slim arts girl

CHANGE

2011-01-05T00:38:00.000-08:00

Well my friends, Slim Arts and the slimartsgirl blog are no more...change has come and it feels good. It will take a little time to tie up all the loose ends, but it's nice to be moving on.

I will no longer be posting here, so I would be pleased if you would join me at my new place of blogging:

Thanks and best wishes for 2011!

BUTTONS

2011-01-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful new year weekend working on my new blog...I'm almost ready to make the switch! It's looking good... Here are 3 of my buttons...just to tease you with. Hope you're having a good year so far ♥

In other news, my family in SLC is having a rough time. My Grandma has been in the hospital for 3 weeks...point some POSITIVE thinking their way...

LAST FIVE [slimartsgirl]

2010-12-31T17:00:00.000-08:00

Today is the first of the last five days of the slimartsgirl blog! Not to worry, I'll be taking all my 2010 entries with me to my new place so you can access the last year's archives. I'll be posting the same kind of things you love (Book Reports and the usual randomness), PLUS I've got 3 regular features lined up for my new blog:

1] Messy Monday
2] Where Wednesday (I'd love to have you guest blog on a Wednesday...interested? Let me know!)
3] Last Five Friday

It'll be fun. I do hope you'll join me! I do hope I'm not over-hyping this new move...I'm just so looking forward to it :)

PALETTES (cont'd)

2010-12-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

Another color palette version...? [see HERE for others]

E-COURSE

2010-12-27T08:09:00.000-08:00

My new exciting blog will be launching January 5th! I'm really looking forward to focusing on blogging. I'm giving myself an extra bloggy advantage by taking Elsie's Blog Love E-Course. I just signed up yesterday and I can't wait to learn. I admire Elsie's business and blog success, so I'll take any tips I can from her...I'll let you know how it goes :)

MERRY EVE

2010-12-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

I hope you have a warm, cozy weekend with loved ones.

BOOK REPORT [Wishin' and Hopin']

2010-12-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

Looking for a quick Christmas read? I just finished reading Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb. It's got some classic Christmas story ingredients...a 10 year old boy, nostalgia (the story takes place in the early sixties), a school play, celebrities, and embarrassing moments. This book will give you some Christmas giggles if you need some :)

PALETTES

2010-12-21T08:07:00.000-08:00

Here are the color palettes I'm considering for my new blog design...

Thoughts? I think I love the berry option over the orange...would it be weird to have both? Ditch the green? I know it's hard to choose not knowing all the details of the new project, but let me know what you think!

IF YOU WANT...

2010-12-20T10:07:00.000-08:00

The year is fast slipping away...and I mentioned a few weeks ago I'm working on a revamp/relaunch for my blog, but I haven't told you anything more about it...was it really 3 weeks ago? It feels like 3 days ago.

I'm so excited about my new blog and new name [to be revealed in time ;) ]...it's going to be all about having a place to be creative and curious and adventurous...It's a nice mental shift away from trying to come up with things to sell and towards exploring my creativity and craftiness without feeling stressed out about whether people would want to buy what I make. If you want to be free, be free!

Writing and blogging make me happy and I feel so inspired. I've got 2 or 3 great ideas for regular blog features! I really hope you'll join me at my new place starting January 5th!

CAN'T HELP BUT READ

2010-12-08T23:12:00.000-08:00

I really like this quote, posted on The Word Made Flesh, a blog I check out featuring literature inspired tattoos. It's really interesting to see what creative bookish things are permanently added to people's skin and in some cases read why. When the new Harry Potter movie came out they posted a whole series of Harry Potter tatoos. This was my favorite:

The blog started because of a coffee table book...and another based on music tatoos will be coming soon. The Word Made Flesh takes submissions if you've got a cool literary tatoo you want to share (you know who you are).

MAKE & SPEND

2010-12-05T23:35:00.000-08:00

I made it through my mini-craft fair last week. I shared a table with the one of the more popular sellers (cookies+delicious things) who provided our festive table coverings. It was a good day...I sold some things, fielded compliments and questions, picked up a couple of homemade treats for myself [jam, almond roca], and found 2 christmas gifts.

On a semi-related note, I was hit last week with a burst of re-creative energy. As a result, I'm working on a revamp and rebrand to be launched in a few weeks...a fresh start for the new year. I am so very excited about my new direction...thinking about it makes me feel light and refreshed and newly inspired! I'll be sharing details during December :)

TAGGED

2010-11-30T09:31:00.000-08:00

The employee craft fair at my day job is coming up on Thursday...I whipped up some simple gift tags to sell. It was a good excuse to buy red/white bakers' twine.

ANTHOLOGY

2010-11-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we (The Husband and I) went to the Anthology Magazine launch party. It was good fun, with fancy drinks and pretty people and things to look at... I had never been in a West Elm store before. They have great stuff. I guess I'd call it 'fancy casual'. There were quite a few people there, bloggers and interior designers and folks involved in the magazine one way or another.

The thing is, I never actually got my hands on the inaugural issue. The copies scattered about the store were all snatched up and the piles of magazines at the door were fiercely guarded by people wielding clipboards who shooed me away insisting I'd get a magazine on the way out...and of course there were none left when we made our exit. Alas.

Three things make up for the folly:

source

1) a parting gift of Hooker's Sweet Treats [sea salted dark chocolate covered caramels]. Okay, these are ridiculously delicious.

source

2) the Anthology blog...simple and lovely...and the spot to find out where and how to pick up Anthology

3) I shook two hands of San Francisco blogger royalty, Meg Mateo Ilasco and Victoria of sfgirlbybay

2010-11-28T21:14:00.000-08:00

Did you have a lovely weekend? We sure did, and I'll share what's been going on. I'm hanging out at a friend's house and am on the fringes of groups of chatting people, so I thought I'd say a quick hello via iPhone! Blogger+iPhone isn't the most exciting combination is it? No fonts, no pics. Ah well...I'm just happy to be putting words down. I've been thinking a lot about blogging lately...what I want to say, what I'm afraid to say, and how I wish I could just get a live feed plugged into my brain. Perhaps I'll use iPhone to draft more often...thanks for allowing me this little mobile experiment. Blogging=fun and I'm glad you're reading :)

See ya later!

BOOK REPORT [The Holy Man's Journey]

2010-11-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

This book was hard to find, and is the sequel to The Holy Man, which was a lovely little book I would recommend to anyone. The Holy Man's Journey did not have the same magic. It picks up right where The Holy Man left off and tells what happens next...it does have some nice ideas, but I didn't find myself smiling or thinking much about the story afterward like I did when I read The Holy Man. I guess I don't recommend this book...!

TRIM THE TREE

2010-11-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

Hi! I'm excited to show you something I made yesterday. I needed a cute way to display the ornaments I'm decorating and selling at a craft fair in a few weeks. I sketched out the shape I wanted, found a big square of cardboard to slice up, cut pegs from a bamboo skewer, and created a cute Christmas tree display. I love it when a plan comes together!

LAST FIVE [supplies]

2010-11-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

The last five crafty supplies I purchased:

1. paper (behold the beautiful rainbow of card stock!)
2. various adhesives
3. metallic gold gel pen
4. knitting needles (bamboo knit in the round)
5. red/white bakers twine

ORNAMENTS

2010-11-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

This morning, before I go for an afternoon at the day job, I'm getting my fingers sticky decorating some Christmas ornaments for a little craft fair I'm selling at in December. I started with plain brown craft paper ornaments and added paint, pen, and of course glitter. I'm coating them with a clear water based lacquer so they're quite shiny and pretty. There are a variety of shapes and sizes, and I love that they won't shatter when I drop them. And if they don't sell, I'll probably use them as cute decorations on my gift wrapping.

What are you working on today?

BOOK REPORT [Little Bee]

2010-11-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

Over the summer I got a pile of hand-me-down books from The Mama...they're in a pile by my bed, so I've been reading my way through them. This is another book from that pile. This story is told between two women: Sarah, a British mother and magazine editor, and a 16 year old Nigerian refugee/illegal immigrant who calls herself Little Bee. It's hard to explain the book without telling the whole story [Even the book jacket keeps things vague...], but basically the two women's lives are connected in astonishing, life-changing ways that unfold over the course of the story. This is both a tragic and a hopeful story...devastating and warm at the same time. It is a little over-dramatic and far-fetched at times (or is it...?), but a very good read nonetheless. Have you read it? What did you think?

