Ok, I know I’m all over the place with when I post about things I like, but here goes:
*Oswald, the Purl Frog

I found a remnant of the softest green furry fabric at Joanns that needed to be a frog. He’s stuffed with lentils and has a cookie monster quality I love. This is an easy, totally addictive and cute softie pattern, and I want to make one for every baby I know. Just have to figure out a good alternative to beads for the eyes, since they are very definitely not babyproof.
*This awesome card I got in the mail from Camilla, who designed and letterpressed it herself! The ink is actually a lovely dark moss green, I just didn’t take as good a photo as the card deserves:

*The latest issues of Blueprint and Marie Claire Idees, whee! Still waiting for the latest Adorn.

*My Fiskars scissor sharpener

This is my new favorite crafty tool. I will admit to having bought new fabric scissors because my old ones got dull, but no more. This thing is amazing! It even perfectly sharpened my shears from the dollar store!
*The handmade pledge, enough said.
*Biscotti!

The recipe:
1 stick butter
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 T vanilla extract
3.5 cups flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
Heat oven to 350
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, then add the eggs, sugar and vanilla, mixing well. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the bowl until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface, then divide into two pieces. Shape each into a log about 10″ long by 2″ wide and place them, well-spaced, on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (you can also just grease the baking sheet). The bottoms will flatten out, which is fine. Bake for 35 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes. Once they’re not painful to touch, use a sharp knife to slice the logs into about 1″ slices, then turn each slice on a cut side and return to the oven for 8 minutes. Take the baking sheet out of the oven, turn each cookie and bake for another 8 minutes. Voila! Biscotti. They are quite plain and nice with coffee. I think they’d also be great with toasted nuts in them, or with less vanilla and a bit of almond extract, and also if you dipped one side in melted chocolate.
*Last and very definitely not least: tomorrow’s crafty segment on The CBS Early Show! The show runs at different times in different regions, so click here to find out when it will be in yours. It will be on at 7:45 Eastern live in NYC, which is 45 minutes into the first hour of the show. Pssst…the person modeling my costume is actually my niece, so be sure to tune in!