2013 in review

(In no particular order.) Goodbye, 2013. It was a great year! Thank you, dear readers, for following along. Happy 2014!

you may not like Aunt Norris but she can sure cut some baize

I have just realized why I enjoy reading Jane Austen books over and over again. I mean besides the compelling stories, wry humor and elegant writing. It's because the ladies spend all day reading books, drawing, sewing and crafting. And this makes them Accomplished.

(Hobyn, do not snicker at my still life fruit photo prop. I am actually on a fruit eating binge lately. I think about fruit a lot. Especially pears. I guess that is better than Girl Scout cookies.)

goodbye, 2012.

It was a good year.

well, you asked, Candy.

I'm trying to wow you with a shot of the gravel saved by the surgeon from my husband's kidney surgery. But I'm probably just really grossing you out. It was actually one big stone but it had to be broken into these bits to get it out through the scope in my husband's poor back. It's amazing what they can do nowadays, isn't it? If you live in my area you can't go wrong with Dr. Scott Shelfo if you have a kidney stone the size of a VW bus. He's an awesome surgeon. Shout out to you, Doc Shelfo! (snapping fingers and pointing)

Just so this post has some redeeming value for those of you who are icked out right now, jump over here instead and read a non-medical, fantastic review of my Wee Mouse Tin House pattern written up by Stephanie with help from her seven year old Sweet Pea. The pictures of her daughter helping to make the mouse house are so adorable, and you can get a real world synopsis of the process.

my felty valentine: a deal and a contest!

You guys know I love wool felt. Perhaps that is not a strong enough word. I'm mad-crazy for it. So this post is especially for my fellow wool felt enthusiasts. Wonderful Janet, mmmcrafts sponsor and owner of top notch etsy shop, Felt On The Fly, is offering my readers a BOGO deal featuring this pretty wool felt die-cut set with hearts and keys.

Here's the deal: When you purchase any gorgeous, five-piece Color Story ($15 US) from her shop, be sure to mention "mmmcrafts" in the note to seller box. When you do that, Janet will include a free Felt Hearts die cut set with your purchase! The set includes all that you see in the photo above. That's a $7.50 value. (This BOGO offer ends Feb 10th)

 

 Just a few of the Color Stories available.

I speak from personal experience when I say that Felt On The Fly's 100% wool felt is a joy to use for any craft. It has a substantial, smooth hand and the colors are so bright and rich. Here's a great description from Janet:

My 100% merino wool felt fabric is made from natural, renewable, dyed wool fiber from merino sheep, pressed together using a needle felt/steam process to produce a fabric specifically created for the handwork and fine craft marketplace. It is color fast and fade-resistant. It is very soft, cuts cleanly, does not fray and holds stitches beautifully. It has a nice ‘body’ and holds up very well with use and handling.

Enter the Felty Heart Challenge: Take a great deal one step further. Get creative with the Felty Hearts set! Use it to make something cool. Use all of it or just part of it. Then upload a photo of your creation by February 17th to Janet's Felty Hearts Challenge flickr group.

Here's what you can win: Janet and I will put our heads together and choose a winner from the flickr pool. The lucky winner's creation will be featured on my blog and the winner will receive a free five-piece set of Felt On The Fly's 100% wool felt. The winner can choose a Color Story or create a custom mix from Janet's amazing set of 96 colors. That's five 8 x 12 inch pieces of soft, richly colored 100% merino wool felt to add to your stash.

Go check out her shop, and we will look forward to seeing your beautiful creations!

what I'm up to.

Well, what I didn't do was shop on Thanksgiving weekend. Sorry, National Economy. I sat around and enjoyed the days by feeling thankful, eating large numbers of pecan bars (Thanks a lot, Leigh. No really. They are evil.), watching my family watch the Bama game and occasionally sending out a supportive Whoo! (I was at the kitchen table making an ornament), watching the 1st season of Gilmore Girls with my mom, and taking a very occasional walk.

 

I have to show you the wondrous Thanksgiving table my sister Leigh set for our family feast. Isn't it beautiful? (the off-topic birthday banner was for my nephew Michael). There was also a satellite kiddie table with equally fancy settings that is not in the picture. The main table is huge, but that is all an illusion. Underneath it is my Mama Graham's regular sized dining table. Over the top of that is a cleverly built ginormous round plywood tabletop that has additional support legs, which is brought up from the basement and assembled for special occasions like this. Leigh really should do a guest tutorial so you can make one too, huh?

We did something most agreeable this year after the Thanksgiving feast too: a Gently Used Jewelry And Makeup Swap amongst the older gals in the family. We all cleaned out our jewelry boxes and makeup/toiletry kits ahead of time and then drew numbers. Things got pretty heated. Almost violent. Lots of guilt trips. Some snide remarks. It was excellent! And I ended up with some cool new-to-me pieces (above, just some of my loot) and a new lipstick color. After we were done, my daughters got to choose some play jewelry from the leftovers, and then the rest was donated to a local thrift store.

The shopping apathy lasted through the weekend and somehow I let CyberMonday also slip by (I was busy watching Edward and Jacob worry over skeletal Bella) and now I'm kicking myself for missing out on the online deals on Calico Critters, which my daughters are pining hard for and which are priced like nuclear grade uranium. Sheesh.

