seasons round exchange - light!

presenting: our nature table (aka mantle) with sweet gifts from my partner, andrea. the theme for this winter's seasons round exchange was 'light', and andrea really nailed it. even with my waldorf-y background, i never thought of santa lucia! isn't she adorable? she's standing amongst little nature bits and a crystal in front of a small paper mache bowl (with golden flecks) - all made and sent by andrea from maine. i especially love the birch bark.

plus, an adorable tree that has been a fun plaything for the little guy, and earned compliments from guests. it's weighted on the bottom with beans, i think, to keep it upright. one of the stipulations of the seasons round exchange is using all natural materials for all of your items. bravo!

andrea also sent a gorgeous card, a beeswax star candle, and a copy of the latest issue of her zine, GEMINI (not pictured). you can see her post on the exchange for more pictures or to get more details on it all!

so, here's what i sent, getting ready to go. i nestled everything in fresh greens from mt. hood ntl. forest, where we cut our tree this year ($5 permit from the ranger station - so fun, but so so cold!). i sent a crystal window hanging (blogged). the six-sided version was a lot harder than anticipated, so i had marc's help with engineering and nailing! i just strung a simple star of david with blue mohair, but i think many different lacings and weavings could be made! this project will continue to evolve in our household! i also sent a little mistletoe (a symbol of life & light in the dark winter months), and a handmade beeswax candle. had help on that too - made by my booth partners at the sunnyside environmental craft fair, song garden school.

my favorite offering was this little lantern-bearing gnome, knitted up in light bright icy colors and felted. i shared this pattern in my insanely long sock summit post; it's another design by marie mayhew. i needle-felted his eyes and nose, and used a little thread to tack down his beard (which covers his cute pointy shoes!).

i also sent a big bunch of wool roving - it's all over our seasonal display (and tree too), masquerading as snow. we had the tiniest sprinkling on christmas eve morning, but no white christmas here in portland. lucky for us, we always have an abundance of wool! more seasons round photos and nature table inspiration here and here!

stockings

my own stocking growing up was handmade. not the sock itself, but the red felt that spelled out 'KENDRA', and i think the santa face (mom?). maybe it's the associated wonderful christmas memories, but i LOVE LOVE LOVE that stocking. and when my mom bought me a new one, i protested.

so, of course, i had to make stockings for our family. (the first two before the third had joined us.)

and, yes, they are wool sweaters! blanket stitched up with yarn and appliqued/embroidered with yarn and wool pieces. papa's is green with a burning fire on it, mine white with snowflakes, and then there is our little one with the night sky and stars.

this year i was asked to make stockings for our dear dear friends' children. of course i wanted them to be as special as could be, and i am still so honored to be their stocking-maker, i can't even say. i know what kinds of memories they are creating together, and to be a small part of that? well, it is truly a gift. so thank you, thank you, thank you. i loved making these, and they are full of warm and wonderful imaginings of loving family times. you know i will be thinking of you happily every christmas too.

they are similar to my childhood sock, red with white trim and the name on top. only these are sweater pieces, of course. the white part is from an alpaca sweater, making it extra furry on top, and then i embroidered owen and josephine in red cotton floss. i double-stitched them too - you never know how heavy your stocking may get.

see, i've been busy! more handmade goodness to share too, post-giving. lots of mistletoe and mice were presents for our family members, but some other little somethings too. i may be begging for pictures though, because down to the wire knitting jumped in the mail without a photo! have you used the u.s. postal online services? i have to give them a big thank you. these stockings were sent from portland on a thursday at 4 pm and arrived in seattle the next morning. wow!

hope you're reveling in handmade love! blessings!

kiss, kiss, hello!

whew! i am just peeking in to say hello. i'm leaving half-finished woolly projects all over the house gearing up for some local elementary school craft fairs. if you're in town (portland, oregon's the place). i'll be at sunnyside environmental school (3421 se salmon st) this saturday 11 am - 4 pm with a big bunch of toys and warmers and woolly mistletoe! i'm very excited about the mistletoe. isn't it sweet? it's available in my etsy shop too, of course!

the following saturday, dec. 12, from 10 am - 2 pm i'll be sharing space with lanz at portland village school (7654 n delaware avenue). i'm very excited to be at both of these schools, as i've heard wonderful things about both of them!

