Merry Knitmas To Me!

For Christmas, my mom gave me a "Learn To Knit" kit and taught me the basics! I spent a couple of cozy evenings beside her on the couch, struggling to cast on, knit, and purl while we watched old movies. After several hours of practice, I began making a scarf for Daniel to wear the next time it snows. If I have it finished by then! I ripped it all out a couple times because I made mistakes, so right now it's five inches wide and almost three inches long.

I've got to say it's a bit frustrating when I think to myself, "I'd have the doggone thing finished by now if I was crocheting." But I need the practice, and I'm determined to conquer this new-to-me craft. Or at least stop making so many mistakes. But it'll be a long time before I make anything good enough to sell in my shop....

The Night Before

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

I'm It!

I've been tagged by Blueberry Junkie, so here goes!

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 6 facts about yourself on your blog; some random, some weird.
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as their links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been "tagged" by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. My favorite VeggieTales songs are "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" and "Monkey."

2. I don't know how to knit... but I'm considering learning.

3. I can unwrap a Starburst candy with my tongue.

4. I love asparagus.

5. I've been keeping a journal since I was fourteen.

6. I performed in an all-female version of Monty Python's "Buying a Bed" skit for a talent show in college. I played the husband.

I now duly tag:

1. Dano's Grammy
2. Knitsational
3. Ginger Ingenue
4. Rose
5. Aprilis
6. Honey Bear Beads

Play if you want to!

Lotion Bar from Athena's Olive Tree

I bought a couple things from other Etsy sellers recently, one of which was a Winter Wonderland lotion bar from Athena's Olive Tree.

If you don't know what a lotion bar is, don't feel bad, because I didn't either until I discovered the ones AOT sells. It looks like a bar of soap, as you can see, and you rub it between your hands to warm it up a bit, then spread the softened lotion on your hands. The rest of it stays hard until you need it. This particular bar is made from things like sweet almond oil, beeswax, and vitamin E, and it smells faintly of beeswax, with a kind of fresh, sunshiney scent mingled in. Once I rub it on, it takes about two minutes for my skin to fully absorb all the ingredients, and then my hands feel soft and hydrated for hours.

I've only used it on my hands so far, but you can use it anywhere you'd put conventional lotion. Because I wash my hands 900 times a day (after changing diapers, before making food, etc), my knuckles crack pretty badly in the winter. The only thing I'd found that helped was an Avon lotion, but this bar seems to be working just as well and a bit faster. My knuckles are on the way to being healed and happy again. Thank you, Athena's Olive Tree! I'm sure I'll be a returning customer -- they've got lots of other cool natural skincare products too.

Hint: when using a lotion bar, take off any rings you might be wearing, as they can scrape up bits of the bar while you're warming it up.

Where Did the Sunshine Go?

It has been grey and gloomy for days. It's been a whole week since I was able to upload a new item to Huggermugger because I haven't been able to take pics of new items. I have some super cute baby hats I want to upload, but no sun equals no good light for pics. Grrrr!

If it's going to be cloudy, can't it at least snow?

Christmas Sales on Etsy

Unlike most people, I have all my Christmas shopping done already. That's because I start in May most years. It keeps me from getting too stressed out at Christmas time over whether or not I can find the right things for the right people. And it means that by the time December drifts in, I have time to check out cool sales on things I might want to buy for myself :-)

In that spirit, here are five Etsy shops that are having sales on Christmasy stuff. See if they've got anything you'd like too!

Carrie's Crafty has 20% off all Christmas items. You'll find cool gift tags and cards there. I especially like these peppermint-patterned tags:

Simply Leilani has 50% off all Christmas items. You'll find jewelry, lanyards, and more. Leilani also has a neat blog. I'm particularly fond of these cute little snowman earrings:
Downstairs Designs has lots of holiday stockings on sale. They offer many different patterns, but I like this retro one best:

Unicorn Kids Studios has holiday magnets, earrings, and vintage toys. I think this magnet is especially adorable:

ruaTEA has a sampler of their loose-leaf teas on sale. If you're like me and just starting to develop a taste for tea, this would be a great way to try out different kinds:

Well, that's all the shopping I have time for today... time to go play with Daniel!

