Hello. How are you? I really want to know. As I sat down to type this month's blog post, I wasn't sure if I had anything of interest to offer up. Not that I do normally, but I've rarely let that stop me from prattling about. This morning I was thinking about how I started this blog 10 years ago, and for the last decade it's been a rather one-sided conversation, hasn't it? I wish that we could have a chat. Let's imagine that we're meeting up at one of my favorite coffee shops and we've settled in ... Read more
Obsessively designing
Hello, hello! How are you all doing? What a crazy time...I have no adequate words for what seems like ceaseless global upheaval. I find solace in making things when the world seems to be churning, and lately I've been having a love affair with designing patterns for wallpaper, stationery and fabric. I celebrated a dear friend's birthday this weekend, and let me tell you -- wrapping the presents with my own designs is incredibly gratifying. I'm getting more and more comfortable with ... Read more
Quieting
I've become very good at ratcheting down the pace. I was using my phone to record a video a couple of weeks ago and when I played the video back, I discovered that I had accidentally hit the "Slo-Mo" button while filming. My life feels like it's in perpetual slo-mo these days. I call it "quieting." It's kind of nice. I've even been tiptoeing into the ultimate quieting activity: knitting. When I was a striving bundle of youth, I constantly sought out excitement and novelty. World travel! New ... Read more
New Year’s Eve Thoughts
Happy almost 2022! I'm still in disbelief that 2021 is about to end, how about you? We're buried in snow here in Seattle, experiencing unfamiliar subarctic temps. I haven't driven for a week, though my intrepid husband ventured out to attempt to swim in Lake Washington three days ago. It's his thing. Similar to Wim Hoff -- aka The Iceman -- M is a devout believer in the power of cold water swimming to cure all ailments. He's been doing it since the pandemic started and it appears to work since ... Read more
2021 Advent Calendar + Free Printables!
Hello, hello my friends! If you're in the US, I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend to kick off the holiday season. Mine was quiet and very low-key, which is exactly how I like my my celebrations, especially celebrations about gratitude. One of the things I've been working on over the long weekend is the annual Advent Calendar. It's going to go on top of the piano, and this tradition is a much beloved one in our family. As I was cutting and assembling, I realized that this will be ... Read more