turkey feathers

Dainty Food

Although I haven't made much noise on ye olde blog lately, I have been getting tons of stuff accomplished on the other side of it.  Mostly projects and things I'd put aside during the holidays.  The current book I'm writing/creating is already over 150 pages!  So, a little editing is in order I think.  In between, I've been doing some "fancy" cooking and baking.  I made these cute "Brunch Cups" again recently.  They're fun for small gatherings and tea time.  I blogged about them way back here.  They can be made ahead and frozen too--for impromptu moments.  Can you tell I've been engrossed in cookbooks?  I love reading cookbooks.  They are the most homey cozy companions--especially on dark winter days.  And there are so many good ones.  Do you have a favorite?  These are nearby at the moment:  French Farmhouse Cookbook, Chez Nous, The French Cuisine of Your Choice, and a new copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a present from the Mister, which I'm finding inspiring all over again.  (My Mom had the original copy long ago that she used in conjunction with the PBS series starring Julia Child herself.)  So.  Emphasis on French cooking here! 

Notes From My Nest

 
The Toadflax family live in the hornbeam tree next-door to Crabapple Cottage.  On cold winter evenings, it is very cosy inside the tree, and noisy too, with four boisterous children running up and down the stairs.  Wilfred, Teasel, Clover, and Catkin share a nursery at the top of the tree, and as the snow started to fall, Mrs. Toadflax found it difficult to keep them quietly upstairs in bed.  Mr. Toadflax had been looking forward to some peace and quiet, but just as he was helping himself to another bowl of hot chestnut soup, he heard the creak of Wilfred's paw upon the stair.  "Why aren't you in bed, Wilfred?" he called.  "It's very late." 

"But it's snowing!" shouted Wilfred.  "Toboganning tomorrow!"

---from Brambly Hedge---The Toadflax Family, by Jill Barklem

* * * * * 

It is a comfort to know there are many Brambly Hedge peeps out there.  Thanks for checking in.  It warms my heart.  I love this cozy Brambly world.  This story segment is quite appropriate for the season, I think.  Especially, since some of us are still wrapped snuggly in hibernation mode around here.  I told you I was inching into the new year slowly. .  It's been a mild and (so far), a dry, winter day--but we are on storm watch once again and hunkering down with sewing and great steaming pots of hot chocolate to see us through.  No snow in the forecast this time, but lots of rain.  I'm inside for the day, working on some current projects.  I usually have several going at once, and with any luck will have something to show for it all soon. 

Before I snuggle back down..a few notes today:

• Flickr Photo Pools::  I'm in the process of consolidating my lambkin stuffies & blanket statement flickr groups into ONE group, so if you are a member of the latter, please "leave it" so the group can be deleted.  It's a crazy way to have to do this, but it's the way flickr has set it up.  In other words, every member needs to leave the group for it to close.  (Email me if you have any questions.)  And, if you haven't already, please join the Lambkin Stuffies group and feel free to post any of your finished BLANKET STATEMENT projects to that group pool.  (The lambkin is also part of the book, so it just made sense to make this one group.)

• Blanket Statment wholesale orders:: I also want to mention that I've taken down the wholesale info since the book can be ordered through traditional methods now.  CreateSpace handles this very efficiently which means I don't have to drop-ship orders or keep an inventory; so if you want to order copies for your library or book shop, just ask them and they can do so.

• PatternBee PDF Patterns:: The good news is the new 2010 bonus transfers are up on the website and flying out the door already...however, the bad news is I will no longer be offering them in PDF format.  I know, I'm sorry--but this is no longer possible.

Also, if you order PDF patterns to be sent to your yahoo account, the new SpamGuard filters everything and you need to turn it off or change your preferences to receive large image files. Be sure to check your SPAM folders within 24-48 hours after placing PDF orders.  If they aren't waiting in your IN Box, they are most likely filed as spam.  Files may also be auto-deleted if you don't save them to your desktop before the pre-set default time is up or just deleted without warning.  Feel free to email me if you need your patterns resent or if you have any other questions regarding your orders.  Thanks!