If you are in Toronto on Saturday, December 9th, I’ll be part of a wonderful mini yarn market downtown!
Check out Arts & Sweaters here. Tickets are free in advance, $5 at the door!
My Favourite Articles This Week
I loved this piece on how specificity helps us grow our friendships. A great read for anyone looking to deepen friendships or make new ones.
These gorgeous leaf cuts!! Such artistry.
Sedating women with ‘wellness’. A fascinating read.
It’s been hard for a lot of us, so sometimes we need some reminders – How to be more hopeful.
I have definitely been feeling this way about social media lately!
Speaking of which, I love this manifesto for posting online.
My Favourite Pins This Week
I ended up with a couple extra pork chops after dinner one night (the club pack was on sale, so I went for it!) and then made this sweet and sour pork recipe the following night with the leftover porkchops, and it was AMAZING. Tasted like takeout! I highly recommend. Find the recipe right over here.
Pecan pie bars would be brilliant for a cookie exchange, or any sort of gathering where you might be expected to bring a little sweet treat! I love these because they are so much easier to eat than pecan pie – you could definitely cut these a bit smaller and just be able to grab one off a dessert tray with a little napkin- it’s basically a snack at that point, right? Definitely! Here’s where the recipe is.
These little wool felt mittens are such a cute garland, and would be a nice ornament to make and gift for friends, too! If you like sewing, and maybe have some felt kicking around, why not gives these a whirl? I love the colour palette but you could make these in any colours you’d like. Free instructions are here.
Keeping with the ornament theme, I got myself some air dry clay to try making these pretty little air dry clay stars with knit fabric pressed into them. Aren’t they so pretty? They look really easy! Find the how-to here.
And a third holiday craft to round out the week- how sweet is this DIY gingerbread house Doormat?!? I’m hoping to find some time in the next couple weeks to make this myself, I really love it! Find the instructions here- it is just So cute.
The end of November and beginning of December is always particularly busy of rme, because James’s birthday is then and throwing a children’s birthday party is no small feat! I hear rumor of people who enjoy party planning, and I hope that they thrive in those moments, because party planning is NOT my thing. But James is now 8 and I’m about to have my finial market of the year (Arts & Sweaters in Toronto- come by if you are in town!) and ramping up for the holidays! I hope that, even though this year seems to have felt tough for so many (including me), I hope that you are finding time for the things that help you appreciate this last month of the year.
hugs,
Julie
I’ve been super busy with work the past few months, and am finally enjoying a break this week! I’ve been knitting, and sewing little gifts, and having coffee with friends. It’s been so nice, maybe especially since I know I’ll be busy again soon. My eldest is 15 next week (!!!) but at this age, he just wants to play video games and eat snacks with a few friends. It’s a relief, as I’m not a party planner either.
P.S. My husband loves pecan pie, so I will definitely be making those bars. I’m not sure there will be any left for sharing, though.
Hi Barbara,
My schedule lightens as of Dec 13th so I’m really looking forward to that too! I cannot believe your eldest is going to be 15 so soon, where does the time go?! James is 8 and also just wants to play video games and eats snacks, ha. Enjoy the pecan pie bars!
xo
Julie
Your newsletter is such a bright spot in my inbox every week. It oddly feels like you cater it to meet my specific needs. So first of all, thank you Secondly, are there any newsletters that you subscribe to that you would recommend (regardless of subject matter)?
Hi Kelly,
What a wonderful request! I can put together a list to share with people, because I actually subscribe to a lot of newsletters that I find very interesting – I am quick to unsubscribe if a few editions go by and I’m not feeling it! But I know just yesterday a really fantastic edition of Oliver Burkman’s The Imperfectionist newsletter arrived in my inbox, with such a great essay I read it 3 times in a row because it struck such a chord. Thank you for this ask- I’ll start working immediately on a list to share!
Cheers,
Julie
Hi Julie, I’m SO excited! Thanks for your quick response and thank you in advance for the list 🙂 Have a lovely weekend!
Julie I know I’m late to this, but I love all that you share and appreciate the time and attention you put into this. Thank you, and I hope your holidays are peaceful and joyous.