What do you do when you're both half-Jewish and you're invited to your friend's ugly Christmas sweater party?
Happy Hannukah/Christmas everyone!
Liz's AMAZING Half-Jewish Ugly Christmas Sweater!
Getting Ready for Sadie: the Bedding
Getting the nursery ready for our upcoming bundle of squish has been really fun. It's still weird to think that I'm going to be the Mom and that this is all for my own daughter but as our due date approaches (Jan. 1st!) it's becoming more and more real.
Part of it feeling more real is that my Mom completed the crib set that she made for us for the baby shower and it came out cuter than I could have ever imagined! We got the fabric from my friend Aurora's store, Fabric Bliss, which is located in Denver but they have a very easy-to-navigate online shopping feature. I emailed Aurora and told her that I was looking for something "dainty but not girly, that coordinates but doesn't match, has a vintage feel and it can't be pink!" Immediately she wrote back and suggested the Seaside collection from October Afternoon. And it's beyond perfect!!
All of the fabrics coordinate with each other but don't necessarily "match", the prints are dainty enough for a baby girl but not drowned in pink-on-pink and they have an adorably vintage feel that goes perfectly with the vintage feel we are going for in the nursery. 
My Mom also made this precious mermaid-tailed receiving blanket (her own design) and I can't get enough of it! Thanks Mom!! You're the greatest! Candy Cane Treasury on the Etsy.com Superstore
I'm so honored to be part of such a beautiful collection of artists! Thanks Alex & Lena!
49 days to Christmas! Commence Freak-Out!
Kids Crafts: My Pet Rock
This is a fun and easy project to entertain kids on a hot Summer's day and, depending on the supplies you have on hand, it could even be free.
For this project you'll need:
- some rocks
- spray primer (optional)
- acrylic paint
- googley eyes (never optional)
- a couple of kid-friendly paintbrushes
- tacky glue
- some chil'ren
Start out by collecting some rocks.
This comes as naturally as breathing to my 5-year-old niece so luckily after a day of adventurin' I already had a pocketful of rocks to start with. If you can't find any "good" rocks, you can always buy some at a craft store.
Next, using a spray primer lightly coat both sides of the rocks.
This helps the paint to adhere to the rock's surface and allows bright colors to show up better on darker colored rocks.
Once the primer is dry (about a 1/2 hour on each side) put some aprons on some kids (some that you know preferrably), put out some paint and let them get creative. 
Encourage the kids to paint monsters with big mouths, stripes, polka dots, animals they like, flowers...anything that gets their imaginations going.
If there are globs of paint on a rock, the googley eyes may be able to stick right to it. If not just glue 'em on.
Acrylic paint is non-toxic and washable before it's dry.
And now, if your little people really love you, they might just give you one of the rocks they just painted. I was lucky enough to have this rock gifted to me. "She's a girl on this side and a boy on the other"....obviously.
Tufa Pots by Jennifer!
Hypertufa pots are lightweight pots made of a cement & peat moss mixture. They're durable like cement, lightweight like a regular pot and make beautiful additions to gardens, porches or table displays. Jennifer's Tufa pots are all one of a kind, shaped by hand and cured to withstand the elements. You can also learn to make your own tufa pots from Jennifer herself during workshops she's leading at the Nantucket Garden Festival, July 25th & 26th. Contact Jennifer for more information or to sign up for a class.
Day 2: Recycled Crafts for Kids
Teaching kids at a young age what it means to reduce-reuse-and-recycle is always something taught in school but to really drive the point home, it's important to incorporate those things into real life. Here are a couple of great crafts to do with kids to show them ways to recycle bottles into something fun and useful.
Ages 9+: Ashley over at Make-It-&-Love-It made this awesome cell phone caddy out of a lotion bottle. This craft would be great for older kids, especially those just getting their first cell phones or iPods.
Ages 5+: This awesome bowling set made by CreativeDish would be perfect for kids old enough to wield a glue gun and is a great way to keep 10 bottles out of a landfill!
Ages2+: And finally, check out this "lava lamp" made by Rainbows & Unicorns (great name by the way!) made with a plastic bottle, oil, water, food coloring and complete with sea creatures! This is a wonderful project for little ones- also consider throwing in some glitter or sequins!
Happy Friday!!!
Happy Friday!!!
National Sweater Day is so yesterday.
Man-o-man do Canadians have their shit together. They have a day dedicated to wearing sweaters to try to encourage people to turn their heat down a little. Brilliant!! And their video to promote it is hilarious to boot.
National Sweater Day is February 9th...also known as yesterday. So, I missed it by a day but still thought I'd share because it's a wonderful idea for a wonderful cause and it's reminded me that maybe I should turn down the thermastat a little too. Thanks Canada!
Well isn't that pinteresting?
I have a Pinterest account now. You can find me at:
If you're pinterested.
(see what I did there?)
