tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89064343232955338882024-03-05T11:48:40.506-08:00Dapple Design BlogCristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-49953862831974044532016-12-01T11:07:00.000-08:002016-12-01T11:07:51.314-08:00Shop Feature: Polka Dots for Christmas
It's December already. I've been easing myself into the Christmas way of things -- decorating, shopping, baking -- for a couple of weeks now and it's such a relief to hit December with a not-too-long To Do list. How are preparations coming along for you?
I was really channeling Christmas when I designed these lovely Red Polka Dot Placemats for the Etsy shop. As with all my Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-34940349919806118872016-07-15T16:59:00.002-07:002022-05-19T13:26:45.623-07:00A Day in the Life
This week I undertook a "Day in the Life" photography challenge. The idea is to snap a photo every ten or fifteen minutes to capture all the mundane moments that otherwise escape the lens. I only lasted about an hour and a half but caught these sweet moments. Let's call that a success.
Have you ever tried to document a whole day? How did it go?Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-4702475714426715622016-07-06T14:26:00.004-07:002016-07-06T14:26:45.260-07:00Starting Again
I've rediscovered my camera and started hauling it around with me again. Today to the lovely gardens at Royal Roads. In a good mood, S was happy to pose for photos on the castle steps and even took her turn behind the camera -- so I'm in the picture too today.
Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-26931254404663398422015-11-24T21:45:00.000-08:002015-11-24T21:45:28.505-08:00String of Stars Tutorial
This is my first foray into Christmas decorating this season. The Christmas bin is still in the garage, but I was ready to hang something festive in the window.
This string of stars garland fit the bill. The concept is simple enough to come together quickly. In fact, it's simple enough that my three-year-old could help.
If you'd like to whip up your own string of starsCristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-35640470095601939132015-10-26T16:40:00.001-07:002015-10-26T16:47:19.268-07:00Leaves
The leaves are falling in earnest now. Every day I take Miss S for a walk and we come home with fist-fulls of new-fallen finds. We hang them in the windows or fill bowls with them for centerpieces. Mostly, we let them dry into crunchy curls, but I pressed a few in a book last week and remembered them today along with a creative idea that I've been meaning to try. Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-37594417916107783142015-09-29T11:10:00.001-07:002015-09-29T13:03:03.569-07:00A morning walk
The sea is placid today. Pacific. Passive. Reflecting sky and hills, still green. Amplifying gull cries; highlighting wingtips with sparkle and spray. Retreating in a long exhale of tide.
Joining A Spirit of Simplicity for Tuesday Afternoons
.
Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-79815536338943464322015-09-21T13:54:00.001-07:002015-09-21T13:54:09.226-07:00As Summer Fades
Yesterday we had a misty morning and a rainy afternoon. Today I ate lunch on the sunny front step. And so the days bounce back and forth between summer and fall.
Last you heard, here, I was taking a month away from blog land to settle into a new house. A month away became summer vacation, but that back-to-business September energy has finally caught up with me. Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-85175697500001759422015-05-07T00:30:00.000-07:002015-05-07T00:30:01.841-07:00On MotherhoodMotherhood is a journey. One that begins, I am convinced, well before the pink line on the pregnancy test.
There's timing to be considered. Career. Finances. The desire to mother grows slowly. It can take time for the stars to align, but then the congratulations roll in. Joy on your own terms.
That's the path of the very lucky.
Some babies arrive on cue. &Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-19690599729641884302015-04-28T11:23:00.000-07:002015-04-28T11:23:23.987-07:00Lilacs and Boxes
Lilacs and a few bluebells. Plopped in a jar with very little fuss. They're bright and fragrant. A very welcome scrap of pretty.
But the real story here is in the background. Boxes in corners are multiplying. Walls are bare, cupboards empty. The real work starts on Thursday when we get keys to the new house. If I don't post for a week or two, feel Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-52716139641094595462015-04-20T15:18:00.000-07:002015-04-20T15:18:00.494-07:00A Weekend Away
These Northwest beaches are nothing like the ones I knew when I was young. My family would drive down down down the mountains to scorch our feet on the blistering hot sand and frolic in the frothy waves.
Here there are more rocks than sand and the water is cold enough to freeze the breath inside you. Even so, the sea is seductive and I am very happy to don windbreaker and rubber Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-51614511885876696832015-04-15T00:30:00.000-07:002015-04-15T00:30:04.978-07:00Works in Progress: Crochet ClothsIt's really starting to look like we're moving. Piles of boxes line the dining room walls and the cupboards and cabinets house-wide are increasingly empty. This is all very good, but I've had to slow the packing a bit as we still have to live here for another 4 weeks.
Somewhere in all those boxes are my sewing things. As luck would have it, I'm feeling especially Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-7904080404359990132015-04-09T00:30:00.000-07:002015-04-09T00:30:01.898-07:00Pink and YellowOn our walk this morning Miss S and I passed along this bit of sidewalk.
Lovely, isn't it? These trees turn bright orange in the fall and glow with twinkle lights in the winter. As you can see, they sing choruses of pink in the spring. Walking under them, pushing a stroller with one hand, clutching coffee in the other, has become one of my favorite small indulgences. Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-1907371994860793262015-04-02T00:30:00.000-07:002015-04-02T00:30:01.457-07:00DIY Non-Plastic Easter Basket Fluff
An Easter basket just isn't an Easter basket without a few handfuls of fluff to nestle everything into. Fluff. You know, those strands of coloured plastic that the box stores sell in small bags beside the chocolate bunnies.
