Holiday Snippets

 

 

It came and it went. Every year the anticipation for Christmas to arrive builds and builds and then on Christmas Eve i have to take a deep breath and make sure i enjoy the time that will be spent with family, because i know it will go by so quickly. And it's a bit intense sometimes hopping from gathering to gathering in so few days. I savor the quieter moments spent doing something a little special and out of the ordinary...the Christmas Eve cheese fondue supper, an adventure walk in the woods, settling down to learn a new game, and noticing the outdoors. Taking the time to ponder what has been and what may lie ahead in the New Year. And that is nearly upon us!

Snowy Walk

 

I almost got way too caught up in the hectic pace of Christmas happenings last week. And then Sunday came. The temperature was moderately warm for this time of the year and big chunky snowflakes were falling from the sky. I realized we had hardly stepped foot outdoors in the past 4 days and it was time to take a break from it all and head out into the woods. It was just what we needed, just in time.

Art and newfangled craft

 I'm participating in an Art and Craft Sale and Show this weekend with three other talented women. It promises to be a cozy and fun event. Each artist participating in this years Fa*la*la show will be selling wares that are unique unto themselves. I can vouch for these ladies because i own a piece (or more) from each of them:

 Marathon 1981 came to my attention last year when it seemed i started to see her plushies everywhere! She creates completely original, whimsical, one-of-a-kind kooky characters with personalities. I took this little dudette home with me one day for my daughter (okay, it was really for me--O. thinks it's scary)

She hangs out on the couch a lot with our cat Franny looking a tad perturbed. But mostly they get along.

 Dawn Chaput is a raku pottery fire-er extraordinaire (i should know, i've taken a class or two with her), and she also makes beautiful and organic hand-built vessels, cups, bowls, and wall hangings. I've been trading and collecting pieces from and with her for a few years  now.

I've known Ms. Melanie Wesley for some time now and she always manages to surprise me with some new artistic skill she's picked up or project she's been working on. She's a top-notch seamstress and clothing designer (including earrings, necklaces, and other bodily adornments), she can knit up a storm, and has more recently taken up painting. It was about time she got herself a studio (aka The Stitchery), which will be the very place this sale is going to be held. I've always found other artists studios to be an inspiration and hers is no exception. If for no other reason, come visit her cozy studio done up in her vintage modern clashy (and classy) style.

 

This is one of two wall hangings i have of Mel's. Her attention to detail is incredible!

I think it's safe to say that Melanie has nearly achieved rock star status with her infamous bunnies. They're just so freaking adorable. I believe she's been working on a fresh batch for the show, as well as a simpler version, stuffed with lavender.  If you'd like to see more of the wonders she has created, just check out her website.

And then there is moi. I'm just wrapping up close to 30 small 6x6 inch paintings for the sale. There will also be postcards and christmas cards. I will leave you with a few teasers. Hopefully you have been enticed to come to the show this Saturday!

December Countdown

Over the past few weeks, O. has been asking me what day it is, what we are doing, and when it’s going to be Christmas. There have been Christmas decorations out (seemingly earlier than ever) in any store you go to, and it’s hard to explain to her that Christmas is still a looooooong time away. At least in toddler-land. She still doesn’t quite grasp the concept of weeks and months and she’s just starting to understand that there are different days of the week. Yesterday marked the first day of December, and so we made our own advent calendar to help us count down the days until Christmas.

It's our first official decoration we've put up and i'm trying to think up little treats to stick into every numbered pocket. I don't really want to have to go out and buy things to stick in them, so i've been finding little things around the house...a few dried cranberries tied in a wee bag, some felt in the shape of a christmas tree...i've still got some thinking to do. There are still a lot of days to fill.

 

I knew those toilet paper rolls I'd been saving would find a use!

Three

It was someone’s birthday around here not to long ago. It gave me an excuse to pull out all of those crafty ideas i’d been keeping a list of on my desktop. Things aren’t a lot of work when they’re fun, you know. Like the embellishment of the chandelier in our dining room (It was what made me decide that the theme of the birthday should be stars).

And like these super fun crowns i made for the guests, and of course the birthday girl.

And the bunting i got to re-use from last years birthday party.

And the wands we made in our magical 3rd floor forest (aka a few branches strewn with x-mas lights).

