Boxing Day

EPIC POST BELOW - GRAB A COFFEE AND SETTLE IN

Something for you to listen to: Boxing Day by Reliant K

I love the sentiment behind the lyrics of this song:

Take it all down, Christmas is over
But do not despair, but rather be glad
We had a good year, now let's have another
Remembering all the good times that we had
Oh no more lights glistening
No more carols to sing
But Christmas, it makes way for spring

Though hearts of man are bitter in weather
As cold as the snow that falls from above
But just for one day we all came together
We showed the whole world that we know how to love
Oh no more lights glistening
No more carols to sing
But Christmas, it makes way for spring
Oh no more lights glistening
No more carols to sing
Christmas, it makes way for spring
Oh remember that Christmas, it makes way for spring

This Christmas I partied with family members, old

::(Most of) The Duclos Family::



and new.

::Isabelle::



::Aaron::





:::

All of the gifts that I made over the past year have been well received (thus far)! Here are the few that I didn't get a chance to share with you yet.




This pillow, for my sister, was inspired by a similar pillow in this year's issue of Martha Stewart Holiday Gifts.

The pup you see snuggling with my brother-in-law in the upper left corner passed away earlier this year. His name was Baxter, and he was twelve years old.

Baxter belonged to my sister's in-laws, who are her next door neighbors. Her two pups are the same breed, and Baxter was their very bestest friend.

My sister and BIL don't have any kiddos - so the loss of a dog, is an immense one. I made this pillow with printer fabric to display images of happy memories with all of her "boys" with old Baxter prominently featured.

She totally teared up. Point scored!

Next up, a custom CD Visor for my dad:







There were a few tasty gifts too:

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes (with Cream Cheese Frosting) went to my brother-in-law, Geoff







Ultimate Cinnamon Rolls went to my brother Mike and his girlfriend Sylvie



A note on the cinnamon rolls, should you try the recipe. I'm not a fan of the frosting recipe that accompanies it. I took leftover cream cheese frosting from the Guinness cupcakes and put it on top of the rolls. The results were heavenly!

Here's everything packed up to head off to my parents' house for Christmas Eve:



:::

Christmas Day started like this:







Some gifts are easier to open than others!!!




Then we watched the first season of House ALL DAY LONG.

It was good.

How was your Christmas?

:::

Mine is yet to be over! Matt and I are going to upstate New York this week to sit by a frosty lake and spend some time with good friends. Then we'll be off to New Jersey for Matt's grandmother's 100th birthday (we doubt she'll have any idea as to what's going on, but it's a great excuse to see family), where there will be another round of gifts to dole out to nieces and nephews and in-laws on that side of the family. More fun is yet to come!

I'll be taking some time off from blogging until after the New Year. I hope that you are all having a spectacular Christmas season and I can't wait to see you all in the New Year! Cheers!

Advent :: Day 22 / Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Something to inspire: Need a last minute gift idea? Check out SewMamaSew's Handmade Holiday's Round-Ups from 2007 and 2008 for plenty of inspiration. I'm also loving the cute, easy Handmade Printed Scarves via Curbly.

Something to Make: Many snow inspired projects to share with you today! I've been swooning over:

Newspaper Snowflake Garland Tutorial via Mayamade


Lace and Ice via Resurrection Fern


Felt Snowflakes via Purl Bee


Hoopie Snowman via Betz White

Something to Listen To: Let It Snow! sung by Bing Crosby

:::

We've finally had some respite from three days of relentless snowfall. I admit, I love snow, but this much arriving at once has been a little overwhelming! It is absolutely beautiful outside. Barring some freak 90 degree weather, it should be a white Christmas this year!



Off to (hopefully) finish up some Christmas sewing. Cheers!

Advent :: Day 21 / Nuts for Christmas!

Walnuts for your Stocking, originally uploaded by Ouissi.

Thanks to Flickr user Ouissi for allowing me to share her photo!

Something for you to read: Click on the photo above to read a little fun historical background on the role of walnuts in European Christmas traditions, courtesy of Ouissi.

