hot and sticky

it is unbelievably hot and humid here in the catskills, and i am daydreaming about what i wish i were wearing today. skimpy, loose-fitting whites and creamy, cotton or linen skivvies seem just right for running around barefoot through the sprinklers and drinking homemade lemonade. all of my real summer clothes are locked up in storage; all i'm left with are a few pairs of cutoffs and some t-shirts. not the romantic vision pictured above...

terrariums

i just learned from a secret source how to make my own 'faux' etsy treasuries so here is my first! i have been somewhat obsessed with terrariums on and off since i was a little girl, when i used to have a hermit crab in one. my most distinct memory of that is being told that you can feed a hermit crab ANYTHING (not at all true i'm sure) so i remember putting an Oreo in there. you can imagine what happened... the crab was not interested in the Oreo (!) and it got moldy.

anyway, despite my obsession i've never actually made a terrarium (except for the quickie i whipped up here), but when i find my real home i plan to have lots and lots. compiling these was a fun way to pretend i was actually making my own... aren't they lovely?

cupcake festival

last weekend, in between house-hunting, i went with my friend/realtor jenn to the 1st Annual Gardiner Cupcake Festival. it was a quintessentially perfect country small town celebration; i totally felt like i was in stars hollow! unfortunately i'm too big for a donkey ride, but i had fun eating plenty of cupcakes and checking out the sights...

no place like here

etsy has a new video series called 'there's no place like here' and i am loving them! we get to see inside the homes/studios/shops of some etsy makers; what could be more fun? i especially loved the house of hannah (made with love by hannah) who makes me want to collect knick-knacks... and since i am in search of a new home myself, i find these videos very inspiring.

tagged

(random goat pictures)

i got tagged by lena a few days ago, and it's been a while since i answered odd questions about myself, so i thought, why not?

What is your current obsession?
farm hunting; if you know of any adorable houses on 2+ acres with a cute barn and/or studio for $200K or less in or near ulster county, new york, please let me know!!!

Which item from your closet are you wearing most lately?
the sweatshirt i made last winter. i need to make about 5 more of them!

What's for dinner?
no idea

What was the last thing you bought?
a barackobandanna from handoverfist for my friend george

What are you listening to right now?
the Housemartins, but i did not put it on

Say something to the person who tagged you:
hi lena! hope to see you soon!

Favorite vacation spot?
i'd go back to japan or mexico in a heartbeat

What are you reading right now?
A New Look at Crochet, from like 1973 i think

What is your current guilty pleasure?
handfuls of ginger snaps

What will be the first spring thing you do?
i've been wanting to have a picnic in the woods once the mud subsides

Where are you planning to travel next?
no travel plans at the moment; i just want to find a home!

If you could grow any plant(s) in the world in your house or yard, what would it be?
tea, indigo, henna, avocado, lemon

What was the last thing you made?
a custom-ordered crochet hat in cotton/linen yarns
. . . . . . .

And these are the rules: Respond & rework-answer the questions on your own blog; replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention; add one more question of your own. Tag eight other un-tagged people.

i tag:
kim
siri
jen

pink fri...um, i mean THURSday

yeah, late again.
i am a recovering pink-aholic, but there was not much rosiness to be found around here on this january day...
i prefer these pinks.

yellow wednesday

now, why was yellow so easy, bright and fun to find on this grey january day? not like that gloomy purple! this is an interesting project, since i am not in my own home (which no longer exists!) so it's not even a reflection of my taste at all. here are some more really nice examples of all of these colors...

crazy snow

did anyone else see the 10 minutes of crazy snow we had in nyc two weeks ago, it must have been the 17th i think (just uploaded my photos today...)? i have never seen anything like it: the flakes were like feathers, or leaves... they were HUGE, like 1-2" across, but paper thin. i know the photos don't show it very well, but the best clue is on the roof in the lower right corner of the photo on the right: those white things ARE THEM! i think it must be a good omen...

anyway, i am back from cleveland. had a lovely, cozy, snowy, cookie-fueled holiday with the family, and now i am in the throes of packing because i MOVE TOMORROW! i can't really believe it myself; the past month has been a blur with craft sales, traveling and packing, but it's really happening. can't wait until the 1st, when i can crash and stay in bed all day ;n)

craft-effen-tastic!

ok, so remember how the highlight of last year's Craftacular was when a certain someone bought one of my dresses (the one i secretly hoped no one would buy so i could keep it myself, to be exact)? well, all year long i have regretted not having the nerve to ask for a photo as evidence. fast forward to this year: i made four new dresses in this same style, and decided to keep (and wear) the one in the same fabric as that one. now, it occurred to me, what if she sees me in it, would that be weird? what if it didn't fit her? what if she wants to RETURN it this year? then i thought, of course i'm being silly; she probably doesn't even remember that dress and won't even notice if i'm wearing it! so i went ahead with my plan and first thing in the morning, as we're setting up, one of my table-mates (was it siri? or nan? the moment is a blur...) points out to me that SHE IS WEARING THE DRESS TOO!!! i couldn't believe it! she had a cute apron/pinafore thingie on over it but sure enough, it was my dress, and we were twinsies! i ran over to show her, and wittily quipped, "we should have called each other!" and she told me she loves it and wears it all the time. unbelievable! i was pretty much beaming all day thanks to this. and this time, i got proof!

slowhio

after six months of slaving away on my top-secret biggest-project-of-my-life (oh yeah, i still haven't told you about that yet, have i?), ohio never looked so good. i was there for a restful and restorative week in august, my annual summer visit. what i love most about ohio is spending most of the day outside, and since i'd been chained to my desk all spring and summer long, i really took advantage of that aspect on this trip!


as always, my mom took great care of me, feeding me constantly. and gertie especially enjoyed our visit from my grandma.


we took walks in the evening, and ate strawberry shortcake...


i picked blackberries for my breakfast...


...sewed outside on the deck...



...gertie and this squirrel spent hours playing 'dog and squirrel'...




...and these girls kept me constantly entertained.


this was my breakfast the morning i left to come back to new york: egg, cheese and tomato sandwich, melon and tea. thanks mom!

playing the building

i know i didn't post a whole lot this summer, because i've been working on a very important, and BIG, Secret Project. more on that later. but i did have a few noteworthy adventures. i took mr. smith on a surprise outing to visit David Byrne's beautiful installation, Playing the Building, at the Battery Maritime Building. i love old, decrepit buildings, and this one isn't normally open to the public. we had to sign a waiver saying we wouldn't sue if anything injured us! mr. Byrne rigged up an organ so that each key was connected by wire to a specific part of the building, and by pressing the key you could 'play' the building. don't i look like a vruoso up there? it was especially cool after having seen this awesome (and unrelated, but totally connected) documentary about the extremely inspiring Evelyn Glennie.

***late breaking news***

Fashion Week has ended, and the report is just in: neon is the new black. the fashion world is very fast-paced, so please forgive the blurry shots!