obsession of the day

granola


i made one batch, using the recipe in this month's everyday food (i checked - it's not up on the site yet.) the other day.
it's so easy to make and so delicious that i had to try more...
so i went to epicurious (my regular go-to -- i like using the reviews to see how others did with the recipes.) and found this recipe, which i used as my base guide for the next batch. inspired by my one of my favourite cookies, i did a batch of cranberry pistachio. yum.


and then, as usual, i couldnt stop there - i had to make just one more batch... (i've explained before - i tend to get obsessed and i feel a need to make not just one of something, but to do it over and over again until i have made it mine.)
so then i made vanilla maple almond. sooooo delish!


go mix yourself up a batch! it takes only like 5 minutes to throw together and about 20 minutes to bake. you can make it with any combination of nuts and/or fruits that you want or that you have on hand - way cheaper and maybe even healthier than the stuff you buy in stores. yaaaaaay granola!
ps - i promise that i will be back to posting about normal crafty stuff soon. i've been working on some bigger projects that are taking a while to finish and they're not quite ready to be photographed yet. thank you to those of you who have sent me emails and posted comments these past couple of weeks - you are such an inspiration to me!

little girl blue

i received a note last night from lindsey of lost and fawned letting me know that my "please please please" smiths piece is included in an etsy treasury that she created.
check it out (here) -- it's quite lovely!


(i JUST learned that the more people who click on a treasury, the better chance it has of getting to the front page. dang - shows how much i still have to learn!)

update - i received another email the other day, letting me know that this treasury, and seven others, were featured on the blog s and o productions. this was my first time seeing this blog -- it's really sweet. see the post here. wonderful!

holidaze

i didn't do much documenting this past week. i was more so just content in spending time with my loved ones and relishing the holiday traditions.
here are the little bits i did get, though:
x-mas cactus appropriately in bloom:


home-made salted caramels:


they were goooooood. i used this recipe.

emil meeting


and loving


his new catnip-filled knitted mice:


(he's still working on unwrapping the other one.)

this flippin' awesome note from aidyn:


(he wrote it by himself for my parents.)

aidyn's photo of me rockin' around the family x-mas tree:


my poor attempt at getting a shot of bella and myself reflected in the glass:


(but you CAN see the lovely manicure that miss bella did for me -- ten minutes before i found out that there was no nail polish remover in the house.)

and last, but certainly not least, my favourite gift this year:



totally rad, right? wow. i love it just as much as last year's present.

i hope you all had a delightful holiday with your loved ones.
i'm gearing up to jump back into work.... new stuff soon, i hope!

cookie day 2009

gingerbread houses were built:


and decorated:



(this is called raisin' the roof.)

steps are cleared of the snow that fell overnight:



(in my jammies. our town had an official total of 24 inches of snow!)

a collaborative drawing is made:


(it's a guy, wearing a scarf, holding his hand over his mouth. he has two different color eyes, like david bowie. i did his arms and shoulders, bella did the rest.)

snowflakes were made and hung in the not-yet-decorated christmas tree:


(they were also thrown, several times, from the second story loft onto whomever could be coaxed into standing below.)

snow-frolic-ing did happen:






and cookies were made:

snow day!

all of my holiday orders are finally out and i've made it before the big snow down here to jersey to spend x-mas cookie weekend with my adorable niece and nephew. five minutes after i pulled into the driveway, we made snow angels. they're calling for something like ten more inches of this powdery white stuff and i am looking forward to another session of playing in it later this afternoon. delightful!
i hope you are all warm and cozy and doing something that makes you happy, wherever you are.

sale on!

finally! all of my holiday sales are over and i while i don't have a whole lot of goods left over, those that i do have i've put in the shop with new shiny super-cheap price tags! it's the chez-sucre-chez last minute holiday shopping sale!
quantities are limited and the sale only applies to items that are already made up -- so custom-stitched monograms and most cross-stitch pieces don't get a discount. (and if you want one of those items to have in time for holiday gift-giving, you'd better order it today!)
but check it out -- there are some already-stitched monogram tea towels, (in funky patterns and colors!):




a few of the cross stitch pieces (very limited quanties):



tooth buddies:




chambray blue hand towels (there were white ones, but a certain very awesome man bought the last two!):


do-it-yourself cross-stitch kits/patterns:




totes:





and more! see it all and do your shopping here.
hurry up! i'm making runs to the post office tomorrow tuesday and wednesday of this week - which should give just enough time for packages to arrive prior to x-mas. (i'll also be making runs on thursday and probably friday - but that's kinda pushing it, unless you want to contact me about expedited shipping rates).
and after this week -- oooooh, i am so looking forward to taking a little bit of time off from the shop to concentrate on my own holiday crafting and baking. wow.

divinity

gettin' ready:


this coming sunday (the 13th) i'll be at the divine studios holiday sale, along with other seriously fabulous vendors (including z-town-made's very own sara smedley!). c'mon out and do your holiday gift shopping: 11-6pm, 21 e. 4th street, soho, nyc.
thanks so much to everyone who came out to see me and say hello at bust. that was quite an event!
thanks also, to my mama and sis (and adorable niece bella) and pop for helping to organize my little t-nacle trunk show. thanks to all who came out for cocktails and shopping!

merry thanks

i'm feeling rather great and thankful.
i've gotten quite a few really really nice emails from customers and from friends across the web these past few days that have made me very proud and happy. it makes all of this busy-ness so worth it!
thank you to design sponge for including my custom cross-stitched initials/letters in their $50 and under gift guide today:



see the post and all of the other beautiful gifts they've selected here.

samantha, from the experts agree, wrote to let me know that they'd chosen to include my striped monograms in their round-up of tea towels:


with so many really lovely tea towels out there, i feel super-flattered to have had mine included! see the post and the rest of the stunners here.

and erin, from slipcover your life, included my cross-stitched reindeer hoops in her round-up of ornaments:


i feel good about seeing chez-sucre-chez alongside jonathan adler and crate and barrel and kath kidston! see that one here.

thank you, too, to jenny hart and sublime stiching for tweeting about my smith's quote "please please please..." pieces!

if you've written or commented and i haven't yet gotten back to you personally, please know that i sincerely appreciate that you took the time to get in touch and that i will be getting back to you as soon as i can!
tomorrow's another full day; filming 10 videos for howcast and then going to the opening reception for "sewing circle" at hello bluebird! i gotta get some shut-eye! but before i do, and while i'm on this "i'm so grateful and full of love" kick, let me just say, friends, i love you!

wish i thought of this earlier...

friend jen gave me this sweet little bundle of holiday-color tea towels:


i totally should have thought of this and should have been marketing my custom-stitched monogram towels in holiday colors. i'd use the angle that they're great in the red and green as christmas-sy decor for the kitchen or bathroom but then they aren't so x-mas specific that they can't be used year 'round.


oh well, there's always next year.
(but if you wanna place an order in time for this year's holiday - do it now! here.)