last words for 2010

There is so much I want to share with you on this New Year’s Eve-Eve. So I think that bullet points would probably be most efficient —

• For Christmas, R gave me uber-boots that are keeping my toes oh so toasty. Dwellers of frostbitten places, take note: I love.
• String quilt bee blocks! Which has given rise in my imagination to a sunshine something-or-other string block quilt. I crave sun.
• I am making these tomorrow. Because I secretly want to eat them all we’re going to a party.
• If you have been hanging around here for a while, you know that I like bread (here, here, and here). So the other part of my Christmas present involves these two nerdy bread books so that I can be even nerdier about it. Oh yes.
• Check out Jane’s (free!) awesome 2011 resolutions printable. Jane did the design for my shop. I freaking love her style.
• Speaking of resolutions, read Jerie’s inspiring post on moving forward and letting go of comparative self-worth. Soul-making — now those are words worth holding onto.
• Just added to the shop: charm packs! Hop on over to check em out.

unto us

Merry Christmas, dear friends. Wishing you a wonderful day filled with family, faith, warmth, and lots and lots of treats!

pattern blocks & more pinnies

Along with those devilish TJ’s treats, my mom sent a big bag of pattern blocks left over from when I was a kid. I have happy memories of dumping them all out in the entry way, where the sun poured in through a huge window during after-school hours. They are already a huge hit with the girls, and I’ve been amazed with the designs Lizzy has created all by herself.

Speaking of whom — I had her try on one of Maren’s pinnies, just to see how it fits, and she was fairly smitten. So I made some for Lizzy last night, too, even though I am pretty sure we will have some fights about whether pants must be worn with them (guess which side I’m on).

I dug out some Nicey Jane prints I’ve been hoarding for a while. This pattern is really good for assembly-line construction, and they didn’t take long.

Loud and colorful — kind of like their intended recipient.

christmas pinnies

Miss M has been needing a perma-bib lately; by 10 in the morning she looks like you haven’t changed her clothes in a week. No live model yet — they’re for Christmas — shh! (Like she knows the difference anyway…)

The pattern is from One-Yard Wonders and is pretty simple. Some of the instructions didn’t quite make sense to me, but it goes together somewhat intuitively.

The ABC ribbon is vintage and came from a super-generous swapper a while back. I was saving it for something special.

I can’t remember where I got the fabrics, but I am totally digging the 1979 vibe (kind of a trend in this house), a la my mom and older sibs. Sah-sweet!

he lives!

Along with many of you, I was sad to hear about the Provo Tabernacle burning down last week. Today my BFF emailed me a picture from the wreckage that made my heart stand still with awe and reverence.

See what the original picture looks like here (scroll down to the last one).

May your heart be warmed with another kind of fire as you celebrate Christmas this week!

succulent sunday

It’s darned near impossible not to fall asleep in this room on a sunny day.

More on our dear little sun room another time — I hope you’re having a gloriously peace-full Sabbath!

vampire flags

Our prayer flags looked very sweet when we hung them this Fall.

Theoretically, it’s still Fall.

Except that our prayer flags seem to have grown vampire fangs.

(The wind is not blowing in this picture. They’re frozen that way.)

Unrelated, but R and I watched and enjoyed Food, Inc. tonight. It helped me make sense of a lot of my conflicting feels about food, particularly where monetary cost is involved. It’s a good primer if you’re curious about food choices.

winners + coupon code

Tell you what, you guys know how to get your munch on in December! Oreo truffles, mince pies, eggnog, sugar cookies, chocolate-covered pretzels… YUM! My rad parents sent us a bag of TJ’s Peppermint Pretzel Thins this week, and I am officially addicted. If you are lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s, you must go get some, and if you aren’t, you should have a friend send you some. Wow. They’re good.

(Cute garland, eh? My cute sister in-law made ‘em for the chickies!)

Bess, who loves peanut brittle, is the lucky winner of the FQ set, and Sheila, who likes fancy cheese, scored the apron! Congrats, guys — look for an email from me in a mo’.

And I want to say a big THANKS to everyone who reads, comments, and supports — so how about a coupon code? Take 15% off your Modern Marigold order through December 19 with the coupon code MERRYMARIGOLD at checkout. (Psst, if you’re in the continental US, order by 12/19 to get your goods by Christmas!)

Thanks for entering, everyone, and I hope all your wildest Christmas munchie wishes come true!

scissor therapy

{Looking for the giveaway? It’s below!}

I was feeling a little bit grumpy today, then got mad at the Big Miss for something stupid, then cried, then the Big Miss brought me one of her blankies and a wind-up mouse to help me feel better, which more or less made me feel worse, then I sat by the fire with a cup of tea and whacked and hacked at some old dictionary pages for a while.

Then I felt better.

Amazing what some time, warmth, destruction/creation, and baker’s twine can do for a body. Fab snowflake how-tos here and here.

the pink lemonade giveaway

Three cheers for Giveaway Day 2010! At The Modern Marigold, we’re always doing our best to spread a little vintage love.

This is really two giveaways in one! The first (and you can pick — read details below) is a sweet set of four vintage sheet fat quarters in hues that will bring summertime, blue sky, sandals, and lemonade stands to mind.

Or, if FQs don’t fit your fancy, you can snag this jazzy little apron, handmade from a sweet selection of coordinating vintage linens.

Yay, vintage! If you like what you see, be sure to stop by my Etsy shop, where you’ll find more flavors of vintage fabric love.

I don’t know about you, but December makes me feel munchy. So, in your comment, please include your favorite holiday treat along with which ONE prize you’d pick if you won. For an extra entry, subscribe to my blog and leave a comment letting me know. I’ll randomly pick two winners sometime on December 17th. Open to our friends both in the US and internationally.

Now get on out there and get yer click on! Good luck!