mlesnapshot

Details

2011-10-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

The light catching on a spiderweb both thrills and terrifies me. Perfect for October. It's the details of life that I fall for. Which is exactly why I've gotten completely wrapped up in my new obsession, Pinterest.

Last year for a project at school I did leaf cutting, much like what you do with paper cutting but with my fingernails. On Pinterest, I've been further inspired this year by some beautiful paper parts from an alphabet book cut to a lovely Elsa Mora papercut to a revival of quilling. Check out more beautiful paper art that I've pinned here at I ♥ Paper. Also, join up and friend me, I'd love to follow your boards.

Also, I'm trying out a new layout. Part love, part hate. What do you think?

Abundance

2011-08-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

flower arrangements I helped with at my brother's wedding

It's a human tendency to focus on what we are lacking. To see only what we don't have or don't have enough of. But, if that's the focus of our energy and time, what a very sad life! To always be looking at what is missing. This summer has been a lesson in overflow for me. Just a few weeks ago, we had an overflow weddings, as my brother and Ryan's brother both got married. Those weddings brought travel and reunions with family from every corner of the United States, resulting in an abundance of smiles and hugs and well-wishes.

My sister-in-law ordered piles of beautiful wildflowers and herbs to fill various gathered jars.

There's so much sunlight each day, reaching into the late hours and bursting in again early each morning. Summer, in all it's opulence is easy to take for granted.

Blueberry season!

Strawberries picked on Memorial day

In the every day, I've seen abundance. I've been to Larriland Farms to pick fruit several times a month, leaving each time with a box full of raspberries or strawberries, a bag full of blueberries, apples, and peaches. As a result, I've taken this bounty and frozen much of it, shared some, and now canned some for the first time.

Raspberries picked on a beautiful fourth of July morning

Raspberry Jam--My first homemade jam!

If you've ever looked into making jam and canning it before, you will understand that it took me two months to get up the nerve to finally give it a go. The instructions are long and laborious. That's just the reading part. There's so many pieces involved! But, I'm now hooked! I found a great book, Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry. It's filled with lovely recipes, very clear and understandable instructions. Plus it's beautifully designed.

Peach season is here!

I'm going back for more peaches to make peach jam this time. It's so good to be planted here amongst so much, to see the abundance of summer, and then squirrel away some of it in cans and the freezer that can be cherished in the middle of winter to remind us of these long summer days, full of sun.

Being Present

2011-07-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

Oh my, what a long time it's been! In the time I've been away much has occurred, some joyful moments, others full of sadness. But this life, it's made up of these moments and every day, I try to move forward to greet the day as a new beginning. Not to forget what's come before, but to fully embrace today. This is easier said than done at times. Sometimes we still have to face the mess we left yesterday, but in the light of day, messes seem smaller, even if just a little bit.

July is the start of a new year, in some ways. It's the beginning of the second half of 2011. Or, maybe it's just the recurrence of fireworks. We saw a beautiful display just down the road from our house. We carried our lawn chairs down to the pier in front of the Frederick Douglass Maritime Museum. It was a beautiful night, a little rain, a little ash from the fireworks and a great deal of wonder.

As the blasts of the fireworks burst and reverberated off of the buildings behind us, I thought of our country, our world, our city, and our lives. It is amazing when you begin to think of the freedom that we have and the freedom that we take for granted and don't fully embrace, the opportunities that pass us by because we are too busy or too tired. It's a new day! A new time. Embrace every moment. Be present. I will be back with more pictures and inspiration. Love to you all!

Creativity

2011-02-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

A collaborative book made with my classmate as a response to Wallace Steven's 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird. Composed of a cracked glass front, wooden, painted sides and a scrolled pages.

Since I seem to be making monthly posts instead of daily or even weekly ones, I hope this finds you well this February. Last fall I was taking an amazing class called creative ways of seeing. It's the starting class for our program and I was so excited about it. At the end of the semester our professor said that the realization of what we've discovered about ourselves in the process of the class will continue beyond december. That we may not yet fully understand what we've learned about Creativity and ourselves.

My ongoing continuous knitting project: a short-sleeved cardigan

This kind of baffled me, but over the past few months I've realized a small truth about what she said, in that my writing, my drawing, my crafting, even my knitting are all a part of my creativity and they are not separate. I've always imagined that each of my interests and hobbies have their own mental box in my filing cabinet brain.. But, I can't believe I didnt realize this before, they are interconnected and speak to each other. Have you found this to be true in your own different ways of being creative?

January Cheer

2011-01-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

On these dark, gray days of January, I need to find little spots of brightness, which is exactly what I found today at Patisserie Poupon on my way home from work.

For years I've seen beautiful images of macarons on blogs or books and thought, sure they are beautiful, but that was about as far as that thought went. I happened to snag one at a holiday party last month and standing beside the buffet, people milling all around me, I bit tentatively, time slowed down and the lights sparkled and I stared at the small cookie between two fingers; what is this delicious thing?

I do have a touch of the melodramatic, but really, I wasn't expecting what I got when I ate these. Wow. Light and Crispy shell, powerful flavor in a soft chewy center. Sometimes, the surprise spread of jam or chocolate. If you haven't tried one of these, I highly suggest you do. If you're in Baltimore, they are only 85 cents a piece + a nickel for 15 minute parking across the street. (Did I go back in time?) I'm now interested in making my own. Lilikoi Macaron, anyone?

Here's to the end of 2010!

2010-12-31T11:10:00.000-08:00

Wow, my last post was in September! So much has happened since then. I've finished my first semester of school and if I can share one experience with all of you, it's that I've learned to adjust and widen the way I see things. To be both playful and deliberate about taking moments to look and really see.

I'm sharing with you a couple of images I took during my Christmas trip to Chicago. We drove 13 hours out to spend time with my family at my brother's house.

the ghosts of new years past

Happy New Year to you and yours!

wicked lovely

2010-09-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

School has hit me like a beautiful all-consuming whirlwind of work. I am enjoying it and learning more than I could have imagined I would in the first month. I don't have alot of time to talk about it, but I wanted to share with you a favorite new discovery of mine. I found out about tagteamtompkins through a post on Paper Crave. The above image is just an example of their amazing handwritten + papercut + letterpress brilliance.

The chill in the air is reminding me that I live in Poe's town of ravens and darkness, but really it's too beautiful for these heavy thoughts. Please visit tagteamtompkins to see more beauties.

Fresh Start

2010-09-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

bridge to nowhere on our bike ride

It's september! Which means new shoes and bookbags, reams of paper and folded maps, uncertainty and excitement. I started school on Monday. It's been eight years since I graduated and I'm so thrilled to be back in a classroom! Our entire class met for an hour in one small room and then we broke into our 2 classes for the rest of our time together. It was so amazing to see all of the other faces around the room, from different places in life and backgrounds. It's just the beginning but I have a good feeling about our journey through graduate school.

We went bike-riding with some friends on the National Continental Railroad (NCR) trail.

For those of you not going to school, do you have any new beginnings this september?

life

2010-08-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have kindly followed my blog over the years, I know that I've been a different blogger this last year. I've hesitated to share any of my struggles here on this blog, because I had some idea that I could separate parts of my life and just show you the fun crafty side and not the heavy, often emotional side. This started out okay, but as the year went by I would try to blog but found this melancholy creeping into my post no matter how many emoticons I tried to use. So I'm going to share what I'm struggling with, in hopes that you too, will feel able to share some of yourself here in the comments or on your own blog.

My husband, Ryan and I have always wanted to have children. When we first got married there were jokes about needing to create a full basketball team. When we finally got to a place where we were ready to start a family four years ago, we had no idea that we would be diagnosed with infertility. About a year and a half ago, we started doing tests. I have a history of endomeitriosis, a disease that is actually fairly common, but still very mysterious, even to specialists. They know that it causes infertility, but they don't exactly know why, though there are plenty of theories. It also can cause a great deal of pain, as it often does for me, and it could be considered degenerative, as it gets worse with time. I had a surgery for the pain ten years ago, and I had another surgery last November in the hopes that clearing some of the disease from my abdomen would improve our fertility. There were some complications so my recovery time lasted 3 months. I've had more tests and medications this year, to no avail. So, just yesterday we had our first meeting with a specialist. He said that our next step is IVF. We're happy to have some direction. We choose feeling overwhelmed over confused every time.

This is the facts, though as is true for most lists, life is what happens between the bullet points. It's been extremely emotional, especially when I was on medication. I've felt the full spectrum of emotion: guilty, jealous, sad, angry, and just empty. I'm learning to allow myself some space as I said in an earlier post to just be. But I'm also realizing that I've allowed my circumstances to overwhelm me, much like when I went body-surfing in Hawaii and I let the waves at Sandy's beach tumble me like clothes in a washing machine, until I was uncertain which direction was up. My tendency is to isolate myself until I "heal" but don't we all carry around brokenness sometimes? There's no bandaid and neosporin for this situation.

I'm nervous about posting this, but I'm hoping that it helps you to know that everyone has struggles, right? Some of the best encouragement I've received through all of this was people just acknowledging the difficulty that I was facing. I often try to downplay it when explaining, but a few people have just stopped me and said, "I'm sorry, what you're going through is really hard" while looking me in the eye. To have someone's full attention and support like that has been so valuable. I feel like this gives me an understanding of what to say and do when I encounter other people going through more difficult situations than this.

