e.marie arts

Something awesome this way comes...

2010-09-12T22:02:00.002-06:00

A sneak peek...soon to be in the shop.

Feeling Good

2010-08-25T14:49:00.004-06:00

By Tamara Connolly, ..."for a motion graphics class in the SVA MFA Design program. The assignment was to create a music video using just type and typographic elements in black and white." Incredibly well done, and one of my favorite songs, to boot. (via Mighty Girl)

A Pig in a Poke*

2010-08-16T17:58:00.005-06:00

Don't get me wrong, I like bacon as much as the next carnivore. But this article on Halal cosmetics was an eye-opener.

In my book, there's a big difference in choosing to eat something and unknowingly putting it on your body, and many companies certainly don't go out of their way to be forthcoming with this kind of info: "Collagen and hyaluronic acid (often called a 'fountain of youth'), found in anti-aging creams, can come from pig or cow placenta..." Can't believe that didn't make the advertising cut.

I don't do it enough, but that article has inspired me to look more often at the companies I buy from. You can too at the Caring Consumer cruelty-free search here.

*Or a cat in a sack. Who knew?

Summer 'O Birthdays

2010-08-01T10:42:00.006-06:00

I recently turned 29.

And yesterday got carded when ordering a beer. Again.

Also, Olive turns one, oh, let's say, today. (It's close enough based on the estimate of how old she was when I got her.)

Just a day like any other.

Rainbowing...

2010-07-14T23:17:00.001-06:00

My sister sent me a link to this now-viral video:

But I fail to see what the big deal is. He's obviously responding in a completely appropriate manner, based on this super-scientific matrix:

A Conversation

2010-04-22T17:52:00.002-06:00

Me, about how I should make more stuff, and list it on Etsy (el shop has been sadly neglected lately), but I lack motivation: "Yeah, I should, but I think I need you to kick my ass sometimes."

My friend Haley, without missing a beat: "Okay. I'll wear my Cuban heels tomorrow."

I Dreamed a Dream

2010-03-10T15:39:00.004-07:00

Ordinarily when someone tells me they have to tell me about a dream they had, I prepare for the worst. It always takes forever and it never lives up to how cool the actual dream was, I'm sure.

But I, um, have to tell you about a dream I had. I'll make it short & sweet (it's hilarious and awesome all on its' own): I was lacing up my running shoes in preparation for a Supermarket Sweep-type contest against Jane Lynch. Or maybe it was Sue Sylvester.

Just wish I could remember how it ended.

I am not a dog person.

2010-02-19T14:05:00.001-07:00

My parents have two dogs, and my sister has two dogs, but I've never wanted a dog of my own. I guess I'm not really a pet person in general. I'm allergic to cats, and after I first moved into my own apartment, I killed two goldfish a day after I got them. Unintentionally, of course. We're talking involuntary manslaughter at best. Fishslaughter. Whatever. I know from experience that birds are a pain to clean up after (R.I.P. Winkie, my most awesome 13th birthday present). Gerbils and hamsters and assorted rodents are all sort of lumped into the same catagory for me, which is more or less "Common Classroom Pets, In Which I Have No Interest." I don't want an iguana, or a ferret, or a turtle, or anything else. I will admit that hedgehogs are cute, but they seem high-maintenance. Also, I can't really get behind a pet for which someone would build their own locust incubator. Gag.

Plus, pets take a lot of work. Sure, people say it's worth the effort for the benefits, the companionship they provide, the responsibilities kids learn from having pets, etc., etc., but it's true, they take work, and I'm of the opinion that if you can't devote yourself completely to all the effort involved, you have no business getting a pet. And I kill PLANTS, people. I don't trust myself with anything more complicated than a ficus.

So, all of that probably sounds lame. If I read all that about someone, I'd probably think they were pretty lame, too. But I don't have anything against pets. Or pet people. I don't! My heart gets all mushy over a box of puppies in front of the grocery store. I almost have to change the channel when those Sarah McClachlan ASPCA ads come on, they're so heartbreaking. Hedgehog photos, adorable! (locust incubator, squiiiiiick)

Pets are fantastic! I think they're just not for me.

So when my sister started telling me I should get a dog, I probably "mmm-hmm"-ed along in the way I suspect all sisters have perfected so as not to agree but also not outrightly disagree, and thereby get in an argument. My landlords probably wouldn't let me get one, anyway, I said. I did this for months, every time she mentioned it, but my sister is nothing if not persuasive. I do like corgis, I said (I wonder why? Oh, right.). Next thing I know she's sending me links to corgi puppies listed on Petfinder.

Holy crap, they're cute, I said. But I'm not a dog person. And my landlords...you know.

Wow, that one's in a shelter that's not far from here. And, hello, cuteness. But they take work! And they drool, and they poop, and you have to take them for walks, and they don't care if Project Runway is on, they need attention.

Aw, that one's really sweet. I could name her Olive! It's one of my favorite names. But, my landlords. Plus, it's an expense. I hear that because of the economy right now some people have to give up their pets. Maybe it's just not a wise things to do. And I'm not really a dog person.

Well, okay, I'll ask my landlords. But I bet they won't say yes.

No, I will not drive to Indiana and back in a weekend to pick up that puppy from a shelter. I mean, even if I got one, I'd probably want to wait until Christmas break, when I have some time to spend with them.

So, she's not a corgi, and it's November, I'm still working, and I'm completely unprepared for her--I don't have food or toys or a leash or a collar or anything--but do you want to drive to Leadville and see this puppy?

So now I have a dog.

Olive's about 6 months old now, and she was found wandering around so we don't really know what breed she is or where she came from. She weighs about 10 lbs. and probably won't get much bigger. And all that "I don't want a dog" crap is completely gone and I am totally head over heels in love with this tiny girl. She's one of the best things to ever happen to me. I don't blink at cleaning up after her (housetraining...continues. Tiny dog = tiny bladder.). She stays inside (way too cold outside) and has her own little pen and lots of toys. She sleeps with me at night because she likes to burrow under the covers (DON'T TELL CESAR MILLAN. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't approve.). I've started shopping for dog sweaters on Etsy, and I sing her little made-up songs. She has about 30 nicknames (so far).

And suddenly I feel a kinship with all the other people out walking their dogs in the morning, or buying poop bags at the store, or sitting in the vet's waiting room. They're everywhere, these people with dogs. They're willing to share stories and training advice and treat recommendations (Liver Biscotti, hands down, though Zuke's go over pretty well, too).

I'm still not sure I'm a dog person. But I'm totally, completely, 100% an Olive person.

What is this "blog" you speak of?

2010-02-15T18:36:00.002-07:00

Years ago, I complained to my massage therapist--a woman I love and admire, and who makes me feel like I'm going 100 miles per hour even at my most relaxed, she's so calm and centered--that I hadn't been feeling creative. That first stretch made me feel as though something was wrong with me--had I lost my creative spark altogether? Forcing it just seemed to make it worse. My MT told me that she's always felt that occasionally you need to take some time off, give yourself a break so that you can build up a little creative juice. It's like letting a field lie fallow for a season, so the ground can recover from crops, and minerals and such can build up again in the soil (or that's how I understood it--I don't know anything about agriculture, but nerd that I am I remember the whole crop rotation idea from a history class on the middle ages).

Now when I go for a period of time without making anything, or even thinking about making anything, it doesn't freak me out as much. I just figure I need a rest, and I don't worry about it. But these past several months have been a longer drought than usual. My camera has been gathering dust. I haven't made much, haven't sketched, haven't blogged. (And I was shamefully sporadic with the blogging to begin with.) But more surprising to me was that I more or less took a break from reading blogs, too, which was one of my favorite pastimes. It was always very inspiring to see what crafty people out in the blogosphere were doing. I'm not ashamed to admit that I usually read my way through a whole host of links during slow periods at work. Mostly unashamed :) Stopping my daily reads wasn't a concious decision, even. I just sort of petered out. Every so often I'd suddenly remember, hey, I haven't seen what so-and-so is up to lately. And now I realize, wow. I have no idea what anyone is up to. I've never met any of the people I follow online, but I still sort of think of them as friends...even if I rarely (or never) comment. It suddenly feels very strange to have been so out of touch. I guess the upside is that now I have the mother of all blog post caches to go back and read through.

Also, I'm back to (a little) crafting, Ravelympics-ing it up with the Bring It On Baby Blanket for a friend who's due in April. Pics soon. And I have a roommate. Lots to catch up on. Just you wait, blog.

Click at Your own Peril

2009-09-12T17:01:00.002-06:00

Merde.

Scheiße.

Stront.

Mierda.

and, oh &$#%!?!, who knew?

Boo

2009-08-16T20:09:00.004-06:00

And the Halloween candy is officially out at the grocery store. The better to get your hands on candy corn?

Actually, I have been thinking about something Hitchcockian this year, ever since my sister found this browsing through costumes at Amazon. DIY ideas here.

P.S. Who knew?

Dear Blog,

2009-08-01T17:58:00.002-06:00

Oh, Blog. I haven't very good to you lately. It's not you, I promise--this one's all on me. I think I just needed some space.

But absence makes the blog grow fonder. I've missed you, Blog, and I want to give this another go. What do you say...take me back?

xoxo,
e

Homemade Butter, or Thank You, Lord, for Not Making Me Lactose Intolerant

2009-02-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Susan over at the home of the world's best fiber farms had seven days of giveaways to celebrate the launch of their new website. Among the awesome prizes were three copies of Kathy Farrell-Kingsley's The Home Creamery, one of which I won! (There might have been a tiny celebratory dairy dance when I learned of this. I can't be sure.)

This seemed serendipitous because I'd been talking with my dad about making cheese and buttermilk just a few days before, and thinking about it off and on ever since I saw this post over at Angry Chicken. When the book arrived, it surpassed my expectations, because it's a combination of dairy recipes (yogurt, butter, cheese, etc.) followed by recipes using those products (lemon scones, buttermilk onion rings, eggplant parmesan and chocolate sour cream cake, just to name a few). There's a helpful glossary and a resources list in the back, too.

I didn't wait long to make something...just long enough to get to the store for some heavy cream.

I decided on the butter recipe because it's not complicated, and I conveniently had a fresh loaf of homemade bread thanks to my dad. A jar, or any sealable container, really, is pretty much all you need.

It doesn't take long before you can see the butter begin to separate. Bonus: all the shaking is a good arm workout. And if you're left weak and tired, don't worry--you'll be able to replace those lost calories in no time.

After pouring off the buttermilk and rinsing (yes, rinsing) the butter, this is what you have left. Add some salt, work any excess liquid out, and voila, butter!

Slather a somewhat obscene amount on the carbohydrate of your choice. Repeat as necessary.

Really, it tastes so much better than store-bought, and you get to brag about your accomplishment...

Thanks, Susan!

Swoon

2009-01-29T14:58:00.004-07:00

It just makes me happy that there are people in the world who think of these things...

"Her Morning Elegance," by Oren Lavie, from the soon-to-be-released cd The Opposite Side of the Sea.

New loves

2009-01-17T15:19:00.003-07:00

Dexter. I don't have Showtime, so I hadn't seen this until my sister loaned me season 1, discs 1&2. I was hooked after the first episode, and am now on season 2, thanks to Netflix.

The lambcam!

Appletiser, my new favorite way to get an apple a day. Found at my local health food store.

These felted wool Layaway slippers from Simple. I used to pad around my apartment barefoot all the time, but lately I've been wearing these. Simple's site says of these that they "feel just like marshmallows hugging your feet." Though I personally think that my feet encased in marshmallows sounds gross, not to mention sticky, these shoes are great. (The full confession: I had a $20 coupon for Piperlime, so I bought another pair of these, backup for when I wear the first pair into the ground because I have them on constantly. That's how much I like them.)

Leverage, which reminds me a little bit of another favorite show, Hustle.

Poladroid. Serious fun, and it's free (though you can make donations on the site to help support it). Also, it's totally addicting; check out the Poladroid group on flickr.

This Christmas, Santa brought me a kidney infection

2008-12-29T14:24:00.007-07:00

It's low-grade, I'm on antibiotics, but, I mean, come on. What kind of Christmas gift is that? Especially after two episodes of the flu and a nasty cold in the past two months. [My New Year's resolution? I resolve to avoid germs.]

