I really am sorry.

No, really.  I have a some good excuses, I swear!  2009 was the worst year of my life, but 2010 is a good number for a new beginning, right?  I'm trying to do some evaluation, reorganization, and re-prioritizing of life right now...

Anyway, I'm catching up here now!

Here's some things I made for Xmas:

Mug Cozy for Mom
Knit in KP Main Line from a Knitpicks kit


Stocking for Rhiannon
Commission by her grandparents- knit in Lamb's Pride from a Mason-Dixon pattern.  “Rhiannon” BARELY fit. I lined the stocking with polarfleece so the fair isle wouldn’t get messed up with use…


Also, I did start doing that tumblr thing a bit- check it out if you have a chance...

Bits & Bobs

Here's what I've been up to lately...

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Trying out for dream jobs...

Sketches and miniature display for a Display Coordiator job at Anthropologie... I didn't get it :( But I can use the display at home for spring!

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Playing with dolls...

In the dollhouse I just finished making! I'll post more/better pics when I get some furniture done. By the by, these dollies still need names. I'm thinking of "Wren" for the Petite Blythe (2nd one)...

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Making crazy posters.

Poster I made for my friend Todd's movie (his design).

Xmas Sigh...

Well, it's over... and we're finally home!

Here are the last of the Xmas pics (I hope)...

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Jamie's present... a bookbag/accessory set- not quite as good as the gift she gave us- she took Chris & I to Of Montreal, which was for sure added to the Top 5 shows of all time for me. The image set I used was from the lovely Danielle Thompson, here.

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Xmas candy gifts, 'cause we be poor. And it wouldn't be Christmas without me trying to throw my back out over ridiculously involved food gifts... There is peppermint bark, fudge, peanut butter balls, and spiced nuts in there. Cute Martha packaging from Michael's.

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Cranberry Orange Vodka

I'm big on the food gifts... surprise...

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Table set for Xmas brunch for my fam. My new tablecloth is so freaking adorable that I want to leave it out year-round! I suppose I feel that way about all our holiday decorations, though. The Roseville castle has been leaving their lights on year-round... maybe I should join in...

It's beginning to look a lot like...

...sweetness.

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Invites to my fam for a Holiday brunch... made with Martha Stewart stamps- on my new (repro) Christmas tablecloth... I'll post another pic of it, I'm sure.

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Our outdoor wreath... it's very sparkly. I bought the base wreath (which is glittery and has pinecones and dried leafy stuff) and put silver sparkly leafy stuff in it... Here's a pic you can see it better in:

Yes, White Kitty is trying to eat it.

I leave it up all winter, since it's not strictly "Christmas-y".

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Our indoor wreath. Hmmm... as I look at it now it doesn't seem terrible Christmas-y either. Maybe I should leave it up all year! I made it years ago, with a grapevine base, moss, sparkly fruit, leaves, berries, and glitter.

Both wreaths have a Labyrinth-y (as in the movie) look to me... natural, mossy, glittery... sigh.

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We don't have a mantle/fireplace, so I started using our new (to us-thanks D&K!) entertainment center as such.

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My Grandma gave me this a couple weeks ago... it's been up at her house every Christmas for as long as I can remember and I love it sooooooo very much. I'd hug it if it were more cuddly.

I lucked out! I was explaining to her how Ebay works & told her I had been looking for a tree like that one there, and she said something along the lines of "that thing? You can have that! Take it home today!". Yaaaaaaaaaay.

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This is a cardboard ornament I just finished painting... I made a hole in the bottom so you can poke a tree light though to make it light up. There are more handmade ornaments a couple posts down...

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The whole tree. Sorry it's not a great view, but honestly, it's shoved between three pieces of furniture, and I just couldn't get a good shot. You get the idea, anyway, right?

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Next up, I'll be posting more X-mas stuffs... all along the Swedish theme! Yaaaaaaaaay Sweden! Uh, you'll see.

Craft Night!

Well, Craft Night was last weekend, but I haven't had a chance to upload the pics until now... It was Holiday themed, to get a head start and all that... Anyway, it was definitely the most productive one ever- most of the time we had ended up just hanging out, which is fine, but you know, less productive.

See, boys can come too! Chris is always looking for buddies to avoid the crafting. But these boys wanted to craft, too! In your face, Chris! Uh, I love you.

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We started with making some paper ornaments:

That one's mine- I made it ahead of time.

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This one is Jamie's.

Chris forgot to take a pic of Kathryn's, but I will add it later if I can get one...

I got the instructions from Heather Bailey ("Paper Globes" under "Free Patterns"). They're super easy- I highly recommend. I've seen them done with different edging, too... something to try later.

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Then we made clothespin dolls... I got the idea from Allsorts here (there are non-holiday Allsorts ones here, and a whole flickr group of different ones here). I bought the supplies ahead of time and glued together the three main pieces so they would be ready to paint.

