Dec 27th, 2009
I’m not quite back to the office but I thought I’d share a bit of what’s going on in my fabulously lazy life at the moment.
After returning from Baz Biz I extracted my craft necessities from the studio and holed myself up at home. I haven’t spent the entire past two weeks in pajamas, but I’d say like 70% of it. Eric and I got to go see the FABULOUS CHARLES PHOENIX at the Egyptian last weekend- LOVE him! In case you’ve never heard of Charles Phoenix, he’s a slide collector and the instigator of such wonders as the Astro Weenie Christmas Tree and the Cherpumple.
And then we went to Rhea’s holiday party- SECRET SANTA; MIX TAPE EDITION- isn’t that the most awesome idea for a party! High-five to Rhea for coming up with the best ideas. She let everyone choose a song from their mix tapes to play on her radio show- which I can’t find a recording of anywhere. That was the coolest party idea ever. Ever. So much fun. The mix tape I received is great and I’ve been listening to it an awful lot – thanks Ryan!
So far aside from lounging in pjs and reading a ton, I’ve scrubbed the kitchen from top to bottom, made a new pelmet for the kitchen window, made too-pink curtains for my bedroom, used the exercise bike 7 times, did some awesome Wii bowling, almost finished my super soft cabled scarf, watched Twilight 3 times, Coraline twice, New Moon once, and blogged zero. Til today. This is what vacations are for.
But in the back of my mind I’m starting to get just the slightest bit antsy. Rest assured my friends I’m going back to work tomorrow! The studio shall soon be a-buzz with the humming of a busy sewing machine and a frantic Polly toiling over yards and yards of soft and sweet fabrics!
And when I have something to show for it you’ll be the first to know *=*
BTW Paper Pastries called me her soul mate- SQUEE!!
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Jul 27th, 2009
I just want to say thanks so much to everyone who has offered help, support and services in my time of need. I really didn’t anticipate so much love, and it feels really nice to be supported right when I feel most down. I’ve been so bummed about my machine, and feeling lots of associated “what on earth am I doing” questions, but friends far and near have reminded me that good things are still there, hiding under the bad things on the news, and my own icky sadness. So thanks everyone!
Now that you all have helped get my head back on straight, I’m going to go ahead and post the Big Sur Beastie photos, followed by actual crafty updates- finally!
Little Squirrel, diggin in a fire pit.
Fight in the sky!
A non-fighting raven.
And a sweet little acorn woodpecker.
Sweet lil dragonfly.
And of course, my little beasties.
Petina thoroughly enjoyed her lunch on the dunes.
They ran and wrestled in the sand until they passed out. It was the cutest thing EVER.
There they go terrorizing strangers with their might and speed!
And I can’t resist just one more Petinasaurus picture. This one is Petina sitting with our cousin, J.B. He’s such a good uncle to the doggies. Too bad his face somehow got cut out of the photo- sorry J.B.
Vicious!
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Jul 20th, 2009
Flowers! Here are a bunch of wild flowers that we found on our hikes, most of them were growing right out of last year’s ash! Sadly, my expertise on California’s flora is atrophied, and my nature book didn’t list any of the flowers I photographed, so I don’t have names for any of these. One day I’ll have the whole Audubon Field Guide set and I’ll be able to tell you exactly what they are!
I'd love a giant bucket of these on my desk.
Poison berries! Found these outside Br'er Rabbit's garden.
Fungus! I love it!
Little coral flowers in the dust and ash.
Busy bumble bee!
Sweet little flower by the river. Lonely and delicate.
Happy flower on the beach dunes!
Fire orange on the cliffs with a breath-taking view.
My favorite- pink puffs on the cliff. Even the stems are pink!
Tomorrow’s post- Big Sur Wildlife! This post will definitely include something like this-
A very dangerous beast- we actually tamed it!
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Jul 17th, 2009
Dirt and mis-matched tableware aside, I love camping. I love Big Sur. Every time we go back it feels like going home. This year was really special because it was our first time back since the Big Sur fires last summer. We actually had to cancel our trip because our campground was on fire. We were all definitely concerned about how much it might be changed. We also had to stay at a different campground this year, so that was a bit strange. For the most part the trees were all in tact, and everything was just as awe-inspiring as it always is. Eric and I did take a hike that really impressed us with the fragility of the forest, but also with the incredible adaptability that nature comes equipped with. We took about five hundred pictures, so I think I’ll have to group them by category to share. This post will be the best of the nature photos!
