TtV :: Christmas girl

this was the Christmas outfit i made for C, her favorite part was the white pompom on the top of the candy cane hat (knitting pattern is from itty-bitty hats book by Susan B Anderson), i also knitted the matching candy cane legwarmies, then i sewed her a granny smith apple green with white polka dots peasant style dress from the Sweet Little Dress Pattern from leila & ben.

(these ttv photos were taken through an Argus 75)

happy bench monday !

TtV :: purple

TtV (through the viewfinder) photos i took using an Argus 75... i had envisioned this purple ensemble for my daughter, C, & this is how it turned out... the lazy days skirt was sewn from the purple Russian nesting doll fabric from Denmark that i got in a swap, the legwarmies & the one row lace scarf were knit from purple DROPS yarn (also from Denmark that i also got in the same swap), & the purple hippo is a knitting pattern from the itty-bitty toys book by Susan B. Anderson.

happy bench monday !

denyse schmidt quilts

i've been so inspired by craft books lately - so much so that i'll be doing a month of blogging on 2009 craft books during January 2010. we are very fortunate to have access to a public library with so many books & we check out a ton of books. this book above - Denyse Schmidt Quilts is an older one (from 2005), so you've probably already seen it...


i had these purple, pink, & yellow scraps of fabric sitting around & they were perfect for making these Dis-Cards as this project is called in the book. basically you quilt a greeting card, so far i have 3 done & i have 3 more to go...

wordless wip wed

simple country wisdom

have you read this book yet? it's called Country Living Simple Country Wisdom: 501 Old-Fashioned Ideas to Simplify Your Life by Susan Waggoner & came out in June 2009... it is packed full with tips & tricks, household hints, & practical solutions to everyday problems.


i love these pages... here they took vintage items: patterns, belt & measuring tape & used them all for wrapping a gift !


here's a great idea: repurposing an egg carton for a sewing kit & storing your current craft project...


... i was so inspired by it that i made one of my own - super easy & didn't cost anything as i used what i had.

mail joy !

recently i've received a few packages in the mail from Europe... Joanie sent me many lovely items: an issue of The Green Parent magazine, heart straight pins, vintage buttons, bunting, hot chocolate mix, a lovely handmade doll, Cath Kidston, Liberty, & modern print fabrics !


from Mette: paper tags & cards, angel & stars ornaments, doll making kit, star straight pins, handmade pincushion & zipper pouch, purple wool yarn, Russian nesting doll fabrics, & a Russian nesting doll tote (where ever i go with it i get so many compliments).


these lovely fabrics are from a fabric swap with Dorte, Russian nesting doll & vintage floral fabrics from Denmark, marimekko fabric from Finland, & Cath Kidston fabric from the UK.

i was absolutely spoiled ! all of these packages arrived within the same week, so i had a very wonderful week - i also have a lot of fun crafting time ahead of me now that i have all these lovely crafting goodies !! thank you gals ! i am truly blessed to have such great internet friends !

Scandanavian Goodies

recent Scandanavian goodies i bought: 2 yards Dala horses ribbon, 2 yards red Scandanavian design ribbon, & 2 St Lucy cards (just in time for St Lucy day December 13th).


more Scandanavian ribbons at the store, called Cafe Finspang, located at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis.


i was excited to see all the Dala horses !