vintage by alex keller

Well, I shared about my little bit of wonderful luck yesterday and promised to share about the shop that provided the prize, which the terrific Dottie Angel was sweet enough to share (as if I didn't already have a million bajillion reasons to love her blog already), so here it is: Vintage by Alex Keller.

Alex describes her shop like this:

"Welcome to Vintage by Alex Keller, a curation of housewares & décor that Alex would want for herself. These items stay with her for a time, are rediscovered, & make their way to new homes."

She has a bunch of fun vintage block sets, like this one.

Then there's a bunch of housewares, like this clock and these mixing bowls.

Then I found this lovely handcrafted and intricately carved wooden lidded bowl.

Now, we're a bit crowded with our little bitty kitchen and complete lack of storage, so I know I can't go and collect a billion lovely things and fun older pieces, but I did pick a few, which I'll share upon their arrival at my mom and dad's house (hey, yeah, guys, I'm having it sent there because there's no good place to leave a box for us here).  For now, however, those little things are going to be kept solely to myself, partly for the fun of surprise, and partly because if I don't tell and I don't look at my little list of things, I'm bound to forget one or two (since I spent about two hours trying to decide on what I liked most), then be happily delighted when I open the box.

Alex also has a shop full of jewelry made from found objects.  I don't much care for bracelets, since I work on a computer most of the time and bracelets tap on the desk, which drives me crazy, but I can't help adoring this bracelet.

So you should really check out either or both of these shops, and check back later to see my choices.

happy saturday

{image by Maja Maljković, found on WeHeartIt}

You should read this post on The Storque, then venture over to Yes, Honey Chyle and follow her link to this incredible and beautiful and ridiculous time-lapse film, take a look at these pictures of New York on Honestly...WTF, then venture on over to Dottie Angel where you will see, on this post, that I actually WON something.  No joke!  ME!  I laughed out loud (yes, C., that's why I laughed), went to work (till late), then went to browse the shop for which I now have a gift certificate, and oh-my-indeed it's full of fun vintage.  I'll be sharing a few things I love tomorrow.  For now, have a happy Saturday!

a tidy workspace

 

 

workarea | Flickr - Photo Sharing!.

In the office, I'm pretty good at keeping my space neat.  Right now, it's a different story while I sort through archives, but at home, it's another story.  I try, I really do, but I'm not  so good at organizing.  Owning a dresser and a closet bigger than a suitcase (I do exaggerate a wee bit on the closet space here) would be great, but as long as we live in apartments, storage will be limited, which makes my right-brained self even less able to keep tidy.

So I always find neat and organized creative spaces to be amazing.  Like, do people actually live that cleanly? sort of amazing.  I'm sure C. wishes I was a bit more neat, but hey mister, I wish you were a little more neat yourself.  Maybe we can learn from people who keep their houses so perfectly sorted.

(meanwhile, I partly hope that these people aren't quite so neat all the time, so I can feel a little better about the not-really-folded fabric and stacks of completely unsorted paper stuck in a plastic bin at present)

To see more organized and pretty creative spaces, check out my favorite-ed photos on Flickr here or look at the "Pretty Organized" group on Flickr.  Warning: you may feel an early spring cleaning coming on.

an idea?

I saw this on Annekata:

and I saw this the other day on Grosgrain Fabulous:

So what about combining the two projects?  Using knits, maybe taken from some tshirts (thrifting trip and a bit of fabric dye experimentation may be required), to make a simple dress?  It'd take a bit of work to find a shirt long enough, but an extra-extra-large men's shirt could do it, I think?  I do think I'll have to give it a go next week.  I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of hiking in a dress, but a just-above-the-knee-length version of this, with a higher waist, is kind of what I have in mind.

hairchop.

voila!

I planned to grow my hair long and donate it next time I cut it, but split ends + breakage are not what Locks of Love or Beautiful Lengths, where I have previously donated my hair (at 16 and 19), are looking for.  So I went for an easy-care shoulder length trim.

Oh, this is a wee bit of a boring post?  Yes?  How about taking a look at this, then stepping over to the Strikes Our Fancy archive, where I found this beauty by MorBCN on Flickr.



