Hey there - I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the holidays. It seems quiet out here amongst the blogs, which is sort of nice. I imagine everyone nestled in at home, giving their typing fingers a rest.
Emily is home for almost two weeks so we have been sleeping in, staying up late watching movies, making chai and miso (she would prefer to do without the miso), battling a headache that is on it's third day (me not her, thankfully), we are drinking lemon ginger tea, feeling giddy and inspired by new yarn and fabric, and kind of wishing we'd get another snow storm soon. Snowstorms on Christmas vacation are hard to beat.
We are also painting Emily's room this week which I'm nervous about because it is currently my favorite room to photograph in. Her room is the clearest, prettiest blue, and with it's southeastern exposure it makes me very happy to click away in. These photos were taken on a gray and rainy day, not the best light - but I can still make it work on darker days, usually.
Her new color choice? Brown. Wish me luck.
There are a few handmades to share from the holidays, but today I thought I'd show a gift made for my cousin and his bride, they were married on Nantucket. It was beautiful as to be expected (I think you could have a Nantucket wedding in a back alley and it would be divine, as long as it was somewhere on that beautiful island). Their wedding was quite a long time ago, I'm sorry to say. Let'e just say their one year anniversary has passed and they are expecting their first baby in four months. I was finally able to give them their gift on Christmas Day. One checked off the list...
Now I have to connect with another friend who has a similar gift coming to her. For her bridal shower. Which also was ages ago. My friend was actually the inspiration behind this idea. I'm calling it The Central Park Quilt, based on a memory I have of going to Central Park with her years ago to see a concert - Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, and Buddy Miller. The park was a landscape of quilts and baskets filled with tasty treats, the perfect accoutrements for good times and making memories. The day held special meaning for many reasons, a story for another time. It was a magical experience of questions answered and spirit witnessed. I will never forget that day.
On that summer evening years ago, I started to fall in love with the idea of a special quilt to be used outside of the home. This is approximately a full size quilt, with low loft cotton batting. It could be kept in the car (or by the door if you walk or bike), and brought to parks, concerts, and picnics - collecting memories and having a presence in family photos as the years pass.
Of course it needed a coordinating bag to be carried in. This bag is made of 100% linen, it is lined with the same fabric that backs the quilt, and the pocket is matchy too. It's a great size with plenty of room for a few other things to be tossed in there as well. I'm thinking a bottle of red, some Vermont smoked maple cheddar, and homemade rosemary garlic crackers... which I made for the first time yesterday. I will never again spend $4.00 on what is basically a few handfuls of crackers surrounded by tons of packaging. I'll share more soon.
Hope you are staying warm and cozy!
