Christmas in CA

For Amanda's package this year, I went for a tea theme for the majority of the package. The theme was actually inspired by a lovely children's book that I picked up from my local library called The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill. I think if everyone had a tea dragon in their lives, the world would be a better place.

While at the World Market, I picked up an adorable little hedgehog tea strainer and a box of teas and sugar sticks made in Russia. From Michael's, I picked up one of Caron's tea cakes in the hibiscus color and a pack of movie trivia cards since Amanda loves playing games in her off time. From Target, I found a fun horoscope mug for Virgos and then from 123stitch, I found two clear stamp sets, one with hedgehogs and the other with Christmas gingerbread.

I hope she likes everything. I had fun picking out different items to fit the tea theme. I really should have taken a picture of the wrapping paper I used!!!! Last year at Target, I found a black wrapping paper with gold octopi wearing Christmas hats! Perfect for steampunk geeks. I didn't get to use it last year.....I was happy to able to use it this year as it fit the theme :)

Until next time ^____^

Cinderella Sampler

Pattern: Cinderella Samper by Willow Hill Samplings
Fabric: 32ct oyster linen by M.C.G. Textiles
Threads: recommended DMC
Start: 12/17/2017

The Cinderella sampler won out against the CCN cakes this time around. As you may remember (it's okay if you don't), I had bought fabric for this design from Accented Inc. when Kristina and I were in New Orleans earlier this year. After looking at it against the recommended DMC threads, it seemed too dark of a fabric. The LNS didn't have the recommended fabric color so I opted for a mocha color fabric, but it just doesn't work.

So while I was at Hobby Lobby, I bought some 32ct oyster colored linen by M.C.G. Textiles. I was hoping to buy the cream colored linen by Wichelt, but the cut of fabric was too small for the pattern (darn it!). LOL So I went with the oyster color instead.

I plan on working on this design tomorrow morning before heading over to the bowling alley for our work Christmas party. Our boss is being....well, a boss, by picking teams. My coworkers and I had already decided to form our own team; that was only reason I signed up to go. We asked one of our supervisors and he said he didn't care what we did when we got in the building. LOL 

I can't wait to play. I never get together with my coworkers outside of work.

Until next time ^___^

Bellingrath Gardens - Christmas Light Display

Good evening, everyone! Kristina and I took a trip to Bellingrath Gardens on Friday night after Kristina got out of work. Their Christmas light display started on November 24 and runs until the end of December.

It was a cold night. I was bundled up in a jacket, scarf, and some gloves. Luckily the walk through the lights kept you warm for the most part, unless the wind started to blow or you were near the pond.

We signed up for a tour of the Bellingrath house as well, which was beautiful. It was full of antiques and furnishings collected by the Bellingrath family. For those of you who don't know, Bellingrath made his money in Coca-Cola. He built the Bellingrath home and its gardens for his wife.

For the Christmas lights and the house tour, it was only $24. Definitely worth every penny. I told Kristina that we should come back in the spring when the gardens are in bloom.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season and that you are doing something fun ;)

Until next time ^____^

Handmade Christmas 2016 - Crochet and Baking

Good morning! I hope you are enjoying the holiday today. I wanted to show what I made my friends and family for Christmas.

For my friends, Constance and Jim, I made a kitty doll for their baby girl, Arwen. I hope Arwen will like it when she gets old enough to play with it.

For Amanda, I made a short watermelon scarf. I found the pattern/video on YouTube and thought it would be a great way to brighten up a dreary winter day and light enough for weather in California. I love the added embellishment of black Pony beads to use as watermelon seeds.

For my uncle, I made orange brownies as part of his presents. They are his favorites.

In my mother's stash of containers, I found this cute reindeer plastic tub. Perfect for 'wrapping' his brownies.

For my friends, I made those kawaii cross stitch ornaments that I posted about last week :)

I hope you had fun crafting for friends and family too!

Until next time >___<

A CA Christmas Package and a Crazy Kitten

Hi, everyone! As you know from my previous post, I received a package from Amanda on Thursday!! She sent me an assortment of goodies from her travels to Taiwan and Singapore along with some book memorabilia and candy. Not pictured is the fun Taiwanese keychain that she got me; it is currently on my craft bag :)

She was able to get a signed copy of Gail Carriger's novella, Poison or Protect along with a 'Be Polite' button from her Custard series which goes great with the cute Union Jack beanie.

