happy halloween

I'm not usually one to repeat Halloween costumes, but I made an exception this year. When I was maybe 5 or 6 I was Little Red Riding Hood, and that's who I am again this year. I wish I knew where a photo was from back then, but oh well.

The cape that I'm wearing today was knit for my by my grandma when I was a little girl. It still fits me, just a little differently. Oh, and the hood is too small now. Still, I love that I get to wear a costume that she made.




Special thanks to my sister for taking the pics, and my neighbors, who didn't know I was taking these photos in their yard. Although their cat found us, and wasn't too pleased.

Also, remember that all day today, you can get a free Sweet Treats item with any purchase in my shop. Just ask for your treat in the message to seller!

trick-or-treat sale

I'll be back again later with some Halloween photos, but for now, how about some trick-or-treating?

Today only, receive one free Sweet Treats item (your choice) with any purchase in my shop!

To take advantage of this offer, just be sure to fill in the message to seller box on Etsy, and tell me what your trick-or-treat Sweet Treats choice is. (If you leave it blank, I'll choose a treat for you.)

Happy Halloween!

snapshot saturday

This is my sister playing, but I also did a bit of playing this week. Mine involved shopping for tea and craft supplies...

coffee cuff cozy giveaway

Today you have the chance to enter a giveaway that I'm so happy about. I'd like to say that I planned this all out, but it just worked itself out!



The lovely Isabela from Ooh Leela! has a pattern PDF for making your own leather coffee cuff. It makes me think of the "Leather Together" song that the elves sang in my favorite version of the Elves and the Shoemaker. You can use her instructions to make some sweet little gifts for others (or yourself!)



And the equally wonderful Tara of Sew Tara would like to make a surprise coffee cozy for you! Tara makes all kinds of handmade things, and I'm certain that you'll love this gift that she's made. Secret surprise gifts are more meaningful, aren't they?

So, you'll have the chance at making some coffee cuffs AND having one made for you. Isn't that so sweet of them?

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment. But do please let me know how to contact you, in the event that you win. This giveaway will end Monday, October 31 at midnight central time. One random winner will be chosen and announced on Tuesday, November 1.

Now, be sure to give these ladies a visit!

video guest post: talia's help book

I am so very happy to have Talia from Number 19 guest posting today. She has a really lovely idea to share...it's crafty, helpful, and so very thoughtful, just like the story of the Elves and the Shoemaker!

Hi Wild Olive readers!

Talia from Number 19 here. When I was thinking about Mollie’s topic for this month, helping people, I thought about all the times people have helped me. Sometimes my husband tries to help me, and while I always appreciate the help, sometimes it’s not quite what I need. So I thought of this little ‘help book’.

The idea is that each person in your family makes one of these books that list 5 ways other people can help them. You display them all somewhere central in your house, and then when you feel like helping someone, you can read through their book and find things that would TRUELY help them, without having to ask!

Include things like some of your most hated chores, or things around the house that aren't anyone in particular's responsibility, but annoy you (like the water jugs for me), or even just 'nice' things people could do for you—saying thank-you, writing you a love note, give you a massage et.

Here’s how to make it:

Step 1: Cut out 3 pieces of card, approximately 4 x 6 inches (they can be any size you want really).

Step 2: Decide on your 5 things people could do to help you. The ones I’ve chosen are:

1) Do the washing up for me
2) Clean the toilets
3) Take your washing and put it away
4) Make sure the water jugs in the fridge are full
5) Wash the dog

Step 3: Stack all three of your pieces of cardboard together and punch a hole in the top left hand corner. In pencil, write the page numbers down the bottom right hand corner, so you know which way is ‘up’ on each piece of card. You’ll be working on these double sided—so on pages two and three, page two will have the hole in the bottom left corner, and page three will have it in the top left.

Step 4: Start decorating! I’m not going to tell you how to decorate these, but go ahead and use your imagination! The idea is that these are YOUR cards, so you should personalise them as much as you want.

A few things to remember:
1) It’s important that the helpful thing is easy to read
2) Remember which way is ‘up’. I find the easiest way to do this is to have my ‘book’ set out on the table, and as I finish a page I flip it up, that way I know my pieces are always facing the right way.

Step 5: Thread some ribbon through the holes and tie a loose knot.

