A few of my flickr-worthy 2008 photos.

2008 was pretty darn good overall. We did lose a furry member of our family, but we gained a new one. We recognized the one year anniversary of the loss of my father, but we celebrated the first birthday of my nephew. I traveled a lot and tried a lot of new things.

A new year always feels like a clean slate. I have high hopes for 2009. I'm ready!

Labels: photography

Merry Christmas, everyone. Enjoy this time of year, take time to appreciate life and family and friends, and look ahead to the promise of a new year!

(Directions for heart-shaped bokeh in this article.)

Labels: photography

I'd had this idea in my head for ages and Martha gave me the push to do it when this project showed up in my mailbox. I used plain knobs instead of thread spools and I enlisted my husband's help to drill holes in the top for short pieces of dowel rod, for rings. I think they're adorable. I hope my nieces like them! After the holidays I think I'll have to make myself one.

Labels: crafts

I sewed up a few of these simple scarves for Christmas - velour on one side, satin on the other. They drape very nicely!

Labels: sewing

My latest "TV Project" - sweet bunny towels from this transfer set. The towels are just some I found at the store - it was a little tricky to stitch on the waffle weave and I'm not sure how useable these actually are, but they're cute!

Labels: needlework

Fill a pastry bag with 1/2 cup powdered milk, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, and 1/4 cup crushed peppermints. Fold over the top a few times and staple on the instructions: Mix contents in a large bowl. Combine 1/3 cup cocoa mix with 1 cup very hot water. Stir.

Now if only I'd figured out how to make homemade marshmallows!

Labels: cooking

I can't even begin to tell you how belated this wedding gift is! Actually, thanks to my archives, I can - this is for my cousin's wedding I went to back in September of 2007. Yikes!



The album comes unfinished, so I covered it with some paper and ribbon. I love how this looks!









It was fun to dig into my neglected scrapbooking supplies. My scanner is on the fritz and I wanted to get this in the mail, so the photos aren't fantastic, but I like to be able to look back for ideas of things I've done - these will have to do.

Click here for the rest of the album.

Labels: paper craft

Can I show you guys something? This is what my backyard looks like right now:



(Snow shmo, right? I live on the Gulf Coast of Texas...)

I played around a little this weekend with tiny pouches, great for lip gloss, coins, or whatever other little things usually float around in the bottom of your bag. These are only about 4" long. I have a few improvements to make when I try again!

Labels: bags, sewing, simple pleasures

At our annual holiday dinner for one of my organizations we always do an ornament exchange. When I ran across these star ornaments from last year, I knew I had to try. I think Molly's are cuter, but I still like this one!

Labels: needlework, sewing

I am usually lucky to get my Christmas decorations up a week or two before the holiday. This year, for the first time in ages, we were home for Thanksgiving. After a day of recovering from our turkey feast, I got up in the attic and started pulling out the decorations.




Okay, not decorations, but so pretty, and only $2!



I also made my little westie pillow from the fat quarter I found at the quilt festival. It is so amazing that I actually followed through with this.



It was simple, just an envelope back, sized to fit on a throw pillow already on our couch so when the holidays are over I can just wash (cat hair!) and fold up the cover to pack it away.

52 Nights Update - Night 39 - Monday night I got almost everything done on my to do list, which is rare. My in-laws came over to dinner, and before/after that I squeezed in the bills (ouch, taxes), some crafting, and laundry. Last night I did a track workout (so fun! yes, I'm crazy) then made dinner and finished up a long-running project, which felt awesome. I'm on a roll!

Labels: 52 nights, homework, sewing