Imaginary Blue Violet Library

Blue violet has caught my eye my whole life. In Pantone colors, it's called Ultra Violet.  I first fell for blue-violet, the prettiest crayon in the box of 64 colors. I loved it on my Sam+Libby ballet flats with the lace up ankle ribbons in seventh grade. Blue violet colored my beloved blueberry pancakes for dinner in college with whipped cream on top. My favorite irises while helping my friend garden are in that hue. It's the color of my ombre Ray Ban sunglasses, a metallic liquid eye liner, the beautiful Le Crueset oval dutch oven from Aunt Sissy, and the nail polish I have on this instant.  Either way, I'm smitten.

So smitten was I, that I sketched an imaginary library for myself. If you're a reader like me, there is nothing cozier than a comfortable chair, good light, a place for a hot drink, and a cave like space for falling into a great story.

The library I designed has super glossy violet walls and ceilings. Thankfully with my unlimited imagined funds, for this type of high gloss, I was able to have it plastered, sanded and finished perfectly by a professional since the high gloss shows every imperfection (just like satin for clothes). Since the ceiling is the same color as the walls, I could even it out with some elaborate molding. I like how the edgy color in a slick finish complement the ornate old school architectural details. Simple plus crazy and a pop of color make me happy.

My fireplace provides visual and thermal warmth, and fulfills my dream to someday have one. A fun but slightly fancy chandelier and the fireplace cast and reflect glints of light across the room like fireflies. I'd choose to keep the mantel of the fireplace light in color (perhaps an alabaster mantel and hearth) for balance with the darkness everywhere else.

I would display objects that I love like groupings of prints and paintings, and books that I actually read and enjoy. None of those fake collections of books for my library! I love looking at other people's bookshelves when I go into their home, as it's a glimpse into their personality. That's why I love seeing myJK Rowling next to Haruki Murakami, it kind of sums up my varieties in taste.

When it comes to art, knitting, cooking and crafting books, I tend to pull a few at once that I want to look at, and pile them on a table to peruse later. I'm sure I'd fill up the end table or benches (not drawn!) with books that I want to look at all at once. Then I'd have a massive cleanup every few weeks so as not to drive myself crazy. I think I'll put a knitting basked with a couple of projects in here too, though Mike is not a fan of baskets (too bad for him!).

A must have in a library are cozy chairs, down throw pillows, something made of leather so soft you can't stop touching it and an ottoman to put your feet up. There should be lamps and side tables, and an eclectic collection of wool or cashmere blankets in this room. While we're at it, how about a black pug and a black french bulldog for my companions, and a record player too. There should be a classy bar cart and some fancy spirits to go with this room too. In this fantasy, I'm the type of lady who drinks cognac and 40 year old whiskey or something like that. Perhaps this space could double as an after dinner hang out spot following a dinner party with friends?

Lastly, I'd have to have ebony or dark black-brown herringbone floors. They are strongly featured in 97 per cent of my design dreams.

For now, I'm going to keep looking at my OPI Roadhouse Blues nail polish and keep daydreaming!

Handknit Socks

I'm giving sock knitting a second chance. I didn't think it was for me, but I love the portability of socks, the idea of making them, and having endless semi-mindless knitting that you can bring with you whenever you have a spare moment.

When I finished my most recent pair this weekend, I was pleasantly surprised that they are super comfortable, even for a picky sock wearer like myself. I grew up wearing flip flops everywhere or being in a pool, so socks and shoes still get on my nerves sometimes. Plus, I was totally one of those kids that drove her mother crazy lining up the velcro on my shoes perfectly (they were too tight!) and changing my socks two times since they "felt weird".  I still remember those socks too! I still wouldn't wear them today. They were a polyblend material material with odd heel placement and felt crunchy-stretchy. Thankfully, my mom was awesome and also bought socks that even I liked. My mom will be rolling her eyes right now!

Off to cast on another pair for the next few months, since other projects will be calling to me before the warm weather hits.

Perhaps we should clean up the Library / Studio before I start another project...

Wednesday Nights

Wednesday nights for the past seven years are usually reserved for knitting circle at Rosie's Yarn Cellar.  I love the amazing women that have become part of my life through this group.  If you ever move to a new city or are looking to make some new friends, I definitely recommend joining some type of club or social group. Even if you only have one thing in common with someone, it's amazing how much more quickly you can click. This is not to say that we're all the same, we are all vastly different, yet we each enrich each others lives in various ways. I consider myself lucky to belong to this riff-raff group of gals. On my way to Rosie's, I usually window shop a bit, grab a coffee or some Yogorino in the summer, and stop by Anthropologie for some inspiration. My most recent jaunt found me coveting woven rainbow colored placemats that I took a photo of to remember.

I always walk through Rittenhouse Park to see the dogs (today I met an 11 week old black lab who was not doing a good job with the sit command), look at the trees, people watch, and usually finish my daily phone call with my dear mom. Today I hit the jackpot and saw a cute twenty-something man with a boombox and a kid-n-play haircut. This and the puppy had me smiling for at least 12 minutes.

My knitting mojo ebbs and flows with the seasons. This month I'm finding myself wanting to start a project with every skein of stash yarn I have. I'm limiting myself to finishing a pair of socks (possibly tonight), and starting a cowl or infinity scarf with some beautiful Manos del Uruguay yarn Sherry gave me for my birthday.

Isn't it gorgeous? It's even prettier, loftier and softer in person.

I've been saving it for something special, and my fingers are itching to use it. I'll let you know how it turns out.

The good Wednesdays end with dinner at a local restaurant, some more knitting and raucous laughter. I'm glad to say today was one of those days. Easy friendship, companionship and something to keep your hands busy. Win-win for all.

