Advent Cabin

Though Jesus is not our reason for the season, that doesn't mean I'm not trying to inject our secular Christmas celebrations with meaning above "What do you want for Christmas?"

Thanks to our current budgetary constraints, there's no risk of our four-year-old being spoiled. And, lucky for us, she's admirably modest in her wishes — and has never once even asked me for a toy she's seen in Target or whatever, which is kind of amazing. But (BUT!) I find that on the days she gets the most, she can be the most ungrateful.

So in addition to her cheap Target-brand chocolate advent calendar, I made her a toilet paper roll cabin calendar, an idea I stole from this much better version I first saw on Pinterest — originally from Morning Creativity:

My version looks much more DIY thanks to the fact we were out of printer ink (are we not always out of printer ink?).

But instead of treats or small gifts, I stuffed each tube with Christmas jokes only a four-year-old would love  (e.g.: What do you get if you cross mistletoe and a duck? A Christmas quacker!"), good deeds and "Christmas dares" (a concept I totally made up but don't tell my kid, OK?).

Of course she was much more excited to open the window on her cheap chocolate calendar yesterday, but she was also game for her first Christmas Dare, which was "Give someone (other than mama or daddy) a nice compliment." She made me email my friend Briony, who was visiting from Toronto and we had seen earlier in the day, to tell her she looked pretty in her furry coat. I hope a little bit each day, I can help her see that the best way to spread Christmas cheer is not only singing loudly for all to hear, but also to make someone's day in some small way.

A few more examples of the Christmas Dares and good deeds I hid behind each brown paper number:

• Chose one grandparent to call and sing a Christmas carol to.
• Here's $5. Now go buy a small gift for someone else.
• Here are two lollipops, one for you and one for someone in our neighborhood. It's your choice, now go deliver it!
• Here's some paper and an envelope. Write a short letter to anyone you like, and then ask mama to mail it for you.

Do you have any good deeds or Christmas Dares that would be appropriate for a small child?

Christmas Crafting: The Slippery Slope to Scrapbooking

Nothing against scrapbooking. It's just, you know, this blog is mostly about sewing actual garments and  for some reason I feel apologetic posting about anything but.

(And anyway I know what you're thinking: Where's the finished Lauren Moffat top knock-off? It's ready to be photographed, and I even have a gorgeous new accessory to wear with it — which I will tell you about soon — but vanity demands I wait because this week I got my annual Fall coldsore, and nobody is taking pics of me until it is gone.

Speaking of vanity, I'm also going next week to see a plastic surgeon about "revising" the scar I was left with after being punched in the face last year. That may be an overshare, but for some reason it has me nervous and is consuming my thoughts. I don't know what has me more spooked: the scalpel, or the thought that this surgeon will think me vain for wanting to erase the physical memento of my mugging. It's small, but it casts a shadow, it sticks out so far.)

Back to crafting: I totally stole this cute Christmas ornament idea from Pinterest, where I saw a pic of this lady's handiwork. She sells these adorable customized ornaments on Etsy.com, but appears to be so backed up, she's no longer taking any more orders this holiday season (so I don't feel too badly for stealing her idea and making my own). Also, if the parents of these tots read this post, I apologize for spoiling the surprise:

Since it was someone else's idea, I'm not about to show you how to do this and steal away her business or anything. But if you have some hand stitching skills, it shouldn't be hard to infer how to make this onesie ornament. Mine measure 3.5 inches square. The "hanger" is a bent paperclip. I drafted this little onesie by hand (on the center front fold so it would be perfectly symmetrical). It's made from two layers of white poly felt, with blanket stitching all around. (Just google "blanket stitch" if you don't know how. There are a million good tutorials out there).

What's the best idea you've stolen recently? Let's give a little credit where it's due!

The Big Reveal! Amy's Dress I Made

My favorite wedding photos are always the ones where the bride or groom is overcome with emotion. Not, like, Claire Danes cryface:

More like, holding back tears gracefully. Especially if it's the groom at the moment he first sees the bride. That just kills me.

 But I'm going to do my friend Amy a solid and not post the pics of her in tears at her recent post-wedding celebration at a castle in Scotland — even though those pics are my favorite and technically she said I could post ANY of the pics in her album. Instead I'll let you see her in the dress I made, using the print she designed using Spoonflower's tool.

Amy accessorized beautifully. How much do you love her brooch by Poppie Jasper, an American living in London?

And the purple shrug made by Amy's new husband's Aunt — love that deep purple color paired with the autumnal hues in the print!

Of course the best accessory is a big smile (and a heart filled with love): 

Regular readers may remember that this dress was sewn from Burdastyle.com's Bustier Dress With Draped Detail Pattern, with a skirt drafted by yours truly. I've sewn the bodice several times now, with the aid of Gertie's Bombshell Dress class at Craftsy.com. Though Amy lives in London for now, we managed to do fittings via snail mail and Skype. Somehow it worked out. Look how amazing she and her cute new husband Lewis look!

Congratulations Amy and Lewis! 

