The last day of 2015.  Part of me can hardly believe it.  The other part is extremely excited for the new year.  A clean slate.  Is there anything better?
I've been over here this morning working on a last minute year end project.  The bella cowl.  It's been frogged because for some reason when I grabbed my yarn and my coffee I decided to grab two balls of yarn.  And hold them both together.  Say what?  By noon I had a thick cushy piece of material.  I just couldn't understand why... Until I dug out the pattern.  My pattern.  OY.
Oh well.  In with the new.
Enjoy the last day of 2015, friends!

Last week we made our favorite sugar cookie.  We rolled the log in red and green crystals to make them festive.
Sugar Cookies:

1 cup of butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugars, add egg and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add dry ingredients until combined.  Place dough on wax paper and form into log.  Refrigerate for one hour.  Sprinkle colored sprinkles along edge and roll until covered.  Cut into 1/4 inch rounds.  Bake 10-12 minutes at 350°.

 Birthday cakes are my absolute favorite to make.   I usually ask the children what flavor cake they would like and what color frosting.  The cake differs, but the icing is always the same.
 Then I make a stencil by hand and place it on top of the cake.   Pressing down slightly to keep clean lines.
 Pour the sprinkles slowly and slightly press down.  I absolutely love these gold crystals I found in our local grocery store.
Carefully remove the stencil.  Personalize it with some icing that was saved before it was tinted.  Pop in a few candles and S I N G!

Tessa is Steve's oldest daughter.  I giggled when Libby said that Tessa's was so much prettier than hers.  I said I couldn't even remember what color hers was.  She reminded me... brown.  Ha!  She requested Chocolate frosting.  ;)

Our favorite Butter Cream Frosting:

1 cup salted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbls milk

Cream the butter until fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar and continue creaming until well blended.  Add the vanilla and milk and blend on low speed for 2 minutes.  (Add additional milk if needed by the teaspoons.)  Beat at high speed until the frosting is fluffy.

*It's the only time I ever buy salted butter and I always double this recipe.  I usually have some left over, but I found there is nothing worse than trying to ice a cake with a minimal amount of frosting.  For a chocolate frosting add 1/2 cup cocoa powder and 2 tsp of milk.

 White for Graham Cracker.
Last day to order Chalk Lots for Christmas delivery is probably Thursday.  If there is a question, please feel free to shoot me an email.

Okay, this is one of my favorite things I have ever received.
My sister made these last year.  One of our little get togethers where she makes us cry, cause her "party favor" is the most thoughtful, loving, beautiful.  Always.
I found a tutorial here.
Honestly, grab your materials this week and have a crafty couple of hours over the weekend. Still in plenty of time for Christmas.  I think moms could give them to dads, parents, lovers, friends, kids.   And vice versa on all!
I think its just the perfect little gift.

I love hot yoga and this little product is just about the coolest.  Hot yoga makes you sweat.  I'm talking, clothes that are completely drenched.  This yogi cozy hugs your car seat so you don't get sweat all over your seat.  The fabric is a turkish cotton... so nice to sit on.  Take it off and throw it in the machine with your yoga clothes and your car seat is completely fresh for your next outing.  I just love this thing.

I'll be back with a couple of quick handmade favorites.

 But, this particular day, it was true, I was out of butter.  And it was like the cookie Gods intersected and showed me Katie's post highlighting her favorite cookie. With every one of her family members loving these cookies.  And better yet, it involved vegetable oil instead of butter.  I usually steer away from recipes like this.  Or I use almond oil.  Or sunflower oil.  But this time I went for it and used the vegetable oil.
And guess what?  They are exactly what Katie said.  A pillowy brownie that is rolled in powdered sugar.  A chocolate lovers dream.

I'm over here trying to untangle and test the lights.  White this year.  And I'm so excited about it.  I have been alternating between color and white for years.  The white lights are my absolute favorite.

I had the random number generator choose numbers for the winners of Faerie Magazine.   Caroline was chosen for the one year subscription and Melissa and M Laley and for the current issue. Congrats!  Please email me at lesliemfriend at gmail dot com and I will be sure they land in your hands.  So much goodness in that magazine!

Happy December!
I'm so excited this year. I'm even considering sending out cards! That's a pretty big deal considering I haven't done them for the last 5 years! And, we actually brought a tree home today. Already! I think this is the earliest we have EVER had a tree.
I sat down yesterday and came up with a short list of things I wanted to make.  Not a huge list, but big enough.
Would love to hear about your knit lists.  Do you have a favorite you love to knit.  Do you make many gifts?  What's on your list?  Do tell!  I'm sure we would all love to hear!

They make a great gift for the peeps on your holiday list or yourself!

