my new mitts

I made myself a Christmas present over the past few days.
I was craving a simple project to keep my hands busy and one that I could start
and complete quickly.

I made Ysolda's Garter Stitch mitts
They are made with Blue Sky Alpaca Melange which is 100% baby alpaca so incredibly soft
Color 807

I am so in love with the color chartreuse at the moment. A color that can look exquisite with so many of my coats.
I can see it with the red, black and blue one for sure and look it even looks nice with my new tights I got for Christmas.

miss molly mae

miss molly mae mae mae
all dressed in gray gray gray
with long black stripes stripes stripes
all down her back back back
and a white tummy
and some white paws
and a little pink nose
and some pink paws
and pointy ears
and sharp sharp claws and whiskers too
and green eyes
and a long long tail...

a silly song i used to sing and have now been singing in my head

molly - 1996-2008
may you rest in peace

we had to put our cat to sleep 3 days ago
i didn't want to mention it before christmas
it was for the best as she was suffering and has never been a healthy cat
still it is sad
she was a very pretty cat

some of these are old and some of these are new

Some of these are old and some of these are new. They are a few of my favorite ornaments.
I really love the Jennifer Murphy bird and my vintage angels. Also, pink glass ornaments are so special to me. I have to put those on the mantle tree so the little ones don't get to them.




The snowflake was crocheted by my Nana and my Aunt Lillian gave me five of them last week. I don't think she expected my reaction. I have always loved them and when I used to decorate my parents tree they were always my favorite and I did them last.My Mom still has hers and up until now I never had one so I feel blessed and now can have a part of her to share on Christmas with my family.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

origami wreaths

Here is a small project that doesn't take much time and has such a pretty result.
Just right for the end of the day or when you don't have much time but, feel like making something anyway.
I found the tutorial here but, found 6 pieces of paper to work better for me then 8. And, for the origami shy this is really easy.
Hope you have fun making them. I find it very relaxing which is so good right about now with all the rush and bustle of the holidays.

a bunny

Ms. S is fond of bunnies and we often see them in our backyard.

Stitched muslin, crochet lace, millinery flowers, embroidery floss and buttons. Some of my favorite things.

a 'little red' lovey blanket

This is the hand stitching project I alluded to before. It's a lovey for Ms. S. It is stitched on organic cotton flannel and I used wool felt and embroidery floss to create this Little Red Riding Hood scene. The imagery is heavily borrowed from Japanese craft books.

If you are unfamiliar with lovies -they are a little blanket that the Mom sleeps with for a few nights and then it is given to the baby so that they can have their Mama's scent nearby. It's like a little security blanket. So, I am a little late on this one but, not too late.

I like the symbolism of Little Red venturing out on her own like Ms. S will do one day and the adventures she will meet along the way.

To finish I blanket stitched another piece of the organic flannel to the back. I will wrap it for her for Christmas day.

gingerbread mobile and cookies

We made some gingerbread cookies on Sunday.

I had remembered a Martha Stewart spread from last year that I liked where she had made a gingerbread mobile. Here it is.
So, I made one too but, much less elaborate.



I had thought that they were hardened enough after a few hours of cooling to make the mobile but, I realize now I should have waited a few days as sadly all the angels have now fallen and suffered a rather untimely death. Currently their heads are hanging and it looks very silly so I need to fix that pronto.

Here are some other cute little cookies.



Oh, and they are really yummy too. The recipe is from here.