P.S. Do you want to read this book? I'll send it to the first person to ask!
[interested in another book I've read? ask and I may send it to you...some restrictions may apply if it wasn't my book or I loved it too much to let it go]

NOT PIE

2010-11-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

I did a little baking last night...a simple but yummy dessert I remember my Grandma making in the fall. It's a slight twist on a pumpkin pie we call 'Pumpkin Cake Dessert'. I got the recipe from Grandma...I don't know where it came from originally...and played around with the seasoning a little. This treat has a pumpkin pie-ish top, and the bottom is a layer of yellow cake, which turns into both a crispy crumb crust and a layer of dense cakey goodness. It's yummy on its own, or with a little whipped cream. I went with cheap and easy ingredients, but I think it would be easy to modify (organic & less processed, maybe even gluten-free)

Pumpkin Cake Dessert

Mix together 1 yellow cake mix, 1/2 cup softened butter, and 1 egg. Press with the back of a spoon into the bottom of a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan (I like to go up the sides about an inch to make a little edge).

Next mix together 1 large can pumpkin, 2 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 2/3 cup evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp nutmeg [play around with the amount of these spices and make it your own...]. Pour mixture over unbaked cake crumb crust. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Top with whipped cream (or not) and enjoy!

BOOK REPORT [The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society]

2010-10-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

Another great recommendation from The Mama. This book is told in letters written and received by a writer in England shortly after World War II... Life in London is just starting to get back to normal (although rations are still in place for some things), when Juliet receives an intriguing letter from the Island of Guernsey. A used book with her name inside had been picked up and loved by one of the members of a book club, and he wanted to thank her. So starts a dialogue and a friendship between Juliet and the members of the Literary Society, and Juliet learns how reading got them through the German occupation of their home [did you know Germany occupied British soil during the war? The Channel Islands...look it up!] The story is about a neat group of people, but it's also about how important books are, how books can bring people together, can expand and save lives. Long live books! I think that authors sometimes fall back on 'letters' because it's a convenient way to get details and plot points out on the page (aka 'exposition'), but in this case the quality and nature of the story and the characters made for great correspondence. A quick and enjoyable read!

SLIM ARTS UPDATE

2010-10-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

Hello friends...how has October been treating you? It's almost gone, you know... One of my favorite months, poof! Gone so quickly. Ah well, if it goes fast, that means you've been busy, right? I've been busy putting together a little wholesale card order for my original customer, Floral Ornament....well, technically the shop is now under new ownership, but happily my cards are still featured there.

Also, I've added a Holly-Day card to my Etsy shop, if you'd like to have a look...

For now I'm only adding things here & there or now & then to my shop...but if you know you need/want something from me, don't hesitate to ask!

LAST FIVE[days]

2010-10-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

The last five days have been a whirlwind:
1. Monday: The Husband's birthday (I made pie)
2. Tuesday: Tweaked/torqued/twisted my neck (I was useless the rest of the day)
3. Wednesday: Mumford & Sons (One of the best concerts ever!)
4. Thursday: Exhausted (I worked on a wholesale card order anyway)
5. Friday: Rain (Perfect for holing up this evening and working on business/blog!)

LAST FIVE [compliments?]

2010-10-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

The last five questionable statements directed at me:
(which out of context here are even weirder/funnier)

1. You're funny.
2. You have hair like a witch.
3. You work like a hyena.
4. That's an interesting outfit.
5. You look like a sheep.

BOOK REPORT: THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE

2010-10-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

The Mama said I needed to read this little mystery...and she was right! It was a very cute and clever story. The main character and crime solver is a precocious chemistry loving 11 year old girl named Flavia de Luce. Flavia lives in an old manor house in England in 1950 with her father & two sisters. She stumbles on a dying man in the cucumber patch, and while trying to figure out who he was and why he was killed, she stumbles on parts of her father's past. She of course causes some of her own mischief along the way. A delightful book...and perfectly nerdy what with the chemistry and stamp collecting ;) Plus, who doesn't love a murder mystery in the English countryside?

LAST FIVE [iPhone Apps]

2010-10-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

The last five iPhone apps I've downloaded:
1. Osfoora for Twitter [I miss Twitterific, but this is good]
2. Oregon Trail [meh...]
3. Angry Birds [best game ever]
4. New York Times [enough said]
5. Sit or Squat [Embarrasing but true. I really had to pee.]

BOOK REPORT: BATTLE ROYALE

2010-10-07T22:04:00.000-07:00

This book got passed to us by good friends...it's an entertaining read, but definitely not for everyone. I haven't yet read The Hunger Games, but I think this story is similar, if not more bloody...It's really easy to imagine the story as an anime movie too [i think there's a live action movie on YouTube] It takes place in an alternate, distopian, future Asia where one class of 9th graders is picked by lottery for a special research program run by the military. In the program, or the game, the kids are all placed in an area, usually on an island. Each kid has a special collar placed on their neck and receives a bag. Inside the bag is a weapon. The kids must kill each other...if no one dies within a certain time, the collars will explode. Also, during the course of the game, certain zones become off limits. If a kid goes into an off-limits area, their collar explodes. It all goes on until one kid is let standing. Sounds gruesome, doesn't it? Well, it was...but it was an interesting read. Like I said, not for everyone. You can imagine there are some psychological, philisophical, and political themes explored over the course of the book. The book definitely had some faults, but if you have nothing else to read, it would be a fine quick library pick.

MUSIC MONDAY?

2010-10-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

I don't know about music Monday...but I had a music weekend! The first weekend in October is the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco...a FREE weekend of great music just steps away from my front door [lucky]. If you've never heard of it, the festival is put on [i.e. mostly paid for] each year by a guy named Warren Hellman, a zajillionaire who loves music and thinks people should get to hear it [not all investment bankers are evil]. I had a blast this year, with a little help from The Husband, his mama, and his sister. Sometimes they show parts of the festival on Austin City Limits, too. You should totally come next year...

This will give some of the crafty bloggesses a reason to squeal:

I heart Jenny Lewis. Johnathan Rice is okay. Jenny and Johnny together are super cute and fun. I love their 50's rock & roll look. They were the first act of many we saw...

Jenny and Johnny*Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys*Dukes of September*Carolina Chocolate Drops*Carolyn Wonderland*Kinky Friedman*Richard Thompson*March Fourth Marching Band*Citigrass*Indigo Girls*Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women*Roseanne Cash*Nick Lowe and his band*Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

All the music was great, and I know that we also missed a lot of great music to hear it.

Everyone's standout surprise favorite of the weekend though was the March Fourth Marching Band. Their joyous cabaret+marching band mash up makes you grin and move your feet. You're skeptical, I know, because you think you don't like marching bands...and it's hard to explain, but trust me...they're your new favorite performers.

All weekend we wandered about from stage to stage, ate fried pickles and beignets, and danced up a storm...

I'll leave you with an unofficial performance in an unglamorous spot by your new favorite marching band:

LAST FIVE [years]

2010-10-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

The last 5 years I've been married to the best partner I could have ever imagined having...

I love you Husband! Happy Anniversary!

Q vs Q

2010-09-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

Are you still with me? Just checking. Lately I've been posting sporadically, eh? Is that okay with you guys? I see it as a quality vs. quanitity issue, divided by the inverse of time to the square root of life.

I have all kinds of posts lined up on a piece of paper and in my head, but it's been busy here at home and nutso at The Day Job. Okay, okay, so this weekend instead of blogging Saturday I went to the beach because it's finally summer in San Francisco, and I saw porpoises, then we went to see The Big Lebowski outside in a park, and Sunday I read and worked on an invitation design project (I'll show you after the couple gets a gander), then I borrowed two dogs for a few hours.

A girl's gotta live a little.

But don't worry, I'll keep you posted...eventually...

