shake it

Look at these amazing salt and pepper shakers designed by Joel Hesselgren, the white column holds the salt while the black column holds the pepper. How much you want of each can be controlled by moving the red block around. You can make these yourself! I am visiting my mom and dad in malvern pennsylvania and we are off to the Lego Store at the King of Prussia Mall for the second time this week, (and it is only Tuesday).

miki sato

Miki Sato is an artist illustrator living in Toronto. I was just reading the winter issue of Small magazine and saw her work in it.

Optimism in learning how to fly

Merry Christmas to All

And to all a good night.

an end and a beginning

The winter solstice occurs when the sun is over the tropic of Capricorn.It is the shortest day of the year and provides us with the most impressive, drawn out and lingering shadows. If only I could truly be altered along with the light. If only I could take on change the way the world seems too.

Soon

I found this amazing sweater at Knitty. I can't wait to get started on it for myself. I still have a few things to complete before Christmas, but I think it will be my next project.

Easy Peanut Brittle

Ingredients -

sugar

light corn syrup

salted roasted peanuts

baking soda

vanilla

butter

in a microwave safe bowl (Pyrex is best)

mix 1/2 cup light corn syrup and 1 cup of sugar

and then heat it in the microwave for five minutes on high power.

Take the bowl out of the microwave with oven mitts - bowl will be unbelievably hot!

mix into the hot sugary syrup - 1 and 1/2 cups of salted roasted peanuts

and heat in microwave again for 2 minutes on high power.

Mix it up and heat in microwave again for 2 minutes on high power.

Mix it up and heat in microwave again for 2 minutes on high power.

You are looking for the mixture to become amber in color.

Most likely it is amber by now - if not mix it up and heat in microwave again for 1 minute on high power.

Now very quickly mix in 1 Tbs. of vanilla, 1 Tbs. of butter and one teaspoon of baking soda

(These measurements do not have to be perfect) - pour the mixture out onto a parchment covered cookie sheet, spread it as thin as you can and let cool. Then break the peanut Brittle into pieces and put them into gift bags.

April in December

tree topper

We got a quirky tree this year. The trunk is actually curved, so the center of the top is almost a foot off to the side. We have a lovely copper star tree topper that lights up, but I feared the star would pull the entire tree down if we put in on. So I made this snowy owl out of a white cashmere sweater to top our tree this year - he is not all that Christmassy, but I like seeing him perched in the middle of the branches.

wrap it up

I found this paper at Kohls of all places.

Santa Gage

That is my silly son under the sweater and Santa hat. He has been ill for about four weeks and my worst fears were relieved this morning at the pediatric G.I. Specialist at Strong Hospital. We are so fortunate to have this amazing hospital and its staff right down the street. The poor kid has been in a lot of pain and vomiting a couple of times a day for well over a month. We were assured that he shows classic symptoms of a bacterial stomach infection, that is most likely a complication from the flu he had in October. He is taking a specialized stomach anti-biotic and hopefully by the new year he will be right as rain. Let us all count our blessings and help those who have less, bring love to the world and rejoice.

Foundling with bird

A local store called Arenas is carrying my hand sewn foundlings and owls. Arenas is one of the nicest flower and decorating shops in Rochester and I am honored that the owner likes my work. I will be delivering cards there soon, and I have other miscellaneous items n the store as well. For locals, there is no better place to shop for gifts. After you have enjoyed the eye candy in the store - go have lunch down the block at Orange Glory, freshly made, quickly served vegetarian and more..

Cupcakes and Candy

Bake it Pretty has posted the tutorial for these adorable cupcake ornaments. If child has a birthday around Christmas this would be a super party craft (I would make the glitter balls ahead though!). Also on this website is a tutorial to make White Chocolate Candy Buttons. I wish I had found it sooner, as I am selling my wares at the Knitting Guild tonight. They would have been a fun give-away. You do need a Button Mold to make these though - so look for one next time you are out and about.

Upside down and backwards

¡ʇı ǝǝs - sǝɹoʇs ǝɥʇ uı 'qǝʍ ǝɥʇ uo - ʇı puıɟ oƃ - ǝɔıןɐ pǝןʇıʇ ǝɹnʇɐɹǝʇıן ɟo sǝɔǝıd oʍʇ ǝsǝɥʇ ɟo uoıʇɐʇdɐpɐ ɹɥ 4 ʇuǝןןǝɔxǝ s,ןǝuuɐɥɔ ʎɟʎs ǝɥʇ pǝssıɯ noʎ ɟı ʎɐʍ ǝɥʇ ʎq ˙puɐןɹǝpuoʍ uı sǝɹnʇuǝʌpɐ s,ǝɔıןɐ puɐ ssɐןƃ ƃuıʞooן ǝɥʇ ɥƃnoɹɥʇ ɟo ǝɯ spuıɯǝɹ ʇı¡ooʇ spɹɐʍʞɔɐq puɐ uʍop ǝpısdn ǝdʎʇ uɐɔ noʎ ǝɹǝɥʍ sı ǝɹǝɥ ʇnq - oʇ ʇuɐʍ pןnoʍ ǝuo ʎuɐ ʎɥʍ ǝɹns ʇou ɯɐ ı ¡sıɥʇ ǝʌǝıןǝq noʎ uɐɔ

Sweet and Spicy Almonds

I was given this recipe by my dear friend Sarah. I seem to have trouble creating a consistent outcome for these - but they are my favorite snack, so I continually try to make them correctly.

