The Batmobile

We got a chance to see the real batmobile this fall.  It made an appearance just a few miles from our house.

Handmade Xmas: Update

We stuck to our handmade pledge and had a lot of fun shopping for handmade items this year for Christmas.  Most of our gifts were purchased from Vendors at Bazaar Bizaare – Boston . See pics of some of the items below.

These Fishing Reel Frames from Mean & Wroughten, from Portland, ME were a big hit.

So were the beautiful hand-painted trays from Zeal handmade.  I especially like the map of the New York City subway that includes Astoria.

Here is a group shot of some more gifts.  Unfortunately I can’t remember where they all came from.  I do know that the cupcake pincushion is from Emily’s Handmade Goodies.

A deer necklace from Figs and Ginger.

Lastly, a colorful bulletin board from Maisonwares.  There were a few more things that I didn’t get pictures of and I also made some items that I will post about soon.

Map Wrapping Paper

I have been meaning to post some of the crafty projects that I did in preparation for my brother’s wedding back in September.  Here are the presents that I wrapped for the shower in August with maps from an old atlas.  Don’t throw those old maps away because they can come in handy!  I noticed that LJC used old maps for her Xmas gifts this year for a fun “traveling for the holidays” theme.

The presents inside were not very crafty.  A Roomba Vacuum Cleaner and love bird salt and pepper shakers.  The theme for the wedding was love birds by the way.

Bad Dinner – Nice View

View of the Capital from apartment, Little Rock, AR 12/26/09

Buy Handmade

We took the pledge to buy handmade this holiday season.  We were able to do most of our shopping at Bizarre Bazaar Boston today.  It was a pleasure to avoid the parking lots and long lines in favor of something more meaningful! I also love the idea of supporting local crafters instead of big chain stores. I will fill in some gaps with stuff that I make and one item from Etsy.

Thanksgiving 09

These were our contributions to Thanksgiving at my Aunt and Uncle’s house in New York.

Cranberry sauce, an apple pie and pumpkin pie made with pumpkins from our garden.

I was responsible for the cranberry sauce.  Here is my trustee recipe:

One package of fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
zest from an orange
juice from the same orange

Place all the ingredients in a sauce pan and cook on medium for about 5 minutes until it boils.  Let it simmer for 10 minutes until most of the cranberries burst.  Chill.

North Adams

We took a road trip to Western Massachusetts recently.  Highlights included a trip to Herman Melville’s house, where he wrote Moby Dick.

Mass Moca and the new Sol LeWitt Installation, on view now through 2033. (It feels weird to type 2033!)

and a trip up Mount Greylock, the highest peak in Mass during peak foliage.  Herman Melville could see this peak from his study, and took inspiration from it for Moby Dick because the snow covered profile reminded him of a Sperm Whale’s back.

All pictures from our trip are here.

Kennedy Stationery

I came across this card that my great grandmother received from Jackie O. after JFK was assassinated.  Today happens to be the anniversary of the awful event.

The stationery is very similar to the card I received from Ted Kennedy’s family recently.

I noticed that both cards just have a signature that acts as a stamp. Turns out that the first family, members of congress and some others have franking privileges and their mail only requires a signature.

Sandcastle in Truro

The sandcastle/moat that I made in Truro back in September.

All pics from the weekend in Truro and Provincetown are here.

Flower Window

In an effort to declutter I have decided to take some pics of old projects that are getting grungy and taking up too much space in my life.  I made this 3-D cardboard piece many years ago (in the 90s) after a visit to Siena, Italy.  It is a combination of cardboard, paper painted with pen and ink and tin foil.  It was inspired by a visit to the cathedral above.