I did it!

This is my 36th post in 30 days! Thank you NaBloPoMo for the challenge.
This calls for a giveaway!

I have two boxes of these gorgeous Christmas cards to send to the author of a randomly selected comment posted here before Friday, December 4th at noon Pacific time. I promise to mail them Friday afternoon (or as soon as I get your address) so you get them ASAP.
Both cards are in sets of 8, designed by Caroline Gardner and made in England. My scan does not do them justice. The tree is all glitter in the top one and the red one is embossed. Then the red hearts got cut off in the scan, but they're perfect on the cards. They both measure 5" x 5". Inside reads, "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" in both. I purchased them at the Seattle Art Museum.

Back to work.

It was a nice weekend. We had a quiet Thanksgiving, which was so relaxing. Then on Black Friday (after the IndieBanditas Bazaar of course) we cut down our Christmas tree. It's been our tradition since moving here in 1997. It was a gorgeous day...very chilly, but lots of sunshine and blue sky. Here are the kids going to the warming hut for some hot cider.
After a few days off I'm heading back to work today. This next month is going to be crazy as I am in retail....mind you, Island-style retail. No opening at 5 a.m. or getting trampled by the crowd. No coupons, special ads or discounts. It'll just be busy and crowded with our faithful "shop local" customers. AND we have a post office in our store to add just a few more people. I'm looking forward to being part of the holiday hustle bustle.

Yesterday's loot.

The Indie Banditas Bazaar was fantastic! We were there early (too early, my fault...thank you Sally) not wanting to miss out on a swag bags so we were first in the door. Sally found some gorgeous frames made from recycled magazines by ColorStoryDesigns....right up my alley, but too pricey for me. I was on a budget and thought I'd like to try making something similar. I had told myself no more fabric until I use up more of what I have, but I loved this pack of fall fabrics from Pink Chalk. I bought gorgeous cards from Susan Najarian and sandbox, cute typewriter stickers from craftyFOLK, felted rocks from SpiderFelt and an owl ornament. And then there were the freebies from Today's Baby, Nikki Wheeler and tangotwirl. Simply awesome! My favorite....definitely the felted rocks.

Indie Banditas.

I'm off to the IndieBanditas craft show this morning. Some of my favorite vendors will be there...the very talented Kathy Mack from Pink Chalk Studio and the equally talented Jenn from Esther's Fabrics, and so many more. Katie, top bandita, has most of the vendors on her blog. Hope to see you there!

Keep it simple. Buy local. Buy handmade.

Too much turkey.

A favorite by Jack Prelutsky.....

I Ate Too Much Turkey

I ate too much turkey,

I ate too much corn,

I ate too much pudding and pie,

I'm stuffed up with muffins

and much too much stuffin',

I'm probably going to die.

I piled up my plate and I ate and I ate,

but I wish I had known when to stop,

for I'm so crammed with yams,

sauces, gravies and jams

that my buttons are starting to pop.

I'm full of tomatoes

and French fried potatoes,

my stomach is swollen and sore,

but there's still some dessert,

so I guess it won't hurt

if I eat just a little bit more.

Happy Thanksgiving!

New necklace.

Actually I got it in September for my birthday (from Sally on our trip to Port Townsend), but I finally took a picture. It's a magnet pendant that you can change as often as you like. The company is Magnabilities and they have hundreds of different pendant choices on their website. Mine came from a shop in Port Townsend and I love it. I don't do fancy jewelry and I rarely wear a necklace, but this is my style. Of course I wore the baseball pendant until the season ended in October.

Winter Olympics.

I'm already looking forward to watching the Vancouver Winter Olympics and this guy....Apolo Anton Ohno. OMG, he is so gorgeous with personality++++ He's been in the local news a lot lately...these pics are from King5.com. Olympics start February 12th.

Today is day 24 of 30 in NaBloPoMo. I'm working and house-sitting this week so posting is a bit difficult, but I am determined.

Cookie planning.

The December issue of Sunset magazine arrived with lots of cookie recipes. I'm making my baking plans and challenging myself to try some new recipes. I'd like to try making crackers too!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today would have been my mom's 73rd birthday.

