Chasing the Sweet Things in Life

Sweet Paul is true to his word when he says he is "Chasing the sweet things in life."

The online Holiday Issue of Sweet Paul Magazine is a feast for the eyes, a treat to read and it is free for you to download. The 100 plus pages are quick to download and filled with unique and inspiring ideas for you to try out. 

Design your own gift wrap by taking your photos to a copy centre. Make a collage, enlarge them to your desired size on a colour copier, press the print button and you have one of a kind wrapping paper with a vintage feel.

More pages of ideas of how to use old photos had me searching in neglected boxes of prints to bring out and use this Christmas. Love the idea of a tree of memories, charmingly made by pegging photos of family and friends on a tree.

Fair Isle sweaters beware - I want to turn your sleeves into knitted vases and votives. They can be used now and will keep us cosy for the months to come. Only challenge will be finding sweaters that are willing to donate their arms to me.

Food styling is also a key ingredient for Sweet Paul - recipes for warm dishes and rich desserts are beautifully laid out and tempting to try.

If your mind is still in Fall/Autumn mode then you can also see Sweet Paul's Fabulous Fall edition. 

Two treats in one day. 

A Piece of Chocolate to start your week

Chocolate ... just typing the word is enough to get me yearning for a small square! 
How about a Chocolate Library? 
Green & Black's ingenious  way of presenting 12 bars of their organic and orgasmic chocolate bars in a beautiful gift box to resemble books on a shelf, is a present I would love to give ... to someone who likes me enough to invite me to share!

Image:Green&Black

If it is a real book you are after,  the dazzling cover of Ultimate Chocolate Recipes makes me hope for an equally delicious array of recipes inside. Would of course be perfect paired with the Chocolate Library above!

Image: Green&Black

For the inner child in you, why not indulge yourself or your partner with an Organic Advent Calendar? Still time to order and have it for the first day of Advent. You will need supreme willpower to take it one day at a time, until December 24th!

Image: Green&Black

Green and Black's story is one of a commitment to green principles and black, intense chocolate tastes -- hence the name. The site has many treasures to savour, but their suggestions for hosting a Chocolate Tasting is a page you shouldn't miss. 
What a great way to get together with friends during the winter. Any excuse to indulge the senses with the distinct aromas, textures and tastes of fine chocolate has to be a good thing. Green & Black's online guide describes what you need to get started .... good chocolate and friends the only other essentials.

Image: Green&Black

The Green & Black's Organic Ultimate Chocolate Recipes: The New Collection

Getting a Life ...

Created on iLife '11 by Ingrid

Have you got a Mac?
Have you got a life?
Why do I start all my posts with questions this week?

Just love the new iLife '11 that I purchased last week, for all the fun it allows me editing photos. The 'Great Memories' mosaic was created so simply, using a few of the many photos I took whilst staying in Texas with Astrid and Tilly.
I love the way the collage can just be attached and sent in my email with one click -- iLife'11 works with popular email servers like MobileMe, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Windows Live hotmail and AOL.

Image: Apple

Take a look and see all that it offers, I feel I got my money's worth in just the last two weeks. Your weekend is going to be full of photo-fun if you load this software up.
  No, I am not on the Apple payroll - just want to share how marvellous this is ... because I like you so much.

Christmas tutorial page

Hi
Just wanted to thank so many new friends from Spain and round the world who have dropped by today to check out my Washi tape gift tags.

I added the 'How to' in my Getting ready for Christmas Page.
To make it easier for you to see what I was making, I have added my original larger photos.
Hope this makes things clearer.

Do leave a comment if you have time - any language - I can use Google Translate to help me!

Don't forget to check the other ideas from other weeks - you may be making cards too over the weekend!

Washi tape anyone?

Week 7: Getting ready for Christmas

Are you in love with Washi tape?
Not heard of this hip Japanese tape?
Where have you been hiding?

