wise craft

patchwork and chalkboard hearts

Happy Valentine's Day! I was playing around with patchwork and half triangle squares the other day and was inspired to do a patchwork heart as a creative exercise. I kind of like the way it turned out, and for now its on my studio wall. Valentine's Day is low key around here, although there will be heart shaped pancakes and these chalkboard hearts at the breakfast table-

Wooden hearts from the craft store, painted with chalkboard paint, a small hole drilled in, and neon pink nylon cording threaded through the top.

Now to cover them with x's and o's.

Ian's Valentine card's are holigraphic Star Wars scenes, and I decided not to force him to be more creative. They are cute and made him happy. He addressed each one and stuck a chocolate kiss all on his own. Emma's class don't do individual Valentine's, instead they drew one person's name to make a homemade Valentine for. She folded the most beautiful bouquet of origami flowers.

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The winner of five flavor set of our Komforte Chockolate bars is Alison, who said-

"The world needs things like quirky chocolate bars."
Maybe it's silly but that line kind of hit me where I live. Somehow I have surrounded myself with friends who are all healers and firefighters and advocates for educational equality and sometimes I can't help it, my focus on art and creativity feels inadequate. But the world needs things like quirky chocolate bars. It does. I'm going to hold on to that.
And, obviously, I would love to hold on to the actual bars and then eat them, because they all look incredible!

Alison, please send me your address info to wisecraftblog@gmail.com and I'll get some quirky bars out to you right away! Thank you to all that entered, and for all the nice comments about our chocolate brand. We truly appreciate the support!

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OK, have a great Valentine's Day. And I haven't forgotten the crocheted granny circle tutorial, its still coming in the next day or so. But in the meantime, I'l dying to start making one of these for my bike. Ah!

postcard from colorado

Happy New Year everyone! We spent last week in Colorado, hanging out with family, taking a lot of naps, and staying offline as much as possible due to sketchy internet connections (a good thing, in this case). Christmas was a completely, blissfullyl, lovely, blurry moment of fun and relaxation. There were too many spritz cookies consumed (both the "A" batch and the slightly burned, but still good, "B" batch), and I went on an epic eggnog latte bender that can't be fully explained in mere words (Katie, I really needed you to stop me!!). What is it with me and the steep dieting cliff I fall off of during the holidays?? Every year. Its like Apocalyptic eating, can I coin a new term?

Apocalyptic eating: a term used to describe uncontrolled, unstoppable eating binges, consuming foods like macaroni and cheese, bread, cookies, 400 calorie drinks, etc, things the person unconditionally loves, yet usually is able to maintain a certain amount of distance from and self-control over. Usually occurs just before the beginning of a new year, at which point it all abruptly ends and the person goes back to a more normal diet.

Anyway, I'm cleaning my diet up drastically, but more on that later this week. If you are too, I've got a few tricks that you may like.

I am excited for a new year ahead. Plum giddy, in fact. I love that a new year always starts when the weather is cold, and, in the case of Seattle, mostly rainy. I usually do a lot of house cleaning at the beginning of a calendar year, I don't really know why (Apocalyptic cleaning, perhaps??) The beginning of January makes me feel like nesting, purging, redoing, changing batteries in smoke detectors, checking expiration dates, things like that, but in a quieter manner. By quieter, I mean all that happening while there's a big pot of homemade soup on the stove, simmering. Something we can all settle into later in the evening, when its too yucky to be outside and the house feels warm and cozy.

xo,

Blair

P.S.- I posted the images above on Instagram while we were in Colorado. If you follow me on twitter you can see Instagram images whenever I post them. I'm addicted to the spur of the moment feel of it!

happy holidays!

Whew! We could *possibly* be ready (we just saw that Santa is in South America!).

I am going to take some time off from this space between Christmas and New Year's to spend some time with relax a bit with family. Thank you all for taking the time to read, comment, and discuss everything that goes on here. I appreciate you all more than you know, and we're going to have some fun in 2012. Happiest of Holidays to everyone out there! Enjoy every minute!

xo,

Blair

holiday chocolate lollipops

When I fold the laundry (which, truth be told, is not as often as it should be, a clean heap can usually be found on the chair in our bedroom, dubbed by the family as the "chair of shame"), I usually watch a few minutes of tv and on Sunday I was watching the Food Network, Barefoot Contessa in London. Ina Garten's recipes are very dependable for our family, I've never really made anything of hers that didn't turn out delicious without alot of crazy prep. On this show, she made white chocolate lollipops, and they looked so easy, I knew the kids and I would have fun adding them to our holdiay "baking" list.

I'm not a big fan of white chocolate, so I chose semi-sweet chocolate chips, and we picked to add to them: roasted cashews, dried cherries, candied ginger, toffee bits, miniature peppermint candy canes (these available at Home Cake if you are local, read a great write up about this store on Seattle Bon Vivant.).

We melted the chocolate in the microwave, then spooned the chocolate onto parchment in rounded globs. We inserted the lollipop stick into the center and gave it a little twist to cover it, then proceeded to add something to each on (or not, since we left some plain for Ian, the purist).

