yarntherapy

crafty christmas, part 2: secret santa

Better late than never, I wanted to show what I gave and received at our annual Secret Santa exchange at work - we take it pretty seriously and it's always lots of fun with some verrrrry creative gift giving.

So, I was Santa to one of our performers - Lauren, who in her questionnaire mentioned that she loved travel and all things French (see? questionnaire? told you we take it seriously!) Among other things, like a French gossip magazine and an Eiffel tower necklace, I made her a matched set of passport case and zippered bag from this fabric:

I used this tutorial for the passport case, which I thought was really clear and well written. The one I used for the bag is here, and while it's beautifully photographed, it's slightly more vague in some of its instructions, and I wasn't crazy about leaving raw edges inside. I do love this shape, though, and I'll probably be making more of these, but with a separate lining.

Anyway, they came out looking super cute, and Lauren really liked them. I wish I had taken photos before I gave them away!

My santa turned out to be my buddy Michael (who runs marathons, bakes, and crochets like a madman) He had me totally fooled, with his clever misspelling of my name and crazy cards! He's also an amazing quilter, and my final gift was a table runner in my fave color, green:

It's living on my ugly radiator right now. The gradation of the colors is just so cool, don't you think? The photo really doesn't do it justice. Michael was so pleased with how this turned out that he's teaching a class in how to make it!

1/20/2009

a very crafty Christmas

Happy New Year, everybody! 

I'm just now beginning to recover from the holidays. Everyone I know feels like this year it all really snuck up on us - maybe because Thanksgiving was so late? I don't know, I just know I felt like I was really scrambling to get things done and wasn't able to relax and enjoy it all. My work schedule at holiday time is always nuts, so it's hard to have a relaxing time to begin with. I think I am going to take my cues in the future from Sister Diane's mom - in CraftyPod episode #81, she talks with her mom about the idea of celebrating the whole winter season, and spreading it out over a longer period of time. I really like this idea - I think we all fight the onslaught of Christmas when it seems to appear in the stores before Halloween, but the fact is, you need to plan and be organized and get stuff done in advance. If that means making ornaments and planning meals in October, so be it. I mean, it's all fun to do, why not give yourself more time to enjoy it?

Not that my holidays were anything but wonderful! I hosted a Christmas tapas dinner get-together (which you can read more about here!) Essentially I finally had the party I've been wanting to have ever since I got back from Spain last year. It was super fun and yummy!

I received my back-tack gifts from Helen in London and they inspired my homespun holiday decor. First, a sweet and yummy smelling cinnamon wreath, which went right on my door because I was too lazy to buy a tree or wreath this year:

Next was Evaline, the sparkly Christmas angel. She sat on my mantel:

Seriously, how cute is she? The ribbon edged with stars is to die for:

And finally, a "Correspondence Compendium" made from more TDF fabrics:

and inside:

Isn't it all just great? I had so much fun putting together Helen's gifts, and it was lovely to receive such gorgeous stuff from her. Check out the flickr group to see how everyone interpreted the "Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh" theme.

So like I said, I was too busy/lazy to get a tree this year (I wasn't really home enough to enjoy it, anyway.) I moved my dress form into the living room and used it to display a few ornaments - I used only handmade ornaments, and a few gold-embroidered Indian hearts that were a gift from my dad. I put some pinecones and bittersweet on the mantel, made some orange & clove pomanders, and scattered a few other ornaments around the living room. I really liked the overall feel, though I did miss having lights up. Next year!

Here's my "tree":

(I think I finally figured out how to post rotated photos - did you know there's a separate folder for modified photos???)

Anyway - that's enough for the moment. I hope everyone out there had a wonderful holiday and that you are enjoying your new year so far!

the big reveal!

back-tack gifts for Helen
Originally uploaded by laurelann

Now that Helen has received her package, I can show you all the gifts I made!

I wanted to involve all five of the senses, so here is what I came up with:

For "Gold", a very sparkly gold bracelet and a CD of holiday songs. The pattern for the bracelet is Bauble, from the Spring 2007 Knitty. Super fun and surprisingly easy to make!

"Frankincense" is a super soft cotton chenille washcloth and some "Frankincense" soap.

"Myrrh" is a banner saying "Cheers!" made from tiny embroidery hoops and some homemade mulling spices.

I packaged everything in handmade drawstring bags that can be used later on as project bags or storage. More pictures can be found here!

whew. that was close.

Dad's scarf, finished seconds before it was wrapped, packed, and shipped to Seattle:

Another crappy photo, sorry guys. I had to adjust the contrast so the cables showed up. I love the finished product, though! It got a bit tedious after a while, but aren't all scarves like that? The pattern is Norah Gaughan's Here and There Cables from Scarf Style, the yarn is Valley Yarns Northampton. It's not super soft and squishy but it is very warm and sturdy and dad-like. The pattern is reversible and very cool looking, I think!

myrrrrrhh

probably not quite what you expected..... :-)

So there's a sneak preview of my back-tack gifts - I'll post real pics of everything once Helen receives her package!

frankincense

There was really no good angle for a "surprise" shot of this one:

Next up - Myrrh!

gold

just a little hint....

whatever could it be? :-)

wow

Wow. This whole week has seemed like one long hangover - from the actual hangover on Wednesday, to the metaphorical hangover after the last 8 years, to the fact that even though I totally haven't had a drink since election night, I feel foggy and hungover today from the yucky cold I am trying in vain to get rid of. Good times.

(speaking of good times - WE DID IT!)

:-)

Enough of that. Oh, wait, not quite yet - I wanted to link to this post at the leethal zine blog, where if you comment with proof that you voted (for anyone!) you get a cool pdf with some fun patterns and crafty stuff. Get your reward for doing your civic duty!

(your other reward, in addition to a kickass new president and an awesome First Family!)

OK, now I'm done.

Aaaaand, there's not a whole lot to report on the knitting front. I'm alternating between Alhambra and Jeanie, which is perfect because while they're both fun patterns, they're also both a bit repetitive after a while, so working on them at the same time keeps me from getting bored. My blocking wires arrived from Knitpicks and I can't wait to use them! Yay!

My other projects need to be kept under wraps for a while - I'm participating in the newest back-tack swap, which has a wonderful Christmas related "Gold, Frankincense, and Myrhh" theme. This time it's a direct swap with another person, and in my case I'll be swapping goodies with Helen of craftactually.com. She lives in the UK and is due to have a baby any day now! I'm looking forward to finishing up and swapping it all away! So, until then, I'll be keeping it all a secret, but trust that there will be many photos and stories when the time comes!

November 4, 2008

aw, yeah!
Originally uploaded by laurelann

It's finally here.

Let's do this, people.

Si, Se Puede!

Yes, We Can!