Apricot Panettone from Con Pane Bakery

Apricot Panettone from Con Pane Bakery, originally uploaded by confections.

This delectable confection of Italian origin is only available for a short time in the lead-up to Christmas. It is made at my local bakery, Con Pane, Point Loma, San Diego, California. Short of baking one on your own, you'll have to wait until next December to sample one of these.

I bought an apricot panettone for my husband and me to share, and one for my sister. Lightly toasted and smothered in sweet butter, it's nirvana on a plate!

Merry Christmas!

Miniature House, Front View, originally uploaded by confections.

This miniature house is one of my recent birthday presents, handmade by my two sisters from patterns in a Better Homes and Garden magazine. Since my birthday is two weeks before Christmas Eve, I have always received Christmas-y presents around this festive occasion.

This mica-frosted confection has a place of honor under my Christmas tree this year. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas in Southern California! Hope your celebration is joyful! Happy New Year 2008!

Freshly Spun Ragamuffin Yarn

Freshly Spun Ragamuffin Yarn, originally uploaded by confections.

Here is a bushel basket of Ragamuffin yarn that I have been spinning this week. The unspun strips are shown below. I'm going to experiment with some two-ply rag yarn tonight. I'll post those pictures later this week. Happy December!

Nanowrimo Winner!

Nanowrimo Winner!, originally uploaded by confections.

I have submitted my novel to the National Novel Writing Month "counter bot" and have written 67,620 words. I have officially won!

Not that I'm finished writing, however; I will continue my odyssey through the November 30th, 2007 deadline and beyond.

I cannot rest on my laurels, because in the spring of 2008 (April) a new adventure begins: Script Frenzy!

Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Thanksgiving Centerpiece, originally uploaded by confections.

Apple of Thanksgiving

Apple of Thanksgiving, originally uploaded by confections.

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your celebrations and count your blessings.

Collage of Tapestry Bobbins

Collage of Tapestry Bobbins, originally uploaded by confections.

I photographed some of the tapestry bobbins that I own in the last bit of afternoon light yesterday. I haven't taken up tapestry weaving (yet), but I am enamored of all tools of the fiber arts.

I often make collages with my photos, but lately I've enjoyed trying out the multi-exposure collage tool in Picasa. This first photo is the result of superimposing about a dozen photos one on top of the other.

On the novel-writing front with nanowrimo, I reached the magic number of 50,000 words early on Sunday morning! It's definitely a landmark to celebrate, but I'll be continuing to write every day this month and beyond, because my story is still unfinished.

Bubblegum Retro Circles Ragamuffin Handspun Yarn

Bubblegum Retro Circles Ragamuffin Handspun Yarn, originally uploaded by confections.

Yesterday was a red letter day for me in my Etsy career. The EtsyFAST (Fiber Arts Street Team) had a trunk show in New York City, which was a blast (I watched it on the Etsy Labs webcam), and this skein of my Ragamuffin yarn was featured on the front page of Etsy! And to gild the lily, my items were featured in three Treasury lists. This list expires in ten hours, so please view it while you can. As Jared, creator of the Treasury on Etsy, says about its ephemeral nature, "Embrace the decay!"

I'm back at my novel writing, and my good friend in New Hampshire has joined the nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) crowd, too. She's starting half-way through the odyssey, but I have no doubt she will meet the goal of 50,000 words by November 30th. We'll spur each other on as writing buddies.

Big Doings in Brooklyn, New York!

EtsyFASTtrunkshowflyer, originally uploaded by confections.

The Etsy Fiber Arts Street Team (EtsyFAST) is having its big trunk show at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn, New York, tomorrow, November 16th, 2007, from 6 - 8 p.m. EST.

If you are in the New York metropolitan area, please join us live for the event. Otherwise, you can participate online through the Etsy website. A contest with sweet prizes is part of the fun, and there will be a webcam at the festivities to peek at all the merriment. Enjoy!

Time Traveling through Family Photos

Jean Elizabeth Galbraith and her cousin Lucy Stockwell Galbraith, originally uploaded by confections.

As you probably know from my earlier posts, I am participating in National Novel Writing Month this November. Part of my inspiration is family stories from various parts of world.

A little corner of Vermont is where my Scottish ancestors chose to settle in 1774. Last year after I began researching my roots on Ancestry.com, I made the acquaintance of a long-lost cousin whose husband is descended from the little girl on the left in this photo, the daughter of one of my great-aunts. She shared a number of vintage family photos which we had never seen.

I love the innocence of this toy wagon ride from about 1914, the rare candid shot of the baby being bathed below, and the sheer joy on the face of our dear Jean as she is given a wheelbarrow ride by her older cousin.

Images like these make it easy for me to conjure up parts of my novel that honor the intrepid spirit of this line of early Vermont pioneers.

Rainy Day (and NaNoWriMo) Comforts

Rainy Day Comforts, originally uploaded by confections.