I do think that's the perfect shade of blue.  Have a nice week, loves.

for the home

While browsing the internet, I find such lovely spaces.  I imagine what my home could be like, knowing all the while that as much as I love old homes with a wabi-sabi aesthetic, owning one is neither wise nor probable at this current phase in my life.  Still, I do think our someday-home will be slowly but surely filled with found pieces, meaningful art, and plenty of handmade bits.

I'd love to find a piece like this one from CherryMenLove (which my bestest friend Kat shared with me), or like this one, only piled with a soft mattress and pillows and probably covered in books.

{by larajanepark on flickr, who has some other beautiful photos, by the way}

This bed is awfully pretty, too.

{by NathanaelB on Flickr, whose photostream shows some pretty interesting looking travel!}

I'd love a library as well, but with an enormous sofa instead of chair like the ones here (not quite my style, I'm afraid).

{by Stewickie on Flickr}

I'd have a china cabinet full of new pieces like this...

{by Lisa Stickley London}

...and there'd be a bunch of older pieces, like the turquoise pyrex set I picked up at Peddler's Mall a year or so ago, and there'd be the new and lovely set of cups and saucers my aunt gave me at Christmas, and I think they'd all be in something like this...

{by mvwoodworking on Etsy}

I might stick a whimsy shelf like this in a corner.

{by woodcurve on Etsy}

And maybe, just maybe, I'll have a ridiculously gorgeous and perfectly lovely home, if I don't get carried away by a few too many whims and fancies that have no hope of matching (as I am quite prone to doing).

House-hunting tomorrow...I'll let you know how it goes!

Can I live here, though, please?

ventures into the blogosphere: mackin ink

Have you ever read Mackin Ink?

{image posted on Mackin Ink, originally from Annabel Kassar}

It's fun, it's full of great stories, and Karey M. is an altogether enjoyable writer.  She posts all sorts of nothing-short-of-awesome images, and tells great stories about her three daughters.  This one, mackin ink: ricky..., is particularly laugh-inducing.  Children are so precious.  I go looking for good writing some days just for inspiration, and I don't remember how I got to Mackin Ink (probably reading about Alt Summit somewhere), and read through a bunch of posts.  You'll smile, I'm sure, and then want to go write a great big bundle of all your thoughts, good or bad, and everything that is honest.  It's some parts stream of consciousness, other parts planned humor, all parts inspiring.

Remind me to find a synonym for inspiring; I write it at least twice per post, I think.  Thoughts?

For now,

{from Solo Debrayes, which I posted about a few days ago here}

check this out: a September wedding

Back in the days of planning my wedding (last year, that is), I discovered Kelty of Steep Street.  I'm still kind of obsessed with her photographs and the something-enchanting-you-can't-name quality they have.  So I do think you should take a look at this fun fall wedding.

Steep Street // Design, Photography, Print and Web // Portland, OR & Boston, MA: Sweet Summer Camp // Katie & Cameron

I particularly like the way the bouquet toss was performed, don't you?

{image belongs to Kelty}

Yes, that is a catapult.

The Daily What

Thank you, Lindsay, for posting this, and thank you, NPR, for being awesome.

The Daily What

 

 

Alternatively, I learned from a friend's facebook that it is Anna Howard Shaw Day, which you may learn more about via the link above or, more amusingly, here.  I do wonder how I attended a Methodist school for two years and never heard of this interesting woman--unless someone was unsure of how to broach the topic of a woman being an ordained minister.  That was probably it.

inspiring? yes.

Sólo Debrayes. aBg ॐ: Archive

I stumbled onto this tumblr through an image bookmarked on another site (weheartit or pinterest, I think), and although I don't know where these images came from, nor do I know who it is that's posting them, they're gorgeous.  Look at the color captured on that first page, or click on the archives, and there's something really magical about them.  I do wonder where they all come from, don't you?  Perhaps a little further investigation is necessary, or perhaps I shall polish up my nearly-all-forgotten Spanish and translate a bit.  Either way, if you're looking for some images that will inspire you, click away.

ventures into the blogosphere: book lovers never go to bed alone

book lovers never go to bed alone

{image found on the above mentioned site and originally, as far as I can tell, posted here}

I'm especially in love with this one, although it is merely a digital rendering--but still, it both terrifies (the height! the slope! the steepness!) and elates me (oh, the books!).  Isn't it gorgeous?  I can't post it because of the copyright, so click over yourself to take a look.  If you click on the image on the tumblr page, you can read about how it was created.  It feels like a bibliomaniac's dreamy happy place.

