A couple of my favorite antique store finds of recent weeks include this wind-up tin toy made in Japan:

Apparently this dapper little dog was made in the 60s and still works perfectly. His awkward hopping action had me squealing with delight and he was immediately tucked under my arm lest anyone else spot him.

Now the question is…what the heck is in his mouth? At first I thought it was a fish, but the white paint really does not in any way depict scales or fish bones. It most closely resembles a blue carrot. I’ve owned dogs my entire life and carrots are not one of the things in danger of being gobbled up when accidentally dropped on the kitchen floor. Perhaps Japanese dogs are more health conscious? Though why it would be blue is still a mystery.

Also scored on the same antiquing trip, an antique photo album complete with amazing black and white photographs:

I will often buy random antique photographs, especially ones of children that no matter how handsome, inevitably end up looking a little creepy.

Between finding inspiration for new painting subjects and the lovely detailed typeface on the reverse side of the cards, they’re irresistible to me. So an entire album? *swoon*

I love flipping through the pages and coming up with stories about who these people are. There are several who I’m sure will turn up in some of my new paintings, as soon as I figure out exactly who they were.

As much as I love my job, it has definitely changed the way I celebrate the holidays. There’s simply no time to be decorating my own house or baking up tasty treats until my sales season has slowed down. Which means…now! Time to cram as much holiday cheer as I can into the next few days. The upside, of course, is that not having a day off for 2 months makes sipping nog & watching xmas lights twinkle just that much sweeter.

Speaking of sweet – here’s a little round-up of yummy recipes I’ve been squirreling away:

photo: Poppytalk

Easy Chocolate Fruit & Nut Bark via Poppytalk

Yum yum yum! I haven’t actually made this one myself yet, but it is tops on my list for this evening. I’m heading down to Seattle for the holidays & have zero confidence that much any chocolate bark will arrive for sharing with the family.

photo: Martha Stewart

Ginger Rice Pudding via Martha Stewart

Rice pudding is one of my quick & easy go to desserts. The added ginger makes it a bit more special & less like hospital food. I’ll often sprinkle some nutmeg or cinnamon on top & rarely have “heavy cream” on hand, so coffee cream or half & half seems to substitute just fine.

Ingredients:

Mom’s Shortbread

This is the recipe I baked alongside my mom when I was a kid & still love it today. The simple buttery goodness and dash of nostalgia make these easy to devour.

After I’ve made the dough, I like to keep it in the fridge for a few days, rolling out a dozen or so cookies at a time. That way we always have fresh baked, warm from the oven shortbread. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter & sugar together in a large mixing bowl.

(Note: If the butter is straight from the fridge & still hard, I’ll stick it in the microwave for a few seconds first. I’m sure Martha Stewart would shudder at this, but I can’t taste the difference.)

Add vanilla. Add flour a little at a time.

Wad the dough into a ball & refrigerate. The colder the dough is, the easier it will be to roll & get successful cookie cutter shapes. I’m sure there’s no way I’ve ever been patient enough to leave it overnight though, so chill it as long as you can stand.

When you’re ready to bake, pull out a little at a time & roll between 2 sheets of wax paper. Then comes the fun part! Cookie cutters are the obvious choice, but I’ve had great success making little round cookies using a shot glass. Sprinkle & decorate at will.

Transfer your shapes to an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 300 F.

Other notes:

Traditional shortbread uses white sugar, but I’ve used brown sugar too & it’s just as tasty. In the photo above I used brown sugar and whole wheat flour which made them feel a bit more substantial & not quite as melt-in-your-mouth flaky.

Have your own favorite holiday recipes? I’d love to hear ‘em!

Now that the miserable Vancouver rain has set in, our utilities bill is almost double what it was last month (& more than double what it was in August). We live in an old house and we rent, so replacing the windows is not an option. I’ve been googling whether or not to bother with the shrink film stuff since it seems awfully expensive for something I’d only keep up until spring (still undecided). In the meantime, I stumbled on this great article from Life Hacker with handy winterizing tips. I can’t imagine covering my windows with bubble wrap, but a programmable thermostat & space heater for the room I spend the most time in is totally do-able.

Speaking of the room I spend the most time in, this crafty shelving solution from Crafty Nest makes me horny:

Seriously. Skip the wine and chocolates -build me a functional storage solution and I’m yours!

This guy from Ikea Hacker? So after my heart with an entire shoe closet made for his girl. *sigh*

Dreamy!