we're moving!

Happy New Year! I hope it was a safe and happy night for all of you.

I have some news that's exciting and sad at the same time - my blog is moving! I've loved blogging here on Fickle Kitsch for the past 3.5 years, but I've been antsy for a change for a while. What better time than the start of a new year to make the switch?

The content isn't changing much - I'll still be posting about my life and times, reviews of great places I visit, and some DIY fun. I was just ready for a new platform and a fresh start. I hope that you'll come follow me, through email or your RSS reader, and carry on!

Please join me at: Past Meets Prologue.

Click here to visit me at my new blogging home!

christmas eve check-in

I hope you enjoyed my 12 Days of DIY December posts and maybe were tried a few projects! I'm now back at the family homestead and was thrilled to see that my mom made a lovely card garland inspired by my post.

Since a lot of my posts were of the theoretical nature, I just wanted to take some time this merry Christmas Eve to share a little bit of what I actually did for the holidays at my apartment!

The secret to an awesome Christmas: lots of lights! As you can see, I embroidered and hung some stockings over the built-in, but never quite got around to glitter-spraying my magazine trees (it's been snowing like the Dickens around here, but I'm sure I'll find some use for glittery spray paint...). I tried something a little different for my card display this year, using a giant bow and hanging the cards on a Christmas ribbon underneath with the most adorable tiny red and green clothespins. I have a batch of homemade Kahlua infusing atop the fridge, which should be ready for gifting on New Year's - better late than never! I also made an ornament wreath, though I don't have a good picture of it hanging. It wasn't my most successful experience (I should have gotten more ornaments), but I like it anyway! And, of course, I did some intense cross-stitching, but I can't show you that! (It's sitting under the tree, shhhhh.)

Not too shabby a showing for this holiday season, I think. I hope you have a safe and happy holiday filled with great people, good food, and even better times. Merry Christmas!

shop indie this year

In order to celebrate the season the best way I know how, I'll be posting the 12 Days of DIY December here. Check back every day for something new to make, bake, or create to get ready for Christmas!

"But Jennifer," I hear you say, "buying something is the opposite of DIYing it." This is technically true, but for the last day of my 12 Days of DIY December, I really wanted to remind all of you that if you don't have the time/tools/skills/energy to DIY, it's super awesome to support independent and local businesses. They're DIYing (DIT? Doing-It-Themselves?) it so we can enjoy their expertise. Since I moved to the city, I've become so much more aware of the amazing artisans working in Milwaukee - and I'd bet there's a great community of creators in your city too! If you are in Milwaukee, Local First Milwaukee is a great resource to find locally owned businesses, but don't forget to do your own digging and exploring too! You never know what you might find.

Buying prints from artists, checking out handmade items on Etsy, or exploring the creations of local makers is a great way to keep the DIY spirit in the holidays and find gifts that the special people on your list will be (hopefully) surprised and thrilled to see! It's great to wrap something up that you know was made with love - even if it wasn't your personal love, I think it still counts!

And that brings us to the end of the series - whew! Posting every day was definitely a change from posting...approximately not ever, but it was pretty great in addition to being tough! I hope to virtually see you again before the holidays come, but in case I don't - Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

personalize your christmas stocking

In order to celebrate the season the best way I know how, I'll be posting the 12 Days of DIY December here. Check back every day for something new to make, bake, or create to get ready for Christmas!

The one thing I really miss in our apartment (apart from a proper tree, sigh) is a fireplace for stockings. Luckily, there's a lovely built-in in the dining room with an arch that should be just perfect for leaving our stockings - I'm not sure how Santa will get in, but once he does, he won't be able to miss them there!

Somehow, the only member of the household who has a stocking here is Logan the cat. I plan to rectify that quickly, and once I do - I'm going to personalize my stocking!

If you have the time, making a stocking from scratch is totally possible and a great project. But with the big day coming up so fast this year (SO fast, oh dear), I'm just hoping to get what I can done. And that means putting a special touch on a store-bought stocking.

