New Year

Wishing everyone a happy New Year!

Get Thee To The Store, Post Haste!

Good morning everyone! I hope you guys and girls enjoyed your holidays with your family and friends. Yesterday, we had Christmas breakfast, cooking courtesy of Aunt Snowbird, and then exchanged gifts with her family before heading back to our house to exchange gifts amongst ourselves.

The gift that stole the show was the Keurig coffee brewer that my mother had bought for my aunt and her husband as a combined gift. I ended up trying the hot chocolate (yum!), my uncle tried the apple cider, and my mother had one of the coffee varieties included with the brewer.

It is a great gift for anyone who just wants to enjoy a cup of coffee, one at a time, instead of constantly brewing a pot of coffee only to throw out the majority of it after only two cups. I'm quite glad I don't have one....I would be drinking hot chocolate all the time ;)

This morning I got up early to head to Target to buy some wrapping paper, bags, bows, and gift card holders for next year's Christmas. Between both households, we recycle gift bags constantly back and forth throughout the year for holidays and birthdays, but we actually ran low on gift bags this year so a trip to Target was in order. *I also had my eye on a set of Wilton baking tins.* >__<

I arrived at the store and wasn't really surprised to see a mass of people waiting outside the doors despite the dismal weather. I waited until the store opened before getting out of my car. Alas, no baking tins for me. Target had them all holiday season, a lovely set of mini loaf baking tins, and I was hoping to get them on sale after the holiday, but no luck there. I did, however, buy a cute set of star shaped Wilton baking tins.

Now I can understand buying armload of bags, bows, etc. for Christmas, especially if you are low on supplies for next year, but I really think that holiday sales make people into hoarders to a certain extent.

While in the front of the store in the candy/food gifts, I watched a lady grab armfuls of Reynolds aluminum foil off the shelf and put it in her cart. I think by the time she was done she had about 20 or 30 boxes of foil. You can't tell me she's going to use all that in a year unless she has a restaurant business of some sort. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and say maybe she'll give some of it away to other family members or a church pantry.

I can understand people stocking up on the plastic cups, napkins, and paper towel rolls as you can use those year around and most likely deplete your stock in a couple of months depending on how often you use those items, but aluminum foil?!?!?!

Has 'after holiday' sales made hoarders out of consumers? What do you think?

Until next time.

Happy Holidays

Wishing everyone a happy holiday! Be safe!

Panda package!

I came home tonight to find a package from my friend Amanda in CA. It was full of fun surprises!



I love how she packaged her gifts! I love the moose jar; it's so festive!

Did I mention the card?!?! O_o" ..... SUPER CUTE!!!!



She got me a book called Happily Ever After. I was actually looking at this book at the library a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't pick it up because I hadn't finished reading the Jim C. Hines series. I've got one book left in that series on my shelf. Once I'm done with that I'll be able to dive into this book of retellings of classic fairy tales!

I received a beautiful silver and turquoise wrap bracelet, a handmade ribbon brooch (*squeal*), and a felt cuff ;) Also included was a set of sewing-themed buttons for my crafting, an angel cross stitch kit, two small Sanrio notebooks, a bunny t-shirt, and a bunny couple bag!

I LOVE EVERYTHING!!!! >___<

I love how the moose contained all the small gifts! Also inside the moose was a set of mini liquor bottles (not pictured). My sister stole those away ;P

The bunny t-shirt has a bunny surrounded by a number of yummy sweets!

I can't wait to use the bunny bag! I have a number of totes that I use to carry things around or on my trips to the library. This is perfect and ever so cute! I plan on using the Sanrio notebooks. I keep a small notebook in my purse to take notes while at the bookstore or library. They are great for keeping track of titles I want to read/buy or topics to look up online :)

Thank you my dear friend for such great gifts! Love you! I wish you a great holiday with your family and friends!

Friendly Gathering

Hi! My friends and I got together this evening for our annual Christmas party. We exchanged gifts and had some fun conversations for several hours.

I took a few pictures of the gifts I received from my friends for Christmas.



From Candace: two artbooks, one on Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke and another on CLAMP's series X.

