Kelly Relish

freshly listed!

2011-12-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

TABLETIN
The etsy shop has been restocked with granny square pendants and a few other pieces! More coming soon.

THIS WEEKEND!!!

2011-11-30T17:07:00.001-08:00

Come down to the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis this weekend for the yearly winter craft sale event known as No-Coast Craft-o-Rama!

Although this year I will not be selling my wears I WILL be there in support of the lovely Rachel Winter at her booth SweetPea and Co. Colorful, handmade children's clothing AND uncommon goods and gifts!

Check out her blog here.

The Little lady herself.
Check out my photos from Sweetpea and Co at the 2009 No-Coast Craft-o-Rama!

It's sure to be lots of fun, I plan on doing a majority of my holiday shopping from these local vendors, IN FACT I already placed a special order with Crafterall and am planning on picking up a few prints from Aesthetic Apparatus. Hope to see you there!

End of summer

2011-09-19T21:17:00.001-07:00

Fall classes have begun once again and I am wrapped up in direct selections, layers and channels. My classes are Photoshop and Illustrator, all Adobe all the time. Sometimes I find myself mixing up the functions between the two and other times I just plain forget it all (now I take "no fooling around" notes).

In Illustrator the instructor had us start up a Pintrest account if we didn't have one already. I did, but I just plain never used it. Now the first 30 minutes of class is just for browsing through the site and I have to say I'm starting to get a handle on it and I like it, but I know it will be another time waste on my life so I am keeping my distance. My account can be found here if you are curious as to what I've gathered. I have to say that one thing I've found through this exercise is what my taste preferences are visually and that following them with the work I do will help to keep my aesthetic, if that makes any sense.

I had a great summer, and I'm glad to see fall is here. Here are a few pictures from some of this year's summer adventures:

House on the Rock with Derek

Bee Keeping on my birthday

Watching a movie in the parking garage of the WALKER

Visiting San (and Lil) In Atlanta

Living at Blake's house

The Trylon and our first sold out shows

take me away

2011-07-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

We've all been there, some of us more often then others.

This is my favorite scene from the movie "Easy A", probably the reason I watched the movie. Emma Stone is a terrific actress, I think the masses are starting to take hold of her; she's showing up blonde on all the magazine covers at work.

friendSHIP

2011-07-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

BRACELETS!!!
Yesterday at work I brought in a small container that held various friendship bracelet projects from years pasted, some finished and some not. Sam when home with two lovely new ones around her wrists and, as seen in the image below, I took the clippings from them and made rings.

Showing these little projects off at work sparked interest among the girls as how to make them. Here are a few helpful links I've been gathering over the past few months.

Purl Bee - Friendship bracelets

Honestly WTF - DIY Friendship Bracelet

Between the Lines - Button Bracelet

Honestly WTF - DIY Wrap Bracelet

Honestly WTF and Purl Bee have some of my favorite tutorials, I highly recommend losing sometime wandering through their pages.

On a side note I used to make a lot of these when I was small:

You would have thought I grew up during the depression.
I also was really into in Native Americans at the time, I did a lot of seed beading. Crafting in general was my childhood, which goes to show I haven't grown up all that much. I like it that way.

top image via
doll image via

HOLY CURB SERVICE!

2011-07-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

whoa, this is great! all the "holy" you'll ever need.

via

Gulliver

2011-06-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

An abandoned theme park in Japan.
via

ring play

2011-06-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

I'm mesmerized. Feel free to turn the sound off for this one.

via

End of May

2011-05-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

I did not forget... well maybe I did, here I am!

Been a tad scatter brained, but as my belongings are organized into cardboard boxes they shall unclutter what ever area my body shall reside in.

CHANGE IS GOOD!

Here are somethings I have been taken with in the last few weeks, followed by a few recipes I would like to make time for.

Jen Stark's paper sculptures

.....

Carson Converse's modern quilts

.....

Serena Mitnik-Miller's watercolors

.....

Iris Tsante's pencil work

.....

Takayuki Hori's Oritsunagumono

Recipes:
Eat Make Read's Sesame Peanut Noodles with Snow Peas
Door 16's Baby Bok Choy with Crispy Tofu
The Fantastic Mr Feedbag's Slow Cooker Garbanzo Bean Stew
Black Apple's Homemade Oreos
Everybody Likes Sandwich's Vegan Garam Masala Cookies and Maple Walnut Buckwheat Scones
Cannelle et Vanille's "Snickers" Bar

YUM!

p.s. new hair for new adventures

As mentioned above there is change happening in my life, and like I said change is good- good for everyone! I would like to note here that you will not find anything on the subject here on my blog other then this statement. Yes there maybe some gradual changes you may notice, but if you are a friend or family member you do have ways to contact me, I'd much prefer that!

easter tweets

2011-04-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

Twitter is excellent for following comedians. Here are my favorite easter day tweets-

blainecapatch: easter is just a fake holiday made up by the easter companies to sell more easter.

ConanOBrien: On this day, Jesus broke free from the giant chocolate egg and led his bunny army to victory against the Nazis!

samcmac: Today, 100 million years ago, Jesus turned into a rabbit and killed all the Jews. #easterfacts

Do you use twitter? Do you have any favorite tweets? Do tell!

space and time

2011-04-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

It's funny, I don't remember what I did with myself before school started. I don't remember having a vast amount of time to watch movies, to knit, sew, and the like. I know I want to have all that endless free time again but I also really appreciate these deadline of homework- I really hate doing homework but after one week I gave my best effort and I have something to show for it. I don't remember what it feels like to not have a deadline, because maybe I did so little- or maybe it was all I knew for the past nine years after high school.

I like being back in school, I like learning. It still scares me and I don't know what I'm going to do at the end of it but I am trusting the ride and that it will all work out in the end.

By the way, check out my ridiculous black eye from falling down the other day- on the pavement, walking the dog (who is crashed behind me on the couch).

“Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.”
- Allen Ginsberg

top image via

"thank you!"

2011-04-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

crystal nails

2011-04-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

Any Nine Inch Nails fans out there? Remember the song "A Warm Place"? Now I understand why I love it so much, it all comes back down to Bowie.

blerr

2011-04-05T02:03:00.000-07:00

Hello.
I've been really busy with homework this past week and haven't had a chance to even think, about anything. So....

Check out my tumblr page. It's found images, mainly, and unfortunately for my homework and sleep (it's 4am- I should be) I keep up on it regularly.

Enjoy!

