A Needle Pulling Thread

I know it's hard to believe that it's not all knitting, all the time around here. There is actually quite a bit of machine and hand sewing going on as well. I'm even considering a pretty serious upgrade to my sewing machine which is about 15 years old but is in good condition and is quite serviceable. Upgrading is really not my specialty. I usually leave that to my Sweet Man who is famous for it. I'm the make-do-with-what-I-have-until-it-doesn't-work-anymore-because-I-can't-justify-replacing-something-that-is-perfectly-fine girl. Methinks that is about to change.

But I digress. I've been making a point to carve out time for embroidery lately and thought I'd share some of my favorite tools and supplies. There is something very soothing for me, about creating something with fiber and my hands. I sit with my hoop and floss or my needles and yarn and my blood pressure immediately lowers. Add a cat in my lap, a cup of tea and a favorite movie or podcast and I am practically asleep.

I have mentioned before how much I love Creative Bug. For $5 a month you have access to all kinds of classes. I put my membership on hold for a little while but was able to save a certain number of classes including Rebecca Ringquist's embroidery class. I've been embroidering since I was a wee girl but there is still plenty to learn. For instance, I was doing the backstitch wrong. What? It's possible that it's too late to change that but I'm enjoying learning all the stitches I didn't even know existed.

These are some of my current favorite hand stitching books although I have several more that I really love. Flora and Fauna are actually magazines that have a selection of crafty projects. You may still be able to get these back issues here.

Here are some things I love for embroidery:

Samplers by Pam Garrison, Charlotte Lyons and Rebecca Ringquist.
This clover hoop.
Needle Minders by Cynthia Cranes Pottery
Artbin sliding lid storage boxes
Frixion pens which disappear with the swipe of your iron.
A pretty place to store all of your supplies. This felt house is from Wisteria but was purchased many years ago and is likely no longer available.

By the way, no part of this post is sponsored. I just thought you might like to see what I enjoy using. There is something about trying a new craft or technique that just fires up my creativity. I have so many ideas that I can't wait to try. Of course to find the time I will need to put the knitting needles down more often. I'm not sure how realistic that is.

December Favorite Things

You may or may not know this, but Christmas will be here soon and I don't know about you, but I always like to know what's on other people's Christmas wish list so I can not only get ideas for my own, but because I love to hear about new things that other people love. I wanted to share some of my favorite things with you. Some of these I already use and love and others are on my own wish list.

For the home:

Pottery Barn  faux mohair throw. I have this in teal which isn't for sale on the website anymore but can probably be found on eBay. It's so soft. And warm. I announced when it arrived that it was MOMMY'S blanket. Of course nobody listened to me and I have to fight for my chance to use it. I'll confess that it's dry clean only and I make it a point to not own anything that's dry clean only, but it is SO worth it!

Anthro candles. I'm addicted. One of my favorites to buy and gift is Fir and Firewood candles or votives and you can pick up this beautiful votive holder to burn them in! I also love the Fireside, Balsam & Cedar and the Branche Vermeil candles. Obviously I have a candle problem. Oh and the Boulangerie Jar Vanilla Fig candle! Bonus...the jars can be recycled when you are done. I've used them as pencil holders and to pot a succulent!

Decorating books. I adore books of all kinds and these are just some of favorite recent design books:

Life/Style by Tricia Foley
Everything in its Place by Rebecca Winward
The Shopkeeper's Home by Caroline Rowland
Keep it Simple by Atlanta Bartlett



Rifle Paper Co notepad and notebooks. I am a stationary fanatic and these are two of my favorites.

Cath Kinston Little Birds bluetooth speaker. I really, really want to justify this purchase.

Crafty:

Crafty books

Granny Chic by Tif Fussell (Dottie Angel)
Hoop La by Kirsty Neale
Stitch Along by Jenny Doh
Rosette Art by Chronicle Books
The Homemade Home by Sania Pell
Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison

I don't quilt yet but 2016 is going to be my year to start. I'm looking forward to giving all of these books a workout soon.

-I love to embroider but have a really hard time doing so unless I have good sunlight which means no evening embroidery. I just ordered this Stella lamp with some birthday money and I can't wait to relax in the evening with needle and thread.

-Clover pom pom makers. These are some of my most used tools. I have this size and this size.

-Cavallini Celebrations stamp set

-Janome Hello Kitty sewing machine I'm also looking for a reason to justify this. Maybe as a back up sewing machine? I'm guessing I'd have to use mine more to justify a backup.

-French General notion kits

-Pam Garrison embroidery samplers. I love them all and have bought several for myself and as gifts. This one might be my personal favorite.

