christmas, christmas! it’s time for amaryllis

Options abound for purchasing living and giftable holiday florals. Amaryllis and narcissus bulbs are easy to add in to Christmas decor.

Try novel and unusual containers for displaying holiday bulbs. The thrift store is a perfect spot for hunting up bargain containers. Line anything that is not waterproof. Fill the lined container with rocks or potting soil and place roots down into rocks, or more of the bulb into soil.

Plastic liner for container. Cut kraft paper shreds to disguise the tops of bulbs.

Most bulb plants will need some sort of support as they grow tall. Branches pulled from the outdoors work as well as commercially available options.

Branches add interest while you wait for blooms.

🍅 pin tomato tips 🍅

Choose bulbs at different stages of development in order to have blooms into January.

Save bulbs for next year by cutting back spent leaves, allowing substrate to dry out, and place in a cool, dark location. Bring out pots at least 6 weeks before use, water, and place in sunshine. Hint: keep tags with pots to identify color and type of blooms!

Interregnum: Time for the Regular Reminder to Breathe

December. Here you are, you massive bully, you. Fall? We hardly knew you. Blown out by the cold, reaching fingers of wind from the north… shaking out the last of the leaves and replacing the autumn glow with sharp blue ice-pack light lancing across brittle lawns in long shadows. It just feels late all day. Dark in the afternoon early.
And yet… if you close your eyes and listen? Jingling of bells! Or is it the jingling of coins tumbling in tills across the land as the holiday gift buying frenzy revs up and sweeps through.

But first, we hang now for a bit in the time between. The interstitial. The time of year when pumpkins AND holiday lights and dec occupy lawns and porches in strict violation of The Code. Ya’ll, just stop. Find a good compost pile or farm with animals and give those cuties their next, best home before you throw open the Christmas closet and unleash the inflatables. Literally, give it —and yourself— a rest. It is totally understandable to want to dive in to the best parts of December celebrating, but it is not advisable nor really even possible to do ALL OF THE THINGS. Pick a few. Do those well. Spend more time and less money. Be more present and less into presents. Bring light and fewer light displays. Bring change, but give all the dollars you can to the worthiest places and not just change at the red bucket. It feels really, really good.

Having (hopefully) survived the first of the grand high Holler-days and put family pressure and Thanksgiving behind us like the well picked turkey carcass, we are about to hit the slalom ski run accelerating to the next. A time to breathe in the crisp air— before being overwhelmed with Cinnamon and Spruce scented breezes. A time to plot out shipping schedules which determines buying schedules which determines, oh god, wrapping schedules. Wrapping… woof. Breathe…. breathe…
Thankfully, there seems to have been a turning point in corporate thought and fewer large retailers are open on Thanksgiving Day proper. Maybe forced by executives newly aware of workers who deserve fair wages and benefits, or maybe newly aware of workers at all — find that their workers need and want celebrations with their own families and friends, so have curtailed crazy open hours and Black Friday etc and many people have opted to shop from home or limit time out, so the frenetic pace of “normal" holiday shopping is subdued… one good thing from the pandemic. This quieter holiday season should allow a pause for reflection on just how crazy the pressures to consume have been heretofore.

This year,too, many, many more folks felt free to travel to see long missed relatives for Thanksgiving. Laudably, a majority were vaccinated. Many were left with the impossible choice of seeing people or risking their own, like children under five, who could not yet be vaccinated or those who put others at risk by willfully choosing to go without. Christmas will likely be the same. Or worse. Dependent of variants etc. Sigh… So, while it is possible "we all can be together… if the fates allow...” the virus may intervene— For us, that means putting the best parts of the season to top of our list, and Santa’s list, and anyone’s list.

To begin, we suggest —powerfully suggest— nigh unto insisting— that people take a moment and enjoy the post T Day November and slightly into December interregnum. Before Fa la la laing and so forth, take the time to recollect, to plan, map out what is most important in the holiday to do that silly-word-thing: self care. Make this liminal time all about you for a couple of days —then make it all about everyone else. You cannot pour from an empty cup… truth.

The interregnum between family pressure filled Holler-days is a good time to spend moments to yourself, assessing what can be done, what needs to be done and what can you can let go!

Hereforth a short list of things you know. These are good and good for you! We are moms and we are legion— so we scold. Get over it.

Put away ideas about must-dos and tradition this year. We are handing out dispensation and special licenses. Sift out what is important for safety and sanity. Make do. Decorate in small doses with what you have and what you find with natural materials. It really does something for our souls to be out in nature and to bring nature inside.

Take time now to assess your project list and pet the cat… or else.

Hey— send cards. Send Happy New Year if you aren’t about the holiday or worry the intentionally hobbled, but limping along USPS won’t deliver on time. It’s a holiday SEASON— there is plenty of time and it is never wrong to show someone you care.

While you are at it, thank your posties, friends. They really do their best… in all kinds of weather… and are a lifeline for a lot of folks who don’t or can’t email etc. Put a card for them in your mailbox— doesn’t have to be holiday themed if you worry about giving offense (and we love that you do).

