Dot&Line Day 2 Day

A Culinary Adventure

2011-02-16T17:30:00.001-07:00

As I've written in the past, the culinary realm is where my creativity falls short. I have never been a good cook, and while I can follow a recipe, it's always seemed a bigger hassle than what it's worth. As a part of "being good to me" this year I want to explore flavorful healthy food. Peter and I split equally the task of cooking but it's been quite a challenge to prepare quick (a must for our busy lifestyles) meals that fit the criterion of "healthy" and "flavorful". As I move away from the "utilitarian" view of food I've held for all these years and start to adopt "creative" it is my goal to become more self sustaining. I'm planning a garden this year (more on this later) and while I'm looking forward to growing my own food I'm left trying to figure out how better to funnel our resources toward healthier choices now. Two weeks ago I joined a co-op with a weekly buy in option. You make your produce purchase on Monday or Tuesday of each week and pick up the following Saturday. The mystery of never knowing exactly what will be included in the basket leaves me with feelings akin to Christmas; the mystery, the anticipation, the excitement!!! Here's our basket for this week:

It's crazy the amount of food we obtained for only $15! Adding to the fun is the task of building a weekly menu around whatever happens to be in our basket. Nearly all the recipes we are trying this week are new dishes we've never tried before. And thanks to SuperCook.com I didn't have to relent my desire for "nutritious and flavorful" in the name of "quick and easy".

2011

2011-02-15T21:51:00.004-07:00

After 2010's new year's resolution (focusing on the growth and development of Dot&Line), I decided to take a different approach for 2011. This year my only goal is to be better to me. This may sound narcissistic but after the stress incurred by last years goal I've decided to treat myself a little better by reinstating former self-care penchants and developing some new ones.

By far the biggest change I've made is my re-entry into the 8:00-5:00 work force. I have set aside my jeans and donned my leggings and pumps to take on an administrative support role for a local CPA. Surprisingly the transition from running my business more than full time to working and running my business has been less painful that I imagined it would be. There are several reasons I decided to make this switch but something I didn't consider was the lowering of my stress level. Now that I have a steady income, my business feels like play time again and while I still believe in setting goals for sales and production, my financial fate is less tied to these things. I'm finding that I feel less pressure to "make things happen" and more freedom to "let things happen". (As a side note: There are still several new things for Dot&Line on the horizon and I look forward to sharing more with you in the coming months.)

Number one on my new found list of healthy habits is my walk to work every morning. While it is the middle of February and definitely chilly out, 7:25 in the morning is also early enough that the wind hasn't kicked into full gear yet, and as the days get longer the sunrise greets me with a brighter and brighter glow. By the time I walk the 8/10 of a mile to work I am fully awake and have already experienced something beautiful in my day.

Also on the list are the 15 minute complementary massages I receive every Friday during tax season. There are many perks for working for a CPA but this is by far my favorite. As a part of my 2011 resolution I had planned on investing in a massage every now and then. This part of my resolution is fulfilled and FOR FREE (!!!) every Friday through April 15th by Lynda, who works next door (a convenient location for when I start paying for massages after tax season).

There's more "good to me" habits a brewin' too! Stay tuned...

Fabric Options for Custom Lampshades

2010-11-03T08:36:00.010-06:00

Lately we have been getting a lot of questions regarding fabric options for custom lampshades. Our inventory of in stock fabric options rotates out from time to time and so I thought I would keep an updated list of all in stock fabric options here in one place for you!

Fabrics are organized below based on the size and shape of shade they are able to accommodate. If none of these fabrics are quite right for your space you may also send in your own fabric to have a custom shade made at no extra charge. Helpful tips for selecting fabrics that work can be found toward the end of this post.

All sizes and shapes:

Bird:01

Colorwheel: 01

Leafy: 03

Calypso: 01

Large Leafy: 01 (Note: Print is too large to accommodate entire repeat in most cases)

Any size shade, however not recommended for cone shapes:

Medallion: Lime

Circles: B&W

Shades 12" wide or less:

Bird: 02 (Note: This is a panoramic view and not to scale. Chances are that not all of the print will be represented in your shade.)

If none of these fabrics are quite right for your shade, you may send in your own fabric to have a custom piece made at no extra charge. Here are some tips for choosing your own fabric:

Choose a fabric with high natural fiber content such as linen or cotton. A synthetic/natural blend will work in most cases but the higher the natural fiber content the better it works with our adhesives. WE CANNOT USE FULLY SYNTHETIC FABRICS!!!
Make sure you send a piece of fabric the right size to accommodate your shade. Here's a list of popular drum shade sizes accompanied by required fabric dimensions:

18"x9" Drum Shade - 60" wide x 12" tall
16"x9" Drum Shade - 55" wide x 12" tall
14"x10" Drum Shade - 50" wide x 12" tall
12"x10" Drum Shade - 42" wide x 12" tall
10"x10" Drum Shade - 35" wide x 12" tall

Based on the sizes above, consider the print orientation of your fabric. Will the print have to be turned sideways to accommodate the size of the shade you need? On cone shaped shades the print "flairs out" from the center of the shade, will this be a problem?

If you have any more questions regarding our fabrics or how to pick one of your own please feel free to e-mail me at DotandLineHome@gmail.com

Putting on the flair

2010-05-10T08:29:00.003-06:00

My Sister-In-Law, Stephanie, was just visiting us for two weeks. Stephanie is only 25 and will graduate medical school this coming Saturday, then she's off to her three year residency in family practice. Despite having what I consider to be very well-planned, secure career opportunities in front of her (she hope to split her time between the States and Latin America doing medicals missions), she is like a big ball of fun. I know I just stereotyped all the doctors out there as being boring and lifeless, but you know what I mean, right? Does YOUR doctor make a mean mojito? Does YOUR doctor fantasize about designing baby clothes for your baby? Does YOUR doctor bring you African fabric and teach you how to tie it so you can wear your son on your back? Probably not, at least in the context that you know him or her. I think it's fair to say that Stephanie's Fun Factor is higher than your average being.

So, with Stephanie by my side 24/7 for two weeks (literally - remember how small our apartment is?!), I was able to channel some of her fun-ness and creativity into my being. We hit up a couple of Gothenburg's fabulous second-hand stores, and as we combed the racks I was transported back to high school and - in my humble opinion - my kick-ass style that was mostly courtesy of my Nana's wardrobe leftovers from the 60s and 70s that I claimed as my own. I loved-loved-loved her vintage dresses, from fancy Bonwit Tellers to the more casual shirt-dress.

As life happened, from the freshman Umpteen to a desk job, to who knows what else, it lead me to live most of the past several years in minor variations of my jeans-n-hoodie uniform. I'm actually wearing jeans and a hoodie right now, as I type this. At one point I realized that no matter what I bought I always ended up wearing hoodies anyway, so I might as well buy ones with flair... but wait, can hoodies actually have flair? Only relatively, it turns out, because at the end of the day, a hoodie is a hoodie is a hoodie. Sigh.

Back to shopping... Last week I happened upon a most delightful vintage dress while Stephanie and I were immersed in old-newness, and it has totally revived my creative fashion streak that's been dormant for the last decade-plus.

I love this dress for so many reasons... It fits perfectly while giving the illusion of a waist; it flatters my lactating bossomness; the blue ignites my eyes; the sweet bolero and narrow belt are such lovely additions. I wonder about the woman who wore it first: Was the dress made for her? Was it for a party? a wedding? Was there a matching hat? Did her husband adore her in it? Oh, sigh...

I have yet to wear it out, and I'd like to hem the skirt before I do. But, even just having it in my closet is a constant reminder of my once-whimsy self, and gives me a charge to dress each day with a bit more flair, hoodie or not.

Creatively Green

2010-04-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

My family just returned from a whirlwind trip to the States. Prior to going I had started getting really intrigued by the term "green smoothies", a term I'd stumbled upon several times recently among the various blogs that I regularly read.

At first I felt really intimidated by this term: Green Smoothies. Green Smoothies? GREEN Smoothies? Green SMOOTHIES? GREEN SMOOTHIES?!?!? I got the concept but didn't quite get how to implement. The two words just didn't quite seem to go together, and I was convinced I would mess up, needlessly wasting some fabulous produce in the process. And so, more research ensued.

I discovered that any type of leafy greens could go into my smoothie, but that for a novice like me I might prefer to avoid the stronger-tasting ones. So, things like lettuce and spinach were in, and things like arugula and dandelion were out (for now). A higher fruit-to-veggie ratio would also be more palatable to begin, but that a ratio of 1:1 is what to aim for in the long-term.

Finally I reached the point where the next action item was simply to give it a try.

I had my fruits: frozen berries, a banana, a pear, and a few forgotten grapes.

I was a bit hesitant about the greens because my blendering tools are limited to the stick variety. I wasn't sure that had enough power to obliterate the greens to shreds. I got around that easily enough by using frozen, shredded spinach (I let it thaw first) and that worked beautifully.

The results from this first go-around were... mediocre. Not great enough that I sang Green Smoothie Praise form the mountain tops, but enough to keep me intrigued. When I got to the States, two things changed: 1) I retrieved our powerful blender from my parents' basement, confident that it had what it would take to show regular leafy greens who's boss; and 2) Whole Foods beckoned me.

Armed with loads of fresh greens and my mighty blender, I went to it. I'm super proud of my creations, and here are the two that stand out to me:

Mega-Variety Combo: apple, orange, banana, lemon, lime, raspberries, cherries, kiwi, blueberries, blackberries, chard, spinach, mixed lettuce greens, beet greens, cilantro, parsley. My hint: If you're adverse to an off-color smoothie, be sure to add enough red and purple berries!

Green Supreme: lemon, lime, orange, banana, avocado, kiwi, pear, frozen peaches, cilantro, parsley, spinach, romaine, beet greens, chard, ginger. This is not overly sweet and very refreshing.

I drank a big pitcher of Green Smoothies every day for a week and I loved it. Perhaps it was only psychological, but I'll take it! If you're interested in learning more about Green Smoothies, this is a great place to start, and there are many more blogs and websites with various tips and tools of the trade out there as well. Enjoy!

Color Craze

2010-04-08T18:46:00.006-06:00

I stay pretty connected to the color industry because it’s so important to my job (well, my currently non-existent job). Yes, there is a color industry, believe it or not, with a set of people that sit in a room (actually, it’s a pretty arduous process, so I’m sure it involves many rooms!) and they decide the hot colors for the upcoming year. (Believe it or not, by this time right now, they have already decided what colors will be popular in 2011, and are almost done with 2012.) It’s a complex process because they are dealing with selecting just the right pantones (numerical C, M, Y, K color values) that can be duplicated on any computer. But I’m boring you.

Anyway, my point is, if you’ve ever wondered why many stores all offer similar shades of fabric hues each season, it’s because of the color industry. It’s because designers of textiles, clothes, home goods, etc, all pay close attention to the swatches (expensive swatches at that!) that come from the color forecast. This year’s hot hot color (some of you probably already know) is lavender! Check out some of my favorite purples this spring, as well as two other hot colors of summer: aqua and gray.

changing my mindset to creative

2010-04-05T13:11:00.001-06:00

Okay, who's been horrendously delinquent around these parts lately? C'est moi. I've been feeling particularly undercreative these last few weeks, and - coupled with being a bit short of time - that's the reason for my absence.

Makes me wonder a bit about how people who are creative for their livelihood deal with creative droughts. What happens when a writer gets blocked? When a singer/songwriter stops singing and songing?

The more I contemplate this, however, I realize that inspiration isn't simply limited to creative expressions; no matter what one does, it's so much more enjoyable to feel inspired while doing it, to be working towards a goal. And, as I think about a bit further, I realize that "creative expressions" aren't simply limited to "the arts" - meaning those performed and those visualized - but that everyone can have their own art even if they are in banking, or law, or education.

I am realizing that being creative has far more to do with how I see the world, and not the specific tasks I apply my creativity to. Most of you probably figured this out a long time ago, but I think I am just starting to give myself permission to do this, to stake my creative claim in my dad-to-day.

Here's to this week's task: identifying my creativity in the nooks and crannies of my life.

Design Doctor

2010-04-02T20:00:00.003-06:00

Can I just vent for a moment today? You won’t mind if I have a bitter moment, will you? Today I am going to vent about the curse of being an interior designer, what seems to plague me from time to time (i.e. today):

People are always asking me for design opinions off the cuff, without more specific info. I won’t talk about today, but take this experience, for example. One Christmas dinner, some people my husband and I were sitting with said, "We were thinking of painting our kitchen cabinets baby blue. What do you think? Would that look good?" It was crazy to ask me that when there are about a hundred different tints, shades, and tones of baby blue, I had never seen their kitchen or the style of the cabinets, and didn't know what look they were going for, didn't know what kind of lights they had, or the scale of the room and what colors would be around it, or what the texture and type of wood the cabinets were.

When people ask me if something will or won’t work, it’s a hard one to answer without seeing the space or talking to them a lot more about what they’re going for… So I often feel irresponsible giving an opinion, and end up sounding evasive or put-out…. not too intelligent! Really, I like everything in its place and within a certain specific context that it may work within. Part of being a good designer, I think, is being able to appreciate the merits of every style, of every color, and of every individual item... Certainly everything can be good within a certain context, and bad within another context. Maple syrup is great on waffles. Not so great with chicken soup.

Part of me likes being able to give advice. It’s flattering when someone asks. The part of me that still owes thousands of dollars on my student loans gets a little frustrated, though. It’s hard wanting to do something professionally (meaning making a living for oneself) but wanting to help out friends or others that ask you for bits and pieces of help here and there. I am nowhere near being a doctor, but I feel for them, because they must constantly have the same problem! People wanting advice without offering money or particulars! Sigh. Good thing that if that’s the biggest problem I have in life, I’m doing pretty well!

Finding God in Crate and Barrel

2010-03-26T04:49:00.000-06:00

Does my title sound shallow? Hopefully you think the opposite when I explain. I find God in lots of places, but often I’m pretty sure God’s shopping at Crate and Barrel.

Everyone needs an inspirational place, I think. Somewhere they can go and feel like everything is just right, perfectly peaceful and just the place they can go to rejuvenate, reflect, contemplate, and brainstorm.

For my friend Tim, this place usually involves a good Miles Davis song. My sister finds it on the side of a mountain. I myself have been blessed with a few inspiring places. Most can be found in nature, like in Central Park or my childhood camp. And I don’t have to explain those to you, because almost all of us feel a higher connection with the universe when we are in a natural spot God seems to have made just for us. But can I tell you one of the places I feel most connected?

Crate and Barrel, 650 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022

I used to design and dress windows on Fifth Avenue, so I was in the neighborhood a lot. Sometimes I would sneak in to breathe some Crate and Barrel air for a few minutes before my time at work. Sometimes I’d tell my husband to find me there if we were meeting each other in the neighborhood for dinner. This is not to say that I think Crate and Barrel is the end all be all of good design. Not by a long shot. But there is something to say for being surrounded by the haven of aesthetic beauty in whatever form you can find it.

Usually I could be found in the corner of a vignette upstairs, sitting on a comfy sofa, feeling at home in an orderly space with everything in its place, pretending for a moment to have the life that matched the drapes or upholstery. Sometimes I’d brainstorm or journal. Other times I’d just sit and hear what the universe had to say.

My husband and I recently were forced, by Divine intervention I have yet to understand, to move to Connecticut- something I haven’t mentioned yet in this blog because I think I’m still coming to terms with it. Saying it out loud makes it real you know. And typing it, well… that’s about as definite as it can be now, isn’t it. I miss so much about New York. Life in Connecticut is 180 degrees in the other direction and I find myself mourning a piece of my city every day. Today it’s 650 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022: Crate and Barrel, where God does all of God's shopping and stops occasionally for a visit on the sofa.

Tofu Terrific

2010-03-18T22:20:00.005-06:00

Like many people, as a result of our family’s shrinking budget over the last year, my husband and I find ourselves getting creative in the kitchen. Anyone who supports organic and local food knows that buying responsibly can also sometimes feel like buying expensively. In addition to our local coop, my husband and I shop at Whole Foods, a great store we more often lovingly refer to as Whole Paycheck. It’s been a challenge this year to continue to purchase the products we want, and part of our newly found creativity in the kitchen has taken the form of vegetarianism. While eating tofu, beans, and other non meat proteins is cheaper and certainly better for the environment, we still love our meat and occasionally partake (which makes us something the Food Network calls “Choositarians,” although I’m not sure how technical that term is).

While we’ve eaten a lot of foods deemed “vegetarian” by American culture for a long while, tofu is one we admit we’re just starting to tackle. It has recently found a larger and larger place in our lives, much to our happy surprise. We’d had it plenty of times in restaurants and others’ homes, but we never considered ourselves to be FTCAOCPECE (Future Tofu Chefs of America and Other Countries for the Purposes of Environmentalism and Cost Effectiveness) material.

Being a tofu eater is something I never would have expected as a youngster growing up in the Midwest. My idea of soy back then was the oily soy cheese found on top of a chicken patty in our school’s cafeteria. If you’ve ever been to an all-you-can-eat buffet in the middle of Iowa, you know that the largest food group is meat/gelatinous “salads.” Okay, so that is encouraging a stereotype... but it's a pretty good stereotype. Where I grew up, meat is not only essential to the meal, it’s the main part. Tofu was not only not eaten in the household I grew up, but it wasn’t exactly looked upon favorably, either.

Fast forwarding (or rewinding, I’m not sure which since I was just flashing back to childhood, but am now talking about yesterday) to last night, I made the yummiest tofu lasagna after I found some hints online. Thought I’d share, because the results were great. Note, you also need a really great sous-chef, like mine pictured here:

My sous-chef, linebacker baby Jonas.

Unfortunately, he tries to cook with his feet as much as his hands.

I bought a package of extra firm tofu (which even at Whole Paycheck on the east coast only costs $1.99), which I then crumbled up into small pieces; it looked like something between feta and ricotta cheese. Then I mixed an equal amount of ricotta into it. At this point, any ravenous meat-eating bystander would think it was a whole bowl of ricotta cheese, the tofu is so disguised.

Tofu is great because it soaks up the flavors of food around it. I put some garlic salt (depends on how big of a lasagna you’re making, but I put in about a teaspoon) and chopped up basil into the ricotta/tofu mixture to give the tofu a flavor to absorb. (I like the flavor of tofu alone, don’t get me wrong. But it doesn’t quite go with lasagna, so you sort of don’t want it to be the main flavor.) If you don’t want to do that, I just suggest using a very flavorful tomato sauce in the lasagna. The rest of the lasagna I made the same. Layering noodles and cheese and veggies/sauce, etc.

Yum! I totally recommend it! But remember, a good sous-chef is key!

An Adventure Begins...

2010-03-17T21:49:00.005-06:00

As you might imagine, preparing for a major cross-country move and complete lifestyle overhaul is quite time-consuming. So, while I have had many experiences over the last few weeks that would qualify for the heading of "adventure" I don't have time to write about any of them!

Instead, I share with you some of the joy I experienced at my "cousin's" wedding tonight. My mom's friend, my "Auntie Cindy", has been a part of my life for 18 years. And so have her daughters, Katie & Kelly. Tonight, Kelly was finally - with the aid of lawyers and friends and lawyers who are friends - able to marry the father of her son and the love of her life, Alejandro.

To my darling Kelly and the wonderful Alejandro, Congratulations. I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness.

