Oh deer!

Can you see what I see?

I had just sneaked in to take a picture of Suki, my cat, when she started to do a little ducking and diving - and when I looked up to see the leaves, or chipmunks, I thought she was watching, there is a young doe! A very lucky moment to have camera in hand.

So inspiration in hand I decided to make a keyring for the guys -

not quite a doe, but inspiration strikes in strange places! Does, stags and cats, oh my!

huge thanksgiving weekend sale!

My shop is offering free shipping to anywhere in the world and a free surprise gift - and there are another 49 shops featuring beautiful handmade products and great sales. Why go to the mall when everything you need to finish your list is right here on Etsy?

Gifts you can truly feel good about giving, when this amount of love and caring goes in to making these, it really shows in the finished product!

So, go and check out the sales and get some great deals, hey you can even shop in your pj's!!!!

The full list of participating shops can be found in our team shop - http://www.etsybloggers.etsy.com

a thanksgiving poem

"Thanks to our mother, the earth, which sustains us;

thanks to the rivers and streams and their waters;

thanks to the corn and the grain fields that feed us;

thanks to the herbs which protect us from illness;

thanks to the wind and the rain for their cleansing;

thanks to the bushes and trees and their fruiting;

thanks to the moon and the stars in the darkness;

thanks to the sun and his eye that looks earthward;

thank the Great Spirit for all of his goodness."

-adapted from an Iroquois address of thanksgiving to the Great Spirit.

our thanksgiving nature table

Last week we had a big house cleaning, moving things around, one of which was this bookcase that came downstairs. So, taking advantage of the new space which is right in the main living room, therefore getting a lot of exposure, I put together our seasonal nature table. It features a Fall angel, gnomes, pumpkin and gourd, acorns and fir cones, two little Fall oakmen, one of my Fall leaves felt garland and a beautiful Ruth Elsaesser card depicting the harvest feast.

I'm very happy with how it turned out, it is a wonderful idea that keeps a seasonal picture going, and forever changing, for children to remain connected with the outside world and nature even though they may be inside. You should give it a try, as the kid's love collecting things for the table as well, it's really great fun!

feedback -

I love getting, and reading, the feedback in my etsy shop, but this is hands down the best ever kind of feedback. I received this from a customer who bought the fall leaves felt garland (seen above hanging over the bookcase) and wanted to let me know how much she liked the garland, and how she was using it - as a seasonal accent in her children's reading corner. How fantastic is that? Pretty darn fantastic if you ask me, she really made my day! I simply can't imagine a better place for my garland to be, thank you.

Thanksgiving

Since, I'm from York in the UK originally, I don't have any traditions of this holiday until fairly recently. I love the whole getting together with the family; eating a big, delicious meal; watching movies; and being incredibly lazy, that sounds wonderful to me!

I don't like american football, I will never understand it, nor be willing to watch it for the endless hours it seems to take to finish the game!

But, one tradition at my Mother-in-Law's house that I love the best and embrace wholeheartedly is the New Skete Cheesecake!

It is the most delicious cheesecake known to man, if you haven't experienced it then you have to!
It's made by the nuns of the New Skete monastry at Cambridge, NY -
http://www.newskete.com/index.htm
and the flavors are amazing, like amaretto and cream (pictured above), apple walnut, chocolate amaretto, eggnog, irish cream, kahlua, key lime, raspberry ripple, pumpkin and white chocolate!
Or you can get a sampler cheesecake and try a nibble of each!
So, although I love all the brown paper bag turkeys, graph paper native american bead belts, construction paper feather headdresses, I guess what I'm most thankful for (apart from my family, friends and good health obviously! ) is cheesecake!

featured etsyblogger of the month is......

......Storybeader!

Deborah is the owner of this beautiful Etsy shop. It is a shop full of truly unique and amazing jewelry, but what really sets her apart are the haiku's that you receive with your work of art!

For example, the haiku that goes with the stunning Tipi Treasure necklace (pictured above) is -

“Doves Rising”

The young woman looked

Out the tipi towards the white

Doves and rising sun.

- Deborah Baroff, the Storybeader

How beautiful! So pay her a visit at her shop -

http://www.storybeader.etsy.com/

or, her blog -

http://www.storybeader.blogspot.com/

I know you'll love checking in with her, as much as we do! A friend indeed!

wordless wednesday!

Well, maybe only a few words! I took this picture last month while on vacation to Maine, it is on Peaks Island, which is another stunningly beautiful part of this state, that house could be my dream vacation home, at least in location if nothing else!

tuesday's treasury - for the guys!

Great ideas for the holidays, for the guys in your life, young and old!

I love the nature boy drawstring bag (they make one for nature girl's too!), would be great for my son to carry on a nature walk, somewhere to collect all the goodies to be found!

This year I want to make everyone on my list a cowl - I think they look great and are also easier to wear than scarves, nothing to tuck in, and no space to let the cold air in - also, it helps that they knit up much quicker than scarves and can be done on my favorite thing, a circular needle!