LAST FIVE [food trucks]

2010-09-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

The last five SF food trucks from which I've eaten:
1. Sam's Chowderhouse
2. Curry Up Now
3. a Korean BBQ taco truck I can't remember the name of...
4. El Porteno
5. Creme Brulee Cart

COLLECTION [patches]

2010-09-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

Today I want to share with you my collection of sew-on patches! Most of these patches are from places I've been [hmm, looks like mainly national parks...they are reliable patch sellers...], but a few are gifts from others.

Most of the time I stop myself from getting new ones because the other ones I have just sit around. Some qualify as vintage now, ha ha! I keep my patches in a pile, intending to sew them on to backpacks and things...but this last group of four are the only ones that have made it so far.

Well, that's not entirely true, I had a couple on a second backpack, but the backpack died, so I removed them. In any case, it's an ongoing project. Somewhere I have the patches from my high school varsity jacket, and there may be a few others stashed away here and there. The Husband has some patches too...some reproduction NASA mission patches on his backpack have gotten him into some fun conversations with strangers ["Are you an astronaut?"]. I almost always look at the patches in gift shops and thrift stores just for fun. Girl and boy scout patches and vintage patches seem to be a cute trend lately...maybe it's time I expanded my patch love? Or at least added a few new ones...

GUEST-ING

2010-09-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Do me a favor and pop over to pretty Bee Keeper Studio today where I've got a papery guest blog post [my ~~first~~ second guest appearance ever!]. Say hi here or there :)

BOOK REPORT: THE NUTMEG OF CONSOLATION

2010-09-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

Well, you may have seen this book in my 'Book in Hand' section in the sidebar...but now I'm officially outing myself as a nerd. I thought I already had, but couldn't find the evidence in the blog archives. Some of you already know this about me. Did you see the movie 'Master & Commander?' Of course you did! It was based on a series of 20 (well, 21 really, though it was unfinished) novels by Patrick O'Brian about two friends and their lives in the British Navy in the early 1800's. The movie takes bits and pieces from several of the books, filled in nicely with plot and material that clearly indicates the movie makers read through much of the series. Well, I fell in love with the movie for various reasons and therefore was inspired to tackle the books.

The first time I picked up #1 I got bogged down in all the nautical jargon. O'Brian really was detailed and thorough. Four years ago I tried again, telling myself it was okay if I didn't know where to find a fore topgallant or what time of day 3 bells was...and I got hooked. The series follows the Doctor and the Captain (played in the movie by Paul Bettany and Russell Crowe respectively) in various adventures. While Captain Aubrey/Russel Crowe was the star of the movie, in the books Doctor Maturin gets more equal attention to Captain Aubrey, what with his scientific and spy related activities. That's right, I said spy activities. Did I mention the drug addiction? The good Doctor also proves somewhat ignorant in strictly naval manners, so when something nautical is explained to him, you get to learn about it too. The Doctor is a complex and interesting character. The Captain is wonderful too...in the books he has all the romance and majesty of the character in the movie, but with an added bumbling quality [especially on land, ha ha!]. Oh, and he's kind of a womanizer at times.

But now I'm rambling...

This was the fourteenth book in the series. They are attacked by pirates and later visit Australia (which was a penal settlement at the time). Also, the platypus is a dangerous animal. Really, it is.

The series isn't for everyone, of course. But I did have a nerdy discussion about the series with a woman in Powell's. It was great.

Please enjoy this clip:

WEEKENDING

2010-09-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

My weekend had, among other things, soccer, friends, music, games, climbing, chores, and a Guinness float [vanilla ice cream+Guinness]. What did your weekend have?

LAST FIVE [magazines]

2010-09-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

The last five magazines I've perused:

1. Discover
2. Self
3. Smithsonian
4. People
5. Uppercase (sadly I only have #4...but FYI #7 is coming soon!)

PDX

2010-09-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

On our way home we made a quick stop in Portland...just enough time to make an overdue pilgrimage to Powell's

I was uncharacteristically focused in the magical book paradise of Powell's (you do know about Powell's, right?) and picked up a handful of books that I'd been thinking about and searching for for awhile. We had dinner with family, who were lovely hostesses and innkeepers...and then were shown two lovely gardens in the morning before moving on...

One of the city's Rose Gardens, 1/1000th of which is shown in this photo...seeing a bajillion roses all at once finally opened my eyes to the subtle changes of shape, density, and color you can get out of roses. I particularly loved the orangey ones.

The Portland Japanese Garden is a serious work of art. What a beautiful place to appreciate nature (well, as interpreted by the gardeners), to meditate, and to spend some quiet time. You could probably visit every day and not get tired of it...especially with the changes of the seasons. The moss, the patterns of the leaves, the training of the trees, the blending in of the native northwest vegetation...all remarkable. The Husband was particularly inspired and impressed.

There's so much more to explore in Portland, and friends to visit...we'll be back soon!

NORTH CASCADES

2010-09-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've been camping in Washington, so I was glad that the family squeezed in a quick camping trip to North Cascades National Park. The North Cascades are largely wilderness...it gets few visitors in comparison to other more accessible national parks. It certainly does not lack beauty. The rugged, soaring mountain peaks and dense forests are breathtaking. We camped on the shores of Diablo Lake (which is actually a reservoir) with a big family crew of 8 and had a grand time. We caravan-ed down to the campground [My car took a little detour at the park visitor center, because your national park visit doesn't really count unless you go to the v.c.], set up camp, and then went for a walk.

We had some great camp meals, along with plenty of marshmallows roasted over one-match fires [a traditional M-family camping challenge...start a good campfire using just one match].

There was a nice morning of chatting and tree climbing before we went on a lovely hike...it seemed to go on forever, meandering up through different zones of alpine forest...but the skipping stones we found on the trail and the view at the end made it all worthwhile.

A few of us took a cold and refreshing swim afterward, and I spotted a friendly bit of graffiti...

Before we knew it, it was time for us to pop our umbrellas and go home...just in time to avoid the storm...

FAIR

2010-09-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a visit to the Pacific Northwest for a couple of weeks...we spent time with friends and family in Bellingham, camped in the North Cascades, and then drove home via Portland, Ashland, and good ol' Highway 101. This week I'll share some photos and highlights from our trip. HUGE thanks to our family for the fantastic trip!

We spent a lovely Saturday at the Northwest Washington Fair, which was stuffed with baby animals, from moments to days old...

I also helped eat a funnel cake, went on the ferris wheel, saw fun exhibits [wool spinning, quilts, collections, art, lots of animals, exhausted 4H kids, etc. etc.]...you know, classic fair stuff. But who wants pictures of those things when you've got pictures of a pile of piglets?

QUOTING

2010-09-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

LAST FIVE [camping]

2010-09-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

[#6 Calf Creek Falls]

The last five places I've camped:

1. North Cascades National Park

2. Richardson Grove State Park

3. Trinity Alps Wilderness

4. Mono Basin National Forest

5. Black Rock City (wish I was there this year!)

LAST FIVE [boardgames]

2010-08-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

The last five boardgames I've played:

1. Ticket To Ride

2. Agricola (my new favorite game)

3. Founding Fathers

4. Settlers of Catan

5. Bananagrams

FLYING

2010-08-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hello sweet pickles (that's you...I don't know why...I just said it. Even stranger is that I prefer dill pickles.). Just a quickie hello to check in with you. I'm gallivanting around the Pacific Northwest and have been booked solid with family visits, a wedding, playtime with friends, and general fun...vacation days are flying by! I'll have pictures and what-not to share when I get back home :)

BOOK REPORT: STAR OF THE SEA

2010-08-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Star of the Sea...a novel about a murder on board a ship traveling from Ireland to America in 1847. Because of the Irish Potato Famine, the ship is full refugees...poor and rich alike. The book's premise is that an American journalist is revisiting the dramatic sea crossing many years later, compiling interviews and journal entries, and memories. It's known from the beginning there is a murder on board, but who [whom?] is murdered and by who is only revealed as the story unfolds. The book alternates between the ship and the past, telling how certain passengers came to this ship and how they are connected. It was difficult at first to keep track of who was who, and it's definitely not a fast read, but I really enjoyed the story and all its suspense, mystery, romance, tension, history, twists, and tragedy. Good read if you like historical fiction.

