holidays | kimberly ah

Dec 30 2017

Christmas, holidays, Merry & Bright, Oh Tannenbaum

Under the Tree

Santa was good to us again this year! Presley got a fantastic new toy that is already MIA. It came in a little party popper, that doesn’t pop because that would be scary for cats. It was a cute package though, as you can tell by Presley’s happy face. I gave Naoto a Yeti mic so he can start his podcast in the new year. We’ve been talking about it forever, so it’s time! I also gave him some “high-end” instant ramen that shall have its own post here soon. It’s really good. I also gave him some new t-shirts from Sumo Fish and some new food socks. In addition to the Putz church, Naoto got me booze…shocking, I know. He found North Shore Distillery’s fall release, Ethel’s Eye of Newt Cordial. I’m looking forward to trying it…or saving it for next Halloween. And he added to my Letherbee collection with their Autumnal release. I have been buying Letherbee’s seasonal releases for a few years now and they’re always delicious and unusual. He also bought me two Mitsubishi Kohitsu Shosha 10B pencils. The lead is the softest made and oh my, is it ever! I promised myself I’d practice hand lettering this year (instead of giving up after five minutes) and these are perfect for that. And I got an Egg-a-Go-Go tea towel with the cutest cat carrying a parcel. And I got a new cat screen print from Fancy Seeing You Here. (Thanks to Melissa for giving Naoto the hint about this!) I’m so excited to frame him up and expand my desk art!

I still want to tell you about our Christmas dinner adventures, so…be prepared for more Christmas posts into the new year.

Tagged Christmas, holidays, office supplies, shopping

Dec 29 2017

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Christmas, holidays, homemaking, Merry & Bright, thrifted, vintage

My Putz House Settlement

Last year, I told Naoto about vintage Putz houses, the tiny Mid-Century glittered paper houses. I’ve always wanted a Christmas village but the newer ones never struck my fancy the way these old beat up ones did. They’re almost impossible to find with the glitter still shining and it’s a rare gem that still has its vellum windows and doors in tact. (Mid-century children must have loved to punch those things out!)

He surprised me at Christmas with two Putz houses–BOTH with all of their vellum in pristine condition! The green one has sweet little details like the curtained window and green door and the red one is so glittery and also has a really special door. He also got me a cast iron Santa riding a sled. I was so excited to pull the village (more like settlement) out this year! Then, during the Forest Park Holiday Walk, Karen and I found this blue gem. The windows, as you can see, have been repaired, but its color and two-toned glitter roof really sold me. I also picked up this teeny plastic nativity for the village, because every town needs one. Every settlement also needs a town Christmas tree, so I painted one at Creativita. Have you noticed ceramic Christmas trees are making a comeback? I highly recommend painting your own! It was such a fun activity!

The flocked deer are especially fond of the new tree. I had to put the village on the sideboard this year because Presley has been napping on the wine cabinet lately. I like it better on the sideboard because the wine cabinet was too high to appreciate the village anyway. This year, Naoto added to my collection with a tiny Putz church!! And again, he struck gold with intact windows and doors!! It has some faded trees, but I love the little gate and the blue walkway! This one hardly has any glitter left so I may add some…but I hesitate to mess with its worn charm too much.

Here’s a little video of the complete village…

Tagged Christmas, Christmas village, decorating, holidays, home, homemaking, Japan, Putz houses, thrifting, vintage

Dec 28 2017

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adventures, celebrations, Christmas, cocktails, holidays, Merry & Bright

A Cocktail Story at CH Distillery

For the second year in a row, Naoto and I went to CH Distillery in the West Loop for their Christmas pop-up, A Cocktail Story. I love a good theme party, so it’s right up my alley–all of the food and cocktails are based on the holiday classic, A Christmas Story. I wish I’d taken pictures of the menu, because I can’t remember the witty names of our cocktails, but we started with bourbon (Naoto’s was a version of an Old Fashioned and mine was similar to a Manhattan) and moved onto tasty rosemary gin cocktails. We ate classic snacks like deviled eggs, cheese balls, and fried rice (keeping with the movie’s Chinese Christmas dinner theme.) For me, the best part of the whole experience was Eddie’s Frozen Eggnog. (Eddie = Clark’s cousin in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.) It is so deliciously decadent. I’ve been thinking about it since I tried it last year. Cheers to the holidays once again!

Tagged adventures, celebrations, Christmas, cocktails, food, holidays

Dec 27 2017

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Christmas, holidays, Merry & Bright, snail mail

Holiday Cards 2017

Hello from freezing Forest Park! I thought I’d share our 2017 holiday cards now that most of them have made their way to the destinations. I mailed most of them out mid-December with little fanfare. I didn’t decorate any envelopes this year. Sad, right? I did, however, finally use my very special J. Herbin anniversary ink.

The neon pink cards are from Hello Lucky. The cocktail cards are from Made in Brockton Village. The wintry birds are from Saturn Press, and as I’ve mentioned before, they don’t have a website which makes them the most charming stationery company ever in my book.

I’ve been such a bad letter writer this year, so naturally I’m going to put “be a better letter returner” on my new year’s resolution list. Hopefully this week I can respond to anything left in my stack so I can start 2018 with a clean slate.

Tagged Christmas, holidays, letterpress, office supplies, snail mail

Dec 25 2017

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celebrations, Christmas, Merry & Bright, Oh Tannenbaum

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas from the Hasegawas!

