build-o-bama

this is too good to pass up, build-o-bama. i just downloaded & printed it, you should too.

bliss

mrs. french, author of the lovely bliss, is a photographer living in portland, or. i'm convinced that she has ins with all the right people, allowing to find only the best & most beautiful things on the internet.

bad desire - allison manch

i caught an article about grey lounge, i mentioned it to a friend, that friend mentioned a free set there as part of decibel festival on saturday, i went with her. i really liked the space, the staff was really friendly, drinks were cheap (for happy hour) & the cheese board was yummy. but most importantly - i loved the show, bad desire by allison manch.

from the grey website, "bad desire, a collection of embroidered narratives, highlights the crux of love, sex & yearning. manch draws themes from squandered romance and contemplates her own fateful memoir using contemporary myth and motif. she integrates embroidery on collected and black-washed handkerchiefs. the exhibition imagery contains jewelry, wild animals and pop music lyrics, which refer to innate as well as gluttonous sources of yearning."

i loved it all & would have given a pinky toe to go to her diy night in the lounge in august. grab a bevy for happy hour & check out her show through the 4th of october.

found art

i've spent my time on linda's patio & i've seen the paint by numbers mural before, but today it stood out more than usual. maybe it was the black-eyed susans or the fact that no one was sitting in front of it? either way, it was a gorgeous morning, warm & sunny, with a feeling of fall crisp in the air - i also noticed that the large tree on the patio had started to turn orange & yellow.

i'm going to miss summer here in seattle, but i look forward to more beautiful fall days like this one - sandals & sweaters kids, sandals & sweaters.

banana muffins

ohhh so yummy - check out gourmet girl's recipe right here.

i buy a lot of bananas & when i realized that i didn't make it through the whole batch each week, i started freezing the leftovers in hopes of someday making killer banana bread. turns out this was the weekend to do it. gourmet girl's recipe was so good & it ended up making about 30 regular muffins. i did the math & it turns out that one muffin contains only 175 calories. seems like a great sweet bite if you ask me.

image from dapan.

honeycomb smocking

this tutorial by tumbling blocks has been on craft: & whipup but i have to feature it. it's gorgeous & i want something smocked. hmmmm.

music to listen to

little dragon is sexy soul to a t. i heard their single, recommendation, on fader's f2 new soul podcast the other day - i was hooked. led by vocalist yukimi nagano, this swedish band does american r&b with a bit of euro, very well. their self-titled album isn't available through amazon's mp3 downloads & my urge for immediate gratification has me downloading it from itunes as i type (reluctantly).

check out their videos for constant surprises & twice.

craigslist finds

this is all i have for you today. you must buy this fantastical terrarium for $25.

hand stitched calendars

i'm so happy to announce my 2009 calendars! inspired by small objects, i created a tear away desktop calendar for all to enjoy. each month cycles through colors, starting with a blue green shifting to lime & further to coral & has a matching hand stitched detail. they are printed on bright white, 80lb cardstock with a cardboard back.

i had a lot of fun making these & the padding compound was really fun to work with; i'm going to be a notepad queen soon enough seeing that i now own a quart of it. i'll let you know when these beauties are in the etsy shop! see more pics here.

coe & waito jellyfish

i just love these handmade porcelain jellyfish. coe & waito created this installation for gladstone hotel in toronto back in 2007, it can be found at the magic pony shop. the duo of alissa coe & carly waito create small tabletop items & sculptures in addition to larger installations.

someday i'll tell you all the story about the time i got stung by a jellyfish in alabama. it's a pretty good story, pretty, pretty, pretty good.

thanks to jess at treasuring for the link.

etsy wednesday

about a year ago i bought a pair of hot pants from american apparel that had a super high waist (or were intended to be folded, but screw that shit). i love that they keep my belly warm & create clean lines under baby doll dresses. this love brings me to twinsyndrome & her high-rise panties (yes, i used the word, i hate it, but i used it). each pair is $20 & comes in a variety of yummy colors - i want the orange.

keeping crossing things off that list

my dear friend chris brought up to do lists & crossing things off of them. it struck me that i hadn't visited my to do list for 2008 in a bit - turns out i'm still chipping away.

