Date Night

Friday nights are the perfect date nights. After a long week there is very little interest in preparing a lovely meal for two. There is, however, a high level of interest in having a lovely meal for two. That is how we came to find ourselves at our local seafood restaurant.To make perusal of the menu an even easier task we started with glasses of red wine, Chianti for him and Malbec for her. It was while enjoying those first few sips of wine that my eyes landed on one of the dinner specials: Twin Maine Lobsters. I've been wondering how I might squeeze in a pre-Christmas trip to Portland and get everything on my To Do list done. But it looks like Portland came to me. Problem solved.
Next it was a stop next door at The Vin Bin where a Bordeaux tasting was in full swing. We had the nicest chat with the gentleman serving up the tastes and picked up a great tip. When serving up a younger wine always pour it into a decanter and let it sit for 45 minutes before partaking. It makes all the difference. And he had the most fabulous decanter. It was quite similar to this one. I just might need to get one.

Just two more doors down we finished our evening with dessert at Starbucks. The eggnog lattes are my drink of choice at this time of year but after 9pm I tend to limit my caffeine intake. I was also craving a hit of chocolate so I went with a peppermint hot chocolate. They also had samples of molasses cookies on the counter. They were a very nice balance of spicy and sweet. They even got the attention of my partner who tends not to feel the magentic pull of sweets that I do. I think I know what will be on the top of my holiday baking list now.

Maps on the mind

Adjani's Quilt,
originally uploaded by mariss+drew.

I was wandering around Flickr looking for something fun and found this quilt. Isn't it awesome? You can see close-up photos here. I love the embroidered airplanes and the little red hearts on both sides of the ocean. Truly inspired.

And I am coveting this vintage classroom map. It's way too much money, but it would make a terrific window shade for my office. Can you bargain on etsy? Probably not, sigh. Speaking of classrooms, my exam is tomorrow evening so I really must run. Sadly this will be my last NaBloPoMo post as Tory is going to finish it off for us tomorrow. It's been fun - see you on the other side.

Greetings from Yesteryear

It's hard to share any of my crafty endeavors at this time of year. I try to keeps things under wraps until the gifts are unwrapped. Projects are planned and fabrics are chosen to be one-of-a-kind, as unique as the people for who they are intended. It may be selfish but I want to be there to see their reactions as they unwrap their handcrafted gift. I want to tell them how this project came to be just for them. For now I will share from my Christmas past, two cards designed for 2006.

Instant Gratification Sewing

With final exams and projects looming over me I'm having difficulty finding time to work on my long list of Christmas projects. To give myself a little boost, and remind myself that all projects don't have to be a labor-intensive to be good, I thought I'd share this quick and simple project (original seen at angry chicken). Wash & dry a 100% cotton onsie, T-shirt or other garment. Apply a fabric patch using light weight double-sided interfacing. I ironed the interfacing onto the fabric for the appliqué first and then cut out the patch in the shape and size that I wanted. Doing it this way made it much easier to keep the edges neat and to get the adhesive all the way to the perimeter of the fabric. Iron the patch onto the garment and let cool. Amy finished the edges using a machine zig-zag stitch but I couldn't get the tension on my ancient machine to work with the knit fabric so instead I finished them by hand using embroidery floss and a blanket stitch. The first couple took a little longer, but now I can whip up a trio of these in less than an hour. I started with a set last summer for a new baby girl. Last month I made a batch of ten for our craft fair and they were a big hit. As an added bonus, I have received several compliments on my blanket stitch from people who sounded like they knew their way around an embroidery hoop. I'm so proud.

A Pink Christmas

Christmas decorating always began the day after Thanksgiving in my family. (If my mom could possibly wait that long, that is.) I've carried on that tradition in my own home as well. I love the cozy feel of the sparkling lights and glass ornaments with Christmas carols playing in the background. Then there is all the gift wrapping in perfectly coordinated papers and ribbons. The beautiful mound of presents under the tree is part of my incentive to have shopping and creating done as early as possible.

