Day 29: Photograph your favorite feature.

It took me a while to figure out my favorite feature, and not because there’s so much of myself I like. Complete opposite – I’ve always had a hard time with my body image. Like since I was a kid. (There was a kid in elementary school who called my “Ghandi lips”. That set me back as a second grader.) Let’s not get into body image and all that… it’s all self-acceptance and I admit, I work on that constantly.

After some thought, it came down to my eyes. Pretty sure I have my mom’s eyes.

1999: Wedding Day with my parents

I have big, dark brown eyes. So big, that if I make my eyes wide (like I’m surprised or mad), my family says it looks like my eyeballs will fall out of their sockets. It’s scary and funny – my kids cover their eyes, squirm, giggle, laugh and scream and sometimes, run away. My husband thinks it’s weird… hahaha.

As a kid, I thought my eyes were black because I couldn’t see my pupils. (If you’re Asian, you may have experienced this.) Then there’s the day when I discovered that my eyes (irises) weren’t black and I stood in front of the mirror looking and searching. (A lot of Asian kids do that too.) It’s mesmerizing seeing the brown coloration and maybe flecks of another color, if you’re lucky. I don’t know what I was hoping for – maybe gold?

Take some moments to think about your favorite features, and if you’re so inclined, stop by and comment. Love to hear from you.

I was super excited to get these goodies from the offices of Martha Stewart Living via Craft Critique. If you’re getting ready for the holidays and looking for ways to wrap or package your baked goods, please take a look at my review on Craft Critique! Leave a comment at their site and you just might win your own set of treat bags and boxes!

Birthday parties have always been a fun and memorable event growing up. When we were really young, opening presents and goody/loot bags were the best things ever… I remember getting dot candy on paper strips, the fortune fish you’d hold in your hand that curls up, stickers, tattoos and the plastic trinkets and jewelry that my parents hated so. What a treasure it was to us but was so easily forgotten.

After last year’s Webkinz party at home, we went the other way and hosted a few friends outside and went simple on a take-home gift: One of Abby’s favorite things to eat, dark chocolate. She prefers Scharffen Berger (she’s such a foodie already), but also loves Trader Joe’s dark chocolate. So, we bought a few bars and to dress it up, I took some scrapbook paper and die-cut shapes that coordinated with her favor colors and wrapped the bars. Very simple and cute, just like my kid.

Other thoughtful ideas:

• Giant, decorated sugar cookie that ties into the party theme (i.e. Butterfly cookies from a local bakery for an outdoor or spring themed party or these cookies)
• Small cellophane bag of a favorite candy (M&M’s), tied with curling ribbon
• Thank you cards with a picture of the guest of honor along with friends.
• Picture CD’s of the party
• Small bud vases with seasonal flowers

We have a giant front closet in our foyer, and I’ll admit, it’s long overdue for a little better organization. I think I cleaned it out over one year ago. Before I knew it, the coats had somehow magically multiplied with hand-me-downs and seasonal additions. I was sad that there was hardly any room for guest coats.

So, a little trip to IKEA (we love it there), a few purchases and time to sort…

…and voila! There were so many coats and sweatshirts that weren’t being worn because 1) they’re too small, 2) they’re too big or 3) they don’t belong to us. A few things have since found new homes and other things are being packed away for future use. We’re planning on converting a lot of our clothes hangers to wooden ones, just a little at a time.

Think our dry cleaner will be happy with my little hanger donation? The plastic ones will find a home in the laundry room in the meantime.

Onward to the kitchen where you’d think we might keep our plates in the top cabinets… nope, not us. For accessibility sake, we have our plates in the drawers below where pots and pans are sometimes stored.

I had bought four of these plate holders three years ago, but was short two. I just kept forgetting to buy them over the last few years.

Kiddie plates just stack with everything. I love, love, love these holders. Minimal or no assembly, plates don’t rattle, they all have their places. It’s awesome.

(FYI: I have not been paid, given product by, or asked by IKEA to advertise or “plug” their products. This is simply a post about products we like.)

This past summer, I attended the second Chicago Craft Social and led a table with this craft, Beaded Book Marks (a.k.a. Book Thongs or Book Wedgies). I had no idea how busy I would be at the table, but it was a great showing. I took no other pictures that evening. I wish I did; it was tons of fun. I really ought to post a tutorial on these, eh?

So, I’m leading a table at this Friday’s Craft Social (Holiday version)! I’m going to tailor my latest obsession, scribble art (or doodling), into something people can learn and take home. From this…

… I started documenting the different patterns I use. Sort of backwards, but that’s okay. Work in progress.

Tonight I took my notes, made a one page dictionary that I can hand out, and I’m planning on demonstrating the more complicated or complex designs on my daughter’s white board. None of them are really that difficult, but they might look incredibly intricate. Makes me feel like I’m brilliant.

From twenty different patterns, you can mix and match (I’m bringing multi-sided dice, more than six sides), do little variations on them, and voila, you too can doodle crazy little things and maybe make a holiday card, gift tags, an iron-on t-shirt applique… the possibilities are endless. I’m working on our family Christmas card in black and white. This picture was a first attempt.

Hope to see you at my table!