Holiday Bunting in the shop

I've listed some Christmas bunting in my shop - isn't it cute? I love using thin strips of fabric for patchwork, and it was fun making something for the holidays - I'm already excited for Christmas and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet!

I want to make more of these and put them across all the doors in our house (there aren't many doors, so it shouldn't take too long). Just a little splash of holiday color. :)

Doesn't Titus look sweet under the bunting? I love this shot, and it was actually an accident. Sweet little guy.

Photo perfection (if I may say so myself...)

Today I used my dad's Nikon DX to snap these photos of items for my shop, and let me just say: WOW. That is one nice piece of equipment. I had no idea that a better camera could take such higher-quality pictures. This first one is the newest set of coasters I've just listed.

Here are a few Christmas ornaments. I am already getting excited for Christmas - is that crazy? We're hoping to make more gifts this year, which means getting a move on right now! It also means that I'm hoping to have some more Christmas items listed in the shop soon. And I think I will be taking their pictures with my dad's camera. And maybe saving my pennies for one of my own...

Birthday Party

Last Saturday we had Moses' 4 year old birthday party and it was a big success. The night before Brett and I made 24 "gingerbread houses" (graham crackers, really) after the kids went to bed. I had been dreading it, but it turned into a really fun silly activity, especially since we hadn't bought enough crackers and were trying to build structures while conserving every last broken shred of building material. Mine almost looked like houses, while all of Brett's looked like bunkers. (Don't mind the mess in the background, my shoddy attempt at Christmas decorating, or the pants hanging on the chair to dry...)

Moses came up with the idea to use the candy from the piñata to decorate the houses. I have to admit that I pictured a huge disaster of sugar-crazed children, candy wrappers, and frosting exploding all over the dining room, and tried to refuse, but Brett came to Moses' rescue and the two of them convinced me to let it happen. I'm glad I did - the children LOVED it and they all spent a long time decorating, even the younger ones.

The houses looked so cute and festive! It was a fun, simple party, and a great way to begin the last week before Christmas.

Christmas Morning Muffins

My mom made these awesome little muffins every Christmas morning for as long as I can remember - it was the only time she made them and they were always all gone by the time the last present was opened.

This year I made them as the birthday snack Moses took to preschool (yes, he is almost four!) and as one of the goodies for a friend's baby shower I hosted. Definitely a big hit with 3 year olds as well as 30 year olds. Give them a try:

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil

Topping:
butter
cinnamon
white sugar

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line mini muffin pans (seriously, you have to use the minis - big ones just wouldn't be the same) with paper bake cups.

2. ) Combine dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl beat the egg and add the remaining ingredients, mix till smooth.

3.) Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just till moistened. This is the critical step - if you over-mix your muffins will be chewy!

4.) Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans and bake about 8 minutes or till golden. (Makes about 36 mini muffins.)

5.) When muffins have cooled, dip the top of each one into melted butter then into a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. They taste best if eaten right away but definitely keep for a few days if you can keep your hands off them long enough! Yum!

Handmade Ornaments

My mom was obsessed with Christmas ornaments. Every year when we were little we would go on a special family shopping trip dedicated to each choosing our own special ornament. We would also receive an ornament as a gift each Christmas Eve. My mom put lots of time and energy into choosing ornaments that reflected each child's unique personalities and enjoyments. You can imagine what our Christmas tree looked like - every year it held 12 more ornaments than the year before, a mish-mash of ballerinas, birds, cars, balls, rabbits, dogs, musical instruments, comic book characters...

She also had us make ornaments every year, and was herself constantly working on some little ornament which she usually gave away. Happily, she kept a few of them and I was able to steal one for myself when I got married and moved, along with my huge box of ornaments, to our own place. Here it is - a little bit dirty unfortunately, but the perfect reflection of her love of needlepoint and lace:

So cute, and I love that it isn't the typical Christmas colors.

My Grandma also loved making ornaments and would make huge batches of them for all us grand children. I have such fond memories of driving to her house in Napa during the holidays, walking inside and seeing the entire kitchen table set with undecorated sugar cookies in all shapes and sizes, along with dish after dish of fancy candy and sprinkles to decorate them with. Off to the side would be our ornaments, adding even more cheer to the already festive table.

This heart that she made me has the letter "H" hand-stitched on the back. I love that - to know that she made this one specifically for me makes it even more special.

I think this angel is my favorite ornament that my Grandma made. I love her simple little face and calico dress. Perfect.


This year I tried my hand at making a few ornaments, and have put them up last-minute in the shop. I'm really happy with how the little trees came out. I know I'm trying to sell them a bit late, but I don't mind if some are left over for me. :)