Something for you to watch: Please set aside ten minutes to do this! Watch a ten-minute look back on Mark Morris' production of The Hard Nut. Morris collaborated with famed comic book illustrator Charles Burns in 1991 for an update on the classic tale of The Nutcracker. The production is set in the 1970's instead of the late 18th century. I admit, it is not my favorite Nutcracker ever, but it is truer than most to the E.T.A. Hoffman story, and offers up some wonderful, creative moments. The video shows excerpts of Morris' version of the joyous Snowflake dance - watch to see why it's one of my favorite pieces of choreography ever!

Something for you to make:

Walnut Shell Place Card Holders via Zakka Life

Walnut Shell Votives via Ella Pedersen

:: EDIT ::

I had to add this adorable Walnut Boat Ornament via Disdressed

Something for you to listen to: Speaking of Nutcracker updates check out Duke Ellington's arrangement of The Nutcracker Suite.

:::

I'll tell you what is nuts - all of the snow we've been getting! I'm staying toasty warm watching Family Guy with Matt. Goodnight all!

Advent :: Day 20 / Crazy Lady Baking - WATCH OUT!

I love stollen almost as much as life itself.



God bless my sister-in-law's awesome boyfriend for sending me a loaf!

Something for you to check out: Pam has the most amazing tip for maximizing the productivity of your holiday baking time. Read about it at her incredible blog, Gingerbread+Snowflakes.

Something for you to make: Chocolate Bread Pudding with Cardamom Whipped Cream, via Design Sponge

Something for you to listen to: Nat King Cole "Mrs. Santa Claus"

:::

I missed yesterday's Advent post because it was a decidedly cruddy day yesterday, and I was feeling a bit Scrooge-ish! I messed up my right shoulder by slapping a co-worker. Yes, I wrote that. Slapping a co-worker. A 17-year old co-worker. Oh dear, I get embarrassed just thinking of it. Here's what happened:

I was minding my own business in the bakery when said 17-year old boy creeps up behind me and screams directly into my ear for the sole purpose of scaring the shit out of me.

Now a little background on me, before I described what happened next. I a) absolutely hate being pranked/scared. b) have serious ninja like reflexes.

I let out a huge scream, proceeded to turn and run after the kid, hauled my right arm back and smacked him square in the middle of his back with every ounce of my strength while screaming at top volume Don't you ever fucking do that to me ever again!!!. What a lady I am, huh? I have never hit anyone like that in my entire life! I was so scared and mad I saw red! Even worse this happened in front of actual people. Like, my manager.

I immediately thought to myself. Excellent, I'm going to get fired. But all my manager said was, "Well...he has to learn what peoples' limits are somehow. Guess he just found out yours!"

Oh how completely embarrassing. I hugged the poor kid, after I calmed down,- he thankfully has a good sense of humor. I felt so bad. My palm print was visible on his back. I felt my shoulder socket just crunch when I hit him, and now I'm nursing an incredible sore shoulder. Serves me right for being a bully. I'm not excited about going to work tomorrow, because it's my dominant arm and I'm quite sure how I'm going to get through the day to be honest! Oh well.

:::

I baked a nutmeg maple cream pie this morning to bring to my Uncle Bob's annual Christmas party this afternoon. The party was really a hoot, and my family seems to have quadrupled in the past few years since I've last attended. I was laughing watching the little ones all run in and out of the basement for the duration of the whole thing. My cousins and I did the same thing when we were small. Grownups were so boring! As the kids trampled up and down the stairs, I was filled with nostalgia for Christmases gone by. In those days we played epic games of hide and go seek, karaoke singing contests, etc. Later in our teens, when we were too cool for all of that, we had fierce ping pong competitions. That basement was our universe and now it belongs to a second generation of cousins. Amazing how life is cyclical like that!

I'm so tuckered right now - I'll post more about the party, with pictures, tomorrow :)

Advent :: Day 18 / Christmas Movies

Today's topic;

MOVIES!

Something for you to read: Alicia's *hilarious* post titled My Christmas Movie Screenplay Plans.

Something for you to listen to: Blair's great Holiday Mix. I'm especially loving Fiona Apple singing "Frosty the Snow Man". I know, I know, that's just plain weird right? But give it a listen - it's super cool!