Game Night

In my experience, people fall into two categories when it comes to board games.  They love them or they hate them. I've always loved board games, with the exception of Battleship which was one of my brother's favorites.  When I would get really bored calling out E9, or B7, I'd move around my ships to let him win more quickly so we could move onto my favorite, LIFE.  Of course, now I'd give anything to play seven years worth of non-cheating Battleship with my brother, but I don't think he ever minded much.

When we played LIFE, we'd let each other go around the part where you get kids so that we (mainly me) could have as many as we wanted.  Sometimes we'd have to add a second car to fit the rest of my sets of twins (pink and blue pegs cut down to size to create toddlers and babies) and drive them around the board.  Surely others did this too?!

It's been awhile since we had a game night in Philly.  Our board game friends moved away and disbanded (Balderdash, Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble were favorites), but we recruited a few new friends to come over last Thursday for the first Game Night of 2012.

We had a great time! We had a to pull up a side table for all of the food, drinks and sweet treats.  And of course, there was plenty of riff-raff and semi-friendly competitive mocking. We played our ancient version of Trivial Pursuit, which focuses on Nixon, JFK, the Cold War and entertainment of the 1930s.  It may be time for an update...

No matter how old I get though, I always love putting those pieces of pie into the plastic pieces, and I always choose hot pink or yellow.

Hopefully we can do a quarterly event, and I can get my hands on some new group friendly games.  Cards Against Humanity is a new favorite, Catch Phrase is always fun, Scattergories is laying unused at my mom's house, and I want to organize a poker night soon!

What about you guys? Game people or not? What are other games I should try?

5 Ideas for Decorating Wall Space

One of my good friends has all of these freshly painted walls in her new house, but now needs art and things to fill them. I've been mulling it over in the back of my head and finally sketched out some ideas for her.

Idea One:

Display your favorite belongings, collections and quirky items in shadowboxes. Group things together.  I'm partial to odd numbered items when it comes to collection and repetition.  If you need inspiration from the Queen of Collections, check out Lisa Congdon's Collection a Day.

Past items I've displayed are the gold sequined beaded bag (sketched below), a lemon yellow flapper dress scored at a thrift store in Florida, and a tiara from homecoming court. What a trend, all of these things are shiny, sparkly and somewhat gaudy!

I think a collection of medals would be neat, especially if they held personal meaning. The options are endless, and it becomes art, sentiment and quirky sideshow for your guests. Go mount your beloved grandmother's old spoons, broken pieces of teacups, the burlap coffee sack you picked up in Central America. Whatever speaks to you. Be genuine!

Idea Two:

Frame things you have or are large. Think maps, large photographs and favorite pieces of fabric.

Maps! Who doesn't love maps? They showcase the world at different times, feed your travel lust, track places you've been, are colorful graphic images, and take up space.

You can embroider an epic roadtrip route traveled in college where your car broke down on the side of a mountain in Utah (moi), track a honeymoon trip, or pin places you want to go. You can use the actual map as a canvas for the shape of a favorite state. Purchase or create an illustrated map for a favorite destination or to document an event or trip.

Utilize your thousand megapixel camera finally and blow up your travel photos, still lives, or portraits. You can go as big as The Novogratz's do with wall paper, or you can aim for 24x36. Or buy a print of some of your favorite photographers.

There is also fabric. I mounted a handmade woven piece from Peru with a dowel rod. You can frame or mount on canvas that yard of fabric you love but won't ever touch. Enjoy it everyday instead!

Idea Three:

Make your own collages using old paint chips, cut paper, magazines, old books, etc.  If you're artsy, make shapes and have fun. Have some friends over. Use a reference to trace a silhouette or a favorite vegetable. Do a grouping of 4 fruits or veggies for your kitchen. Paint 3 pictures of your favorite dogs that you're not allowing yourself to adopt yet. Make shapes using cut out triangles or a paper punch. Cut stripes and be random.

Frame it and enjoy. Trade with friends. Collaborate. See if wine helps or hinders. Paste over the mistakes. Hang it in the laundry room if it's an utter failure!

Idea Four:

Make paintings! Same as idea three, but with art supplies. You can make a ton of colors by mixing primary red, blue, and yellow with white and black. Acrylic is easy if you've never done it, and mixes with water which everyone is used to. Trace some patterns, mix up some colors and make simple piece of art that you are proud of.

Idea Five:

Invest in artists (established or emerging depending on your budget), that you love.  Purchase photographs, prints, letterpress, screen-prints, illustrations, printed linen, whatever you want to look at daily.

I always think you should buy art that speaks to you, that makes you smile or feel something each time you walk by. Of course I live with a painter, so our walls are filled gallery style, but I still smile each time I see my beloved Heather Smith Jones piece or the watercolor from my friend Margaret's travels to Alaska in the 70s.

Here are some resources and a few of my recent favorites to get you started:

• 20x200
• Etsy
• Big Cartel
• Michelle Armas
• LALADexPress
• Claudia Pearson
• Julia Rothman
• Lisa Rupp Designs
• Mike East (have to add my partner-in-crime)

Regardless of what you choose to fill your home, enjoy doing it, know that it's a process, and bring things and art in that you love. Let me know what I forgot!

And have fun! Life is short and artwork can be rearranged.

(Says the girl with an alligator head and pink lawn flamingos).

Pomegranate Obsession

I officially became obsessed with pomegranates this year. I first realized that it was a full blown obsession when I started stocking up on 6 at a time.

I rationalized that I wanted to make good use of the 3 for $5 sale at the grocery store. But then a man walked up mistakenly to my cart, saw the fruit, and hollered to his wife in shock and disdain, “Elaine, what the heck is wrong with you? Why would anyone need so many pomegranates?!”

