Random October Musings

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn

My dear daughter is traveling through Sweden, Finland, and Estonia right now.
In the rainy, starting to get chilly, Scandanavian October.

She landed in Stockholm, met up with some friends (the only way to travel!), and then took the ferry to the Aland Islands to visit her paternal family of second cousins in Mariehamn.

 

***She has now been designated the genealogy consultant of the family.***

She then ferried off to Helsinki and stayed with my host-sis - who had just gotten back from visiting me, here in Oregon.

Today, she is in Tallinn, Estonia. She is used to traveling alone and, frankly, it's easier in some ways, doing what you want to do and not having to endlessly debate going to yet another museum. She's been able to stay with people which helps with her travel budget and also grants access to local yokel sightseeing.

Helsinki

Mariehamn

No sewing going on. I'm working two solid weeks of serious overtime and even double time on two days.
Occasionally, I have time for some random pop-up thoughts, I thought I'd share.

1. Delirious that the ballots were delivered today. I can mail it in tomorrow and be done.
2. I'm sad about not being able to bike to work anymore. It's too  dark to be safe.
3. I must do a post about biking and doing something others think is too dangerous to even try.
4. My supervisor is off for two weeks, decreasing the toxicity at work by 74%.
5. I've made a new local acquaintance who sews pendleton too. Excited to get to know her better.

6. My schedule, barring any people being sick, allows for garage saling next Friday morning.
7. Creative Girl also has Friday morning off!
8. The new library opened recently and my first impression is echoing acoustics and gray.
9. Trying to coordinate dry weather with me being home in the daylight to get the yard straightened up.
10. I'm pretty sure I failed to finagle the weather gods last autumn.

11. I miss Rusty with his face pressed up to the door.
12. We have a teeny tiny mousey in the house who can run faster than me.
13. I did catch him under a mixing bowl but he managed to escape via the pour spout -- somehow.
14. This two weeks of 12-hr split shifts is very hard on my body.
15. I've got three more Christmas seasons to get through before I can retire.

16. I get way less political ravings on my IG feed. I am turning FB off for a few weeks.
17.  I live in a community with a significant latino population. I know many of them and they come see me because they know I treat them equally --the same as any other customer. I do not want a wall built. Most of my friends came to the US for a better life. And they are making their dreams come true.
18. I feel our rights as women to make decisions are very shaky. I don't want to go back to the days when a woman had to have a man co-sign a loan. She couldn't buy a car on her own. She couldn't make life decisions without someone's okay. No matter what you believe about anything affecting a woman, She is the one going through whatever and there isn't a blanket law that covers every situation. Be in control of your own life. Let others make the best decisions they can, at their particular moment of crisis. We don't always have to be right.
19. I want to go see the movie,  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I have not read the book and my library is taking holds but has not bought the book yet. The title just draws me in.
20. I'm watching Indian Summers (season 2) on PBS, as well as Poldark (season 2) via the internet.

21. Also binge-watching Ugly Betty - the entire four seasons is on abc.com.
22. I need to send some Halloween care packages. One less niece as she is studying abroad in Ireland and Berlin.
23. I've won two giveaways lately. One for a quilt book and another for a pattern that I've been eyeing enough that I thought I'd have a go at figuring it out myself. Now I can just use someone else's pattern.
24. I gave everyone Smarties today at work.


25. Off to bed. Goodnight. Sleep tight.

Random Notes On A Sunday

I found Lance. Fifty cents worth of make-me-smile.

I went to a church rummage sale Friday morning and found treasures!

Wooden thread spools, Cath Kidston pencil pouch, Star Wars fabric, quilt batting.
Patterns, fabric, trims. A Bear with an airplane.

I've had great success separating the wooden spools by color and selling them as a grouping.

I give out stickers to kids at work and made a super deal of a giant handful of sticker sheets for two bucks. I may have whined.

Trivia cards about Oregon.
Various sewing trims. Embroidery cloth.

I threw this into the wash and it came out like new. All the pencil dust washed out.
Twenty five cents. Cute retro alarm clocks

Adjacent to the church is a cemetery and this headstone stopped my car.
I may re-think my cremation plans. Love this memorial. The beads around the base are from University of Oregon Ducks.

It was such a gorgeous morning. As I drove to the sale, I passed new lambs gamboling in the green fields and a beautifully clear Mt. Hood in the distance. I thought about stopping to take photos but I know my phone camera isn't up to far-away shots.