<3 Kelly

the other bees

2011-03-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

"Most other bees ... are solitary in the sense that every female is fertile, and typically inhabits a nest she constructs herself. There are no worker bees for these species. Solitary bees typically produce neither honey nor beeswax ... Solitary bees create nests in hollow reeds or twigs, holes in wood, or, most commonly, in tunnels in the ground... While solitary females each make individual nests, some species are gregarious, preferring to make nests near others of the same species, giving the appearance to the casual observer that they are social."

via

baking

2011-03-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight, on a whim, decided that I needed to bake cookies. Needed to, so I hunted down a recipe I had seen online and went to town. The butter was melting, I had all my dry ingredients in a separate bowl, the egg and egg yolk were ready to go. As I was whisking the sugar into the butter I thought to myself "wow, I had all the ingredients to make these in the house- I am such a prepared little baker" when I realized I did not have the main ingredient to my chocolate chip cookies- the chocolate chips. What I did have on hand was random bulk items left over from making trail mix to bring to school. The recipe called for 2 cups chocolate chips, I DID have peanut butter chips- one cup, and the other cup I substituted raw cashews, crushed. Well, I am currently baking the last tray of them and they turned out great. Next time I make cookies I will have to forget that ingredient again so I can have something new- no sunflower seeds though, not in a cookie- yuck.

The recipe I used was from here.

Side note: I just opened the oven for the last time tonight and thought to myself "Gee, this is so warm. I wish I could sleep in here." Then I realized what I wanted.

teeny goats!

2011-03-28T00:40:00.001-07:00

2011-03-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

"So moody. So cool. I bet they eat fancy cheese plates and smell exquisite."

Anything about cheese makes me smile.

Found here

science museum

2011-03-26T22:50:00.001-07:00

On Friday I went to the King Tut exhibit at the Science Museum. Very crowded, very popular exhibit with tons of kids running around (I think it was spring break for the tinys) but we narrated our way though with discussion on tomb raiding, inbreeding within Egyptian royalty, and close examination of all the semiprecious stones inlaid on jewelry and other gold items. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs in the exhibit, but I did get a few in other areas of the museum.

Emily Barletta

2011-03-24T17:13:00.001-07:00

Emily Barletta

*I've never been much for words so I expect at least 50% of my postings, if I do manage to keep up on this thing, will be visually related.

color pop

2011-03-24T13:18:00.001-07:00

Two artists who I am enamored with today:

Sebastiaan Bremer
via

Maurizio Anzeri
via

TC

2011-03-22T09:56:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite sites to read is THOUGHT CATALOG. "Thought Catalog is an online magazine for people passionate about culture." I never really know what to expect with the stories but I always find them really entertaining, and I always have something to take away from them. They are not judgmental options but show a fresh perspective on things old and new.

I enjoyed today's article about Marriage From a 20 Something's Perspective. I would also recommend the article on Why the Internet Chose Cats as well as Calling Bullshit on Jenny Lewis (yeah, I never understood the fascination with her).

Go check it out.

paper manipulation

2011-03-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

Brian Dettmer
.......

Mia Pearlman
.......

Paper-cut-project
.......

Yuken Teruya
.......

via here, here, and here

2011-03-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

just lowered the prices on all stock in the shop.
check it out

the circular granny square

2011-03-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to make an afghan, so here is a collection of (circular) granny square tutorials online:

where your heart is
.......

Attic24
.......

Sols(tr)ikke
.......

What can I say, I like options.

glass cutter

2011-03-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

first cut glass project! pocket mirror.

tom waits necklace

2011-03-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

How cool!
by Fable and Fury
via

infinate elephants

2011-03-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

I love fractals.

I'm currently burning some cds to give to my brother (Warpaint and Lovelake), for tonight we are going out to an early show- New Century Masters at the Nomad. I know it is last minute notice but should you be in the neighborhood it start's at 7 and it's free! I've been looking forward to hanging out outside around a fire pit all day, well my enthusiasm dropped around noon today when I was at work and I had not eaten yet. Then it started to rain, what? So I'm going to bring my umbrella, even more fun! Before all this fun can ensue I'm going to go cut glass at Blake's place with all his glass cutting tools, as well as drink lots of water. I have an old silver compact that has nothing in it and after work today I ran over to J. Ring and bought a sheet of mirror. I have never cut glass or mirror before and am looking forward to it.

Okay, cds are done. Time to find something decent to wear and skedaddle!

Daily Levitation

2011-03-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

http://yowayowacamera.com/

re-cut # 3

2011-03-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

Dumb and Dumber, Inception style trailer

Uncle Buck horror movie trailer

graphics

2011-03-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

I went to the book store today, I bought some books.

re-cut # 2

2011-03-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Ferris Bueller's Day Off re-cut into coming-of-age indie film.

I really can't get enough of these. via

needle storage

2011-03-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

I love organizational systems, and yet for some reason I look around myself and seem to be so unorganized. It's a continual process.

Currently I keep all my knitting needles in ceramic jars, I think I picked up the habit from my grandmother, thing is the majority of my double pointed needle sets have no markers indicating their size. I always find myself trying to eyeball what they could be, because for some reason my needle gauge has gone missing. I've got it together.

Adding to the "to-do" list are these:

Knitting needle case via Design*Sponge

Needle reorganization by Grumperina

The 3-ring binder idea is genius!

to make

2011-03-12T23:42:00.000-08:00

to do list:

make this quilt.

pocket pool

2011-03-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

I've seen sites where people post the things they keep in their purse/bag, but today I came across Everyday Carry- which at first seemed like the rest but it's more men's pocket oriented. Take a look for yourself, notice any trends?

At first I thought to myself: "cool! i keep a knife on my person too, and a similar flash light" but then there were GUNS! and lots of flash lights! and guys like knives! My question is: when did those flashlights become so popular? I got one very similar for Christmas this year from my parents. I do like seeing the knifes though, that's pretty sweet.

I enjoy seeing what people find important enough keep on themselves when they leave the house and head out into the world. There was a time when I wanted to compile a list of the top items people seemed to have and maybe why. One thing I am surprised I don't see as much of is permanent markers- such as sharpie brand, you can write on anything with those things which is very important if you do not have paper with you.

http://everyday-carry.com/

slip

2011-03-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

via geekosystem.

guts are twisted

2011-03-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

I am really enjoying the music of Jeremy Messersmith these days. This Song is called Organ Donor and was recorded at the Cedar Culture Center last summer. If you take a look at the string quartet you can see sweet Devan on violin and Erica on viola :)

starting transmission

2011-03-11T09:08:00.000-08:00

Is there anybody out there?