From Bonnie: a gorgeous teacup and saucer set for the month of June from the Victorian Trading Company. It has a beautiful rose design on it and the box is lined with satin fabric! She also bought me a chocolate brownie with peppermint icing that she had baked! Yummy :)

From Nicole: a cute Hello Kitty clip and some candy. It was boxed in a large pink Chinese takeout box! Cute ^___^

From Kristina: Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation book, a cross stitched bookmark with my name stitched in Japanese characters, and a tiny hot air balloon pin!



Steampunk, anyone? I love it. I'm definitely going to wear it to work tomorrow and show it off >___<

This year I got the following items for my friends:

For Candace: two books, Starting Point: 1979-1996 by Hayao Miyazaki and a cookbook of recipes for wok cooking

For Kristina: a Japanese language software CD, a cross stitch pattern of a Chinese girl, and a small water globe of a Japanese girl in a kimono.

For Bonnie: several manga books and an artbook. Unfortunately, she already had the artbook, but at least I bought it used in new condition so she'll be able to re-gift it to one of her friends :)

For Nicole: a gift card to Starbucks and some candy.

I had a lovely time with my friends. It is always fun to just sit down and chat about anything and everything.

Thanks for all the wonderful gifts and a great time!

Until next time ^____^

Rainy AL Package!

Morning everyone! On Saturday I had mailed off a package to my friend in CA for Christmas. I call it the rainy AL package as we are having the strangest weather lately. It's cold, it's warm, it's rainy......I think someone needs to tell weatherman that it is December!

This year I bought several books and a whole lot of little things for her package. I usually buy small gifts throughout the year that I think she'll like and I'll squirrel them away for her birthday or Christmas :P



Books:
1. Big Book of Crystal Beads
2. Vampire Empire: The Rift Walker by Susan and Clay Griffith
3. Heartless by Gail Carriger

In my Halloween package, I accidentally got her the third book in the Carriger series when she had read that already. I blame my overtaxed brain when in a bookstore. I grabbed the wrong volume off the shelf! LOL I made sure to get the right volume for her package this time >___<

I gave her the first volume of the Vampire Empire series in October and she liked it so I got her the second volume for Christmas. Who doesn't love a vampire who loves cats?!

I found the beading book at the bookstore while I was browsing through their craft section. My friend loves to make jewelry with crystals so I thought it would be perfect for her. I even saw a pattern that I thought would make a wicked brooch in there!



Small gifts:
1. Owl notepad
2. 'Crush' soap
3. Postcard tin
4. Hand painted porcelain Christmas ornament
5. Flower stationery set
6. Card making kit
7. Pocket word games book
8. Panda beanie hat
9. Strands of red crystal beads
10. Panda charm

Who doesn't need stationery and notepads? I always seem to get some sort of stationery item for her packages. I think we've outgrown our Sanrio phase, even though I will admit that I smile when I get one of her letters in the mail written on Sanrio stationery :P

My friend is a panda lover so the panda beanie hat was a must for her package. I found it at Target and thought it was perfect. Downside, it doesn't get cold where she lives in CA. LOL She'll have to take some skiing vacations!

I found the panda charm at Hobby Lobby. I know she doesn't bead with charms like that, but I thought maybe she could use it as a keychain decoration or something of that sort. In November, I went to the MR&GS and bought some strands of red crystal beads from a vendor there. Perfect for bracelets and jewelry for her family and friends for the Chinese New Year.

I bought the porcelain ornament at the Port City Craftsmen Christmas show this fall. It is hand painted and glazed by a lovely 87 year old lady who is in charge of the Bay Area Porcelain Artists group in Mobile. It is a beautiful art form and I'm glad that there are people continuing that type of artwork.

I thought my friend would love the 'Crush' soap. It has a great smell! I bought the word game book as something she could keep in her lab coat pocket at work. She could take it out and get a few games in while on break :)

I hope you loved your gifts! Have a great holiday with family and friends! Much love from rainy AL.

Oriental Christmas

Tomorrow night my friends and I are getting together for our annual Christmas party. Over the weekend, I wrapped all their presents and bought some candy for their tins.