Normalize shopping local, patronizing artists and artisans, give from the Second Market, make things to share… above all listen to the message of the season still lovely, if a little lost in profit driven orgy of consumption. Why do we gift at all?

Drop a card of thanks to those who support your everyday life— the docs office, the vet, the tire repair folks… whomever. It is lovely to do so in person and provide a smiling face with the sentiment— but we don’t advocate being out in the current atmosphere too much. Besides, they won’t see your smile behind your mask…. you ARE wearing a mask, right?

Take some dreamy moments to yourself before things get hectic. Enjoy the transition and the recommit to helping or valuing others. This Thanksgiving arrangement will become part of a wreath gifted on.

Read a book a day to your children for 24 days until Christmas. Don’t have 24? Libraries hand ‘em out for free!

Read a book to a shelter pet.

Read a book.

Find a giving tree or equivalent and make someone else’s holiday as jolly—or jollier— than your own. Involve your children in picking out things for kids their own age so they have the joy of imagining some one like themselves feeling special and loved on a holiday.

Pay it forward when you can. We love paying the shipping for someone rushing to get something special to a family member and unprepared for the cost. We are on call at the local shippers especially on behalf of Santa for children’s gifts that need to be in time.

Find out EXACTLY what is needed at your local food bank. The volunteers and staffs of these amazing life-giving centers know what works and what will clutter the shelves. They often have insight into Benevolent and/or Community resource that are set up to equitably and reliably distribute aid to those who need it most.

recycle material turkey centerpiece

Friendsgiving, Black Friday Eve, Thanksalotapalooza…. however you are celebrating, it is fun to pay tribute to the bird most associated with the fourth Thursday in November, though turkey may or may not have been on the menu for the storied meal shared by the Plymouth Colonists and Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people indigenous to the area. Novelist Sara Josepha Hale popularized the idea of turkey as the main dish for Thanksgiving in the 1820’s with a campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. We are presenting a budget friendly turkey for the center of the table that even your vegan friends and family will approve. Raiding the recycling, we have put together a step by step for a life-size gobbler— no brining, no basting, and no baking required!

You will need 3-4 regular paper grocery bags, kraft paper or kraft paper used for packing, toilet paper rolls and/or paper towel rolls, tape, and glue. A stapler helps expedite the construction — can be used as temporary holds while glue dries and removed later or hidden inside paper folds.

Starting with a kraft paper grocery bag, turn it inside out if it has any printing and puff it out to form the basis of the turkey body.

Using the paper towel rolls, scrunch the bottom of one to fit inside the body of another and another to form a support or armature for the turkey’s head and neck.

Checking length of the future tail against grocery bag body, cut to same length then accordion pleat or fold kraft paper or packing paper.

Gather pleated paper together tightly and secure with twine, string, or wire. We used a chenille stem.

Create a hole in the front of the grocery bag turkey body just large enough to pass the paper roll neck/head assembly through. We split the bottom into four flaps and folded them outwards to provide more stability.

Cutting basic kraft grocery bags apart provides working material for wrapping the neck and head, crafting wings and stuffing the body.

We wrapped the neck assembly with kraft paper, leaving excess at the top to form the head. Crush shape the head into an almond shape with a pinched point to make a beak.

Once the head is in a basic bird shape, glue down folds in the paper to refine. We used chenille stems to stabilize the head until the glue dried.

Taking a cut out side of a kraft paper bag, crush curve the edges to form an oval to attach across the front of the turkey to build out the breast and help hide the mechanics of the paper tube at the bottom of the neck. Tape down the crush rolled edges of the oval. We reinforced spots on each edges of the oval, made an opening, and ran a chenille stem from side to side behind the paper roll neck so the wire can draw tight to be stable.

In the this photo, you can also see the twist of paper added, draped over the beak, to form the distinctive turkey wattle.

Turning to the rear of the turkey, we balled up heavy kraft paper give the body substance, and added pillars of toilet roll paper columns to increase stability in the interior.

Splay out the fans of the accordion pleated paper to form the tail. It helps the paper to stand to attach edges of individual fans together. We made two layers of paper fans so the tail is really full. We attached the tail with brass brads — but could have used tape or glue. As the tail stands by itself, it could be set behind the body sitting as a centerpiece without being attached.

Wings on turkeys are sort of useless, but as a design element on a centerpiece, they add a lot! We cut kraft grocery bags into wing shapes and add symmetrically matching sections imitating rows of feathers, gluing them one over the other. Before gluing, we folded the faux feathers down the center to add textural interest and a give a more featherlike appearance.

Once the layers of feathers were glued and the glue dry, we crushed rolled the outer edges of the wings— the non-feathered edges — to add dimension. We attached the wings with brass brads— but tape or glue works as well

(Hint: clothespins make great tools for softly holding paper edges while glue dries.)

Tom on the table showing the layers of paper added at the front to fill in any gaps, hide any mechanics or attachments and imitate a turkey’s feathered breast.