So with much excitement we set up our Christmas tree....and I hated it. I was in crisis mode. I quickly called mom who is trained for such catastrophes. "Lie down on the couch," she said, "and tell me what's wrong with what you're seeing." The problem is that it just looked so fake. Charlie Brown probably would have rejected it. After talking me down from the ledge she suggested I put on the ornaments that I truly loved and fill in the rest with some new finds. Perfect advice.

For some reason whenever I thought about Christmas this year pink was popping into my head. Pink was the perfect twist to add to my tree, a wonderful complement to my favorite wine and cream colored ornaments. Throw in some gold for sparkle and it just might work. So out I went to scoop up some pink and gold ornaments. I also added in some gold glittered initials, some ribbon in a cream and gold harlequin pattern, and a clearance rack throw turned tree skirt. Now I am in love!

En route

I'm wrapping up a very fun long weekend visiting the Chicago suburbs. In the spirit of the day, here is a brief history of me, as a young traveler.

6 months old: My parents move from Niagara Falls to British Columbia. I make the journey laying in a bassinet on the passenger seat of my mother's powder blue VW bug.

2 years old: We are in Norway visiting my father's family. On a long train ride from Oslo to Oppdal my mom entertains me with paper dolls that she arranges on a plastic comb.

6 years old: On a transatlantic flight I climb up the spiral staircase to the lounge to find my father smoking and playing cards. We are served smoked salmon for lunch which I refuse to eat.

8 years old: It's summer and I am sitting in the back seat of our brown Dodge Dart between my mother and my aunt. We are on a car trip to Washington state to visit my grandfather's brother who he hasn't seen for 30 years. I get a souvenir necklace at a petrified forest and develop chicken pox on the way home.

12 years old: Every weekend I travel by Greyhound bus to a riding school 45 minutes away. My mom gives me a check for $20 which pays for my lesson plus room and board for the weekend.

14 years old: I accompany a friend and her parents to their summer cabin on Okanagan Lake for three weeks. We swim every day and I get the only tan I've ever had.

15 years old: While on a month-long school exchange to Quebec City I see autumn colours and go sailing. I dream that I am saying "je ne comprend pas" repeatedly.

18 years old: Before starting university, my high school friends and I attend the Carmanah Valley Music Festival. Under starlight, we dance to Bruce Cockburn to save an ancient forest none of us has seen.

Toys for Tots

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is my annual Toys for Tots shopping spree. Except for my very poor college years I have supported Toys for Tots each Christmas since my junior year of high school. My high school's honor society would collect toys to distribute to local families in need. We'd then spend a fun filled afternoon wrapping all the gifts we'd collected.

Fighting the urge to hibernate at a very dark 4:30pm I decided it might be safe to hit my local Target's toy aisles. Luckily, much of the post-Thanksgiving shopping madness had died down though it was a little more hopping than normal. When shopping I look for toys that are classics or toys that encourage learning, creativity, or activity. I avoid toys that require batteries. So it was with that that I went about filling my cart to near overflowing.

First stop was the wall of board games where I picked up Chutes & Ladders and Candy Land. I love a good board game! For a more active game I picked out a classically colored soccer ball. These games are all so much better than sitting in front of the TV excercising your thumbs.

Next into the cart went three creativity toys: a giant Doodle Pro, a Play-Doh set complete with shape maker, and a robot Lego kit. I know the Play-Doh and Legos could be risky gifts but I just love them. My siblings and I weren't too reliable when it came to the Play-Doh. Ours often became Play-Rocks. Then there were the Legos lost in shag carpeting. Many a time did my mom step on a Lego and shriek in pain.

To help encourage an early love for learning I picked out two Leap Frog sets. One is called the Math Whiz Learning Bus for learning numbers, counting, and addition/subtraction. (All skills more useful than calculus.) The other is pure dinosaur fun in the form of a Dinousaur Fun Facts Floor Puzzle.

No child should be without a Mr. Potato Head. To help keep a classic fresh there are now several accessories sets you can buy. He can be a firefighter spud, a space spud, safari spud, or construction worker spud. To round out, or over, my shopping cart there were a few more classics: a newborn baby complete with birth certificate and the softest stuffed puppy I've ever laid hands on.