Thank you for reading my blog, my friends, I really appreciate all of you. I'm sorry it took me this long to be honest with my struggles, but I hope to have many more years of creativity and sharing on these pages. Aloha nui loa.

up on the roof

2010-08-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

Summer means grilling on the rooftop. At least it has this year. :) This is our away place, like I mentioned in my last post. The sun is still going strong even as I'm preparing to go to school. Lately, I've been taking a shuttle to and from work and I'm planning on doing the same to get to class. It's so strange to spend so much time walking, waiting, riding, when I'm so used to jumping in the car and driving where I want to go when I want to go there. It's been a great experience. I've been surprised at how differently my brain works when I have to spend time thinking about transportation.

I've been doing some sketching lately and I'll be sure to share a bit of what I'm working on soon. I hope this summer is treating you all well!

Perspective

2010-08-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

In the morning at the Antietam campground

I'm learning about perspective lately. Giving myself space to get past the stuttering of explanation and just pause. Wait. It's amazing what time does for you, even if it's just a one-mississippi. If I rush through an experience whether good or bad, I get whiplash as it's not over just because I try to run past it. But if I can step back, wait, get my bearings, I can move forward with a greater understanding of where I am and where I'm going.

Along the road in western Maryland, just as the sun was setting

Sometimes you just need to get away, either by car on the weekend or on paper after work. We went camping two weekends ago, and as you can see from my photos, it was beautiful. What you can't see in the photos is that it was crazy hot! So we relaxed and just breathed this weekend. Do you ever just need a pause? I'm sure I'm not the only one that gets overwhelmed by life: expectations and disappointments.

back from Hawaii

2010-07-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

Tea egg for breakfast

We just arrived back home from a whirlwind visit to Hawaii. It was so wonderful to spend time with friends and family for the last week. I am completely jet-lagged, so I don't have much else to say now, except isn't the inside of this egg lovely?

In Peace

2010-06-28T05:09:00.000-07:00

forget-me-nots at Longwood Gardens

Last wednesday, Gung-Gung (Ryan's grandpa) passed away at 95. It's hard to be far away from family during a time like this, so we'll be in Hawaii before too long. While our hearts hurt at the loss, it also reveals how much he is loved. I will always remember him as a kind, generous, and loving person. I've come to not only respect him as Ryan's grandfather, but as an honorable man. I have so many good memories eating dim sum, playing mah jong, gardening, playing sudoku, and watching films. He was an exceptional, humble person with so much to give. He was so proud of all of his extended family, children, grandchildren, and even a great-granddaughter. I consider it a great privilege to have known him and to have spent time with him. You wouldn't think that a man born in a small village in Canton China and a girl born in Omaha Nebraska would ever meet let alone be able to communicate, but I have six years of memories in Hawaii and several cherished phone calls from these last two years in Baltimore that have become priceless. I'm so thankful for the time I had to know Gung-Gung. What a beautiful life and how greatly he'll be missed.

Weather Gauge

2010-06-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

The weather's taken a turn for humid and warm. I just got my first sunburn on Saturday. It's feeling alot like summer!

We've joined the Canton Kayak Club and had our first lesson on Saturday. Then we went out on Monday and kayaked from Fells Point around the inner harbor and back. We bought bread from the bakery by the water and walked home. It felt like a beautiful European dream, right here in Baltimore. I didn't bring my camera because I'm terrified of getting it wet while kayaking, but as I progress, perhaps I'll relax and bring it out. The perspective of the harbor from a kayak is unlike anything I've experienced before. While there is more rubbish floating around than their should be, there's also a stillness on the water that was beautiful. We saw boats leaving the harbor for a day of "yachting" or sailing. We saw people sitting on benches facing the harbor and a little girl who waved and yelled hello to us. I can't wait to go again. It's just to kind of peaceful joy I need in my life.

Recent reading

2010-05-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know that I said I'd post this on the weekend a few weeks ago... but here we are on a Wednesday and I'm finally posting! Two great books that I just finished on my last trip. There is nothing quite as satisfying as reading a good book. In fact, the sign of an excellent book for me, is that I read it through more than just once.

First, I read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Flavia de Luce is a heroine of the best kind. A fearless and spunky 11-year old with an interest in poison. A mystery novel that begins with the sentence, “It was as black in the closet as old blood,” is bound to be an enjoyable book. Flavia and her two sisters live with their father in a grand mansion called Buckshaw in the village of Bishop's Lacey. We ride with Flavia on Gladys the bicycle and spend hours with her in her sanctum sanctorum, a laboratory she inherited from her ancestor Tar de Luce. Aren't all of these names fabulous? This was Alan Bradley’s first book and it was a great one! This meandering, quick-witted mystery left me anxious for the next installment, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag.

Secondly, I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Another book with Pie in the title, but with a very different plot. One thing it has in common with Sweetness is that it's another great read. The only reason I picked this book up was it's uniquely lengthy title. Plus, I had to know more about how a potato peel pie tastes. This book by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, who have their own personal story to tell, too, is comprised of letters between Miss Juliet Ashton and the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. There's something beautiful about "pilfering" through someone's correspondance that makes this book a treasure. Piece by piece you begin to see into a person by the way they string their words together and how they are described by others. This book is set in 1946, right after the war, during which Guernsey, a small island in the English channel, was occupied by German forces. Juliet is first writing from London, which we know from history, was pock-marked from air-raids throughout the war. This book deals with the aftermath, both delightfully and poignantly as stories and lives are shared. It's a lovely book and you should read it!

Now that I've read these two excellent books for the first time, I'll visit them again in future, it's time to tackle two other as yet unread novels, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet.

Bell flowers and lagging

2010-05-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

A pretty little flower in Seattle captured just before twilight.

Is it possible to be both tired and alert? How about hungry and full? I think the answer is jetlag. :) At least that's what I'm going to blame it on. I still want to share my reading list with you, but I need to get a good photo of the books I want to feature.

Yesterday I tried to take closeup photos of a ladybug crawling across the top of my black coffee table. Red ladybug, black table, nice camera; it seemed like a good combination. However, it became a perfect storm of awful. I couldn't get close enough to show anything and the lighting was so dim that I had to use a flash, which bounced off every microscopic piece of dust on the table. It reminded me of those horrible shows about the black lights and shady motels. Sometimes you just don't want to know. Happy Friday everyone, more about reading this weekend.

Knit Two

2010-05-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a quiet month on this blog, as I've been otherwise occupied with thoughts, work, and travel. But happily, I've been occupied with some productive work, too. Involving some much neglected yarn from my stash.

I knit this striped hat for Ryan, just in time for summer. :)

There are more details about the pattern and the yarn on my ravelry site.

It actually came in handy on our trip to Vancouver and Seattle last week. More words and pictures about that soon.

I also knit some fingerless gloves for my friend, Meredith.

The yarn is this lovely brown-purple shade, depending on the lighting.

The warm weather seems to push me towards finishing all of my WIPs. You'd think cold ears or icy fingers would be bigger motivators but I still find that I finish most of my projects in the spring or summer. Maybe it's because I learned to knit in Hawaii.

The warmer weather also reminds me of the summer reading program at the library. So I've been reading some great books. More on that next time.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

Cherry blossoms coming into bloom have become one of my primary signals that spring is here, as you can see in last year's post. So we spent hours in traffic making our way down to the tidal basin in DC.

I found a particularly pink tree and snapped lots of images from every angle.

The sun was setting while we were there, so our images took on a dream-like quality.

These trees were desendants of the original trees gifted to Washington DC from Japan in 1912.
There were people from all over the world oohing and ahhing just like us.

Happy Spring and happy Easter!

Spineless Thawing

2010-03-14T07:18:00.001-07:00

Can you see the sea urchin's ferocious jaw?

The snow has melted away and my brain is finally thawing out. Even when I was growing up in Nebraska I found myself reawakening when thin blades of grass broke through the earth and the trees began to bud. I imagine it's like seeing "technicolor" TV for the first time after years of black and white. I'll have to ask my dad.

Coral is so beautiful and other-worldly

Since it's been so long between blog posts, I almost feel like I have to reintroduce myself! It's me, Emily. I am a 30-year-old crafty gal, with a house full of yarn, fabric, paper, cameras, and books.

tiny food-catching tentacles

Something new that most of you don't know is that I was accepted to the MFA program that I applied to in January! I was actually surprised at first, because I had convinced myself that I wouldn't get in. The email from the director was so thrilling and just a little validating. :) More about that, I'm sure, in the future.

dancing jellyfish

I'll be sharing the little bit of recent crafting that I've done very soon. In fact, I plan to create several blog drafts of my progress that you'll get to see in upcoming posts. For instance, I'm working on a stamp of a new monster eating something other than a coin. See here for a refresher. I'm also working on a hat for Ryan using Jared Flood's pattern, turn a square. I recently knit up some fetching mitts for a friend and I'll be posting about that soon. I also got a little crazy a purchased some yarn and fabric I have to share with you. Maybe you can help me decide what to do with it. Next up, though, I'll share with you a trip to a great craft show with links to some of my favorite crafters.

blue footed-prawn (obviously the scientific name)

In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed these pictures from my recent trip to the Invertebrate House at the National Zoo.

snow upon snow

2010-02-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

I tell you... this is unbelievable. We are having the heaviest snowfall ever in Baltimore, and the snowiest winter in recorded history. It's amazing! The sad thing is I have a cough and headcold and my inhouse doctor is strongly advising against outdoor adventuring in my condition. :)

But Poki's been investigating. Well, for a few moments at a time. She tries to run through the snow, then comes barreling back inside running circles around us to get warm.