Aside from that, my holiday was pretty great. My sister came home for a couple days, which was a lot of fun. And I made/bought/received some fun stuff too. Not too much in the making catagory, but co-workers got jars of fudge (from this recipe) or maple pepper pecans (from Nigella Express).

I carved the stamps, and just glued the paper circles to the jar lids. A little ribbon around the edge, and voila. I like how they came out, but they're pretty basic compared to some of the great stuff I saw on a few of my favorite blogs: the polka-dot boxes full of all sorts of goodies at the Chicken & the Apple (love!), assorted fantastic-ness over at the Small Object, and salted carmel goodness at Super Eggplant.

Confession: not one of those photos makes me want to up my gift-packaging game, they just make me hungry.

Other crafting included these container ornaments for a few friends. Each one has their initial on the lid and holds a pair of earrings. These were created out of a sudden "Crap, how do I package these?" moment after making the earrings, and they're perfect (and easy). I tapped a small hole with a finishing nail in the side of a 2" coin tin, placed a small piece of wire to form a loop, and attached an ornament hanger. More pics here.

My favorite "made" gift, though, were the stamps I carved for my sister. A tiny house, my sis, Harvey, Moppit, and my sister's boyfriend.

I didn't do a ton of shopping this year, but I managed to check off a lot of my gift list through Etsy, with stamps at Norajane, a French Pet Lobster tee from Xenotees (a big hit with my sister), a mini original from Justin Madson, and a Tinysaur from Kelly Farrell. My dad also scored one of Alec Thibodeau's letterpress lunar calendars from Tiny Showcase.

And speaking of TS, I treated myself to a small holiday gift, too: Jen Corace's "Snow Storm" print and an autographed copy of "Hansel and Gretel," which is quite lovely.

And our final Christmas gift? About a foot of snow. It's very scenic, but mostly I'm just glad to be curled up on the couch with the fleece blanket my sister made for me and a hot cup of tea (about my 9th today, I think. Oh, kidney infection, you're a card).

Trick or Tweet

2008-11-06T11:24:00.002-07:00

My favorite exchange from Tuesday night, courtesy of Indecision '08:

Jon Stewart: “What are you blogging?”
Stephen Colbert: “I’m just alerting everyone to the fact that I’ll be twittering tonight.”
Jon Stewart: “What are you twittering?”
Stephen Colbert: “Tweets.”

A Public Service Announcement

2008-11-04T11:56:00.002-07:00

[There used to be an

image here about

voting, but the

interwebs stole it.]

Rigor Mantis

2008-11-02T14:17:00.003-07:00

Click on the photo for an explanation... : )

We couldn't wait until the 31st...

2008-10-18T18:55:00.003-06:00

The party is in full swing! Be sure to head over to Vanessa's for an amazing fête (Witches! Pirates! Candy galore!) and the complete list of partiers.

My Halloween crafting/prep/partying has been downscaled a bit--it's been a busy month. But a few weeks ago, I saw the wonderful Halloween house Sarah made over at The Small Object, and was immediately smitten with the paper mache house sets. The same day, One of 58 Cherries' houses was featured in this post, and I was sold.

This is my version, a Halloween gift for my sister.

I painted the house black, covered it in a coat of matte Modge-Podge, and stuck in a few accessories. I cut up a paper spiderweb (German scrap from Collage Stuff) and highlighted it with a little silver paint for the windows, and made a few ghosts by dipping squares of cheesecloth in a water/Modge-Podge mix and draping them over clothespins to dry. The ghosts are suspended from the roof of the house with dark thread, so they float pleasantly in front of the windows.

Making/finding something cool for my sister for Halloween has sort of become a tradition (she got this a couple years ago, and, if I recall correctly, I found a giant rubber rat last year--seriously, it had to be a foot and a half tall. Awesome.), so I hope she likes this addition.

I'm off to look around the other shindigs going on...for what I imagine will be the next several days of browsing. Enjoy the spookiness, everyone!

Fall, falling back, and falling behind

2008-10-09T15:44:00.004-06:00

I love fall. The leaves are turning and the weather is wonderful. There's a slight hint of woodsmoke in the air everywhere I go, and I can't get rid of a craving for apple cider and pumpkin spice cake.

But for all that, it seems like everything's a little off balance. The start of the semester is always busy, and the flu is going around and made its' way to me for 8 days, four of which I spent home from work (alternately staring glassily at the ceiling wishing I were dead and watching Hulu). I feel like I'm late and forgetting things all the time. Also, people around me seem crabby! Not because of me, mind you, it just seems as if there's a large cloud of grumpiness in the air. Can't we all just have some cider and get along?

Maybe everyone's just sick of political ads. I know I am. I'm almost to the point I'd like to throw things at my tv.

I'm looking forward to Daylight Saving Time for an extra hour, which is silly because it's just the hour I gave up a few months ago, so it's not as if I'm actually gaining any time. But I could really use a few extra hours to get caught up on projects, so I like the idea. I am horribly, embarrassingly behind on a specific project, for which I owe a very large apology to a very small (and patient) fox----Sarah, I'm lame, but I promise your goodies will be worth the wait.

I'm also knitting frantically on this now that the yarn has arrived, because it's intended for a charity auction in early December. I chose the pattern because it's supposed to "knit quickly," but I still foresee eking it out at the last minute. Probably because that's what I do every year.

In fact, I think I'll go put in a few rows worth now. While humming this to myself. Oh, Mason-Dixon, how I love you.

P.S. Vanessa's at it again! Click on the image for more details.

New Venture

2008-08-25T21:00:00.003-06:00

Isn't this a nice photo?

I think so too.

So I'm happy to announce that it, along with several other lovely pieces, is available in a new Etsy shop, wandergeek photography. wandergeek features work by my friend Nick Clark, and is a joint venture: he takes the photos and I run the shop. We've just opened, and already I'm thrilled that one of "our" photos has been featured on Etsy's front page (and I missed it! Dang it.).

Anyway, I think Nick has a great eye, and combined with his wanderlust, I expect great things for the shop. So check it out! And tell your friends. Especially the ones with lots of disposable income.

Photoshop Lessons

2008-08-14T16:05:00.003-06:00

A while ago (a long while, actually--I've totally procrastinated on this), Wayfaring Wanderer posted the first of a series of Photoshop tutorials. I use Photoshop sporadically for work, cropping and otherwise adjusting photos for flyers and, occasionally, office jokes, but I've never gone past the basics. So I was excited to get a little more insight into the possibilities the program can offer.

The first lesson is on layers, and using them to create texture. We were very nicely given an image of concrete to use as a background:

I chose one of my photos at random, a shot taken at a textile factory in India. This is a handstamped image of an elephant and rider, and my goal when starting was to work towards making it look like it had been painted onto a concrete wall, almost like graffiti.

I adjusted the color and saturation a bit (okay, a lot!), and this is what I wound up with:

It's a little bit lighter than I'd intended--I'd probably go back in and adjust that if it wasn't an exercise/test. But overall I'm pretty pleased with my first attempt, and I'm quickly getting the understanding that there is so much more to Photoshop than I knew, oceans and oceans of possibilities, and I'm standing on the shore with a teacup. But, okay, one teacup at a time :)

Next up: layer masks.

Jazz chickens, your appendix calling Intelligent Design, coughing giraffes, Big Squid Diary, and that is not a plague, that's just a lot of frogs.

2008-08-03T14:15:00.008-06:00

My stomach still hurts. As one of my co-workers noted, I probably added 5 years to my life with all the laughing. The show was wonderful, our seats were insanely close, and when we were standing in line for t-shirts after the show, Eddie came out to the lobby for a quick (and unexpected, at least for me) Q&A with the remaining 30-or-so show-goers. And the buttons were a big hit--several people commented on them, and my sister actually thought she heard someone ask for one at the merchandise counter.

Despite a ridiculous amount of photos, this is really the only one that turned out...probably because I was laughing too hard to hold the camera still.

Twenty-four hours from now...

2008-07-28T21:14:00.005-06:00

I'll be here (minus the snow & festive holiday decorations)

for this

wearing one of these.

Woohoo!

(Paramount theater photo from pbo31)

Good Advice

2008-07-27T21:13:00.001-06:00

Don't keep a glue stick and a similarly sized chapstick in the same general area on your art table or workspace.

I'm just sayin'.

Triple Digits

2008-07-05T20:54:00.005-06:00

When I started this blog (almost two years ago), I'm not even sure I had a goal for a number of posts. I just wanted a small little spot of the internet to call my own, and I was trying to stick with something for more than a few weeks (in this case, posting), even if it was sporadic. I'm pretty happy with myself for making it this far, and although it's quiet and by no means world-changing, I like what I'm putting out there.

I've been through a lot these past 100 posts--some craftiness, a lot of fun discoveries & news, the fire that displaced me for almost a year, the resulting almost-year of living with my parents, the opening of my Etsy shop, a trip across the world to a country that will forever alter who I am. And perhaps the best result of my blog is something I prize greatly--the people I've encountered. The lovely Vanessa was the the first person I "met" through my blog. She's been supportive and inspiring and I consider myself lucky to count her among my internet friends. So it seemed appropriate somehow to tag along with her tea party extravaganza (celebrating her own 200th post, no less!) for my own little celebration. I think I can speak for most of the participants when I say it was quite an event, enjoyed by all, and I was thrilled to have so many new folks to visit, and new visitors to my blog, as well.

Which brings me to my tea party/100th post giveaway. Earlier tonight I headed over to the thoroughly impartial random number generator, entered in my data, and...

Congratulations to Sarah of Small Fox in a Big World, who left the third comment and wins a grab bag of e.marie arts goodies! Sarah, I'll be emailing you soon to get your mailing address.

But I confess, after such a great experience (and more comments on one post than this blog has seen, um...ever, maybe? As in, total comments combined?!), just one winner seemed, oh, 32 winners too few. So although Sarah made off with the grand prize, everyone else who left a comment on my "Tea Time!" post will get a print of the "Flower Tea" photo I took specifically for the Mad Hatter Tea Party. [It's a bit of a funny size--5x7 prints, but the actual image is more like 5x5, and I wasn't pleased with the quality of the prints I got locally, so I've ordered them, which means they won't be shipping immediately, but maybe in a week or so when they are sent to me.] But if you'd like a print, and you don't mind just a tiny bit of a delay, please email me at e.marie@earthlink.net with your name, the name of your blog (or your online/Blogger name), and your mailing address. I'll post again here when the prints go out.

Thanks to Vanessa, for the party and for generally being wonderful. Thanks to everyone who participated, for making it such a blast. Thanks to the long list of crafty & clever people who are putting a part of themselves out there for me to read and be inspired by. Thanks to flickr and Blogger and Etsy, for making all my endeavors possible.

Here's to the next 100 posts.

Sweet Stitches

2008-07-02T22:06:00.007-06:00

Holy Black Apple embroidery patterns, Batman! I was looking around the Sublime Stitching site when I noticed that among the new patterns is a page of lovelies from none other than Emily Martin. Sweet! The patterns include a boy and girl and assorted friends (such as the ghost and creeping rabbit!) and some tiny houses.

(example of a couple patterns from the Sublime Stitching site)

Other new patterns include vital organs, Dutch Russian and...wait for it...Sexy Librarians.

Awesome.
__________________________________________________________

In other news, it's not too late to enter the Mad Tea Party/"e.marie arts turns 100" contest (well, you know, 100 posts). Leave a comment on the previous post ("Tea Time!") to add your name to the hat.

Tea Time!

2008-06-28T12:52:00.002-06:00

Over at A Fanciful Twist, Vanessa has outdone herself for the Mad Hatter Tea Party--a handmade tea set, cakes, bubbles, music, candy, and a lovely list of invitees!

It's a much quieter affair here...just me, my striped socks, some nice weather...

and a lovely cup of tea.

It's quieter, but still full of the party spirit--in celebration of the Mad Hatter Tea Party and my upcoming 100th post (100!), I'm having a giveaway. Hurrah! I have a grab bag of e.marie arts goodies for one lucky winner. Just leave a comment to this post to enter, and that delightful and impartial invention, the random number generator, will choose a winner next Saturday, July 6.

Happy tea partying!

X Marks the Spot

2008-06-27T13:01:00.006-06:00

For treasure! Or more specifically, treasury. I just made my first Treasury on Etsy, a collection of pillows I love.