I'm so grateful I have the ability to go a little toy crazy each year. I know somewhere a child will wake up on Christmas morning with something under the tree just for them. Imagining their faces filling with joy is what keeps me filling my cart year after year.

Black Friday

In my eleven years living in the US, I have never once gone shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I dislike malls at the best of times, but why would anyone join a bazillion bargain-crazed shoppers when she could be at home eating leftover pie in her pajamas and ordering the exact same stuff online for less money? The mind, it boggles. I decided to get a start on my non-participation in Black Friday shopping last weekend. My Sunday was largely consumed with finishing a term paper but I managed to squeeze in couple of breaks that should help keep the retail economy going strong.

This skirt is going to be an important addition to my fall wardrobe. Add thick tights and my brown or black knee-high boots and I'll be warm and stylish. Nobody does the flippy skirts better than Boden. I couldn't decide between the ochre and the mulberry, so I ordered both and we'll see what they look like up close. Any thoughts, people?

From Boden it was on to Zappos just to look because we all know I don't need any more shoes. I headed straight to the Sofft page to see what was new. I can't tell you how much I love their shoes. So, so comfortable and pretty. I have, shall we say, rather large feet and have great difficulty shopping for shoes in any brick-and-mortar retail establishment not geared towards cross-dressers and drag queens. And while those ladies have a great deal of style, it's not really my style. In addition to the suede pump (color is caramel, even yummier in real life) I also purchased this pair of casual brown sneakers to replace an aging pair of lace-ups that are a standby of my fall wardrobe. I haven't taken them off since they arrived: they are unbelievable light and comfy and make my feet appear almost dainty. They look brown to me, but according to Zappos they are the color of "inner earth" trimmed in "pipe."

As I was contemplating all the places I will walk in my new comfy shoes, I was reminded of how I could have used them this time last year when I was trekking all over Edinburgh. Immediately, I head over to Amazon to buy the newest Alexander McCall Smith book. I have no idea how this man manages to churn out so many new tomes every year but I'm grateful he does. Part of my reason for going to Scotland was to stalk Isabel Dalhousie: I have a bit of history stalking fictional characters, but that's a story for another time. After adding the book to my cart, Amazon.com suggest I might like this CD. As it happens, I did. We Funky and Delightful girls do love our Pink Martini.

By this time I was feeling like I probably should be getting back to my assignment so I reluctantly closed Firefox and got back to work. A few additional breaks were needed later in the week, one resulting in a order from Superbuzzy even though I had promised myself I wouldn't buy any more fabric this year. It was just too good, I couldn't help myself. I also discovered A Little Hut which is where the flower cards came from. Holy, holy this woman has talent. I really want one of her cut paper silhouettes. She also has some very creative ideas for gift tags on her blog, definitely worth a look.

Happy shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving

A quiet day of thanks celebrated with favorite foods and my favorite guy.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my sister's birthday. Or as she refers to herself my favorite sister. I remind her she's my only sister so by default she is my favorite. The truth is that even if she weren't my sister she would be one of my favorite people in the whole world. She makes me laugh until tears stream down my face. She listens and doesn't try to make it seem better than it is. She is a wonderful mama and doesn't even know it. She inspires me.

Happy Birthday, A! I love you!

They say it's your birthday, and your birthday too

Today is my youngest brothers' birthday. Here is a picture of a cake I baked when they turned two (I was nearly nine). It was the Circus Cake from a cake decorating book I got through my school book sale. Evidently we had a Polaroid camera at the time.
N is the older twin. It looks like he's on his second piece of cake. He grew up to be a fireman and a real estate mogul. Who would have guessed? Note the bibs that my mom made out of old towels.
T is the younger one. He turned out to be the tallest and very good with money. Many a girl has fallen prey to those dimples. Hmm, we usually had chocolate cake for birthdays, but this one looks like it was chocolate chip.
And here we all are, including the woman who used to babysit us, but minus Mom who is taking the picture.

Happy Birthday N & T!

