Treats

A couple weeks ago when I was in New York I was walking by the Plaza Hotel and gasped. I've been to New York a bunch of times, but usually find myself spending most of my time South of Midtown, so I'd never really had a moment to gaze upon the place-where-Eloise-grew-up before. I gawked for a second, then started on my way. Then it dawned on me. I could go in. I could go in and see the Plaza. I was all alone, with no responsibilities, no children, not even Aaron. I wasn't rushing to go somewhere or pick someone up or get something done. So, I went in the Plaza, sat at the bar, and had a glass of wine at 2:30 in the afternoon. I chatted with the bartender and only grumbled silently when I realized that they charge $30 for a glass of wine at the Plaza lobby bar.

So, when I was driving with the kids after picking something up this morning and drove by a really yummy Middle Eastern restaurant that I'd only eaten at once before, I had a Plaza moment. With Ruby now over her illness but nothing on the agenda today (November 11, you know), there was nothing stopping me from introducing my kids to the wonder of falafel. And then, to be even bolder, after lunch (which they loved), we walked a few blocks to my favourite yarn store and, for the first time in ages, I bought some yarn. To knit with. Oh yeah.

And it ain't cheap yarn, but I didn't buy very much. When my aunt saw my mom and I wearing our Calorimetry headscarves at Thanksgiving, I offered to make her one. So I bought some really gorgeous turqoise merino by the Tanis Fibre Arts. And after making Fishnet Bandanas for Aaron's sister and her girlfriend I thought maybe I should make one for myself. So I bought this crazy Malabrigo colourway (I know, the fact that it's not hot pink shocks me). So yes, one day, and hopefully one day soon I will knit. Because that's something I like to do.

Hooped

November, you are deceivingly difficult. I thought after Halloween, I'd have some breathing room. But no. There are: things to make, presents to buy, cookies to bake, articles to write, stockings to stuff (and construct), houses to clean, parties to throw, kids to entertain, workouts to sweat out, friends to visit... you know. Oh, and I (and a nurse) am relatively sure that Ruby is getting over a mild case of H1N1. Yikes.

Fingers And Toes

Finger puppets! A little team of finger puppets! These little dudes all come from the Arazni Aronzo book Baby Stuff, which is awesome. There are a bunch of finger puppets in there, and I had grand plans to make all of them, but I only got to six (there's a pig that I made that I found after I had already taken this picture. Sorry piggy, I swear it has nothing to do with that flu that I think Ruby may have).


I actually made these guys a while ago, when our kitchen renovation was going on. I promptly stuffed them into my embroidery bag and forgot about them. The problem is, they originally started off as a baby gift, but then I realized that no baby wants one of these finger puppets. They are far too flimsy and delicate for a baby, or even an adult to play with. I was thinking of maybe buying a couple of deep picture frames or shadow boxes and sticking them in there as little pieces of nursery art. That would be a nice baby gift, no?

Holiday Inspiration

Every year I look at Sew Mama Sew's Handmade Holidays feature with awe. In case you haven't seen it, every year (this is the third annual), the geniuses at SMS spend November corralling a bunch of sewing tutorials that are perfect for holiday gift giving and decorating. It really is genius. The folks there seem to have a really great eye and a really great aesthetic (not to mention great fabric to sell), and this feature offers so many ideas and so much inspiration.

That said, for the last two years I've jumped on the bandwagon too late to actually get anything made. As a public service, I'm gently reminding you about Handmade Holidays, so you can swing by there before it's too late. New ideas all throughout November. Check it out.

Golden Years

Twenty-three large bags of leaves. Just from the front yard. And there are still leaves on the trees, so we'll be doing it again before autumn is over. There was much jumping, rolling in piles, and crunching of leaves as the whole family helped with the job.

Weekend Thrift

I wasn't planning to stop at that estate sale. It's just, I had some time to kill because I was running early to where I had to be. And there it was, right on my route. It's not my fault there was some choice Pyrex, plus some Melmac. I couldn't help it. I only paid $20 for the lot.

I am not addicted. And I swear I am not on my way to becoming a hoarder.

She's Got Style

Readers of both Angry Chicken and Posy Gets Cosy will recognize this. There's a wacky site called Polyvore where one can create a "set" of clothing items -- essentially like Fashion Plates but in a more digital way (by the way, real Fashion Plates are going for fairly top dollar on Ebay these days). Of course, at the end you can order all the clothes online, but that wouldn't really be much fun, would it?

So, being a sucker for this sort of thing, I thought I'd try it out. When my kids were awake. Big mistake -- Ruby took one look at my laptop and needed to take a go at it. Above is the outfit she put together with very little guidance from myself. It's very pink, but actually, considering it was styled by a 4.75 year old who is obsessed with Barbies and Princesses, it's pretty awesome. It is kind of Barbie Girl, but also sort of hipster '80s retro. And her taste isn't cheap, either. That cardigan alone is $372!

Here's my Dream Date outfit. I should note, I do not really dress like this, but if I had a lot of money and went to swishy film openings, I might. Oh, and if these dresses were made to fit women who are above a size six.