Remember, Remember we all hate November

Lordy, some morning are just ITCHY, right? That fabric you were working with last night felt smooth and luscious and this morning it is not only fighting against straight seams but it is straight scratchy besides. Sunshine streaming in is welcome for the light, but unflinching in outlining every overdue cleaning project in sharp detail. While Spring light is life-reviving and perfumed with blossoms, Summer light diffused and evening lingering, Fall light is…. tricksy. In October, the finding light is warm, casting a fuzzy glow over the home scene, scented with cider and cinnamon.

On the other hand, November light crashes through leafless limbs unfiltered, bashing through windows heading directly for every dusty surface, every spattered backsplash like an unwelcome and judgey relative strongly suggesting with an unflinching gaze that you thought you were ready for the guesting season— and you were very, very wrong.

Last year, innovation was the way to go for celebrating the Allidays. Halloween was semi distant, folks came up with myriad ways to stay apart but celebrate together. This year it seems with vaccinations on the rise (Hallelujah!), Turkey Day is back and looking to be an in-home event.

There is that light… just look at it laughing at our paltry wipe down efforts…

Et Ouija! Changed the perspective...Just look at our shiny knobs!

What! Don’t REALLY look at them! What, are you a monster?

Just admire from afar that we have all made it through some serious, serious stuff and are together to really count the ways we are blessed, to value those we love and let go what we cannot control.

Oh Yes. Have another cup or two. Play with the doggos, hang out with the kids. Pause. Enjoy. Our kitchens are a bit fuzzy, but our hearts are full.

Notes for folks with incoming guests and no time to line up contractors and re-do whole house post-pandemic nesting... or to barely dust...

Clean the bathrooms super well, at a minimum.

Add distracting candles and guest towels.

Tell guests your house is booked for scenes on an upcoming movie shoot ... it is a horror film, n'atch... and everything thing, dust, webs etc MUST stay in place.

Tell guests your fuzzy cabinets are participating in NoShaveNovember.

Keep a line of cups by the entry and inform guests as they enter that like many cultures that request no street shoes in the house, your sanity requires that they leave their glasses by the door.

Start cleaning and organizing the room or part of the house LEAST likely for guests to visit, leaving yourself so pushed for time close to arrival that you barely have time to shower, change and put out cups by the entry for glasses.

Drive to home goods store and buy a written sign for each room. Add your own spicy sayings with sharpie:

Blessed — with 3 varieties of pet hair!

In this house we — don't mention that they are still looking for the last person who complained about the toilet handle jiggle, leak bucket under the sink, or flush instructions situation in the guest bath.

Grateful — if you leave after coffee and don't expect a cooked breakfast.

Tell your overnight guests you are participating in NaNoWriMo and juuuust need to document chewing habits for a scene in your novel so will be observing them closely in the morning if they want to stay for breakfast, perhaps documenting with a live feed.

Really do these things:

Keep light low — no matter how gleaming your abode. Nobody likes sparkle. It incites emotions of envy and jealousy. Hard No-no’s for a convivial gathering.

Candles are great but don't overperfume your rooms.

(Should never leave people wondering if all the candles are trying to cover up something.

Like a body.

In the basement.

Wut?!)

More:

Start stress eating chocolate a couple hours before projected guest arrival. Unlikely you will experience break outs in a just couple hours...

🍅 pin tomato tip 🍅

If you don't have time to dust out every bowl — fill them higher with seasonal materials!

Add seasonal pieces to top up bowls when you don’t have time to deep dust.

Party prep.

Kit in place for emergency cleaning ahead of guests.

Sorry, guests, we couldn’t clean because the cat was comfortable on our lap…

Quarantinesgiving was my 1st Thanksgiving

By November 2020, COVID-19 had made one spring, one summer, and one fall interesting. And we were about to find out what it had in store for us for The Holidays™. My parents, siblings and I had mutually agreed that the priority was keeping my parents safe. That would mean limited and cautious visits with the grandkids, especially. At the time, older people were the most at risk, and the youngest ones were most likely to be silent carriers. Cases were surging, no vaccines yet. No pressure! Just don’t mess up and kill grandma! [Nervous laughter]

Like Halloween before it, I was determined to have some sort of Thanksgiving. God knows why, it’s not like a top ten holiday for me. Quarantining with littles meant going without much of what we had been accustomed to — freedom, spontaneity, outings, time with friends and family, etc. For me, it also meant going without any help after delivering my second, and emergency-esque surgery. We’d been slogging our way through it, and dammit we were due for some celebration!

I was woefully under-qualified to host any version of a Thanksgiving, and I don’t remember all the thinking that landed with me hosting this pressure-filled gathering, but 2020 was nothing if not different, right? “Just think of it as a dinner party. You've thrown all of one of those in your adult life, surely you can pull off Thanksgiving-lite,” she said to herself, like a happy idiot.

Being outdoors was the first parameter. So much would depend on the weather. Some layers, extra blankets on-hand, a fire pit ready to go — with a little luck, we just might pull this off.