One brave care venturing out. The Governor has issued a state of emergency and we aren't supposed to be driving without chains or special tires.

We couldn't open our door this morning, for all the snow.

Out front with cars masquerading as blobs.

Our deck, neighbor rooftops, and the powerlines all covered in what's becoming close to 30 inches of snow. Stay warm all you midatlantic friends! I have a feeling that other places around the country are having record-breaking winters, is it true?

winter sky

2010-02-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

It's February which has begun with piles of snow. So much has been happening in my life that I don't know how to talk about. I always admire bloggers who are entirely transparent with their struggles and life difficulties, but it can be hard to bring to light the deepest parts of ourselves. While there are some things that I'm still trying to find the right words to express, I'm coming to a turning point in life. My milestone birthday has been on my mind all month and it's motivating me to give life to my dreams. To carry though on ideas and plans that I always responded to with a "some day." For instance, I want to be an illustrator, so I'm going to push myself to draw and complete those sketches, instead of just filling up books with ideas, I want to take those ideas to completion. I've always wanted to write books and write them well, so I've applied to a Master's program. I'm more nervous now that it's all in someone else's hands to decide, but the process of applying gave me more polished writing than I've had for a long time. I've learned that I don't need anyone to push me to creativity, I'm always doodling, sketching, and coming up with ideas. But I do need the motivation to edit and complete. What a good lesson for 2010, to learn to complete tasks! :) Maybe my backyard will be clean by 2011! Stay warm.

small packages

2010-01-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

there's something about small packages that have drawn me in ever since my fascination with miniatures and dollhouses. My play time was always more about the making of tiny dresses, small pillows, miniscule quilts and even little food. I spent much more time in the preparation than in actually playing house. In this, I think I've remained much the same. This little stack of mini-pillows are stuffed with lavender purchased from my last trip to the Maui Lavender Farm.

All tied up with the softest of purple yarn.

Sometimes I think that what I have to offer to the world is also very small. How can a crafting, designing, writing girl like me have anything to offer to the people of Haiti in such a time as this? I look at my Dr. husband, and the nurses I have as friends and see all kinds of ways they could help people in such distress. But then, maybe the important thing is that no matter how small gift, we still give it. So, here's a link to World Relief, one of the many organizations that's taking our small gifts and making them useful in Haiti.

cold cold winter

2010-01-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

It's been a few weeks, but I must show you some pictures of the great Baltimore snow storm. It was amazing. It began to snow on Friday night before Christmas and didn't stop until Sunday. We accumulated 20-24 inches of snow!

Poki is amazed at the drifts outside the door.

The stairs here lead up to our rooftop deck. Under that huge drift is a chair and a couple of planters. The snow was drifted up on our back door.

This shows the snow outside the house just halfway through the storm.

Nighttime glow, look at all the snow! It's been a record-breaking cold winter all throughout the U.S. from what I've seen and heard. We are learning to layer, pile on lots of blankets, use our space heater, and cuddle with Poki. It's time to start doing some crafting, right?

Transitions and Escapes

2010-01-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

Another year is here and, for me, another birthday! It was my 30th on the 3rd! I'm not sure how I feel about this, but one of the side affects is that it's making me more courageous. I just think, hey, what's there to be scared of, I'm 30 afterall! It's worked a few times these last few days.

The picture above is one that Ryan encouraged me to take. He doesn't just ask me to take a picture of our dog or the scenic view from our balcony, no, he's always challenging me with, "how about a picture of this steam rising from the earth" or "take a picture of this boiling water," as you see in the picture above. That's why he's so good for me, constantly challenging me to leave my fears behind and try. Anything. The sky's the limit. While it can be a little exhausting being married to someone like this, it's also so empowering and encouraging.

We're on vacation in Fort Lauderdale now at this really fancy hotel that allows me to connect to the internet in what they call the living room. It doesn't look anything like my living room, with it's beaded chandeliers, long bar, and balcony overlooking the beach. But my seat is soft with a pillow behind my back and I'm settling in for a couple of hours. This is one of the perks of being married to someone who goes to conferences periodically. In fact, I learned about the stark difference between what we can afford and what the conference can provide because we arrived a day early to Fort Lauderdale. So, we found a room at the Motel 6. Making the transition from Motel 6, with their lumpy mattresses, stained sink, fuzzy TV, and old smell, to the W, with it's streamlined design, plethora of amenities, very attentive staff, and down bedding, was nothing short of culture shock. Have you ever experienced such a strange and sudden change in your surroundings?

I am now enjoying it and taking time to do things that I've put off for too long. I'll be back to Baltimore in just a few more days. Then I'll give you an update on all of the excursions of the past days spent in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Hazy days

2009-11-19T12:49:00.000-08:00

Stayman apples just prior to getting picked for an apple pie.

I know it's been several weeks, and the funny thing, to me, is that I've been off work and at home for almost two weeks. When you imagine yourself with weeks of being at home, it seems impossible to avoid blogging at least every other day. However, I had surgery two weeks ago. It was supposed to be a simple outpatient procedure, but there was a complication that was fixed but left me with a much longer recovery time than any of us expected, especially me. My doctor told me it would be at least 2-3 weeks of recovery at home, but I said how about a week? She smiled knowingly and said that she'd speak to me again at the end of the week, when she told me to take off another week of work. While I'm a big fan of positive thoughts, if there's anything I've learned through these past two weeks, it's that all the positive thoughts in the world won't make me get well when I want to be well. I have had an incredibly hard lesson in patience.

I am normally a very positive person, but the events of this fall have really gut-punched me. I'm tired and realizing that my faith in God, people, and myself have all been tested. People say that it's how you live your life during the "valleys" that reveal who you are. I think it's so easy to feel independent and strong when everything is going right, but it's just as easy to feel weak and hopeless when everything seems to be falling apart. I get so attached to the happy, pulled-together person I want to be seen as, that when pain and frustration come it's hard to see what's left behind, I don't even want to look in the mirror.

If my words seem jumbled and confused, it's a direct correlation with my brain these days. Because although I'm not taking the serious pain pills anymore, I am still a little out of it. I am finally updating because I do feel better today than I have since before the surgery. I hope you are all well, that you are getting ready for a fabulous Thanksgiving with family and friends. I have more crafty updates and Christmas shop news up and coming, but I wanted to leave you all with a life update.

Lantern Parade

2009-10-31T11:23:00.000-07:00

My lantern glowing at the parade

Last weekend we had the opportunity to go and take part in the 10th Annual Lantern Parade at Patterson Park in Baltimore. A couple weeks prior I went with some friends to create this lantern from tissue paper, bamboo, tape, and glue.

Patterson Park lit with lanterns

Scary birds, inspired, I think, by this year's theme: Edgar Allen Poe.

There were stiltwalkers with lit up hats

Giant glowing spiders

Parade through the park

Deep-sea fish that emerged just for the parade

Happy Halloween!

As seasons change

2009-10-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

A collection of shells gathered this summer in New Hampshire

Where to begin... so much has happened this fall. It's been out of control. As I mentioned, I'm temporarily working full-time in a different position, which has been new, exciting, and a little draining. But then, in September we were in a car accident, which resulted in a month of rental car use, but no injury on either side of the accident. Just when we got our car back last weekend, I decided to take Poki for a short walk around the neighborhood. On the way back down to our house Poki was attacked by a pitt bull. I don't want to go into too much detail because just thinking about what happened makes my chest pound and my stomach nauseated. It's a situation full of heartache, pain, and a thankfulness. Poki was seriously bitten, but not seriously damaged. She had a surgery to clean and repair the wounds, but her major arteries and veins, muscles, and trachea were untouched. So she's recovering well.

Suffice to say, my mind has been otherwise occupied for a while. Though yesterday I finally did some creating. I did a little sewing, knitting drawing, and even a bit of jewelry-making. I could feel some of the stress of the past month lift from my shoulders. What good motivation for creativity if there weren't enough already! I pray that all of you whom I haven't connected with for so long are doing well and thriving in each of your corners of this world. I'll post again soon.

ooh la la fabric

2009-10-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

Here's some of my current fabric stash. I was so excited to find that top roll of fabric strips. I'm working on a quilt made of those strips, it just feels so much more doable when all the pieces are ready to go. When I get the top all sewn together I'll take some photos to show you.

One of my favorite things to do is organize my craft materials, including stacks of fabric. That may sound a little crazy, but I actually feel more creative when I know exactly where everything is and have a clear clean surface to work on. That's not to say I don't have random things all over, for instance on my desk is a check reorder sheet, receipts for filene's basement, a battery recharger, paperclips, a new scarf pattern, some window cleaner, a stack of block-printed fabric squares, and a little scrap of paper that says, "Love is acting for the benefit, good, and welfare of another... wanting them to flourish." What is your creative space like? Are always you drowning in papers or are you neat as a pin?

Autumn

2009-09-27T15:16:00.001-07:00

I was surprised when I found these tiny little fingernail sized leaves. Aren't they sweet?

I didn't want to believe it, but I think fall is here. This morning when we were walking to the car, my mental weather-alert was beeping, "it's cold! it's cold!" So much has happened since my last post. I've been working full-time in a new position, which has been taking more of my time and much of my energy. It also seemed to bring October and fall here much more speedily. So, now I'm thinking of Christmas and all the crafting that comes with the preparations. Bring on the yarn, and fabrics, and paint! More on that in the next few posts.