They have wood in China too

After reading Soulemama's post about her local source for wooden acorns, I browsed right on over to buy myself one or twenty-five. I seem to have a thing for acorns this year, and little wooden things in general. You know I found more than just acorns. I ended up with a veritable menagerie that included moose, deer, bears and these reindeer cut-outs. I thought they would make lovely ornaments with the addition of a little paint and some ribbon so I happily added a few of each to my cart. Two days later I had a little brown box waiting for me on the doorstep when I arrived home from work.


As I was unpacking all my treasures, I was surprised to find this sticker on one of the reindeer. I looked through the catalog that the company had thoughtfully included and found no indication that their products were from sources other than "local wood mills." I emailed the company to inquire about the origins of the other items I purchased . They got right back to me and were happy to tell me what was local and what was imported (most of what I bought was local). The moose cut-out, of course, is made in Maine.

I suppose I've learned a lesson about assuming things without doing the research myself. I was a little too pleased with myself for buying locally. One might go so far as to say smug. And really, had I known the reindeer were made in China, I totally would have bought them anyway. But next time I'm going to ask a few questions before I hit that PayPal check out button so that I'm sure I know what I'm talking about.

Planning the Feast

I'm really feeling traditional with a twist for Christmas but for Thanksgiving it has to be traditional. Some of the items I'm planning have been on my family's Thanksgiving tables for as long as I can remember: the cinnamon rolls for brunch, the stuffing, scalloped corn, and rolls for dinner. A few of them have become personal traditions since I began preparing my own East Coast feast six years ago: the turkey and cranberries.

Brunch
Mom's Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
Maple-Sage Sausage
Tea or Coffee

Dinner
Garlic-Rosemary Turkey with Mushroom Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Grandma’s Stuffing
Scalloped Corn
Spiced Cranberry Sauce with Zinfandel
Mom’s Cornmeal Rolls
Pecan Pie
Red Wine

I can't wait for our lazy day of parade watching, cooking, and napping. Oh, and all the eating, too.

Another scarf

A slight departure from my previous patchwork scarves. This one was made from a plaid wool blend and a selection of pink prints from my stash*. I was totally random about the width of the fabric pieces and I'm pretty happy with how they came together. I added a ruffle, it just seemed to need it. And that vintage wreath pin? It inspired the project. I found it in a local antique shop and instantly thought about some of the fabrics I was making clutches from at the time. As soon as I got home I started cutting and a couple of hours later the scarf emerged. Love it when that happens.

*Talking about my fabric stash always feels so risque; like I'm some involved in some sort of illegal fiber trade. Psst, want to see my stash?

Conquest of the Zipper

For a long time I feared the zipper. I rationalized my fear by convincing myself I wasn't missing anything by not using zippers in my projects. Whatever a zipper could do could be accomplished by a magentic snap, a drawstring, or a strip of velcro. Then along came Amy Karol's book Bend the Rules Sewing. For the first time I really believed that sewing a zipper was something I could do, no special skills required. With Amy's instructions by my side I set about designing my own zippered pouch. I loved the shape and pleating of my frenchy bag so that is what I had to create. Of course, it had to be in coordinating fabric. I was nervous as I sat before my sewing machine. Approximately three minutes later I had very successfully sewn in my first zipper. All that fear and worrying for something that ended up being one of the easiest things I've done. Now a whole new world has opened up before me. I could have a whole closet full of skirts, bags with zippered interior pockets, and other fabulous things not yet imagined. I wish I could say that this experience has taught me to believe in my skills and fear nothing. However, I still fear the buttonhole.

Made for Mom

When I was visiting my mom this past August she gave me a patchwork calendar that I had given her for Christmas the year I was 12. I made it from a kit bought from Canadian Living Magazine and it was my first attempt at quilting. The kit came with pre-cut fabric pieces, batting, a diagram of what the finished calendar should look like and very basic instructions.

It took me at least a week of evenings to finish. How I struggled to figure out the puzzle of fabric strips. There didn't seem to be enough seam allowance. The pieces didn't quite fit and I couldn't ask my mom for help since I was making it for her. I finally ended up slightly overlapping the pieces and zig-zagging them onto the background. In hindsight I realize that the main picture could have been constructed using the foundation piecing method, but at the time I didn't know better.

