I thought the holidays were busy BEFORE I had a baby!

Good Lord – I still have Christmas presents to wrap!

But, I did manage to get one crafty Christmas project finished…

…finished at 11:59 pm Christmas night…

…but finished nonetheless.

I wish you all a wonderful 2010!

Jenn : )

(P.S. I got this stocking pattern from Martha Stewart.  I added the embroidered names and substituted French knots for sequins.  I am very happy with the results, but I found the sizing of this pattern was a bit wonky (how does Martha let that happen??) and cutting out the felt for the cuffs was a bit tedious… but, as most Martha projects come with some ultra time-consuming component, this wasn’t a surprise, and I think it was worth the effort in the end.)

Notice that it’s Tuesday?  Yeah…. well, doing the WIP post turned into a wip yesterday – Ha!  So today I’ll post two wips to make up for Monday.

(That’s me for ya.)

So anyway, here are my wips for Monday and Tuesday:

A flurry of hand embroidered snowmen!

These will eventually become Christmas ornaments, that I will sell in my Etsy shop.

And here is a whole wardrobe full of little embroidered coats (or blouses if you like).  These will become needlebooks, also destined for my shop.  I hope to have alot of these done in time for the holiday shopping rush.

Wish me luck!

Fly busy little hands!

There’s still so much to finish!

___________________________

Also on the list:

Visiting and commenting on my fav blogs,

writing letters to family back home,

and returning long overdue emails.

Check back tomorrow to see my next WIP!

Best,

Jenn : )

My very own Mimi Kirchner doll.

She’s a Christmas gift from Josh.

I’ve named her “Isabel” – do you think that name suits her?

You can see more of Mimi’s work *here*,

and her wonderful blog *here*.

Jenn : )

Jenn : )

This past week has been all about family style…. actually, that would be Family Style: as in: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Family Style. In the span of about a week I’ve made String Beans with Shallots, Chicken Stew with Biscuits (twice!), Deep Dish Apple Pie, Perfect Pie Crust, Broccoli & Bow Ties and Coconut Macaroons – all from this one cookbook! I think this cookbook just fits in perfectly for the time of year and cold weather we’ve been having. It’s filled with easy, hearty, comfort foods. The Chicken Stew with Biscuits I made on two separate nights when we had guests over for dinner – it was a big hit and made for great leftovers.

My Two Spoonfuls recipe adventure this week is Ina’s Coconut Macaroons. I’ve made these many times. They are delicious. Would you like to bake something, but you don’t have alot of time or don’t want something that’s too complicated? Then this recipe fits the bill! These macaroons have only 5 ingredients: coconut, condensed milk, vanilla, egg whites and salt. That’s it.

I’ve always wondered how these would taste with a few cherries added. So this time I added dried cherries (purchased from my grocery’s bulk section) to half of the macaroon batter.

The cherries were a hit…. but I don’t think I’m done experimenting yet. I think I need to know how Maraschino cherries might taste. Yes… I think another batch of macaroons is in my near future!

____________________________________________________________________________

* Jenn’s Notes *

There is so much to do at this time of year. Places to travel to, friends and family to visit, gifts and gifts and more gifts to make and to buy.

There are many ways that we can all go green, and try to do something, even a small thing, to reduce the quantity of resources that we consume.

Among other things, this year for the holidays Josh and I gave re-usable market totes to family members. We also save boxes, bubble wrap and packing peanuts throughout the year and reuse them to mail Christmas gifts.

And then one day I happened across an article in a magazine featuring Klean Kanteens. Have you heard about these? Klean Kanteens are re-usable, lightweight, stainless steel water bottles that come in a range of sizes (even a sippy cup for little ones!), and have the potential to last through a lifetime of use. The bottles are BPA free.

(BPA = bisphenol A = a chemical that is suspected of being hazardous to humans, that is used in many, many household products. You can learn more about BPA on the Klean Kanteen website *HERE* and Wikipedia *HERE*.)

These bottles are toxin-free and they can hold water and citrus drinks (orange juice, etc..) I’ll be using a Klean Kanteen from now on when I’m working in my studio. I got Josh a bike cage to go with his – so he can have water when he’s out biking.

No more plastic bottles for us!

__________________________________________________________________________

This afternoon I’ve got to walk over to the post office.

