Finds - Winter Ice

Winter has hit Colorado hard, and even after a respite from sub-zero temperatures it still seems unlikely to disappear soon. Why fight it? Fill up the tea pot, pull out the knitting, gaze thru frosted windows onto snowy streets and grey skies. Relish each chill morning, you will be missing them come July...

Photo by SpiritHelpers

Settle in with a nice delicate cuppa, from CenterCeramics.

Get a warm project going with a snowy flair - Ice Queen yarn from Folktale

If you do fancy savoring the ice, this set from OrioleStudio captures the feel of frozen evergreens on a frigid February day.

If you wish to brave the chill, dress for it! This little portable ice will bring winter flare to any outfit. Made by Chymiera

Whatever the weather, remember to enjoy each season for what it brings, even if that is ice and snow! How are you keeping warm?

Finds - Warming Up

It's that time of year, the leaves are mostly fallen and the first big snow has left the city wet and cold. What to do when it's cold outside and not much warmer inside? Cuddle up to some warm goodies and warming treats.

Like this fantastic slouchy from MadamePeace, your grandma always did tell you to wear a hat...

And don't forget that grandma told you to have 'stockinged feet' in the winter so you don't catch a cold! Felted slippers by StoneJoyDesign are ideal.

Now make a nice pot of tea to warm up! This no caffeine blend from SpiralElixer will keep you toasty all day.

Particularly if you keep it in this Hebridean wool cozy by AMagpieandaDove. With a constant cold damp breeze coming off the ocean one imagines that the Hebrideans know how to stay warm.

Now pair that hot tea with a bowl of tasty soup, and you're ready to take on the day! A good hand-thrown pottery bowl, like these from WildChildClayWorks, will hold that heat in to the last bite.

Then you can bundle up and run out for a little bit of vitamin D and fresh cold air, use these fluffy gloves with loooong cuffs from CreativeTides to keep from getting a blast of cold air on your wrist. Even if you need to make some snowballs you will still be covered!

It's a hard transition to make, so embrace the good things about Fall changing into Winter, and have a another cuppa. What's your favorite way to enjoy a snowy day?

Finds - Winter in the Rockies

It's time for snow drifts and starry nights (Let's pretend it hasn't been in the 60s here lately), here's a collection of wintery items all from local folks! This weekend is Holiday Handmade, and I intend to spend the day shopping the latest and greatest local goods.

Photo by AmeliaKayPhotography with all the lightness of falling snow.

Adorn your door with fluff and snowflakes from AshcraftCreations

Adorn yourself with sparkle and style by Paperfarm

These beautiful stones are a gift of the earth, shouldn't they also be a gift from you? By AncientSunJewelry

Need a vessel for your favorite steaming hot winter dish? Sublime ceramics from LightaFire.

The icy tones of winter always enchant me, hopefully soon we will have some of our own snowy fields here in Colorado! I'm off to shop local, hopefully I'll find some excellent goodies...

Finds - First Snow

It snowed here in Colorado, and the trees have slushy bits of snow clinging to their changing leaves. It's a welcome sign after one of the hottest summers on record, and a step towards the winter weather. Today's Finds post has Colorado artist and our favorite subject - Snow!

An early Autumn snow, captured by MistyPhoto

Fabulous hair Kanzashi from MountainMusings, imagine wearing them on a snowy day!

Great note cards with sparse winter tree branches from MichelleMach.

A brilliant piece of tactile textiles, MelodyMoneyDesigns handmade this art quilt, and I'd like to believe finished it on a snowy night...

Add your own little winter touch to your holiday decor by making a Snow Bunny Ornament, FancyTiger's kit has everything you need, and you can make it as cute as you want!

This is the view I'm looking forward to, snow capped mountain slopes in the moonlight. Can it be Ski Season yet? Lovely Painting from CreatedbyStorm

The only thing better than stuff that reminds me of snow, is stuff that keeps me warm in it... Fluffy yarn by WildeThyme waiting to be a warm fuzzy for you!

It's not full on winter yet, but us Coloradans can be inspired by snow year round - there are places that get snow year round after all. The sun will soon melt this snow fall away, but I'm looking forward to the cold dark winter. What's the weather where you are?

Snow Day!

The storm blew in last night, turning green lawn and 60F days into this overnight. The transformation of winter's touch. So I'm spending the day with ginger black tea and preparing for a trek to the post office. I'm not one to let 10 inches of snow keep me from going about my day!
What is your favorite Snow Day activity?

Winter in the Rockies

Here in the Teton Valley they appreciate snow, so much that they are dedicating this week to a Snow Fest. From Skijorning (horse racing with skier in tow) to snow sculpting the town is full of enjoying the white stuff. The parking lot of City Hall is full of giant blocks slowly becoming other forms.
The first and most important item is a snow bar, almost ready! But those bartenders look a little young...

There were a myriad of plans, models, systems and tools. from axes and chisels to simple glowed hands. A few of the pros made grids and lines, some just dug right in.
Some folks like to hide inside when it's cold, some folks embrace the snow! What is your favorite winter activity?

