abby try again

New journals are up!

Just added a bunch of new journals in the shop click here to shop!

thanks!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was really nice and i wish it could have lasted just a bit longer.
This week has really flown by!
I spent about two hours making a squash soup today that neither James and I like-so I feel like I've wasted too much precious free time so I will make this quick....

This lovely little painting arrived in the mail today from Christine. Isn't it just the most adorable thing? I admired it way back on flickr and she sent it with a Christmas card. When I opened it I squealed for joy and immediately knew where I will be hanging it on my wall. Thank you so much! It is so great-and check out her shop. I bought a coloring book from her for a little someone but ended up keeping it myself! Isn't that horrible-yes sometimes I color when I watch a movie-I have A D D......

My wonderful p2p press calender came last week-I love it-so stunning....

and mail from my parents, who've been in Hawaii for the past week. What fun!
Okay-I am going to update the shop because Shari will be featuring me on her blog! Isn't that sweet?

Can you tell it's a Christmas tree?

     So, I swear in real life this lump of white and red at least kind of looks like a felted tree. In this photo it looks like a lump of tissue with a string wrapped around it-oh gosh!
   I was looking through an old Christmas Japanese Craft book from last year and saw this:

     Not quite the same, huh? 
  Well, I had a tiny amount of white roving and I have tons of gray, brown, and black-so I'm not sure what to do. Anyone have any white roving they want to trade or get rid of? I would love to experiment and try some more-I just have no clue where to find roving (someone gave me this). In the same mag they have some soft trees similar to the ones Stephanie makes (which as I am typing just became available here!)-although I love her color selection.

    But they show them with this drawstring thing on the bottom and I am not sure if that would really work. I know she developed a pattern for hers-and I've seen them in real life and I think maybe hers are more likely to remain standing.

     Then there are these shoes:

Which would be perfect for my sister in law's baby (that is due on Christmas)!

These seem super easy!

But felt? Will that scratch a baby or is it OK?

looking down, looking up

    It's almost the biggest food day of the year and I don't feel like eating at all. I think it is the fact that I work at a place that sells food-I am surrounded by it all day and now the last thing I want is to gorge myself. But hey, I am looking forward to Christmas this year-I am totally going to deck the one hall we have and I think we are even going to get a real tree! (I do have a pink plastic one, but it is just not the same.)

I am looking forward to starting some of my own Christmas traditions. After three years of marriage I think it's high time we start something-we've been kinda flaky when it comes to the holidays. As a child I really enjoyed Christmas Eve. Christmas day was kind of the come down after so much anticipation. I'd like to have some "Christmas day" traditions-maybe a special breakfast?  I know Gwen wrote this sweet post about traditions-what are yours?

I am working on another wholesale order for a shop in Seattle. The woman who orders from me is an artist herself and is such an encouragement to me.  I am working on finding a balance with working, creating, living-it's all a process but of course-I am sure you all know this!
   I hope to add a bunch of hairpins and journals to the shop this week.  I think they would be great gifts.  And hey-have you seen this gift guide?

James told me to write a letter to Santa-yup-i am five!
So...here's my horribly unprofessional gift guide:

1. This book. I have wanted it for soooo long.

2. This calendar so I can write a little note on each day. I bought this one for myself-but I don't want to mess it up.

3. One of these wallets-they are strange, but I really like them.

4. A trip to the Japanese book store that is way out in the burbs so that I can get a Japanese book about Scandinavian style-strange but heh whatever.

5. Membership!

6. A trip to this store for some basics

7. a book from this lovely place

     I am up to my elbows in mail that needs a mailin' so I best be going! Hope your day is beautiful!

lunch

   Grab whatever yellow onion you have-one or two is good. Chop it up and throw it in a pot with some olive oil-saute on low heat. Now find some greens, chard, spinach, kale it is all good. Chop them up and toss them in the pot. Throw in some black pepper, rosemary and thyme. Grab a potato or two or three. You can peel them-or not. Chop them into about 1 inch pieces. Throw them in the pot and stir them around for a minute. Add water just to cover it all. Boil this until the potatoes are smooshy. Grab a handful of basil, chop coarsely and throw it in there. Get a box of cream cheese (or neaufchatel if you are watching your figure) and rip off hunks of it. Throw them in the pot and grab a blender. Start blending the soup in batches or just use one of those cool immersion blenders. Make it real nice and smooth. Add some milk to thin it-or water is good, too. Or keep it semi-chunky. It is delicious with any kind of cheese (parm!) sprinkled on it. Be sure to salt it at the end.
     Shari asked if we have a favorite soup-this one is mine. I am always changing the greens, the amount of onion, potato-sometimes I add no dairy-sometimes I add a ton. It is based on one from the book "Moosewood's New Classics". I highly recommend this book.