Poor Elaine and her frustrated husband! I found it hysterical, it still makes me snicker. I jumped over to the cart to defend my loot, and we all had a hearty laugh about the mix-up.

Last week, I contemplated buying 8, but felt that equated to crazy cat lady type numbers in regards to fruit. Though at least this addiction is full of antioxidants!

I love to eat them in a little bowl with a spoon. They're incredible sprinkled over Andrew Swallow's Grove Salad from Mixt. They're a great addition for a crunch pop in a fruit salad, or over yogurt and granola.

I’m the type of person who does all the work of seeding the pomegranates first, and enjoying the literal fruits of my labor later.

I’ve sketched up my current present way of removing the arils (in a bowl to avoid stains, and in front of my television because that’s how I roll, but on the floor because I love my sofa).  It’s a relaxing, meditative like ritual, and the arils keep well in the refrigerator.

Though my way works for me now, I’m absolutely trying this easy and logical technique via Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn next time. Hopefully, there is a next time. I don't know when they go out of season, but I nearly shed tears at ShopRite last week when I thought they were out.

Can you tell how  much fun I had with my hot pink inks?! I forgot how much I miss drawing. I can't wait to do more this year.

32 to 33

I turned 33 on November 19th. As I'm thinking of fun things I want to cross off my list for my 33rd year, I wanted to remember what I did in my 32nd year. After procrastinating, I realized it was because I ended up feeling the urge to write so much. Documentation... In no particular order, and with plenty of rambling, I present 32:

Played Aeron Chair Hockey for Herman Miller and made it to the Final Four. Got four bruises just on my left knee. Had the best time ever.

Attended Art Basel 2010 in Miami with my Mom, Aunt Marty and Amanda. I got to see and touch one of Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds from the Tate Modern, roll on indoor hills with palm trees, squeeze through a 18" wall, visit a huge Frank Stella painting and run into a Philly friend randomly.

I learned how to make a chevron friendship bracelet when they had a nostalgic return this past year. It had always eluded 4th grade Marissa. I'm shocked at how easy it truly was (kind of like knitting cables for the first time).

I paid a lot of attention to my surroundings, colors and combinations based on my color study project. Did a project for Mike's Color Theory class and killed it!

I got to hang out at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and see some old battleships. I learned and helped run a program on GPIC (Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster). I became Co-Chair of an educational programming committee for the local chapter of the United States Green Building Council.

I got to travel by car, by cruise boat, by train, by airplane, by bicycle and by flippers.

I had dinners with friends, BBQs, mussels, walks, ice cream trips and beers.

Mike and I took a road trip to my hometown in South Florida in July to meet up with our Swedish honorary relatives, and their six month old daughter,  Norah who stole my heart with a toothless smile and lots of drool. We had an amazing time catching up with Norah and her parents, whom I consider honorary siblings. I can't even properly explain how much their family means to my own.

And speaking of family, my husband's family also came down to Florida where we hung out with my parents before heading out on a Caribbean cruise. It was a great to spend time with everyone, and have my parents get to know Mike's family more. I feel very lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life.

On the cruise, we cheesed it up and did everything that you're supposed to on the cruise, including the Electric slide in bikinis, water slides with my nephew in the first hour, banana and pina coladas, snorkeling with barracuda, lots of sunscreen, and hamming it up by taking  fake romantic prom type photos with my sister-in-law, Becky (to the horror of our nephews and various passengers!) I discovered that I very much like playing Roulette (and winning 7 hands at a time) with my brother-in-law, Todd while sipping on Amaretto Sours.  Lastly, I introduced a true Surf and Turf meal when it was not on the menu and got my sister-in-law Cheryl and nephew to follow suit. It was epic.

This year presented the opportunity to work in our Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina office most of the summer. I made some wonderful new friends, got to enjoy gorgeous weather (and skip the tail end of Spring in the North), and enjoy lots of retail therapy with my overtime pay and savings due to lack of grocery shopping.

I visited Carol's farm where I met her 17 hand horse (1600 pounds!) Indy and saw her garden.  I explored the area. I went to Nantucket Grill to eat their pecan crusted tilapia, freshly baked beignets and free cake on Tuesdays weekly. I was introduced to "beach music" and reintroduced to Shag dancing (shout-out to my favorite movie growing up) by my sweetheart of a friend, Dana.

I inherited a pseudo "work dad" and learned a lot from my friend Bob. I got my friend Kevin to laugh at one of my jokes finally! I bonded with Amy and her daughter who is smart as a whip, sweet as the cotton candy we got hyper on, hilarious, artistic, well read and a jeweler in the making. I took the team to a Durham Bulls game in 100 degree weather during a brush fire, but we still prevailed. Then I said goodbye, but promised to keep in touch, and visit again someday soon.

I got to spend time with more of the babies I'm an honorary Aunt to. My best friend Heather and her husband Nathan had sweet Caleb in July! I got to go on walks to the park with my 10 month old friend, Liam.  I went trick or treating for the first time in years with Liam and adorable 2-year-old Gavin. We ate Indian food with the most affectionate and dimpled cutie, Marco. I also got to see my 3-year-old godson, Sonny, who continues to amaze me with his intelligence, sense of humor and dance moves. We danced, swam and played lots of imaginary games. I love hanging with these little dudes so much.

Watched from the other side of the world as my dear cousin had to say goodbye to her own four-day old son who is now their little angel, Liam. Grieved with my family for them, and sent lots of love and prayers in my own way. Through it all, I was amazed by my cousin and her husband's strength and faith.