Brrr, it’s cold outside!

Now, where did I put that hot chocolate?

Maybe there’s some in Ginny’s Two Spoonfuls kitchen!

Best, Jenn : )

Last year, in keeping with the Buy Handmade pledge, we did alot of our shopping on Etsy and local small businesses. This year I’d like an even greater percentage of our gifts to be handmade – including some made by me!

Not too long ago I posted about this great canvas fabric that I purchased at The Quilting Loft.

The one on top is called “Sprig Canvas Green: 2007 Jessica Jones for J. Caroline Designs”.

The blue and green is called “Peapod Blue/Green Circles: 2007 Jessica Jones for J. Caroline Designs”.

Both of these fabrics had washing instructions on the bolt,

and the clerk recommended serging them before washing.

Here is what I did with them:

I cut them…

I stitched them…

I ironed them…

I pinned them…

And by the end of the day I had made four Market Tote bags!

Two will be Christmas gifts for my mom and two will be gifts for my grandparents.

They hold alot!

Two in this gorgeous green sprig pattern.

And two in this eye-catching peapod pattern.

The pattern I used was fantastic.

The bags were fun to make and not difficult at all.

These bags are reusable and washable, so my relatives will not only have a handmade gift from me, but they will be helping the environment by not using plastic or paper grocery bags.

By following the easy, step-by-step instructions, before I knew it – I had made French seams! That’s a technique that I’ve been hearing alot about but I had never tried before. Now I know how to create them and they are wonderful!

I got this great pattern from my friend Ginny and she has made it available to everyone through her iSew shop. I made the very basic bag, but her pattern also includes instructions for various pocket sizes and an additional exterior decorative band.

So, if you’ve been looking for a gift for that hard to buy for person – well, get ‘em going green with a gift of a reusable Market Tote. They’ll thank you, and so will the environment! : )

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Just one more quick note: I am getting ready to send out Issue #1 of my e-newsletter,so if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up!

Cheers!

Jenn : )

Okay, so we don’t actually have a chimney.

And yes, apparently I am one of the last women on Earth who still wears stockings.

I went to buy some at Victoria’s Secret this weekend and I asked one of the clerks if they had any more stockings available. She looked at me like I was from another planet and said “Stockings?” Oh, and by the way, she looked like she was 12 years old. I would rather have someone who’s been through puberty sell me my sexy underwear, thank you very much. And that goes for my geriatric stockings, too!

I need the stockings. Being a red head, I’ve got myself some pale, pale legs here.
I did try one of those over the counter “tanning” moisturizers a while back.
Until Josh asked me why my legs were turning orange.
Then I stopped.

Anyway, the above outfit is what I wore to Josh’s work Christmas party this past Saturday. We had a great time! Caught up with alot of the wives – who I haven’t seen in a while. Watched people drink and then dance… which is always fun : )

I have been super busy lately!
So I’m just going to list some random events
that have been going on since my last post:

I had an Etsy milestone a while back, having reached 200 sales! Yay!
It’s taken me a little over a year to do it and I’ve so enjoyed the experience.
Thank you to everyone reading for your support!
My pal, Ginny, has also passed the 200 mark. And who could be surprised – what with her lovely fabric choices and adorable monkeys. Congrats, Ginny!

I’ve had so much going on that I completely forgot I had ordered a couple things from Superbuzzy last week. (Now that’s busy!)
So when the package came today, it was a complete surprise.
Josh has been suggesting for ages now that I do a skull needlebook/pincushion set.
I’ve been putting it off, trying to imagine how I could make a skull “cute”.

I found some Japanese fabric that might just do the trick! And the hedgehog trim… that is going to be a sewing set: complete with tasket, needlebook and pincushion.

I’ve got new canvas-y fabrics to make more taskets for the shop.
This time they’ll be patterned. I think they’ll be really pretty.
I’m going for a “shabby chic” look this time around.

Yesterday was Josh’s birthday! I gave him an x-box game, a book and *this* cool t-shirt that I found on Etsy. If you’re looking to buy a t-shirt for your guy, I highly recommend this shop. Very well made and quick shipping.

This morning we got all the Christmas gifts mailed back east.
Thank Goodness! It’s a huge relief to have that done.

Now I’m off to the studio to sew!

Have a great day, everybody!

Jenn : )

Jenn : )