Beautiful and ancient redwoods.
Here's what happens when forests burn.
Luckily, redwoods are incredibly fire-resistant.
Eventually the new foliage around the base of a charred redwood will grow into giant clusters of trees. And in a hundred years or so they’ll look just like this:
These lovely giants were once tiny buds at the base of a charred tree!
Nature never ceases to amaze me.
Tomorrow I’ll post some more goodies, like this:
Petina's first visit to the beach was a complete success!
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Jul 6th, 2009
It’s a whirlwind of laundry and packing over here, but I didn’t want to leave without a quick goodbye! I’ll be back on Monday, with photos of the gorgeous California coast and redwoods, and probably doggies in cute sweaters. Until then let me leave you with a little cuteness to tide you over!
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Jul 1st, 2009
It’s that time of year again. What time of the year is that? Time for Camping! Every summer my whole family treks up the coast to Big Sur to revel in the majesty of the glorious redwoods and ocean . . . and to toast marshmallows. We put aside squabbles (something we don’t even do for Christmas) and just relax and enjoy each others’ company. Our yearly trip has been the highlight of my year as long as I can remember. The only thing that taints those memories is the utter lack of loveliness in our campsite itself. I mean, yes part of camping is enjoying nature, but why does that mean neglecting aesthetics and style?
When I was a little girl it was easy to fantasize away the blue and khaki nylon camp gear and replace it with mini palaces carved into the giant trees. I always imagined a grander way to camp. As I got older I realized that once upon a time people did camp more grandly. William Randolph Hearst spent childhood summers camping with his mother’s very special camping china, not to mention an army of servants to do all the real work. What I wanted was something in between that kind of camping and khaki and red nylon chairs.
Now I’m a grown up and I have quite a bit more control over the style in which I camp (I’m still having trouble finding the camping china and the servants) and I declare war on khaki nylon! I’ve begun the process, but until my Renaissance-Fair-meets-Strawberry-Shortcake tent gets made, here’s a little list of stuff I wish I’d ordered in time to camp:
Lovely Girl Scout canteen from Sweetshorn.
Red enamel mugs from 5 Gardenias.
And of course, what fun would camping be without a slingshot or two?
Slingshots by Katesy.
I do think I’ve found some inspiration even if I didn’t have time to make purchases! Maybe next year . . .
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Jun 16th, 2009
It sounded like a dream. A machine that would do all the ironing for me, releasing my poor right wrist from the suffering of ironing hundreds of yards of fabric by hand. How awesome would that be?! Like magic! As soon as the $30 off special went into effect at Joann’s I was there. I scurried to make my purchase before any quilt-making so and so’s could get there before me. I scurried home and read the directions front to back and back to front and lovingly went through the steps that I was prepared to take for granted as a daily ritual. sigh. If only. Now, if you know me then you might know that I have very little faith in technology. Sadly this is a perfect example of why. A fantastic idea. A promise, really. And then a horrible failure at execution.
Look at it. It promises to do so much work! What a time saver! I can’t tell you how fast this little puppy is (it does about 4 yards of tape in 60 seconds)! But that’s exactly the problem. It’s a little too fast for the heat to do its magic on the fabric. So what I ended up with (after following the directions to a T) was this:
Not quite the crisp fold promised by the photos on the box. The time-savingness of it is also distorted by the fact that you have to roll the bias tape onto a spindle by hand. Sigh. It would be fantastic if you could control the speed of the motor at least. Maybe the next model will be a little better.
Needless to say, I’m returning it.
I hate to share any not-positive stuff on my blog, but I really couldn’t hold back my disappointment on this one. My compromise is to follow it up with a LOVELY thing that happened along with the yucky. Big sale at Joann’s this weekend. I found this fantastic decorator-weight fabric to use for a tent cover ( I can’t stand the icky colors they come in) and it had no tag. I knew it was on sale, but I didn’t know if it was $3, $6, $9, or $12. I figured six or nine maybe if I was lucky. NOPE. I got it for $1.50 a yard!!!!!!!! Mind blowing! I slapped the counter so hard that the fabric cutter jumped! I just love a deal. Who doesn’t? Check out my score- and keep your eyes open for it at craft shows because it’s about to be my new tent!
YUM!!!
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