i'd also like to mention that cedarwood's magical winter faire will be this saturday (dec. 5) as well. if you haven't been, it is very worth the trip. i owe much of my hand-sewing skills to my time as a handwork assistant there! my friend natalie's sixth grade class has made salve they will be selling, and they've already sold a ton of pre-orders! it is very good stuff and supports handmade healing and learning for these budding entrepreneurs! aaaand my friend shauna will be there with lovely organic soapy goodness. her things are so lovingly crafted and made from the purest materials available. they are delicious! how lucky am i to know such crafty people? okay, back at it! xxx

mice in the house

i've been working out those last kinks in mousing, and i'm now proud to have a few for sale in my shop! their ears have been secured with extra hand-stitching (though future ears may be meeting the machine first!), and they smell like sweet lavender. each uniquely adorable.

i am planning for a local elementary school craft fair (dec. 5) and working extra hard to have many mice and other offerings. but, i thought it would be seriously unfair of me to offer these locally without giving everyone everywhere the opportunity for a mouse (or other) friend! seastars with jingle bells on their way too! enjoy!

thanks

here's that project i was hinting at. another inspiration from maryellen's goodies. those autumnal prints were just begging me to become a banner (sort of a mix of alicia paulson's birthday banner and amanda soule's dream banner). another friend of mine makes similar banners in paper, and i loved the 'blessings' banner that adorned her family's living space for some time. i initially intended to make multiples for family gifts and to mix the fabrics, but simplicity won out. i think it looks just perfect. i have an idea for the back too - just wait! i'm very excited to add this grateful reminder to our home during these grey months. we are feeling extremely thankful today for our countless blessings. thanks to you!

a peek

so here is what i made for anne. she had sent me a link to some pretty sweater scarves and confessed that it almost made her run out to the goodwill and get some sweaters to piece together. well, heck, i've got plenty, i thought... though it turns out not so much. when looking to piece, i couldn't find enough that looked good together in pretty colors, and then i also realized i had no nice lining fabric. then it hit me - i already had the perfect scarf base, it just needed a little something. i trimmed off the edge and added another sweater's snowflakes as perfect pockets. yay! here's a peek of me wearing it before it got into the mail!

i sent her a couple of mice for the kitties too. one was version 2 (never shown here) stuffed with catnip, plus one of the lavender/rice numbers. meanwhile, i have been sooo enjoying dipping leaves in beeswax. we gave over the mini crockpot (came with the regular crockpot) to beeswax, so it is easy peasy. here's just a peek (i've done tons!).

and now for a peek at the sewing room. i may just be a peeks-only kind of poster anyways. the other half of this room looks like a giant trash heap. but i did make something to show for it! it still needs finishing of course... now if you can't tell, these shelves are actually organized, with boxes and labels on the right. the computer and printer are hooked up and the scanner is on its way. art is hung. i like to think of the big chunks of wool on the top shelves as 'happy little clouds'.

a view from the door. see my cute chalkboard and boy stacking printer ink cartridge boxes? and lola. not sure what she is looking at!?

happy birdie sling! (crafty SHE!)

today is my friend, anne's birthday (yaaay!!!). for my birthday this year, she gave me a spectacular handmade gift. i looooove it!

i took this birdie sling with me on a rare night out to see everyone who looks like you, the latest by hand2mouth theatre (and my beloved, marc). i actually did most of my woolly caterpillar embroidery while waiting for the show to start (and that whole sweater didn't even make a dent in the birdie sling's capacity!). until the lights dimmed (when i switched to knitting - also in the bag).

man, it makes my backside look good too!

we were travelling in iowa when anne bestowed this gift upon me. and i was making up all those mitts, so of course the first thing i did was to stuff the bag full of yarn, hooks, and everything i needed for my projects! i tried to give you an idea here, the bag is gloriously accommodating. i only wish i had a better camera to show you - can you see the fabric for the lining? so pretty!

i am afraid i didn't get a better picture of the pockets, as requested via the interweb, but i do adore them. the magnetic snap on the large pocket is super helpful, and of course a cell phone pocket is a great idea (especially for me, i am always misplacing it!). she even included a little matching tissue holder - you don't know how thrilled i was at this after having attended two weddings unprepared!

and that is something i always admire about anne. she is an organizational inspiration, a brilliant writer, and a most thoughtful friend. i will always remember her college care package to me, at a particularly rough time, including homemade brownies and bubble bath. the best.

as i have been organizing my studio, whenever i start to feel overwhelmed by my mess, i wish anne could help me, and i try to channel some anne thinking and skills. she inspires me with her gorgeous photos and put-together projects, and i love talking craft with anne. speaking of which, i fully intend to post some studio pictures soon (really!). and i'm hoping anne will help me, by posting hers as well! i can promise at least one corner!

happy birthday anne, i love you!