crossed off:
going somewhere warm for my birthday
baking red velvet cake
cleaning my walk-in closet
sewing a dress from a pattern
taking on a new physical activity
upping the furniture hunt with craigslist finds

close to crossed off:
bedroom redecoration - waiting on that miracle duvet
branding for still dottie - oohhh this is coming soooo soon!
inspiration referencing

still working & thinking & hoping:
european travel
art classes (did take a web class) - does anyone have suggestions?
new website

image from julia galdo

got to choose the east

here are the shirts i made for divya & gautam after they left the emerald city for our nation's capitol. surely missed, surely. click here to see the larger version.

what's it say? nothing other than biggie's going back to cali lyrics.

artist sidebar updated

check it - i just updated my artists i love sidebar - ridiculous amounts of amazing.

add it to the blogroll

she's a betty is so fun! not surprisely, a blog for women focusing on vintage & diy fashion, budget & indie style.

nko & joe - monique lofts mural project

i think this is great: the monique lofts mural project. commissioned by the homeowners, nko & scratchmaster joe martinez (organzier of the georgetown graffiti wall) began their work in an effort to create a lasting piece of art for the capitol hill community. the artists have been spending 14-hour days creating this vibrant crystal mural; i need to get my ass over there to see it. see more photos from crook_tooth.

there will also be an opening at grey gallery for the mural project oct. 11 from 3-7pm.

found food instruction

natalie made a killer meal on friday. she tells me this is where she got the recipe & that it's the best vegan cookbook ever. although i am an unapologetic carnivore, i try not to eat meat everyday & i like the idea of cooking vegan or vegetarian in order to get lots of veggies & fruits. i also want to expand the list of ingredients that i find buying every week. natalie found it, but veganomicon you will be mine.

music to listen to

you have to check out federico aubele. we saw him on tuesday at triple door & i def recommend picking up his albums.

nisi throw pillow covers

i got these done on monday night, i think they turned out playa. we wanted to do a play on letters & rearrange them to spell different things. i wanted them to be masculine with a touch of ann & it was accomplished. how'd i do it?

first, create throw pillow covers using this tutorial. before sewing you'll want to follow the steps below.

what you need:
fabric paint
sponge brush
stencils
masking tape
typing paper
iron
embroidery floss
needle

instructions:
1. using the masking tape, place stencil in desired position
2. with the sponge brush, paint letters, be careful to hold the stencil down tight so paint will not seep under it.
3. let dry for 2-3 hours & set with warm iron. place typing paper over the dry lettering, iron over paper for 3-5 minutes.
4. use embroidery floss & needle to create patterns of your liking with a contrasting color. i've been working through the new crewel, a fantastic book on crewel embroidery.

after all of this, continue following the steps from the previously mentioned tutorial. i'm thinking that i may do some for my etsy store, what do you think?

common & n.e.r.d.

i thought about giving a summary of the common & n.e.r.d. show at showbox sodo, but let's just talk about the sex & style factor.



sexy, sexy man. he's got great style; vintage, classic, perfect. he's the george clooney of hip hop.



ohhhhh pharrell. my nerdy, yet styley man - he's the pharrell of hip hop.

common image via highbridman, pharrell via ebonicallyspeaking

christian siriano - spring 08

i know this is last week's news, but christian siriano's spring 08 collection is so gorgeous, i can't really handle it. grey with coral, yellow, lime green, blue - covet. i like to pretend that i know christian, but really i know his sister, shannon - i met her while visiting friends in richmond (she's amazing), now she's dating one of my good friends that i've known since elementary school. so, i kind of know him right?

craigslist finds

a couple of fantastic items, both seem like good deals - one's just a steal. eames era daybed, $195 & danish dining set, $1495.

upper playground opening in seattle

upper playground is opening a store in the u district - i'm so pumped. i first stumbled upon upper playground in portland & fell in love. the new location will features apparel, accessories and fifty24sea art gallery. the grand opening is this friday from 5-10pm, i'll be heading up there some time this weekend.

in other news, h&m opens downtown tomorrow. gasp.

impereal

i'm all over these like white on rice. i might do black though - with tights & a print dress - whatcha think?

etsy wednesday

i want feathers in my hair - especially these: plumage feather hairclip, $8 or indie feather clip for $8 from pnkkim; rainbow feather bobby pins, $18 from wild spirits.

