Cabin in the City

Books, cats and midwestern charm.

On Grief and Joy

03.05.25 | Life

30 Days of Thanks 2024 // Week 3

11.22.24 | Life

30 Days of Thanks 2024 // Week 2

11.15.24 | Life

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It’s Getting Real: Kaminski Handicraft @ the Mini Crafty Fair

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Remember how I said I had something up my sleeve in my small goals post from November? Well, it’s true! On December 16, I’ll be participating in the Mini Crafty Fair in Madison!

I’m so so thrilled to be a part of this holiday market. My mom and I have visited this pre-Christmas fair for a few years now and we always discover the best artists and makers (and we come home with lots of goodies).

But I’m also thrilled because this is my first time taking Kaminski Handicraft out into the wild! As my first fair, I’m banking on it being a major learning experience, but you gotta start somewhere! I’ve recruited my mom to be my helper for the day, my husband to help me build a display or two and pretty much all of my friends to come check me out.

With only a few weeks until the fair, I’m kicking my stitching into overdrive. New fabrics, new designs, new new new. I’ll admit that my stress levels are a little high, but I’ve got a few dedicated stitching days planned to help me get some hoops completed. I’m thinking 50 is the magic number, but we’ll see!

I’ll probably write about this more here and on Instagram before the event, but here are the details anyways: The Mini Crafty Fair, Saturday, December 16, 10AM-4PM at the Goodman Community Center in Madison, WI. Or to make it really easy, check out the event on Facebook.

I hope to see you local folks there!

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New Tools of the Trade

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When it comes to embroidery, I have to say I find it pretty relaxing. I love brainstorming ideas, shopping for fabrics and plopping down on the couch to stitch.

The exception to this ultra-mellow process is the whole tracing the designs onto fabric bit. Well, the tracing is easy enough, it’s just my equipment that would get me me bogged down. For the past few years I’d been using this 1970s-era light table that I snagged out of the Boston Store garbage. I mean who was I, someone that would trace designs by taping fabric to the window on bright days, to turn down a free light table? It was the solution to my main stitching problem!

And then it became the problem itself. This old table was huge – easily 18×24″ – and heavy. Lugging the thing up from the basement became such a hassle that I’d leave it on the floor of our den for weeks at a time, which wasn’t a great look. But I tried not to get down on it too much, because it’s not like new tables were that different.

Until I found out they were.

After making a dozen trips down to my basement to trace in a day (because I didn’t fee like moving the monster from its home), I was all that’s it – I’m looking for a new one (but only if it’s cheap)! I searched for light tables on Amazon, and I found this.

Holy crap, folks. It was like I flashed 50 years into the future (well, I had considering how old my light table was). Light tables are the size of iPads now. And they only cost about $25. I’ve never clicked “buy now” so fast.

Working with this table – well, it’s obviously not a table anymore – is a real dream. I love the adjustable brightness, the slim profile, how easy it is to store (even though this one is laying out in the den more often than not, too). This one small change is making my stitching process way easier. A good investment at last!

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Cranberry Orange Pecan Cookies

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Folks, I’ll let you in on a little something: I’m not a huge Thanksgiving fan. While most people are salivating over the biggest food event of the year, I shrug and go meh.

The turkey is fine, the stuffing is OK and I like apple pie well enough, but in conjunction with mashed potatoes, yams, vegetable casseroles and pumpkin everything? Not into it. It’s all just too much rich, brown food, you know? And to deviate from those classics would be almost blasphemy.

So I try to make Thanksgiving enjoyable for myself in other ways. For the past few years, I’ve mixed up pie crusts in advance for all the pies my family makes (which is a lot: apple, lemon meringue, pecan and two pumpkin–one with coconut, one without). This year, I decided to up my Thanksgiving baking game with more pie crusts and a new cookie recipe.