Creative Mission: Photography

2010-03-14T08:47:00.003-06:00

This past weekend the family and I headed over to Hisingen, a part of Gothenburg that lies across the harbor. I'd been there recently with a friend, walking along the water, stopping for lunch here, then coffee there... It is filled with gorgeous views, and I knew that I had to go back with my camera and take some photos. So Keith and Elijah came along for my indulgent ride and we had buttloads of fun. Yes, buttloads.

I am by NO MEANS a photography expert. In fact, we were well into our walk when my husband - also not an photography expert but someone who has at least read the camera info booklet - suggested I put it on manual mode. Me, thinking I already had, was confused. Awkward! Ever helpful, Keith helped me out and on we went.

Despite my novice status, I really enjoy print photography, and have wanted to pursue it from behind the lens for a while. My camera is Nikon D40, which has received rave reviews both practically (think Consumer Reports) as well as from people in the know (somewhere - I don't know where - I read that it's the best DSLR to start out with; has lots of bells and whistles, but isn't overwhelming; just the right amount of camera). I'm still figuring it out, but I'm having fun with it.

The theme of my pictures focuses on bursts of color. The first time I went I was particularly struck by the contrast of colorful buildings against the super-blue sky. This time, I kept an eye open for any stab of color that penetrated my view.

Click on the photo below to view my slide show, and please - let me know what you think! This is my first creative endeavor with my camera, and I'm pretty sure I can only improve from this point.

Click on the picture for more!

A Jonas by Any Other Name...

2010-03-11T18:02:00.004-07:00

So my single largest creation also happens to be the one I’m proudest of… my five month old son, Jonas. And as any parent knows, the creation process of your firstborn is a lot of work, to say the least. Ask me how it’s going in another 18 years.

My husband and I were married seven years before having Jonas. Now, although this is totally untrue, we like to joke that we waited so long to have him because we couldn’t decide on a name. The process of naming our babe was an arduous one, to say the least, and was one of hardest parts of Jonas’s creation…. You see, sometimes (and especially with a child) there are elements of something you create that you have no control over. In the case of Jonas, we didn’t choose his sex, or what he would look like, or when he’d make his grand entrance, or even whether or not he’d be healthy. But the one thing we did have control over was his name.

You may be asking yourself why I’m talking about names on a design blog. (I’m sure my husband is right there with you.) To me, giving someone a name that will last him the rest of his life was about the most artistic undertaking I have ever had. And that is how I approached it. I took it seriously, and put a lot of thought into it. (So right now you’re saying, “Seriously? And Jonas was the best you could come up with?”) To me, a name says a lot about the respect you have for the thing you’re naming, but also a lot about yourself, your taste and judgment. In addition to having something that could be spelled relatively easy, I wanted our child to have a name that I not only loved enough to hear for the rest of our lives, but one that was unique, and special only to him.

Maybe I have a complex when it comes to names… You see, I married into the Johnson family. I suddenly went from a googlable (yes, I just made up that word, but I’m pretty sure you all know what it means. See how good I am at naming things?) person with a unique last name and two middle names, to one of about one thousand Cheri Johnsons in the US. To boot, after getting married we had so many problems with identity confusion that the IRS did not recognize for three separate years in a row that I had paid my taxes. After trying time and again to clarify my two middle names, my old maiden name, and new last name, I ended up having to again (I did it once when getting married) legally change my name on my social security card to resolve my supposed tax fraud problems. When I went down to the social security office to straighten out the situation, the heartless girl at the desk could not figure out how to enter more than one middle name into her computer screen, so she simply erased one of them with the click of a button, telling me it was impossible (despite the fact that my old SS card in hand showed two middle names)! Since the original four names on my birth certificate, I have legally had four different combinations of names, all for the sake of legal clarification rather than my desire to change my identity. So can you blame me if uniqueness was important to me for whatever we were about to name our baby Johnson?

The catch in this story, of course, is that I was not the only one naming our child. My husband somehow thought he had a 50% claim on names, too. And there is where the complication started. From our first days of marriage, my husband repeated over and over that he wanted a Jonas so he could have a baby with a theme song (referring to Weezer’s My Name is Jonas). It was actually one of his better suggestions, considering he liked extremely common, boring names. (I won’t give you any examples right now, as I’m sure there are many a person I could insult right now with that list!) I vowed I would not have a baby whose name fell on the top 100 Baby Names of the Year list. I had some great suggestions, like “Guinness” and “Cyber” and “Lemon”… hey, if a celebrity can name a baby after a fruit, so can I. (And in all honesty, I have met a Strawberry and a Raspberry, both named that way since birth. Compared to those, Lemon is a sweet name!) Why should only a celebrity be allowed to be creative with a name?

I am a name person. (Have you figured that out by now?) Some people dream of their wedding their whole lives. I was never that girl. I barely remember what my flowers looked like. But- and I will admit this even though it makes me a total dork- I have had a list of baby names since I was in early elementary school. Although the list has evolved (thank God- “Horseshoe” does not have the nice ring to it I once thought it did), the fact that I love names and their meanings and origins is undisputable.

I will spare you the back and forth. Let’s just say we then debated for 7 years of marriage, 9 months and six overdue days of pregnancy, and twelve hours of labor later, when Baby Johnson made his first appearance and we discovered he was a boy. After all of that, I tiredly caved in and gave my husband his choice. I agreed to Jonas, a name in the top ten on the list of 2009 baby names. To even things out, we gave Jonas a unique middle name after a place we had lived and loved for four years: Bronx.

A few days after our little Jonas Bronx Johnson was born, Kurt came out of the bathroom one morning and said, "I just thought of something randomly while I was in the shower... Isn't the original settler of the Bronx named Jonas?" We rushed to the computer to confirm, and sure enough, Jonas Bronck was the first landholder in what's now the Bronx... What's funny, though, is that we not only inadvertently named Jonas after the founder of the Bronx, but when we looked up the founder's name, we found out his middle name was... "Johnson"! Jonas Johnson Bronck. So much for being original.

What was far worse, though, happened when we took Jonas to church for the first time the next week, and one of the men standing next to us overheard our new baby’s name and said, “Oh. That’s so funny. My friends just named their baby Jonas Johnson, too!” Sigh.

We went back home, to a new apartment we had just moved into. During a daily field trip to the mailbox with Jonas, my husband met an older lady with a thick European accent. They started chatting, which I’ve found happens often when you have a cute baby in tow. When she asked his name and my husband said Jonas, she said, “Oh! That’s my son’s name, too! It means John in my country.” John. Could we have a more creative name? Double sigh.

I admit that at first I found myself sometimes embarrassed at telling people my son’s name because I felt bland saying it. I felt like it reflected something lazy or homogenous about me. Like I had made my own little masterpiece, and then didn’t care enough to follow through on the name. But here’s the thing I’m slowly learning… Jonas is not my masterpiece project made out of a recipe or a set of instructions. There is no finite list of ingredients required to make a Jonas.

Jonas is a creative masterpiece that is evolving. And he’s not only mine. He’s a collaboration of both my husband and me and, eventually, the hundreds of other people that will touch his life in the future. It’s a much more fun way of creating something, really. We don’t know what the end product will be, but we can see the evolution already taking form as we add the pieces and watch them grow.

Jonas has grown into his name. And I have grown into it, too. In fact, surprisingly, I now count it to be one of my favorite words. As sure as I am that my baby would be as sweet by any other name, now I can’t imagine calling him anything else but my Jonas.

Now I’m off to listen to some Weezer…

the hills are alive once again

2010-03-08T08:41:00.002-07:00

Last week I had the most wonderful pleasure of singing in a choir for the first time in I don't know how long. My friend invited me to join her in her newest choir (because she sings in several, of course), a group of like-minded ex-pats that convinced a very passionate Swede (I didn't know there were any of the sort) to conduct them on Thursday mornings.

I grew up singing. I grew up singing because I wanted - no, needed! - to be the next Amy Grant. In case you're not familiar with either the Christian Pop/Rock scene or the scandalous Country Music scene, know that Amy swung through both with gusto, was gorgeous, and I was determined to be her BFF. Seriously. I joined her fan club, "Friends of Amy", otherwise known as FOA.

I grew up singing in any choir that would let me in, excluding my 6th grade choir that I resigned from after a nasty run-in with the choir director. All I said was that no one wants to sing a song about hats and he gave me detention. If I'd known it would strike such a personal chord with him, I would have rephrased.

My singing days went the way of the wild once I left high school. In college I was too shy to audition for any groups, presumably stemming from my horrific music competition incident. I took voice lessons with a true professional throughout my middle and high school years. In preparation for the MACSI - later changed to ACSI - yearly arts competition, my professional voice coach and I labored over an Italian classic that I have since banned from my memory. In our lessons, I like to think that I achieved a certain reign over the piece. I really threw myself into the Italian. I loved the idea of speaking another language, and since I was far too undisciplined to master anything in my German class, memorizing songs in other languages was as close as I was going to get.

On the day of the competition, I dreaded the moment when I would have to stand up in front of all my peers and belt out my masterpiece. The confidence that adorned me in the privacy of my lessons did not join me in public settings, and I felt naked. When 2:15 finally came, I nauseously made my way to the front of the room and handed my music to the judges. The accompaniment began, and I came in as appointed. Things were rolling along at a mediocre pace until about half-way through when all the Italian left my brain. I had no option but to improvise. But -- with what? As all the Italian I knew was in those lyrics, I dug into my last resort: spaghetti sauce. I rolled together my Prego's and Ragu's quite nicely, and my have thrown in a dulce de leche, figuring Spanish is close enough to Italian. When it was over I knew I would not win; and yet, I could not help but feel rather proud of my MacGyver move.

Fortunately for me, this Thursday morning choir is not comprised of professionals, neither of the musical nor the spaghetti sauce variety. It's mostly a bunch of middle-aged women looking for a way to express themselves, sometimes in Swedish, sometimes in German, sometimes in English. The high notes are a bit flat, and at least one is - quite frankly - tone-deaf. But we laughed together and sang the best we could, and it totally threw me back to my creative youth.

Makeover Shows… I Admit It, My Guilty Pleasure!

2010-03-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

So before my soapbox somehow sprouted legs and walked over to my last blog, I was talking about my art show and the theme I was given of transformation and healing. I’ve continued to think about transformations since my last blog entry... It’s really not that hard to find examples of transformation all around us. Americans are obsessed with transformations, I’ve decided. And this definitely includes me.

Take TV, for example. Make-over shows dominate television and transform everything from clothing to houses to body parts to pets! It is a guilty pleasure of mine. I admit it. I love seeing a good home make-over show. In fact, I don’t even need to see the whole show. I just need to flip it on for the last five minutes, where the viewer gets to see the clips of the before and after images.

I am obsessed with seeing the before and afters. But I’m wondering if that’s because it makes everything look so easy. Maybe that’s what I really love about make-over shows. (Because if I’m honest about it, half the time I see the transformation and say, “I could’ve done that better!”)

My obsession is starting to make me think I need to work on recognizing the work required to accomplish true transformations. Transformations look so easy sometimes when you’re watching the last five minutes of a show. And therein lies my on again-off again obsession. While those last five minutes give me a sense of empowerment that I, too, can make transformations, I resent the fact that it misleads people into a misunderstanding of how much work or money or knowledge it takes to accomplish true change. That’s why I’m going to have my own show someday called, “Cheri Does Half a Project.” Anyone interested in watching??

Artistic Adventures of An Ardent Amateur: Risking It All

2010-03-03T19:28:00.003-07:00

It’s truth time, D&L readers! I have been talking around this subject for the past several …forevers… and now it’s time to come clean: I’m moving back to New York City!

What’s that, Reader? Did you say, “Why?” Well, I’m so glad you asked. I’m moving back to New York City for a number of reasons, most of them hopelessly complicated, but almost all of them artistic in nature. One among them is the opportunity to pursue theatre again. Acting being my greatest artistic passion, I live with a constant craving for the community and chaos of a theatrical lifestyle. New York City is also a great place to find artists of every stripe, and consequently, a veritable gold mine of Llamas, so I’m also moving back for the environment. And I’m moving back because there is unfinished business for me in Gotham, both personally and professionally. And I’m moving back because somewhere, on a level of my brain miles below my subconscious and nestled in my deepest, most private and profound places, I simply know I have to do this.

So this week, in an effort to advance my artistic adventures onto the next stage, I quit my job.

EEEEIIIAAAIEEEE! I QUIT MY JOB, YOU GUYS! I resigned. I gave notice. I walked away from a respectable, steady, reliable wage and decent health care benefits, to move to New York in the middle of a global economic crisis.

And don’t think I don’t know about the economic crisis, People. Seriously, everybody I’ve told about my decision has said something along the lines of, “But don’t you know the economy’s bad right now?” “Holy Moly, Captain Obvious, I, in fact, have been living in a cave in the Missouri hills all this time and had not heard of this phenomenon! An economic crisis, you say? But surely it has not resulted in …unemployment! [Gasp!] It has?! People are having difficulty finding work? And now I have given up my safety and security in search of an artistic dream! I'M DOOOOOOOMED!"

Or something. But, actually, can I tell you a secret, D&L Readers? Lean in close now...I don't really think I'm doomed. In fact, I think I'm going to be ok, no matter what happens. Furthermore, I think I'm going to be better off in the long run - in the sitting-in-the-nursing-home-looking-back-on-my-life run - if I do this now than if I let my life slip by and stand passively to the side. If I leave my safe, stable, nice but unfulfilling job and go in search of something more, I think I'll be a slightly more stressed 20-something and a significantly more satisfied 80-something. Seems like a fair trade to me.

So my adventure this week: risking everything to follow a dream. Three weeks from today will be my last at my current job. Four weeks from today I set off for New York City. And the adventure continues...

Herbal Expressions

2010-03-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've always stumbled upon unique job opportunities that seem to be just a perfect fit for me. Several years ago in Boston I had the most fabulous pleasure of working for Esther, a truly amazing carnation of woman. I don't say this lightly; do you know anyone that has hosted catered her own daughter's wedding, for 400, in her backyard?

By day she was a school nurse, where she tended not only physical ailments, but emotional, relational and spiritual ones as well. She would come home after a long day, telling me stories of her interactions with her quixotic teenagers. "You know what I told her, Kate? I told her...." and it would be a mini-epic filled with passionate admonition, wisdom-packed words, and love. So very much love!

But, this was just her day job. When she came home, she was ready to "create", as she would tell me most every day. Esther wasn't a painter, a sculptor, or a writer. She was a whole other kind of creator, one that worked the earth to produce herbs of all sorts, then using these herbs to construct culinary masterpieces and herbal remedies of all kinds... shampoo, perfumes, spice blends, healing salves and so, so much more. She harvested the fruit from the trees in her yard, trees that she had her boys plant when they were rebellious teenagers, the hard work serving as penance for their fighting and misdemeanors. (How brilliant is that?!)

I could go on and on about Esther, and perhaps one day I will; she deserves it. But I've been thinking of how she's influenced me this past week, and I think her love of herbs has taken hold in me. Recently, I impulsively signed up for an on-line herb course entitled "Advanced Women's Herbs & Aromatherapy". Why I thought I had time for this when I am barely cranking through my doula studies (not to mention the millions of other things that have fallen by the wayside) I don't know, but when I saw it being advertised it just grabbed me. I've long been a fan of herbs, although primarily in cooking. I remember when I saw fresh herbs for the first time, having been accustomed to the dried variety for the most part. It was amazing! The scents of fresh basil or cilantro completely infiltrates my body, making my taste buds go into overdrive; I think they also get the creative juices flowing.

While I was pregnant, I started investigating a few herbs for their physical benefits, and liked what I discovered (obviously, should this interest you, please do your own research and discuss with your health care provider). This course seems to be a perfect "next step" in my herb journey. I am so excited to attain new knowledge and, hopefully, put it to good use. I imagine that as I move into working as a doula, knowing about herbs will only enhance the ways in which I can help my clients. But I also expect that this will open up my avenues of creativity, simply giving me a new medium to create with. And in my mind, I'll always carry with me the spice of Esther, and all that she created.

Transformation and Healing

2010-02-25T18:15:00.002-07:00

So I just finished up with an art show in Manhattan, and I’ve been thinking a lot about it. It was supposed to be a show about transformation and healing. And for the longest time I was having a hard time figuring out how the heck to show those things. I hemmed and hawed, I sighed and pushed it off, I waited for inspiration to zap me. And then I waited some more.

It was funny when it finally hit me. Transformation and healing- it’s just the work artists do every day! Maybe it’s repurposing something old. Maybe it’s creating by combining actual materials into something entirely new, or creating by combining inspirations into real ideas. And hopefully, if I do say so myself, we artists are in the business of healing people as a result.

I say this because I think it’s important that as an artist I remember that I’m not just in the business of aesthetics. I’m in the business of touching people through the visual (or through sound or words, depending on what sort of medium you use). I have some very frugal, no-frills family members (Don’t we all have a few in our families? -Because if anyone needs one, I’ve definitely got some extras in back…) I’m pretty sure some of them think that my love for aesthetics lies somewhere between a shallow waste of time and an unnecessary waste of money. Their frugality cannot get them past something that seems so wasteful. And I can see how it may seem that way to people who know there are those without food in the world. (For sure food comes before a nice lamp, so please don’t send any angry emails!)

Still, what I’m saying is, art is important. It isn’t frills. It is transformation and communication- often communication that can cause reflection, and eventually, if we’re lucky, perhaps a bit of healing. The truth is, aesthetics are extremely powerful in our daily lives. From the second we open our eyes in the morning, our surroundings help dictate our moods, our attitudes, and our energy levels. As an interior designer, I have the power to approach aesthetics every day as something shallow and wasteful, or to approach aesthetics as something transformative and healing. It’s important I recognize why I am focused on aesthetics and what purpose they have, so they don’t become something shallow. Somehow, though, this argument hasn’t helped me convince my husband that I need the $100 pair of cast iron storks in the antique store window downtown. Will someone please convince him?

Well...

2010-02-25T09:00:00.003-07:00

I'm not going to lie. I have been dreading today for about a week. I've been contemplating several meaningful ideas for this post but have come up short. I have a lot of fantastic thoughts in the gestation phase but nothing has formed well enough to "make an entrance" yet. At first I got down on myself about this but then I said to myself, I said, "Self, you are brilliant, creative and overall fantastic. This blog isn't about having it all together. This blog is about being honest about your creative journey. Got that self?!" Got it. So today I'm simply going to list out a few things that have been rolling around in my head with regards to my creative journey.

Culture affects my creativity. The culture here in Southern Idaho DEFINITELY affects my creativity in a different way than other places I've lived.
My feminine self and creative self are directly linked. In fact, I don't think I can separate them and even more, I don't want to.
I once had someone challenge my business ideas, making the claim that I should be creative just to be creative. While I agree with the logic, I also love being a business woman. I find strength in how my creativity, femininity and business sense intermingle and influence each other.
Most people have a happy place. A place they retreat to in their minds to deal with the often harsh realities of daily life. I have no such place. I do, however, have a physical happy place and it can be found at 228 Blue Lakes Boulevard North, Twin Falls, ID. It's my favorite local coffee shop.

The End.

Artistic Adventures of An Ardent Amateur: Heaven

2010-02-24T20:04:00.003-07:00

This past weekend I drove up to Chicago to see one of my best friends. I’ve been doing this roadtrip on a semi regular basis for the past 2 years, but given my impending relocation to New York City this one was the last, at least for the foreseeable future. So I was more than a little wistful from the outset, and more than a lot reluctant to say goodbye to my girlfriend when the weekend ended. And so it was that the goddesses saw fit to bless me with automobile failure. As I went to leave on Sunday afternoon I discovered that the difficulty I had experienced shifting gears on my way into the Windy City had increased, and there was no way I could risk the 300 mile trip with such an unreliable clutch. I would have to take my car to a Chicago mechanic the next day. So I was granted a reprieve from tearful farewells, and allowed to spend one more night in the company of loved ones.