Now that I've gotten into cross-stitching, I have a bunch of embroidery floss just sitting around in my craft stash. Obviously, the answer is clear - add a little embroidery to a stocking! I love the classic simplicity of just an initial, but it might be fun to do a short word (refer to my decorating with words post for examples of short holiday-themed words, if you're stuck) or simple design as well. It'll depend on the stocking and where the wind takes me! (AKA how much time I have - how is it two weeks from Christmas Day? That can't be right.)

bake peppermint bark shortbread

In order to celebrate the season the best way I know how, I'll be posting the 12 Days of DIY December here. Check back every day for something new to make, bake, or create to get ready for Christmas!

I first made this recipe back in 2010, my senior year of college (oh, those bygone days!). It was for a cookie exchange party, although somehow it seemed like my household ended up eating the majority of them ourselves...how did that work out?

Anyway, this is my recipe recommendation for all of your:  chocolate & peppermint bark cookies by Cookin Canuck. These cookies combine three great tastes of the holidays: delicious buttery cookies, rich chocolate, and sharp peppermint. These are three of my favorite tastes all year round, in fact, so it's great to have an excuse to throw them all together! The best part is that (say it with me) - they're easy! A lot of holiday cookies are beautiful and delicious, but they require a lot of effort. It is definitely a great time of the year for slow, luxurious baking, but if you have limited time, limited counterspace for advanced cookie maneuvers, or just want to slot in a low-hassle sweet alongside your other more complicated recipes, these are a great option.

I also think these cookies would be optimal if you're looking for a treat to mail; since, like peppermint bark, they can be cut unevenly. No worries about sugar Santa or his reindeer being beheaded through jostling! These will be just as delicious if they arrive in one piece or in ten.

make a diy christmas cat toy

In order to celebrate the season the best way I know how, I'll be posting the 12 Days of DIY December here. Check back every day for something new to make, bake, or create to get ready for Christmas!

We humans can't wait to see what Santa has left in our stocking on Christmas morning...now your cat can get in on the excitement too!

When my roommate requested a cat-themed project, I was a little dubious. Cats are destroyers, not crafters, and are much more likely to get tangled up in a ball of yarn than knit a charming tea cozy. But a craft for a cat? I knew that Martha would have an idea - the baby sock cat toy! Just fill a baby's sock with dried catnip, stitch it closed, and dangle it from yarn. It's easy and just begging to be holidayfied!

12 Days of Christmas baby sock set from Baby Aspen

How adorable are those? Obviously, these are more socks than you would need for this craft, but if you have a lot of felines on your list (and/or some actual babies), these would make incredibly charming AND seasonally appropriate cat toys! I'd be tempted to add some felt or fur at the cuff to really accentuate the "Christmas stocking" feel, but that would depend on the destructive nature of your cat. Add some red, green, or white yarn and you're ready to tease your cat in holiday style.

decorate with recycled magazines

In order to celebrate the season the best way I know how, I'll be posting the 12 Days of DIY December here. Check back every day for something new to make, bake, or create to get ready for Christmas!

I now live in a household where both inhabitants work on the editorial staff of magazines. This means there are a LOT of magazines in the house. I hate just recycling them (such a waste!), so I decided to figure out a way to transform magazines into holiday joy. Turns out, there are a lot of options!

One I've actually already tackled this year is creating magazine "trees."

Isn't it cute? It's basically the easiest craft you can imagine too. The materials required are one magazine. That's it. Just rip off the cover, fold each page, and you have a cute little paper Christmas tree. No muss, no fuss. I'm still deciding if I want to take the next potential step and glitter it up - it would definitely look cute, but I kind of like the paper look. Maybe I'm just a magazine nerd. Imagine a little forest of these on your shelf, each one sparkling a different color.

Another way to get some paper in your tree might be:

Pinned here

This one is made with felt, but I think it would be cute with glossy magazine pages (or even more darling with book pages!)

You might also make a classic paper garland from old magazines, or craft a holiday collage. There are a ton of options for upcycling old magazines in crafty ways - just in time for Christmas!