rubbing elbows

bart & i headed over to neumos on sunday to see grand ole party. they were opening for spiritualized (who we didn't really care to see), but we knew we'd be front row & gop kicks some major ass. the short set & attacking kristin, the lead singer/drummer, for a pic was well worth the $24. she was surprised that we knew who she was & even more surprised when we told her we were only there to see grand ole party. go see them - seriously, find out when they are playing near you, buy a ticket & get there - they put on one of the best shows i've seen in a while.

please excuse the shine on my face, that's horrific.

add it to the blogroll

oh happy day is just too much. too much pretty, too much lovely, too much yummy. jordan is a 28-year-old event planner is san francisco who blogs daily about all things pretty & well designed. you must pick up on this one.

you can also find her over at tangled & true doing her mommy thang.

silky flowers - tutorial

i am adding this instructables tutorial to my list of projects - fake flowers baby. these ones are made from plastic bags, but i bet it'd work with a silk or lightweight fabric. if they do turn out, i'd like to make a headpiece with one in addition to a big feather i just bought or a necklace like this girl's.

found typography & jewels

bart & i did make it to phinney ridge on saturday. after some lunch & house lust, we stumbled upon lil paisley & my heart melted. it was a great assortment of vintage jewelry & other accouterments, i even noticed some pieces that were very similar to those i inherited from my grandmothers. after talking to the wonderful shop owner for a bit, i decided it was time to go - but only after noticing this lovely sign above the shop - love it.

where i'll be tonight

i know, lots of posting, but it's friday. i'm heading to this opening at fancy & hoping to visit schmancy & nancy too.

i'm hoping to make the previously mentioned notepads - maybe they'll be a calendar. yeah. also finishing up ming's throw pillows (full post coming soon, think stencils & embroidery); they're going to be killa. shit, i have a mailer to do for architects without borders too - an invite to their upcoming carve for a cause event. i'm also hoping to do a tour of a less frequently traveled neighborhood (by me at least), maybe wallingford or phinney ridge.

have a lovely weekend. enjoy the sun, cross things off your to do list & surround yourself with people you love.

music to listen to

the cool kids blew my mind at rock the bells. great beats & lyrics. i think i'm quoting justin correctly when he calls out their great understanding of history, i love em. check out i'm mikey & '88.

so styley

i love her outfit (click here to see bigger); it's so casual but has great colorful details. can i make this & wear it? i think so.

found on the sartorialist & again of face hunter. gotta love fashion week.

atchoo!

i love the colors & sweetness of this cute little animation by the fire brigade.

stephane tartelin

i think this stuff is amazing; stephane tartelin is a little bit of everything. tartelin started his career in video game development & now works in all aspects of graphic design, illustration & motion design. i particularly like his sketchy linework, so romantic & disturbing.

craigslist finds

today is chairs. sit down - relax: red mod chair, $30; upholstered danish chairs, set of 3, $400; teak arm chair (perfect re-upholstery project), $45; pair of chairs, $98.

etsy wednesday

the supply pantry is going to lead me to broke! she carries tags, twine, handcut glass & more; all supplies have a classy, vintage feel to them as well. prices are reasonable & a lot easier than searching for office suppliers with quality inventory. i've been on the hunt for library cards & merchandise tags - it looks like i've finally found my supplier.

you should also check out the crafty pantry from the same seller.

steinem on palin

i have to share this wonderful article, palin: wrong woman, wrong message, written by gloria steinem. some of my favorite quotes:

"he may have chosen palin out of change-envy, or a belief that women can't tell the difference between form and content, but the main motive was to please right-wing ideologues..."

"palin's value to those patriarchs is clear: she opposes just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality."

thanks to erin for forwarding. image from the library of congress.

notepads at home - i'm all over this

the small object shows us how to make our own notepads! i'm so excited to give it a whirl. all i need are a few stamped or stitched index cards or cut paper & padding compound.

lisa cohen - photographer

beautiful photographs from lisa cohen. i love the colors & softness of her work, subtle but so strong. mainly - i just want to eat all of the gorgeous food. but don't be fooled her work includes more than just goodies for your belly, she also works with interiors, products & people.

found via jubella.

amelia roberts - made in china, bought by us

uk based graphic designer, amelia roberts, created these two posters to show how america's blame on china for carbon emissions & their part in global warming is a little off. sometimes we forget that we fuel the industry with the purchase of mass produced goods. you should also check out her other work, it's quite remarkable as well.

i have to admit, this has been sitting in my stilldottie bookmarks for way too long. i'm happy to finally share it.