My First Craft Sale!

Last weekend Jenna Nutting and myself took part in the Westmount Community “Shop the Hall” craft sale.

We shared a table and had a variety of homemade items on display. The items I was selling included: jewelry trees, button & stone earrings, fridge magnets, knitted coffee sleeves, and holiday dog collars.

Jenna was selling a bunch of knitted items, including cowels, baby boots, scarfs, toques, fingerless gloves, and neck warmers. The baby boots were adorable and were loved by everyone!

Overall, the event was a success! We had a great time, met some talented people, and learnt a lot.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by, we appreciate your support!

If you are interested in seeing and / or purchasing any of the items Jenna was selling, you can contact her at jenna.nutting@gmail.com


For any of my merchandise, contact me at myshoeboxdesign@gmail.com

Recipe Time: Martha Stewart Cranberry-and-Orange Vodka

(Image from http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/infused-vodka)

This is an easy recipe I found on marthastewart.com. Fruit-infused vodka is a great handmade gift for the holiday season. 


Ingredients: 
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 piece of fresh orange peel
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of water
3 cups of high quality vodka


The best thing about this recipe is that you can substitute the cranberries and oranges for any type of fruit and create your own personalized fruit vodka.  


Directions:
In a saucepan, heat cranberries, sugar, and water until the sugar dissolves. Pour the cranberries and the liquid into a large glass jar; stir in orange peel and vodka. Cover and let stand in large glass jar for at least 3 days. Strain before serving. 


When gifting your vodka I would suggest attaching a cocktail recipe that works with your personal fruit vodka. 

Easy Entertaining Tips for the Christmas Season...

Christmas time is fast approaching, which means so are Christmas parties. Hosting a Christmas party can be overwhelming and exhausting. Here are a few tips I find helpful when planning to host a Christmas party.

1. Choose a Theme!

I suggest choosing a theme specific to the holiday, and also using a "color palette" that compliments that theme. For instance, if you are hosting a Christmas party and your home is decorated with blue and silver decorations, I would suggest using blue and silver dish and glassware to create a unified look. 

2. Plan Ahead

You should give your guests at least three weeks notice when planning a Christmas party. Its a busy time of the year and you want to make sure you give people enough time to plan ahead. 

3. Create Stations

When hosting a party it's a good idea to have different stations set up around the house. For example, you can have a "Champagne Station" or a "Fondue Station". This creates a few different gathering spots throughout the house, rather then having one large, overcrowded area. 

Try a Milk and Cookie Station!

4. Simple is better

When it comes to food, simple is better. Choose finger foods and appetizers that are easy to make and don't create a huge mess. You don't want to spend a bunch of your time in the kitchen making food or cleaning up messes during the party. After all, it is a party and YOU should enjoy it too!

5. Give yourself some "YOU" time

Plan to have everything ready at least 15 minutes before guests arrive. It's very important for the hostess to have some time to just sit back and relax. You will enjoy hosting much more, and when you are having fun, the guests will be too!

HAVE FUN!  :)

Christmas Gift and Craft Sale!


Looking for unique Christmas gifts? Come and check out the Westmount Christmas Gift and Craft Sale. Jenna Nutting and I will be selling a wide array of handmade gifts, including jewelry trees, earrings, knitted gloves, toques, and scarves. There's no charge for admission, so feel free to come by and check out the displays, or just say Hi! :)

Christmas Tree Decorations

Fruit Inspired Christmas Tree

One of my favorite blogs, "Young House of Love", had a great idea for Christmas tree decorations (see link below). They used dried fruit as a feature ornament on their already bright and cheerful Christmas tree. I fell in love with this idea and wanted to give it a try.

Here is my experience creating my Fruit Inspired Christmas Tree.

http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/12/tis-the-season-part-two/

The first thing I did was slice lemons, limes, and oranges into 1/4" slices.

Then I preheated my oven to 250 F. I placed the sliced fruit on a cookie sheet and baked for 2-2.5 hours. Make sure to check on the fruit regularly because it can burn quickly.

"Young House of Love" mentioned that the lemons and limes are very difficult to dry properly. I found this to be the case as well, and burnt mine... :(

Once the fruit is dried, store in a air tight container and let it cool for a couple hours. Then insert metal ornament hooks through the dried fruit.

Now the fun part - decorate and enjoy your fruit inspired Christmas tree!

If you havent done it already, you should check out the Young House of Love website. They have great ideas and awesome DIY projects.

DIY Projects:

Handmade Christmas Gifts


This year it's my goal to make a small portion of everyone's Christmas gift. Here are a few things I have come up with over the past week. 


Button Earrings

Button Earrings are a great stocking stuffer; they are simple, unique, and are incredibly easy to make. 

Coffee Mug Sleeves 

After a short lesson from my crafty friend Jenna, I was able to knit these cute coffee mug sleeves. This is the perfect gift for the coffee or tea lover. You can make a variety of sizes to fit around a thermos or coffee press, or add a special touch by sewing a variety of buttons or that special someone's initials into the sleeve. 


If your interested in purchasing any of these gifts, I will be selling coffee sleeves, button earrings, jewelry trees, and much more at the Westmont Community Center Craft Fair on December 4, 2010. I will provide more information closer to the date. 

Poll Results
What is your favorite holiday?

I was so happy to see the poll results this week. The results showed that 77% of voters' favorite holiday is Christmas!

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, I love the traditions, family gatherings, and of course - the decorating.

Here are a few design tips that I think may be helpful for this upcoming holiday season:


Tip #1
Use a Non-Traditional Christmas Tree

Tip#2

Bring Christmas into the Bedroom!



Tip#3

Bring Nature Indoors

Tip #4
Light Your Space with Candles!

Tip #5
Create a Focal Point... My Favorite is the Fireplace!

Tip #6
Most Importantly - HAVE FUN!

Happy Decorating!



Recipe Time:
Girls' Night Out!

One of my favorite things is Girls’ Night Out! Most of the time we end up staying in rather than actually going out, but it’s the best time ever! We usually each bring an appetizer and some wine, and just sit around the table and eat, drink, and laugh all night. I usually try to make something new and unique to bring, and this time I decided to use a Martha Stewart recipe I saw on Oprah a couple months ago. Enjoy!

Fancy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Tomato, brie, green apple, pear on sundried tomato loaf.

I like this recipe because its not only easy but very versatile; you can use any type of fruit, veggies, or cheese you like.

Ingredients:
Green Apple
Pear
Brie
Sundried Tomato Loaf
Tomato
Margarine

Method:
1. Cut apple, pear and tomato into thin slices
2. Cut load into thin slices
3. Cut Brie into thin slices
4. Warm up pan
5. Butter the outside of bread
6. Grill sandwiches until light brown
7. Remove, slice and serve warm

This recipe turned out to be a GREAT success! Everyone loved them and once again fun times were had at Girls’ Night Out!

Thanks Martha Stewart!

Design Project:
Bathroom Renovations


I was asked by a partner at the firm to conceptualize a modern design for his home bathroom. Modern styles are naturally fresh, clean, and simple, and the goal was to apply these elements to a design scheme that reflects nature. The dark wood cabinets represent trees, the ceramic tile represents stone, and the glass sink and light coloured walls represent air.

Here are a few pictures of the presentation board:

Here are some pictures that inspired me while creating this design. Some of them actually made it on the presentation board, while other are more just for fun and were inspiring in a less obvious way.

Enjoy!  :)