My future home

loandbehold — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:18:39 +0000

Ughh… I so want a house. I’m tired of renting, but since we don’t plan on living in Seattle forever, that dream is put on hold til we can move closer to family (well, and so we can actually save money to GET a house). I’m tired of waiting though… and I can already tell what will dominate my creative energy when we get to that much-lauded and anticipated point.

While browsing on the Bleubird Vintage blog (one I regularly follow), I saw some of James’ inspiration pics for her house. One word: LOVE. I’m totally inspired by some of these shots. I’m especially fawning over the three below. I just can’t wait to get into my own space and kitsch/color it up!

PS: Can you tell I love granny chic / mid-century mod / bright bold colors?

Thriftin’

loandbehold — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:54:31 +0000

I used to thrift shop a lot. Back in college, where there were more thrift stores in my town than department stores, it was easy, cost-effective and stylish to dress in thrift store goods. These days I’m less into vintage t-shirts and more into the amazing kitsch you can find in those dusty palaces of discarded goods (one man’s trash!).

With the re-opening of my Etsy shop, my eye has been keen for cutesy little pieces in good condition that I can list for resale. It’s hard not to keep them all! Especially this adorable pomegranate wall hanging. And I hate to break it to ya, but I’m keeping this sweet vintage plate AND this pheasant wall art. They’re just too good to let go of.

These new thrifted items will be posted up in my Etsy shop as soon as I can get some decent pics of ‘em! I also have some projects I’m trying to flesh out for the shop that are totally different than what I’ve done before. I’ll give you a hint… they COULD be something like these from That Vintage (if they turn out like I think they should!). Was totally inspired when I saw these beauties!

But, I’m scheming and brainstorming. I have more ideas than time.. but isn’t that the way these things work?

Lo & Behold on Etsy

loandbehold — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:49:43 +0000

Good news guys… I have officially re-opened my Etsy shop! I began the shop as an experiment, testing the waters of Etsy and trying to find my scope and direction. As I’ve been sewing and crafting more and more my focus has changed from custom vinyl graphics to vintage and thrifty finds and handmade home goods.

I truly enjoy making items with my hands. My hope is that these items will also bring other people joy, and maybe a wee splash of kitsch and color. As my creative vision (oh, I’m supposed to have one of those right?!) grows and shifts, I plan to explore that within the confines of my shop. I want to sell things I love to make, and I aim to get better everyday at what I do.

I’m the Contributing DIY Editor of OffbeatBride.com, and today one of my original DIY tutorials will be featured with a link to that particular item in my Etsy shop (in this case a vinyl record bowl). Ideally, with every original tutorial I create for Offbeat Bride there will also be a corresponding link to that item in my Etsy shop.

I’m excited about this new change! I hope you like my shop! Please stop by and browse often. I hope to post new items every week as I make them. Viva la Lo & Behold!

Behold the Vinyl Record Bowl DIY Tutorial I put together for Offbeat Bride!

DIY Needlework Kits

loandbehold — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:50:21 +0000

One of my new favorite crafty-like things I like to do to occupy my idle time (as if I had any!) is needlework, specifically embroidery. I’m still very much a beginner. My needlework is sketchy to say the least, but it’s oh so rewarding. Nothing makes me happier (well, maybe a few things do) than toiling away at a piece of embroidery and then finishing it! Voila! It becomes an awesome, handmade piece of artistry that I spent hours on! It’s very satisfying.

While I enjoy a lot of the gaudy floral kitschy embroidery and cross stitch, my faves are the sublimely beautiful artistic patterns, the modern angular ones or the SUPER ironic ones. I’ve gathered a few needlework kits that I feel are extremely cool. I’ve personally used a Sublime Stitching kit, have bought but not used a Charley Harper Purl Soho kit and have bought a finished Subversive Cross Stitch piece and can say that the quality of those are superb.

What are your favorite designs or kits? Do you prefer cross stitch, embroidery or needlepoint?

crewel embroidery by Tako Fibers

Julie West pattern by Sublime Stitching

Charley Harper embroidery from Purl Soho

UFO cross stitch pattern by And Wabi Sabi

cross stitch by Subversive Cross Stitch

Vintage Camera embroidery by Kitschy Digitals

Hot Etsy Finds: earrings

loandbehold — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:53:30 +0000

For years (and much to my mother’s chagrin) I’ve had gauged holes in my lobes only. I never was one for multiple holes, preferring instead to stun with huge holes in my sweet little lobes alone. In an effort to girl-ify myself, and so I could have regular holes to wear special new wedding jewelry, I got a second hole pierced in each ear last year about a month before our wedding.

Since then, I’ve been kinda obsessed with earrings I can wear in my spiffy new “regular” holes. Up until now, it’s mostly just been browsing.. but I can feel an impulse Etsy buy coming on! Check out some of my current earring favorites as spied on Etsy (handmade or vintage is better!):

by Pulptart

by Elisha Shere Jewlery

by Mama's Little Babies

by Christine Domanic Jewelry

by Luxe Deluxe

My sewing class

loandbehold — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:59:32 +0000

So, I’m not the best at sewing. I did, however, grow up in a house where the whirring sound of my mom’s brown Pfaff sewing machine was as normal and commonplace as the sound of a TV in some homes. My mom made a lot of our clothes, including a stellar pair of zebra print hammer pants WITH a shirt that had a zebra head on it with googly eyes. I’m being for real. I sported that outfit around school like nobody’s business, my side ponytails and all!

Much to my mom’s dismay, I was never interested in sewing or crafting when I was growing up. To me, our ornament-making session, handmade hair bows matching my outfits and all the fancy holiday cookies were what ALL moms did. There didn’t seem to be anything special or magical about it back then. In the present though, I understand her need to craft and make. I GET it, finally.

