Hi. Happy 2012! This is me catching up on photos from September. Woopsies. First up: Paris!

Despite it being my third time there (the last time was 10 years ago!), it was the first time for my sister so we enjoyed seeing all the sights.

We pretty much were walking machines and ate mustard, cucumber, and cheese baguettes like it was our job.

I can finally check visiting the Louvre off my list.

And I couldn’t get enough of the mini chimney roof tops.

Oh, and we saw this tower a few times too. I seem to be collecting mini things. Stay tuned for more mini-awesomeness from my Berlin travels : )

Link: Flickr • Instagram

Last month I went to a Etsy Handmade Holiday event at West Elm. I kept admiring West Elm’s “snowflake” mobiles made out of branches, repurposed wood, and rope. I decided to make my own mini version with toothpicks, string, and hot glue.

To make a star you’ll need 4 toothpicks. Make two crosses with a dab of hot glue and then glue them together.

Repeat as many times as desired.

To glue on the string, dab glue in the middle and ends. Then press the string to the center toothpick.

Hand individually or on a string to make garland. You could even paint the toothpicks or add glitter (perhaps that will be next year’s project!).

These woven Danish Christmas Hearts or Julehjerte can be dated back to the 1860s where the author Hans Christian Andersen was known to make a few. In addition to writing poems and fairy tales, H.C. Andersen, was also famous for his intricate paper cutouts and mobiles.

Feel free to make your own ornaments this Christmas with the pattern below. Simply print on paper or card stock and cut out.

Fold the two body pieces in half and make cuts along the lines.

Weave in the ends. (If you need more step by step instructions visit this site).

Attach the top piece with tape to the inside and hang by itself or with string.

If you’re looking for more last minute decorations or gift tags, head over to my digital shop where you can turn the designs into toppers or garlands.

Turns out my friend Kelsey and I are capable of making mini gingerbread houses. I may or may not have broken my old mixer in the process but that’s okay. I think it was worth it. We used the Joy of Cooking gingerbread recipe and were happy with the result.

To make the houses, print the pattern below on card stock and cut out. Trace the pattern with a knife onto the dough. To put the houses together we cheated and used store bought icing. I put the icing in a ziplock bag and snipped off the corner. Then we carefully assembled the pieces with a little trial and error.

With the left-over dough I finally had an excuse to use my Muji Alphabet cookie cutters and make a few Christmas tree ornaments for friends.

Last fall I created stenciled snowflake pillows for Better Homes & Gardens. They were featured in the December 2011 issue and the stencils can be downloaded here. I used the freezer paper technique where you cut the pattern out of freezer paper and iron it onto fabric to create the stencil. Even my friend, Will, who helped me out with the project, was amazed at how easy it was!

(Photo by John Marshall)

(Photo by John Marshall)

Because you are never too young or old to be Santa. Check out my tutorials on Babble!

Links: Babble

And so a new little shop has begun. I’ve decided to try Big Cartel and the fabulous Pulley App because it is almost 2012 and Etsy hasn’t gotten aboard the automatic download train. And quite frankly, the amount of designs to sift through on Etsy can be a little overwhelming, right? (Sorry, Etsy). And so here it is. Explore new designs, updated old ones, and gift tags! I’ve added tags for handmade sewn, knit and crochet gifts to include information like yarn, fabric, special instructions (thanks for the tip on that, Ali).

Also, I would love your feedback! If there are any designs you would like to see or other products to add to the mix, let me know. Comment below or send a note. And who knows, maybe you’ll be lucky to get a free design!

Link: My Shop

Over the summer I had the opportunity to freelance for Martha Stewart Living. One of the stories I art directed and designed the layout for was the cross-stitch story in the November issue. My friend’s adorable daughter was also chosen for the opening image. So fun!

The talented Steph Hung designed and made all the crafts and I was super excited to meet and work with Jennifer Causey, having been a huge fan of her Makers Project.

Photos above by Jennifer Causey.

I took a few behind-the-scenes pics the day of the shoot.

The other day I organized the embroidery floss collection from my youth and wound new colors. Organizing it by color will happen another time (ha!).

The tutorial and patterns for the cross-stitch family featured in Living can be found here. It was a good starting point for me, but I ended up making my own designs.

I also made a card frame out of black card stock.

I can’t wait to snuggle with Maggie and Max over Christmas!

Yeahiknow. Finally, right? I’ve been making these owlies for years giving them away to family and friends for birthday, baby and Christmas gifts. They’ve been featured on Burda Style, Martha Stewart’s Craft Dept. Blog, Microcrafts…and now (sound the horns!) I have an Etsy Shop!

As always I’m happy to make custom sizes, colors, etc. Contact me for details.

Links: The Owlies Blog • The Owlies Shop • Owlie Flickr Set

In September I went on a short sailing trip in Denmark from Vejle to Bogense with my sister, aunt and uncle. Unfortunately, crazy winds kept us in the harbor at Bogense for a few days but we had fun taking walks and exploring the town.

On one of the walks we saw the most adorable knit houses in a window and just HAD to make our own.

We made a quick stop to a yarn shop and thrift store to pick up yarn and double pointed needles.

So fun!

Now excuse me while I go recreate Nyhavn, an amazing harbor in Copenhagen (and one of my favorite places!).

Links: Bogense on Flickr

Earlier this summer my friend Dorothy hosted a crafty gathering at her house. We tried Shibori, a Japanese tie-dying technique where the fabric is sewed and cinched before dying.

I found a cheap, cotton shower curtain at the Salvation Army and cut it up into pieces and stitched random lines.

The dye seeped more than I intended which is probably due to not tying it tight enough, but it was still a fun project.

I later sewed the fabric into a tote bag as part of a gift for my mom’s birthday.

