for my favorite holiday...

Some funnies for Jenn...





...and some fey for Lee




Love,
Colleen

On this day...

Happy Birthday Lee!!!

Through the Fall...

Ah yes ladies… I am a happy woman. New England in the Fall is HELLO gorgeous. We went out this past weekend to leaf-peep and this area is incredible. I love living right by the water… sometimes we can smell the ocean from the front porch. I see myself bundling up under a blanket this weekend sitting out there with my knitting and a cup of hot cocoa or tea. YUMMY!

I posted some pics… not a good view of leaves changing, but still so pretty. (weird, the next day it was like every tree changed) These are from a town right next door. From home, we can walk around the corner and WHAM!... You’re hit with a view of the water that can take your breath away (I’ll get pics of that soon). We climbed a big rock to look out over the harbor... I was a champ and even though I don't like heights, enjoyed the view. Getting down I shook like a leaf (ha ha, get it?), but it was worth it.





Let me describe my peaceful happy place. The one I’ll go to from now on whenever life gets me to stressing… This morning, while walking the dogs, I brought them into a little woodsy nook. While they sniffed around… I stood and looked up. All I could hear was the breeze rustling through the trees. Just then the breeze picked up and all these leaves started falling around me… almost like it was in slow motion. It was a picture perfect peaceful moment (say that three times fast).

Though living in that same nook, we discovered we have an owl in the neighborhood. Holy creepy sounds at night… so close to Halloween!

Back to crafting… I’ve been knitting like crazy! Now that I discovered the yarn store in town and an A.C. Moore 2 miles from work I’m in yarn heaven at home. I have one helluva backlog going for Christmas but at least I started early! And speaking of making a mistake... Son of a *&^%$ !!! (Are we supposed to curse while knitting?) I have been working on a dishcloth with a pattern that is IMPOSSIBLE to fix if you make a mistake (called English Ribbing). You have to rip the whole thing out and start over... Well... methinks I have just defeated the impossible task. Somehow I managed to pull out a bunch of rows (infuratied tugging was more like it) and wound up with a perfect row of stitches to pick up... I knitted (whilst holding my breath) and VOILA. I'm not out of the woods yet (tee hee...) but we'll see what happens...

I’ve been reading too… but I’ve only been able to squeeze in a few minutes before falling asleep at night. (Lee I still have the graphic novel you lent me staring at me longingly from my nightstand!) My mom and I love the author Karen Marie Moning. We’re both cheesy romance fans, but her books are different. Less cheese, good steam, and humor! She incorporates magic and The Fae too, again without the cheese. Her new Fae Series is AWESOME. It’s set in Dublin about a girlie-girl gone tough who can see the Fae and is basically out to destroy the bad Fae and avenge her sister. It’s got some naughty steamy parts, good humor, and it has Fairies. Nuff said ladies! I highly recommend it… Then if you like it, try the Highlander Series. They are absolutely delicious!

(The third book in the series... )

xoxoxoxo
Love,
Jenn

Let's break it down...

Hi there again ladies -

All three of us have been in the same water sogged boat....er, or should I say dingy???.......when it comes to reaching the end of a new project when *WHAM*...we notice it.....a mistake. Not just any mistake mind you. Uh-uh, I'm speaking of the mistakes that require us to break down the entire project back to itty-bitty square one. "HUMPH!" *sob*

When you first notice it you try to hold it at different angles and say out loud in your empty workshop, "No one will notice. If I hold it at this angle, you can't even tell."

BUT...you know it is there. Watching you. Making fun of you. Daring you to let it go...let it exist. Noooooooo! *ran screaming from the room*

Nah, just take it apart as that mistake will drive you to the edge of sanity if you care about your creations. Doesn't matter what you're doing either; knitting, jewelry, cross stitch, candles, etc. If you plan to give it away or sell it...you can't let a mistake out the door. Not only does it signal that you take pride in your creations, but it also speaks volumes for quality. Something each and every customer remembers and continues to look for.

What spurred this letter? *cringing with one eye closed* A silly little anklet. Yep. I missed one little rassin-frassin bead in the pattern (near the start of the strand by the way) and I gotta tell ya...it wasn't noticeable. But I couldn't let it go. Plus, if I noticed it then there's a 99.9999% chance that someone else will too. Know what I mean?

Bye for now!

~LeeAnn

Under Pressure...

Good afternoon!

So, as I mentioned the other day, I'm in the process of getting ready for a candle open house on Sunday... Which means that I am working diligently on pouring enough candles to accommodate a (hopefully) decent turnout of customers... (I'm being purposely vague here because as of the moment I have no CLUE how many people are actually going to show up) This is causing me just a little bit of stress!

Luckily, as I'm sure you both noticed, I'm one of those odd individuals who not only performs well under pressure...but who actually becomes 100x more creative and productive when working against a deadline :) Of course there is a catch. A BIG one. The paradox is that while the creative juices are flowing to the max and my energy (read insomnia) levels are very high...my ability to focus on just one task (i.e. candles) goes completely out the window.

