Being somewhat Jewish-like (while still celebrating the season of Christmas), I always have a compelling excuse to sneak out on Christmas day to go to an afternoon movie with my mom, my grandma, and my brother. I hardly ever see movies in the theatre anymore (or at all, for that matter), yet I'm still surprisingly picky about what I'll see when given the chance. This year's Christmas Day movie selection was Juno, and it was absolutely definitely positively worth my once-every-so-often movie experience. I loved everything about it, including the soundtrack. You should go see it.
I just returned from a few days in Minneapolis, where Diablo Cody, Juno's creator (and a former stripper!), apparently penned the screenplay while at local coffee shops. It all sounds so very JK Rowling - you know, without the pole dancing at whatnot. But good for her!
xoxo
12.30.2007
Juno: a movie review
12.24.2007
Santa Tracker
12.23.2007
sparkly wreath (a photo tutorial)
So I couldn't resist the urge to make just one more glitter wreath this year, and since someone had asked me about a tutorial, I thought I'd show you how I make them. Supplies: ornaments, glittery doodads, shiny baubles, jingly bells
wire wreath form, tinsel garland
glue gun, lightweight wire
Begin by tucking the tinsel into the wire form....
and continue all the way around:
Tie on a ribbon for hanging. You won't be able to do this once all the balls are glued on, so make sure to do it now!
Thread some wire through the ornaments, and secure them onto the wreath.
Start with the large ornaments, and space them around the wreath
Once the large ornaments are secured, start filling in with the bigger decorative pieces:
And then add the smaller ornaments and jingly bells.
I use wire to secure everything I can, and then fill in with hot glue
so the ornaments don't move around.
Voila! This wreath took under an hour to make.
xoxo
12.21.2007
12 Days of Pink Christmas
My computer got all messed up and I couldn't post anything until just this very minute, so it appears I have some catch-up to do. And since the next few days will be crazier than usual, I thought I'd go out here with a bang!
Exhibit A:
my pink glitter house. Finally finished!
Act 1, scene 2:
vintage ornament swag. I picked this up in Minneapolis a few weeks ago. I heart it.
One of my Cody Foster village pieces. I really really heart it.
Exhibit IV:
More pink packages
Exhibit cinco:
um.... another. pink. package.
Exhibit 17:
a dainty little pink tree
have you ever read the comments from a girl who always signs off as "bitches"? Well, that's my darling sweet Melissa. This was a perfect gift from her:
Now, I may like pink a whole lot, but I would never, ever, be one of those crazy people who dresses up their dogs in big pink bows, like this:
Or this:
I'm so sorry to you both, Gracie and Lola (not that I'm one of those even crazier people who think their dogs read their blog). (smile).xoxo
12.19.2007
12.18.2007
12.17.2007
12 Days of Pink Christmas
pink.....cookies!
Yesterday was my annual cookie baking extravaganza.
I made hundreds and hundreds of cookies.
I made:vanilla spritz cookies
sugar cookies
chewy molasses ginger cookies
chocolate chippers
mexican wedding cookies
peanut butter kisses
and jam thumbprints (my favorite!).
Lola thought they looked delicious.
xoxo
12.16.2007
12 Days of Pink Christmas
Look at those pink noses!
We did make it to the Ballet, and to my favorite noodle shop, and then to the Zoo after all last night. But baby, it was cold outside!at the ballet:
at Penny's Noodles (a tired little man):
and kids chopsticks at Penny's:
How was your weekend?xoxo
ps: to KimmyQ in Chicago - my thoughts are with you.....
12.15.2007
12 Days of Pink Christmas
Today, we are braving a Chicago snow storm to head downtown with the kids for an afternoon performance of the Nutcracker Ballet, followed by dinner and then Zoo Lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo, one of my family's few holiday traditions. We will drink hot chocolate and freeze our little noses and toes-es and come hope happy. I hope your day is just as lovely.
xoxo
ps: I'm so, so thrilled that I won the fabric giveaway at Plumtickled Fabrics - Judi carries all the best designer fabrics, as well as sewing patterns and Sublime Stitching transfer patterns. Go check out her Etsy Shop!
