is sooo cold here today, if only I could knit a pair of cozy booties like this for myself! ;)

surrounded by...

...fabric...lots of pretty fabrics!

I just love all the possibilities that a piece of fabric holds.

Although I'm still not entirely sure what I'm doing here, I think I'm making progress towards...something! ;)

quiet, fresh start...

The new year has been getting off to a quiet but good start for me. I actually didn't even make it until midnight on new year's eve, probably for the first time that I can recall. Hub was off work for a few days over new years and we accomplished A TON of cleaning out, getting rid of, organizing...and it felt so wonderful. It's nice to have a partner who is fully on board and sometimes the motivator as well behind getting things organized. I'm usually a bit like this every new year...where I need to totally clean up and organize my studio after the holiday craftiness and whatnot, but this year it extended to our basement, future baby room (the closet was packed with our stuff!), etc as well. I'm sure it's the sense of a new year that spurs me to do this, to start fresh, but perhaps this year with the addition of a baby to our home, we were even more inspired to get things in order. And as we were doing all this over a few days, I pondered how silly/amazing it is that we have to spend so much time dealing with "stuff!" Makes me long for more simplicity, less things... But now that my desk is finally clean and I know where everything is, I'm taking my time to ease back into creating too. I have a desire to sew something but haven't figured out just what yet. I'd like a project that I can work on for awhile...piecing together here and there...taking my time while learning more about sewing...and quietly easing into this wonderful fresh new year!

About my photo: Winter is getting a little long now though...I recently had to corral all my plants away from the chilly windows and put a bunch of them on my favorite white plant stand. I so enjoy seeing this greenery when outside everything is snow-covered!

a different sort of Christmas {+ some BIG news!}

{mum's windowsill...lined with some sweet, vintage-y things}

{many of the little ones playing a game with a couple of the uncles}
{a package for my brother and sister-in-law...my tag says "Wishing you a very Merry (vintage) Christmas!"...Oddly enough we both gave each other vintage things for Christmas...I'll have to take a photo of what they gave us later...so incredibly cute that it deserves its own post!}
{knitted fingerless mittens I made for my mother-in-law}

{baking Pecan Mandelbrot, similar to biscotti, which turned out to be quite a hit}

{I found the recipe in my Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook, also available online here}

{packaging the Pecan Mandelbrot...you really can't go wrong with a Martha recipe & Martha packaging supplies!}
.....

Another Christmas season has past, but before I file this one away in my memory, a few photos of scenes from my Christmas spent with family, some things I made for gifts, and some other ponderings on this recent holiday...

It really was a bit of a different Christmas season for me this year. To start with, we decided not to get a tree. The first time we didn’t get a tree in 8 years of marriage. Which felt a little odd to us at first. We felt like we were letting Pappy (our favorite tree-seller man) down just a bit. Also, Hub and I decided not to exchange gifts with each other either (although he cheated on this little pact quite a bit!). I also (gasp!) didn’t send out any Christmas cards this year. Now, I may be sounding a bit bah-humbug at this point…but there is something to be said for trying to simplify an already crazy, stressful time of year. I truly think one of the main reasons we really skipped the tree as well as exchanging gifts this year was the blessing of some very special news…we will be having our first baby in June! A true miracle and blessing which pretty much makes everything else pale in comparison right now. Lugging out the tree decorations and spending money on material things neither of us really need seemed a bit, well, less than exciting compared to our very exciting news this year. All I really want to think about is what this baby will be like, what things I could knit for the baby, how we should decorate the nursery, and give my body some rest from this stressful season for a year. However I did bake a couple batches of Christmas cookies. And I did put up my favorite little vintage village along with decorating the mantel and a few other special touches to make the house feel a bit Christmas-y. And I even attempted to make caramels again this year. My first attempt at them last Christmas had gone so well. They were delicious! This year, however, different story. For some reason I had 2 caramel recipes…one in a magazine and one printed out from the Internet. The printed out one was folded in half and stuck in the magazine by the other recipe. Hmm…which one did I use last year? I couldn’t recall for certain but I was pretty sure it had to be the printed out one that used about half of the ingredients as the other one. But the magazine recipe had far more detailed instructions. So, in my (pregnant) mind, I logically thought, I’ll use the ingredients from the printed out recipe but follow the magazine’s instructions! Brilliant, right!? Not right. After about 8 minutes of boiling the ingredients on high heat, I started to smell a bit of a burnt, marshmallow sort of smell. OH no! I had completely ruined the caramels! The pan was entirely burnt on the bottom and the burnt bits were mixing in with the bubbling caramel mixture. I still threw in the vanilla extract at the end, hoping that might magically rectify the situation...somehow. Hub came into the kitchen at that time and I told him what I had done. I’m pretty sure he made a couple “blonde jokes” and asked what I was thinking. Who follows the ingredients from one recipe but the instructions from a different one? Who does that sort of thing? A pregnant woman is all I can guess. I don't know? It seemed so logical at the time.

