holiday props

How adorable are these printable props from etsy?  Perfect idea for a holiday card photo shoot or photo booth props at a winter wedding?  Love the idea for the holidays and may have to keep it in my back pocket for when Jackson gets old enough to not eat the reindeer nose!

green gifts...or not

Here is a cool list of "green" gift ideas if you are still searching for that special something.  Unfortunately, I am just about done with my Christmas shopping this year (thank you, Amazon.com) so I can't take advantage this season.  The hand-made scarves and bags are my fav though.

Of course, if you are REALLY trying to be "green", giving the gift of a small donation to your favorite charity, giving some home-made treats like these delicious cookies, a nice meal out together, or recycling with a vintage find from the Brooklyn Flea will probably do the trick!

{photos:  Sammy Handmade, Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It, Roberts Revival Radio}

Portland, ORE

 

 

Why is it that everything that comes out of Portland, Oregon is simple, unique, and just plain cool?  I am not exactly sure how I came across them, but OMFGCo. (aka The Official Manufacturing Company) seems to have their hand in everything that is cool in Portland.  This three-man design studio has worked on the signage and collateral at the Ace Hotel, opened this bar, created their own font, worked on a collection of mugs for Stumptown Coffee, and worked on these tags for a bag collection with Pendleton Wools (also from Portland) and Property Of (though not in Portland, I love their bags).  And if you were lucky enough to be there in November, Portland was home to the first little winter market with amazing local vendors like my favorite, herriot grace.  Check out these cloud cookie cutters and feather towels!

All this, plus a great food and music scene makes me want to take a little trip to the Northwest!

P.S. Happy Birthday to my big sister, Tina!

winter wear

Pip-squeak Chapeau, Etc has some amazing pieces for this insanely cold weather we've been having.  Sweaters, coats, hats, and neck warmers.  Each one of them calls my name and I really hope Santa is listening;););)

PS though not their line, I love that sweet black and white checked skirt.  Wonder where it's from.

tis the season

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season!  Jeff, Jackson and I had our annual holiday dinner party this past weekend with friends from near and far.  We love you guys!  Jackson had a blast.  And, this morning we woke up to a Christmas package from my sister!  How fun is that?  Cranberry walnut cookies and chocolate bark.  As you can see, Jackson couldn't decide which one was better...so we had both...for breakfast:)  

Did I mention how much we love the holidays in this house?

honey pie

This time of year makes me all mushy inside.  The simple thought of sipping hot cocoa by the christmas tree while listening to Pretty Paper by Willie Nelson makes me teary-eyed.  Now, the tree is up and Jeff has declared that this year, we must "maximum Christmas" (this is exactly why I love this man).  We are planning our attack on the holiday fairs, the holiday markets, and more importantly, the holiday goodies...the baked goodies.  Jeff has been meaning to take me to Four & Twenty Blackbirds due to my love of pie and what better time of year to go.  So, this weekend after a trip to the Brooklyn Flea for some new ornaments, we headed in from the freezing cold, warmed ourselves with a cup of hot chocolate, one slice of salty honey pie and one of the salty carmel apple pie.  I took a picture, which I must apologize in advance, is none too appetizing since we just about devoured them.  The honey pie was custard-y goodness and the sea salt on top did me in.  The apple pie was delicious, but I love apple pie with or without salt. 

I found this recipe for honey pie which I plan to try very soon.

PS Jackson picked our Christmas tree this year.  I'll post some pics soon.

felt love

To celebrate this colorful season and my love for felt, here are some finds - wool wreath, felt bows, and this fantastic rug. A friend from work made the wreath from the instructions on the website which is totally fun; and how pretty would it be to receive a present wrapped with that felt bow on top? 

Furniture and fun

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving!  We took the week off and headed to Phoenix to spend the holiday with Jeff's family.  It was warm (though cool for Arizona), sunny, quiet and relaxing.   We decided to fly back on Friday to beat the holiday rush and came home to the crisp coolness of late November.  It often feels like Thanksgiving just melds right into Christmas, doesn't it?   

But before I get ahead of myself, here are a couple of shots from our letterpress class a couple of weeks ago.  The instructor was this younger man with a quiet voice and slight frame.  His family once ran a printing press in the midwest.  He now owns these big old Vandercook presses in Brooklyn, teaches folks how to use them, and rents them out for blocks of time.  The studio was filled with old wood types, tiny metal types, and small blocks of wood called "furniture", stacked neatly and in order by size, to keep the various letter types in place on the press.  I fell in love with the all sounds and smells of the studio and the old machines.  I can't wait to go back for more.

Ding snapped some good pics.  To see more, go here!:)

mini blankets



fantastic baby blankets from here, here, and here.  i've been looking for some cute ones to keep jackson warm on our strolls around the 'hood.  the last one, of course, is from lena corwin's new baby's room.  if you haven't seen it, check it out on her new blog. 

"thank goodness" outfit

My perfect thanksgiving outfit...a cozy sweatshirt, red clogs (i've been eyeing these), and knit pants with that needed stretch after a delicious meal.

busy kitchen

It turns out that Jackson has some mild allergic reactions to cow's milk and goat's milk, so we had to find some alternatives.  We turned to rice milk.  I decided to try to make my own at home and found a good recipe here.  The result is somewhat thicker than the store-bought brand, but I dilute it with some water and breast milk and Jackson seems to go for it so far.  Since home-made rice milk lacks some of the essential vitamins that he needs, like calcium, I breaded and baked up some salmon cakes for him that he really seems to dig (thanks to my mom for the delicious leftover salmon!..).  Mini meatballs and pasta with broccoli have also been on the menu.  Now, we just have to make sure that more of it ends up in his mouth rather than the floor!;)

Oh, but our kitchen has been very busy these days - I love it!  

...hope you have a happy weekend!

letterpress!

Can't wait for this weekend!  My sister is coming in from Philly and staying with us.  On Sunday, we are taking a letterpress class here!

And, here are just a few of my favorites from around the web:  

- sailboats and ropes from linda and harriet

- lightening bolts and clouds from etsy

- anchors from mr. boddington's studio

crankypants



Adorable.  Love these little knits for my little crankypants. 

weekend pants

Hi friends...sorry for being m.i.a.  Jackson had a fever again...poor guy. There have been plenty of calls to the doc, calls to my mom, sick visits, snuggling, reading books, staying indoors, falling asleep at 6pm, waking at 3am, crying, and cuddling.  Phew.  I am glad it is the end of the week.  We plan on relaxing, getting out for a walk and maybe even going to the playground if Jackson feels up for it.  

I am so eyeing these or these comfy sweatpants to relax in this weekend.  In fact, I could probably wear them all week long...I am sure work won't mind;)

fall in new england part 2

More from our trip up the coast.  We took Jackson across the bridge into Maine and went on a hike.  We stumbled upon this picturesque country estate of a shipping merchant named Jonathan Hamilton.  It was situated on a bluff and we were the only ones there except for two runners who came through.  The grounds were well-kept and beautiful.  I asked Jeff to snap a few shots of this old black house on the grounds.  {Mental note:  Paint house black in next life. It's so cool.}

Jackson had so much fun crawling around in the grass.  We felt like we were Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton hanging out on our front lawn and enjoying the view...then we woke up and went to eat some lobster;)