12.14.2007
12.13.2007
Sew, Mama, Sew!
We're approaching the middle of December, but there's still time before Christmas to whip up some fabulous handmade gifts! The gals over at the Sew, Mama, Sew blog have put together an amazing list of tutorials for you - so get over there, and get to sewin'!
12 Days of Pink Christmas
I made this wreath two years ago, and I'm so happy it survived our big move with only a few minor bumps and bruises. Decorating the house has been a bit of a challenge this year, because I have different spaces than in previous years. This year, the wreath sits proudly on my mantle. I wish I could do a lovely mantle-scape scene, but if I zoomed out in the photo, you'd see that we have a large tv mounted on the wall directly over said mantle. Ah well.12.12.2007
They're Pinkalicious!
I'm gearing up for my annual cookie bake-a-thon, where I usually make hundreds and hundred of cookies , in about 8 varieties. I will wrap these up in some of that new Martha Stewart cookie packaging from Michael's to give as little gifties to friends and neighbors. My favorite?
This recipe was slightly adapted from Ina Garten's Jam Thumbprint Cookies, from her book Barefoot Contessa Family Style. Last year, Olivia and I decided to make them pink. And their new name? Pinkalicious Thumbprints - because they're pink and delicious!
xoxo
12.11.2007
Joy, alright!
Last week, Rachel and I exchanged (not in person but via the United States Postal Service) our Garland and Goodies Swap Packages. I'm pretty sure that the ladies who sign up for swaps love the giving every single bit as much as the receiving, which is always evidenced by the beautiful and thoughtful treasures they send, and this package was no exception.
Rachel made me this beautiful JOY garland:
and sent along all of these fabulous vintage trimmings:
and even made me a little apron!
In exchange, I had sent her some packages all wrapped up in pink:
and a fa-la-la-la-la banner:
The swap was organized by Candace at Sparkle Power and I can't believe how well she matched us up (we even had to fill out a short questionnaire about our decorating themes etc). This was such a great swap, and my only regret is that I didn't post the pictures sooner, but let me explain:
My mail comes really late in the afternoon, and it was already dark out when I received my package from Rachel. I knew I wouldn't get the best photos in the dim light, but I couldn't wait until morning to open all of those lovely goodies wrapped up in pink felt! So I took some pictures anyway, but was of course disappointed when I uploaded them. So then it was Hanukkah and I got so busy and blah blah blah, but I set everything out again in daylight and now here they here, and don't you think it was worth waiting for? I do. (thank you again, Rachel!)
If you're feeling jealous right now and would like some goodies yourself, a little birdie told me that Plum Tickled Fabrics is giving away 8 fat quarters of whatever fabric you'd like from her shop - go check it out!
xoxo
xoxo
12.10.2007
it all ends with a bowl of pudding
I had such a nice time in Minneapolis this weekend, and I took so many fun and interesting pictures, and then I promptly left my camera (the one I travel with, not my real camera) at my grandma's. So I'm going to have to improvise here, borrow pictures where available on the web, and use my mastery of vocabulary, and my ability to search a good thesaurus, to create an image for you through descriptive words. Riiight. I guess I'll just tell you about my weekend. Please feel free to use this post as a travel guide if you have plans to visit Minneapolis. I insist.
I flew into Minneapolis late Thursday night, and arrived at my mom's pretty much just in time to go to bed. The Minneapolis airport is quite an experience. There's so many little shops and restaurants in the airport that you almost don't mind being delayed there (which, for once, I was not!)
Friday morning, we got up bright and early and picked up my grandma Ruthie and went out to breakfast at The Good Day Cafe (I had huckleberry pancakes. yum). While there, we perused catalogs of table linens available for rent for Ruthie's next birthday, her 90th, which we began planning. Following breakfast, we had a meeting to visit the venue for said 90th birthday party next November. The event is set to be catered by D'Amico, and in my book, you can't really go wrong with them.
That afternoon, we visited the Walker Museum for a docent tour of the Frida Kahlo exhibit. It was amazing. If you can't make it to Minneapolis, this exhibit will go on to Philadelphia and San Francisco. If you don't know anything about Frida, I'd really recommend reading a book or seeing the movie about her life.
