christmas completed.

clearly christmas is over and done with, but i still want to share the goodies that i made. plus, it is never a bad time to celebrate christmas!!

first there was the much pondered gift for my nephew. final decision was to make him some owl pillows. if i may say so myself, i think they turned out absolutely darling (they are about 12"). and in case anyone was wondering, as far as my nephew is concerned, i was the hands-down winner of the auntie of the year award. i also made a mini owl as an appetizer gift for ms. pumpky.

the owls' names from left to right: zeke, zeus, and zettie.

then there was the quilt that i was working on. since it was for my brother and sister-in-law, i could not tell you about it, just in case they decided to read my blog. they were married back in june and i had dilly-dallied my way through six months trying to finish up their quilt. i figured i should finish it before the end of 2010. finally finally i got it done. what a relief. from start to finish, it was definitely the most labor-intensive quilt i have ever made, but it was worth it. i totally love it and i think they do too. unfortunately my pictures are not stupendous, but you'll just have to enjoy it despite the crap photography.

the quilt is about 5' x 6'. i forgot to take a picture after i sewed on the label. oops.

hope y'all had a merry christmas and a joyous boxing day. boxing day is the mister's birthday, so that day rates a little higher in our world than it might in yours. and of course, a happy new year to you and yours!

naturally.

i never run out of things that i need to sew. the current list includes two quilts, a gym bag, some yet to be determined christmas gifts, and all sorts of goodies for my nephew. oh and i have an etsy shop that has not been getting its deserved attention. right. naturally that means it is time to wander the internet to find a gazillion other projects to add to the list. there are so many amazing blogs and so little time.

so with "nothing" to do today, i decided it was imperative that my nephew have the most perfect handmade advent calendar in the world. right. he is 11 months, so i am sure he would agree this is a necessity. i used this adorable design as inspiration (a little pocket for each day...too cute!!) and spent the last two days "whipping" it together. clearly, i am shamelessly bucking for the auntie of the year award. 

the cutest advent calendar in the world.

i figure if i want that coveted title, i better end this year with a bang. last week i was thinking chickens. but i just discovered these owl pillows, which i think are the bees knees.

well i guess that would be the owls knees. me thinks that perhaps for christmas the nephew is getting some owls instead of a chicken. thoughts? or perhaps you have a better idea...do tell!!! meanwhile, i am off to go work on one of the quilts.

i love chickens.

for some reason i love chickens. not exactly in a culinary sense. i mean, i do occasionally eat them, but this is not what makes me love chickens. there is just something about these critters that makes me giggle. they walk funny, they squawk funny, and they might be the stupidest animals i have ever encountered. what's not to like?

 

at some point in my teens, i started drawing this chicken with ears (likely i copied it from someone else, as teens are prone to do). true story. in fact it was practically a part of my signature. a few months ago, i even made a love chicken, which if i do say so myself, was too cute for words.

 

not surprisingly, when it was time decorate the label i sewed for my nephew's quilt, i could not resist adding my chicken.

which makes it all the more perfect that in my quest to find a stuffed animal pattern to make the little guy's christmas present, i found this positively adorable chicken at sew mama sew. i am super duper excited!! but don't tell him...it is supposed to be a surprise!

c-c-c-c-c-cold.

i want my money back. i bought the miami dream complete with warm and fuzzy winters and now i am stuck in the neverending clutches of arctic cold fronts. thats right kids. as if the freezing temperatures all week were not enough, there is now a wind chill and frost advisory in effect AND the temperatures are supposed to exhibit a "drastic drop" on saturday. uhh...how much lower can we go? and how many more days do i have to go to work in my goofy striped hat? i mean, please...i don't have a lot of "grown up" stock to begin with..forcing me to wear my stripey beanie hat to work is NOT helping.

i dont know pete, but for his sake, we need our weather back. our electric bill is going to go through the roof, because we discovered that our a/c is also a heater. thank goodness for this, but really?!?! i am one of the odd ducks who actually relishes the ghastly humidity of miami summers (there is something divine about being blissfully warm even in the wee hours of the night), but seriously, putting up with the psycho humidity of miami summers should earn me bragging rights in the dead of winter. instead, all day i've been haunted by angelenos raving about their 74 degree afternoon as i sit shivering in my nineteen layers.

there is only one saving grace here. my future nephew is due to arrive in the city of angels any day now. perhaps the higher powers have decided to clear the air so he can come into this world under a ray of golden sun. in that case, i suppose i can suffer through a few more days of frostbite. let's be honest...i look kinda adorable in my snow hat.