OW

2010-08-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

Unrelated to this picture I took while waiting for sushi, my face hurts. ~~Sinus infection~~ [no just stupid allergies and stupid inflammation]. Look for a book report and other lovelies later this week...meanwhile, I'm going to go steam my head and think about what to pack for my trip to Bellingham this week.

LAST FIVE [candy]

2010-08-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

The last five candies I've eaten:

1. magic fruity crunchy stars (i don't know what they're really called...)

2. turkish delight

3. cadbury bar with roasted almonds

4. dark chocolate cadbury bar

5. pretzel M&Ms

THE POSTAGE SERVICE

2010-08-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

I briefly mentioned The Postage Service in my Renegade post but wanted to share a little more about the wonderfulness of it all. I had connected a tiny bit with Christine, the owner/artist, online and admired her work [postage stamps=awesome], so that gave me the guts to introduce myself and have a little chat. I'm so glad I did because Christine couldn't have been more lovely, and seeing her brilliant Postage Service cards in person was inspiring. Her logo and branding are great too. She's now top on my list for card shopping!

Christine works with postage stamps to create unique pieces of mail...with a simple but genius combination of beauty and function. She hunts down interesting U.S. postage stamps and uses them to create themed collages...

...and the simple flat card has a decorative stamp which ties into the theme...

The brilliant part is that the beautiful stamp collage on the envelope is the ACTUAL POSTAGE! All you gotta do is write your note and address your envelope and pop it in the mail. Auugh! It's amazing!

I picked out this piece for someone who I know will love finding it in their mailbox. There was a nifty outer space themed piece too that I hope to get my hands on later. See? Christine is a stamp genius. And she loves to do postage consultations...just imagine if you were doing wedding invitations or promotional mailers for your business...you could work with Christine to create a really special postage statement.

Check out The Postage Service to find links to Christine on Etsy and Twitter, and if you're out and about you can also find Postage Service stationery in these shops:

Reform School | Los Angeles, CA

Urbanic | Venice, CA

The Curiosity Shoppe | San Francisco, CA

Oblation Papers & Press | Portland, OR

SAILING AWAY

2010-08-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

I woke up today Feeling Nautical, so I made my first Etsy treasury. Enjoy!

BEETWIXT

2010-08-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

My sweet crafty sis-in-law has launched a pretty new shop...BeeTwixt! She's making gorgeous floral hair pieces and accessories for brides and beauties. Here's a selection of my faves so far:

Please do check out the new shop, visit her vintage shop, and comment on her lovely blog where she posts lots of lovelies and some DIY's!

RENEGADE

2010-08-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, as many of you know, was the San Francisco Renegade Craft Fair...and it was fabulous. I've popped into previous Renegades and this episode was by far the best. I can't exactly quantify it...there was a great selection and variety of artists & designers and it really seemed like everyone brought their best. Maybe the difference, too, was that I found some courage to say hello to a few of my favorites instead of just booth lurking...always fun to meet new friends :) I couldn't get there until later on Sunday...I bet the wonderful-ness was even greater on Saturday when all was stocked and fresh!

[Indie Biz friends, it was so fun to meet adorable Elsie & Emma...wish I hadn't been so shy...so much I wanted to say, but all that came out was 'Hi!', a handshake, and I practically ran away...hee hee. Ah well, they know they're wonderful ;) ]

I'm all kinds of inspired now, and I treated myself to a few little goodies [I saw so many BIG goodies I wanted though!]

Yummy smooth lip balm from Bunny Butt Apothecary

Postcards from partners in crime The Mincing Mockingbird...

...and The Frantic Meerkat

I finally got my hands on an issue of Uppercase. I chose beautiful Issue #4 (as did many others)

I picked up a card from The Postage Service (I'll show it to you later this week!)

And I gathered a handful of business cards to sift thru and share new faves with you on occasion...

I'm looking forward to the Holiday Renegade SF in December! Will you be there?

REVIEW

2010-08-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

Did you miss me? I had a super fantastic week playing with my mama in San Francisco. Here is my Hipstamatic review of some of our fun :) Hope you had a good weekend...my plan for today is to check out the Renegade Craft fair!

ANNOUNCEMENT

2010-07-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

Hi friends...You should know that I've posted a note in my Etsy shop that starting on July 25th the Slim Arts shop will go on summer hiatus (I'll still be blogging and tweeting...you can't get rid of me that easily!) I will relaunch on Etsy in September with all new goods and services. Fair warning...nothing you see in the shop now will be back later...it's time to freshen things up around here! I posted a bunch of things this morning, so have a look!

I'm really excited for what I have planned in September...and it feels good to act on it. Thanks for reading and hanging out with me :) If you have questions, or suggestions, fire away in the comments (but I'm not ready yet to tell you what's coming.)

MOUNTAIN HOME

2010-07-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a few more snaps from our backpacking trip in the Trinity Alps...

The friends we went with have the cutest dog named Clover, who was amazing on her first backpacking trip. She kept track of where everyone was and what they were doing at all times...she's the best!

There was so much snow this past winter that many of the trails in the Trinity Alps Wilderness were still inaccessible in parts...meaning we had to hike a different trail than we originally had planned, but it didn't matter...it was incredible. Plus, all the snow-melt made for many cascades and raging waterfalls.

We camped 3 nights in the backcountry, moving to a new spot each day. On our way to campsite #2 we had lunch at Upper Canyon Lake...

...then crossed a meadow and a couple of rivers...

and found home!

Here's the view from home...

(This is near where I did my sketch.)

I never take enough pictures (but Moms, there are a lot more than this if you wanna see!). I need to just have my camera in my hand all the time...I'd like a gr I'm especially regretting not taking photos of the JC Cafe in Junction City where we had THE best breakfast on our starting day (I recommend the Waffle Meal) and a pretty darn good bacon cheeseburger & milkshake (blackberry-chocolate) before we headed back to the city. Wow...it's totally one of those places that you're not sure about because it's the only restaurant within 20 miles but we needed breakfast and said 'Should we risk it?' (no one likes a yucky stomach while backpacking). The owners are so nice. If you're ever on Highway 299 east of Redding, California please eat there, chat with Darlene, and sign their guestbook :)

We have a few more travels planned for this summer, how about you?

BANJO

2010-07-15T23:53:00.000-07:00

MUSIC ~~MONDAY~~ FRIDAY

This week I introduced The Husband to a band I found thru one of my weekly podcasts, All Songs Considered. We're probably already supposed to know about them...but better late than never. The band is Mumford & Sons...a British band that plays what I call Americana Indie Rock. Americana=banjo, but don't let that scare you off. Even if you don't like bluegrass or the banjo, I think you'll like their music because of the rock twist and the soulful lyrics. Plus they've got a cute style. I think Marcus Mumford sounds like Ray LaMontagne+Dave Matthews+a British accent...but maybe that's just me. Anyway, The Husband and I are both in love with the band...check out their website and enjoy a few tunes below...

[FYI this next one has a little light F-bombage...if that sort of thing bothers you...]

ALPS

2010-07-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to the Trinity Alps for a little backpacking trip. This week, I went thru the stages of post-wilderness grief: denial 'We're not really going back to the city, are we?', exhaustion "ZzzZzzz", depression "I don't want to go to work, I want to go sit by a waterfall", confusion 'Wait, why are we here and not in a tent?' , and fond memories 'The Trinity Alps were spectacular...remember the stars? Remember wading across that cold river? We had such great campsites...' etc. etc.

Here's a sketch I did while perched on a rock at our second campsite...the one with the view of two waterfalls plus Thompson Peak...[I finally decided to see what the fuss was about the Hipstamatic iPhone camera app...it gives some cool and dramatic effects to photos]

My sketch-manship does no justice to the place...I'll post an actual pic or two as soon as I get them off the camera, if you're interested (are you?).

In other Alps news...the Tour de France is in the actual Alps this weekend... Did you know that I LOVE watching the Tour de France? I can't even explain it...and I don't even have a real bike myself (a Burning Man bicycle can only get you so far when you're not at Burning Man). I don't even pay attention to cycling the rest of the year...but the TdF captures my heart every July.

Off to watch the World Cup final...

GO 4TH

2010-07-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

via surrenderdorothy

We're off to the woods...have a great weekend!