Admittedly, I’m not a pecan person (or really a cranberry person), but these cookies really seem to fit the Thanksgiving bill (and they’d work well into the Christmas season, too). Bonus: they’re so easy to make and great for a last-minute treat.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 2¼ cups flour
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup pecans, chopped
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Zest of one orange

Making the cookies is super simple. Just cream together your butter, sugar and egg yolk, then mix in your vanilla, salt and flour until combined. Once that’s all mixed, stir in your nuts, cranberries and zest.

Then divide your dough into two. Roll each bit of dough into a log, roughly six inches long. Wrap this up in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours (though you can keep it in the fridge for a day or two if you’re the plan ahead type).

Once chilled, slice your logs into ¼” slices and pop on a lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350ºF for 12 to 15 minutes.

If you don’t have pecans on hand, I think pistachios would work well, too (but feel free to sub in macadamia nuts, walnuts or whatever you prefer). If you’re into white chocolate (I’m not) a drizzle over the top could be super pretty. It’s up to you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Small Goals // November 2017

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I’m back with another month of goals! Let’s see how I did on my October ones first.

  1. Create a great couple’s costume. Check. I’d say our Bonnie and Clyde turned out pretty good.
  2. Check out Old World Wisconsin’s Legends & Lore. Nope. In my defense, it was exceptionally cold last weekend. Plus Stranger Things just came out. (I’m the worst.)
  3. Make three (or more) apple recipes. Not even one! The month got away from me kitchen-wise. Good thing apples keep a long time.
  4. Anything tarot. Stop trying to make tarot happen, Lisa. It’s not gonna happen.
  5. Scary stuff. Done! I’ve been listening to Lore and Welcome to Night Vale, and watching Unsolved Mysteries, Salem and Murder Maps all month long.

2/5. Not my best month, but that’s OK. Not every Halloween can be the spookiest.

  1. Finish half my Christmas shopping. I cannot deal with the stress of last-minute shopping. I can hardly deal with the stress of on-pace shopping. My goal this year is to have half my gifts purchased before December rolls around so I can maximize my baking and crafting time closer to Christmas.
  2. Have a cozy Black Friday in. Last year, for the first time in my adult life, I had the day after Thanksgiving off of work. To really celebrate the day, I spent a good portion of it in my jammies and then I made Michael take me to see Fantastic Beasts. I feel part two coming on this year.
  3. Unplug a bit. I do not need to look at Facebook on my phone multiple times a day. I do not need to keep up with every Snapchat. I do not need to answer every text immediately. To separate myself from technology a bit (not entirely, though – I love this blog, I love my job and I love Etsy) I’m going to take a step back, remove Facebook from my phone and get comfortable with not having it nearby all the time.
  4. (Lightly) rebrand Kaminski Handicraft. I’ve got something up my sleeve for next month, so I think a very light rebrand for my Etsy page and business cards is in order.
  5. Make 5+ new designs for Kaminski Handicraft. Ambitious! If you have any good ideas for hoops you want to see, I’m all ears!

That’s it for me this month, and seriously, folks, if you have any ideas, send them my way!

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Scaredy Cat Skirt

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I’ve gotten to the point in my life where I realize that costumes at work are not cool. Well, they’re not cool unless you have some sort of company costume contest and you win $15 (me!).

But as deeply uncool as it is to head to work dressed up as Special Agent Dana Scully only to find that no one else has so much as cat ears on (also me), it’s also deeply disappointing to me as a Halloween fanatic to be out and about on Halloween without even giving a nod to the holiday.

So to satisfy my need to be festive while also not making a total fool of myself, I created this Halloween cat skirt! I realize that wearing this on Halloween might also be a little lame, but it’s not nearly as depressing as seeing a grown woman march to work dressed as an owl (me again).

While this skirt was definitely a silly endeavor, I take comfort in knowing it was also a very simple one. From start to finish, this skirt took about a half hour and required almost no measuring. All I did was take a yard and a half length of fabric and cut it in half (perpendicular to the selvedge). Then I sewed the edges together until I had one big loop. Then I gathered the top, stitched it to the elastic waistband and hemmed the edge. That’s it!

