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  Perhaps a lovely Easter gift? I think these are positively adorable and since I have four little guys I have a wonderful excuse to get all of them. What little boy wouldn’t want to ride an alligator or tame a zebra or elephant? Anwyn is more into the blue spotted pony.  I just need to brag for a minute about Zac’s grandmother, my kid’s great grandmother, who we all call Nana. She can turn out unique handmade gift for anyone, from knitted children’s hoodies, to re-usable fabric grocery bags, to full-sized quilts. She’s made things that are are so clever I wonder why I’ve never seen such a thing before. Freyja’s Christmas gift was no exception: a coloring book bag, sized perfectly for a book to fit into, with a pocket for each crayon, all made up in the most adorable vintage fabric ever.
 Freyja is now a traveling artist
I’ve already warned her that I will be beating down her door for sewing lessons soon. Here are some craft patterns for similar little bags.  This is truly a great CD. If you don’t have this CD, you should. The songs are beautifully done by three very talented girls from Canada who sing harmony in these folksy, bluegrassy songs. My two most favorite on the whole disc are Long Time Traveller and The Devil’s Paintbrush Road. I’m planning on getting 40 Days but I have to say I think this is their best. Amazon has all their CD’s with listening clips should you want to sample the music.  Andrew will often say to me, “Did you check the label?” ”Course I checked the label.” It’s just that I check the wrong thing on the label, like I read ‘Egg Nog’ clear as day and yes, that’s what I mean to buy; the “fat free” is what escapes my notice so everyone is left to endure egg nog without fat. Yuk. Second time around I grabbed the Pumpkin Spice Egg Nog instead of the plain old regular Egg Nog. Or at a different store I fail to notice that the red cap now means fat-free milk and the blue one means whole milk. I buy the red cap as I always do and end up with blue milk. Yuk again. I buy body lotions for all the females in our family and recognize it for the tube shaped container it’s in at Bath and Body Works only to discover when I lavishly squirt it out that it is instead body wash. That is a soapy sudsy mess when applied in the living room. Underwear for guys- wrong size (but I’m liking the colors) They are L for boys not men and turns out that that matters a lot. T-shirts for Andrew I want to get white, can I manage that? You bet, but at home I realize I bought crew neck and Andrew likes V-neck. So when I want to restock my cold cream I was sort of not surprised to find my hand glomming onto the body cream- in the exact same size and shape container as the cold cream except that the lid is a tinge more blue than green. ’Body,’ ‘Cold’ who’d notice!? But for once a pleasant surprise! I love this stuff, the price is right and the consistency is thick and creamy.
Well… enough about all that purging and not purchasing; let’s go shopping!! Got any children’s birthdays coming up? If your children are into tattoos like my grandchildren are and love to have things drawn all over their hands this idea is perfect. Like smaller temporary tattoos, these hand puppets go on and come off easily with water.
All this fun stuff and a lot more is available at a very clever online shop spoonsisters.com. And the prices are incredibly reasonable! Ellen!Congratulations!
But wait. . . .even if your name isn’t Ellen, we have some good news for you. Mapel is happily offering pinkpeppers readers 20% off their entire website!Just enter the promo code: PinkPeppers20 at checkout and you are on your way to some sweet deals! This includes sale items, and will last through next Wednesay January 20th. And don’t forget – free shiping on everything! Thanks for participating!
(Especially with a give away!)
Amidst the nutcrackers and giant pretzels of Leavenworth, Washington, you will find Mapel, a shop offering you something you’ll be happy and proud to claim as your souvenir from the Alpine village (quite unlike that pair of green lederhosen that somehow pulled you in). During Christmas vacation, we made a day trip to the town in Eastern Washington, and as we traipsed the cold streets after dinner, Mapel’s purple lamp shades and pillows caught our eyes and drew us right in. Inside we found name brands, beautiful hand made things, even some men and baby items, and an adorable Staci Stevens, who opened Mapel two years ago because… basically, it was destiny, she says.  Stevens, left, with business partner, Landgraf. With an entire family of self-employed go-getters, Stevens knew owning her own business had to be in the cards and after life took her down the path of a degree in fashion and work in clothing retail, she knew a boutique was just the fit. It helped too, that Sevens found a perfect business partner in her friend Jenelle Landgraf when they crossed paths working in Seattle. The terrifically in-vogue team runs their brick and mortar shop (617 Front St., Leavenworth, WA 509.548.5225) as well as their online component (shopmapel.com), all under the philosophy that “Fashion is sweet”. They offer customers a special treat with their purchase: one of their signature truffles (made by a local chocolatier) as well as some other equally tempting delights, free shipping being a big one, and a daily happy hour online from 2-6. The “menu” is different every day, Stevens says, with charming perks like 40% off handbags, or $10 off that shirt you fell in love with. In addition to the popular big name brands like 7 Jeans, Stevens says she is devoted to offering small labels by up-and-coming designers. Names like Champagne Lace, Velana K and Melanie Renee Design are a few that joined Mapel’s collection just last year. So, if you’ve got a skiing trip to Leavenworth in the works, Mapel is simply not to be missed. And even if you never make it to the Bavarian town, skibble right over to their online store and enjoy sweet rewards for having good taste in fashion.
