Foregoing Friday Faves this week … it’s my last day of work so I’m taking all the allowances I can get to slack. Kidding. I’ve actually been quite busy at work, what with training my replacement, 2nd-to-last-day happy hour last night, and a leisurely lunch today with a couple co-workers who still like me even though I’m leaving. Ha. Seriously though, this is a rather hectic week for me, and it’ll be getting rather more so when work ends today: My folks are coming into town tonight (yay!), tomorrow we have a lot of chores to do plus my nephew’s 1st birthday party plus packing for our trip to Richmond, and Sunday we’re leaving before dawn for the 12-hour drive. Then hopefully the next few days will be a whirlwind of house-touring, Ben getting a fabulous job (pray!), us applying for our first mortgage and putting in an offer on the most charming-but-in-need-of-some-TLC house before heading home to celebrate my 26th birthday on Thursday. That’s how it all works out in my head, at least.

I have no idea whether I’ll be doing any blogging during the trip, so if you don’t hear from me, that’s why. But if I get the chance, I’m sure I’ll be here to let you know how many times I was offered crack in the few neighborhoods we could afford. (That’s my nightmare version of next week.)

Ciao, bellas! Have a fabulous weekend, and look forward from lots more craft-related blogging from older, unemployed me after next week!

Sometimes little things really just make me so happy. Little things such as my cart at the grocery store containing 90% fresh produce, having a just-cleaned house, picking out a perfectly ripe avocado, aesthetically-pleasing design for utilitarian products, the total quiet of our house on a Saturday when I’m the first one up, or the coffee tumbler about which I am about to gush incessantly. First the slightly scary picture, then the mug-loving after the jump.

Continue reading →

Friday: Woke up (earlier than usual because we had to go to the DMV before work) with horrible neck pain — not muscular, more like little unfunny elves were yanking on different nerves every time I tried to turn my head to either side. Breakfast at McDonald’s because it’s right by the DMV. Remembered why I hadn’t eaten at McDonald’s in over a year. In and out of DMV in about 7 minutes (amazing!). Only 7 minutes late to work. Made it through the day without excessive head-turning. Skipped happy hour with co-workers due to neck pain and the fact that Ben was making steak for dinner (SO good). Had a minor breakdown when I got home; laid down for a bit and got a painful but helpful neck massage; felt slightly better. Drank mint juleps and watched half of Charlie Wilson’s War ; to bed early.

Saturday: Ben made steak and eggs for breakfast while I sat on the couch being pitiful because my neck was not any better. Finished the movie and updated my Etsy shop. Continued the laziness by watching 4 episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Cleaned the house, went grocery shopping, and Ben almost got attacked by a driver with road rage who appeared to have a gun (WTF?!). Went swimming in the rain until it was obvious that the rain wasn’t going to stop. Drank a beer on the back porch and enjoyed the 10-degree temperature drop the rain brought. Brother- and sister-in-law and nephew came over; sis and I worked on a jigsaw puzzle and tried to find safe toys for an 11-month-old in our toyless house. The boys managed to bring my hubby’s 1965 Land Rover back to life after over a year of languishing in the backyard. Early to bed again because apparently bending over a jigsaw puzzle for two hours did not make my neck happy.

Sunday: Neck felt slightly better (no doubt thanks to the Valium I took before bed). Ben only worked a half day so he came home at 11. I lazed around in the pool, he tinkered with his truck. Ate a delicious poolside picnic of fruit salad, roasted red pepper hummus, and pita chips. Much more puttering but I don’t remember specifically what. Cooked the most amazing dinner: grilled vegetable and couscous salad (we didn’t have Israeli couscous but it worked just fine with regular couscous), then went to see the new Narnia movie (we had a coupon). Ate waaay too many Swedish Fish. Realized we’ve seen more movies in the theater in the past week than in the past six months. To bed early, with sweet dreams about my last week at work.

Hope your weekend was neck-pain-free!

Mr. Chives (on the left) has joined Tommy Toe in the land of the living. The plants are winning. That is all.

[Framed Matroyshka by alfalfa]

Get ready to die from an overdose of cuteness. Katherine of Alfalfa creates the most adorable itty-bitty framed pieces, as well as lockets, totes and purses, and even slippers!

[Happy Cloud and Elephant Slippers by alfalfa]

And they’re just my size! (Psst, my birthday’s in two weeks…. *wink*) Apparently living in Australia gives you easy access to all kinds of wonderful Japanese fabrics, and Katherine definitely uses that to her advantage. For example, this little plastic pouch (such a good idea!) features a sweet Little Red Riding Hood print:

[Plastic Little Red Riding Hood Pouch by alfalfa]

After you peruse her shop of adorableness, you should also take a gander at the Alfalfa Crafts blog. She’s got some crazy stories about sewing injuries.

