Christmas Pleasures

Okay, it's not Christmas anymore, but there are some things about Christmas that you just need to recognize and appreciate before people forget about them.

#1: Peppermint Stick Ice Cream. God's gift to me. Oh, how I love that stuff. We've (I've) gone through two gallons of that stuff since the holiday season began. What am I going to do without it?! Which brings me to...

#2: Okay, who's been holding out on me. What kind of goodness is this and why have I never had one of these amazing chocolate-covered, chocolate-filled Oreo-like cookies before?

A wonderful friend gave us a tin of a mixture of cookies for Christmas and inside was this beautifully tasting chocolate wonder of a cookie. Can anyone name it? I've yet to see my friend but I am sure to find out. WOW, are they good!

(And yes, that is blue nail polish. Girl's Night. I'll just leave it at that.)

#3: There are commercials on t.v. right now that talk about what if we treated every day like it was New Years and paid as much attention to our goals as we do on that day. Well, my thought is, what would life be like if we always celebrated Christ's birth the way we do at Christmas time. 

More peace. More joy. More gratitude. More love. More songs. More cheerfulness. More giving. 

I pray that I am able to hold onto the spirit of Christmas for as long as possible this year, treasuring the ultimate Gift we've been given and remembering why It was given.

I hope you all had a wonderful time these last few weeks.

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

In my haste to hand-deliver a "Mama/Baby" Mobile today, I forgot to take pictures of the sweet thing. Darn. Well, hopefully they'll send me pictures once they've been given on Christmas and you can see them. A fun arrangement of bright red, orange and yellow - Perfect for the sunshine personality of the mom, and I'm sure the daughter.

So speaking of rain (Were we? I don't know. It seems like we should since it's been raining for two days STRAIGHT now)... Here's a picture from out my front door. I couldn't help it today. I went to get the mail, was kind of grumpy that we were stuck inside with ALL the rain coming down, and then... BAM. A break in the rain and a beautiful sight in front of me. So here you go:

Majestic, Colorful, Awe-inspiring.

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Dibble, dabble, dibble, dabble. My brain is turning at the pace of the rain falling. I have so many thoughts in my head it's hard to get to sleep some nights. I'm looking forward to sharing them with you soon!

4 Days until Christmas!!!

More Fluttering

More Butterflies floated away to... Shhhhhh. I can't tell. She might be reading this. But know they are in good hands until Christmas. Shoot, did I give it away?! Well, here's a sneak peak. 

I chose new mesh ribbon for hanging the butterflies as a) it makes it easier to hang, but b) it looks better than the floating branches as with my earlier butterflies.

Previous Butterfly Model

At least, I think so. What do you think?

This new butterfly mobile is very similar to the one listed on my website, however the person giving this gift wanted to personalize it by adding some fabric for the person's room, and keep away from certain colors.

The receiver is not a baby, however enjoyment will still be had as the butterflies are taken in from all angles.

AND, get ready for yet another product line from Cookie+Curly! I can't say a word yet, but I think it's going to be a really fun one, but this time, for the GALS, not the babes. 

Think simple. Delicate. Sweet. Cheap! Fashionable. Versatile. Fun! I ordered my supplies today so hopefully I'll have more to report on after Christmas. I'll keep ya posted!

More birds to fly away in the coming days. A "Mama and Girl" and a Solo Blue Bird. Pictures to follow - I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone reading this as I might have already blown it with the butterflies!

Sleep tight!

Birds Flock to the Jersey Shore

Some of you may have seen something on my website, blog or Facebook and wished you had something just like it, but it's sold. You think, "Darn it! They're so one-of-a-kind... I'll just have to wait for something else I like." Well, think again. 