Last week, I pruned my grapes and raspberries. These are ever-bearing raspberries. I get the first crop on last years canes in July and another crop on the new canes in September.

Very easy to start canes. If you live close by, I'd be happy to dig you some. These make awesome raspberry jelly.

The burn pile in the background where my garden 'gnome' hustles the detritus over when burning is allowed. The old canes magically disappear....

This morning, I captured Mr. Hummingbird.
These are my best photos so far.
Inside, at the kitchen window.

If I go outside, they will only buzz me and make angry chirpy noises telling me to go back inside and make more sugar juice.

(btw: 1:4 ratio of sugar to water. or. 1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup water. Boil. Let cool)

My front door. Spring blooming primroses.

I sent my first birthday cake.
Cupcakes to be honest.

Unfrosted.

Everything to frost them was inside as well.

It arrived intact and much appreciated by the birthday boy.

October Random Ramblings

 I'm starting to like Instagram more and more. It forces you to edit yourself to one photo and photo uploading does not give me grief like my old smart phone does. I need a new smart phone but I'm waiting for spring when I change plans and shed family members who aren't paying their way.

My smart phone was with me when I took this Quilling class. Will it transfer the photo to my laptop? Will it place it right-side-up - like when I took the photo? Will it lock the dang photo so I can't rotate? It's become something of a chore to transfer photos.

As in, I don't have time for these shenanigans.

In our quilling class, we did alphabet letters. You start with the outline and glue the thin strips of paper (1/4") down. Then start filling in with pretty papers shapes. Most of us did not finish.
Serendipitously, I ran across a huge box of quilling supplies while out garage saling last weekend.

October 10th, seriously. Eggnog so early?

My new Dawgs. Ran across a lady in my friend's shop and noticed her shoes and they are really comfy and much cheaper than Birkenstock's.

 My feet are on killer concrete during the day and hardwoods at home. They are killing me. So - fun (old lady) shoes to wear at home.

 Airplane Poker Run at the neighbors. Nice to see several pilots/friends.

 Random find at the library. That's our biplane! lol ....in espanol....

Pencil Girl in her lace t-shirt. We shopped together back in May for these fabrics. This is when she tissue-fitted my tank top to me that I sewed this summer. She's gotten huge complements on this. She usually wears plain t-shirts (like I do) so this is some serious dressing up.

I need to do a post on her shirt but need  to go back to work now.
I might come back and provide helpful links tonight if I'm not too tired from work.
See ya.

A Calendar Of Eagles

Got one more week of overtime/long hours ahead then some 'slower' weeks.

 I've been thinking some nice random thoughts so I thought I'd write them down to get  them OUT OF MY HEAD.

 1. I'm no longer the poster child at work {12 weeks of postal drama over being sick for three days at the end of my Japan trip}.
2. Tami is. She had a stroke - at 42!
3. Mgmt says her doctors note is not good. wtf?
4. Do you want to be driving alongside someone who has just had a stroke? Tami delivers the  mail.
5. M girl gave me a calendar of Eagles - I made her envelopes.

6. M girl writes and sends as many, if not more, packages and letters than I do.
7. She is the only thing at work besides customers who makes me laugh.
8. I need laughter.
9. It's frigging HOT. 100'+ tomorrow.
10. Work AC is not up to the job (83' inside when I left).


11. I get July 4th off - two days in a row - a bonafide WEEKEND!
12. Happy July 4th everyone!
13. I've got to clean my garage. When I took the blueberry netting out, it came attached to a couple of mousey nests. eewww...
14. Need to pick the dang raspberries too.
15. Water, water, who has time to keep up with the watering?
16. Did I mention it is hot?

17. My older sis had a stroke at 56 years old.
18. Do you know the stroke symptoms?
19. FAST    Face dropping, Arm weakness, Speech problems, Time - call 911
20. I should make more envelopes. I have the papers.
21. I made some envelope templates years ago.


22. Might sew this weekend. I have a UFO on the cutting table that is 70% complete.
23. Overtime is not conducive to free time.
24. Are eagle feathers still illegal to own? The one I picked up on a beach in Petersburg is burning a hole in my keep box. The eagles nested all over and feathers were a dime a dozen on the beach up there.
25. Our local bald eagle has not been seen this year. (last fall - two of them).