I found these Oriental bags at World Market across the bay in the Eastern Shore Centre. I usually buy British candy and foodstuffs while at the World Market, but I ended up putting a good majority of it back on the shelves and decided to buy these bags to use for my friends' Christmas gifts instead :)

I ran by a local Asian market on Saturday and bought a bunch of different candies to go along with their gifts. There are some panda-shaped chocolate biscuits, Hi-chew candies, lychee cups, fruit jellies, and coconut flavored candies in their tins.

My friend Kristina is having her friend over for the party so I got her a gift card to Starbucks and filled a small bag from Hobby Lobby with chocolate candy. I didn't want her to feel left out of all the fun. I decided to go with normal candy for her bag as I'm not sure if she's into trying Asian sweets, which can be quite an experience >___<

Until next time ^_____^

Surprises!

This afternoon while having lunch, one of my coworkers came by and gave me a large Christmas bag! I wasn't expecting anything so it was quite a surprise.



He got me a hot cocoa set, a bar of dark chocolate, and a beautiful poinsettia pin to add to my collection!



Isn't it lovely? I don't have any Christmas flower pins in my collection so it is perfect!

Later in the day, I had a small package in my mail box from another coworker containing this little cutie:



How fun is that? I love it! It reminds me of Victorian Christmases.

I'm thankful for my coworkers, not for the gifts (though they were much appreciated), but because I work with a great group of individuals.

Until next time ^____^

Chocolate candy cane cupcakes

Good morning! We are having our annual Christmas lunch tomorrow at work. I decided that I would bake something for people to enjoy in the morning as they come into work. I scoured the Internet last night looking for a good recipe for chocolate cupcakes.

I came across one called chocolate candy cane cupcakes that adds crushed candy canes in the batter. Once the cupcakes cool, you frost them with Cool Whip and sprinkle crushed candy canes on top. The recipe yields about 30 cupcakes depending on how you fill the cupcake pan.

I wasn't planning on making cupcakes. I was actually thinking of making some sort of brownie or cookie batch. But my mother and I went by the Eastern Shore Centre across the bay yesterday afternoon and I saw a cupcake kit that changed my mind about making them immediately!



Isn't it lovely? The Nutcracker is by far my favorite ballet and I couldn't resist picking up two of these kits at Williams-Sonoma while I was browsing. I could easily spend alot of money that I don't need to when I walk in a Williams-Sonoma store and look at their baking section! I came away with two cupcake kits and two large lucky 'penny' chocolate bars :)

I have to wait until the cupcakes completely cool before topping them with Cool Whip and crushed peppermint. I won't put in the Nutcracker toppers until tomorrow morning after I get them to work :)

I'll have to remember to bring my camera to take pictures of the finished cupcakes!

Until next time ^_____^

Christmas Tree

Pictures of our Christmas tree at work. Just close-ups of the tree with origami amongst painted light bulbs and traditional ball ornaments.

The jackalope is guarding the presents! We've got pumpkins, tiger lilies, seahorses, and flying pigs on the tree! My coworker decorated the tree. I didn't realize that he was planning on using our origami creations as ornaments! >___< It's a good use of them, I suppose, considering the fact that we would have just recycled them eventually.

Until next time ^____^

Little Mermaid

For ballet lovers and fairy tale lovers in my audience, the PBS Arts Fall Festival is airing the Little Mermaid ballet tomorrow at 9pm ET. The San Francisco Ballet under the direction of John Neumeier will be dancing Andersen’s story with a musical score by Lera Auerbach.

I remember seeing a ballet performance of The Little Mermaid as a child in elementary school. There were two things I would have loved to do as a child growing up, learn ballet and piano. As an adult, even though I didn’t get a chance to do either of those things, they are still things that I enjoy.

Until next time!

The Master!

My coworker has been working on this fearsome creature during his lunch breaks this week. He used a large piece of scrap paper that was going to be recycled. This origami piece is a mighty Jackalope! It has pieces of wire in it at the bottom to support the weight of the top of the figure.

He stands at 2-1/2 feet! I definitely want to keep him in my office!

Until next time ^____^

I ♥ Japan

Good afternoon everyone! I've been doing some finishing and crafting this morning. I started off by adding a bit of applique to this canvas bag. I found the bag at Hobby Lobby for $2.50 and bought printable fusible web online for about $12.

