Holiday Shopping for a Cause

Get a jump on your holiday shopping and support breast cancer research and prevention.

This Saturday, November 8, join us from 6-9 pm at Salon deZen, 1008 King Street, in Alexandria, VA.

Enjoy champagne, snacks, and plenty of holiday cheer as you shop for custom jewelry by Trish Thackston, handcrafted baby items by Niknod (that's me!) , Pampered Chef products, custom stationary by Simple Terms, homemade honey by John Ferree of Ferree Bee Products, Tastefully Simple, custom stamping with Ruth Murphy, and so much more!

A percentage of sales will be donated to team F.W.I.K. and the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. For more information, check out the team website. www.fwik.org.

Not local, or can't make it? 11/9-11/16 10% of all sales in my Etsy shop will be donated for breast cancer research and prevention!

Recovery is Slow and Boring

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I'm back, recovering from last week's emergency appendectomy. I'm very glad to be home now, with family and friends and kitties to keep me company.


Betsy has offered to help make some hats. Just as soon as she learns how to crochet. She's very cute trying to do it, jabbing her hook into the ball of yarn. Watch, in six months she'll be crocheting circles around me (perhaps literally, given her fascination with all things "circle" lately)!

Come to Our Garden

One thing our condo has, that our apartment didn't have, is a lovely patio perfect for gardening. Here are two of our favorites.

This geranium is gigantic, and the red flowers virtually vibrate in the bright patio sunshine. We bought this at a trip to the Leesburg Flower and Garden show with my brother and sister-in-law, on a cold and rainy April day. It has bloomed all summer long, and now fills an enormous pot.

Betsy likes to pick the flowers and sprinkle petals in puddles.

We've also had great success this summer with our edibles, herbs and peppers. For months and months, we've been making batches of searingly and deliciously hot jalapeno poppers, from just this one plant.

I'll be sad when first frost kills the more delicate herbs, but I'm also looking forward to the end of the mosquitos that keep us from dining on the patio!

Portrait of the Tattoo Artist as a Young Woman

Oh NO! Now look what's happened. Someone got into the markers and pens.


But don't our arms look fabulous?

CMP Craft Show

I was a vendor at my first craft show on 9/27, at lovely Claude Moore Park in Sterling, Virginia. It was so much fun meeting new people there, both customers and other vendors. I was happy with my sales, and took lots of custom orders that have been keeping me busy since (hence no blog posts recently).

I think the clotheslines worked well for displaying hats, although next year I'd like to have more rows of hats to display!

Likewise, I'd like to have a table full of toys next year. But I have to start someplace, right? Kids seemed to really like the fish and pumpkins.



Here are friends Isobel and Betsy, enjoying a lovely snack together. The tiny chairs were a big hit, as was the random blue ball (not shown). We had brought these purely for Betsy's entertainment, but other kids liked them too, and brought their parents into the booth as well when they came in to sit or play.

Here are Dodie, Betsy, and my mom, keeping an eye on things. Mom, Matthew, and Betsy were a huge help, and I certainly could not have done it without them!

Then You May Take Me to the Faire

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival. I had to make Betsy--ahem, Princess Elizabeth--a costume, because dressing up is the best part! That, and gawking at the things other people dress up in. And eating meat on a stick.

And blowing bubbles with fairies. And flinging hatchets. And twirling with Elizabeth to bagpipe music.

I made her outfit in (literally) the hour before we left, and it was ridiculously easy. A velvety tank over a onesie, and a satiny elastic-waist skirt, all fabrics from my stash. And some plastic pearls that she's been loving lately. As long as you didn't look too closely at the finishing details, it looked good!

We were surprised by how many people stopped us to take pictures and comment on her dress. Perhaps because she was one of the few little girls there NOT in a Disney Princess Polyester Party Pak outfit?

And now it's another fun addition to her dress-up box.

Stuff Happening Today

The Artsy Danger Ladies Secret Mod Squad sale is on! Search for teamADL for lots of great stuff that's 20% off, today only!

Also, I'm in another treasury, this one of pretty blue and brown things for babies. I'll try to put up a screen shot later, but for now here's a link.