Redwood Park

I spent my lunch hour today walking in Redwood Park, a really cool man-made forest near my work. The forest was planted by twin brothers who settled in the Hazelmere Valley in 1878. At least, that’s what it says on the sign!

This is a recreation or memorial to the house that they built and lived in back then. Unfortunately it was locked up, so I couldn’t see inside at all. But given that it’s just a replica, it’s probably empty anyway.

The reason I went there was to take a picture of this little elf door I spotted in one of the trees last time I was there. I visited a few weeks ago, and the elves still had their Christmas decorations up. Looks like they’ve let the yard go a little bit…

I got a little closer and noticed something alarming. Looks like B&E’s happen even in the middle of the forest! Hopefully everyone’s okay…

After relaxing in the woods for a while, I hit the Tim Horton’s drive-thru on my way back to work. When I got to the window to pay for my soup and coffee, the server told me that the guy ahead of me randomly paid for my order! What a nice thing to do. I paid for the guy behind me – hopefully it made him smile too

Mom’s Christmas Village

I’m visiting my mom for Christmas and it’s so great to relax and enjoy time with my family. I love being surrounded by familiar decorations and festivities. The Christmas tree with its lights and the ornaments that bring back childhood memories, and (my favorite) the elaborate Christmas village that my step-dad sets up every year. I just wanted to share a couple shots I took of the village at night. Merry Christmas!

Holiday Express

West Village

East Village

Village Band

Hawkins Emporium (my mom’s last name)

Mother and Child

Train Station

HDR Snowscape by ehatch10

I’m getting ready to go visit my mom for the holidays, and I’m really looking forward to relaxing and unplugging for a week. She lives in a small town at the north end of Vancouver Island, and it is so beautiful and so quiet up there. I can’t wait to see the tree all decked out, and enjoy some quality family time with her and my brother. Unfortunately the significant other can’t come due to work, but I think a little time apart will be nice as well, since I know I’ll be missing him by the time the week is up.

I’m tying up all the loose ends in my Etsy shop, to make sure everything’s covered before I go away. I’ve had quite a few orders this year, which is fantastic. I’m just finishing up the last orders and I’ve deactivated any made-to-order listings for the time being as I won’t have time to finish them before I go. As a result the shop is looking a little sparse. On the plus side I will have lots of knitting time while I’m up there so I’ll have lots of good stuff to restock the shop when I get back. I’m also hoping to do some spinning, which will be wonderful. I haven’t spun any new yarn in a few months since knitting has been keeping me pretty busy. I’ve got some great hand-dyed fiber in my stash from various Etsy sellers. It’ll be great to get back into spinning with rovings like this one from Squoosh!

And, after all the work I put into my new blog, I’m looking forward to getting on a regular posting schedule again as well. I’m still planning to strike a balance between personal content and Etsy-related posts, and I’ll be bringing back all my regular features, such as Etsy Monday, Tuesday Top 12 and Wool Room Music, with the addition of a couple more surprises!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and I’ll be back in full swing by the New Year!

Etsy Monday – Caracarmina

Little girl flying away

This week’s Etsy Monday featured seller is Cara Carmina. I first discovered her work when I was lucky enough to win a set of her beautiful Cyrano Dolls during the Etsy Mexicoteam’s Day of the Dead contest last year. I’ve watched her shop ever since, and I absolutely love her handmade dolls as well. I’m thrilled to finally be able to feature her on my blog! (Disclaimer: get ready for lots of pictures because I had a really hard time choosing which pieces to include. I literally love everything in her shop!)

She took the time to answer some questions about her work. I was very inspired reading her answers, full of insight and passion. On top of that she shared lots of links to some really great blogs! Here’s what she had to say…

Read full post…

Featured on indiefixx!

My Olive alpaca lace shawl has been featured on indiefixx.com! Corinna Buchholz of piddix on Etsy is a guest contributor on this amazing blog, and she has included me in her post, Guest Blog: Special Topics in Calamity Business – Seven Tips for Etsy Success. This article is packed with useful information for Etsy sellers and I am so honored to be included alongside some of my favorite Etsy sellers. To check out all her great advice, click on the PDF image to download the complete guide (I’m on page 9!).

I actually discovered indiefixx just the other day and instantly fell in love. This blog is just bursting with creative inspiration and positive energy for crafters and creative types. I couldn’t believe it when Corinna contacted me to let me know I’d been featured. This is just the kind of coincidence that makes me feel like I’m on the right track and it’s such a great encouragement.

Thank you Corinna, and indiefixx, for making my day!