crocheted vases

after filling her store window with crocheted glass ornaments for the holidays, sarah had the idea to crochet around plain glass vases and votives. these would be so pretty with flowers, or glowing with a lit candle in them.

knit bangles

anna gave sarah and amy each a set of these knit bangles—a great idea from a vogue knitting magazine. we have used wood bangles found a craft store, but you could use any old bangles you had lying around that need a little makeover. we are working on crocheting a few with the string used on the votives for a more gauze-y look.

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post (including adorable baby gifts) after the jump!

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valentines
when we were little, valentine-making was a serious annual tradition. we would gather all of the tools and materials and papers that we had gathered throughout the past year, and our mom would set up the dining room table for us to work. so many years later, we still keep the tradition and send our cards to each other, friends and family!

anna

my new sewing machine has a gazillion different stitches, and this seemed like a fun way to play around with them. [top image above is from anna]

amy

i needed my cards to be simple this year as i don’t have much time. a little candy and my typewriter–each one take just minutes!

sarah

i wanted to do white cards this year, with a touch of black. i used ripped muslin, the backs of old cards, and a little black thread for accent!

CLICK HERE for more papercraft ideas from bbb craft after the jump!

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coasters

sarah was hosting a little cocktail party recently and realized that she was without a single coaster and was inspired to come up with something. these coasters are made from a thick painting drop cloth (unused, the best heavy duty canvas). we cut out circles, stamped them and then pick stitched the edges with embroidery thread. this was so easy and the stamping possibilities are endless! we also thought it would be fun to draw silhouettes and names on them.

sock animals

not just for kids! amy and sarah started making these luxe sock animals with cashmere socks that they sell in their store, and they started selling the animals themselves too, which literally flew out the door. the animals even took part in a men’s fashion show! a comforting gift for a friend, or just super cute sitting together in your home. so easy, thanks to the great patterns from sock and glove by miyako kanamori.

needlepoint kit

our sister-in-law wanted to learn to needlepoint and it gave us the idea to give these beautiful needlepoint kits. all of our friends wanted them to stitch their initials for a pillow or to frame. we all recently started needlepointing again—it’s so easy, and there are no nasty directions to keep up with so you can watch a movie or have a conversation while you stitch!

granola

ahhh anna’s granola gifts! with or without the honey, she thinks up new packaging each year. yummy for a new neighbor as a housewarming gift, and so easy to throw together: the trick is using old ball jars or any recycled glass jars you have lying around, and a heavy canvas or muslin to iron on images, notes or even recipes.

potted planting gift

we’ve been giving these little potted planting gifts for the last year. valentine’s day, hostess gifts; they are perfect for an aspiring cook or someone with a new home. each pot has a ceramic white fruit or veg with matching seeds that we repackaged (one of our easy tricks to make ANYTHING look good) the seeds are in glassine envelopes with the planting directions printed on kraft paper stickers.

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hello! we are sarah, amy and anna blessing of bbbcraft.blogspot.com. sarah and amy are the owners of the men’s store apartment number 9, in los angeles and chicago, and anna is a writer/photographer for the eat.shop guides, lucky magazine, and various other publications.

when we were little, our mom taught us how to make things by hand. when amy moved cities, away from sarah and anna, she missed seeing everyone’s creations. we now share our crafts long-distance on our blog.

we are excited to be guest blogging on d*s, and this week we want to share with you our two obsessions: crafts and gift giving. we love to make so many different types of things, sometimes we find ourselves going in all directions, but nothing brings focus like giving our crafts as gifts. a lot of the things we will share here we have made as gifts for each other, friends, and on occasions, ourselves!

crocheted pinecones

we recently learned to crochet, and once we started crocheting around objects, we couldn’t stop! we love pinecones (amy finds beautiful ones around her home in the hills of los angeles and is generous enough to share them with us), and we had this idea to give them little crocheted accents. perfect for a centerpiece or just pretty sitting on a desk or bookshelf.

crocheted rocks

every summer (and on occasion in the dead of winter!) we collect rocks from the shores of lake michigan. we have done just about everything creative you could think of to do with rocks, but lately we’ve been crocheting around them (after being inspired by resurrection fern) which make pretty little gifts. we love them as paper weight or place settings—just pin on pieces of fabric with names.

wood coasters

the tricky part of this craft can be scavenging for a good branch—we’re lucky that fallen birch branches are everywhere in northern michigan, where we spend a lot of time throughout the year. next you just need a chop saw—or a handy friend who has one—to cut slices for coasters. birch is a favorite of ours, but they would look amazing with a spalted or birdseye maple.

branch light

one year when we were all in portland, oregon, at our parents’ home for christmas, amy and her husband, david, got the idea to create a light fixture out of one of the many huge, moss-covered branches found lying around the property. a little burlap, some simple wiring, and look! now it’s hanging in their living room! so cool—the only challenge is getting the branch home if you don’t happen to live in the same place.

January is the perfect month for parties.

Its dark and cold outside, the bills are piling up and tax season is just around the corner.