Conservatory photo walk

2009-09-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed that I'm a big fan of photographing flowers? I'm sure you have if you've seen more than one post of mine. I think I'm fascinated with the variety, wildness, and even unpredictability of flowers as you get up close. Usually wildness and unpredictability aren't words used with flowers, but I see these aspects in Georgia O'Keeffe's work and I recognize it in the originals as well. Speaking of O'Keeffe, there was a show about her life on the lifetime channel yesterday. I missed it, but it says they're replaying it tonight and tuesday. Here's the link.

These photos were taken on a photowalk at the Baltimore Conservatory with the talented writer-photographer Meredith. You can view her images of this trip at her flickr site or read her words on her blog.

Postcards

2009-09-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

I've printed four of my photos on pearly paper. I love it when paper is more than just paper. Paper with flecks of gold, flower petals, or fibers. But I especially love paper that shimmers like this paper does.

I purchased a whole stack with envelopes.

Four varieties of postcards, all extreme closeups on some beautiful flowers, one that includes a pollinator.

postage here. Postcards sold in my etsy shop here.

Growing...

2009-09-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

We're growing herbs on our deck. I've never been known for my green thumb, in fact I tend to neglect my plants until they are mere brown sticks. Thankfully, the weather's been pretty good for my plants and I've been more attentive to them now that they are actually growing and I can add a bit to my cooking.

My favorite is the chinese parsley /cilantro pictured above. I can't believe that it keeps growing and it's been so healthy!

I found this variegated basil, which is growing like a weed. It's very tasty, too!

We recently bought some peppers that are really lovely, red, orange and even purple. I think they bred the spice out of these peppers, sadly, so we have add plenty to anything to taste them. We also have garlic chives, chamomile, and mint. We've also planted mint in our backyard and we hope that and the visiting cat will discourage rats from taking up residence.

What are you growing?

Door Handles

2009-08-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

We've been discussing what improvements we can make to our house when our house decided which we should start with by making it very difficult to open the bathroom door. There's been numerous times that one of us was desperately wiggling the door handle as it refused to respond and then giving up and running to the bathroom downstairs. So, we went out and visited Second Chance and looked at lots of door handles, doorplates, and door fixings.

We bought two glass door knobs that I fell in love with. Aren't they lovely? Then we got two white metal doorplates that we could tell had some detail work by looking at the backside. But the white paint was so thick you couldn't even see the keyhole.

So, we got some paint stripper and applied it to both plates. If any of you are encouraged to use this after reading my post, please be careful with the stuff. The fumes are terrible and if it touches your skin, it stings. I didn't have any marks, I just had to wash it off immediately. The doorplate in the first two pictures still has a bit of gold paint on it, which we didn't mind, while the one above and below hardly has a spot of paint. The two plates were really transformed.

So, what will be next? Well, I've been hearing more scurrying of little mice feet, so I'll be checking to see if there are any new holes to fill. After that, there's been discussions about fixing up a built-in bookshelf in our living room and adding an antique metal fireplace mantel to our second-floor hearth. Are any of you doing any fun home improvements?

Bird tote

2009-08-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

I've been doing alot of sewing lately. I got this beautiful fabric a few months ago and wanted to make something with it.

So I made this tote using Lotta Jansdotter's pattern from her book Simple Sewing.

I love the birds and the bright blue pockets. I'm getting back into knitting again, too. More about that soon.

Loch Raven Reservoir

2009-08-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, Ryan and I took a canoe out on Loch Raven Reservoir, which was so much more beautiful than I had expected. When I was a young fourteen-year-old I began a tradition that carried through my teen years, going on a camping trip to the boundary waters of Canada. Our trip to the reservoir brought back old memories of the beauty and joy of those trips to Canada because it looked so similar. The only difference was that it was so much more accessible, with more people and much more geese, and Ryan was there with me. Ryan's been wanting to go fishing, so this was a great excursion!

I was mesmerized by the water.

I got a bit camera-happy with these geese. Reminds me of the times I've been down to the DC mall and many people took more pictures of the squirrels than the monuments. I have to say I'm guilty of this at times in my travels, as evidenced by this post.

paddling out in the lake.

rare two-headed goose.

lake reflections

a gaggle of geese.

The two headed goose, again.

It's now raining and I've been watching a lovely Christmas Special of Lark Rise to Candleford. Christmas in August? Yeah, that's right. I've really enjoyed watching Lark Rise to Candleford. And since I'm looking into the future today, I'm excited about the next season of Masterpiece Theatre, which will feature a new version of Jane Austen's Emma and Cranford 2. Have any of you seen Cranford? It's a great series featuring Dame Judi Dench as one of the main characters and it's based on several works by Elizabeth Gaskell.

So now you have my recommendations on a day out or a day in, depending on the weather.

Blocks and blocks

2009-08-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

See one block.

See three blocks.

See three more blocks.

blocks and blocks.

See fabric for three new blocks.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

2009-08-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

The New Amsterdam Theatre

Where did my week go? I had lots of plans to post, but here we are, a week later. I think I'll start writing posts in bulk way ahead of time and then just post them periodically. Do any of you do that? I have so many thoughts buzzing in my brain lately, which makes it difficult to focus on anything. I sometimes avoid posting when my mind gets muddled like this, because I want to sort out my thoughts before dumping them out here on this page. So, one post might end up becoming four by the time I get organized!

New Amsterdam Theatre

This post is a little about my muddled brain and a bit about the broadway show we saw in New York! We just went down for one day, since we're only three and a half hours away, but I was amazed at the amount of money we had to fork over for tolls. Eight dollars just to go through a tunnel?!

The fantastic dancing during Chim-chim-Cher-ee, with Mary Poppins at the center

When we got there, we went to this discount broadway tickets line in the middle of time square and got orchestra seats for Mary Poppins! To me "she's practically perfect..." but to the other two I was seeing it with, she was some lady who flew around with an umbrella! So, this was the perfect introduction to them. Everything was so precise and spot-on. The scenery changes were fun and the music was great! There was a fantastic costume change in the park that reminded me of those magicians that spin behind a sheet and come out with a different outfit. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious was great, they even had a part where they spelled it out that I don't remember from before. Which brings me to the fact that this is a somewhat revised version of Mary Poppins, but the only thing I didn't care for in this new version was a scene where the dolls in the nursery come to life and start dancing and singing "temper, temper." There was some beautiful moments with the mother, singing "Mrs. Banks" that made her a more rounded character. I even teared a bit with her character and the bird lady, "tuppins a bag." I think it's time I revisited the movie. I wish I could go back and see the musical again! They're going on tour, so maybe you can see it.

Have a beautiful weekend and if you're in Baltimore check out Restaurant Week!

New York in sepia

2009-07-31T11:59:00.000-07:00

We're going to NYC tomorrow, just for the day. A friend has been staying with us for the past month and she's never been to New York, so we knew we had to get her up there if only for a day.

This trip got me thinking back to my first experience in New York. It was the New Year's after 9-11. It was such a fantastic trip. I started reminiscing and dug up this old Van Dyke brown print that I made from some of the black and white film I took. Ryan took the picture of me above and I used the negative to create a large-format negative in my alternative photographic processes class in college. Van Dyke can be finicky, but it turned out nicely for this image. For those of you that are wondering what I'm talking about when I say, Van Dyke, it's basically a chemical application that you paint onto paper in the dark, expose to UV light through a negative of some sort, then rinse and fix. It becomes a lovely sepia color. It's an old process, messy, and rather dangerous, actually. Rubber gloves are a must.

This is me waiting for the ball to drop on New Year's eve. We were so cold, but there was a frivolity and camaraderie amongst us all. Every time I go to New York it's memorable. This weekend, we're definitely seeing a musical, but we're going for cheap tickets so not sure which one, yet. Have a great weekend!

Tea Bag

2009-07-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

I often work on a project for a long time mentally before it ever comes into fruition. This tea-bag bag is an excellent example. I've been sketching this idea out for years and as I flipped through several old notebooks, I found sketch after sketch of the same idea!

I'm a big fan of tea. There's something so lovely about the idea of sitting down with a cup of tea and a good novel. I suppose it could just as well be a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, but the romantic imagery associated with tea trumps those options, at least in my mind. However, I'm not opposed to either of those hot drinks, I just love all the tools and pieces that go into making tea.

So I fashioned this bag after a tea bag. I embroidered flowers and leaves to add to the effect of the tea bag. I plan on adding a rope and tea tag as the strap.

Here's the inside.

What do you all think?

Blue Ball of Happiness

2009-07-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

Above, hanging from our rafters is the newest addition to our house, a glass fishing float. We've been looking for a nice but inexpensive glass fishing float for years now. We looked all over Oahu and considered buying a small one for $70, but couldn't justify it nor figure out an easy way to bring it back to Baltimore. Supposedly, people find them washed up on beaches periodically, but I've never been so lucky.

Today most glass fishing floats, according to wikipedia, are stuck in a circular pattern of ocean currents in the North Pacific. This is really cool to me, to think that there's all of this flotsam and jetsam, circling around in no man's land for years, though every so often a few break out and land on beaches due to storms.

But, as we were touring about in Annapolis a few weeks ago, there was a huge bright blue one along with it's twin, sitting outside an antique shop. Ryan got so excited, that finally, we'd found one! She said that they are regularly $150, but she'd just marked them down to $50!

Well, we couldn't pass up a deal. So we got it and we now refer to it as the blue ball of happiness.

Baby craftiness

2009-07-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

My friend recently had a baby shower, so I created a few new things to give to her for the little one. I printed and colored the two onesies that you see above and made a little tag for them.