26. A house sold on my airpark and it will have children! That end of the street won't be mired down in crotchety old people.
27. My copy of "Outlander" came up on the library queue.
28.  Guess what I'm watching this weekend? All 8 episodes?
29. I read Outlander twice,  plus Diana Gabaldon's other books.
30. Will the DVD series captivate or disappoint?


31. I want to make some neck coolers. Not sure what goes in them to make them cool.
32. Someone said craft store, other people say plant nursery "crystals".
33. advice?
34. My boy got an extra special scholarship for next year. He is amazing!
35. Women, especially, need to know the signs of a stroke.
36. Take care of yourselves.

Random Saturday Posted On Tuesday

Backside of PO Boxes. Green lidded tubs are for people who will not pick up their mail.

My initials, randomly placed in order, at the store.

In the mailbox when I arrived home from work and shopping. Guess I know what I am doing July 4th. Lawn tractor races.

Throwback Saturday. One of my favorite photos of our Stearman Biplane.

Son took these with a GoPro camera (out in the windstream!). Hubby is in back piloting.

Farmland below. Yellow at upper left is upper wing. Grey diagonal post at bottom right is wing strut.  Pilot can fly from both seats - Flying alone is always done from back cockpit.

 
My new smart phone had an unfortunate incident that it may never recover from. I liked the Blogaway app (android) and used it extensively to upload blog posts with lots of photos in Japan. 

These photos are from my old phone - which is still working, However, it can't do Blogaway and my old BlogIt app is in an unbelievable snit.

To get the photos here onto the blog, I have to email myself the photos, then download them, then upload them. Gah.

Good thing I have a homebrew festival (six! of the neighbors are now making their own beer) to look forward to.
Gah.
 
 Except I can't drink beer. The grains and barley really bother my poor intestines. Oh well, there's always a sunburn to obtain while timing the tractor races.

SewExpo Random Thoughts

Jacket from Textile Transformations

SewExpo - in my backyard ( 2 hrs40min from my house) is the best sewing vacation I can have.
It takes two days to get through all the vendors- if you have no friend distractions.
It runs for four days each year at the end of February at the Puyallup, Washington fairgrounds.

I've gradually lengthened my stay from two days to three days. My friend, Pencil Girl, and her mom attend  all four days.

There's a bazillion classes - from 45 minute one-needle classes to four hour, hands on, take something home with you classes.

One is surrounded by other sew-ers. From those who craft, those who are designers, those who quilt, those who sew garments. Even knitters.


Garments are really in this year with most of the classes geared for this topic. In past years, quilting and home dec have been the star.
You can also find fabulous yarns, beads, and related crafty goodness.

Really, the 'mecca' for sew-ers.

This is where you go to be surrounded by new & creative ideas.
 
Its so easy to make new friends at lunch/ dinner, waiting in line, seated next to each other. At lunch the first day, I sat next to a retired worker at my company who knew people I knew. At breakfast the next morning I sat next to some vendors and I went back to their booth and found something to buy - supporting them as well as looking a second time at a booth when you are visually and mentally overwhelmed by all that is  being displayed.

I read with interest several posts from two sewing bloggers.   Sham's from Communing With Fabric, who was flown up for the day by McCalls (Puyallup SewExpo) because of this Vogue Patterns blog post.  Another blogger, Kyle from Vacuuming The Lawn,  was in a focus group put on by McCalls at a American Sewing Expo last September (Michigan).

These two women sew a lot of garments and are heavily into getting the fit correct . A bit of know-how is necessary to accomplish something wearable that you made yourself.

Nancy Zieman signing her new autobiography - Seams Unlikely

It was difficult to be concise (Do I ramble on?) so I decided to go ahead and utilize the questions Kyle recalled as they promised easier reading.



Q.  Pretend there are no more pattern sales.  What is the maximum price you would pay for a McCalls pattern?  We know that indies are charging upwards of $20, and that you are buying them.

I have paid $20 for not only the pattern but a chance to see real garments made from the patterns on someone my size. If the pattern is really spectacular in details, I am more than likely to shell out retail. I tend towards waiting until the sale though.
I'm amazingly lucky at garage & estate sales (25 cents! lol).

