Postcards from Thanksgiving

First Annual Geek+Nerd Holiday Card Round-Up

To get into the spirit of my upcoming card-writing party, I scoured the internet to put together a round-up of holiday cards from my favorite indie designers. If you find yourself in need of cards this year, before you peruse the racks of Barnes and Noble, or Wal*mart, why not check out these options first? Using your precious spending dollars to support a small business this holiday season is what Martha would call a "Good Thing." I hope that you enjoy the round-up, xoxo.

Abby Try Again

Winter Card Set



Christmas Card Set



Afavorite Design

Vintage Arrow Sign Pack



Asking For Trouble


Vintage Buttons Christmas Cards



Babouche Rouge

Have a Gypsy Christmas, from Christmas Card Pack A



Bowerbox Press

Snow Owl Holiday Card



byvik INK

Happy Santa



Partridge in a Pear Tree



Swell Santa



Dingbat Press

Let it Snow in Pool



Dutch Door Press

Two Turtle Doves



Dala Horse



Have a Sweet Holiday



Season's Greetings



Maida Vale

Letterpress Holiday Card



Max Beckmann

Cannibal Snowmen Holiday Card



Paper Parasol Press

Happy Holidays Matryoshka Doll Card



Pocket Carnival

Card Pack - Three Christmas Cards



Spread the Love


Pennsylvania Wooden Postcard



Swallowfield

Wishing You Peace and Joy



Sycamore Street Press


Happy Holidays



The Black Apple


Fir Boy and Ginger Girl



YeeHaw

Red Merry Christmas Hand Printed Letterpress Prints Cards



Santa Western Suit and Cowboy Boot Letterpress Cards



Happy Cyber Monday Shopping! P.S. All pictures were used with permission!

Happy Thanksgiving (In Advance)

Hello dear friends! Tomorrow I will be away from the blog to spend time with my family. Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends in the U.S. I have so much to be thankful for this year: Matt, my rockin' husband, my wonderful family, great friends, my dream job, health, our new apartment, my sweet fur babies, PYREX...I could go on and on.

My house smells like sugar and spice right now. My Thanksgiving annual contribution of pie just made it out of the oven. Chai Spiced Apple Pie this year, something new. I'll let you know how it tastes. Until then, some teaser photos.

Getting a bath with cream and egg yolk for shine.



Out of the oven and lookin' good!





What are you thankful for this year? Happy Thanksgiving!

Kale and Potato Soup with Chili

Well, hey Mom! What are we cooking today? I'm here to help.



Cassie decided that tonight was the perfect night for soup. In an effort to add a little more green vegetables to our diet, I bought The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison with a gift certificate that I received on my birthday. The following is my favorite recipe thus far, tweaked to my liking.

Kale and Potato Soup with Red Chili based on Deborah Madison's recipe from The Greens Cookbook

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 small dried red chili, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
4 red potatoes scrubbed and diced
7 cups water
crème fraîche

Rip the ruffled kale leaves off of their stems, into small pieces, roughly 2 inches square. Wash the leaves well and set them aside.



Heat the olive oil in a soup pot, add the onion, garlic, chili, bay leaf, salt and cook over medium low heat stirring frequently. Add the potatoes, plus a cup of the water. Stir together, cover and cook slowly for five minutes.



Add the kale, cover, and steam until it is wilted, stirring occasionally. Pour in the rest of the water, bring to a boil, then simmer slowly, covered, until the potatoes are quite soft, 40 minutes.

After simmering, purée a cup or two of the soup in a blender and return it to the pot.

I finished with a garnish of crème fraîche.



The results were so good. Creamy, healthful, with a slight aftertaste/feeling of warmth from the chili. A perfect soup for winter!
,

The Mother Load

It took one glance at Jennifer Casa's blog, JCasaHandmade, for me to realize that I was paired up with the best swap partner of all time. And it's true. She is the best swap partner ever. My only complaint is that she is terrible at following instructions! Instead of sending me 3-5 vintage items, Jennifer sent me the mother load of all swap packages with over twenty items. So. unbelievably. generous.

Check out the booty!

Not one...



not two...



not three...



but FOUR vintage aprons!



Next up is a fun Mexican dishtowel (?) runner (?) thingy



Another towel/runner that matches a thrifted tablecloth that I already own



A cute place mat in a quilty print



A beautiful linen doily



Vintage hankies, fabric and hex quilt pieces



Gem Co sugar dispenser



Anchor Hocking carafe



Hand spun yarn



Buttons



And an unbelievable quilt top...





Amazing.

This package arrived during a very difficult week and it absolutely made my day. I think karma decided to pay me back all at once for every swapper that has ever flaked on me. Thanks universe! I just kept opening each item going "Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness!!! It's Christmas!" Thank you so much Jennifer! And many thanks to Heather for organizing the Vintage Swap!