I'd say I'm a pretty regular Facebook user, and as much as it is a profile page about yourself I share less about ME and more about things that interest me, which I guess does shape me as a person. Let's make a switch! This little gal is going to start focusing those quick links, videos, comments here, in a more cohesive place. Are you with me?! I know it won't be reaching the broader spectrum of my "friends" but it's all here for you!

Lest start with MUSIC!

Lovelake
Listen to the whole album for free: lovelake.bandcamp.com
It's local, it's fun, and my friend Derek plays the drums on a couple songs! The music is by a guy named Anders, who is a friend of many friends it seems and I have yet to meet the gentleman; he's also an illustrator: thepizzaparty.tumblr.com They will be playing Saturday March 19th (thanks D) at the Nomad World Pub. My guess is around nine, I'll be there so if you do check it out come say hi.

Also I have recently rediscovered Radio K, the local college radio for the twin cities. Everything comes full circle, I used to listen to it when I was 16. I would tape songs I liked off the radio and AM radio has such a specific feel and crack to it so you knew exactly where THAT song came from.. and it was usually "world music". I'm so glad it still thrives! You don't have to be in the twin cities to listen to it either, just open iTunes and click the radio tab on the left side of the page, then click the College/University stream, scroll down to Radio K and click it. There you go! Their selection is wonderful, since starting school I have been listening to much more music either driving to and from campus or sitting at my table drawing. I'm always excited to hear their song selection and discover new artists. Oh and they also stream music off their webpage radiok.org

I guess I have to give more of a description here then I do when posting to FB, and TRY to make it look nice-ish, but that will be more incentive to further investigate on your side. I'm baiting the hook, to say. And you can comment! It's just below. I do have it secured and i know it's a couple more steps to say what you want but it's only there to prevent the spamzzz.

Look what I got in the mail today! An old cigarette case all the way from Latvia.

must love..

2011-01-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

These re-cut trailers for classic movies are really making my day. Enjoy!

woot!

2010-11-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

Buttermilk (Colette) and I will have gathered all of our handmade treasures, hopes and dreams, and will attempt to sell them at a booth this year. We have very little time left to get our things together, but what we lack in time we make up for in spirit! Hope to see you there!

No Coast Craft-O-Rama. December 3rd and 4th at the Midtown Global Exchange building in Minneapolis! free admission as always.
NoCoastCraft.com

Shibaween

2010-10-24T10:51:00.001-07:00

shibaween, originally uploaded by kellyrelish.

Yesterday we went to a small event hosted by the Midwest Shiba Inu Rescue: http://www.shibarescue.org/ There were cupcakes, a raffle, and a costume contest where Yukio won 3rd place! We chose their costumes based on their personalities, Yukio was a sheep and Mihoshi was a shark, which may have been why Yuki won- he was so timid and sweet. It was so much fun to watch all the sassy little shibas looking indignant in their costumes. I fell over laughing with tears in my eyes. What fun.

2010-09-15T10:30:00.001-07:00

i joined lookbook.nu
:)

ATL

2010-09-14T08:57:00.001-07:00

us, originally uploaded by kellyrelish.

The first week of September I took a plane and went down south to see a good friend of mine, San! I had been to Atlanta before, but the visit was brief, this time I was given the grand tour and they really have it good down there. Despite the weather being in the 90's down there, when I came back to Minnesota it was in the 50's (it wasn't when I left). On the last day, after walking around her neighborhood drinking sangria in coffee mugs, we ran over to a local tattoo shop and I had one of her illustrations put on me- which I love to no end! San introduced me to a few really sweet people when I was there and along with seeing her it made it a bittersweet return to home. Then again it makes for an excellent excuse to take a vacation.

squirt guns and sunglasses

2010-09-13T21:13:00.001-07:00

squirt guns and sunglasses, originally uploaded by kellyrelish.

i miss having free time to be a little shit. we drove around downtown mpls with water guns and sunglasses, in the middle of winter, pretty sure we were shooting people too.

itchy

2010-08-28T23:37:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by kellyrelish.

mihoshi has terrible pollen allergies which make her scratch non stop. so we put a tiny tee shirt on her to stop her damage- she scratches the fur right off herself till she bleeds. the shirt worked but she's still pretty miserable. poor pooch, can't wait till winter can you?

an offer

2010-08-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

Right now I have mostly earring available in the shop, I have mostly earrings made, and while I love earrings so much did you know that I can't really wear any of them correctly? I could with the right set of plugs or if they sat further up my ears in different holes, but nothing like what you'd see in.. i dunno, a catalog, or TV/movies. I'm not super bummed about that, I make due with metal book rings, but what does bum me out is photographing them "in use" for etsy. Can I pull it off with my ears? Writing this all out makes me think "HELL YES" and love who I am, but the voice in the back of my head is the snarky comment from someone who maybe just doesn't like the look of them.

SO! If you would like to be my model- a free pair of earrings (or whatever it takes) is what I can offer you. You would have to agree to let me use the photo, again and again possibly, as a reference image for similar items listed, but that's what friends are for right?

Please visit here for updates on the shop, what I'm making, and as a direct link to my etsy shop. Thanks!

excitement

2010-07-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

My etsy shop is now open!

TABLETIN

What do you think?

get in gear

2010-07-18T10:24:00.001-07:00

For the Last few weeks I have been putting together a collection of jewelry (homemade jewelry) to sell with my friend Rachel (Tash too!), one week from today at the Uptown Market.

The Uptown Market was started last year and was a one Sunday a month event, now it's every Sunday! "The Minneapolis Uptown Market is a street market with local farmers, food vendors, artisans, craftspeople, and neighbors." It's completely volunteer based, here is their website- Uptown Market

Here is Rachel's etsy too, she makes children's clothing- Sweetpea and Co.

This will also mark the bigger push to get stuff online, on etsy, which for some reason seems harder and easier to procrastinate then anything else. Also to put a little more thought into the website and this blog, which I will be passively promoting this coming Sunday.

I hope to have photos taken soon to share, all I can say now is that I'm using fiber. Soft jewelry.

I really an enjoying the process of sticking to it. Slowly the patterns I start begin to grow and change, new ideas form, and I'm learning it's better to put more work into a few items then it is to "mass produce"- but I wouldn't have figured it out without a little mass production. Earrings turn into pendants, turn into bracelets, into felt cuffs, into collage necklace bibs. Lots of color!

