Last weekend I went to a winter farmer's market held indoors at the local mall. I've never seen so many cars in the parking lot! The tables inside were a good mix of premade food (salsas, beef jerky, pies, cupcakes, candy), produce, and handmade items. I bought a small bag of apples (Golden Delicious, Jonathan, and Winesap) and they were so good! And the woman who owned the orchard was so funny, encouraging me to challenge myself to fit eight apples into that tiny bag. I always forget how amazing fresh-picked fruits and vegetables taste. It's worth the effort if you can find some in your area.
On My Work (Art) Table
I've been making some last-minute Christmas cards. Yes, it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but business sites always recommend that you finish these by June, so I feel behind! I've been printing out copies on my black-and-white printer to check contrast and alignment. After I'm finished, I will cut up these printouts and use them as scrap paper.
I'm also working on a paper version of my yarn shop tea towel 2024 calendar, figuring out the smallest size I can make and still have the dates be legible.
In the Kitchen
Fall always feels like baking season to me even if the weather still feels a bit like summer. Recently I made the Magic Middles cookies from the Baketart cookbook. I thought they turned out just okay, basically a sugar cookie filled with a little dark chocolate.
My most memorable discovery about making those cookies was the butter! I bought a different brand of butter than I normally do because I had a coupon. When I opened the package, I was surprised to see short, squat sticks of butter. The amount of butter was the same; just the shape was different. Apparently, sticks of butter look different in the U.S. depending upon whether or not they were made on the east or west coasts. I've been using east coast butter this entire time!
What I'm Reading
I'm about halfway through The Address Book by Deirdre Mask. I'm learning a lot, although be aware if you check out the book that it discusses issues like poverty in Calcutta and the historical outbreak of cholera in London. Super fascinating, just not necessarily a relaxing "just before bed" type of read! (My dreams have been ... interesting!)
On My Library Hold List
Not quite on my library hold list, but I did request my library purchase a copy of Artists Remaking Medicine by Emily F. Peters, a book I learned about via NPR. Apparently musicians, painters, and other creatives are doing all sorts of things from making the sounds in an MRI machine more pleasant to shredding medical bills to make art that's auctioned off to raise money to pay medical debt.
What I'm Watching
Of course I'm watching the latest season of The Great British Baking Show!
Art I Admired
I love the tiny crochet pieces Steffi Graves uses to create jewelry.
This 3D art book for kids titled Art Shaped looks fun. It looks like it uses cardboard which is not a medium I usually use. (I'm tempted to buy a copy for myself!)
Made Me Laugh
I thought this butter cookie tin with makeup was very funny! Even funnier is that it's currently sold out as of this blog post.
New in the Shop
My Etsy shop has a couple new pairs of earrings: some tiny robot earrings and these bright yellow tea kettle earrings.
I've also listed new fabric designs on Spoonflower: Marshmallows and Snowflakes and Cozy Mugs of Hot Cocoa. These would make a great warm fleece blankets, a set of sheets, or cozy flannel pajamas!
See you in December!