Q.  Do you like having the finished garment measurements on the envelope?I had no idea they had gone away!  My kids are grown. While I am sewing for myself, it's been nothing fashionable that required a trip to the pattern books.
Why wouldn't you have those finished measurements on the back?? I utilized them all the time when sewing for my people. Bring 'em back.

Q.  How do you feel about the size ranges in the pattern envelopes?

I like a short range of sizes so it is easier to grade from one size on top to another on the bottom.
Easy fit.


Q.  What is your impression of Vogue patterns, McCalls, Butterick and Kwik Sew?

Slippery slope downwards. The big pattern companies stopped designing for boys & men. The women's styles have nothing to do with RTW (ready to wear). My kids grew up, the day job got more intense - I stopped sewing garments except the basics awhile ago.  Why do you need 20 McCall's patterns for pajama pants? Just trace your old ones and sew. The loose fit hides tragic mistakes like nobody's business. Do I need to spend $16 for a pajama pattern? Now if the pattern had a cool scalloped hem, a inset pocket, a 'detail', hmmm.
I think the 'big 4' might have simplified sewing patterns too much.

Q.  Do you feel the size ranges represent your size?

No, not really. As my auto-immune progressed while I was seeking medical answers, my weight ballooned. I've noticed the patterns I buy for my size fit horribly. One needs to have experience sewing to fit the larger size ranges.

Q.  What independent pattern companies have you purchased from?Jalie, Cutting Edge, Textile Transformations, Pamela's Patterns, Ottobre,  etc.
SewExpo brings these pattern designers to me. I can see the garments, try them on, ask questions. If I have further questions, I have their business card and could conceivably contact them.

Q.  Should there be more craft patterns?  More costumes?  More steampunk?

More Steampunk. More men & Boys, more plus-size patterns. I want more RTW details and sewing inspiration.

Call phone pocket detail.

Q.  If we offered kits that included the pattern, fabric, and all notions (thread, buttons, zipper) to make a garment, would you buy it?

Not me, possibly. But I sure know a lot of people who buy quilt kits, purse kits. Taking the fabric type and color out of our hands works for some people - one less decision to make.
I would be tempted if a extremely flattering fabric was included.

Q.  What do you think of the pattern envelope?  Do you prefer pictures to sketches?
Photos!. I can see the finished garment at SewExpo. I can see the body shape/size/etc. Sketches are nice but they rarely hold up in real life after you spend hours sewing the pattern.

Q.  If we had youtube videos that offered sewing help, like how to insert a zipper, would you watch them?

Absolutely.

Q.  Social media.  Are you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest?

Facebook, Pinterest. The others are just too much for me right now. Balancing my social media to actual sewing time is imperative to master.

Pacific Fabrics

Q. What sewing blogs do you read?

 Lots. I was surprised by the sew-ers in Kyle's Focus group NOT reading sewing blogs. I read blogs for entertainment & inspiration. How they tell their sewing journey....

Friday Night Live - Polar Fleece Princess.
Saturday Quilters Night Out was with Tula Pink - Fabric designer.

Q.  Do you use the body type ratings system on the Vogue patterns?No. Only because I don't currently sew with Vogue.

Q.  Do you use the ratings system on the patterns (like very easy, easy, advanced)?

I  have seen the ratings. I consider myself to be an intermediate sew-er and because of my day job commitments, I need something quick & easy.

Q.  When you're at the fabric store, how do you approach the catalog?  Do you like to have the yardage and measurements in the pattern catalog?  (we actually started the hour by being told to pretend we're at Joann's and start looking through the catalogs on the table in front of us).
 
I like as much info as possible. Yardage suggestions to finished length of the garment.


I used to sew with McCall's & Butterick all the time. I mostly use them for children's garments now. For my son and husband, there is very little out there in pattern land. I sewed a Hawaiian shirt for my son once  by sizing down an existing pattern I had for a man size. Because there wasn't anything out there. When my kids were little, I ignored the pattern 'sizes' and bought patterns based on their age. That was because of way too much ease and length built into the pattern. Until I got wise, I was regularly cutting out their supposed size and then cutting 8 inches off the hem. This was when I started monkeying around with patterns and making my own. De-constructing their RTW pants that fit so they wouldn't have to wear the pattern company balloons (too much ease).

 Apparently, McCalls is printing all the patterns out there. Just like nearly all the sewing machines are manufactured by one or two companies.