Pillow Cover by maramiki

I love Orange Flowers....Small Pillow by jamtartbaby

Abraham Lincoln Pillow by bigstonehead

You can check out the full treasury here.

Counting down...

2008-06-26T22:27:00.002-06:00

Don't forget! Just a couple more days until Vanessa's Mad Tea Party. She has a long, long list of participants up on her blog, and it's not too late to join. Comment on her blog or send her an email to get your name on the list.

I'll be back on Saturday with my glitter and teacups, and a giveaway to celebrate the party and my (upcoming) 100th post. See you then!

Minty Fresh

2008-06-24T15:11:00.003-06:00

Both my breath and my budget, thanks to Orbit gum and Mint, respectively.

I actually only heard about Mint recently, and my feelings were mixed. On one hand, I've been trying to figure out a good, all-encompassing budgeting system for a while. Because, well, I need a good, all-encompassing budgeting system. And a free service that does all the work for me, with lots of bells and whistles and so on? I thought, sign me up! But it's a little difficult to dive in and put your entire financial life, and all the information and passwords that go with it, in one place. I wanted to research it a bit more.

Ultimately, after looking into it further (check out the awards and such they've won, and how Mint keeps you safe), I decided to go ahead with it, and after just a day and a half, I'm pretty glad I did. I've never had anything that gave me a full overview of all my finances, all in one place. I feel very responsible and (almost) grown-up. It was really time to abandon my old system, and by "old system" I mean a shoebox full of receipts and a stack of my budgeting goals written on Post-its.

It doesn't take long to sign-up--I think they tout it as less than 10 minutes--but that's really only true to create an account and then add your info. I had to spend about half an hour fine-tuning some of the overview info, specifying what charges were for an so on. Still, definitely worth the time.

One of the things I like best are the charts and graphs, like the one below (not one of mine, just an example from the site)--you can see all your spending by month, or over a period of several months, or compare your spending in certain areas to your state or the country overall.

Turns out my rent is insanely reasonable compared to the state and national averages, as are my utility bills and healthcare.

I spend three times as much on books as most people, though. Which really shouldn't surprise me.

Bookin' It

2008-06-15T20:42:00.003-06:00

I'd had my eye on Esther K. Smith's How to Make Books: Fold, Cut & Stitch Your Way to a One-of-a-Kind Book for a while, so when I finally picked it up at a book store in Denver a few weeks back, I was excited to get started. One thing led to another, though, and I just now got a chance to try out a "basic instant book." The occasion? My dad forbade my sister and me from getting him any more "stuff" for Father's Day. We were instructed that only handmade cards would be accepted : )

I figured a card/mini book wouldn't be pushing the rules, so here's what I came up with:

Hee.

Additional photos are on my flickr.

Break out the glitter...

2008-06-13T10:12:00.002-06:00

Vanessa's having a party! She's approaching her 200th blog post, and we're all invited to celebrate. Go here for more details.

I just realized that I'm not far from 100 posts myself--hurrah! So I'll be joining in the fun, celebrating, and having a giveaway to boot. Stay tuned!

Me Mosaic

2008-06-11T16:15:00.004-06:00

As soon as I saw Sarah's Flickr game, I wanted to make one of my own. So here it is, my very own mosaic. Below are the rules, and here's a link to my answers. Go forth and mosaic!

The concept:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One Word to describe you.

12. Your flickr name.

Carnage Cake

2008-06-08T14:00:00.002-06:00

There was grating.
There was measuring.
There was mixing.
There was oven pre-heating.
And then, before I knew it, there was this:

Seriously, I have no idea how this recipe could have gone so horribly, horribly wrong.

At least the frosting was good.

Does this grocery list make me look crazy?

2008-04-27T21:04:00.004-06:00

This morning I found this list from a few weeks ago, and had to laugh--it didn't seem funny at the time I wrote it, but then it's not unusual for me to list food items and art supplies together. Still, I can just imagine if I'd dropped this and someone had found it, and wondered just who needed not just pickles and mayo but also small squirrels. For the record, I was thinking of these.

The jar, dinos and plants were for one of Two Straight Lines' great terrariums, by the way, found via CRAFT.

Cookin' up a Storm

2008-04-14T19:47:00.003-06:00

Or at least a tiny rain shower. Maybe some hail.

My goal for April was (and is) to be a little more creative and adventurous with my food. I'm not sure where that really came from, except I was probably getting sick of the usual fare and I finally have access again to my very own kitchen (cooking being a much more fun activity when you can ignore the cleaning up and go enjoy the profits of your hard work, as opposed to being yelled at by your mother to do the dishes). Also, I got Nigella Lawson's Good Food, Fast, which is full of lots of photos that make you think, mmm, I want that.

The almost-mid-month progress report: I've been fairly successful. I've made a few of my old stand-by's (hamburgers, soup, chocolate pudding--from scratch!), and as far as trying new things, I've made potato and mushroom gratin, oeufs en cocotte (baked eggs), and chicken caesar cornets from Nigella's book, and Pioneer Woman's twice-baked potatoes and creamed spinach.

Success-wise, though, a bit of a mixed bag. Which is why I have no delectable photos to show you. The gratin was sort of lousy, probably because I didn't season it well enough, and not very photogenic. The mushrooms were good, though. The eggs were great (minus the truffle oil mentioned in the recipe, because I have none in the kitchen and no inclination to remedy that), but I wolfed them down, with some of my dad's homemade bread, far too quickly to photograph. The cornets were also very good, although I skipped the whole "roast your own!" and just bought a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. I'd definitely have them again. I was lazy and didn't photograph the twice-baked potatoes, though they were very good, and the creamed spinach, while pretty delicious, looked a little...off. Too much cream, maybe? I didn't cook it long enough? Not sure. But it didn't detract from the taste, so I'll try that one again.

So my plan for the rest of the month is to keep going. Lack of a few things (the mixing bowl to my stand mixer, mysteriously as yet unfound, and also a candy thermometer) is holding up a couple things. Specifically the cheesecake from the Nigella book and Pioneer Woman's onion strings. I have a couple more books I'd like to look though to find recipes, and I'll add "take pictures" to every recipe.

Hurry Up, April

2008-03-31T22:24:00.003-06:00

So much for all that "out like a lamb" talk.

Oh, Tax Refund, I Hardly Knew Ye

2008-03-25T15:32:00.003-06:00

Not that it's much of a shock to anyone, but yes, my tax refund had barely hit my bank account before I was waving goodbye to it. I did set aside some, and parts of it were spent on things that might (eventually) make some money, and there was a gift or two, and don't I have six hundred dollars coming to me in May as part of that whole stimulus package thing? I have no end of rationalizations. But just look:

Letterpress set from angiepea--love! I've been thinking lately about some prints involving words, and set out to carve my own stamps...and got fed up with that pretty quickly. So when I saw this set on etsy, I was all over it. (Rationalization: I will use these for art, thus [hopefully] they will pay for themselves.)

A Canon Powershot SD1000, a birthday gift for my sister. I have an SD600, which I really like, and we got my dad the SD1000 for Christmas, as well. (Rationalization: my little sister deserves this, and she didn't have a camera. Plus, I got triple reward points for ordering from Amazon on my Amazon credit card, which ultimately benefits me, yay.)

Cantata blouse from--where else?--Anthropologie. I've been staking out their sale sections lately, too, and made off with a couple good buys. (Rationalization: I can't go to work naked. Also, I got several things on sale AND free shipping).

Coat rack from Urban Outfitters. This looks insanely good in my hallway, which I will prove once I clear all the boxes out of there and take some photos. (Rationalization: I don't have a closet in the entryway, so I had to find a solution or end up with a pile of coats and bags on the floor. Plus, 20% off and free shipping. Pretty sure that was from Retail Me Not, which makes me never want to pay full price for anything ever again.)

Also, cards from Hello Lucky (gift for my aunt, and discounted with a code from Daily Candy), wirework racks from Sundance (I need storage!), some goodies from Purl (because I desperately want to make this), and finally some earrings from Lisa's Lovlies (no rationalization, I just wanted them).

Phew.

Birthday Cake or Death?

2008-03-20T15:30:00.004-06:00

My birthday is still several months away, but I just found out what one of my presents is, and it's quite possibly the best gift ever, from my little sister:

July 29.
Denver.
Paramount Theater.
SECOND. FUCKING. ROW.

Before she actually told me what the show was, my sister warned me "You're probably going to pee yourself. You might even cry." And she wasn't far off. For those of you who don't know who Eddie Izzard is, I'll try not to hold that against you (hee). But you should know of him. Because he's wonderful. I mean, John Cleese once called him "the lost Python." He's a fantastic comedian and a Tony-nominated actor (currently you can see him in a leading role on FX's "The Riches"), and a vhs tape of his show "Glorious" got me through college; every time I had a lousy day, I watched 15 minutes or so, and suddenly all seemed right with the world (or at least I'd forgotten whatever had gotten me down). I now know long bits of it (and "Dress to Kill," which I got later) by heart. I suspect my co-workers are getting tired of the phrase, "Oh, that reminds me of..." followed by an explanation of an Izzard joke, since they hear it so often.

As you can probably already tell, I'm just a little excited about this. And also pretty impressed with my sister. I'm lucky to have someone who knows me so well! But I'm not going to lie, I'm a little concerned with the standard she's set. Her birthday is coming up in a couple weeks, and I'm having a difficult time coming up with a gift that might make her pee herself. And/or cry.

Write On

2008-03-09T20:05:00.004-06:00

New in the shop: Four Degrees Pencil Sets! I've had the idea for these for a while, so it feels pretty great to see them done. Each set has four pencils, one each stamped TRUTHS, HALF-TRUTHS, HALF-LIES, and LIES, and they come packaged in a beautiful chocolate brown envelope. They're size 10 policy envelopes, and I don't even know what that means, but it must be good, because they're lovely. I also designed labels for them, and they came out just like what I had in mind--a little silly, a little vintage. Overall, I'm really pleased with how they look.

Other new items are coming to the shop soon; I have some new photo prints on the way, and I'm starting on hand-stamped twill tapes, which I'm really looking forward to. It feels like spring both outside and in my studio--a little warmer, a little less grey, and new ideas starting to form just like sprouts poking up through the snow.

Hibernating

2008-03-04T22:45:00.002-07:00

Just when I thought winter was on its' way out...
The crazy snow and grey outside just leaves me more inclined to stay holed up in my apartment, but combined with being sick, missing a few days of work, and the mess surrounding me that I'm still trying to unpack, well, I just feel like I want to curl up and sleep until May. Whatever flu-like thing I caught that was going around was a 13-hour sleep kind of deal, so it's really not too much of a stretch. I'm still tired, too, so hibernating for a couple months sounds fine.

Unfortunately, work calls, along with all those boxes in the kitchen, and various projects here and there that I'm working on (taxes, done; scarf for charity auction on FRIDAY, eek, not done; etc.). But it all feels like it's getting back to a manageable state. I'm moved out of my strage unit, hurrah! And I'm working on a new item for the shop I'm completely in love with. More soon!

Keys to the Castle

2008-02-18T20:28:00.003-07:00

My own personal castle, anyway. I've still got some bins and boxes to sort through (I'm currently trying to cook with no mixing bowls, no measuring cups, and no spatulas/large spoons. Somewhere is a large box marked "kitchen" that is rapidly becoming a priority to find.), and I still don't have a towel rack in the bathroom or weather stripping on the door or various other little things, but it's mine, all mine, and it's wonderful. Friday was the one-year fireversary, so I had a little celebration, a tiny bottle of champagne, and just reveled in the quiet of my own digs. Lovely.

(And, yes, that is the aforementioned "screamin'-ass green" of my hallway in the background of that photo.)

Paint: A Play in Two Acts

2008-01-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Act I

Scene: Last Tuesday morning, Emma's office. The phone rings. Emma answers.

Emma: Hello?
Annie (landlord) : Hi Emma, it's Annie. Is there any chance you might be able to come over here on your lunch break...or, um, even sooner?
Emma: Oh, yeah, I think I can come over now, actually. Is, uh, is something...wrong?
Annie: Well, there's a problem with the paint. The painters have started in the living room and they say the paint's really dark. They said it's depressing. A really dark brown. But they said they can cut it with some white, so if you can take a look at it...
Emma: Well, I think it was just supposed to be a shade darker than it was before.
Annie: I know you picked it online, so...we just wanted to make sure before they put on the second coat, because it will dry even darker.
Emma: Okay, I can come take a look at it, no problem. I'll walk over now.
Annie: Great.