Added a few new cards to the shop last night, with a couple more to come tonight or tomorrow. I’ve launched a new “series” of sorts, which I’m calling Postcard Remix. I take vintage postcards (some are written on, which is awesome — I love reading strangers’ old letters) and stitch little illustrations that either re-interpret or embellish the scene pictured, or sometimes just completely take it over. I’m having a lot of fun with it — the possibilities seem endless, especially since I just inherited about 8 dozen postcards from my husband’s late great-aunt.  And here’s another of my freehand stitched illustrations, also now available in my Etsy shop:

Happy Friday! Stay tuned later today for Friday Faves….

In lieu of the ever-popular (HA) Reading Roundup, today I bring you something a bit more self-centered (largely because I haven’t had time to read much lately, what with work and housekeeping and extended family stuff and a surprise dinner/movie date with my sweetie [the Hulk gets a thumbs-up from me]).

I don’t know how I’ve missed this phenomenon (just discovered it today — via the CRAFT: blog), but obviously Wardrobe Refashion is right up my alley. I love the concept, and even though it’s something I pretty much stick to already, I signed the pledge right away. (Read the pledge in its entirety after the jump.)

Continue reading →

This is where we’ll be camping when we go to Richmond at the end of the month for job interviews and house-hunting. I. Love. Camping.

That is all.

[Photo via this page.]

(Inspired by Val. I think I will institute this as a weekly ritual.)

Friday: Long, unproductive day at work due to Chinese bots hacking our website (upon which my duties depend). Lovely lunch with the lovelier Olivia at Little Saigon. Had an actual date (!) with my husband: drank some beers while listening to the amazing Ben Prestage at Caffe da Vinci in DeLand. Got a little sad that it was probably the last time we’d see him or maybe anyone there (it’s pretty much our favorite local venue) before we move.

Saturday: The hubster had to work at 6 a.m. (blech). I semi-slept in, puttered around the house, went to the grocery store, tried to clean the pool (it had been attacked by little green moldy monsters), admired my sprouting tomato buddy, then spent the afternoon at the Caffe Courtyard Market. Sold one necklace. Enjoyed the fact that it almost rained, which lowered the temp by about 10 degrees. Went home to make red lentil-coconut soup (soooo delicious), finish watching the Simpsons Movie and snuggle.

Sunday: Hubby to work early again (have I mentioned that I am super-excited about the possibility of not being a weekend widow in the near future — if Ben gets a Monday-Friday job in Richmond, that is — cause working opposite schedules is teh SUCK). Spent the morning cleaning the kitchen, sewing pillowcases for the many pillows on our couch because I was tired of how dirty they looked, making Father’s Day cards (that’s right — I got yer procrastination right here), assembling Father’s Day gifts (potted habanero pepper plants … because we rule), making some other awesome cards (soon to make an appearance in the shop), tackling the gross pool mold again … then finally caving in and swimming with the mold because who cares when it’s a bajillion degrees out. After Ben got home it was off to his folks’ (which required walking across the street) for Father’s Day dinner, which included lots of nephew-snuggles. (I wish I could convey the adorableness of the “blueberry dance.” You would die from the cuteness.) Played Upwords (Ben won!) and went to bed mega-early.

Your turn!

As in, “That’s MY tomato, baby!” As in, “I made that.” One week after planting, my itty-bitty tomato kit (thank you, Target dollar bin) has sprouted! It is pretty much the most adorable plant ever. Here is another picture of my overachieving tommy-toe:

Later in the day I noticed he had started to lean toward the window — in an effort to soak up the maximum amount of sun, I presume. Yes, my baby is a genius. I know I sound crazy, but I figure I’m allowed to be super-proud of this because I have a black thumb and have never even been able to keep a cactus alive. A week ago that thing was just DIRT and now it is ALIVE. Tell me that’s not amazing.

Giddy with this small success, yesterday I bought a sweet pepper kit and a basil plant (already growing — all I have to do is sustain it — sounds easy, right?). This may constitute biting off more than I can chew. I’ll let you know how it goes. But you might as well get used to the idea of seeing lots of photos of the gushing, “look how much he’s grown” variety — until I either kill the plants (could happen anytime) or have my own children (not anytime soon). Just sayin’.

Happy Father’s day, Daddy!