Here's the down low-

***NEXT SUNDAY!***
Who: Sweetpea & Co. kickin' it at the Uptown Market
What: Craft and food vendors
Where: 29th St, between Lyndale and Dupont (that road along the south side of the Midtown Greenway trail)
When: Sunday the 25th, 11am - 5pm

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

yumm

2010-07-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

Recipes I have been gathering up, but have yet to try:

Homemade Samoas via "Craftzine"

Sour Cherry Coffee Cake by "Eat Make Read"

Baked Vegan Donuts in a rainbow of colors by "The Dainty Squid"

Homemade bagels via "Inside A Black Apple".

Two Doggy Cookie recipes found at Craftzine. Unfortunately for our household they have wheat and corn in them- if we make them there will be some tweeking to go grain-free for the sensitive one :)

i love lamp

2010-06-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

via Rie Elise Larsen

via AMradio

Also, very excited for this new HBO series: Boardwalk Empire, due out this fall. Steve Buscemi, 1920, gangsters, prohibition, 1920's fashion, Martin Scorsese- yes please! Found here.

summer dress

2010-06-18T16:35:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by kellyrelish.

fruits of my labor. plus testing out eh fancy "blog this" option from flickr. can you say lazy blogging?

Things I Love Thursday

2010-06-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

Said I would try to make a better push! Yes I know it is technically Friday morning, maybe I should change it to "Sharing, Caring Friday!".

>--- I've been making, and finishing, dresses for myself this summer again and recently I stumbled upon this gal. She is making all of her clothing that she wears- for an entire year. Shoes included. Daunting task, but very inspiring!

>--- I love gardening, I love watching my veggies start to grow, but boy lordy is our bed set up unorganized. Unfortunately all the plants are too developed to be moved (which is a GOOD thing), so this is our plan for next year- a hexagon shaped raised garden bed. So organized!

>--- Popsicle recipes, that's what summer is all about! We made the first one, a few tips: use fresh pineapple and don't skimp in the spices.

>--- More on the garden: Spoon plant markers. I made it as far as flattening the spoons, but do not have an alphabet punch kit- so I think I may just use masking tape or paper with clear tape over it for the signage.

>--- Speaking of making your own clothing, here is a pattern for a reversible skirt.

2010-06-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

Hi!
I updated the look of this blog as well as tweaked some of it's settings. I wasn't using this anymore because the look of it did not feel right, the posts became random and I had this problem with spam comments that were annoying and surprisingly demotivating. It became a chore and at one point was deleted for about a month. I know that not many people read this but there are a few good friends that take the time out of their day to do so and I want to keep it going just for that reason.

For those that do read this I will try to make this a more organized event, marking my calendar with weekly post topics- some generic, "Things I love Thursday" and some unique "Long distance letter" or something similar- the idea is that I recap the past week in my life in letter format. Maybe on a schedule I can become more comfortable with regular updates.

Wish me luck!

Till then here is a link to a recipe for Rainbow cake!

p.s. another rainbow cake recipe here.

poof

2010-05-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

Head on over to Design*Sponge to check out their how-to for a "Pouf" throw pillow. I like the subtle color change palate they used, like a color wheel- just imagine if you had one for every shade. Reminds me of junior high art class.

2010-05-10T22:19:00.001-07:00

it's back. for now!

Notorious 1946

2010-04-12T23:58:00.001-07:00

jeans

2010-03-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

I had a pair of jeans. I wore them for 2 years as pants until I wore holes in the knees. One summer I cut them into shorts, and then I wore them for 2 years as shorts. Today they are once again shifting, from shorts into a skirt! There is a second pair in this tumble as well.

For years I refused to wear jeans. It was easy in elementary school because we had uniforms, junior high came along and I bought all my clothing second hand off the mens rack- old man dress pants. Then some years ago I bought my first pair of jeans, second hand no less and I was amazed; even though I hated how they looked they were easy.

I had no idea how easy owning jeans were and how they seem to last forever. I wash them maybe twice a month and have never thrown a pair away (due to the recycle program that has been established). I only have 3 pair and I don't think I paid more then $10 for any of them. I still hate how they look (sorry jeans) and I think I'm going to dye them gray or black this summer. I love how durable they are.

Does anybody else have this kind of relationship with jeans, or any certain piece of clothing? A love/hate relationship or an ever evolving piece?

Also- Matt does not wear jeans, he would look weird if he did. He wears Carhart pants, which are super durable but he always wears holes into them. We currently do not have a recycle system for them.

2010-03-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

"Tommy Tucker was a squirrel adopted by a woman in Washington, DC, in the early 1940s after she found the critter orphaned in a tree. He soon became part of the family, as it were -- accompanying the lady of the house on shopping trips, for instance. She also, it turned out, enjoyed dressing him up in specially made outfits. And so it begins ..."

See all 15 photos HERE.

2010-03-09T01:01:00.000-08:00

i created a tumblr account.

http://kellyrelish.tumblr.com/

mostly photos, of course, and easier to update (i love photos).

so close

2010-03-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

NO COAT!

That's right, 42 degrees! Here it comes- SPRING! It's not much but with all the bright sun it feels like everything has changed. Getting out of bed in the morning is so much easier. Then we open the window curtain and Mihoshi spends the entire morning sun bathing on the bed.

Antsy for plant life.

I've spent the last 3 days buying packets of seeds, I'm looking forward to starting them on the porch. Onions, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, peppers, blue fescus grass, POPPIES, and LOVE LIES BLEEDING! I have to try to show some restraint, we plan on going to the Friends School Plant Sale at the State Fairgrounds in May, and I still haven't placed my order with Prairie Moon Nursery. Prairie Moon is located in Wisconsin and has an amazing selection of native plants and seeds, I can't imagine anything easier then a lawn full of native mid-western plants. Since this is my first full planting season I also had to choose a few of my favorite annuals- poppies and love lies bleeding, and I'm really excited to start sculpting the lawn with tall grasses. OH--- I can't wait to get dirt underneath my nails!

long hair

2010-02-11T22:16:00.000-08:00

Monica Vitti

Marianne Faithful

Bridgette Bardot

Anna Karina

Okay, hair length doesn't matter. Women were just gorgeous in the 60's.

short hair

2010-02-10T23:33:00.000-08:00

This week has been a collection of 60's movies, and short hair- always with the short hair. I began with Audrey Hepburn movies from the 60's. Watching Two for the Road I thought to myself how much better short hair looks on her then long, since the movie bounces back and forth in their relationship (long hair equaling youth). I started daydreaming about all the other short cropped female haircuts of that time period (would you call it a Mod style?) that I enjoy. Then began the image searching. We'll start with Audrey and work out way out of this.