Then came the meal part of the planning. F#cking hell. I’m the child of a talented cook, but I did not inherit those genes. This was going to require some research… not a problem for a nerd from a family of nerds. And knowing when you’re out of your depth is a wisdom that age and experience blessed me with. Ah humility, you quiet, priceless asset!

I kinda like to take it easy these days. I don’t willingly sign up for high pressure situations. And to me, Thanksgiving is about as high pressure as holidays get. Between the traditions, the food, what people have come to expect… there’s a lot of pressure to get it “right.” But COVID created the kind of situation that would have been the *only* way to get someone like me to take on Thanksgiving. Since everyone’s expectations had been thrown out the window, I could get a pass on not delivering the holiday they'd come to expect.

In my career, I make a habit of regularly clarifying with clients and partners: What is the goal? (I’ve found this is also a handy way to center yourself when feeling overwhelmed by everyday stuff, too.) So when it came to tackling Turkey Day, I brought everything back to zero and started from scratch. Put aside everything you can about what you think is required of you in this moment. Focus. What's most important?

Stuffing? Nope.

Gravy? Sorry.

Pie?? Multiple! Again, focus on what matters, people.

Okay, there has to be a bird. And I'm going to have to cook it. I'll figure out that later.

What else? Places to eat. Things to eat with. We'll have to be outside. How to make it as comfy as possible out there? Set up the fire pit. Have blankets. Mom has a serving thingie that keeps things warm — I'll borrow that. Okay, back to the food. What else? Some vegetable. Green beans. We’re Americans, stuck on starches, so… potatoes? Bread? Both? Mom makes legendary sweet potato rolls. I'm not trying to touch that. I'll ask her to bring. (I love potluckiness — it’s homey/intimate. More authentic or something.)

The bird

I accidentally bought two. I won’t get into it. (Side eye: Whole Foods.) Having a backup is probably a happy accident, especially for a newbie. Better to have too many turkeys than too few, eh?

I'd never cooked an entire turkey, or any other bird, or entire anything, ever. Maybe an entire potato? A spaghetti squash? But I was officially out of my depth. I'm a once and future vegetarian, and current reluctant eater of fish and poultry. Pregnancy required me to open up my diet, but I never got comfortable with raw... things. [Shudder] I knew I couldn't reach up a turkey, let alone yank out anything. (I was later assured that my procured turkey would be civilized: all its inside bits would be bagged up and easy to remove. Wonderful. I’ll be wearing gloves up to my elbows until the thing is in the oven, and would still require someone else to remove the, er, bag.)

I got a lot of advice before even buying a bird. Thank goodness there's no shortage of advice on the internet! First things first, how big of a turkey do I need? Then, what all will I have to do to it? How will I cook it? How long will that take? What time will we want to eat, because apparently there’s this magical window of “resting” the hot bird wants, and then it’s on! Feed time! But I gotta time it all just right.

Anecdotally I understood that moisture is a big deal. A dry turkey is a sad turkey. So I read about how to (hopefully) avoid that. I settled on dry brining and stuffing the lil chonk with apple and lemon slices among the herbs etc. This should add moisture and make it smell lovely while taking up the oven all day, methought.

Fun fact: sliding lemon slices under the skin was a good move for moisture AND had the added bonus of making it look like the turkey had tits — everyone’s favorite! What holiday or family get-together is complete without them? So, be aware, or you’re welcome. Either way.

If you’re the Go Big or Go Home type, here’s some inspiration that’ll keep grandma and grandpa talking for many Thanksgivings to come <3

Source: https://www.sunnyskyz.com/blog/1820/Lighten-The-Mood-This-Thanksgiving-With-Lemons

The big day

Mother Nature gifted us a mostly sunny, 50s-something day. We were a go for dinner! Mismatched tables and chairs were set up in the backyard. A wintery tablecloth here, a springy floral one there. Inside, potatoes and green beans went about as well as one would imagine. They're simple, reliable things I'd made a million times, therefore unlikely to explode the day somehow. To my great surprise, the turkey turned out lovely.

There was a lot of rushing. A lot of running around, setting up this and that. I had a toddler and a nursing infant at the time — little, mobile agents of chaos. But somehow we made it work. And what made it work was our collective willingness to let sh!t go. To be content with the day we created within the limitations forced upon us.

Thanksgiving in and of itself isn't my favorite. Politically it’s … ugh. It makes me want to give speeches in the style of the teacher in Dazed and Confused: "Don't forget while you're shoving mashed potatoes and gravy down your gullet that the colonizers turned to cannibalism and would have starved had it not been for…" Anyhoo… The point. What makes Thanksgiving good is the gathering — seeing our loved ones, and spending focused time together. Everything is closed, right? So we’re stuck together! Yay, bonding!

My siblings Thanksgiving-ed with their individual families, and the family text thread was hopping with photos back and forth of each celebration. It amused me that it was kind of like looking at personality test results. Each sibling’s Quarantinesgiving reflected their individual style. From the choice in dishes, to preparation style, and how each gauged whether their dinner was successful.

For my part, I was too busy running around to take many photos. But there’s this one, from after the dust settled.

