shh, i'm not really here

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my plan to take a wee break for the remainder of the year has failed miserably. i've already: snuck into my nook to sew, worked on a project for elfling, sketched a ton of valentine ideas for theshop, placed two orders for supplies, & now am here with you.

i haven't anything fabulous to share, i just wanted to say hello. so, hello!

that's all :)

~peace.

ps :: if anyone asks, you never saw me here.

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that's a photo of my first attempt at making my mother's famous yule log*. from the outside it looked quite well done. once sliced? well, not so pretty. but! it tasted amazing, & that's what most matters. manlyman proclaimed it a thing of beauty, & said that my mother would have been proud. sometimes that man o' mine knows just the thing to say. next year i plan to make a fancier version, but for my first christmas without my mother, it had to be just like hers.

i hope you had a fabulous solstice, & that your christmas (or if you aren't of the christmas variety, your weekend) was wonderful.

have a lovely end of the year, do!
~peace.
* it was actually nabisco's recipe, but as she made it for us each year, she gets credit :)

blessed be!



painting :: by thehobbit

 how wonderful to have a full moon & a lunar eclipse, both on the eve of the solstice! i hope you are able to see it where you live. the weather here most likely will hamper visibility, but i'm not sad. you see, i have an elfling, who woke me before 4am today. i would sleep through the full moon playing guitar hero in my bedroom at this point. i won't be seeing the spectacle, no matter the weather.

for those of you who are waiting to see who won the give-away: i have not forgotten that i was supposed to have drawn on friday. well i had forgotten, but have remembered since forgetting. i'll draw sometime this week, & announce the winner the next time i post. i'll include an extra mushroom for your patience. just to the winner, mind you. the rest of you are outta luck :)

that's all for tonight. i hope you have a glorious start to your winter/summer.

here comes the sun, do, do, do, do. here comes the sun, & i say: it's all right...

a royal collaboration

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photo shoot :: outtake

a few months ago i was asked by my oh-so-fantastic teammate, pin pon, if i would like to create a crown to go with a capelet she made. seriously? well, of course i would! even before joining natural kids i was a huge fan of her work.

once the (utterly adorable) capelet arrived i got to work on the crown. i believe i even showed a sneaky peek or two, way back when. the delay has been in photographing the set. unfortunately my little models & i never seemed to mesh schedule-wise. thehobbit, as willing as he usually is to pose for me, was not interested in modelling an ultra-feminine ensemble.

finally i accepted that i would need to just find another model. you know, that's easier said than done. i know many little girls in the required size, but a) i wanted a classic look, & 2) very few in this age group are willing models, once the camera is in front of them.

as you can see from this post's photo, i did find the perfect model. not only was she still willing with the camera clicking away, she was the cutest little ham i'd ever worked with. what you see above is one of a few standard "model" poses she has in her repertoire. she cracks me up :)

so! the royal set can now be purchased here! i still have to take some closer photos of the crown's details, as well as the gorgeous interior of the capelet - just waiting for the rain to stop. if you have a princess in need of this set, i suggest you buy it before i get the photos uploaded. it may not be around long.

~peace.

a celebratory give-away!

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recently theshop made it to (& past) its 100th sale! i had hoped to make something special for you, but there isn't enough time in a day right now. instead i'm offering one mini mushroom set to one lucky reader. these sets will only be around for a short time, as my supplier no longer makes the tall button. i know, it's my favorite one too. i will have sets of three for sale, until i find a fourth size i like. ok, enough babbling!

for one entry: leave a comment.
for a second: become a NEW fan on facebook, & leave a comment that you did.
for another: become a NEW follower on twitter, & leave a comment that you did.
and more: follow this blog, subscribe to the feed, blog about it, fb, tweet, etc - you get the picture.
ooh!!!!!!! another: send me a convo with the link showing that you'd bought from my shop, then leave a comment that you did!!! (i just came up with this one off the top of my head, hence all the exclamation points.)

this give-away will close next friday, the 17th, when i remember to get online, pst. ok, get commenting, & good luck!

~peace.
ps, i hope you win. shh. don't tell the others.

thursday things - little prezzies

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box of stocking stuffers: naturalkids (look! my acorn gnome kit!)

this installment of thursday things focuses on little prezzies for stockings & solstice. no chitter chatter, let's get right to it!

i am thrilled to have my acorn gnome kit included in the box of stocking stuffers you see pictured above. the boxes are fabulous if you have more than one child to buy for, or if you want to spoil your only child rotten.

set of houses: woodmouse

i love amber's toys. their rustic simplicity makes me swoony. if elfling were older, the caption on this photo would have read set of houses you can't have, because i just bought it, neener neener neener. she's hosting a give-away on her blog, by the way.

typewriter key jewelry: buster and boo

how about something for you angsty tween or teen? sara has just what you need. i adore this lock/key necklace beyond reason. i may have to buy it for myself. by the way, my own angsty hobbit has approved her wares for guys, not just girls. in case you were wondering :)

snake oil salve: muddyfeet



santa just ordered a jar of this yummy calendula salve for manlyman's stocking. golfing in winter leaves his hands dry & tender. she sells it with a regular grown-up-type label, but santa & i think the silly label is so much better. i'll let you know how manlyman likes it.

gardenia perfume oil: sacred waters soap co.

wives, mothers, sisters, girlfriends, etc - they all love smelling pretty. if shan's soaps are any indication (i use them exclusively), her perfume oils will do just that. her shop lists two other scents, if gardenia doesn't appeal.

that brings this edition of thursday things to a close. disclaimer: i do not get anything for the things i feature. they are always chosen because i like them, or because they have caught my eye. that said; i do know all of today's sellers. just thought i should throw that out there.

happy shopping!

~peace.

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we went to my favorite tearoom last week, to celebrate our 20th anniversary. elfling wasn't impressed by the scones, as you can see by the above photo.

twenty years! i shared our story nearly three years ago. of course, since then we have added another princeling to the faery tale. yep, we have an heir & a spare! i hope you enjoy our story.

~peace.

in which there are many santas

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earlier this year, i was gifted with my mother-in-law's many bins of christmas decorations. i had already vowed to purge my own holiday bins when christmas rolled around, so only kept the things that made my heart go pitter-pat. the rest i donated (with her permission) to a thrift shop.

so what pitter-patted my heart? why her wonderful collection of santas, that's what! i had long admired the many santas, & wanted to have a collection of my own. i made it to a grand total of two santas before quitting. you see, a certain hobbity boy was born & from then, on, all my christmases focused solely on him.

i figured i'd begin again once he was a teenager. having elfling thwarted that plan - i'm already blind to everything else, watching him as he discovers all the wonders of the holiday season.

that's ok however, because i no longer need to collect santas. thanks to my m.i.l. i've plenty of my own. plenty enough to split in two, when the boys begin their own families, even. don't you think that would be a lovely thing? they can grow up with the tradition of putting out the santas each december, then continue the tradition with their own children - with the same santas!

although...

there is room for more.

~peace.