merry christmas eve! ian and i have finally finished this year’s card and now all we have to do is write and mail them. apologies to friends and family who have been expecting one and not receiving! they’re on their way. or at least, they will be once we get back from our trip south.

our gift from my mom was a break from the usual bus routine in the way of a couple of train tickets to baltimore. we leave later this afternoon and i can’t wait! hopefully this evening will involve seeing ian’s sister, who has been housebound for too long thanks to that famous portland snowfall. get on that plane, josie! then tomorrow we’ll drive down to VA to see my family and eat some christmas-y foods, before driving back up to past-baltimore for a whitmore-style celebration. yes! then we’ll be headed back to brooklyn on saturday. a much too-short trip, but i’m looking forward to it all the same. we’ll see geoffrey again! good old geoffers.

so i guess i’m a slacker and have yet to wrap any presents or pack. instead i’m sitting around eating veggie sausage patties and blogging. hm. better get to that list.

i hope you are all warm and snug and happy as can be.
we’ll see you next year!

thank you to everyone who stopped by to visit on saturday! i had fun and made enough to buy some christmas presents *and* to go out to dinner with ian and kathryn later. we went to five leaves and it was so delicious and cozy. i’m glad we went at least once more before we move. btw if you click that link, seriously ignore all bad comments left on eater. those people must be insane! we’ve eaten there three or four times and i’ve hung out at the bar once with a friend and each time was wonderful. the staff is pretty much the sweetest to be found in north brooklyn–completely genuine and without a trace of affect– and the food is amazingly delicious. (can you tell i’m a fan?)

oh, but what’s that? i didn’t tell you? we’re moving! not terribly far, but out of the neighborhood to bushwick. i’m sad to leave greenpoint, but with our recent series of apartment troubles and the ongoing annoyance of living above a sushi restaurant (stinky!) we decided that the time had come to seek out greener (or greyer) pastures. as it happens, greenpoint is fast becoming the most awesome and desirable place to live in new york (in spite of the dire health consequnces of living in such close proximity to the biggest oil spill/seepage these united states have known) and we can’t afford it anymore. so! bushwick here we come! we’ll have slightly more space for much less rent, on a residential block, not at all far from the L and close to a park. i am a little nervous because of some stories i’ve heard from well-meaning friends and co-workers about the relative danger of the neighborhood, but i think we’ll be ok.  i’ve been reading a great local blog, BushwickBK and it’s gotten me pretty excited about our new home-to-be. so! onward!

with that and the upcoming holiday/end of year excitement in mind, i should say that updates to the etsy shop will not likely resume until mid january. unless some crazy burst of energy comes my way, i’m going to be packing up our apartment, wrapping gifts and then packing a bag and heading south for a few days of relaxing and eating with the whitmores and the soleses. so that’s that 2008!

oh! but one more bit of excitement! on sunday i was working at sodafine and who should walk in but jenny gordy of wiksten! we were both completely weirded out at first, not at all expecting to see one another in person, let alone in brooklyn! but jenny is so charming and sweet and we totally just chatted away until the shop closed. it’s always so exciting to meet blogger friends in person and compare the online impression to the real life one–i have to say that i’ve never been disappointed (you can usually tell a good egg by their writing) and this case was no exception.  sometimes i wish i could just scoop up all the nice people i’ve ever met and put them in one place. i guess new york is like that to some extent. but! it’s also sort of comforting to know that wherever you are, there are kind hearts and hilarious pals tucked away somewhere.

holy night! this has been a crazy busy week. i kind of can’t believe it’s thursday already. but! that is great news because it means that the Secret Santa Project Holiday SALE is just two days away! and i cannot WAIT for this sale. last year i attended as a shopper and picked up an amazing deadly squire platter at a great discount, as well as a disarmingly adorable (like, my heart skipped a beat when i saw it) finger puppet from astulabee *and* the best smelling bath salts from my pal tameka of therapy. as if that isn’t enough to have me counting down the days, this year dear birthday and valerian will be representing with our very own table of fine, giftable handmade treasures! we’ve never done an *inside* craft fair before, so this is a total luxury. ha!

i’m still working on some last minute items, but here’s a short list of the fun things to be acquired at our table (most for $20 and under!)
* brand new, never before seen patchwork liberty undies for $20
* hand printed valerian card packs (which we are calling “packs valerian”) at a sweet discount–5 for $15
* single valerian cards for $3 (regularly $5)
* ballet flat slippies for $20

and other, one of a kind stuff!

please see the event’s blog for a full list of this year’s participants
and click here for a map and directions to
secret project robot, 210 kent avenue, brooklyn

see you saturday!
xo

these little handprinted undies in a size medium have been moved over from my etsy shop to linda‘s fundraising auction for her brother in law, jasenn, who is fighting kidney cancer. if you’ve been thinking about bringing a nice new pair of handprinted, organic cotton undies into your life, now is the perfect time.

i was so honored a while back when my old livejournal pal and crafitivism writer betsy greer asked me to write a sidebar blurb for her new book, knitting for good! betsy sent me a copy of my very own and though i am completely humbled by the amazing array of other contributors in such a wonderfully written and inspiring book, i am also very proud and have to share the news with you.

though i haven’t quite finished it yet, i can say already that knitting for good is a most excellent read for knitters and non-knitters alike. personally, i’m more of a crochet brain (though i don’t buy that whole sticks vs hooks war rumor) but the book focuses so much on the meditative effects and the community aspect of making in general that i don’t at all feel as though i’m reading a specialized “for knitters only” insiders’ guide. to the contrary! betsy’s almost convinced me to try my hand with the sticks once more! almost.

anyway, if you’ve got a knitter, a maker or candlestick sticker on your list, this bright and empowering little book would make a great gift! i feel very lucky to have my own copy as it would definitely be on my list otherwise.

new items on sale!

hello pals! this morning i reduced the price of the eternal sea vest on etsy by 60% and the price of the sailor dress by 50%. hooray! each are one of a kind and no longer available for custom order on etsy. if you happen to miss out on these readymade versions on sale, they will be available for custom order still on the website, but at full price. and only for about a month longer. time to focus on spring!