When I set off again on Monday afternoon, $200 poorer but 24 hours of love richer, I spent much of my drive home thinking about the qualities of friendship, and the ever elusive but increasingly possible state of being known as “happiness.” And the path of these ponderings kept leading me back to Friday:

I arrived in Chicago late Thursday night. My girlfriend’s boyfriend (an awesome friend in his own right, hereafter referred to, for simplicity’s sake, as The Dude) let me in, put my things in the spare bedroom, and roused my girlfriend from bed to say hello. We talked and laughed together for a little while before exhaustion won out and we all retired to bed. When Friday morning dawned my girlfriend trudged off to work, chauffeured by The Dude. I made coffee and when The Dude returned we started talking about my move to New York - whether I was ready (hope so!), where I would live (don’t know!), what I would do (too many dreams to count!), who I could turn to there (???), and how I would start to build the life I want…it was this last question which led us to a course of action. I will be auditioning in New York. Ridiculous as it may sound, I never actually did that on my first stint in the city. And despite my relative comfort with St. Louis auditions, the thought of going to one in NYC is rather terrifying. But The Dude is an actor and singer as well, with significant experience in the realm of auditioning, and he immediately set about calming and preparing me. The two of us spent the morning going through his sheet music collection and then his ipod songs, seeking pieces I could use for an audition. By the time he left for work he’d found me several solid options, and he took those which were on hand to Xerox for me.

So the afternoon arrived, both my girlfriend and The Dude were at work, and I was alone in a Chicago apartment with (as far as I could tell) no neighbors home above or below me. And so…I sang. I sang Gilbert and Sullivan. I sang happy trilling soprano songs. I sang freely and without reservation and with a reckless joy I can only achieve when no one is listening.

After an hour or so heavy footsteps on the stairs announced the arrival of an upstairs neighbor, so I gave the vocal folds a rest and decided to channel my exuberance into another of my favorite arts: baking. I made chocolate chip cookies, my specialty, and I made them merrily. I listened to a lecture by Michael Marrus entitled Justice and Theatre: Great Moments in Great Trials and snorted out loud at the brilliance and arrogance of Oscar Wilde while sliding warm cookies off a baking sheet. I sighed contentedly while washing dishes and indulged myself freely in the gooey, buttery products of my afternoon.

When my friends came home from work we ordered Chicago style pizza and stuffed ourselves silly, talking and laughing and communing in the easy, relaxed manner that comes only with years of love and shared experiences. Eventually we shuffled off to bed again, and alone in the guest bedroom, as I wrapped myself in my girlfriend’s familiar and luxurious feather blanket, I paused to marvel at the buzz in my body, the hum in my heart - how a day of art and friendship had set my soul to singing.

This must be what heaven is like.

See Kate Conquer: Semlordagen

2010-02-22T07:00:00.002-07:00

Where to start?

Okay, a couple things:
1. I love to cook, and I like to think I'm rather good at it. Baking? Not so much. Cooking is like a game; toss in a little of this and a little of that, and it will turn out okay. Baking is like a science: if you deviate from a prescribed amount of the recipe's main characters, you will most likely totally flop. Rock-hard pizza dough, super-dense bread that's supposed to be light and airy... I could go on but it would be embarrassing. And, anytime yeast is involved the stakes get higher because of the large time investment.

2. I love to eat, and I like to think I'm rather good at it. While I would not say I am a huge fan of Swedish cuisine, the area that I have no complaints about is their pastry department. And, how awesome is this: many of their several holiday seasons (particularly Advent and Lent) have specific pastries to add to the celebration. AWESOME.

3. Over time, my husband has made me a big believer in the theory of, "Why pay someone to do something that I can do myself?" (There are limits to this, of course... like, I'm not quite ready to learn how to dry-clean my own clothes.) So, while I love to go to a cafe and enjoy my latte and delectable puff of flour/butter/sugar goodness, there is a certain Consumption Point at which it makes sense for me to cut out the middleman and start doing the baking myself.

The Semla is a most fabulous piece of heaven that haunts Sweden between Christmas and Easter, but remains quite elusive during the other nine or so months of the year. Traditionally it was eaten on Fat Tuesday, because it is so rich and decadent - it's prominent attribute is the almond paste center topped with whipped cream - that it was supposed to help fatten one up before the season of Lenten fasting. In modern times, Swedes eat them for three months and have foregone the fasting. Fair enough.

My Swedish friend Elin is a fabulous baker. She rolls out breads and cakes and scones like it's going out of style (although I assure you, it's not), and quite frankly, intimidates the yeast out of me! [lame attempt to make a baking joke]

She came over a few weeks ago, and, being in the middle of Semla Season, the topic came up. At one point she oh-so-casually commented, "Oh, you should just make them, they're soooooooo easy!" If they're soooooooo easy, I thought, why doesn't she just show me how to do it?

And soooooooo, she did.

We used this recipe, which was great. If YOU use this recipe, it will require the use of both language and measurement translation, which Google can surely help with. Or, here's one I found in English, although it looks slightly more complex.

Here's the result, and they were absolutely as good as they looked.

If you read the wiki article on semlor, than you know that the average Swede tends to eat about five semlor a year. I, on the other hand, ate four on Semlordagen last Tuesday, which, I suppose, makes me your average American.

Introducing Friday Guest Blogger Cheri Johnson!

2010-02-19T07:00:00.007-07:00

A few of you may remember Cheri from a year or so ago when she was the subject of one of our Artist Profiles. Cheri has been my (Annie) friend for quite some time now and it is an honor to introduce her as a regular guest blogger here at D&L Day2Day! Cheri and I first met in Iowa before Cheri left to pursue her studies and career in interior design. Here's a little more about Cheri, in her own words.

Hello. Today is the first day of what will hopefully be a consistent contribution to Dot&Line’s Day2Day blog. So of course introductions are in order. And while I’m at it, I might as well tackle the topic of identity, as it has been on my mind since the moment Annie first asked me to contribute here on Dot&Line Day2Day a few months ago. “Me? Little old me? I’m not sure I’m worthy….”

My name is Cheri Johnson, interior designer by trade, fellow Llama^TMfor sure, art show curator, blanket maker, organic foodie, supporter of all things green, lover of all things pretty (in my free time), and closet writer by night when I can sneak away from my four month old son. Ironically, like Kate, I have a gorgeous, genius, husband who has genetically engineered our newborn son to grow at startling rates. I have just entered into a new space in life - mother - and I am pretty sure no other experience can quite take over an identity like having your own little one.

When Annie first asked me to contribute here at D&L Day 2 Day, I told her I needed to wait until I finished an art show I was busy curating in NYC on Valentine’s Day. And while this was true, (and the art show was fabulously fun by the way, thanks for asking!) I was also hemming and hawing inside about what I could contribute to the thoughts of the creative world… It’s easy, no matter how professional or amateur your creative endeavors are, to wonder about what right you have to give yourself the label of “creative” or to tell other people you are an “artist.” Even now I can’t type those words without putting quotes around them! Of course, the truth is, there is no line a person crosses that does or does not give them the right to take on that identity as their own.

Still, feeling worthy can be a challenge. As I wrestle with the identity of “mother” and the percentage of my daily life taken up by what Annie refers to as the “altar of utility” (all of my moments now involve all engrossing feedings, changings, or playings), it’s easy to feel like the intersection of creativity and daily life can get farther and farther away. I find questions of self-doubt seeping into my mind. Can you call yourself “creative” if you haven’t touched a project in over a month? Are you an artist if you haven’t even tried to sell your skills for a few months? What business do you have to consider yourself a designer anymore when you haven’t worked since your baby was born? Is there a difference between being an artist and having a hobby?

The new challenge I am now facing is how I squeeze in another identity - mother - without pushing out others like “creative” or “artist.” But I have a feeling I am not alone… In fact, in the time since I started thinking about it, I have become certain that part of the true challenge of being human is how we navigate a desire to live ten lives at the same time… (I want to live in Africa among raw nature, I want to be a recluse writer on some tropical beach, I want to be a down town interior designer, I want to be Mother Teresa in the dredges of the most challenging environments, I want to be the perfect mother, I want to be a gallery artist, the CEO of my own company, an inventor, a politician… my list goes on and on, can you tell?!) I am starting to think the amazing thing about being creative, about having creative twinges, whether you’re a great artist or not, is that it is an identity you can take anywhere and share with any other identity. So now I am working on ways to use my creative energy in everything that I do, whether or not I am the world’s most recognized artist right now. From how I set a plate on the table to the way I fold my towels, I must remember that I am an artist-no quotation marks needed!

Bathroom Before & After

2010-02-18T07:00:00.002-07:00

A couple of weekends ago I renovated this ugly ugly bathroom. The renovation was quite the feat as there were plumbers and flooring guys to coordinate. Not to mention all the grunt work of stripping wall paper, resurfacing walls, and painting and ALL in one weekend (well mostly...there were some details handled afterwards).

Bathroom before:

After much hard work, scraping wall paper, resurfacing the walls, painting, coordinating flooring guys and plumbers, we have our dramatic results!

My Grandma Pat painted this. Isn't it beautiful?!

And a fantastic new light fixture!

Artistic Adventures of An Ardent Amateur: Vocal Voyage

2010-02-17T19:07:00.003-07:00

I've spent the last two weeks digging through every piece of sheet music I own, and prowling the internet in search of inspiration. I'm trying to prep a variety of audition pieces, so my vocal coach and I have been seeking the perfect songs.

There's a lot to consider when choosing an audition piece. First of all, it's got to sound good in your voice. You can love the song to bits, adore the lyrics, worship the composer, but if it doesn't suit your voice, you're screwed. My singing voice is a syrupy sweet soprano. Which tends to rule out about 90% of all the music I have ever truly loved. But, hey, what can you do?

The next concern is the accompaniment. I couldn't play my way out of a paper bag, but I have enough piano skills to know when something's really tough, and if it's too much to expect a decent accompanist to be able to sight read, it's out. (Thus the universal Sondheim ban.)

Ok, so you've got something that sounds good in your voice and that can be easily played, but has it been done 80,000 times? Are the auditors' ears going to bleed if they hear that song one more time? Out.

Alright, so it's not too commonly done (you hope, though there's no way to know for sure) but is it the right style? You can't audition for Avenue Q with a song from The Sound of Music. (Well, you could but it'd be super weird.) And you can't try out for Madame Butterfly with a ditty from Spamalot. In fact, if it's opera you're after you should really sing a song in the same language as the show, which means you should have in your repertoire not just Italian but French, German, English...

Tired yet? No? Great! Because now you have to consider how much of your range the song displays. And if it's a musical theatre piece it better showcase your acting chops as well. And remember that you only get a few seconds of an auditor's attention before they've made up their mind about you, so make sure the piece you pick (or at least the measure at which you start it) gets straight to the point. No working your way up to that musical climax, it's gotta be compelling from beat one.

Singing auditions terrify the crap out of me. I have fainted, vomited, and flat out fallen on my face (literally! It's a funny story, I'll tell you sometime) at singing auditions. The only thing more torturous is the dreaded Dance Audition, which is a recurring specter in my nightmares. But though I avoid dance auditions like the plague, I have yet to similarly eradicate their vocal cousins from life. Because I actually like to sing.

Anyway, fascinating though this detour into my psyche certainly is for you, the point of writing this whole piece was to have an excuse to show you this:

Yes, this is one of my new pieces. I sing it about a half an octave above Ms. Minnelli's key (and I'm no Liza), but, nevertheless, it works for me. Just don't go telling anybody, or everyone will start singing it and I'll have to go through the whole song selection process all over again!

$50 Giveaway!

2010-02-17T10:09:00.004-07:00

Hey folks! Just wanted to let you know about our D&L giveaway on Blue Cricket Design today. The giveaway is for a $50 gift certificate! Please stop by to check it out and enter for a chance to win.

The Llama TheoryTM

2010-02-16T11:23:00.004-07:00

Annie has been asking me to write a post explaining The Llama Theory^TM for a while now, and with the redesign of the blog and the introduction of myself and Kate as contributors, this seems like the right time. So when we were chatting over the phone last week I asked Annie for more details about how the Theory came about.

Val: Jess is the one who came up with it, right?

Annie: Well, we both did, really, it was the two of us in the car.

Val: Oh. But, wasn’t she the one who said “You’re a llama!” first?

Annie: Well, yeah, but I pointed out that there were llamas on the side of the road.

Val: The fact that you were in the car at the time and that you noted the existence of the animal known as the “llama” does not mean you get credit for coining The Llama Theory^TM.

Annie: Hahaha! You’re right. Ok. Jess came up with it. Fine.

Begrudgingly as any older sibling with control issues, Annie admitted that The Llama Theory^TM is in fact the intellectual property of her baby sister, Jessica Croner. This magnificent brainchild was birthed on the lonely highways of Wyoming or Nebraska, or one of those states where there are sheep and llamas visible from the highway. The two sisters were on their way from Idaho to Iowa for a friend’s wedding when Annie said, “Look! Llamas!” (Well done, Annie.) And Jess said, “You know what Annie? You’re a llama!”

(From here on out I’m paraphrasing wildly as I was not actually there, but hopefully I’ll get the gist of the idea across.)

Jess continued, “Yeah! Llamas are curious and friendly and they’ll run right up to something and sniff it and want to know all about it right away, and the sheep are all moving slowly and shying away from anything strange, but llamas see a new person and they’re like, ‘Hi! I’m a llama! Do you want to be my friend?!’ That’s just like you! And me! We’re llamas!”

Later that week when the Croner women swung down from Iowa to St. Louis to see me, I was talking about how eager I am to have a community of friends again, but how so many of my friendship-making efforts have gone awry in this conservative Midwestern city because I think I have a tendency to scare people off. And that’s when Annie said, “Val! That’s because you’re a llama!” which, as you might imagine, had me thoroughly confused and wondering if I should be insulted. (Don’t llamas spit?)

But after Jess & Annie explained the theory, I was convinced. Indeed, I am a llama. I meet a person I find interesting, amiable, & fun and immediately I go into hyper-drive: “We should hang out! Wanna go to a baseball game?! Tell me your life story! Let’s play Twister! Yay, you’re my friend!!!” This strategy of making friends works REALLY WELL in kindergarten. After that, you may start running into some problems.

Nevertheless, being a llama has won me some truly awesome friendships which I wouldn’t trade for the world. And The Llama Theory^TM has given me a new way of thinking about the formation of bonds, and a new aspect of my identity to own. So, thanks, Jess, for the epic insight. Let’s get coffee sometime and discuss the theory some more. Or we could have a movie fest with popcorn and spiked strawberry shakes! Or you could just come live with me anytime you want! Cause you’re my favorite! Yay, we're friends!!!

Our Blog Facelift!

2010-02-16T07:00:00.001-07:00

Can you tell we've made some changes here on D&L Day2Day? We had our banner designed by the lovely S (as her friends refer to her) of graphidesign. Isn't it awesome?! I have already received a question regarding the inclusion of the word "Fight" in the header. The word is included because it can be a fight to follow your passions...especially the creative ones.

Please take some time to read our bios in the right hand column. If you are interested in contributing to our blog we would be very excited to consider your thoughts! If you are interested please e-mail me at DotandLineHome@gmail.com.

See Kate Conquer: How We Fika-ed

2010-02-15T07:00:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago, I was in the planning stages of a benefit fika to raise money for Haiti. What I didn't say is that for me, if something is in the planning stages that means there's still time to back out. Drop the ball. Call it quits. Leave the scene before the crime happens. You following?

My follow-through doesn't always live up to expectations; or, at the very least, tends to exist on a different time line than anyone else's. But this was different. As soon as I mentioned it to the good folks at the cafe, aptly named Cafe!, I knew I would have to follow through... or, never go back to that cafe again. I mean, how embarrassing to convince someone to commit to a good deed and then back out myself? Only on the Internet!

So, with Keith encouraging me, I broke it down into steps and went with it.

First order of business: Nail down the details with Arjwan, the fabulous cafe owner. She graciously offered the space for free and the food at-cost, not to mention her time so that we could hold the event after-hours. Keith and I decided to pay for the food ourselves so that all the money people gave could go to the cause. We thought there might be more incentive to give if we could tell them that ALL of their donations would go to a good cause.

Second order of business: Figure out how to invite people (Facebook? Evite? Mass email?) What we discovered in the process is that Partners In Health, the organization we were raising money for, makes it extremely easy to host an event of your own. Seriously - go to their website and there's a link on the lower right-hand side that says "Can you host an event? Click here." The have an invitation tool, logos, thank you notes, and more so that you don't have to spend a lot of time thinking up ways to advertise and what-not. Pretty nifty! So, we used their invite and basically invited everyone we know in Sweden. I always get nervous that if I invite someone I know but only a little bit then their reaction will be, "Why would she think I would want to come to this?!" Or worse yet, "Who's Kate?" This is a very dumb thought to have, though, so I basically got over myself and invited everyone from my closest friends to my midwives.

Third order of business: Talk up the event shamelessly. On Sunday we took business cards from the cafe to church, writing the event details on the back and passed them to people who's email we didn't know, or to people we just met (including the super-cool sisters I ran into. I asked them where they were from since they were speaking English, and they said, "We're half American and half French, but we grew up in Africa and Sweden". I want to be them.) I kept the cards in my coat pocket throughout the week so I could easily hand them to anyone that I thought might be interested. I also posted on-line at some of the forums I'm on, and reminded people on Facebook as well. I will say that the biggest turnout certainly came from our closest friends; but, I think it's great to spread the word any way you can about events like this; and it's great networking for any future events.

And lastly: Show up. So, we did, Thursday evening from 5-7pm. Keith and I got there just a bit early to put out some info about Partners In Health (this is a truly fabulous organization that's been in Haiti for over 25 years), take some pictures, and welcome the guests.

We had a great time! About 20 people came over the course of a couple hours, and enjoyed coffee, tea, and three delicious types of cake. There were suggested donation amounts, although we were collecting donations in a jar so people were free to give more or less depending on their circumstances. There was no programming, people could just sit and study or read, or chat with friends.

We raised 2800 kroner or about $390. While this isn't a mind-blowing amount by any means, we got a lot of other benefit from the event as well... a fun evening out, a gathering of friends, the start of new friendships, and hopefully planting the idea that everyone can make a difference with a little creativity. Despite my aversion to follow-through this took surprisingly little effort on my part but the pay-off feels great, all around.

A Little Friday Inspiration

2010-02-12T14:49:00.004-07:00

Happy Friday everyone! I leave you all with my favorite quote by Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn't serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

A Little Change With a Dash of Inspiration

2010-02-11T10:19:00.007-07:00

As Val mentioned briefly yesterday in her post, a few changes are on their way with regards to this blog. Over the course of the last 3 weeks or so, I have been doing a lot of research for the purpose of finding suitable blogs to advertise on. During the course looking at hundreds of blogs I couldn't help but think about where our little D&L blog fits in with regards to the creative world. Initially I started thinking about this from a place of insecurity as I passed through a bazillion successful mommy blogs & blogs by graphic designers. I love these blogs but I couldn't help but to question what we were doing with this blog. What do we have to offer the creative world (and world at large)??