And in the end I think it’s super cute (and also a little crazy looking). It’s also best accessorized with a nice Ouija board pin, my favorite booties of all time and a cranky cat.

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The Story of Bonnie and Clyde

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Prior to last year, couples’ costumes weren’t really Michael’s and my thing. Halloween was our thing, costumes in general were our thing, but never coordinating looks. But now we’re going hard into the couple thing, dressing up as some of the most famous duos ever. Last year we were Scully and Mulder, this year we donned our best Bonnie and Clyde getups.

This idea, while not exactly original, came via my gangster history-loving dad. Immediately he recommended the 1967 movie for research. Michael and I watched it dutifully. And we followed it up watching the made-for-TV version that came out in 2013. I think our costumes borrow a little more heavily from the latter, not that it really matters since neither rendition was historically accurate (OK, OK, I like gangster history, too).

At any rate, I’m pretty happy with how things turned out! I say the hats really do the heavy lifting for us with these outfits, and that’s fine by me – I love a good beret.

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Fall Feels + Spooky Sounds

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So far this fall has not been giving me the cool, breezy weather I’ve been craving. How can I don my favorite flannel shirt and boots if it’s 70º outside? How can I be expected to enjoy apple picking if I’m sweating at the orchard? But I decided that if Mother Nature isn’t going to provide fall feelings, I’d make them instead.

That’s when I dragged my Halloween decorations out and put some Fleetwood Mac on the hi-fi. It was finally fall.

I realized flipping through our record collection , that most of our albums made me feel nostalgic and cozy. I mean, we have a ton of Christmas albums and those are instant warm fuzzy-makers. But so many other albums made me think of windy fall days, hot drinks and just being inside my weird little cabin. (From fall and into the holidays is when my house feels most itself.)

Here are my favorite fall albums currently in my collection.

Rumours by Fleetwood Mac 

A classic! As a child I loved Fleetwood Mac and would jam out to “Don’t Stop” whenever it came on the radio. Everyone knows Rumours, but I don’t care. Just listen to “Never Going Back Again” and tell me it isn’t the prettiest.

Unicorn by T. Rex

Michael shared this album with me years ago, and I instantly loved it. It’s psychedelic, hippie ren faire goodness. Plus with songs about black cats, owls, wizards and alchemists, it’s a Halloween no-brainer. This one is probably a tough sell for most people, but I highly recommend the track “Cat Black” for starters.

Tapestry by Carole King

This is such a mom album, a really great mom album. Filled with classics “You’ve Got a Friend” and “Where You Lead,” it really pairs well with gusty winds and falling leaves. Plus “So Far Away” fills me with that sort of melancholy nostalgia that fall can bring – in a good way.

His 20 Greatest Hits by Harry Belafonte

I love the movie Beetlejuice (obviously). You’ve got Alec Baldwin at his absolute dreamiest, Winona Ryder as style queen Lydia Deetz and an amazing soundtrack! I’m tempted to buy the actual album because the Danny Elfman score is top-notch (and it’s the perfect accompaniment for pumpkin carving), but half the fun is all the Harry Belafonte tracks. I mean don’t tell me you don’t think of this scene when you hear “Day-O!”

What are your favorite fall albums? I love hearing what puts people in that fall state of mind.

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Apricot Poppy Seed Bars

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I have a soft spot for poppy seeds. My wedding cake was a delicious almond poppy seed layer cake filled with buttercream, and not too long ago I tried to replicate it (and did OK!). But I also love the flavor in the potica and kolaczky I make at Christmas. I love the hint of nuttiness and the crunch they add to all these treats. But let’s face it, cakes, potica and fancy cookies aren’t really everyday treats.

But you know what is an everyday kind of treat? A bar. Just a hardworking sweet that doesn’t require any garnish or flair. They’re perfect for weeknight desserts of for bringing to a party.

