shopper alert: vintage circus cupcake papers

The circus is in town! Or it's at Michaels, anyway. One of the members of my cupcake toppers group alerted everyone to some super cute cupcake liners that have vintage circus designs. I pawed through a lot of displays by the baking section until I finally found them in the bargain bins at the unbelievable price of $1.50 per 75-count pack! They're adorable, and there are also matching treat bags, stickers, cards, mini journals, and rubber stamps too.

This is going to be great, because I just posted a Mary Poppins circus in the sky pendant necklace swap in our children's lit swap group that I'm very excited about. I can use the stamps and stickers and such to gussy up the package when the time comes. I think I might use a cupcake liner in a craft for a special somebody, too--I'll have to see. In the meantime, the rest go into the baking cupboard. You'd think we baked cupcakes all the time, but it's really just a few times a year. It's so hard to resist a pretty liner, though.

shopper alert: japanese masking tape

I received two unexpected packages from my dear friend Linda within the last week. I'm saving one to share later, but I had to do a quickie post about the first one. She knows I love decorative masking tape, so she sent me a cute little set of three red and pink ones from West Elm...a most unexpected and welcome surprise!

I randomly went on their site today, and it looks like the yellow and purple sets are on sale for the ridiculously low price of $4.99 plus free shipping plus you receive a beechwood dispenser! Goodness, what a bargain. If you love washi tape, get yourself a set now before they sell out.

Update: looks like the tape dispenser is no longer available, but the orange set is now available in addition to the yellow and purple ones.

christmas tea parcel

Last week, I sent my gentlemen friends a Christmas package to help them get through all those cold winter nights. They're both tea drinkers, but they've never owned a proper tea pot, so I thought it was time to get them one.

I sent them a pretty white china tea pot and creamer, as well as our new favorite blend of tea from American Tea Room. This company, which is located in Beverly Hills, used to be known as the Palais du Thé and I'm a big fan of their lapsang souchong, which is a dark tea that tastes exactly like smoke. For this gift, we decided to go with the beautifully addictive new tea Nirvana, which is made up of Japanese sencha, figs, berries, rose petals and kiwi. I'm not usually a fruity tea person, but I love this particular drink--it's a subtle, sophisticated blend of florals and green tea that is mellow and smooth and absolutely unforgettable. If you'd like to order some for yourself or for a friend, the company does offer free shipping for orders over $50, and they have lots of great gift packages available as well.

It's not Christmas without books, of course, so I also sent them a copy of Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce. I don't think either one of them have read it, and it's a nice cozy mystery to curl up with during the winter holiday. I really enjoy the challenge of finding children's books for my friends to read--I worked in book stores for many years, and my favorite question from parents was always "My son doesn't like to read. What would you suggest?" so I'm culling from that mental list as I send them books. So far, so good!

I packaged the tea things up in huge amounts of bubble wrap in a sturdy box, then prettied it up with paper adorned with birds, sequined ribbon, and a brass jingle bell. The book was a humble secondhand copy, but it's still befitting of holly tissue and vintage red velveteen ribbon. At the last moment, I also slid in a decorative pine cone that I glittered, and I quite like the overall festivity of the package. The presents are both simple and fancy...just like the boys they're going to.

shopper alert: le creuset sale!

If you've coveted Le Creuset forever but could never bring yourself to pay full price, the factory outlet stores are in the middle of one of their huge (semi-annual, I think?) sales right now. We went Christmas shopping today and weren't planning on buying anything for ourselves, but when you spot the oval 6.75 quart french oven in the perfect Caribbean blue you've always wanted and it's on sale for $129, down from $365, who could possibly resist? Not me! And certainly not more poor husband, who graciously footed the bill. The price is even lower than it is at Home Goods, where I've recently seen a few of the same roasters for $200, although only in a couple of colors.

The factory stores sell "seconds," which essentially means there are minor flaws in the products--mostly in the spraying of the enamel paint. In the close-up photo, you can see the tiny bits of bubbling here and there, which you really don't notice at all. (Although I did, of course, make the nice man at the store take three different ones out of their boxes so I could examine all the finishes.) All the cast-iron still comes with LC's lifetime guarantee, which is pretty amazing. I can't wait to roast something! I'm sure it will be extra delicious because it will be coming out of this beautiful pot.