And then a wave of pride swept over my whole self as I realized that what we bring to the table is honesty! Whether we are writing about a benefit we are organizing (go Kate!) or how music heals us (yay Val!), we are all honest and true to ourselves and our journeys both creative and otherwise. This blog has organically developed into something fantastic. How many other people out there need to be validated and encouraged in their own creative journeys? How many other people come up with creative solutions for home, life and work and never view these abilities as creative strengths? The beauty of this blog is that it hovers around the intersection of creativity and daily life and going forward this intersection will be the more obvious focus of this blog.

Following my own creative path has long been my passion. Closely linked to this passion has been my desire to see other women and fellow creatives follow their unique paths in life. It has been my experience that the individual desires of people in these two groups have been largely marginalized in the name of utility. For example: A few months back I was talking to a friend of mine who is a dancer and mother of two. She explained to me a conversation she had in a young mom's bible study. The leader of the study asked the group of women to write out what they are passionate about...not what they should be passionate about but are passionate about. Upon sharing, they were surprised to discover that nearly everyone had something creative on their list and yet few, if any, were acting on behalf of their creative passions. Somewhere along the way these women had sacrificed their creative selves on the alter of utility...I think we can all relate to this, after all the bills need to be paid, the dog walked, the dishes washed.

What if this blog could be a source for exploring and realizing the creative strengths in all of us? What if the creative solutions we come up with on a daily basis are merely realized expressions of a larger creative need? How can we unfurl our own creativity and make space and time to explore and enjoy? How can we get over the notion that our creativity is worth less because it may not be linked with utility?

It is my hope that by walking out our journeys openly, we will somehow inspire openness among others. It is my hope that communities of like minded individuals will rise up to encourage each other as they realize their own creative strengths. It is my hope that this blog will act as a catalyst for these groups. We would love for you to join us in exploring the intersection of creativity and life. If you have any thoughts on this subject or would like to submit an article, please please e-mail us at DotandLineHome@gmail.com.

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Artistic Activism

2010-02-10T15:42:00.006-07:00

I remember clearly the first time I had an “epiphany” with regards to racism. I was in second grade, and we were learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. I was wearing my blue jean jacket – the heaviest of my Floridian outer apparel – meaning it was likely January or February, and thus our lesson plans were no doubt inspired by either MLK Day or Black History Month. I remember looking at the year referenced on our handout. 1968. 1968? Little more than 20 years ago? My mother was alive at the same time as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This realization was so astonishing to me I wrote about it in my journal. “My mom lived at the same time as MLK!” To me, the Civil Rights Movement had always seemed like ancient history. And at least partially due to the fact that African American history is taught in one tiny chunk as an afterthought in U.S. classrooms, my childish brain had assumed that Dr. King came along immediately after President Lincoln: slavery ended, civil rights were won, and everything’s been hunky dory for at least as long as living memory. This new revelation had blown a hole in my world view.

When I got home from school I confronted my mother. “Mom, were you alive at the same time as Martin Luther King, Jr.?” “Yes.” That’s all I remember of that conversation. Probably because that’s all there was to that conversation. My mom did not take the opportunity to share her experience of the Civil Rights Movement, to ask me why I had only just realized how recently it had happened, and she certainly didn’t talk about the fact that the bullet which assassinated MLK did not also slay racism. I still believed racial intolerance to be a thing of the past, even if I now thought it to be a thing of the recent past.

This is not meant to be an indictment of my parents. They are good people who succeeded in instilling a sense of morality in their children, but they unfortunately bought into the white liberal view that if we don’t talk about race with our children, then they will magically grow up to be non-racists. My parents didn’t lack for opportunities to discuss race, either. Later in my second grade year my aunt (mother’s sister) married a Black man from Jamaica, Uncle S. We all liked Uncle S and thought he was funny and cool. And while my older brother and I had picked up enough social cues to know not to mention anything about Uncle S’s race, Buddy was only 5 or 6 years old and had not yet internalized this cultural taboo. So, one Sunday, when Buddy was being passed from one frustrated adult to another in the church pew (he was a squirmy child) he looked up from his position splayed across Uncle S’s lap and declared, “Uncle S, your lips are black!” Everyone laughed. It was cute. He was innocent. And no one thought to ask him why he’d just made this discovery, what he thought of it, or whether it meant anything.* Another time we were walking through the city as a family when Buddy pointed to a Black person and cried out, “There’s another Uncle S!” This was certainly more problematic, and indicative of the absence of race discussions in our rearing, but again, everyone laughed. No one talked.

This is not to say that my parents’ children grew up to be Racists (with a capital “R”). But we didn’t emerge from childhood fighting racism, either. Instead, we continued to “not see” the hatred that was all around us, the way we’d been taught not to see it. We “didn’t notice” that we were privileged because we’d never encountered the phrase “white privilege” or been told that it exists. We quietly, easily, lazily took part in a system that oppressed the Other and privileged us.

Now that we’ve all entered adulthood the onus is on us to educate ourselves and fight the unjust system that we have profited from. Luckily, resources abound. For those of us fortunate enough to have access to the internet, there are myriad thoughtful, brilliant, passionate, artistic blogs committed to combating racism.

So now, perhaps you’re thinking to yourself, “Thanks for sharing, Val, but aren’t you supposed to be writing about an artistic adventure? And also, isn’t this a design blog? What’s up with this post?” Ok, fair enough. Yes, I am supposed to write about an artistic adventure. But in this case, the writing is the adventure. My culture is one that prefers not to acknowledge the existence of racism, and in eschewing that rigid social tradition I am opening myself up for attack and criticism. However, the possibility of rejection by people unwilling to unpack their own privilege does not really concern me. What I worry about is that I will inadvertently put my lily white foot in my big gaping mouth (where that particular appendage so often likes to live) and say something racist, offending or hurting a person of color. This is why I’ve been reading antiracist blogs for a year and have hardly posted any comments. But I’m not changing any minds by remaining silent. The time for limiting my antiracist actions to my own tiny personal sphere is over. So what tools do I have to use in the fight against racism? The best and most powerful weapons in my arsenal are my arts: theatre and writing. As an actor I have limited control over the projects I am involved in – I can always choose what not to audition for, but I have ultimately minimal say in what works I do get cast in. So while I would LOVE to do social justice theatre and hope to have the opportunity some day soon, right now the art most readily available to me for the purpose of activism is writing.

To answer your second and third [presumed] questions, Dot & Line is undergoing a bit of an identity overhaul at the moment. You may have noticed that Kate and I have been added as contributors. There are additional changes in the works, and one of those is expanding the scope of the content we discuss. All three of us have passions which lie outside the range of what is traditionally considered “artistic” but which we feel are intrinsically connected to our creativity. And now we’re giving ourselves permission to explore those intersections on this blog. It’s a change we are excited about, as we feel strongly that it will result in more passionate, compelling posts, and more fulfilling writing.

So, yes, it’s a design blog. An antiracist, feminist, mommy, crafty, culinary, theatrical, practical, musical design blog. And so much more.

For those of you still yearning for a little more art in this post, I give you this: I Can Fix It – Volume 1: Racism; A Now Art Project by damali ayo. From her website: "damali ayo names her particular approach to art "Now Art." She describes Now Art as being immediate, participatory, and engaging social issues. Ayo believes that 'art should make you think and feel.' She eschews art that is primarily for decoration. She believes that artists and comedians have a special task to push our culture to understand itself in order to change itself."

While I firmly believe that decorative art has an important function in our lives (I assert that it has the potential to calm the mind and soothe the soul, thus facilitating the healing of wounds incurred in our daily struggles and enabling us to soldier on) I agree that artists are charged with a particular duty to effect change in society. And now I am stepping up to the plate.

*I want to make it perfectly clear that it was not Uncle S’s responsibility to educate my baby brother. That duty lay with my parents and, to a lesser extent, my aunt. As it was, Uncle S gently demonstrated the foolishness of Buddy’s query by replying that his lips were black because his “mother left [him] in the oven too long.”

The Confines of My Creativity

2010-02-09T09:16:00.004-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about cooking lately. Not in the, "Hey I should really learn to be a better cook" kind of way but more in a, "Gee my creativity does not include the culinary realm" kind of way. I love words, visual art and design of all kinds but when it comes to cooking this is pretty much all I'm capable of:

A chicken and green bean casserole with green beans, 1 can cream of chicken soup and crushed crackers on top.

More on this topic later I'm sure.

My Investors

2010-02-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday was my first ever fabrication day, a day where I invited friends and family to stop by and help out with assembling reusable coffee sleeves. I decided to call this event Fabrication Madness and for a better part of day it was just that, chatty, fantastic, happy madness. The event was "open house" style and while we had a couple of die-hards (thanks Mom, Ally & Jess!), the majority of people came for a few of hours in the afternoon to help out. We traced, we cut, we sewed, we ate cupcakes and in the end we walked away with, a good number of completed coffee sleeves and several hundred pieces in a variety of "stages", all well on their way to being one of a kind reusable coffee sleeves.

This weekend has left me with a desire to share a little about my support system. I have built Dot&Line with a lot of hard work and dedication. I have never taken a loan, nor do I have any outside financial backers. I DO however have investors and even though they may not take traditional form, MY investors are even better than most. My investors are the several close friends who encourage me. My investors are the people who like my product so much they spread word and buy my items for their friends. Two of my investors are creative friends who contribute to this blog and three other ladies here in Twin Falls who I hope to hire someday. Then there is my father, who is a marketing guru (seriously, he runs his own ad & marketing agency), my mother who contributes wisdom and cuts batting. And let's not forget my kid sister who keeps things light when I become a little too intense and focused for my own good. One of my greatest investors is my husband who is perfectly fine with the financial implications of starting a full time business venture. He is also the planning type who has helped me stratagize on goals both short and long term. Thanks you investors for your unique and necessary contributions to my life. It would be no fun without you.

And now for some pictures of D&L's first ever Fabrication Madness:

Tracing, cutting, pressing, sewing...

Button sewing...

This was definitely a shot in the arm for D&L and boy was it FUN!
Thank you.

Free Shopping and Eco-Friendliness

2010-02-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you are anything like me, you like a good bargain! As spring quickly approaches and the spring cleaning commences, you may be trying to figure out exactly what to do with all that "stuff" you want to get rid of. Here are a couple of online options I can't get enough of:

Swapping.
I have long been a fan of clothing swaps. Not only is it a good way of getting rid of the things that you can no longer use, its a good way to give your wardrobe a free face lift. Yesterday I became a member of Rehash, an online clothing, accessory & book swap site. Check it out by clicking here. You simply photograph and list items you want to swap and then let the fun begin. As long as you have items in your profile anyone can contact you to swap. See something you want? Offer one or two pieces in exchange and let the negotiations begin.

Bidding.
I also recently joined Listia. Listia works similarly to e-bay but instead of paying cash for stuff you trade with points. You can earn points a myriad of ways. You get 50 points when you sign up, another 50 if you link your account to facebook and more when you list items. There is even an option to buy points. Unlike Rehash, Listia allows you to post virtually any item you want. Click here to check it out!

The best part about both of these sites is that you don't have to pay a dime. Simply use what you already have!

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: The Healing Arts

2010-02-04T14:47:00.004-07:00

Hello Readers!

I’ve been absent round these parts lately, as I’m in the midst of preparing for an enormous life change and everything has seemed just a little overwhelming. To calm my anxiety I’ve been listening to music by some of my favorite artists, and in doing so I found inspiration for this post.

I am a big believer in the healing power of art. As a form of expression higher than those normally accessible to us in our everyday lives, art has the ability to transform pain, and to forge from suffering a greater truth, beauty, and wisdom that can then be shared with the world at large. In my vision of utopia, everyone creates art from their pain and everyone enjoys the artistic works of others in one cosmic cathartic concert.

For myself, I find writing and acting to be the most useful for processing my own experiences, but I gain a great deal of spiritual salve from listening to music. Annie’s recent Twirl your stress away post reminded me of the circumstances of the creation of Corinne Bailey Rae’s latest album, and I thought the intersection of joyful celebration and sorrowful song would make a pitch-perfect addition to this post.

Ms. Rae lost her husband in March of 2008 to an accidental overdose. She says of her new album, "I wanted to be open. I'm really aware that I can't hide any of my feelings. With music I feel like it's the one time when I don't have to think and I don't have to contrive anything. So that's how this record turned out. It's not contrived. It's just open."

In her post Haiti & Art Therapy, blogger Roxanne Samer briefly outlines the artistic depth of the nation in crisis, and gives a quick list of Haitian artists whose work may provide a deeper understanding of Haiti’s culture and history. “In both Haiti itself as well as with Haitians living outside the country, people are turning to creative expressivity to respond to the pain that they are feeling. I suggest that all of us do the same as well. Create but also listen, view, read or watch.”

As for my own emotional comfort, I have returned, as I always do, to the work of an artist whose epic lyricism and unflinching honesty have guided me through the viscid darknesses of all my life’s enormous changes for the last ten years: Ani DiFranco. Perhaps it is selfish and foolish of me, but when I turn to the work of Ms. DiFranco for catharsis and healing, the lyrics of her song I’m No Heroine allow me to imagine myself her target audience: “I hope somewhere, some woman hears my music/And it helps her through her day.”

It's Winter Outside but It's Spring In My Armpits

2010-02-02T07:00:00.003-07:00

It all started last weekend when Peter ventured to the grocery store to do our weekly shopping. On the list was deodorant for yours truly. I told him the brand I preferred and asked him to pick out a scent for me (for some reason there are MANY scents with any given brand of deodorant these days). When Peter arrived home he handed me my "Spring Breeze" stick of wonder. SPRING BREEZE. for your armpits. huh.

(Note: I realize this post is a little off topic for this blog but I couldn't help but share)

See Kate Conquer: Planning Our Fundraiser

2010-02-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

So, Keith and I are making progress on our Haiti fundraising idea. We got the go-ahead from the cafe (thanks, Arjuan & Tomas!), who will be donating the space to us for free and the food at-cost. I asked them on impulse if they would be interested in hosting, and am a little surprised that they actually said yes! People really do have kind hearts; and, as January and February seem to be slower consumer months (perhaps you business owners have noticed?), we are hoping this will bring some wanted publicity to the cafe. Lesson learned: it never hurts to ask!

For our recipient organization, we decided to go with Partners In Health, a Boston-based group that has been doing work in Haiti for the past 20 years. We've really been impressed with this organization for a while, and are thrilled to be able to help them help Haiti.

Keith and I spent some time trying to figure out how to actually deal with the logistics of the benefit... getting the word out, taking in money, etc... turns out PIH has a great tool on their website that pretty much takes care of everything. People can donate directly on-line if they wish; the interface is a bit like an evite, if you're familiar with that.

We are calling our fundraiser the Love Haiti Fika. "Fika" is a swedish term referring to having a snack together with friends... perhaps a sandwich or a cake, almost always coffee. I think of it more of a concept than a defined term. Now, our focus is on how to ensure people have a good time. But, our friends are pretty interesting, so I think that will pretty much take care of itself!

Check back in two weeks when I post about how our event went!

Things I Like: Vintage Lamps

2010-01-27T20:25:00.004-07:00

I am in love with old lamps. One of these days I will offer an entire line of "one of a kind" vintage lamps complete with handmade lampshades. Until then I am fated to pine over beautiful pieces like these:

Invitation...

2010-01-26T15:12:00.002-07:00

I am very excited for this year and all the growth it will bring. To that end I am asking a favor. On February 6th I will be hosting a coffee sleeve fabrication day to increase inventory in the hopes that this will, in turn, increase capital for future growth.

We will be cutting fabric, batting, stamping, sewing buttons and machine sewing. NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED!!! You don't need to have sewing experience or even like to sew.

This will be an open house event! If you are in the Southern Idaho area, please stop by to say hello and have a donut even if you are unable to participate.

Feel free to bring a friend and music by your favorite artist to play in the background as we work. Stop by our facebook event page for more info and please let us know if you will be able to attend.

See Kate Conquer: How do you "give back"?

2010-01-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

**Last Chance: Faga-Meyer Family, email me at kateisfun@gmail.com with your mailing address to receive your copy of Half the Sky!! I really want to give this book to you!***

Hey Folks, Happy Monday to you!

Here in Sweden, there's lots of talk about the earthquake that has shaken Haiti to its core; I can only imagine that for those of you in parts the world closer to this catastrophe, the cries for help and greatness of need is even more loudly heard.

Keith and I have decided that we really want to do something different to help, something that is a bit out of the ordinary for us. So, we are working with a local cafe to throw a Haiti Benefit to raise money for some organization that is at work there (still to be determined). I am really excited at the prospect of this event; I love it when people come together for a good cause and have fun doing it! But, I've never taken the reigns on something like this, and I"m feeling a bit intimidated. In fact, part of me wants to back out and just say "never mind!" But that would make me a quitter. And, I don't want to be a quitter.

So. Have any of you ever thrown a benefit of sorts? Any tips for me? Any good ideas on "entertainment" or music? (These areas are not my strong suit -- food, on the other hand, I've got nailed!) How do you charge people a set price or more of a "donations accepted" thing?

Another question for you: What are some ways that you help in times of need or "give back" to your communities? I am pretty sure that there are lots of simple, easy ways to do it that don't take a lot of time or effort (usual deterrents for people... like me...).

Let's have a conversation in the comments section... I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Happy online anniversary...

2010-01-22T10:19:00.003-07:00

COFFEE SLEEVES!!! Today marks the 1 year anniversary of our online shop of reusable coffee sleeves! Be sure to order today as it is the last day for free shipping on all sleeves.

Twirl your stress away...

2010-01-21T07:00:00.001-07:00

with Corinne Baily Rae. I realize this song has been out a couple years but I really needed it today... Hope you enjoy it too.

Love,
Annie

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Marc Speaks, People Listen

2010-01-20T10:40:00.003-07:00

I’ve written before about my love of the lecture. This past weekend I had the incredible privilege of attending a lecture given by Marc Elliot, a powerful and dynamic speaker, on the subject of tolerance.

Full disclosure: I knew Marc when he was a little kid. We grew up on the same street and he and my younger brother were childhood playmates. My stepmother (who was one of Marc’s elementary school teachers) had told me of his new career in public speaking, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago, when I met my middle school drama teacher for wine and reminiscences, that I found out just what an impact he was making on the world. So last week when I read an article that reminded me of Marc, I sent him an email to say hi and wish him well. And when he responded that he would be in town over the weekend for a few engagements and that I was welcome to come hear him speak, I jumped on the opportunity.

My first impulse in writing this is to recount his entire program for you, but I could never relate his stories as engagingly and effectively as he does, and I would run the risk of diminishing the power of his message. So instead I’m going to attempt to give a brief summary of the lecture and encourage you with all possible urgency to check out Marc’s website, MarcSpeaks.com, and YouTube videos and see for yourself.

Marc was born with a rare disease which left him with only four feet of intestines, and at age nine he developed Tourette’s syndrome. These two personal challenges have afforded Marc a unique insight into the way society treats people with disabilities, and have served to increase his compassion towards and acceptance of people’s differences. And though he recognizes that acceptance is the ideal, all Marc asks of his audience is tolerance. He acknowledges that everyone makes assumptions about the people they interact with, but he reminds us that we never truly know the circumstances of anyone’s life. By sharing humorous anecdotes and being unabashedly candid about his own experience, Marc demonstrates for his audience how hurtful such baseless assumptions can be when they are allowed to evolve into actions. He challenges us to recognize the assumptions we make, and to keep from acting on them, to be tolerant of diversity, and to live and let live.