We made about 40 out of 3 bags of chocolate chips (okay, we did eat some of the chocolate). They set up at room temperature in about an hour, then we bagged them in cellophane and tied them with yarn.

Super easy!

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P.S.- Check it, I have a new header : D

diy salt shaker christmas

I like to think of myself as one of those people that sees some amazing display at a store like Anthropologie, thinking- as we all do- "Wow, I could so make that.", and then goes home and actually makes it. That doesn't happen as much as I'd like it to. However, my creative fires were lit during a recent trip. Those adorable little salt shakers recycled into sweet little Christmas shakers they are currently selling? Whoever created them did brilliantly creative job, I just couldn't afford to buy a dozen of them, as I would have liked.

Let's take the proverbial handmade by the hands, shall we?

These are a bit smaller, but the idea that I actually came home and made them is making me so very happy. About 5 minutes each once I'd gathered the supplies.

I found a set of lovely salt shakers with screw tops on etsy, but these are available at thrift stores. The tiny trees may be trickier to find, but they are out there. (The seller I found mine thru doesn't seem to have anymore, but do an etsy search for miniature tree.)

Other than that, I used Martha Stewart coarse white glitter, some tape for the inside of the top, a bit of craft glue, that was it. Make sure the inside of the salt shaker is clean, then dab a bit of glue on the bottom of the tree, stick it inside the shaker, and use a pencil or knitting needle to move it how you want it. Put some tape on the inside of the top to prevent the glitter from spilling out. I poured enough glitter inside to cover the wooden base of the tree, and that's it.

Disclaimer- While I did not choose to buy the lovely little Christmas shakers they had for sale and make my own instead, I did in fact buy 4 other beautiful things, spent too much money, brought them home, plopped them on Peter's office chair, with a sticky note reading "Santa should give me these".

i'm thrilled i can actually see this tiny hook...

let alone actually crochet with it.

and on

I met my big deadline, and life now enters a new, relaxed holiday mode. December was off to a rocky start... I really didn't have my schedule together and was a little scattered (what? dinner? you guys want dinner? from me?) but somehow, I found a rhythm that seemed to get me through.

And now? With deadline met, the wine tastes a little sweeter, sleep is a little less restless, and I can't wait to start a crochet project to carry me through the holiday break... the crochet project that I'll be doing just because I want to do it and no other reason.

I have some DIY projects to share here, but I think you may have to give me a minute. In the meantime, don't forget about those times I was stuck in the house during the holidays because of snow-covered streets, making things like the simple wreath of avoidance (love that one) or one of the products of my crochet-obsessed period, the crocheted granny square scarf that is a cinch to make it you are already a crocheter, perfect for anyone with a cold neck. Or the simple sewn scarf that is also perfect for a cold neck. And don't forget the tomorrowland holiday trees. Or crocheted candle cozies (these are all over our house right now, its so cold here everything needs a sweater).

And unrelated... maybe I'm just a little premenstrual, but this song makes me cry like a newborn right now.

Flat out.

Wet rag.

On the floor.

And also random, the deer are patronuses, thank you Nancy and Priscilla! How did I miss Harry Potter connection? That must be why I love them so much. Every day at 4pm, bam! Patronuses!

i've always wanted

a doe and a buck in my front yard. And now I have them. Thanks for indulging my corny request Peter!

Now to name them...

 

the reindeer farm

Saturday's advent was decorating gingerbread houses. I knew there was not going to be much actual house decorating for the holidays until after the weekend, so just as I'd hoped, these kept the kids happy and occupied for most of the afternoon. Ian's house is a reindeer farm. (You knew there had to be one somewhere.) As he explained it, this is where Santa's reindeer are raised. The farmer is a frog, but you can't see him cause he's busy. (Course.) Each of the flags designate which country they will cover. Apparently, the US is well covered, as is Switzerland and Germany. The fate of the other countries rests on whether or not he can locate any other flag cupcake toppers in my baking drawer. Here's hoping...

I am joining lots of friends and posting photos over at habit all through the month of December. So much fun, be sure and check in.

an early holiday treat for you

I had a treat last week (well, several treats, but more on that later), I got to preview Betz White's new online workshop, Fab Felt Holiday Crafts. I have taken Betz's previous holiday workshops and have used so many of her easy, clever holiday project for gifts, I love that her projects are doable with few materials, and infinitely customizeable. Once again, she has outdone herself, not only is this workshop full of more easy, original, totally doable holiday crafts, its being offered through Craftsy.com, a new video platform in High Def, with a very user friendly interface. I was able to skip easily to the individual crafts and hear the instructions for just those when I was ready to start making them. I chose to make the "Flower Ornament" but, because the holidays are a little too far away for me to really start thinking about them (read that as procrastination or denial) I strung several of them together as a new bunting/garland/hanging strand for my studio.

**Wise craft readers can click this link to preview Betz's course and register for $10 off the course price.**

And, because I was feeling nostalgic for Bench Monday, one last photo-

xo,

Blair

P.S.- I can't wait to tell you about Schoolhouse Craft!