DIY Peppermint Hot Chocolate pails

Here’s a perfect little gift you can give to those on your list, just be sure to make one for yourself!    I’d seen recipes for homemade hot chocolate a few times, but hadn’t ever tried them out.  When I  came across this recipe for homemade peppermint hot chocolate, I was sold! I found the little paint cans at my bulk food store and thought they were the perfect way to see the layers and a fun little present. The recipe calls for 1 cup of each powdered milk, cocoa and sugar; my little pail wouldn’t fit that so I cut it down to 3/4 cup of each. If you need to adjust the measurements, just be sure to keep the 1:1:1 ratio....

Read More

An Artist’s Affair- The Day After: An Open Thank-you Letter

Yesterday was my fourth appearance at An Artist’s Affair, and the first time there with Knitley Road. The doors opened an hour earlier and we had a steady stream of people all day.  There was live (and amazing!) local musical talent, and even a visit from the Big Guy in Red (a.k.a. Santa). As I sit here this morning and process yesterday’s events, I’m delighted at the support and excitement there is for local artisans here in London.  With over 30 vendors, this was the biggest show- and what a show it was! I love being able to meet my customers, have a chat and learn who they’re buying for- a gift to give, or a gift to keep.  I noticed people were more engaged: I was asked how I started making cards (a sidebar to scrapbooking); who taught me to knit (Nonna); how did I name...

Read More

Counting down to An Artist's Affair-1 day

Putting the finishing touches for tomorrow! Hope to see you there! ...

Read More

Counting down to An Artist's Affair-2 days

I've been crafting all day and have a few pictures to share with you as I get ready for the last few hours in my crafty marathon. I like to get any last projects finished today so I can prep, price and pack things up tomorrow (say that 3 times fast). I finished a new chunky cowl on Tuesday and it's now blocked and ready for the finishing touches. I made one of these for myself last year and have gotten many compliments. I don't know it's taken me so long to make one for the shop! This cowl is a grey/soft teal combo and it's delicious! I also finished up the owl hats, and have a pile of cards that keeps growing. I'm really looking forward to...

Read More

Counting Down to An Artist’s Affair- 3 days

We’re getting down to the wire- so here’s a reminder of all the details!   See you soon!   PS- check out that middle picture! *pats self on back* Technorati Tags: An Artists Affair,London Ontario,Shop Local,A Paper Buffet,Knitley Road...

Read More

Counting down to An Artist’s Affair- 4 days

This will be super quick as I’m working on finishing some more goodies for this weekend (and that’s why I missed yesterday’s post). I’ve been building up stock of Christmas cards to bring to Saturday’s show; the  A Paper Buffet  Etsy shop is almost sold out, so I’m trying to make as much as I can in the home stretch.   Here’s a peak at the pile that keeps growing   Gotta get back to work! Happy Tuesday!   Technorati Tags: An Artists Affair,A Paper Buffet,Knitley Road on Etsy,London Ontario,shop local London,Ontario...

Read More

Counting down to An Artist’s Affair- 6 days

Happy Sunday friends! We’re counting down the days to An Artist’s Affair show on Dec 8th at the Citi Plaza, Artfusion gallery here in London, ON. Today I wanted to share one of the latest cowls I made for Knitley Road. This pennant stitch cowl was fun to make and it’s completely reversible! I made this in super soft acrylic yarn, it’s called Lilac, and it’s a bit heathered with a few different shades of purple, it’s so lovely!     Cowls are great to just pop on and go- my favourite feature is that they don’t get stuck in my jacket zipper. You can click on the picture to be brought to the listing- remember both shops will...

Read More

Counting Down to An Artist’s Affair

Happy Saturday friends! In just one week, on December 8th, 2012, A Paper Buffet and Knitley Road will be participating in this years An Artist’s Affair at the London Citi Plaza. An Artist’s Affair is a wonderful art show, featuring local artisans.  It’s a chance to meet new people, support small businesses and pick up some great holiday gifts! Admission is a canned food item; it’s a great way to give back to your community this holiday season and help out those in need. This will be the first time I’ll have Knitley Road items at the show and I’m really looking forward to it! Each day until the event, I’ll be showcasing the cards and...