Jamie's!

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Mine (I didn't finish until everyone left, though)

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Natalie v. Bob!

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Doug v. Kathryn!

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As you can see, much fun was had by all. There are few more more pics here. I hope to get another Craft Night together soon, and I have some more holiday crafts to post! Soon...

Autumn Happiness

Kathryn's birthday is today & these were her presents:

Vintage Salt & Pepper Shakers

(She collects shakers)

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Acorn Earrings

(I might have to make myself a pair of these, too!)

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I suppose you can tell I'm in a Autumn-y mood...

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Here's my Thanksgiving tree:

I actually put it out in September, sans turkey ornaments, but the Halloween tree goes up in between...)

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The Porch:

I have a thing for acorns.

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I also must add how very happy I am... I'm so proud of our country today- there will be so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! Huzzah! <Picture me doing the Snoopy dance>

It is a bittersweet victory, though... I'm proud of the US, but disappointed by my love, California. Prop 8, people? Really? I suppose we're made huge strides lately towards erasing bigotry, but it looks like we've got a lot more work to do, and soon.

Maude!

Here's my costume:

Don't know who I am? Don't worry, no one else did either...

Maude! As in Harold & Maude, if it's been awhile. I carried the DVD in my pocket... I really didn't expect anyone to recognize me. One person actually guessed it, but really I blame Chris for not being my Harold. He's a pooper. Of the party variety. There are more pics of other peeps costumes here... some are out of control cute... I'm looking at you, Panda with Baby Panda.

Hallowe'en!!!

I loooooove Hallowe'en... it's my favorite holiday, really, even though that is based more on childhood memories than actual current celebrations. My fondest memories of childhood always include Hallowe'en: roaming the streets in a pack of kids (after dark!), getting to dress up as a fairy princess in public, pillowcases filled near to the top with way too much candy to ever finish... Kids don't get to do all this much anymore- it seems that the majority end up at parties, school functions, etc., which I'm sure is fun too... but it couldn't possibly be as fun. Or maybe I'm just suffering from nostalgia overload.

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Believe it or not, I didn't finish all the decorating I wanted.

Hallowe'en Tree.

Yes, I have a tree for pretty much every holiday.

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Bat & pumpkins knitted this year.

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Candy Bucket.

I made this last year to hang on our door after we went out.

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I'd decorate the whole house if I could, but my laziness always wins out in the end.

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Close-up of the wreath.

I made it with a cheap grapevine wreath, a black feather boa and a fake crow from the craft store.

I like white pumpkins... they're like the ghosts of orange pumpkins, and therefore scarier. Right?

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I will hopefully have pics of my costume after Friday... not of Chris's though, as he is a big party pooper and never dresses up.

White Pumpkins

More for Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee'en!

Knit with Patons Classic Merino. Pattern here.

I had some major problems with the pattern... for the life of me, I have no idea why I had to knit all of the seperate sections of the pumpkin (and then seam them!) when the pumpkin shaping is made entirely in the felting process. Bah.

It’s a very cute pattern, though… just go ahead and knit it in the round!

Mods: I altered the smaller pumpkin to make it even smaller & altered the stem piece on the larger one to make it bigger. I added a leaf to the top of the larger pumpkin.

I'm working on something...

This is the first garment I've ever sewed... not counting the shorts and apron I made in my 8th grade Home Ec class (mostly because I can't remember a thing about them or the class other than they existed). It's a secret until I finish...

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And a Happy Mama's day to all the mama's out there... We had ours over for brunch yesterday:

I can post this Strata recipe if anyone's interested...

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UPDATE!

Ham & Asparagus Breakfast or Brunch Strata

1 1/2 lbs. Ham (ham steak, not lunchmeat ham, eeew), cubed (you could place this with more veggies for a vegetarian version)

olive oil

1 cup asparagus, cut into 1" pieces

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 cup onion, chopped

6 large eggs, beaten

2 cup 2% milk

2 loaves ciabatta bread, sliced (about 1/2" thick) & crusts removed

2 cups gruyere and/or swiss cheese, shredded

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Saute the asparagus, mushooms & onions in olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) until tender. Mix in the ham.

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Combine the milk and eggs together, mix well.

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Oil a 2 1/2 quart baking dish and place a layer of bread in it. Top with half the veggie/ham mixture and a layer of cheese. Repeat with another layer of bread, mixture & cheese. Cover with a third layer of bread. Pour the egg & milk mixture slowly over the top, making sure to moisten all of the dish. Sprinkle generously with cheese. Refrigerate for at least an hour- I let mine sit overnight (up to 24 hours).

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Preheat your oven to 350F and bake one hour (until browned and bubbly). Tip: I like to put a baking sheet underneath the rack in the oven to catch any drips.

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Enjoy!