While God keeps me on my toes and never duplicates the exact same branch, I have developed a rather keen eye (yes, especially while trail running, hiking, or walking the dog with the kids, my fellow stick hunters) and I'm able to replicate orders fairly well, as long as the branch isn't too complex. Take, for instance, this mobile:

Colleen in New Jersey saw this mobile and wanted it for herself, but it was sold. So, she ordered a custom 2-bird mobile and told me exactly what she was looking for:

Close enough? She'll be the judge. Colleen, they're on their way. Be sure to send us a picture so we can see our latest East Coast birds.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. I hear the weather is a-changin'... We've got HEAT coming our way tomorrow! Gotta love our California "winters". 

Come See the Softer Side of C+C

Some of you may not know, but Cookie+Curly started by making super snuggly ribbon-lined blankies. Well, just so you don't forget, here's a peak at an order going out. A blanket/blankie set for... they're not sure who's going to pop out yet! (We didn't find out for either of our kids - I love that surprise!)

Chocolate Swirl Minky

This fabric caught my eye and I was immediately sold. In fact, I bought extra and now have a blanket/blankie set available on my website as I know you'll love it too. (They can be sold separately - Just email me.)

Also part of the order is three more ribbon-lined blankies to bring along some Christmas cheer to a little babe. 

 

And to top it off, four handmade gift cards for the customers to add their own personal message to their friends.

So, come see the softer side of C+C and visit my website to see what else is available along these lines. Get your orders in now to ensure a Merry Christmas!

Axel, and a Little Bread

"Axel"... The name makes me want to pick up a guitar and rock out! At least get the fist-pumping going. But then there's sweet, precious Axel. An almost 2 year old sporting wild, deep brown curls, a shy but overwhelming smirk, and a little bod you just can't help but pick up and squeeze. Two different Axel's. The latest bird mobile is going out to the latter.

Axel's parents have a great sense of style as seen in the custom woodwork, modern colors and sophisticated but totally livable furniture in their home. Not only that, but they have their own solar energy business and mom, when not showering love on Axel, showers love to those in need. (Check out Mindful Mothers to see just one project she does on the side.)

Axel's room is green, orange, brown and white. Mom wanted to match those colors but not fill the smaller room with too much "stuff". She chose a 3-bird mobile and picked out the prints herself out of my stash. (Another bird flew in and landed last minute, tying in the green of the room and completing a happy bird flock.)

Happy Birthday, Axel!

On a completely separate and very random note, I love to bake. Something about the busyness of my hands, the perfumes of flour, applesauce (my substitute for oil), and honey, and then watching it turn from liquid to fluffy goodness that tastes amazing. It is always such a treat! 

Well, tomorrow morning I have a Bible study brunch celebrating Christmas and I'm one of a few bringing bread. Needless to say, I don't have a lot of free time these days but my core will not allow me to buy bread and bring it to a function like this. Meet Honey Oat Quick Bread.

Honey Oat Quick Bread - EatingWell.com

Beyond easy. Super tasty. Moderately dense yet not chewy and bland like some other oat breads I've made. I can't say much more because you just have to taste it to see what I'm talking about. It takes about 10 minutes to make and 45 minutes to bake. Try it out.

More Sophisticated Birds in the Air

Every once in a while customers email me pictures of their Cookie+Curly product in use. Today, it was Baby Liese in Colorado who emailed to share a picture of herself and her new Cookie+Curly Bedazzled mobile. (Oh, wait... Is that a C+C blankie I see there too?!) 

Thanks for sending in a picture! So fun to see the birds in their new home. 

And, more orders go out... This fabric keeps showing it's face as more and more people are wanting a sophisticated bird perched in their home. This particular mobile is making it's way to Summer's grandmother's home as a birthday gift. Happy Birthday! 

P.S. Summer sells Stella&Dot jewelry, if you're looking to doll up in some fabulous pieces for the holidays. I have my eye on a few items I'm hoping Santa will place under my tree. :) And talk about one-stop shopping for every girl on your list. She covers all ages. Shop away!

Lastly, I'm toying with even more changes to my bird pattern. Perhaps a new bird breed altogether. We shall see...

New Mobiles Finally Online!

