Baby, It's Cold Outside

I must have been a very good girl this year because I received a Kindle 2 from my husband for Christmas. Jeez, how did he know I wanted one? (Must have been the long hours I'd spend in the evenings with my nose buried in a book that clued him in.) So I couldn't help popping over to amazon.com to see what kind of goodies I could get to store my precious Kindle in. Unfortunately, because the Kindle is still relatively new, there's just not an exciting selection out there - so I decided to make a Kindle Koozie myself. I hand-stitched this little green sweater with some leftover felt and embroidery floss I had laying around. Now my Kindle will stay safe, warm, and pretty all winter long.

Soft and Saturated

My favorite painting medium is soft pastels because of the amazing saturated colors and dreamy like feeling I can achieve with them. Here's some paintings from my college days, and highlights from each one.

Mad Men style

Mad Men is one of my favorite shows on TV so it's impossible for me to not be influenced by it's on screen beauty. Everything from the wardrobe and hair, to the props, and the insane workplace culture - I just can't seem to get enough. Joan is my hero! So when I came across this cookbook at a second hand store I had to get it. It's straight out of that era (late 50's/early 60's) and I can't help but notice how fantastically graphical it is. Sure, it may not be cool enough for Joan to keep in her uptown Madhattan apartment, but I'm sure Betty has a copy in her suburban McMansion.

“You're bored? Go hit your head against the wall.” - Betty Draper

Some of My Favorite Things

I'm always on the look-out for a face lotion that can handle my oily skin. Well, I have finally quenched that thirst when I received a sample of Perricone MD Ceramic Skin Smoother from Sephora. And I have to say that some things are just worth indulging in, like when I finally find that perfect product. In other words, it's not cheap. And, to clarify, it's actually a line and wrinkle smoother that I use over my daily moisturizer. At the ripe old age of 31 you may be wondering why I use a wrinkle cream, but all I have to say is you're never too young to start. And once you try this, you'll never want to stop. Not only does it instantly make my face smooth and even out the color, but it makes applying make-up easier. Two thumbs up! A++

Kittyspiration

Sometimes my inspiration comes from a book, sometimes it's from a painting, other times it's from a crafty blog. There are many things that inspire me. But sometimes, it's my cats. They are so beautiful and full of personality. Meet Abe (purple collar) and Chloe (green collar).

Pretty Papers

Wrapping gifts is one of my least favorite things to do but I love paper and how beautiful the gifts can look after they're all done. To hide my wrapping flaws (i.e. too much tape, wrinkles, uneven folds, and on and on) I use the prettiest papers I can find. Adding a big, beautiful bow helps too. And when I'm really desperate, I'll put it in a sturdy gift bag that's nice enough so the recipient can reuse it next year. Here's just a few examples of my handwork.Last year I added a hand-made ornament to each gift and that seemed to spice them up too.

Oh, Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree is my favorite decoration this time of year. Here's a few pics of mine.

And a Partridge (or two) in a Pear Tree

Happy Holidays! Here's two free desktop wallpapers.

Do I need an Excuse?

It's National Cupcake day, need I say more?! In honor of this glorious sweet I baked up a batch of chocolate vegan cupcakes and frosted them with chocolate hazelnut spread (not so vegan, but delicious). This cupcake didn't last very long. As you can see, I was already in the process of eating it before I could get my picture taken. :)

Book Binding III

As a baby shower gift I hand-bound this keepsake book for my sister. It's an "advice to baby" book in which family and friends can write words of advice or messages of love to baby. Anything and everything from advice on childhood, college, or even marriage, to messages of love and encouragement.

It's a fairly small book, but with many pages, so when it's unfolded it looks like a long accordion.

Baby "Sprinkle" Party

I threw my sister a baby "sprinkle" this weekend to celebrate the birth of her second child. In addition to designing the invitation (which I posted a few weeks ago) I also created a banner, paper flower centerpiece, origami butterflies, and party favors. My 5-year-old nephew, Isaac, joined us at the party and had more fun with the balloons than anything.

Here's a close up of the flowers from the centerpiece. I created them out of cray paper and attached them to sticks with wire.

I found the most perfect party treat. Purple butterfly and heart suckers.

I hid 12 of these origami butterflies around the party room and had everyone search for them. Whoever "caught" the most butterflies won. The best part was explaining the rules to the game when I noticed everyone's eyes started wandering around the room. All it took was one person to break ranks and run toward a butterfly before the rest followed. Next thing I knew everyone was fluttering around my house in a panic to find as many as they could. It was fun to play but even more enjoyable to watch.

The party favors were mini take-out containers with a lavender butterfly accent filled with decadent chocolate.

"It's a Girl" banner.