I joined a book club with a group of the coolest and friendliest bunch of ladies that I immediately heart times twenty. They're mainly friends of friends, and for good reason - everyone rocks. I wish I had met all of these people when I moved to Philly 7 years ago.

I merged this group of awesome women with some Quizzo / art related folks and my amazing group of Degenerate Knitters for the Tie Dye party. Success and new friends aplenty!

I rode my bike 17 miles with Robin and Layla and enjoyed it.

Walked home in the rain and loved seeing the watery reflections. Walked / ran 3.5 miles in 17 degree weather with Layla and Kim. Watched my friend Layla go from not being a runner to completing her first 1/2 marathon!

Flossed 100% of the time, 89% per cent of the time. Oh, and watched Anchorman, The Legend of Ron Burgandy at least twice.

Painted a bunch of color studies. Painted with oil paint. Drew. Wrote. Read.

Baked loaves of bread. Made soup. Made sweets!

Learned to rewire a lamp. Rewired a lamp I'd been meaning to fix for years.

Made the prettiest and brightest quilt for Norah with Jay McCarroll's fabrics. Never got around to taking a picture, or bringing my camera to Florida or our cruise for that matter.

Cooked a couple of the nastiest meals ever, which resulted in calling Domino's pizza (I know, it was that bad), and eating Cheetos and cereal another time. On the flip side, I made some amazing dinners to counterbalance the universe as well.

Played more than my fair share of Angry Birds and Angry Birds Rio. Full disclosure.

Bought myself a pair of Ray Bans to replace my scratched up but much-loved Arnettes from the 10th grade! Purple ombre shades pleased me, and act as a souvenir from my time in North Carolina. (Treat Yo Self!)

Mike and I saved our pennies and treated ourselves to a MacBook Pro!

Put some money into my emergency fund and future house fund. Yay for saving instead of spending, with a few thoughtful purchases thrown in.

Purged my belongings, donated, gave away and recycled. Tried to be more thoughtful about what I brought into my home.

We celebrated our first anniversary and nine years together. Sheesh! Coincidentally, we were home at my mom's where she had saved our wedding cake, ate it and it was surprisingly not only good, but outstanding, moist and decadent. Impressive.

I knit my third sweater, and am giving socks another try. Met some knitters in North Carolina. Knitted with some Philly knitters at Courtney and Kate's new digs for Kelbourne Woolens and had the best pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting thanks to Maura. I attended a wonderful craft night at Andrea's house where I met even more cool women (seriously, 7 years after living in Philly, they all appear?)

We tried to see more live music this year, since we've been lazy about doing that. My favorite shows of the year were seeing The National and Yo Lo Tengo at The National Academy of Music, and Jens Lekman at The Philadelphia Ethical Society.

Danced along to Milli Vanilli videos (a semi-annual occurance) as an impromptu and always exhilarating activity in honor of my brother.

Enjoyed some seriously good television shows, and got sucked in to the storylines. Arrested Development (after meaning to watch for years), Dexter (with the girl from White Chicks, ha!), Homeland, Parks and Recreation, Community, True Blood (more fun than anything, I'll admit) and the Big Bang Theory (I get way too many of the nerdy references though!).

Reconnected with old friends from high school this summer. Had drinks at a bar that with a giant shark and wolf painted in the restroom. Went dancing and stayed out until past my bedtime and felt like I should have a curfew again. (Did I mention I was staying at my parent's house?)

Further researched the finesse and tricks to imitating the Boston Accent. Failed miserably but continued to use my new catch phrase, "I'd like a beeh and a buhrh-gah" enough times to annoy Mike in a good way.

Visited Amanda and D in New York for a wonderful day including the Sonia Delauney show at the Cooper Hewitt Museum and some heart to heart talks.

Visited with KJ and Trey for more NYC time including a summer picnic in the park, belly laughs, cheese plates, new ways to slice mangoes and giving KJ an airplane ride while wearing my zigzag maxi-dress like a diaper for modesty.

Recaulked the tub.

Won Quizzo at least twice.

Participated in Cheesesteak Friday with my good friend Erika. It's an unofficial sometimes weekly event where we decide our lunches are inedible, boring and not fatty enough, so purchase foot long cheesesteaks from the cart outside of work. It's the best way to end the work week!

Started blogging on my new blog (hello, and thanks for reading this far!)

Read Julia Child's My Life in France and loved it. Bought Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume I right after, and made Quiché Lorraine and Coq Au Vin.

Went to the Headhouse Farmer's Market with Olivia on Sundays, often. Cooked together and made some fun meals.

Cried while watching the last Harry Potter Movie this summer.

Donated blood consistently every...6 weeks? O positive, baby!

Was re-certified in CPR / AED training.

Felt an earthquake.

Saw a memorial to the late, great, Steve Jobs.

Visited Virgina. Visited Valley Forge. Visited D.C. Visited N.C. Visited Charleston, S.C.

Witnessed one of my best friends, Helena marry Doug in Charleston, South Carolina. Got to hug her mom one last time and show Mike how Florida girls all booty dance when they get together. At the request of the bride and groom, ran out to the Rocky theme song, fake punched her uncle and was completely victorious. Philly represent!

Helped Mike reach his goal of finally setting up his artist website! Watched him get into a juried show in Cincinnati. Proud of him for finishing his major painting. Nice job, dude.

Took a decent headshot for my professional life and LinkedIn, etc. By myself. Booyah.

Got to read my nephew's first chapter of a WWI novel that blew my mind away.

Hosted a Degenerate Knitter's brunch at my house and got to make Creme Brulee French Toast yet again.

Had Jeremy and Becky (sis and bro in law) visit us in Philly!

