worried bunny

Here is the last holiday photo for the year, I promise. My friend Holly and I decided to do a Christmas swap together, but the normally trustworthy postal service has been very slow since mid-December. My package to the UK took 3.5 weeks to get there, and after nearly six weeks I still don't have mine from her yet! But I know it will be worth waiting for.

Anyway, I sent Holly a bunch of things, including various books, peanut butter chocolates, bunny slippers, and a holly brooch sewn from felt and needle-felted berries.

I also made her a tiny felt bunny wearing a hat and coat made from a recycled cashmere sweater. (The same sweater I used for those arm warmers awhile back...it's the gift that keeps on giving!) Holly is just crazy over rabbits so hopefully she'll enjoy having one for her tree. I like that she looks a little worried, since I've always thought that most buns usually are. Lots of Mr. McGregors around, you know.

cozy yarn wreaths

Unveiling a few more of the presents I made this year...

My friend Linda and I have a newish tradition in which we exchange mostly handmade things for Christmas. I'd been wanting to try making those yarn wreaths that have been making the rounds in the crafting blogosphere, so this seemed like a good time to do it!

I used a small flat styrofoam wreath that I wrapped in cotton batting and white baby alpaca yarn, then adorned it with little flowers I made from felt and from a recycled sweater. I painted a bit of glitter to the bird and hot glued everything down and tied a fat yellow bow with vintage velveteen ribbon at the top. It turned out very sweet and it was pretty easy to figure out and assemble. (It was so fun to do that I also made a second one for our old neighbor!) I quite like the way the alpaca looks in this project, since the fuzzy softness adds to the cozy appeal.

I also made Linda, who is a newlywed, a slightly imperfect house ornament featuring their last name and the year. It's all hand-stitched and embellished with sequins and a gingham ribbon.

I think next year I'm going to have to try to get presents out a little earlier so that I can post them a little earlier. Are people sick of looking at Christmas things yet? I'm rather glad the hustle and bustle is over, but I'm still enjoying going over photographs and memories. But just a couple more post-holiday-themed entries, promise!

Photo #1 courtesy of Linda S.

comfort and joy

We are under the weather (again!) so things are a little quiet around the honeybee household...but I did want to share a few photos from the holiday weekend.

Pictured here is a lovely tag written by my clever husband (attached to a Puffin Classics copy of The Secret Garden), some festive holiday décor (including the two middle stockings received from The Little House Christmas swap), a Hello Kitty gumball machine I received as a present (and its true and rightful owner), and a little felt owl I made for the Strumpets Crumpets ornament swap. And now that their recipients have opened them, I'll be back tomorrow with photos of a few more presents I made as well.

It's raining and dreary and cold here again, so it's nice to look over these photos and remember all the merry-making and holiday goodness. Hope your own Christmas was warm and lovely and bright!

merry christmas!

Popping in briefly to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! And below, a little holiday cheer, too.

As always, no matter where you are or how you celebrate, may your arms and hearts and tummies be full.

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.

christmas card 2010

Every year, I look for months and months ahead of time for just the right holiday card. This year it turned out to be a postcard from Rifle Paper Company, whose amazing invitations and cards I've loved for awhile now, though I've never before purchased from them. As soon as I saw this Night Before Christmas illustration, however, I knew we'd found our perfect 2010 card!

The card stock is smooth and creamy and such a pleasure to write on. I love the whimsy and sweetness of the card, as well as the warm colors and old-fashioned drawings. The postcards came packaged up in glassine packets tied up with peppermint string, and were almost too pretty to use.

Every year we send out around 40 holiday cards, give or take a few. The list changes every now and again, but for the most part it's the same people we've known and loved for years. It's a little sad because I think every year we receive fewer and fewer cards in return, since it seems to be one of those traditions that unfortunately seems to be going by the wayside. It's a shame because people already correspond so little as it is.

But you know...for us, it's the act of writing and sending the card that is most important. There are some people we don't speak to or see nearly as often, so it's the one time of year we reach out to them. And I figure it's always nice to know if someone's thinking about you, especially during this time of year.

little house christmas stockings

There are many books I re-read every year during the holiday season, but none that embodies the spirit of Christmas to me more than the Little House series. I mention Laura Ingalls Wilder all the time here on the blog, but if only you knew how often I think of her...especially during the cold winter months! I learned so much from Laura as a child, and I feel I learn from her still.

This is my favorite Christmas passage, from On the Banks of Plum Creek:

(Then) Ma told them something else about Santa Claus. He was everywhere, and besides that, he was all the time. Whenever anyone was unselfish, that was Santa Claus.