Something for you to watch:

My top 5 movies to watch during the Christmas season:

(((in no particular order)))

1. Holiday Inn (1945): This classic is probably often passed over in favor of the ubiquitous, ever popular White Christmas. This Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire extravaganza covers ALL of the major holidays of the year, bookended by Christmas. Astaire delivers an amazing fire cracker throwing (literally) tap dance for the Fourth of July segment. Bing sings White Christmas and gets the girl. Best ever.

2. Scrooged (1988): I live for the scene when Carol Kane appears as the ass-kicking -tutu wearing Ghost of Christmas Present.

3. Home Alone (1990): Okay, I totally had a crush on Macauley Culkin when I was in elementary school. Something about him lip-synching "White Christmas" just stole my little heart. The end of Home Alone induces waterworks to this day!

4. George Balanchine's The Nutcracker (1993): Also featuring Macauley Culkin as the Nutcracker Prince! We have a theme here! Seriously though, as a dancer for life I own about every version of the Nutcracker out there on VHS and DVD. This is a really well produced classical interpretation. The narration, by Kevin Kline, makes it pretty friendly to non-ballet goers and bunheads alike.

5. 200 Cigarettes (1999): Less Christmas, more New Year's, this needs to be watched during the post Christmas wind-down. And it has Paul Rudd in it, AKA Nat's secret boyfriend. One of the choice quotes? "Music makes the booty spin round". Indeed it does!

Advent :: Day 17 / Santa's Little Workshop

Something for you to eat, or give: Baked Oatmeal. This recipe has been a winter favorite of mine for awhile now. Pack up the dry ingredients in a pretty container and a copy of the recipe for a sweet, quick gift!

Something for you to drink, or give: Limoncello, a lemon flavored after dinner drink, makes a nice gift that takes minimal effort over the course of a few days. Be sure to include a copy of the recipe so that recipients can try their hand at making a batch of their own.

Something for you to listen to: Lady December by the Sweptaways

:::

Last night and today my apartment was Santa's freaking workshop!

The first thing I finished up was a little Waldorf-inspired play crown for my nephew, Thi.



The trim on the front was from a swap with Shael, and it is available in her Etsy shop.



I *love* that wood grain fabric.

If you don't have time or the gumption to sew a crown for yourself - you can buy a gorgeous one from my talented friend Ella at Little Red Caboose, not to mention numerous other lovelies that I wish I had the money for!

:::

Tonight some friends from work came over and together we packaged up baked oatmeal mix, and made the beginnings of some fine limoncello. I have to say, having made limoncello twice now, I definitely prefer making it with friends, because the task of peeling lemons goes so much quicker!

Advent :: Day 16 / Wreaths

Something for you to read: Where did Christmas wreaths come from? Via Yahoo Answers.

Something for you to listen to: To reflect yesterday's crazy, warm weather let's listen to Mele Kalikimaka by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.

Something for you to make: Eco-Friendly Plastic Bag Wreath via Two Peas in a Bucket or a Halloween Ribbon Wreath via The Long Thread. The second wreath is meant for Halloween, but the idea can be easily adapted to fit any holiday or occasion. I think it would look great with some red and white striped ribbon for Christmas. Or if you've got a creepy, goth, Victorian thang goin' on for your holiday decor, you could leave it black! Either way!

Something for you to look at: Inspiring, beautiful wreaths from my Flickr favorites!



1. Wreath 2005, 2. da feira, 3. button wreath, 4. #3, 5. thanksgiving wreath, 6. then came a christmas wreath, 7. the glitterfest has begun, 8. my favorite time of the year, 9. vintage paper wreath, 10. um bocadinho de Natal, 11. decking the studio, 12. studio wreath, 13. wool wreaths, 14. wool wreaths, 15. fabric wreath, 16. Birds and YArn Wreath, 17. wreath, 18. wreath, 19. Gnome's Garden, 20. glitterific wreath, 21. Happy Birthday mom!

:::

It should be pretty clear from my favorites above that I am a fan of wreaths made out of non-traditional materials. I do love evergreen wreaths, but their cost can certainly be a little off-putting! Last year I made my sister, Ren, a fabric wrapped wreath inspired by Jen from Swallowfield, (pictured in the first photo above). At the time, I bought myself an extra wreath form intending to make one similar for myself, but I never got around to it.

This year I made it a priority to finish up a wreath for our little house.



*Squeel!* I love it!