I’ve created a video to show you the finished product, and also help you with working out which way is ‘up’ on the pieces of cardboard! Enjoy!

Enjoy,
Talia
Number 19

make: a mini-spool necklace (with the kids!)

On Monday, I shared a necklace that I made with a vintage spool, and today I have something similar that you can make with children (or by yourself, just because). This one was a combined effort from me and my baby sister who is now six. We made a sparkly one, but you could do this with lots of other options, like lace, yarn, or regular embroidery floss.



You'll need:
Mini spools - these are 1/2" and were found in the wood section at Hobby Lobby
Metallic floss
Craft glue
Ball-chain necklace



Glue one end of a piece of floss onto a spool. Let it dry. Depending on the age of your child, you may want to do this ahead of time for them.



Let your child wrap the floss around the spool, then secure the end with some more craft glue. The wrapping doesn't have to be perfect, because it's nice with a little character, right?




Once the glue has dried, thread the spools onto the chain necklace, and it's ready to wear!

Not only are these fun and easy to make, they make pretty little gifts for ladies of all ages!

review: last-minute knitted gifts ebook

SPOILER ALERT! If you're my sister, you shouldn't read this post! If you're not my sister, please read on...

It's not very often that I knit or crochet, mainly because I like a nice quick project, and these things take time. And so when Last-Minute Knitted Gifts came out a few years back, I knew it would be a good one for me. I picked it up at the library, but never made anything. But then I recently learned that STC Craft now has some of their titles in eBook format, I was reintroduced to this very useful title. The fine folks at STC Craft sent me a copy of the eBook to check out, and I'm so happy they did! (Christmas is coming, after all...)

Take a look at this video showing a little about the books that are now available in this format, and the art of knitting, then scroll down for my review and plans for gift-making!

First of all, this is a really great book with plenty of projects of varying skill levels and time commitments. The content of the eBook matches the hardcopy, but I was curious how I would feel about the photos when viewing them on my mom's semi-generic e-reader. But I was pleasantly surprised! It's difficult to capture the quality when taking a photo of the screen, but you'll get the idea...




Before loading this book onto the device, I looked at it in Adobe Digital Editions. In that program, the table of contents is linked to take you directly the sections and projects you're looking for. This isn't possible on the e-reader I'm using. However, I'm still a little new to eBooks, so I may just be doing something wrong. Or it could just be that this device isn't as fancy as Kindles and Nooks and such. Maybe one of you has more experience with this type of feature?



But I think my favorite thing about this was that I could take the whole thing with me when going to buy yarn. It was handy, and it made me feel technologically superior. (It was all in my head...) Since the store I went to didn't have exact matches, I spent a fair amount of time comparing yarns, looking at all of the information provided so I would have a close match to the weight needed.




I'm so excited to be making these leg-warmers (for my sister, who tells me that she doesn't read my blog specifically because of possible gifts), and if all goes well, I might be making a set for myself! Even I can handle knitting some tubes...right?

If you're a knitter, and an eBook reader, I highly recommend that you check out these eight titles from STC Craft. I'm already eyeing which ones I'll need to purchase (hint: they all involve small and easy projects!)!

my trip to england : part 1

It's been weeks since I got home, but at last I have some photos ready to share from my trip to England! I was there visiting my friend Katie, her boyfriend Luke, and seeing Katie's friends and family too. My trip was split into two sections, the first in Bristol (where Katie lives) and the second half in London (where her family lives). To keep myself sane (you too!), I'm splitting the photos into two posts, and today we start by visiting Bristol.

I flew into London (on a buddy pass, thanks to a helpful friend!), and although I was really tired (midnight Chicago time), it was early in the day, so there was lots to be seen and done!




While still in the London area, we started out with a little stop in the village of Denham. We walked through, saw some very charming houses and such, and I think this was Katie's way of warming me up for more walking.



We then traveled by train to Bristol. I really can't remember the last time I was on a real train (unless you count monorails at Disney...), but of course, this was the first of many train rides on my trip.




The rest of my first day, and all of day 2 were spent enjoying the city. On foot. I thought my legs were going to turn into rubber. But it was worth it, because Bristol is so beautiful. Colorful buildings, lovely shops, and a really spectacular suspension bridge.




