Foggy Ridge Hard Cider

You never know who you'll meet on a plane and most of the time it usually turns out to be a fascinating experience. I was lucky enough to meet Diane Flynt on a recent trip who runs Foggy Ridge Cider. We're talking artisan, hard cider made from over 30 American, English and French apple varieties.

They harvest their own apples from their own orchards and make their cider in small, carefully controlled batches. You can find a list of fine restaurants and retailers on their website that serve Foggy Ridge Cider and cook with it. If you're lucky enough to be a Virginia resident you can order by mail.

Two in one apron

From previous posts you've probably gathered that I have a thing for aprons. I even wore one throughout the evening on Saturday night 'cause it was prettier than my outfit. 

Here's a handmade beauty from the Sew Hip Company that's reversible. I saw this vendor firsthand at the Santa Clara Art & Wine Festival back in the fall and in addition to her  merchandise being lovely, the fabrics are high quality and the workmanship very fine. I think aprons make great gifts as well if you know someone who loves to entertain.

Handmade Crochet Headwrap

I have a serious problem with hat hair in the winter. You pull on a warm, knitted hat to keep your ears from freezing off and when you remove it you look like a yeti. Well no more! I just got my fabu headwraps from 4 T Designs over at Etsy. These beauties cover most of your head and ears while leaving the majority of your hairdo free so it doesn't get all squashed and crazy looking. The underside has two buttons so they fit nearly any size head. I especially love the rose detail—a flight attendant even commented on how cool they were on my last trip back to California. It feels great as well to buy from an individual artisan instead of the big corporate stores.

Off the cuff custom gloves

My new cuffs arrived today. Hooray! I'm attending a "Black & White" party next month and was having trouble finding accessories to go with my rather plain black dress. I wanted something with a little edge to it and Christina at Last Minute Clothing on Etsy saved the day. These hand-made black & white cuffs are perfect. The inset photos on the bottom feature a sampling of her other designs.

Christmas cards from cereal boxes

I love companies that make use of existing materials and turn them into something new. Kornflake, a division of Urban Cottage Industries makes these wonderful Christmas cards from old cereal boxes. The "snowflakes" are die-cut using a letterpress that's one-hundred years old! They're available in packs of 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 500. What a great way to go green for the holidays.

Felt flower how-to

Finally got started on some crafting with the felt I purchased from Giant Dwarf. I can't decide yet if it's going to be a barette or a brooch. It's been quite a while since I've handled a needle and thread, so I'm definitely going to need more practice to keep my stitches more uniform. Here's the breakdown of the steps:

1. Cut your "petal" shape out of paper and trace onto your fabric. I'm using 5 petals, but I think 6 would be cute as well.

2. Pinch the ends together and stich straight through both sides.

3. Repeat with all remaining "petals" until they are all strung together.

4. Tightly pull thread and sew stitch through layers to finish off the flower.5. Optional -- cut some leaf shapes and stich edges with a straight stitch for visual interest.

6. Sew the flower to your leaves and Voila! Now pin back or barette?

Fabulous Felt

I love working with felt. My first experience with this material was in college when our textiles instructor had us make it from scratch from wool through a process of hot water and stomping which looked a lot like a grape harvest, but that's another story. One of my favorite felt artisans is Giant Dwarf. Her designs are lovely as well as being eco-friendly by using recycled and sustainable materials. I first saw Sue's work last year when I styled a Fall Hats photo shoot for a magazine I freelance for. The photo below shows her Rosette Fascinator which is near the top center of the image.

© Mark Wagoner Productions

© Giant DwarfHere's a closeup of the fascinator. It also comes in several other color combinations. In addition to selling beautifully designed headgear, Giant Dwarf also sells Fancy Felt. You can pick individual 9 x 12 pieces or a batch of felt that's been coordinated into color themes. Mine came today and I'm ready to get started on some Christmas crafting. I purchase the "Candy Land Collection" which does look rather tasty.

image by charming ink