25 Days of Giveaways from McCall's, Butterick, and Vogue Patterns

This just in!  Every day for 25 days, the McCall's Pattern Company (who own McCall's, Butterick, and Vogue Patterns) is giving stuff away.  For Free!!!


In order to qualify to win, you must be an email subscriber to Butterick.com, McCallPattern.com, VoguePatterns.com, or ClubBMV.com.  Sign up for their newsletter on any of those sites.

So, what can you win?  Yesterday's winner won a DVD by sewing guru Claire Shaeffer, while today's winner will win 2.38 yards of beautiful silver-colored crepe-back satin.  Stay posted to see what tomorrow's offerings are.

Do you want to know something fun? This is my best friend Laura on the cover of the Winter/Holiday 2010 Vogue Patterns Catalogue. Isn't she lovely? Laura and I met at a casting in NY aeons ago. We were roomies for several years-- first in Manhattan and then later in Brooklyn. Next time you go to the fabric store you can say, "Hi Laura!!!"

I Love the Rain

It's raining cats and dogs outside.  If I were in Australia, I'd say it was bucketing.  The rain is falling so heavily (and the wind is so strong), it is practically going horizontally.  You get the picture.


I'm not much of a fan of the rain, but, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining.


I have been craving proper Wellington boots ever since I watched Keira Knightly and Sienna Miller tramp around in them in The Edge of Love.  They're something of an obsession for me.

Loeffler Randall

But, THEN, I saw these on The Purl Bee's blog.  Yes, the one pair look like traditional Wellies, but then look how cute and practical the little booties are.  I'm smitten!

Purl's stirrup socks.  Buy the pattern here.

AND, it gets better.  Purl has created a knitting pattern to make the perfect pair of stirrup socks to wear with the boots.  You can buy the pattern from them, or you get a free pattern when you purchase the rain boots.


The rain isn't so bad after all, is it?

Gratuitous Puppy Pictures

Some people are into cats.  I, however, am decidedly a dog lover.  Specifically, I like little dogs.  Consider these two examples:

Aren't they cute? 


The top photo is of Casper, a chihuahua.  He belongs to my aunt and her family.  Casper weighs 3.6lbs (1.6kg) but he doesn't let his small size slow him down a bit.  He thinks he's the biggest dog in the house.


Cole (9lbs, 4.1kg) is a papillon.  The name of the breed comes from their distinctive ears-- the size and shape of them resemble butterfly wings, and papillon is the French word for butterfly.  Cole is my sister's dog, but I've convinced him that he belongs to me.  He keeps me company throughout the day, and sleeps in my bed at night.  The only think I don't like about him is his long white hair that he sheds on everything.


There you go.  Dogs are one of my chief pleasures in life.  One of the best things about being home (as opposed to globetrotting) is being able to cuddle with the little guys.

Clemson versus Carolina-- Birthday Wishes

It has been a wonderful couple of days-- my aunt and two cousins from Charleston drove up to Delaware on Wednesday; international friends An'aam, Ahmed, and Mengdi joined us for Thanksgiving; my niece, aunt, and cousin and I woke up at 3:30am to go shopping on Black Friday; and today is my dad's birthday.

It is my dad's particular birthday wish that Clemson University beat University of South Carolina in the football game tonight.  For those of you not from South Carolina, there is a HUGE rivalry between the Clemson Tigers and the Carolina Gamecocks.  Families tend to be for one side or the other; my family falls squarely on the Clemson side.  (Dad graduated from Clemson in 1972.  We grew up with tiger-themed decor, and as a child, I even painted my dollhouse orange with purple shutters).

My mom decided to throw a Football-Birthday party.  She decorated in orange, and made a bunch of food.  We've been sitting around the television set since 7pm, and since I'm not the biggest football fan, I decided to document everything via the blog.  It's always fun to look back and see what you were doing on a particular day-- don't ya think?

The cousins: me, Cody, my brother Ryan, and Alex

I would like to say that Dad is going to get his birthday wish.  Alas, things are not going too swell :( We've got one quarter left, and Clemson is far, far behind.  Still, it's a memorable day, and my mom's party was a great idea.

Happy Birthday, Dad!!! We love you!

Playing With String

I like to think of my blog as a repository for really cool ideas that I might want to revisit later.  It makes a better folder to store things than my computer which has a tendency to crash, or at the very least, to become disorganized.


The added benefit of posting things here is that you might also see something that inspires you.  If you make anything, be sure to let me know so I can take a gander!

DIY Friendship Bracelet tutorial here

Broomstick Lace cuff here

Happy Thanksgiving and Who Was Squanto?

John and Priscilla Alden

I think as a child I learned of the Native American, Squanto, who helped rescue the settlers in Massachusetts, which is why we celebrate Thanksgiving today.  It's the amazing story of how a single Native American happened to walk into a settlement and was able to communicate in perfect English.  How did this come to be?


The back story is an interesting one, and it tells of God's provision for the colonists in Plymouth. Below, watch the incredible story of Squanto on CNN.

I love that Americans have this holiday-- it is such a wonderful day of family, and a time to remember what we are thankful for.  My aunt and two cousins are in town from Charleston, South Carolina and we've invited three international students to share this day with us.  They are a brother and sister from Saudi Arabia and a Chinese girl; I am thankful to be surrounded by family and friends on this special day!

Happy Thanksgiving to you, dear reader!

Another Starbucks Wreath Tutorial

Ooooh, bloggy friend Kara from the aptly named blog, Inspired Kara, sent me a link to a tutorial she wrote on how to make a Starbucks-inspired wreath.  Her tutorial includes step-by-step instructions on how to recreate the wreath, and judging from the picture of her own creation (below), it turned out beautifully.

While you're over there at her blog, take a moment to poke around. Her blog was one of the first ones I discovered when I first ventured into the blogging world. I loved it (and her inspirations) so much that I've been following it for two years. She's currently planning a wedding (her own!), so it's fun to see all of the behind-the-scenes details that are going into it.

Tutorial to Make a Starbucks Wreath

It has been two years since I posted about the gorgeous yarn-ball wreath I saw at a local Starbucks.  Surprisingly, the keywords "Starbucks wreath" bring just about more traffic to this site than any other words.


The wreath really was quite beautiful!  Below are two more Starbucks-esque wreathes that are featured on the Life through the Lens blog.  Click here to find her tutorial on how to create your own this holiday season.

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