You'll need: (and the amounts are random as I don't measure for this recipe - likely the reason they rarely come out the the way I like them best - but no matter what you do - they will be delicious).

Two 6 oz. bags of Almonds

Brown sugar

White sugar

Cayenne pepper

Honey

Olive oil

Mix up in a big bowl, as you will be adding the almonds, to this bowl about

1 cup of honey

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup of olive oil

and then heat it in the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes

Toast the almonds on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about five minutes. Don't let them burn.

Add the almonds to the hot sugar mixture and let the whole mixture cool for about an hour.

Spoon the almonds out of the sugary stuff with a slotted spoon and spread them in a single layer onto parchment paper.

Now mix up about:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

a tablespoon of Cayenne pepper

a pinch of salt

Sprinkle this mixture onto the sticky almonds, let it sit five minutes or so and then sort of toss them around, you sprinkle more white sugar on until the almonds don't seem too wet. You can put the almonds into a ziplock bag and squish them around more, this way your hands don't get so messy. when they are ready, which means not clumpy yucky sticky messy - place them in gift bags.

New Bags

I just posted the bird one on Etsy. But the Squirrel has already found a caring family to keep it safe and warm for the winter. Right now I am looking forward to a weekend of holiday parties! Beginning soon, at 4:00! I have to go get dressed!

I am ready to end this selling season, but nervous to find out how the money part will be, or not be, in January. I do just lovemaking these things I make. I want to experiment on some weird dolls and other strange creatures. I also want to knit myself a sweater. But I am going to focus next week on making hand made holiday gifts, so check in for the recipes and quick crafts that I will be sharing, including microwave peanut brittle, candied orange rind, hot mustard and cookies of course.

torch work

I created these strange maggots with wings at the torch on Tuesday. I am not sure too many other people will appreciate these characters, but I like them. The glass flowers were made in a class I took a while ago. They are made of Borosciliate, which is kind of interesting glass to work with , but I am bored by the boring clearness of it.

More Etsy

I am almost sold out of fingerless gloves and very busy making a few customs pairs. I made these ivory gloves with pastel embroidery a while ago, but no one seems to like white gloves - so last week I over-dyed them a light brown.

I like the new look a lot and may even keep them for myself - I have one pair of my own fingerless gloves and would like another pair. But they are on Etsy for now, as well as this beautiful Wedgwood blue pair.

More More Fire

Saturday and Sunday I assisted at the more Fire Holiday Open House. It is such an amazing community of artists and admirers. I watched Jen (above) work on these stunning glass birds (below) all day! In the pictures she is making a really large bird, about 11" in diameter. She has a whole flock of the little ones and they are only $75. They are so beautiful and full of character in the most subtle, abstract way. I really believe she will soon become a glass star and these little beauties will be out of most of our reach.

More Fire is open every day 11:00 - 6:00 until Christmas. There are still many beautiful ornaments ($20 each - buy 6 get one free) and jewelry. Don't forget - where ever you do your shopping - buy local and buy handmade if you can.

Jen made this precious baby bird in its blue nest a while ago, and I had been eyeing it at More Fire. My wonderful husband bought it for me for Christmas and it was supposed to be a surprise, but that didn't happen for reasons I won't go into here. I am so happy to have him and see him every moment as I am now working at home and around him all the time.

agreements

I have been working so much I have hardly had any time to think. At my old horrible job I had plenty of time to think, a fine example of that old adage - you don't know what you have until its gone. But I am trying to balance my time better and I did do some thinking this morning. A friend of mine turned me onto a wonderful book, The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz.

One of the agreements I have found to be very difficult is the one about not taking things personally. And when it comes up in conversation, many of my friends find this difficult too. I have been thinking about this a lot. And I now believe it is because we are such individuals in our culture. We are supposed to be independent and for the most part work alone and succeed on our own. But this agreement to not take things personally requires us to be a community and to be thoughtful and aware of others and to simply get outside of ourselves. It also requires us to be confident and strong in our knowledge that who we are, what we do and how we behave is right. And we all know how very difficult that can be.

I think feeling criticized is the same as feeling hurt in our culture. But no one wants to hurt anyone else, really. When criticism comes my way I find it helpful to remind myself from where it comes, but not in a defensive way, in a responsive way. I think to myself, this person is feeling something that is having them say or do something that is seemingly hurtful to me, but I know it is not meant to be. I figure that they are in the midst of something that is making them feel less confident or insecure and I do my best to agree with them and say something that may be helpful in strengthening their soul. I certainly don't have this all figured out, or am I able to be confident and kind all the time. Basically I believe we all struggle so much, every moment, I wish we could all help each other more and try to remember what is really pertinent.