Act II

Scene: Emma's Apartment. Two painters are there, one working on the blue in the kitchen (stage right), and the other in the living room (center stage). Emma walks in. The paint is a lovely taupe-y color.

Emma: Hello?
(The painter in the living room walks around the refrigerator to talk with her. Emma surveys the room.)
Painter: Hello.
Emma: Well, um, yeah, this is the color I want it. (Laughs uncomfortably)

(Long, awkward pause)

Painter: Okay, well, we just wanted to check.
Emma: Okay, well, great. Thanks. Bye!

(Emma walks down the hallway and out the door. Fade to black)

End scene.
___________________________________________________

As I left, my inner monologue was, "Wait until they open up the paint for the hallway and bedroom, haha!" I shouldn't have laughed. The next day I got another call from my landlord, with an opening of, "Are you up for another trip to the house? The painters are very concerned." And granted, the paint in the hallway is, as my landlord put it, "screamin'-ass green." (Perennial Green, according to Benjamin Moore, though I like Annie's name better.) But really, I don't think it warranted so much drama. It all looks fantastic, and the CO came through on Friday, so I've started moving in. Hurrah!

Love, or lack thereof

2008-01-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

I'm totally digging these MOO designs for Valentine's Day by Meg Pickard. She has more anti-Valentine designs at her blog.

And speaking of MOO, how great are they in general? I made some cards with my photos from flickr to include with my etsy orders, and they somehow messed up my order. So they emailed me, and told me they were reprinting it, but then they sent me the first batch anyway with a little card that said oops, sorry, we're reprinting your order, but we sent you these so you'd have some to start playing with! I love the quality of the print and the finish on the cards, too. Stickerbooks are next on my list, a few with my own photos, and some of the designers featured by MOO.

Why I shouldn't look at catalogs...

2008-01-20T23:24:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, Angry Chicken mentioned "stuff that looks like other stuff," and I immediately thought of a vase I'd seen in a catalog. At the time, I couldn't remember the catalog's name, even though I knew I'd bought things from the store before. And then in yesterday's mail, voila! There it was, an Uncommon Goods catalog, and this great ceramic vase that looks like a brown paper bag:

Of course, the delight of so conveniently finding what I'd been trying to remember came with it's own dangers, because in looking though the catalog, I found about sixteen other things I also liked. I mentioned in my last post that I'd like to pare down my belongings, but I fear me and my insane lack of willpower will only find new things to replace the old things. Like these (love!), or this, or these. Sheesh.

The Best News of the Year

2008-01-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, granted, the year isn't very far along, but I got some news yesterday that I've been waiting to hear for a long, long time: I have a move-in date! My apartment's almost finished. The last of the construction, appliances, and painting are being finished up this week, and I have the go-ahead to start moving back in on the 28th.

Tuesday was the 11-month fireversary, as I've come to call it, which seems wild--almost a full year since I was standing outside, watching smoke pour out of the house. I've missed my neighborhood, my landlords, my own space, all of it. I also feel like I've forgotten most of what I own, since it's been in storage so long. I sort of like the idea of rediscovering my own belongings, but I've also realized that I own a lot of unnecessary stuff. I'm looking forward to paring down as I unpack, sort of a pre-spring spring cleaning.

So, nine days to go...let the countdown begin!

Digging Out

2008-01-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

Where have I been all this time? Shoveling, mostly. We got hit with several snowy days in the past few weeks. The local school districts even called two snow days, which was unheard of when I was in school. I think maybe when I was a junior I remember one snow day. One! They've relaxed the standards a bit since then, it seems. Which is actually pretty smart, I think; when the roads are bad, I don't think school buses or teen drivers should be out. Even experienced drivers have trouble in this area (not that I would know about the driving part, but I've lived here my whole life, so I do know about the snow).

I actually really like the way the world looks just after a snow. I love winter, and I had a difficult time adjusting to the season when I was in college in Missouri. It was cold and overcast, but rarely snowed, maybe half an inch or so occasionally. I couldn't see the point of all the cold if you didn't have a big, honest-to-goodness snow. The first time flakes started coming down outside our dorm, you could barely see them, and I remember one of my best friends, who was from southern California, completely freaked out and ran outside to dance around in it. (I couldn't believe she was 18 and had never seen snow, but then I didn't grow up with palm trees in my backyard, so, you know.) She was so excited that I couldn't really bring myself to tell her it didn't count in my book as much of a snow storm.
Craziest of all are the conditions once it finally starts warming up...six foot icicles, anyone?

Anyway, in addition to dealing with all the weather, I'm prepping at work for the upcoming semester, sporadically crafting and adding things to the shop, and starting to pack up things at my parents' place to move back to my apartment. Fingers crossed, we're supposed to get a certificate of occupancy issued in the next two weeks, and it can't happen soon enough for me. I'm so excited to see everything, since my lovely landlords didn't just replace things, they upgraded the whole apartment. New bathroom, new kitchen cabinets, the works. (I've probably mentioned all this before, but I can't help it! I'm thrilled to the point of redundancy) I'm a little unsure about the paint colors, which I picked a few months ago--I never saw large samples of them, but I'm hoping they come together well. And one thing I'm really looking forward to checking out is the new flooring. In addition to carpet in the living room and bedroom, my landlords had marmoleum installed in the entryway, kitchen and bathroom. I thought it sounded a little strange (okay, I thought it sounded like a small mammal, to be honest--what a funny word!), but it looks interesting on the website.

So things feel a little hectic and crazy, but in a good way. I'm usually a creature of habit, and I like the status quo, but this whirlwind of activity (that might ordinarily freak me out) feels like it's heading in a good direction, so for now I'm content to just sit back and see what happens next.

So long, 2007!

2008-01-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

New Year's Eve doesn't do much for me. I'm not one for big parties in general, so I usually spend it in my pajamas. I go for the champagne, but that's not really specific to the occasion--I just like champagne. I also sort of think that resolutions are good anytime of the year. So the big ball-dropping, confetti-tossing, auld-lang-syning night hasn't been a big draw for me in the past.

But I admit, I'm not sorry to say good bye to 2007. There were some good things, of course, but on the whole, it was not a spectacular year. So I did my fair share of celebrating last night. Adios, sayonara, arrividerci to the past 12 months.

2008, I welcome you.

29 days, 12 cities, 1 camel ride, 34 mosquito bites, and 2 Ayurvedic massages later...

2007-12-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

I'm back! And still recovering, from jet lag, from the bug I picked up on one of our flights home, from the general sensory overload that was 29 days in India. It was overwhelming, to say the least, but I had an amazing time. Lots of photos (I'm adding them to my flickr, slowly but surely) and stories (like this little gem, which I will sum up in dialogue. Me, after dinner in Khajuraho: "Wow, that was really good." Tour leader: "Yeah, it was probably camel. Or horse. Or maybe water buffalo." And I admit, that gave me pause...but only for a minute, because, honestly? It was delicious.)

I got approximately 1.17 mosquito bites per day, bought 4 saris (3 for myself, one for my sister), rode a camel through the Pushkar camel fair (probably the highlight of the trip, really), took 1277 photos and a handful of movies (including a clip of "Dumb and Dumber" dubbed in Hindi, from a hotel tv channel), saw the Taj Mahal, blushed a little over the erotic temple carvings at Khajuraho (saucy!), and fell completely in love with a tiny Indian woman named Biji, who was a masseuse at the Ayurvedic centre at the last place we stayed. Seriously, if I win the lottery, I'm going back to Kerala for a couple weeks every year. Or flying Biji to Colorado for a visit. Or both. I have never felt so good in my life. People told me I was glowing.

There were some less-than-great experiences, of course. The pollution in many places is unbelievable, and the poverty is staggering. I was fortunate I didn't get sick during the trip, because one of my fellow travelers did, and it was not a pretty sight. And there were lots of difficulties with travel, delayed flights and long bus trips and many miscommunications. But I don't have any regrets, and I think I'd recommend a similar trip to most people. Adventurous people, anyway. It's not a trip for the faint of heart.

It's strange to be back, because at times I almost feel like I was never gone, but at the same time I feel like the trip and all the things I saw and experienced changed me in a way it's difficult to put into words. The best I can do to describe it is that it feels as if the change was fundamental, that it happened on almost a cellular level. There isn't one obvious or specific thing I can point to and say, this is different, it's like my atoms were just shifted a little, and I'm not quite the same person I was. Still me, but...different. In a good way.

So I'm back, and adjusting, and there's more to come. More stories, more photos, and, yes, a giveaway, because I did find some fun stuff during my travels, and I'd like to share. Stay tuned!

This time tomorrow...

2007-11-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

I'll be on my way to India.

See you in a month!
Emma

Paint by Numbers

2007-10-27T12:03:00.000-06:00

I got some great news from my landlords last week: they fired the restoration company who was doing the work on the house and hired someone new. They actually said this new crew has gotten more done in a week than the others did in a month. I'm disappointed that things went so badly, but I'm excited that progress is finally being made. So much progress, in fact, that I got to go pick out paint colors, which I love. Seriously, in the three years I'd lived in that apartment, I painted the kitchen three times, and the living room twice.

Part of my problem, though, is that I'm swayed by the names of the colors, not just the colors themselves. I always thought that naming paint colors would be a really fun job. My favorite nail polish was a shade of bright red I could never pull off, but was named "I'm Not Really A Waitress," which I thought was hilarious. So now I'm picking paint for the entry hall, between Relentless Olive, which I don't actually think is the right color, and Ryegrass, which is sort of a boring name.

I'm so ridiculous.

First Snow, Last Yarn

2007-10-22T20:01:00.000-06:00

Okay, okay, the first snow didn't look anything like that. That's just a pic I found on Google images of Denver last winter. It will probably look like that here eventually, but our first snow this year barely stuck to the ground, lasting only long enough on Sunday morning to really confuse the puppies when we took them outside. I was actually surprised to see any snow at all yet--for some reason, I always associate cold weather and the first snow of the season with Halloween. Probably because so many years growing up I felt like it waited until I was dressed up as a darling little fairy, then a) became freezing cold so Mom forced me to wear a turtleneck under my costume, thereby (I thought) ruining the whole effect or b) suddenly snowed, forcing me to wear a coat, thereby (again) ruining the whole effect. Anyway, it's been cold but fairly mild so far, and I figure we probably won't see much wintry weather for a few weeks, so all the scantily-clad trick-or-treaters will be more-or-less safe.

I'm off to do some more reading for the trip--I don't know how I had so much time to prep and still feel like I've barely done anything. Just one fyi before I go: after many years, Yarnware is closing its' doors. I've ordered from them several times and have always been pleased with my orders. All yarns, patterns, & needles are on sale, and until Nov. 10, you can order online, with sale prices decreasing by 10% or so weekly until they sell out. I'm personally eyeballing several of the Artful Yarns palettes, whose names I absolutely adore.

Things That Are Making Me Happy

2007-10-14T19:03:00.000-06:00

Theo Chocolate's 3400 Phinney bars. Great wrapper art and fun flavors, like Bread and Chocolate: dark chocolate with buttery, toasted breadcrumbs and salt.

The insanely addictive Peggle.

Fall (the umbrella catagory for sweater weather, the smell of woodsmoke in the air, cups of hot tea and cider, corn mazes, etc.).

New shoes.

My new favorite show, Pushing Daisies. I was pretty sure I was going to like this just from the promo, and I haven't been disappointed. It's from Bryan Fuller, who also created "Dead Like Me" and the short-lived "Wonderfalls" (is there an adjective for less than short-lived? I seriously think it was on twice before the station pulled it. You can find it on dvd now, though.). Very quirky, great visuals, crazy characters...all in all, a fantastic show. And Emerson knits! I just love that.

My little sister was home for a visit this weekend. We didn't really do anything exciting, just went out to coffee and then shopping for new snowboarding gear (for her), but it was still fun.

Three weeks until the trip! I kind of can't believe that. I was starting to feel a little apprehensive about it, because I've never been abroad for more than two weeks, and research was turning up some unpleasant stuff--pickpocket warnings, places where single women shouldn't go alone, etc. But I think that's to be expected in many places. You just have to be smart and read up and prepare yourself. And once I started looking into the places we're going and staying, the excitement ramped right back up again. I mean, how amazing is this? And this? I can't wait.