The cake was something i forgot to photograph. It’s just as well. The season is dark and the flash on my camera isn’t working. It was a flourless chocolate black bean cake from this website. I served it with whipped cream, and of course star sprinkles. I assume because the room feel silent after serving the cake that the girls liked it. Satisfaction. The recipe is a keeper.

Toddler parties are something else i tell ya. And we had a full three days of partying. Phew!

In the sewing room

(aka my dining room)

 Fall is a season of birthdays in my life, and consequently, there have been some births as well!  I decided to pull together my meager sewing skills to see what i could come up with. I found the pattern for these simple baby rattles in Lotta Jansdottir's book Simple Sewing for Babies. Some of the newborns in my life will be receiving one of these:

Our neighbor's son turned one last month, so i whipped up some small beanbags i found on The Artful Parent blog:

These were super easy and quick to make!

And finally...a halloween costume!!
These days you can buy some pretty cute, warm halloween costumes for kids. But they're not exactly cheap. I'm always much more impressed with handmade costumes and so I've sworn myself off the buying of costumes. Especially when it comes to my daughter. I was inspired by the wings shown on this website. Olive loves watching this video by Elizabeth Mitchell so i thought dressing up as a bird would be perfect for her! I kinda ended up with my own version of the wings, and admittedly, they need tweaking. They need to be made stiffer or something. Or else O. needs to grow just a little bigger so that the wings don't flop over when she wears them.

Here's how they turned out:

She wore them to a play group we attend. I think she might have been the only one wearing a handmade costume! Anyhow, the wings were only worn for about two minutes before she decided to take them off. Maybe after i fix them a little she'll decide to wear them more.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule 

Three new works

I've been busy. Every year around this time calls come out for submissions to the Art From the Heart Art Sale and Show. It's a great annual event with submissions from such a diverse group of artists. There are amateur and professional artists, artists with different ethnic backgrounds and those with or without mental and/or physical disabilities. The only common denominator with this group is either being in a lower income bracket, and/or living in the inner city. It's such a fringe-y group and i love to be a part of it.

Preservation

Spoon Collection

GMO, Irradiation and Hybridization

These are my three submissions for the year. The great thing about this show is, well, the showcasing of underrepresented artists, and that (usually) all of the artwork is for sale! It's a good place to get yourself some new art. Also, 100% of the sales go to the artists! Art From the Heart has recently updated their website so that if you are interested in an artist's work, you can look them up in their directory and see what type of artwork they make, with the option to contact them.

The deets for the show are as follows:

Art From the Heart Show and Sale
November 18  7-9pm
November 19 10:30-3:00
M.E.R.C 4:30 Langside
Free Admission/donation
Cash sales preferred

I'll be there!

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule 

Alternatives

Thank goodness for alternatives. I love that there is usually more than one way to do things. In the mathematical department (so i've heard), there is more than one way to solve a problem. Can't go running because your joints bother you? Start swimming. Can't eat gluten, dairy, or eggs? In the kitchen, there are still alternatives that make baking possible. I'm sure there are much more creative examples i could have come up with, but this last one pertains to me in particular.

I've been on a detox diet now for over a month. It was prompted by a visit to my naturopath and i've been on a road of exploration and discovery in the kitchen (especially in the baking department) since then. There is something about biting into a piece of freshly baked something or other that is unlike anything else. And when you are used to using gluten based flours as your primary ingredient in baking, you kind of have to relearn everything you know about baking.Thanks to the world wide web, and avid alternative flour experimenters, i have gained access to a plethora of gluten, dairy and egg free recipes, for free! I'm not going to get into the politics of eating gluten and dairy free, but eating this way has definitely improved my general well-being, and i wanted to share some of the treats i've been making for myself.

Almond Thyme crackers were my first endeavor. I found the recipe on this website.

It's nice to have something you can snack on now and then since almost everything else in the munchies category from the grocery store is on the "no" list.

It's fall out here right now and somehow eating muffins feels like a fall-ish kind of thing to do. I forget where i found this recipe for teff-carrot muffins. One of these heated up with a pat of coconut oil? yum. (coconut oil is my alternative to butter).

And my most favorite baked treat so far...

These sweet buckwheat cinnamon rolls from the Making Love in the Kitchen blog. I hadn't really had anything sweet for sooo long and these were like heaven. Instead of using brown sugar, this recipe calls for coconut crystals/sugar which apparently has a lower Glycemic index than sugar. Definitely not the same as eating a fluffy wheat (and butter) based cinnamon bun, but tasty none the less.

Let's hear it for alternatives!