So the next day I got back in the kitchen again and made a new-to-me recipe, Pecan Mandelbrot. A crumbly sort of bread-like cookie, similar to biscotti. This went much better than the caramels... so I think I'll stick with the Mandelbrot next year!

Hope your Christmas season was merry!

xo~L

Knitted "Snowball" Garland {Project 3}

Knitted "Snowball" Garland {Project 3}

I don't know what it is about yarn and knitting projects that always evokes a cozy, warm feeling in me. That must be why I do most of my knitting when it is chilly out! This final project requires some basic knitting skills and just a few moments during some chilly evenings to whip up as many of these little knitted balls (or "snowballs") as you desire. This knitted garland will add a layer of warmth to your home or can be used in many other ways too such as trimming a gift, or giving as a gift!

{gather}

~yarn (any colors of your choosing)

~knitting needles (I used size 8)

~tapestry needle

~scissors

{make}

(Refer to photos above for each step below.)

1. How to knit a ball: Row 1 - Cast on 3 stitches. Row 2 - Knit into front and back of the first 2 stitches, knit 1. Row 3 - Purl 5. Row 4 - Knit 3 stitches, knit into front & back of last 2 stitches. Row 5 - Purl 7. Row 6 - Knit 2 together, knit 3, knit 2 together. Row 7 - Purl 5. Row 8 - Knit 2 together, knit 1, knit 2 together. Row 9 - Slip 1 stitch purl-wise, purl 2 together, pass slipped stitch over. Cut yarn (leave approx. 6" tail) and slip tail through last stitch to secure.

2. This is what your knitting piece will look like at this point.

3. Thread the tail onto the tapestry needle and with the wrong side facing you, weave the yarn in and out around the outer edges of the circle until you end up back where you started.

4. Stuff the center of the circle with some scrap yarn to make the ball more full and as you hold it in place, pull on the tail to form the ball.

5. Tie both tails together in a knot to secure the ball.

6. Thread each tail onto the tapestry needle and pull back through the ball and snip off remaining ends to hide.

7. This is what your finished knitted ball will look like.

8. Repeat above steps to create as many "snowballs" as desired for your garland. Then, thread a tapestry needle with yarn and pull through the center of each ball to create the garland, spreading them apart as much as you prefer. Obviously this project can be tailored to whatever color yarns you prefer or string, twine, ribbon to make the garland.

Thanks for joining along in my 2010 series of Christmas projects!

More soon!

~L

Pretty Paper Mache Ornaments {Project 2}

Pretty Paper Mache Ornaments {Project 2}

Adorn your tree, house, wreath, or gifts with a few of these whimsical paper mache ornaments. They're so pretty and a great way to use up some of your favorite craft papers, pieces of ribbon, and even a dash of glitter for just a bit of sparkle.

{gather}

~paper mache/cardboard ornaments

(I've found these ornaments available the past few years in my local craft stores.)

~decorative, patterned craft paper

(thin paper works best, rather than the cardstock weight kind)

~decoupage glue

~old paintbrush

~scissors

~velvet ribbon

~glitter

{make}
1. Trace around one side of the ornament on scratch paper to create a template to follow.

2. Trace around template on the craft paper allowing for a bit of overlap so that no part of the ornament underneath will show and cut out each piece.

3. Using decoupage glue and an old paint brush, cover the ornament with the paper sections. Cover the top of the paper with the decoupage glue as well to create a nice finish.

4. Dust with a bit of glitter now, if desired...or allow to dry and use a glitter glue (such as "Stickles" brand) and spread on very thinly for a subtle sparkle.

5. Let dry and top off with a pretty ribbon!

Hope to see you back here again soon for Project 3!