Tick Tock

Is it just me or is Fall the fastest season of all? It's really flown by these last few weeks, don't you think? But stick around because next week I plan to share some of the things that have kept me (& Country Mouse) busy lately and you won't want to miss it. Until then here are some fun things that have been a distraction to me (in a good way):

• Dreaming about what color to paint my office/sewing room, I think I'm set on Creamy Mocha and Cappuccino White.
  
• Accepted the fact that it is going to get cold and snowy again, so I bought this to keep me warm.
• Also accepted that it is going to be 2010 next year! So I'm considering a new calendar.
• Trying to get to the theater to see Michael Jackson's - This Is It
  

That's all for now. Hope you have a wonderful Halloween weekend! See you back here next week!

Bake it Pretty - Owl Friends

Today I created a bunch of hooters. (Owls!) They are so adorable. And tasty.

Mmmm...

I used a candy mold from Bake it Pretty along with candy wafers for melting and cello bags for packaging. You just melt the candy wafers, fill the mold and tap it a little to get the bubbles out, and stick it in the freezer until it sets.

The shapes pop out very easily and I'm sure you can think of a number of cute ways to package them. I was in a bit of a hurry and just used tiny cello bags and cut out cardstock paper with a smaller Amy Butler scrap paper and stapled them all together. Sweet and simple. For more sweet candy inspiration, head on over to the Bake it Pretty blog. Your sweet tooth will thank you!

Interview with Glorious Hats

Just a quick note to let you know Jane from Glorious Hats interviewed us on her blog today! We are part of her fun series titled "Etysians who Drive a Sewing Machine." Jane creates wonderful one-of-a-kind items in her shop just check out this Mustache:



AND she is a fellow Minnesotan, so of course she is warm and friendly :) You can read the interview here.

New Items

I promised to let you know when we would be ready to reveal our new items for the shop. I've been trying all weekend to get some decent pictures of the new items, but the weather is not cooperating. It's been cloudy and we even woke up to a little bit of snow on Saturday! And now they say we may get 2-4 inches tomorrow! I'm not done with Fall yet and Winter is already knocking at the door. Well, I'm not answering. Go away.

Here is a quick peek at the new items...

Measuring Tape ~ perfect in your purse and for your handmade projects

Scissor Holder ~ to hold that special pair of scissors ~ you know, the ones you don't want your husband to steal and never return ;)

We will be adding these in a variety of fabrics. Let us know if you have any special requests. I'll start adding them to the shop early this week. Keep your fingers crossed that I don't wake up to snow tomorrow!

Feature on Young House Love

Remember our table and chair makeover we posted awhile back? Sherry and John from Young House Love featured it on their Reader Redesign series! We were thrilled to see it up on their blog where we always find so much inspiration. Check it out over here.


In the comments, there were some questions about oilcloth, like what is it, where to get your hands on it, and what else can you do with it? So we'll do our best to answer:

1. What the heck is oilcloth? It's similar to a vinyl tablecloth that you can buy at the store. Here is wikipedia's version of oilcloth.
   
2. Where can I get it? You can sometimes get it at your local fabric store and of course online. We just came across this shop on Etsy that is dedicated to selling oilcloth, check out Oilcloth Addict.
   
3. And for what to do with it, let's just say the possibilities are only limited by your imagination! But if you need some helpful ideas, one reader found an awesome site that is all about oilcloth - Oilcloth International and they have a blog featuring fun projects made with it.

Hopefully you enjoyed our short course on oilcloth :) Do you have any ideas on what you would make with it? Please share!

Distractions = New Items?

So how was your weekend? Did you get to do everything you set out to do? We didn't make it to the Apple Festival like I'd planned. Partly because of the weather (cold, rainy, windy, blah)...I snapped this picture during the brief moment when I saw a single patch of blue sky...

and partly because of this little guy I introduced you to a few weeks ago...

He's just so stinkin' cute. I mean a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e. And oh so snuggly! He's at that stage where you just want to squeeze him, he's so cute.


But he's a total distraction too. All weekend it's "where's Junior" and "what's he doing" and "look at him, he's so cute!" and of course a few "no Junior, NOooo!s".

With all of that we did manage to come up with not just one, but TWO new items for the shop! Maybe distractions actually help us focus :)

So as soon as this weather clears up and I can take some decent pictures I will show-and-tell here so you are the first to know just what Junior somehow helped us create.

Welcome Fall!

Well, hello Fall! I've said my goodbyes to Summer and trying my best to welcome Fall. Don't get me wrong, I love what Fall has to offer:

• wearing cozy sweaters

• keeping warm with others

• celebrating at apple festivals

I'm just not so sure that I'm going to be welcoming the season that follows Fall (you know, the one that starts with "W"). I'm hoping to do the three things listed above this weekend. What about you, how are you welcoming Fall? Doing anything crafty? Trying any new recipes? Please do share :)

image: cattales on etsy