back from snowy berlin

Photos are coming soon...

winter wonderland

New England snow is pretty, but really, it's impossible to have a true winter wonderland in the suburbs.

The peace and beauty I experienced last week during this unusual Danish snowfall was something far more enchanting than anything I've experienced back home.

The Christmas season feels magical here.

winter commute

Word on the street was it rarely snows in Denmark. So, imagine my surprise when I walked outside in my fishnet tights and little pink shoes to discover a full on snowstorm!

Skipping the workshop I traveled here for wasn't an option, so I changed into a less stylish, but more sensible outfit and set out on the snowy roads in my very safe and solid (not!) Ford Fiesta.

It took me two and a half hours to drive about 30 kilometers, a drive that normally takes 20 -25 minutes. Traffic was bumper to bumper, mostly at a standstill and I didn't get out of third gear.

It looks like this photo was taken at night, but it was actually shot at 7:47 am.

I hadn't noticed that I'd dropped my gloves when I got out of the car to take the photo, but the nice Danish man in the car behind me retrieved them, knocked on my window, and gave them back to me. How kind is that? I love the Danes!

3 weeks away

For a tiny girl, I sure do require a lot of stuff! I'll be gone for 3 weeks, so of course I'll need 2 laptops, 2 cameras, 3 lenses, 6 bras, 2 pairs of jeans, countless pairs of tights, numerous outfits, a hat, a yoga mat, and 6 pairs of shoes :)

I think I might have been better suited for the golden age of travel aboard a luxury liner vs. cramped in a metal tube feeling a bit guilty for taking up so much overhead bin space!

I'm very excited for my first Christmas overseas, and to see a new European city... Berlin! I promise to write while I'm away...

recycled fabric tea cosy

I just finished another tea cosy! I made this one from thrifted fabric, and insulated it with a layer of poly batting sandwiched between 2 layers of fleece.

I'll bet it keeps tea nice and steamy :)

This one will not be going to the Shop. I made it as a gift, but I'll probably make another at some point because I really do love the warmth of this color scheme.

I feel like lately all I write about is tea cosies and thrift shopping, but I promise it's about to get bit more interesting around here!

I'm flying to Denmark tomorrow evening. Actually, I'm flying to Stockholm, then on to Denmark Tuesday morning. I'll be spending Xmas there, then New Year's week in Berlin. I'm bringing my Mac and will post from the other side of the pond, so stay tuned :)

$24.46

Thrifted clothes are quickly outnumbering the things I've bought new! It's such a fun way to shop, plus it's inexpensive and eco-friendly, and it contributes to charity instead of shareholders!

This recent haul cost less than $25 :)

I've been calling this my "Spy Dress". For some reason it reminds me of something a hot spy chick would wear in a movie, possibly with a tan trench coat (which I also own). This is exactly what I love about thrift shopping! I'd never pay $100 or so for this new at Express, but for $11.99 why not have a little fun?

I'd pretty much never be caught dead inside Dress Barn, but for $4.99, this top looks fabulously 60's with a black mini, fishnets, and black boots!

When I first saw this Petite Sophisticate skirt, I thought "Jackie-O"! But as I scoured the racks for a top to go with it, I ended up going in a different direction. (psst... white tags were 50% off, so I scored it for $2.49!!!)

I absolutely love this top with the Jackie-O skirt, with jeans, and with many other things. It looks like a pretty, lace-trimmed white blouse under a cardigan, but it's actually one piece, and it was only $4.99!

OK, these shoes aren't thrifted, but with nude fishnets, and this necklace, they go so perfectly with the Jackie-O skirt and the faux blouse/cardigan top that I just had to post them :)

I'll be in Berlin New Year's week and can't wait to check out the thrift shops there! There's a fair amount of them, and there's even one that sells clothing by the kilo! How fun is that?

spinach ricotta pie

In the fall and winter months, I love the aroma and cozy feeling of something baking or simmering. I adapted this spinach ricotta pie from Moosewood Cookbook, which has now been updated to The New Moosewood Cookbook.

1/2 lb. chopped spinach
1 small onion, diced
1/2 t salt
1/2 t basil
black pepper
butter
1 lb. ricotta
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup crumbled feta
3 T flour
1 pie crust
1 cup sour cream
paprika

Saute the spinach and onion in a bit of butter, until it softens. Season with the salt, pepper, and basil.

Combine the spinach mixture with the rest of the ingredients and pour it into an unbaked pie crust. Top it with the sour cream, spreading the sour cream to the edges in an even layer, then sprinkle with paprika.

Bake it at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until it's set and the crust starts to turn a lovely shade of gold.

Due to the childhood trauma of my grandmother force feeding me sandy spinach, I do not eat it. I know that it's full of iron and I should learn to like it, but I'm just not into it.

So, I haven't actually tasted this pie myself, but Jeff said it was worth blogging, so proceed at your own risk. Mostly, I just like to play with pie crust ;)

new tea cosy in the shop

There's a new tea cosy in the Shop. It's my favorite cosy color combo... pink, green and ivory, like an English Garden :)

And how adorable is this ribbon?

Totally :)

thrifted fabric

I spent most of this cold and rainy Saturday at the thrift shops. I bought a few more clothing items, which I'll share later, but for the first time ever, I scored a small fabric stash!

Each of the four cuts is over a yard, and they were only $1 each!

I've been wanting to incorporate more recycled and thrifted fabrics into my tea cosies and aprons :)

knitting

I've often envied those who could create beautiful things with two needles and a ball of yarn. So, I took a knitting lesson and I've been working on this scarf in hopes of becoming one of those people...

It's nothing fancy, just row after row of the knit stitch, but it's more than I could do a few weeks ago. One of the tendons in my left hand is too short, so it aches after awhile, and it makes it difficult to hold the needle and control yarn tension properly, but I do enjoy knitting and I've already picked out my next project :)

knittinghelp.com, as the name implies, has been a huge help as I awkwardly hack my way through learning this new skill. The videos on this site are like having on demand knitting lessons, and the message boards are full of experienced knitters.

I started and tore out my scarf several times, but it's my first piece and it's not going to be perfect, so I've kept going, and all in all it doesn't look too bad. I'm definitely too harsh on myself, and really, I need to learn to cut myself some slack once in awhile.

I expect to bind off this weekend and start something else involving the purl stitch :)