Here are the photos of the Cracker Jacks contest prize, fresh off the sewing machine. Take a close look at the sparkling deer and the initial, because your bags will have both of those.
I love the fact that it drapes beautifully (being linen) and has summery stripes on the inside. I've used cheerful pink bias tape on the pocket for a bit of cheer as well.
(Dh said that I would have to charge an outrageous sum if I was to sell these
because of the crazy amount of handiwork caused by the frame I created around the initial. He also warned that I would lose my sanity if I did a frame again, so yours will have your initial, but no frame.)
Are you longing for summer already? My baby sister just had a baby, so I'm heading to sunny Florida in a few weeks to love on her and the new munchkin. I'll bring back some cheery photos, and hopefully decorate her home for Christmas as well. I'll be rotating the photos and art on her walls just as I'll be doing on ours...toward the white theme.
I know that it seems so far away from those of us experiencing late fall, but Australia has summer right now. That's why all the photos of sun drenched children are running about in their newly released papermache issue #2.
It's getting very dark here very early. I am so excited about decorating for Christmas this year. Everything is going to be white. white. white. I can hardly wait until tomorrow morning. You'll see. You'll want to go white too...
If your name is Betty, Brenda, or Jennifer...step right up, the prize is right! You will be receiving some lovely personalized shoulder bags in the mail or otherwise. I'll be contacting you for your mailing addresses shortly. Next week I'll have the model photos of these bags on the blog for you to see. I'm also going to be offering a little something for Christmas gifting on my Etsy site soon, so stay tuned.
I'm always looking at my walls, thinking "Should you be there? If so, what color should you really be?" My living room in the last house was a Ralph Lauren Gold. I loved the way it shimmered when the sun played across its surface. I've been contemplating the same sheen for the dining room here. Don't we all gravitate toward redecorating the interiors when we are locking away the cold? Usually I push Christmas back as far as I can, thinking that I want to enjoy it in it's own time. However, this year I have a decorating idea that I want to play with, so I'm a bit anxious for it to arrive.
I have four turkeys sitting on my back porch, marinating. It's mighty cold out there and there's no room in my refrigerator. (Of course, if I just wait a few days, the munchkins will clean all the provisions out again and there will be plenty of room.) I decided to get a smaller turkey and try four recipies on it in order to to figure out which one to cook for Thanksgiving this year. One recipe is from Sunset magazine and the other three are from that delicious November Bon Appetit I warned you about. I'll let you know which one wins out.
You are getting the photo free version of my blog tonight because my machine is down with a virus. (Which means that I'm going to be chock full of photos next week!) I'm posting remotely until things get sorted out.
One more week for you to enter the Cracker Jacks surprise contest! The drawing will be held on next Thursday, right around midnight...
As I've been getting your surprises together, one has been on it's way to me. It arrived this week. Do you remember what it feels like to have a lovely something unexpectedly show up in your mailbox? I have a new doll from Lubov Nalogina, an excellent doll maker from Moscow, shown below.
I also came across a flash back from my childhood when I went to pick up an English workbook for one of the munchkins. Hello Kitty items were being clearanced at Learning Palace. This character is new to me, but just as sweet as Hello Kitty herself. Here are some more saccharine Japanese items, mostly dolls.
I sent off for a blank moleskin notebook from www.arthousecoop.com. They are collecting books from various artists to tour in their "library" of sketchbooks. I was given the theme " I keep forgetting to call you back". I feel like it's a little bit odd, but I'm working with it.
You simply can't go without a nibble before you leave today, so here's a tasty morsel. The photostream is from http://www.teeniecakes.com/ and she has many more yummy things on her own site as well.
Over the years Cracker Jacks has had many different surprises in their packages. I used to love finding mine in the bottom of the box just as much as the munchkins do today. I also used to love gold nugget gum, because the bag was a prize in itself.
I guess, it a way that was why I always chose "Bubble Gum" ice cream at Baskin Robins. You got to blow bubbles even after your ice cream was long gone.
The modern prizes in Cracker Jacks today are almost all made out of paper. However, the prizes I'm giving out in three Cracker Jacks boxes this week are not paper! These boxes will be all prize and no corn. I'll be randomly drawing three names from the responses I get this week. YOU could win one of the three prize boxes! Send me an email at the link on the word responses, or post a comment here to add your name to the drawing.
I found these shoes over at Riley Roos the other day. They are soooo cute. If only I could find them in my size...
Do you dream about cheese? Do you wish you knew which kind of cheese you would like to eat soon? If so, there is a special site just for you. They say that I'm hankering for Pecorino with my fall apples.
