Patina Moon

Mr Sun decided to show his face for a little  while today.  And... I've been just like a little kid that won't take off my new rain boots.   I've had more fun with crochet lately. I've also enjoyed using pieces of nature to help me wrap some special gifts. It was fun to step outside into the rain with my shears to trim  off a little decoration or two. :-)  There's just something warm and comforting about  crocheting in the winter.   This was the season for my Star Garland,  and Star Fish!  Are you ready to start a new year? Will you be starting off your New Year with a celebration,  or a cozy nap?  I'm kind of like Shatzie here and plan to just stay warm and cozy. Even though Mr. Sun came out to play today, I'm pretty sure  Old Man Winter plans to  stick around for a while.  ...

Lots of baking,  sharing,  crocheting holiday "get-togethers," and  simply enjoying our first Christmas in our new city! (There's even talk of snow flurries on Christmas Day!) Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!  Blessings, Becca 

 Hello dear friends!  Are you feeling the holiday spirit this year? I'm feeling like a kid again seeing new things and  experiencing this time of year in my new home. Sometimes, it's all the lights I see that adorn the trees wherever I go. Sometimes, it's the misty air on my face or the Christmas music I hear when I'm out shopping and running errands.  Sometimes, it's just the light that catches the raindrops and makes  the branches sparkle and glisten. Today, I'm enjoying a cup of tea from a friend,  and...  I almost got out the tripod today too for the raindrop shots  when I realized, the tripod is in the closet where  Russell said, "No Peeking!" Oh well...I think they'll be more rainy days for the tripod shots.  So my friends, I'm wondering... what simple things put you in the holiday spirit?  Becca 

I thought I'd take a little break from holiday photography and  show you something else today.  Remember all those hydrangeas I gathered and dried during the autumn season?  Isn't it interesting to see the different colors they've  dried to?  Although the "blue hydrangea" has always been my favorite  when they are growing in a garden, I think this  dried hydrangea that has turned a lovely aqua color is my favorite!  Which color do you favor?  Some have brown spots which I think means I probably didn't  pick them at the right time, but I saved them anyway as I think  they add a nice winter feeling to the mix.  This wooden basket holds them all nicely,  as long as I keep them where little Lucy can't get to them... Lucy is so fascinated with them for some reason... I don't want her to get sick if she eat...

Handmade clay ornaments!  I first saw these on Pinterest...are you still a  "Pinterest Junkie" like I am?   So many great ideas there!  I also want to give credit to Jen over at  Muddy Boot Dreams Jen made some beautiful ornaments too and shares the link to the  Pinterest site with the recipe to make these. This was so much fun, I just had to share!  I felt like a kid again, making these Christmas ornaments. My star shape cookie cutter was the same one I used  years ago, to make sugar cookies with my mom.  For me, I like the simple white with natural twine. If you want color, you could try painting them!  Here's a shot of my ornaments on a doily  I crocheted with my favorite linen yarn.  (the same yarn I used for the star garland  I made that you can see  HERE) "This is not your grandma's doily"  :-) (Althou...

Hello friends!  It's not even December, but I'm always so excited right after  Thanksgiving to  decorate for Christmas!    Have you started your holiday decorating and shopping yet?  Last year was Lucy's first Christmas, and most of the time we'd  find her, at the top of our 9ft Christmas tree!  This year, she's still fascinated with the tree. Although, she's simply taken to just biting at the branches and playing underneath the tree skirt.  Silly kitty. For me, I just love the Christmas music, baking,  and seeing the beautiful reflections from  all of the lights. Speaking of reflections... I celebrated my Birthday yesterday! I had Dim Sum in Seattle with a couple of friends then shopping at Pike's Market in the rain.   At the end of the day, I was quietly reflecting on my life a year ago,  and how I was anxious and ner...

It's been raining...and raining... and raining some more today.   You know how much I love it! I still laugh at myself for thinking it'll rain hard for 10 minutes then  stop for another 8 months like it did in Las Vegas.   (even though I know better here in Seattle.)   It's funny what you become accustomed to over the years.  So I sat, drinking hot tea by the fireplace, (a loose leaf blend called "Seattle Sunset" from  Savrika Tea in Kirkland  )  listening to the rain against the window.  I started crocheting star garland with my favorite,  linen yarn. Star garland...for the holidays, or everyday. You can make them any size, or any color. I'm using a 3.50mm steel crochet hook with linen yarn. Step 1:   Ch 5, join with a slip st to form a ring. Step 2:   Ch 3.  14 dc into the ring.  Slip st to 3rd ch of ch3 to form a circle...

Greetings dear friends! November and the holidays are upon us, so I wanted to get one last  Autumn post in before everything turns to winter here.  I took these photos at the Washington Park Arboretum,  a short distance from our home.  This is the kind of place that you need to visit  every season, to see the change.  They even have a calendar to show you what's in  bloom each month! It was a lot larger park than I expected and we didn't get around to  each garden that was on the map this time.  We picked a beautiful day to do this.  The sun was peeking through the clouds and the  temperature was not too cold.  Some places had benches and some  had picnic tables just out in the middle of it all!   I'm bringing munchies next time. :-)  So many varieties of trees and plants. Each with their own bu...