PIN IT FORWARD: HOME

2010-06-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

Hello! Welcome to my contribution to Pin It Forward, the blog mashup put together by sfgirlbybay and the folks at Pinterest (my new favorite bookmarking/curating tool!) For the past month 10 bloggers each day have posted their part of the mashup. Thanks to all the bloggers who have been sharing 'what home means to me'! Now it's my turn...

scott mansfield

arruppel|pulled in oregon|art is 3 letters

Home at the moment is San Francisco. I've been lucky enough to live in my favorite places...Salt Lake City, UT, Bellingham, WA, and various CA spots. Oh, and Hawaii for 3 months. Each place holds the pull of family and/or beauty & intrigue. Each place is a great base for embarking on adventures.

summitpost.org

Mountains, sea, or desert are never too far away, and some little piece of nature has always been close at hand. I pride myself on being able to make the best of wherever I am...to make a cozy sanctuary where I can recharge.

sfgirlbybay via Heidi Lewis

I have to admit though, as much as I hideaway in our cozy little city apartment, I actually feel most at home on the road exploring with The Husband.

ranger doug|slimartsgirl

You can visit my Pin It Forward board Pinterest board HERE, and explore the other pinboards I've got going there...I'll be adding to all of them from time to time.

That's it, as they say. Thanks for visiting! Pinning it forward...please check in on Monday June 28th at Fringe to see another interpretation of the meaning of home :)

BOOK REPORT: THE HELP

2010-06-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

This book was recommended to me by a few different people...and now I'm recommending it to you! It follows three women in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960's, alternating first person storytelling between the women [I love that!]. The story touches on the meanings of friendship, race, family, and womanhood...and the interactions, teamwork, and understanding between 3 very different women (Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny) who are ready for things in Jackson to change and risk coming together to make it happen. I guess it sounds like a chick book, but the voices of each character are so rich and engaging and the story itself is entertaining and thought provoking, so I think anyone would enjoy it. It reads pretty quickly, too. Let me know what you think!

TOURISTS

2010-06-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to watch a cute and fun video.

Happy Sunday!

YES.

2010-06-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

Hello my sweet little pickles. Just breezing in to say a brief hello and let you know I'm still alive...extra hours at the Day Job and a new pair of purple running shoes are keeping me busy...Here's a little photo shoot I participated in a few weeks ago...and it nudged me toward really starting to be a runner again. New purple shoes helped too. I guess I forgot I loved it. Weird. Today was Day 3, so I ran 3 miles.

shantiphotography.com

YES, I'll be back soon with crafts and book reports and the like...Can you believe we're one-third thru June already?

Feel free to say hello...

KUKSA

2010-06-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

I wanted to show you one of The Husband's latest crafty projects...a kuksa. A kuksa is a traditional carved wooden cup from the people of Scandinavia. The Husband stumbled upon an online tutorial [see it HERE] and before I knew it he was off to the park with an axe and saw to salvage some wood from a downed tree. A kuksa is usually made from birch, but his is made from cypress. Here's some process shots, via iPhone:

AND NOW...the finished product:

I can't wait to see what he decides to make next :)

SECOND DRAFT

2010-06-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

My first attempts are usually not my favorite...I guess I also enjoy re-doing and improving things. Case in point...remember this?

It's an inspiration board project I did as a part of the Indie Biz class. Well, it turns out I hated it. It just annoyed me to look at it. It felt too confined, too cutesy...just plain wrong. So I set my squares free...

This is their current configuration. I feel much better. Now to find some lovely things to pin up :) Curse the spring cleaning that left me magazine-less...and a pox on the printer for being attached to a different computer...ah well...the interwebs will have to do.

EARS+WRISTS

2010-06-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

I have some bead bracelets that are too stretched out so I went to the nearby hobby store to get some stretchy beading string stuff. I also have a cool gunmetal chain necklace+pendant that needed some earrings to match, so while I was in the hobby store I grabbed some earring base thingies. Clearly I don't delve into jewelry making very often because I have no idea what any of these things are called. I'll look it up later.

Anyway, here are the earrings:

The ear part is gunmetal to match my necklace, and I used some black craft wire, matte black small beads I found in my scrap pile, and a large hematite round bead. You can see they hang a little funny {i.e. not straight} but I love them!

I meant to fix some existing bracelets, but I got distracted by some other beads I had in my scrap pile (beads and things from broken or old jewelry) so I made this new bracelet:

It's alternating amber glass and cream colored [bone?] beads. Nice, warm, summery colors. AND since I made it it fits my freakishly small wrists. I love wearing bracelets but it's so hard to find ones that don't slouch down and slide off my hand. When I finally fix those other bracelets sometime this week I'll probably remix them and resize them.

What do you think of my creations?

Viva la DIY! I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said 'Make stuff. Fix stuff.' And it made me happy.

BABY

2010-06-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

A photo stylist friend of mine is going to do a test shoot for her portfolio using a new creation of mine. Caitlin tells me the shoot will be a sort of DIY party, based around a baby shower invitation, and it will show clients how she can build a photo spread around their product. I'm honored that she came to me to make the invitation.

I made her two invitation options she can switch out as desired: a more casual handwritten version for a small party you can see below, and a printed version you see above in the top photo. While I was making the invite, I also modified another version that could be used as a baby announcement, with space for a photo.

Do you like them? I'm pleased with how they turned out and it was fun to collaborate. The fancy photo shoot won't be happening until later this summer, but I'll share pics when it does :)

GUILTY PLEASURE #6

2010-05-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 6th and final installment of sharing my guilty pleasures with you for the past 6 weeks. It's been fun! Look for a new weekly blog feature soon...

Todays guilty pleasure? People watching [and listening].

People are fascinating, don't you agree? People watching is definitely a joy of mine (perhaps an inherited trait). I have to be careful not to stare...well, to get caught staring anyway. Sunglasses are important. Maybe I need a mustache disguise. I like observing how people carry themselves and express themselves with style, words, and actions. Humans are wonderfully weird and interesting, and I have to say that San Francisco offers such a wide spectrum of types of people, it is one of the best places ever for people watching.

BOOK REPORT: FARM CITY

2010-05-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading 'Farm City' on the recommendation of The Husband. Crazy food stories are 'in' right now, and this is a fun one. It's a story of a woman who moves from suburban Seattle to a slightly sketchy part of Oakland, next to a vacant lot where she creates an urban farm. She tells how she cared for and enjoyed crops, fowl, rabbits, bees, and even pigs in the middle of a city. Her story reveals the natural appreciation people [her, her friends, her neighbors, the Black Panthers] have for homegrown and homemade food. She also hints at the massive wasting of food in our society, for example she was able to feed her animals by dumpster diving bakeries, shops, and restaurants for hundreds of pounds of discarded food. People take their food for granted...growing and foraging makes your realize how much time and energy goes into food.

Go grab this at the library. It's a quick enjoyable read that makes you want to sow some seeds.

PIN IT FORWARD

2010-05-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to be a part of the blogging event 'Pin It Forward' which kicked off yesterday and will go thru the end of June.

What is Pin It Forward? It's a group of bloggers [the cool kids call it a blogger mashup] sharing their interpretation of 'what home means to me' using the new site Pinterest+their own blogs. It was organized by Victoria [sfgirlbybay] and the folks at Pinterest...a nifty new site that lets you save and show off images you like by building pinboards. You can pin images from anywhere on the web, add your own notes about the image, and it credits and links back to the original image.

Watch everyone build their 'what home means to me' pinboards HERE and then check the schedule HERE for when each one of us will blog/chat about our pinboard. Look for my Pin It Forward post at the end of June!