Read More

Breaking Dawn Part 2 Hop- The End

Hello friends! This is the last stop on the Breaking Dawn Part 2 Hop; if you’re just starting or if you got lost along the way, here’s the list: Alison: http://alisonsrandomthoughts.blogspot.com Laura: http://craftylittlewoman.blogspot.com/ Rebecca: http://bellacarta.typepad.com/ Kelli: http://cajunstampingqueen.blogspot.com Danielle: http://fundamentalchange.blogspot.com/ Sugar: http://sugscardsnmore.blogspot.com/ Not only is it the last stop in the hop, we’re marking the last movie release of the Twilight movie-series! Can you believe it’s over?!  What’s been your favourite project so far? They are...

Read More

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

  Like it or not, Christmas is not that far away! I can’t believe how fast time flies and that the holidays are just around the corner.  I’m in full prep mode as I gear up for the busiest season for A Paper Buffet. This year will also mark the first holiday season for my new shop Knitley Road. I know blog posts have been scarce to say the least, but I’m hopeful I’ll be able to keep up and share all the new items in both shops over the next few weeks.   To kick off the holiday season, I’m sharing a project I’m so happy to present. I’ve had this concept in my mind for months and have finally put it all together and available at...

Read More

Knitley Road: The magic of felting

Technically, it’s called ‘fulling’ but most people know it as felting.  Felting is what happens to pure wool when you add heat, soap and agitation.  The wool starts to contract and the stitches get tighter, and can blend together depending how long you apply the process. I think felting is a little bit of magic. It can completely transform a knit item.  Take this clutch for instance.  I knit it up in virgin natural wool, on large needles.  I also doubled the wool to get a thicker final product and something that’s quite sturdy. You can see it’s really large, and the flap sits a few inches below the bottom of the clutch. ...

Read More

MojoMonday 245: Graduation card

  It’s been quite a while since I played along with Mojo Monday, but when I saw the sketch, I knew it was perfect for a graduation card a friend had asked me to make.    The graduation cap stamp I have is small, so sometimes I can be hard to incorporate a smaller image as the main focal point.  MojoMonday 245 had two small circles that I knew would be perfect!       I grabbed some Bo Bunny Sweet tooth paper; it’s so bright and cheerful and girly- just what my friend wanted.   Card Recipe: Base- SU Crumb Cake Matting and Ink- SU Pool Party DP- Bo Bunny Sweet Tooth Baker’s twine- SU Pool...

Read More

A Paper Buffet products now available at Let’s Eat Cake!

Just in case you missed it yesterday on the Facebook page, I’m so very excited to announce that a new line of products will be available at Let’s Eat Cake in Woodstock, Ontario! I love the idea of working with another local business, and pairing our products just made sense!  Here’s what you can find at Let’s Eat Cake: Baby Shower invitations (packs of 12 with envelopes)       Birthday party invitations (packs of 12 with envelopes) These could be used for other parties, they’re so bright and fun!   I also sent an assortment of new birthday cards, using these bright colours, but I forgot to take pictures...

Read More

Something big is happening...

Stay tuned....

Read More

Knitley Road: Knitted coffee cup cozies

I’ve knit these up in the past and made coffee-themed gift cards for the Latte Love gift sets for A Paper Buffet, and I’ll likely end up selling these in both stores this upcoming Christmas. Coffee cozies are eco-friendly  (no need for a double-cup) and a great way to keep your hands from burning on your hot beverages. I want Knitley Road items to stand out from other knit items available on Etsy, so I doubled up the yarn and played with colour for these knit coffee cup sleeves/cozies/whatever we call them now. This super girly bubble-gum pink knit coffee sleeve was knit with two shades of pink. I knit it in the round for a seamless...

