Notes from A Cottage Industry

Creating a better world with cookies and milk.

**Before I begin, let me say that my photos came out really poorly due to the lighting in my office....**

Christmas decorating isn't only reserved for your home, you know.

We are having so much fun at work this week! We're decking the halls...er....the main lobby areas on two floors, along with the reception area...for Christmas! To kick off the festivities on Monday afternoon we had Christmas music playing, and I decided to offer up a lil' buffet of milk and cookies.

I began by emailing everyone on my floor (we have three entire floors of employees..) the following quote:

(in case you can't read it in the photo: Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon...Robert Fulgum) and I invited them to help create a better world by stopping by the reception area for a treat.

I served the milk in old wine carafes I got a long time ago at a thrift store, tied with little gingham ribbons and placed in a bucket of ice....

The cookies were a nice combination of homemade (by me and a friend at work) and my good pal, Trader Joe. (I adore his dark chocolate star cookies!)

I am decorating the entire reception area (more pics in a post to follow later...)in traditional red, white...and non-traditional grey tones.....

A five dollar scarf from WalMart makes a fabulous winter-time runner, a jingle bell from a place setting a few years ago (remember it here? Wow. Was it really 2007?!Feels like it was last year...)

....and dollar mittens complete the look.(Oh! And, aren't you lovin' my stocking cap birdies from Camas Antiques?)

So, how's your work space looking this Christmas season? What do you do to add some cheer? I'd love to hear!

...and the winner is...

Judy, from A Picket Fence Life! (Be sure and stop by and visit her blog...)Thank you everyone for your comments and entries! I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Happy Turkey-Day, my friends.

 Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare.  They are consumed in twelve minutes.  Half-times take twelve minutes.  This is not coincidence.  ~Erma Bombeck

I came across a photo from Thanksgiving 2007 and thought I'd share it again. (such a beautiful and delicious pie my daughter-in-law made!)

Wishing you all a cozy Thanksgiving, filled with love, and laughter, and gratitude.

Peace on Earth.

Isn't it incredible what a little glitter, paper and ribbon can do to turn any room into a festive event?

Along with my reception area,(more on that project to come shortly!) I am helping to decorate the lobby area of our building at work for the holidays. Our company's logo is mainly a deep purple, with lighter lavender and some silver and gold, so we decided we'd go with these colors to mix things up a bit, and I am excited to see it all unfold.

We've got some fabulous ideas, and thanks to good ol' WalMart, we got the giant tree and nearly all of the trimmings for a nice price.

Last night I used my signature old Dictionary pages and printed the letters for a giant banner that will span across the second floor loft area. I'll be adding some glitter and using my pinking sheers, along with framing the pages with a rich shade of purple paper. The finished banner will read "Peace on Earth" and I think it is going to top things off perfectly.. I'll share the lobby area in it's entirety next week.(We will be decorating Monday night after work!) 

In case you're wondering, today I am thankful for having a job where I am encouraged to be creative, and think outside the box. I'm also thankful for my coworker friends that share my enthusiasm.

I know it's only rock n' roll, but I like it.

I am thankful for...

my Rock n' Roll Buddy.

If anyone had told me five years ago that I'd love going for rides on the back of a Harley, (including one spur of the moment ride at nearly midnight) that I'd actually look forward to Sunday Football, (even if the Seahawks are borderline pathetic this season...) or that many Friday and Saturday nights I would utter the words to a new acquaintance, "I'm here with the Band" I would have done a double eye roll...as soon as I finished laughing.

Watching Monday Night Football, and hearing the announcer repeat, verbatim, what my Buddy just said on the sofa always make me laugh, (seriously, it's like there's a three second delay and the guy has an ear phone to repeat what he said...) listening to old reel-to-reels of  Rock n' Roll from his earlier band days, or snuggling up in a blanket enjoying a really late-night (early morning?) private one-man-guitar concert,(complete with moments of Name-That-Tune from him and some song requests from me...) are all things I would never have pictured myself doing...(actually, having a blast)...but I do, and that is what is so great about life. Change isn't necessarily a bad thing. Different can be better.

Finding someone who is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get person is very different for me, and I mean that in the best way. (Trust me, after spending three decades with a guy who's motto was "You are what you drive." this is so refreshing, and welcomed.)

I consider one of my all time favorite dates the time we stopped at the grocery and got frosted animal cookies, milk and two paper cups to share in the car on the way to a Brew Pub to watch the vikings lose play and share some two-for-a-buck tacos. (I can't tell you how much fun that was...and that's definitely something you would never have seen me doing in my old life.)

Mmmm hmmm,  I'd have to say that I am very thankful for my Ralph, and for a second chance at sharing my heart.

Foofy-and-oh-so-fancy gift wrap ideas.

So....I want to share a few pictures from the Gift Wrap Party my daughter had at her home last Sunday....
It was a perfect Autumn day here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and there was plenty of hot cider, cocoa with all the fixings, and lots of yummy baked goods, including some delicious pumpkin bread, and cookies made from cake mix. (Have you had them? I will have to get the recipe from my daughter and share it...so good!)

We even got to dip apples in warm caramel sauce, and then each guest was given a can to take home as a party favor!

I like to wrap my gifts for the most part in brown paper, but I had lots of glittery boxes, bags, ribbons, and doo-dads to sparkle things up.  The deep silver glitter has such a vintage feel to me. It reminds me of the old German Glass Glitter, you know? 

By adding a simple adornment like an inexpensive Christmas decoration, a gift goes from ordinary to fabulous. I shared my favorite trick for wrapping wine bottles...simply wrap it by gathering up mylar tissue paper with a length of ribbon, add a little ornament, and then spray the top area of the gathered mylar with spray glue, and sprinkle mylar confetti (pearlecent or silver glitter confetti work nicely also!)See? It looks like it was meant for a party.

