old timey new years & a wish

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isn't this victorian card fabulous? even the slightly creepy father time makes me happy. know what else makes me happy? you. i have enjoyed spending another year babbling into the ether at you - thanks.

my wish is that all of you have a wonderful end to 2011, & and even more wonderful 2012. see you next year!

~peace.

pretend-shopping gone global

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comic :: property of mama is

my friend heather was inspired by my pretend-gifting to create a beautiful version of her own. of course, being the fabulous cowgoddess that she is, heather drew a comic to tell the tale. enjoy!

~peace.

pretend-shopping, the second

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photo :: property of armadillo dreams

there were so many more things that i wanted to show you, so thought i would! whilst the last post featured items i pretend-bought myself, today's post focuses on items for my kids. let us begin!

* this pirate ship has to be the most wonderous pull-toy i have ever seen. 

* thehobbit & his friends are serious dr who fans, so he would love this itouch skin.

* how utterly fabulous is this toddler shirt?!!!

* another fabulous toddler shirt!! (disclaimer :: this one made by a friend of mine.)

* who wouldn't want to mustache-ify their mugs & cups? i am fairly certain that both of my boys would love these.

that is all for today, my one & only reader. that to-do list will not get to-done on its own.

~peace.

thursday things - pretend-shopping

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photo :: property of little bits clothing co

this week's thursday things is being done today instead, as tomorrow i shall be off having solsticey (real word) adventures. enjoy!

i have been pretend-shopping quite a lot over the last few days. mostly i keep my finds to myself, with occasionally showing a friend what i pretend-bought for her/him. when i saw the above frock coat i just had to share with all of you. it is just too wonderful to not.

in fact the entire shop, little bits clothing co is wonderful. it is packed with handmade historical clothing & accessories. even bum rolls! i don't need a bum roll, as i am already rolling in the bum area, so to speak. i do, however, need that frock coat. yes, i know it is for a man, but i want it anyway.

here are a few more things that i pretend-bought for myself:

* this hat is simply perfect. i love having a warm head, but do not love beanies - on me, anyway. this is actually a hat, but crocheted, so maintaining a sense of beanieness (real word). 

* if these gorgeous boots were half a size larger, i would be more than pretend-buying them right this very moment.

* i am swoony for these salad tongs. pretty, aren't they?

* ack! eiffel tower scissors!! want.

i have pretend-bought ever so much more than this, but my wee elfling is done playing blocks, so the rest shall have to wait for another day.

~peace.

hustle & bustle & videos

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there has been much hustle & even more bustle in thebelfry these last few days, which is why i have not been around to chat with you. unless you are vastly more together than i (& i suspect you are) you have been hustling & bustling as well, so not noticing my absence. shame on you.

it has been difficult, but we have managed to squeeze in some holidayness (real word). in addition to crafts & outings we have watched: miracle on 34th st (original & newer), elf, a charlie brown christmas, & a plethora of youtube videos. here are the videos getting the most play:

~peace.

random randomosity

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good whatever it is where you are. here, it is just after five in the morning. the house is pitch black, my menfolk are sleeping, & the rain is softly falling outside. i don't know why i just typed outside. where else would the rain be falling? though with all the quirks, shall we say, of this old belfry, i imagine i am lucky that it is only raining outside.

i am closing my etsy shop at the end of the month, did i tell you? it was not a decision i made lightly, & it brings me great sadness to do so, but it is for the best. at least that is what i am telling myself. i am not closing my bizzie entirely, just this construct of it.

we have been indulging in a bit of holiday crafting. thus far elfling's most favorite activity has been stamping. i learned at hallowe'en that if i wanted something holidayish to hang on the art wall, i needed to set out only the appropriate stamps & colors, not the entire tin. so for this round of stamping i set out the santa & star stamps, & the colors: green, red, silver, & gold. after elfling declared his holiday art complete, i let him have the rest tin. that boy of mine can spend quite a long time stamping.

i did manage to make those magnets we chatted about. mine aren't nearly as cute as the ones in the tutorial, but i was short on time. the choice came down to a) forgo painting them, or 2) risk not getting them finished by xmas. i chose the former. that's them in the photo. they are good enough; there's that pesky good enough again; for a toddler -  i doubt elfling will care that he can see the wood grain.

once the sun rises i need to get sewing. my mother-in-law is coming for an early christmas, & i realized only last night that her gift was not finished. she travels a lot, so i am making her a large, flat-bottomed pouch that she can toss in her suitcase. to make it special, i had elfling draw on the fabric with permanent markers. he is only two, so basically it will look like someone scribbled all over her pouch. that said, she is a grandma, therefore will adore it as if rembrandt himself has done the scribbling.

that is all for this morning's random chat. i am in desperate need of coffee. thanks for visiting.

~peace.

santa peggie

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put some presents under the tree. for me. (that is how we are singing the song these days.)


unlike his first 2 decembers, elfling is good & truly aware of the magic all around him. that awareness has breathed new life into traditions that had become stale, or forgotten over the last few years. don't get me wrong, thehobbit still adores the winter holidays, but he has long since outgrown the squealing at even drawings of santa stage. know what i mean?

oldies may remember me babbling about my santa collection last year. well, when we set them out the other day, elfling went mad! he wanted to hold each & every one, kiss them, hug them, & even have deep conversations a few. unfortunately, most of the santas are old, with a few being quite fragile, so we had to limit his santa-loving.

which brings us to the santa peg you see in the above photo. i knew elfling needed a santa that he could carry about with him, one that would survive a month of toddler kisses. it was great fun to paint, & i love the way it turned out. i did forget to paint arms, but i am pretending that i meant to do so - that can be our little secret.

as with steve, the santa peg is nowhere near perfect. i rushed it, so it would be ready when he woke from his nap. it is coming in whispers, but i am actually learning to find peace with doing things good enough. 


sing with me! santa peggie, put some presents under the tree...

~peace.

pouches gone bad

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there are times when i think sewing is a good idea, only to later discover i was wrong. zippers are sewn in crooked, there is a tiny stain or snag i had not noticed, the design on the fabric is off, or something else is not as it should be. with a toddler & a teen in residence, these times occur more often than they had in years past.

many friends have suggested i list the items in theshop, at a discounted price, but the perfectionist in me just couldn't do it. until now. the pile of pouches gone bad was beginning to top that of the perfect ones, & i was running out of free time to sew more.

so (insert deep breath here) you can now find the bad boys in my etsy shop, at a considerable discount. don't be afraid of them, they aren't as bad as i have made them out to be - after all, not one of them has a prison record. that i know of.

the pretty linen pouch pictured above is for sale, as is a sweet taupe pouch. there are two others that have yet to be listed; both even prettier than these. 

thank you for taking the time to look at my pouches gone bad. i hope you like them.

~peace.