I wish my words had the power to convey the impact of Marc’s speech. I wish I could show you the attentive and awestruck looks on the faces of the teenagers who were his primary audience on Saturday. I wish I could tell you what a joy it is to see the curly-haired little boy with the sunny smile become the charismatic speaker and advocate who’s changing the world. And he is changing the world, one speech at a time, making it a more tolerant and, yes, even a more accepting place. So I urge you once more to visit his website, watch his videos, and if you are in a position to do so, hire him to speak to your company, organization, or congregation. Because when Marc speaks, people listen, and the world is a better place.

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Blogaround

2010-01-13T14:26:00.002-07:00

Hello D&L Readers!

Due to an unfortunate running injury (woops!) and a corresponding dip in energy, my adventuring has been a little scant this past week. So today I’m going to follow Kate’s lead and point you to some good reads by other writers, where energy and adventure abound. Enjoy!

Ranty’s Machine Blogger Snarkysmachine relates her dealings with Plato’s Closet as part of her (and nearly all women’s) ongoing struggle with body acceptance.

In the Summer A beautiful prose piece by professional writer/blogger meloukhia.

I Am For Sale, Who Will Buy Me? An anonymous contributor to the Afghan Women’s Writing Project shares her story.

Prop 8 Trial Tracker A team of bloggers covers Perry v. Schwarzenegger as it happens. This is history in the making!

Steals, Deals and Heels GIVEAWAY

2010-01-12T14:13:00.003-07:00

Hey Everyone! Steals, Deals and Heels is giving away one of our reusable coffee sleeves. This is not only a good promotion for D&L but a good chance for you to win some free stuff.

Check out StealsDealsandHeels.blogspot.com for more details!

See Kate Conquer: Give-Away Winner

2010-01-11T08:02:00.005-07:00

Congrats to commenter Faga-Meyer Family, you are the winner of the first See Kate Conquer give-away! Please email me (Kate!) at kateisfun [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address, and your copy of Half the Sky will be on its way.

Thanks to each of you that commented on the power and inspiration of women. I hope that even if you didn't win, you'll be inspired to read Half the Sky. From time to time I write on other issues regarding women over at my own blog, kateisfun, so feel free to check it out!

My little one is prohibiting me from writing a longer post today. So, I will leave you with some other book suggestions, should you find yourself looking for something to pass these cold winter days with:

following on the empowered women theme:
Between Two Worlds
Iran Awakening

For any woman that's pregnant or one day might be:
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

Favorite Kid's Book Ever:
Goodnight Moon

When Planning a European Travel Adventure:
Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door (or any country-specific guide by him)

I enjoy fiction, but am not very good at picking it out... got any suggestions for me?

Happy Reading!

Where in the World: Ecola State Park, Oregon

2010-01-07T07:00:00.001-07:00

Today's Where in the World submission comes to us from Ecola State Park in Oregon where Michelle is sporting her "Yellow Bird" reusable coffee sleeve. This picture makes me miss living near the coast...Isn't it beautiful? Thanks for sharing Michelle!

Where are you using your reusable coffee sleeves? What does your D&L lampshade look like in your home? We want to see. Please send pictures and descriptions to DotandLineHome@gmail.com. Be sure to write "Submission" in the subject line.

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Winter Runner's Land

2010-01-06T09:56:00.002-07:00

It’s winter here in the Midwest – in fact, the winter this year is rather insistent and vehement about its wintry-ness, and it has taken to reminding us of its icy influence with blizzards and lightning storms and runs of single-digit temperature days.

So it may surprise you when I tell you that I’ve taken up running again. I’ve sought sanctuary under the summer skies for years now, but I’ve always believed that the joy of running was seasonally confined to half the calendar. And then Christmas came and went, I was feeling more emotionally energetic and I was antsy. No amount of yoga was going to satisfy my need to move my body. So, I called my older brother.

“Hey, Big Brother! I need advice. What does your girlfriend wear when she goes running in the winter?” My older brother’s partner of three years is a die-hard runner. She runs in the summer, the winter, the rain, snow, sleet, hail…she’s like the Post Office but without those unattractive uniforms. But what is her uniform for winter wanderings? My brother listed the items she wears to face the Michigan cold, and I dutifully purchased those I did not own and set out on December 31st for my first ever winter run.

After donning running tights, two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, running shoes, sports bra, t-shirt, two long sleeved-shirts, a white hoodie, two pairs of gloves, an insulated head band, a winter hat, and a hood/cowl with a drawstring that closes over my face so that just my eyes peek out, I looked like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, and I felt like the kid from A Christmas Story (“I can’t put my arms down!”). But those layers of cloth and good advice protected me from the bitter cold, and I was able to enjoy a refreshing evening pounding the pavement of my favorite route. And I found, much to my surprise, that there are some uniquely wonderful advantages to running in the winter, which warm-weather excursions cannot provide. So, without further ado, I give you The Ten Best Things About Running In Winter:

10. Fewer Runners: unsurprisingly there are fewer people out on the sidewalks of suburbia when it’s single-syllables outside. This means more leeway for me to make the path my own.

9. Earlier Sunset: I like to run at night, in the darkness, because I love the silence and the anonymity of the shadows. And whereas in June I have to wait til 9:00 before it’s suitable dark, in January I can set out at 6:00.

8. Increased Anonymity: And since being anonymous is one of the advantages of running at night, my cowl/hat/hoodie ensemble only serves to increase the feelings of security I gain from facelessness.

7. Christmas Lights: I know the season for festive decorations has ended and soon my running route will be dim again, but this last week I have really enjoyed seeing all the creative lighting displays around the neighborhood – enough to put them on this list despite their limited longevity.

6. Soup is Satisfying: Whenever I go to the grocery store I prowl the soup aisle and purchase all kinds of delicious concoctions that sound appetizing – but then I get home and it sits in my cupboard because I’m never in the mood for soup. Well, it turns out that after you’ve spent an hour outside in negative wind-chill, soup sounds pretty darn good.

5. No Smoking: I confess, I’m a former full-time smoker turned occasional smoker, and one of those occasions is post-workout. Sometimes I reward myself with a cigarette after exercise, but that’s virtually impossible in the winter. By the time my run is near its end my lighter is frozen and my gloved fingers are too clumsy for matches.

4. No Bugs: Every summer I swallow at least a dozen bugs, and I bat away many more from my face and body while I plod through the humid night. But the bugs don’t venture out in the winter, and even if they did they’d have a hard time finding me under all my clothes.

3. Clothes Weigh a Lot: My eight layers of protective gear actually add up to quite a few extra pounds on my frame. And that extra weight I’m lugging around means my body has to work that much harder to move itself, which means I’m getting an even better workout than I would in the summer.

2. Shorter Walking Breaks: I confess, when I say “run” what I mean is “jog and occasionally walk” but “run” just sounds so much more ambitious, you know? But the thing about winter “running” is that those occasional walking breaks are shorter by necessity. If I slow down too much for too long I’ll freeze, so the cold keeps me moving.

And…the number one advantage to running in the winter is…

1. NO SKUNKS! I cannot tell you how the neighborhood Mephitidae have plagued me over the years. I have mapped route after route trying to find streets or parks not riddled with skunks and it is impossible. They are everywhere at night in the summer, and they are not eager to share their domain. I’ve even had skunks stalk me and chase me down the street! But apparently they go into a period of semi-hibernation during the winter, which means that right now, the streets belong to me! Take that, Pepé Le Pew!

So, if you’ve been feeling listless these past few weeks but had ruled out any outdoor exercising as a cure on account of the cold, I hope this list encourages you to reexamine those conclusions. You may find that the activities you love in the summer are just as enjoyable, or even more so, when the north wind blows.

Free Shipping Extended

2010-01-05T07:00:00.002-07:00

Free shipping during the holidays was such a success that we have decided to extend the promotion through January 22, which marks the 1 year anniversary of selling our reusable coffee sleeves on etsy.

We will ship your sleeves via usps parcel post and upgraded FREE PRIORITY SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF 5 SLEEVES OR MORE!!!

Also, don't forget to read Kate's latest post (below) to see how you can win your own copy of "Half the Sky".

See Kate Conquer: Making an Impact (First Official Give-Away!)

2010-01-04T07:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome to a new year, a new decade, a NEW YOU!

Well, perhaps that's a bit too ambitious for a Monday, especially before coffee. I'm not really one for resolutions, although I do enjoy a mental turning over of leaves, pursuing new things, and seeing results from concerted efforts. However, I find that sometimes the gung-ho-ness that accompanies a stride towards big change is enough to deter me, putting too much pressure on my delicate streak of gumption. If, however, I allow something to roll itself over in my mind, easing its newness into my consciousness with the slick finesse of a mesmerizing politician or a box of chocolates, I accept the change just a little bit easier, and get more bang for my buck.

Are you still following me?

What I'm trying to say is... over the past several months I've been thinking of how I can be more involved in helping and empowering women, from endeavors like supporting my friends (and myself) in their passions to advocating birth rights for women in America and Sweden, to helping stop the atrocities that women deal with worldwide on a daily basis. It can easily feel overwhelming, as I have much more of a penchant for instant gratification than I do for slow and methodical planning. One thing that I've done recently that actually did help me feel like I was in a position to help women was to read Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.

This book looks at several horrific ways that women and girls are terrorized with around the world, presenting both dramatic research and first-hand accounts. The beautiful thing is that this book also offers a lot of hope to the reader, both in terms of how these victimized women have risen above all circumstances, as well as how we can practically get involved.

I was so inspired by this book that I want to give one of you the opportunity to be moved and inspired as well. Count this as my First Official Give-Away. To enter, leave a comment that briefly describes something you find empowering about being a woman (if you're a man, you can still enter! What's something you find inspiring about women?). I'll pick a winner based on my whims of the moment, and announce the recipient of this great book next week (if you enter, please make sure to check back to see if you've won - I'll need your shipping address!).

One last thing... you may be wondering, why is this lady writing about women's rights on a design blog?! Fair enough. I guess I just assume that the predominant audience of this blog is a group of thoughtful, creative women that look at things differently, and with that perspective there's a lot of opportunity to see and act differently from others. I think that we thoughtful, creative types can move mountains with our visions of grandeur.

Year End Update

2009-12-31T10:26:00.010-07:00

Hello blogosphere! Oh how I have missed you blog! As you may have gathered from my absence and the note Val wrote explaining said absence, the holiday season has been a little crazy and I didn't have the insight to organize and prepost for the month of December, leaving me with virtually no time to keep you all updated. This last month of 2009 has been fantastic in terms of sales and keeping up with the demand has led to several late night stints.

Now to bring you up to speed with what my month looked like. I had originally planned on writing a post for each of these updates but given that this is the last day of 2009 I will do my best to give you the smooshed up version.

Before Christmas I hosted a table for our church Christmas tea party in which I used all sustainable, repurposed, or vintage products to decorate my table. I used cloth napkins, vintage snack sets purchased at a local second hand store, repurposed candle holders left over from my wedding, and extra ornaments dumped into a glass urn to decorate my table. And what eco-friendly table would be complete without including a reusable coffee sleeve.

Even earlier than the tea was The Holiday Food and Gift Festival, a local show that turned out to be a delight. My shades and coffee sleeves got some good exposure and while initial sales were a little low, I have made quite a few sales since based on the exposure I received. This was the show that Val was here to help me prepare for.

This year we did our best to give as many handmade gifts as possible for Christmas. I made several aprons for friends and family. The gifts that were not handmade were either slightly used (books) or had some utilitarian function (cooking utensils, etc). This was the first year where we took large strides toward my ultimate goal of taking The Handmade Pledge.

A lot of changes have taken place here at Dot&Line over the last year and I am excited to see what 2010 brings! I hope you will continue to join us in our exploration of purposeful living, creativity and environmental consciousness. Happy New Year!

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Devoted to the Art of the Lecture

2009-12-30T09:06:00.003-07:00

I was blessed on Christmas Day this year to be given the gift I needed most, and it came to me in the form of a lecture by Richard Florida on the rise of the “Creative Class”. In recent months I’ve taken to listening to lectures whenever the opportunity presents itself, so if I’m washing dishes, wrapping presents, on a road trip, sitting in an airport, or performing some other necessary but mostly mindless task I typically have my earbuds in and my mp3 player set to Podcasts. So, while I spent a significant number of hours wrapping the gifts my mother was giving to everyone, the presents I had purchased for loved ones were still mostly in their original shopping bags come Christmas morning. Luckily my family was not getting together until the afternoon, so I put on a pot of coffee, dialed up the radiator, and settled myself on the floor with the wrapping paper, ribbon, scissors, and Big Ideas, “the only regularly scheduled program in North America devoted to the art of the lecture.”

It’s difficult for me to put into words how exactly Mr. Florida’s lecture affected me, and frankly some of my revelations are a little too personal for me to feel comfortable posting them publicly, but over the course of the 57 minutes I became more and more excited, more and more elated, and when it was over I laid on the floor of the living room in my little apartment and wept with joy. And then I called Annie.

Mr. Florida’s book is winging its way to me from a warehouse in Utah as I write, and I look forward to diving more deeply into his work, but I am oddly certain that the greatest revelations his book has to offer me have already been imparted by his lecture. It was as though the hyper-distillation of years of study into a one hour talk was specifically designed to hit every button I had and eradicate all the fears I’d been nurturing for months. So while the detailed examination of those now extinct phobias will also be a joyful exercise, it is the lecture I will always remember, and the way it left me lying open and freed and new, alone in my apartment on Christmas morning.

“The Art of the Lecture.” How true. Powerful and dense and precise and bold, this art form has so much to offer and asks so little of its audience. And thanks to TVO you can sample knowledge from a myriad of subjects, tasting wisdom in bite-sized helpings, and perhaps find a lecturer who is an expert in the insight you need most.

While Richard Florida’s lecture has had the greatest impact on me, it is by no means the only lecture that has changed my perspective and informed my life. Other TVO episodes worthy of high praise are Margaret Atwood’s Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth, Christopher Hitchens’s The Ten Commandments, and Margaret Visser’s The Gift of Thanks.

And if you’re interested in the origins of morality, many PBS stations have been airing Justice, the lectures of philosopher Michael Sandel as delivered to his Harvard class. The arrogance and willful ignorance of some of his students can be a little grating, but Mr. Sandel takes it all in stride and gracefully delivers lectures that rise above his students’ selfishness without also flying over their heads.

If you have further suggestions of where to find great lectures or thoughts on examples of this art form that have affected you, I’d love to hear them. Happy learning!

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Last Minute Gift Idea

2009-12-22T12:25:00.006-07:00

As I’m sure you’re all aware, December is NBABBABAAGITSNB month. Which, of course, stands for National Buy a Book by a Black Author and Give it to Somebody Not Black Month. What’s that you say? You weren’t aware? Well, neither was I, until yesterday when I stumbled across the blog “White Readers Meet Black Authors” in which Carleen Brice (an author herself) invites people of all races to read books by black authors. In an introductory post titled, “You’re Invited!” Ms. Brice greets booklovers:

Welcome readers of all races, shapes and sizes. Here is where you'll be safely, carefully introduced to books written by black people. Now, don't be alarmed. The books are written by black people, but like other books, they can be read by anybody. In fact, we WANT you to read our books. Don't let the fact that publishers and booksellers put us in the back in the special section of the store scare you. They do that because they want African American readers to be able to find us easily, which is a good thing. However, it has come to our attention that it also puts some of the rest of you off.
So we are extending an official invitation for you to check out our section of the bookstore.

This blog came into my path at exactly the perfect time. A few minutes previously I had asked my mother, “Did you ever think of anything you want for Christmas?” And she said, “Yeah, actually I’d like to find a new series of books to read. I liked the Harry Potter and Ender’s Game books, so something new along those lines.” And I sat there thinking, “Well, I don’t know of any more magic realism or science fiction series that would suit my mother’s tastes. None that she hasn’t already read, anyway.” And then into my lap fell Ms. Brice’s blog. She even has a post devoted to science fiction/fantasy writers.

So, this Christmas my Mom is getting:

Lilith’s Brood by Octavia E. Butler. This is the full Xenogenesis trilogy in one volume. (All synopses in this post are from Barnes & Noble.com)

The acclaimed trilogy that comprises LILITH'S BROOD is multiple Hugo and Nebula award-winner Octavia E. Butler at her best. Presented for the first time in one volume, with an introduction by Joan Slonczewski, Ph.D., LILITH'S BROOD is a profoundly evocative, sensual — and disturbing — epic of human transformation.Lilith Iyapo is in the Andes, mourning the death of her family, when war destroys Earth. Centuries later, she is resurrected — by miraculously powerful unearthly beings, the Oankali. Driven by an irresistible need to heal others, the Oankali are rescuing our dying planet by merging genetically with mankind. But Lilith and all humanity must now share the world with uncanny, unimaginably alien creatures: their own children. This is their story...

Mom will also be receiving books one and two of a fantasy series by new author Leslie Ann Moore. Book one, Griffin’s Daughter, won the 2008 Ben Franklin Award for Best First Book.

Moore's novel tells of a young, orphaned woman who is scorned by society for her mixed human and elven blood. She discovers that she possesses a mysterious magical power and when she travels to Elven lands in search of answers, she discovers a shocking truth about her identity that will have epic consequences for an entire nation.

And then, because I was on a roll, I found the perfect book for my Dad! He loves suspense novels, especially anything to do with disease and/or religious mythology. So I bought him Blood Colony, by Tananarive Due.

There's a new drug on the street: Glow. Said to heal almost any illness, it is distributed by an Underground Railroad of drug peddlers. But what gives Glow its power? Its main ingredient is blood — the blood of immortals. A small but powerful colony of immortals is distributing the blood, slowly wiping out the AIDS epidemic and other diseases around the world.

And, of course, in the process of shopping for my family, I couldn’t help but be seduced by a book or two myself. So, Merry Christmas, me! I’ll be reading Getting Mother’s Body by Suzan Lori-Parks (I was familiar with her work as a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, but I had no idea she wrote novels as well) and Sugar, by Bernice L. McFadden. I was actually moved to purchase this last book by Ms. McFadden’s plea on her own blog, Naki. Sugar is celebrating its 10th anniversary on January 9th, 2010, and while it was highly praised and very successful upon its release, Sugar, along with countless other books by African American writers, is now disappearing from the shelves of bookstores. Why? Ms. McFadden poses and attempts to answer this question:

I don't rightly know why publishers market fiction written by African-Americans ONLY TO African-Americans - but it has become common practice. And by doing this, they've placed all AA authors in one box forcing them to compete for the attention of ONE audience.
The word that has been coined to describe what is happening to AA writers is: Seg-Book-Gation
Segregation is an abominable practice no matter how you slice it - but when you apply it to art -- it becomes a sin. Art of any medium should transcend color, race, class, religion and ethnicity, but alas, that is not the case in the publishing world.

If there is one truth I believe in unfailingly, it is the transcendent power of art. So, if you have any last minute shopping to do and are looking for the perfect gift idea, why not buy a book by a black author for a person on your Christmas list? Help someone fall in love with a new writer this year, and help tear down the barriers segregating the literary art form.

My Best DIY/Home Improvement Project to Date

2009-12-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Things have been a bit busy in my neck of the Swedish woods this past week, as Project Baby Spice was completed (or, did it just start?) Tuesday, December 16 at 2:20 am. This little big guy - we call him Elijah - weighed in at 9 pounds 4 ounces, and when he can be convinced to stretch out he's about 21 1/4 inches. He was born at home, just a few feet from where he is in this picture (receiving his first sponge bath from his daddy). Our Persian friends shared a proverb with us from their culture, "Children bring life to a home", and I couldn't agree more.

Hope your Holidays are filled with lots of life and joy!

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Wrapping Extravaganza

2009-12-16T12:56:00.005-07:00

It’s the most wonderful time of year…present wrapping time!!!