-Tolt Holiday Wreath Project Bag and while you're there pick up these scissors!

Kitchen:

-Philomena cookie stamp. I love this new addition to my kitchen. This is what the cookie looks like when you stamp it.

-Raised Bloom sugar shaker

-Monogram Mug in gold. I love this and have one myself. Ok, 2. It's also available in black if you prefer. I also have one of those. Ok, 2. Quit judging.

-Back in the Day Bakery Made with Love by Cheryl and Griffith Day. I also love their first cookbook.

Just for you:

-Anthro Tea Time Flannel sleep pants. Just imagine how cute these will look on you Christmas morning!

-Birchbox This is one of my favorite things ever. For $10 a month (free shipping) you get a pretty box filled with samples of products according to your interests and needs. You can gift a subscription or sign up for one yourself. Or both. And if you use this link you and I both get a $5 credit on our subscriptions. Or don't use the link and that's fine too! But go get yourself a subscription because it's like getting a gift in the mail every month!

-Perfume Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue

-My hands down, all time favorite pen is the teal Le Pen. You can buy them individually but I'm so hooked I buy them by the box. Plus I love to gift them to my friends so that they can know the joys of this perfect pen. These make great stocking stuffers!

-Nest Pretty Things This is my new favorite necklace but all of her jewelry is just amazing! And colorful. It's like wearing your happiness.

So these are some of my favorite things. These aren't affiliated links. Well except that Birchbox link! I hope this gives you some ideas for your own wish list or to purchase for someone you love. I'd love to hear about what's on your list!

The Good Book

This year I have been very disorganized. I blame two things. The first was that I bought a yearly planner that only had week views and no monthly calendars. I can't even tell you how many birthdays I missed. The second was that I tried to give up list making. The thing is, I love list making. It keeps me sane. Ish. What I don't love is feeling like a failure when I don't accomplish everything on my to do list on a given day and I don't know about you, but I never accomplish everything on my to do list!

What I really wanted was a way to balance lists and being organized with living in the moment and being creative. Then I discovered the Day Designer by Whitney English and now I might never be the same. If you knew me in real life, you'd know I research all big decisions. Like I need a 12 step program for it, so clearly I wasn't going to drop $59 on a planner without some research. First I went here and signed up to get a free sample page of the planner and I tried it out to see how it would work for me. I also spent some time (okay, hours) on you tube looking at reviews, and searching for blog reviews and looking at things like #daydesigner and #planneraddict. That's a big deal folks. I'm not a fan of the hashtag. #ihatehashtags

Then I went about giving it a test run. I fell in love. I love that it has a space for your top 3 things to get done in the day. Now I feel like anything above that is a bonus. Plus, a place for your daily gratitude? I'm all over that! I am a planner, journal, pen/pencil, washi tape, all things paper related fanatic and I'm telling you, this is like the Holy Grail of planners! I'm counting down the days until I can use the real thing but until them I'm practicing to find out what works best for me, because you know, I want the real thing to look pretty when I start using it. I feel like order has been restored to my life and I'm just a happier girl when there is order. Otherwise I find myself aimlessly walking around the house in my pajamas at 1pm. Not there's anything wrong with that, right?

I love this cover so much that I got a matching pedicure. That's not weird right? Wait. It is? Then let's pretend it was a happy accident.

A Homemade Year (and a giveaway)

I have known Jerusalem since the early days of blogging, back when blogging was just about sharing our ideas and inspiration. Her blog has always been one of my favorites. So when I found out my friend was writing a book, I was so excited and proud for her. Then I got my hands on the book and it was nothing like what I was expecting, to be quite honest, it was so.much.more.

The book is based on the Liturgical calendar, which I'll be honest I knew little or nothing about. I am now more educated on the subject but in truth that is not what draws me into this book. I'm pulled in by the warmth of her voice. Her obvious love for her people, home and traditions. I'm pulled in by the recipes and the projects that I can't wait to make. I love her ability to make the small moments feel special without spending a ton of money or time making them so. The girl is a natural and I would have wanted this book whether she was a friend of mine or not.

Congratulations on this amazing accomplishment J! You did great!

I'm so excited that I get to share a copy with one of you dear readers. I'd love it if you would leave me a comment telling me about one of your favorite family traditions and I will randomly pick a winner Thursday March 28th at 8am Eastern time.

Required Reading

I am a magazine addict. I used to subscribe to many. Then I would buy even more from the newsstand. I needed a 12 step program.

Magazines have even been life changing for me. For instance, I knew I was making the right decision by marrying my guy when we were dating and he encouraged me to buy as many decorating magazines as I wanted and he picked up the tab. He has many wonderful qualities but I would say funding my addiction is top 5.