It hangs over Matt's extensive cassette collection, (also where our Christmas cards sit, for lack of a mantel).



Do you have a wreath in your home? I'd love to see it. Post links to photos of your wreaths in the comments below :)

Yes! Yes! Yes!

I'm at home, safe and sound, with power and heat! I'm so happy and thankful. Now I can set up hotel Geek+Nerd for my friends and family who are still without power.

Thanks for your well wishes everybody. It's been a bit of a whirlwind!

Ice Storm :: Thus Far

12/12, 2:00am - Power goes out

12/12, 7:30am - We wake up to this in our back yard, and everywhere else in southern New Hampshire:





12/12, 10:30am - I drive to work early hoping to eat some breakfast, find out that work is closed. No electricity.

12/12, 10:45am - Wait over half an hour at a Dunkin' Donuts with about 200 other people for breakfast. Amazed at how swiftly anarchy can happen if electricity is taken away.

12/12, 6:00pm - We arrive at the Outback where we made call ahead reservations. We wait over an hour and a half to be seated.

12/12, 9:00pm - We leave the Outback and hear on the radio that 500,000 NH residents are without electricity and heat.

12/13, 10:00am - I receive a call from Citizen's Bank saying that my debit card has been shut off. I call them to find out that someone has taken advantage of the fact that I'm an NH resident without access to technology and compromised my account. Citizen's activates my account long enough so that I can drain my account of cash so that I can buy food. Fun. People are real nice.

12/13, 8:30pm - We drive to Portland, ME with Matt's band (who had come up from Boston - two hour trip) only to find out that the venue has double-booked their regular, monthly gig. Nice. We go out for an awesome meal elsewhere.

12/13, 11:30ish - Back home to find that we're still without power. It was too cold to stay - so off to Boston with the band and our kitties we went.

12/14

So...here I sit. Now we're wondering if the pipes have burst back at home. My family and friends are scattered to the wind. This has been craziness!

Obviously Advent posts will have to wait until we get the basics back. Sigh.

The last few days have been HELL!

So much to say, but I'm too tired right now. We're in Boston, at a friend's warm apartment, safe and sound for the moment. Half a million people in southern New Hampshire have been without electricity and heat for the last 48 hours, and we haven't fared any better. We stayed as long as we could and it finally got too cold for us and the fur-babies.

More soon.

Advent :: Day 11 / Putting up the tree!

Something for you to watch: Meg's Holiday Decor Special on Threadbanger. I love that girl!

Something for you to listen to: Merry Christmas, Baby performed by Bonnie Raitt and Charles Brown.

Something for you to make: Paper Stained Glass Trees via AlphaMom

:::

We decorated tonight.



Oh, dear!



Who needs step-stools, really?

Hobbes played an integral role in the tree decorating process...



:: Lights off ::



:: Lights on ::



:: Happy dancing ::



:: Kissy-kissy (Who could resist that face?!) ::



:: Lurve ::



Tonight was so nice. Dinner and decorating with my love. Loooooong overdue :)

Advent :: Day 10 / Where I've Spent My Money This Christmas

pig money box, originally uploaded by cupcakes for clara.

Something for you to check out: If you're looking for unique online shopping ideas, check out the Design*Sponge 2008 Gift Guide : Bloggers' Wish List. I'm smitten with The Illustrated Wild Foods Recipe Calendar, I promptly added it to my wish list!

Something for you to eat: Check out this easy peasy recipe for Spicy, Sweet and Salty Rosemary Nuts from Pink of Perfection.

Something for you to listen to: "Elf's Lament" by Barenaked Ladies and Michael Buble.

:::

If you've been following this blog for any amount of time then you probably know that I love making gifts for people. It has been my goal, in the past, to make all of my gifts for the holiday season. While I still think this is a valiant pursuit, I acknowledge that I am human and there is only so much time in the day! This has definitely become an important realization this year, with all of these babies appearing right and left, my Christmas list has become very long indeed!

I thought it would be fun to share with you a few of the purchases that I've made this year.

Kodak 5x7" Mini-Photo Books :: This is my only "corporate" purchase of the year. I bought a few of these, with special family photos inside, as gifts. The format is pretty, and the picture quality is very nice!

