Handmade Gifties

I know, I know … Christmas was like 3 weeks ago, but I wanted to share with you some awesome handmade presents I got this year!

1. Alligator Christmas ornament with hand-sewn Santa hat by Jim.
2. Melted crayon art made by my sister, Natalie.
3. A bunch of soaps by Little Batch Apothecary by my dad and stepmom.
4. Cute needle-felted snowy owl by Natalie.

I also received this lovely, quilted cozy …

… for my new Kindle Fire!!

Kinda looks like the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyessy …

Jim completely surprised me with this Kindle on Christmas day!!  We rarely give gifts to each other, so this was totally unexpected.

I have to travel between the FIU campuses twice per week for class (an hour bus ride each way), and I always wished I could bring my laptop to check e-mails or catch up on work during this time, but my poor IBM is over 4 years old, it’s heavy and the battery doesn’t last more than 10 minutes.  Now I have a convenient and portable Kindle on which I can read books and research articles, check my mail, play games, keep up with my shop throughout the day … I could go on and on!

The Kindle cover shown here was handmade by Briana of B Taylor Quilts (one of my favorite Etsy shops) – Jim told me he searched through hundreds of items in my favorites (literally) to find it … now THAT is true love.

Winter Withdrawal

Mother Nature has been kind to us the past few days with temperatures dipping into the 50s and (gasp!) even the 40s – It’s kind of hilarious watching Florida natives running around in their boots, mittens and heavy coats when it’s only a mild 60 degrees outside.

But alas, the heat has rolled back in and the forecast predicts temperatures in the high 70s for the foreseeable future … is it sad that I am already eyeing post doc positions in Canada?

Wish I were here:

via derjosh, Wayward Spark and Baboesjika

I’m Back!!

Ahh yes, we have finally returned from the blustery north!

Okay, “blustery” is an overstatement – It was actually pretty mild for a Pennsylvania December, but we still very much enjoyed the cooler weather.

We were able to hit everything on our holiday agenda (and then some) – But even though our trip home was packed full with things to do, places to go and people to see, Jim and I were able to relax and recharge for the new year.

Over the break, I wanted to take the time to become better acquainted with my new camera – I’m still very much a newbie with using it, but here are a few shots taken during the past 2 weeks I particularly enjoy:

Brunch with Jim and my sister, Natalie.

Natalie trying to catch a “snowflake” on her tongue.

My Dad’s dog, Tucker.

I can tell it’s going to take me a couple of days to revert back to my hardworking, efficient self (I packed up four orders tonight … I felt like it took me forever!) so please bear with me in the meantime – I have a few more holiday-recap-related posts on the way and exciting shop news that I will be revealing sometime within the next month or two!

I hope you all are feeling as refreshed and ready to go as I am – Here’s to 2012!

Home for the Holidays!!

As you read this, Jim and I are probably either en route or have already arrived at our PA destination!!

I am uber excited and so thankful to be able to take 2 whole weeks and simply spend them with people we love – I can’t remember the last time we both had a vacation this long – But after this ridiculous whirlwind of a year, we totally deserve it.

Here are just a few things on our holiday agenda:

• bake a quadruple batch of biscotti (I’m already getting requests …)
• visit our old home town, Lambertville
• get a haircut
• become better acquainted with my new camera
• go skiing (or snowboarding in Jim’s case)
• spend time with our families
• celebrate the new year in NYC with good friends
• relax and read a few books

WNM will be back in business once we return to Florida in January!

Happy holidays to you and your families – See you in 2012!!

It’s not too late!

What. No Mints? still has its “doors” open to holiday shoppers!  I’d be happy to ship a technicolor paramecium to a geeky friend or a heart-warming embroidery piece to a family member on your list.

The following have been popular buys so far this season (click image for listing):

Each item arrives wrapped and ready for gift giving!  Folded in tissue paper, secured with a sticker and tied with twine (photo courtesy of Campestral who purchased one of my cheeky Festive Ornaments):

Items are available in every price range – Come on in and have a look-see!