warmer times

Right now I'm tired of winter. These photos bring me back to a warmer time, a warmer place.

I won't be going anywhere warm for awhile though, and this weekend I'm planning to do wintery things, like bake a chocolate rasberry cake, drink tea, knit, play board games with my children and maybe go ice skating. And take some photos of it all so I have something to post on Monday!

working on

Working on a few new things. Hope they will be ready to show you next week.

The sailor girl is back in the shop.

Last night I finally got to see Bright Star. Beautiful movie. See it! It's out on DVD.

Oh, I just noticed it's snowing outside. Hmm....a good day to have soup for lunch. If only I had some already made.

And thank you to the lovely Maria of Vintage Simple who so kindly mentioned me and some other fab ladies on her blog.

today

It's sunny right now, really sunny, and my mood is reflecting that. I'm going out for a walk right after I post this, but first I had to share a few things.

pinks and yellows from my vintage thread stash

handkerchief in a liberty print from Kim's new shop

this book that I won in Jane's giveaway. Thank you, Jane!

little packages that will go to the post office soon

Also, the sailor girl that I posted yesterday has sold, but I think I will make another one soon for the shop, just in case anyone is interested.

hello sailor

Been working on this clothespeg girl. Sailor stripes and tailored denim pants. Makes me think of spring! She's in my shop now.

i'm nominated for a poppy!

Much to my surprise I've been nominated for a Poppies Award on Poppytalk! I've been nominated in the "Favorite Handmade Artist's Blog" category. There are so many amazing blogs in the category, and I feel very honored just to be included on the list. If you would like to vote for me, please follow the link here. You can vote from now until January 29th, one vote per person. Thank you for your support!

And as cool as it would be to actually win an award, I think of this not as a competition, but really as a way to bring more awareness to handmade things and their creators. There are so many people out there deserving of recognition, so congratulations to all of you who are making and creating things. Yay!

angela's studio

Last week I visited my friend Angela Liguori at her home studio for a morning of good food, good conversation and artistic inspiration. Angela's home is lovely and you can see more of it here in this sneak peek on Design Sponge. I got to take some photos of her studio, which is filled with color and beautiful things. She has just finished working on this lovely 2010 calendar. Check out the teeny, tiny clothespins it comes with! Adorable, right? You can see more of the calendar here on her blog, with details about how to get one for yourself. I think she's having a giveaway, so hurry.

Thank you, Angela for this wonderful morning...now I need to return the favor!

Have a great weekend and thank you for all of your encouraging comments on the last post!

***

I can feel some creative energy starting to sink into my bones once again. Natural colors, whites, blues and greys are inspiring me today. I think I want to try to knit this vest, pictured above. Winter is a good time for experimenting. Right now I'm working on a tedious knitting project for myself, a super large cowl knit with skinny yarn on skinny needles. I knew there was a reason I knit in bulky yarns all fall, but now that I'm into this project I am determined to finish it. I just hope I like it when it's done. I'll post some photos if I finish it anytime soon. I would like to be able to wear it this winter!

I think I'm going to re-read Jane Eyre as my next book. I haven't read it in about 10 years. One of my friends re-reads it every winter. When in a quandry she says she often asks herself, "What would Charlotte Bronte do in this situation?" I love that!

cold and snowy

Cold and snowy these days. I'm gearing up to think about making things for the spring!

haiti

Right now, the disaster in Haiti is really on my mind. Although I have never been to Haiti, I've done some traveling in the Caribbean and seen a lot of poverty there and yet I know it is nothing compared to Haiti.

The elementary school my children go to has a Haitian immigrant community, both students and teachers, who have families affected by the earthquake. If you are thinking of donating to the disaster relief, our school community and the City of Cambridge have recommended donating to the following organizations:

The American Red Cross

Partners in Health

Doctors without Borders

Oxfam America

All of these organizations already have people and infrastructure on the ground in Haiti.

still life

Great tropical fruits this time of year. And a boucheron cheese too.

I just finished reading this book.

more blue + inspiration

I gave my daughter my Studio Violet poster for her room. Wasn't that nice of me? I figure I will actually look at it more here than when it was propped against the wall of my studio.

These colored lanterns are getting a new lease on life too. I bought them a few years back, but somehow they just didn't get used. Now Lucy turns them on when it gets dark and they give the newly blue room a wonderful glow. Isn't it funny how different the blue looks in these two photos? Top photo is more realistic, although I prefer the bottom one.

So, madly surfing the web this week, as a respite from painting walls here's what I found inspiring:

Shabd's spring collection via Frolic. It's just soooo pretty.

This French farmhouse via Katy Elliot.

This wonderful Dutch lady, Ingrid Jansen and her amazing home and shop via Bloesem and SF Girl by Bay.

And this last one may be my favorite, this dear little blog from Finland, Anna Emilia.

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

giveaway winner

Congratulations to Rebekah of Little Byrd Vintage! Rebekah, I will be sending this lady your way!

Thank you to all who left comments for the giveaway. It puts a spark in my day and a spring in my step each time I read your thoughtful words.

And really, thank you to everyone who visits here on my blog, whether you choose to leave a comment or not. I feel honored that you take the time to look here into my little world. And of course thank you for sharing your worlds with me too. It is so amazing to get peeks into the lives of people all around the world.

In honor of that, here's a link a friend sent me that truly made my day:
all you need is love

Isn't it awesome????

going blue

I've been painting away this week. The pink walls are gone in Lucy's bedroom. Now things are very blue in there. She is very happy, declaring it the best color ever, which is good, since she chose it herself.

In my spare time, I've been reading the back files of Remodelista. So beautiful!

in the house

Snowy day today and we're nearing the end of the holiday break. Over the past week we've gone cross-country skiing, ice skating, sledding, eaten too much, played cards, board games, gone to the movies, cleaned closets, played with friends. Now the kids have nothing left to do but fight with each other. Time for school to start again!

Looking around my house today, it's time to change some things around. Last year around this time I said I was going to paint my daughter's pink room blue. Guess what? I still haven't done it! So, next week, next week, I am going to. And I will show you how it turns out. Also want to paint my yellow hallway white, but that may be pushing it.