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?

Getting Crafty

One of the first rules of blogging is to pick a topic and stick to it. Apparently, it confuses readers if you jump around-- only the devoted will stay loyal while you switch from topic to topic. I'm not much for arbitrary rules anyway, and I don't exactly have a huge readership, so I'll write what a please, and you'll like it, darn it. My blog is titled "Dum Spiro Spero," which means "While I breathe, I hope," and it is my personal motto. The description under that heading states that this blog is about love, life, and literature, which gives me a lot of wiggle room when it comes to the topic department.

One of my favorite blogs is the Craft Magazine Blog which I have listed in my sidebar. They compile crafts and crafty items from other blogs and the web and showcase them on the Craft Magazine site. It's a fun site and a great way to learn about other sites. Here's some of the recent items on the Craftzine blog that caught my eye on a recent visit:

Designer wedding dresses for less site, Once Wed, shows how to make these pretty monogrammed leaves.


These tags come courtesy of Fog and Thistle. You can download them for yourself at the site.


I always want to make envelopes and wrap presents with fabric. ChezPlum.com has a tutorial showing how to make this cute one.


Mmmm... Cashmere fingerless gloves (pattern) from The Purl Bee

Cook popcorn on the stovetop with these easy to follow directions. Via Three Wheels Turning.

Yay to this person for turning a pair of thrift-store shoes into this Marie Antoinette number.

Even though I hate Scrabble, I thought these benches and pillows were kind of cool.

Another site that I discovered through the Craft Magazine blog is the Inspire Company blog which also has links to a cute magazine, and to their store which is full of charming gift ideas. The blog includes directions for different crafts and this one caught my eye.

This walnut has small gifts inside. You can learn how to make a tiny gift box for yourself here.