Little Lion Man - a Stuffed Friend

I meant to post this ages ago when I finished the project, but neglected to take a picture back then. I finally got a few pictures, so here it is!

Lions are kind of a "thing" for our family, so it was inevitable that I ended up knitting a little lion this past summer as a baby shower gift for the niece, who arrived this fall. She is pretty cool so far.

Tobaggan Sideways Cardi - ReKint project

ripping out the old sweater.
therapeutic, despite the gazillion
little balls of yarn I ended up with

A lot of people who know me know that I have a tendency to rip knitting projects out - both partially finished and fully finished - when I realize I don't like how something is turning (or has turned) out.

Yes, a ton of man-hours go into knitting something, especially a sweater, but in reality, I'd rather spend twice that time and really like something, then finish a project and feel "meh" about it. Sometimes I'll pass a sweater on to someone else, but often they sit rarely worn, or even unworn, for a year or two (or seven) before I decided I've had enough and am motivated to rip the sweater out and knit the yarn into a new sweater or other creation.

Make-Something-Monday: T-shirt Necklaces

It's been a few months since my sister and I got together for make-something-monday. Okay, it's been since March, but we have thought about it! We finally made a plan for last night and opted for another t-shirt-based craft.  

tri-color t-shirt necklace

I pinned the t-shirt necklace awhile ago from this site, but there are a ton of blogs out there with the same/similar craft. We're not out to reinvent the wheel here folks, just share our version of things. This is fairly quick and easy, and requires little skill beyond cutting fabric. And your cut lines don't even need to be straight!

Christmas Cards, 2013 edition

The past few years I have been a bit ambitious and made cards with individual designs; last year was the paint-chip theme and quite a few cards were designed with the recipient in mind. The year before was a mixed bag of different designs, both catalog-collage & stamped. Back in 2010 I cut out a crazy amount of paper snowflakes that were the cover of each card (by the way - I found a dozen or so extras when I was gathering supplies for this year!). 

This year I stayed simple with two designs, and minimal prep: just folding the cardstock, punching approximately 90 little snowflakes (give or take the few that may be under the couch or that the cat absconded with) that were affixed with glue tape, and stamping.

House Project #4: The Kitchen! & Kitchen Cupboards, Part II

As many of you know, I teach at a ski academy here in Vermont. Over the last few years I've gone to Colorado with the Alpine kids when they travel for their November on-snow camp. This year I didn't end up going - a bit of a disappointment, but also a chance to get a few projects done. I switched over my seasonal clothes, I sorted and rearranged the guest croffice, I organized the mancave, and I took on the kitchen.

I had already painted the inside of the cupboards, back when I first moved in, but needed a chunk of time to finish the exterior of the cupboards, and to update the rest of the space. Cue several weeks sans-students, mix in some Australian series' on hulu, and voila, a mostly finished kitchen/dinning room. The walls are a really nice blue, called harbor haze (a nod to my five years on the island), and the trim is the same woodland snow seen in the laundry room and reading nook. The handles on all the cupboard doors and on the drawers were spray-painted with several coats of semi-gloss black.

This space had the most amount of work that has needed to go into it prior to painting. Two of the walls had wallpaper, the cupboard doors and handles all needed to come off, a hole or two needed patching, and there was some scary crap under the stove. All of the cupboards and trim in the house is stained wood, so it all needs several coats of stain-blocking primer before painting. I've given the trim all several coats of the primer, and at least two coats of the trim paint although I may go back with a third and fourth coat as I'm noticing the dark still coming through in some areas. I also realized half-way through the first coat of the wall color that they had painted over a layer of wallpaper at some point. Someday if I get really ambitious I'll redo the walls, but for now it came out pretty nicely.

kitchen, pre-move-in: stained-wood cupboards, flowered wallpaper & a plaid valance

House Project #3: Reading Nook

This corner of the room is at the front of the house, to the left of the front door once you've entered. For the time being, the space is a combination of a reading area and the "mudroom." I wanted a space to hang coats and leave shoes without having to go all the way to the back room (and entering around the back of the house doesn't make a lot of sense right now), and a space for most of my books, a table with some plants, and an armchair from my granddad's house.

pre-move-in. note the lovely drapes, circa 198? and up for grabs to the lowest bidder

House Project #2: Laundry Room

The entire house is renter's white. At least, that's what I'm calling it. It's an ugly white, and one that seems to show EVERYTHING. And it has to go. So I slowly started to cover it up with much warmer and happier colors.