As a result, I've accomplished quite a bit during the past week and a half:

Read 3 books



All were good, but The Host was the most interesting read.

Visited a historic landmark in NJ...



Where Mike bought me this lil guy...



His name is "Tootoot"!


Went shopping and got these for my office:





(a bit eclectic taste, I know)

Knitted this dishcloth...



And started another...



Don't they look great together?!?



Finished a runner for the living room



(Close up)



Worked on 3 "top secret" projects to be revealed at a later date ;)

FINALLY started working on my website - (preview soon!)

And of course, I've poured a whole bunch of candles... maybe I'll give you guys a sneak peek tomorrow...

Love,
Colleen

for the love of socks...

Hello there Ladies!

It's about time I got my behind in here for my first post. ;) I LOVE this blog!! It seems I have a ton more time for crafting and creating now that I'm living with my "distraction." I can't wait to vent my many ideas and frustrations in here with you two. Most excellent!

Now... for my first blog I would like to talk about my love of socks. I know, it's not really news. But it's gotten past addiction level. I have a huge drawer stuffed full of socks. Now...what shall I do with so many socks?? Wardrobe changes to make sure they all get equal love and attention? *sigh*

Socks... When I walk in the store and I see them hanging on a wall... What's going to happen? Of COURSE I have to buy a pair. I must stop!! I need a cure! I MUST KNIT SOCKS.

Two of my passions rolled into one. However... Um... It looks ... like... REALLY hard. And I'm still at the end of my beginner phase methinks and want to advance. Do I dare jump off the cliff into the advanced world of knitting socks?

Help me! Save me from myself! I must find the most excellent yarn (both in texture and color) to knit socks with. And then to start, the easiest pattern to be found...

Mission impossible? Methinks not... Mission really hard? Likely. Learning how to knit socks? Priceless.

Hot off the stove...

Hey ladies,

Loved your post Lee... Ironically my new icon happens to be one of those infamous pumpkins! You are welcome to another free candle-making or knitting lesson anytime you please. :)

Figured I'd show you both a sneak peek of what I've been up to in the workshop this week... Went on a crazy shopping spree at A.C. Moore & Michael's to take advantage of the fall sales and got TONS of awesome new "ingredients" to try...

First up is a medium dish garden filled with a wreath of branches, leaves and flowers in hues of soft orange, green, yellow, cream and brown. The outer dish is scented with wild twigs & berries complimented by the pumpkin spice scent of the interior candle.


The second is a bit more traditional harvest garden dish filled with fruit and gourds on a bed of leaves and cheerful baby sunflowers. The scent is cornucopia, a delicious blend of pumpkin, apple and pear with a hint of autumn leaves.


(These are my first attempt of posting digital pics on Flickr so please excuse the amateur quality!)

I'll be in my workshop for the majority of the weekend getting ready for an open house candle sale in Chatham next Sunday. You are both more than welcome to come over and help! ;) Hoping to have a bunch of new creations to share next week...

Love,
~Colleen

beyond the pale...pumpkins

Hi Colleen and Jenn!

So you really want to publicize some of my letters to ya', eh? I'll try not to pull the typical "LeeAnn took it and sprinted over that line......still going....going....". Well, this is all about crafting and creating so how how wild could it possibly get, right? Yup, that's the sound of my evil chuckling you hear.........

A candle maker, a soap maker and a jewelry designer. Only two of the three knit because I'm simply not patient enough. I'll do a hundred count of seed beads every hour before I can sit and knit. I do, however, want to make a few hand towels and I'll need some....er....[in]spiration to do so. (smacking forehead at own corniness)

I'll also need some 'guest appearance' time in your shop, Coll, as I'm dying to make an orange peel candle (my first, and probably last, candle ever!). Speaking of orange....(cough)....remember the first pumpkin jars you made way back when in the kitchen of my old townhouse? On the gas stove? I think we were two Yellow Tail bottles into the night when you decided that "the color wasn't working out". Yes, the orange was a little pale but good grief, you had put almost half of the color block into the molten gel....that was sitting on an open flame gas stove. Is that dangerous? ;) Anyhow, I still have that candle and look forward to another night of pumpkin jars this Halloween!!!

Listen girls, I'm psyched about this blog and am looking forward to sharing workshop stories and pics of our creations.

~LeeAnn M.

[IN]SPIRATION

Dear Lee Ann & Jenn,

So excited!!! This is my first (ever) blog post. Have been brainstorming for quite a while about starting a blog to share some crafty ideas, patterns, projects, shopping and links... finally figured what better way to do it than to share it with two of my best friends :)

You both have enriched my life with not only your friendship, support & encouragement but also your inspirational ideas, candid advice and enthusiasm. The creative juices always seem to flow more freely when we get together...I figure that this blog could be an virtual way to bridge the miles between us and keep those craft nights going...I'll bring the wine!



Love,
Colleen