(All wedding ohotos by Flash Munki)

Sneak Peeks Aplenty

Sometimes it's the little things. (Actually, for me I find it's ALWAYS the littles things). Little things like beautiful vintage buttons (bought from Button Odyssey's Etsy store for just $3.99):

My four-year-old had serious button-envy after the package arrived yesterday. There were seven in the set and I only needed three for this Lauren Moffat knockoff I'm making, so I generously gave her one. She's been carrying it around ever since. She even asked me if I could make her wedding ring with it, so she also obviously appreciates the little things in life. (Also: I think a ring made from one of these buttons WOULD be awesome. My kid clearly inherited the re-make, re-use, re-do gene).

I'm also working on a cool Christmas project that has kindled my love of tiny things. Especially tiny things with unexpected details.

And below you'll see a sneak peek at another BIG project I am SO excited about. Yes, that's my embroidery. I don't have a hoop and next-to-no skills, so it's pretty shoddy. But as my husband always says, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. (OK, I think Voltaire said that first, but Ryan repeats it often enough, I'm giving him credit for reminding me not to fixate on mistakes to the point that I cannot accomplish a goal.) And anyway, this is just a minor part in the larger whole — which will be revealed eventually.



Other little things that have me happy today:

• The perfect cup of coffee
• Two hours of silence while my kid is at preschool
• Sunshine (oh wait, that's a big thing?)

What little thing is bringing you joy today?

Best Thing/Worst Thing — One More Thing!

I love you all so much. Thanks for sharing anecdotes about your own challenges, and how you deal. The best way to gain perspective is definitely to shift gears from wallowing in your own misery to feeling empathy for another.

Immediately after posting yesterday I regretted not linking to or mentioning this amazing column in the Atlantic, which ruminates much more eloquently on the subject of trying to be happy with what you've got. The writer has a disabled son, and beautifully reframes the question constantly posed to women today: "Can we have it all?" For those who haven't the time to read it all, here's an excerpt:

When I look at friends and acquaintances, many with perfectly beautiful children and wonderful lives, and see how desperately unhappy or stressed they are about balancing work and family, I think to myself that the solution to many problems is deceptively obvious. We are chasing the wrong things, asking ourselves the wrong questions. It is not, "Can we have it all?" -- with "all" being some kind of undefined marker that shall forever be moved upwards out of reach just a little bit with each new blessing. We should ask instead, "Do we have enough?"

I highly recommend reading it. I have it bookmarked and go back to it when I need a reminder that my life is not too terrible (and in fact is often pretty great). Maybe we can have it all — just maybe not all at once. So the regularly scheduled date nights and Pinterest-perfect decor will just have to wait a while. (Of course, the question still remains: Whither the articles on whether men can have it all? But that's a question for another day.)

I also need to thank Rachel of My Messings for nominating me for the One Lovely Blog Award! I've never been nominated for one of these inter-blogger pat-on-the-back awards, so I really appreciate the shout-out. The idea is to pass it on, showing your appreciation for others. Hopefully my picks haven't already participated in this particular award...if they have, I won't be offended if they neglect to pass it on. We can't do it all, after all!

The rules for the One Lovely Blog Award are as follows:

• Thank the person who nominated you and link back to him/her in your post. 
• Share 7 things about yourself.

• Nominate 15 bloggers you admire. (That's a lot, isn't it?!)

• Leave a comment on each of these blogs letting them know they’ve been nominated.

The seven things appear to be wide open, so here goes:

• I always check out people's butts‚ but not because I'm into asses. I'm obsessed with pocket placement and fit, and am always evaluating what is the best cut/design to trick the eye into believing you have the perfect posterior. 

• I swallow very loudly (according to my husband). Especially when I gulp water in the middle of the night. 

• I was a deckhand one summer during university.

• I've lived in the U.S. for 5 1/2 years, but stubbornly still spell it cheque and pronounce niche so it rhymes with quiche.

•  I yell at cars that cut me off when I'm crossing the street with my kid, so now at age 4 she acts like Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy. I feel a little bad about that. But people need to know how unsafely they're driving! (OK, I am unrepentant, clearly).

• I'm a savant when it comes to Where's Waldo. Also, spelling and grammar errors just jump off the page at me. These two things must be related somehow.

•  I regret never learning an instrument, and hope one day I can take up drums or piano or something else totally impractical for a New Yorker.

So here are my 15 (again, that seems like a lot, right? The chance of these 15 already receiving this award are pretty high, probably). Is it against the spirit of this award to feel bad about asking them to take on the task of posting seven things and collating a list of their 15 faves? I'm a little sensitive to tasking others with one more thing because I often feel like if someone asks one more thing of me, I may just lose it. So my apologies to Rachel, but I'm going to give these ladies and gents the chance to bask in my praise without having to do anything in return:  

Another Sewing Scientist 

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

A Place in the Cloud

Balls to the Wall, Y'all

Four Square Walls

Julia Bobbin

Dixie DIY

Emily Kate

Liza Jane Sews

Male Pattern Boldness

Makes the Things

Oonaballoona

Sew Queer

True Bias

With the Crickets

I love them all. If you haven't checked them out yet and have the time, please do.

P.S. Best thing about yesterday: Barack Obama was re-elected! The election is over and we can go back to worrying about other things. Worst thing: I fell asleep before the acceptance speech, and missed seeing Michelle Obama in what I'm sure was a very lovely dress.