Lo & Behold crafter, writer, life-liver - page 8

My husband is quite the cook. Just this past weekend he made roasted green chile cabrito (goat) burgers, green chile rice and homemade peach cobbler, and last week made refrigerator pickles. I’m a lucky lady, let me tell you!

I’m always on the lookout for kitschy vintage or mid-century era kitchen goodies to decorate HIS favorite workspace, which just happens to be the kitchen. His birthday is coming up pretty soon, and I doubt I’ll be able to resist some of these tasty finds! Check it:
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If I were to be completely honest, I’d say that the creative well has been a teeeensy bit dry these days. I have project ADD: I can’t focus on one gosh darn thing long enough to get it done. I’m always grasping for something to do, some way to be productive. I feel like maybe this whole time I’ve been crafting, when what I really want to do is find my art. I guess I don’t consider myself an artist of anything.

So. I think maybe I’m going to start blogging a little more. I want to stop worrying a little less about making sellable products and just try to enjoy myself while making and creating. That’s how it began, and how it shall remain!
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I’m not pregnant, nor am I even sure Brett and I will have kids. But when I saw this wallpaper I swooned. I adore it. It’s vintage-themed, silvery and has beautiful spacey illustrations. It would be the most perfectly adorable wallpaper for one wall in a space-themed nursery, am I right?

Add some spaceship art, a planet mobile and those gloriously cheesy (and yet at the same time magical) glow in the dark ceiling stars…

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I mentioned my granny-love of doilies before, and when I saw this round up of doily projects from How About Orange I squeed my pants!

I just happened to have scored a small string of vintage doilies from a yard sale last weekend… so my wittle brain is conniving a project. I’m thinking the drawstring bag is right up my alley. Maybe a shoe bag? Maybe a take-out craft bag?

Geez… I really need to get some pics up here of some awesome crafty items I’ve made recently! Stop slacking Shrie! Have you made anything with doilies? Do tell!

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This past weekend I went to the No Depression Festival at Marymoor Park in Redmond. Marymoor is such a fab park, with it’s wide open spaces, multiple sports fields, concrete paths for walking or biking, climbing wall and FANTASTIC dog park. We’re usually there to take advantage of the dog park and let our furbabies swim and run a bit, but on Saturday we went to hear some folk and Americana music.

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Just a quick note to update all TWO of my readers about what’s going on in my Etsy storefront. I haven’t had much time to create lately, but have started a couple of experimental projects. I also recently finished a very handsome reinforced tote bag made out of vintage fabrics that will be going up shortly… I can’t wait to share it!

Also, I just curated a gorgeous “Splash of Summer Color” Etsy treasury… browse away! A few crafty friend’s products are featured, as well as some new finds. I feel like summer might be trying to slip away and I want to hold onto it just a bit longer! (more…)

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I wanted to take some time to browse through my Flickr feed at the many, many inspiring photos people take and post everyday. Here are just a few that caught my eye. I’m in love with the watery vintagey feel of the first three… and the last one? Well, that’s just some stunning stitchery. *love*

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My weekend is about to be here… T minus two hours! Since I’ve been kinda MIA this week, I thought I’d give you lovelies a rundown of my upcoming weekend (as if you cared! ha!).

Friday night:
Happy hour meetup with the Ear Candy crew
Lamb burger grillin’ with neighbors Kristen and Chris at our house, courtesy of my husband and his rad cooking skills

Saturday:
Landlord is coming over so we can resign our lease (eek)
Enjoying the 92 degree weather!
Outdoor movie (either Wayne’s World or the Goonies), and we’re taking Clem-dog!

Sunday:
Dog park with the doggies
Joule’s Sunday BBQ series – Vietnamese theme

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I do a bit of music writing in my free time, when something strikes my fancy. I previously wrote for ThreeImaginaryGirls.com for several years, and now am writing for Travis at EarCandyBeat.com and Chris B at AnotherRainySaturday.com. Visit these sites, they are good people and deserve to be read!