Good news! Mapel is offering a give away to Pink Peppers readers! Just mention this story with a link on your facebook, your blog or tell a friend about it via email (let us know you did in your comment below) and you’ll be entered to win this gorgeous Stevie Wrap by Alternative in whatever color and size you’d like!
Comments welcome until 5 p.m. Sunday, January 10– winner to be announced Monday, January 11!  Milk glass candles. I also sprinkled some white feathers around them. The Christmas decorations are down and I could almost cry because the house seems so empty. I love seasonal decorations, especially in the winter. I don’t know if you have ever seen milk glass in the antique stores. Vases, cups, plates and all of it for a dime a dozen. If you should come across some vases, buy them and fill your fireplace mantle with them. You won’t regret it. Put little votives in them and you will have the most lovely wintry mantle ever.  Freyja (front) with Rachel's girls Sadie and Raeme. They had each picked out a few items for themselves to wear that day which included a few fairy/princess costumes. And they still managed to look adorable! I’m always so impressed with mothers who make an effort to dress their kids in really cute, pulled-together outfits. One mother in particular at my church always does an amazing job. Her daughters show up with carefully done hair in little braids and updos and often hand made clothing or accesorries. Find some of her beautifully hand crafted items for kids and home here: Arrayed and Adorned I started noticing Freyja’s wardrobe was a little lacking and the many light pink things borrowed from her blonde cousin Anwyn were washing her out. “How should I dress my little, fuzzy, red haired daughter”, I kept asking fellow moms. One friend, Rachel, whose daughters are also mini fashion plates, recommended purples. So I went with it.
While Erin was visiting, she and Meghan, Taite, Fox and I went to a few antique shops and at one I found these darling little glass cups, so tiny that I had no idea what they would be for. On the little tag with the price, it said, “salt cellar,” and that really excited me. If you have read previously, you know I love big chunky salt so this was a great find. I can fill these little glass cups with about one teaspoon of salt each and set them down the middle of the table. And the glass is a lot prettier than the Maldon salt box. The middle one in the photo holds truffle salt and the other two hold my all time favorite, Maldon salt. Each dinner guest can simply pinch their desired amount out of the bowl and sprinkle over their food. Canon, my oldest grandson, was very excited to give this method a try. He got out of his chair, came over and whispered in my ear asking if he too could take a little pinch for his food and happily scooted back to his chair when I said, “Yes.” Of course any tiny container would work for this but I was really glad the antique dealer wrote on the tag what these little things were.  I know it’s Fall when I start pulling the sweaters down from above my closet! It’s not cold enough to warrant a coat but still, you need something a little cozy. I love this shawl-collar type of sweater (a gift to me when Tim and I were dating) and the fact that it’s made of cashmere puts it a notch above my ordinary knits. I’d love to get some more of this kind in a variety of colors to help dress up a bland outfit. One thing I’d like to pull together this year is the ever-popular layering and accessorizing effect. Usually I just satisfy myself with one accessory and un-creative layers. The other just requires so much thought and work! And often it just looks contrived. I think sometimes JCrew (where this photo is from) over-does it, but occaisionally they have some inspiring ideas. It’s something I’d like to work on anyway… Drinking coffee in bed while Freyja enjoyed her bottle next to me, I roamed onto craigslist at 8 a.m. Every once in a while I check the free listings to see if there is something in my neighborhood that looks worthwhile. But if you see something, it’s usually gone already. People move fast when it comes to free things. Something caught my eye. It was old and dirty and covered in bits of white plaster. And it was sitting on the side of the road not a mile from my apartment. That is, if no one had already taken it. The picture had only been posted half and hour ago so I threw on pants, wrapped Freyja in a blanket and jumped in the car to speed madly toward my prize. Low and behold it was waiting for me.