I also made this soft ball, instructions here at purlbee. If you recall, I attempted a soft ball before with lopsided results. Most of this was due to uncareful planning and has reinstated the importance that cutting and ironing and measuring holds in the sewing process!

EDIT: Rowena asked a good question about the Dick and Jane fabric, which I love. I got it from a local fabric store, but I did a quick search online and found that it's called J is for Jump and it's created by Michael Miller Fabric.

The loose change monster onesie is the same as the one on the pouches I made. I think it applies, because it seems that babies are loose change eaters, both literally and figuratively. :) The Bawlmer Baby, hon! onesie, may take a little more explanation. When I first moved here, there was lots of rumblings about the "kitchy" side of Baltimore, which was at it's strongest in a little neighborhood called Hampden. There are talks of beehives, pink flamingoes, and roller derbies. While these things, as far as I know, are not daily occurrences in Hampden, you'll probably be called "hon" by somebody, especially if you go to Cafe Hon. Check out that link, seriously, the slide show of pictures is hilarious! So, Bawlmer is slang for Baltimore, hon!

Crabs Continued

2009-07-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, I realize that one picture of those tantalizing crabs with no explanation or story was rather cruel, but I completely underestimated the difficulty of photographing crabs while we're eating. What a delicious mess!

If you haven't been to Maryland, you may not understand the high position that the blue crab holds in this hearts and stomaches of the people here. I knew when moving here we'd have access to seafood, since it's coastal, but I hadn't yet heard of Old Bay. Old Bay, for those of you in the dark, is like the salt and pepper of this region. You can put Old Bay on anything, vegetables, chicken, but most of all crabs. On the side of the container it says it's made of celery salt, spices and paprika. I think the key is that illusive term "spices."

We have a friend staying with us this summer, which encourages more exploring and trying than we'd allow ourselves without her. So on the 4th we drove all the way out to a park to go fishing, had no luck and then stopped at a crab house on the way back with a sign advertising a very good deal on crabs. So we went inside and asked about their crabs. The entire place smelled like Old Bay and something else. We saw that they sold their own version of seasoning there. So when they told us it's the same price for live crabs as it is for cooked, why would I choose live? ;) Obviously I have to try their seasoning, right? They brought out the various sizes, medium, large, and X-large, and showed us the male and female. As is the chinese way, my husband and friend scoffed at the fact that the females were half the price with twice the surprises. I'm not big on female surprises, but I didn't think on this too much yet, having heard this sort of sentiment before.

So we left with a bag full of medium-sized female crabs and three wooden mallets. The car ride home was windows closed to maximum crab-smell permeation, thereby increasing our hunger. So we got the crabs out and even warmed up some corn and potatoes to go with it. So we each grabbed a crab and pulled off the front claws and separated the shells. We were at it for hours! Pounding, pulling, sending crab shells across the room, and giving all the eggs to Ryan.

I don't have a picture of the eggs. If I haven't lost all my vegan and vegetarian friends by now, showing the crab innards might just push them over the edge! Ryan says they taste like hard-boiled eggs. But, I just couldn't do it. So Poor Ryan hardly got to open any crabs as we kept passing the heads over to him.

It was great fun, something that we'll do with every visitor we have from now on!

Crabs for Independence

2009-07-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day, USA! Eat some crabs and celebrate! I hope you all have a beautiful and delicious celebration. As you can see above, we did!

Baltimore Textile Day

2009-07-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a long overdue post. Back in May we went to the Textile Day at the Baltimore Museum of Art. I tried needle felting as you can see above and below, and got information about the Baltimore Weavers Guild, and even got connected with some volunteer work with the House of Ruth.

I just started adding yarn until I saw that it wanted to become a fish. It's quite fun to stab the felt and yarn with a sharp needle, though once my finger got in the way. Ouch!

I also tried making bobbin lace, something that's always fascinated me. All of the wooden bobbins in a specific order, with lots of flat pins sticking into the pillow. I didn't think I would get the chance to give it a go, but was so thrilled to have the opportunity!

A little blurry, but you get the idea. There's only two "moves" in bobbin lace, the twist and the cross. Much like knitting with the knit and purl stitches. But as I've had some experience with variations on those stitches in knitting, I'm sure there are endless varieties of of the twist and the cross that provide all the intricacies of lace.

Here's the result of my bobbin lace making! A little fish bookmark! I had an ocean theme going.

Here's me, weaving! This is something I was really thrilled at getting a chance to do. I feel closer to my grandmother just sitting at this bench. If you aren't aware, she's a weaver specializing in bison fiber. I talked about her in an old post. We had such a great time at the Textile Day. I think the best thing about it was how hands-on everything was; weaving, spinning, needle-felting, embroidery, lace-making, etc. Each representative of their craft wanted you to get your hands into the process and get excited about these age-old methods of creating textiles.

camera play

2009-06-24T13:40:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! We had out-of-town friends come and stay with us these last few days, which was a lot of fun. While they were here I played with my new camera, a Canon Rebel XSI. I have lots of pictures to share, which I will in future. I had to test it on closeups of flowers, as you see above...

freeze frames of water fountains...

test how well it captured national buildings...

it's ability to preserve Natural History Museum minerals behind glass...

and the final test, scale. Just kidding. This is a bird nest sculpture that we saw across from the Baltimore's American Visionary Art Museum.

Obviously, I'm loving this. :)

monster pouches

2009-06-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

The creativity continues! I actually made a bunch of these for Christmas presents last year. But then had a big issue with getting some snaps. Sometimes ebay works and sometimes it doesn't. So, I went to JoAnn's and got these cute pearly snaps. I gocco printed these little monsters onto some fabric and colored them in with fabric markers. Coloring is so underrated!

This little coin-eater was inspired by my friend, Choo, who is not herself a coin-eater, but if she came across one I'm quite sure she'd befriend it. My brother and his fiancé use their pouch to hold laundry money, which is just perfect!

We had a lovely celebration of our anniversary yesterday. We walked around Fells Point looking for a place to eat. We decided on Meli, and I'm so glad we did! It's this charming patisserie & bistro, that serves really good food. We had steak tartare, pork cheeks, fried bass, crème brûlée, and sparkling rosé. The owner came by and we told him that we were so happy to find this place to celebrate our anniversary and on our way out, he met us with a box of pastries and a gift card! I have never in my life had an experience like this. Now we're definitely going back to use that gift card! Maybe I'll go for pastries and coffee.

Making...

2009-06-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

I've been making. drawing with pencils, designing in illustrator, printing on 80 lb linen and clear labels, and turning brown paper bags into little envelopes. I'm having such a great time! I have seriously underestimated how the process of taking something from start to finish can make you feel accomplished.

It's been so much fun that you can count on more new stuff soon. I'm actually sewing now and will have something to show you all in the next few days.

I carved a stamp out of an eraser. I'll be putting up a little tutorial about this soon, too. Because it's fun and easy.

I have other news, as well. I got a new camera!! But I feel like this deserves it's own post, so look for that soon.

And the biggest news, kept for last, is that today is our wedding anniversary! We've been married for eight years! Isn't that such a long time? We're both really happy and can't believe that it's been that long already. It's been so long that we confused the gift list and we've been looking for something copper when we should have been looking for something bronze.

when I grow up...

2009-06-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

What do you want to be when you grow up? I've had so many answers for this question over the years and the fact that I'm still bringing it up at the ripe age of 29 tells you that I haven't quite settled on one solution. But who says you have to settle on one?

Last month my friend Meredith was kind enough to invite me to come with her to hear the Baltimore University MFA graduates read from their final books. Her program is so interesting, because the work on their final projects involves not only excellent writing but beautiful presentation, something a book designer like myself can fully appreciate.

Take Thomas Justice's final book, for example, which is a novel written as a screenplay in humorous dialogue that goes off on great tangents by the narrator/writer about the megatherium, a giant scary sloth and just about everything else under the sun. I think the transparency of the megatherium on the front of the book was a nice touch, that way I could put it on my personal projector and visibly enlarge the megatherium by moving it closer or further from the wall just like how my math teacher did back in 10th grade. Would the megatherium be more or less frightening than trying to find the square root of "x"?

Megatherium is just one of the books from the reading. Meredith did a great job of capturing several of the books with her camera. So back to the title of this post. When I grow up... it would be great fun to write and make books. Wouldn't it? Meredith, you're living my dream! :)

I have more news and posts coming soon. There's a bit of a backlog, but I hope you all enjoy what's coming.

New Hampshire

2009-05-29T15:45:00.000-07:00

The white mountains

We're back in B-more and there's a full blown thunderstorm right above our house. We have several skylights, so it's fun to hear it tapping on the windows. It took me a little while to update you on New Hampshire, because Ryan got sick with a high fever on the drive home. Plus, I've started volunteering, which I'm excited about. I'll post more on that when I get the blog link.

In the meantime, let me tell you about our trip! We were really planning blindly until a friend of ours, who's from New Hampshire made a packet of information for us all organized in a folder!

The trail from Waterville Campsite to Waterville Valley

We decided to camp in the White Mountains, which is in central to northern New Hampshire. Poki came with us, which narrowed our search to places that accepted dogs. We found a campsite full of beautiful trees, just like the rest of the state, and decided to take a hike on this trail. It appeared to be the kind of hike we'd done many times before, but then we started to see a few houses along the path, a few bridges, and a few cyclers. But it wasn't until I saw the Bar and Grill that I really got suspicious. Normally, when I take a hike, I assume that it takes me further from civilization. But this one brought us to Waterville Valley.

