Let the Baking Begin...and a Giveaway...

A clear indicator of the fact that I'm well on the way to recovery over the hole in my gumline where a tooth once lived is that I was able to a) leave the house for the first time this week and b) start (and eat) some holiday baking! My neighbor L and I headed out to a local Artists' Show then to a fantastic little shop that neither of us had gone to before. I expected a little yarn and fabric shop but was instead astounded by a big book, gift, yarn and fabric shop with all sorts of nifty little things that I didn't know I needed until I saw them! After I picked up this super soft scarf for my trip home to visit family in the bitter cold of the North in a few weeks, we headed for home...and made it one block! There was a storefront just calling my name...a pottery shop and studio with my favorite word in the window...SALE! They were selling student work and I picked up this gorgeous bowl for $5!! It has the yummiest glaze on chocolate clay that reminds me of a robin's egg...and reminds me that I have about 20 pounds of chocolate stoneware that I haven't touched in well over a year. I think it might be time to haul it back out and get some pendants made with it. As for baking, this evening I managed to get Thick and Chewy Chocolate Cookie Bars, Ginger Chocolate Chip Bars, and S'Mores Cookie Bars made and sampled...and the verdict from hubster was that they should all be consumed within the next week and not frozen to be judiciously doled out to my favorite people as is the Christmas tradition! Now for the giveaway...pretty much a unanimous decision that my wonky pendants would find loving homes if I held a giveaway, so I aim to please! Here are the (minimal) rules:
1. Leave a comment here...feel free to share your favorite holiday item to bake! Please make sure your email address is in your comment or activated in your profile so I can contact you if you win. If there is no contact information your entry will be disqualified.
2. For extra entries you may tweet, blog,and/or Facebook the giveaway with a link to this post. Leave a new comment for each entry with the link to your post/tweet/update.
Easy peasy right? I will draw three winners and will let them choose their pendant in the order of drawing. Contest closes at midnight, Friday December 10th and I will announce the winners on the blog and by email on Saturday the 11th. I hope to find these three wonkified curvy pendants happy homes!

A Week Away...

in beautiful Sonoma. Any Hitchcock fans? The Birds was partially filmed in Bodega...this little church had a quick cameo in it. We went to see the outdoor art gardens at Cornerstone, neat shops and tons of interesting art installations. The food and wine were over the top...saw the fresh olive oil pressing, ate farm to table meals at Zazu, The Girl and the Fig, and Longmeadow Ranch among others. Visited wineries, bakeries, galleries, redwoods, and the very chilly Northern California coast. Stunning colors and scenery...I think I could definitely move there...

Cyber Monday sale is on all day Monday the 29th, 15% discount off website purchases- enter code: turkey sale

The Good News...

Kelley is definitely NOT an axe murderer! I found it more than a little amusing that she hopped in my car and immediately called Todd to let him know that I'm not either! Of course once hubster discovered that Kelley has the exact camera he's been coveting, it wouldn't have mattered if she was an axe murderer, she automatically became the coolest person I could have brought home!

What a fun weekend it was... We went from the airport to drop Kelley's bag at the hotel (and so I could check the closet for her to make sure no one was lurking...it's what I do...) then straight to La Jolla to get her to the ocean!

The toes...well, for Kelley, the clogs went in the sand...We saw the seals and I calculated how close I needed to stand to grab Kelley's backpack if she started to go over the edge! We saw tidepool critters like this anemone (my current inspiration to create a version in clay!) and I got a peek at an octopus tucked down in a rock crevice...which wasn't going to become inspiration unless someone wants an octopus pendant? We heard waves crash and saw what happens to kelp at low tide... And Kelley was ever so obliging at posing for pictures (much more than I was)! My plan for going to the ultra kitschy Lucha Libre Taco Shop was thwarted by too much publicity last week but we still managed to find some yummalicious Mexican food...and dessert for brunch after our Walk for the Cure. Kelley gave the most lovely pink ribbon lampwork worry stone to a survivor at the walk... A pair of chai lattes then ricotta berry lemon cake for me and a mountain of toasted coconut for Kelley... You'll have to stay tuned for pictures of the pretties she left with me.

Safe travels home Kelley... Hope you make it out this way again soon!
So now the question is, who's next? If you made it out this way what would YOU want to go do?