 I recently discovered Macrina, a great little bakery and cafe up on Queen Anne. Running past it at 6am I would peer into the window at the bakers hard at work, the smell of fresh baked citrus oatmeal scones, challah bread, and lemon lavender coffee cake drifting from the doorway. Now that I know about it, and it is conveniently placed on the route I already take for running or walking I can drop by for a great breakfast and cup of espresso. The rocket muffin, a dark molasses-y bran muffin with fresh raspberry jam spilling out of the top, is definitely at the top of my list but I try to branch out and try different delectables and I haven’t been disappointed yet. With nice touches like funky artwork by local artists, and the fact that baked goods are made on site, Macrina has a small and personal feel that you don’t usually get from a chain bakery. If you are looking for creative new twists on scones, muffins and coffee cakes and can’t make it to one of Macrina’s locations you can make them the comfort of your own home with the aid of the Macrina Cookbook. Enjoy!
 Caitlin and Frejya getting their morning excercise  Our amazing breakfast!
My (ever-changing) work schedule has now landed me with all my mornings free and I’ve found it’s actually pretty amazing what you can get done in a morning if you get up early. Just the other morning Cait and I got up at the crack of dawn (ok, it was 8am) and scooted right out the door to Discovery Park, over in Magnolia. Being the domestic goddess she is, Caitlin had prepared some amazing whole wheat muffins and we packed those along with homemade strawberry jam, butter, honey and, of course, coffee! Do cheapskates have more fun? I’m not sure, after my day of errand running for all those little things that never make it onto the shopping list and always get forgotten. I’ve tried to get into the habit of reading my receipts in the car before I leave the store. Just to make sure I didn’t get ripped off. It’s also a nice little reverie of some of my shopping deal victories. My eyes run down the Target list: Baby clothing hangers for 97 cents? SWEET! A near gallon jug of lotion for $4.79? I’ll take it! Two mini baby dolls for $2.99 each? Hey, I didn’t get two baby dolls! Dang it, it’s only $2.99, but that’s not stopping me. Back into Target to the customer service line I march. Ok, that’s done. Now on to TJ MAXX. Uh oh, this store has the name brand products that I want for less than what I just spent at Target! Shoot, I have just got to have the Big Sexy HairRoot Pump for only $9.99! (I’ve been smelling like a man and using Zac’s hair glue for two years now, so I think I’m entitled to the good hair product.) That means I have to go back to Target and return the more expensive, generic stuff. Rats! The fun of the hunt can wear off for even the most devout of cheapskates. When you have a toddler time bomb in the cart, saving 3 bucks seems like a small pay off for ruining nap time. And who can stand in return lines forever, when after all, time is money! At the end of the day I had gone the extra mile, sifting through that stack of bathroom mats until I found the very last clearance one, circling the lotion isle enough times to get some odd-ball looks from store employees, inspecting every mop to see which one really had the best “built-in bristles to help remove stubborn dirt” for under $10. I had saved a whopping $26, and could be proud of each and every one of my purchases. So, ok, maybe I did have fun. |
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Did you ever make these when you were in grade school out of real eggs? We planted grass seeds and waited until our eggs grew green hair. Now you can kick it up a notch with these cute little egg heads. What a fun little guest to have sitting on a windowsill.
I had one of these pencils when I was a kid and loved writing with it.
Color: Away go the bright pinks and reds of summer and out come the mature, deep hues of fall and winter. I love this shade of purple/brown– at a glance it almost looks black, but it doesn’t go quite that far. Save the goth look for Halloween, wear this throughout the fall.
I include these simply because they are my favorite colors of the year– bright celedon green and a strong orange/red with a hint of coral.
Jewels: Moving away from the pearls and pastels of summer but not quite into the glitter of winter, it’s time to pull out the gold and color! I love this ring that Cait and Aileen gave me for my birthday. The coral necklace is a statement on it’s own.
Outerwear: One of my all-time favorites– the timeless bomber jacket. I found this one in an antique shop years ago and have never gotten tired of it. For some reason it seems to have outlasted the trends of most leather coats.
Accessories: A good belt can dress up even a tee shirt and jeans.
Boots! A cool-weather must have! This awesome pair actually belongs to my mother-in-law but I asked Mere to borrow them for the photo shoot. I like the casual, flat heeled boot with a tucked in pair of pants best. I’ve been on a kick lately of wearing them with stretchy pants instead of jeans for a riding-boot look that’s more comfortable than bulky jeans.
Not to be forgotten, the indispensable bag. With my mother-in-law’s help, I finally got a grown-up purse for my birthday that I hope I’ll have for a long time. I like to think it’s old-Hollywood-ish.