Many of the Indie designers are heavily into PDF file patterns which I have tried and found lacking. I want pattern tissue instead of 91 pages to cut and tape. The Indie designers are finding that while PDF patterns have a place (think International sew-ers and no postage as it's an e-file), many more people are like me and want tissues to cut, copy, slash, whatever.

I understand printing patterns is expensive. I don't understand PDF files for $20 when I am doing quite a bit of computer work to make sure it prints correctly, not to mention taping.

My sewing is very much off the cuff. I want the details and I love the process of figuring out how to make those details happen. The big four sewing pattern companies are a good starting point but I want the RTW (ready-to-wear) details that make it less home-sewn looking.
Last year I made a pair of work shorts with  miles of top-stitching and a two-piece front leg pattern that I have never seen in sewing patterns. I de-constructed my existing RTW pair (that I loved the fit of),  made my own pattern and sewed all the details. I would love that pattern to be published but I don't know pattern drafting. However, it is flattering to someone with a plus-size derriere and ballooning tummy.


Pendleton Booth

The Tilton sisters design for Vogue and I love what they have come up design-wise. However, their designs are a bit more 'dressy' than I want.   I also perceive them to be for women older than me.
I live in simple clothes - I like to garden and I need jeans/shorts and a t-shirt/sweatshirt.
Obviously, I don't get out much - haha. Comfortable clothes that can get dirty. Yes, I am a slob. I invented grunge before it was fashionable.


I see online  a lot of the Indie designers who are young, slim - smaller than size 12's designing clothing that is young, hip for 20 - 30 year-olds.

There are not  many patterns for the 40 - 50 year-olds. Then again, not much in RTW is for the 40 - 50 year-olds either.
I don't want to wear voluminous knit garments, nor do I want to wear gathered tops over my full bust which is definitely lower than younger designers allow for.

I'm looking for pattern designers who have garments sewn up that I can see, touch, get a feel for.
Do they allow for older lady bodies?  Is it flattering to my shape?
I can see quite a few designers at SewExpo. I'm prepared to pay more at Puyallup because I am on vacation. In my everyday life, I am too frugal.
Sewing for oneself is a great skill set, in order to have clothes to fit your age and saggy butt. In my case, my bloated tummy problems from my auto-immune.

This next year, I would like to do a bit more hand-sewing in the Japanese Sashiko style - especially after seeing this inspiring post by Yoshimi, the Flying Squirrel. I was able to find several booths selling sashiko thread and some indigo fabric. I bought a small dragonfly sampler kit to play with.

I had signed up for the Saturday Quilter's night out with Tula Pink who designs fabric for Freestyle Fabrics. She's definitely a quilter - not something I generally identify with. Although I can sew quarter-inch seams, I don't really understand the obsession with cutting fabric in pieces to sew it all  back together again.




Her long-arm quilter person managed to free-style sew a rocket ship with boosters and a ladder on the far left.



I was amazed at how much I enjoyed her hysterical, sarcastic journey of how she got to where is today. Oh my goodness - everyone was laughing- the crowd was fantastic . Her class the next morning was still available, so I signed up to learn how she designs fabric and the process of getting a collection together, fabric repeats, branding, inspiration. Spoonflower, anyone?
So interesting. I don't get on Spoonflower very often because I can spend serious time there designing fabric which is extremely gratifying but time spent on the computer is not time producing something on the sewing machine.

Lots of random sewing stuff in my head. I get very inspired at SewExpo and look forward to it every year.

Next post: photos of what I bought.

Summer Fair & Basic Randomness

Today after work, I entered nine (9!) handmade items into the fair.
I had it on my calendar to enter my herringbone 'mugrug' and looking around this morning, I spied eight other crafted projects that needed to experience the county "Fun For The Whole Herd" fair.

I find my smarty pants phone full of aircraft parts instead of the Rose of Sharon blooming outside my dining room windows. I can't catch my hummingbirds at all - they're like dive-bombers.

I've been sewing but not remembering to have the camera sit in on my projects.

I have two more weeks of vacation at the end of August with my dad's 80th birthday party smack in the middle. Instead of a cake for my dad's party,  I'm trying to figure out some gluten-free, diabetic-friendly party dessert.

I feel at my healthiest in the summer, probably why Vitamin D is my miracle drug.  I am also eating way more fresh veggies too. My hours at work allow me to enjoy my other life which includes the 1/2 hour daily to clean out my juicer after breakfast! I seem to get more nutrients when I eat smaller particles of food. Most of my vitamin supplements are liquid or dissolve on my tongue (sublingual - your word for the day).