When I was a little girl I used to LOVE to help my mom wrap Christmas presents. I’d put my finger on the ribbon while she tied a knot, hand her pieces of tape when she needed them, and find gift tags that matched the wrapping paper. At some point I was promoted from my apprenticeship and allowed to wrap gifts myself. My first efforts were a little shaky but I improved steadily and it wasn’t long before my mother gave the job of wrapping entirely over to me. As it turns out, she hates wrapping presents. In fact, she used to get panic attacks thinking about all the presents she had to wrap for myself and my two brothers, not to mention the rest of her family. So when she saw that I got giddy at the thought of rolls of crisp, shiny paper, spools of delicate curling ribbon, and endless piles of presents waiting to be made into works of holiday art, Mom joyfully handed over the reins.

I’ve been doing all the family’s Christmas wrapping (for every holiday I’ve been at home) ever since. I love seeing the pile of paper-clad presents sitting prettily under the tree, and watching it grow as I complete each gift. And somewhere around the 23rd or 24th of December a cluster of gift bags joins the collection – these are the presents for me. ;-)

For the past two years I have been blessed with a job at which I am responsible for the annual holiday gifts to customers which means I get to wrap about 100 presents. And I get paid. It’s my favorite time of the whole year. I set up a little “Santa’s Workshop” in the conference room and have an assembly line of tissue paper and bags and foil and ribbon. It’s FANTASTIC! I finished this year’s customer gifts last week and I must say, I am quite proud of the results.

Then, this past weekend I did a little holiday bonding with my mother, and while we drank pumpkin spice coffee and watched our favorite Christmas movies for the 872nd time, I set to work on Mom’s Christmas stash. Ta da!

But this year’s prize for best wrapped present goes to a gift from my mom to her brother-in-law. She bought him a series of seven books, but she had to buy them each separately as they are not sold as a set. I played around with the books for a while, trying to decide what the most interesting way to present them would be, and ultimately went with this:

Isn’t it beautiful? (That’s a rhetorical question. If you don’t think it’s beautiful then bugger off.)

I’ve got a few presents left to wrap and I’m already mourning the end of wrapping season. If anyone in the St. Louis area would like assistance adorning their holiday gifts just let me know!

Business Blessings!

2009-12-16T12:48:00.003-07:00

Annie has been inundated with holiday orders for coffee sleeves, so she's currently running on no sleep and sewing frantically to keep up with demand. The increased sales are a boon, but the corresponding bane is less time for the blog. She may be absent 'round these parts til after Christmas, so wish her happy holidays and don't forget that coffee sleeves make great stocking stuffers! (I can do the shameless plug thing because it's not my product.)

-Val

Making the Most of the Space You Have

2009-12-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

I bet I'm right in assuming that many of you readers may feel a little low on abundant space in your homes. Maybe it's a student dorm room, or a tiny NYC apartment, or a bedroom in a house filled with roommates. On the other hand, perhaps you are the proud owner of your first home, or living alone for the first time, or have three extra guest rooms in a sprawling colonial. Despite which category you fall into, it seems that we – and our possessions – are capable of growing into whatever accommodations are available, and feeling cramped can happen in any sized environment.

I've mentioned before how acutely we felt this when we moved from our undeservingly-generous-to-us housing situation in Boston to our Swedish cave. And, I've certainly spent a good deal of time explicating on our lack of know-how when it came to making the most of the space we do have. To our minimalist minds, less is more. And, so very often this is the case. But, there is a limit. For example, it doesn't make sense to have no book cases if the result of that will be stacks of books and papers littered on the floor.

Most recently we've encountered this reality as we attempt to get ready for Baby Spice (ten days over the due date as of today, in case you were curious). In general, I am not a fan of homes that succumb to Everything Baby, where there's nary a space that plays coy to the question of whether or not children reside there. In reaction to this, and a desire to not over-clutter our cave, we resisted buying a lot of the standard baby fare. No crib, no room for one. No baby bath tub, it would take up far too much space for the number of times we would use it (although, I must admit to lusting after this nifty number I read about on another blog this week). Our baby items are pretty much limited to clothes, blankets, books (I firmly believe kids are never too young to be read to!), cloth diapers, and the numerous stuffed animals we've been gifted.

However, Keith convinced me that a changing table with drawers would be a wise addition. Yes, this piece of furniture is fairly sizable, but the the benefits to us made it worth it in the end. For the past several months, everything baby-related had been stored neatly away in boxes under our bed. This is a brilliant solution – when you don't need to access a clean outfit every few hours, or need to have clean diapers within arms' reach of where your baby is wriggling. And, of course, there is the obvious benefit of having a surface designated to holding our baby's exposed butt. Fortunately, we have a perfectly-sized nook that wasn't of much use in any other way, and IKEA, yet again, had the perfect solution for us.

This piece cost us around $200 (it's cheaper in USD, so consider yourselves lucky!). It converts into a regular dresser, simply by taking off the full-sized changing table piece to reveal a standard dresser top (or, if you happen to, ahem, forget to put the second box in your cart during your first trip to IKEA, it will also convert from dresser to changing table... just saying). It is solid wood and extremely sturdy. Its two drawers are enough to hold all our baby clothes and several blankets as well; the shelves are big enough to hold all things diaper-related, and are deep enough to act as storage for extra wipes, burp cloths, and other baby-related items.

This is a case where more is actually more. It is far more practical and esthetically pleasing to have these things together and easily accessible than to have them tucked under the bed, or in the closet, or stacked in piles on the ground. While I wasn't sure at first that buying a relatively large piece of furniture – particularly one that I thought would only serve the purpose of changing diapers – was the right move, it turns out it was exactly the right thing for us.

How about you? How have you made the most of the space you have - whether large or small - in your home?

DIY: Cutting Your Own Christmas Tree

2009-12-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have always been a fan of fresh cut real Christmas trees. In the past picking out a tree has consisted of little more than showing up at a tree lot here in town. This year however, we decided we would purchase a permit and head to the forest to cut down our own tree. While cutting down trees may be controversial, rest assured that we will be planting a tree in the spring to replace it.

If you want to cut down your own tree here are some DIY tips:

1. Wear snow boots. We learned this the hard way.
2. Don't forget rope for tying it to your car and a saw (or hatchet) for chopping down the tree.
3. Use a 4 wheel drive vehicle, especially where there's snow
4. Dress warm!
5. Stick to the rules! Get the proper permits and documentation required to cut your own tree.
6. Pack water, blankets and food...just in case of car trouble.

When we set out to find our tree Peter and I had a dream of beautiful full branches. The tree we found is darling but does not meet this expectation. Our little tree is rivals Charlie Brown's for it's sparse character but we don't care! We will enjoy it all the same.

Here are some pics:

We look forward to transforming it with decorations tonight!

More Holiday fun with Dreidels

2009-12-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

The holidays have always been full of simple joys in my family. On any given Christmas morning you could find us all playing with harmonicas, yo-yo's and cazoos! One particularly memorable gift was a Dreidel given to me, my sister and our cousins as children. Not only did this open our eyes to other traditions, it also provided endless hours of fun among the group of us as we gambled the chocolate coins we received in our stockings.

I hope you enjoy these fun handmade dreidels as much as I do!

This wood dreidel from dreidelmaker is lovely!

How about this hand painted dreidel by The Secret of Style:

And these clay dreidels by Victory Blue Designs:

These glass dreidels by Bat Chen Designs are so beautiful!!

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Chocolate Mission

2009-12-09T08:07:00.008-07:00

It’s that time of year: ice is on the roads, coats are now required attire, parents are taking their children to the mall to stand in line for 2 hours for the opportunity to sit on a stranger’s lap, and Christmas carols are now socially accepted as valid music options (though personally, I’ve had Straight No Chaser’s holiday albums on a continuous loop since Halloween). And again this year I find myself craving that most glorious of winter beverages, the perfect cup of hot chocolate.

Now, I know that there are thousands of delicious cocoa recipes in the world and that I could spend all year trying them and be continually amazed by the earth’s collective chocolate genius. However, when I look for the perfect cup of hot chocolate my options are actually a little limited due to two immutable restrictions: 1) I have a permanently bare refrigerator, and 2) I’m lazy. And, well, 3) I live alone and there’s rarely such a thing as a single serving recipe for anything, let alone hot chocolate, but 3 is not necessarily permanent so I’ll stick with 1 & 2 as my main reasons for seeking an instant powdered cocoa mix to satisfy my festive desire.

When this year’s cocoa bug first hit I was with Annie – it was Thanksgiving and we had just visited Nessie for the third time and I suggested we stop at Walgreens (being the only store visibly open) and pick up some hot chocolate. Annie being Annie, however, she already had the makings for Mexican hot chocolate at home. It was truly delicious and she told me I’d most likely be able to find it in a grocery store at home, but the problem is there was milk required, and also lots of stirring and standing next to the stove, and so I decided the Mexican chocolate, though delicious, was not for me.

And so while at home the following weekend and laid out with a vicious cold I started experimenting. First, the standard generic brand hot cocoa mix, one package, 6 ounces of water. Too watery, not enough chocolate taste. After cleansing my palette with a cup of tea, I tried 1 ½ packets generic cocoa mix with 6 ounces of water. Ahhh, much better, though still definitely lacking something.

On my way to work the following Monday, still nursing my super-sized cold, I stopped at the grocery store and grabbed a box of Swiss Miss. Then I added 1 ½ packets to 6 ounces of water and (here’s the genius part) a splash of Half & Half from the office fridge! (Note: I do not count Half & Half as a violation of restriction #2 because I usually have it at home. See, I care far more about drinking a decent cup of coffee than I do about eating a decent meal, so while the shelves of my fridge may be desolate there is almost always a pint of cream in the door.) Now this concoction was quite good – the cream gave it just the velvety consistency I was looking for without requiring me to buy a gallon of milk that I’d have no other use for and without necessitating the use of the stove or excessive stirring.

I was willing to settle for my new recipe as this year’s go-to cup when I did a stint of catsitting for my mother. My mother has some kind of unusual lucky streak when it comes to winning crap she doesn’t want, and somehow every year she winds up bringing home a basketful of hot chocolate mix from the office raffle, which then languishes in the recesses of her cupboards until I arrive to liberate it. Another fantastic quirk of my mama’s is that she always has a can of aerosol whipped cream stashed in the fridge, and it’s usually within the expiration date. I have no idea what she uses it for since I’ve never known her to bake and she’s not a frequent purchaser of pies, but somehow Reddi-Whip is ever present in her kitchen. Anyway, while marveling at the wonders of cable television and doing my laundry for free, I created this year’s best cup of instant hot chocolate to date: 1 packet Café Primo chocolate hazelnut (mmmmmm!) mix, ½ packet Swiss Miss standard milk chocolate mix, 8 ounces water, several tablespoons Half & Half, and a giant pillowy helping of whipped cream artfully piled on top, all served in a tall holiday-themed snowman mug. It. Was. Heaven.

I’ll continue to experiment as the season continues. I may even get ambitious at some point and try to duplicate my high school drama teacher’s chocolate miracle which she used to give out at the holidays – it was a dry mix but it was homemade and I suspect it may have contained powered sugar, but she never relented when I begged for the recipe – but for now I’m content to swipe premium mix from my mom’s house and make a one-time investment in Reddi-whip to satisfy my seasonal sweet tooth.

Artist Profile: Rachel Wall of Twilight Visions

2009-12-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's that gift giving time of year and I can't think of a better handmade gift than a lovely piece of jewelry from Twilight Visions. Here's a little bit about owner and designer, Rachel Wall.

1. Where is your business based out of?

At the moment I’m based out of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. That changes every couple of years with how much I move though!

2. Where are you from originally?

I was born in Napa, California but grew up and spent a large part of my life in Alaska so I consider that home.

3. How long have you been an artist and/or business owner?

I’ve always been an artisan, but didn’t start selling my work until about nine years ago at festivals and galleries. I’m very new to the world of online selling though, and have had a shop on Etsy for about a year.

4. Where do you get your creative inspiration?

I get a lot of my inspiration from ancient tribal arts and crafts, nature, nostalgic styles, bohemian and everywhere else in between. I feel most inspired after going to a museum. Inspiration is everywhere.

5. What does your creative process entail?

This question is always the hardest to answer. My process usually changes with the medium. It usually starts with the color I want to work with or certain piece I want to make something with. I’ll hold it in my hand for a while and envision a design. I then try different combinations of complimenting that original piece until I come up with a basic theme. After that my hands do the rest and there have been many times I end up with something completely different than my original intent.

When it comes to the other mediums I work with it’s usually impulsive. I love photography and working with acrylics and textiles as well.

6. Would you say your environment (where you live, work, play) influences your creative process? If so, how?

Yes I would say my environment influences my work. Since I move a lot I get exposed to different styles and personalities. I have been inspired by people’s personalities which is always fun.

7. Who are your creative mentors?

I would have to say every artist out there. We all mentor and inspire each other!

8. Tell us about the one project you would say you are most proud of.

So hard to pick just one so I’ll have to go with the pieces where I have upcycled. I like the challenge of coming up with a piece that had a prior life. I have made some really great pieces with vintage components. Many times those pieces have components from 4 or 5 different pieces of vintage jewelry. I’m in the middle of one right now that could possibly be one of my favorites. I have collected enough vintage leaf brooches to finally do it!

9. What do you enjoy doing when you're not creating?

I love the outdoors, hiking, traveling, eating good food and spending time with my man, friends and my cats. I’m a bit of a movie buff as well so I love watching obscure movies and discovering new independent filmmakers.

10. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

This answer is so not going to be an expected one. In ten years I see myself as a biologist working in conservation. I deeply care about the environment and just went back to school last year to pursue a degree in biology. I was inspired while living in Pittsburgh and working for non-profit environmental lobby group to travel this path and I’m well suited for it. I will always create and am sure I’ll get even more inspiration as a biologist.

Holiday Cheer (and a couple updates)

2009-12-07T07:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Holidays! Like Annie, I am deeply in the spirit of Christmas, and hope that - whatever holiday you are celebrating after Thanksgiving – you are feeling some holiday lovin' as well. I'll admit that some of my eagerness is simply re-channeled anticipation, previously directed at my baby who has yet to make his or her appearance. Unlike anticipated birth days, the start of celebrating Christmas here in Sweden is an exact science: Celebrations start the first day of Advent, or four Sundays before Christmas. In Sweden, this is the day that everyone goes to church, whether or not they usually find themselves there. Advent is more of a secular celebration than a religious one, and despite the very high number of cultures that are represented by Sweden's large immigrant population, Christmas is pretty much the only holiday that gets a nod this time of year. And by “nod” I mean “all encompassing bear hug that overtakes every street lamp, person, store window, concert hall, and cafe table in this city to infuse you with Christmas cheer whether you like it or not”. You could try to resist, but it would be futile.

Anyway, I've attempted some Christmas decorating around the apartment, hoping to add to the coziness factor that was started with trays of candles and softer lighting as the shorter days descended upon us. In previous years, the highlight of my decorating expertise has been the boxes of tack I sprayed around as I planned for my office's Tacky Christmas Party. It didn't exactly scream “class” and “cozy” as I was going for in my own home. But with a little Googling of “Martha Stewart” and “Christmas” I got a bit inspired. Here's what I came up with:

My mom always has fresh-cut greens around the house at Christmas – on the mantle, on the dining room table, tied to the mailbox. She has the luxury of simply going outside and snipping away at the various pine trees and holly bushes that reside in our yard; I resorted to paying for these fine specimens, which felt a little ridiculous, but what can I say? I work with what I have. Also, I love LOVE these mini-pointsettas. A word to the wise: They really are temperature-sensitive! Since taking this picture, I've wilted two of them since they were in the direct draft of the cracked window. Good effort, I'd like to think.

I loved these berry sprigs the first time I saw them, and think they look great in this vase. It's also a nice change to the top of our microwave, which is usually filled with crap, like my keys and Keith's wallet and a bowl of random produce, from old bananas and pears to garlic skins and loose potatoes. I like this look a lot more. (Ironically, I bought these at our local produce stand, but Keith, when returning our friends' car we had borrowed the other night, parked right in front of a bush of this type... if I need more, I now know where to go...)

This was super easy... I wish I had a few more greens to add to the tray, but it will do. Every evening we will plug in our Christmas lights and light many tea candles (I typically prefer slightly bigger ones, like these found at IKEA) and this is a nice little addition to the table between our two reading chairs.

I've got a few more things going on around the apartment, but I'm not convinced I haven't crossed the line into “obsessive” and “tacky” so I'll leave my sharing to the above.

What's your favorite way to decorate for the holidays?

***In other news, here are just a couple updates for you on previous posts:

The closet doors have finally been completed, and we are loving the fresh look our room has now.

I received my four wet bags from The Pat-a-Cake Baby, and love them even more than I thought I would. The fabrics are so brilliantly colored, and the construction and detail is extraordinary. I was so in love with them that - since they won't be used until I've got some dirty cloth diapers to deal with – I hung them from our closet doors to add some color and visual appeal to our room. This lasted about two days until Keith got fed up with having to manually move each bag every time he wanted to open or close his closets. Fair enough. Now they are tucked away in our new changing table awaiting this baby... just like me (well, I'm waiting, not tucked away... never mind).

DIY with Feather Love

2009-12-04T07:00:00.001-07:00

Feathers are really in style this winter and I’m loving it! From earrings to headpieces to holiday wreaths, I can’t seem to get enough. I present to you a fun and simple DIY project to incorporate a little feather fun into your holiday season!

What you’ll need:

Clear glass ornaments
Feathers, whatever type and color you like
Pieces of ribbon for easy hanging

First start by removing the silver cap at the top of the ornament by pulling gently. Trim feathers as desired and carefully insert feathers until you have achieved desired look. I prefer fewer feathers, allowing you to still see through the ornament for added dimension but this is totally your call.

Once feathers are inserted to desired look, reinsert ornament cap, add ribbon and...

Voila!!!

Getting in the Christmas Mood with Stockings

2009-12-03T08:52:00.007-07:00

The holidays are upon us! A Christmas gets closer and closer I can't help but to think about my favorite things of the holiday season. Topping off the list are Christmas stockings. Some families stop doing stockings once their kids are of a certain age. This is not the case with my family. "Santa" still puts together a stocking for us every year and it is one of my favorite things to open on Christmas morning. For me the fun lies in the mystery of the stocking as one can never be sure of what will be included. Stocking items can range from jewelry to a kazoo and that childlike anticipation of de-socking the joy is one that finds me year after year.

Today I thought I would share some of my favorite stockings with you!

These eco-friendly felt stockings embrace a simplistic beauty that would look lovely hanging by the fire. Click here for more details and variety.

I love the personalized feel of these stockings by SuzyQ Quilts. They are very elegant and traditional...two qualities that make for a nice Christmas.

This stocking by beckaboo is perfectly suited for the kid in all of us. Such a happy little Christmas monster.

I love the tropical vibe (yet still somehow traditional) of these stockings by Prudence Octavia.

Thanks for reading. Be sure to stop by tomorrow for a fun holiday DIY project!

