The Cat Who Loved Christmas

To kick off my series of Christmas posts I wanted to share a recent photo of the family cat, Mr. Tuxedo. This is his favorite time of year, primarily because it's time for the Christmas tree to be up. Every year it becomes his favorite spot for an afternoon nap, but amusingly enough he won't usually go underneath it unless the lights are on. He won't even give it a second glace until the ornaments are up. We had the tree up for three days before we got around to decorating it and he wouldn't go near it. This was taken less then an hour after the ornaments went up. I love him and his adorable quirks.

How are your holiday preparations coming?

Blow Away

Just a short post tonight as I am up to my knees in Christmas preparations. I have about one and a half ornaments left to stitch up and all of my cards to write, but I am determined to finish by December first (or at least by next weekend when I will have a chance to head to the post office). I would like everything to reach its intended recipient by Christmas this year...

During this spree of crafting I've been listening to a lot of music and one song that keeps coming up on my playlist is Blow Away from A Fine Frenzy. It's a fun song, but what I truly love is the video. The whimsical styling! The clothing! Her gorgeous hair (that I am determined to find a way to recreate). Unfortunately I can't seem to find an embeddable version, but here's the official video on YouTube: Here.

In the spirit of sharing, what's your favorite music video right now?

PS. Actually, I was able to find an embeddable version (though the linked one above is still of higher quality):

Blow Away

a fine frenzy | MySpace Music Videos

Holiday Lights

Did you all (at least those of you in the US) have a good Thanksgiving? Mine was uneventful, but nice with a tasty meal and a fun movie. This year, though, I am so excited for Christmas. I don't know if it's because of everything that went on this year, but I am ready for a season of warmth and joy.

My holiday spirit received an early jolt this year after I won free passes to the opening night of the holiday cactus gardens at the Ethel M factory in Las Vegas. For the record, this is normally a free exhibit, but opening night had the added bonus of performers from local shows and choirs. What stood out to me though were the lights themselves, so without further ado I'll let my photos speak for themselves.

Flickr Favorites

1. nordic christmas, 2. Kawaii Hannari Tofu Pouch Cute Cosmetic Purse Bag Passport, 3. YUM, 4. little red car party!, 5. Teacup fairy princess rings., 6. pistachio and grapefruit macarons, 7. I ♥ Cakes, 8. Introducing Scissors.Paper.Cake!, 9. Our hand painted bakery menu board, 10. working.., 11. working.., 12. chocolate christmas pudding cookies 5678 R, 13. I see you!, 14. Aarons, Jules - Woman waiting, Paris, 1950, 15. sumach street, 16. my tiny fluffy marshmallow cat, 17. Berlin., 18. winter morning, 19. Detalhes florais, 20. polka-dot rement, 21. Second Star to the Right..., 22. IMG_1332, 23. film (a corner of my home), 24. Untitled, 25. 見て　触って, 26. melocotones helados, 27. so serene, 28. for safe keeping, 29. Hand Embroidered Cloudy Pincushion, 30. 27/365 "I was a little girl alone in my little world who dreamed of a little home for me., 31. Soft-Hot Touch, 32. Snowstars, 33. Pancake with tiny mouse, 34. Cath Kidston Tea Cup & Saucer, 35. felt fall garland, 36. Isabella

My recent favorites from the land of Flickr. What's inspiring you right now?

Braided Headband

Not surprisingly last week was chaotic... again. When things get like that I need to take time out of the day and do something that I can put all of my focus in. After seeing this post at Smile and Wave I knew what I wanted to do.

I have a small drawer of clothing that I wear only around the condo. Generally this includes stuff that is a bit faded or torn, but is still comfy and wearable. During my latest closet cleanout I retired quite a few pieces to this drawer, so much so that the drawer was full to bursting. I hate to throw things away and now I have a few things I can do with these fabric scraps. I am a headband junkie (with my super short hair it's just about the only type of hair accessory that works for me) so this was the perfect project for me. The one pictured above was once a broomstick skirt. I love the result and can't wait to try it again (I have a purple striped shirt next up on the chopping block).

Detail-wise I changed a few things up from the tutorial. I hand-stitched the sewing portion of the project as I was sitting out on the patio while I was putting this together and didn't want to pull out my machine (I would recommend using a machine if you have one handy though, it would have saved me a bit of trouble). I also used clear elastic instead of white as my hair is so short that the back of the band is visible when I wear it and I wanted a more invisible look.

What do you do with old clothing that's too far gone to sell or donate?