DIY :: "not your grandmother's doily" shirt

I, like the creator of this project, occasionally pick up doilies from thrift shops.  I've made purses from them, remember?  Well, here's another way to use them, and it's pretty clever.  In fact, this might be a project I'll actually do, rather than just post, once I find the right doily to use.

{Image from Trey and Lucy}

So, pop on over to Trey and Lucy, and try this project for yourself.  Then take a look at the great collection of craft tutorials Tanya had posted.

trending: white rooms

It's the thing.  I once heard that Audrey Hepburn kept her home with all white walls.  I see it everywhere.  Design*Sponge featured a white themed round-up.  White rooms always show up on SFGirlByBay, like this one last week.  While I was browsing a post on Decor8, C. commented that the space featured was "too white."

In spite of how much I liked the project created in that post, I had to agree with him that time; a lot of light space is nice and airy, and that home is gorgeously decorated, but there's something about a less bare space that I like.  Somehow, in spite of liking the clean feel of modern spaces, I find them cold.

{"strange room" by Mazzuk on Flickr}

When it comes to lightness in a space, I prefer something along these lines (also from Decor8).  Off-whites, yellows, soft greens, classic blues, all those colors are really what I love in a space.

{from Domino, found via The Domino Magazine Files on Flickr}

Someday, hopefully in the near future, C. and I will be moving into a real house, a home, and we will be painting and decorating and creating a space that is ours--this time, one that we don't have a security deposit that we may not get back if we put too many holes in the wall.  It'll be ours.  It'll be a whole lot of work and time and commitment, but it's still quite fun to think about how we can create the space that we will live in.

What do you think of white spaces?

still winter...

but I'm thinking a bit about spring style.  Have you seen Ruche's newest lookbook?  I've been wearing layers upon layers for too long now, trying to keep my perpetually cold self warm (it's a losing battle), so weather just warm enough to wear leggings and skirts again sounds just dreamy.  Wearing only one layer of long sleeves sounds pretty heavenly as well.

 

{from the neutral palette selection on Ruche}

I have a white linen dress, but wouldn't have thought to wear it with a cardigan like that.

{from the mix and match selection on ruche}

This striped dress and belted look is adorable, too.  The cardigan (oh, how I love cardigans) is darling.  I wonder if it could be work-wearable with the right pair of leggings?  I suppose tights would work too, but I definitely prefer leggings.  How do stylish people manage to always look, well, stylish?  And how do they know what matches?  I think I missed some fashionable gene.  But eh, no big deal.  Wearing my comfy jeans pretty much always wins over the stylish ones I do own...somewhere in my closet...I think I'll go read a book instead. *wink*

ventures into the blogosphere: marta writes

In my usual perusals of Creature Comforts, I was reading Ez's post about her time at ALT summit (which sounds like it was no less than awesome) and clicked on one of the blogs she linked to, Marta Writes.  In the sidebar, I found this column: Audrey Words.  It's all full of darling pictures and quotations of one of the most beautiful and stylish women pretty much, well, ever.  If you're a Hepburn fan, you must browse.  I do so love this day's quotation:

"I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person."
- Audrey Hepburn

{image from Leo Fuchs, featured on Marta Writes}

It's one of the reasons I fell for my husband. He is very talented at making me laugh.

enjoying my new desktop...

I love this muted snowy scene (somehow it makes gray lovely. I wish something could make the gray around here look inspiring.) and the Cat Stevens line...



I found the calendar through a fun little path.  It started with Yes, Honey Chyle, led to Wildflowers :: Pretty, and ended up at Shanna Murray, where the background is available to download.  Enjoy!

a little adventure

On Sunday night, I made a trek to E-town to have dinner with my best friend while she was driving back to her university.  We had not seen each other since the summer, which should never happen again (you hear that, Kat?).  Well, we never found Starbucks and wound up eating our five-dollar-bread-bowl-soups at a Panera instead.  Getting back to the interstate was a great adventure in the dark because I drove north instead of south twice...but I digress.  Not only did I enjoy a quiet dinner with Kat, but on my way there, along the stretch of road I've driven a hundred times by now, I saw this herd of deer, ten or twenty of them, grazing in the snow.



It's not something you see every day, is it?

pick one

slate

black

ash

Which one do you like?  Which pair would be most practical in terms of versatility?  I have issues managing to coordinate colors, so I know I need to go with a nice neutral pair.  I've worn holes through the bottom of my blue cord pair, thanks to nearly two years of continuous wear.

Thoughts?

just read :: The Kite Runner

Over the weekend, I read the copy of The Kite Runner that I picked out for myself for Christmas.



It's sad.  It's heartbreaking.  But it's also worth reading, especially in our current America.  I'm not about to lapse into politics or discussions of the past or present wars in the middle east, by any means, but I think that reading this novel will bring a new angle of perspective on the America we live in--and the global culture that this country exists in.