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Best of Twin Falls

2009-12-02T10:20:00.002-07:00

As you are already aware, I spent Thanksgiving week in Twin Falls, Idaho with the sublimely talented Annie. I assume it goes without saying that I went to Twin Falls with the purpose of visiting my best friend and not for the tourism. However, this sleepy little city in the middle of the desert far exceeded my expectations when it came to providing interesting attractions and opportunities for excitement. And so today I give you, the best of Twin Falls, according to moi:

My first sensory delight occurred on the plane as we circle the Boise airport, and on the drive from Boise to Twin Falls I acquired an even keener appreciation for: the scenery. Now, I suppose if you live in Idaho and you routinely trek from one side of the state to the other, the endless miles of desert and plateaus and the views of distant mountains could seem a little blasé. But to someone who’s spent the majority of her life in the Midwest and on the East Coast, the Idaho landscape’s stark and desolate beauty was novel and thrilling. I saw my very first live-and-in-person plateau!!! My only previous experience with these flat-topped geological wonders was in a fourth grade textbook, and here they were, bold and powerful in their seeming defiance of the usual curves and slopes of nature. The only topographical feature I found more compelling than the plateaus were the canyons. As we drove over one and peered into its depths I spotted the only patches of green I’d thus far seen in Idaho, and pools of inviting blue water nestled at the bottom of the enormous crevice. I could go on and on about the miraculous natural scenery, but for now suffice it to say that I have a new appreciation for the desert landscape, and I understand why so many artists – poets, painters, novelists – feel drawn to the barren beauty of the North American West.

My second distinct moment of sensual joy came on Tuesday morning, when Annie introduced me to her favorite coffee house, Java. Though I was more than intrigued by the prospect of a “Keith Richards” (the contents of which I am still unsure, though I surmise from the name that it is thoroughly caffeinated) I was highly skeptical of whether Java could live up to MokaBe’s in St. Louis, The Java House in Iowa City, or New York City’s Abraço. So imagine my dumbfounded awe when Java surpassed them all. And though I was overjoyed with Tuesday’s “Keith Richards”, I was even more impressed by Wednesday’s “Bowl of Soul”. Part of me grieved that I was visiting during a holiday week, as we were prevented from going to Java on Thursday morning. But on Friday I sipped my final Java-crafted drink with relish, and marveled at the unlikelihood of tasting the best coffee of my life in the tiny isolated town of Twin Falls, Idaho. I wondered if enough non-Idaho-natives would visit Java to spread the word nationwide that there is an espresso oasis teetering on the lip of a canyon in the vastness of Magic Valley. Probably not. Java will likely remain a small town wonder appreciated only by the initiated. But perhaps its relative anonymity is part of its allure.

Speaking of small town wonders, possibly the greatest, or at least most uniquely memorable, moment of my trip to Twin Falls was a discovery of the type that is virtually exclusive to smaller communities: on Tuesday evening Annie and I decided to go for a spree in the mall. Upon entering the mall drive, we spotted signs touting the “Mile of Lights” now available for viewing. Some marketing genius thought to increase traffic to the mall during the holiday season by erecting Christmas light displays around the perimeter of the shopping center, and inviting potential shoppers to see the Mile of Lights. Well, intrigued, Annie and I took the bait. We tuned the car’s radio to the appointed station as directed by the signs, and listened as our disembodied hostess advised us that the best and safest way to view the Mile of Lights was from our car, with the headlights on, keeping our arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. We were giggling furiously even before the dedicated station crackled and fizzled out of range as we drove a few hundred feet down the road. Apparently, lacking sophisticated broadcasting equipment, the Mile of Lights narration is only audible from a few points along the circular route, and its designated station is more frequently dominated by country music than official Mile of Lights commentary. Somehow this only made the attraction more enjoyable, and we cruised happily along the mall drive, laughing heartily at the glowing depictions of Evil Knievel attempting to launch himself over the canyon, of polar bears advertising Mike’s Refrigeration, and of Santa Claus merrily base jumping. And just as we came to the end of the Mile and were already seizing with hilarity, we encountered the coup de grâce of Christmas decorations: a forty-foot, twinkling, festive depiction of Nessie, the Lochness monster, sporting a stocking cap and Christmas scarf. Now we were laughing so hard we had to pull over. And take a picture. We so enjoyed our magical Mile of Lights experience that on Wednesday we returned, this time with Annie’s husband Peter and sister Jessica in tow. And again we oo’ed and aah’ed and heehee’ed and haha’ed the full mile. And on Thursday, feeling emotional and melancholy at the prospect of parting the following day, we took one last joy ride around the mall, and bade Nessie a fond farewell.

It was a marvelous trip and the best week I’ve had in years. Twin Falls now holds a special place in my heart, not only as the home of my best friend, but as a place of beauty, of unexpected culinary delight, and a source of guileless merriment of the kind best shared with loved ones while cocooned in warmth and holiday cheer. I knew all along that I would enjoy my trip to Idaho and the opportunity to spend a full week with one of my favorite people in the world – what I didn’t know is that Twin Falls would have so much to add to our experience and that the local landscape would burn itself indelibly on my heart.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T09:01:00.002-07:00

Annie here. Just wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and say that Val is visiting me here in Idaho for the holiday and I have put her to work helping me prepare for our upcoming vendor show this Friday throug Sunday. Kate is the star of the blogging this week with her Monday post as this will be the only other post for the remainder of the week. This was not the original plan but unfortunately preparation for the show is all consuming and I have sucked Val into the vortex of my stress.

If you are in the Twin Falls area please stop by our booth at the Holiday Food & Gift Festival. This years festival will be held at Immanual Lutheran School Friday and Saturday 10:00-7:00 and Sunday 12:00-6:00.

Happy Thanksgiving and see you next week!

See Kate Conquer: Thanksgiving Dinner at 39 Weeks Pregnant

2009-11-23T07:00:00.004-07:00

Well, that's the hope anyway. I figured having an event to focus on – like hosting six friends and two babies for, arguably, the biggest meal of the year – was a good way to keep myself focused on something other than BABY. Of course, that was a month and a half ago before I extended the invitation (with certain restrictions - like water breaking - applying) and before the third trimester exhaustion set in. But! With no exit strategy yet made known to me by my inhabitant, I am proceeding as planned.

Last year's preparations

For some reason, being away from the States last year and this year for Thanksgiving has made me love it even more. Absence simply making my heart grow fonder, perhaps? Or maybe it's that I've had some really great Thanksgivings in recent years... Keith and I hosting my family in Cambridge, MA... being with his family in Frametown, WV and having my first go at 4-wheeling... joining friends for several years running in their traditional get-together. There's no one way to celebrate, and most everyone allows themselves an excuse to be grateful and just a little bit more sentimental than usual. Of course, for others Thanksgiving is just the one-day initiation to a month-plus of stress and obligation. If that's you, then this post has your name on it; I just want to focus on the food today!

Turkey
I'm serving a turkey breast this year. Whole turkeys are hard to find in my neck of the Swedish woods; I did see them at one store over the weekend, but it had all sorts of additives (salt, sugar, water) in it that I'd rather not have. My mom taught me it's worth investing in meat, be it a Thanksgiving turkey, a Christmas ham, or an Easter lamb. It's kind of the star of the show; why take a risk? So, I'll be heading to Saluhallen, Göteborg's famous indoor market, to get a nice hefty turkey breast (and, I won't have space issues in my tiny oven).

Stuffing
This is my favorite dish. I love stuffing. I could go to Thanksgiving dinner and eat only stuffing. I use this basic bread stuffing recipe from The Joy of Cooking, again something copied from my mother. I add the optional pecans and raisins, and typically use a sweet bread (challah is wonderful!). I prefer fresh herbs to dried - and generous measurements at that - and always, always make extra (this year I'm making a triple batch).

Potatoes, Mashed
I don't have a tried and true recipe I keep returning to for mashed potatoes; instead, I just boil a bunch of potatoes (unpeeled) and add my pick of various dairy to the mashed result: butter, sour cream, crème fraiche, milk, cheese. If it's not Thanksgiving I might add herbs and/or garlic, but for the Big Day I prefer something a bit more classic.

Potatoes, Sweet
I love sweet potatoes. Delicious, healthy, versatile... For Thanksgiving dinner I will slice them in ½ rounds, toss with olive oil and S&P and bake starting in a cool oven. The exact recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated, my favorite cooking magazine and one of my favorite cooking web sites.

Pecan Pie
It's funny... I don't think we ever had pecan pie on Thanksgiving when I was growing up, but when I do Thanksgiving it's the only dessert I serve. I use this alternative crust option (given about half-way through the recipe) with this filling, adding a layer of chocolate in between, and served with real vanilla ice cream and a generous grating of fresh nutmeg. (If you've never taken a look at the cross section of a nutmeg, you gots to! It's really beautiful.)

This is my planned menu – so far – for Thursday. I love dinner rolls, but I don't have a perfected recipe and there are already so many carbs that I'm fairly certain my non-American guests won't notice their absence and I'll save on effort in any way I can this year. I hope to have sauteed kale as another veggie dish, but I've had a heck of a time finding it since last February, when they were selling it dirt cheap by the kilo (I love variations on this recipe). There will of course be gravy, but that's a last-minute thing for me, something I don't quite know how to plan, and instead I just hope for the best! I love sauces and chutneys, so if I can track down some cranberries I'll have those on the side in some simmered, spiced form as well. For wine, I've got a couple bottles of this year's Beaujolais Nouveau (which I am still convincing myself to part with even though I won't be enjoying it in as much a personal way as in an observational one... sigh!), or I might go with some tasty Pinot Noir. For a white option, perhaps a Pinot Gris. Other than the Beaujolais, I don't really know what I'm talking about when it comes to wine; I asked my dad what he was serving and figured his tastes transcend international waters.

My Thanksgiving Table Favorite

Have I missed something obvious (very probable with my distracted mind these days)? What's your favorite dish, and what quirky item is a Thanksgiving spread never without in your home? Happy Thanksgiving Week, everyone!

An Iowa Connection

2009-11-19T07:57:00.005-07:00

I have some good news for those of you who live in Iowa City and the surrounding area. Our reusable coffee sleeves are now being sold at Sisters Garden on Hwy.1 between Iowa City and Kalona! I gave you all a glimpse of their shop a couple of weeks ago and am honored to have my products there among so many other great pieces.

Sisters Garden is having a holiday open house tomorrow through Saturday. For more details check out their blog: sistersgardeniowa.blogspot.com. It is my understanding that free coffee will be served while you peruse their offerings!

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Ninja Quest

2009-11-18T07:00:00.002-07:00

So, I’ve been a little slack on the adventuring lately – been feeling slightly under the weather – so for today’s post I’m going to relate an adventure I had a few months ago, when I decided to try to be a ninja

I was having a crisis of creativity one night, and bored with my city and my situation I called my baby brother. After explaining that I'd freaked out over being trapped here I was pretty much out of things to say, and he wasn't all that forthcoming with the conversation, so I blurted out an idea that had been floating randomly in my head for a while. "Hey, I'm thinking about taking a martial art. Got any recommendations for me?" And he did. After discussing my many options and calling our older brother to consult, he recommended I train in ninjutsu at M.B. Dojo with some guy who's apparently a bigshot in the art. So I sent the instructor an email describing my goals (self defense & physical confidence) and asking for information about classes and their training philosophy.

I received a very encouraging reply in which the instructor said that all that was required to train at their studio was a good heart, humility, and the willingness to learn. Check (I hope), check, double check. I made an appointment to go in for my free trial class.

And thus my quest to become a ninja became...quest FAIL! I suck at being a ninja. Not only did it take Mark (aka "Sensei") showing me a movement about 8 times before I could half-way imitate it, I then completely forgot how to do it after having done it correctly for 5 minutes. Seriously. It was a "do it across the floor" kind of thing, and I'd manage to make it to the wall executing a valiant attempt at the move all the way, then I'd turn around and COMPLETELY FORGET HOW TO DO IT. I kid you not, I now completely regret every time I ever rolled my eyes in math class or shook my head at the poor sap who wasn't keeping up in chemistry, because now I know what it's like to have your brain utterly abandon you. I turned around and had no idea what the crap to do. It. Was. Awful. Of course, that wasn't the only part of the class that sucked. Other humiliations included: freaking out when my partner knocked me to the ground (ok, not freaking out, but failing to fall correctly and letting out a rather comical "oof"), completely forgetting how to do yet another move after having done it successfully for three minutes, backwards resulting in a large bruise on my nail bed, being the only person not wearing all black (he said "athletic wear" and so I showed up in my gray yoga pants and blue tank top with cutesy-baby-blue sports bra peaking out while everyone else was wearing head to toe black), not knowing any of the rituals (such as bowing when entering the mats, calling Mark "Sensei", entering the building through the correct door, etc.), and basically sucking so horribly at everything that I've been periodically blushing while writing this every time I remember another embarrassing moment.

I debated with myself for several days over whether I should return for another class and push through the humiliation and my utter lack of physical ability. Ultimately, I decided not to. I admit, a large part of this decision is the result of my own cowardice: I have always been very poor at any pursuit requiring athletic prowess – martial arts, sports, dancing, you name it. In fact, physical endeavors inspire a brand of fear in me that borders on terror. But, in addition to being reluctant to subject myself to further torture, I also wanted to spare the other students at M.B. Dojo the tediousness of my presence. During my one and only class, Sensei frequently stated that they were “taking it easy” and “returning to basics” no doubt for my benefit. If I were to start attending regularly I would run the risk of either setting the entire class back or forcing Sensei to devote an inordinate amount of his attention to me. Neither seemed fair to the initiated group at the dojo, so I concluded that bowing out (pun intended) was really best for all involved.

And though it’s unlikely that anyone who attended that class will ever read this post, I would like to give a shout out to the lovely, kind, and welcoming people at the dojo, and thank them for allowing me to intrude on their class. Despite my abominable performance and the fact that I was depriving them of a challenging class, they were all welcoming, kind, and supportive. One student, in particular, stood out to me. She had this peaceful kindness, and the most genuinely friendly smile I've ever seen, and she quietly corrected me when I (once again) completely forgot what I was doing halfway through it, and she looked at me with compassion and an expression that said, "don't worry about it, I've been there." I instinctively liked this girl a whole lot. I'm really grateful for her help and her non-judgmental advice, and her warm and welcoming smile. Thanks for being awesome, Sara(h).

So, while I did not pursue ninja-hood after my introductory class, I did learn a few things about my limits, my fears, and the kindness of strangers that night. And that’s quite a wealth of knowledge gained in a few short hours. Sorry I wasn’t a better student, M.B. Dojo, but I am grateful for the opportunity to learn, even if the lessons I took away aren’t the ones I was expecting.

Artist Profile: Rae of MudStarCeramics

2009-11-17T07:00:00.001-07:00

It's always a special day when I get to feature an artist that I have had the opportunity to collaborate with. Rae of Mud Star Ceramics contacted me about doing a couple of custom lampshades for her new Rosie Lamps. It was really great working with her and a lot of fun seeing the end result. (Check out the end of the post for pictures and info on where to buy.)

Enjoy!

1. Where is your business based out of?

Princeton, N.J.

2. Where are you originally from?

A small town in Central N.J. called Colts Neck. Now it's a fancy sort of town with kind of icky McMansions (sorry, Colts Neck), but when I was growing up, it was a beautiful quiet little place with lots of farms.

3. How long have you been an artist and/or business owner?

I've always had a very active imagination, so I think maybe I was always an artist. Even as a kid, I loved strange collections of things and I always kept a notebook of things that I liked - lots of lists. I remember taking one whole afternoon making up names for colors I liked. I think I was convinced Crayola would hire me when I graduated fifth grade.

I've only just started my business. It's about a year old. I like to say it sort of evolved in spite of me, instead of because of me. It started very small: making things for friends, then some custom lamps for an interior designer, and it sort of grew from there. It's all happened by accident really. Some kind people had nice things to say about my work and it was like that shampoo commercial: "...and they told two friends, and so on, and so on...."

4. Where do you get your creative inspiration?

I love pattern and color and am a little obsessed with repetition. I love architecture for that reason. I love modern art. But as us artists know, inspiration can come from anywhere. For example, I recently took a walk in downtown Princeton, where I've walked a million times and found all these beautiful patterns and colors, in the street grates, the vines on an old stucco wall, even in the garbage! I write a blog that is about inspiration: www.mudstarceramics.blogspot.com. You can see the photos from that walk there.

I also love getting inspiration from my customers. I love doing custom orders. It's a lot of fun to have people bring me a fabric from their bedroom pillows or a wall color and working with making a lamp inspired by those things. I love the smallness and contained nature of lamps. I think of them as small sculptures.

5. What does your creative process entail?

I keep copious notes in my notebook. I paste clippings and photos there. I draw in there. I keep inspiration boards in my studio. A project usually starts with a photo of something or a piece of fabric. My last lamp was prompted by a drawing by my seven year old son. It was a series of squiggles, each row colored with a different color, and outside the lines, of course! That inspired my Scribble Scrabble lamp. The glaze worked perfectly by dripping outside the lines.

6. Would you say your environment (where you live, work, play) influences your creative process? If so, how?

I try to keep inspiring things around me. I have my inspiration boards and swatches in the studio. I walk and walk and walk in my neighborhood and town. I'm lucky to live in a leafy town with a lot of history, but that still has a young energy to it because of the University here. I love the architecture of the old buildings on campus, and of the Arts and Crafts homes on some of the Tree streets. And even though it interferes with all the traffic patterns around here, I even love the construction sites with all the cool stone and rebar in their piles. I even like the darn cement mixers.

7.Who are your creative mentors?

Oh geez! How much time do you have? I love Beatrice Wood, for her goblets and gorgeous luster glazes. I love Russell Wright and Eva Zeisel for their simple lines. And sculptors Anne Hamilton and Tara Donovan for their "collections" of things, and for their use of repetition in strong ways. I love the fabrics of Marimekko for bold lines and colors. I love photographer Sally Mann for her gorgeous sense of ruin. And Charles and Ray Eames for their modern and practical playfulness and vision.

8. Tell us about the one project you would say you are most proud of.

That project has nothing to do with clay. It would be my two sons, Lucas and Colin, aged 10 and 7! They truly are the joys of my life and keep me laughing every single day, even when I don't feel like it.

9. What do you enjoy doing when you're not creating?

My husband laughs at me because he says I'm always making something. I love to cook and bake and love having dinner parties for good friends. I read a ton, even when I'm "stirring the sauce"! And I write and meet with a wonderful writing group that gets together once a week. I even just finished a monologue that is going to be performed on stage of a little theater in a couple of months!

10. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I hope I'm still making things. I hope my children are happy, healthy young adults. I hope my husband still wants to hold my hand as we walk through town. I'd love to have a production line of lamps someday. I'd love to have a show that was all sculpture. And I hope I'm still as excited to crack that kiln as I was this morning.

Here is a picture of Rae's lamp with one of our custom lampshades. Isn't it fantastic?! The completed lamp is currently for sale at JANE, a new shop in Princeton, NJ. If you are in the area I implore you to pay a visit and see (or buy) Rae's completed "Rosie" lamp in person. If you are not in the area please check out her etsy site by clicking here.

(You definitely want this) In the Bag

2009-11-16T07:00:00.006-07:00

My dear husband has graciously agreed to indulge my desire to cloth diaper our spawn. We've agreed that we're not going to be militant about it... If there are times that it makes sense to use disposables, we'll go for it and not feel bad. If, after a good-faith effort, the amount of energy it takes to wash and assemble our diaper supply is interfering with precious moments of sleep or much-needed adult conversation, we'll re-evaluate. But, for the time-being we are being optimistic in our choice, and I'm excited.

The first decision to make was, which cloth diaper will work for us? If you ever find yourself in a position where you are considering the same, know that there are many helpful blogs and blog posts devoted to helping you make an informed decision. Many suggest trying out several diapers from different brands, and basing your final decision on some real-world experience with your own child. Since my plan was to stock up on my trip back to the States this fall, I didn't have that luxury. So, I opted for a brand tested by a friend, and that also has received rave reviews all over the internet: Bum Genius. You Dot&Line devotees will appreciate their green option, made in bamboo, as well as the fact that this company was initially started by a mom modifying the cloth diapers she already had. (Etsy has many hand-made options available as well!) I opted for what I hope will be the most economic version (both financially and space-wise), the One Size 3.0, designed to grow with your baby from newborn to toddler.