Let me tell you that printable fusible web is tricky! It has a hard time printing correctly in a printer as the roller grabs it oddly because of the texture. Someone mentioned online that you should tape a normal sheet of paper to the other side of the fusible web paper and it will feed better. Hmm....I tried that and still had trouble. I'll have to see what other techniques are online for printable fusible web. Maybe you are suppose to use a long strip of tape on all sides of the papers?!

Anywho, I found a cute freebie for a heart popicle applique. I liked the heart design so much that I decided to use it instead of the whole thing. I chose some lovely Japanese flower fabric that I had in my stash to make the heart.

What do you think? Personally I love it! The bag is big enough for some library books or small enough to bring lunch and other goodies to work :) I'm not sure if I'll keep the bag.....it might end up as someone's Christmas gift!

Well, I'm off to enjoy what's left of the day. Reading while waiting between laundry loads. Fun times >___<

Until next time ^___^

Love and Joy Pinkeep

Design: Love and Joy by JBW Designs, JCS 2011
Fabric: 32ct cream Belfast Wichelt linen
Threads: DMC 817, 3053, and 3362
Start/Finish: 11/2/2011
Finished as pinkeep: 12/11/2011
Notions: red braid and white pearlized pins

A little plaid for Christmas

Design: Peace by Lizzie Kate, JCS 2003
Fabric: 28ct tea Monaco linen by Charles Craft
Threads: DMC 304, 310, 500, 3781, and 3820
Start/Finish: 11/1/2011
Finished as no-sew cube: 12/10/2011
Notions: foam cube, red pearlized heart pin, and plaid fabric

Egads! I didn't think when I started this project this afternoon that it would take me sooooooo long O_o"

Apparently, I can't make a decent bow to save my life. I was looking up videos online to get some help, but eventually gave up and went with a simple loop.

This is my first attempt at a cube finish. I think it's a fun way to finish a cross stitch design without resorting to a sewing machine, but I still need some practice :)

Hope you are having a fabulous weekend with your craft projects!

Until next time ^_____^

Christmas Forest

Christmas Houses

Yesterday, my friends and I went downtown to the annual Christmas Open House for two of Mobile's historic homes, the DAR House and Oakleigh.

Unfortunately, alot of my photos came out blurry due to the no-flash setting, but I'll show you what I did manage to get! Hopefully, my friend Bonnie was able to get better photos of the rest of the house. If so, I'll post those photos ^__^

The first house visited was the Richards DAR Museum House on Joachim St. It was built in 1860 and is a beautiful example of Italianate architecture.





In one of the bedrooms was a gorgeous example of a Victorian crazy quilt! I love the stitching between each of the pieces of fabric. It is quite amazing that this quilt has survived the generations.



This quilt was in another bedroom in the house. I'm not sure if it is an original crazy quilt or a modern reproduction as the info card did not mention it.

After seeing the DAR House, we went by Cream and Sugar, a lovely cafe/bakery in walking distance of Oakleigh.

I indulged in a drink I got last year when we stopped by after viewing the houses, the peanut butter conspiracy.

Here's our drinks and yummies!


Peanut butter conspiracy (mocha, peanut butter, and chocolate ice cream blended to perfection), hot chocolate, key lime and almond joy cake balls



Close up of the cake balls! Cream and Sugar is known in Mobile for their cake balls. I quite enjoyed the key lime, but the almond joy didn't really taste like the candy bar. Mostly chocolate and almonds :)



My friend Bonnie had white chocolate and a caramel cake ball! Yum!

After chatting for entirely too long (the shop closed and we didn't know it!) we went to see the candlelight tour of Oakleigh. All the pathways around the house were lit with real candles enclosed using hurricane lamp tops.

Sadly, alot of my photos from the house did not turn out well, but I was able to get one of the Oakleigh docents to pose for a photo. Her dress is gorgeous!



Overall, we had a great day. It wasn't cold like last year's tour. Hopefully we will get to go on this tour next year!