Waterville Valley

We came over the hill and heard a band playing, saw shops, restaurants, people of all ages gathered in the central square. This far away picture doesn't do justice to the bustle of activity that greeted us.

Waterville Valley lake being enjoyed by boaters

There were even people out on kayaks, canoes, and paddleboats! Doesn't that look like fun? Don't get me wrong, it was a great spot, but such a surprise! Civilization was much closer than we thought it would be on this vacation. We had a great time driving all around the white mountains taking stops along the way at waterfalls, scenic views, shopping centers, fishing holes, and covered bridges.

Driving through New Hampshire, which is full of beautiful lakes

One of the big parts of this trip was the drives. So we took small highways and scenic routes in order to see more of New Hampshire. It's so beautiful. And delicious. :) We ate well; pancakes with New Hampshire syrup, Brown's legendary fried clams, shrimp, fish, and scallops, and even an old standby: fried rice noodles Singapore-style at a restaurant that served both Chinese food AND sushi, strange but true! (sorry no pics, one day I'll have a camera worthy of my food choices and the restaurant's lighting.)

Just outside of Portsmouth

A little cold, but really beautiful. Poki slept for days when we returned!

Along the 1A coastal drive in New Hampshire

I think we're all ready to plan another trip to New Hampshire in the future. It was a beautiful, relaxing trip! Now, I'm off to finish up a birthday card for Ryan's big day tomorrow. :)

New Hampshire Bound

2009-05-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

Above are some lavender plants from Ali‘i Kula Lavender, Kula Maui

I'm getting so behind on my postings!! Perhaps I'll blog while we're on the road. Yep, we're hitting the open road tomorrow. We're going to New Hampshire, to the White Mountains for a little R&R. We're not as organized as I like to be for a trip, but I think it will be fun. Poki's coming too, which is cause for a little more planning. It should be lovely. I've never been to New Hampshire, so I'll let you all know how it is. At the top of my list is to go to a sugar shack and see the place where the old man in the mountain used to be. Intriguing, no?

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

A pool in the basement?

2009-05-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

All that talk about hope in my last post was tested the very next day. We've been having "experts" in and out of our house to check on the issue that was our cellar. (It's so nice to be using past tense! There is a happy ending to this story!) We enjoy having a "trap door" that leads from the first floor to the cellar. It adds a bit of humor to the situation that every time someone comes to look at the basement I have to ask them to step aside because they're standing on the entrance. If only we had one of those pull cords from the ceiling...

We've had about six inches of water in this cellar for a couple of months, during which we talked with contractors that told us the job was anywhere from 2,000-5,000 dollars to install a water-management system. Finally, we had our insurance people over to see if they would cover the damages and he was the one to solve the problem! He suggested I get the water dept people to check the neighbors since the water is clear and appears to be chlorinated. So they came, plumbers came, and over the last week I got to know my spanish-speaking neighbors better than ever before. When the owner of the house arrived from El Salvador on Saturday, he quickly dealt with the issue and had plumbers in his basement fixing a broken pipe that had led not only to my drowned basement but to a couple feet of water in their basement!

So, now as you see from the images, there's no water! I still have good posts to share that were meant for last week and will start with one tomorrow.

Hope

2009-05-10T15:19:00.001-07:00

These pictures were taken on our first spring hike a few weeks back. I was surprised to find so many dead leaves still clinging to the thin branches even as the tree began to bud. I was and am so mesmerized by the transparency and fragility of this leaf that made it through the winter. Even in the hollow rattling of these shriveled leaves, there is beauty. Spring is a beautiful season full of thunderstorms and cool breezes and promising moments of bright sunshine.

This weekend has been so inspiring to me for so many reasons. I'm finishing up on a head cold that I've had for the last week, which slowed me down. I feel a sense of hope and joy as I look to the future; 1. this cold will be over! and 2. etc... there's so many opportunities and possibilities available, waiting for someone who's not afraid to try something new.

This isn't about a big life-changing announcement, but more about the small unexpected joys that fill you with possibilities and thankfulness. I have more to say, but today is for processing and resting. My body has almost kicked this sickness out and I have high hopes for tomorrow.

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

2009-05-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posting I was down with the swi... a cold. No there wasn't any H1N1 in our house, just sniffles, congestion, and general weariness. Last Saturday, as I mentioned, we went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit this, but I actually knew about this fest last year before we moved to Maryland. It was the first thing on my to-do list when we moved. But we didn't arrive here last year until after the festival. So I began my countdown to MSWF 2009. You'd think with all this hype I'd built up that it would be impossible for any festival to measure up. But, really, I'm not that hard to please. Plus, it wildly exceeded my expectations. It was huge! Vendors came from all over the country as this is said to be the largest gathering for sheep and fiber lovers in the nation! Plus, my friend, Meredith and her boyfriend came along. You have to check out her pictures. They are beautiful and capture the sights better than mine. Really, check them out!

Run! Sheep, Run! Like the wind!

Isn't he a cute little goat? What fun it is to touch animals and fibers of all varieties; merino sheep, silk, bamboo, and even seaweed! As you can imagine, we had a wild and wooly weekend. Oh the puns... there are so many... but I promise that's it.

Spinning. I purchased some silk "caps" and some cotton fiber to add to my alpaca stash. Now, it's just up to be to start. (sorry, I mean it's up to "me" to start. I'm still stuffy.)

oranges on fabric and wool on sheep

2009-05-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

I received my swatches back from spoonflower! They are so bright and seem saturated with summer sunshine. I may make some pouches with these swatches, but I'm considering buying some more and making pillows to brighten our couch.

Tomorrow I am going to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival! I'll be sure to take pictures and fill you in on the fun details.

I also uploaded more pictures to my etsy. I love the way the light comes through the petals in this shot.

photos up and for sale!

2009-04-29T13:17:00.001-07:00

I'm selling some of my prints at my etsy shoppe! I picked a few and ran a first print run to see how they'd turn out and I'm really pleased. I have a few flower prints up for sale now and I'll be updating with more prints later in the week.

I also received my sample fabric swatches from spoonflower and I'll tell you all about them tomorrow.

Extreme Sheep

2009-04-26T04:42:00.000-07:00

At my old job in Honolulu, we used to share our current favorite youtube videos with each other on fridays. Together, we've seen young chinese boys lip-syncing, The Flight of the Concords putting the few french words I know to music, Japanese Tetris, Things you can't do when you're not in a pool, The evolution of Dance, Jim Gaffigan's Hot Pockets routine, and many others. But this video above is the most recent that my friend and old coworker made me aware of and I love it! I hope you do too, even though most of us are not having inside video-watching weather. Is it as beautiful where you are as it is here? All my windows are open, which is noisy, but it sure feels nice to have all that fresh air!

oranges on fabric

2009-04-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

This is a crafty post, it's about time, yeah? I've always been very interested in fiber arts. My mom taught me how to sew and alter fabric when I was young. I've always been fascinated with the rhythm of my grandmother's weaving on her huge looms. There's several excellent stories hidden in the corners of these comments, but those are for another time. My recent excursions into knitting has created an even greater curiosity about how fabric and fiber is created. So, this has led to an interest in printing on fabric.

So first, I sketched out a fun pattern in my sketch book, then I scanned it in and colored it as you can see in the first photo.

I found instructions online to print on fabric with my own home printer. This was exciting to me so I just had to give it a try. You just iron on freezer paper and trim the fabric down to size.

This is what emerged. I was so thrilled! But, it's not exactly color-fast. I touched the edge with water and the color bled. So, I'm investigating various ways to make this colorfast, maybe just some simple ironing. During this search I came across spoolflower, an amazing company that prints fabric on demand! So I've uploaded my image in orange and yellow and I'm thinking of ordering a swatch or a fat quarter to test it. Once I solve this, what do you think I should make with this orange fabric?

The love of a pup

2009-04-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

There are times, like today, when I'm so amazed at the unconditional love of a dog. The last two days here in Baltimore have been absolutely beautiful and sunny. So, Poki and I went running both days. Poki's running rhythm is pretty off at times as she's either dragging me along like a sled dog or she's at a complete standstill in order to sniff the corner of a light post. But I can see improvement even in just one day. She and I both just need a bit more practice at running. It's been a long winter, after all. But even more than her great camaraderie while exercising, I really appreciate the way she curls next to me and licks my feet. That might sound weird to some, but when she looks up at me with those eyes, the only thing I can think is I'm so lucky to have this dog that loves me no matter what I do. The grossness of dog slobber on my skin just never really comes to mind.

Sewing at Sea

2009-04-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today I serendipitously heard an interview on npr with Lisa Hannigan, a singer/songwriter with just the right amount of hopefulness and sweetness in her songs. Her record is called Sea Sew and it weaves together images of the ocean and sewing. She seems to be quite a crafty lady because she hand-stitched her lyrics on a piece of linen, artwork that decorates her album. She says that this work was done not just for the joy of crafting but also as a reward for those old-fashioned folks who actually bought her CD vs just downloading the songs; a dichotomy that she compares to letter-writing vs. emailing.

The music video I've included above is so lovely and artistic in word and imagery. The song is a reference to her habit of creating and imagining lives of strangers she sees around her, wondering if they could be friends. Her CD is definitely on my wishlist!

creativity + more flowers

2009-04-08T05:57:00.001-07:00

I'm starting to read and practice "The Artist's Way." Has anyone else read this book? Right now I'm doing what the author calls, Morning Papers. Well, technically, not right now, I just finished them. Morning papers are three pages of free, stream-of-conscious writing, that could even include "I don't know what to write" over and over if that's all you can think of. It's the practice that seems to be important, that and engaging your right brain to wake up your creativity. This is something I really want and need. Ever since I've left college and entered the work force, I've recognized that even though I chose a profession that has some aspects of art, I can't depend on graphic design to fulfill all my yearnings to create. I want to write, to draw, to sew, to knit, to sing, to dance, to hike, and to feel the sun on my face.

