Apr 15th, 2010
Thank you so much to all those lovely crafties who came out to Club Etsy at The Urban Craft Center last night! I had a blast sharing my knowledge and listening to everyone’s experiences and juicy tidbits of information!
If you couldn’t make it to last night’s event you can still check out my guest post on Crafty Scout, plus Paper Pastries‘ take on the mysterious world of craft shows! And keep your ears tuned in because before the week is out I’ll be posting about merchandising your craft table!
There are 2 Comments | Posted under Craft, Events, Out & About
Mar 22nd, 2010
Being that Eric and I both work from home we’ve discovered that it’s really important to make time every week to romance each other. We take turns planning dates every weekend. This weekend we spent a morning strolling in the peacock-strewn Los Angeles County Arboretum.
Have you ever wondered what a peacock looks like from behind his wall of fancy feathers?
Look at that adorable tuft of fluffy feathers! I highly recommend treading delicately around these guys, because they are NOT afraid of people.
After our little adventure at the Santa Anita Racetrack last weekend I just couldn’t stop thinking about the arboretum, and I’m SO glad we went! It’s truly a fantastic way to spend the day, or a couple of days- it’s HUGE!! Be prepared to wander freely because the maps they hand out at the entrance are really awful. They didn’t seem to correspond to reality in any way, so we stopped looking at the map and just wandered around. I think our trip was much more satisfying that way.
I recommend taking a picnic blanket, even if you’re not planning on picnicking. It gets pretty hot towards the middle of the day and a shady spot under a fragrant tree would be the perfect spot for a rest!
We didn’t have a picnic blanket with us, but we did find some shade on the banks of a “prehistoric” pond. We listened to countless bird calls and made friends with some very curious turtles. This one reminds me of Morla from The Neverending Story.
And we also enjoyed the lovely blooms of early Spring! It smelled delicious!
Lovely!
You can find more information about the Arboretum HERE.
There are 3 Comments | Posted under Confessions of a Full-time Crafter, Out & About
Mar 18th, 2010
I shook a lot of hands this weekend at LTTS and Pink Parlour. I also Breathed a lot of germy air apparently. And subsequently spent the first half of the week lying in bed with a yucky cold! But now I am finally well enough to type up a recap of the non-germy parts of the weekend! I feel triumphant!
First of all, before the Pink Parlour I had never been to the Santa Anita Racetrack and can I just tell you that it is one of the coolest places in L.A.? Seriously- I am a very discriminating sort when it comes to coolness and this place just tops so much of what I’ve seen in my 27 years as an Angeleno. It’s like Disneyland for horses! It even SMELLS like Disneyland (or maybe that was just my exhaustion, but whatever).
Perfectly manicured landscaping, graceful palm trees, majestic mountains, and elegant, whimsical architectural details- I’m in love! It certainly helps that the enormous building is painted the most heavenly shade of muted jade with trim in buttery cream. I’m melting just thinking about it!
Then factor in adorable horses all over the place- it’s just a dream! We didn’t place any bets, but we will next time. I just had fun watching the races and joining in the general cheer of the thing.
Did I mention that it’s across the street from the L.A. Arboretum? Talk about a relaxing weekend of entertainment, huh? I like that this can be as inexpensive as you like- picnic lunch, a couple of horse bets, a stroll in the arboretum at dusk- fun, relaxed, and romantic!!
Part 2 of the Pink Parlour post will actually be about the show *-*, and should arrive shortly after this post!
There is 1 Comment | Posted under Events, Out & About
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!!
No comments yet | Posted under Confessions of a Full-time Crafter, Out & About
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!
No comments yet | Posted under Out & About
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!
No comments yet | Posted under Out & About
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!
No comments yet | Posted under Out & About
