Lovely Lemon Macaron

This brightly colored Macaron was one of my many delicious Valentine's Day treats. I picked it up from Bread and Cie along with the Tiramisu torte and the Passion Fruit mousse cake that I took home to share with my sweet little valentine.



My dear, sweet Mother included a Bread and Cie gift card in with the sweet little valentine's package of goodies that she sent to me and suggested that I use it to buy something special for Matthew and I to eat in celebration of Valentine's Day. It was a wonderful excuse to try something that we normally would never buy. Of course, being a greedy little thing, I also bought a macaron cookie to eat all by my self; it was delicious! =)

petite pansy pin

I recently crafted this little Pansy pin during a mini crisis; I suddenly realized a couple of weeks ago that I didn't have a clue what I was going to send to my mother for her Birthday and that the best thing to do would be to make her something very special that she couldn't find anywhere else. I knew I didn't have enough time to make anything very complex and I honestly didn't know if she would need an amigurumi or a tiny baby hat(the only things I can crochet right now) and I was certain that she didn't need any of my famous, holey pot holders, besides, I've given her so very many of them over the years and she has always sweetly used them, despite the fact that they offer no protection what-so-ever from burning hot pans.



So, in a moment of panicked despair I suddenly realized that I should give up any idea of making a grand, impressive piece that would elicit oohs and ahhs and just make something sweet and practical that she would probably like and use. Considering the fact that she loves pansies and the color purple, and the fact that she likes wearing accessories, a Pansy pin was the ideal gift!


This photo is of me modeling the pin. It's so pretty against a pink shirt!

Now that I've made a little Pansy pin and know how easy it is to make, I'd like to make one for myself as well. In my recent crafting phase, I've come to re-regard the glue gun as a friend rather than an enemy and even used it for one step of this project. Instead of trying to sew the flower onto the felt backing, I just glued it on. It actually looks better than if I'd tried to sew the pieces together. I would say that being more coordinated now than I was during the very gawky phases of my childhood have helped immensely in my ability to use a glue gun without burning myself horribly. What a revelation!! It may turn out to be a useful tool after all =)


You can see the uneven stitching of the Stamen - I was in a bit of a hurry =)

sweet little valentine

Because my dear, sweet mother knows that I regard Valentine's Day as the very best holiday of the year, she made sure to send me a slightly earlier than normal valentine goody package so that I could make use of the darling decorations in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day.

I will admit, Valentine's decorations are my very favorite to put up; I suppose this is only natural, considering the fact that pink is my favorite color (one year, I took down the halloween decorations in January only to replace them immediately with valentine's decor). Also, I've always held a special place in my heart for the fashion faux pas of combining red and pink together. If I didn't get such horrified looks, I would happily wear pink and red together all year round, not just on the one day of the year that it is acceptable.

I always adore the sweet little packages of thoughtfully purchased or handcrafted presents that my mother sends to me through the mail and this year was no different.

This sweet Love Notes tea towel is just too cute to use. So far, I've carefully kept it away from the kitchen for fear of it getting stained. I suppose I'll use it eventually but, even then, perhaps just for drying very, very clean dishes, which easily excludes anything I wash.

The fuzzy, little, pink heart (pictured above) was hand-felted by my mother and is just darling. I'm not sure what to use it for, but when I called to thank her for the gifts, my mother suggested sewing it onto a dress for a tiny pocket, or applying it to the outside of a canvas handbag which would brighten up any drab book bag. I'm not entirely sure what to do with it, mostly out of fear for it's safety. It is fairly delicate and i don't want it getting ruined. Any suggestions for a safe way to use the little, pink, felted heart without it getting destroyed?

fancy little fellow

I've always loved the idea of peek-a-boo mugs, those mugs with funny little creatures at the bottom who suddenly become apparent as you drink down the coffee/tea/cocoa/other hot beverage. They are so charming, yet, at the same time, a little bit startling(which can be thrilling to those of us who are rather faint of heart).

So, for Christmas, my sweet friend Christy read my little heart's dearest desire and gave me a beautiful white mug with a fancy little owl fellow who sits deep inside the basin and peeks up at me as I drink my tea. He is rather hard to photograph since he is the same white at the mug, but I have been enjoying his company at tea time so very much lately that I just had to post a few photos. I love him so!

A wee cup o' cocoa

This tiny cup of hot cocoa may not look very important, but she actually represents something much bigger, at least much bigger to me. She is the very first Amigurumi(tiny crocheted creature) that I've made entirely on my own and been perfectly happy with the end result.



Like baking homemade bread, making Amigurumi was one of those life goals that I simply never thought I'd be able to achieve, but, once again, my mother came to the rescue. This year, she gave me a book on making Amigurumi for Christmas, and after my initial reaction of deep despair and sighing over the fact that I'd never be able to create such adorable, sweet creatures, she showed me just how very easy it is to crochet these tiny friends.


Thomas Keller's ultra chocolately, but ever so slightly salty cookies. Just perfect to eat with a wee cup of hot cocoa.

The truth is that, unbeknownst to my mother, I've had Amigurumi on my mind for several years now. My initial introduction to the concept came from one of my all time favorite food blogs (odd, I know), Chocolate and Zucchini. Some time after that, Matthew gave me two darling books on the subject as Christmas gifts, but I quietly put them aside after drooling through them. They were just too hard for me to tackle and, honestly, I had completely forgotten how to properly crochet and certainly wasn't going to begin to learn knitting.



In the end, my mother sat me down and helped me make my first little friend, a cheerful snake(I knew Matthew would love a wee snake for his friend). Once I finished the snake, I felt brave enough to try making a little mouse on my very own, alas, but I needed her assistance for my second little project.


yum, a carrot!

It doesn't seem as though it will hurt me?

Oh, yes! This was a delicious idea!

Once I came home after the holidays, my mother wasn't around to help me through the more difficult parts of crocheting these little cuties, but she had already given me the confidence that I needed to continue on my own.



At last! I succeeded. Maybe my baby Elephant wasn't the best that I felt I could do, but she was my very first on-my-own Amigurumi. Finally, with the little Cocoa Cup, I happily finished crocheting her and felt that at last I'd overcome another of those insurmountable accomplishments that those of us with small, quiet lives tend to aspire to. So, I've tucked bread baking and Amigurumi under my little pink belt; who knows what else I may learn to do next year!

Images of a happy Christmas

Below are a few Images from my cheerful Christmas. Yes, I actually did enjoy Christmas this year! So weird, I know!


Mistletoe reflecting in a silver dish. Sadly, this bunch of mistletoe wasn't hanging in a doorway, therefore, no cheerful Christmas kiss. Maybe next year!


A basket of Christmas crackers. So much fun from such a small and silly toy.


A delicious, juicy pear crostata - My Grandmother and I baked it together. It reminded me of all the amazing things she taught me when we would make cookies, pies and cakes together when I was a child.


The Little disapproving owl - I found him on the window sill and he made my entire day better. I couldn't find him anywhere a few days later; I guess he just came for a Christmas day visit. A much more preferable visitor than Santa (in my opinion).

A Tiny Christmas Girl

This tiny, Momiji Christmas girl was given to me by a very sweet and thoughtful friend who knows how absolutely much I adore teeny little cute things. Every year, Christy manages to find the most perfect and adorable gifts for both my birthday and Christmas. Someday I should post a round-up of all the amazing and sweet gifts she has given me! It would be a really long post! That's how sweet she is =)



So, this year, this tiny Christmas girl will be my reminder that not everything about Christmas is annoying and that, in fact, I have such wonderful and kind friends who love to give me cute things. What could possibly be better!