While I feel like it's sometimes difficult for me to carry out all the dreams of creativity that I have, I'm so thankful for my little olympus camera. It might not be the SLR camera I wish I had, but it works and allows me to manipulate the auto-focus with my weird little tricks just enough to be a bit satisfying. Just the snapshots of light playing on these pink petals is enough to engage and thrill my hunger for creativity. What feeds your creative self?

Springs in my step

2009-04-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

I feel like everything is lighter. The air, my steps down the sidewalk with Poki, even the trees seem ready to fly away with all those fluttery petal-wings bursting from every branch. It's spring! The picture above was taken in Baltimore, but the rest below were in DC.

Ryan and I went into DC overnight, he for serious business, me for the business of walking and checking the state of the cherry blossoms. So I walked from M St, all the way down to the Tidal Basin and back. It was chilly on the shadowy side of the street, so I chased the sun from one side to the other depending how tall the buildings were on each block.

This was last week, so the trees were budding, which gave them a subtle pink cast from far away. I read that now is the time to see them. They are all at their peak this week.

So, I may have to go visit this little cluster of buds once more and see how they've progressed.

soft toys for new moms

2009-03-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Since my travels to Hawaii included the first meeting of the newest members of three different families, I felt a need to create a few softies. I love the silver nose!

So I'm sure that some people (ah... choo!) are wondering about me and my obsession with monkeys. I know, it seems that they do dominate my craftiness. It all started a few years back when I responded to a softie challenge to sew a sock monkey. I got so excited that I bought a ton of baby socks for mini-sock monkeys and they are still in a box under my sewing machine. But I've also knit huge quantities of knitted sock monkey ornaments and now this cutie above. Well, all I can say is that I didn't keep this one and I made other animals...

See? There's a bunny! And the monkey's body, head, and pieces of a squid! These amazing patterns came from Teresa Levy of Sewing Stars.

Don't all new babies need softies? Well, maybe it's their parents that need them. I gave this bunny to our cousins and their new baby and the guy thanked me and was carrying it all around at the party, while his wife carried the baby.

Finally, the squid for a special two-week old! It was such an honor to meet and hold one so new to breathing on his own. I'm pretty sure he has no interest in this squid, but I think his mommy enjoyed it. :)

hawaii wildlife

2009-03-25T15:36:00.001-07:00

There's a misconception that Hawaii has no wildlife. While you don't need to worry about bears, tigers, monkeys, snakes, lions, or hamsters, there are many other animals out and about if you look close enough. Walk around an Aiea neighborhood slowly and you won't miss the caterpillar climbing on a crown flower.

You could also try peeking between rocks and you may find a pencil urchin.

Move quickly and you'll see a monarch feeding at a bright protea.

Some animals are much easier to spot; like this rooster hanging out as we ate our Maui beef chili and elk burgers at Ulupalakua Ranch.

As you're driving through Kula you might even find some goats or a kid like this one at Surfing Goat Farm.

Don't overlook any leaf, you never know when a jackson chameleon might be hiding behind one.

Proteas.

2009-03-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

Jet lag always takes me longer to overcome when going east than when I'm going west. This entire week was a series of semi-comatose mornings and sleepless nights. But since I missed the time change while we were in Hawaii, it's been a pleasant adjustment to find the sun still up in the sky past 5 pm! It's spring!

So to begin this Spring 2009, I'm posting a few images of some proteas I took an interest in while I was on Maui. The one above is one of my favorites. I love that these "flower pictures" aren't your usual garden variety. Instead, they look almost like deep-sea creatures or some lovely insect.

This one especially. Doesn't it look like beautiful but a little frightening? I think If these weren't that lovely shade of pink, and you saw it on a dark alley in Baltimore, it might be a bit scary. haha.

This trip to Hawaii afforded me the opportunity to remember why I now consider it my home. There's something about the air, the light, and the way even strangers smile and start conversations about the mango that aren't quite ripe, yet. Since I didn't grow up a kama'aina (local), this feeling of belonging came on gradually amongst many trips to the beach, family parties with aunties and uncles, hula lessons at the YMCA, and so many other experiences. Now, when we visit, I run into people I know everywhere, Longs, Borders, the airport.

Moving to Baltimore has been difficult, not so much because Baltimore is so difficult, but that leaving Hawaii is. I have at least three more years here and I want to get to know this city and grow to love it as it deserves. I underestimated the difficulty of the transition here. I want to like Baltimore and I do, but it's like starting over again, finding a community, friends, and it's getting harder to do that the older we get!

I'm going to be posting more Hawaii pics in the next few posts, but after that I want to challenge myself to going out and taking Baltimore pictures. I want to get to know the city corner by corner, snapshot by snapshot.

This post has evolved from a simple presentation of protea flowers to an analyzation of my feelings and issues with moving and living in Baltimore. I looked up protea on the ever-helpful wikipedia and it says that the flower was named after the greek god Proteus because he was able to change his form at will and proteas come in so many different forms. I may not have this ability to adapt and metamorphose at will to a new situation, but I hope, in time to adjust and appreciate the precious time I have here on the east coast in Baltimore, Maryland.

Back on the mainland.

2009-03-15T16:22:00.000-07:00

We just arrived back in Baltimore. It was such a wonderful trip to O‘ahu, seeing friends, family, and eating plenty food. The picture above is one of the few beach days we had, though this was more of a fishing day. The cool, windy weather didn't bother me too much, though, it was just so fantastic to be home. I think I will always consider it home, though I wasn't born there. I'll have more pictures this week once my brain and body get adjusted to the time shift.

Hawai‘i, I miss you already!

a-l-o-h-a, a little aloha in our day.

2009-02-24T19:13:00.000-08:00

I created some cards for my friend's birthday. I wanted it to be a simple clean design, which is often harder for me than making something with more detail. There's this quote I used to keep on my work computer that says: "A designer know that he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) I don't know if I've ever experienced this ultimate point of perfection, or that I've realized it, but it's a good process for me to keep my work from getting too fussy.

This is the packaging for the cards. I had a such great time designing something for fun that I think I'll do this more often! I'm thinking of making a few designs and selling them. I'm also preparing for a trip to Hawaii. I can't describe how happy this upcoming trip is making me! I feel like miss Hawaii more these two weeks leading up to our trip than I have for the whole year! It's the anticipation!

just add water

2009-02-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

I'm easily amused. it's true. I find humor in small seemingly unimportant things, which is one of my real pleasures in life. I bought this pack of pill towels, supposedly as a gift for "someone" when I visited the MoMA store in New York during December. I couldn't think of anyone who would receive this as a gift with joy. I kept imagining and then picturing eye-rolls and drawn-out "oookkkaaaay"s, so I decided to keep them around for a while. Today was Pill towel's photo debut, so I had to open them up and share with you friends. Please say I'm not alone in my love for these little towels?

It's just like real pills! but do not swallow...

Here's the Pill Towel after it's brush with moisture. Even though it's now in it's useful stage of life, I prefer it's pill stage of existence. We can't call it Pill Towel anymore, it's lost it's unique identity and it's now just merely a towel. Okay, since I'm now imagining all of you eye-rolling at my temporary insanity, I'll just say I am working on some projects and hope to post something I've actually made as opposed to just added water to.

Last Minute Valentine

2009-02-13T04:55:00.000-08:00

For those of you who've followed my blog for more than a year, the above picture may be familiar to you. If you want to see or make my valentine puzzle, go here.

I have very fond memories of my childhood Valentine's Days. I remember decorating a special shoebox and filling out valentines for everyone in my class. Then sticking one into each of my friends' little valentine boxes.

As an adult, however, I'm pretty tired of commercials exchanging diamonds for love as the answer to life's every question and rose ads popping up on websites. So how do we recapture the goodness of V-Day? Make stuff! ;) Go handmade! It's cost-efficient in this down economy but it's also just plain fun. This holiday lends itself to handmaking, even for those of you who doubt your own abilities. The Heart, the great symbol of v-day, is simple to make and easy to reproduce with any medium.

You could make a paper heart chain, potato print hearts, paperclip hearts, sponge printed hearts, felt sewn hearts, the list goes on. For more ideas, see Martha Stewart or How About Orange.

Make some valentines and hand them out to a few friends and family. You could even pull a may day "prank" by ringing the doorbell and leaving a note on their doorstep. Could be fun! :)

For my valentine, I'm making a "mix tape" CD full of favorite love songs. Here's a few of my favorite. What are some of your favorite love songs?

At Last by Etta James
Can't Help Falling In Love by Andrea Bocelli
Hold You In My Arms by Ray LaMontagne
Turn Me On by Norah Jones
The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson
Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat
Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra
That's all by Michael Buble

Poki's first snow

2009-02-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

Poki's not quite sure about this snow thing. Since she was born in Hawaii, this first winter in Baltimore has been strange for her. Inside the house she spends most of her time trying to get her cold nose under a blanket or curling up in front of the space heater.

Though it's been chilly in our drafty house, we haven't had much snow. But when it did snow, I had to take Poki and my camera out for the experience! I'm glad I did because it melted away the next day. Look at how gingerly she's stepping!