Two for the Road

How to Steal a Million

Jean Seburg in Breathless

Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby

Winona Ryder in Girl, Interrupted (based in the 60's)

Isobel Campbell of Belle and Sebastian

Well the last one wasn't near the 60's- other then maybe a certain feel their music can give. On that note we'll top the list off with Twiggy and Eddie Sedgwick (both not pictured). Did I miss anybody? Let me know!

it all still makes me want to cut my hair.

2010-02-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

guess who's makin' jewelry!
those soft little balls above have been hand rolled by yours truly. the first ones we sad excuses for spheres but ever so slowly i have become better and better. today i will be running around town gathering materials to finish these, and maybe if the fiber shop is open more wool too!

mid winter

2010-02-04T19:16:00.001-08:00

...must. resist. urge. to. cut. hair...

i think this is carey mulligan- she's so cute.
edit: looks to be mia wasikowska (the mole on her face told me otherwise) via teenvogue
sigh..

is it spring yet? i'm ready to hop on my bike, look at these rad bike bags made from vintage upholstery:

by BEATRICE HOLIDAY
http://www.beatriceholiday.com/
found via design*sponge

but secretly, i really want to go rollerblading!

MAKE STUFF

2010-01-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

find it here!
found at Bliss.

It's my day off and i have the "sickness", a cold. The sickness has taken down multiple people at work and my brother in the basement. Funny thing is as crummy and stuffed-up as I feel I have had a huge burst of motivation do MAKE STUFF today. I wish this was a more balanced process in my daily life because not only do I have 1 project going, or ever 2 but 6 (4 are the exact same item though)! Custom fitting a home-made doggie coat for the little ones, a pillow cover made out of an old sweater, and 4 canvas tote back which I hope to put online for sale.

Today was the deadline to apply for the craft show in spring, and honestly I was not ready to do such a thing as much as I hoped I would be. It DID kick me in the butt to MAKE STUFF so my new goal is to get stuff up on etsy, something I've been procrastinating on for more time then I'd like to think of. YEY! Is this my year? I hope so!

Have you seen the movie The Hangover? I loved it, here is a clip.

2010-01-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

I just recently discovered a site i really enjoy:

Queens of Vintage

I am surprised I did not come across it before the wedding, but maybe that was just my introduction to the grander side of the internet and vintage fashion.

Take a peek- you just might find something you like!

2010-01-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

2010 resolution list:

wake up earlier
stretch routine after wake up
arrive to work early
drink water all day
stop cutting my hair
stop dying my hair
bike to work
swim laps at the Y
do more with silver (jewelry)
work twords goals
stop procrastinating!
blog more
stay more organized at home
jog in AM with dog
go camping, drive out of state with the dogs and sleep in the back of the truck

2009-12-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

so beautiful!

found here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/giia

a happy place

2009-12-21T12:09:00.000-08:00

Not very long ago I watched the show Wonderfalls, created by the same person behind Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies, Brian Fuller. One thing I really like about his shows is the main character is usually pretty cynical, and the other is the set design. Well the point of this is how I wanted to point out how wonderful, how perfect I think the main character, Jaye Tyler’s home is- a parked airstream in a trailer park. Okay a trailer park isn’t very glamorous, that can just be moved (but the fact that it has wheels and stays put is part of the charm of the plotline). Anyways, an Airstream is a classic trailer, something futuristic you’d see being pulled down the road in the 50’s on the great american family road trip.

1952 Airstream via MyArtistSoul
So that’s pretty cool, now lets go inside, it’s pink. Yes "girls like pink" but everything is pink, a dark warm pink that seems slightly worn and warm. On the show it’s compared to the "inside of Jeanie’s bottle".

Maybe it reminds my of a womb, safe, or like being under the covers of your bed where there is a small space just big enough for you- and the light that comes through is filtered and warm. I know I can never get away with painting any room in this house pink, and everything is pretty cluttered and worn anyways but the person who thought of this, this place, is a genius.

Did I mention that she talks to inanimate objects on this show, they tell he to do things-
Jaye: I guess I thought if I could just get my sister laid the little wax lion might just shutup.
Eric: The wax lion wanted your sister to have sex?
Jaye: I'm assuming.
Eric: Does the little wax lion ever tell you to burn things or hurt people?
Jaye: I bet he's working up to that...

It was a really great show and I'm sad it was canceled.

to make more

2009-12-18T00:40:00.000-08:00

things i wish to make (or at least bookmark to make in the future):

Hand Bag Pouch via Two Little Banshees.

String quilt pouch via mairuru.

Reversible Felt Basket vla resurrection fern.

Ruffly Felt Wreath via design*sponge

Plaid Flower Pin> via design*sponge

Fleece PomPom garland via design*sponge.

Sweater Wreath via design*sponge

there are not enough hours in the day....

homes i love

2009-12-16T17:39:00.000-08:00

my homemade wreath

thursday is tomorrow so i won't post a list of "things i love", i will post some homes that i wish were mine:

Sophie Blackall (http://www.sophieblackall.com/)

Halligan, Norris and Adam Smith

Albert Street

PINCH not a home, but home filling ideas.

Pinball Publishing a home and business.

credit to design*sponge online for allowing me to peek into the windows of strangers homes :) as well as blissfulb.blogspot.com

how-to

2009-11-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

I'm a self taught individual so finding tutorials are like gold in my eyes, and with holidays fast approaching they give you another route then shopping the store (unless you are very motivated to up that downed economy). A lot of these has come from whipup.net which is an amazing page for endless handmade encouragement.

Here are some I have saved:

Silk ribbon embroidery at Elisi Dunyamiz's blog.

Kata Golda’sglasses case over at Design*Sponge.

Kate's acorn birdfeeder over at (my favorite) Design*Sponge.

Reusable snack bag at "i have to say...".

Cushion cover with INVISIBLE ZIPPER at Kirin Notebook.

Oven hand mitts at The Idea Room.

Mason Jar sewing kit at Creative Ramblings.

Pear Tawashi scrubbie pad Salihan Crafts.

Okay I have to stop now, but believe me, there will be more! Hope you enjoy!

color texture mash

2009-10-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Today I was looking for something I had saved on my reader feed. As I looked through all the posts I noticed a trend, most of what I had saved (along with how-to's) is colorful, warm, and textured. I had an urge to gather these all together and share, I love them all.