What I'm doing on today, Dec 1st, is getting out all our Christmas decorations. I'm trying to ignore the fact that the contents of my china cabinet are all on top of the TV armoire and that I still have no floor in my kitchen. It's bare slab cement with construction paint lines, mystery stains and patches of old vinyl flooring in places. It's real festive. Being rectified soon. Crossing fingers.

I need to stuff the mirrored advent calendar before I take it downstairs. I dream each year of making tiny things to go in it, but of course at the last minute I bought some peppermint kisses, LPS teensies and some weird hairy animal pencil toppers who get an amazing hairdo if you spin your pencil. I also have tiny wooden ornaments for their (new!) small white Christmas tree. That will buy me some time and maybe I can put in something cool and handmade. I have ideas for tiny felt necklaces. And this will be our second year with the awesome Playmobil advent. The girls are excited to see that one again.

I've got a pile of needlebooks started and a few thousand felt ornaments I'd like to make, and some I've actually completed.

And. I kinda hate my handmade stockings. I'll be attempting those again.

it really is magical.

2 Kids + 2 Parents + Minivan + Mickey Mouse = Big Fun.

Home again! Did you know it is still 1000 degrees in central Florida? We do. Holy smokes it was hot. But still very very fun. If you've never been to WDW with your kids, I highly recommend it. And we are ready to go again sometime. When it is cooler.

things I did in London

 Ate really good food. Often. We had our priorities.
(Everybody, this is my oft-mentioned friend Robyn. Robyn, meet everybody.)

 Walked almost off the plane into Liberty. We ain't crazy.

Took an open topped bus tour of the city. Hilarious...

 ...because of our lovely and very witty guide, Samantha from Scotland. Now I know the gruesome history of why we say "God bless you" when someone sneezes.

 

 Went to Portobello Market in Notting Hill. Very good. I recommend browsing with a Belgian waffle in one hand and a big ol' coffee in the other.

 

 Walked around town and saw random cool stuff. Discussed how much we'd insure our legs for.

 Notice the strange quality about this photo? Yes, that's sunlight in London.

 This is the future me and Robyn on our 45th girl trip. Aren't we cute?

 Took a tour of the Tower of London. Lucked into another guide who continually cracked us up. Perhaps there's a secret Guild of Her Majesty's Larking Tour Guides they belong to. We saw the crown jewels and found out that the golden spoon is in fact not for a pre-coronation bowl of Wheaties.

 Took a lovely Thames River cruise and saw the highlights from the water. Sights of London were once again upstaged by the stand up comedian who was posing as our ship's captain.

 Caught the last part of Evensong at Westminster Abbey. Beautiful house of worship, beautiful music. Beautiful reminder to be still and know that He is God.

 Took the bus to Oxford. Wowee. Gorgeous town.

 Took pictures of my toilet in Jamie's Italian. It's a Crapper. (snicker) It's a Venerable Crapper. (explosive snorting behind hand) Oh, yeah, the food was great too.

 

 Toured the grounds and tried to imagine what it would be like to actually attend Oxford. Lucky, that's what.

 Saw some really cute handmade crafts for sale there, by Wawaya. Look, their hands are in their pockets. Love the stripey tails. Robyn adopted a couple for her kiddos.

Met a kind woman from Phoenix who was serious about getting just the right shot of us in front of the Radcliffe Camera. (If you read The Historian, you'll know I'm this close to seeing crucial documents about Vlad the Impaler. So close. But still about 5000 pages away from the climax. I seriously thought that book was never going to end.)

 

 Went to the site of the first coffee house in England and had...yes, tea! It was very very good tea, with hot fruit scones and lots of clotted cream and jam. It was just what we needed on a chilly day. Here's me trying to get a trick shot in the mirror. Fail.

  

And yes, another shot of the toilet. But, see, it was funny. Flood. ha.

 Laughter that ensued after Robyn's hair caught fire. You'll have to ask her about that one. I think she is actually saying in this shot "Thanks for saving my life."

 Luminaries greeted us each evening along the halls at the Charing Cross Hotel. We couldn't have asked for a better location in central London. Well done, Robyn! I bow to you. Thanks for all the research and legwork.

 No, the wind and rain is NOT getting us down as we cross the Millennium Bridge. That's the Tate Modern in the background there. What an...interesting collection. Great fun to browse.

 This is me as I almost expire before getting to the galleries in St. Paul's. It is not for the feeble or for anyone who gets claustrophobia or vertigo.

 Here's me attempting to take my own picture at Buckingham Palace. I made several botched attempts. Gah. Look kinda tired.

 And this is the picture taken by the Bobby you see in the first picture above. Yes, I was so pathetic that he stepped over the metal car bomb barrier and volunteered. Wasn't that sweet?

 Aw, look at him on the right there. What a nice guy. Thanks, Mr. Policeman!

 Then as I was standing there, I dumb lucked into the changing of the guard. How 'bout that for my last few moments of sightseeing in London? Brilliant!

Not pictured:
British Museum (the whirlwind tour),
St. Paul's (no pictures allowed, besides the one I snuck on the stairs of death),
The 39 Steps (Great show).