Mince Pie! Mince Pie!

I’m addicted to “The Hope Chest,” a blog showcasing “Bad news from the Past.”  One of the reasons I love it is that Mr. Parallel, curator of The Hope Chest, is a serious scholar of the mince pie, its connotations and denotations.  If you don’t believe me, follow the tag Hot Mince Pie.
I have an historic mincemeat recipe, one [...]

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Baby Steps

Aren’t these adorable?  I whipped them up while waiting for the world to cool off enough that I could go to bed.  Thanks to the incomparable Saartje de Bruijn’s pattern (free!), they couldn’t be easier.  I’m going to make a bunch of them and have them stashed away for unexpected baby gifts–which seem to come [...]

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Sweetness

These are Arnheim biscuits.  I found the recipe in a book called Pot on the Fire, by John and Matt Thorne.  It’s an idiosyncratic book, and it rubbed me the wrong way–I’m definitely not what Havi Brooks would call its Right Person.  On the other hand, this recipe made it all worthwhile.  No less a [...]

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Isn’t she adorable?

Meet my absolute dream rabbit, Frankie.  We’re going steady–and every Saturday, we ride down to the Farmer’s Market to buy bread from Wheatberries.  When I can afford it, I’m going to get panniers and a bell and a cupholder and a basket.  She deserves it, don’t you think?
It’s been at least 20 years since I [...]

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The Art of Worldly Wisdom

33.  KNOW how to withdraw.  If it is a great lesson in life to know how to deny, it is still greater to know how to deny oneself as regards both affairs and persons.  There are extraneous occupations that eat away precious time.  To be occupied in what does not concern you is worse than doing nothing.  [...]

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Bella Mittens

I’m not a Twilight person.  I don’t particularly mind if you are, but I’m just not interested.  But these mittens, as worn by Kristen Stewart in the movie, and as reverse engineered by the talented and generous Marielle Henault, are pretty darned nice.  I’m on pair #2–the first will go to Lauren, my assistant, who [...]

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Tweetcret Santa Revisited or, I Score Big

My fussing about Tweetcret Santa has not yet come to an end.  Mia Hansen sent me this beautiful little ceramic dish, crafted by Laura McKibbon, a friend of hers whose business is called Cul-de-Sac Design.  It was wrapped in the beautiful Erte print wrapping paper you see as background.  Total coolness!
Thank you, Mia, for resolving my [...]

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Tweetcret Santa

One of the blogs I follow is the terrific I Like, a design and coolness kind of blog which first caught my attention with its great pictures of British tearooms and cafes in decline, and its love for Tunnock’s.  Now she’s hosting a Tweetcret Santa. 
I have Secret Santa trauma.  Once upon a time, I went into [...]

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Halloween Sweetness (only two months late)

Yes, I know it’s December, and I should be all about the winter holidays . . . and I will be.  But first, I’ve got some backlog to work off.  Like these gingerbread skeletons, which we had so much fun with.  Tuxedo Boy’s class was studying the human skeleton, and at the same time, Craftzine [...]

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Halloween Embroidery Patterns

Some embroidery patterns for Halloween–a creative collaboration between Tuxedo Boy and myself.  (He did the artwork, and I stitched it up.)
Suitable for tea towels, handbags, tee-shirts, handkerchiefs, and napkins, these three fabulous holiday patterns will be available at my Etsy shop, Underhill, Ltd., in a day or two.  In the meantime, we’ll be giving one set of patterns [...]

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