So sorry for the long hiatus (this is aimed at you, Amy - my one reader!)! But, I am proud to say that - unlike before - I haven’t been absent because of lack of crafting. Quite the opposite! I’ve been making things for Christmas and babies all over the place, it seems, and so I’ve spent more time in my craft room than on the computer! There are, of course, things that I wanted to get to but didn’t… is that how it is for everyone? I hope that’s not just me. Somehow I’d feel reassured to be in over-ambitious company.

I started with an elephant for our neighbor’s new little boy, Jack…


…and a fairy for Coco’s little friend Toryn, who turned 5! (Plus a view of my messy desk and bulletin board! BONUS! Sorry these photos are rough - I took them when I was way too rushed.)


She loves fairies, and was quite pleased that this one shared her hair color.

For Coco’s friend Kate up in snowy Syracuse, a nice, fuzzy monkey to cuddle, with long, drapable arms and a fancy little barrette (can you call it that when there’s no hair and it’s sewn on instead?).



For Coco’s friend Sarah in Chattanooga, a cozy-but-not-too-warm cotton pom-pom scarf (after all, you never know how much real winter we’re going to get down here in the South), and a little pink birdy barrette (of which I sadly got no good pics).

And for Coco, a doll of her own… but more on her in the next post (still have to download her photos!)!

Hope everyone had a fabulous holiday full of joy and wonder!

As I’m trying to become the crafter that I want to be - both in frequency and quality of work - I’ve started to amass quite a collection of how-to’s and guides. I’ve got some great new Japanese pattern books, which I picked up in New York in September, and I’ll post about them later… but for now, let me show you the prize that was delivered to me yesterday!

It’s called Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business, and though I’ve just started it, it’s already fascinating. Interviews with artists like Lotta Anderson of Lotta Jansdotter are super-inspiring… and the whole thing is definitely aimed at knocking out the excuses, fears, and insecurities that keep you from pursuing your creative drive. Quite motivating and encouraging!

This past weekend, Coco made cookie with her cousins, Reagan and Logan, who stayed with us Saturday night. (SO fun, girls - we loved having you over!) Sadly, I did not take pictures during the process - I had my hands full (or at least covered in flour and frosting). But - here is one of the two remaining cookies (I am not sure who has eaten the majority of the other three dozen. Uh-em.). This one showcases Coco’s technique - a free form overlapping of the cutter shapes to form strange new outlines. Inexperience, or an eye for abstract art? Hmmm… food for thought.

Again, bad lighting in the photo. But - here’s a lamp shade I made for our bright green 1/2 bath - the Thai paper really mellows the light and gives the green a nice glow.

I was super-sick of the tacky builder-grade light that was in there, but after many attempts to find a great-looking bathroom light for this space, Alex and I were still empty-handed. So, one Saturday afternoon while Coco napped, I put on a movie and made this shade. Not being up for too much of an endeavor, I didn’t replace the old light - just took the glass shades off of it and made this to go over it.

Now - how else to decorate the empty (tiny) space? Carry the leaf motif further? Let me know what you think.

SO sorry for the LOOONG delay in posts… and for the false start! But, now I’m back, and hope to post MUCH more regularly! (Amy, thanks for the encouragement along the way! ;))

Here’s a bunny I made for a friend of Coco’s - she’s made of teapot-printed flannel, with white flannel accents and a stitched face. She’s quite floppy, and I suspect will be an excellent cuddler. Joey, hope you had a great 2nd birthday!

(Sorry about the lighting in the photos!)