A piece of clothing for one of my wee, cute relatives from 1Girl 1Boy

A necktie for a special someone from In Hope

A rockin', one of a kind, piece of guy clothing from Tymbal via Magpie.

Two amazing dinosaur puppets from Owly Shadow Puppets. You MUST go watch this great four minute video about Owly Shadow Puppets. I think they're so neat, and it's crazy awesome that they have moving parts!

AND

I just ordered Punk Rock Etiquette, by Travis Nichols, after reading an interview with the author over at Naughty Secretary Club. Since I am such the slave to Barnes and Noble for most of the year, I did a little investigating on my local bookstore. Not only can you order most anything online from River Run Book Store, but you get free shipping to the continental United States. Done and done.

And that's it! Fairly low-key for Christmas shopping - and easy on my wallet!

What kind of fun purchases have you all been making this year?

Advent Day 9 / Tutorial :: How to Recycle a Gift Bag into a Mailer

How to Recycle a Gift Bag into a Mailer



I found myself short of mailers to pack up my ornament swap packages yesterday. Being thrifty, I noticed that I had an abundance of saved gift bags from previous Christmases. With a little scissor action and packing tape, these are easily recycled into functional and festive mailers! I had fun doing it, and so can you!

Materials

Gift Bag
Scissors
Packing Tape

step one :: choose a bag



step two :: remove the handles



step three :: cut away one of the larger sides of the bag



leaving you with something like this



step four :: cut away the bottom of the bag



step five :: If the bag is rectangular, you should be able to overlap the two short sides. Tape with packing tape.



If your bag is not rectangular, your shorter sides may not meet. Take the large side that you cut away in step three, and place this underneath the two short sides. Use packing tape to secure.

step six :: tape one of the shorter ends with packing tape



seven :: fill with goodies, secure the remaining open end with packing tape and send! you're done!



That's it for today! Big job interview tomorrow - send good thoughts out into the universe for me!

Advent :: Day 8 / Oh Christmas Tree!

Something for you to read: On the topic of real vs. artificial trees, Sheherazade Goldsmith, author of A Greener Christmas, has this to say: "An artificial Christmas tree may be reusable, but it will probably have been made from a petroleum-based product and may well have been flown in from China. The materials commonly used in the manufacture of artificial trees are PVC, polyurethane foam and steel. Although you may reuse it for several years, if your tree is not recyclable it will eventually linger for centuries in a landfill site." If you purchase a real tree, locally grown is best and be sure to seek out a place to properly recycle it after the holidays!

Something for you to listen to: Is Christmas Only a Tree? - Bing Crosby. It wouldn't be Christmas without Bing Crosby on my playlists!

Something for you to make: Soft Tree Pattern via Little Birds

:::

It was a tiny struggle, but I did manage to get M. out of bed yesterday...





Matt and I went to go pick up our Christmas tree at Tuttle's Red Barn, which is our annual tradition. Little G. Tuttle, the youngest boy in the family, hoisted our tree into the back of our Jeep all by himself. I was quite impressed!



There was a perfect amount of gentle snow falling during our trip, it was so picturesque! And of course it afforded lots of opportunity for this:





Can you see why I love him so? He's still a gigantic kid :)

:::

Bazaar Bizarre was great...a little overwhelmingly crowded, but great. I didn't see as many things that really *WOWED* me this year. M. and I were talking about it, and I think that we've both come to a point of art print/t-shirt/jewelry saturation in our home. We see things that we think, YES! That is cool!, but we're less quick to buy things like that for lack of space to put them! The event was not a disappointment, I just think that we've become more mindful about what we purchase, which is a good thing!

I did buy a few gifts and a few little things for myself. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

I hope that everyone is enjoying these Advent posts, because I'm having a blast writing them!

Advent :: Day Seven / Eye-Spy Sunday

Something to get you out and about: Go to the Bazaar Bizarre in Boston from 12-7pm today!

Can't make it to BazBiz, but you want to find some cool crafty shows near you?: Visit Indie Craft Shows, an online database of indie craft shows. They have a newsletter that you can sign up for too!

Why is buying handmade a good idea this (and every) holiday season? Something for you to watch:


Buy Handmade Video from Etsy on Vimeo.

Go take the Buy Handmade Pledge!