GUILTY PLEASURE #5

2010-05-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

Today's ~~guilty~~ pleasure: homemade fry sauce

razberriesdesigns

Fry sauce elicits mixed reactions from others, especially those who have never lived in Utah, where for unknown reasons, fry sauce rules and is available in 90% of fast food places. Fry sauce is essentially ketchup+mayo...it's a controversial recipe, in it's simplicity and nutritional value [enter guilt]. No it is NOT the same as Thousand Island dressing. No it is NOT the same as 'special sauce.' No it is NOT gross. No it is NOT just ketchup and mayonnaise...there's nostalgia in there too. I'm kind of protective of my sauce. Whenever there are fries or roasted potatoes involved in dinner, I whip up a little dish of fry sauce. Lately though I've been digging 'ultimate dipping sauce' [Training Table cheese fries, anyone?]. What's the recipe? BBQ sauce+mayo :)

GUILTY PLEASURE #4

2010-05-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

Today's ~~guilty~~ pleasure: lists (goes along nicely with guilty pleasure #2)

vozamer

I make lists all the time...things to look up, music to check out, things to do for home, things to do for business, long term goals, things I must do everyday, things I must do this week, grocery lists...I have lists on paper, in journals, in my phone, on my computer...I even make lists in the shower. I pretty much can't function without a list. I do better with lists [at least, that's my theory]. The 'guilty' part is two fold...sometimes I put things on my lists I've already done, just so I can cross them off :) And sometimes I feel guilty when I don't finish my list...often there are items that get carried over onto new lists for weeks. Oh well!

Here's one of last week's lists:

Time for a new list!

CUTE+CRAFTY

2010-05-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

Hello crafty friends, I've finished my little project for you...it's downloadable cuteness! It's a 'digital printable'!

I've hand-drawn a sheet of basic shapes and phrases I love, which you can use to make cards, scrapbook pages, art journal doo-dads, collages, art...you name it! I designed it so you can print the sheet out for use as a template [trace onto pretty paper, cut out, & create]...OR...

...you can use your basic Photoshop skills to play & make. I couldn't help myself, I whipped up this quick example in Photoshop Elements when I was preparing the sheet for Etsy :)

I'm offering my 'the basics' digital printable for an intro price of $1. This is my first digital collage sheet, so I welcome your thoughts and feedback, and I'd love to see what you create with it. I had so much fun creating it, I'd love to do more!

Here's the link to 'the basics' digital printable in my Etsy shop.

BEAUTY

2010-05-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

Ba ba ba baaaaah! [<----announcement/celebration music]

I'm pleased to have been mentioned by Laura from Wonderland Papers as a 'Beautiful Blogger.' Thanks Laura! Now to fulfill my duties I must give you 7 random facts about me and then pass the blog love on to 7 others if they'd like to play along with the almost-a-chain-letter-but-not-really goodness :)

Facts:

1. I usually hit 'snooze' 3 times in the morning.

2. Purple is my favorite color.

3. My first word was 'bug.'

4. I love watching the Tour de France.

5. Outside is my favorite place to be.

6. I have a tattoo inspired by a Hawaiian sea turtle petroglyph on my foot.

7. I sneeze everyday.

Hmm. That was short and sweet...

And my nominees are:

B'Ham Sam

Leda to Leda

The Dew Drop Inn

For The Love of Skinny

A Bird Out of Water

Pinecone Camp

Green and Pretty

SUGGESTED

2010-05-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

Oh dear. The new 'suggested shop' feature on Etsy is...well, it's awesome (potentially) and it's adding to my list of fun things to do. Have you looked at it yet? If you don't have an Etsy shopper/buyer account, well, you can live vicariously through me. Here's my current top 3 suggestions:

muttsywonder, circaceramics, earmark

Skimming the 20 pages of suggested shops there were definitely a few that caught my eye. I think I have some 'work' to do...updating my favorites to get to-die-for suggestions [or just more accurate ones]. Window shopping=fun! At the same time, now I'm obsessing about whether my shop is in anyone's suggestions list....and what does my suggestion list say about me?

BOOK REPORT: THE MEANING OF NIGHT (A CONFESSION)

2010-05-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

Book, you and I need some time apart...a little space. I want to see other books.

Sigh. I usually finish a book no matter what. But I can't finish this one. I tried...I kept slogging through, waiting for the story to pick up. Then one night I checked my progress, certain I was in the home stretch. I saw I was barely halfway thru the book, and gave up. I HATE leaving things unfinished...so let's just say I'm putting this one to the side. I might pick it up again later because it has such potential...mystery, murder, Victorian England, betrayal, revenge, romance...

My complaints: 1) Too many teasers, many accompanied by promises to tell more about them later. When is later? I haven't gotten there yet, I guess. Seemed unnecessary...a ruse to get you to keep reading. Bleh. Supposedly a shocking surprise is coming. 2) Too many footnotes. I'm a fan of footnotes...entertaining ones. These seemed only to keep the illusion that a scholar had found and studied this murderer's confession. They were boring and seemed forced.

I fully acknowledge that it might be me...I might not be in the mood for this book. It has good reviews on Amazon. Has anyone read it? What did you think?

GUILTY PLEASURE #3

2010-05-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Today's ~~guilty~~ pleasure...ellipses.

beanforest

I seem to sneak an ellipsis into anything and everything I write. I'm sure no one notices, and I'm sure it's NOT grammatically correct...but ellipses are pleasing to me [I'm also a fan of brackets {all kinds}]. Sorry comma and semi-colon, the ellipses have my heart...

SWEET DEAL

2010-05-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

Leda (friend, sister, fashionista...) is giving away a $25 gift certificate for her vintage shop. All you must do is comment on her blog with a note about what your favorite item of clothing is and why and you could win!

Visit ledatoleda.blogspot.com to enter the giveaway, and start picking out what you're going to get when you win at Beekeeper Vintage on Etsy.

IDEA

2010-05-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

I'm working on something fun for you crafty types...

It's going to take me a few days. I think it will be fun and useful. Meanwhile, enjoy this baby gorilla.

I think The Husband and I spent about half an hour watching his antics. Info, video, & pics HERE. He's pretty much the cutest thing ever.

ROSY

2010-05-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

The roses in the backyard are crazy big right now... Luckily and inexplicably roses don't trigger my allergies (sorry Sam!)

I decided to make some rosewater to capture the lovely rosy scents. There are a few different ways to make rosewater, and many different uses for it, but I take the quick and simple route.

I took the petals off of two roses, which was about a 1/2 cup, packed. I put the petals in a bowl and poured 1 cup of boiling water over them. I covered the bowl and left the petals to steep for about half an hour (actually...I forgot them and left them for an hour. But a 1/2 hour would be plenty of time). Take out the petals..squeeze them if you like, discard them...and there you have it! Rosewater.

I like to pour my rosy rosewater into a spray bottle to spray in a room or on myself. It doesn't last very long, but brings a smile nonetheless. If you live in a hot place, keep your rosewater in the fridge for a refreshing and rejuvenating spritz. The rosewater will last about a week [I read on the interwebs you can add alcohol to preserve it for longer]. Be careful of using roses you or a neighbor haven't grown yourself...you don't know what chemicals/pesticides might be lingering :(

Has anyone ever cooked with rosewater? We tried making jasmine water using a more complicated distilling method, but the final product wasn't as lovely as we'd hoped. We'll try again. I think lavender water will be next, though!

GUILTY PLEASURE #2

2010-05-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

Today is the second installment of 'guilty pleasure.' Sometimes you need an extra laugh on a Monday, right? Every Monday I'm going to post one of my guilty pleasures...whether you laugh with me or at me is up to you!

Today's ~~guilty~~ pleasure: writing utensils.

FLUTTERBY

2010-04-30T08:16:00.000-07:00

Check out these beautiful butterflies made from found objects/scrap material. They are lovely, and it's fun to try to identify the parts.

Butterflies seem so light and delicate, but these sculptures are surprisingly HUGE! Here's the artist, Michelle Stitzlein with a piece in progress...

See & read more HERE.

POETRY

2010-04-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? Do you ever write or read poetry? Poetry has a reputation of being challenging. I think poetry is an art...using words to paint a picture or a feeling. Even the visual structure of the words & lines can be important to the poem. Like art, there are many styles of poetry, and you will encounter poems you don't like or don't understand...but when you find a poem or a poet that you relate to, it's pretty special and can be inspirational. And like art, it's fun to make your own...

Today I want to share a poem I wrote a few years ago. It was a simple interpretation of one of The Husband's photographs, and I wrote the poem for him as part of a christmas gift for him [we always try to give each other at least one little thing we've made].

Poem...untitled.

The photo...

So...yeah.