Washi tape (I keep wanting to call it wasabi tape) is a Japanese twist on masking tape. Made from 'washi' rice paper, it has the ability to be removed easily and is handy for many things in the artsy fartsy world I try to inhabit. It is often to be seen as a torn strip attaching a polaroid photo to a random piece of wall - not only is it useful for sticking but also wrapping, decorating and writing on. See here for the delightful story of how it came out into the creative world in 2006! (It takes a minute to download, but it's worth the wait.)

Today I felt 'inspired' to start on a few gift tag ideas for the Christmas pressies. No, I haven't actually bought any yet - hence no wrapped presents in the photos -- but I rarely do things in the right order.
Guess what my colour theme is this year! Inspired by my eldest, whose love of the colour knows no bounds, I fished out card, wasabi washi tape and a few rubber stamps.

You just need a few ingredients to cook up your own unique tags to use on gifts for any occasion.

• card - I used natural white card I had lying around
• my two favourite rubber stamps, bought in Santa Fe and Hobby Lobby
• red/white twine, which now seems to be called bakers twine
• bits of origami paper
• 4 of my treasured rolls of washi tape
• glue, hole punch, pearl buttons and red felt

The washi tape adds a subtle accent on some tags, on others it is the only decoration - with just enough space between to write "Merry Christmas."

The subtle shading of the tape makes it fit well with most styles, and I love the way it is easy to peel off and restick as I misjudged the edge of the card several times.

Can you spot the baker's twine stuck onto the card to accent the red washi tape? Optional but adds a twist of twine.

The idea of felt gift tags appealed to me too - but I quickly realised how difficult it would be to write a message on the felt. Instead I sewed 3 sides of the felt rectangle to make an envelope of sorts -- which can hold a 'secret' card inside. Whether you choose to fold some colourful paper  or print on card -- the felt pouch will make a reusable gift tag pocket for next year too! By sewing a loop at the top I plan to thread the loop onto the string/ribbon that will tie the present up.

Have I got you interested in wasabi tape yet?

If you live in Japan, things are very easy, with many stockists to get a roll from.

The rest of us can shop at Amazon or Etsy, where there are several sellers.

A great selection is to be found at an interesting online store Papernation and dear old John Lewis, in the UK, even has some nice designs. 

Have fun making your gift tags now, so the last minute present wrapping will be much less stressful!

Lots more creative people at Kirsty's today if you have time to drop by her Creative Space.

A new chapter on this blog

Love books, love reading, now love reading about books on blogs.

Images from these book blogs: 

Spine Out, The Penguin Blog & Reading Matters

Yesterday was one of those blog light-bulb days -- I discovered a whole new part of the blog world that I had previously missed while I was immersed in interior decorating blogs!  All of these amazing blogs about books, authors and printing are now just a click away.

If you have a minute, do try dropping in on a few blogs from my list. Maybe you are waiting for the light to be switched on, too? If so, you may be excited to know that from today there is a new super resource added to The Fable of the Table, in the right sidebar. Check out the list of great blogs here and you'll find you can lose yourself in Jane Austen, J.G. Ballard or even get tips on your own writing... yes, I put that one there especially for me!

Start with Spine Out, the eclectic blog of Vintage and Anchor Books' Art Director, John Gall. His post about all the dog books he has acquired since he became a pet owner showcased a range of witty and wonderful vintage book covers. Non Such is a blog with a wide selection of reviews and book group readings. His recent post about Tobias Wolff gave great insight into one of my favourite authors. 52 Books is the amusing blog of Laura, who plans to read as many books as her blog suggests... on her daily NYC subway journeys! And if you're seeking reviews of contemporary fiction, take a look at Reading Matters. I like Kim's style and choice of books. After reading her review, The House of the Slamming Doors is now in my shopping cart -- it sounds just right for a Christmas gift, as well as for me!

See my list as an online library of sorts, and check back often. If you feel like going an extra step, please send me a comment and tell me your thoughts on books and authors, life in general, or even just the weather!