The end of a weekend brings new bird mobiles to Cookie+Curly's website - Finally! Check them out and let me know what you think.

Details and pictures on new orders heading out this week to follow. Get your orders in now for Christmas as each one-of-a-kind mobile takes tender lovin' care and a bit more than a wee bit of time to make them just right.

On a personal note, we fought the rain to get our Christmas tree this evening. Incredibly wet outside, but we came home with the perfect tree for our house. The kids couldn't sit still out of excitement for decorating the Christmas tree (and the Peppermint Stick ice cream that followed dinner!). 

Early Merry Christmas wishes to everyone!

Molly

Time to Sleep

Thank you to all who came out for The Stitch Market tonight! (And to our hostess, Lindsey. Beautiful house, and person.) It was incredible how many people came and all the love that was lavished on all of our products. Lots of love was showered on the birds and butterflies. Thank you!

Since last boutique I forgot to take pictures, here are a few from tonight...

Lots of happy shoppers!

Christmas C+C style

Ornament Bird

C+C Raffle Giveaway - Handmade Cards Variety Pack

Tropical Jungle Duet

Thank you again, everyone. A very fun night, for all. I'm off to bed! Just a tad bit of sleep to catch up on...

Darn...

In my last post I blogged how I had stayed up burning the midnight oil so that I could work on my birds during my time away over Thanksgiving so I wouldn't come home and have a trillion things to do in preparation for The Stitch Market. Well, so much for that effort.

The second I started stuffing my first bird I realized that I had goofed. Big time. At the last minute, while cutting out all of the birds, I changed my pattern just a bit (I seem to always be tweaking it to make the birds just right). Well, I made a mistake and didn't check one bird before cutting ALL the other birds... and sewing them together.

So, long story short, I burned the midnight oil again Sunday night, cutting and sewing. (I'm kind of happy I started over again as I found some fabrics that really zing when they're together!) Last night I stuffed all of them (while enjoying a lighthearted movie with my hubby) and today I embroider and hopefully hang a few of them. And yes, there will be bedazzled birds involved, and some special Christmas birds - both mobiles, and ornaments. 

Stay tuned for sneak peaks on what will be at The Stitch Market. And locals, come! It's this Thursday night from 6-9pm. You get a raffle ticket just for showing up (and an extra one if you bring a friend!) for the raffle held every 30 minutes. Email me if you need the address.

Great things there from The Pleated Poppy, decorative and custom cards by lollipops, Dondi Bags, blue corduroy, and many more.

See you Thursday!

P.S. Cookie+Curly will be providing a variety pack of gift cards for the raffle.

A Little of This, and a Little of That

Today was a good day in many senses. And then, there were a few hiccups. The day started strong with a wonderful, crisp hike to the "M" of Madonna Mountain with my little side-kick, "Curly". 

She loves to walk now ("Heidi do") so the only way I can get her to stay put in the hiking backpack now is to load up her "lovey" (she never was one for a pacifier) and hit the trail. And yes, those are Kix.

During "naptime" I selected and cut a huge number of birds.

 

I put naptime in quotes because this is when the hiccup was...

Remember the story from a few days ago of my son and entire bottle of moisturizing cream? Well, Round 2 happen today. Yeah.

I checked in on him about 10 minutes into when he was supposed to be napping, only to find him this time behind his previously-upholstered-but-now-naked-because-it's-at-the-cleaners rocking chair. I looked closer and found a trail of lotion on the floor. I hustled to the chair, only to find that my sensory-loving boy had covered the back of the rocking chair, the carpeting, and was working now working on the curtains. What?!?!

I don't need to go into what happened next. Needless to say, as expected by a healthy 3 year old, he recovered quickly and built a "pirate ship" in the livingroom. Ahoy there!

I conclude my day having just sewn twenty nine birds for the Stitch Market boutique on December 2nd. Had to cram in a lot of work to allow for at least a little down time this week.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, if I don't blog before then.