These ornaments were part of an attempt to fill our tree and to have extra gifts for people. I wish I'd brought more foam balls back from the US this summer!
Joel and I had the most perfect first Christmas, and a lovely afternoon with my family and my sister's new three legged hamster.

Christmas day was also three months to the day since our wedding.
Look at my sister's blog for a peek :)

Love,
Cait

Baby Pilots

There are lots of babies coming to our church this month, which we are super excited about. Right now there are adorable maternity shirts and bellies, and in the next few weeks, multiple newborns to hold. This means there have also been many baby showers, and I had fun wrapping the presents a few weeks ago. We love using my dad's old flight maps for wrapping paper, and I used baker's twine (love baker's twine! I ordered mine from belladrummer, who also is the best scrapbooker ever and very sweet.) and paper bags to decorate and label them.

Both of these were for baby boys, so the pilot paper was fitting (but I think it's cute all the time).

love,
Cait

in the morning

Monday night we received calls and warnings about having the biggest and worst storm Dubai has ever had. We were a bit dubious but moved things up off the floor downstairs in case of flooding (Dubai roads are hardly built to handle rain) and put rags on the windowsills. Almost needless to say it was not that bad, but that doesn't mean some of us still weren't awake all night watching the construction crane across the street slowly swing back and forth toward the compound, its sign rocking wildly, or hearing the trees crash against the ladder going up to our roof, and having nightmares about what could happen. But really, it was a very typical Dubai annual thunderstorm.
(and thank goodness, not worth losing sleep over - not that we could help it)

But there are lots of happy things around the house - coffee, packaging, birthdays, wrapping, cake, pretty paper, always rejoicing.

'you see the outside first'

After taking part in Oh Hello Friend's 'lovely package' exchange, I was persuaded to put much more effort into wrapping gifts and trying to make them look creative and pretty, as well as the contents. Here are some of the most recent results. As you can see I love brown paper bags and doilies and string.

Do you enjoy wrapping gifts? Do you like to watch people open them or do you get embarrassed? I love watching and seeing their (hopefully) happiness, but I also get nervous!

Back to wrapping -
love,
Cait

Birds

After seeing some birdcage inspired handmade ornaments, I was itching to try free-handing some birdcages on the sewing machine, much like Ruby (Cakies) does with her crowns and dollhouses. I had to come up with some final, nice gifts for one of the girls in my well group, so I jumped at the chance and made her a birdcage pillow, with a felted sparrow to match. Thankfully I think she liked it, and I was happy with how it turned out and want to experiment more.

The Christmas tea was this afternoon, and went reasonably well despite miscommunication and miscounting. We just hurriedly arranged a third pretty little table and fit all 25 in. Hospitality is about spontaneity too, right? In all the rush I didn't photograph the table beforehand, but I might write more about it later.
What are your last few days before Christmas filled with?

love,
Cait

A few Christmas gifts have gone in the mail, but I'm feeling a bit rushed for time by now! Particularly when hoping to make most of my gifts, less than two weeks isn't much time. Do you prefer to make gifts? Or do you try to buy handmade? It's difficult to buy handmade here, but I would like that.
The adorable wreath below is Rachel Denbow's, which I'd love to make. There are no wreath forms to be found here so perhaps I'll wrangle a wire hanger into shape.

love,
Cait

Lovely Package : On the recieving end

You can only imagine my delight upon seeing this pretty bundle under my dad's arm, knowing it could only be the 'lovely package' from Christine. Long-awaited and resent from Germany, this was the culmination of the package exchange as Christine received mine a few weeks ago. Everything in pink and orange, the colours and wrapping were of course beautiful, and everything was styled with Christine's clear, natural photography. The box opened to an accordion-style card with tiny polaroids.

There was a fun mix CD with a gorgeous cover, antique stationary, a handmade notebook, and decorated mini moleskins. A parcel of autumn flower pictures offered to substitute for fall in the desert.

French biscuits, homemade organic German cookies, boxes of matches decorated with vibrant pictures (because she knows I burn a lot of candles), all tightly packed together, and pungent incense fragranced the entire box. A necklace found in her term in the Canary Islands completed an international selection.

To crown it all, a block of four mounted flower portraits stood solidly in the bottom. Chris had made wall hangings of her photos, and they are stunning.
Everything was tastefully chosen and arranged, handmade, or designed. It was a cheerful theme and such a fun gift to open; like a little Christmas! This was a perfect artistic endeavor and seems to have been a blessing to both of us. If you have the chance to do a package exchange (particularly with other art bloggers), seize the chance!

Love,

Cait

P.S. Sunny enjoyed the paper.

Lovely Package: Wrapping edition

Packaging this up was the best part! I loved wrapping these little surprises and making them look as pretty on the outside as the inside. Below is the actual package with everything inside, which was then covered with brown paper and addressed. I experimented with using doilies, lace, my flowers as usual, scarves, and my new favorite - old paper tags with string. It turned out well and really won me over to putting lots of effort into the presentation of a gift. It was nice to have a challenge to do so! It's on its way to Berlin, Christine =)

love,
Cait

home porcelain

Hello dears, this time from back at home around the world.

I was welcomed by a squadron of large cockroaches in my tub and sink. Thank God for little brothers! We figured out they are coming up the drains, so I'm not going anywhere near my bathroom til they are properly and completely exterminated.

Darling Sprinkle gave me this award, which I would like to pass on to Jessica and Sara if they choose to take it :)

Every year when we are back in America we celebrate all the birthdays with my mom's side of the family. This year my grandmother gave me this teacup that she's owned for years. It's a dream isn't it? I love how covered in design it is. Sadly I had to leave it at her house (along with a few other pretty hope-chest-like items) for fear of breaking. Someday I'd love to have a cabinet of china tea cups - and they will not only be for display!

love,
Cait

Dear Rupert and an Allegory

I received a very special graduation gift, from a wonderful, likeminded friend. He found an out of print C.S. Lewis book that I had been looking for, and an original 1917 antique copy of Rupert Brooke's collection from World War I. They are both so beautiful, and full of beautiful words.

Rupert Brooke (a favourite poet) died young in the war, and his poems were given to many, I'm sure, as the handwritten note on the leaf of my copy dictates. There is a faint photograph of Mr. Brooke, protected by another thin sheet. And the first poems are my favourite sonnets! The set of five, The Soldier.

And best of all, slipped between the pages of 1914, was a Civil War postal cover; weathered, preserved, carefully addressed. If you've been around on my blog long enough, you know how important the War Between the States is to me!

Antique books and paper treasures make perfect gifts.

with love,
Cait