DIY PAPER ORNAMENTS

New in my etsy store: cut-and-fold paper polyhedra ornaments!

I have gotten deep into folding crazy geometric shapes out of paper. Nerdy? Kinda. I mean...I have been cruising MATH sites on the internet. But now that I've done all the footwork I thought I'd share the love. I put together a set of templates in 8 awesome colors which make super sweet 3-D shapes when you fold them together. Perfect for tree trimming. Or just general hanging around looking cute. And you can tell your friends you know how to make a tetragonal trapezohedron. Sounds pretty darn impressive...right?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I kinda can't believe it's Halloween. Partially because it's 33 degrees outside and it just SNOWED. And partially because Justin and I have been so busy recording that we haven't had any time to make costumes or carve pumpkins or go to any parties.

I did, however, manage to get some decorations up last week. I went with a Mexican style Diá de los Muertos vibe, and crafted up a storm. I made tissue paper flowers, papier-mâché skulls, papel picado votives, and then threw in anything glittery, and some pumpkins for good measure.

YESTERDAY’S NEWS

Valentine's Day felt especially lovely this year. We spent the afternoon at home preparing a delicious dinner -- rack of lamb, braised fennel, white bean puree, roasted fingerling potatoes -- and a stellar dessert -- creme brulee and chocolate covered strawberries.

Justin gave me a big, beautiful bouquet of flowers.

And in honor of my new year's resolution I wore a bunch of sparkly things on my head.

Sweet but simple. Dressed up but laid back. A perfect night at home with my handsome valentine.

VINTAGE VALENTINES

I pulled out my embarrassingly large collection of vintage valentines in preparation for today's festivities. (I'm pretty sure only old spinsters with 15 cats are supposed to hoard old love notes like this...but whatever.) I have all kinds: lacy old timey ones, velvet flocked 60s ones, ones with moveable joints, victorian ones that fold out and stand up. But some of my most favorite are the simplest. No bells and whistles...just pretty patterns and pictures of rosy cheeked boys and girls.

These were all made by the Whitney Company in Worcester, Massachusetts in the the 20s and 30s. I LOVE the combination of the graphic deco borders and sweet, soft illustrations. And can we talk about the fashions on these little ones? Vintage dream frocks, peter pan collars, sailor details, perfect bobs, and bows galore. Extra points for the ones with kittens and puppies.

Happy day, Valentines!

FAREWELL 2010

Happy 2011! Justin and I had a low-key New Years celebration at home with a few friends, lots of delicious Indian food, funfetti cupcakes and a slew of champagne.

So, anyone make any resolutions yet? I'm thinking...don more festive headwear. I have so many great old sparkly cocktail hats, flowered headbands, and crazy feathery fascinators...but I almost NEVER wear them. And I should. So, hello 2011! Hopefully the next time you see me I'll have something ridiculous on my head.

CHRISTMAS CRAFTSTRAVAGANZA

Here are some of the gifts I have been crafting this season...

Terrarium ornaments...

Materials: clear glass ornaments, twine, spruce clippings from my tree, dried flowers, and paper butterflies. I made the butterflies from old engravings that I scanned and printed. Each one is double sided with wire in the middle (to get the wings to stay in the proper position) and then I added glitter...because, well, as far as I'm concerned EVERYTHING should have glitter on it.

Apple cider, mulling sachets, and ginger spice cookies...

Materials: glass jugs with festive trimmings (juniper, spruce, and pine cones) for the apple cider...and cheesecloth, bakers twine, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, allspice, cloves, dried lemon peel, dried orange peel, and candied ginger for the sachets. I found the recipe for the cookies here...and I packaged them in brown paper bags tied with a bakers twine bow. And just for the record, the cookies are extra delicious when dipped in the hot mulled cider. I speak from experience.

Justin and I have also been putting together an epic wedding album for my parents and we are in the finishing stages of building a 6 foot tipi for my youngest nephew. I'll post pictures when it's done!

Okay, back to the Christmas factory. We elves only have a few more hours to finish making our presents.

TRIMMINGS

Our tree has been up and decorated for a couple of weeks already but I haven't had ANY time to post pictures. I've been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY. Working and shopping and silkscreening and crafting presents. And CELEBRATING! We have a zillion birthdays in my family which happen to fall within the 5 days before Christmas...including MINE. Funtimes.

So, without further ado, our tree...

She's a beauty. Decked out just the way I like it. Big old-fashioned colored Christmas lights, aluminum reflectors, clip-on birds and glittery butterflies, vintage ornaments galore, and as many sparkly glass pine cones as possible.