Katie and Luke had a surprise trip planned for day 3, so we left the house at 6am, and hopped on a bus:




We arrived in Hay-on-Wye, a town in Wales known for its book shops. As in, there are 31 book shops in this little place. Amazing! After some breakfast, we explored, and I managed to only buy a few things.





The book shop in and around the castle was pretty special, but I was so very charmed by the pub we ate lunch at. It was built in 1600, and the building looked just as it would have. (At least, as far as my knowledge of 15th century pubs goes...)



The next day, we headed to Bath. Everyone who's ever been there has the same reaction: Isn't it beautiful?!?. Yes. Yes, it really is a beautiful city.




I think that Bath Abbey was my favorite part of the day. Not only is the church stunning, but they had on display a series of 35 diptychs made by Sue Symons. The exhibition is called One Man's Journey to Heaven (also Bath Abbey Diptychs), and tells the story of Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection. One side is calligraphy and the other is embroidery. In just one year, she did all of the work for this...a full time job! Between the environment and the devotion it took to create these, I was a little emotional.



And apparently, when visiting Bath, you're supposed to take jumping photos in front of the Royal Crescent. I just took pictures of other people doing this. It saved some energy. Although, after several days of walking, walking, walking, I was now used to it, and I'm missing it now that I'm back at my computer for working.



Our last day in the Bristol area was a Sunday, and so we visited a very nice church called St. Stephens. It was fairly different from what I'm used to (which I expected it to be), but the people were so welcoming. After church we walked along the harbor, saw a steam engine, and took a self-portrait of our rained-upon selves.




That night we played games at home, and had a really lovely time. There were several mini game nights throughout the trip, and all were such fun. They taught me Carcassonne, and I brought Apples to Apples. Seeing all of the sights was wonderful, but being with friends (and making new ones!) made the trip perfect.

Did you make it through all of those photos? That was the short version! I have more pictures in my still-expanding Flickr set, and when London pics get edited, I'll have another post to share!

make: a vintage spool necklace

After spotting a basket of old thread spools recently, I've been itching to make some things with them. This pink one was so pretty, I couldn't leave it, and so I started with giving it a photoshoot. Thread deserves to be special, don't you agree?

After that, it was time to make it into necklace, which will allow me to show off this beautiful silk thread all the time!



Here's what you need:
Vintage thread spool
Wire
Buttons
Jump rings
Necklace chain
Pliers (optional, but very helpful)



Start by cutting a piece of wire that, when folded in half, is about 3/4" taller than the spool. Thread it through a button.



Slide the wire through the center of the spool. (I considered using a piece of chain, but because of the size of the spool center, it wobbled. The wire gives it more stability.)



Twist and bend the wires so they make a loop at the top of the spool. (Mine doesn't look as pretty as I would like, but it's okay...it will be fairly hidden.) Use a jump ring and attach a button to the wire loop.



If the jump ring is large enough, you can slide the necklace chain through this. If not, add another ring.



Doesn't it look pretty? I wore this to church on Sunday, and had nearly a dozen compliments on it. The silk thread has such a lovely shine, and I felt special wearing it. And oh, but I have ideas for more things to make with these spools! I can't wait!

snapshot saturday

Sometimes I work on things as they come along, and other times, far in advance. These supplies are part of a bigger project that I'm delighted to be a part of. A project that won't officially come available until January...but with more information showing up very soon. (I both love secrets and hate keeping them!)

Also, just a quick reminder that there's a little more time to enter the Celebrate Color needlepoint contest for October. All forms of embroidery are welcome, including free hand embroidery, cross-stitch, crewel, and more. Oh, and did you know that the prizes are Anna Marie Horner needleworks fabric and embroidery floss? I'm drooling over these prizes, but as a judge for the contest, I guess I'll leave them for you. Go give Celebrate Color a visit!

something new

Things have been slow going when it comes to my shop. I have many things planned and started, but getting them actually finished has been something else entirely. Finally, today I got something done. Just one pattern set that I've had sketched for over a year, but it's progress.

The Nutcracker Sweets embroidery pattern is now in the shop, and some coordinating printables will happen soon. (I just couldn't wait to get this one listed after waiting so long!)



And no doubt, my beyond amazing trip to see the Royal Ballet helped this along. We didn't see the Nutcracker, but I can't imagine a more stunning performance that what Katie and I saw at the Royal Opera House!