handmade gift...

so...this is my best attempt to photograph my first completed crochet project. my camera seems to have mysteriously disappeared...so iphone will have to suffice :)

this is a crocheted lace cowl, created as a christmas gift for a very dear friend. perhaps we can have a post with her reaction very soon...?

the shape came out a little wonky...not quite like it was supposed to...but i think i like it. it seems to serve more of a warmth-purpose with a wider edge. anyway, apparently there's a technique called 'blocking' which can be used to re-shape knit items that have become distorted during creation.

it's not perfect...but i think it's kinda cute! i started on tuesday night, and finished tonight (saturday)...and all it took was yarn and a crochet hook. so you can DO it if i can!

here's the pattern i used if you feel inspired. my mom and i tweaked it a little bit as she was teaching me, so you may have to work out what works best for you.

remember- with handmade gifts, the effort and care you put into them is the best part!

p.s. i look very tired in the photo because i couldn't sleep and took it about 2 am. and i promise that my left hand is not really a claw. :)

p.s.s. remember the bathroom stripes??

merry christmas!

Pppresents!

yay presents!
I was planning on using recycled grocery bags to make my own wrapping
paper this year, but found two rolls of wrapping paper in my storage
closet...so I kinda felt the need to use those.

so instead...I made bows!

for a pretty cheap, easy, and reusable bow alternative, yarn pom poms
are so fun and easy to make. go here for full instructions!
also...round paper doilies make great gift tags. they cost like $1 or
less for 50 or so, and they look like snowflakes :)

be creative with your gifts...presentation is half the fun! happy wrapping!

Cookie mountain

so I have admittedly been a little absent lately from my poor little blog... But I have been busy christmasing and such! tonight I had a hankering for some chocolate chip cookies...so I made
some! they turned out more cake-y than crunchy or cookie...maybe too much egg ratio to butter and flour?

either way...they're good.

the recipe that i used this time is on the back of the hershey's bag of chocolate chips...they're cheaper than nestle!

i'm still working on perfecting the chocolate chip cookie. if you have any good recipes or secrets...please comment!

pretty!

fall is one of my absolute favorite seasons. the excitement of the holidays is upon us, the weather is cooler and refreshing after the hot hot hot summer, and the fashion is so multi-layered and full of options! probably one of my most favorite things about fall is the leaves...

we don't have too much change here in north cakkilaky, but i think that this year the early cold snaps helped the leaves put on a much more impressive show than usual. here are some shots from a lunch break stroll to get you in the spirit!

sadly, they are mostly blown away now...but that means that christmas is around the corner!

another treasure....

i was going to wait until i had better photography (the phone camera is not always the best)...but i love this one!

one last find from the weekend...lanvin watch! $5! (i told you she has magical powers!!)

let's just keep our fingers crossed that it still works!

treasures!

last weekend i went to wilmington to visit my lovely friend jade for her birthday! celebration, and to spend a lil time with my momma....and had the pleasure of doing some thrifting!

jade has magical thrifting powers, as you will note from some of the posts on her super cool blog. needless to say, in her company, i found some treasures!

1- a cute ring stand! i have been looking for one of these that isn't cheesy or stupid or in the shape of a heart or flower FOREVER. this one is just simple and pretty and perfect for holding the sparklies while you sleep :)

2- teacups! these are so cute, and actually had some fabulous saucers to accompany them...i just brought the cups home, because they are soon to become CANDLES.

3- a little christmas mouse cross stitch kit...you will see his completed photo soon i hope!

yay thrifting!

pretty!

ok....so i am a little biased because i might maybe have a weensy part time job at a j.crew. but seriously people, how pretty and chic are these shoes???!?!?!!

p.s. i know that these are neither secondhand or handmade...but they do have sewn parts! in my blog description i said that i would be posting on pretty things...which i would like to do...so expect to see more not necessarily handmade things that i still think are pretty in the near future!