Around this time last year, I was puttering around a fabric store making plans for the holidays when I got a phone call from one of my clients. While I stood surrounded by mid-weight cotton, my very very part-time job suddenly transformed into a very very full-time job. Sadly, I had no idea how to balance 80-hour work weeks with family commitments and we had the most neglected holiday season ever...thankfully the job ended after 6 months. Now that I have returned to a somewhat more balanced ... Read more
Counting Beads
The other day K and I went to a beads store, and this pretty stone caught my eye (on sale!). The brass Japanese seed beads seemed like a natural fit, and a few minutes later I had a necklace. I might have discovered a new hobby... ... Read more
Halloween Tattoos
For all of my Pinterest-ing and grand planning, I've been kind of a slacker in the Halloween department. Pumpkins: not carved. Candy: not purchased. Fancy Treats: not baked. Costume for K: totally dialed it in (cat ears purchased at a drug store, leotard and tights re-purposed as-is from last summer's ballet camp). However, just in the nick of time, I did make some cute little Halloween tattoos... I used Silhouette's printable tattoo paper, which is so much fun. The downside is ... Read more
Halloween Yummies
As October 31st draws near, I have been thinking about making fancy Halloween treats for K, and here are some fun ideas I've been gathering...oh, so many choices! Trick-or-treat cookies by notmartha DIY mini caramel apples via Classic Play Black cat cookies via Land o Lakes Spooky ghost pizza via She Knows Chef Mom Handmade bat treat boxes via craftgawker I hope everyone in NYC is doing OK in the wake of Sandy...best wishes to all. ... Read more
Impromptu Art Project
A while ago, I purchased this very cool papercraft book, which I promptly whipped out when we had a free afternoon last week. However, K wanted none of it. Instead, she rummaged around the house and found some cardboard packaging and got to work decorating it. Pretty soon the paints came out, and she was barking out orders ("The hospital is here! No, that's the amusement park!"). And lo, we have a painted city: This is the view from top. Here is the front view with the purple castle, ... Read more