As part of the happy weekend (black friday, small business saturday, cyber monday) we are offering 25% off your order. Enter code Happy at check out.

Thank you and have a Happy day!

xx,
leslie

 Hey Friends!  Are you familiar with Faerie Magazine?  Well, it is A W E S O M E !
It's filled with a huge variety of lovely topics.  From travel, to poetry, to beauty tips, home decor, artist profiles, jewelry and on and on.
 And guess what?  They have recently added a knitting feature!  Cousins, Alice and Lisa Hoffman have joined amazing forces with Alice writing a fairy tale on Lisa's featured pattern.  The blue heron article in the fall issue is beautiful.   A fairy tale written around a knitting pattern in every issue?!  Magical!
 I absolutely loved the recipes featured in this issue.  As well as the article on bees, the poems, the makeup tips, the article on the golden gem, amber, the article on red mushrooms, the poison garden in  England, the enchanted kitchen and well, the entire thick paged mesmerizing magazine.  It really feels so good in my hands I don't want to put it down!
I have actually made both of these recipes and they were delicious.

The lovely peeps over at Faerie would love to giveaway a one year subscription of their lovely lifestyle magazine to one of my readers and a copy of this issue to two of my readers.  If interested, please leave a comment before Tuesday, December 1, 5pm EST and I will have the random number generator choose 3 names.

Also... I'm going to do my first Black Friday Sale on Chalk Lots.  I'll have the code here, on Facebook and over on Instagram.  Be sure to check back!

 This is one of those quick, inexpensive, cute and useful knits!
 It comes in every size.  From baby up to adult.  (If you need a baby, toddler gift... oh my!  The pattern has little ears.  So stinking cute!)
 I can see wearing this so much in that really cold weather this winter.  Just having something to pull up on your head quickly...pure coziness.
I just love how Trouble turns her head to fit through the fence.
 Anything for kisses.

Pattern:  Burton Bear Cowl
Yarn:  Wool-Ease Thick & Quick
Needle size:  US15
Size:  Adult

It took us about 300 attemepts and then it took days of waiting for Andrew to help me put it all together.

The pattern is under the header in the "simple knitting patterns" tab.  And this will be over on youtube if you ever need a little help.  (Or a good laugh.)

 I really am so thankful to all of you.  And these really make life even sweeter.  AND, are tons of fun during this holiday season.
So, if interested head on over to enter!

{Last date to order to have for your Thanksgiving table is Wednesday, November 18th.}

 Sixteen years.
Some of it is such a blur.
 This boy of mine has added so much joy and so much depth to our lives.
 Chalk Lots to greet him.  Sixteen balloons.  Five friends for Pad Thai from his favorite Thai restaurant.
 And a chocolate cake with green frosting.  Just like last year.

A trip to the DMV tried to happen.  But we weren't prepared with our forms.
But soon, there will be a new driver on the roads. (Isn't he just a baby!)

Happy weekend, friends!

I've had this yarn in my stash for quite some time.  I actually can't even remember how long it's been stashed.   But, I do remember,  my mom rolled all of the skeins into balls for me while visiting.  It sat there because I changed my mind about the project it was intended for.
A couple of weeks ago, I spotted Madge.  And, I quickly dug into the stash.  I sure hope it is going to work.  So far it seems a little heavy.  And maybe a little stiff.  However, I'm going to forge on and see what happens.

 I've been hanging this same banner since her 10th Birthday.
I have been putting their ages on their cakes since I can remember.  Her favorite cake I made was for her eleventh birthday.
Six years goes by quickly.  This was her twelfth birthday, six years ago.
This year, Libby requested Flank Steak and Macaroni and Cheese for dinner.  So unlike her choice for her thirteenth birthday.   (And many of her birthdays.)
 We have been using Chalk Lots since her fourteenth birthday.  But that was the year I didn't record her birthday here.  I wish I would have.  But, I'm assuming Life was just a little overwhelming that year.  And that we were doing some healing.  We did celebrate the same way.  I guess I just wasn't as inspired to document it here.
 For her her fifteen birthday I was into my Instagram photos and affects.  Cause I didn't even use my camera.  Just my phone.
For her sixteenth birthday it was cold and rainy.  And on her seventeenth birthday my heart melted.  
For as long as I can remember,  I make them jump with their balloons.  I try to get a photo of them in the air like they are suspended by balloons. I received a smirk because she was wearing a dress.  :)

Next year she will be in college for her birthday.  Please bring me a tissue.

Pattern:  Yoga Shawl
Yarn:  Brooklyn Tweed, Loft 7 skeins, Soot  (the pattern calls for 6)
Needle size:  US 5