finally some wintery days!

most of last week and definitely all of today we've had the kind of weather that makes you want to bury yourself in the covers, throw the diet to the wind, and ingest every form of carb you can find. somehow (for the most part) i've managed to keep it just to a mildly dangerous level of caramel mocciatos.

and even though it's only january, i've been inspired to start spring cleaning thanks to brocante home's list of lovely winter treats for self and home. i really love her idea of putting a blanket on top of the mattress under the fitted sheet as a sort of mattress fluffer/snuggly warm layer. we got as far as moving all of our bedroom furniture around as stage one of the spring cleaning, but our bed still needs lots of work. i'm playing around with the idea of a duvet cover patchworked out of blue striped men's dress shirts, and some semblance of a bed skirt (although i think my husband has slight objections to that term) must be concocted. yes... concocted. brilliant ideas are always welcome.

i've finally added a list of people to go read on the left side of my page. these are the blogs of all the lovely crafting ladies that have created the allure for me to finally start a blog. i'm amazed at what a community they all seem to be, and it's incredibly refreshing to read about people who are not only interested in the same types of things as i am, but also who understand the trickiness of making things by hand... from the initial idea to the frustration of the trial and error that creating can be, to that deliciously elemental feeling of look what i made! they are all very unique and entertaining, and definitely worth a read, and i'm looking forward to being a part of their lovely swaps (vintage buttons, christmas ornaments, and tea towels!) in the future.

the etsy shop in still in progress... i attempted to make a banner (the decorative name at the top of the page) and after at least an hour, i ended up with a beautiful banner that looked exactly like what i wanted. which NEVER happens on the first try with me. when i finally figured out how to change the pixel size to what etsy required, it was all squished and illegible. so, back to the drawing board for now, but i'm anxious to get things up and running!