200th Post Giveaway

This marks our 200th post! In celebration of this milestone, my big sis Courtney and I would like to giveaway something fabulous to someone who shares our love for making and baking things... Will it be this Grocery Tote (made from Val's pattern), or maybe something like this or perhaps more like what is pictured here? Leave a comment on this post from now until November 30th to find out!

Please leave a comment about your favorite thing to cook or craft and we'll choose a winner at random on December 1st. Don't forget to check back the first week of December to collect your winnings. P.S. This is a good time for some of you (and you know who you are) to make a commentary debut!

Little Birdie Garland

I love this little garland from Sundance

(and all things birdie-like, since that's my nickname.)

Handmade Holidays v.2

for everyone.

These days I find I cannot have too many tote bags. A few in the car on reserve for the spur the moment grocery trip, a few in the kitchen because you've just unloaded them but haven't returned them to the trunk, a few lying around packed with work out clothes to knitting projects to library books because you just needed a bag.

This is a gift that I would make for everyone on my list (yes even including the dudes). Think about some different supplies that could make a simple pattern adaptable to your needs or style: oilcloth, burlap, canvas or of course, upholstery fabric. Maybe you'd like to throw some heavy interfacing on the bottom for some extra reinforcement or maybe you have some _____ (insert seat-belts, climbing rope, vintage belts or men's ties etc) that you want to experiment with for handles/straps. Whether or not you want to embellish or adapt your tote bags, here are some great free patterns to get you going:

The Grocery Tote Bag by Valori Wells

Spool Sewing's Grocery Tote is in their Free Patterns Section

The Sewing Republic's Serendipity Bag

Office Snapshots

I'm doing some interior design work for one of our schools and was looking around on the internet for some inspiration. I had a blast snooping through familiar corporate offices on Office Snapshots and thought I'd share some highlights:

Twitter
Six Apart
Gap Inc.
Zappos
Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters
Dake Wells Architecture

Twilight

A few worthy recommendations mixed with a lot of buzz made me interested in reading this series. So today, I'm fatigued on account of staying up half the night to finish Twilight. Does that mean I'm totally hooked? I think so...

Who needs a vampire boyfriend when you can have a vampire husband?

With cute vampire boys on the mind, I realized I hadn't posted about our halloween party at the Gothic Gonce Manor. Was that really already 3 weeks ago? Fun times with wonderful friends. More photos here.

Handmade Holidays v.1

the co-worker.

Perhaps the daily 8-5 is the only thing you have in common. Or perhaps you are actually soul mates whom corporate America has cosmically united. Whatever the connection, this is someone you see everyday and share the majority of your week with. At my work, we do a secret santa exchange—and this year, is generously supplying the funds for us to donate to a local charity in the name of our secret recipient. How cool is that?

For the rest of you burdened with the weird office-gifting protocols or expectations, I've put together some quick and fun handmade options. And keep in mind, just because you see a co-worker's desk each day, who says other people on your list don't need cute desk accessories too?

Office Supplies from How about Orange

Business Card Case from Amy Butler (under Free Patterns)

Thumb Tacks from How about Orange

Bottlecap Magnets

And this one is for just because everyone needs a desk ornament...
Tree Ornament from Betz White

Modern Vintage Events

Blogs are fun. Today I was browsing Design Sponge and ran into this post about Modern Vintage Events (another great blog that I'm glad to know about). I thought the photograph was cute so I clicked over to read the original post and got to read all about Bouchon Bakery, one of the places I used to work with. I wasn't expecting that. (Nice work, Capizzi!)

Creativity?

The professional and personal lives have been draining... But loved feasting on this fortune cookie thought found via Design Crush and The Marketing Fresh Peel. Enjoy your creative adventures and explorations!

Piggy Back - Happy Halloween

And this would be my Halloween decor photograph--a freaky feather wreath at Roger's Gardens. More photos of my trip there here.