While her paintings aren't necessarily ones I would want hanging in my living room (and there's that pesky issue of the millions of dollars needed to acquire one), they really depict her life as she experienced it. And that life was one I couldn't imagine living. It was fascinating.
After the museum, which by the way has the best gift shop EVER, we went over to my very favorite restaurant, Good Earth. I usually eat there every day when I'm in town.
That night, my brother came over and we stayed in and re-watched the movie Frida. It was really interesting to watch it again after having seen her work and talked to the docent, who of course was extremely knowledgeable about her life.
Saturday morning, my mom and I went out to do a little shopping. I love to go to a vintage mall on Xerxes Avenue called Hunt and Gather. The owner got a lot of press a couple of years ago, and I was worried that my little spot would become a mecca for thrift-seekers like myself, and that all the good goods would disappear, but that hasn't been the case. I got THREE new (old) paint by numbers and another quilt top.
Just around the corner from there is another of my favorite little spots, Gallery 360. That's where I always go to see new works by Jennifer Davis, a Minnesota-based artist whose work I collect. After that, my mom and I went to pick up my brother and his darling "lady friend" and we went out for some Indian food. More yum.
That afternoon, I visited a bit with my dad, and then went out for Ruthie's birthday dinner. We went to a fancy schmancy place where I usually would have ordered the lobster, but after the AMAZING lobster I had at Mesa Grill in the Bahamas (Bahamian lobster tail with red chile coconut sauce and green chile rice), I'm afraid to ever have lobster again, for fear of ruining the memory of the best meal ever.
And then we went to Ruthie's for some yummy lemon cake and present opening (and by the way, the walker bag was indeed a huge hit. I see a senior living Sensation in the works here!)
Sunday morning, bright and early: at the airport by 8am (Yay! The shops were already open!) came home (on time!), went out to lunch with my sweet family, hung out with the kids and the gogs, worked on some sparkly Christmas houses, celebrated the sixth night of hanukkah, and made some pudding. How I love a good bowl of pudding.
The end.
12.06.2007
Sleeping Mask (a child sized tutorial)... and other handmade stuff
Olivia has decided that she needs to wear a sleeping mask at night. I'm not sure how this came about, but I think it's pretty funny. The poor girl has been wearing a fabric headband over her eyes the last few nights, so of course I knew what I had to do:
I found a template for an adult sized sleeping mask in Sew Pretty Homestyle, and reduced it to 70% of its original size.
I chose a fabric Olivia would approve of, and a soft patterned flannel for the reverse side. I laid out the pieces and drew the outline onto the wrong side of the outer fabric.
I made a little sandwich in this order: cotton batting, patterned flannel (right side up), and then my fabric (wrong side up). I cut a piece of elastic cording about 16 inches long (doesn't that seem really long? It's actually not.) and pinned them between the flannel and the cotton, poking out on side end about half an inch. To make sure the cord didn't get caught sewn up in the mask, I taped it down in the center with that blue painters tape stuff.
Then I sewed around the edges, leaving about 2.5 inches for turning out. I turned it out, ironed it and topstitched it. It was seriously like a ten minute project. I made four of them last night.
Here are a few more projects I've been working on lately:
This little dandy is for my grandma Ruth, whose 89th birthday party I will be attending in Minnesota this weekend. She had mentioned that she'd like something to put on her walker to differentiate it from all the other walkers lined up in the dining room in her senior living community. So I made this little fabric bag for her. It closes with snaps, so that she can loop it over the back rest on her walker seat. It's gussetted, so that she can actually put a few items in the bag, and has a couple of pockets on the front (I thought she could put pencils in there for her Sudoku and word find books that she likes so much - or if she needs to give out her phone number to any of the handsome young widowers in the building). Of course, no walker-cozy would be complete without a matching change purse and tissue cozy. And of course I embroidered it - that's just the kind of gal I am.
And this here is little Christmas present all set to be shipped out to a fine little horseback-riding lady I know. The rosettes have been another obsession of mine altogether (more on that next week). And yes, there's a matching tissue cozy in there, too.