As the end of October neared, and I was running out of patience waiting for the closing, I decided I needed to paint something other than furniture. I had already decided on a color for the laundry room, and ended up getting the paint on sale. Of course, the paint chip I had was from a different company than the paint that was on sale, but I really love the color I ended up with.

the only "before" shot I think I have of this space.
non-descript and fairly blah. opposite the window is the
room-wide pantry cupboard!

House Project #1: Kitchen Cupboards, Part I

I meant to post this back in September, but forgot. . . and then remembered when I started working on the rest of the kitchen today, so here it is!

House Project #1: Kitchen Cupboards, Part I

I was lucky to be able to move into my house before it was really mine. The first thing I did was to paint the inside of the kitchen cupboards. They weren't in terrible shape, but vacuuming and wiping them down didn't seem like quite enough to rid them of that "four years of renting" feeling that the house was emitting when I first moved in.

The interiors were a mustardy yellow, and had 80s-vintage contact paper on most of the shelves - some flowered, some yellow. Not terribly ugly, but not the décor I'm going for here. I had pulled the contact paper out of the cupboards on the right side of the kitchen before I took the pictures, then realized I needed to capture its awesomeness before taking it all out.

cupboard above the fridge

Holiday Pregaming, Ornament-style: Clothespin Snowflakes

I generally wait until it is at least December before I get into the holiday spirit, but for the sake of a crafty blog post (which, by the way, you've already had three of this month!), and the Pintester's latest Ornament-themed Pintester Movement, it is Christmas in November!

obligatory artsy window shot
pre-snow - which has been gracing us over the past few days
here in the MRV

I'm a sucker for snowflakes, so of course I was inclined to find a snowflake-inspired ornament, and I tend towards the recycled variety, as well. Lucky for me I had a two-for-one that I'd pinned a while ago: the Clothespin Snowflake.

Fabric-covered Switch plates & Outlet plates

When I painted the reading nook the other weekend (pictures to come!), I had to remove three outlet plates and one switch plate. I had planned to paint the outlet covers with the wall paint, and the switch plate with the trim color, but of course I set them aside and forgot about them until after everything was cleaned up. Not that it would have been a huge deal to open the paint and do it, but I decided instead to give them a little face lift with some fabric.


the makings of a craft project:
operation update-the-plates

I wanted to stick with the blue accent I have going in that corner (the drapes are blue, as is a quilted hanging that is on the back of the chair, and a poster hanging on one wall has a bit of blue in it, too). I have a respectable collection of fabric and found a blue piece that has a bit of a celestial pattern, with lighter swirls and little stars. The fabric worked with the drapes, and looked good against the wall color, too.

Mistake-Rib Knee Socks - Complete!

Remember the socks I mentioned in my summer projects post back in September? Well, I finally finished them this morning - just a few weeks later than predicted.

nearly knee socks!

I'm pleased with how they turned out. They're just the right length, and the elastic in the yarn should hold them up - my fingers are crossed. The only thing that could make them a little better is if I had found a similar elastic-y yarn with wool. These are mainly cotton, so will be great in the spring and fall, but slightly less warm for the winter - but I can always wear them over tights.

Furniture Facelift: Vintage Dresser

I scored this vintage dresser from the "indoor yard-sale" shop down on the main drag through town. I figured it would be more expensive, and drove by it several days before I decided to take the plunge. I anticipated needing to talk the guy down, but for $25, I decided it was a steal. And I lucked out - another person had looked at it earlier in the day but passed it over since she couldn't figure out how to get it home. Yet another reason I have a Subaru wagon - I can usually make things fit!

hello vintage dresser. welcome to your new home.

Pocket Change on Display and a Sticky Solution to an Ugly File Cabinet

I'm almost entirely moved in, save for a few larger things (couch, ski box, cruiser bike) that I'll eventually get here. And by moved in I mean that the tubs and boxes that were in the storage unit and my parents barn are now in various places in the house. Mostly the man-cave. I haven't done much painting yet, even though I was able to move in at the beginning of September, before the closing (this week!). Of course, when I do get around to painting I'll need to move some furniture around, but since I haven't settled on too many colors yet, nor bought more than a gallon of the few colors I have decided on, I'm not too worried. Eventually there will be before and after pictures of the rooms, but for now, I'm still picking away at the little projects, because I need to feel like I've accomplished something. Even if it takes less than 10 minutes. It's still finishing it, right?