Turkey legs up, ladies!

gnome time like the present

With time change behind us, looooong evenings ahead and certain holidays zooming up quickly— uh hum... we are looking at you, Christmas train— we are taking some time to do small, manageable projects. In order to speed up the process, thereby MAKING these project manageable, we don’t start at zero, but utilize bases that are already started i.e. upcycle readily available decor, but add better materials, or personalized finishes. For example, these thrifted gnomes followed us home and we set to work reusing a much loved, but timeworn sweater to improve their looks.

It’s fun to get something done in an afternoon or two and points for sustainability as well!!

We started by removing as much of the polyester fluff from the thrifted gnomes as possible. Using the existing gnome, we drew a simple pattern on a scrap piece of fabric and set to work. When reusing old sweaters, we prefer real wool or animal fiber, though any type will do. However an animal fiber sweater can be tightened up or felted if it is washed and then tossed in the dryer. This process expands the scales on real wool, helping them catch together, closing openings — or choose one that has already been through that process inadvertently… not that YOU put sweaters in the wash by accident…

We lined the sweater we chose to use with lightweight cotton fabric so that we could speed up the process with a sewing machine. Lining knitwear, especially loose or loopy knits, prevents yarn from catching on the presser foot. All of the sewing for this product can be done by hand with a tapestry needle if you are not proficient with a sewing machine.

In order to cut the sweater arms into gnome legs, we ran seams along a central line — then carefully cut each sleeve into 2 tubes by following the red line in between the sewn seams. Presto! Instant wooly gnome leggings!

In the narrowest portions of the gnome outfit, we clipped the lining at the finished seams to make turning the legs and arms right-side-out and fitting them on the gnome body a little easier.

Lookin’ a leetle creepy there, upcycled sweater parts…. but it gets WAY better!

Choosing some fun leftover yarn— any type, color, or texture will do— we made the SIMPLEST yarn gnome beard ever!! You may have bits of faux fur or alpaca or wool roving or goat hair or cat hair — whichever. Have we mentioned we are not judge-y? We are NOT judge-y. But for these gnomes, we circled the base of the hat with red trim — but could have used rope or twine — and tied on lengths of yarn by checking the length of desired hair or beard, doubling the yarn before cutting, making a loop at the top of the double yarn, placing the loop over the trim circling the hat, and then pulling the two strands of yarn through its own loop and pulling up on the strands until the loop is tight. We have heard it called a "lark’s head knot” but we call it “two strands through a loop thingy.” Po TAY to. Po TA to. Vodka. Whatever works.

Repurposed sweater cut and sewn and gently tacked to repurposed thrifted gnome. Please note the fuzzy bottom of thrifted fellow— tacking on a patch cut from the sweater completes the matching pants. Reusing an existing form, but changing the finish cuts this project time in half!

Mister and Milady, Jingle and Jangle, Him, Her, Them… they are complete!

meant to bee

While we are not fans of time change, early in and out of the chilly darkness, DOES mean it's time for small projects that can be done cuddled up with a blanket on your lap! These "gathering wool" sessions are for a purpose... handmade ornaments are lifetime keepsakes. Knitted, crocheted or felted wool are some of our favorites— but they could be quilled or cut paper or wire and beads!

Here is a knit bee from a Claire Garland pattern available from her website or on Ravelry.

Claire Garland has tutorials available for her techniques, so knitters with basic skills can learn new ways to create for charming results!

Little projects are a nice relief from a long knit, use small amounts of yarn, and building new skills is so satisfying. We really love the lifelike results... bee happy, friends! 🐝

Needle felting wool is another way to make easy, manageable projects like personalized ornaments from sustainable materials.

DIY caramel apple decoration

Assembling materials for a beeswax coated “caramel apple.” We used a wooden faux apple. We don’t recommend pouring hot wax over styrofoam based faux fruit without testing the pour— might make a melty mess!

We are lucky enough to have a source for local beeswax— and the subtle honey smell it emits is heavenly!

We always cover any work surface before starting a project and, in this case, use the right tools to handle HOT tin can and melted wax. Beeswax has a relatively low boiling point, so it melts to a pourable liquid fairly quickly.

Melt beeswax in a double boiler. Take care to use materials that can have wax residue— not the spot for your best pans! We created a candle wax melter by recycling a small tin. We made holes in the sides by carefully tapping a nail through, then threaded the openings with coated wire, creating a handle that would stay cool above boiling water.

Preparing a surface for pouring melted beeswax over a wooden apple. Protected surface. 2 layers of aluminum foil sprayed with a cooking spray for easy release.

We cut a wooden dowel and inserted it in the top of our wooden apple. Our little fruit already had a hole at the top— and was missing a stem, making it a great candidate for this project! We sanded the cut ends of the dowel, carefully whittled the end to be inserted, and added a bit of glue at that end for extra hold.

A kitchen or work glove is a helpful addition for guiding the tin of melted beeswax. We poured over in stages, picking up cooled wax pooled at the base of our apple and remelting to pour once more.