I'm super happy about this whole it's-the-weekend-thing.  I plan a bit of pre-valentine's day crafting (oh, yeah, it's on Monday, and I'm not sure I'm any more excited as an old married lady as I did as a perpetually single high schooler back in the day, especially since it's on Monday) and I'm watching 500 Days of Summer for the third (or fourth?) time.  I love this line: "Robyn...Robyn's better than the girl of my dreams.  She's real," spoken by the protagonist's best friend.  It ends up being sort of the final sentiment of the film, I think.  The soundtrack is pretty irresistible, too.  Regina Spektor? Feist? um, yes, good stuff.

for a cuteness fix...

I spotted this video on my friend's tumblr.  Isn't it entirely adorable?  If you are not inclined to love the cute, then don't watch, because this is chock full of the precious.

YouTube - Iso In Slow Motion - Bath Time!.

for a cuteness fix...

I spotted this video on my friend's tumblr.  Isn't it entirely adorable?  If you are not inclined to love the cute, then don't watch, because this is chock full of the precious.

YouTube - Iso In Slow Motion - Bath Time!.

swapping (or, why I really need to learn to sew a straight line)

Hello, my name is Katie and I am a colossally inadequate Craftster swap buddy.

I am kind of sort of in awe of the generosity of my swap buddy.  She not only stitched this ridiculously adorable needlebook, but when we talked about swapping other supplies that we have sitting around, she sent me three, yes THREE awesome stamp sets. Super nice stamp sets. And she paid for the shipping for all three, which makes me a little in awe, since I winced at the price of sending my rather humble package of fabric and a few notions all the long way to Canada (of course, that might have had something to do with paying rent the same week?).

Anyway, my slightly-embarrassing effusions aside, here's what I received.

ummmm...wow, thanks!!!!!!  My swap buddy was whats_her_name, who happens to be quite talented, and I guess I'm just a lucky duck today.  It was a super nice surprise after one of those classic crap Monday sort of workdays.  Also, how darling is that card? And how stinking clever to use a rubber stamp for an embroidery pattern as well?  It makes such sense!

p.s. ms. whats_her_name, if you happen to read this, I do hope my package gets to you quite soon, though it's not nearly as impressive.  I did try to pick things that went well with the sorts of projects you've posted before, though!

p.p.s. If I have the time and money this summer, I am going to both purchase a for-real camera and take a photography class so you no longer have to deal with my crappity-crap over/under/oddly exposed and randomly shiny with a tendency to blur photos.

p.p.s. I have been feeling exceptionally verbose lately.  Sorry.  Also, I am Katie-Bee on Craftster as well as in the rest of my life, in spite of now having a last name that starts with an S.

ventures into the blogosphere: pugly pixel

Pop on over to the pugly pixel for a laugh.  This is too true!

How to Spot One of Those Darn Bloggers

for my dog-loving friends and family...

This is far too darling, from Dottie Angel...

"little olive...using the couch as a 'step-up'..."

{click image or link to read the entire post and enjoy it}

It's no secret that I'm a serious dog person.  After I got over my fear of dogs around age five, my family found and adopted Bucky, the most blase and beloved cocker spaniel.

He lived thirteen happy years before having several strokes about three years ago.  I still get teary thinking about the good old dog.  He was my pet; I used to read him bedtime stories back when I was in grade school, I fed him, I took him for walks (which were always short), and never made it through a roll of film without a picture of him sleeping, which is what he did most of the time...

Only a few weeks after we lost him, my little sister found Dolly when she and my parents went to donate Bucky's old kennel to the humane society.  We weren't sure about a dog, but Dolly was a funny little bundle of energy that needed a loving family, and we had a space in our home.  Welcoming her in was a wonderful decision.

{Dolly, fall 2009}

She bounces about half the time and sleeps the other half.  Whenever I go back to my parents' after being gone for more than a week, she follows right at my heels.  She's a sweetheart, energetic and active (the complete opposite of Bucky), and a bundle of joy.

I always love finding that my favorite blog writers adore their pups as much as I do.  I hope you didn't mind me sharing about my family's pets.  Have a lovely day!