Our Super 8 Wedding
So it was a much needed breath of fresh air to receive this video of our wedding as a gift from our friend Chad last week. Chad lives in NYC and currently works as an assistant editor for the TV show "Parking Wars". (He also works on Dog: Bounty Hunter- a fact a find hilariously awesome.) He's a husband, a cat lover, an avid D.I.Y.er & an incredibly genuine human being who made this f*#@ing amazing video for us in his "spare" time. (Oh, and he skates, you can see him shred (and fall down a little) in some of his other videos.)
It was so special to receive this little 2 minute reminder of why we got married in the first place. It immediately took us back to our wedding day. So now, when I want to strangle my sweet sweet husband for making me talk about mortgages, I'll just take a break, watch this video and hold off for tomorrow.
*Here's the direct link to the video in case that doesn't play: http://vimeo.com/35004644*Thanks Chad! <3 <3
Happy Year of the Fat Dragon Baby
My friend Kristen (of such internet notoriety as Kristen the Christmas Diorama & Kristen and the Wedding Tchotchkis) made a dragon costume (and flame on a stick! what!) for her friends very "healthy" (read: chunky muffin) baby and then convinced her co-workers to pose for this picture just so that she could wish all of us a very
Happy & Healthy Chinese New Year!
(And also because dressing babies up as animals is awesome.) Thanks Kristen!
Make Me: PDQ Veggie Pot Pie
Why Don't You Make Me:
PDQ Veggie Pot Pie
It's a cold, dreary day in Boston today. A day that makes you want to slip into some sweatpants, get under a blanket and watch 12-13 hours of daytime TV. A perfect day for comfort food and I have just the thing, this hearty, meat-free pot pie that takes about 15 minutes to prepare and is muy delicioso!
Ingredients
- 2 frozen pie crusts
- frozen mixed veggies
- Quorn veggie "chick'n" patties
- 1/2 an onion
- mushroom gravy
- salt n peppa
- Goya season salt
I got this recipe from my Quick Fix Vegetarian cookbook which is chock full of healthy vegetarian meals that can be ready in under 30 minutes. In the book this recipe is made in a casserole dish with a pie crust over the top. The crust is my favorite part of a pot pie so the crust-to-filler ratio isn't high enough for me that way so I decided to make my pot pie in one pie crust and cover it with a second crust to make a full pie.
Either way is fine. (My way just happens to be better is all.)
To begin, cook your frozen veggies and add them to one of your frozen pie shells. Leave the 2nd pie crust out to allow it to thaw.
Cut and saute 1/2 an onion, add to veggies.
Add "meat"- I used 2 frozen "chik'n" patties from Quorn, microwaved, cut into cubes and added to my dish.
Cover with gravy (1 can), salt & pepper to taste, add Goya season salt if you want and gently fold all ingredients together.
Pop it in your preheated 350 degree oven -on top of a cookie sheet to catch any overflow- and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
I've never used a store-bought pie crust (God's honest truth) but they've made a believer out of me. They were flaky, baked up to a perfect golden brown and tasted wonderful.
I shared this pot pie with my non-vegetarian husband and meat eating friend Stephen and were given rave reviews by both! It's so hearty and tasty that unless you tell people it's they probably won't even know it's a vegetarian dish.
So go on, why don't you make me?
Adorable 3D Lollipop Valetine Tutorial
I made an executive decision earlier this week- I am going to hold off doing Valentine's related crafts and having Valentine's related freak-outs over crafts until this Saturday (the official 1-month countdown to V-Day). That was until Karen & Ella (not their first time here) sent me this adorable DIY Valentine that they made to give to Ella's classmates and I realized that everyone else is already elbow-deep in Conversational Hearts and I'm still putting Christmas away.
So now I've veto'd my own executive decision and decided to grab cupid by the horns and get my Valentine's on. Starting with this:
Karen & Ella's
So here is how you make the super cute DIY Valentine's Cay Cards. First find a super cute kid, most parents think thier kid is the cutest, if so, then go with them. If not, I have one you can borrow. Next, get your camera ready. Have your little cutie stand up against a wall and extend their arm toward the camera while making a fist. Snap away. Try to stay focused on the face. You would rather the hand slightly blurred and not the face. Download your pic to your computer and then upload to picnik.com. Here is where the fun takes place. Add borders, hearts, etc. I kept it simple. I wrote "Happy Valentine's Day" toward the top and "your friend," toward the bottom. I left out my daughters name because I let her add it with a sharpie to make it more personal. Send the pics to your local CVS. I bought a bag of dum dums. Slice a tiny slit over the fist and insert you pop. Place a piece of tape on the back side. You can add the adhesive card stock to the back to firm up the card but I left it as is to save on the cost. FYI- I also tried blow pops but they were too big. Also worth noting, when adding text to you pic on picnik-don't add to very top or sides. My sisters first round cut off part of the letters, I made some adjustments and lowered the text and they came out perfect.
Here is where I first saw this fun idea.
So cute! Thanks for sharing Karen!!