Oh, it's been a difficult year. I miss her so much.

My father-in-law's birthday was today too. He would have been 84, but he passed away in 1995, also from cancer. A very distinguished man. He lived and worked all over Europe and the Middle East for PepsiCola. Here he is in those dark sunglasses with Pepsi celebrity spokesperson, Pele.

And with me on the day we met.

Craft night.

Tonight we're having "craft night" at Rosario's. I have so many projects started that I wasn't sure which one to bring, but I've decided on my Christmas card envelopes. I'm making them all from recycled magazines.

Author evening.

I'm off to see Barbara Kingsolver at Bainbridge High this evening. It'll probably be a full house. I got reserved seats when I purchased the book....the book that I am trying to get through. I like it, but don't love it so far. It's moving far too slowly, but it might be because I haven't had a big chunk of time to sit down and read. I've loved her previous books and can't wait to hear her in person. I listened to her read "Prodigal Summer" on tape and her southern accent just draws you in.

A gift.

This beautiful hand-crafted dish in memory of my mother arrived from my cousin Susan today. After my mother's funeral in April we sent her some of the flowers from the service and she decoupaged them under glass along with a picture of St. Cecilia. I love the colors, the shape, the thought...I am so touched and will treasure this piece of art forever! Susan happens to be an amazingly talented artist (and my cousin!!!)....check out her "Spirit of Flowers" website and her very impressive bio.

Project.

I saw this journal at Anthropologie and I'm going to attempt to copy it. I need some simple gift ideas and this looked like something I can do. I'm going to start by covering a composition notebook with some of the gorgeous paper I have been collecting. Will keep you posted....

Rain.

And the rain rain rain came down down down and Piglet started bailing.

He was unaware atop his chair while bailing he was sailing.

The Hundred Acre Wood must have been in the Pacific NW!

I barely slept last night. The wind and rain were so loud.

I'm thankful we have power this morning.

8:45 pm....just corrected all my typos!!!

Blogs to share.

I've got to get to work, but wanted to share two inspiring blog posts with you this morning....
Please check out Sarah Ahearn's blog and the Shutter Sisters.

Happy Monday!

Photo courtesy of my daughter; matrushka courtesy of my son.

Happy Birthday Julie!

My younger sister Julie is having a birthday today. Here we are in front of grandma & grandpa's in Glendale on Easter....circa 1965? 66? We always got new dresses and new patent leather shoes. I don't remember the purses, but I do remember not liking it all...see that look on my face. I'm still a jeans and tee-shirt kinda gal.

To Do....Ta Da

I did not get out of my pajamas until after noon today.

And I did not write a thing on my ToDo list today...

the only thing I really had to do was a blog post!

Today is day 14 of 30 in NaBloPoMo.

If I had made out a ToDo list it would have been

on these pads I made from recycled paper.

And on the backs....recycled cereal boxes!

Note cards.

How beautiful are these note cards from Madison Park Greetings? They are designed by Nancy Honan Wallace and I just had to have them! We carry them at Paper Products, but I'm sure they are going to fly off the shelf (I promise not to buy them all). I still love snail mail...don't you?

Oh, just noticed it's Friday the 13th....have a very lucky day!

Feeling collagie...

Veteran's Day.

Honoring all the veterans of yesterday and today.

God bless you and America!

Glass pumpkins.

Another post from Leslie's visit. These gorgeous pics are from the Seattle Glassblowing Studio on 5th Avenue, near Blanchard. Definitely worth a visit!

The Seattle Central Library.

Opened in May 0f 2004.

Designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.

18,400 cubic yards of concrete.

2,050 tons of rebar.

4,644 tons total steel.

9,994 pieces of exterior glass or 126,767 square feet.

28,963 square feet of interior glazing.

Just an amazing space. Here are some of Leslie's interior photos...

Teresa Sheeley Giveaway.

FYI....Teresa Sheeley is having a Moleskine giveaway over on her spectacular blog. Check it out!

Stormy, Soggy Seattle.

