one tiny thing

I was invited to join the group One Tiny Thing recently. I really like the concept, which is that you send one handmade item that is less than 4 inches in any given theme. Things that are small are always somehow so much cuter! Plus I like that the group rules state that you are not to send anything other than the thing itself. I love an extra as much as the next person, but sometimes in the world of handmade, the expectation to send additional "stuff" gets to be a little much.

I received my first package this week, which happened to be in sort of an open theme "send what you like" type of thing. Happily, my partner SunnyBlueSkies likes Pooh, and after visiting my blog saw that I did, too! So she painted a beautiful little matchbox and decorated it with book papers, and enclosed little glass magnets that she made inside. So sweet! The packaging with the drawstring bag and paper tag are just perfect, too.

3 handmade postcards

A quick break from all the hearts and flowers today.

Here is the postcard I made for a swap using vintage book paper and some of that lovely washi tape from West Elm. My partner loves children's books and Pooh in particular, so it was an especial pleasure to do. Since the card will have to travel through the postal system, I sealed the top with some clear acrylic spray as well...hopefully that will do the trick.

I sent my partner a couple of extra postcards made from Where the Wild Things Are and The Tale of Benjamin Bunny as well. I'm always on the lookout for inexpensive/damaged books at thrift stores to use in crafting, and I especially like the ones that have yellowing, brittle pages--it speaks to both their age and how much they were loved.

Postcards are such an easy and cheery thing to make, too. One day I'd like to do a really, really big postcard to send through the mail, but I'll have to look up the dimensions and such first. Hallmark used to sell those really giant (2 foot?) cards and envelopes, so I would think that postcards would probably go by the same standards of measurement.

another pooh candy gram

So here is the Pooh Candy Gram that my partner Simple Seamstress sent to me! A sweet box lined  with E.H. Shepard illustrations, tied with printed fabric ribbon, and filled with neat rows of vanilla caramels.

These candy grams can be so much fun to send instead of a just an ordinary card, and they come with the bonus of sweet treats for the week ahead. They would make adorable greetings for birthdays or other occasions, too.

fairies and rabbits

A few lovely handmade items sent to me from mmilesesq for a Children's Lit Paper Goodies swap I hosted recently:

-- set of 8 Beatrix Potter tags cleverly adorned with butterflies and picket fences
-- a selection of Winnie the Pooh cards
-- a set of bookplate labels
-- sweet personalized Pooh swap card
-- set of 8 glittered fairy tags with envelope pockets
-- wonderful books!

This was meant to be a lightweight, inexpensive swap consisting of at least 5 paper items, but my partner went well above and beyond what was required with her thoughtfully chosen and generous package. I'm always touched when people take my likes and dislikes into account, but it's especially nice when people make things especially with you in mind!

happy pooh day!

Today is A.A. Milne's birthday, so it's also Winnie the Pooh Day. Pooh Bear is a long-time favorite of mine, and I've been lucky enough to see both the dear animals that belonged to Christopher Milne last year and the original book manuscripts at Trinity College at Cambridge University. Someday I'd love to go to Ashdown Forest and play Pooh Sticks, too.

In honor of Edward Bear, I hosted a little Pooh candygram swap using this idea from Inchmark. I just lined the bottom of a stationery box with E.H. Shepard illustrations and filled it with candy, gift tags made from vintage book paper backed with card stock, and wee Pooh picks that should be perfect for tea sandwiches.  All wrapped up in blue ribbons and good cheer.

There are more photos of the original Pooh animals on the honeybee Facebook page if you've a hankering to see them. And if you need some Pooh urgently, don't forget you can also download the Pooh bookmark I made last year, too! Happy Pooh Day--and may your day be filled with lots of honey...

fun postal stamps

Some good news for 2011...the United States Postal Service will be issuing a set of stamps this year featuring images from 5 Pixar films! I like most of the choices included here, though I do wish Finding Nemo and The Incredibles had made it as well. It looks like the stamps will be issued in August, so there will be some fun mail to look forward towards the end of the summer.

Speaking of stamps, I received this sweet set of Royal Mail Pooh stamps from my friend Holly recently. I'm very fond of Pooh, of course, and although I'd received a couple of them on postcards, it was nice to get the sheet as well. I just love E.H. Shepard's illustrations, and these drawings are so perfectly rendered on the simple cream-colored background. I also have this set of Wallace and Gromit Christmas stamps winging their way to me courtesy of a kind Swap-Bot member in the UK, which I'm very much looking forward to.

I really don't collect stamps in an official capacity, but those two British sets just happen to feature themes I enjoy--and I do like to use good ones on domestic mail when they're available. We don't seem to have nearly as many author stamps here in the U.S. as they do in other countries, particularly for children's lit...and I somehow missed these stamps featuring Laura Ingalls Wilder and Louisa May Alcott books from a few years back. Where was I? What was I doing? I should have been at the post office with a fistful of cash in hand. Oh, well.