Just because April is over doesn't mean you can't have a little poetry in your life:

Try writing a poem...it could be a limerick, a haiku, a sonnet, an epic, a ballad, a narrative, an ode, or free verse. Don't worry so much about following a formula...just take pen to paper.
Read or listen to some poetry. May I recommend 'The Writer's Almanac?' You can visit the website to read a short poem or two each day, and learn some literary history while you're at it. It's also available as a podcast, where you can let Garrison Keillor gently read to you [and he's a great reader]. It's 5-10 minutes of enrichment for your day.

Today I leave you as every installment of Writer's Almanac ends, with a lovely reminder...

I'D LIKE TO BE...

2010-04-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

....under the sea...

...in an octopus' garden with you!

CHAIR

2010-04-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

Some days you just have to paint something... Last week I had one of those days.

The Papa is often a skilled scavenger...he found these fab chairs and when we moved to San Francisco we took 3 of them with us. They are old (dare I say, vintage?) school chairs.

The one I painted came from room 206. Math class? English? I'm not sure exactly how old they are, but their sturdiness and solid wood-iness means they've probably been around for awhile. I had some gray paint left from another time I got a painting bug. Gray paint keeps popping up on design blogs I visit, so for once I'm kind of in style!

Check out the nifty shelf to hold your school books:

The Husband likes it, but says it's so....gray. I agree...it needs something...Ideas floating around here are to paint the seat and back a different color (black? orange? sand it back down to wood?) or to add some decorative elements or to paint it a different color (this gray isn't as charcoal-y as I wish...but it's what I had on hand) or to 'distress' it.

What do you think?

GUILTY PLEASURE #1

2010-04-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you need an extra laugh on a Monday, right? Every Monday I'm going to post one of my guilty pleasures...whether you laugh with me or at me is up to you! Today's guilty pleasure:

This show makes me happy. The fake drama & the cheesy product placements are just as entertaining as the amazing transformations of the contestants.

WEEKEND

2010-04-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. I did! My Saturday started out with a soccer game, then The Husband and I ran around town..we visited a beekeeping shop (Her Majesty's Secret Beekeeper) for some local honey [maybe eating it will help my allergies?], an amazing packaging store, a thrift store where we found this piece of crockery:

It's a pretty red that goes with our dishes, our coffee grinder, our butter bell, and the other various bits of red we use to brighten our kitchen. Big improvement over the stainless steel container we had before. We did not get these:

...but they made me giggle.

Then we made butter! It's so easy...heavy whipping cream+jar+shaking=butter. We'll definitely do this again, because, you know, DIY is fun :) Check out Jane's cute post on Make and Takes.

Making butter must have made me feel old-school, because on Sunday I was compelled to use the clothesline...

How was your weekend?

EARTH DAY

2010-04-22T10:50:00.001-07:00

MINI

2010-04-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

True story: when The Husband was a kid he had his own business making miniature mouse traps and selling them to the local hobby store.

He likes to build things.

Miniature things are fascinating, don't you think? That's what makes tilt-shift photography so fun and interesting. I kept running into truly miniature things the other day online...it started with this:

everything tiny

[side note: MAKE magazine and Boing Boing have launched Makers Market, "a curated marketplace of wonderful science, tech, and artistic creations created and sold directly by some of our favorite Makers from around the World." All I can say is 'uh-oh' because everything there is very cool!]

Then, coincidentally, I found THIS jaw-dropping slide show of modern dollhouses. Whenever I imagine a dollhouse it's Victorian style. I'm not sure why. I love how these 'current' dollhouses look lived in...

See more and read more mini-house fun:

NYTimes article

Call of the Small

Petite Nouveau

AND YOU?

2010-04-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

The lovely Rachel of Smile And Wave posted these questions on her blog and since I've gained some new readers and visitors lately, I thought it'd be a fun little get-to-know-me quiz. Post YOUR answers in the comment section or on your own blog...and read some other answers HERE.

When do you feel happiest?

When I'm with family, when I'm seeing something new, when I'm outside, when I can't put a book down, when I accomplish something.

How do you take care of yourself?

I get plenty (sometimes too much) sleep; I go outside; I'm going to start meditating too, because I'm a worrier; I floss & brush. I rarely drink soda.

Are you internally (by yourself) or externally (by others) motivated?

This ones tough...I'm definitely a self motivated person who likes working on my own...but I wonder a lot what other people think...

What do you do for fun?

Read, explore, watch shows/movies, play soccer, climb, listen to music

What intimidates you?

Big decisions. And large mammals.

What is something you're proud of?

I'm proud of my curiosity... life is so much richer when you wonder.

Finish this sentence. I never _____________.

...use glue sticks. They're my least favorite adhesive.

Favorite vacation spot.

The desert [I've been thinking about Capitol Reef and Joshua Tree a lot lately]

Today is a (rate from 1 - 10).

7...I played soccer, caught up on some blog reading, checked some things off my to-do list, ate a good meal+ice cream, chatted w/ The Mama...

Finish this sentence. If you knew me really well you'd know _____________.

...my answers would be totally different tomorrow.

Hope you're having a good weekend!

SHAKE IT

2010-04-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

So...there are few things that really make my heart start pounding with adrenaline, but earthquakes are one of them [I know, I know...why am I in San Francisco...]. It seems like a large earthquake is reported in the news everyday...making my quake-fearing brain a little stressed out.

The Husband and I were talking about all the quakes, and decided to check the facts rather than give in to paranoia. We checked out the USGS Earthquake web page to confirm that statistically THERE ARE NO MORE EARTHQUAKES HAPPENING THAN NORMALLY OCCUR.

See...we're right on track for a normal quake year (this chart is up to date as of April 12).

What causes the perception that there ARE more earthquakes is partly better quake detection and more news/media access and reporting. Now, just because there aren't more earthquakes, doesn't mean that the consequences aren't growing. There are many more people living in quake prone areas than in the past...and those people (and the buildings around them) aren't necessarily prepared, as we've sadly seen this year.

So...duh...I still know that an earthquake could happen anytime...but I feel better knowing the earth is doing it's normal thing. Guess we better get an emergency kit put together anyway, eh?

I encourage you to check out the USGS site HERE. There are fun maps showing time, place, & strength of all the quakes in the world in real time (Looks like Oklahoma had one yesterday...), not to mention tons of information and learning opportunities.

Also, HERE's an opinion piece from the NYTimes related to what I've written.

RETURN POST

2010-04-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Tis the season for invitations...weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, you name it. I just finished up a set of envelopes for a baby shower (chocolate brown ink on lime green envelopes...turned out really cute!)

Handwriting on an envelope is a lovely personal touch...it invites you to open the envelope and find out what's inside right way instead of setting it aside for later. I'm revamping my hand lettering service listings on Etsy to make it easier to find the style and service you need. The first listing up is for adding a return address to an envelope in my 'regular serif' style [my most popular choice]

Naturally I'll be adding hand lettered 'recipient address' service as well (check my shop in a day or two). Over time, I'll reintroduce my other handwriting styles...

As you can see, I like to keep things cute and casual...although, truth be told, I would like to take a calligraphy class so I can fancy things up *occasionally* and get new pens :)

Can I write something for you?

MINCED

2010-04-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

Last December we went to the Bazaar Bizarre in Golden Gate Park (One of the best curated craft shows I've been to...so much cool stuff and great variety. At first I grumbled about the $2 admission fee, but it was well worth it! There's a show at the Cherry Blossom Festival in San Fran this weekend and next [free?]). One of the vendors that really caught my eye and kept it was The Mincing Mockingbird...a L.A. based artist who paints lively and expressive birds.

The quality+subject+composition+color pallette are what caught my eye and compelled me to snag a business card, but I was hooked when I started reading the titles of his paintings, and started following the blog and Twitter feed...If someone makes me laugh, that's it...I'm a fan! I don't know if everyone will agree, but I like The Mincing Mockingbird's brand of humor and nonsense. The painting above is called Trying And Failing To Get The Subject Of Haunted Trees On The Table. What the...? It's so random. I love it!

Back in February The Mincing Mockingbird extended a mail art invitation to anyone and everyone...and so became the recipent of my little chirping friend (see post). I hope it was well received.