She sent me a few Kit kats, a bag of yummy strawberry marshmallows, and Brazilian orange Pocky (she found it at her local Daiso!!!)

While in Singapore, she bought me the Starbucks 'You Are Here' ornament cup! I'll add it to the ones she has gotten me from Taiwan, England, and CA Disney. I'm convinced that my side of the country is devoid of these cups unless you are in New England or New York!

The Starbucks in Taiwan had these adorable bunny bowl/cup sets!!! I'm so glad she got them for me. Though I don't know whether I should actually use them or keep them as knick knacks. Decisions, decisions! (Don't judge me by my bookshelf full of Japanese themed books!)

While taking photos of my gifts, our kitten, Lily, decided to join me i.e. be nosy! Trying to take a photo of her is hard work. She was constantly trying to jump on me, claw me, or bite me. She isn't a mean cat, just a kitten who doesn't understand that she doesn't need to do all that to get my attention.

,

She finally settled down underneath the Christmas tree, but kept looking at me as if to say 'why do you get to play in the tree. You always yell at me if I get in the tree.' 

I'll be glad when Christmas is over. We have tree needles all over the place from Lily playing with them. We've had to take up all the ornaments, lights, and beads from the bottom branches because our adorable Lily can be an absolute kraken when she gets excited and rambunctious.

Ah, the joys of owning a kitten. Note to self: adopt an older cat with a peaceful disposition next time!!

Until next time >___<

Snail Mail ~ California Christmas Package

Today I recently a lovely package in the mail from my best friend Amanda. She wrapped some of the gifts in peppermint striped paper and the other gifts were in a pretty cardinal tin and a fun Daiso Christmas boot.

I hadn't even seen what was inside this package yet because I was busy squealing over the cuteness of this bunny tag!!!

The Japanese are so inventive with holiday products. I don't think I've seen a Christmas boot before. I plan on reusing it for this year's Christmas wrapping. It's too fun not to pass it on to another friend.

Here's all the goodies I've received: a Knowledge is Power tshirt, some fluffy and soft bear socks, two Starbucks ornaments with illustrations for LA and California on them, some buttons, a cute dino keychain, earplug reel set, a sushi headphone jack, a Christmas washi tape, a box of bunny paperclips (!!!), some handmade soap by Willow & Honey, two Taiwanese pineapple cakes (yum!), a bunny Starbucks gift card, and a beautiful brooch.

Isn't the brooch beautiful? It's going to join the other brooches in my collection. Hopefully I will get to wear it at work soon.

She also sent a gorgeous handmade Christmas card. Amanda, you are too crafty!!! Assuming that's even possible.

Thank you, darling, for the wonderful Christmas package!!

Until next time >___<

Package to Canada

I sent a small package to my friend Constance and her family. Since she is expecting, I included lots of chocolate and two packages of peppermint mug cake.

For her cross stitch gift, I included the mini Christmas pincushion that was decorated with a snowflake.

I hope you like your little package :)

Until next time ^____^

Christmas Package to CA

Here is my package to Amanda this year for Christmas. I had a gingerbread theme with the amigurumi, pincushion jar, and the Emily Fortune Cookie in gingerbread flavor.

I got her some candy, reindeer socks, stamps, coffee/cocoa stencils, an octopus shaped tea infuser, a Hanabi card game, and a Spectrum Noir marker holder.

I hope you liked your gifts :)

Until next time ^____^

Super Mario Boo Amigurumi

Pattern: Boo by WolfDreamer
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft White
Notions: black, red, and white felt
Start/Finish: 12/12-13/2015

For one of my coworkers for Christmas this year, I made a Super Mario Boo ghost amigurumi as his gift.

The pattern is quite easy. I noticed in the comments on the post for this pattern that people complained of the shape they got after stitching. So if you do stitch this pattern, remember to stuff it firmly and shape the amigurumi with your hands to get the round shape that you need for the ghost.