It was a gloomy, misty day in San Diego yesterday, and I enjoyed a spot of tea in my "Cup of Knowledge" tea cup. The milk is served in a modern reproduction Russel Wright creamer found at the Salvation Army Thrift Store, and my handmade tea cozy keeps my Paris tea toasty warm in my favorite everyday tea pot.

Taking a tea break like this daily is helping me meet my writing goals in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I'm running low on my favorite Apricot tea and will have to retrieve some from Tea-upon-Chatsworth when they open again on Wednesday. Cheers, fellow NaNoWriMo folks!

Pacific side of Point Loma, San Diego, California

Pacific side of Point Loma, San Diego, California, originally uploaded by confections.

I've been writing intensely over the last ten days as part of National Novel Writing Month. I've reached the 30,000 word mark; I'm three-fifths of the way there!

I'm also suffering from a bit of cabin fever, so today I'm going to take a little excursion to the tip of Point Loma and feast on this sight. Biophilia will do a lot to soothe my frazzled brain.

Handpainted Laceweight Wool Yarn in Peony Colorway

Handpainted Laceweight Wool Yarn in Peony Colorway, originally uploaded by confections.

This is a laceweight skein of yarn that I handpainted for a good friend last summer. She has moved to New Hampshire and I miss her dearly. I am comforted by the fact that she will knit something yummy out of this skein and its fuzzy companion to keep her warm during that cold New England winter.

To distract me a little from the novel writing, a shipment of undyed wool yarns arrived on my doorstep yesterday. I'll be in the dye studio off and on throughout the month as an antidote to the intensity of writing at least 2,000 words per day (and my blog entries do not count!).

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Calendar

nano-cal11.jpg, originally uploaded by Gun-gun.

I found this inspiring calendar page by fellow flickreeno Gun-gun while surfing flickr a bit ago. It will be essential to refer to it as I write my novel this month. The target word count in a cumulative sequence is given at the top of each date, with the goal of 50,000 words by November 30th in bright red. I can contemplate the beauty of these blooms as I meet my goals each day.

I'm trying to maintain a balanced schedule as I undertake this task, taking time to exercise and eat good meals, make sure I have my daily ritual of tea, spin some of my Ragamuffin yarn, keep in touch with friends and writing buddies, talk to my mother every day--she is a great source of storylines--and not overwhelm myself in the process. On with the novel writing!

Solitude and Time for Writing

Abandoned dinghy, originally uploaded by confections.

This is one of my favorite rejuvenating sights on what I call my "Magical Walk", not too far from my home. I usually drive the few miles to the northern end of the walk, stroll the mile or so to one of the best lookouts, hang out there for a few minutes pondering the imponderable, and then head back. Often I see snowy egrets and at least one great blue heron feeding.

I'll be taking the magical walk later on today as an antidote to writing frantically as I participate in National Novel Writing Month this November.

So far, I have discovered the genre where I'm most comfortable: literary fiction. Who knew? As of this moment I'm at 9,030 words of the 50,000 required, and it's a very rough draft. That's the point. Quantity not quality is part of the exercise. December will be for editing...er...celebrating. I'll be editing in the New Year!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

nano_participant_icon_large, originally uploaded by confections.

I have signed up to participate in this year's National Novel Writing Month marathon writing fest from November 1st - 30th. This is my first time attempting this, and so far I've kept up with my daily writing demands, but I'm only on the third day of thirty, but I've already got 4,000 out of 50,000 words. Wish me luck!

Fiber Arts Trunk Show on Etsy

untitledthing, originally uploaded by sweetyprize.

This poster heralds a fiber arts trunk show that will take place at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn, New York, on November 16th. Members of the Etsy Fiber Arts Street Team (EtsyFAST) are participating online as well in our individual shops. Thanks, Sweety Prize for uploading the EtsyLabs poster to flickr.

Beginning today (November 1st) and continuing through the 16th of November, Etsy fiber artists are featuring sales on fibery goodness. If you haven't checked out Etsy yet, now is the time.

Once you get over there, you can search using the tag "EtsyFAST" to find delightful items. Please see this very informative post by fellow fiber artist Fearless Fibers for tips on how to create your very own wish list on Etsy for yourself or loved ones.

Happy Stocking Stuffing!

Japanese Tea Cup, Sugar Bowl, and Matching Curvilinear Dish (three)

Japanese Tea Cup, Sugar Bowl, and Matching Curvilinear Dish (three), originally uploaded by confections.

Here are some more of my tea treasures that I've been documenting lately. This little grouping is probably a child's set; there is a tiny cup, a miniature sugar bowl, and a delightful curvilinear dish. I'm not sure the dish is part of the set, but I found it the same day as the cup and sugar bowl at one of my local thrift stores. The colors matched so beautifully.

They are photographed on a shabby chic tea table that I added to my ever-growing table and chair collection recently. A lovely woman has been shabby-chic-ing furniture here in San Diego for many years (Not 2 Shabby) and I have been happily collecting her whimsical pieces at our local craft bazaar a couple of times a year.

One of these days I will have a proper studio where I can showcase my pieces more elegantly than I can in my small cottage bungalow. But for now, I live with them and love them everyday, even in slightly cramped quarters!