It's Curtains for You!

No, actually, it's curtains for my bathroom. Well, not really curtains, more of a, um, valance thingie? We've lived here for over a year now, and I'm only just getting around to making curtains. This is my first attempt at making them, and I think they turned out fairly well, though I realized after I hung them up that I should have ironed them first. Sigh.

Our bathroom has a Coca-Cola theme (see the shower curtain hooks to the left?) because I collect Coke things and am also somewhat addicted to drinking it :-) I've had this fabric for years, since before we were married, and now I've finally found a way to use some of it. Our bathroom is rather boring, so this adds at least some interest to it.

Once Upon a Time Journal

Like most writers, or at least most fiction writers, I am an avid reader. A bibliophile, even. I love books. That's probably why I became a writer, really -- I wanted to make more of what I love!

This journal's collages are inspired by that love of reading. I found pictures of peaceful places to read, then added a shot of a young woman reading under the open sky, a picture of a woman's still-slippered feet next to her morning paper, and the phrase "Once upon a time." For me, this journal evokes feelings of peace, relaxation, and enjoyment, as well as a little nostalgia. Once upon a time, I could spend all day reading if I wanted to. Now, between caring for my toddler, writing, listing things to sell on Huggermugger, and trying to keep my hubby fed and our apartment reasonably clean... I don't have loads of time to read anymore. Sometimes it takes me a month to get through a single book.

But enough griping! I love this journal -- it's another one I'm tempted to keep for myself. It has so many possibilities, not just for journaling or writing, but for keeping track of books I've read or want to read, writing down particularly good passages or lines, or writing down my thoughts on different books as I read them. Yup, keeping it for myself is very tempting indeed.

Back at the Ranch Jewelry

I'm a cowgirl at heart, didja know that? John Wayne is my hero, I love horses and the outdoors, and not much makes me happier than a good western movie or book. So of course I love the western-themed jewelry sold by Back at the Ranch. I'm particularly fond of this "Don't Mess with Cowgirls" necklace -- isn't it awesome? There's a matching bracelet listed separately too.

Back at the Ranch also has a blog that features lots of other western artwork. If you're a misplaced cowgirl like me, check out both shop and blog.

Candy Cane Tabletop Tree Skirt

I wanted to crochet a tabletop-size tree skirt for a friend of mine, so I found a couple of patterns and tried them. But I didn't like either pattern, so I just made one up. And it was so fun that after I finished the skirt for my friend, I made one to sell! And now I'm going to make one for myself too, since our current apartment is too small for a full-size tree. And our current baby is too rascally for one, lol. Anyway, I think it's cute, so thought I'd share.

A Custom-Made Journal

I made this journal over the weekend and thought I'd share it just cuz it turned out so well.

Last week, I sold the "Write Where You Are" journal I blogged about a while ago, but someone else liked it too, so they requested I make them a similar one. So I did! And just between us, I think it might be a teensy bit cooler than the first one! I'm especially fond of the back cover's arrow and little cartoon woman reading in the bubble bath. That makes me smile every time, just because it's kinda fun and unexpected.

And yes, I will do collages on journals or notebooks by request! I might not be able to fulfill every request ever -- I'm a little limited by what pictures I have available to me, but I can probably come up with something for almost any theme. My own favorite subjects are classic Hollywood, modern Hollywood, writing, reading, food/cooking... the things that I enjoy in my own life :-) So those are the things my own creations revolve around, but if someone requests something focused on another subject, I'd do my best to come up with something that fit. If you'd like to request a custom-made journal, contact me here or on my shop via the "contact Huggermugger" link and we'll discuss your wishes and ideas!