Until next time ^____^

A CA Christmas Package

I was so surprised by the Christmas package that my friend Amanda sent me as it contained something I wasn't expecting to get at all. I always love the handmade gifts she sends me and after receiving two handmade gifts in my autumn package, I wasn't expecting anything for Christmas. Imagine me surprise when I unwrapped a gorgeous crocheted handbag.

As soon as I saw this bag, it reminded me of one of my favorite animated movies as a child, Ferngully. Don't the colorful half petals remind you of the mushrooms on trees? It does to me and I could just imagine them in the world of Ferngully.

Amanda told me that she had been working on the bag for a while. I can see why. It is gorgeous and is lined with a tote bag interior. She made it with my frequent library visits in mind. It is definitely sturdy enough to carry quite a few books!

She also sent me three bags/containers of Japanese goodies. The first was a bag of Raspberry Adult Line Kit Kats. The taste of these Kit Kats are amazing! You can smell raspberries as soon as you open the individual packets. One of my coworkers was walking over to our break area and he said he could smell it across the room! The raspberry taste is sweet and tart, just what you would expect from a raspberry. I hope to try more flavors of Kit Kats this year. Maybe I can find an online shop who sells them for a reasonable price :)

The other goodies were a bag of soda flavored candies. Always a yummy treat! And a box of Lottie Chocolate Pies, which are actually small flaky biscuits filled with chocolate. The chocolate isn't too pronounced, it tastes more like cocoa powder you would add to baked goods. I tried these for the first time when I went to CA years ago. They are always a welcome addition in Amanda's packages to me.

I think Amanda can't resist sending me bunny related items much like I can't resist sending her panda related ones. This time she sent me a cute pair of learners' chopsticks with a bunny top, an adorable wooden bunny brooch, and the tiniest pair of carrot earrings I've ever seen! Both the brooch and earrings were made by the proprietor of Unicorn Crafts. I actually wore the brooch to work the day after I got her package......my coworker thought it was a pig?!?!?! LOL Poor little bunny mistaken for a piggy.

I also received a bunny plushie and a panda sticker :) So adorable!

Thank you for a wonderful package! I loved everything!

Until next time ^____^

Black and White Peppermint Brownies

I made these brownies this morning and let them cool before having my sister drizzle the top with melted white chocolate. My sister got a little too enthusiastic about pouring the M&Ms on top of the melted chocolate so it made cutting the brownies a challenge as I had M&Ms popping up everywhere. I was hoping to arrange them nicely on the brownies, but my sister took the bag away from me and said that I just had to have fun with it?!?!?! Hmmm.......crazy baker alert!

The recipe is from a recipe card from Target in their Christmas candy aisle this year. I used Betty Crocker's Supreme brownie mix and sugar cookie mix to make the brownies. White chocolate for the drizzle and Christmas sprinkles and peppermint M&Ms for the topping.

I am the only person in my family who likes peppermint chocolate desserts. My mother only eats them every once in a while and my sister absolutely detests peppermint chocolate in any form.

So luckily for me these brownies are going to work with me tomorrow to share with any of my coworkers who are still in the office and not taking the whole week off for the holidays.

Until next time ^____^

Super Mario Bullet Bill Amigurumi

Pattern: Bullet Bill by Ah! Creations
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft black, heather gray, and white
Hook: Size G
Notions: black and white felt
Start/Finish: 12/12 & 15/2014

For one of my coworkers this year I made a bullet bill from Super Mario as a Christmas gift. I had fun stitching the design. It can easily be made in a couple of hours.

I hope he likes it!

Until next time ^___^

JBW Snow Globe Pinkeep Finish!

Pattern: French Country Snow Globe by JBW Designs
Notions: white pearlized pins, reindeer fabric, and red braid
Finished: 12/11/2014

This was my gift to Constance this year for Christmas. I think she might have a small collection of JBW Design cross stitch finishes from me over the years/holidays. I was hoping to send her and her family a treat set from Harry and David as well, but sadly I got an email saying that the first item I ordered was out of stock and then when I chose a replacement item, it wouldn't be shipped until December 30. With all that said and done, I decided to cancel the order. It didn't help that they wanted an entire week to send me the first email to start with.....

I'm not sure if I'll even try to place an order with them next year or not. I might just do my usual package of goodies and send it to Constance and her family.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year, Constance and Jim!

Until next time ^__^