St. Patrick's Day Craft

A little pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

For links to project directions, please click here.

Coffe Cup Cozy

I knit a coffee cup cozy as a gift for a friend of mine. I had leftover yarn from a scarf I had made for him, and I thought it'd be a good way to use it up. (And now he matches - oops!).


I was so pleased with myself, because I made the button hole all by myself, no tutorial or anything. I dropped a few stitches in the middle of a row, and then picked them back up. Then a fellow knitter told me that's not how you do it, and showed me the real way. I can't remember it now, of course. And my bubble was slightly burst. Ah, well. I still think it looks good.


And here it is in action!

Lots and lots of knitting has been happening over here (and much of it has been getting finished!) but I'm feeling the need for a quick, instant gratification type of craft project. I'll let you know how it goes!

Sweater # 3

You may remember sweater # 1 from this post. You haven't seen sweater # 2, because I haven't posted about it...yet. Still need to do the photo shoot (and it's my favorite, too! Soon, soon...)

But on to my third sweater. Here it is, pulled from my to-get-rid-of-because-I-never-wear-it stack of clothes:

Again, I made all the alterations with supplies I already had. I simply cut it down the middle, marked where to sew the ribbon on, and then did the sewing by hand. Since the sweater and ribbon are very fall-ish colors, I decided this would be a good Thanksgiving sweater. So I whipped up a little turkey pin!

I totally forgot to take pictures of the process, but it was very easy. I traced two body shapes by using the bottom of a glass. I hand-drew one feather, and then traced it onto the felt so all the feathers would be about the same. The legs are actually one piece of felt that is connected inside the turkey; I thought it would be more sturdy that way. Everything on the turkey is felt, except for the tiny bead eyes.

To assemble the turkey, I simply sandwiched the feathers and leg piece in between the two body pieces, and glued them together. The head and face are also glued on. The whole thing has a pin back so that I can take it off and wear the sweater for more than one day of the year. (I'm thinking of making another pin to go with the sweater - I've worn it a bunch with just the ribbon as decoration, but I like it with that extra bit of craftiness!).

Here's the Thanksgiving outfit (that ribbon is really a bright orange/white check, it's just not showing up in the photos). And a little closer, to show off my turkey:

Poinsettias

My new Christmas glasses, found at a local vintage store.

And vintage Vera, found at the same store.

(Umm, you can ignore the wrinkles... this is pre-ironing...)

Winter - Outside and In

Outside:

Inside:

Ornament from While She Naps on Etsy.

Shop Local

December was a month for Christmas shopping (the local, hand-made way), 

while drinking hot beverages.

Hot chocolate and coffee.

A Warm Welcome...

...to 2010, and to anyone who is still visiting this blog! I can't believe how long ago my last post was. I had all these posts planned for December, and then I had space-on-computer issues, and camera-batteries-dying issues, and loading-photos-to-computer issues. Most of those issues are now resolved, so I should be able to be back here more. And speaking of resolutions, mine is to blog more (and more consistently) this year. I'm not going to set a specific goal, just ... more. That should be doable!

Antique ornament on my tree - the photo on this year's Christmas card. Maybe I'll even get around to showing you the whole card...

I've also decided to unofficially join Project 365 this year. Unofficial, because (as you may have noticed) I sometimes have trouble posting things. Taking photos - no problem. Sharing them online in a timely manner - sometimes doesn't work out. I read about Project 365 last year, but too late to join. This year, I read about it again on Ali's blog, and in time to start it, no less!

You may have to wait awhile for my 365 updates, but in the spirit of Project 365 I have decided to share some of my recent holiday photos with you each day this week. Photos, and maybe a few words. But nothing as wordy as this post!

Taking time out from tree decorating to put up my feet...

...and drink some hot cider.

See you tomorrow, friends.

Halloween Party

For Halloween, I had some good friends over for a little dinner party. I was ready with decorations, which went up mid-October:

That cute "boo" banner is handmade in the US, and I got it from a local, independent gift store called Bibelot.

I found the pumpkin in the above picture (plus two more like it) at an antique store. They are from the '50s and made in the US. [And more about my little Max in another post...]

The maker of the crow above and the bats below will be featured soon on a "Friday Favorites" post!

The table was set with festive purple, green, and orange:

For an appetizer I made a version of the 'crazy gremolata' recipe from Nigella Express...

...and served it with a warm baguette:

Dinner was carrot soup, from the recipe of a good family friend:

Our friends brought some wine to share (which looks very Halloween-y in my green goblets!) and we made mulled wine as well (it was perfect for the cold night).

For dessert, I made 'candy corn freeze' from Halloween Tricks and Treats.

It's hard to see with the night lighting, but it is layers of yellow, orange, and white ice cream, topped with orange non-pareils.

And last but not least, my costume:

I dressed as Rogue (from the X-Men).

Etsy Favorites: While She Naps

Wow, it's been awhile! Things really picked up at work, and somehow almost a month has gone by since I last posted. How did that happen?!

I'm going to get back into the swing of things with another Friday Etsy Favorite: While She Naps. I just love her wonderful birds - they are so creative and beautiful. I bought this bird collage from her this past summer:

I love, love, love every part of it; the detail is exquisite.

I have it hanging up in my living room now, and it makes me so happy every time I look at it!

If you like it, don't forget to check out Abby's Etsy Shop, and keep up-to-date with her news (including her upcoming bird pattern book) on her blog.

At the same time that I got my bird collage, I also bought one of her pincushions. I have become obsessed with pincushions lately; you'll probably start seeing more of them showing up on my Friday Favorites! This one is so sweet - it's in a teacup and it came with the cute flower and leaf pins. Looks good with my geranium! (The photo is from August - there is snow on the ground now, and my poor geranium definitely does not look like that anymore!)

It has been snowing huge, fluffy, wet snowflakes all day today, and it's staying for the moment. I've got root veggies and squash from my winter CSA roasting in the oven, and the kettle's on for a cup of tea. It's turning into a very cosy evening! I've got lots more to share - I'll be back soon.

Etsy Favorites: Syko

You saw a blur of my bird and heart pillow from Syko last week, but here it is in all its glory:

I just love it. I'm so taken with the birds that are featured on many of Syko's items.

There's a cute tag so you know where it's from:

And a sweet green button sewn onto the back to close it:

It goes perfectly in my room!

Make sure you check out all of Syko's wonderful, whimsical creations. You can also visit her on her blog.