Aside from that, it's an elegantly narrated story with, as Isabelle Allende commented on the cover, all the makings of a great story.  Altogether, it's a worthwhile read.

 

ventures into the blogosphere: haute design

I stumbled upon this gorgeous site whilst (great word, isn't it?) gorging my book geek on the Bookshelf Porn tumblr page.

 

 

Sarah Klassen/Haute Design: Ancient Walls.

Isn't it incredible?  I want to live there.

interruptions :: family time

I spent today doing something very rare for me--in fact, I haven't done it since, I don't know, my freshman year of college.  I went to a high school football game.  Yes, me, totally-not-a-sports-fan-me.

See, my little-brother-in-law is a pretty good football player.  Not only did he score the game-winning touchdown against my high school (ok, so that's not impressive, but funny), but he was selected to participate in this year's Border Bowl.  The Bowl is a match-up of all star high school teams in Kentucky and Tennessee located in cities along the I-75 corridor.  So my little-sister-in-law came down to hang out with us for the weekend, and together, we three trekked to the University of the Cumberlands to watch some football.

(he definitely caught that throw)

I will have you know that this is probably the first football game I have actually watched from nearly start to finish.  The little-brother-in-law made some pretty sweet catches, too.  Kentucky should have played him more, we all believe.  Then they might have scored enough to win.  Either way, good job.

My little-sister-in-law is staying with us until tomorrow and might teach me how to purl stitch.  If she is successful, then expect some knitting adventures to come in the future, sometime between working and taking a phonetics class at the graduate level.  Here we go!

so you want to have a wedding...

A few friends of mine are getting married this summer, and I've been asked what resources I used in planning.

{image by K L Phy Photography, who was fantastic!}

Now, I wouldn't necessarily recommend my way of planning--scatterbrained messes that took over my room at home--and my mom was largely responsible for organization, but I found loads of inspiration, advice, and encouragements all across the internet.

So here, I have a little list for you, with links to my favorite sites.

I think I got on weddingbee every day for a few months, and loved the boards, where I found lots of honest talk from brides-to-be and veterans of wedding planning.  I sought inspiration from Once Wed and used a couple of their DIY tutorials.  Snippet and Ink is still a favorite read, because it's full of inspiration for all that is girly and stylish, regardless of whether you're planning a wedding or not.  When it came to organizing, the planner I got when setting up a registry at JC Penney (which I never used, in the end) was pretty useful.  Overall, though, my planning was mostly contained in a spiral notebook and binder, with dividers and pages pulled from the JC Penney planner.  My mom used what I think was an older version of this planner, but I'm not sure.  Either way, the books that have lots of space to write in as well as lots of pockets are the best.  Martha Stewart Weddings has a lot of good online wedding planning resources, including an account you can set up.  For purchasing, I frequented Goodwill (glasswares), Etsy (accessories, paper tape, etc.), and Hobby Lobby (paper supplies).  My mom also found ribbon in the exact color of the bridesmaids' dresses on E-Bay by searching for the David's Bridal colors by name (we picked Mermaid).

I have my journal of planning and all the fun things along the way on my old blog, so head over and read up if there's more you'd like to know.  Here's a super-sweet post from our photographer, Kathy Phy, as well.

Happy planning, girls!

a little snow, a little sun, and a lot of fun

This week has surely been a busy one!  We took a trip to Lexington for the good old yearly doctorly check-ups, and C. went to a UK game with my dad, sister, and cousin, while I hung out with my mom.  We hit Joseph-Beth, Target, and my favorite Coffee Times Coffeehouse, and had lots of chatting over tea and coffee and Moe's burritos (not all at the same time).



I caught a pretty bit of snow outside my window at work, when it was falling fresh on the trees.  A cluster of robins filled the trees, and I paused from sorting through ten year old files to enjoy the stillness--and snap a little photo.  If it weren't for privacy concerns, I'd probably bring my camera along to work to catch moments like this.  Cold air may sometimes seem to leak through the corners of these old windows, but I do think the pretty little view, limited though it may be, is worthwhile--especially when I have the space heater turned on.

Have a beautiful weekend~

ventures into the blogosphere: wildflowers::pretty

I found The Graceful Lady via Yes, Honey Chyle, a site I read regularly.  It seems there's a good number of us twenty-somethings with this love for all things of the past, those times we can go back to and examine with the advantage of hindsight, and learn from the old in creating something wonderfully new.

So take a trip over to The Graceful Lady, and look at her other sites and the historic garments she recreates.  I think this would have once been my dream job, and I must say, I wouldn't mind it too terribly now, either.

wildflowers::pretty

I think I'll go imagine I lived in the eighteen-sixties (only with modern amenities like heat and such) for a little bit now.  The snow is falling and bathing the modern world in a timeless layer of white.  It's irresistible.

dear blog world...