If you are lusting after Le Creuset for yourself, there are lots of outlet stores all over the U.S. and I'm told the sale will go through the end of December.  Good luck!

Thanks for all your comments on the Modern Top-Down Knitting book giveaway, by the way...there are so many lovely stories to choose from! Don't forget, you have just a couple more days to enter the contest. Such an easy giveaway, and such great prize to win. :)

mine!

This doesn't happen that often, but I've decided to claim something for my own that was originally purchased as a Christmas present for someone else.

At the L.A. County Fair this summer, we browsed through Liliana International, a great booth specializing in Russian lacquer boxes, jewelry, and other gifts. There were lots of antique icons and hand-painted eggs, and best of all, a big selection of nesting dolls.

I've mentioned my fondness for matryoshka before, though I've never actually had a real set before. We found this cheery red-painted set that looks very storybook-like that I just loved, and since it was very reasonably priced we got the set to give it to someone else.

The mistake was that I decided to open up the package and leave it on display on my bookcase to admire for a little while...and then a little while turned out to be a few months...and then, well, they just look as though they belong there, all snug in their little corner. I'm sure we'll find something else nice for the original recipient.  But I'd mourn these forever if I had to give them up.

hardback puffin classics

If you haven't seen them, there is a gorgeous new collection of hardcover editions of children's literature from Puffin Classics, the Penguin division for kids. Designed by Daniela Terrazzini, they have bright cloth covers with whimsical illustrations and nice creamy pages. They remind me of library editions of books I read as a child, but with much lovelier cover designs.

They're similar to the Coralie Bickford-Smith classics I like so much, and my favorites are probably Robin Hood, The Secret Garden, and The Wind in the Willows. The Anne one is the least faithful to the spirit of the book with its more modernized sensibility (come now, cupcakes? and all that pink!), I think, but it's still rather sweet for a young girl. The inclusion of Huck Finn is also rather unusual, since it's the only book that doesn't quite fit the whole dreamy, sweet theme of the other books and cover styles. I do like that combination of tangerine and orange in the design, though.

If you're looking to add to your collection or know a child who needs a keepsake copy, these would make really beautiful gifts. It's very strange, but I can't seem to find them for sale online anywhere, so this may be an exclusive in-store Anthropologie purchase for the time being, which they did with the last batch of Penguin classics as well.

Images courtesy of Daniela Terrazzini.

shopper alert: pretty boxed tags

One of the fun things about going to visit other cities is the shopping! I pretty much shop in other places the same way I shop at home, which means trips to craft stores and bookstores. On my trip to Houston a couple of weeks ago, my friend and I went to a really great half price bookstore, which had a combination of both new and secondhand stock. I found a really great box of vintage reproduction romantic postcards which will be great for Valentine's Day, as well as these two sets of boxed gift tags by Potter Style.

I already had this set, which features quotes from Shakespeare and Jane Austen, but I liked the ribbons and quotes and old-timey drawings in the Proust and Cabinet of Curiousities ones even better. It's nice that they are season-less, so that they can be used for any occasion.

They retail for $12.95 and are still available online, but at the discount store I went to, they were just $4.95 each, with plenty in stock! Half Price Books is apparently a chain with many locations nationwide, but sadly none here in southern California. I suppose it's just as well that there aren't...I'd probably spend far too much time and dollars there.

anthro in wonderland

I've always sworn that Anthropologie employs little gremlins that infiltrated my dreams. These little creatures are always busily taking notes on the things I want and desire most and then they go back and make them in their little gremlin factories and then sell them to me for exorbitant prices.

So it should really come as no surprise to me that during a period when I'm even more obsessed with children's books than usual, Anthro has come out with something clearly taken directly from my daydreams and night dreams in the form of their November catalog, which is inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

I was honestly so taken by the whole concept (and how whimsical and odd this seemed, even for Anthropologie) that I hardly even noticed the clothes and goods the first time around. I mean, who has the brainpower to pay attention to a sweater when there's a giant speckled chicken on a leash?

But of course, no one looks at this things just once, so the beautiful little details in fabric and embellishment come out upon the second or third perusal of the spread. Which is just about when you realize yet again, that yes, yes. Anthropologie knows exactly what it's doing.

tea party invitation

If you were going to create an imaginary party, who would you invite? That question was posed in the form of a challenge in our children's lit group recently, and everyone was to decide upon a guest list, menu, entertainment, and send a party invitation.

