Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone. When you're celebrating tonight, remember not to act like an ex-member of Guns N' Roses? Okay? Lets be safe out there.



I'll, er...try to keep that in mind myself!

Bluebird + Snowflakes

I was so busy baking batches of cookies and wrapping up last minute preparations to fly home to Florida, that I didn't get to wish anyone Merry Christmas! So a belated one to all of my pals who celebrate it. I hope you had a good one.



These snowflake cookies are the closest I'll be getting to wintry weather. It is hot and muggy in the low eighties in South Florida. It may sound nice to some of you, but it's kind of a downer for the holidays!



Mike and I kept it simple on the gift giving. We each bought music that we wanted, and made handmade ornaments for each other. Here's the one I made Mike. What fun they are to make!



I'll check in with you all soon!

Apartment Pants

Secret projects are no fun for people like me who tend to be impatient. I want to show you right away the amazing feat I accomplished! I sewed pants! And they did not fall down when I stood up!

Aimee needed someone to test sew a new pattern for her. I needed an excuse to suck it up and get over my phobia of following a pattern. So, I ended up sewing a pair of Apartment Pants, which is now available on Betsy Ross Patterns.



I consider myself a newbie when it comes to sewing garments. I was pleased to find that the instructions were simple, intuitive and delightfully charming like my friend. Mike and I had agreed to model for her pattern as well. However, I was in New York for the weekend, so Mike did the shoot with Aimee and MB. What a trooper! I don't think he minded hanging out with two cute gals (wink).



You can see the photos from their shoot and the two (count em') pairs of pants I sewed on Junkdrawer.

Gift Tags from Karen

Karen, one of my lovely friends from knitting circle, just became a new Grandma. She wanted to make the hand knitted gifts for her firstborn grandson extra special, so asked for my help. I'm always happy to do commissions for such cuteness!

I created hand drawn gift tags for the four knitted gifts Karen made. There was one for a miniature James Dean Hat.



One was created for the ever adorable Striped Baby Mitts, designed by our friend Emily.



There was a crocheted Starry, Starry Night Blanket.



The baby wore Courtney Kelly's Baby Jacket with Moss Stitch Edges home from the hospital. (We sure have some talented pals...)



My favorite tag to draw was not a knitted gift at all. Karen and her husband wanted to treat their daughter to a night on the town once things settled down with her new baby. Secretly, I think they wanted the little guy all to themselves! They gave her tickets to see Spam-a-lot and dinner at the Good Dog, her favorite restaurant. Isn't that sweet?



Congratulations again to Kelly, Karen and the entire clan!

Cheddar Corn Chowder

Here's a new soup for my bacon loving friends. Sorry to my vegetarian pals, but you're probably better off anyhow. This soup cannot be good for the arteries.

This is The Barefoot Contessa's Cheddar Corn Chowder . It makes a large amount. I halved the recipe and still had a ton left over. The only thing I would recommend is to use low sodium chicken broth and add the salt as you go. I used the amount suggested, and it was a bit too salty for my taste.


I also used red potatoes to add a bit of color and pretend it was healthy...but I didn't really believe myself. Enjoy!

Sonny's Birthday Banner

As promised, pure saccharine. First, my notes, measurements and sketches. (The scraps were actually glued on later, I couldn't help myself.)



My nephew Sonny turned one today! My best friend (his mama) fully admitted that she went Momzilla, which is hilarious because she's not like that at all. They rented a moon bounce, are having it at a park, with catered Cuban food and a friend who is bringing her own ponies. I'm allowed to make fun of her about this for years to come, and thought a party like that needed a special birthday banner!

I picked up these Heather Ross fabrics, this Sunday.



Cut, cut, cut. Ironed, ironed, ironed. Sewed, sewed, sewed.

And voila!



Remember that it is winter and the lighting is dreadful, but you can get the jist. I shipped these babies out on Tuesday and Brooke already received it and loves it!


I did "Happy Birthday" as one banner and did "Sonny" separately, so she can hang that one up year round if she wants. I placed banners with a star between the words to break it up.

I wish I could be there to celebrate, but will be home in Florida to see them soon. Because, I love moon bounces. Oh, but I really love Sonny so much more.

Happy First Birthday, kiddo!

Back to Normal

Thank you to everyone for your good luck wishes and positivity. I passed my LEED Exam, which is a huge weight off of my back. It was tough, and I'm pretty damn proud of myself. I feel like a kid on Christmas vacation, I didn't realize how much of my life it was consuming.

Now I can work on my knitting and crafting again. Below is some flamingo pink Manos Silk Blend from Rosie's. When it grows up, it's going to be a Lace Ribbon Scarf (yes, my third...) for Mike's mom.



I've also been sewing my little heart out! I'll show you very soon, but need to wait a couple of weeks. In the meantime, here are some of the swatches of fabric. They're all illustrated by Heather Ross of course. Seriously, do I buy any fabric besides hers prints? No. And that is why I should probably become the president of her fan club...



Enjoy the cuteness...and just wait for tomorrow. Something so sweet you'll get a toothache...

Can't Get Any Better

I have thank you cards to write, clothes to unpack, not enough time in the day to study by this Saturday, and corn chowder to eat.

But realizing that my birthday cake matched my pink (union made, last of their kind) flamingoes from my pals Regina + Robert, or that the creamsicle colored yarn from Lisa matched my Funfetti sprinkles...

Well, hell.

Life does not get much better sometimes. Good friends and some sugary sweets. Totally hectic, but I can't wait to get back in here and catch up with all my crafty gals.

xoxo, Mariss