Alphabet Swap::C (coffee & cameras)

It feels good to be back! I missed my blog. Unexpected family stuff took both Eric & me out of town for a while and has taken up a bit of our time lately. Finally, we’re regaining balance and I decided it was time to get back to the blog, especially since I’m super excited to share what I sent to Kendra as part of the alphabet swap!

 Finding a theme for C was so easy. I knew I wanted to focus on coffee & cameras, two things Kendra and I adore. To start, I saved a cardboard coffee cozy from a trip to SOVA and used it to trace a pattern onto a piece of blue felt. Then, one afternoon while Eric & I watched The Hurt Locker I stitched a camera onto it, using Elsie’s embroidery pattern as inspiration. I sewed up the ends and voila: a camera coffee cozy!

Around the holidays, I saw a DIY gift idea on From Scratch for hot-chocolate-on-a-stick. When the weather is cold again, I’ll revisit the hot chocolate idea, but this time I just focused on the painted mug. I searched all over my neighborhood for porcelain paint and finally found it at Frager's, which is where I should have started the search. Again, I used Elsie’s embroidery pattern as a starting point and painted a Polaroid photo onto the mug.

I added a few extras to the package including a drawstring bag I sewed up without a pattern. I filled it with coffee Eric had just roasted* and some delicious chocolate from P & C Market. A chain of daisies, a vintage camera postcard, and my latest mix CD filled up the box and I sent it off. And now to get started on D…we are so far behind, but deadlines don’t really matter with this project :)

* If you’re in the DC area and want to learn how to roast coffee at home, Eric is teaching a roasting class at Hill’s Kitchen in May. It's not on the schedule yet, but keep an eye out for updates here.