It’s a little delayed but I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that Presley had her 16th birthday/gotcha day over Labor Day weekend. (We got her as a small kitten from a friend’s barn.) She was a very good sport about wearing her party hat. She enjoyed a fresh slab of tuna while we ate sushi and we all watched the Sky game.
She has really gotten chill in her senior years, but she still doesn’t enjoy being touched by strangers. (Relatable!) She has also been a true champ during our kitchen remodel this month. (Did I tell you our kitchen remodel is in full swing? It’s bananas around here!) I think it helps that she’s deaf and didn’t notice all the loud noises. She has cozy nooks all over the house where she can go to get away from strangers, so I think she’s really loving house life.
May I present our 2021 holiday cards? I loved them so much and I couldn’t wait to show you, even though I think some may still be arriving or on their way.
Last summer, I asked Donovan if she would draw something for our holiday card and she agreed. I still love and use the stationery she drew for my birthday a few years ago. I asked her to draw a tree with ramen, cocktails, mail, and a tuna underneath–a few of our favorite things.
Then, I shared this picture of Presley on Instagram. She was looking very grumpy in a Santa hat and Donovan decided to add Presley too. We couldn’t have been more delighted.
I had the cards printed as flat cards (like a postcard, not folded like a greeting card) because I don’t write long messages in my holiday cards. It was the perfect little greeting. (And thanks to my friend Mark at Printing Plus for printing and delivering them to me!)
In addition to our cards, Donovan surprised us with these wonderful faux postage stamps. She was inspired by Presley to draw holiday stamps of a bunch of cats she knows for her Patreon supporters. (If you scroll back on her Instagram (@dovbee) you can see them all. Or you can join her Patreon and download them all!) I used our stamps to decorate the envelopes of our cards that went out to cat lovers and Presley fans.
I hope it was a good holiday season in your mailbox and I’m looking forward to writing some mail this week and I ease into the new year!
P.S. This is not a sponsored post–just genuinely love Donovan and her work and Mark’s print shop!
I’m a little bit late for a Halloween recap, and yet, here we are. My laptop died in October and it really threw me for a loop. I do so much on my phone, I didn’t think it would really matter. But writing blog posts and taking care of community garden stuff is much easier on a computer. So I finally gave in and bought one.
I’m still getting settled. Speaking of getting settled…
Decorating in the new house was fun! We still haven’t finished hanging all of our everyday art but I am committed to holiday decorations. I finally hung my tenugui (the “towel” on the left above.) I have a new one for most seasons, so I will change it out as needed. This is the Halloween one, but now the fall one is up. The skeleton is on the door to my office.
My usual TagTeamTompkins art went on the entry table this year, along with the glitter skull and some other tiny Halloween things. The picture is an old snapshot of a girl dressed as a witch.
The stair railings were a challenge. I didn’t love the group of garlands on them. The black cats and bats didn’t show up enough. But I also didn’t hate it enough to move anything. I figure I’ll try something else next year. (By the way, Presley doesn’t love these bat wings…but she tolerates them enough for a photo.)
These are old Martha Stewart crow cut-outs my parents found at a thrift shop. I love them!
The candy station which we filled with Take 5s, green tea Kit Kats, and Twix just for us. This was our first year of actual trick-or-treaters! We had 141 kids!
I was most excited to break out these mice. I cut them out soooo many years ago–an idea from an old Martha Stewart Living Magazine. (Martha went on to sell pre-cut ones like my crows.) I used to place them throughout our past apartments, but they really are so much cuter on stairs.
Now Halloween is all put away and there are a few fall/Thanksgiving things out, but in my mind, I’m already thinking about Christmas. It’s nice to have a little reprieve before that all has to begin.
Are you in Christmas mode, or enjoying the last of fall? This is a judgment-free zone!
kimberly ah 