Four fuzzy felt fabrications for you

1. felt bowl, 2. felt hearts, 3. felt mat, 4. simply felt

It's been a bit of a woolly week at my table! Hope you will find something to warm yourself with here - apologies to friends south of the equator, who may be happy to leave winter behind.

1. I love the simple little projects that take just a ball of wool and very little effort to make. So this felted bowl should be whipped up in no time. Pop over to design*sponge for instructions to get you started.

2. Felt hearts hanging in a window can brighten even a dull day. Using all red hearts would make it feel like christmas everyday! You could cut the shapes from felt and sew through them in long lines to make them today.

3. Even a simple pear looks more tasty perched on this pretty placemat. Felt is the perfect material for table mats, super heat absorbent but adding real texture to your table. These turquoise beauties from Canvas, are hand felted in Nepal. Maybe not perfect for messy eaters as they are not washable, but easy to surface clean for those of us who keep most of our dinner on our plate.

4. If you've got itchy fingers now, why not find a sheep/ get some wool and choose a good book to guide you. I'll be getting stuck in as soon as I am back in Beijing with some Moroccan wool which has been waiting years to come out of the box. I see a felt bowl or two in my future. Give me a week and I'll be back with something to show you.

Bird is the Word

Week 6: Getting ready for Christmas

1. Birds from Drift Living
2. Robin - Anthropologie
3. Owls from Drift Living
4. Bullfinch peg - Drift Living

This is the time of year to feather the nest for winter.
I am thinking it would be nice to bring a few of our feathered friends inside to decorate the tree this Christmas.
How about using some to add life to your gift wrapping too ? A Bullfinch peg would work well as a tag holder on a parcel too.

Maybe you want to share some love by hanging up some feeders outside for  the birds in your neighbourhood like this domed beauty...

Image: RSPB

5 Purls of wisdom

Temperatures are dropping now - time to get out the knitting needles.

1. I fell in love with some soft, chunky wool in the local Texas knitting shop and started on an easy scarf with a neat twist. 

Viking wool, supersoft and machine washable. 

Colour: 'Norwegian summer' (that is summer in Norway?!) 

My pattern is simple, see here for how to do it. 

Image and knitting: Ingrid. Wool: Viking. Wearer: to be decided

More ideas, some less work than others!

2. No need to knit when you can sit back and relax with a nice cuppa in this cable knit tea cup from Anthropologie.

3. Woolly jars will make your shelves look cosy too. A DIY idea by leigh radford, in her new book One More Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit

4. Just want the look without the work? How about knitting by candle light. The flame flickers to highlight the ceramic stitches of these beautiful vessels from Yoyo ceramics.

5. No knitting required to make this felted basket. Just find an old sweater and with some simple instructions at Martha.com we will soon have one to use for wool, toys, gloves etc.

Hope you feel a little warmer having read this post. I'd love to hear what you're knitting up.

8 shots of Taoist wisdom to start your week

Image: Ingrid in Beijing

8 short sharp shots of Taoist wisdom to start your week

• Each time you worry today about not getting everything done, instead visualize yourself at the end of it all, having got everything done easily, effortlessly and enjoyably.

• Each time today you worry about the next bit of your life not working out, instead visualize yourself at the other side of any current challenges, things having worked out miraculously well.

• Each time today you find yourself worrying about other peoples’ reactions to you, instead visualize everyone walking away from you thinking and feeling only the very best about you and themselves.

• Each time you find yourself worrying about any particular situation not working out, instead visualize yourself looking back at the situation marvelling about implausibly well it did work out.

• In all instances it’s unnecessary and even inadvisable to waste energy guessing how these results might have been brought about, simply see the result you wish for regardless.

• Worrying about something is akin to praying for what you don’t want.

• Visualizing the outcome you want is akin to praying for that instead.

• Knowing this and knowing you do indeed have the option, makes choosing simple, unless you love pain, of course.

These wise words come from The Barefoot Doctor, a constant source of uplifting thoughts and wisdom.