It's Easter basket tradition. But this year I just couldn't bring myself to buy it. Plastic fluff may be pretty, but it's still plastic. WeCristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-87309913391676516762015-03-31T00:30:00.000-07:002015-03-31T00:30:01.980-07:00A Spring Outing
A Garry Oak reaches, gnarly and solid against the somber sky. Below it, a drift of Magnolia billows and blows.
Signs of Spring are everywhere in Beacon Hill Park. Flowers bloom. Ducks beg for (and often receive) handouts. Peacocks strut. Best of all, goats at the Children's Zoo sit patiently to be brushed by adoring, but not always, gentle little hands.Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-64316814343849684922015-03-26T00:30:00.000-07:002015-03-26T00:30:01.708-07:00Burlap Birdies
These adorable little birdies are the result of an bad bout of boredom and an overfull scrap box. They're bright and cheerful in a simple way. They make me smile.
I'm repainting a small wooden frame to catch the blue one in. Something fresh to hang in my new house.
Given the popularity of my Simple Burlap Place Mats over on Etsy, I'm wondering about making a set of Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-67040335914731822352015-03-24T14:16:00.000-07:002015-03-25T14:12:41.390-07:00Somewhere New
In a city that draws bus-loads of tourists to Butchart Gardens, you might understand how the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific escapes notice. I had never heard of it, and certainly never visited, until last weekend.
Perhaps I would never have visited had Miss S not been invited to a birthday party there.
A flock of pre-schoolers swooped and swirled Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-73272864517404615802015-03-21T17:16:00.000-07:002015-03-21T17:16:53.756-07:00LeavingPart of the swirl that I've been caught up in these months has to do with an impending move. It was never the plan to live in our current house forever, but the week after New Years we found a notice in the mail box that spurred us to action. We renovated, spruced, listed and sold. We explored neighbourhoods and looked into schools. We hunted, pondered, wondered and Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-83987094902880288722015-03-20T00:30:00.000-07:002015-03-20T00:30:05.087-07:00Tags Tags TagsThe Great Sorting Out has begun in advance of our May move (yep, we're moving; more on that later) and the craft room is at the eye of the storm. I'm coming across the most amazing things. Projects begun and never finished (terrible, I know). Supplies for projects never begun (cringe). And a few real treasures in the bottoms of boxes. Like these . . .
and these .Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-1458135134028886402015-03-18T19:55:00.000-07:002015-03-18T19:55:48.802-07:00The Amazing Thing About SpringThe amazing thing about spring is that it comes whether you want it to or not.
When the inner landscape is grey and drizzly, spring explodes in sunshine and cherry blossoms. It's a good thing too, because it's hard not to be drawn out, to feel the warmth and smile at the exuberant green.
I took a walk, yesterday, past a naturalized lawn all a dazzle with blue Scilla, spotted Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-6400601583136217472015-03-01T13:11:00.000-08:002015-03-01T13:11:56.655-08:00An Explanation
January dawned with such expectation this year. It always does, but this New Years Day I had an idea of what the coming year might hold for better or worse. Either way, it was not going to be a mundane year.
How little did I know. Things have really snowballed around here. And some of these snowballs came completely out of the blue. So please Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-18235188258418256622015-02-07T00:30:00.000-08:002015-02-07T00:30:00.644-08:00Be My Valentine
It's February and that most romantic of days is just around the corner. To celebrate, I've marked down all the pink and red items in my Etsy shop by 10%. Head on over. You just might find something that you love at a great price.Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-18199340704464069012015-02-05T17:37:00.000-08:002015-02-05T17:37:11.505-08:00Honeysuckle and Rose Hip
My sister gave this embroidery kit years ago, before my first trip to Europe. I had hoped to stitch on the plane, but dainty embroidery scissors could be used to kill, you know. Instead I put in a few stitches in here and there -- hotel rooms, cafes, Oma's living room. This little Honeysuckle Slipper is so bound up with happy memories that, a couple of years later, I bought theCristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-51178245000615685232015-01-31T00:30:00.000-08:002015-02-01T15:10:56.580-08:00Yellow
I looked out the window this morning and something yellow caught my eye. I almost dropped by tea. A crocus. Just one, sunning itself in a sheltered corner. Naively stretching up and open like a toddler, up far to early in the morning. Even here on the west coast this is an unusual sight for January.
I'll be linking to Sunlit Sunday, hosted by Karen at My LittleCristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-5290000664968735982015-01-27T01:00:00.000-08:002015-01-27T01:00:04.395-08:00InterviewedDebbie over at Work Your Art is launching a new series where she features creative business owners. Her first interview published over the weekend featuring yours truly. I was so proud to see my words on her site. When I read them over again I didn't hear the voice of a stay-at-home mom with a hobby; I heard a legitimate creative entrepreneur.
Here's a little sample to whet Cristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906434323295533888.post-35484355674907300342015-01-25T14:17:00.001-08:002015-01-25T14:17:25.167-08:00Growing My Blog
If you're visiting from the Grow Your Blog 2015 blog hop, Welcome!
I'm a mother and a creative, trying to find balance, beauty and joy in the every day. This blog began as an extension of my Etsy shop, so you'll find the occasional bit of shop-related news here, but I write primarily about my daily life.
This lovely lady makes regular appearances on the blog. Here MissCristal @ Dapple Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10397453660900066054noreply@blogger.com10