Wore my highschool letter jacket once this year, until it nearly destroyed my friend's stroller due to some disintegration.

Discovered delicata squash and french lentils.

Expanded our cocktail / bar cart collection.

Reconnected with an old friend, Kari, who stayed with us while her ceramic pieces were in a show. Love the types of friends where you pick right back up after 3 months, 5 years, etc. Friends where you can truly be yourself.

Played some board games. Played Poker. Watched Mike's mom beat everyone majorly playing poker (priceless).

Got to give my dad lots of hugs while I was home. Get to chat with my mom almost daily.

Cuddled with some of my favorite dogs (to tide me over until I can get my own). Spent Christmas in Indiana with the East clan.

Watched a lot of sunsets from my kitchen and studio windows. Called Mike over to watch too and vice versa.

Was grateful for another year, filled with highs, lows, laughs, tears, love and life.

Fabric Dyeing Party

A few years ago, I saw a photo in Real Simple of tie dyed thermal underwear a woman had made as Christmas presents for her family members. I promptly cut that out where it lived in my inspiration binder mentally tagged under "must-do craft projects that look super fun".  Images from a tie dyeing workshop on Lena Corwin's blog stuck in my head for a few years, and I finally made good on my promise to throw my own fabric dyeing party this past Saturday. (That's totally going on and getting crossed off my soon to be completed Life List).

I invited all the crafty Philly ladies I know over for a day of tie-dying, fabric dyeing, spiked cider, Quiche courtesy of Julia Child's book, soup, baked goods and racous fun. Twelve of the coolest women showed up and we had the best time.

Everyone brought a jar of dye and some type of snack, and I provided the soda ash, salt, rubber bands, gloves, water, dyeing containers, and alcohol. The stars aligned with supplies since we were cleaning out our offices at work. One particular guy at work was thrown off guard when I leaped from my chair exclaiming that I loved him when he asked if anyone wanted a box of rubber gloves and rubber bands. Excess recycling bins proved to be excellent dyeing bins, and I can share the remaining ones with my book club friends.  My genius idea was to put coffee filters on the bins so that we could see what color the dye was. I kept them afterwards, and think they need to be incorporated into a future collage.

Many of us did the "scrunch method" instead of the typical swirled pattern after watching this video tutorial with Shabd Simon-Alexander on Martha Stewart. Whether it was the spiked cider or the sugary baked goods, by the time we watched this video, we were all highly impressed and extremely vocal about our admiration of Shabd's skills.

Alexa made this sea coral-slash-George Washington wig (pre-dyed) that I wanted to try on my head, but refrained.

I was teasing my friend, Natalie by calling her Pointdexter, the mad scientist. She is a new yet very gifted spinner who tried her hand at dyeing roving. She came prepared with nine containers of wool dye, tools, green gloves, and a turkey pan to steam the wool once it was done. Here's Pointdexter washing her dyed roving in my tub. I loved getting to hang out with Natalie way after everyone left and taking a dinner break.

Alice proved to have innate skills. She'd scrunch something up, dunk it in a little bit of this, paint a bit of that, and it looked amazing.  MB made some adorable onesies for her future bambino. Robin made the most impressive 1960's iconic spiral. Lisa made rainbow-colored fabrics that will surely be sewn into something fun. Olivia started an ombre trend which we were all jealous we hadn't thought of first!

I made this shirt, with inspiration from Kelly for the diagonal dyeing technique.

I made a few jersey scarves. The color faded, but they're still fun.

As promised, here's the thermal shirt I dyed for myself. The long johns didn't fit me, so I gave them to my friend Erika to dye and keep.  I started loving the navy color I had, and all of my things started turning blue-violet.

I tried some folding techniques on a rayon linen blend. I don't know what I'll do with them, but I have some nice large pieces of striped dyed pink and blue-violet fabrics now. I would recommend using a more concentrated mix to achieve brighter colors, and definitely letting the dye sit at least 24 hours. The linen turned out well, but I was hasty with the chevron tie dyed fabric that just didn't work out how I had hoped. I'll live!

I can't tell you how much fun we have, and how happy I am to know such wonderful people who like crafty goodness as much as I do. I love seeing the thread of how these people are all connected, and to see it get more intertwined as time goes on. Wow, that makes me sound nerdy, but it's so true (and I am that nerdy at times!)

The best part of having a studio is that you can make a mess, and the marks can serve as a fun memory later on. See the aftermath below!

I think the next craft night will have to be something less messy though. I'm thinking I'll expand our annual Christmas ornament making event!

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

A few years ago, I got really into cooking soup. After a long, cold day, I love the process of unwinding by chopping up some vegetables and warming up in the kitchen by cooking a vat of homemade soup in my Staub La Cocotte French Oven. To me, chopping vegetables and adding layers of flavor into a soup is so calming. Plus, I love using my beloved La Cocotte, which was a gift from my sweet Mom at my bridal shower.

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Based on my past love for the Baby Sitters Club book series circa 1989, the urge to have some type of club always fascinated me. My friend, Olivia always teases me about this proclivity, but I tell her I know she just wants to be Vice President of my Soup Club! (Note to self: add "start a soup club" to Life List)

I made this beloved Butternut Squash and Cannellini Bean Soup so many times last winter, that I needed something new to change it up. Eager to use up my leftovers before they spoiled, I made up this soup from a conglomeration of various recipes.

I went for a really unique name here, can't you tell? Butternut Squash Soup.