Christmas Eve was the time when everyone was unselfish. On that one night, Santa Claus was everywhere, because everybody, all together, stopped being selfish and wanted other people to be happy. And in the morning, you saw what that had done.

"If everybody wanted everybody else to be happy, all the time, then would it be Christmas all the time?" Laura asked, and Ma said, "Yes, Laura."

Isn't that just the loveliest way of thinking about the holiday season? It makes my little heart grow three sizes bigger whenever I read it, I swear it does.
As such, the Little House Christmas swap I hosted recently meant a great deal to me. It was a chance to put together some of the things I see in everyday life that remind me of Laura and of the true spirit of Christmas and to share it with a partner, and I've been so happy to work on it these past few months. I actually had two partners for this swap, one that was randomly assigned and one with my friend Naomi for obvious reasons.

Every month this fall, we've gone back to various flea markets and antique malls, and I've been especially vigilant because I was searching for Little House items. I was thrilled to find vintage cross-stitched gingham aprons, vintage handkerchiefs (which were of course tucked into the apron pockets), a small heart-shaped tin pan along with a card with Ma's heart-shaped cakes recipe, and even an old crock of bear grease! Just what Pa used to use to slick down his hair when he was courting Ma. I love the old paper label on that container, which is mercifully empty now, but would still be very nice for holding little bits and bobs.

Naomi is a teacher, so I thought she'd appreciate a copy of McGuffey's First Reader, which Laura might've used as a teacher--this volume was originally published in 1867, and this particular copy is dated 1920, as well as an old autograph album. The album is dated 1952, but it's filled with great handwritten messages, and is especially appropriate because the owner was a girl named...Mary!

I also made a few things that were Laura-related, including small gift tags collaged with quotes from the books (stamped with Christmas horses, little houses, and a bright-burning candle), Little House postcards, fashionable calling cards that could double as swap cards, and small paper and tin ornaments (made with vintage book pages, a miniature sleigh bell, vintage lace and buttons, a flat peppermint candy, and striped bakers twine).

No Christmas is complete without Christmas candy, of course, so there was also a big peppermint candy cane, thin striped ribbon candy (I was *so* pleased with myself for finding those!), little "Victorian" chocolates, and old-fashioned caramels. Plus a shiny penny in the toe, just because the Ingalls always seemed to manage that somehow. I wrapped everything up in red and white striped tissue paper (like the kind Ma used so her packages would look extra festive) and plain brown waxy tissue with colored string (just how the presents were wrapped when the Boasts paid them a surprise Christmas Eve visit) and packaged them in embroidered stockings I made from wool-blend felt and vintage lace, one of which is adorned with a heart and the other with a little house in the big woods.

For this swap, it was important to keep true to the spirit of the Ingalls family, so all of the items had to be handmade or relatively inexpensive, but this turned out to be a very easy to do. The stockings were so fun to put together, because it was not only the perfect mix of vintage shopping and hand-crafting, but because it was also hugely sentimental undertaking as well. Naomi in particular is so well-versed in children's literature, and I just knew that every single thing I made or chose was something she would understand the reason behind and appreciate. I really think I got just as much joy out of making this as I hope she did in receiving it.

christmas tree

It's been a busy few days over here at the honeybee household. Are you all decked out for the holidays? We're finally mostly done, and have just started wrapping presents and addressing holiday cards. I love this time of year, but I do wish there were at least two more weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas so we accomplish everything we want to!

I have lots of photos to share of things I've been making, so I can't wait for my partners to get them. In the meantime, I thought I'd post a photo of our tree, which we finished decorating last week. There are 2000 lights and countless ornaments on this fella, which makes him incandescent when he's all lit up. Every year I think that our tree is the loveliest one we've ever had, and every year I think it's really true.

vintage holiday cupcake toppers: tutorial + free download

For those of you hosting holiday parties (or who need one-of-a-kind hostess gifts!), why not dress up your baked treats with cupcake toppers? I've made a few sets this year and it's a very quick, rewarding craft...and it's so much less expensive to make your own than to purchase them. Since the two previous cupcake topper swaps I'd hosted this year got such a great response, I decided to start a Dress that Cupcake! group.

Our first swap was a holiday themed lucky parcel. My partner HoneyBunny is a really creative cook (she shared a delicious recipe for clam-stuffed shrimp with me recently that is now one of our favorites) so I was looking forward to making something for her. Since she is a fan of vintage, I thought it would be nice to make toppers that looked very old-fashioned using images from vintage Christmas cards.

I really like how they turned out, since the crinkly tissue paper adds to the impression that you might have just found them in a box in the attic somewhere. Except they're much less dusty and iffy for your dessert table.

