snowflake garlands!

Waking up yesterday to the month of December and a little blanket of snow was the catalyst I needed to get into Christmas decorating mode! I am constantly inspired by all the decorations that fill up the house of Heidi Kenney (from My Paper Crane) every holiday. My collection is growing, but I really need to hit up some thrift stores for some vintage decorations!

I did stumble on these die-cut felt snowflakes at Target last night - $1 for three of them. I got some red, white and green ones...


I cut off the loops they were on and strung them together with a needle and some crochet thread. I was affirmed in the success of my snowflake garland when Jack woke up this morning, pointed at it as we came down the stairs, and exclaimed, "Woo-hoo!" We're off to a very fun holiday season here in the Kastner house. I think I'm going to go back and get more snowflakes!

progress progress progress

Hello! I'm here, just so very busy! I've been enjoying busy with three (yes, three!) Thanksgivings this year...and I made two of them! More on the details of that later!

I'm now in full on Christmas crafting mode. In retrospect, I think was a bad time of the year to launch my little etsy shop, because I haven't given as much time and love to it as I'd like. I'm juggling gifts for people, along with some amazing and very exciting things for my shop. Woo hoo! Hopefully I'll get some stuff up there in the next couple of weeks.

I have many fun things to share, but I thought I should show some fabric that just arrived on my doorstep! I designed it! I couldn't wait to take better pictures, so these will have to do for now. I'm debating what to make with them - the whole idea was some throw pillows for gifts. Can't have enough of those, right? I've got more fabric that I've created and will definitely share when it's here!

mon petit etsy boutique

FINALLY! My etsy shop is up and a-runnin'. There isn't a whole lot up yet, but you can keep checking to see what's new by following the link on the left side bar - "Other places for me." I will be adding new stuff pretty frequently! Hand drawn embroidery patterns, finger puppets, painted and embroidered stuff for your walls, jewelry, more stationary....AND MORE!

Why Pookaneeme, you ask? As a kid my dad called me Pookie, which at some point manifested into Pookaneeme. (Poo - ka- knee-me). It always seemed a fitting name for my shop.

Check it out here!

to replicate or not to replicate?

Perhaps I was a bit spoiled after living on California's coast, but I think I'm a bit of an aquarium snob now! I had read about the 'Musée Océanique' in Monaco, and was so excited to see what it was all about. I had heard it was amazing, and it was. There were beautiful tanks and the view out into the Mediterranean was breathtaking. (But, as aquariums go it didn't have anything on the Monterey Bay Aquarium, or the Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences. Just sayin')

What it did have on the aforementioned aquariums was the floor! I fell in love with the mosaics that cover the entryway into the museum. They were HUGE and incredibly beautiful! The wheels in my brain are spinning fast trying to figure out where/how I'd like to replicate this in our house!

the octopus


the crab


the ship

piles of unfinished projects...

I'm making way in organizing/decorating my crafting space in our spare bedroom upstairs. This is exciting! Especially since my parents' birthday/Christmas gift this year was replacing my broken sewing machine with a new amazing Singer sewing machine. I've already been using it every night working on new stuff that I'm pretty excited about, and to share with you!

So, as I am organizing and going through boxes of crafting stuff I began a little pile of works in progress (WIPs). The little pile grew to a big pile, and I have been feeling a tremendous wave of guilt. I imagine my little WIPs gathering together on a little island, much like the Island of Misfit Toys, all cutely animated in clay, lamenting to each other how close they each are to being completed projects...

"All I need is a few more stitches," says the embroidery stitch sampler I started a year ago.

"You think that's bad, all she did was draw me on the fabric, I feel naked!" replies the Christmas ornament regaling 'Jack's 1st Christmas'.

"We all need to be crocheted together!" weep the many granny squares that will some day be a blanket for Jack.

You get the point. I am in the process of saving these little WIPs from that sad little island of being unfinished for eternity. I feel like I have crafting ADD. So, I've documented all unfinished projects, have prioritized them in alignment with holiday projects, and will feel quite accomplished once (if ever?!) that little WIP island isn't so crowded! Anyone else have a WIP island like me?

give peas a chance

For the past two days I've been on a kick with stuffing sewn goodies with a nice combination of dried split peas and black-eyed peas. It all started with my feet cold as I stood at the stove making breakfast the other morning. Darn drafty doors! Seeing how I just got a new fancy wonderful sewing machine for my birthday I had a quick solution - door draft stoppers! Easiest thing to make ever - big tubes stuffed with lots and lots and lots of dried peas. (Probably made them a bit too wide, but they work well!)


And then I was working on an ornament I drew up last year to embroider, "Jackson's 1st Christmas 2009." Yeah, procrastination is a serious issue I'm dealing with on the regular. As I was sewing it to some super cute green and white striped fabric Dan suggested to stuff that with the peas too. Oh man, that husband of mine is full of bright ideas! I immediately fell in love and will be whipping up some more of these this holiday season! I'm even taking this one to the masses and putting it out there for custom orders for people! Let me know if you want one, think I'll be putting it up on Etsy!



Last but not least in my pea stuffing endeavors, I made some bean bags for Jack. I guess they're not technically BEAN bags, as they are stuffed with peas...but "pea bags" doesn't quick have a playful ring to it. I've had this pirate fabric for awhile now, and since Jack fell in love with the dried peas, I thought this would be a quick project that would get some serious love from the little guy. He spent the afternoon putting them in baskets, bowls, on his head, and anywhere else they'd fit. It was pretty cute to watch. I'm going to make a pirate game to go along with them! Keep your eyes peeled for that!



It's official. I'm obsessed. I'm now brainstorming more projects that involve dried peas.

how do you spell silhouette?

I have been wanting to do some silhouette project of some kind for awhile now. Hmmm...I am seeking inpiration with So September's post, as well as this one from Inchmark.

I was thinking about mixing it up by using a color, like teal.


I'm not so sure, the black looks so classic!


And I would love to stumble upon a picture of me with long hair in a bun, I think it looks amazing. Not sure I have a picture in profile view of myself with a bun just lying around though...

The goal would be something lovely for the currently bare walls of our bedroom. By the end of the week, I will have something to show!