You can see Steph’s shibori post here.

The latest issue of Food Gifts Magazine is out on newsstands! I have a handful of projects featured in the Flea Market section. It’s always fun to see the finished project styled with amazing food and photographs! Thanks for the opportunity, Stephanie.

I was deeply disappointed earlier this year to discover that my beloved Enje roller shades no longer were available at Ikea. They were simple, minimal and let in a lot of light. I searched Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, even K-Mart for cheaper alternatives but didn’t have much luck. Surprisingly, Home Depot was the answer. Home Depot carries the Martha Stewart Living line of curtains and I was happy with the white, sheer curtains. They were also priced under $15 dollars so I couldn’t complain too much.

After debating between yellow or black pom pom trim (I mean, how cute is the yellow!) I decided on black mainly because it would hide grime from lovely city life. I bought the trim at Daytona Trim and sewed it on. I’m quite happy with it for now but am hopeful for Enje to return some day.

P.S. If you are curious about the artwork, it’s a screen print of a skyline I turned into vector art years ago. My friend Phil sells it on etsy and is available to purchase here.

Inspired by the decoupage pumpkins I saw in Country Living, I decided to make my own.

I cut out black diamonds…

And arranged them in shapes…

And primed a few pumpkins…

And used Mod Podge to adhere the diamonds. I’m almost tempted to get more pumpkins so I can paint them black and use white diamonds! If you want to make your own you can download the pattern below. Enjoy!

Yay! Check out Martha Stewart’s Craft Dept.’s Blog for a tutorial on making your own owlie from Quirk Books’ Microcrafts!

And if you’re in NYC, don’t forget about the Pins & Needles event on Saturday, October 22nd from 3-5 PM. Hope to see you there!

Last year I celebrated my 30th year by quitting my job and going freelance for the second time in my career. Oh. And I also put everything I owned into a storage unit in Brooklyn, spent 3 months in Minnesota, 6 months in Denmark, and 3 months in Iowa—all places that have been home to me at some point in my life before. I’ve since moved back to New York and continue to freelance for various magazines, craft, and take breaks to travel as often as I can.

This year, my friend Nancy Martira, reached out to her friends to reflect on turning 30. I contributed by designing the book. The result is a collection of amazing essays, photos and illustrations by Ariel Aberg-Riger. The book is available to purchase on Blurb and five dollars of every sale goes to The Girl Affect. Yay, ladies. We did it!

I first made a dreamcatcher when I was a Girl Scout and have been meaning to make another one ever since I saw this post.

I ventured to Michael’s last week for pumpkin carving supplies and after discovering some amazing polka dotted feathers and random decorative curly wooden things (I’m sure there is a real name for it) I knew it was dreamcatcher time.

I took apart the curly wooden things and was able to bend them and secure in place with wire to create 4 different frames. I used crochet string for the inside and followed this tutorial on how to wrap it. I added a bead in the center and put a feather
through it.

So simple and the perfect craft to make with friends. Thanks Kelsey + Lindsy!

For the last few years I’ve had the opportunity to carve pumpkins for Better Homes & Gardens TV segments. Usually it involves the marketing team selecting pumpkin designs from BHG.com, me running all over town gathering supplies (Thank goodness there is now a Michaels on the UWS!), making the pumpkins, then delivering them to the set at the crack of dawn. (One year my friend Alicia and I rode in a taxi with a scarecrow. Um. Hilarious.). I have watched the segments a few times and sat in the green room to warm up, but Live TV is a little too nerve-wrecking for me! This year I was able to deliver the pumpkins to Meredith’s New York office and watch the show at home.

I also have a favorite pumpkin…

The mummy. The best part is he glows!! Check out the instructions here.

Witch pattern here.

Candy Corn Pumpkin pattern here.

March of Dimes pattern here.

Click here to view a flickr set of pumpkins I’ve made over the years.

Yay! Check out marthastewart.com to download and make your own mini speech bubbles!

Exciting news! The awesome peeps behind Quirk Books has launched their latest title, Microcrafts. (And Just kidding. It’s not this tiny!).

My friend Alicia Kachmar along with Margaret McGuire and Katie Hatz compiled a collection of the cutest and tiniest crafts out there, including my mini owl ornament and mini speech bubbles! Be sure to like us on Facebook and stay tuned for these upcoming events:

October 15, Ephemera Stationery Studio, Des Moines, Iowa
October 22, Pins + Needles, New York, New York

Click below if you wish to purchase on Amazon.

Yay! Be sure to check out my latest crafts in the “Go Camping” story in the Fall issue of Sweet Paul magazine. I teamed up with the awesome baker Erin Phraner, photographer Linda Pugliese, and stylist Jeanne Lurvey. Be sure to try Erin’s cake recipe and make a topper or gift tag!

Check out the full story here.
Download the templates here.

In April I visited my sister in Iceland and taught her the basics of knitting. She’s since made a few scarves and more recently with the help of her friends at Knitting Iceland managed to make her husband an Icelandic sweater—in 10 days!! Kinda crazy. And kinda awesome. Congrats Anne! Now it’s her turn to teach me a few things.

Two Nedda chair pads from Ikea ( .99 cents!) + an old scarf

= the greatest (and cheapest) iPad case in the world!

There’s nothing better than using up scraps of yarn to make a cowl…

Knitting on rainy days…

And watching Friday Night Lights on Netflix.

This is what happens when a friend has a kitchen themed Bridal shower.

1. You make your sister draw fun icons and turn it into a recipe card.

You take fabric scraps and sew a simple apron.

And make sure there’s a loop to hang it.

And send it late (because that’s what happens when you procrastinate).
Can’t wait to see you at your wedding, Anna!