And finally, Vanessa's having a Halloween giveaway. You just know it's going to be a good one, too!

And the winner is...

2007-10-07T21:53:00.000-06:00

(Figure Five in Gold, by Charles Demuth)

Number 5, Karen Beth!

Thanks to everyone else who commented. I really enjoyed "meeting" other bloggers, etsy-ers, and Eddie Izzard fans--hey, Trina! : ) Hearing little congrats and reassurances from all of you meant a great deal to me, and I had a wonderful time browsing through all your blogs and shops. I also greatly enjoyed the whole giveaway thing, so I think I'll want to do that again in the not-too-distant future...maybe I'll bring back some goodies from my trip? Plus, I have Trina's Pay-It-Forward craft swap to look forward to!

Also, a special thanks to Vanessa, for generally being darling and fantastic, but also for mentioning the giveaway on her blog and sending so many of you my way. V, you're definitely getting that camel now, so give Mr. Lovee fair warning... ; )

Thanks again, everyone!

[Note: I'm housesitting, which is a nice break from the other accomodations, but I only have access to a Mac at the moment, which is somewhat unfamiliar--it's nice and all, but I'm having a tough time maneuvering. A bit of a phantom limb sensation with the right-click button. Anyway, I'll put a few links in to this post once I have a chance and access to a pc.]

Double Happiness

2007-09-29T11:30:00.000-06:00

I'm basically a fairly lazy person. I'd like to be able to claim that it's my artistic temperament, that I'm just dreamy and I live in a world of my own, but the truth is I'm not very ambitious, and I require a lot of what my friends have come to call "sittin' around time." I was very "Type A" in high school, because I thought I had to be, I guess, but I loosened up a lot in college; the schedule and the curriculum were a sort of catalyst, I think. Now the pendulum may have swung a bit in the opposite direction, and I hate having obligations and plans and expectations from other people. Though this sometimes mean I "hermitize" a little bit, I'm okay with that, because I think it's how I function best, at least for this point in my life.

When I first got a full-time job, about a year and a half ago, it was a major adjustment. I'd been working part-time for about three years, since I'd graduated from college, and I admit the move from student to part-time employee wasn't very stressful; I was still moderately impoverished and had a lot of my time to myself. During those part-time years, I applied for a couple of other full-time jobs, and was always somewhat relieved when I didn't get them. So I didn't have health insurance and I occasionally had to ask my parents with a little financial help--I wasn't sure that the security of a 40-hour week and all that went with it was worth the loss of the freedom to do whatever popped into my head.

For the most part, the job has worked out well. I can't complain about the paycheck, the insurance has come in handy, and I feel very, very grown-up with my (tiny) 401K. I missed my free time every once in a while, and after the fire, I had some trouble adjusting to living with my parents again, but I still had my weekends and evenings to myself.

Lately, though--maybe for the past two months or so--it feels like things have been non-stop, coming from every angle. The start of the semester is always hectic at work, I was out sick a week in August, co-workers were absent due to family emergencies, weddings, trip preparations, a sudden need to move all my stuff from someone's garage into a storage unit--it was one thing after another. I don't know that I've been handling it very well, because it's been a little overwhelming. I miss my sittin' around time. And I completely forgot my one-year blogiversary! Which is a happy accomplishment for me, because the part of the impetus for this was a desire to keep up with something for a significant period of time.

Also, despite my wish for more free time, I've actually intentionally added to the craziness; when I was sick in August, I finally got to the dear-lord-I-can't-watch-another-minute-of-daytime-television point, and I decided to open an etsy shop. I am a huge fan of etsy, and had been thinking about a shop for a while, but this came together really quickly; no plan, no concrete ideas, even, I just threw myself into the deep end of the pool. And I've questioned my logic on this, many times. I should have been saving my pennies up for lovely Indian souvenirs, not shelling it out haphazardly on new art and shipping supplies, since so many of my supplies are still packed. The lack of a plan has resulted in a rather eclectic selection of items, too. But at the same time I feel really proud of myself for doing this, for putting myself out there. I'm looking forward to the day when I'm back in my apartment, and I can solidify things a little more. Until then, I'm going to run with the no-plan action, and see where it takes me.

Where this has taken you, though, is here: I think the double celebrations of the shop grand opening and the belated (oops) blogiversary can mean only one thing--a giveaway! I do so love a giveaway. So leave a comment for this post--a hello, business advice, a recommendation on travel in India (just 4 more weeks!!), whatever--and Sunday night (Oct. 7) I'll randomly pick one person to receive a cache of goodies from the shop. Hurrah!

How Addicting is This?

2007-09-17T20:20:00.000-06:00

Blogger Play.

All Rise!

2007-09-11T20:23:00.000-06:00

Where have I been?! Feels like ages since I've even thought about posting, shame on me. The start of the school year always feels like a black hole that sucks up time, though, so I should be used to it.

In addition to explaining the tuition classification about 1200 times at work, I also had jury duty this week. I didn't actually get picked to sit on the jury, but it was a complicated case, and it took forever to finally get 13 people chosen. It was like an incredibly tedious and boring one and a half day vacation from work. Don't get me wrong, I have a fairly well-developed sense of civic duty, but that doesn't make the proceedings any less boring :) You know it's bad when you start looking forward to the judge entering, just so the bailiff will instruct everyone to stand up...and you get a quick break from the ridiculously uncomfortable seating.

But I'm back now, and big things are in the works, so stay tuned!

She looks cute

2007-08-26T21:41:00.000-06:00

But secretly, she's an art thief. And a lush.

Saturday morning we caught Sophie in the hall, bound for the living room, one of my paintbrushes in her mouth. She looked back over her shoulder and it was as if she knew, immediately, that she was busted. She galloped off to the computer room, where she tried to stash the brush under a desk...and where we found a few more of my supplies. Apparently she'd been stockpiling.

Saturday night I was watching tv in the living room after dinner and both the dogs were on the couch with me. The other dog, Bailey, started growling at something in the backyard. I took her outside for no more than a minute, and came back inside to find Sophie, back legs on the couch, front legs on the coffee table, and her nose in my glass of pinot noir. I don't think she actually drank any, though I had to wipe her face off, and I made her drink some water just in case. She was fine, no signs of being tipsy, but still, I was a little worried...until it was clear she was fine, at which point it just became funny.

At least she has good taste.

Ultimately, the curiosity became too great

2007-08-23T21:07:00.000-06:00

These have been displayed by the grocery check out for weeks, and finally today I tossed one in my cart because I had to try it. Not bad, actually. Very banana-y. Followed by a good hour of having "Are You Lonesome Tonight" stuck in my head.

Feeling better

2007-08-21T18:32:00.000-06:00

And practicing for my trip. Ony two and a half more months! Crazy.

I'm reading the Lonely Planet guide to India, and there's a lot of helpful info out in cyberspace, but I'm definitely open to any advice on the best clothes to take, helpful hints on extended travel abroad (I've never gone for more than a couple weeks, and this will be a month), those pesky FAA rules about liquids (cram every three-ounce container of shampoo, conditioner, etc. into one plastic bag? Buy stuff once I get there?), etc., etc., etc. A whole boatload of etceteras, it feels like.

So, if you have any advice or info, please leave a comment...who knows, there might be a souvenir in it for you!

Banished

2007-08-15T18:54:00.000-06:00

I've been sick since Saturday, strep with a viral infection close behind. Delightful. I went in to work today and was told to go back home. Not that I blame my co-workers; if I were them, I probably wouldn't want me around, either. And I had to go get a couple more shots, and I got a jury summons. Fan-tastic.

So I haven't done anything the past few days except sit around and wish for death, then start to worry I might actually be dying, watch a fair amount of daytime tv (lousy), and bask in the warm glow of a few recent purchases. I do love acquiring stuff, after all.

VersaCraft (Fabrico) ink pads and a few other supplies from Blockhead Stamps.

Notecards from Paper Monkey Press (found via Funky Finds. Check here for info on their sale and a special treat from).

Beautiful seam binding/ribbon (and some oh-so-great paper angel wings, not pictured) from One Hundred Wishes (also a Funky Finds find).

Off to find another cough drop.

Hand Sewing for Fun

2007-08-10T12:59:00.000-06:00

Hillary's new patterns are available! Pattern cards are available separately for $5.00 each or as a set of four for $15.00. Buy them here.

And speaking of buying, I have been. A lot. (What else is new?) New Etsy treasures and art supplies to be featured soon. Just doing my part for the economy, right?

Stubborn? Me?

2007-08-04T13:23:00.000-06:00

Vanessa posted about this hilarious "Peculiar Aristocratic Title" generator, which apparently is psychic:

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Milady the Right Reverend Emma the Pertinacious of Grasshopper in the Hole
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Pertinacious, indeed. But what a lovely sounding word. So much better than "stubborn."

Trick or Tragedy

2007-08-02T15:39:00.000-06:00

August 2: My local grocery store has Halloween candy on display.

Sigh.

Like moths to a flame

2007-07-29T19:24:00.000-06:00

Judging from the number of insect bites I'm currently sporting, I can only conclude that I am a Tasty Little Morsel. I don't remember past summers being this bad, but really, the past few weeks have been buggy. I've always had sensitive skin, too, so I react to bug bites like nothing else. In addition to a couple harmless ones, I have one odd-looking one on my upper arm that had me a little worried over the weekend, and I blame webmd. I think the internet must be the worst invention for hypocondriacs ever, because it takes almost no time to convince yourself you have something horrible. In my case, cellulitis. I spent most of Saturday checking my arm every five minutes, waiting for sepsis or thrombophlebitis to set in. Of course by yesterday it appeared much better. Still a little odd-looking this morning, but much improved.

In addition to working myself into a psychosomatic frenzy, I am:

Reading - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, after which I plan to read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, after which, my memory refreshed, I will tackle the final book. I know plenty of people who sped through it as soon as they got their hands on it, but I think the "refreshing" argument is just a blind on my part--I know really I don't want it to come to an end, so I'm putting it off as long as I can bear it.

Loving - these snazzy fabrics I got at Superbuzzy. I don't think there's a specific project in mind for these, though I was originally shopping for fabric for a sewing machine cover, but I imagine something(s) delightful will come out of them.

Anticipating - these shoes from Piperlime, which should have arrived today, but apparently have been delayed...the UPS tracking says "a mechanical failure has caused this delay"--?

Coveting - Glittery Blue's "Am I in Love" necklace, which I found thanks to Modish's July giveaway, and has sold in the time I spent making up my mind to buy it. Sigh.

Watching - McLeod's Daughters, season 2, thanks to Netflix.

Eating - fruit. Lots and lots of fruit. I did a favor for my sister and then make a crack about how I deserved a little tangible appreciation, "like a fruit basket." A few days later:

In addition to fruit and fruit juice and a fruit leather, you'll spot the three-disc set of Tom Jones' songs. My sister, she's a kidder.

Off to find the Benadryl again. Happy Monday!

Etsy Love

2007-07-25T11:52:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been looking through etsy almost daily. Really, I don't know how I didn't get hooked on it sooner, but I held out for a surprisingly long time. No more, though. Recent buys include this wishbone necklace (lovelovelove) from chainchainchained:

"Loquacious Llama" cards for my sister, from time2cre8:

The hilarious "Zombies Love Brains" mug from foldedpigs, a gift for a friend:

And this dpn wallet, for myself, from katiefleck:

Adios, paycheck, hello etsy! But really, I love finding things there. It makes me happy to be supporting artsy people who are selling their wares, and I really like having/gifting unique things that not everyone around me is sporting.

Birthday Girl

2007-07-21T22:07:00.000-06:00

Last week was my birthday. Just think, 26 years ago, I looked like this:

I'm not that big on birthdays in general, not one for big parties or anything, though I do always try to take the day off from work and give myself a treat. I slept in, then got up and fixed myself some of Jenny's blueberry pudding for breakfast (yum). I got a massage, a present from my mom, and then my dad and I went to the movies. I love going to the movies on summer afternoons--I should do it more often.

I wrapped up the day with a fun dinner and cream puffs for dessert; since my mom and sister are out of town, we'll probably save the family celebration with cake and the whole shindig for when we're all together in August.