Ingredients:

Directions:

This soup was quite spicy (add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of dried red pepper for a mellower flavor). Also, adding those 2 - 3 tablespoons of heavy cream make a huge difference. One of my favorite celebrity chefs, Giada, would surely call it "silkiness". I would have to agree.  Regardless, every time I use a dash of heavy cream, I feel like a pro and end up proclaiming,"Heavy cream makes everything taste better!" Within reason, of course. And don't look at the nutrition facts while you're pouring.

The great thing about soup is that it's nearly impossible to screw up.  It's easy to share with friends if you have enough Tupperware, and there are infinite variations.

Marimekko Colors

I spent the majority of my summer working in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina this year. One of the conversations that sticks in my mind is a friendly disagreement I had with friends over pink and red. They all felt that those colors clashed, while I think they're gorgeous together done right. One sweet Southerner named Charlotte agreed with me. We both exclaimed, "Look at Marimekko!" as the winning evidence (in our opinion). I'd also like to offer up Sarah Jessica Parker's color blocked hot pink pants and carmine blouse for further consideration.

I don't have the hot pink pants yet, but man do I daydream about a pair. I do wear one of my favorite ruffled sweaters which is my favorite shade of poppy-orangish-red. Paired with some hot pink polish, it provided inspiration for color study #47.

Color study #47: Marimekko Colors. My camera is rendering these colors on the cool side, but you can get the point while I save my money for a new one.

I added some ochre to give it a different look, and to stray from my standard bright colors when it comes to painting.

Speaking of which, I better get cracking if I want to meet my goal of 100 color study paintings by December 31, 2011. Let's start with the cracking tomorrow, shall we?

Fall is Definitely Here

Growing up in Florida, I never gave the seasons too much thought. It was hot, hotter, dry or rainy. My little brother and I would get so excited for those few days each year that necessitated wearing a sweater, and would spend entire days outside in heaven. We asked my Grandpa to mail us snow and were incredulous that he couldn't do it since it would melt. We really didn't understand why he couldn't try to mail it just once. I always wanted to live where I could experience the seasons, or Southern California and surf.

After 15 years of living up North, I've definitely adjusted and really enjoy the changes in season. Those miserable months of winter are worth it when you feel giddy from the first traces of crisp air and cloudless blue sky.

Fall is watching the leaves start to change even though you start missing the sun. It can be carving pumpkins with friends drinking freshly pressed cider.  It is trick or treating with even younger friends if you're lucky like me and can crash with a 10 month old bunny and an 18 month old monkey.

For me, it's that urge to clean out my closet, pull out the sweaters and organize. It's a craving for S'mores and pumpkin flavored baked goods, beer and coffee drinks. I start wanting to wear and even paint with different colors.

Fall arrives with the changes in food at the Farmer's Market and a new favorite, delicata squash. It's the return of honeycrisp apples and rainbow chard!

My palette starts to change and I want to drink warm drinks and make and eat hearty soups. I actually want to cook these pretty French lentils instead of look at them in their jar.

Most notably, it's the return of strong desire to knit cozy wool garments!

Where do you live and what does Fall mean to you?

En Route to El Vez

Rainy days can be beautiful because they change the colors of everything. The rain makes the colors different and more saturated. On a walk to meet my friend Robin for her birthday dinner at El Vez, I snapped this picture of a wood fence and paint peeling.

Color study painting #46.

I loved the blue gray of the wood fence.

Sky blue paint peeling was fun to interpret too.

Fluorescent Orange, Hot Pink + Marks!

On a recent trip to the art store, I added a new watercolor tube to my collection.  Some colors you cannot mix, since they are too intense.  That is the case with Winsor Orange Red Shade, which was nearly fluorescent orange in the store. I had to play with it right when I got home.  I also picked up a new nib tool for masking fluid. So far it works very well! I love making these marks. I'll have to do a series in the near future.

The urge to make marks came out in Color Study #45: Parking Entry on Broad Street. I've never included marks (besides palette scrapings), but it seems suitable.

During a lunchtime walk with my favorite coworker, we checked out the new Lenfest Plaza next to Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.  They installed these wonderfully deep and long serpentine curved wood slat benches, and of course "The Paint Torch" by Claes Oldenburg.  I'm still deciding how I feel about the paintbrush, but it is an act of physics for it to be freestanding at such a steep angle.

Walking back to work, we passed by a lined entryway into a parking garage that had bright greenish yellow and blue paint.  Coincidentally, it included the exact same shades as a skein of yarn I gifted to my friend Lisa on her birthday recently.

As you can see, I was inspired by the brightness and pulled out my inks for the brilliance factor.

Talk about bright! The 80s are truly back, and I can't say that I'm disliking this fact! Somehow, I don't think I'm alone in this enthusiasm.

Combining Households + Purging

Every time the seasons change, I have the urge to clean my home, simplify and purge anything I don't need.  Living in a smaller apartment with limited storage seems to feed this desire as well.  If ten things are out of place, we feel like we're living in squalor. I was discussing this with someone who was having trouble combining her home with her new husband, and created a semi-flow chart to work out my thoughts.  However, I feel that it can also apply to anyone combining styles or looking to trash and donate belongings.

Here are my five rules for combining and purging:

1. Don't force another member of your household to get rid of something that they truly love.

They'll end up resenting you.  Instead, see if you can find a way to incorporate it into your merged styles.  Can it be reupholstered, painted, slipcovered, etc?  Play nice with each other! And who knows, they may change their mind later on, or it could be your ugly-beloved piece you get to keep!

Conversely, if you both have equal items that each other cannot stand, you could both agree to get rid of both of your items.

2. If you have multiples of the same item, keep the most valuable and donate the rest.

However, if it is something that is very valuable, may break or require replacement, feel free to keep it if you have the storage space.  Backup items may be good, as Mike points out when he used one of our 9 million towels during a recent flood in our apartment.