One kid is at home this summer devouring a package of Oreo's per day. He seems to thrive on this and I'm happy to be his supplier.

I think it's time for some guacamole dip and maybe some gin & tonics. (love that lime).

Oregon Monsoon

Another random post of random stuff that is gestating/fermenting in my head:

1. My spring flowers are being beaten to death by the never-ending  monsoon.
2. On a fantastical note, I have discovered how to get a sun break.
3. I stuck  my houseplants out on the patio to get watered and wash off dusty leaves. Two hours later, they were still dry and in danger of getting sun-burned. Try it.
4. Just because it is Spring and just because it was sunny and dry this morning does not mean this is the day to wash some outside windows. As soon as I started, the wind started blowin' and the sprinkles started getting icy. I did five without removing screens and it does appear to be brighter inside.
5. I want to sew but cannot drag my sorry butt into the sewing room.
Too many projects - can't settle on one.
6. My new boss? the one who is n i c e? got sent to another workplace on a work detail probably because it was too good to be true. However, I am working more at the job with benefits.
7. Which means I can pay the hairdresser to 'do' my hair.
8. Thursday at 9:30am
9. Lots of thought-provoking copyright issues out there in sewing land.
10. I'd be interested in what you think.
11. Like this one about Pinterest from DDK portraits.
12. or this one from The Free Motion Quilting Project.
13. Or blatant selling of free sewing tutorials, uncovered by The Selfish Seamstress and her readers, Part 1 & Part II.

14. More on Pinterest and images of children by Made by Rae.
15. I've been contemplating the creative journal (aka THE BLOG) again.
16. The above might have been lurking in my sub-conscience because I am thinking my decision to not post tutorials except in the loosest terms is still holding true. There's another reason too. But I can't find the minimum words to describe it succinctly. It has to do with tutorials posted about how to lower your pressure foot or how to pop your bobbin into your machine and then the blog writer claiming ownership of the material. Simple tutorials for things sewn I recognize from forty years ago but because they are 'written' now, the writer claims ownership of the design.
17. definitely not simple thoughts in my brain this week.
18. Unlike my dog, Rusty, who only owns one thought at a time in his brain. "Ball" and "food". Fetching trumps food btw.

19. Missing my other complicated dog, Rocket, like crazy this week because I read this post. I miss Rocket being the willing model to my creations.
20. The monsoon continues, the rivers are still rising, flooding is eminent. Again.
21. Those people who have the horses (3) by the bridge in Aurora? They now have four horses on not enough grazing land. The Pudding river has flooded several times this winter forcing them to buy hay and NOW they have another horse? More volunteers helping evacuate?
22. Have just read yesterday the Alabama Stitch Book (library). Pretty book. Interesting sewing concepts which I have tried before but would you wear something with thread knots on the outside? With threads dangling?
23.Now reading The Help. Libraries2Go, the e-book resource for Oregon Libraries had my mom at #723 (!) on the hold list back in January for her Kindle. Glad we discovered using my sister's library card in MN got my mom on a much shorter list @ #4. I received an email this morning telling me she can have it from Oregon today. --too late--
24. Monsoon and icy winds - might just finish The Help. Inside, where I can see easier with the winter grime off my windows.
25. Or, I could write a couple of blog posts to post later as I am working full-time this week too.

Catch-up Photos

Clearing out my temporary photo file --- wanted to share:

Miss Ella - behaving herself at  an Ikea shopping trip

 Missy Sophea - my great-niece. One of her grandma's made this darling knitted jumper dress. The armholes and neckline have a knitted embellishment.

 My fabulous Amaryllis.
Sent up one stalk which was four (4!) trumpets. The second stalk also had four trumpets.
It started blooming New Year's Day and is still going strong.

 Playing around with my camera settings - post Christmas.
I'd taken all the ornaments off and sorted them into boxes for my kids and wrapped the rest away - down to the lights when I took this breather.

And finally, this cute little doll-sized trunk. It looks like a simple wood box you can buy at Micahel's and then add 'leather' embellishments.  It's on my inspiration board- which if I could manage one more web platform - would be Pinterest.  Pretend Pinterest.

I think this closes out 2011.