Until next time ^____^

A Blue, Blue Christmas

Design: Let It Snow by Country Cottage Needleworks (JCS 2008)
Thread: DMC 469, 869, 926, 3031, and B5200
Fabric: 28ct Quaker Rue Green
Started/Finished: 12/12-15/2010
Finished as pinkeep: 12/4/2011

This morning after returning from grocery shopping and doing a few loads of laundry, I got out my stash of finished patterns with the thought of 'finishing' a few of them. Out of my alarmingly large pile of patterns(!), I chose this one to finish as a pinkeep.

I used blue braided trim and white pearlized pins around the edges and a glittery snowflake fabric on the back.

I was hoping to finish a few more designs as pinkeeps, but I'm running low on trim and foam board. I'll have to stop by Hobby Lobby and get them to cut some foam board for me in various sizes as all I have now is large sizes.

I did get something accomplished despite the lack of materials, I took all my designs and did some ironing as they've been in my stash box for a year or more :*(

Until next time ^____^

Christmas Decorations

Hi, everyone! I hope you guys had a lovely Thanksgiving with your loved ones. We had a good Thanksgiving with lots of yummy food and good company.

We decorated for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. I got up early and put up the tree and then waited to put on the ornaments and lights until later in the day. My family and I went to the Rock and Gem Show at the fairgrounds that afternoon. It was quite fun. I usually buy quite a few brooches while I'm there from a lady out of GA, but I didn't see anything that really caught my eye this time.

Here's a few pictures of our decorations once we finished putting everything up in our living room.



I put a white pitcher with some poinsettias, a basket with pillows, and a ornament jar on the chest of drawers in our living room.

The basket is the perfect size for small pillows. I found it at Hobby Lobby and thought it would be great to display my cross stitch pillows. When I went through my stash of pillows, I noticed that I only had THREE Christmas pillows?!?!?! What to do with the space at the end of the basket? Well, we had some extra floral picks in our Christmas decoration boxes so I cut those down and put them at the ends of the basket.

The plastic jar was actually a candy container that some one had given my mother last year as a gift. I saved it with the idea of using it as a Christmas decoration of some sort. I went to Joann's Fabrics and bought about $8 worth of mini ornaments and lined them up in the jar. Viola! a cute display :)



Our display on the mantel place. We haven't put up the wreath above the fireplace yet as it requires a large ladder and some fishing wire O_o"



Our Christmas tree with a few presents underneath. I wrapped a few of my gifts on the day after Thanksgiving and put them under the tree so it wouldn't look so lonely!



Our cat Bella. No, she isn't an ornament, but you might think she is! She's taken to sleeping under the tree on the skirt. She really wasn't a fan of my camera flashing at her to take this picture :)

Until next time ^____^

November Recap

Recap:

Read:
1. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
2. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
3. Guardian of the Horizon by Elizabeth Peters
4. The Last Unicorn graphic novel by Peter Beagle and Renae De Liz
5. To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel by Siena Cherson Siegel
6. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
7. Nicholas by Goscinny & Sempe
8. The Twilight Saga: Illustrated Guide by Stephanie Meyer
9. The Mermaid's Madness by Jim C. Hines
10. Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden

Stitched:
1. Peace by Lizze Kate
2. Love and Joy by JBW Designs
3. Fresh Fallen Snow by Little House Needleworks
4. Merry Christmas by Country Cottage Needleworks
5. Merry and Bright by Country Cottage Needleworks
6. 'Tis Red by La-D-Da
7. C'est Noel by The Sampler Girl
8. Frosty in the Firs by Blue Ribbon Designs
9. English Plum Pudding by JBW Designs

Crafts:
1. Christmas ornament display in jar

A busy month for stitching and reading. I think out of all the books I read last month, the one that I was utterly disappointed in was Nothing Daunted by Dorothy Wickenden. The book is based on a series of letters from Ms. Wickenden's grandmother Dorothy Woodruff while she was in Elkhead, Co. in the early 20th century as a school teacher along with her best friend, Rosamond Underwood.

The novel was highly spoken of by NPR and other sources. I must say that I'm quite glad that I didn't buy the book when it came out and that I waited until it was at my local library to check out. The author's premise of two society girls facing the challenges of 'rough' living and educating poor children against societal mores of the age was a bit farcical when by the end of a year both girls go on to marry and have children as society would expect of women during that time period. Not to mention the fact that they weren't really 'roughing' it out in the West due to their families' wealth, which set them up with room and board with a local lady who lived near the town.