3. If you're not sure about getting rid of something, put it aside to decide later.

Sometimes I'll put things that I'm undecided about donating in a box.  I'll let it sit in my house, and after a few weeks, I've made up my mind.  If I feel anxious that it's even in that box, it's probably something I should keep for now.

4. Try not to get too sentimental about your belongings.

Belongings certainly have sentimental value and memories with them.  The best combination is loving the item and the sentiment behind it.  But if you don't like the item but love the sentiment, what do you do?

I've heard of people taking pictures of the belonging and that can let them release it. Another idea is to gift it to someone who will truly love the belonging, and the story behind it.

5. If the item is still in a box that has moved one or more times without being opened, you can probably get rid of the item!

This is a tough one, but everyone seems to have one of these boxes.  It's usually filled with old computer parts that nobody knows what they even do.  But you're scared to throw them out since the second you do, you'll need it.

Now I hope to follow my own advice and edit ruthlessly while I work on my apartment this weekend. It needs it!  Any tips that help you to clear out your house?

#44 Mike's Oil Paints

As you may know, my husband is a very talented artist.  He just finished an cityscape of Philadelphia that is 48 square feet and took him over 500 hours to finish.  He is pretty amazing and the hardest worker I know.  We went to Mike's studio this weekend to check his paint supply and see what he needed at the art store.  When we were checking out his frequently used paints, I just loved the three paint tubes next to each other. The paints are messy and kind of gross, but gorgeous just the same.  What I love about Mike is that he encourages me to try new things, which is what helped lead me to finally try oil painting.  I don't know about you, but it can be intimidating to try something new when you're surrounded by experts.  When I worked in the art store though, I always told customers that I believed making art or pursuing their passions is for everyone.  If you enjoy doing it, that is what matters.  I'd rather see someone love what they are doing, than someone who is talented but with no passion.  It also helps to get over caring so much about what everyone thinks of you!

It would have been so easy to just steal Mike's paints and use them, right? Ah, but the point is to work on my mixing and use the paints I have.  So I mixed and experimented and was pretty pleased with my results.

Here's a detail.  It reminds me of a sunrise, clouds and flower petals all at once.  I'll admit, this painting is one of my favorites.

Trying new things is empowering! Which reminds me, I really want to make a life list a la the charming Erin Loechner of Design For Mankind by the end of this year and post it. Does anyone want to join me?

Color Study Paintings

I started a color study project in February 2010.  Mike gave me the idea when I mentioned that I wanted to start oil painting but didn't know where to start.  He suggested I start small with color studies to practice mixing color and seeing how things work against each other.  The idea stayed in my head for a few months until the sunlight on a day in February was so pretty that I was compelled to start the project. I must also mention one of my favorite blog friends, Susan Lutjen O'Connor of Sulu-Design.  Her Original Intent Series is always inspiring with the photographs she translates into her beautiful jewelry.

Too many options can be paralyzing, so I set up some loose limitations on myself:

I can use any medium or technique, but can only paint colors that I've seen on that day.

If I am lazy and wait until the next day, too bad!

The format is always vertical and measures 5" x 7" on watercolor or canvas board.

My goal is to finish 100 by December 31, 2011.  Here are paintings #1 - #42.  You can click on the links to see them larger and see the descriptions.  The entire set is on my Flickr account here.

              

                

              

               

                

              

              

              

              

              

              

              

                

          

            

So far I'm really enjoying this project.  It makes me notice my surroundings more, and try to think of different color combinations and palettes that I usually don't gravitate towards.

I plan on ending this at the end of this year, but may do it again from time to time.

Ode to Josef Frank Kitchen

When I was studying interior design in college, my favorite part of every project was the schematic and conceptual work.  I would scrounge magazines and books for inspiration with multiple cups of coffee at my favorite bookstore, sketch furiously and take pages of notes.  I'd always find an excuse to buy more beloved Tria markers from Pygmalion's Art Supply for my renderings. I loved it because it's that exciting stage where anything seems possible.  You can go crazy with ideas, options and color before you need to rein it in and focus.  Plus, I love to draw with pen and ink, and use watercolors and pens.

It's a place where you can decide to create an entire kitchen based on wanting to use a beloved Josef Frank textile as wallpaper paired with a lemon-lime SMEG refrigerator.

I miss doing this type of work.  Since I don't currently have a job where I get to help clients in this way, or a home to renovate yet, I remembered my fictional clients from college and drew upon them for inspiration.  I'm vowing to do this at twice a month to keep these creative juices alive.

Enter Molly Albers, a young librarian living in Astoria who inherited a small apartment from her dear Grandmother Mil (short for Mildred).  It's small and the kitchen doesn't have the best work triangle, but she makes it work.  She had a bit of money saved up and spent it doing some small cosmetic kitchen renovations.

Molly is somewhat reserved at work, so when she comes home, she likes to let loose with color and pattern.  She fell in love with the Josef Frank Hawaii 315 Fabric while browsing through books at work, and splurged on the wallpaper.  Her very hip grandma Mil happened to have this fridge (let's just go with it).  Molly is learning to cook more, and decided to go with less counter space for this kitchen so that she could have a larger island with seating and workspace (she's learning to bake bread).  Plus she had limited options without changing the water and gas lines.

She decided to leave the existing stove, and installed white subway tile with light gray grout to balance out the black wallpaper and colorful floral print.  When they ripped up the parquet flooring, there was some concrete underneath that they stained with a slight violet gray.

She installed butcher block countertops and simple white shelves to hold her tableware, cookbooks, vases and dry goods.  She likes how the open shelves allow more of the beautiful wallpaper to show.  There is also additional storage under the island on the side opposite the seating.

