A New Year in Woodstock, NY

At approximately 3 am on New Year's Day last year, whilst walking miles home in my heels and praying for a cab, I made up my mind that I would not, under any circumstances, spend another New Year's Eve in the city. By the summer, I signed up for Airbnb and found the perfect getaway in the Catskills. Fast forward a few months and six of us headed up to the mountains for some mountain time.
















The weekend included crafting, cooking giant feasts, worshipping the wood burning stove, a New Year's Eve pajama dance party, snowy walks into town, lots of '90s music playlists and a wicked game of Cards Against Humanity. I can't wait for next year.

Making It: Brown Paper Packages

It takes me a little while to get into the swing of Holiday every year because my Holiday season at work is long over (I'm wrapping up Spring!).
But, one thing I always get excited about it holiday packaging! My hands-down, all-time favorite wrapping material is brown kraft paper. It's inexpensive, easy to find and colors pop off of it like nobody's business. My trusty go-to wrapping usually involves some combination of kraft paper, baker's twine, alphabet stamps and washi tape.

A few packaging DIYs I've made using kraft paper:
Potato Printed Gift Wrap via Craft Stylish
Pretty Preserves Tied up with String via Instructables

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Specks & Keepings

Pattern Week Day 2/ Geometrics

Loving {Forever}: Stitches in Time

I've got nothing but love for embroidery. Tactile, expressive and colorful, like illustration with a needle and thread.

From 1954 Swedish sewing book, Hemslöjdens Hardarbeten via Glad you could make it


Squish Face Cat Embroidery by catrabbitplush


A private commission for a family set of Sweater Letters by Maricor/Maricar


Artist Jacob MacGraw embroidered the Trademark T for the T Styles magazine by the New York Times.


Happy Rain by PataPri

iPhone pouch by Karen Barbe


Sailor's Delight by Rebecca Ringquist

Pom Pom Nation

There's definitely a crafty collective conscience out there. Case in point: at a recent visit to Kinokuniya , my favorite Japanese book store, I bought this pom-pom craft book called, appropriately, How to Make Pom Poms, and became completely obsessed with making pom poms. (It looks like you can also get it here) A few of my friends and I were heading out on a little crafty weekend retreat and I decided poms would be the perfect project! Cut to a week later and I get this email from my good friend Lorelei: "I want to make pom-poms at our retreat. Can you make pom poms?"





Now cut to a month later and we're both hooked. Pom pom making is very relaxing, cutting each little orb into a perfect fluffy circle is meditative in a way. And there are so many things you can do with them! I recommend that, if you want your pom poms to be as lovely as the ones in the book, to use really thin yarn, which I did not do.



Also, I should mention this book is amazing! Have you ever wanted to make a little pom pom hamburger but didn't know how? Fear not- this book teaches you!

Come meet me at Art Star, November 2nd!

Remember these photos from my New York book event? Want to have some fun with me in Philly?
I am so excited to announce that I am going to be doing a Paper Made! event at Art Star in Northern Liberties in Philly on November 2nd (that's First Friday!) from 6-8 pm.
There will be books to sign, drinks to drink, sweets to eat and paper crafts to make! We'll be making the Kirigami Wallflowers featured in this photo.
Here are the details:

Art Star signing and workshop
November 2nd 6-8pm
623 North 2nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19123 (215) 238-1557

Hope to see you there!