Earlier this month, I celebrated my birthday. Well, to be fair, there wasn’t much celebration going on. Through a series of slightly idiotic scheduling choices, I got my wisdom teeth out a few days before my birthday. I think this upset the people around me more than it did me actually. My husband came home with two cartons of ice cream that night, and we sat at the kitchen table eating ice cream right out of the container. Really, who needs more indulgence than that?
But now that I’m back and feeling better, we headed to Disneyland this past weekend — to do it up right. There were balloons, a black forest cupcake (which tasted as good as it looks), and a whole day of escape. I always feel a little guilty talking about Disneyland. We’re so close, we’re spoiled. I hope that wherever you are there is some magic spot you can escape to that makes you feel like a kid again. There is something so freeing about letting your sense of amazement loose.
Wishing you all a merry week! I will be back soon with a very special project that Kelly and I have been working on. Can’t wait to share!
Filed under Friends & Family, Holidays, Travels Near & Far.
Tagged with birthday, black forest cupcake, Disneyland.
[Photo by my husband, Maui sunset November 2011]
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone. I’m enjoying a day of simple pleasures. I hope you are doing the same. When we were kids, Mom used to make Valentine’s Day chocolate chip cookies in the shape of hearts for Dad. I think that’s why I’ve always thought that Valentine’s Day should be celebrated with a special dessert. I’m about to get started on our chocolate mousse. I’ve linked to this one before, but here is my favorite (and extremely easy) mousse-for-two recipe.
Wishing you a happy day!
“The world has little to bestow where two fond hearts in equal love are joined.” — Anna Laetitia Barbauld
Filed under Holidays, Inspiration.
Tagged with favorite chocolate mousse recipe.
By Kelly
February 14, 2011
I have been brainstorming some new Valentine’s Day projects over here, and it made me nostalgic for some of the Valentine’s Day “Classics.” I wanted to round up all of my favorite tutorials and DIY projects in one quick post. Who knows? Maybe you’ll spot something you missed back in 2006. (Ok, not all of them are that old.)
I struggle a bit with Valentine’s Day project-making. In our house, deciding NOT to make the heart-shaped glitter banner is probably the better gift. You know what I mean? Making glitter-covered, ruffled paper, doily-shaped projects is really all about me. So I make the chocolate mousse and a nice dinner for him and have stopped pretending that anything assembled with thread, felt, and/or a glue stick is anything more than my entertainment for the afternoon. (But what great entertainment it is!)
The Classics:
1) Printable Valentine teabag from Creature Comforts
2) Valentine’s Day Banner from angry chicken
3) Fabric Postcards from Sew Mama Sew
4) Fabric Fortune Cookies via let’s go fly a kite (a fabulous twist on the Martha Stewart felt version)
5) DIY Valentine Fruit Stickers from Twig & Thistle
Bonus: Free Valentine’s Day madlibs (my free download project from last year, maybe not a “classic” – but special to me nonetheless)
Any favorites you would add?
1)
Filed under Holidays, Inspiration, Tutorials & Downloads.
Tagged with DIY projects, free downloadble valentine, madlib, tutorials, Valentine's Day.
By Kelly
February 2, 2011
Welcome, January! I don’t know about you, but I am ready to get started on 2011. I have a new sparkle squirrel for my desk and everything.
Did you have a nice holiday?
We celebrated Christmas with our families and then drove to Las Vegas with my parents for a few days. We have only been home for a couple of days so the house (and my desk) is in a weird state right now. I’ve got scraps of paper here with New Year’s goals, project schedules, and bills all mixed up with ornaments to be put away and one very large-scale Christmas project that wasn’t quite finished. However, I’m in such a good mood anyway. I love the energy that comes with January. This year is going to be packed. I’m working on scheduling out some big projects, and I am at my happiest here in the planning stage. (You’re going to remind me about my happy good mood in a month when I move into the “doing” stage, right?)
Today, I looked back on my Cozy List post from November and realized that I didn’t get to do all the things on my list yet. (I didn’t make a prime rib or host a holiday party or even make cinnamon ice cream.) The good news is that I have some new fabrics (velveteen, yay) and a new cookbook to test out so a January Cozy list may be in order.
I promise to put the ornaments away first. Maybe.
Filed under Holidays, Organization.
Tagged with new year.
I hope you know that I wouldn’t dare post a Christmas project 3 days before Christmas unless it was really, really quick and simple. However, I absolutely promise – this one is both. If you’re short a Christmas stocking — or even if you have a whole family of stockings you need to make, these go together so smoothly I think you will still have time to bake Santa some cookies.
My friend, Russel Scott Conte, who teaches several of the classes I’ve been taking has a genius method for sewing up Christmas stockings. The stocking requires only one seam (two if you decide to go crazy and top-stitch the cuff). Russell has a really nice video tutorial of this project up on his web-site. Even if you don’t want to make the stocking, you might want to go watch the video anyway. When you see how this stocking goes together, I know it will inspire you. Plus, how cool are his glasses?
As a little holiday present, we decided to team up to put together a cheat sheet and template for the stocking. Click here to download the Christmas Stocking tutorial (PDF).
This guy has so many tricks up his sleeve. I know we’ll be hearing more from him in 2011. Merry Christmas!
XOXO, Kelly
Filed under Fabric & Sewing, Holidays, I Made This, Tutorials & Downloads.
Tagged with Christmas stocking tutorial, DIY stocking, free PDF, last minute Christmas stocking, sewing.
By Kelly
December 23, 2010
