Reader Favorites from 2011

I suppose the urge to look back and take stock, to measure and quantify and look over what we've done over the past year is somewhat cliched, but nevertheless irresistible, at least to me.  I enjoy checking our blog stats anyway, to see what strikes a chord with people, which sites are the most effective at steering traffic our way, etc.  So I thought it'd be fun here, at the end of the year, to see which posts you, our readers, visited the most in 2011.  Since we have multiple blog authors I've made two lists, one that shows the five most visited posts overall, according to our stats counter, and one that shows the most visited post by each contributor.  Each of the ladies that contributes to the blog is so talented, and each brings different things to table.  It was fun, and sometimes surprising, to see which of their posts got the most hits. It's a good thing I had quantifiable stats with which to compile this list, because I could never pick out my favorites, there are too many to choose from.  I'm grateful to be in the midst of so much creative inspiration, and I'm grateful to our readers for, well, reading.  Speaking for myself, just knowing that people will look at the things I post is such a great motivator to do more, and do it better.  I've learned new skills and definitely improved my ratio of started vs. finished projects, and for that I thank you.

So, without further rambling, here are the five most visited posts blog-wide from last year, in descending order:

Bleach Pen T-Shirt Stash

Buon appetito!

                    

Last night I made pasta for dinner using my new pasta maker. Hubs gave me the Atlas 150 for Christmas this year. After watching lots of youtube videos, I dived in. I used a recipe from a video that made the whole process look really easy. 

Egg Pasta:

3 1/4 all-purpose flour

dash of salt

4 eggs

I ended up using a bit more flour and almost 5 eggs. I fiddled with the dough till I was happy with the consistency. Maybe I should of kneaded more before I decided it was too dry, but I was happy with my choice. After lots and lots of kneading (approx. 15 min) I came out with a nice size ball of dough. It was VERY easy. 

I am sorry I didn't take more pictures of the process of rolling out the dough. My settings go from 0 - 9. The instructions left me on my own, they were pretty minimal. I went pretty thin, up to 8 of the 9. 

For my first time, it looks like I know what I'm doing :) Isn't it pretty!

Books, Books, Books and De-Cluttering Tips

I love books and this Christmas I was blessed to receive quite a few from family and friends. I got a great mixture of reading materials, two sewing books I have had my eyes on for a couple of years, great fiction books, and a few inspirational books from LDS apostles. In the last few days I have already read  some of the books and it has been really great to curl up on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa and forget about life and just read for a while.

I will also get to learn a new skill this year...

The Stockings Were Hung By The Chimney With Care

I finished!!!

Yes, a whole year late, as this is my youngest's 2nd Christmas. (Oops). But, hooray! It's done and I loved stitching it. If you haven't seen these felt applique stockings before, they are made by Bucilla and come as a kit.

Mini-Present - Nice Idea although Last Minute!

Last minute 'brilliant' ideas would work out so much better if 1) you aren't having heating issues and 2) your printer has enough ink! Regardless, I managed to get these little Matchbook Pads made before our Christmas Eve celebrations start in 4 hours and I think they will be appreciated by my mother-in-law, who will now have her youngest grandchild right in her purse!

A very Merry Christmas, everyone!!
- Janice

Wood Carving Set Case

My 12 year old is getting an expensive set of wood carving tools for Christmas. Not the type you get from your local craft store. The tools are Swiss and will last a lifetime. He is also going to take classes at a local wood shop starting in the New Year. To hold his tools (well, we got 3/4 of all the tools he needs, he can get the rest later), I made him a simple roll-up case, so he can have his tools and his protective glove (not here yet) in one place.

It was a last minute project and thankfully I had all the materials on hand! I am already thinking about commissioning him to carve us a Nativity set for next Christmas....



 

This post was shared at:

Craft-O-Maniac Monday * Made By You Monday * Today's Creative Blog * Hoo's Got Talent? * Show Off Your Stuff @ Fireflies and Jellybeans * Somewhat Simple * Simply Link Party *Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest * Sunday Showcase Party * Tatertots and Jello * 

     

Last MInute Knitted Hats

Over the Thanksgiving break, I made a trio of baby hats for a lady at church, my first and probably only ever commissioned knitting job.  I didn't mind doing it, but the yarn she gave me was super fine lace weight yarn, and those little hats took forever to make!  But I did find a great pattern, that save for some Kitchener-ing, was super easy and super cute, with little bear ears.  Here's the one I made at Thanksgiving:

Merry Christmas!

Last night we assembled our gingerbread house. We have been buying gingerbread house kits for years and we always had success.

Obviously, not this time.

Like most women, I dream of the perfect Christmas.

Slightly Healthier Goody Bags

After two cookie exchanges in three days, we were all cookie-ed out.  We try not to be all about the refined sugar anyway, so we wanted a goody bag to give out to friends and neighbors that was more reflective of who we are, but still yummy and appealing.  Someone came up with the idea of apples and caramel sauce.  I bought bags and bags of small organic Honeycrisp apples (my favorite!), and we got to work.  It was really a family effort, and unlike many family projects we embark on, we managed to have fun doing it.  My daughters cut out the Christmas trees and glued them on the bags, my husband and son made the caramel sauce, and I made the jar labels.  The girls did most of the assembly, too.  It's great to have older children!   I love how they turned out, and the ones we've given away so far have been well-received.  The goody bag, or tin, is one of my goals every Christmas that usually goes unrealized.  I'm proud of us for simplifying it to the point that we actually got it done.  Now it's time to make the rounds and deliver them all!