I made out like a bandit in the gift department, too. In addition to the massage and a couple little gifts, my parents are going to get me a new mattress when I move back into my apartment. Not the flashiest gift, but I know I'm going to love it and obviously get a lot of use out of it. My sister got me an Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa) cookbook, made funnier by the fact that my sister accidentally referred to her as "the bare-breast contessa," which had me rolling with laughter. A couple co-workers treated me to lunch on Friday, and a few friends from college have told me gifts are on the way, which is nice because really, I think stretching out the birthday fun for a week or two is a gift in itself.

But probably the best gift of all is this amazing needle case that one of my friends at work MADE for me.

I wish my photos could do it justice--the craftsmanship is phenomenal. I'd been thinking about finding/making one for myself for a while, so it really is a perfect gift.

So there it is. Another year down, another one to look forward to. The past year hasn't been the best, admittedly, but I have high hopes for the next one.

Giveaway!

2007-07-17T20:52:00.000-06:00

Who doesn't love a giveaway? Right. Nobody. That's awkward phrasing ("nobody doesn't?"), but you get the idea. And here's a great one: Damboise Designs' Girlie Giveaway. I saw it mentioned at Funky Finds, took at look at the etsy shop, and was instantly smitten (I've never met a paper pack I didn't like). Head on over to the Say It With Letters blog for the details (click picture for link).

The Human Pincushion

2007-07-15T19:19:00.000-06:00

Not up to much this weekend except recovering from a round of immunization shots that I had to get for the India trip. Hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, dyptheria, polio, pertussis...I think I'm forgetting one, but really, with that long of a list, who could blame me? And I have to go back in a month for more. More!

So sore arms and a bit of fatigue kept me from feeling very motivated, but I've found a lot of inspiration for when I'm back in shape:

Jess Hutch's dioramas (here and here) have me wanting to break out the construction paper. And if you haven't already seen it, take a look at her wonderful Big! Toy!

I'm completely in love with Vanessa's recent collages--the dresses!

Life With Monkey's sewing machine cover (via CRAFT). I've been meaning to come up with some sort of cover for my machine for a while, because it's a fairly basic model that didn't come with one.

Bookish

2007-07-12T21:10:00.000-06:00

More July self-gifting: Interior Handmade vol. 3. I picked this on a whim based on the cover (it was recommended based on other books I was looking at/have bought), and I completely lucked out--it's great.

Lots of fun projects, separated by type: petit zakka, fabric, light & shade, shelf & box, table & desk, kaden arrange (mostly furniture?), and remake. There's almost no English, but the diagrams look fairly easy to follow. And I love the wide range of projects, from small accent like picture holders and mobiles to larger, more complex pieces like furniture.

This mobile and the cloud one above reminded me of Mollychicken's latest project, which I love. And the shelves below are reminiscent of the library shelves in Oscar's room (scroll down). That is one lucky kid--and Junebaby, too--Hillary has done a great job with both those rooms.

This is only adding to my recent feeling of, I don't know, cabin fever? Of the artistic variety. Work on the house is still stalled, which means that all my stuff, and specifically my art supplies, are still boxed up. I hate to buy things I know I already own, but I have such an itch to get to work on a few projects, I don't think I can bear to wait!

Gertrude Stein had it right

2007-07-10T09:39:00.000-06:00

Despite all my best intentions for fiscal responsibility, I keep finding things that lead me astray. And as I look over my bank account, I can't help thinking of a poster that has long hung in my aunt's house, Anne Hughes' "When you are not rich, you either buy clothes or you buy art" (a quote by Gertrude Stein). I'm not hurting in the clothes department, but it reminds me that I'd rather be surrounded by beautiful things than have a bunch socked away in the bank. Though maybe socking away a little would be smart...next month, I promise.

Anyway, the photo above is of Catherine Campbell's Little Papercuts (photo from the etsy site), which arrived in my mailbox the other day. I like a lot of Catherine's work, but I especially liked these as a set. Still thinking about how to frame/display them. Catherine's blog is here.

Of course, I don't limit my purchases to just art. Other new acquisitions include Amy Karol's Bend-the-Rules Sewing, which I'm really enjoying. Sarah of The Small Object has already made a quilt that I'm loving, and in fact there's a flickr group for projects of the book. Also in the book department, I got Sock and Glove, which is exactly the same, layout-wise, as the Japanese version I already own, but having instructions in English is nice.

Also, I'm completely smitten with the alphabet glasses at Anthropologie. I got the "E" for myself, and now I'm thinking they'd make good gifts. Or that I may just want a few more letters for myself.

And if all that wasn't enough, Vanessa showcased a cache of Art and Ghosts prints that have me scrolling through Lou's gallery (on the left) trying to narrow down the list of prints I want.

Yikes. I should probably exercise more willpower, but of all the months of the year when my rationalization powers are at their best, July is it, because I have the best possible excuse: it's almost my birthday, so I should treat myself. Hurrah for birthdays!

What do you know?

2007-06-26T15:19:00.000-06:00

Okay, so it takes some time--however long it takes you to get through 130 questions--but I found Newsweek's Global IQ Quiz pretty darn fascinating, though some questions are a little random. I got 48%, which is in the range that most people seem to fall into. Not too shabby. The quiz stems from this article.

Lufty (Lucky + Crafty)

2007-06-24T21:42:00.000-06:00

Well, I thought that sounded better than "cracky."

I haven't been up to much in the way of crafting lately. A few half-hearted things here and there, more work on the everlasting baby blanket (I swear it feels like something's unraveling my work at night. It never seems like I'm making much progress, no matter how much I knit.). But I recently got the Crafter's Companion, and it's given me a new wave of inspiration.

The book is set up with sections on seventeen crafters. Each one discusses why the crafter creates, their inspiration, and their workspace, followed by a project. All the project patterns and instructions are then listed together in the back of the book.

I really love what I've read so far. There are some people who are new to me and a few who are familiar. Best of all are several people whose blogs I've been following for a while; Amy Karol, Hillary Lang, Lyn Roberts, Mariko Fujinaka, Sarah Neuberger, and Tania Howells. I like almost all the projects, and just thinking about them got me in the mood to finally finish up something in progress for months:

Based on Hillary's "Kitty, Bunny & Bear" pattern (available here), I started this in February for a friend's birthday. I wanted to make the clothes separate, though I don't know why, since I have no experience with that kind of thing, so I altered the original pattern to be a bear body without the "built-in" dress. I got only that far before the fire and the big move, and I set this aside and forgot about it. The bear was actually on the couch--I was working on it at the time of the fire--and got "rained" on pretty good, what with all the smoky water coming through my ceiling. At first I thought it was ruined. But luckily (!) it cleaned up just fine, and didn't even smell like smoke after a few days.

So I'd done a few stitches here and there, added buttons and worked on the first version of the dress (which was a disaster. Really. Hideous.), but hadn't concentrated much on getting it done. So yesterday I scrapped the first dress and made up a new pattern for the second version. I winged a closure in the back, which I of course forgot to photograph before I wrapped it; luckily (again!) managed to spontaneously come up with a tab/snap closure that was a flat-out miracle. Probably couldn't duplicate it if I tried. I don't know where the original pattern's packed, but I remembered, more or less, how to do the shoes, and then it was just a matter of a few more finishing touches. I'm a little unsure about the color choices--I went with what I had available at the moment because I didn't want to wait to get it done. But it's basically what I was aiming for, and I'm happy to have it done and on its' way to the intended recipient. Plus, finishing it clears up the queue to start on something from the book! Now it's just a matter of deciding what to start first...

The Good, the Bad, and the Canvas

2007-06-21T19:03:00.000-06:00

The good:

It's almost Friday! Which means it's almost the weekend, which I'm ready for since this week feels like it's already been about twelve days long.
I'm treating myself to a manicure tomorrow. I've always been a biter--when I was nervous or stressed or even just watching suspenseful movies, without even meaning to--so my nails have typically looked pretty lousy. It always bothered me, but nothing I tried helped me quit. And then a few months ago, I made myself a promise to try again. And I'm not sure what it was, but it seems to have stuck. I've got ten even, nice-looking nails. It feels like a very small miracle. So I'm splurging tomorrow at the salon, yay!
I found a great birthday gift for a friend at Uncommon Goods: these soup and sandwich plates. Perfect!

The bad:

Did I mention this week's felt ridiculously long?
Work has been crazy lately, not just busy but strange. A whole series of little oddities, like spending a whole afternoon working on a project, feeling really good about it, and then finding out there was absolutely no reason for it to have been done. Sigh.
Work on the house is still stalled (though it should be starting up soon). At this point I've completely given up trying to estimate when I might be able to move back in.
Fire season in Colorado has begun. Lightening from an electrical storm this weekend started several fires, so it's been pretty hot and hazy, but fortunately things look like they're under control now. Still, the open fire ban is on, which frequently means no fireworks on Independence Day. It's better to be safe, but it's still a bummer.

The canvas:

My canvas print from Vanessa arrived! I didn't snatch up this original painting when I had the chance, so I was thrilled when I saw she had prints available. And the canvas print looks great. She has a many more prints (and other goodies) available in her etsy shop. And V, I'm still keeping an eye on the "jewels" section, by the way...

Bend the Rules

2007-06-18T11:44:00.000-06:00

It's almost here! Angry Chicken Amy's book is available tomorrow. I've been looking forward to this one for a while.

And speaking of books, this post at Mollychicken has me combing through Yes Asia's craft section again. And Super Eggplant mentioned an English version of one of my favorite Japanese books is in the works. Really, is there ever a month when I don't spend my extra money on books?

Fair-ly Fantastic

2007-06-17T11:40:00.000-06:00

This weekend, many lucky people (including lots of people I like) are off to the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn. Not me, unfortunately. But Colorado's not without a few fun events. This weekend was the 110th Strawberry Days Festival.

I remember Strawberry Days from when I was little, and it used to be much more of a local event. I was in the parade several times, and we always used to go check out the booths and listen to music. It's grown in the past few years to the point where many locals avoid it altogether, because it's so crowded. And a good portion of the crowd frequents the beer garden, or the bars in town when the fair closes for the night, which keeps local law enforcement pretty busy. I don't think I went to any of the events the past few years, except maybe the carnival for the annual Tilt-A-Whirl ride with my sister. As rides go, the Tilt-A-Whirl's really fairly tame, though we went twice this year and the second go was the most intese Tilt-A-Whirl ride of my life. We spun at full, uh, tilt (haha) for a solid 6 minutes. I actually felt sort of ill afterward. But it was a pretty great time. A friend and I caught part of the parade, looked at the booths, and sampled the lemonade and funnel cakes (for quality control, of course. Just doing our part.).

Maybe my favorite thing was a performance by The Handsome Little Devils: Mike the Handsome (above), Devil Dan, the Lovely Little Lolo, and Baron Vegan von Hamburger. They were thoroughly entertaining (and fantastically costumed). I wish I had pictures, but I had forgotten my camera. They don't seem to have a website, so I couldn't find a schedule of performances, but googling did bring up busker festivals and state fairs they've performed at before. Should any events like that happen near you, I encourage you to keep an eye out for them; it's not every day you get to see someone juggle an egg, a bowling ball, and a running chainsaw all at once (I almost couldn't watch. Almost.).

Sweet Heart

2007-06-13T21:48:00.000-06:00

I've always had a thing about hearts (mostly the anatomical kind). One of my favorite finds is an old copies of Grey's Anatomy I found in my local used bookstore, which has great illustrations. So a few days ago, Vanessa included a heart image in one of her posts that I noticed immediately. I mentioned it an email to her (I was curious if it was a postcard), and what arrived in my mail just days later? El Corazon!

It is a postcard! Vanessa, you are too sweet. It was such a great surprise, and there's really nothing I love more than getting mail. I've added it to my postcard collection.

The Magic Color?

2007-06-06T22:07:00.000-06:00

What's up with all the magic pink stuff lately? Today Not Martha mentioned Glidden ceiling paint that goes on pink but dries white, so it's easier to see where you've painted and get an even coat, and that reminded me of a few other similar things. Epil-Stop has made an "afterwash" to use after depilatories that turns pink where chemicals remain so you can be sure to rinse off any residue. And Smashbox makes O-Glow, a clear gel blush that turns pink, matching the color you blush naturally. Which reminds me, though it's not pink*, of Almay's Smart Shade foundation, which is also colorless and purportedly changes color to match your natural shade.

Ah, technology.

*Unless...what happens if you're sunburned?