...I do love you.  I read so many interesting things on an almost-daily basis, and fall in love with photography and beautiful creations that I could never make.

But please, oh please, learn just a few basic things about grammar, spelling, and the use of the apostrophe.

{click image for source}

Here is an introductory course:

(^Please note that the colon above did not follow a verb, which is another thing to remember.  You should never write something like "I have: four dogs, two cats, and a lot of hair on the couch."  You could, however, write this: "I have a problem with hair on the couch for these reasons: four dogs, two cats, and the shedding of their winter coats.")

It's may be used in any instance in which whatever it may be is performing the action of being; that is to say, whenever it is may be used instead.  For example, use it's raining when you could also say it is raining.

Its may be used whenever object X belongs to it; that is to say, whenever it possesses something.  For example, use its hair to refer to the hair that belongs to it.

Does it make sense to say its raining?  Does it possess the rain?  No, I do not think so.

 

I am such a grammar snob sometimes.

plaid shirt redux

kid's plaid shirt + pinking shears + zipper and cotton = birthday present, to be featured later, upon receipt by the birthday girl.

if I could attend any party...

this one is amazing.

Reid Girls Handmade: Book Exchange Party.

 

 

 

I want to host one now, too.  Maybe this would be a perfect housewarming party for when we have, you know, a house.

a saturday morning how-to

Good morning--or, well, afternoon, but if I'm still in my pajamas, can I call it morning?

Last weekend, I had a flurrying moment of creative cleaning.  It didn't last long, and the results are limited, but I'm going to share them with you here in a little project.  All you need is a rectangular piece of fabric, probably around a foot wide and maybe a yard long, a sewing machine, and some sort of drawstring (I used a piece of cotton ribbon that had once wrapped the kitchen towels from our wedding registry).  For the fabric, I used a perfectly shabby chic table runner that I picked up for a dollar.

After a little fun in powerpoint, since I don't have photoshop or anything awesome like that, I put together a picture tutorial.  Here you go!








here's mine hanging out in the kitchen in which it is impossible to get good lighting...



I have the weekend off (hooray!), so there might be some more crafting coming up, like a birthday present for someone who is about to turn sixteen...but I guess I can't post that until she receives it ;).

 

p.s. You can click on the images and I they will get a bit larger so the font is easier to read.

a saturday morning how-to

In spite of my best efforts to always remember my cloth grocery bags, there is somehow an accumulation of about a bajillion (give or take a few trillion) plastic bags in our apartment.  While

no thousand words needed

because this picture aptly summarizes them all...

{click for source}

1. I'm into the MA TESOL (master of arts in teaching English to speakers of other languages) program at the school I work for.  Now I get to figure out how to make sure a)it won't mess up pursuing my degree at U of L when we move and b) how to get it paid for and c) how it'll work with my jobs.

2. Spending all day with a whole bunch of paperwork and files then spending two of five hours at a movie store doing inventories makes for a very sore brain and, oddly, a sore back.

3. Sometimes macaroni and cheese made by your husband is the nicest meal you could want.

wouldn't it be great...

...if computers came in colors like typewriters once did?



I love my white macbook, but that aqua is charming.  Click on the Pinterest icon in the right sidebar and take a look at my pins of pretty hues and lots of other things that inspire me.

I hope you are having a lovely week.  I'm working a lot, but I do like my job at the university.  It's nice to do work that can have a genuinely positive impact on a person's future, even if they have no idea who I am (and think I'm a student worker if they do) or what my office does to help further their education.

happy 2011

Hello 2011!  You certainly caught me by surprise.

2010 was quite the year for C. and I.  We got married, we both moved into our apartment C-ville, C. had interviews and a wonderful job offer, and I graduated.  So 2011, you have some big shoes to fill!

I always make resolutions and promptly forget them.



In spite of that, here are some craft and domestic related things I'd like to take on in the new year, regardless of whether or not I remember them in a few hours.

1. Organize my crafts and my kitchen

2. Learn to knit

3. Learn to crochet

4. Improve my crafts and have a booth at a craft fair, then donate whatever amount I make to a nonprofit like Rapha House (or perhaps something similar here in the US)

5. Do all sorts of printmaking and create personalized gifts for my friends and family

6. Take a photography class

7. Read through at least another twelve (preferably more) of the BBC's The Big Read book list.  That's one per month.  It sounds manageable, considering I read four books in a week during my time off.  I'm a nerd like that.

I have personal goals, too, so finishing up this list is just the beginning.  With a new year and a fresh-feeling new start, I feel ready to take on new things!  What are you hoping to do?