Potted plants don’t work out much in our house:
(“Who…me?”)
I’ve started collecting jars with lids from GoodWill and making terrariums that Mustard can’t dig through. So far, I’ve made 5. Four for our house and a big one for a friend’s birthday.
I especially love the big one because of the one cactus that looks like a brain!
Most of my fabrics and various materials (yarn, ribbon, leather, notions) have been living in plastic bins for the last 4 years. I need to come up with some ideas for storing materials in my new studio that are easily accessible to me, but not to our kitty, Mr. Mustard. Like most cats, Mustard is fond of yarn and ribbons and all things string-like. Only he is gleeful about it: we have found him twice in the middle of the living room dancing and prancing and freaking-out on a new $15 skein of mohair with a look on his face like “can you blame me?”
I’ve been collecting images of how others store their materials and I think these are my favorites:
I love the idea of hanging fabric on skirt hangers, especially wooden ones. I’m even wondering if it might be better for the fabric to use wooden pant hangers to avoid unnecessary pinching. My studio has a very high, no-door closet that I would like to install a hanging rack on for just this idea. (I’m also loving that fabric dress form, which I’d like to do to my own, since they are both pretty ugly.)
I also like this approach to hanging ribbons, yarns, and thread. I can’t imagine it’s very expensive to buy those clips and make my own display form with a few nails and some thick wire or metal. The trick would be to hang these high enough that no cat can reach them, although I might consider it torture if Mustard ends up sitting in the closet, staring up at the thread for hours.
Finally, I’m really taken with this shelf, which I’m sure is easily purchased at Ikea or easily built for nothing by C. I like that it’s both a shelf, a display/storage space, and a possible desk. It would be a great place for putting works-in-process.
(Credits for these photos to come: the Atlanta airport wireless is about to kick me off. I paid $4 for an hour. Not sure it was worth it!)
The March Anthropologie catalogue just hit my doorstep and I can’t believe it’s possible, but there’s just not much in there I like this time around. Surprising. Of the 87 pages, I found one top and one dress I might consider wearing: the Buds and Branches Tee (in black or cream, although I’d remove those buds along the neckline to make it less busy) and Endless Chevron Dress (no surprise there!), which makes me want to skip spring and go straight to summer.
Maybe I’ll feel differently if I scope things out at the store, but the chances of me visiting a mall are next to nothing if I can avoid it. I’m headed to Atlanta this weekend, but the Anthro store down there is also in a mall, so not probable…Maybe I’ll just wait for the April catalogue to come out.
I wonder what everyone else is thinking about the new collections…?
Woke up today wishing that March 1st would be sunny and warm, and that I could hop out of bed and walk outside barefoot. Instead, I laid there waiting for the heat to kick on.
I loved the colors of this fruit salad I made Saturday so much that I took a picture of it.
I think I’ll have to make myself something based on these color combos. There’s something about the blood oranges that brings it all together. I think I’ll go eat one and think on that before diving back into school work…
I thought I was sick of winter, but I’m completely in love with the winter wonderland in Rochester right now! Decided to take a snowy walk to my friend Whit’s with a brief stop at EcoBella for a some treats. The snow is past my shins!
Tried out my new cowl, made from a pretty bright green/teal wool with vintage buttons and recycled leather straps:
I knit it with a zig-zag stitch pattern, the same stitch pattern I used for the October Jacket:
I’m currently working on the thumb thermal, a sweater I started about…6 years ago (?). I found it at the bottom of a bin in the basement a few weeks ago. I had knit the entire back, and half of a sleeve. It’s odd to be knitting a sweater that isn’t patterned in a round, but I’m going to finish it and send it off to have someone else put it together for me because I have no interest in doing it myself! Just started the front. Might not get to wear it this year, but I’ll look forward to it in the fall.
I’ve made so many things in the last week, but between painting the house and working on a conference presentation, I haven’t found time to photograph any of it.
Tinted Mint has been featured on every blog I read and I finally decided to see what the fuss is about. I think I may be buying some tape. How sweet are these?
They even make linen tape. Be still my heart.
matte about you color study
What to do when you’re taking a break from typing up conference presentations:
1. Decide you need to know exactly what all of your nailpolish looks like with a top coat of essie matte about you over it.
2. Paint every one of your nails a different color.
3. Apply matte about you over top of each nail.
4. Get distracted by other things for three days, ignoring that you painted every one of your nails a different bright color.
5. Get a lot of compliments about your nails, which sorta look ridiculous.