some etsy picks

I've been doing a lot of Etsy browsing this week- searching for that perfect gift, getting inspiration for projects to come in the new year and updating my shop for some last minute shoppers. (This is a good week for making purchases! Next week will work too, but it's starting to push it in terms of shipping time... so start shopping now!)

There are so many wonderful things on Etsy, so I've decided to put together a little gift guide with some wonderful picks. So many to choose from, so maybe I'll continue this again in the days to come. For this edition, I've picked a lot of holiday inspired items. Additionally, there are some great stocking stuffer ideas as well. This reminds me of the year I made Christmas stockings for everyone and filled them with goodies as their gift. I might have to do that again next year. Stocking stuffers are so much fun to buy! But it helps to spend an entire year shopping for those- stocking stuffers aren't things you head to the mall in search of; rather, you pick them up here and there as you find them. Yeah, maybe that's my plan for next year.

First is a wonderful pouch for your iPod or iPhone from downstairsDesigns. I love that it even has a place for your ATM/Credit Cards. When you head out for a walk, this is all you need! Wouldn't these lovely knitted candy canes look so festive on a package wrapped in brown paper and tied with string? Made by BadAmyKnits, they're the perfect example of a Handmade Holiday. I love all of the things from HeyYoYo, but this cupcake container is the best. It reminds me of the sack lunches I used to take to First Grade. "Holiday Tree" is a precious sketch by Etsy artist naokosstoop. Love the wood grain and can imagine pulling it out every year to dress the house in the holiday spirit. This Eames inspired recycled wood business card holder by andrewsreclaimed would make a perfect stocking stuffer. And, finally, how about this vintage red and ivory ribbon? It's too special for gift wrapping, but this ribbon from SugaredSongBird would be perfect for making bows on a vintage inspired wreath or tree.

I hope you enjoyed these items as much as I did when I stumbled across them. Happy Holidays!

baking is in order

Oh Boy! The Holiday Season is here!
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And it's actually raining here in parched Southern California. What a treat.

Are you making it a Handmade Holiday? I'm trying. Busy making some last minute things for the Etsy shop... like these elves. (I've also got a great pocket calendar, so check that out if you're looking for some teacher gifts) Come back soon for photos of my amigurumi animal parade! It's so satisfying to crochet these cute little guys. Making a couple zoos for some special little ones.

Meanwhile, I think I'll try to make the beautiful pop-up tree that was made on Martha last week. I've already folded up one of the magazine Christmas trees featured. Love the way it turned out. And on a wet day like today, though, I think some baking is in order.

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Happy Holidays!

winning birthday cake

I think I might have stumbled upon the birthday cake solution for all birthdays to come! This cake was a huge hit with the birthday boy AND it didn't take me all night to decorate. Here's my advice: save yourself the time- decorate the cake simply and throw a much-desired toy on top! It's even better if the toy correlates with the party theme as ours did- Star Wars the Clone Wars. Like my fondant planet? Our big six-year-old was so excited to get the lego ship off (which took me longer to assemble than it did to ice the cake) that it was a couple hours before he realized he never even ate a piece of cake!

In our household the time between Halloween and the end of January is major push time. Our oldest little boy (now SIX) has his birthday right around Thanksgiving, then there's Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year and finally the youngest little boy's birthday at the end of January. It's a concentrated period of time where most of our toy accumulation occurs. This is quickly becoming a problem in our overstuffed, small house. So now that the birthday party and Thanksgiving are over, I am desperate to start sorting through toys before Santa arrives. It's always hard to dedicate time to chores like these when I'd rather be making things. And I've got a long list of gifts on my handmade holiday list. So, I'll probably work in spurts- tackling one cluttered toy bin a day until we've got boxes and boxes of toys to give away and plenty of room for new toys. The question is, do I involve little boys in the process so we don't end up with any surprise disappearances? Or do I just move about independently and play dumb when inquires are made about a toy that has been passed on to the Goodwill? "It'll turn up," I've been known to say.

If I plan my time right, there should be enough hours between now and Christmas to get it all done. There are lots of crochetted socks and toys to whip up, the holiday baking list (I'll share soon), Christmas quilts, tote bags and personalized gifts to get busy making. So, maybe I should just stop sleeping. That would certainly give me the time I'll need. I'll sleep on Christmas Eve.

pendants

Slowly getting the Etsy shop stocked up and ready for holiday shoppers. I've added some new pendant designs that would make excellent stocking stuffers! Check it out...

The weather has been absolutely beautiful. I'm feeling inspired. I'm anxious to start making some mobiles using a technique for transferring images to wood that Katie from Matsutake demonstrated in her tutorial. If you're thinking of giving it a try, here's a heads-up. Instead of prepping a piece of cardstock, coat a transparency sheet with the glue before printing. This makes it MUCH easier to peel off the wood.

costume designer no more

Now why did I go and spend all that money on a costume when Finn could have just as well dressed up as a Home Depot bucket for Halloween?

This year was all about store-bought costumes. A Star Wars Clone Trooper for one and Scooby Doo for the other. *Sigh* Is this the end of mommy's homemade costumes? Maybe one of these years they'll let me create something like a two-headed monster that they can both wear together. Hmmm... on second thought, that sounds a little dangerous. It's not like they need an excuse to hurt one another and if they were bound together? That would be nothing but trouble!

pumpkin patch with my pumpkin

A day at the pumpkin patch.

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.
I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.
But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.

I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?
Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.
Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?
- Robert Frost

holiday preview

Some holiday crafting going on...

Elf
(perhaps an Elf on the Shelf?)

Amigurumi Monkey Ornament