If you'd like to make your own, I've posted a simple tutorial below and uploaded a copy of the cupcake topper images as a pdf here. Just be sure to use them for good (your own personal use) not evil (commercial use), please!

Vintage Holiday Cupcake Toppers Tutorial

Materials & Tools:

1 sheet of vintage holiday images
scissors
tape
1 sheet of tissue paper in a coordinating color
glue stick
blank cardstock ovals

Directions:

1. To make the cupcake toppers, print out a copy of the vintage holiday images onto cardstock and cut around them.

2. Center a toothpick with approximately a third of the stick on the back of the each topper and firmly tape it in place. Smooth out air bubbles with your fingers and make sure it's fastened tightly.

3. Fold tissue paper a few times and cut into long 1/4 inch strips.

4. Flip your toppers over and working from the back, accordion-pleat the tissue strips around the edge of the cardstock. Carefully tape them down every inch or so, and snip off the excess tissue when you reach the end.

5. Cut cardstock ovals of approximately the same size as the vintage images. Using a good glue stick, cover the plain ovals with paste and place onto the back of each topper. Firmly press into place with your fingers, taking care to smooth around and above the toothpick.

Voila! Easy peasy craft with very pretty results.

I packaged the toppers up in a glassine bag and also made a little cake banner using the "Wishing you the sweetest holiday" greeting along with two short bamboo skewers. Since it was a lucky parcel, I also included a batch of candy buttons I made using a Bake it Pretty mold, some snowflake cupcake wrappers, a set of "Baked With Love By..." labels, and a few little trinkets and candies for additional decor. I put then everything into a recycled plastic container that I decorated with striped paper and cupcake-themed deco tape. I hope HoneyBunny enjoys her package...and that you'll enjoy making these toppers, too!

another red riding hood

Received from littlez in the Netherlands yesterday:  another Little Red Riding Hood from the fairy tale ornament swap! Apparently this is a popular theme here on the blog this week. This ornament is also sewn of wool felt, made with beautiful stitching and beadwork. I really like the child-like curiosity of this piece, and it's always interesting to see how different people interpret the same theme.

My partner also sent along a couple of cards she designed, based on a couple of European fairy tales I hadn't read: Soljev and the Dragon and Brother and Sister. Again, one of the pleasures of swapping in a group like ours is finding new things to read. The packet she sent was also covered in cool Dutch stamps as well--very colorful and fun.

holiday handicraft + free downloads

A few months ago, I picked up an amazing out-of-print book called Holiday Handicraft at a flea market here in Los Angeles. It's written by a woman named Nina R. Jordan, who seems to have written numerous craft books for children. I love the warm, comfortable way speaks to her audience, and how true these ideas still are today:

Ready-made cards for the holidays are printed so thousands are just alike. But when you make a card for somebody, you know that no one can ever make one exactly like it, no matter how hard he tries. The same applies for any gift you make.

I also enjoy the charming advice she gives about special crayon colors:

Probably everyone who reads this page has a set of crayons or water colors, or both. But did you know that crayons are also made in the colors of silver, gold, and copper? And that there are 10¢ pans of watercolors in silver and gold? The gold, silver, and copper crayons are not commonly sold in stores but they may be bought for 5¢ each by writing to the American Crayon Company, Sandusky, Ohio.

I wonder what the author would have thought of the vast array of materials and options available to modern crafters now. But the thing that is most fun, of course, is that many of these crafts are just as great now as they were then. I thought it would be nice to share some of the pages, which would be great little holiday projects to make at home, especially with kids. The author's illustrations are really sweet and most of the projects are self-explanatory due to her drawings. (I think I'm safe copyright-wise on this since the book was published in 1928, which means it should be in the public domain. Nevertheless, please copy these images for your own personal use only.)

I'll post more images for the holidays when I get the chance. Enjoy!

the snowman: ornament kit

One of my favorite holiday books is Raymond Briggs' The Snowman...it's such a lovely and sad book, all the more powerful because it's wordless. So I was very excited when my friend Holly posted a swap in which participants were to create an ornament kit for their partner based on this book.

I considered making a few different things, including a sewing kit or a needle-felting kit, but thought those might be a little too complicated to get the look just right--and so much of what is beautiful about the book is the artwork. Since I'd had such fun rediscovering Shrinky Dinks recently, I decided to make instructions for making shrink film ornaments for my partner.

I made a test ornament with a miniature snowy pompom, a silver bell, and tinsel pipe cleaner. It turned out looking very sweet, especially after I added a subtle bit of glitter glue to the snow. I included 5 different images for my partner to make, along with the appropriate materials and instructions--I hope she enjoys putting everything together!