“Caramel” apple!

adjusting Robbie the Recycle Robot for older kids or grown ups

For older children and adults, create a mask to go with the Robbie the Recycle Robot costume. We used both pieces of a commercially available heavy duty disposable pie tin. We used a rounded wooden peg to push out a nose and eyebrow form in the malleable pie plate material, then CAREFULLY incised some shapes, opening eye holes and mouth with a screwdriver and hammer over a soft towel. (Hint: check the eye openings to make sure that the wearer can actually see!! Also, if the mouth opening is large enough, it isn’t necessary to add nostril openings.)

Using small pliers, we gently bent the edges of each opening towards the back of the mask and crimped the edge flat. With a round peg (a wooden spoon handle would work), we further rolled down the edges— then, though the edges were softer, we TAPED over each edge with sturdy duct tape until there were no sharp points. DO NOT put sharp points next to your face. EVER.

This mask form is NOT for small children.

Once all the inside edges of the face openings in the mask were safely covered, we cut 4 small squares of duct tape and placed one on the front and one directly opposite on the back on each side of the mask about halfway on each side. We made a small opening through the front and back duct tape squares. Using the large chenille stems, we poked from the back through to the front on each side of the mask and made a slight twist in the end of the chenille stem at the front to keep it in place. This makes for comfortable, adjustable mask holders!

Just because we like the decoration with a soupçon of additional unreality, we added small reflectors on the cheeks and secured the plastic top of the pie tin over the mask.

Robbie the Recycle Robot reporting for Halloween duty with his LED light aglow and ready to go!

(The mask is shown resting on top of the completed costume “tunic.” They are two separate pieces.)

fast halloween costume: recycled robot

We know it is on the calendar on the same day EACH year… not like Easter, which wanders around Spring dependent on moons and traditions. It’s not like we have to sing the “30 Days HATH September” song. This is it. The BIG 31… we are yapping on about Halloween, of course. October 31st. HELL—ooo: All Hallow’s Eve. A super holiday for Creatives everywhere where it is celebrated. And yet…EVERY year we get down to the wire with what the heck are we going to wear? Or send the kids out in? (And, oh shoot, need to buy some candy— but not TOO soon or it won’t make it to the big day! We are looking at you, Reese’s peanut butter cups.)

For fun, fast and easy costumes, rev up your imagination and raid the recycling bin and kitchen drawers! Here is a tutorial for Robbie, the Recycled Robot. Your guy can and should look different— just use what you have and what you find in the back of the pantry or the Everything Drawer in the kitchen— you know you have one!

Step 1— Assemble some likely materials and create a work space.

In order to create our Robbie Robot costume, we cut the sides out of two kraft paper grocery bags, turned them inside out so no writing was visible and taped them together. It helped to visualize the design to lay the costume robot “tunic” over a sturdy cardboard box turned on its side. We covered two of the cut out sides of the grocery bags in aluminum foil. They will become the adjustable sides of the robot. Then we covered the sandwiched bags that form the front and back of the robot in foil, leaving the top uncovered as that part will be cut out and folded back to fit over the costume wearer’s head.

Grocery bag sides being covered in foil and tape.

Covering the bag “tunic” with foil and tape. It was helpful to have silver duct tape, but regular invisible tape would work as well! We put a dinner plate down on the top of our tunic to draw the circle that will be cut out to go over the head.

The idea is for the creator to enjoy the PROCESS without seeking perfection!

We pulled some things from the pantry, kitchen drawers, wrapping pile, and garage to create robot decoration— reflective material is a bonus for night time trick or treating!

Our fast process for creating Robbie the Robot is great for kids, but can be adjusted for older kids and grown ups.

When all the grocery bag “tunic” is securely covered with foil and tape, cut into the dinner plate circle at the top and carefully fold back the edges to the inside of the “tunic." Secure the edges all the way around with tape.

At this point, try the tunic on the costume wearer to make sure the opening at the top is wide enough to slip over the head. Also, hold up the two foil-covered side pieces to the edge of the base of the front of the “tunic.” Wrapping each side piece towards the back of the “tunic” on the wearer, mark where the the side pieces land on the back. This is where an attachment will be placed so that the costume fits securely and can be removed. We used large chenille stems curled on the back side of the “tunic" and poked through to the front and then through each side piece. A simple curl of the chenille stem forms a removable “button” holding the sides in place!

Using duct tape for a secure hold, we attached a recycled styrofoam box lid over a small LED light string, reflectors and other bits to add to Robbie’s verisimilitude — but anything or nothing will do! (“tunic” shown draped on top of the a sturdy cardboard box to check placement)

Add simple robot makeup or an aluminum foil covered headband for a young child and Robbie is ready to rock out the door in this low cost, simple, adjustable and lightweight homemade Halloween costume!

fast & easy halloween costumes are close as the recycle bin

All Hallow’s Eve is just around the corner and everyone is thinking about costume possibilities— even these guys!

Revived melty candle. See the full how-to here.

Dressed up for the day (and the day after!) Inspired by #CreativeSprint post by @icklewitch.