The same technique works well on the little take-out style boxes sold at craft stores...(so great for concealing a gift card!)

A bit of tulle, some snippets of ribbon, and a little mylar shred make all the difference..

(I have to admit that I quite enjoy wrapping presents far more than I like shopping for them, fighting the crowds, and trying to find that elusive perfect present.)

Everyone had a wonderful time at the party and I think they all were more than a little inspired to get home and start assembling their wrapping supplies.

I am thankful for time spent with friends, laughing and sharing ideas...and I guess I have to say that I am thankful for glitter.

Mo's.

Friday night we took off for the coast to spend the weekend with some visiting family members, and that included a trip to Mo's.

Mo's is known across the entire region for it's off-the-chart, incredible New England style clam chowder. This place is so good that even though it was a rainy, grey afternoon, between lunch and supper time, there was long line wrapping all the way outside of the building, of people just wanting to get a seat and big ol' bowl of Mo's clam chowder. 

I must share here that this was not only my very fist visit to Mo's, but my very first time tasting Clam Chowder. (Shameful, I know)I am happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of this thick, rich, cream concoction of clams, and cream, and potatoes, delivered to our table in perfect sourdough bread soup bowls.

Mmmmmm.

I discovered this past weekend that not only am I thankful for good friends and family to spend time exploring new places with, but I am also thankful for comfort foods, like Mo's clam chowder.

A slightly belated Veterans Day Post..

I shared this on FaceBook already, but it certainly bears re-posting here.

I am thankful for all of the freedoms we enjoy here in the U.S. of A. and I want to  say thank you to all of our men and women in uniform today, and in our past. You are our true heros, and I count myself forever grateful for having been born in this great country.

Wrapping things up.

Carter and Coen's Mama is having a group of girlfriends over this Sunday and I am going to be sharing my tips and tricks for fancy gift wrapping with them. I've been prepping and gathering lots of little adornments and such to show along with my signature wrap- brown craft paper, as well as other snazzy jazzy wrapping papers.

I keep my wrapping supplies organized these days in clear plastic tubs- tissue paper in one, colored shred in another, and ribbons in yet another. It makes it easy to get things wrapped quickly, since I typically use only the brown craft paper or handled bags, but sometimes I opt for a more colorful option.

I couldn't resist this paper for the two grandson's birthdays coming up. 

Today I am thankful for...a slice of time at the end of my day, where I can get my craft Jones satisfied by creating special little details for friends and family.

Peace, love, junk.

Today I am thankful for all of the inspiration from my friends out there in the Junk World. Thanks to the internet, this world is a much warmer, cozier place where we can share clever ideas and stimulate our imagination for re-purposing things to make our homes our havens.

Especially now, when so many of us are on budgets, and have more time than money, it is gratifying to be able to use discarded items in new ways, without breaking the bank.

Oh, how thankful I am.

I was going to start of by saying that I feel like it's been a week since I sat down here to write, and then I realized it has been a week.

Forget that it has been a week, how the heck did it get to be November already? I mean, is it just me, or does it seem like we were just all looking forward to July barbeques and working on our tans about six days ago? The only thing that doesn't seem to be changing and flying by (at least not in a good way) is this tough economy of ours. Times are still scary,with more people out of work or under-employed, and everyone seems to be fighting a battle of some sort. Struggles with job searches, keeping afloat financially, and stressful every day life situations seem to be a common thread whether I am looking at the news, or talking with a close friend. It's all so distressing.

One of my very favorite quotes is this one:

Trust me here, I know that it's not always easy to keep your chin up. God knows I have thrown my share of pretty fantastic pity parties, but we've all got to remember that it's a bad day,or week, or little stretch in time, not a bad life. Trials do pass, and things get do get better, truly they do. (I know this firsthand.)

Even when things may look bad, or seem hopeless, there is always hope, and there are so many things we take for granted. We often times miss the little blessings in every day life. The things people in some other countries can only imagine. Little things like snickers bars, faithful pets, deep red toenail polish, and even the simple freedom to have a ten minute pity party now and then.

Inspired by Sarah, I decided to join in with an month long project I saw here. (And she saw it here.) I realize that I am coming to the party a bit more than a week late (Hmmm, are we seeing a pattern here?) but better late than never as they say, right? 

Anyway.

The idea is to share one thing each and every day in November that I am thankful for. (This should also ensure that you'll be seeing a post from me each day for the rest of the month!) I am going to share eight of my little blessings here today so that I can feel caught up....

1. This is easy. I am very thankful for you. For each one of you that continues to check in with me here and see if I've posted. I sincerely thank you for your friendship.

2. I am forever thankful for unlimited minutes on my cell phone. (This kinda goes back to being thankful for friendship...)

3. I am thankful for flannel sheets and feather pillows. It is like sleeping on a cloud, after a long day.

4. I am thankful for the little people in my life that squeal when I knock on the door, and say "I wuv you!"

5. I am thankful for having a job. Especially because it is one that I really enjoy. (That two year stint at the bank after a layoff was like one long root canal for me....no offense to those of you in banking. Let's just say it wasn't my cuppa tea.)

6. I'm thankful for getting that one extra hour of sleep last Sunday, thanks to falling back with Daylight Savings time. (See number 3 above...)

7.Seat heaters in my sweet lil' Bug. It sure makes cold mornings ever so much nicer.

........and today, I am thankful for living in such a fabulous and beautiful part of the country where I can do so many fun things out and about, rain or shine.

How about you? What are you thankful for? (If you'd like to join in the fun, go to Connie's blog for all the details...here!)