I hope you are all had a LOVEly Valentine’s Day! We don’t go to crazy around here, a bucket of KFC and maybe a card or some flowers is the norm, but Mr. HeyLucy was feeling virtuous yesterday and decided to forgo the usual fried chicken indulgence. We made prime rib instead, and it was delicious.

I have some happy gifts for you: a few fun little game links. Gatuno is a cute adventure game. You are a cat trying to find a sad little boy a Christmas present. Wrong holiday, but the sentiment is the same. If you find that one too frustrating (and there is a walk-through available here, in the comments), here’s a super simple adventure created as a project by an animation student. The music and imagery are quite nice, even if it takes only about a minute to play the entire game. This isn’t actually a game, but it’s fun to watch (make sure you have your sound on!). Hema is a Dutch store that I loved when I lived there, sort of like a smaller version of Target. And the most imaginative of all, I’ve saved for last. Samorost is so original and lovely. It wasn’t too hard to figure out, and the graphics and sounds are just so perfect. It’s a nice little escape.

I’ve decided to do a small project or two towards the completion of my studio project each weekend, and use the rest of my free time for actually playing and enjoying the space. The projects for this weekend included putting up a shelf above my worktable:

I’ll be using it to display art. I have a few things awaiting frames right now, and a tiny Amy Ruppel painting on the way, so I’ll show more when things are nicely arranged and displayed. I also recently ordered some Black Apple paper dolls. I spent yesterday cutting and mounting them in Ikea frames, and I love they way they came out. I hung them right where I set up my ironing board when I need it, so I can enjoy them while I iron.

So far this weekend I’ve also finished knitting my latest scarf, made a couple more shot-cotton scarves for gifts, and started a new quilt. I’m planning on spending a good amount of time in my sewing machine chair, so I hope to have a quilt top to show you soon. The crocheted cushion is courtesy of one of my favorite internet people ever, Yvonne. It was part of our annual Christmas swap and I love it with the cushion I’ve got on there.

Now I just need to decide on a color to paint the chair. What do you think? Maybe it’s time for an opinion poll.

Thanks for always bing so nice around here. A couple pictures from my home were recently featured on Apatment Therapy, which is incredibly flattering, but the commenters over there are awfully full of snark. I don’t really understand why anyone would take time out of their day to criticize something as personal as another persons home, but I suppose it’s their decision how they use their time.

I joined Elsie Marley’s mobile swap and finished up my mobile this weekend. I have to say, mobiles are not easy to photograph, but you can sort of get the idea.


This is going to live in a little girl’s room, so I decided on butterflies and hung them from blossom covered branches which you may remember from last Easter.


It was a bit tricky getting the butterflies to hang straight, but overall I like how it came out, although the photos don’t really capture it very well. Now to find a box to ship it in…

Yvonne and I now have an annual Christmas swap tradition. This is our second year, and I love that we do this. It started out just being about magazines, since I can supply her with her Martha fix, and she can send me beautiful European magazines that I can’t get here, like this one.

But now we add all kinds of treats, and how amazing are all these good things? Sometimes it’s spooky how much she gets my taste, and we’ve never even met in real life. First of all, egg cups! I didn’t even think that I must have some egg cups ready for when the chickens start laying, but that is just brilliant, and of course they are the prettiest egg cups ever.

Then she made me all these nice things that I actually really need, like a needlebook. I’ve been wanting to make myself a needlebook forever, and just haven’t gotten to it. I have all my packages of needles in a plastic bag. This is so much more efficient and elegant. And she also made a knitting needle roll, and I think that is even some very special Cath Kidston fabric, which I just love. Especially with those red knitting needles in there. There’s even a matching drawstring bag full of treats like stroopwafels (oh how I love stropwafels!) and kruidnoten and some other sugary treats. She even included Cath Kidston tissues, not that I’ll ever be able to blow my nose with them, they’re so cute. Of course I just love the fuzzy pink stocking too! The little blueberries are just the cutest!

I can’t thank Yvonne enough, and like she said to me in a recent e-mail, this is a damn fine tradition! :o) I look forward to many more years of Christmas goodiness!