Claire Garland knit pattern black cat and white mouse. See more patterns in her Etsy shop.

Going as twins this year! Knit cat mask.

Coming up with a costume, any costume can be taxing enough, but it isn’t always easy to get out and shop these days… Ordering online is a good option, but sometimes time or money is tight. Sometimes a good solution is as close as the recycle bin!

Last Minute Costume Kit (helpful items)

• brain (non zombified preferred, but, eh, it’ll do)

• the internets (if you must, in small doses only— waaaay too many ideas out there)

• kraft paper, grocery bags

• color construction paper or felt

• tacky glue — saves SO much time attaching

• glue gun (so-so on these g-darned painful implements of frustration and strings of glue)

• small sewing kit

• string/twine

• strong tape, any tape

Okay—

Now... think outside the box of preconceived notions and DO NOT under ANY circumstances appropriate sensitive cultural identities!! If you are unsure, just don’t do it.

However, have at it with gnomes, sprites, elves, natural elementals, etc... or sort-of-grown-up Groot thingys...

Be a little weird… We don’t always get a day. This is ours.

still holding fast to Fall

Here where we are, the weather is finally cool and crisp. Less daylight, yes. But what there is should be kept in a jar forever… beams of sunlight softly filtering through the kaleidoscope changing breeze. Wait. We are going to go grab our SWEATERS, y’all!

A great time to visit the local farmstands and markets. Cider, Apple Butter, fresh vegetables and those less-than-perfect perfect apples…

Warm cider with cinnamon, lemon, cloves, and bay on tap while we heat up local beeswax for candle creation.

You are gonna want to have smello-telephone-o on this one!

Loading recipes to share in 3…2…1...

schmaltz in public— yes or no?

At Cordelia and Company, we don’t always bring back signs to put up at home…. What are they even meant to do? To us hereabouts, they feel a mite…

judge-y? What if we don’t want to laugh? Are feeling a bit prickly? We ARE breathing, for heaven’s sake, and are not even sure about “welcome.” We are not saying we aren't grateful— truly we are! But sometimes you can get your blessed sign right out of our faces.

Look, really? If you need a sign saying, “HOME” this big on your wall when you come in the door? You probs need fewer glasses of vino when out, or better glasses. We are jus’ saying’.

Howifsomever, we OCCASIONALLY come across some font, kerning, sentiment we can wholeheartedly embrace. Good on ya, cedar slab and coffee cup, good on ya.

be our guest: essential scents for a welcoming atmosphere

Providing a peaceful atmosphere for visitors is a great goal to have. The sharp, aromatic scent of lavender is associated with cleanliness and relaxation. Add sachets of fresh lavender to your bed linens or spritz bottles of calming lavender water to help guests dispel the busyness of the day and promote a restful night’s sleep.

As some essential oil producers are problematic in their sourcing and supply chain, we look for and buy from local farm sources wherever possible.

Handmade sachets.

We keep a sealed bin under each guest bed with linens for that room packed with naturally derived refreshers like bay leaves or lavender. While initially expensive, bay garland can be dried and used for years as a softly scented reminder of gatherings that keeps the smell of stored linens fresh.

Full size, like our hearts when we welcome guests!

Bay leaves repurposed from last year’s bay garland at the holidays.

Allergy check with potential guests is always recommended. Here at Cordelia, our guest list is necessarily limited: like it or not, and though we SUPER clean, especially before our guests arrive, dog and cat hair are part of the “experience”!

autumn mood bowl

Tucked cozily in the linen drawer, an arrangement of cloves, dried oranges, fir, and bay leaves create a nostalgic holiday scent.

join the #creativesprint community

By now you’ve picked up that we love all things Fall. You might not know that one of the things we love about October is that it is home to a month-long set of creative challenges that inspire and delight us while limbering up and strengthening our creative muscles. Creative Sprint began in 2015 and offers a free, annual 30-day program of creative prompts and community engagement. Rest assured: “You don't need any special skills, abilities or materials to get started. You just need to commit 5 minutes a day and we'll help you do the rest.” 

We sprint on Instagram, and marvel at the daily #creativesprint posts. Here’s an example of the prompt from Day 1. “Make something that fits in the palm of your hand using only materials found in your immediate environment.” 

The beginning for the beginning… The scaffold, chemile stem bones of proportion. The framework of a friend on his way to becoming. 

This little dude helped us out on Day 10, too, when the prompt was “Make something by tearing, ripping, or poking holes.”

Here’s Rover, now decked out in ripped, recombined wool roving, poked with felting needle. 

You’ve got five minutes. Come create with us! Sign up at https://www.creativesprint.co/ and create your way through the rest of the month… and beyond! 

diy jack-o-lantern candle

Zombie candle returns from the dead: Upcycle a thrifted candle or less-than-perfect closet find.

Remake a damaged piece into Halloween decoration! This candle got a leeetle too warm in storage.

Warped candle, meet runcible spoon — handy stand-in until sculpting tools are located.

In progress…

Set up a work area. Protect surfaces from wax shavings that will ensue. Mark up a design on the damage face and start carving. Use a picture as a guide or your imagination.

