made with love...

Tomorrow is February already! Did January go faster this year than usual? Anyway, it's time for a new calendar desktop, and for February, the Made with Love Valentine would just love to smile at you from your computer screen each day. Download and enjoy!

cookie cutter world...

If you've visited the blog before, you may have seen some of cookies that I've made. I love making cut-out cookies for just about every holiday, especially if I can add faces to them. Actually, it wasn't that long ago that roll-out cookies, of any kind, were my enemy. I just couldn't roll them out and still have them look like anything. With that in the past, I now look for any occasion to bake some shaped sweets.

Which is why I was so happy when my mom discovered these gems, "Cookie Cutters for All Party Occasions." Some are normal holiday shapes, but others are obviously from days gone by. Because, nowadays, Washington's birthday doesn't call out for ax snacks. And yet, I'm drawn to them. But they'll need faces.



And then there's this. I found it just before Christmas, and no one here could figure out what it's meant to be. We've looked at it from all directions, but we're just not sure. My best guess is a man in a bowler hat...unlikely though. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

so proud...

Being the proud big sister, I like to share things about my younger brothers and sisters. Today, I present two things. First, if you enjoy photography, check out my sister's photos that she has started uploading. She has a style all her own...we call it "arty." Actually the ones that she has on Flickr right now, all were taken in a moving car, and will become a series of prints, I think.

Then, we have my nearly 14-year-old brother. Not nearly as classy as Anna, he has a new YouTube video that he created last night. Ever the comedian, his Blair-Witch-like video reflects an upbringing with puppet-team exposure, and contains some tried and true jr. high humor. The series could become a classic.

leaving a print...

Some time ago, I found this image online. (I wish I could remember where from...foolishly, I only saved the image). Since then I've wanted to try out some stamp carving. It appeals to my love of little doodle-like images and printing. Craft magazine has a nice collection of links for ideas and tutorials (I especially love that emoticon!) on handmade stamps, and I had already been thinking about printing on fabric...so that will now be a must. But anyway, I finally gave this a try and carved a "Made with Love Valentine" stamp. This is the stamp, along with some sheets that I printed and will be using for some little gift surprises...



To make this, I started with a Magic Rub eraser. Then I freehanded the drawing, although on another I'm planning to transfer my design. To cut, I used a linoleum cutting tool, which was pretty simple to maneuver. I tried stamping with ink, and that worked...but I wanted something a bit different, so used paint. Considering that the stamp is fairly small, and that paint is a bit thick, the end result was pretty good, I think! An Excited Egg is on the way next...

characteristics buttons...

Well, they are done and in the Etsy shop. The first batch of Characteristics buttons. You can click on the small pics in the sidebar to view them in the shop. I would love it if some were purchased along the way, because it's nice to know that someone values the things that you make and do. But if the truth were told, I'm just as happy to be the only one sporting these. I love them...even if no one else does.

These little sets to go along with each Characteristic are my favorites. More of those will be coming along soon. Right now they are still just an idea on paper...not computer yet.

through rose-colored lenses

Almost a month away still, and I'm already all geared up for Valentine's Day. Certainly not for the mushy love stuff, but because of all the making of the cuteness. Cards and goodies are so much fun for this red and pink holiday. And it's all I can think of...

...that and buttons. I've been busy making button art, and soon they will be pressed into buttons, and soon after that, they will find their way to Etsy. Hooray!

baked in a pie...

Have you noticed how often movie trailers, and even the synopsis on the DVD packaging, are misleading? Honestly, sometimes it's like a whole other movie. I've run into this a couple times lately, and I confess, the movies I saw were good; just not what was expected.

One such film was "Mistress of Spices". Romantic and enjoyable, but not "A Comedy that Indulges Your Senses." Last night we watched "Waitress" starring Keri Russell. Funny in a dark sort of way, but not the romantic comedy I thought I was about to watch. However, there was a lot of pie throughout. Lots of pie. And they all had great names that had little to do with what they were, like, "Lonely in Chicago Pie".

So I was inspired to bake a pie, made with apple and cream cheese. I had every intention of taking a photo, but forgot, and now there's not much left and it's no longer pretty. But in honor of these semi-misleading movies, I title it "Cinematic Beguilements Pie".

a work in progress...

...one of many.

This new bit of knitting is going to become a shawl from The Knitter's Book of Yarn. It's quite different from the yarn that the book suggests, but it was on hand. Actually, this is from some old cotton yarn that I found in a closet at my grandma's house. And although the pattern is pretty, I really just wanted something to wrap up in on cold days. And maybe that will inspire me to finish it in a timely manner...before the weather warms up again!

marks the spot...

It may be unseasonably warm here now, but more snow is always just around the corner. After all, winter in Chicago lasts until, what? June? Anyway, in the winter months, it's a good time to curl up by the fire, and start reading that classic book you've always wanted to read. But the time will come when you'll have to put the book down, even if only for a little while.

The Simple Snowman is here to help! Just download this month's printable, and you'll have your very own Simple Snowman Bookmarks.

lots of appeal...

On New Year's Eve we started playing this game. A word game that is kind of like Scrabble, only not, because you can rearrange the words, you don't score points for each word, and each person plays independently. We went ape for it. Since then, not a day goes by that we don't play this simple little game called Bananagrams.

I've loved games like Boggle and such since I was little, but because I play frequently, no one in my family likes to play with me. But the great thing about Bananagrams is that the length of your words doesn't make a difference, only if you can get rid of all of your tiles, once all of the tiles in the "bunch" are gone. Timing can be vital. Now we've all gone bananas for this crossword game (that comes is the cute banana pouch). Buy it today. Really.

working in a winter wonderland...

When I first saw the movie "Elf", I loved when Buddy decorated the apartment with paper chains and snowflakes. So beautiful! Then this year at Target, I found this excellent paper snowflake garland, kind of like the cut out dolls we're all familiar with. But since it was $6, and because it just wasn't unique, I decided to make my own. So these snowflakes now hang in my office. Simple, and sure to keep my spirits up in the winter months ahead.

turn the calendar to 2008...

Happy New Year! Start things right with a calendar desktop wallpaper for your computer. A Simple Snowman will keep you company all month. And don't forget to print out the calendar from yesterday!

Time for resolutions. I've broken my goals for the new year into three categories. First, things that sound good, but just won't happen: Paper Source says "Do something creative everyday." There's a plan, and while I'm at it, why not "blog everyday." Nice, but unrealistic.

Then we have the vague goals that are difficult to either achieve or not: Sew more, draw more, create more. More than what? How much more? I do hope to do these things, but who's to say if I succeed or fail?

Finally, the resolutions that are real. Simple, straightforward, and attainable: Make new buttons each month, Sell on Etsy (this would go well with the first), and Use pencils more often than pens (and thus, keep sharpened pencils nearby). I can do this!