Molly waited patiently for a year searching, and finally scored a pair of hot pink Tolix Marais Counter Stools on eBay, which she lugged back on the subway with her best friend Peter.  She put her unwanted Ikea stools on the curb to pass along the good karma to someone else.

The last detail we noted was the red library stool from the basement in the library that her sweet boss insisted she take after hearing she needed one to reach her growing library of cookbooks.

Thanks for accompanying me in letting my imagination run wild with me tonight!

Terrain vs. Plant Killer

I got to attend the Design*Sponge Book Event at Terrain earlier this month.  It was so much fun to run into old and new friends, drink spiked cider and get a copy of Grace's beautiful book. My friend Olivia and I both had air plants on the mind on this trip.  Olivia is my plant guru and gardening expert, so I asked her to pick out one for me.  I'm hoping I don't kill it like I did the Baby Tears plant from last year.

I love houseplants.  The little shots of green add life to a home.  However, I need to remember to rein it in so I don't have the Amazon Rainforest going on in here.  Ten is usually my limit of smaller plants, but I think everyone has to find their own balance.

Luckily (for the ratio), I am pretty bad with succulents (I know, they're supposed to be hearty and impossible to kill), so this allows me to get new plants from time to time.

Speaking of new plants, I've never been the biggest fan of ferns, but this little guy caught my eye.  The leaves are a different shape than others I've found and the structure is so cool.

I was even inspired to do a little watercolor.  In hindsight, it may be good to document it before I possibly kill this one too.

What are your thoughts on houseplants.  Do you love them or hate them?

Lamps + Swarvoski Crystals

I was lucky to have my mom travel with me from South Florida to Bloomington, Indiana to help me move into my college dorm at Indiana University years ago.  It was a week where everything went wrong.  UPS went on strike so nothing could be shipped, a broken refrigerator had to be moved uphill, there was a hit and run on our rental car, the airline broke my stereo, my well-meaning mom inviting my 5th year senior male RA to go to Target with us (just embarrassing at the time to an 18-year-old who was trying to be cool, but he was really happy to come along), and instead of living in the castle-like dorm, I was assigned to the former barracks up the hill.  I also experienced my first time without air conditioning, which this Floridian had never heard of.

It all worked out exactly as it should, and my mom and I laugh hysterically when we recall this hellish trip.  The broken fridge mishap with newly purchased milk led me to my best friend. The Target run helped me become fast friends with the greatest RA, and the barracks ended up being the best place imaginable with the exception of catching on fire later that year.

One of the best parts of that crazy week the $10 Haeger Pottery lamp my mom found at Good Will for my room.   This and a spray painted silver block would be in heavy rotation for the next 13 years.  Years later, I still love my lamp, and recently re-wired it after it broke.  It has this really pretty brass harp decoration on top, and I need to get a new shade that will fit this detail and look better on the lamp. The shade should be a tad shorter in height in my opinion.

The only floor lamp I have must be retired, since it is the poster child of a fire hazard.  (Don't worry, it is not plugged in).

Needless to say, we need new lamps.  But, I'm going to hold off until I find one that I really like or can refurbish, possibly spray paint and rewire.  In the meantime, I sketched up some ideas that caught my eye.

I also sketched some pendant lamps for the future, since I am not installing hanging lamps in my rental.

One day I would love a crazy chandelier (or two or three).

I really liked the fabricated metal pendant lamp that Julianne Moore designed for her assistant's home.

Lastly, if I won the lottery and would not have guilt of spending thousands of dollars on a chandelier, I'd purchase the 24" diameter Schonbek DaVinci Chandelier which is made of thousands of Swarovski crystals and is apparently dishwasher safe.  Note to self, also purchase a dishwasher and a ballroom to place said chandelier.

Sadly, Schonbek's website is no longer working, but here's a picture in my inspiration books in all of its glory.

Where are some of your favorite lamps from?

Lines and Chevrons

I keep blank watercolor cards and envelopes on hand at all time so that I can easily whip up cards when I need them.  With some major life events happening for a few of my friends (both good and bad, which is when blank cards come in handy for your heartfelt messages), I needed to either head over to the card store or make a large batch quickly. I went for the latter.  For quick and easy, nothing beats watercolors in my opinion.  You just need a bit of water, paper and a brush.  Having worked in a wonderful small art store during college, I can go on indefinitely about art supplies, but I'll save that for a later post.

In this case, I used masking fluid, which is like a glue that covers paper that you don't want the paint to touch, and you pull off when the paint is dry. I'm usually a frenetic sketcher who uses lots of crazy black lines, so it was good to experiment with white spaces to change it up.

After having the stunning cover image from Sarah Midda's South of France Sketchbook in my head for days, I decided to attempt my own loose interpretation with various palettes.

Those who know me won't be surprised that I had to include a rainbow palettes gradating from color to color.

Oddly for me, since the palette above is my nearly neutral with the bright hues I love, I found myself enjoying how the peach masking fluid looked.  I particularly found myself drawn to the burnt umber and colors of the Utah landscape shown below.

I also tried to edit myself with the color choices. This messy chevron card was one of my favorites.  It now has a home with one of my dearest and oldest friends in Georgia.

This polka dots card ended up being much cuter than I thought it would be.  When it comes to watercolor, you could never get the even washes of colors around the white areas without the masking fluid.

I did some batik inspired cards, and a flowery one that I sent to the sweetest 11-year-old friend of mine in North Carolina to thank her for a lovely necklace she made me.

This ended up being a lot of fun, and I achieved the result I intended; loose drawings and lines, different color combinations, some love thrown in to the end users and a bit of hot pink, but in check.