So it figures that I wanted to combine the tasty flavor of poppy with the no nonsense feeling of a good ol’ tray bake. I developed this struesel bar recipe based on a recipe from Amy Thielen’s The New Midwestern Table, one of my favorite cookbooks. I wasn’t super keen on the raisins she calls for (and I didn’t agree entirely with some of the proportions), so I developed my own take. Plus, this totally counted as my September bake for my Great America Baking Resolution. Let’s dig in.

For the filling:

  • ¾ cup poppy seeds
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

For the bars:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ cup room temperature butter, cut into chunks + more for greasing pan
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

I warned you that the filling for this one takes a little extra time and work, but you can relax a little knowing it can be prepped a few days in advance – just stash it in the refrigerator. You can relax a little more knowing that making this filling from scratch isn’t mandatory either. Feel free to substitute a can of poppy seed filling from the grocery store (it’s typically in the baking aisle near the canned cherries).

Now let’s get to it. I’m going to kick this off with an optional step: crushing the poppy seeds. This isn’t 100% necessary, but it does help release a little extra poppy flavor by cracking the exterior of the seeds. To crush the seeds, pulverize them in a clean coffee grinder. Working in batches, pulse the seeds in the grinder until they resemble coffee grounds. Set these aside for a moment.

Using your food processor, pulse your chopped, dried apricots so they break down a bit before you add your remaining ingredients. I’d say pulse until they’re about the size of chocolate chips. Then you’re ready to add the rest of your filling ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, vinegar and your poppy seeds. Process until the apricots are reduced to the size of mini chocolate chips or smaller. A blender would work well here too if you don’t have a food processor.

Once blended, pour your mix into a sauce pan. I’ll warn you that it doesn’t look the most appetizing, but don’t worry – it will turn out. Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently. When the mix begins to bubble, reduce to medium low heat and continue cooking (and stirring) until the filling has thickened – about 15 minutes. Set aside or pop in the fridge.

Now, onto the bars themselves. In a large bowl, quickly mix together your dry ingredients. Then add your cubed butter and mix with your hands until the mix feels damp and holds its shape when squeezed.

Grease a 13″x9″ pan with butter. Scoop five heaping cups of unpacked dough into the pan and press down to form a crust. Bake this at 375ºF for 15 minutes. When done, remove from the oven and let cool for another 15.

Once the base has cooled off a bit, spread the poppy filling across in an even coat, leaving a bit of room around the edge. Then take the remaining struesel mix and crumble on top. Don’t cover the poppy seeds 100%. You’ll want a bit of the filling to show through.

Pop this back into a 375ºF oven for another 45 minutes or so. Wait for this to cool and slice away!

The result is a rich, buttery struesel with a delicious nutty filling with a hint of fruit. These are a bit time consuming, but I think for poppy lovers like myself, they’re definitely worth it.

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Small Goals // October 2017

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Let’s start, like always, with my goals from last month.

  1. Find the perfect first-day outfit. Done! I signed up for Stitch Fix and got a handful of nice things. You can read more about my experience here.
  2. Clean up my wardrobe. Check. Got rid of a giant box of clothes plus two extra shopping bags full. I’m probably down 30+ items, and it feels great! I hope to go through this coming month and do a final sweep.
  3. Find a suitable 70th birthday gift for my dad. Done. I got my dad a fancy cribbage board and a custom deck of cards with his initials on the back. It wasn’t a knock out, in my opinion, but still a good gift.
  4. Paint the cabin’s shutters. Done.
  5. End the mattress shopping saga. Nope. I’m just as unsure as ever. I want my old bed back (but transformed into a larger size).

4/5. After reviewing these, goals, I realize how blah and wimpy they were! September is the start of fall – I should have incorporated more seasonal goals.

To make up for my lack of fall-related goals, I’m going full fall for October. I’m talking apples, pumpkins, scary movies, leaf crunching and the like.