 

Pocket Change

In the process of unpacking and sorting, I'm finding a lot of treasures that have been tucked away for a number of years, and a good amount of things that are destined for new homes. The yard sale/donation pile grows by the day, and I'm thinking I might start sending random things to friends who I think would appreciate them. If you're up for a free surprise, let me know! One treasure I came across the other day was an old cardboard cigar box, which I know I've had since I was probably 9 or 10, that has a bunch of coins from other countries, as well as some paper money. Some of it came from trips abroad that I've taken (Italy, Germany, Ireland) and some of it is from others who have traveled, like my Grandmother, or my Grandad. I suppose at some point I could have taken all the money into the bank and exchanged it, but a lot of the coins are neat, and I love the colors and artwork on the paper bills.

some coins in a box.
also known as art that hides the wireless router.

I decided I wanted do have them out on display, and as much as I love the "mason-jar-filled-with-____" trend, I have enough of those full of shells and beach glass already. So instead, I went the route of a shadow-box. I found a 5 x 5 frame that was about an inch deep and the way the mats were cut and displayed, it gave the frame a shadow-box feel. The paper bills were "artfully arranged" (that's key crafting terminology) behind a mat towards the back of the frame, and the coins were settled in the front against the glass (plastic). Voila!
 

Summer Knitting Projects

I haven't done a ton of knitting this summer, but have been keeping busy with a few projects:

The string-of-lights is slowly growing. . . twenty-five lights are knit, five more are set up, and I have more than enough yarn to create more strand and lights. This will be done by Christmas for sure!

two yards and counting on the string of lights
(and a sneak-peak at the front porch and front yard)

Furniture Facelift: Low Bookshelf Edition

Another free score for the house! This bookshelf, like the hutch from a few posts ago, only needed a couple of coats of paint to make it room-ready. My dad did replace the back, although it didn't necessarily need it. Not a huge deal when it comes to getting free stuff, right? The story behind the shelf, however, is pretty neat.

First, painting the shelf.

bookshelf, with new back (courtesy of dad)

Little Critters (live edition)

My gardens are teaming with woolly bears. I've seen more of the little guys in the matter of a few days than I've seen in several years. It's a little crazy. 

hello friend.

Furniture Facelift: Hutch Edition

I'm all about bargain & thrift shopping, especially now that I've (almost) got a house. Earlier this summer I swung by the ReStore in Burlington to window shop for furniture for the impending move. I hadn't planned on buying anything, but when I saw this piece, I knew immediately that it would be a perfect kitchen/dinning room piece. A little elbow grease got the grime off it - of which there was quite a bit. Word to the wise when donating things to thrift stores/etc.: at least try to scrub off the grime before you drop it off. Nobody wants to scrape that junk off. 

little hutch. so much potential.
(it was a bit on the cheap-looking side. trust me.)

One Fish Two Fish ~ a knitted blanket

I wrote this post earlier this summer when I completed this blanket, but wanted to wait to post it until the baby shower for my SIL a few weeks ago- I didn't want to ruin the surprise!

A number of years ago I stumbled upon a pattern (also found on ravelry as "A Recipe for Fish") for knitting fish that could be assembled into a blanket. The beauty of the pattern (as well as many others) is that you can really customize it based on what you use and how many fish you make. The more fish you knit, the bigger the blanket, and the larger the yarn and needles, the bigger the fish and blanket.

the growing school. sorry, gauge, they aren't real!

For my first go at it to test out the pattern, I used scrap yarn and orphans, and ended up with a very colorful little school. I think it's destined to become a cat blanket, if they'll have it (Gauge already approves, as you can see above). That finished piece is not very large, partly because I was trying to use up all the small bits, and partly because I lost steam as I was also working on other projects. And, who the heck wants to sew together a giant school of fish . . .

finished fish sampler. very colorful, not very large.

 

Coming soon . . .

School has started - we're already two weeks in - and I'm nearly into a routine. It's only going to get better once I'm into the new house (starting this weekend!) and finally unpacked (later this month). Living out of my car and off the generosity of friends and family has been nice, but I'm anxious to have my own space again.