So now I've veto'd my own executive decision and decided to grab cupid by the horns and get my Valentine's on. Starting with this:
Karen & Ella's
Adorable 3D Lollipop Valentine's Card
From Karen:So here is how you make the super cute DIY Valentine's Cay Cards. First find a super cute kid, most parents think thier kid is the cutest, if so, then go with them. If not, I have one you can borrow. Next, get your camera ready. Have your little cutie stand up against a wall and extend their arm toward the camera while making a fist. Snap away. Try to stay focused on the face. You would rather the hand slightly blurred and not the face. Download your pic to your computer and then upload to picnik.com. Here is where the fun takes place. Add borders, hearts, etc. I kept it simple. I wrote "Happy Valentine's Day" toward the top and "your friend," toward the bottom. I left out my daughters name because I let her add it with a sharpie to make it more personal. Send the pics to your local CVS. I bought a bag of dum dums. Slice a tiny slit over the fist and insert you pop. Place a piece of tape on the back side. You can add the adhesive card stock to the back to firm up the card but I left it as is to save on the cost. FYI- I also tried blow pops but they were too big. Also worth noting, when adding text to you pic on picnik-don't add to very top or sides. My sisters first round cut off part of the letters, I made some adjustments and lowered the text and they came out perfect.
Here is where I first saw this fun idea.
So cute! Thanks for sharing Karen!!
25 Cent Word!: Anthropomorphic
I learned a new word- anthropomorphic - suggesting human characteristics for animals or inanimate things, please be prepared for me to throw it around all the time now. I feel like I just found out about jeans or something. Like the entire world new there was a word for creepy smilinging vegetalbes, little girls with apple heads and hot dogs with faces happily grilling themselves except me. It wasn't until I was using every single adjective in my vocabulary AND both hands trying to describe "those creepy teapots with faces...from the 50's...shaped like apples...you know?" that my sister-in-law said, "you mean like an anthropomorphic teapot?"
Gah! There's a word for that??? Amazing.
Now would be a great time to check out my brand new Anthropomorphic Label!
Gah! There's a word for that??? Amazing.
Now would be a great time to check out my brand new Anthropomorphic Label!
Green Eyed Inspiration
Recently my friend Mike (who doesn't get a last name because he's internet shy) came over to my house (wearing his tinfoil hat) and was all drooly and "holy crap I want that!" over my awesome card catalog that I told you about earlier this year. And I don't blame him, the thing is radical.
He later told me that he was "so inspired" (read: wicked jealous) that he when he got home he immediatly went on Ebay to find one for himself. And then, when he couldn't find one (in your face Mike!) he settled on this beautiful set of vintage Post Office Boxes instead (oh wait, in my face!)
Then, because he doesn't waste all of his freetime re-pinning and tweeting, he built a case and a stand for it making his officially better than mine. (I hope you're happy Mike.)
Now he just has to figure out what could possibly be worthy of being stored in these little boxes. Mail is too obvious and besides, he would never have enough. I guess he could put his weed in there but that would sure be a lot of reefer.
Oh, I know! He can use it to keep his anti-internet, conspiracy theory zines in order (first alphabetically and then numerically) and away from the prying eyes of the gum'ment. Perfect!
(<3 you Mike!)
(<3 you Mike!)
Window Painting & the Scientific Method
New Christmas window I painted in Peabody, MA this morning. 
Window painting is a cheap & easy way to decorate your house for Christmas without getting tangled up in extension cords or getting pine needles everywhere. Plus it's scientifically proven to provide you with 85% more "ooooo's" and "aaaaaaah's" than just decorating alone.
Here, I'll show you-
An average comment before window painting:
"that house looks nice."
and an average comment after window painting:
"oh my sweet baby Jesus look at that house!! it's incredible!! it's so festive and beautiful and...oh my stars is that GLITTER on his nose?!?!"
See? At least 85% more freak out every time! It's science.
This window was contracted by Karyn McGovern who is a fellow crafter & Glitter enthusiast. She made this uh-dorable Grinch bow below and sells them on her website RhinestoneObsessions. Super the cutest.
Happy Friday!!
National Vichyssoise Day!
Today is National Vichyssoise Day! Vichyssoise (pronounced Vi-Shee-swaz) is a cold potato and leek soup thought to be of American origin. Delicious and patriotic, a perfect combination. Thanks for stopping by!
The Owls Are Not What They Seem
Out of candy!!
National Candy Corn Day of the Day!
Personally I don't really like candy corn anymore but childhood me used to house them by the bag. I used to eat them white-to-yellow, eating the white and orange first and then saving 2 yellows to stick together and make one big yellow piece. Why I did that I'm not sure but it's a clear childhood memory that comes back to me every Halloween.
For more National Candy Day revelry here's a clip from Unwrapped about how Candy Corn is made:
And also, as long as we're here, a how-to video on making adorable candy corn nails!
Holler!
Honorable Mention
It's always nice to be featured in someone's treasury. It's especially nice when they're as beautiful as this one put together by Candace Rasmussen of KnottyTots.
Thanks Candace!
Thanks Candace!