My mom saved everything my brothers and I made for her. Not to say she's a pack rat. To the contrary, she prefers her living space to be uncluttered and well-organized. She's tried to give us our boxes (contents sorted, labeled and carefully packed of course) at various times, but until recently we've all felt too unsettled to accept them. Personally, I think the burden of caretaking all our stuff is starting to wear on her in the same way that carrying the ring got to Frodo by the beginning of the third book.

For 25 years this calendar hung in my mom's home because I made it for her. This summer she moved into a condo with a tiny galley kitchen that has no wall space for a calendar. While I think she was secretly relieved to have a legitimate excuse to take it down, she expressed the concern that doing so would hurt my feelings. Um, Mom? After a 300 months of looking at the same calendar, I think you deserve a new one.

Big Dots

I do believe it is the season of the polka dot at Funky & Delightful. Elise has chosen to wear hers. Soon my couch will be donning dots of its own. I have slowly been piecing together strips of fabric to make Amy Butler's Big Dot Pillow featured on the cover of her book In Stitches. Not a single piece of new fabric was purchased. I made use of my overflowing scrap basket, using fabric found in various projects around my home. Featured are fabrics that have dressed my windows, made flea market chairs fabulous once again, covered tables, skirted my bed, and provided protection for messy cooks. I plan to make some changes to Amy's pattern. My pillows will be slightly smaller, just 24" square rather than 28" square. Her local shops must carry a better selection of pillow forms than mine do. I'm also thinking of using four patchwork dots per pillow instead of the nine she used. Who knows? Perhaps I'll go a little crazy and have five dots on one pillow and four on another.

Rainy Day People*

I do love a rainy day. Perhaps it stems from growing up in an area that had very few. It did rain, but usually in the passing shower or isolated thunderstorm kind of way. How I treasured those rare occasions when it poured all day long. They were always about the inside: making soup, baking, crafts, finding a cozy spot to curl up and read. I'm still energized when I wake up to soft grey light gently filling the room and the sound of rain drops outside. Colours are brighter, ideas more vivid. A new rain coat doesn't hurt either.

*Gordon Lightfoot, of course. Lyrics here. Oh, just buy the album.

Time to Make the Cookies

That chill in the air that began making random appearances in October is now here to stay. While I am not a huge fan of the impending snow and cold, I am a huge fan of this transitional season called fall. The entry into fall holds so much promise of a slower pace for me. In fall it's fine if I don't leave home for an entire weekend. Pots of soups or stews simmer away on the stove while I catch up on my movie watching nestled down on the couch with a hot cup of tea. Of course, with that hot cup of tea it doesn't hurt to have something sweet to nibble on. Out of summer retirement comes my KitchenAid stand mixer. It's time to warm up for the flurry of baking that occurs from Thanksgiving to Christmas. In preparation for the cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, and countless cookie doughs that it will produce I decide it's time for my mixer and I to get reacquainted over my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe.

For me the perfect oatmeal cookie contains just the right amount of cinnamon, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans. If you're going to snack it may as well be homemade with ingredients like oatmeal, cranberries, and nuts. Who's going to tell you any of those items aren't good for you? (Just leave out the part about the cup of butter!)

The inaugural baking event proved to be a great success. We try to fool ourselves into thinking we'll freeze half for another day. And we do...until the very next day. Then one by one they are snuck from the freezer and enjoyed until just crumbs remain.

A Funky & Delightful Wedding

This arrived in the mail Friday. And no, it doesn't actually take six months to get a marriage certificate in Massachusetts; it takes less than a week once your husband remembers to send in the form. But I digress.

The occasion also marks our first official Funky and Delightful collaboration. Tory and I had crafted together in the past and had been throwing around the idea of starting a blog for a few months. Planning a wedding seemed like a perfect opportunity to commit.

The wedding was being held at an historic house and my future husband and I wanted it to feel like we were inviting people into our own home. I was disappointed with the rental options for table linens, nothing felt like us. Instead, we decided to buy fabric and make them ourselves. Tory and I had just discovered Heather Bailey's Freshcut fabric and we were smitten. Her fabric designs evoked the precise feeling I wanted to create at my wedding; relaxed, elegant, vintage with a modern twist.