While there used to be an endless number of great magazines to choose from, not so much any more. I've also gotten much more particular about what I buy. They have to be chock full of inspiration. These three are current favorites. Apparently I live under a rock because I just discovered Uppercase and Anthology. They are so visually stimulating they make my eyes cross. I found them at Anthropologie, where most beautiful things go to live.

Mollie Makes is published in the UK and can be found at Barnes and Noble. As a bonus it usually comes with some sort of gift like these little craft kits. Free gift you say? Sold.

 

I recently won this book from one of my favorite blogs, Yvestown. It was so timely as I had just discovered the Grand Revival line of fabrics. Because, you know, I live under a rock. There are several projects in it that I want to do.

Also, I want to thank you for the Mary Margaret love. I appreciate that you guys get my freakiness. Last night Jim said to me, while opening my little laptop, you've got to stop image searching pictures of Mary Margaret. Like that's gonna happen. I also love that I have turned several of you on to a new show. I do hope you can find a way to watch from the beginning online. Then you can join the Mary Margaret fan club with me. I call president.

Books I'm Wishing For

One of my favorite gifts to receive is books. I thought I'd share some books you might like to add to your own wish list. I'd also love to hear what books you are wishing for.


Decorating:

 Creating:

Cooking:

I'm a Planner... So Sue Me

November, a time to hunker down and wrap yourself up in your cozy life. Also? A time to start planning for the holidays. For you slackers it's a time to start Christmas shopping. I'm about 3/4 done.I got in the habit of getting an early start on it in 2008 because of the havoc Silver Bella caused on my schedule. This year I'm not even going but apparently the early shopping habit stuck. Plus we've scaled down our shopping to save money for a house. That takes the pressure off.

I thought I'd give you a preview of the new Farm Chicks Christmas book to get you in the spirit. I'm in love with it! It's decorating, cooking, gifts and packaging inspiration all in one place.

 Serena even put a gift for you in the back. I love books that have surprises like that in them.

The book is full of vintage style and color! I'm just craving color these days. It might have something to do with living in this drab light deprived cottage. Whatever it is, my imagination is running wild with Christmas color scheme possibilities. I'd love to hear what your holiday decorating/color plans are. I know I won't have room for too much so the idea that I can be selective with my decorations is kind of exciting.

Miscellaneous Monday the Novel

I've been trying to find time to blog for days! There is so much going on here at our cottage. For instance, right now I'm trying to decide between waiting to find the right vintage piece for my studio or just going and getting this from Ikea. Old school vs. New school. What would you do?

 

Lately our house has had a revolving door of company and this sweet lady is on an airplane right now on her way to visit me. Probably she's just coming for the Village but I'm gonna pretend it's to see me too. We have  many adventures ahead of us this week.

I hope she enjoys her stay in Emma's room. She has all boys so I think she will be in pink heaven. We're planning on meeting up on Thursday with a couple girls you might be familiar with. More on that soon.

I also wanted to show you the lovely mercury glass I found at Anthropologie today. Do you love mercury glass as much as I do? This isn't a great picture but if I wait for a good picture I might never get a chance to tell you that these can be found for a mere $6 each.

I have a few more things to share but they each deserve their own post. Soon. I don't know if I'll be around this week so if not, I wish you all a wonderful week!

Newsworthy

Have you heard the news? My favorite magazine guy of.all.time. Matthew Mead is working on a new Christmas magazine. I'm positive it will be amazing. A keepsake. An inspiration to all. You can go right here to read more about it. I'm honored to be a part of this new adventure. Thanks for thinking of me, Matthew!

The Well-Dressed Home

The Well-Dressed Home  by Annette Tatum is the latest design book to grace my bookshelves. I didn't realize who Annette was until I was in the middle of the book. Had I known that she was the brilliant mind behind the House line of linens that I totally covet, I likely would have gotten my hands on this one sooner.

This book helps you make the connection between your fashion and decorating styles. This past year has been a real time of reflection for me while I fine tune my personal style and I loved how this book tied into that. I love the section of the book that shows you how different styles are combined into a look. I am most definitely a Vintage Casual kind of girl and while there are certain aspects I love of other styles, this is the one that feels most me.

If you find yourself feeling torn between different styles or you want to make your home more of a true reflection of your personal taste, or if you are just looking for some gorgeous eye candy, then I highly recommend you go here and order a copy for yourself!

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I'll be back soon with a Fabulous Friday post. If you want to join in the fun, come leave me a comment on Friday and I'd be happy to link to your blog.