Something for you to listen to: A classic today, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas read by Perry Como

Something for you to make: Check out this cool penguin ornament by BazBiz regular Teresa Levy of Sewing Stars.

:::

Eye-Spy Sunday - This week's topic "I spy something in my garden..." was provided by CurlyPops. It was a serendipitous topic, indeed!

I spy...



FIRST SNOW in my garden!



I turned off my alarm clock this morning, then reached towards the window and peeked out through the blinds. I let out a surprised little gasp, "ha!" and poked Matt next to me. I said, "First snow!!! First snow!!!," to which he, clearly thrilled, replied "grunt".

Nothing in the universe fills me with more childlike excitement than a good first snow. Especially in December!

We're off to get our tree (if I can convince Matt to get out of bed), and go to Bazaar Bizarre with friends. It promises to be a great day!

Advent :: Day Six / Christmas Flickr Favorites

A little collection of beauty for you today:



1. Etch A Sketch Ornament, 2. Walnuts for your Stocking, 3. Baby sock advent calendar..., 4. Untitled, 5. minihats, 6. Happy Birthday mom!, 7. favorite sleeping spot, 8. for the nature table, 9. Vintage bird collection, 10. House and border, 11. The Concertina, 12. entrelac scarf, 13. wreath, 14. wee gifts, 15. inspiring shadows, 16. home sweet home, 17. popham beach, 18. wishing you, 19. gocco good times, 20. The Sugar Fairy, 21. cheerful, 22. nutcracker dolls from Stitched in Time, 23. vintage hat, 24. Gnome's Garden, 25. grateful, 26. IMG_0207.jpg, 27. Stayin' Toasty!, 28. NOM gnomes, 29. 11_25, 30. anthropologie owl knock-off, 31. Untitled, 32. Já só falta um mês, 33. Gocco Koala Bear, 34. Ivy ... Freeform Crochet Necklace, 35. Red Riding Hood Papercut :), 36. join me!



1. gathered natural materials, 2. red collar , red bird, 3. 2008 Christmas Ornament Swap #1, 4. Untitled, 5. toasty face on, 6. Stitches East 2008, 7. Gingerbread.Felt.Biscuits.Trio.4, 8. holiday christmas owl ornaments, 9. christmas lights holiday hoo, 10. candy canes holiday hoo, 11. christmas lights holiday hoo no. 2, 12. Christmas decor, wooden, 13. Garland, 14. white Heart Felt holiday ornament, 15. holiday "Heart Felt" ornaments, 16. silje, 17. wreath, 18. Untitled, 19. un mobile pour virginie, 20. morning like a night, 21. Amid the Snow, 22. Spread Joy, 23. s t i l l body 2 take 2, 24. s t i l l body 1, 25. Hop Skip Jump Quilt, 26. colors of the sea, 27. mhmmm!, 28. New pillow prototype - The Button Collector, 29. Christmas houses 2008, 30. hope gocco, 31. seven tally marks, 32. daughter and mother, 33. kitchen poetry 7, 34. run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch us, we're the gingerbread clan, 35. ornament inspired by matte stephens owl prints, 36. legwarmer set

:::

I'm going to keep this Advent post a low-key one. Today was my Memere's funeral and it was, to put it mildly, a very difficult day. I cried so many, many tears today. I loved her so much. It is apparent to me, now more than ever, that Pepere and Memere were the glue of my family. The old wound of my Pepere's passing and this fresh cut of my Memere's have mixed to create a kind of hurt that is just indescribable. Now that they are both gone, it is the end of an era. Today, our collective grief was just immense.

I'm hoping that tomorrow will be a brighter day. Matt and I have fun things planned that I'm sure will make for more cheerful blog fodder!

Advent :: Day Five / Greeting Cards

Something for you to read: The History of Christmas Cards via All Things Christmas - I had no idea that Christmas cards originated from England! To quote the site: "The tradition of sending Christmas cards begun in 1843 – about the same time as the first Christmas seal was published. The first Christmas card was produced in England, and the idea was well-received, because the following year, more than 25,000 Christmas cards were sold. However, the first Christmas card provoked controversy in certain circles in England, because the Christmas card pictured a company of people touching glasses and saying “Merry Christmas”. Putting alcohol and holy Christmas in one picture did not please the English citizens then.