Sooo… if you’ve been jonesin’ for some fresh femme rap (and who isn’t!) take a gander at my review of the THEESatisfaction show on Saturday at the new and improved Columbia City Theater. The venue is gorgeous and Thee Cat and Stasia Satisfaction put on a walloping good time.

Other reviews of note include my take on sultry Texas songstress Sarah Jaffe’s phenomenal performance at the Tractor Tavern and the retardedly loud and incredibly mind-blowing Fuck Buttons set at Chop Suey, both from back in June.

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This is “Tempting Tutorials” round two! I’m loving that I can gather these ideas that I see everywhere in one place so I can refer back to them later. I sooo wish I was independently wealthy so I could sit around all day doing project after project, crafting awesomeness at every turn. Oh dreams..

Here are four very practical, simple and pretty tutorials to brighten up your lives. I REALLY want to go make these twisty ties right this second!
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Today: last minute gas station hot tea, blackberries, Luna bar

So I’m going to start taking pictures of my breakfast and posting them here occassionally. I’m going to be accountable to myself for the kinds of breakfast I’m eating! No more chocolate donuts, or 7-11 taquitos (okay… maybe sometimes). Don’t judge!

Dusty Springfield is awesome. She sang so many songs you know, that you didn’t know she sang. This song was written by Carole King. **hearts**

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I confess… I have loved and do in fact, still love, White Town’s song “Your Woman” from back in 1997. White Town was pretty much a one-hit wonder, essentially the solo output of straight edge and ex-Marxist Jyoti Prakash Mishra after his other bandmates left him in 1990.

Matinee Records band Cats on Fire recently covered “Your Woman” though, and pretty successfully. Today I am, guiltily, listening to this song over and over and over…

Cats on Fire – Your Woman (the cover)

White Town – Your Woman (the orginal)

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I’m always stalking Etsy for fresh finds, and I’m ALWAYS finding about twenty or thirty things I can’t live without. There is just so much great handmade and vintage on that durn site! Anywhooo… here are some things I’m currently hearting: (more…)

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Whew! I have a lot going on ladies and gents. For starters, I joined a Swap-Bot.com swap and will be sending off my bunting garland to the lucky recipient on Monday. I’e really enjoyed my swaps in the past… a mixtape, a vintage thrift store find, a self-portrait swap. I nabbed this bunting garland swap because I just LURV making them. My tutorials have been featured on OffbeatBride.com and I even have a couple in my Etsy shop for sale. (more…)

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I’ve been on the lookout for a sturdy, quirky coat rack for a while. I prefer a stand-alone but the options are really limited… they’re either pioneer/woodsy looking or too contemporary/shabby chic. BUT! I have found some rad wall-mounted coat/hat racks. Some are pricey but they’re all beeeyoutiful!

Ribbon Coat Rack by Headsprung

DIY Wood Tree

Rebar Coat Rack by Derek Mizner

Eames Hang-It-All by Herman Miller

Note: Danielle Thompson of Thompson Family Life did a DIY version of this $180 Eames coat rack, and it is super rad!

Wave Hanger by Design House Stockholm

Blue Hive Coat Rack by The Crosbie on Etsy

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This image really popped up out of the screen at me. The colors and patterns are stunning, in contrast to the weathered wood. Refreshing and summery!

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I’m trying something new… sometimes more scheduled and organized to help me break out of my blog rut and be more productive! Let’s start with “Tempting Tutorials”, a new feature I’m going to try to put together every so often (maybe once a week) to showcase some tutorials and DIYs that I really wanna get my hands dirty with. I see so many fab projects, and my little hands only have so much time to complete them… so I’m passing them on to you. A little inspiration perhaps?

I used to LOOOOVE taking those little tissue paper pieces, sticking them on the end of my pencil and then gluing them down on paper to make shapes or artwork when I was a kiddo in school. It’s so inexpensive and fun, and Cathe over at Just Something I Made takes it that elementary school idea and turns it into a bright and elegant project with her Tissue Hydrangea Pins. Plus, you’re reusing and recycling items you may already have around your house. Win – win!
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