Hope you enjoy!

www.nadene.etsy.com

www.studiohartig.blogspot.com/

www.KnockKnocking.etsy.com

www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com

www.MichelleProsek.etsy.com

www.sandrajuto.com/blog

www.ericatanov.com

www.dosfamily.com

www.hel-looks.com

2009-10-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

the cold weather has fully encompassed me. anything that could have been has come to a halt for massive knitting and watching netflix/hulu under layers of blankets. i can't imagine a happier day for me, but it really eats the day away.

list of things i've watched (in the last week) in chronological order:
-History Channel's Mysteries
~Dead Bodies
~Abe Lincoln
~Secret Societies
-Say Anything (which on second viewing loved)
-Seven Pounds
-King of Kong
-Paranormal TV
-Ghost Hunter International
~4 episodes
-Ghost Hunter
~5 episodes

i bought a pair of boots, which really should last me the rest of my life. frye engineer boots.

we are thinking of donating the car and buying a small truck. having a truck seems logical with all the house work we have been doing.

list of house things that have been accomplished in chronological order:
-house plants move from porch to craft room.
-farewell (broken) garbage disposal.
-hello brand new stove (Frigidaire).
-sheet rock and mudding closet in craft room.

a couple weeks ago we had friend over to the house for a dinner party. the idea was everyone was to pick a color and bring a dish of that very color. i figured it to be a rainbow of food, but it was all very subtle, in the end all that mattered was that we had a good time- which we did.

this is our deck and table. i am so ridiculously happy about how this turned out, it was beautiful!

that state fair was fun this year, we live close enough to walk and so we did! it was the first year i've gone into the "birth barn" and was pleasantly surprised. in this barn they keep farm animals that are ready to burst with babies, and when they do they but them center stage for all to watch (on bleachers no less), yuck. anyways the farm also houses all the newborn baby animals so really it neutralizes it and you want to go in just to see the baby lambs.

bread on display at the state fair.

i'll try to be better about posting.

hooch.

2009-09-19T10:18:00.001-07:00

Saint Paul has a history of organized crime in the 1920s, being so close to Chicago and all. Turns out our house has a little history it that area as well. A neighbor just stopped by the house to point out an interesting fact he had just read about in the book John Dillinger Slept Here by Paul Maccabee. Here is the excerpt (minus exact address):

"One of the more colorful bootleggers in the Midway area was boxer Sammy "the Fighting Tailor" Taran. In 1925 agents raided Taran's distillery".." (a brown and cream bungalow that still stands".."). The agents claimed that Taran's distillery was part of a million dollar alcohol ring that used the bungalow to redistill "body-rub alcohal" into "high-grade whiskey". But the liquid evidence against Taran disappeared: nearly every bottle of the alcohal seized from his home in 1925 was inexplicably destroyed by Prohibition agents. The jury was forced to aquit him of bootlegging charges, a verdict that inspired Judge Hugo Hanft to rail against the agents for failing to preserve the the evidence against Taran. The incident reflected the most corrosive by-product of the bootlegging business- the ten of thousands of dollars in protection money required for local police, sheriffs, judges, prosecutors, and even Prohibition agents. The city of St. Paul, with it's twenty-year tradition of corruption through the O'Connor system, provided rich soil for Prohibition bribery."

He, our neighbot Tom, had photocopied the pages in the book that pertained to our house to give to us. Honestly, we live in the best neighborhood ever, we hadn't meet Tom until this but he, along with eveyone else in our area is so friendly- we really lucked out.

The house was built in 1924 and it sounds like he mush have been the very first owner due to the raid the next year, 1925. Up until now all we had known was the house was owned by a single family passed down by generations until it was forclosed 2 years ago.

I'm looking forward to doing more research into our home and on the bootlegger himself.

dreaming

2009-08-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

We are finally rooting ourselves in the house. Making goals over the next few years for what needs to be fixed and a future plan if we ever decide to sell- which tethers us as to how much we do to this place.

After visiting the northwest coast a couple time Matt and I keep dreaming about the idea of going back and staying. Being so close to the ocean is my ultimate dream but the general attitude of people and life out there is where we want to be, I am very tired of pushy "nice" Minnesota. I want to see moss and lush vegetation everywhere I go. The place we bought is in such a choice location, right next to a beautiful park and in a secluded neighborhood at the bottom of what seems to be a small valley, everyone takes really good care of their lawns- flowers galore, so after some sweat equity this place should have no problem selling, but if we decide to stay it's just perfect for us.

We are doing everything out of pocket so it's going to be a long process, and a learning process because we'll be doing it ourselves. He's the game plan:

Summer '09 - Deck (minor), move-in stuffs, plumber for gas lines,
Fall/Winter '10 - Upstairs bathroom, finish painting,
Spring/Summer '10 - Fence, tear up blacktop and concrete, outdoor lights, garden/landscaping
Fall/Winter '11 - Kitchen,
Spring/Summer '11 - Deck (major), garage (studio?),
Fall/Winter '12 - Basement (bathroom/hanging ceilings/walls),
Spring/Summer '12 - Roof, siding,
Fall/Winter '13 - *in works*
Spring/Summer '13 - *in works*

Somewhere in there get house rewired and new fuse box (sooner rather then later) and each season set up has subcategories that are in my head/random sheets of paper all over the place/notebooks/the computer. Somewhere in here we have to add Matt and Kelly doing their own thing i.e. art!

This is our new, old, tub. It currently lives in the garage with our new, old, pedestal sink. Our new bathroom will look, old.

I'm so excited.

2009-08-02T23:28:00.000-07:00

maybe i will resurface here!

let's start simple:

my hair-spiration:

and where i'm at

love the lasers? check out- http://www.laserportraits.net/

excitment.

2009-06-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

Last week we finally received the phone call we have been waiting months for, the inspection tested negative for lead paint on the surfaces, and in the air. I can’t believe we lasted as long as we did living up here with my parents.

We were told by our realtor that it would be at least two weeks before we could close, but after speaking with the loan officer today Matt was informed that we could close next Friday. I am so sick of our realtor and the fact she cannot do her job correctly- and she still gets paid the same! The loan officer was upset that she was telling us it would be that long, telling us he would not be able to approve us until late next week when he already approved us to close earlier this week. Everything she should have known and been able to tell us we have had to find out for ourselves and, in turn, inform her. I’m ready to be done with this step, I’m ready to move in!

Closing date: June 26th!

One thing I did pick up with all the free time I’ve had is sewing clothing. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for years but never followed through with until now. Where I once thought I could just wing it I’ve kicked that though and picked up a number of different patterns. I have begun with re-issued vintage dress patterns, found that there are only a small few of them and began browsing antique stores as well as eBay- prices for original patterns are much lower as well.

I forgot to mention we bought a Japanese maple tree last month at the plant sale. It’s small and spindly, it was actually the last one left- and half price since it was the last day of the sale, but with enough attention and care it will be great. When we were in Portland there were so many beautiful trees and plants you just don’t see that much in Minnesota. I hope that despite the bitter cold winters we can keep it thriving along with other anything else we may decide to grow in our yard.

