Holiday Baking

I love baking and am exploring recipes I have never made before, for our Christams goodies this year.  I made traditional Stollens, only four, and they are already all spoken for, next time I double the recipe!  And I made gluten free Ginger Bread Men.  The GF version is my present to my dearest friend for Christmas, recently diagnosed with ciliac, I am happy to help test recipes and this one is very good.  I thought I'd share a couple of photos of the cookies, which reminds me of a textile design I might have made a number of years ago when I worked for Cranston Home Fashions and we did holiday lines, all that's missing is a green or red background and some metallic gold!  I hope you and your families have a Joyous and Blessed Holiday Season, take time (like I finally did today) and share your talents with others. 

Christmas Tree Skirts

As I decorate the house for the holidays I have come to realize that I want a new and fabulous Christmas Tree Skirt.  I have been using a piece of fabric I designed when I worked at Cranston Home Fashions, and after we moved to New Hampshire, the pattern on it seemed just perfect for my skirt, though with all great intentions to somehow finish it (line with a wonderful wool fabric or some such thing)  I have not gotten around to it.  SO I thought "what can I find out there on the world wide web" for inspiration.  And yes I am thinking FELT.  Patterned? Or maybe edged with dimensional objects, a winter scene with cutie little animals, a nativity, I'm not sure but I am feeling the creative juices flowing.  So while poking around on-line, I came across a few skirts that said, "Nicole".  We'll have to see how these fun references inspire me and my new tree skirt...   

Anthrolopogie Catalog Holiday 2011 Selection



Tree Skirt posted by thisnext



Tree Skirt by RedMarionette Etsy



Kaleidescope Tree Skirt by Chicago Lost and Found

Tree Skirt (pattern) by Fiber Artist Deb Karasik





Scarves On-Line (Flowered Yarn)

So a few weeks ago I posted on Facebook, a photo of an amazing skein of yarn I bought while exploring a near-by part of Vermont.  I was out with my husband and mother-in-law, she an advid knitter, visiting local craft shows and shops, where fiber definitely seemed to be a theme.  Well, I really have to admit the main reason for the visit to Proctorsville, VT was actually PIE.  We discovered a really great breakfast and pie place I had no idea exsisted and since I am a very big fan of pie, and I had also known about a yarn store, Six Looses Ladies, there but had not had the opportunity to visit it, our day's excursion was set - off we went!  We began the day with a late breakfast early lunch at the  VT Apple Pie and Cheesecake Bakery and Breakfast.  Here are some photos from their Facebook page.

After we finished lunch we stopped around the corner at Six Loose Ladies.  While shopping at this great little treasure, a very unique skein of hand spun yarn jumped off the shelf at me.  It is hand dyed and spun into the ply are little flowers!! I bought it right away and envisioned it going right into some wooly scarves!


I was determined to try it in a scarf, and since I was doing an on-line scarf class yesterday I used it for my demonstration.  Here are a a couple of photos from yesterday's session.  So MUCH FUN, I can't wait to make some scarves with this!

the table full of of fiber, some from NEFS, yarn from Six Loose Ladies, and fabrics from Delectable Mountain Cloth

  

The finished sample