Eventually all my craft things will have been unearthed from the depths of storage and will have been assigned their proper homes in the craft room.

A CRAFT ROOM!

I have my OWN CRAFT ROOM (And that's aside from the guest room, and the man-cave, which is currently man-less, if anyone knows any decent, age-appropriate, single, handsome guys who'd like to live in the Mad River Valley. . . ).

On top of time making time for crafting, I'll also slowly be updating the 1979 one-story ranch (that's almost mine), and refurb'ing the second-hand furniture I've acquired. Most of which you'll get to follow along on here. As if trying to keep up on posting about my crafts isn't enough :)

the shabby-chic mint-green ranch

Summer Project #2: 30 Days of Photographs - Recap & Favorites

And done! 45 days later, the 30-day photo challenge is complete. A few of my favorites are posted below. Click on the "30 Days of Photographs" tab above (or click through here) for the entire challenge with narratives of each photo.

day 2.

I've been shared!

A little excitement around here - I just discovered, thanks to the "stats" feature here on blogger, that the Make-Something-Monday (Friday edition) of the DIY "Sea glass" bottles that my sister and I did back in March was included in a posting over at BRIT + CO. earlier in July.

Head on over: http://www.brit.co/mason-jars/, scroll on down - we're #20!

Maybe next time I'll actually use mason jars for the project as I certainly have plenty of extras (a box of them currently sits in the storage unit. . . ). And someday when I have the time, I'd love to come up with a suitable way to recreate the original blue glass found on antique canning jars, like the ones my mother has.

some of mom's antique blue canning jars

Slow day (month) at the office . . .

Not much crafting going on these days, unless you count packing to move, which it could be argued is a craft in itself.

"pantry" waiting to be packed.

Sweatshirt Resize

I like to refer to the token sweatshirt from my undergrad days as the "$350 sweatshirt" because I received it after mailing in the $350 deposit to hold my spot when I decided to go to Clarkson. Of course they were indiscriminate in selecting the "welcome-to-college-thanks-for-the-first-of-a-lot-of-money-you-will-give-us" sweatshirt to send to me, and consequently it is a large . . . while I am not. Luckily, the late 90s were all about over-sized clothes, so in the grand scheme of things at the time the size was inconsequential. Not to mention that I was at an engineering school where dressing stylishly didn't feel all that crucial, except during job fairs (note to current students: sweatshirts are generally not acceptable job fair attire).

the 90s are alive in this sweatshirt

Summer Project #2: 30 Days of Photographs.

from:
http://littlebennet.com/
 

This idea came across pinterest a while ago: a month of taking photographs. The pin linked to a blogger who found their inspiration on the 'net and came up with a list of things to photograph each day. My plan is to use from now (starting July 1) until school starts in mid-August to complete the challenge. It won't necessarily happen over 30 consecutive days, but over 30 days total. And I'll go off the list here, which I've also printed off so I can keep track. I'm pretty sure I can get through all 30 by giving myself this 45-day(ish) window!

Another bonus to this? You'll get pictures from a few different states. I have a trip to CO planned mid-month, a friend I plan to visit in NY one weekend, and a trip to ME planned sometime between now and school starting.

I'll collect the photos on one page, which you can find in the menu above (or by clicking through here). I debated doing this with film photography, as I do have a great 35mm SLR that I got for college graduation, but that may have to wait for next time as I need to make sure I have film for it.

And before the challenge starts, a little glimpse at the incoming storm from earlier this evening; don't worry, you'll get the "real" cloud picture on day 3.

Summer Project #1: String of Lights

Despite having a lot of my stuff packed in boxes in the storage unit in anticipation of moving out of the dorm apartment, I did leave out a few projects and miscellaneous craft stuff. One of the projects I decided to work on this summer is one that I'd seen a friend knitting several years ago, a string of lights. The pattern is part of a set of patterns from Knit Picks, called Winter Wonderful, which now comes as either the pattern alone, or with the yarn; when I bought it a couple of years ago, I bought it as a kit with the yarn included. Of course, I really only love a few of the patterns, and in retrospect probably could have figured out on my own how to make the lights. But I like the yarn colors that were included in the kit, and I already have some ideas for using them up down the road.

five lights done:
dark blue, light grey, light blue, white, blue.
repeat.