The book is wonderful...but so is the cartoon adaptation, which has lovely music and soft, muted colors. If you've never seen the film, The Snowman is available to view here and continues here. I would normally quibble over adding an introduction for a book like this, but when the speaker is David Bowie--and he casually throws a snowman scarf around his neck--all is forgiven. Please do watch the film (and read the book!) when you have a moment...it will transport you to a snowy, gentle place you won't easily forget.

red riding hood ornament

Last year, I made a lot ornaments as gifts. I'd hoped to participate in some Christmas ornament swaps this year, but many of the ones I saw I was sort of leery about joining or the timing just wasn't quite right. I did join one swap from another blog, though, and I hosted one on Swap-Bot as well, in which you were to make a lovely fairy tale ornament for your partner.

Though the swap was sender's choice, I always try to tailor to my partner's tastes if I can, so I was pleased to see that one of weeatcrayons' favorite stories was Little Red Riding Hood. There's something about that story about a girl walking in the lonely woods and danger in disguise that's always been so appealing to me--and of course, the drama of the scarlet cloak can't be beaten!

I decided to sew a little Red Riding Hood out of wool felt, and used a vintage button and lace to accessorize. I cut everything freehand (I know it would be so much easier if I spent time on a pattern first, but sometimes I just think more intuitively with scissors) so it took a little while to figure out how to make the cloak nice and flowing, but I think it turned out all right. I had plans to weave the little basket with fabric strips as well, but working on that small a scale it was impossible, so I just created some detail work with embroidery instead. The little flowers inside her basket are also vintage, acquired from Dozing Dormouse's Etsy sale a few months back. I just clipped the flowers down and made a tiny bouquet with floral tape. Everything was hand-stitched, which took longer, but when things are this small I think it's just easier.

I thought it'd also be fun to make a second companion ornament, so I used shrink film and a vintage illustration to make another storybook page. I glued silvery tinsel around the edges (my first time using E-6000--it's kind of evil, no?) and tied a pretty ribbon at the top. I quite like the way the sun looks shining through it, so I think it should look pretty good on a lit tree as well. Hooray--the first ornaments of the season are complete!

urban barn holiday faire

Yesterday we took a trip out to Escondido, California, which is about 90 minutes away from Los Angeles near San Diego. We went to the Holiday Vendor Faire at Urban Barn, which is a shabby chic-ish home goods store I'd read about on a blog somewhere.  There were pretty filmy dresses and jewelry and holiday decorations and paper ephemera everywhere, with additional vendors set up outside.

We came away with a replacement present for those matryoshka dolls (!), a tinkly vintage holiday pin for me ($2), and a carded set of buttons ($1) for a special project I have in mind. I wish there had been more vendors (both the place and the fair were on the smaller side), especially since we went a little out of our way to attend, but I think Urban Barn is relatively new so perhaps they'll grow in time.

I do so like shopping at flea and antique markets. If I could, I'd always buy gifts that had previously belonged to someone else!

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.

don't look if the holidays stress you out...

...because I'm sorry, I just love them. Love them! I'm ridiculously happy pretty much from Halloween through New Year's because I'm busily plotting away how to spread Christmas cheer. And yes, I know it's still only August.

I've talked about how much I love Christmas before, and it's a sad fact that it's never too early for me to start thinking about it. It's nice to find like-minded people out there who are as crazy as I am, though, so I had great fun putting together a Pick Two Paper Christmas Items package for my swap-bot partner Lisa.

Being me, I couldn't just pick two items of course, so I included:

* a packet of several different holiday cards
* a recipe card with my favorite recipe for Royal Icing for sugar cookies
* two cozy knitting project cards, since Lisa enjoys knitting
* a packet of hand-stamped holiday tags with cheery striped yarn ribbons
* personalized shipping labels with vintage Santa image and "Merry Christmas!"
* personalized address labels with vintage Santa image and "Happy Holidays!"

I attempted to send the envelope with leftover Christmas stamps I had, thinking I'd weighed it properly, but was mortified to have it returned to me with postage due a few days later. Fortunately I'd made everything and sent it out on the first day, so the parcel made it safely with time to spare. Phew! Lisa wrote me a note to say how much she loved her "AWESOME" package, which I very much appreciate.

Here are a few other exchanges that also went out recently as well--three postcard swaps, for which I couldn't resist altering cards with images specifically for my partners, though it wasn't a requirement.

One partner said she likes gnomes, another partner said likes lighthouses (I sneaked in a little bit of my taste with the Rilla of Ingleside image there, too), and one partner made me really happy because she likes woodland animals such as hedgehogs. So of course I had to make her a sewn one using fabric left over from the baby quilt! All great fun to do. I can't believe I've never altered postcards until now, but I think many of the cards I send will be personalized from now on.