Hope your new year has gotten off to a great start, philatelic and otherwise. Cheers to another great year!

magical package

Fair warning: I am going to gush.  I received a call from my husband while I was away saying, "You got a box that is covered in bunnies." I knew immediately that it was a package from my new friend Holly in England, and I couldn't wait to get back home to Los Angeles and tear into the box. When I came back there were 4 different swap packages and 9 postcards, but I saved hers to open for last because I knew it was going to be amazing. But even with that expectation, the box completely blew me away.

I'm actually surprised this wasn't lost in transit, because look how cute and tempting it is, all covered in rabbits! Such a tease. The contents inside were even better, though, and included: a dear little recipe book of British sweets with vintage-y illustrations, two clever little pins, postcards, beautiful rubber stamps (a bee! a bee!) and tissue tape, British snacks and sweets (with bears, hedgehogs, and jelly people!), children's book papers tied up with lace, two wonderful little books she knew I would love, Pooh wrapping paper with E.H. Shepard illustrations, stamp fabric, a darling roll of deco tape, and lovely, muted fabric tape with a Norwegian doll print.

The most wonderful things of all, however, were the items she handmade for me. I've received a lot of envelopes made from recycled paper, but these were the most perfectly creased and crisp and dear little envelopes I've ever seen. I received two generous bundles of these, along with cunning little Pooh tags that I couldn't possibly give up to anyone else, a beautiful folded Secret Garden notepad, and best of all, a gorgeous Secret Garden paper garland.

I kept marveling over that impossibly perfect garland, with the book papers punched out with exactly the right mysterious words (clearly done by someone who knows and loves the book too), the rubber stamping of crow and key together, the slight distressing of color here and there, and the little glints of flower embellishments in all the right places. It's so beautiful, and I think once I reorganize my craft closet I will have to hang it up in there. I know it will inspire me and make me happy whenever I see it.

I loved every single bit of this box. Everything is so perfectly made, and so perfect for me! I can't even tell you how amazing it is to know someone after such a short little while, and then to receive something that is so exactly suited to your taste. I'm so touched over the amount of thoughtfulness and care that went into this package, and so very humbled that Holly thought I was worthy of it.

bookmarks for soldiers + download

When I read about a Swap-Bot project that sent handmade bookmarks for soldiers, I thought it would be nice to join in.

Although the bookmarks didn't have to be specifically themed, I still wanted to do something that was a little tailored to the recipients.  I decided to put thoughtful quotes together with some favorite images from children's books illustrations, and I printed them out and stitched them onto cardstock for extra weight.

Click on the photo to see a larger image and to read the quotes. I like them all, but I think the Pooh one is my favorite!

This is an ongoing project, so if you'd like to send in some handmade bookmarks of your own, there's still plenty of time to participate. Send sturdy bookmarks (no glitter, please) to:

Handmade Bookmarks for Soldiers
c/o Misty Davis
8697 Infirmary Road
Ravenna, OH 44266

The bookmarks will be tucked into a big shipment of books going overseas. Because it's for our soldiers, I also included this little label on the back as well...I thought it was mightily appropriate.

And for you, lovely friends, I thought I'd share the bookmarks with you so you can make your own. You may download the bookmark pdf file and print them out to your heart's content, although of course they are for personal, not commercial use. Just mount them onto cardstock and laminate, or stitch them up if you like.

If you'd like a copy of the leaflet of Rossetti poems I made earlier this week, you may also download the files here and here. Just use spray adhesive to put the pages together, then trim the edges as needed. I hope you'll enjoy both projects!

peanut butter 'wichcraft cookies

When it's cold, there's nothing more comforting than a warm kitchen with cozy smells.

I've been wanting to make these peanut butter cream sandwich cookies since I first tried them in New York last fall at a 'wichcraft kiosk in Bryant Park. I have fond associations with these particular cookies, because not only were they delicious, I first tasted them while sitting in the park with my dear friend Mikey during an outdoor concert, immediately after going to see the original Pooh animals at the New York City Library--something I've wanted to do for ages and ages.

The recipe is in Tom Colicchio's 'wichcraft cookbook as well as online in a few different places. I followed the recipe pretty exactly, except I rolled out the dough a bit more thinly, cut out smaller cookies, and I omitted the sprinkling of sugar on top--I'm not a fan of the texture, and I think it's overkill for most recipes. But if you enjoy peanut butter cookies, you'll really love these. They're sort of like fancy do-si-do Girl Scout cookies, but much richer and much more buttery, with just the right balance of salty and sweet. Perfect with a cold, creamy glass of milk.

I was surprised that one of steps is to incorporate toasted oats (I'd never thought to do such a thing) but I loved the resulting depth of flavor. I might try doing this the next time I make oatmeal cookies, too. Super delicious!

I packaged a few cookies up to hand over to our neighbor as well, using the pretty yellow and white swirled baking cups from the always pretty Bake it Pretty shop. The red-coated Christmas bear ornament from my last post is also holding a silver tinsel tree from the same shop, found in the cupcake toppers section.

It continues to be cold (and rainy, off and on) here in Los Angeles, so I expect I'll be doing lots of nesting in the weeks to come. Hope your new year is off to a fantastic start!

PS--you can see a round-up of most of the presents I crafted for the holidays on my Flickr page. Cheers!