I decided to do a tea party, because both my partner and I are both fond of tea. I'd recently re-read The Little Princess, and Miss Sara Crewe seemed like she would be the perfect person to host a gathering of children from other British children's books.

The guest list included:

--Mary Lennox
--Jane Banks
--Lyra Belacqua
--Lucy Pevensie
--Kanga
--Sara "Screamer" Wiggins
--Wendy Darling

The menu recreates the beautiful banquet that appears as if by magic in Sara's attic room on the night that she needs it most, along with some other choice tidbits that appear throughout the book. The entertainment includes storytelling by Sara, a visit with Ram Dass and his monkey, winter gardening with Mary, flying lessons with Wendy, and gingerbread star hanging with Jane. I've always loved that anecdote in Mary Poppins when the stars are hung up in the night sky with a ladder, and I like to think that Jane picked up enough tips to be able to teach the other girls how to do it. I included all this in a programme of sorts printed on fine linen paper, thinking that with Sara's involvement, this might be part of a series of events to benefit the Ladies Aid Society, with each hosted by a different character.

I printed the invitation at home using cardstock and mounted the printed portion onto the brown backing using the new Scotch Adhesive Dot Roller, which was kindly sent to me by the company to try out. It's very similar in concept to white out tape corrector applicators, except that it's much easier to handle. The shape of the roller fits really nicely in your hand, and it's made of sturdy, smooth plastic that's both attractive and pleasant to handle.  The clear adhesive strips go on smoothly and cleanly, and leaves behind no glue residue. It's pretty much like thin, permanent double-sided tape in a roller, which is pretty handy when you're doing paper crafts and need finer control. All in all, the roller made making the invitation much easier, and I'll definitely be using this little tool again, especially for making paper cards and tags.

After adhering the card stocks together, I stamped on a little Indian elephant with an inked Paper Source stamp, which I thought was appropriate given Sara's origins, and added a little bit of extra color and glimmer. (The photo above was snapped of the prototype, which sadly has a grammatical error! Grrr.) To finish off the set, I put in a few packets of tea for my partner to enjoy in a pretty salmon-colored envelope, and voila, a little tea party, all in one small piece of mail. I can't wait for my partner to receive her invitation...and I really do wish I could go to this party myself!

aviator animals

World Market always has a nice selection of imported holiday ornaments, and this year is no exception.

We went home with these two sweet little aviators today, a zeppelin-riding elephant and a panda bear ballooner. Just what are they doing, and where are they going? I want to go, too...

They are very light since they're made of straw, and a bargain at two for just $5.00! There is also a pig available, as well as a zebra. Have a look the next time you happen to be shopping.

shopper alert: decorative packing tape

On sale at Michael's right now: very cool decorative packing tape.

This is the stickier 2" wide tape that you would use to put on shipping packages, rather than the less tacky deco tape that you might use for crafting, but they are still super fun for decorating big envelopes and boxes and such.

I hadn't noticed these before, but on a trip to salivate over Martha Stewart Halloween goodies yesterday (which I'll share later), I found them in the dollar bin. But wait wait, there's more! Even better--the packing tape rang up at 50 cents for each 9' 8" roll. 50 cents! Big big score.

I really like the colors, and had to restrain myself from buying all the different designs. Don't you just love finding things you like at bargain prices? I know I do...

japanese ice sphere molds

It's HOT in Los Angeles this week, and I succumbed to my unrelenting desire to own a Japanese Ice Ball mold. I kept reading about how they supposedly kept your drinks colder longer due to the reduced surface area, and how they were coveted by serious mixologists everywhere. Me, I was mostly enthused by the idea of a big frozen spheres floating in my drink.

We weren't in the market for the fancy $200 model that carves out the ice, and even the $16 dual mold at the MOMA store seems a little too pricey. I went for the $12 for 6 spheres option (plus shipping) on eBay, and I'm happy to report that these trays work beautifully.

They're easy to use and take up very little space in the freezer, and will probably replace regular cube trays for us. It takes about 90 minutes for the ball to melt completely in a warm room, so it keeps your drink nice and cool for awhile. Plus there's the terrific side benefit of it being awesomely pleasing to look at.