We chose six coordinating fabrics and went to work. In one day, with two sewing machines and two sets of hands, we made six table runners, forty yo-yos and tons of plans for our blogging/crafting future. We documented the whole process in photos, of course.





The day of the wedding finally arrived and we woke up to sunshine and blue sky.

Tory and I arrived two hours before the guests to oversee the set-up. I was a teensy bit nervous (can't imagine why) and Tory was the one who ensured everything went smoothly while I flitted around wringing my hands. Thank you Tory, you really are a rock star organizer.

The table arrangements were perfect. The flower centerpieces (peonies and Gerber daisies in a short square vase) turned out exactly as I had imagined. We even had a special table for the children with a favor bag filled with small games and toys for each of them. They loved it.

Tory incorporated the yo-yos into green garland we had draped over the four large fireplace mantles in the house. They added a splash of color in lieu of flowers and were a fun twist on the traditional. We placed a number of framed family photos around the house and on the mantles (that's me on the left). Our original plan had been to make garlands entirely of fabric. After measuring the mantles and calculating how many yo-yos it would take to cover four mantles that were each seven feet wide and five feet high we quickly adjusted our plans and decided to use greenery instead.

For the favor boxes I covered what seemed like a million buttons with fabric. Ribbon and leaf tags were MSL. Inside the chocolate brown boxes were chocolates - no false advertising here. Several people have told me that they still have the button from their favor as a reminder of the day. Totally worth the carpal tunnel syndrome.

The cake was as delicious as it looked. The bottom layer was chocolate (for my dear husband, who insists that cake is, by definition, chocolate and moist) and the top layer was vanilla. Both layers were topped with raspberry preserves and wrapped with vanilla fondant. I have to admit I spent a lot of time fretting about the cake. I was adamant that it be gluten-free (call me selfish, I wanted to be able to eat my own wedding cake) but I also wanted everyone to enjoy it. I nearly ended up baking it myself, but fortunately the lovely and talented Vita Cohen had just opened a gluten-free bakery and came to my rescue.

It was a wonderful wedding. Our favorite people came, we had a perfect day in a beautiful setting, the food was amazing and no one guessed that it was all gluten-free. Our photographer was a delight and managed to get gorgeous candid portraits of every single one of our guests without being intrusive in any way. There was croquet and a pond to walk around. So much fun, so many special memories. Not to say that everything went exactly as planned. I forgot my bouquet. The dishes that the rental company delivered were not the ones we ordered. Quite honestly, none of those things mattered at the time or in retrospect.

As a special treat, I leave you with a Funky & Delightful wedding photo. Here's to many years of creating, making and blogging together.

My Mailman Loves Me!

I've had an incredible week of mail. It started with the arrival of some new additions to my fabric stash. I put quite a dent in my fabric stores with the craft fair sewing. I thought I'd better plan for the future and get another order placed in preparation for all the holiday sewing I have in mind. Joining their partners already on my shelves are more prints from the Summer in the City, Freshcut, and Peas & Carrots lines. Making a first appearance is Denyse Schmidt's Katie Jump Rope. I can't wait to see what these become.

Next came an addition to my craft book library. After seeing Elise's copy of Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts I HAD to have one too. Even if you're not a crafter you must look at this book. The pictures are fantastic. Everything about this book is art.

Now stay with me because this is where the poised adult Tory exits stage left. Enter stage right my alter ego, Barenaked Ladies obssessed Tory. I LOVE them; like seen them 8 times in 4 different states LOVE. This week marked the release of their first live DVD, Talk to the Hand: Live in Michigan. (Get it? Talk to the hand? Oh, are these boys clever!)

Best part? I was there! I'm a native Michigander so for my 30th birthday present my mom flew me in for the night to see the Michigan concert. Next morning we hopped in the car and drove to Chicago for a girls' weekend of eating, pampering, culture, and...yep, you guessed it...the Chicago concert! That's right, I'm a groupie!