Read More

Introducing Knitley Road

Hello friends, I’d like to share with you the reason why I’ve been away from blogging for so long…I’ve opened up a new shop for my knitted creations. Introducing Knitley Road!  I’ve got a small number of items in the shop now and I’m working on creating more.  I’m also trying to find a balance between knitting and playing with paper.  Knitting takes much longer! My vision for Knitley Road is accessories such as scarves, purses, brooches, mitts and a few other things I have in mind.  I’m also going to feature some amazing yarn to make my creations; quite a bit of it has been imported from Italy and it’s just amazing! Each...

Read More

Parliament

Not the political kind. The ‘group of owl’ kind.  Before Christmas, one of the people I follow on Twitter posted a picture of an owl she had sewn as a Christmas gift.  Immediately I declared myself a seamstress and decided to make a few for my friends’ little ones (which is why I couldn’t share before Christmas. As for why I couldn’t share until the end of March…I have no excuse). The tutorial is from Hammer and Thread and is very easy to follow.  I used some left over fabric I found from my last “I declare myself a seamstress” adventure and got to work. I think the eyes are what secure these owls as totally adorable....

Read More

Interview with the Western Gazette

Have you wondered how A Paper Buffet came to be? Check out my interview with the Western Ontario newspaper The Gazette, you’ll find out how my business started, and a few of my thoughts about online business in general.  The article is on page 4. I’m off to enjoy the lovely sunshine and summer-like weather we’re having here, but I’ve got lots of new things planned, and some exciting announcements too!   Happy Friday!!   Stephanie...

Read More

Quick and Easy Granola Bites

While I’m lucky enough to work from home, I am out and about in meetings and I usually have a granola bar or sliced apples in my bag for a snack.  Granola bars are not cheap and I realized I was spending between $4 –$5 each week for a box of 6 granola bars.  So when I came upon this recipe for granola bars via Twitter and thought I’d give it a try. For the first batch, I used the chocolate chips as called for, but couldn’t find peanut butter chips so those were left out.  They were very good, but very sweet, so I cut the bars into small squares and ate them in the evening to curb my sweet tooth.  When it came to making...

Read More

40 days without sugar begins now.

I’m giving up sugar for Lent.  There. I said it. It’s public and out for all of the internets to see. I’m accountable now. I was browsing the Etsy forums and someone mentioned they were giving up browsing the forums for Lent. The poster commented that she will be more focused on working on her shop, be more productive, and hopefully more successful.  I started thinking about what I should give for Lent. I have lapsed in the past few years and haven’t given anything up in a while. When we were kids, it was most often chocolate, or potato chips. One year it was gum.   I remember the year I tried to give up liver. Ma...

Read More

Confession: I’m not on Pinterest

Recently, my friend asked me “Are you on Pinterest yet?”. “No. Pinterest is the devil”.  It’s not really.  Or is it? (disclaimer- I have nothing against the creators, or users of Pinterest nor do I really think they are the devil or any hellish beast) I’ve heard from countless people “ I signed up for Pinterest; I was on there for hours!”. Reason number 1 why I’m not on Pinterest:      I already spend too much time online. I run an online business and am in the process of launching a second online business (surprise! but more on that later). With email, Facebook, Twitter, Etsy, Flickr and this blog, I have enough to do.  I share interesting links to articles or photos on Facebook or Twitter. I’m always plugged in. (PS- having your pins linked...

Read More

Hello!

How are you? It’s been a little while, I know.  Things have been quite busy here.  I had a great weekend at the Artist’s Affair Valentine Show and I’ve been working hard to restock the A Paper Buffet Etsy shop .  I have some great new ideas for 2012, but I don’t seem to have enough time to implement them all.  Don’t you hate when that happens? I’m trying to write them all down so that I can work through them one by one.  While holiday cards (Christmas, Valentine’s, etc) are very busy times for me, I also want to create some cards to keep on hand, that you can use for any reason…or for no reason at all! I made a few of...

Read More