One tip: be sure to put the frozen ball into your glass and then pour your liquid on top to mitigate the exciting-but-traumatic cannonball effect. Don't ask me how I know.

Help Create a Really Big Map of Indie Craft Shops!

Are you a crafter? Then you probably spend huge amounts of your time hunting down craft, jewelry, art, and fabric supply stores when you need materials for a project, and you like to buy handmade, too.

When I visit other cities, I like to visit their crafty places as well. (Hello Hobby Lobby! I wish you'd come to L.A.) I think it might be fun to create a big giant map of craft stores and shops that carry handmade items.

So I invite you to participate in creating the The Really Big Map of Indie Craft Stores and Shops!

There are only two rules:
The shop must be independently owned
The shop must offer crafting supplies or a significant number of handmade gifts.

The goal is to make a comprehensive guide to places of interest to crafters all over the world. I've made the map publicly accessible, so anyone may go in and add his or her favorite place. I started on the Los Angeles portion of this map last fall, but let it fall by the wayside until a recent Twitter conversation reminded me I should finish this post. I know Martha Stewart Crafts is doing their own list of NYC vendors they like, which should be full of really great resources to anyone visiting the city.

To add craft stores to the map, follow the directions below.
1. Go into the The Really Big Map of Indie Craft Stores & Shops
Copy and paste the code below into your browser if the link above doesn't work:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=
106588042821034017992.000472f317ae4a092ddcc
2. Enter the name of your favorite craft store with the city and state in the search box.
3. Click on the correct listing that appears in the column on the left.
4. When the location pops up on the map, click Save To on the pull-down menu and choose the Really Big Map.

That's it! Easy as that. If you have suggestions for the map (ways to improve, etc), please feel free to add your two cents in the comments below.

Please help create this resource by adding your own favorite craft store in your own home towns. It takes just a few minutes to help out your fellow crafters...and you'll probably start seeing cool crafty places in your own city that you'll want to check out, too.

Icon Update: I've been going in and updating each listing so the icon reflects the type of thing the shop primarily specializes in. (supplies, classes, or handmade goods for shopping.) Please feel free to click on the blue upside-down tear drop to choose one of the following 3 icons, or I'm happy to continue updating them as well. The listing will, however, then just show up under my name as the last editor.

Icons: wrench = craft supplies, house = classes, bag = shopping.

shopper alert: martha stewart craft punches

Spotted at Marshall's today: Martha Stewart craft punches from both the Kmart and Michaels lines. Rotary paper cutters, edgers, and shapes are available at significant discounts (even more discounted, I think, than the price indicated on the tag).

I snapped up a several items, which I found near the bath section. I'd seen some scrapbooking materials at these discount stores recently, but I'm very excited to see MSL brands there as well. I would guess the pale green Kmart stuff is probably liquidation from that dissolved Martha-Kmart relationship, but the white Michaels stuff was a nice surprise.

My husband's already been forewarned there will be other Marshall's trips in our future, since I have sniff out what else is available. Happy shopping! But please don't buy out the ones in L.A. until I get to them. ;)

Update: oops, those green craft punches are from Wal-Mart, not Kmart! Either way, good news for us magpies.

accessories

I have to confess, on most days I just push my hair back in a headband or with sunglasses. I can't resist pretty hair bobbies and clips, though, especially if they're on sale. It's a little frivolous, but there are so many lovely hair accessories around these days, and beaded or sequined ones are usually actually very well priced for the amount of craftsmanship involved.

Some recent items that have found their way onto my dresser include a blue gossamer gardenia clip, golden twig branch bobbies from Urban Outfitters, a dusty pink feathered-jeweled-feather from Anthropologie, and a fancy feathered comb from teeny house bunny which has a secret charm on the underside.

Most of these can be worn either in your hair or on your hat or bag. It's especially nice when the clips come with both pin backs and with alligator clips for versatility. I think I'll add a pin back to the flowered hair pin I made last year for a wedding, which is pictured below. It's layers of silky salmon fabric burnt around the edges with a candle and fastened with sequins sewn in the middle.

I thought you might enjoy also seeing this cunning owl ring from Urban Outfitters, too. He has mesmerizing amber rhinestone eyes accenting his pale blue enamel and metal face. Of all the accessories women have, rings and bracelets might be the most fun for the wearer...since you can admire them as you're wearing them, too!