I had such a great time with Leslie in Seattle, but it was so stormy...windy and rainy. We started the day with a yummy breakfast at Lola. We skipped Sculpture Park and headed right to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), then off to the Seattle Public Library, afternoon tea on First, the Nordstrom Sale (Leslie told her husband that she "accidentally" went shopping), and finally a delicious happy hour dinner back at Taste at SAM. We planned to hit "First Thursday" open art galleries/studios but we went back to the hotel to dry off, regroup and then never went back out. Instead we were in our pjs by 8:30! It was soggy day indeed, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Thanks Michelle.

I got an award passed on to me by Michelle over at EverydayMe. I need to answer the following 35 questions with one word and then pass it on. I'm passing it on to Meagan over at A Serene Scene. She's relatively new to blogging, but oh so talented!

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your hair? Natural
3. Your mother? Gone
4. Your father? Funny
5. Your favorite food? Chocolate
6. Your dream last night? None
7. Your favorite drink? Tea
8. Your dream/goal? Independence
9. What room are you in? Livingroom
10. Your hobby? Card-making
11. Your fear? Heights
12. Where do you want to be in six years? Home
13. Where were you last night? ArtWalk
14. Something you aren't? Skinny
15. Muffins? Blueberry
16. Wish list item? Sanity
17. Where did you grow up? California
18. Last think you did? Ate
19. What are you wearing? Jeans
20. Your TV? Sony
21. Your pets? Four
22. Friends? Special
23. Your life? Crazy
24. Your mood? Changing
25. Missing someone? Definitely
26. Vehicle? Old
27. Something you're not wearing? Mascara
28. Your favorite store? PinkChalkFabrics
29. Your favorite color? Pink
30. When was the last time you laughed? MinutesAgo
31. Last time you cried? Today
32. Your best friend? Cherished
33. One place that I go to over and over? Work (it's a good thing)
34. Facebook? Yes
35. Favorite place to eat? Lola

Missed anniversary.

I missed my one-year blogging anniversary back on October 21st. I was too busy and stressed to notice at the time. But I did not want to let it pass completely unnoticed and wanted to let you know how much I enjoy this community. I stay up-to-date and in touch with a couple of elementary school friends. I've met new friends right here on Bainbridge Island because of blogging. I'm inspired daily by all the creativity going on around the world.
Happy belated anniversary dear blog! Thank you fellow bloggers! ;-) Joan

A day in Seattle.

My friend Leslie is in town from California and we're spending the day in Seattle...breakfast at Lola, Sculpture Park, SAM, shopping, talking, eating...

A present for me!

I love to get mail, but I like getting packages even more! A few days ago one arrived for me from Southern California. My friend Michelle over at Everyday Me made this amazing fall tree pressed between glass. Have a look at her post for details on how to make and some more pics. Thank you Michelle! I love it!

Sunrise.

I love the early morning, mostly to have the quiet time at home before everyone is awake, drink tea and read my morning paper. Reading the morning paper is slowly turning into reading the news on the internet and blogging. This morning, however, I had to head to the laundromat. Our washing machine is not draining!!! On the way home the sun was rising and I snapped a couple of pics....

NaBloPoMo.

Okay, it's just day 4 and I've only been posting five or so times a month lately, but I'm challenging myself to a post everyday in November. There is so much going on....most of it's creative stuff getting ready for the holidays so I'm going to share it all! (Heard about NaBloPoMo over on Dani's blog.)
The photo is of the blazing sunset on Halloween...it looked like the sky was on fire. I'm just amazed at how far the setting sun moves along the horizon from summer solstice to now and even further south by winter solstice. And yes, I know how blessed I am to have this view everyday.

Vote today!

Three Flags by Jasper Johns.

Happy Birthday Michelle!

My wonderful friend since childhood is having a BIG birthday today.

Thinking of you Michelle and wishing I was there to help you celebrate.

BTW, she's extremely talented and blogs over at Everday Me.

Phillies fan...

...well, during the World Series anyway. If you're playing the Yankees I'm pulling for you! My dear friend Pam over on One Gal's Trash posted about not being a baseball fan, but it appears she is cheering for the Phillies too and one of their "hot" players. Well Pam, I must put in my "hot" vote for Mr. Cole Hamels.

Need I say more???
GO PHILLIES!