This Weekend

I made marshmallows for my nieces and nephews and a 100 biscotti, chocolate covered candy canes, hot chocolate, marmalade, and toffee and wrapped a million presents and knitted a tie. Merry Christmas! Be back after the holiday.

Awesome People Hanging Out Together

This is my new favourite thing.

Dork

Or hipster? Definitely Dork

Mice

OH oh oh!! Add these to the handmade presents. Jodie Carleton has posted awesome wee felt plushy patterns on her blog. They are so cute!

Mittens and Marmalade

This weekend I spent much less time in bed then I had hoped and instead made marmalade. I've never canned anything before by my America's Test Kitchen slow cooker recipe cookbook had a recipe and I needed easy Christmas presents for David's family. I borrowed canning stuff and it was surprisingly easy and I felt super impressive. Oh yes, I made sixteen jars of marmalade and canned it. No big deal. Whatever. Mine don't look as beautiful as the ones above though.

I am now knitting a tie for my brother. It's fine. He never reads my blog. And cashmere mittens for my friend Judy who gave me these.

via

Friday

Thank God it's Friday. I am going to spend all weekend here.

Photo mine. Bedroom with soft cushy bed with vintage headboard and heaps of half read books also mine

Gift Guide: Handmade Christmas

I can't fully disclose what I'm making for Christmas just in case any of my family members ventures to the magical bloggy home but here are some of my favourite giftable crafts.

My littlest sister would love this Fox Stole from Tiny Owl Knits.

Pretty wee dishes for pretty girls?

Wire wrapped rings with magical pretty beads

MITTENS!! Everyone wants homemade mittens!

Most of my siblings and I were born in Chicago and maybe a mirror city tray would be nice.

Shake It Out

She's younger than me which makes me feel very unaccomplished this Wednesday afternoon.

Florence and the Machine - Shake It Out (Acoustic) from Pick Up The Headphones on Vimeo.

Paper Statues

Have you seen these? They are little paper sculptures left at libraries and museums in Edinburgh. Gorgeous!

Read more about it here and also at NPR.

Gift Guide: Stockings Stuffed

1. Horseshoe Hook, $18 2. Sapphire and Floral Post Earrings, $88 3. State Necklace, $42 4. Record CD labels, $9 5. Birds on Wire Paperclips, $14 6. Tim Burton Playing Cards, $5 7. Horsehead Bottle Opener, $15.95 8. Tape Measure, $10 9. Field Notebooks, $7 10. Fauxbois iPod Case, $25 11. Birdie Napkin Rings, $12 12. Pins, $12 13. Fridge Grocery List, $9

Home

I always love being home with my sister and mum. Coming back to Durham always feels a bit eh-ish. You know?

via Design Sponge

Gold

When David and I registered we couldn't find a china set we liked so we registered for white china and didn't get any of it which is a good thing because I just discovered this and and I want it. Monday magic.

Jiggity Jig

I'm off to my parent's farm for the weekend to hear my mother perform in Handel's Messiah at the Mercersburg Academy and to go shopping with sister number 4 and the foreign exchange student. Happy weekend!

Running Late

We haven't done our Christmas cards yet. And by that I mean that we haven't picked them out or checked our addresses or any of the things that I usually have VERY squared away by Thanksgiving. Growing up I was the boss of my parents Christmas cards. I compiled their spreadsheet and signed everyone's names and sent off the cards. When I was engaged I came home for a week and made 200 glitter stamped Christmas cards. Now it's December and I don't have cards picked out yet. Here are some of my favourites from Etsy

Be Merry, $12.50 for 6

Chunkey Christmas Lights, $18 for 10

Merry Christmas Kraft Cards, $12 for 10

Nella Designs' Baby It's Cold Outside, $15 for 10

Gift Guide: Sisters and Friends

I have three sisters and some super rad friends. They are stylish, glamorous girls with fantabulous taste. Here are a few things I'd love to get them.

The baby sister is now 15 and stylish as hell (despite her desire for 'an ironic panther tattoo'). I feel like she super dee duper needs this Fox Jumper but don't get your hopes up, Bean, it's £125.

I love all of the paintings in this shop and there are prints as low as $15. This one especially seems perfect for the older of my twin sister.

Doesn't everyone want a gold initial bag? Seriously. Only £12.00
The second twin is madly in love with all things robot related. She also drinks a fair amount of tea and, if Mod Cloth would just restock the Robot Tea infuser, she would be the happiest bunny around for only $14.99

I think perhaps my Durham friend who's boyfriend has been on a mission to convince her that comic books are cool could be persuaded by this graphic novel by Lucy Knisley.

I'm one of the sisters, right? I would like these lurvely earrings please. $15.99

Gift Guide: Dudes

I find boys/men exceptionally difficult to shop for. My best friend Mary? Find something shiny! My sisters? They have hobbies with accouterment and also: Forever 21! My mom? Anything related to a horse! My dad, my brother and my husband have no hobbies (drinking? reading? are those hobbies?) and have very expensive tastes in clothing and booze. It doesn't help that my brother is much much cooler than I am and my father is way into yoga at the moment (and I'm boycotting LuluLemon and don't exercise) and my husband really just wants a puppy (and guess who's NOT getting a puppy?) so here are some hobbled together ideas:

All three of the groovy dudes on my shopping list are well dressed and generally down for luggage. Maybe everyone would like $13.95 Gentleman's Travel Shoe Bag and my dad and brother could come visit me?
After my wedding we finally had professional photos of me and my sisters (after 25 years of my parents talking about it) so I framed a picture for my dad of the four of us last year.

I no longer attempt to find music my brother hasn't heard of. Magic Kids is mega groovy though. If you want to be the best sister ever - give my brother's band's CD

I'm all over knitting scarfs this year. Cast on an even number, knit 2, purl 2. Repeat ad nauseum while watching endless hours of telly. Eventually you can say "Here Dad, I handcrafted this for you!" Now aren't you a good daughter!

My dad isn't really a knit tie type (and neither is David, I have been informed) but my brother is mega stylish and this pattern from Lion Brand knits up in like two hours and requires very little wool so you can get some super lovely cashmere.

David grew up in Maryland and would like to fly the Maryland Flag outside our NC house. He knows the Maryland State Anthem and was required to take 13 years of Maryland history at his super weird school. So a vintage map of Maryland seems like just thing.

Lie of Omission

Does anyone else make cocoa with a combination of milk and half & half and not tell the innocent consumers of their cocoa? Anyone?

Photo: David trucking through a snow storm in boat shoes during the most miserable of winters to get beer and pizza. Because when it is cold I need beer and pizza. And half and half with chocolate stirred in for colour.

Back

I'm a pretty dreadful blogger (you too, Mary) but I'm back with Christmas crafts, recipes, and gift guides. I might even keep up with the blogging.

Also: Roger says hello.

Nannying

Taking care of Ida everyday makes me have babies on the brain. I don't particularly want any of my own any time soon but I want to knit these for all the babies I know. So beautiful.

And also what could be more perfectly nanny then knitting wee cardis all day?

Pins

Pintrest is officially my most favourite thing ever. It's made me a negligent blogger. It's funny how looking at all your favourite things in one place makes your preferences so clear. Maybe you knew that I wanted to live a sloany country life but it wasn't quite so clear to me until I realized the number of wellies I had. Follow me?

Lynchburg

So Lynchburg, VA has some seriously gorgeous signage. Just in case you were wondering.