For more than thirty years, Americans had to import greeting cards from England. In 1875, German immigrant to the U.S. Louis Prang, opened a lithographic shop with $250, and published the first line of U.S. Christmas cards. His initial creations featured birds and flowers, unrelated to the Xmas scene. By 1881, Prang was producing more than 5 million Christmas cards per year."

Something for you to do with friends: I can't remember where I read this, but I thought it was a brilliant idea. Writing out holiday cards can sometimes be tedious - so why not liven it up and have a card-writing party with a few friends. Adding hot cocoa, music and conversation makes any task more fun!

Something for you to listen to: Another Christmas at Home by Eux Autres

Something for you to make: Holiday Pin-Up Wreath via Martha Stewart. I think this is such a clever way to display your holiday cards. The materials are cheap and the result is super cute!

:::

I was reading this post about greeting cards over at Pink of Perfection and it got me to thinking about my own stance on sending out cards. I started sending out Christmas cards after Matt and I got married, but I have a little system that I think makes the task less stressful.

I have three rules when it comes to cards:

The first year that I wrote out cards, I did not send any until I started receiving them. As each card rolledl in, I would send one in reply. My thoughts are, if you care enough to send a card to me...I will take the time to send a card to you!

I *do not* send cards to my friends and family that I see on a regular basis, (unless they send a card to me).

I keep all of the received cards from the previous year, and use that as the basis for my send out list for the current year.

This has kept my card list to a manageable size. I don't feel guilty about not sending cards to all of my large, extended family, because I know that I'll be sending a card to the family members that care about sending and receiving them.

:::

Tonight I'll be going to my grandmother's wake, then zipping up to Portland with Matt for opening night of A Christmas Carol. A busy weekend lies ahead!

Advent :: Day Four / Finished Holiday Swap Ornaments!

Something to read: Did you know that December 1-7th is Shop Local Week? Check out this great post titled Your Guide to Local Holiday Shopping via Making This Home for ideas on how you can check off your Christmas list while supporting your local economy.

Something to listen to: 25 Days of Free Music at Amazon. Amazon is doing an Advent calendar of their own buy posting a free song to download everyday! In order to download music via Amazon, you'll have to install their download program, which is a little annoying, but overall pretty painless. The songs are free for a limited time only, (how limited is not specified). All four songs are still currently available, so if you want to catch up on the free music fun, go over there today!

Something to make: Want to make the Peace Dove ornament pictured above? Follow BellaDia's Peace Dove Ornament Tutorial.

:::

I finally finished all of my ornaments for the Third Annual Holiday Ornament Swap. I'm so pleased with how these came out, I think they're among some of the prettiest ornaments that I've made yet!

a peace army!



When I was making these, I became curious about the origin of the peace dove. I love to know the story behind things, and I came across an interesting website that outlines the olive branch and the dove's symbolic appearances in historic books, documents and seals. One of my favorite quotes from the page talks about the Great Seal of the United States:

"The Great Seal of the United States illustrates a founding principle: "The power of peace" is superior to the power of war. The American Eagle looks toward the olive branch held in its stronger right talon."

I think that's a lovely sentiment to be sending out to the world at this time of year!

Wishing you all a peaceful day!

Advent :: Day Three

Something to look at: Heart Handmade Holiday Zine - Generally online zines are not my favorite thing in the world. My feelings are, I read enough blogs as it is, if I'm going to read a zine or a magazine I want to hold it in my hands. Oh, Heart Handmade Holiday Zine, you proved me wrong! It's chock full of artist profiles, links to great shops, recipes and tons of FREE downloads. The digital format is utilized so well, and truly offers more than what a print version could. Take a few mornings to mull over this one whilst drinking some coffee or tea - it's worth your time!

Something to listen to: The album "This Good Night is Still Everywhere" by Dustin Kensrue. Dustin Kensrue is the lead singer of Thrice, (for those reading out there who are not as enthusiastic about punk music as my dear hubby), and recently he put out a solo effort called "Please Come Home." Please Come Home could be called "the softer side of Dustin", the songs have a gritty acoustic country feel that I would liken to Johnny Cash - only Kensrue's voice is distinctive in his own way. I love this album, so I was stoked to see that he just released a download only Christmas album. He sings some very traditional standards, but offers up offbeat Christmas songs like "Fairytale of New York" and "Christmas Blues." If you enjoy a moody, rainy day, singer song writer type of Christmas album, then this is for you.

