Our Christmas Recap (in Photos)

On Christmas Eve, we went to the Fohl Christmas party with Ryan's extended family on his father's side. We did a white elephant gift exchange, played games, and even got a visit from Santa! Ryan spent most of the evening throwing Owen into the air and helping him rescue my Grumpy Cat from a Christmas tree. Oh, Grumpy! He just kept getting stuck in that tree.

When we got home that night, Ryan and I opened each other's gifts in bed. He gave me an amazing plush Vampy Cat that he'd commissioned his brother's girlfriend to make for me months ago. It was so unexpected and thoughtful and perfect! I knitted him some fingerless gloves. It was really hard to find the time to knit them in secret, but I managed to finish them just in time by getting up at 5:00 on Christmas Eve to knit for an hour before work as well as knitting all through my lunch break and rest breaks that day.

On Christmas Day, we visited my grandma in the morning, and then my immediate family came over to our apartment for presents and way too much food. My family gave me a bunch of books from my to-read list as well as a great tribal-print coat, and both seasons of Pushing Daisies on DVD, among other treasures. I felt incredibly spoiled. This was our second year hosting Christmas at our place, and I really enjoyed it. We're hoping that, by next year, we'll have a place big enough that we can host Ryan's family and mine all at once.

For those of you doing the math, yes, I did get two plush cats for Christmas. I also got a thermal hippo in the white elephant gift exchange. I'm pretty excited about it.

All photos by me except group shot. Photo credit: Eric Villegas 

Merry and Bright Playlist 2013

Since 2006, I've made a new Christmas playlist every year. I wrote about how I got started and what songs have been featured in a post last year. You can see it here.

So, for now, I'll leave you with this year's playlist. May your days be merry and bright!

DI(fr)Yday: Embroidered Constellation Christmas Ornaments

I've been on quite the garland-and-ornament-making kick this Christmas. I really love the simplicity of these DIY clay ornaments, but I wanted to give them my own twist. So I made some simple painted ones and also developed a plan for making embroidered-constellation ones.

I made one with Leo and one with Gemini since those are Ryan's and my sun signs, but I think it would be really cool to do Orion, Ursa Major or another favorite constellation as well.

I followed Kelli's instructions for rolling and cutting the Sculpy, but  before baking, I made small holes for each star with the tip of a toothpick. After the ornaments baked and cooled, I used the running stitch to trace the shape of each constellation with embroidery thread.

I love the way they turned out. Don't you think they'd make great gifts, stocking stuffers, or even personalized gift tags?

DI(fr)Yday: (Leif-inspired) Glittery Metallic Geometric Garland

I fell in love with the "Glittered Geometry Garland" at Leif, but decided I could make something similar at home.

First, I printed 3D shape templates (found here). Then I cut them out of glittered scrapbook paper using an X-Acto knife on a self-healing cutting mat.

After that, I made up the shapes securing all but one side with Scotch tape on the inside.

I strung the shapes together with gold embroidery thread and secured the thread at the corners of each shape with some hot glue.

Then I closed up the shapes, securing the final side of the shape with hot glue on a tab of paper.

The whole process took a few days, but I really like the end result, and I think it looks great on our tree.

I wasn't able to photograph every step because I mostly worked on it in the dark after work, but I'd be happy to answer any questions if you decide to make it.

What I wore today: 12/23/2012 (It's Not Easy Photographing Green)

Despite the fact that these corduroys read black in all the full-body shots I took, they are actually a lovely green color. Sometimes you can't shoot in ideal light and you just have to try your best. Oh, well. 

Because yesterday was my family's day to celebrate Christmas all together (since my brother's family is going to Louisville to see his wife's parents), I wanted to wear something cozy, comfortable, and festive. But then I watched The Devil Wears Prada while painting my nails, and that movie always puts me in the mood for lots of black and shoulder pads. This outfit was the compromise I eventually came to. 

The next few days are going to be a whirlwind. We've got plans to have dinner with Ryan's extended family at a banquet hall tonight and to spend Christmas morning with the nephews. Christmas evening, we're having both sets of parents to our apartment for a meal. Wish me luck on my first Christmas dinner hosting experience ever!

Do you celebrated Christmas? How are you celebrating this year?

Black sneaker wedges - Target

Green corduroys - AG, Anthropologie

Black sweater with shoulder pads - Topshop

"Sparked Agate Collar" necklace - Anthropologie (pearl)

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Merry & Bright Playlists

Since 2006, I've made a new Christmas playlist every year. Technically, it's more of a "Holiday playlist," as every one since 2008 has ended with a singular New Year's song. (There are a few general winter songs and a Hanukkah song mixed in there as well. )

These playlist mean a lot to me and all bring up memories from Christmases past. I listed all of the playlists and talked a bit about specific memories in this post last year. 

The initial idea behind making these playlist was to give myself a way to listen to Christmas music (which I love) without having to listen to the Christmas songs that play on the radio (most of which I hate). It's sort of a holiday-specific filtration system put in place to shelter myself from unwanted pop culture; a smaller version my large scale system of owning all the music I want to hear so I never have to listen to the radio. 

What happened, though, was a bit unexpected. As I made yearly Christmas playlists (and near monthly playlists of my current favorite songs, each of which is dated), I left behind a trail documenting exactly what I was listening to when. It's a journal and personal history of sorts. 

It reminds me a bit of Rob's decision in High Fideity to organize his records not alphabetically or  chronologically, but rather autobiographically. 

"If I want to find the song 'Landslide' by Fleetwood Mac, I have to remember that I bought it for someone in the fall of 1983 pile but didn't give it to them for personal reasons."

It's a code only he can break, and somehow that's comforting.

When I shared my 2006-2010 playlists last year, I had not yet made 2011's. In fact, I wasn't quite sure I'd be able to. Each year, I feel a bit afraid that I've run out of songs, that my quest for new Christmas music will be in vain. But, every year, I find some. 

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