I need Pyrex - STAT

I think it's time to make the rounds again. I need a small table to hold my new serger - I'd love to find one of those old enamel typing desks. Hard to find, though, I might end up going to IKEA instead. Maybe this will be the weekend that I finally find a set of lunch plates. At least I think that's what they're called; they're elongated and have an indentation to hold a cup of tea next to your cucumber sandwich. More vintage brooches and buttons, I can't seem to get enough of either. And then there's my on-going quest for Pyrex. You know those refrigerator dishes; square, bright colors with clear glass lids? I really want a set but am not willing to pay EBay prices. Recently I scored these at the Sally Ann. Love the turquoise and they cost $5 for the pair, what a steal. Yes, tomorrow is shaping up to be a busy day.

Instant Entry

Home is a 642 square foot, 2 bedroom condo. I've packed a lot of functionality into that space. Helping me do that is a $4 wooden shutter complete with chipped and peeling green paint. With the addition of several S hooks it has become command central in our "entry". It holds our keys and sunglasses for quick dashes out the door in the morning. It also provides neat and convenient display space for the cards we get.

Just below the shutter sits a basket now awaiting its yearly fill of assorted mittens, gloves, scarves, and hats. I'm currently in denial winter is imminent. Therefore, this task will wait as long as possible perhaps until December. On the adjacent wall hangs 3 giant double hooks. This is the perfect amount of space to have an assortment of coats and bags at the ready.

The key to living in a smaller space is keeping the necessities from appearing to be clutter. Thankfully flea markets, consignment shops, and thrift stores provide an ever changing array of possibilites to do this in a funky and delightful way. Keep your eyes open. Nothing has to remain as it first appears.

It's all made by hand on some level

How nice of Tory to sign us up for Handmade Holidays. I can't wait to see what all the projects are going to be. A few will find their way under my tree for certain. Handmade all the way - woot, woot!

OK, I have a confession to make. While Tory was so virtuously crafting I was shopping. My Tuesday night class was canceled at the last minute and, since Target was on the way home, I had to stop by after viewing Hilary's recent finds. Sadly, I didn't find the Amy Ruppel bag that I really wanted. I did manage to come home with fabulous green wrapping paper and a few gift bags and tags. And then, since I was already out, I went to Michael's to check out the MSL Christmas line.

It is generally pretty good, in my opinion. Much of it can be found elsewhere, but there are those truly good things that are worth all the hype. I bought these, these and some of these. And then there was this amazing ribbon - embossed velvet that looks like woodgrain. It will find it's way onto a few projects I have in mind. The piece de resistance was these acorn boxes which are to die for. It's a box that looks like an ornament or an ornament with a secret compartment depending on your perspective - how could you not love that? I'm thinking about covering them with fabric.

I was a little surprised to see these. Not that they aren't nice, but we totally made them in second grade using recycled Christmas cards that we brought from home. And this is where my "hate to love her" feelings about Martha are exposed. People, if a craft is literally so easy that a seven year-old can do it with snub-nosed scissors and Elmer's glue, you don't need to buy the $15 kit. And if all the MSL empire is doing is rebranding elementary school projects with shiny packaging and nicer materials, why do we buy them? Believe me, I too feel that tractor beam pull of shiny magazine page perfection. But I also like to get messy and figure stuff out for myself. I say we channel our inner seven year-old selves and go for it this year. Handmade Holidays, let's do this thing.

Holiday Craft Planning

After all the crafting in preparation for the craft fair I wasn't sure I had more crafts in me this year. That was Saturday and then an extra hour of sleep came on Sunday. After whipping up some mini-loaves of pumpkin-cranberry bread where did I go to wait out the timer? My "studio" of course! I started pulling together the fabrics for my first holiday craft project. I'm not ready to unveil the details but have a look at my fabric choices for phase one of this gift. Oh, it's going to be good! I hope she loves it! (That's the only hint you're getting.)