And finally, these were the little gifts I gave out to my girlfriends at dinner last weekend. We don't do an official gift exchange, but I always like to bring just a little something. They are some of my favorite girls, after all!
Well, now I'm off to pack, and then I'm heading to the airport. Have a lovely weekend!
xoxo
12.05.2007
on the first night
Our little Hanukkah gathering was just lovely. We had really good food (brisket with potatoes and carrots; three different kinds of latkes served with apple sauce and sour cream; apple onion noodle kugel; fresh baked challah bread; apple pie with ice cream; and sugar cookies with blue sprinkles) with really good friends.....
Spun a few dreidels and ate some gelt:
And although I couldn't find much for the kids, it was plenty.....
And we lit the menorrah and nobody's hair caught on fire....
And we had our first really fluffy snowfall.... (and the house looked so pretty all lit up)
... and it was just perfect.
xoxo
12.03.2007
*
I was all set to write about my fantastic weekend (the night out/ shopping trip to Oakbrook in an ice storm just to get to Anthropologie [ **and how I found the absolute number one must have item on my holiday gift list while there] even though I didn't buy anything :: and dinner at Wildfire with my girlfriends, and how we harrassed the waiters because we liked the way they rolled their rrrrr's and how we always share just a little too much information on nights like those and how I was the only one who ordered dessert :: the girl's night out at my neighbor's house :: the open studio at Melissa's barn where only two people came, but was quite productive and worth it nonetheless, even though we had another storm, because I got to work on all the projects I wanted to work on).............. but now I'm all pissed off. So I'm not going to write about my weekend. (I bet you thought I just did!)
I just spent the last three hours searching high and low for some fun tchotchkes for Hanukkah, and found nothing.
Yes, we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah here at the HQ. We always have. And I always pick up some gelt some time before the first night, and we have a few dreidels, and I pick up some nice candles when I find them for the menorrah (did you know that when all is said and done, you use 44 candles during Hanukkah?).
It's always been just the four of us.
But this year, we're actually hosting a bit of a Hanukkah party. And being the gracious hostess that I am, I wanted to provide a few little things for all of the guests in attendance. And so I drove from place to place to place in search of even the strangest bit of Judaica, only to come home empty handed. And it leaves me a little bummed. I know there aren't a lot of Jewish folks out this way, but come on! Where's the love?
I think I'll spend some time tomorrow working on a few projects from Martha while I whip up my kugel. At least Martha cares (insert pouty face here).
Do you want to make a kugel too? Here's how:
Ingredients
Serves 8 to 10
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for dish
- Coarse salt
- 1 pound broad egg noodles
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large Granny Smith apples, (about 12 ounces total), peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- (I'm adding about a cup of chopped onion)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles; cook until al dente according to package instructions, about 6 minutes. Drain noodles; return to pot. Set aside.
- Put eggs and sour cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until combined. Mix in 3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup butter, and the cream cheese. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar, the cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add apples; gently toss to coat. Cook, tossing occasionally, until soft and caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir apples into egg mixture; pour over noodles. Toss gently to combine. Pour into prepared dish. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons butter over noodles; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
- Bake until set and top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let stand 15 minutes before serving.
xoxo
* The photo of my menorrah was taken on the first night of Hanukkah last year. I needed to tell you this or else you might think that not only am I psychic, but that I have the crazy ability to take photos of the future. I will post new photos of the first night of this Hanukkah soon. It begins at sunset on the 4th. And please don't let me forget to tell you about the time Olivia's hair caught on fire, because that makes for a good Hanukkah story.** This book is way too cool to not include a photo here:
I know it's not handmade, but I so need this book!xoxo
Bribery
One of my tasks this past weekend was to take the perfect picture of the kids for our Christmas card. I was running late this year, because I just couldn't find any cute pajamas or hats & mittens to put them in to get "the shot". I knew I was running out of time, and had to have it done this weekend.
Olivia was great. Jackie did not want to cooperate.
So I bribed him. 
Not only am I not opposed to a little bribery every now and again, I'm actually a huge proponent of it. See how nicely it worked? Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
xoxo