When I was a kid we had a black dog named Carbon. He used to roll around in the snow and run all over the backyard. He'd also chase birds, rabbits, and squirrels. Poki, on the otherhand, loves to run and roll about in the green grass under a warm sun, but she's very uncertain about the cold white powder. Every step was slow and cautious as she sniffed the ground.

The she started shivering again, and wanted to go back inside. I'm working on a doggy sweater for her, but at the rate I'm going it'll be done just in time for warm weather. It's a little over half done, now, so if I pick up the pace, maybe we can get it finished before all the trees start blooming. :)

Bursts of Brilliancy

2009-02-07T15:42:00.001-08:00

This is not a new picture, but I wanted to post it on this new blog. I recently printed it, framed it, and gave it a spot on the wall in our living room. This photo, with it's bright burst of orange that bleeds off the upper right hand corner reminds me that there's life to be lived and more to see beyond the bounds of my vision. I'm going through a bit of uncertainty in several different areas of my life, but it's these little bursts of beauty and fresh bits of joy that pull me through. For instance, I decided to pull my shoes on and just take Poki for a her walk today, even though I wasn't feeling it. Even at five in the evening, the sun was out, there was warmth in the air, and families were walking the sidewalks, so I unzipped my coat and breathed deep. Okay, so the smell wasn't of pikake, but it renewed my sense of living. It reminded me that I'm called not to merely exist, but to thrive. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but it gives me hope. It motivates me to reexamine where my faith lies and if I'm really trusting God, who is the source of my strength. I know I don't usually get this personal or serious on this blog, but I think as I've grown older, I sometimes tend to be a little too closed off about my feelings. It's freeing to just be open and breathe deeply even if the air smells more like rotting leaves and exhaust than flowers.I may not know what the future is, but it's certain to be a brilliant adventure.

handmade to the moon!

2009-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

In life there are seasons, I remember a few years back I found out about a new friend getting married every other week. Now, it seems to be the season for babies. Each time I check my facebook page I discover another friend who's expecting a baby. So that's changing the way I do gifts, a bit. It's so much fun to make toys and now I have a good reason! I made this rocket for my little cousins for Christmas. It's such a fun project that I found on thelongthread. There's cardboard in the white "fins," which make them stand up. You can also add a little pocket for a rocket man, as you can see on the project site.

I'm a little behind on this, but maybe it'll be news to you. There's been some concern in the handmade community lately about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) that was to go into effect on February 10. The CPSIA has good intentions, but it gives the handmade community a major blow; if you are making toys by hand, it's probable that you wouldn't be able to afford the certification and testing that the CPSIA is trying to require of all manufacturers. Thankfully, there's been a one-year suspension on this act so they can take more time to review the rules. You can read about that here at etsy.

This isn't over, though, and if you want to be a part of Saving the handmade community and amend the CPSIA, I urge you to read up on the CPSIA and call your senator. For more information on how and what to say to your senator, see this article. Also, Meredith wrote an excellent well-thought out post here, concerning CPSIA.

Year of the Cow

2009-01-28T06:03:00.000-08:00

what is one to do on a snowed-in day like today? Well, cleaning comes to mind. But there's lots of other more enjoyable activities that are crowding out that little voice saying, "your house needs cleaning!" Things like carving on my linoleum block as you can see above. I haven't carved a linoleum block since... 6th grade, I think. However, I did carry the supplies and blocks with me from the midwest to hawaii and then here to Baltimore. I think I've paid more for shipping them than they're really worth. But, worth is all relative, since I had a great idea and there were the blocks and cutters ready to be used! I'm carving a cow in honor of Chinese New Year, the year of the ox. I'm a bit late, since the holiday was on Monday, but that's okay, because it's actually supposed to be celebrated for fifteen days and plus, this whole year is the year of the ox, right?

But if you're saying, Emily, your carving idea on a snowy day is not at all helpful to me, since I haven't been carrying around these supplies for the last fifteen years. Okay, fair enough. Here's another idea, snowed-in-friend. Make a paper President Obama, or Totoro, or even a pufferfish. Or you can go to cubecraft yourself and choose from variety of options. Now if you still don't like this idea, there's always the option of cleaning your house! :)

soups on...

2009-01-26T11:09:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I made chicken soup! I have many memories of my mom making chicken soup, which she did quite expertly, but I've never made it myself, entirely from scratch. So I went to the Pennsylvania Dutch Market, picked up a small "fryer" chicken since it was much smaller than the "roaster," got a bag of soup vegetables as you see above and brought them home. I stuck the whole chicken into the pot. pulled a little bag wrapped up with the little innards that don't look very appetizing but are supposed to make the soup taste good.

I covered the whole chicken with water and brought it to a boil. Then added all these great vegetables above, sans the potatoes (I decided there was enough stuff).

I simmered the whole thing for 2+ hours. Then took everything out with a slotted spoon. Added noodles to the broth, seasoned it and added a bit more chicken stock flavoring since it was a bit watery. Chopped up the vegetables and chicken and added it back in. Yum.

The only issue I had was that there was a few bones in the soup. So in the future I really need a strainer! Good thing I'm married to a chinese guy who's used to a few bones in his soup. ;)

We still have plenty of soup left. Anyways, do any of you make soup? Have you made some recently?

2009-01-22T05:09:00.001-08:00

This is a hat that I knit and reknit for my brother for Christmas. It's using the Utopia hat pattern, which is one of my new all-time favorite patterns. I hope it fit him!

There's so much going on these days. We got to see President Obama speak last Saturday, which was cold but thrilling. We didn't make it down to the inauguration, but had excellent seats on our couch for all the festivities.

Last night I watched LOST. Anyone else a fan? It was a fabulous start to a new season!

Me and Bertha are famous!

2009-01-16T14:55:00.001-08:00

Back in April when we came up to Baltimore for a quick overview, we walked through fells point and I got great enjoyment from the above building. Well, I was happily informed that this image is being included in Shmap's Baltimore Sixth Edition.

Here's a screen shot to give you the idea:

This was all a bit of a surprise for me, because about two weeks ago, someone from Shmap contacted me through flickr and said they'd like to use my photo. Today they told me it's up! So I went to the site and flipped through and just focused on the names. I stopped when I saw the name ernie, and thought, oh no! they got my name wrong! Ha, but no, it's there, just need to flip a bit further. Go here if you want to check it out for yourself! This seems like a really good way of looking up stuff to do in your own city in addition to things to do when you're traveling to another city.

I'll have some good pics up soon for the post I left you all with all week. We are trying to survive the "cold snap" as they call it, roaring through the east coast. In addition to that, we have Barack Obama visiting Baltimore tomorrow and the Baltimore Ravens playing against the Steelers on Sunday. I hope to get involved if I decide it's warm enough to crawl out from under the warm blankets and leave my cozy space heater. Some things are worth it, right?

I eat loose change...

2009-01-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

Have you ever imagined that you took lots of pictures and later found out you didn't? Okay, maybe it's just me. But I imagined that I had a picture of the original drawing of my little coin monster, then a picture of me using my gocco to expose the screen, then stamping that screen on fabric. I imagined I had a panoramic shot of little pieces of gocco-ed fabric hanging from the lights in my craft loft, I even imagined I had images of the final pouch complete with snap. Oh, if only you could see into my imagination, you could understand the whole process! But what a thing to ask of a reader. Not only to stop by from time to time to read my blog, but to also imagine that it has pictures? We have to draw the line, don't we?

Well, I'll take some pictures tomorrow with the daylight streaming in the window so you can more fully understand what the picture above + this incessant rambling post of mine is all about.

Friday Funny

2009-01-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

I discovered how strong my sewing machine is when I sewed right through the top of my pin! I'm sure glad nothing broke...

I'll have a final pic of this wip this weekend. It involves print gocco!

Snowmen

2009-01-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

The sky's leaking freezing rain tonight, so I'm happily tucked in at home. I got bit by a crazy crafty bug during the christmas rush, and though husband tried to slow me down, my clothes were covered in bits of thread, fabric snips and yarn. I digress, but if any of you watch pushing daisies, one of my favorite shows, there was a previous episode called The Legend of Merle McQuoddy featuring a character who made diaramas and had glitter and pieces of cotton stuck all over herself, suffice to say, I resembled her. (If you haven't seen the episode and are interested, go here and watch episode 9 on pushing daisies. It's so fun!)

I made the snowman above with some salvaged ikea pillowcases, scraps of fabric and felt for the appliqued nose and eyes, and knit the scarf with some fun variegated yarn. I made five. They were so much fun!

I feel like eating some soup, are any of you holed up in your house with comfort food? Or wish to be?

Birthday fireworks

2009-01-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! We had a good view of the inner harbor fireworks show on new years, so here's a few pictures. Today's also my birthday, so another day of pondering the year past and the year to come. ;) And to eat some cake!

A new space for 2009.

2009-01-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

A new blog for a new year. These cards came from our trip to Colonial Williamsburg a few months ago. In the spirit of new years resolutions, maybe I should attempt the "Posture Master Alphabet". But, really, it could be more dangerous than beneficial, don't you think?

Resolutions. It's one thing I love about the new year. The promise of a fresh start, clean slate. One of my resolutions is to start this new blog and post at least 3 times a week. I hope I can stick to this, because I value the friendships I've built across the cyber miles and I want to be more reliable. Resolutions can be tricky, though, if goals are set too high, then the results can be just disappointment. This doesn't stop me from trying though, because the freshness of this new year is so encouraging, it's just asking for plans to be made. Do you have any resolutions?