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Cloth Wrappings!

This year I FINALLY went to my large pile of cute Christmas fabric and used some of it for wrapping most of the presents! I am SO happy. I have wanted to do this for ages, but still have a surplus of Christmas paper to use up -- paper that I brought with me to Germany 10 years ago, if anyone can believe that. A number of years ago, I had sewn some Christmas sacks to put the goodies into and those will come in handy for the larger items that I decided didn't needed to be wrappred. Just for fun, a few times I left the sacks on the front step because we have no chimney for Santa to climb down.

Next year: crocheted ribbons to tie them and home-made tags!

Thanks, Rachel, for the inspiration from your Book-a-Day post!

Keeping the Holidays Simple

I had originally intended to write this post just to brag about my serendipitous find of the perfect hallway table just when I needed a place to display my nativity collection.  I try to keep my decor minimal- no end tables and such, and our bookcases are too crammed full of books to use as knickknack display, so I was stumped about where to set out my nativities.  Then last Saturday my neighbors set exactly what I needed out on their curb!  It fit perfectly on a previously empty wall, didn't interrupt the flow of the room, and even fit in with the modern decor I'm going for.  It makes me warm and fuzzy all over again just thinking about it.  And it makes me smile to think about my daughters and I, still in our fancy dresses after attending the Nutcracker at possible the most hoity-toity opera house in the country, dragging in "trash" from the curb.

But, as I took pictures for the post, those nasty little inner voices started nagging at me.  The items on the table weren't "styled", some spots looked cluttered, some bare, there was no extra greenery or bows, or anything to dress it up, the wall behind it is just a blank wall, no beautiful pictures or clever vinyl words.  How could I take pictures of this and put it on the internet, who would want to look at it?  My exciting find seemed suddenly less exciting.  But then I realized the my table with its little collection, unstyled as it is, has a purpose, and a lesson to teach.

A New Shipment of Silk

I was so excited to receive this package after a couple weeks of bidding and buying. This is a stack of 6 Silk Saris. I plan to make several nursing shawls and regular shawls out of them.

One of the exciting things about ordering packages from India or other countries like it is the whole experience of the packaging. The wrapping consists of brown paper, fabric (crepe silk?) and LOTS of tape. I've received a package from India once that, if it wasn't for the extraordinary amount of tape holding it together, I was not convinced it would have made it delivered in one piece.

There was another time that stuck under the tape was a very, very long dark strand of hair. I don't doubt it was from an Indian women with beautiful long hair taping the package. I was amazed the hair made it all the way here!

Anyway, I hope you all can find time for simple excitements during the holidays. I just wanted to share mine!

Christmas Gifts For The Kitchen

Remember the Hot Handle Holder Pattern? I am making a few Christmas gifts, and decided to make a matching set of hot pad holders and hot handle holders. I made 2 sets in the last couple of days, I need to crank out a few more though, and then make a custom vest for my Nerf gun loving 12 year old for Christmas. That should be interesting...I have an idea and I have been looking around and of course he has his own ideas, so we shall see if I can make it happen.

This post was shared at:

Craft-O-Maniac Monday * Made By You Monday * Today's Creative Blog * Hoo's Got Talent? * Show Off Your Stuff @ Fireflies and Jellybeans * Somewhat Simple * Simply Link Party *Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest * Sunday Showcase Party * Tatertots and Jello * 

     

Book a Day, or an Exercise in Flexibility

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So how are the holidays going for you?  I think for we crafty, DIY people, the holidays can sometimes be daunting.  We want to lovingly hand-craft everything, from gifts to decorations to food, and it's just too much all at once.  Each year I force myself to do less, and to be less exacting about the things I choose to do, and while it's still a busy, stressful time, it's gotten better.  It's always a conscious exercise for me, though, it doesn't come naturally.

My sister mentioned at Thanksgiving that one of her friends had a tradition of wrapping up one book a day for her children during the month of December, so they could open a book each day and read it.  Over the years I've amassed quite a collection of Christmas books to display and read, but I liked the idea of wrapping the books and making a special deal out of one each day, a literary advent calendar.  Books are really important to us, so I decided this was a project worth doing.  I don't really do wrapping paper though, so I decided to sew little bags for the books that we could re-use each year.

SPOTLIGHT: Sibling Gifts

Decoupaged Sketchbook/ Journal

This morning as I perused the internet for interesting family photo ideas, one thing led to another as it always does, and I stumbled upon this amazing blog. This happens a lot, and I bookmark it or add a photo to Pinterest, subscribe to the feed, etc., but this is the first time I've been so impressed I just had to write about it here. Probably everyone else in the world, or at least the blog world, has already found DesignMom, in fact, I the name rings a bell, I must have heard it before, but I've never actually been to the blog. A mother of six (!), she somehow finds time to write a fabulous blog about where design and motherhood intersect. What caught my attention today were her great ideas for handmade sibling gifts. I was going to take the easy way out this year and have my kids buy books for each other at our favorite thrift store (and we'll probably still do that, too), orchestrating handmade gifts seems like such a hassle, but this blog has inspired me. If this woman can do it with six kids, surely I can pull it off with my three.

Chenille Stem Poinsettias

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SPOTLIGHT - Frosty Dew

Last week we had a tremedously foggy day. The fog had cleared up some towards midday, but then was back by 3 p.m. and went right on that way into nighttime. On top of that came a bit of frost and the result was a magical world: a shimmery frost outlining the edges of leaves, branches and complete spider webs. It was a glorious thing to see!