  1. Create a great couple’s costume. After a successful go as Scully and Mulder last year, I’m sold on pop culture-inspired couple’s costumes. I’m pushing for Don Draper and Peggy Olson right now, but we have some time.
  2. Check out Old World Wisconsin’s Legends & Lore. Michael and I went to this event a few years back, and we totally loved it. I think it’s time to revisit and get our old timey spooky kicks.
  3. Make three (or more) apple recipes. Michael and I went apple picking with some friends of ours and brought home 20 pounds of Cortlands and Macintoshes. I’ve got to put those to good use (outside of snacking).
  4. Anything tarot. I am really enamored with the mystery of tarot cards, but I never seem to find the time to read them or learn more about them. No more hesitating! October is peak spooky season and prime time for spooky practices.
  5. Scary stuff. I’m big on ghosts, ghouls and anything creepy. It’s time to binge on old seasons of American Horror Story, Unsolved Mysteries (original Robert Stack episodes only!) and scary movies. (This is an easy one, but super important!)

I’m feeling good about these October goals: super achievable and super fun. What do you have lined up for this month?

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Fix Me Up // My Stitch Fix Experience

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I mentioned in my small goals post for this month that I was on the hunt for the *perfect* first day of work outfit. After spending the last year in a very casual office, I wanted some new work gear (and to treat myself a bit). I spent a lot of time scrolling my favorite sites and shopping my favorite stores for a new ensemble only to find that nothing appealed.

I was beginning to think I’d have to start a new job in an outfit I already owned – horror of horrors! Since my favorite stores and my closet were both failing me, I knew I needed help. I needed real professional style help, so I started exploring Stitch Fix.

At first I was extremely wary. How could a quiz and a few sentences encapsulate my desired style aesthetic? Would the stylist ever understand how much I hate cold shoulder tops? Could they even know how hard it is for me to find a pencil skirt? Would it be worth risking the $20 styling fee? In the end, I realized that in order to get new clothes that suited my new purpose, I needed to expand my horizons. And having a professional scouting merchandise that I couldn’t find on my own would be a an option worth exploring.

When the box arrived, I was nervous. WOULD IT BE WORTH IT? I opened the box and was pleasantly surprised by the first item: a kelly green blouse with lace detail on the shoulders. Um, wow. OK. This isn’t bad. It was actually gorgeous. Then I pulled out the textured A-line skirt with a Greek key-style pattern. This is so me. Next was a bright violet blouse with a slight ruffly bell sleeve at the elbow. HOW DID THEY MAKE ME LIKE BELL SLEEVES?! Last were a black and white polka dot blouse and a pencil skirt with a crochet overlay. Umm, close but no cigar. This shirt looks like something by best friend’s mom would wear, and this skirt is going to make me look like a stuffed sausage.

And then I tried everything on. The A-line skirt, the green top and the violet shirt were all home runs. I stared at the polka dot blouse and evil pencil skirt. I had to at least try them, even though I was certain they’d be garbage. Once I had the shirt on, I came around to it. It struck me as a bit career-y, but I suppose that was really the point. Then I put the skirt with it. I held my breath (really because I thought I’d have to suck it in). To my complete and total surprise, it fit, and it fit well. And the black on black detail was banging. Looking at everything, I was really pleased, especially because of the mix-and-match potential.

And just like that I was sold.

I purchased all five items, which came with a nice bonus: 25% off the whole box. It ended up costing me a little over $200, and I felt that was pretty reasonable for five really nice items.

I realize that this is only one box’s worth of items and that my request for clothes for a fun, creative job might have been a softball, BUT I’m still thrilled with the result. The process saved me a lot of time while exposing me to styles I wouldn’t normally consider but really enjoyed. And now instead of one ho-hum outfit of my own making, I have a mini collection of pieces from which to draw for my new gig.

So if you’re considering Stitch Fix, I obviously encourage you to try. Tell ’em Lisa sent you.

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P.S. I know it’s pretty lame to post this review and not actually include any photos of me in the outfits. I’m a lame person. But I’d rather you hear how about how cool I thought this was than wait forever for me to have one decent photo.