As you may remember, the hubs got me a new sewing machine for Christmas. I really wanted to make a good go at it, instead of fumbling with how to thread it and making sure the tension was correct. New machines, as I found out, aren’t nearly as difficult to operate as old beige machines from more than half a century ago.

So I took my first sewing class at Stitches in the Capital Hill neighborhood of Seattle. For this class, we were making Amy Butler’s Kimberly bag. This looks like a simple bag, but for a gal who has never sewn-in a zipper, made pleats, worked with hard sturdy interfacing or cut from a pattern, it was kind of a challenge.

I made it through with only minor interfacing-to-fabric wrinkling, a little sketchy stitching on the pleated parts and decidedly non-straight lines for the handles. All in good time, though. I’ll learn!

Shortfalls

loandbehold — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:28:28 +0000

I hate even mentioning my shortfalls. I know I have them.. but who wants to list them out? Well, this year I’m doing things differently. I want to improve, but I don’t want to set rules. So I’m identifying these parts of myself and becoming aware of the ways in which I can change them, if I so wish. And I’m no perfectionist. I don’t WANT to change everything, but I do really need to be aware. Awareness is good.

Along with everything awesome about me, there are a few quirky/unsavory/weird things as well. Things I can’t keep myself from, resist or things I never seem to be able to do.

It pains me so.. but here are some of my shortfalls:

jalapeno cream cheese taquitos from 7-11
slip-on Vans sneakers
expecting too much of my friends and family
clinging to past loves and feelings
slow to forgive
plan EVERYTHING (includes putting even the most miniscule task on my calendar)
keeping even the smallest scraps of decorative paper
compulsion to make instead of buy (good be seen as a good thing!)
ginger ale and root beer
greasy taco truck tacos
nitpicking

There are many more shortfalls, believe me. But for the sake of my sanity, I’ll stop here. Next up on the docket? Things I’m GOOD at! Yay! I can’t wait for that one. It will be the bandage to my self-esteem that I’ll need after this post

Valentine’s Day Crafting Projects

loandbehold — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:05:05 +0000

No holiday squeaks past me without a little crafty doo-dad being made to give away to someone special. I just can’t keep my hands off! I’ve found all kinds of heartsy-fartsy crafting inspiration on the web and in the blogs I read.

These adorable Kitschy Digitals designs are too cute! Wish I had an Instax Mini Camera. So sweet… so colorful. She notes good tips on embellishing your little Valentine’s as well!

I’m totally inspired by the minimalist type-inspired designs of One Little Bird Studio. The elephant family is just too much! The owl is prestigious and bold, and I just can’t get over the little bits of type that they use in their designs. I’m such a typography nerd.

This is a great, simple, and sweet tutorial. A little blanket stitching, a little felt, a little yarn.. who doesn’t have all that lying around?!? (I forget that not everyone is crafty and that everyone DOESN’T actually have all that stuff lying around, but I do!). I picture this adorable hearts adorning a bag, a scarf, a ponytail or even a skirt.

Maybe a festive paper heart garland or cute felt heart garland would do the trick. These look great hung in a bedroom, a doorway or over an office cube. A little decoration and fun goes a long way to making a space feel better and look awesome.

I can’t wait to get started crafting! This year I will be making a one-of-a-kind VDay card for my hubs and maybe a few special somethings for the special people in my life. I can’t tell yet! I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise…

¡Perros del feliz cumpleaños!

loandbehold — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:22:03 +0000

Puppy Clem

January marks the birthdays of both of our canine children, Clem and Iris. Felix Cumpleanos mi perros!

As of (approximately) the 6th of January, 2010, the love of our lives, Clem-dog, turned six years old! He has been the best thing that ever happened to us, besides each other, and we feel SOOO fortunate to be able to love on this cutey everyday.

Grown-Up Clem

Clem is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever/Husky mix. Brett got him from the Dallas SPCA and surprised me at work at the record store! We had only been dating about two months, but it was the best decision we ever made. He’s been a buddy dog, a best friend, a cuddly fluffy and a wonderful son.

Puppy Iris

Iris, our second child-dog, came into our life last May. She is a Pit Bull/Catahoula Leopard Dog mix. As of approximately January 9th, she is 1 year old! We’re such a sucker for dogs, and knew we wanted to adopt another. Being such bleeding hearts, the number of pit bulls in the shelter was the only nudge we needed. We saw her online, met up with her foster parent for a meet-and-greet and pretty much loved her immediately.

Grown-Up Iris

She hasn’t been easy… she’s been a challenge in many ways. But we look at it as preparation for other things to come. And how could you not love this face! She is an incessant cuddler, super bouncy and loves to swim and tug!

We don’t have real human children, but these dogs (and our two adorable kitties, Puck and Fey) are very much OUR children. We spend a lot of time exercising them, caring for them, loving on them, playing with them and A LOT of money feeding them good food and keeping them healthy. It’s a lot sometimes… but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Dogs do, in fact, rule.

Decor-a-Boards from Pop Ink

loandbehold — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:28:53 +0000

I’m pretty super in love with these Decor-a-Boards from Pop Ink via French Paper. They’re kitschy, rustic and vintage pop art at the same time. They’re $28 plus shipping and are made out of recycled wood scraps and unused lumber. I’m exercising every ounce of control at this very moment, and NOT buying one immediately. I’ll eventually cave.. but today.. Today I will be strong!

I especially love the Jesus, beaver, squirrel and horse ones!

Here’s just a bit of sunny 60s pop to pull you out of those winter doldrums… some of my favorite singers are in this Gigi project!

>>> Gigi – Strolling Past The Old Graveyard <<<