(Inside A Black Apple)

The Christmas Wish of Two Mice

Both of these Black Apple mice (Ashley gave them to us) are here to wish you the happiest of Winter holidays, and safe, calm + cozy days ahead. I'm very excited to spend my favorite time of year with family + friends, and I will see you soon!

We will return on the first of the New Year!
Til' then, happy holidays to you.
xoxo

More Stories from Sugarville

Thanks for all the 'mallow-love!
And while I liked those photos just fine (and certainly liked the 'mallows themselves) it was a bit of a color-less post. So, today's treats should help make up for that.

These are the holiday cookie boxes I put together for some local friends:

They contain (clockwise): Peppermint Macaro(o)ns, Star-shaped sugar cookies with silver sugar, Peanut Butter/Chocolate Fudge, and Cheesecake + Berry Macaro(o)ns!

The sweet compartment-ed boxes are the Martha line from Michael's. They had perfect little polka-dot parchment sheets included...which helped make up for the fact that I completely forgot my plans to order a roll of this.

The peppermint macs are dusted in a golden luster-dust I flipped over from Fancy Flours. It's difficult to see in the photo, but they are truly opalescent in person.

I hope all of you bakers are making a lovely smorgasbord of cookies and the like...I'm hoping this is just round one for me. Christmas Eve at my mom's is usually a bake-a-thon!

It's a Marshmallow World in the Winter...

Continuing with the white-winter-theme, I boxed up a few batches of marshmallows and sent them on their way yesterday, still being rather hobbit-like and staying in the kitchen. They are so simple and fun to make (I use this Martha-method), and are, in all seriousness, 100 times better than the dusty cylinders that come in the bag.
I don't even like those. These, I love.

Maybe it's because you can add vanilla with abandon (highly recommended), maybe it's because they melt so creamily and wonderfully. Or maybe it's because of the way they taste dipped in a bit of chocolate...

I only made a few chocolate-coated ones...just melted a couple of chocolates I had around and coated them in that and it was so. good. It made me wish that I had known of the evil goodness so that I could've split people's gift packages between plain and chocolate.

I didn't, though, (sadly for my recipients) so all those naked plainies went into their parchment nest in a bakery box and were tied up in peppermint string.

Today I spent the afternoon with one of my favorite friends and it stretched out into dinner for all four of us and christmas presents and loveliness (the lingering ice on the roads didn't stand in our way).

What a sweet time of year.

A Little White Coat for Portland

I woke this morning to gaze hazily out the window from my bed...and what did I see?

That wonderful transformation of trees, houses, cars...all that is ordinary into lumpy, white other-worldliness. This was my favorite thing about snow when I was little...that moment when you are just waking up, only to find you've awoken in a blanketed, sparkling, bright version of the world you left when you drifted to sleep.

The feeling around here was so cheerful and festive today...it made me feel really happy to be in Portland right now. It also made Christmas seem much more "real" somehow.

(Not our sled, just one toted around by an adorable red-faced little boy)

Amy and I talked all last week about spending today (Sunday) antiquing, but we both rain(snow?)-checked it and spent the day on cozier pursuits. Here at Black Apple dollhouse, I baked sugar cookies, packaged up parcels for far-away friends, played at the park, made soup, and did lots of order packing (and a possibly ill-advised trip to the Post Office). And I got to spend the whole wonderful time with my partner in crime.

I love you, Portland, in your little white coat.
And I love you, Josiah.
Thank you for playing in the blanketed white other-world with me today.

Tagged and Ready for Giving

Hello chilly-toe'd (and not) applets...
I've got a little present for you guys!

I know that I'm not the first to give their lovely readership printable gift-tags, but I think that's because they're so practical and easy to transmit to you guys through the ol' internet.

So, here they are...a sheet of 8.5"x11", which can be printed onto sticker/label paper and trimmed, or printed onto cardstock, hole-punched, and strung onto your packages!
   
The PDF download is right here, so you can print up as many of these little holiday doodles as you'd like.

I'm planning to make up homemade marshmallow packages to send out to some far-away peeps this evening, and really get cracking (really!) on those handmade gifts I want to finish. We're heading home in just a week, so I've got a lot to do...but it's that fun, bustling happy kind of feeling.

Happy Friday!

Holiday Etsy Shopping

I started my online shopping pretty early, as I always like for there to be a huge buffer betwixt the time I order and the holidays (being an online shop owner myself has made me acutely aware of all that can go awry!).

Here are some choice gift ideas from a bunch of Etsy sellers I hit up this Christmas:

(photo credits belong to each individual shop)

* Adorable clutch from littleblackrabbit *

* Acorn + Leaf necklace from chainchainchained *

* Poppy cloth napkin set from MichelleBrusegaard *

* Rose clay soap from Daisycakessoap *

* Chunky typewriter mug from Circa Ceramics *
(this was an early present for J, and it was a huge hit)

* Card pack from the amazing Morris + Essex *

Whew! Just looking at all this rad stuff makes me happy.

Did you find any great online handmade shops to snap up holiday gifts from? I would love to see them!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

you know. Christmas-time!

Now that the Holiday update is wrapped up, I feel like I can focus on our own holiday plans a little more (while still minding the shop, of course). We got a little tree that marks our first Christmas here in Portland...

We're still using that mitten! I just can't find anything that I like better.

That big, glittery toadstool is my new ornament for the year. I love it!
I noticed while we were decorating this year that we have an disproportionate amount of "forest-y" ornaments.

Like you, for instance, Mr. Squirrel.

I love Christmas so very much. It can be a time of expectation and floods of memory, but that is all the more reason to latch onto every moment that is bright and merry, and hang on with all my might!

Our shopping is (99%) done, the tree is here...now the tasks at hand get even more fun: wrapping presents, baking up a storm, and traveling Southward to our families in a little less than two weeks! Of course, keeping me company for all of these tasks will be the best Christmas album ever (and the second best). And definitely some of this guy, too.

Sugar + Nutmeg Petite Dolls

Sorry it's not exactly the morning...but about an hour before update time! My computer is acting a little funny, so let's hope this goes off without a hitch (fingers crossed).

These little ladies are crafted of wool and distressed vintage velvet (respectively), and have vintage doily collars. They also each sport a jaunty wool beret!

Sleigh Ride Sophies

Here is the quartet of Sophies that will be available in the mini-update shop tomorrow (Friday)! I am really pleased with these little gals...their capelets just send them over the edge into cold-weather-cute territory.

Each little cape is made of wool felt, is fully removable (to reveal the cute yoke detail on each dress!) and fastens with a vintage button.

 

I'll be back very soon (tomorrow morning before the update) with the new batch of little dolls.

See you soon!

Ornamental

I wanted to share a peek at the two kinds of ornaments I will have for the Christmas/Holiday update on Friday!

The Fir-girl Ornaments  (Edition size of 12)

These woodland sweet-peas are crafted of wool felt, paper, string, and mini-print. They measure approximately 3.5" tall, not including the hanging string.

*

Little Snow-Queen Ornaments  (Edition size of 15)

These glittering girls are crafted of  hand-painted wood, paper, string, a generous dusting of coarse glitter and mini-print. They measure approximately 3.25" tall, not including the hanging string.

They will be individually packaged up sweetly in a glassine envelope, and sealed with a festive sticker.

I hope you that you like them!

And thanks for all the fun chatter around my last post...I can't tell you how happy it makes me that there are so many unashamed Stevie/'Mac appreciators out there. Those comments were some of the sweetest and funnies ones ever.