Zombie pumpkin ready for table decoration!

lifecycle of a centerpiece: ready to upcycle

Deconstructed centerpiece— one small bit of trash… the rest drying for use in an upcycled fall wreath.

Thrift store wreath to use as a base for upcycled fall decor incorporating materials dried from a September centerpiece.

Set to work! Surface protected, turntable set up and proper tools at the ready— delete tired, dusty or fusty materials from the thrift store wreath base. Attach dried materials saved from fall centerpiece with wire or hot glue.

When using materials for a wreath, it helps to divide them by type before beginning. Start by laying out elements around the wreath before attaching. Attach wire to the heaviest items by wrapping wire and stem with florist tape— brown tape, in this case. Wire the stems onto the wreath base. Regular stems can be glued in place with hot glue. Start with the heaviest and bulkiest elements and finish with the most delicate.

Hang up and have a look! Almost ready for the front door.

Et voilà !

be our guest!

What is it we are delighted by when having guests? Is it endemic in humanness to offer hospitality? We always feel like we have won top honors if our guests report a comfortable stay. The ideal, of course, is to maintain a dedicated room or suite set up in perfect welcoming stasis replete with all the accoutrements of a luxe hotel and/or spa. An "away" space offering privacy as well as a cozy retreat.

Having that much space for visitors only is super privileged. Most of us must quickly convert a regular room into guest quarters, tossing kids toys, craft supplies, Zoom room accessories will-ay nill-ay into blanket chests, closet floors, and any other available storage space so as to leave room for the thoughtful touches that make our special callers feel at home. Here are some suggestions to keep on hand as a considerate host.

Hot water, tea selection including decaf, Keurig with coffee pods, sugar, shelf-stable half & half, cups, spoons, magazines, puzzle books, current magazines.

Tissues, scented candle with matches, fruit bowl, snacks, soap, lotion, shampoo, spare toothbrush in package, HBO, Netflix, reading chair with multiple charging locations for both guests.

Plumpy covers and fluffy towels!

Things you don’t see but are good to have:

working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors - with extra batteries

step ladder in closet

band-aids in drawer

mini sewing kit, safety pins

working flashlight

emergency phone charger

extra USB cord

card with house WiFi password

working hair dryer

clear nail polish

nail polish remover

new emery boards

shoe polish cloth

Keep clean linens (sheets, blankets, hypoallergenic pillow covers, pillow cases, fluffy towels sets) in sealed bins for each bed to be converted to guest accommodations under that bed. Store linens etc with crisply scented lavender in sachets or soaps to keep stored items fresh.

For more ideas and advice, check out our Be Our Guest board on Pinterest.

trends we’re into: digital silkscreen

We spend a fair bit of our day scrolling here and there, and we enjoy this fresh graphic style that’s caught our attention. These graphics are digital, yet don’t look totally “digital.” The added textures and the flat or flatish areas of color remind us of silkscreen work.

We love all things design and keeping our eye on trends, but the digital space isn’t our area of expertise. So we reached out to friend and designer April Befort-Neumann for her take.

How would you describe this style?

To me this is that cut paper layering technique that was popular in the 70s and 80s — I remember my elementary school textbooks in the 80s having that style — but done on a computer now with modern colors. You build your image by layering colors and shapes on top of each other in Illustrator vs. using more painterly tools in Photoshop.

What elements do you see at play here?

I think color is playing a lot in these examples, I am seeing a lot of human-centric colors, natural palettes with blues, pinks, browns, and oranges this year. Color can really make something digital transform into something rich and warm. The right color choices can make a flat shape on the screen feel like velvet or silkscreen.

These illustrations are definitely about the human experience and it's a more controlled way to tell a story than purchasing stock images.

Why do you think it came up and is gaining popularity? Why now?

People have been at home and it's difficult to stage photo shoots in the best of times, much less during a pandemic. Also, new programs on the iPad and other devices are making illustrating a lot of fun and much easier than before. An advantage to this illustration style is that it is done typically by making vector shapes. That means the image can be blown up infinitely. You can make a billboard if you like. Whereas a photograph has resolution limitations.

Any advice for designers hoping to employ this style?

In some examples, you can see the illustrator made fun, round figures. In other examples, you see skin tones in purple, hot pink, or green. It's a great way to have fun with color and scale. Expressing the vibe and life of whatever it is you are marketing with wild colors, shapes, and scale may reach more people, over getting caught up in realistic visuals with more "normal" representations of humans. So I would say play and be fantastical if you want. Check out Frankie Magazine for inspiration. They publish wonderful illustrations in this style but do it amazingly well with really sophisticated color palettes. I would say stay away from stock illustrations. This trend is so heavy now, I immediately recognize when something was a custom one-of-a-kind illustration and what was purchased on a stock image site.

7/11/2022 update

After getting our hands on a copy of How to Zoom your Room by the brains behind RoomRater, we put their advice to work in this mini kitchen-in-a-kitchen. Pineapple points: achieved!