The pattern is essentially a long I-cord with the lights coming off at regular intervals. I started with the string itself and it's now just over two yards long (measured very accurately using the nose to fingertip method), with space for about 30 lights. You can see the loop at on end, and the stitch holder at the other end. The safety pins are holding the stitches that will start each light. 

Mother's Day Crafting: Yarn-dyeing Spectacular

For my birthday my mom (and dad) gave me some un-dyed yarn, with the promise that we'd dye it
together since she has all the supplies. On Mother's Day, after getting a bunch of stuff done around the house and yard, and before I had to come back to school, we did a quick dye job. A nice crafternoon activity.

The yarn came from Knit Picks, from their Bare line - a hank (skein) and a sock blank. The neat thing about the sock blank is that it is one long rectangle all knit up in stockinette stitch, and it is actually two strands of yarn. So, if you actually decide to knit a pair of socks (totally your choice - it's your yarn, after all), they'll look relatively the same in terms of the pattern. This is, of course, if you start both socks with the same end of the yarn. Otherwise you may end up with socks that are opposite. Nothing wrong with that. A lot of things in life are opposite and still work well together (like men and women, for instance).

(almost) No-sew Braided T-shirt Collar Revisited

I've been meaning to revisit the "(almost) No-sew Braided T-shirt Collar" from March of last year.  I didn't have another shirt in my closet that I was interested in altering, so I have kept my eye out when hitting the thrift stores. When I was out a few weeks ago, I finally found a couple of inexpensive T's that I decided to try this again.

When we made these the first time, we both found that the neck felt a bit tight. So, I figured that starting with a deeper scooped neck would still give the braided look without as tight a feel. The T's I picked up each have a fairly scooped neck.

round 2 t-shirt
just a bit scoopy, and not really suitable for teaching in

This and that.

Before there was Pinterest

two-ish years of two mags
ready for recycling or repurposing

Since joining Pinterest, I've "pinned" a lot to a bunch of boards - crafting ideas, recipes, cool looking house interiors, and other random non-crafty things. I've followed through on a few of the pins (click on "found.on.pinterest" label under Contents Vary, at right, to see a few), and have plans to continue.

But the internet isn't the only place that I've found great ideas. Over my spring break I sorted through three sets of magazines - Do It Yourself, Martha Stewart Living, and Better Homes and Gardens - that spanned roughly two and a half years. Best spring break activity, ever. Of course, I couldn't remember why I'd saved most of the magazines, although a few dog-eared paged here and there proved to have ideas worthy of being ripped out. I am sure I could find the same ideas online, but I enjoy being able to flip through the magazines several times before setting aside or recycling. 

Sky Blanket, Update. . .

loungin' on the couch

I really do love the sky blanket, but I've found over the past few months that it has spent more time decorating the back of the couch than on my lap.

It is the perfect lap size, and it is the right amount of warmth for one's lap. But it has not been happy to be just a lap blanket that mostly decorates the back of the couch. It certainly was not receiving the appropriate amount of love and attention it deserves (although it did get plenty of attention last year).

I did a quick measure of the dimensions while folded in half, and, of course, it is a funky size that does not exist in the world of regular pillows, or even pillow forms one can by from a craft store. Sigh. I figured I could find something that would work, or at the very least could buy fiberfill stuffing and go that route.

Break.

Our spring break has finally arrived. Two weeks. Considering we haven't had time off since the Christmas/Holiday break, and the kids have been on snow since early November, it feels like it is time for a break.

zoe is enjoying the sunny (albeit chilly) day.

Despite the beautiful sunny day today, it is only in the mid-30s. I had lunch with a friend, and we walked the dog. But I have also spent much of the day puttering around the apartment. A little spring cleaning. Laundry. Sorting. Rearranging.

Make-Something-Monday: DIY "Sea glass" bottles

Update/Disclaimer: I have been getting a lot of views of this post, probably since folks think they might actually get instructions on how to make the very bright and pretty mason jars seen in the image going around the 'net. I never could get the original link to work, and I'm fairly certain that those jars were manufactured, not a D.I.Y. project. Correct me if I'm wrong, and enjoy our project!

A friend had pinned an image with a caption that claimed a how-to for making jars look like "sea glass" using Elmer's Glue and food coloring. As luck would have it, the link didn't work - the server (or whatever fancy website-blocking software) here at school blocked it. I should probably be thankful, since it very well could be a bogus, porn/virus-filled link, despite the really pretty jars. But if you've seen this pin, and the link works, let me know. Maybe it's legit (or possibly even too legit to quit).

