oil paintings & studies from my break
During my winter break, I really wanted to get back into the habit of oil painting most days if not every day. In the late summer, early fall, I didn’t have very much time to paint and I found it difficult to make it a priority. Even when I had the time, I would sit […]
books, antiques, and yarn | stillwater outing
I was hoping to take a few day trips during my break to check out some new antique shops, used book stores, and local craft boutiques, but I just didn’t have the kid-free days to do it. Jeff could tell that a day out would really be good for me, so he took on school/kid […]
embroidery workbook
While getting lost down an internet rabbit hole a few months ago, I found some lovely examples of . For a time, every school girl had an embroidery workbook to learn basic necessary sewing and mending skills. In a time when people just had 2-3 outfits and most items were handmade, these were as essential […]
bits & pieces
This is a post that’s been sitting in drafts since the beginning of October! Between October and Christmas, I ordered three boxes from my friend Julia of , so I have a bunch of fun English antique finds that I have yet to photograph and share. For some reason, all of the best antique art […]
the new living room jute rug & winter mantel
Just a few days before Christmas, I received a for the living room. I had the white jute rug for about a year and a half and it was showing wear much faster than other jute rugs I’ve owned. I wrote an initial review about it HERE where I mentioned that the weave was a […]
making knitted Selbu mittens | tips for beginners
One thing I wanted to do this winter was to make a pair of Selbu/Norwegian-style mittens. I’ve always loved the style of them and have been drawn to knit colorwork for years. Over the winter break, I decided it was a good time to learn. When I started knitting last winter, I thought I might […]
Bavarian Pretzels (Bretzels) Recipe
For Christmas, I got a cookbook called . It’s an excellent book if you’re interested in learning about or improving your bread baking. As I read through it, I was surprised to see a recipe for German/Bavarian soft pretzels (bretzels.) These delicious soft pretzels spilled over the German border into France and were adopted by […]
winter break recap
I’m back from my winter break and I thought I would kick things off by sharing a recap of what I did while taking time off of posting on the blog and social media as well as my observations about that time and what I gained from it. First of all, when I planned this […]