I saw this beauty on my walk this morning. I also bought some giant eucalyptus branches at the market-my house smells like my child hood right now and it is comforting. Hope your day is good.

morning craft

Paper
+
hole punch
+
sewing thred
+
elmer's glue
=
cool garland
I can't wait for christmas!
stolen from an idea seen here.

knitting and shopping

     Yesterday, while watching Bonnie and Clyde, I knit this little tied headcovering. It is the pattern coif, from knitty web magazine. I am trying to use yarn from my stash before I'll allow myelf to buy more. Only thing is-I really don't like the colors I have. I would have little to knit this in a super funky ochre or bright blue but everything I have as far as yarn goes-is pretty dull. It was a super easy pattern and only took a couple hours to knit. I think I will wear it at night-under my raincoat hood for extra warmth. It is not really a "going out" look for me.  It is more like ear muffs I want no one to see!

     Etsy has been down for several days but is finally up again. I added some stamped extra large moleskines to the shop-check them out if you'd like!

      I am thinking I may knit some felted potholders in order to use my stash. Maybe the ones from Last Minute Knitted gifts. Has anyone done them?

Thanks!

Seasonal Delights

Yup, these are officially very ugly cookies-to be precise-very ugly persimmon cookies. But they taste great and they are all part of this lovely autumn I am enjoying. 
    Growing up in Visalia, I never really experienced autumn. It would be in the 90's well into October and then-at about Halloween, it would suddenly become cold and foggy. The Central Valley, full of orange groves and farm land, would then be covered in a blanket of fog until March. A small burst of good weather and blossoms would be followed by six months of heat and then the cycle starts once more. That is about what happens....
     Here in Portland I've been spoiled by autumn. The beautiful colors are really AMAZING this year-there is so much contrast between the evergreens and the reds, oranges, and yellows. My walk to work is along one the most beautifully colored streets in this town-and it's been a pleasure to watch the leaves change and fall.
     I am also spoiled by the fact that I work in a natural foods store. I start my work day by walking around the produce section, touching and smelling, sometimes tasting-noticing what we carry that is local produce, what is a new arrival, what is beautiful. My job itself is nothing glamorous-but I love to watch the seasons change through produce.
     One thing that we started carrying recently is persimmons. I was surprised to find out that many people have never seen or eaten this fruit. They grow all around the Valley-and frankly- I thought they were pretty nasty when I was  a kid. Actually, there are two major kinds-and one is nasty  (when eaten raw!).  The fuyu  looks more like a strange tomato, and I've discovered is great eaten raw. It is a strange fruit-almost pumpkin like in flavor.  The  hachiya is shaped more like an acorn and is best cooked. Seriously, it leaves a funk in your mouth when raw! Walking around my neighborhood I spotted a persimmon tree:

This is a bad photo-but I am telling you-these trees are gorgeous. They look very surreal. They are almost bare with bright yellow leaves here and there and plump, fiery orange drops hanging from them. Check out jen's beautiful photo oh and this one, too!
     I was introduced to persimmon cookies by my good friend Laurence-the son my mother never had. Everyone's grandma always made them-but he convinced me to try one of his and they were great. Mav is posting recipes this month, and as a follower that I am- I will share mine with you!
Persimmon Cookies
2 ripe Hachiya persimmons
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of Chinese five spice (optional but good)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips (great foil!)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the tops off the fruit, chop in pieces and puree them in a blender or with an immersion blender. Add the baking soda to the fruit and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Make sure they are good and creamed-then add the egg and persimmon mix. This is a messy mixture, but don't worry. Add the spices and the flour and mix well. Then you may add the nuts and chocolate if you'd like. Now grease a cookie sheets and scoop out small balls of cookie dough at least 1 1/2 inches apart-they grow a bit. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Done!
These taste almost more like a muffin. They're strangely squashy good. You can peel the persimmon-but I like the little orange flecks the peel leaves in the cookie. Enjoy!

*there are no chips or nuts in the ones pictured-as I had neither in the house-they are fine with out them!

PS-
Maditi sent me wonderful mail the other day-check out her shop once etsy is back on its feet again.
I am working on the goodies to be mailed-it may take a week or two to get it all together!
Thanks!

Good Day-Sunshine! (and a giveaway)

     After four days of downpour-we are talking sheets here, not normal portland wet-it is finally a bit SUNNY! Yea!
    Sorry to go here, but weren't the elections crazy? I just cannot believe the turnout. It is good that so many people got out and voted-really good. It is nice to see people being excited about their potential to help change things.
     I really want to do something special for the readers (you!).  I've been so bad about answering emails and comments  lately.  So-listen up-for the  first  25 people who email their address-I will send you a small little something of my creations! Please specify your favorite design from these-bike, poppy pod, umbrella, airplane, reindeer, glasses, weathervane, or watertower. Then just wait for a little gift! Done-thanks!

So that is abbytrysagain@yahoo.com.

     I updated the shop again today. I listed umbrella, bike, and glasses cards. Go look if you'd like!

issues

Anyone else having computer issues today?
Besides the fact that my computer is soooo slow-I keep getting kicked off my internet connection (I really shouldn't wine because I get free wi-fi from a really cool project).
Well, I managed to partially update the shop. I will continue to do so throughout today and tomorrow. You can go ahead and shop now-and just keep adding on stuff and pay me at the end of the week if you'd like. Just thought I'd put that out there.
   And btw-don't think I'll be making anymore cards after the new year-so let me know if you want something now.
Click here to shop!