 LEFT: the alleged "sea glass" jars        RIGHT: the "sea glass" jars we made

      circulating the world of Pinterest             after reading several how-to's



So I went to the Google and did a little search, and of course came up with a ton of hits. There are a lot of crafty blogs linking this idea. Most of the pics look less like "sea glass" - which I picture as being somewhat frosted in appearance - and more like colored/tinted glass. Creative nonetheless.

Tap to Table.

Creative & Crafted Pay-It-Forward

Around the beginning of the year, a facebook status started making the rounds. Offer to make something for five people who promise to do the same for others. A creative pay-it-forward, if you will. With the end of grad school and the resuming of "free time" in my future, I decided to bite.

want something?

Honeycomb Headband

I have a habit of buying one skein of yarn at a time. Usually it is an orphan skein from a sale basket at a yarn shop I've happened upon. I like supporting small and independent businesses, and I know how sporadically yarn shops can see customers, so I often end up buying one or two skeins of random yarn. I'm nice that way. Other times I'll buy just one or two skeins because I like the color, or the fiber.


assorted sock yarn. .  .
minus a few rogue skeins

This frequently happens when it comes to sock yarn. I have a stash of sock yarn (also called fingering yarn) that has built up over the years. Mostly purchased because I like the colors - fun colored socks are a must. Plenty of the yarn has indeed gone to making socks - I've perfected the one skein pair of sneaker-socks, and number of the skeins have partners which is nice for making calf-high or knee-high socks. But, I still have quite few skeins right now and have been trying to come up with an alternative use for them. I have no patience for knitting a sweater out of sock yarn. Thousands of stitchs on size 2 needles? No thank you.

Go Outside & Play

At some point in the last year or so, this image crossed my path on the internets:

go outside & play
found through this blog

I really like it, because it is something I frequently want and need to do.  Having come across it over the last year, it was particularly something I wanted to do while in the midst of grad school. The message is also quite relevant to my grad school studies, so I was feeling especially attached to it, and felt the need to somehow recreate it.

The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater

There is folklore amongst knitters regarding the Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater.

The basic premise is that if you knit a sweater for a boyfriend, the relationship will soon come to a demise . . . he might promptly, or soon thereafter, break-up with you. Something about your commitment to making a sweater scares off the typical commitment-phobic male.

Some may argue that the curse does not exist, or that the opposite is true in their case - that the sweater sealed the deal. Others justify the demise of the relationship for reasons other than a hand knit-with-love gift. The Google has all sorts of entertaining links regarding this phenomena, I think there are even several chick-lit novels out there.

Cupcakes for Two (or Three)

So I came across a pin on pinterest the other day that claimed it would make two cupcakes.

I very much like cupcakes. And, while it really isn't that much of a hassle to make a dozen cupcakes, it is generally safer to have an occasion for which a dozen cupcakes can be brought to. Otherwise they are too tempting to not eat in an unnecessarily short amount of time.

Normally I am skeptical of recipes on pinterest because, thanks in part to the cautionary tales on Pinstrosity, the internet is sometimes just too good to be true.

But tonight I decided to brave it, and I followed the pin to the One Bowl Vanilla Cupcakes For Two.

A recipe that makes just two cupcakes. Two. Cupcakes. oh. dear.

So, I made them. Like I have anything better to do on a Friday night?

Sky Blanket, Complete!

The blanket is complete!

Adventures in Applesauce

I'm not always one for New Years' resolutions because I tend to forget them when life starts happening, but one thing I've mentally committed to since I (mostly) finished grad school was to finish things I had started or use up stuff that's been lying around waiting to become something.  I have several knitting and crafting projects that are nearly done and I've since acquired (or am in the process of acquiring) the materials needed to finish them.  More to follow on those!

One project I've been meaning to do for a while is to make some applesauce.  And by "a while" I mean since the late fall I've had a fridge-drawer full of apples awaiting consumption in some form other than straight out snacking on.  There were a couple of varieties in there, one bought from the orchard of a family friend over in Middlebury and the other from the local grocery here in town which happened to also be sourced from  an orchard on the other side of the mountain, in Shoreham. 

December Sky Blanket Square

And done. 

december