hi mom!

This sweet little girl’s mom had a tough week. So she thought she’d pop in to say hi because she knows that her adorable little face always makes her mother smile. Hi Mom! We love you!

cookbook + fabric bits + bird = giveaway

Here we are. That ubiquitous milestone. The 100th post. And this is the package of goods I will give away to one commenter to celebrate the occasion.

First up is a cookbook, made by me, that celebrates my mother and the wonderful contents of her recipe box. The photos are of my copy, which you can see is well loved and frequently used.  The chocolate cake recipe is my go-to cake for birthdays.  Can you tell?

The winner will receive a new copy, all 181 pages, replete with fantastic recipes and embarrassing family photos, packaged in a handy spiral binding that lays flat while you cook.

I love that photo of my eldest brother in lederhosen.  I wonder if I will torment my son in a similar fashion.  It’s likely.

My mom’s parents provide a handsome introduction to the dessert section.

I will also throw in a set of 5 inch fabric squares equal to a half yard of fabric, similar to the ones pictures below, if you like them.  Otherwise, the winner can let me know what they like, and I will try to get my fabric stash to cooperate.  This part of the giveaway was inspired by Juliette and her brilliant Spare Change Swap.  This is the kind of swap that I can handle.  No pressure to actually create anything.  All I had to do was stare at my fabric selection, pick out my favorites, cut them up into little squares, and ship them off.

And finally, in case you need something to do with those 5 inch squares, the winner will also receive a little birdie similar to the one pictured below made from the excellent pattern provided over at Spool Sewing. Do you need more convincing that making these birds is a good idea? Check this out.

So, just say a quick hello in the comments section and I will send these silly prizes off in a nice little package to one winner. Please don’t sweat it if you haven’t commented before and thanks so much for checking in on this little corner of the internet.

P.S.  I’ll ship internationally, so Olivia no seas timida! And Rebecca, don’t you be shy either!

UPDATE:  Contest closed.  #21 was the winner.  I will be in touch with Vanessa by email.

the build up

I’m not going to apologize for posting a Christmas related project in October. For me, one of the best parts of the holiday season is the build up.

I don’t mean all the sales that begin in early November. I’m not much of a shopper. I am talking about the crafting, thinking up new gift ideas, debating which types of cookies to bake, picturing my little guy going bonkers with glee because this is the first year he will actually “get it,” wondering what type of goofy stunt Grandpa will come up with for Christmas Eve…those types of things.

I gave this advent calendar to Grammy for her birthday recently. As usual, I was late getting it to her. It took me longer than I thought because I couldn’t decide on the fabric combinations. I knew that I wanted to use that print from day #14 because it is a scrap from a tea towel that was once owned by Grammy’s sister. I then limited myself to a predominantly red and green palate, but something wasn’t quite right. I added #16 with that sweet little navy blue bird, and decided that a little more dark blue would work. Numbers 10 and 24 rounded it off and I struck a balance that I liked. Most of the pockets are lined with that beige striped fabric, although there are a few surprises. Incidentally, the fabric from day #10 was supposed to be used to make an Oliver & S. playsuit for the little guy. Maybe next summer.

For the backing, I used a heavy corduroy that I found for $2 a yard. I stenciled the numbers onto pieces of twill tape using Micron permanent ink pens and sewed them into the pockets like tags. Rubber stamps and fabric markers would have been quicker, but I don’t own a set of rubber stamp numbers and was sticking to a strict “use what I have” policy.

The Cydermaker cut a piece of molding that we had in the garage and drilled a hole in each end so that I could hang the calendar with the remainder of the twill tape. The molding was slipped into the sleeve I created at the top of the calendar. My original idea didn’t quite work out, so my handy husband helped me rig it using a couple of roofing nails at the ends. Have a peek Grammy. You will see what I mean. Inspiration came from here and here. Aren’t they great advent calendars?

This is my new favorite project to make. They take a bit of time, but it is a lot of fun to pull out all of your fabric bits and see what you can come up with. While you work, its also fun to eat some of the chocolates that you intended to insert into the pockets. Good thing both Grammy and I like dark. What’s another trip to the store?

P.S. My 100th post is just around the corner. Silly little giveaway coming soon…

get ready to be dazzled

I’m not the only crafty one in the family. My youngest sister, Redhead Auntie (seen here as Ginger), recently marched down to the craft store and purchased herself a bedazzler. She had a 40% off coupon and an occasion. She and her roomies were getting geared up for a bar crawl to celebrate that my sister passed a big exam. Congrats Ginger! Such a huge accomplishment and you marked the occasion in style.

why this blog is called apple cyder

You may have already figured this out, because I tend to call my husband the Cydermaker in this space, but I will spell it out for you just in case. The reason why this blog is called Apple Cyder is because my husband presses his own apple cyder. There you have it. Mystery revealed.

The Cydermaker’s grandparents used to own a cyder mill in our mutual hometown (where we live now) and he worked there when he was young. The mill is gone, but my husband carries on the tradition, albeit in much smaller scale, during the fall and winter months in our backyard.

I gave him the cyder press for Christmas four years ago. I could not have come up with a more self-serving gift because the cyder that he makes is simply the best tasting ever.

Our little guy agrees. We let him have the inaugural mug of the season this year and he gulped down the whole thing in no time.

Isn’t fall the best?