Finds - Mountain Vacation

I'm preparing for a week long snowboard vacation in Teton Valley Idaho, a regular destination for us to visit family and my home for a season. The range there possesses a distinctive geology, and from both sides the Grand Teton (that means big boob in case you're curious) is visible. One never forgets the view of these majestic peaks. Painting by JoeTringall.
Simply but lovely pendant from HattieRex
An unusual piece of art, this scene is skillfully painted on a gourd by GreatGourds.
For the adventurous soul this intrepid gnome from CourtneyGrigg
A distinctive silhouette from Mountainvenbaby
Vintage souvenir plate from NaturalandVintage featuring the iconic range.
Other than knitting in the car there won't be much crafting this week, just sitting in front of the fire and playing in the snow...

Seasons Changing

The leaves have long since changed and fallen here. The snow is covering the piles. As we approach the solstice and prepare for the cold nights of winter and return of the sun I like to curl up inside with hot tea and knitting. On the other hand, in my family everyone enjoys some kind of winter sport - skiing, telemark, snowboarding etc. It's the time of year for rich hearty soups and baking bread all day because it's nice to hang out in a warm kitchen. The changing seasons are always hard, either leaving behind a favored time of year or entering a challenging time, it's nice to reflect on the upside that each season offers.

We greet the snow with cookies, big sweaters, and sunglasses (in Colorado cold weather does not always mean clouds!). What is your favorite part of Autumn, that you will miss as the world turns? What are you looking forward to in the dark times?

Finds - Snow Fall

We had several days of snowfall, and the city is still sitting under a blanket of white. We don't stay home just from the weather here in Colorado, but here's some snow-day picks! Delicate photo by Bomobob.



If you wanted to make your own warm fuzzy, check out this pattern from YarnBlossomBoutique. Protection from the cold rarely looks this cute, and the pattern explains making different sizes for everyone to enjoy!



Snowflake jewelry abounds, but with a hand-painted piece you know that "no two are ever alike". TuckooandMoocow has many wonderful pieces that are just right for a winter's night out.




Fill your alter with light and your home with the scents of the season! ArtisanWitchcrafts has these pure white sparkly gems, and many other fabulous seasonal offerings.


These elegant curls are just twirls of paper, like the delicate ephemeral snowflake it represents (but a little more stable at room temperature). QuillyNilly can outfit a tree, wreath, log, garland etc. with paper snowflakes to bring the winter goodness inside!

How about an elegant handknit shawl to protect you from the cold and snow? DagnyKnit makes these lovely pieces to order, a great combination of delicate beauty and fuzzy functionality.

I hope that everyone is enjoying a little snow to remind us that Winter is almost here!

Back from Vacation

The last week I was in Idaho staying with family and enjoying the snow at Grand Targhee! It was lots of powder days and freezing cold nights, but between the hot tub and the bar I did get some sewing done, so expect to see some more turtles populating my shop over the next few days...

Sun and Snow

Today here in Denver we are experiencing a Colorado weather phenomonon - yesterday was blue skies and sunshine on fields of snow, and today it's falling like there's no tomorrow.
So in celebration of Sunshine on January's snowy fields here's a post with my two favorite things to love about winter. Sunshine and Snow, two great taste that go great together! We'll start with BDLeatherDesigns fabulous belt. Snowflakes and a scene of Mt. Hood on a clear day. What better to hold up your snowpants than a view of everyone's favorite coastal volcano?

And what better weather for riding than a bluebird sky? This photo from BeanTreeDesigns sums it all up. That's right, here is Colorado the whole state is veiled in white, even when enjoying one of our 300 days of sunshine a year. This photo could have been any mountain road, any plains farm, but it's not of course. It's the photographers beautiful property in VA!

Just because it's winter time doesn't mean I have a car all of a sudden... when we ride bikes it's like the postman "neither rain nor sleet nor hail nor dark of night..." This shirt from FullSail is printed on a recycled thrift store shirt in an awesome design to remind us that two wheeling can be year-round (this sellers in Minneapolis, if they bike in winter then they are really hard core!) So show yourself and your friends that you aren't afraid of a little snow... a lot maybe... but not a little...
And now for another eco-friendly option in this post, this colorful bag from BbkBags made from recycled plastic polyester! Reminiscent of kindergarten coloring time it's got all the requirements. A shining sun, tall mountains and snow. This bag would be perfect for a sunny day when you need to bring four extra layers to stay warm after the sun goes down.

What about a vision of the solstice you can wear? This silver pendant from Soulyyours tracks the suns low path across the sky in perfectly antiqued metal. At this time of year the sun trails across the treetops on it's angle arc across the sky so even on the clearest of days it's not that bright. (This is why we have winter BTW, in case any of you slept through earth sciences...)

And at the end of a chilly January day (4:30 in the afternoon around here!) the colors of the sky and the snow just reflect on each other... Like this lovely painting from BettyBaumann our whole neighborhood has scenes like these, and up in the mountains it's just wonderful! Hopefully as the days get longer we'll see this later and later, but the colors just aren't the same as a January sunset. Original art from an original artist captures the landscape for all year...