Well, that's one present but what about all the other special people in my life? While reading my usual list of favorite blogs I ended up in some blog places I'd not been before and next thing I know I've landed on the blog of the fanstastic Sew, Mama, Sew fabric shop. It was a wonderful stroke of luck. Each day in November they unveil a new topic with links to tutorials provided by fellow crafters to help you celebrate Handmade Holidays. I've already jotted down a few I must make for myself..er..for presents I mean.

Oh, Baby

I have dreamed about owning a serger for a very long time. Since before I really knew what a serger was used for, truth be told. My mom, who made me many wonderful outfits when I was a child, used to lament her limitations with regard to knits and stretchy fabrics. As an 80's teenager I was forced to craft stirrup pants without the benefit of this mythical machine. Although they turned out fine, I was sure they would have been better had I used a serger. Bathing suits and riding breeches were dreamed about but never made because it wasn't worth buying the fabric if you didn't have a serger.

When I was at university, I found a promotional contest with a serger as the grand prize in Canadian Living magazine and decided I would enter and win. Note that I did not intend simply to enter, but to enter and win. It was my first attempt at manifesting destiny and I had no doubts about my prospects of success. And why not? My apartment was filled with loot that my roommate's mother had procured by way of contests. Bicycles, T-shirts, electronics, appliances - Mrs. H. won them all. For several years in a row her winnings included at least one destination vacation, cruise or automobile. Mrs. H. approached the contest gig as a business, recording her expenses and the value of her winnings and she kept going only as long as she was making a profit. She even had a system: she only participated in contests that allowed multiple entries, and she sent in hundreds. When I decided to win the serger, Mrs. H. was in the middle of an extremely lucrative streak and I was eager to follow in her footsteps.

I have long since forgotten specific details, but I do remember that the contest rules specified that you could send in multiple entries as long as they weren't mechanically reproduced. So, one Sunday afternoon shortly before midterms, I sat down and wrote out my name, address and phone number on 100 slips of paper. It took a lot longer than I had anticipated and I started feeling a little uneasy about the studying that I was not doing. I had to wait until Monday to go to the post office for stamps. My quivers of doubt turned into sticker shock when I realized that 100 stamps were going to cost $40 - more than I was spending on groceries for a week. But I had already sealed my entries into $12 worth of envelopes so there was no turning back. I affixed the stamps and watched the envelopes disappear into the dark mouth of the mailbox.

I don't know if the envelopes ever reached their destination, but it turns out that I'm no prize winner . I continue to make my donation to worthy fund raising raffles, but I don't delude myself into thinking I might win something. Twice my name was selected for door prizes at work functions and twice I was disqualified because I wasn't present for the drawing. Once I was in the bathroom throwing up after accidentally eating gluten. I didn't even make it to the second party because my car wouldn't start and I was unable to get a taxi due to a huge snowstorm.

Well, I may not be lucky, but I am finally the proud owner of a brand-new Baby Lock Imagine serger. On the advice of several members of the Bend-The-Rules Sewing Flickr group I headed to my nearest independent sewing center to test-drive a few. Carol and Marie were extremely helpful in guiding me through the various features and comparing makes and models. They gave me a pile of scrap fabric and let me play by myself for over an hour, after which I decided I either had to buy one or spend the night in the store. Fortunately they had one in stock (and on sale!) so I was able to bundle it into my car along with several miles of thread. I hear that stirrup pants are back in style. I'm so ready.

Etsy Art

I found this great frame at the September edition of the Brimfield flea market. For the bargain price of $10 it, along with a vintage Baby Ben alarm clock, came home with me. At the time I had no idea what the frame would showcase. That was until I finally made my first Etsy purchase last month, a letterpress print from greenchairpress entitled "A Madness Well Restrained". I was drawn to the simple colors and random arrangement of the numbers. I also knew it would look fabulous in my living room in my new-to-me frame.
With the work of the craft fair behind me I had time to attack my custom framing project today. The first order of business was getting rid of the badly stained inner fabric mat. A few whacks with the hammer and it was gone. I then made my own custom double mat from two standard sized mats. After some careful positioning of the print within the mats I was ready to hang my new masterpiece. I love that it is a limited edition piece of art by a fellow crafts woman in a completely unique frame all put together by me.