Links

2007-05-31T14:19:00.000-06:00

For watching.

For eating.

For wanting.

And for reading:

I got a subscription to Adorn on a whim--I can't remember exactly why, but there's an article by Marie Kare (of The Sampler) and also an article on the delightful Sarah Neuberger (of The Small Object), so I suspect I saw it mentioned by one of them. It's a pretty varied mix of crafts. there's a section about craft books that I enjoyed, and I liked this how-to about dip-dying:

Also, I especially liked the "Sewing Lesson," which showed a bag pattern (New Look tote # 5674) taken on by four crafters--lots of variety:

The article included a section on "pattern sewing tips and tricks," which I thought was really helpful. Probably unnecessary for anyone with some sewing experience, but definitely a plus for me.

I got the first issue several weeks ago, but I'd barely gotten the photos taken (so lazy! I think the summer weather slows me down) when my next issue arrived, so now I'm off to take a look at it. I've already noticed something about aprons and a mention of Angry Chicken Amy. So it's mentioning a lot of crafty people I like, and it's pretty reasonable, price-wise.

Long Weekend

2007-05-29T14:37:00.000-06:00

So, so long. Family-obligations long. Sharing-a-bathroom-with-my-sister long. Up-early-every-morning long. Agreed-to-type-a-term-paper-for-a-friend long. No-wine-with-a-book-and-my-lawn-chair long.

Fortunately, there were some fun things mixed in, and my sister brought me my iPod. I bought it almost a month and a half ago, I think, and had it sent to her so she could put some music on it. It's an eclectic mix, to say the least. An sample of the artists:

Not to mention the playlists: "Yum-O! (Songs to Cook By)," "Saddle Up, Partner," "Soft Rock Showdown?" But it's crazy in a good way. And since my cds will be packed up for another few months at least, it's especially nice to have some variety--nothing against Lily Allen or Mike Doughty, but they were both starting to wear a little thin after the 700th listen.

In more current news, today we got the puppies, and oh, man, are we in for some fun this summer. The three-dog utopia lasted approximately 22 minutes, until Harvey peed on the living room carpet. It's a good thing they're cute.

Wee memory

2007-05-23T19:08:00.000-06:00

I saw this photo on Flickr (actually, saw it linked on Hillary's site, since it's based on one of her patterns), and it totally brought back memories of this book:

A childhood favorite. It's so funny, hadn't thought of it in years, but it came to me right away when I saw the Flickr photo. I wonder if it's still around somewhere... Anyway, I thought the Wee Daruma was a great example of taking a pattern and expanding on it. I'm not much of a seamstress, but I have one of Hillary's Put Together books (Kitty, Bunny & Bear), and she's great at explaining the steps. It's fun to browse through the her pattern galleries, too, and see what others have done.

Stick It To Me

2007-05-20T20:28:00.000-06:00

Vanessa very nicely asked about the stickers I sent her as part of her swap, and I thought I might go into it a bit here because it's something I've just started to get interested in.

For Vanessa's stickers I used a 1 inch circular punch, and cut circles from catalogs that had patterns I liked (a lot of Anthropologie there). Then I fed the circles through a Xyron Create-A-Sticker. I have the 150 model, which I think I got for under $10 at Target. It's the most basic model, and it's very easy to use: you just feed your paper through the machine, which sandwiches it between the sticker backing and a top plastic sheet. You pull both layers out and then rub the top sheet to remove any adhesive from around the sticker. Then pull off and discard the top plastic and excess adhesive, and the sticker is left on the backing paper.

It's really so simple I feel guilty claiming it as a craft, although I've been thinking more and more about hand-drawn stickers. You're not limited in the shape of the sticker, or in paper type. The 150 is fairly small, so the sticker width can't be more than an inch and a half, but as you can see from their website, Xyron has several models of various sizes. They also have replacement cartridges for both permanent and repositionable stickers. And they make laminating and printing accessories as well. Lots of possibilities!

And Harvey Makes Three

2007-05-18T16:34:00.001-06:00

The couple whose dogs had the litter from which we're getting a puppy had to go out of town last weekend, so we took care of the pups for a few days. It's so funny how different their personalities already are even at just a few weeks old. For instance, the explorer:

And this is our Sophie:

She's the only girl, and three of the boys were already spoken for. Only one left! So, um...

We're getting him too, now:

Harvey. Like anyone could resist. That photo of him kills me. So we'll have two puppies plus the dog my parents already have. Harvey will actually be my sister's dog (she's the one who picked the name, I lobbied for Nigel), but we're keeping him for the summer since she's got a pretty intensive internship. Or so she claims. I personally suspect she's letting us take care of training him so she can have a house-ready dog come fall : )

Coming soon: more crafty stuff, a surprise yarn stash, and some sticker info for Vanessa (sorry not to get back to you about that sooner!).

Treasure Trove

2007-05-09T21:52:00.000-06:00

Lots of fun acquisitions lately. Among them:

These earrings from Brooke Medlin arrived a few weeks ago. And now there are, surprise! more earrings from Brooke on their way to me.

Little Paper Piles from One Good Bumblebee. I got them at Fred Flare, but there are lots of fun items at the Bumblebee site, too.

Jen Corace's "Paper Boats" letterpress print (and t-shirt!) from tiny showcase. I find myself loving everything Jen does--I have more of her work than any other single artist, and can't wait to get my hands on more. She just recently started a blog, by the way.

And finally, a lovely Trader Joe's tote from Vanessa as part of her swap! The package I sent her hasn't arrived yet, but I can give you a sneak peek:

She's gotten lots of great things--it's making me want to do a swap of my own!

Curry, anyone?

2007-05-06T14:21:00.000-06:00

I have the most amazing, wonderful news: I'm going to India. For a month.

I can't stop saying that. India! For a month! An opportunity came up to go in November with a group led by a couple I know who have traveled extensively. My parents asked me if I'd like to go, and when I said I couldn't afford it, my incredible, incredible mom and dad said for this kind of once-in-a-lifetime trip, they'd help me. In fact, my dad's planning on going, too. It's 29 days, from Delhi to Varanasi to Mumbai and lots of places in between. We'll be there for Diwali, and the Camel Festival in Pushkar, and--am I gushing? I can't help it. I'm so amazed and excited. I've already ordered a copy of the Lonely Planet guide, and I'm thinking about what to take. I need to slow down and remember I've got months to plan. But, the food! The sights! All those things I saw slides of in my Asian art class in college! And, oh, all the souvenirs I'm going to bring home.

I'm going to go read the itinerary for about the forty-eighth time.

Big Bad Weekend

2007-04-20T20:44:00.000-06:00

Not up to much lately; little bit of work, little bit of knitting, little bit of shopping. Looking forward to a quiet weekend with a few walks and hopefully some nice weather. I'm hoping to take the knitting outside if it's warm enough. But one of my friends is planning on hitting Copper Mountain on Sunday for one final day of snowboarding, so apparently it's still cold somewhere. I just hope it's not here.

It's nice to be knitting again. This started as the Big Bad Baby Blanket from Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'N Bitch, but I decided to skip the knit/purl pattern in the center and go with a plain stockinette stitch with the seed stitch border. I'm just not in the mood to concentrate even that much. The yarn is Berroco Pure Merino Heather in color #8616, a bit more of a teal than my lousy photography shows. I'm not sure if that's a good yarn for a baby blanket or not, but I saw it, I liked it, and I happened to have walked into my lys during a fiber arts "happy hour" (okay, an open house) where everything was 10% off, so into my bag it went.

A few fun links for the weekend:

Clever Emily once again endangers my pocketbook by clueing me in on the new Cram Cream tapes at Reprodepot. I think it's impossible to buy just one...and I should know, because I think I bought nine.
Sarah's great kids tees are soon to be available from Art Star, but if you're somewhat larger than a toddler, don't fret! She's planning on some adult sizes soon with her One Time A Month T-Shirt Sale. Yippee!
Despite four years of high school French and another year in college, my skills are not so great. But I don't need a translator to appreciate Tea-Time (and if there's something I want to know, there's always Altavista Babelfish).

Crafting for a Cause

2007-04-19T11:56:00.000-06:00

After a week of such horrible news, it's incredibly heartening to me to read about the Wonderland Retreat shop at etsy. Crafter Alison Gordon (of WonderlandQ) recently had a medical emergency, and like many artists, she does not have health insurance. To help with her medical costs, the Wonderland Retreat shop was set up by crafter Renee Garner. All proceeds go to Alison and her medical bills. Having worked part-time for several years after college, I know how much of an impact not having insurance can make, and I think it's wonderful to see a community come together to help one of their own. The shop is also accepting donations, so if you're interested in contributing, contact Renee at wonderlandretreat@gmail.com.

Puppy Love

2007-04-15T21:48:00.000-06:00

Almost two weeks old...just six more weeks and she'll come live with us! Well, with my parents, anyhow. We're debating over names now; my sister's lobbying for Princess Leia Luckybuttons, but I think we all know how much of a chance that stands...

Hello, Friday!

2007-04-13T11:37:00.000-06:00

I am absolutely in awe of Miwa Koizumi's PET Project. She forms sea creatures out of plastic bottles using cutting tools, heat guns, and soldering irons. The one above is my favorite, though I love the jellyfish, too. Link via CRAFT.

Also, look what Emily's up to! I always like to see what she's wearing when she has photos of herself on her blog, so I think it's great that she's made a place devoted to just that. Although usually those photos inspire some pretty severe longing...after this, for instance, I had to find one of those necklaces for myself, so checking out the blog could be an exercise in willpower...

Other recent finds include Divine Papers (via Funky Finds, which is an exercise in willpower itself!), and PaPaYa! /the shop at Anahata Art, which Vanessa mentioned in a recent post. Not surprisingly, a grab bag and a few other goodies are now headed my way, including a nicho like this:

Now it's back to work, getting ready for registration for summer classes, which begins on Monday. I really love summer at work--fewer classes, which means fewer people, plus a lot of flexibility with the scheduling (i.e., if it's slow and the weather's nice, I can take time off). It's slowish today, too, but a little strange; every once in a while we have a slew of weird events/people/problems, and it always seems to occur on a Friday. Today, though, I think we can chalk it up to this.

Walk It Off

2007-04-10T21:59:00.000-06:00

Yay me! That's 3.64 miles today.

My Life in Boxes

2007-03-26T20:28:00.000-06:00

The work on the house continues. After a couple weeks of being told I couldn't take anything out, I got a Sunday night call that the renovation crew would be showing up the next morning. Nine days of packing, thirty-eight 18-gallon Rubbermaid containers, and two garages later, all my belongings were packed up and moved. It's been tough to mentally adjust--I keep having moments were I think, "Oh, I'll just go grab (fill in the blank with something I own)," and then I realize that, yes, I own it, but no, I don't know which bin/box it's in.

We had some disappointing news last week, too; there's asbestos in the house. Not a lot, but enough that it needs to be taken out, which means three more weeks to find a removal crew, get a permit, and then do the actual work. The restoration work will continue after that. It's sometimes difficult being a tenant and not always knowing what's going on, but there's a part of me that feels pretty fortunate to not have to deal with all the little details and the day-to-day work. I just keep reminding myself, the finished product is going to be worth all the waiting, because my wonderful landlords are, of course, replacing the ceiling tiles and carpet, which were damaged, but they're also getting me a new fridge, stove, and kitchen cabinets. There may even be a washer and dryer in my future. It seems silly to be excited over appliances, but it really is something to look forward to.

I haven't been doing much crafting in the meantime. Aside from the fact that so many of my supplies are packed up, I just can't seem to get my head into it. I thought knitting would actually be a very calming activity, but my concentration level is almost non-existent. So instead I've been indulging in some art from other folks. I bought Jen Corace's beautiful letterpress prints, this hilarious Kozyndan poster, and Kim Beury's Tiny Showcase print, all of which I love. Once I have walls of my own again, they're going to look wonderful!

Unexpected

2007-02-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

The strangest thing, I think, about a life-changing experience is that the whole day, right up to the very last few seconds before it happens, there may be no indication that anything unexpected is in the works.