Please have a look at more of The Mincing Mockingbird's art HERE [Tending The Weeds in a Watery Garden is my current fave] and read his blog The Mincing Meerkat [a joint enterprise with his artist wife The Frantic Meerkat].

CHIRP

2010-04-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I put away my paper and scissors and dug out some different art supplies...

...and I made a piece of mail art. You might recognize the little bird from some of my cards and journals. I had artist's block, so I tried converting my little bird to new media. He's made with watercolors, oil pastels, and ink. Pretty cute, eh?

I'm going to pop it in the mail today...I'll let you know in a few days who I sent it to with an artist feature here on the blog. Hope my little bird is well received!

MIX TAPE

2010-04-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday is for dancing! I made you a virtual mixed tape...Enjoy this nostalgic list of songs I used to crank up on my sea foam green tape player to dance around my room :

Have a great weekend!

OLD SAYING

2010-04-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

April showers...

findingfabulous

joojooland

...bring May flowers...

red velvet art

scott mansfield flora

slimarts

Enjoy the spring rains!

BEEKEEPER

2010-04-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

Hello! Happy April to all of you...did anyone fall for any pranks today? I made it thru the day safely, I think :)

Well it's no joke that you should check out this *sweet* vintage giveaway by Beekeeper Vintage via a pretty pretty blog called Happiness Is...

You can pick your prize! I have it narrowed down to this necklace:

Or this bag:

I'm usually not much of a fashionista, but I think they'd go great with a crisp button down shirt, jeans, boots, and a coffee date with Leda.

What would you pick?

JOURNALS

2010-03-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

I love all kinds of journals. I love a blank book waiting to be filled with drawings, to do lists, ideas, thoughts, notes, scribbles, scraps, words, and colors. I already have quite a collection, but whenever I'm in a bookstore or an art store I find myself browsing the journals and sketchbooks. I can't help it! You've seen the journals and notebooks in my shop, but today I thought I'd share some of my personal collection with you...

ONE A handmade journal which was a birthday present from a friend. I love the purple patterned paper and the yellow bookcloth. I use this journal for a little bit of everything.

TWO This lined journal has a Eugene Grasset print on the cover. I am a big fan of Arts&Crafts era designers. This is one of my Slim Arts brainstorming journals.

THREE This is the first journal I made myself, from a Paper Source kit. My favorite thing about it is the long shape (3.75x8 inches). I use this one for "deeper thoughts"...affirmations, observations, notes to self.

FOUR This is one of my larger lined journals (9x11 inches). I like the binding a lot. This journal sat empty for years and years because I was afraid of 'ruining' it...I wasn't sure what to write in it. Last year I finally decided to use it to keep important thoughts, chronicles of adventures, special bits of paper (like stickers and little notes I've been given).

FIVE The Husband's Mom gifted this journal to me not long ago. I love it! It's handmade (well, altered) and personalized just for me. It's 9x9 inch square, has tabbed pocket dividers, perforated lined pages, and super cute paper lining with a matching bookmark. This is my everyday, get things done, Slim Arts notebook...I've labeled the tabs 'biz', 'etsy', and 'custom'.

SIX An almost totally filled up Moleskine hardcover pocket journal....with grid paper, of course. This was a catchall notebook that came with me everywhere.

SEVEN This is my reading journal. It's a big, fat, floppy grid paper journal full of my thoughts about books I've read.

EIGHT Another lovely from The Husband's Mom. She does such pretty work. This one is similar to SIX but smaller, and with a black/white/red theme. You should check out her Etsy shop, it's full of great journals and brag books: Sam'Studio

NINE The Husband found this 8x8 inch journal from a moving sale. Every other page is a sheet of green vellum. The other sheets are nice thick white paper. Occasionally there's a light green pocket divider. I haven't decided what to do with it...it's got a lot of character...maybe it will be a new sketchbook for me.

Do you use journals? What's your favorite notebook and what do you put inside it?

TAMALPAIS

2010-03-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

On Sunday The Husband and I got a much needed dose of the outdoors on a hike at Mt. Tamalpais. We're grateful that nature is close at hand, even to this big city...See downtown San Francisco in the top left corner?

Look, it's The Husband!

And it's me...so happy to be outside and not suspecting that 5 minutes later I'd ram my face into a tree branch stretched across the trail. Ow. I run into stuff all the time, indoors and out.

Going outside is how I recharge...mentally, and sometimes physically...siesta anyone?

And nature is a great source for inspiring shapes and colors. Sunday's winner? This California poppy:

Hope you had a nice weekend!

PATTERNED

2010-03-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

I've added a few patterned paper packs to my shop...more to come this week!

Off to go hiking...enjoy your Sunday!

PAPER PACKS

2010-03-24T23:34:00.000-07:00

Do you know about this art journal class?

I love Elsie & Rachel, and I'm a sucker for a journal. Alas, I won't be able to join in this time...but it looks like a great opportunity to grow creatively AND to use interesting paper [*wink*].

I'm now selling packs of paper in my Etsy shop, so you can make your own cute crafty paper things! I have solid colors of card stock in curated color selections.

They are cut into 5x8 inch pieces so you can fold them in half to become a card, or cut 'em up and use them on any project [collages, journals, cards, scrapbooking, artwork...] They'd be great for your little one's art supply stash too!

I've also got some squares of textured paper...

...and be sure to check back this weekend because I'll have some great collections of patterned paper available.

BOARD

2010-03-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

Until recently I didn't realize that 'inspiration boards' are common fixtures and activities in creative spaces. Not that I myself don't keep all kinds of inspiring things around me where I create...I just stick things here and there and never thought about sitting down and concentrating on making a board, let alone filling it up. One of the projects in the Indie Biz class is to make an inspiration board by jazzing up a large cork board with cute stencils and paint. Since I'm a 'use what I've got' kind of girl, I put my own twist on the project.

I didn't have an unoccupied cork board handy, but I did have this set of simple cork coasters from IKEA.

And I figured I could attach them to each other like this fab window shade made from old 35 mm slides:

(via Make & yarnzombie)

And I thought it would be cool to have multiple inspiration spaces, like Rachel, but on a smaller scale:

(via smile and wave)

So I went for it!

I marked and punched 1/8th inch holes in the center of each side of each coaster. Since they are pretty soft, floppy cork, a regular holepunch went thru just fine.

I put purple eyelets in each hole to prevent ripping (didn't 'set' them, just stuck them in the holes), and tied the coasters together with green embroidery thread.

Then I made some stickers to decorate each square...the adhesive is pretty strong, but if they start peeling off, I'll bust out some mod podge or something.

And here's the finished board, 16x12 inches!

Adding ribbon to each column for hanging helped the squares work as a team instead of going all screwdgy. I found some cute little yellow map pins perfect for pinning it to the wall, and for pinning inspiration onto it (haven't quite done that...it's too pretty to cover up!)

WHAT I LOVE:

can be used as many little spaces, or as one big space
inspiring as is (I love letters, shapes, frames)
could be taken apart and remixed someday
I flexed some creative muscle here

LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES:

I think 2 holes per side, closer to the corners, would be sturdier
I got excited and punched holes everywhere, instead of leaving the outside edges intact

BOOK REPORT: THREE CUPS OF TEA

2010-03-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

Last week I finished reading Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Have you heard about it? Greg Mortenson was a mountain climber who stumbled deliriously into a village in Pakistan after a failed attempt at summit-ting K2. Well, he calls it a failure, but it wasn't his fault he exhausted himself rescuing another climber. While recovering in this isolated village he asks what the village needs....how can he repay them for their help? He promises to do what he can to build a school for the children who live there. The book follows Greg's roller coaster journey to keep his promise...from asking eccentric American millionaires for money to encounters with the Taliban....and to decide to do it again and again in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He not only found his own purpose in life building schools (and bridges, and waterworks, and women's centers), but he also has brought education and new choices to thousands of children, especially girls. I highly recommend this book...and while not a lot of people could show the perseverance that Greg does, it's a good reminder that one person can make a difference, and it's good to think about what can be accomplished by being kind, embracing and respecting a culture, and listening to the needs of the regular people.

For more info check out www.threecupsoftea.com and The Central Asia Institute.