Oh I can’t wait till we get in to the house, I’m so excited to get the ball rolling! Painting, tearing down walls, remodeling, just making it our own!

In other news I started Hula Hooping, or at least am trying to. Looks like I might need to save up for an adult sized one because the $3 one I bought in the toy department just isn't going to cut it.

ten

2009-04-09T23:23:00.000-07:00

Here we are, the 10th day of this month, and we still have no idea when we will have our house. 10 days ago we moved out of our apartment and put everything in storage, 10 days of living with family, 10 days of commuting with one automobile. It wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have the dog and it's gonna get worse with the second dog coming in 10 days. I want my house government/HUD/Best Assets- you are not playing fair!

Having all this time inbetween does help, in the bank = money. We have everything for closing costs and now putting aside more for appliances, since the house has none. I'd like to think of this in a positive way- we can finally save for a new computer! This seemed like such a far off goal, that what we had was fine, but now I'm saddled up to my parent's box, which is about the same age as mine (close to hitting 10)- now it's obvious, it's too old to update and working with dial-up makes that much more clear.

Also, I hate being so far away from the cities. I'll admit it, Saint Paul is home now, and knowing I can't just run across town, hop on a bus, or meet someone down the street is killing me. The drive up here is fine and I like being away from the noise and lights, but not having a place to call your own hurts.

monochrome, in yellow.

2009-04-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

image by monattka

i've been inspired, by jem, to wear yellow.

we'll see where this goes but i had so much fun looking for yellow clothing that i may want to make it a life style.

i want to wear yellow everyday, in some way or another, and filter all the colors out.

will this change the way i feel? give me reason to my wardrobe? make clothes shopping fun? be "that person" who wears yellow?

i'm looking forward to it. i've been here before- prom was emerald green and the wedding was orange (but mustard yellow at first- still wish it was). if i get sick of yellow i'll move on to another color... but yellow is so happy.

until then read this- NY Mag article.

2009-03-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

I know I should be packing right now but I'm skimming across the web.

While wrapping things from storage I came across my list of Pyrex patterns found on Pyrex Love.

Goodbye for now, see you again soon- once we get into the new place!

Obsessions:

2009-03-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

"List 5 of my harmless addictions"
as tagged by SAN!

1-
Busy Hands

I start so many projects and always have something to do. Natasha calls it being a "(insert craft name here) slut." Half finished knitting project, piles of cut fabric sitting out, jewelry, resin, linoleum, paper, silver, clay. Busy minds as well as busy hands. So my first obsession is being Crafty!

2-
Natural Oddities
I can't help but be curious about things that make you look twice. Sure you've probably heard about siamese twins and people who grow hair all over their body but have you ever heard about a stone baby? A rare phenomenon which occurs most commonly when a fetus dies during an ectopic pregnancy, is too large to be reabsorbed by the body, and calcifies on the outside, shielding the mother’s body from the dead tissue of the baby and preventing infection. The mother can survive with this stone baby inside of her until the day she dies of old age, as well as give birth to other children.

3-
Succulents

(specifically Crassulaceaes). I love house plants but i have a hard time remembering to water them, succulents are the answer. They come in so many beautiful shapes, sizes, textures and colors- like little green roses. I currently have 12 different varieties: Echeveria, Hen & Chicks, Jade Plant, Burrow's Tail, Aloe Vera, Buddha's Temple, and I don't know the names of the rest of them. This maybe because I grew up in a land where, 4 months out of the year, it's frozen.

4-
Lists
I makes lists for everything. Usually because if I don't I can get off track.

5-
Most of all Mihoshi!

honorable mentions:
-movies
-cutting my hair myself
-knitting magazines
-lockets
-black coffee
-lots and lots of blankets
-alcohol (it's really love/hate)
-vintage fashion
-jackets
-mail, everybody loves mail!

tweets--->

2009-03-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

A new addition here is the "tweets" located on the right of this page! Short sentence updates as to what is goin' on! I used it a lot on our honeymoon because it's easy to update from my telephone (considering the service I have).

Another new addition over here is this little guy:

photo from MSIR website
Since soon we will be moving into our first house we decided that bringing a new little pup in with us will benefit everyone! As much fun as having our first little puppy was it was a lot of work, and a lot of vet bills. We started looking on rescue/adoption sites for someone who Hoshi would love. We wanted a black and tan boy but this little boy sounds so sweet it didn't matter what he looks like. They call him Kai but he does not respond, so we are looking for a name for him- any ideas are welcome. The family that is fostering him are willing to hold on to him till we move into our new place, which seals the deal on the order of things.

Now all we need is a closing date, and to move in!

need... or want?

2009-03-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

which color?

when we registered for the wedding at macy's we chose "green apple" (second row, second color), now i'm leaning more in the direction of red.

i already broke the hand mixer we received for our wedding. that thing has seen some good use in it's 5 months with us.

the bottom image is of our dishes on their shelf.

SNOWBLIND!

2009-02-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

this past week's little blizzard that hit minnesota.

thunder-snow and all.

residual wedding thoughts

2009-02-25T23:21:00.000-08:00

if i could get married again i would want to look just like this-

photo by CirasPhotography

short hair, poof veil, fur caplet, KNIT knee lenght dress, slip showing, black tights.

love.

the internal war

2009-02-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

"Disease will never be cured or eradicated by present materialistic methods, for the simple reason that disease in its origin is not material . . . Disease is in essence the result of conflict between the Soul and Mind and will never be eradicated except by spiritual and mental effort."

I work at a natural foods store and recently our In Store Educator held a class on flower essences, this is what I learned about Flower Essences.

Flower essences are used to aid moods, dispositions, metal ailments, like/and anxiety. Geez I feel like I'm writing a school essay.

Edward Bach was doctor in the 1930's who came to discover that emotional problems could be corrected like an illness. He discovered and created flower essences, which work the same way homeopathy does by taking a property and minimizing/diluting it into a healing state. Homeopathy differs in the sense it dilutes toxins or poisons, flower essences are not and therefor positive energy, but the same idea goes that the more you dilute it the better it may work for your body. Your body picks up these trace amounts of the flower and it's healing properties.

The flower essences are diluted in a 50:50 water and brandy solution. I've been told the alcohol allows your body to absorb it better (this maybe false) and to keep it from spoiling.

Bach discovered these properties through his connection with plants. He felt he had a psychic connection to the plants and used his intuition to guide his to the properties of each plant.