Last Thursday I was home sick from work. I'd gone in to my office in the morning, since I was the first person scheduled to open up the building, but after reinforcements arrived, I bailed. And it's not as if I was deathly ill--I just felt lousy and I had some sick leave and figured I could use it to shore up my defenses, as it were. So I spent the morning on the couch, watching tv and reading, and by a little after 3pm I was watching the Food Network and somewhat absently sewing a dress for a stuffed bear I made for a friend's birthday. My hair was loose and sort of bothering me, so I got up to get a hair tie from the bathroom. And I cannot get over that, I keep replaying it in my mind, because if I hadn't, I might not even be typing this. Because I did, I smelled the smoke from the electrical fire that had started upstairs in my landlords' kitchen.

At first I almost thought I was imagining the smell of smoke, and I called upstairs; my landlords and I have a bit of a tradition that way (probably because I burn so many meals), and if they smell something burning, one of them might call me just to check that everything's okay. I left a message since no one was home, and then went outside to see if the mail had arrived. And even now I'm not sure what made me check upstairs, but I have access to a key to their back door, and as soon as opened the door I was met by a terrifying amount of black smoke. I ran back downstairs and grabbed my phone to call 911.

Emergency crews arrived very quickly, and I stood crying, watching from across the street as they went inside. My biggest concern was that my landlords' two border collies were inside; I'd called for them at one point from the back door, but I didn't see or hear them. And my mind was a blank as far as phone numbers and important info. I had to call my mom on her cell phone, the only number I could remember, and tell her to call my landlords at work. Everything after that was a blur. But we were lucky--everyone is safe, the dogs were rescued (suffering from smoke inhalation and trauma but basically okay), and anything that was lost can hopefully be replaced. My landlords' part of the house was damaged a great deal, but mine less so--water damage and smoke only. I've moved in my with parents for a while and I'm lucky they're so close. Lucky too that I live in a great community with wonderful friends who were all quick to offer their help.

I'm doing well. I'm feeling better and I'm cautiously optimistic at this point. I know this means a few months of upheaveal, and that I'll have some low points. This afternoon my dad burned some toast and I started crying without even meaning to. But I'm going to be okay. And it could have been so much worse. I know I'm lucky and I'm going to try and remind myself of that every day.

Valentine's Day...Classified

2007-02-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Lots of things about today were pretty great. Not everything (three hour mind-suckingly boring staff meeting at work, I'm talking about you), but on the whole, this may have been my best Valentine's Day ever.

One highlight is probably fairly common (in the world of journalism), but I don't think I've ever paid much attention to it before: the annual "Valentine Love Notes" section in the classifieds of my local paper. I started reading them on my lunch hour almost by accident--I don't always check out the paper--and found them enthralling. They included:

A lot of horrific grammar.
A lot of painfully saccharine pet names (Schmoopie? Really?).
One reference to someone's "beans and weenie" that I'm fairly sure was naughty. Really naughty.
One message to "Mr. Merlot" from "Mrs. Chardonnay."
A message to "Oly" from "Your biker girl in training, Em."
One acceptance of a marriage proposal.
Two messages that I think may have been from the same girl...to two different boys. "Matthew" and "Steven baby", I think you may want to have a serious talk with "Rebecca."
One message with the following: "58 wants a date, with anyone with tickets to Tony Bennett."
And two messages that made me a little bit sniffly: "To the Greatest Teacher at RM Elementary, Have a Happy Valentine's Day Ms. Pierce! Love, Your 3rd Grade Class!!" and "In memorey of Jack, my forever valentine. Gone 13 years, never forgotten. --Betty"

I have my issues with commercialization and all the other arguments against Valentine's Day, but when it comes right down to it, any day that encourages love is a pretty great thing.

This was another fun thing today, given to me by a student--a red fortune cookie. I suppose it's sort of gimmicky, but I kind of liked it.

And finally, the best thing about today: the Craft magazine "Recycle your Heart" winners were announced, and I'm among them! I'm sort of amazed, and thrilled--I don't think I've stopped smiling since I found out.

Say That You Love Me

2007-02-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

I briefly mentioned the Craft Magazine Recycle Your Heart Contest in my post on Wednesday, but even then I didn't really have any intention of entering. It's been busy at work, so I've been feeling pretty wiped out when I get home, and the deadline was fast approaching, etc., etc. The same excuses that keep me from doing a lot of things, I suppose. But Wednesday night I was cleaning up a shelf in my studio (well, living room) and found the booklet that came with a Klutz tin-decorating kit I got as a gift a few years ago. The kit came with several metal tins of different shapes and sizes, and had stickers and jewels and googly eyes with which to decorate the tins. And suddenly, looking at that booklet, there it was: the germ of an Idea.

I have always loved tins and little boxes. Even though I'm not very organized, the idea of organization, containers, all that stuff appeals to me in a big way. Sometimes I just like browsing through The Container Store's storage items. And I do actually have a collection of small, decorative heart-shaped boxes, started by my mom (which always makes me think--just how many people out there who have collections of items have them because other people just started giving them stuff? It doesn't take much. You just have to be a little, say, overly-politely-enthusiastic about that ceramic giraffe figurine your cousin got you for Christmas, and before you know it, your whole family is giving you giraffe-themed items. And I've got no problem with giraffes. I'm just saying, you suddenly have a growing collection. Whether you like it or not.). But the heart-shaped boxes are cool by me, and I'm digressing.

The Klutz kit was fun, and finding the book got me thinking about tins as a possible Valentine's gift. The original tins from the kit are long gone, but I had a lightbulb moment: I do have tins. Bunches of them, actually. Because I like Altoids. And I've used mint tins for storing things before (needles, buttons, etc.), but I'd never really altered them. And I felt like such a dolt, right then--how had I never thought of this before?

So I decided I'd give it a shot. I found an old Altoids tin, collected a few items from the recycle bin and my craft table, put on Lily Allen's Alright, Still, and by approximately 1am last night, I had this:

And I love it. It's sort of rough, I guess--looking back over it today I saw a few things I'd do differently--but it's more or less what I was thinking about when I started it. I initially considered decoupaging the cover, but decided I wanted the metal to show, so I sanded the paint off. That was time-consuming, but I really like the finished look, with just a little of the gold on the bottom half still showing. I love the fortune and the whole concept of the message inside via the cassette tape, too. The hearts on the inside of the lid are what I find to be a little clumsy, because I don't think they really stand out. Maybe I should have gone with just one. They're cut out of a Coke can, though, which I think is sort of fun. I especially like the heart on the bottom right, because it's cut from the "please recycle" notice on the can. (Impossible to tell from the photo.)

Mostly, though, I'm just incredibly pleased with myself for getting it done and submitting it. And I'm excited at the possibilities: collage, paint, little figurines inside... I'm sure this is old news to a lot of people, but since it's new to me, I'm bubbling over with ideas. Which makes me extra-happy that it's the weekend, and I have nothing to do but whatever I want to do. I forsee a lot of minty-fresh breath in my future.

Grey Day

2007-02-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

It's been typical February here today--cold and grey and sort of mucky. It also felt like it was already 3pm by about 10:30am. I wish I could be experiencing a pleasanter sort of winter, something like, say, the Sapporo Snow Festival. Although according to msnbc.com it hasn't really been nice there either--rain and snow have been causing some problems with the sculptures. Here's a link to the article, which has a slide show link on the right side of the page--fun to look at if you have a few minutes.

On a different (though not new) topic, I don't know if the universe is placing things in my way, or if maybe I'm just noticing more now that I've had them on the brain, but it seems everywhere I turn I'm bumping into more book-related things.

I'd been looking at Phillip Pullman's Sally Lockhart trilogy on Amazon last week (more hazy childhood memories there) and then what should I see on PBS the other night but the BBC film version of the first book, The Ruby in the Smoke. Of course I happened upon it after it had already begun, and I'm sort of picky about watching things from the beginning, but I assume that it will be on Netflix eventually. And the BBC site says the next in the series will be aired this year, so I guess they're filming all of them.

Also, Tania had a post the other day about the Flower Fairies books, which I remember poring over as a kid. Actually, I just remember having one book that had most of the fairies in it--maybe an earlier edition of something like this.

Oddly enough, I don't really remember being quite so lost in my own little world as a kid, but looking back over this past week...No Flying in the House, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Flower Fairies, The Ordinary Princess, the time-traveling book I can't really remember? I seem to have been a pretty big fan of the magic stuff.

I Love Loveland

2007-02-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

Because their Valentine Re-mailing Program is so nifty. Each year, you can send your Valentine's Day cards to the Loveland Post Office, where volunteers hand-cancel them with a Loveland stamp and then send them on to the recipient. According to the Loveland Chamber of Commerce, more than 200,000 cards are re-mailed each year from all 50 states and more than 110 countries.

I usually pile all of mine in a big envelope and send them directly to the Loveland postmaster, but if you live in Colorado, there are frequently bins at grocery stores and post offices where you can drop off cards and they'll take care of getting them to Loveland. The deadline's almost here (Feb. 9 for out-of-state-cards, Feb. 12 for in-state), but if you're interested, you can send cards to:

Postmaster
Attention: Valentines
Loveland, CO 80538-9998

And speaking of Valentines, I love the idea of the Craft magazine Recycled Valentine Contest.

Bookish

2007-02-04T23:03:00.000-07:00

The book nostalgia I had a few weeks ago has stuck with me. Thinking about one book led to to thinking about another, and another, and so on. I suspect most of the originals are probably long gone now, which I find sort of sad, so I looked for a few at Amazon. Thanks to the 4-for-3 deal, I once again have some of my favorites.

No Flying in the House! Oh, how I tried and tried to kiss my elbows when I first read that book.

I searched through the shelves at my parents' house, too, and found my copy of Seven Day Magic, which technically isn't my copy, according to the stamp on the inside cover that says "PUBLIC SCHOOLS". Oops.

Such a lovely cover. I'm looking forward to rereading all of them, though there's one that I remember only vaguely and had no luck finding. I have no idea, no hint even as to what the title is. It was about a girl who could, um, travel through time, maybe? Or something of that nature. And she became friends with a boy who was an artist, and she described the place she went to to him and he drew it, I think. Her parents were sort of liberal, and they lived in a great, funky house, and they (possibly?) had a print of Da Vinci's Virgin on the Rocks in their living room. I know, that's so incredibly random it almost doesn't count--isn't it weird what little bits and pieces you can remember? But I have this feeling that my twelve (or so) year old self loved, loved that book. And I almost can't decide if I want to keep searching my muddled memories to try and find out what it was, or if I should be content with what I can recall, because there's every possibility that I'd read it as an adult and find it horrible, which I would sort of hate.

Library Treasures

2007-01-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I had a strange moment of literary nostalgia; for completely inexplicable reasons, I suddenly got a memory of a book I read when I was eleven or twelve. That, combined with the stash of stuff I later took from my parents' house, got me thinking about books I read when I was younger, and I was inspired to talk a walk to the library to try and find a few. I was already planning a trip for some craft books, so I headed out in the cold this afternoon. I'd procrastinated too long, though, and got there just before they closed. I grabbed a couple books from the arts section, looked to see if they had Betty Brock's No Flying in the House (they didn't), and then had to leave, so I'll have to plan another trip sometime soon.

I was in such a hurry that I grabbed the first few books that looked promising. I was worried they might be a mixed bag, but after a more in-depth look through them tonight, it seems like I chose well.

Carter Houck's The Quilt Encyclopedia Illustrated (1991) isn't quite what I was looking for--there aren't any specifics about techniques--but it's fascinating nonetheless. A lot of interesting historical information and inspiration--the photos are great. My favorite is this quilt from the collection of the Museum of American Folk Art--is it just me, or do those kittens look sort of evil? I think it's the eyebrows--hilarious.

The second book proved to be more similar to what I had in mind. The Complete Book of Needlecraft by Exeter Books (various authors and editors, 1983) covers several topics and includes a few patterns. It's separated into six main topics: dressmaking, toys, home sewing, embroidery, knitting and crochet.

The photos are my favorite part, like this double-page spread:

Cushions, bags, doilies, hot pads, rugs...apparently no home is complete without myriad crocheted items. And the vegetables in the photo are real, but in case you had the inclination...

You can crochet a whole garden, along with a few critters. That hedgehog kills me. But my favorite project (so far) is this knit children's landscape rug--amazing.

And then there are the photos that amaze me for other reasons altogether:

Ah, the 80s. When women could sew their own bikinis, and burly men happily wore short shorts.

And speaking of photos from the 80s, here's one of my favorite pics from the cache we found at my parents' the other day:

Mom & Me, 1982