While I don't recommend the book, if you really want to read it, do yourself a favor and check it out from your local library!

Until next time ^_____^

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend with family and friends before Turkey Day later on this week :)

I've taken the week off from work so I'm enjoying the weekend before doing housework tomorrow. I've been surfing the web for gift ideas for family and friends and reading a pile of books from the library.

Have a great Thanksgiving! Be safe everyone!

Until next time ^____^

Inside Out and Back Again

While at the library this morning, I ran across this book in the children's section. I never limit myself to literature written only for adults as I find that children's books are a great way to relax and enjoy yourself.

Inside Out & Back Again is a brilliant book written in narrative poetry by Thanhha Lai. It tells the story of ten year old Hà and her experiences in 1975 with leaving Vietnam with her family, moving to America, and being sponsored by a family in Alabama.

This book, while sad and poignant at times, was a joy to read. Hà's experiences with learning to adjust to life in America are memorable from her trouble with English grammar and speech, 'Whoever invented English must have loved snakes,' to her mishaps in American culture by wearing a dress to school only to find out that it is actually a nightgown.

I found Mrs. Lai's book to be a wonderful use of narrative prose. Flowing from page to page, from war torn Vietnam to peaceful Alabama, telling a story that will surely resonant with many generations.

I definitely recommend this book. It can easily be read in less than an hour and is well worth the time.

Until next time ^___^

Plum Pudding Anyone?

Design: English Plum Pudding by JBW Designs
Fabric: 32ct cream Belfast Zweigart
Threads: DMC 520, 898, and blanc
Start/Finish: 11/16 & 18/2011

C'est Noel

Design: C'est Noel freebie by The Sampler Girl
Fabric: 28ct glass blue Monaco by Charles Craft
Threads: DMC blanc
Start/Finish: 11/13/2011

I stitched up this design late this afternoon and into the evening. I watched several movies while stitching it, part of Little Women, The Young Victoria, and part of The Princess and the Frog on TV. I put the finishing stitches on it while watching Once Upon A Time. I love Robert Carlyle as Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold, don't you?

Until next time ^____^

Woodland Snowman

Design: Frosty in the Firs by Blue Ribbon Designs, JCS 2011
Fabric: 32ct lambswool Wichelt
Threads: DMC 310, 433, 500, 505, 815, 3820, and blanc
Start/Finish: 11/12-13/2011

Snail mail surprises!

Hi, everyone! This week I've had an allergy cold courtesy of our lab Sam. I've finally gotten over it with the aid of meds and some rest. I went this morning to the library and the bookstore.

I came home to do some more loads of laundry. I answered the door this afternoon to find a large package from my friend in CA on the porch. I knew she was sending me a tin of cookies, but I wasn't expecting such a large box!

Here are the surprises via snail mail:


Unwrapped packages!


Closeup of autumn ribbon :) I'm keeping it to use for finishes in the future >__<


Unwrapped packages! *squeal* A tinful of cookies, which I transferred to a bowl so you could see them all, an Overwrap (very, very soft and warm!), and baking cups!


OMG! A set of baking cups with a caroling/sleighing bunny and mouse :)


A bowlful of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!


Closeup of cookie goodness!

The cookies are AMAZING! They have pumpkin pie spice in them, which smells and tastes heavenly!

We tried an experiment with mailing the cookies. I thought maybe if you put an apple slice or two in the tin with the cookies they wouldn't get hard. My friend put two slices on top of the wax paper in the tin before sealing it up. Yes, it kept the cookies from getting hard, but it also soaked into the first layer of cookies! LOL Which wasn't bad, but quite funny. I think maybe the apple slices needed to be in a shallow dish or container so they wouldn't get into the cookies.

Despite all that, they are FANTASTIC! I'll have to steal the recipe :)

Thank you, darling, for the Thanksgiving package of goodies! I'm off to snuggle in the Overwrap, eat some cookies, and look through patterns to cross stitch :)

Until next time ^____^