The soap sounds fantastic, here's the description from the shop -

"This rendition of this majestic fragrance which was originally created by the House of Creed for actor Cary Grant and also a favorite of Prince Charles and many actors like Richard Gere, Nicolas Cage and Robert Redford. It's also a favorite of many women. It has notes of Mysore sandalwood, ambergris, violet leaves, French verbena and Florentine iris. It's very fresh and it is AWESOME!" - doesn't that sound like something you want your guy to be using?

And, the cuff Ipod case is just too cute, a wonderful accessory for those hard-to-buy-for people on your list!

Here's the list, so go shopping!

Aiden right cuff from Rumah Kampung's shop -

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16732139

Man Cowl Scarf Thing by Moo Cow Hand Knits -

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17317092

Green Irish Tweed Type Soap by Spotted Cow Soap -

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_5&listing_id=15267730

Nature Boy Drawstring Bag by Design Night -

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_1&listing_id=16233272

music for monday -

Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros

wordless wednesday -

Tuesday Treasury -

Here are some little lovelies for your wish list -

the sweet little handstamped heart necklace is from Three Dancing Magpies -

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16052259

Burroughs the Owl is from The Quirky Corn Crib -

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16690099

the silver acorn necklace is from the Shy Siren -

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16532773

and the dandelion wish necklace is from Lulu Bug Jewelry -

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14663788

monday music

Ever feel like doing the unexpected?



Feist - My Moon, My Man

sleepy sunday -

If you need inspiration for Christmas...

..decorations and homemade gift ideas, you need look no further than this gorgeous book. It's called "Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle" by Tone Finnanger (Tilda), who also wrote a book for general all year round homey prettiness!
The projects are all simple enough to get them whipped up in no time at all, and range from home decor, to hats, mittens, angels and wonderful ideas to make your child's room an absolutely magical wonderland. There's great little bag ideas, which can be filled with goodies to make a wonderful gift. It's also a hotbed of inspiration, if you need to get into the spirit of the upcoming season, this is the book to do it! A definite must-have!
So get the book, and get making all the wonderful gifts you need to make everyone's Christmas a little more handmade!

what I've been working on -

I have a new creation - keyrings! I really like how they came out, I originally had something different in mind, I was going to use fussy-cut fabric images on the top, but as I started it seemed so natural to do the felt applique instead. It's more in keeping with my style too, I think.

I think my favorite is the oak tree, and the inspiration for it came from an unlikely source - Noggin. If you have small children you'll know what I'm talking about, if not, it's a cable channel just for kids (a favorite of mine, not only because of the cute gentle programs, but also because it's commercial free! A big plus with little ones, and their impressionable minds), and one of the shows, Oswald to be precise, has these cute stylised trees which I have admired for a while. If you're a non-crafty person, that last comment has probably left you wondering, "is she mad?", but as the crafty ones know, we find inspiration everywhere, even cartoons! Right?

Christmas goodness -

Is it time to make gingerbread houses yet? Nearly, but honestly they're so hard to make why not buy a cute piece of folk art instead! This adorable picture, on a stretched canvas, is by Diane McGettigan - http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16664709 . I think maybe this year I may be decorating my walls with this kind of gingerbread, instead of all that baking, and cooling, and cutting, and glueing, etc..........

window shopping -

The super cute Squirrel Family Puzzle is from UsNavyRetiredVet - http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_1&listing_id=16908208 .

The custom napkin rings are from RaeDunn -

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_16&listing_id=16283451 .

The Woodgrain Ring is from HoneyBee -

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_21&listing_id=16084012 .

And last, but not least, the Moss Terranium is from LadyFarrah -

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16859032 .

So, today I was doing a little window shopping with the holidays in the back of my mind, I think this year more than ever, it's important to buy handmade gifts. It is important, of course, to the small business' that artisans, like the people on Etsy, are, to keep them afloat enough to keep doing what they're doing. Which is making beautiful, unique, hand crafted items that carry a feeling of love and meaning in each piece. But also, it's important to veer away from the corporate retail image of more, more, more - the idea that Christmas can't be a success unless we've spent the most, or given the most presents to our family and friends, it is a trap we've fallen into. It certainly has added to our poor economy, and credit reliant society, and is not what the season is all about!

So this year I am personally going to be very picky about what I buy for my children, it's all about quality and meaning, not quantity! So here's hoping we have a wonderful season full of the important things - love, family, friends, good health, and peace and goodwill to all!

what I made today -

This is my first creation with Winter in mind! Not that I personally want to think about that season at all, I'm just not a snow, ice, bitter cold kind of girl! Of course, my children love that time of year, just getting bundled up in snow clothes brings out smiles and gleeful giggles.

But that's enough of that, I'm going to live in the present, which today is a really warm, in the 60's, beautiful Fall day. If you're feeling like me I have just the thing for you, a beautiful fall leaves felt garland -

wordless wednesday -