my passport is all dressed up and ready to go!

Last Friday I received my beautiful, adorable, charming passport cover from revontulitikku in Finland!



Since I'm a foreigner in a foreign land, I carry my passport around a lot. So I like to keep it in something protective.

This is my old passport cover:



Clear plastic slip-on cover in a clear plastic pocket that's starting to rip. Yuck. But no more! Now I have something pretty to show off while waiting in the passport control line!

This is how much I love my new passport cover: Karl brought the little package in from the mailbox on Friday when he came home from work. Remember Friday? The day we got the news that we needed to figure out if we were going to stay in Germany forever or not? So as Karl is telling me how we need to decide if we were going to stay in Germany forever or not I'm opening my little package and kept interrupting this life-changing news with "Look how pretty!" and "I can't wait to pull my passport out when I'm standing in the passport control line somewhere!" and "Wait just a sec, baby, I want to go grab my passport real quick!"

Yeah, it was love at first sight!

everyone has an ipod...

My friend Sarah got an iPod for Christmas. So did my Mom. Even my 11-month-old nephew got his very own iPod for Christmas! My husband has one. My brother. And my sister, too.

But I don't.

I adore iPods. Steve Jobs should be President and spread Mac love across the world as far as I'm concerned. But I don't own an iPod.

I never really saw a need for one. My husband has picked a few out for me and keeps offering to buy me one, but I just don't know what I would do with it...at least I wouldn't do enough with it to make it worth the money. But when my 11-month-old nephew gets his own iPod...

So my birthday is 6 months away but I already have something to ask my husband for. I think he'll be very proud of me. I guess it's about time to jump on the iPod bandwagon.

So what do you use your iPod for and which one should I ask for? (And I still have 6 months to pick out a color...)

give vintage

Etsy is not only a place to buy handmade. It's also a place to buy vintage.

Here are some hard-to-find gems that would make great gifts!

Art-e-ology sells vintage photographs that you can use in collage work or just frame them as is. There are some charming images, like this set called He Protected Them:



What girl doesn't half-hope that those big poofy skirts from the 50s come back in style? Make your own with this vintage Simplicity pattern from Ink and Escence:




Share some classic Strawberry Shortcake with your favorite little girl (or just keep it for yourself)! Here's Shortcake with her pantaloons on a pillowcase from Sunshine City Lassie:



I love this hat! It's a little bit Garbo and little bit Mrs. Cleaver and it's from Crazy Platter:



I love this vintage squirrel cookie jar from White Elephant Vintage:



Go buy some vintage memories!

let them eat your gift

So you're going to get fatter during the holidays...you might as well make sure everyone you know gets fat with you (then maybe you won't feel so bad). And there are great gifts you can give to eat!

(Just keep in mind that because of customs laws, food can usually only be shipped domestically. Sorry to be a Grinch.)

Heavenly Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cookies from Chocolate Heaven:



Gooey Caramel Pecan Perfection from Susie's Buns:



Are you drooling, yet? Check out this Cherry Cheese Danish from Vegan Honey (Yes, folks it's vegan and promises to be delicious!):



How about this Carmel Apple Attack from Fat Daddy Bake Shop:



I like the sound of thie Grapefruit and Ginger Marmalade from Marmalady:



Just the thought of these Creamy Vanilla Caramels from Crave Louisiana...:



Ok...It's a good thing I'm celebrating Thanksgiving with my family today because I've worked up an appetite. I think there's an apple pie waiting to be baked...

artwork as gifts

To tell you the truth, I don't really like to idea of someone else picking out a piece of artwork for me. I am very picky about the artwork that goes on my walls. It needs to mean something to me.

I have all kinds of stuff on my walls from Rembrandt prints to East German Trabant car ads. But I've always avoided a little...ok a lot...any amateur art (any have-decent original artwork done by an amateur artist) or "Walmart" art (a framed artwork purchased at the home department of any department store by some anonymous artist that was just designed to look aestically pleasing on a wall).

But I am finding such a wealth of incredible artwork on Etsy! I've already bought two prints that are haning up alongside my Rodin and William Morris and I've now got my eye on all of these...

"Meet Me By The Water" from dkim-art.



"Entertaining Angels" from One Eye Open.



"Overgrowth" from Sarah Ogren.

"Imaginary Friend" from Creative Thursday.



"...and then he kissed her" from Sea Spray Blue.



"Shy Boy and Shy Girl" from Rosie Music.



"Creepy Little Children" from Ravenwolf.



"Boy and Girl with Winged Fairy" 1923 antique illustration from Monkey Shines.



"Hive" from Oh My Cavalier.



Any of these works of art would be happy on my wall! So if anyone is looking to make me happy this Christmas...(hint, hint!)

pretty gifts

Today I'm going to show off some of the prettiest things I've found on Etsy. I love pretty things. Not beautiful (although that's nice, too), but pretty: delicate, young, fresh, dainty, things that make you feel pretty just owning it.

Like these poppy bobbypins from foundling:



I love Annie and Olive's signature puffy heart pendant:



And this pretty cherry blossoms journal (some of the pages are red!) from The Writer's Book:



Isn't this simple Shaker sewing box so pretty?! It's made by McLoud Joinery:



I love the daintiness of these dainty blue-green flower notecards from Anna Cote:



Look how pretty! It's a No One Remembers necklace from Tea Rose Workshop



And, I don't know about you, but I would feel pretty in this vintage babydoll party dress from Ramona West:



Surely there's someone in your life who deserves to feel pretty?

hoilday cards

I know many of us get overwhelmed at the holidays with cards...and it's fun to hear about how our cousins are doing, or what the year was like for the Jones's...but you can make your card stand out by getting a stack of handmade to send out!

Take a look at these beautiful holiday cards from joiestudio:



I've got a couple of family members who would spend way too much time with these sudoku cards from deuxsoeurs:



I love the red crystal added to this gorgeous reindeer from Earmark:



This portable mistletoe card is genius! The receiver will be able to carry it with him or her and get kisses all through the holiday season! Its from armatodesign:



I love this minty cards from cricketpress:



Check out this pretty dreidel card from JonesNotions:



Or send your warm wishes for a happy holiday by warning your loved ones about next year's zombie plague! Fom tinaseamonster:

Have fun choosing your holiday card!

buy handmade!

The holiday gift-buying season is upon us! In this past year I have discovered the incredible shops of Etsy and have become one myself (at least I aspire to become incredible!). And I have been introduced to the world of Handmade!

So, this holiday season, I have taken the Handmade Pledge! I'm trying to buy handmade gifts for my loved ones, and I'm eyeing a lot of great unique, handmade things that I hope Santa gets for me!

In honor of this pledge, and in the hopes that many of you will find the perfect handmade gift, I'll be spending this entire week in highlighting some of my handmade gift ideas to get you in the handmade-gift-buying-mood! Just please forgive me if I leave a few exceptional gifts off the list...since handmade isn't mass-produced, there are a few things I'm keeping secret becuase I want them!

You can take the Handmade Pledge at http://www.buyhandmade.org/