Tagged celebrations, Christmas, holidays

Dec 06 2017

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celebrations, holidays, Thanksgiving, thrifted, vintage

December…Already?

Is it too late to share a few pictures from Thanksgiving?

It’s that time of the year again where I can’t believe it’s already December, yet this year seems like the loooooongest ever. My friend and I were talking about the famous Beyoncé pregnancy photo last night and I couldn’t believe that picture was from this year. (February to be exact.) Aren’t those twins toddlers by now? At the same time, I feel like summer was just here and we didn’t enjoy it enough and fall flew by in a blink.

Now we’re in the middle of the holiday season and time isn’t slowing down. The house is all decorated, but it’s still a mess because I haven’t put the decoration bins away yet. My goal for today is to get that done, vacuum and be ready to finish my cards in front of a Hallmark Christmas movie tomorrow afternoon. As far as other holiday goals go, I’d like to:

bake cookies
make some Chex Mix
host a tiny gathering (mostly because I want to make a cheese ball)
finish my cards by the 10th (and spend out most of my holiday sticker and card stash)
mail gifts to faraway friends before the 15th
rate all of the Hallmark Christmas movies
paint one of those ceramic Christmas trees
go to Chris & Heather’s 20th Anniversary Calendar Show
make some holiday cocktails for Hasegawa Happy Hour

Let’s see how I do with my list. Anything special on your holiday wishlist?

Tagged celebrations, decorating, food, holidays, Thanksgiving, thrifting, Trader Joe's, vintage

Nov 10 2017

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adventures, Christmas, crafty adventures, Forest Park, Oak Park, GalaxieSafari, holidays, In My Neighborhood, Merry & Bright, Oak Park, Office Supplies, snail mail, vintage

Petite Boutique

Sorry for the radio silence around here. I’ve been typing and cutting and pasting new cards for Petite Boutique this weekend. If you’re in the area, stop by Pleasant Home in Oak Park tonight and tomorrow to shop handmade. It’s a really great show and I always love seeing friendly faces.

This is one of the new Christmas cards, inspired by the (wonderfully terrible!) Hallmark Christmas movies I’ve already started watching. I’ll share some more next week! Until then, have a great weekend!

Tagged adventures, Christmas, crafts, forest park, holidays, mail art, office supplies, shopping, snail mail, vintage

Mar 07 2017

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crafty adventures, In My Mailbox, Letter Month, Office Supplies, snail mail, Valentine's Day

I Failed Letter Month…

You guys, I failed at Letter Month this year. I didn’t even send my usual stack of Valentines! (Sorry grammas!) I assembled a few whales (from a Paper Source kit) and then just didn’t feel like making more. And instead of just writing letters, I did nothing. (Well, I visited my parents and I got sick, but that’s only an excuse for a few of the days!) So, this is all the mail I sent in the month of February. (#worstpenpalever) Thirteen pieces. I’m going to try to be better in March, while also looking forward to Write_On in April for National Card and Letter Writing Month. I ordered a party pack, so I’ll be planning a letter writing party and it would be just shameful if I wasn’t writing letters! In happier news, my friend Tremaine sent me this fantastic Valentine: a bag that she screenprinted herself, a Raygun sticker, and an Obama/Biden button that I wore almost every day last month. I need to work hard this month and next to put my mail karma back into balance!

How did you do during Letter Month this year?

Tagged crafts, diy, holidays, mail art, office supplies, snail mail

Feb 24 2017

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celebrations, Valentine's Day

Scenes From Valentine’s Day

Isn’t this bouquet lovely? Naoto sent it to me for Valentine’s Day as a little surprise. I took this picture about ten minutes before Presley ate a chunk off of one of the lily leaves, sending me into a panic. (Lillies are insanely poisonous to cats.) I literally turned my back for one minute and she was on the table eating the WORST possible plant! I did a quick Google and found only dreadful news and called the vet. While I was on hold (I suspect other pet owners were in my same circumstance…) Presley threw up and the chunk of leaf was there, undigested. The vet said it was a good sign but even with those assurances, I spent the next three days monitoring Presley’s eating, drinking, and bathroom habits like a new mother. We had to move the flowers into the guest room when we weren’t home, just to be safe. They were too much of a temptation for the little devil. Curiosity killed the cat and all…Other than that excitement, I started getting a cold on Valentine’s Day that has put me behind on everything I had planned for the end of the month. Next week is supposed to be a quiet one so I’m looking forward to catching up and getting back on track. Hopefully…

Tagged celebrations, holidays

Feb 14 2017

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celebrations, Letter Month, snail mail, thrifted, Valentine's Day, vintage

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day! I just mailed out round 1 of my Valentines today. I spent a few days last week at my parents’ house and forgot to work on them! I took the easy way out with a Paper Source kit, so hopefully I can finish the rest this week.

Do you have any Valentine plans? Naoto and I usually don’t celebrate, but I am cooking dinner tonight and trying my hand at chocolate mousse (from this Smitten Kitchen recipe) so I guess that’s kind of celebrating?

P.S. Up above is another vintage Valentine from my collection. I wish I looked that cute while I’m typing out my cards, but I’m usually standing at my desk and fighting off the cat while she tries to climb up my leg.

Tagged celebrations, holidays, homemaking, snail mail, vintage