Something to make: Want to make the adorable AshleyG house ornament above? Here's a link to the template, one of the many freebies from the Heart Handmade Holiday Zine!

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I bought The Stephen Colbert Christmas Special yesterday! *Doing the Snoopy Dance for joy! I was a little spendy spendy at the bookstore yesterday. The latest issues of CRAFT, CraftStylish and Stitch also made their way home from the bookstore with me. Whoops!

More excitement, I received my first ornament from the Holiday Ornament Swap a few days ago from Jamie K. of Chicago, Illinois.



I love the sparkly pompoms.

I finished my small army of swap ornaments last night at Stitch n' Bitch. I'll have pictures to share tomorrow!

Advent :: Day One and Two

This year I thought it might be nice to start a little blog tradition for Advent. I do not have an Advent calendar in my home yet, (I haven't been able to commit to the multitude of gorgeous calendar tutorials floating around on the internets), so I'll be filling my blog posts with a little internet Christmas goodness for you!

Something to look at: Simplifying and Organizing for the Holidays via Ali Edwards: This is a long post. I haven't even finished reading it all the way through myself, but it's chock full of great ideas to make your season smoother, more enjoyable, more relaxing. That's what's important, right?

Something to listen to: "Nutmeg" by Stephen Colbert and John Legend from the A Colbert Christmas, The Greatest Gift of All . I can't get this song out of my head. It's hysterical, slightly dirty and cracks me up. If your sense of humor is slightly off-kilter and you enjoy that in your Christmas music you should really check out this whole album on iTunes. It's only $7.99 and it will make you laugh, I promise.

Something to make: For the knitters, Mini Mitten Ornaments. Can you say scrapbuster?

Hi. Still with me? Great! Back to what's really important here...ME!

Here's the latest finished gifty to come out of Santa's workshop aka my craft room:

My finished TOASTY for my niece, Caitlin.





This is such a perfect last minute knit, if you're of the needly persuasion, this is one pattern you should have in your repertoire!

Well, I have to get ready for work. It's a beautiful sunny day here!

Remembering Memere Duclos

My last remaining grandparent, my Memere Duclos, passed away last night. She lived out many of her last years in a nursing home struggling with Alzheimer's disease.

I only visited her a few times in the past couple of years. This may be selfish to admit, but those visits were often more painful for me than I could bear. Matt and I visited her the Christmas after we got married, because I wanted her to meet him. We sat down with my wedding album and I pointed to her children, to my cousins, to myself. I said, "Memere, these are your sons and your grandchildren," and she would just reply, "Really? Is that so!"

I cried when we left. Memere remembered so little of everything. The home she at was filled with sadness and full of seemingly forgotten people. I went back there with my father for Mother's Day where I thought I saw a glimmer of recognition behind Mem's mischievous little smile. I'm glad that that was my last memory of her. It is enough.

Memere looking on as I blow out the candles on my third birthday



In better days you could always count on two things during a visit to Memere and Pepere Duclos' apartment. A can of Coke or Gingerale while you stayed, and a bag of M&M's when you left. They kept the M&M's on the such a high shelf that my tiny Memere had to stand on a step stool to reach them. Predictable. Always the same. Soda and M&M's. What child wouldn't love that?

Pepere and I circa 1984



My Pepere died of stroke-related complications when I was just twelve. He was the first person that I ever knew that died, and it was just devastating for me. My grandmother was not an independent woman, and I don't think that she ever recovered from the loss of my grandfather. She said to me once when I was a teenager, "I'm just waiting to go - I don't understand why God's taking such a long time."

Swan Lake, 1998: My dad, me, my sister Renee and Memere



It took God fourteen years to take her back, but I know that somewhere she's settling in with Pepere to watch the Canadiens play hockey, serving up soda and M&M's.

Today, amidst this current sadness, I've gotten the opportunity to interview as an outreach teacher with a huge dance organization. Probably top five largest in the country kind of huge. Memere's pulling strings from heaven already! I'm very thankful for this. Keep your fingers crossed for me! What are you thankful for today?