So why not have a party?

I love inviting friends over for dinner.

Love the whole planning stage, what to make, witch wine, flowers, just love it.

I take pride in setting a nice table, cooking a good meal and making people feel welcome.

Here are my top 10 tips for a good party.

1.Set the table the day before.

2.Don’t make anything that will keep you in the kitchen while your guests are hanging out.

3.Stews are perfect January food. You can even make it beforehand.

4.Soft music and candlelight sets the mood

5.No cell phones at the table….please!

6.Make cocktails, more cocktails and even more cocktails

7.Remember to buy or make enough ice

8.A perfumed candle in the bathroom does the trick

9.Its ok to play match maker, invite some single friends.

10.Don’t even think about the dishes. Nothing kills a party like a host doing the dishes.

Photos by Studio Dreyer Hensley

I have never been a big marshmallow fan.

I always thought they were too sweet, it’s like eating sugar.

Not for me thanks.

But boy can things change.

A while ago I tasted hot chocolate with a homemade marshmallow for the first time.

And what can I say….I loved it!

The hot chocolate was made with really dark bitter chocolate and when the marshmallow melted in to the chocolate…wow!

I now consider myself a born again marshmallow’ist.

Homemade marshmallows

Makes 12 large ones

3 envelopes of unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cups corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

confectioners sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water.

Let it stand and soak for 10 minutes.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan.

Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.

Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed. Add the salt and beat for about 12 minutes.

Add vanilla. Scrape into a 9 x 9-inch pan lined with oiled plastic wrap and spread evenly.

Cover with plastic wrap.

Let the marshmallows sit for 4-5 hours.

Remove from pan, dredge the marshmallow slab with confectioners’ sugar and cut into 12 equal pieces with scissors. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners’ sugar.

Photos by Studio Dreyer Hensley

The one thing I love the most about the holidays are all the outside lights. It makes a very dark time of the year very bright and jolly.

And I always think its such a drag when all the lights are taken down and everything gets dark again.

Well, then its time to put out some lights of my own.

Even if its just a small IKEA lantern that I used on one of the images.

But if I’m having guests over I love to make a ice lantern.

Its super easy.

You need two buckets, one smaller then the other.

Some greens, I love to use olive branches.

Fill the biggest bucket half full with water.

Place the smaller bucket inside it and place some rocks or something heavy to keep in in place.

Add more water, the water level should be to the top.

Add your branches to the sides of the bucket.

Use some tape to keep the small bucket in the middle of the big one.

Now set the whole thing outside to freeze.

Once its frozen, remove the small bucket first and then the large one.

You now have a beautiful ice lantern.

Place a votive candle inside and voila, the party can start.

Photos by Studio Dreyer Hensley

My grandmother would always say, “don’t forget to feed the birds Paul”.

She loved birds.

She had a pair of binoculars next to the kitchen window so that she could take a closer look at them.

And boy was there birds!

Our garden was filled with them.

Every morning she would go out and place food and replace the pinecones she would make.

What she did was to take the really large pinecones and fill them with a mixture of lard and birdseeds.

Its really easy.

You just take 1 cup lard and melt that in a saucepan.

Add 2 cups of birdseeds( the wild outdoor type) and mix well.

Let it cool off for a bit and then smear the mixture into the pinecones.

I always just do the middle and put white moss in the top or end part.

Then attach a string and hang it in the trees.

I promise you the birds will love it. They will love you as well.

Photos by Studio Dreyer Hensley

I was really honored when Design Sponge asked little old me to be a guest blogger.

No one has ever asked me that before.

But then it hit me, what do I blog about?

I was thinking about this for several days, ideas came and went.

It wasn’t until I one day looked blank out the window at the snow drizzling down that it came to me.

Winter of course.

I will blog about the winter.

After all, I am Norwegian, winter is in my blood.

(I would much rather have sand and palm trees, but what can you do?)

When I was a kid my parents loved taking me and my sister on these long ski trips.

I totally hated it.

The only thing I looked forward to on these trips was the lunch my mother would bring.

Homemade cookies, hot chocolate and great sandwiches

It was the though of the lunch that kept me going.

They say all Norwegians are born with skis on their feet.

Well honey, not this one.

They must have been sold out when I came along.

Anyhow, my mother always made the best sandwiches filled with greens, chicken, avocado, tomatoes and always aioli.

But the best thing was her oatmeal walnut cookies.

So I would like to share the recipe with you guys.

Enjoy!

Mom’s oat and walnut cookies

Makes 36

2 sticks salted butter, soft

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F

Cream butter and both sugars light and creamy.

Add milk and vanilla and mix well.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each egg.

Add flour, spices and baking powder.

Stir until just combined.

Stir in the oats and walnuts.

Use about two tablespoons of mixture for each cookie.

Roll it into a ball and place on a baking paper lined cookie sheet.

Make sure they are placed well apart.

Press the balls down with the bottom of a glass.

Bake until golden, but still a bit soft, 14-16 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Photos by Studio Dreyer Hensley