Bach began his research by collecting morning dew drops off of the plants themselves, then later this moved to steeping the leaves in a bowl of water under sunlight, then boiling them. He gathered his research down to 38 flowers, Bach's Remedies.

These flower essences are safe for pets as well.

Here is a list of the 38 flowers/remedies.

Here is another site for more information, Bachflowertherapy.com

If you were curious I am currently taking 2 essences. I am happy with the results and taking them does not harm me either way, they do not interact with any medications I maybe on unlike herbs can. Just 1 or 2 drops in a glass of water, or held directly under the tongue for 30 seconds, but the the alcohol can really burn so I don't do that.

There is no scientific method to these remedies. Just faith.

2009-02-02T21:41:00.001-08:00

updated sketch-

bare chimney and tile back splash.

crawling

2009-02-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

slowly, slowly this little house of ours is getting closer. as far as we know the inspections are going through this thursday *yay*! hopefully all the paper work with best assets has been signed correctly, initialed correctly, correct (full) address, checks received and anything else that has caused us confusion is taken care of and we can move on! we've got insurance lined up, paperwork together, money adding up in the bank, and our apartment has been given away to new tenants- we WILL be there in less than 2 months!

till then all we can do is prepare...

we want a new kitchen

-before-

-the general idea-

simple, clean, open.
first of all blow out that whole wall and create a bar/island, stove and overhead hood/fan, chopping board and dishwasher below, no microwave, green tiled floor, natural wood, grey and white muted tones~ the colors will come from the fiesta ware and pyrex.

WHY?!!

2009-01-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

why is it every time i create (pay for) a subscription to a magazine, to have delivered to my house on a monthly basis, because i love mail, and i LOOK FORWARD TO IT EVERYDAY!!!!.............

why do they close the doors on me?
why now you, domino?

WHY?

why could you not have been "Real Simple", which has no substance just pretty pictures, or "Readymade" which has ideas for the un-imaginative?

darn you all.....

a paper shanty

2009-01-23T22:32:00.000-08:00

this year blake (my brother) helped out on an art shanty out on medicine lake- Minnesota, titled "a paper shanty". the whole structure is made almost entirely out of paper product AND when you enter, there are tables to fold origami on. also, origami hangs from the ceiling.

blake and his shanty.

2009-01-20T17:41:00.001-08:00

this outfit is a dream.

doodle

2009-01-05T12:54:00.000-08:00

despite the wicked cold, the sun can still come out and warm us all up.

after complications with our realtor, and the holidays slowing the whole process of correcting the situation, we are back on track with our future home! come middle of febuary we will be closing on the house and moving right in. granted we will be sleeping in the basement while we fix up the upstairs bedrooms and be without kitchen appliances at first, it is the first step in our dream home. dream home includes ceramic studio for matt in the 2 car garage, patio set on the desk so we never have to eat a meal inside unless weather permits, refinished basement into master bedroom- including sauna (!), art/craft room, lawn for hoshi with fence, and so on.

*sparkle*

*sparkle*

this afternoon rachel and i will be heading over to crafty planet so she can spend her gift certificate, i think i'll just be looking for pattern if i do pick up anything. i'm back to the mindset that i will never find clothing that makes me happy in a store and i will make everything- and apparently in this dream i wear aprons or have giant cute pockets so i always have a place to keep a pen on me.

hi mom...

resolutions

2009-01-03T19:24:00.000-08:00

less beer, more tea.
less pants, more skirts.
less internet, more dog park.
less clutter, more organization.
less sarcasm, more acceptance.

2008 was amazing, and i'm so excited for 2009!

fall

2008-12-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

peanut butter cookies, home of charles schultz, and leaves.

2008-10-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

goals i'm excited about:

-get spinning wheel fixed
-apply for school
-work with silver more
-save $ for house
-tax ID number

larger format for larger pictures...

2008-10-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

i like it.

Around town

2008-10-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

Some of the places we went to on our honeymoon we didn’t actually get to experience. The Chinese Classical Garden, Museum of Contemporary Craft, and Japanese Garden were on the top of our list but, although we saved money with the admission fee, they did not allow dogs. We may have peeked into the windows or over the gate but it’s really not the same. There were a lot of places we did get to, more of which were recommended by people we met along the way.

Places in Portland we loved.

Little Red Bike Cafe
-We stumbled upon this little café by chance when we first got to town. Excellent fried egg sandwiches.

Infinity Tattoo
-Best tattoo shop I have every been to! Sweetest people ever, paul made us reservations at an excellent hotel downtown and everyone helped recommend places for us to go. Plus I got a free t-shirt!

Byways Cafe
-A recommendation by the sweet folks at Infinity. Matt had a burger called “Black and Blue” which was rolled in pepper and topped with blue cheese… mmmmmm!

Porch Light
-This little shop had a sweet mix of antique and homemade items.

Moxie Rx
-It was breakfast foods sold out of an old trailer! Minnesota has nothing like this and from what I hear of the current laws it won’t anytime soon. It was the smartest set-up I have ever seen, the hours are 9am-4pm four days a week with a garden in the back lot. We ate at a picnic table.

Pistils
-This little flower shop showcased tiny terrariums. I love succulents. Plus there were chickens roaming around outside.

Close Knit
-I didn’t want to buy any yarn but just like any bad habit I couldn’t resist.

Canoe
-A store featuring modern design items. One of the owners was originally from Minnesota and his grandmother’s old home is just down the street from where we are living now- it made the distance between us, and Portland, much closer.

Stumptown Coffee
-I brought some home.

refreshing

2008-10-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

Lately I've felt a new energy within me. It must have been the wedding but I feel new, energized, focused and fresh- as though I have restarted everything anew. With these new developments a lot of purging has been done in the past week since we have been home.

-The kitchen has been emptied and refilled with "nest"y post wedding items
-2 rooms have been switched entirely with changes the flow of the whole living space with one room soon to be repainted.
-Donated clothing
-Cut off all of my hair to less then an inch
-New goals made

Minnesota is nice but I do miss Oregon. I maybe trying to make the best of my situation here knowing I can't go walking the dog down at the ocean or to see moss wherever i go, have excellent lattes and decent drivers on the road! There was a time where Portland was the destination due to the dental lab tech program at their collage but I think staying here and taking silversmith/ jewelry classes will be the best for now, and i stress the "for now".

Till then I'll fill my surroundings with leafy greens.

2008-08-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

we just got back from the state fair...

instead of buying $5 cups of beer there we saved our money, picked up a six pack of new castle, came home, took showers to wash all the fair dirt off of us and sat down to watch a movie, excellent.

25 days till the wedding!