Mr Bear Models the Bum Genius 3.0 in Moon Beam

One of the biggest turn-offs of cloth diapering is, of course, The Gross Factor (TGF). From what I can tell, TGF is enough to make even the most environmentally-conscious of parents rethink this one aspect of child-rearing. What do you do with a bunch of poopy, wet rags that are just sitting around waiting to violate your laundry room appliances? Admittedly, this is not all that glamourous to think through, much less deal with in actuality. However! Several creative types are already ahead of us on this one.

Introducing: The Wet Bag

thepatacakebaby's Large wet bag in Blue Zoo

Wet bags are made with some type of water-proof (and, here's hoping stank-proof) lining to hold your little one's deposits (or, your wet swim wear or other wet gear) until you're able to “take care of them” (I love euphemisms). Recently, I took it upon myself to delve into the plethora of Etsy shops to find some wet bags suitable to my anticipated needs. I ended up at thepatacakebaby, and chose four gorgeous creations to ensure we can keep it all “in the bag”. (thepatacakebaby has a great selection of stylish baby bits, so check it out the next time you're looking for a baby gift. And, thepatacakebaby hails from Idaho to boot! A sure sign of creative genious.)

***Jamie from thepatacakebaby is graciously extending a 15% discount to D&L readers. To take advantage of this, you can order directly from the website (not valid for the Etsy store), and use the promo code "GRAND" when checking out. Happy shopping!***

I am adding my Etsy purchase to my list of Highly Anticipated Arrivals, hoping that it beats The Anticipated Arrival (I have a feeling it's going to be close). I love that these bags are functional, gorgeous, and hand-made by creative individuals... much like yourselves. Even if our cloth diapering experience is messy, it will at least be messy with style.

Where in the World: Anchorage Alaska

2009-11-12T08:01:00.004-07:00

Michelle took a picture of herself and her D&L coffee sleeve on a recent trip to Anchorage Alaska. It's such a cozy image seeing her with a warm cup of coffee and the mountains behind. Thanks for sharing Michelle!

We want to see where you've taken your reusable coffee sleeve. Please send your submissions to DotandLineHome@gmail.com!

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Knitting Excursion – Part 2

2009-11-11T07:00:00.001-07:00

So, last time I told you all about my incredibly exciting trip to the Hobby Lobby, wherein I waded through the puzzling assortment of knitting books, yarns, and needles in an effort to begin a project and satisfy a creative urge. When I finally got my booty home I was impatient to begin the actual knitting, so I read through the instructions as quickly as possible. Casting on blah blah blah, garter stitch yadda yadda yadda, changing colors et cetera, et cetera, et cetera…ah, screw it, I’m ready to start. So, I cast on the prescribed 60 stitches. That part was not so bad. See, look:

Good for me! Now, on to the knitting. Other than a little bit of trouble keeping the thread taut and the stitches moderately even, this part was not so bad, either. Yay! After a while I even started to get the hang of it and it became the rhythmical, undaunting task I had hoped it would be. I leaned back and proceeded to knit while enjoying Rick Steve’s Europe. However, I soon found that it was easy to lose track of how many rows I’d done, and when I tried to simply count them I became confused: does the row I cast on count? What’s this business about ridges? How are they different from rows? And then, most puzzling of all (and something that, despite a bit of lazy googling, I still have not found the solution to) why is the last stitch on each row so loose? When I take up the slack from it it’s almost like the last stitch of the previous row becomes the first stitch of the next row. Which is all well and good when I’ve only got one color, but when I switch between colors it looks like I have one stitch of yellow on my blue row, and vice versa. Any experienced knitters out there with the answer to this question are welcome to chime in.

Due to my confusion and misunderstanding of the meaning of ridges and rows, I switched colors too early and had to go back and undo a full row. Somehow I managed to do this without dropping a stitch, and all was well…until…you know, I blame Mario Batali and the infernally intriguing show “Spain…on the Road Again” because I was so distracted by tapas that I dropped a stitch. And the section of my book entitled “What to Do When You Drop a Stitch” instructed me to get out my crochet hook – a tool I had deemed unnecessary when shopping at the Hobby lobby, and thus did not now have in my arsenal. I did my darnedest to pick up that stitch with my needles, but ended up instead dropping another one. And then another. And another. And finally I just got so frustrated and furious that I pulled the whole mess off my needle.

And then I started over. Admittedly, much of my initial zeal had then worn off, as the above pictured inch of knitting was two days’ worth of work, and I had come to the realization that, while soothing and enjoyable, knitting was not going to be nearly as productive as I’d hoped. At this rate I’d be lucky to churn out one placemat a year, and I could just forget entirely the idea of ever making a sweater. Nevertheless, I plodded on (this time with the yellow yarn, for a change of pace), the therapeutic benefits (which did seem to outweigh the frustration) being sufficient enough reason for me to persevere.

But, as I progressed on Attempt #2, I noticed something disturbing: according to my book, this placemat was supposed to measure 12” by 16”. I was a long way from determining what the final length would be, but it had by now become clear that my placemat was nowhere near 12 inches wide. In fact, to call it 8 inches would be rather generous. There was no way on earth a normal-sized dinner plate would ever rest on this mat. Well, see for yourself. Here’s a dinner plate:

And now a salad plate:

And now a tea cup saucer:

How on earth did it turn out so small?! I was following the directions to the letter! Except…uh oh…guess I should have held out for those size 8 needles after all. Shoot.

Well, I plan to finish my “placemat” someday. Just as soon as I think of a use for such a miniature piece of rectangular knitted fabric. I thought about making it a potholder, but it’s really not thick enough for that. Is there such a thing as a knitted handkerchief?

Holiday Cheer & Free Shipping

2009-11-10T09:34:00.006-07:00

Normally I wait until after Thanksgiving to get really excited for Christmas. This year however, my attempts to wait until Thanksgiving to start celebrating and preparing for Christmas have been to no avail. I cannot hold it in any longer. This is how excited I am:
(Disclaimer: brace yourself for the most undignified form of excitement EVER):

To spread even more holiday cheer, D&L is now offering free shipping on all coffee sleeves purchased now through December 31!

All we ask in return is that you spread some holiday cheer yourself and write to tell us all about it. Who knows, your story may even end up right here on our blog.

To view our full line of reusable coffee sleeves, please click here.

See Kate Conquer: An Eating Dilemma

2009-11-09T07:00:00.001-07:00

As this pregnancy races [waddles] to the finish line Baby Spice gets bigger and bigger, my stomach gets squished more and more, and I can eat less and less. This, my friends, is so very weird for me. I LOVE to eat. I love to cook, but I LOVE to eat. Eating brings people together, it expresses culture and tradition, it's just oh-so-blissful. So, what am I supposed to do over the next month or so until my womb is vacated and my stomach can operate at an appropriate capacity?

My motto is, “Make Every Bit Count!” I try to make each meal pack as much nutritional punch as possible, while not sacrificing taste or experience (because oh! How I LOVE to experience my food).

Here's a couple of my favorites that have been getting me through the Days of Little Hunger:

For an easy, protein-packed breakfast, I mix plain yogurt with pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seeds, topping it off with maple syrup. Don't be shy on the pumpkin seeds – I use ¼ cup – and to de-seed a pomegranate without spraying your kitchen in red, try filling a large bowl with water and de-seed under the surface.

Make some veggie broth (simply by simmering some veggie scraps or whatever vegetables you have lying around) and use for a multitude of soups. My current favorite satisfies my craving for Lipton Extra Noodle Soup in a box and is definitely healthier: bring broth to a boil, add some crushed noodles (egg noodles or spaghetti or...). When noodles are done stir in a beaten egg and some frozen veggies, season however you want (chili flakes, bouillon, S&P, etc...)

Chili! Everyone has a version, here's my simple one: saute an obscene amount of onions and garlic (last time I used five large yellow onions and a whole head of the strong stuff), add cooked ground beef and kidney beans and some crushed tomatoes. I like to throw in some frozen corn and spinach for a little more variety. Season with cumin seeds and chipotle, and of course salt and pepper. While the initial prep takes a little bit of time, I big pot will last through many meals.

My big pot o' chili: serves a large crowd once, or me many, many times

Each of these meals is super easy, and is fairly nutritionally solid which not only fuels my body as I grow a human but also gets me more bang for my buck even if I'm only able to eat small portions.

So, how about you – got any easy, tasty, healthy meals you rely on in special situations?

Green Alternatives: Altoids Tins

2009-11-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

It only takes a mildly observant person to note my passion for repurposing things that traditionally hit the trash can once their intended use is no longer required. For years (yes, that's right, years) I have been collecting used altoid tins. These tins have piled up as I've waited for a stroke of genius to inspire how I will repurpose them. I'm not one to go with other people's ideas as I am positive there is one genius design that only I am capable of coming up with. Yes, I do realize that this may be an arrogant admission but hey, at least I'm honest.

While I wait for my stroke of genius, I decided to check out the competition. I must admit there are some pretty cool, already invented ways to reuse these little tins.

I love the simple beauty of this gift tin by MaJenta Designs:

This simple and convenient sewing kit by DribsNDrabs:

These mini scrapbooks by Nycole:

This collage piece by Decorating4:

This belt buckle by BuckleUp:

Feel free to add to the list of useful ways to repurpose Altoid tins by leaving a note in the comment section below.

An Ode to Nebraska

2009-11-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've finally been able to go through photos from my recent trip to Iowa. It was a lovely trip in celebration of a dear friend's wedding (Yaaay Rach!) and the long journey with my sister lent itself to plenty of bonding time. Having grown up in Idaho and gone to school in Iowa, the 23 hour drive has become really familiar to me. The longest part of the trip is by far the state of Nebraska. If you are from Nebraska, I'm sorry, your state is by far the most boring piece of land in the United States. I'm not sorry for insulting your state...just sorry for you.

Since we had nothing better to do, we cataloged our arduous journey through Nebraska. Surprisingly, this portion of out trip wasn't without adventure...As you will see in the pictures below, we ran into quite the weather. (Why must you add insult to injury Nebraska?)

Here's our first picture just after the Nebraska/Wyoming border:

Here's the 1st hour:

2nd hour:

3rd hour:

4th hour in which it started to rain:

We pulled off for the night and woke up to this the next morning, thanks Nebraska.

An hour later:

And an hour after that:

An hour later:

Another hour passed...getting bored yet?

An hour later:

And finally...10 hours of driving later...the blessed "Welcome to Iowa" sign:

It was only another 5 hours to our destination from the Nebraska/Iowa border...a pleasant 5 hours of rolling hills and beautiful countryside. Oh sure, it rained the whole way but what did we care, we had made it out of Nebraska.

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Knitting Excursion - Part 1

2009-11-04T11:26:00.005-07:00

A few weeks ago I was hit by a creative urge and needed an outlet. I wanted something simple, relaxing, inexpensive, and productive. I also wanted something I could do while I watch documentaries on PBS (I highly recommend this one, but I advise you to have tissues at hand). My solution? Knitting! Lots of people knit so it can’t be that hard, can it? And you can make all kinds of useful things, like scarves and pillows and purses and hats, right? And there are those groups of people who get together and knit for social gatherings, called Stitch and B-- er, well, you know. So knitting could not only provide me with a creative outlet and cute handmade items, it could also help me make new friends. Perfect!

So, off I set to Hobby Lobby. After a little bit of aimless wandering through model planes and mechanical Santas I found the knitting section. Which is when my visions of happily and easily plucking a little knitting kit off the shelf and making my way home suddenly shattered as I stared in confusion at the aisles and aisles of books, yarn, needles and various other tools I didn’t even know the names of. Well, first things first, I decided to select a book. My pride prevented me from choosing anything with a condescending title, so “Knitting for Dummies,” and “Even You Can Knit!” were eliminated off the bat. Then, of course, I couldn’t choose any of the more advanced books because I needed very basic beginner’s instructions. So no “200 Stitches for the Advanced Knitter” or “Knit Your Own Wedding Gown” for me. Lastly, I outright refused to purchase a book that included projects for knitting clothing for animals on principle; I will not contribute to the humiliation of small dogs – their dignity has suffered enough at the hands of Gucci. This elimination process narrowed my selection down quite a bit. I had my choices slimmed down to two books, when I came upon this artistic transgression in one of them:

I was highly reluctant to support the idea of waist cinchers, especially those of the felted variety – it just seems wrong on so many levels. And when I saw that that book also included this gem of a project,

the deal was sealed – no way was I purchasing this guide to handcrafted atrocities. Ultimately the book I opted for had very simple, basic instructions (such as a section devoted to “How to Choose Your Yarn”), it had detailed explanations of the requirements for all the projects, and it was devoted mostly to practical crafts, such as scarves, sweaters, blankets, and placemats. For my first endeavor I selected the placemats, as they seemed small enough for me to actually complete in a reasonable amount of time, and as they only required one kind of stitch and no fancy tricks: just knit a row, knit another row, knit a row after that, repeat ad nauseum until complete.

Then, using my handy dandy materials list, I entered the supplies aisle, searching for my yarn. This seemingly simple task ended up requiring a nearly herculean effort, as I scoured the aisles in search of solid colored yarn of the proper weight and material. There was a definite dearth of yarn in gauge 4, and none of it was a solid color, and made out of cotton. So I finally opted for a yarn of what I thought was the proper weight, in a solid color, but spun out of a combination of bamboo and something called “Microdenier Acrylic” which is obviously synthetic, but I was pretty much out of options, and I’d spent half an hour wandering up and down the yarn aisles to the point that other crafters and HL employees were starting to look at me funny. So I was willing to settle for this:

Then it was off to find needles. My little book told me I needed size 8 needles. This should be simple, right? I can just grab the needles and I’ll be out of here at last! So I proceeded to the tools: “Ok, size 4, size 5, size 6, size 7, size 9, size 10…wait a minute, 6…7…9…CRAP!” Hobby Lobby was out of size 8 needles. Now, I suppose I could have gone to another store. But it was 7 o’clock on a Saturday, craft stores were closing, and many would not be open on Sunday, and I’d already spent 45 minutes wandering around Hobby Lobby, and I wanted to start my project, darn it! (I’d appreciate it if you would overlook the fact that my big plans for Saturday night were knitting and watching PBS. Thanks.) So I bought the size 7 needles. I mean, how much difference could it make, really?…

Well, it turns out, it makes quite a difference. And my harrowing experience at the craft store was nothing compared to the trials I would face when actually attempting to knit. But if you want to know the details, you’ll have to check back next week for part 2 of my Knitting Adventure.

Artist Profile: Jennifer Ladd

2009-11-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well it's that time of year again! The holiday gift giving season is upon us. This year it is my personal goal to give primarily handmade gifts. There are plenty of resources out there and this handmade artist is no exception. Meet Jennifer. Stop by her shop for some fun holiday gift options for that special sister, friend or coworker.

1. Where is your business based out of?

My beautiful new (bright and cheery yellow) sewing room in Milwaukee, WI.

2. Where are you from originally?

I grew up in Milwaukee, moved around a bit during college, and just resettled in Milwaukee this past summer.

3. How long have you been an artist and/or business owner?

I have been sewing since as long as I can remember. I learned to sew by watching my grandma and then copying what she did to make clothes for my dolls. I sewed my whole life, mainly for myself and as gifts. In 2007, we adopted our daughter from Vietnam, and I quit my job as a French teacher to stay home with her full-time. I started sewing clothes, bibs, and booties for her (and diaper bags for myself), since it gave me a bit of a mental break during the day ... a bit of time for myself. After a few months, I decided that I could turn my hobby into a business, and I opened my Etsy shop in December, 2007. I started the shop as an experiment, and I wasn't sure it would work. But it is over a year later, and my business is expanding every day and I am having more and more fun every day, as well!

4. Where do you get your creative inspiration?

I am inspired by beautiful color combinations. My brain just feels happy when I see beautiful colors together.

5. What does your creative process entail?

I have a "design board" in my sewing room where I keep my sketches and project ideas. I also draw inspiration from my huge (and ever growing) stockpile of gorgeous fabrics. Between these two sources, I am never short of long lists of projects I want to work on!

When I decide on a project, I usually cut straight from the fabric ... I'm not always a big fan of patterns (although I do use them from time to time). Once I have the pieces cut, I get to sewing ... my favorite part becuase I can see my ideas become a reality. When I finish each piece, I usually spend quite a bit if time inspecting it, admiring it, and wishing I could keep it for myself (ha, ha, ha).

6. Would you say your environment (where you live, work, play) influences your creative process? If so, how?

Milwaukee has very distinct seasons. In the winter, I tend to work with deeper, warmer, and richer colors. When Spring hits, i tend to be so tired of snow and cold and ice that I really break free and go for the bright, bold colors. In summer, I use bright, airy, refreshing colors, and then I go back to the deeper oranges of Wisconsin leaves in fall.

7. Who are your creative mentors?

I learned to sew from my Grandma when I was about 3 years old. I'm 30 years old, now, and I still go to her all the time for sewing advice. Just today, in fact, I was back at the side of her sewing table, watching how she hemmed a coat ... she's always teaching me something new.

8. Tell us about the one project you would say you are most proud of.

My husband and I just reupholstered a vintage chair. I did most of the sewing, but he helped me every step of the way. He did a lot of the physical labor, but I was at his side helping him with each step. We had so many laughs and so much fun together (even despite a run to the emergency room for a tetanus shot!). We ended up with a beautiful chair and amazing memories together.

9. What do you enjoy doing when you're not creating?

I spend all of my days with my daughter. She loves to run, play games, play hide-and-go-seek (although we are still working on the "hiding" with her since she likes to jump out and say "here I am!"). We do art together, go to museums, and go shopping. In the summers, my husband is off of work, too, so we spend a lot of family time outdoors ... biking, walking, playing at the park, and enjoying our beautiful city!

10. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully as happy as I am right now!

See Kate Conquer: "They're not perfect, but they're not purple!"

2009-11-02T07:00:00.004-07:00

Every morning when I wake up, this is what I see: my growing stomach that is home to a child (or a minotaur) and four pairs of purple wardrobe doors (we've got another pair in the hallway serving as a closet).

Are those closets or a wall of bruises?

These are fairly standard IKEA closets, although most commonly seen these days in the less-offensive white. How we ended up with purple ones is beyond all reason and logic. My guess is that one of the IKEA designers of the 1970s was recovering from a bad acid trip and convinced his boss, also recovering from said trip, to sign off on a huge production order and the student housing organization that owns our apartment couldn't resist the great deal being offered by IKEA's head honcho in order to off-load the terrible mistake that these acid trippers had made. And here we are, thirty years later, still reaping the consequences. But who can say for sure?

When we first moved in here, my dream was to take down the doors and hang gorgeous, flowing fabric from floor to ceiling. I'm glad we never got around to that, as the number of dust bunnies that find their way into our apartment is enough to convince even PETA that sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures. And so, we've lived with the purple doors.

We lived with the purple doors until we redid the floors, which I wrote about here and here last two weeks. Then, as the world seemed to open up with possibilities, we found ourselves inspired. Again, under the gentle direction of our friends, we got ourselves some paint. One day while Keith was working I took off all the door handles and started to work on bringing our purple doors into the 21^st century.

The process has turned out to be just slightly more involved than I was initially thinking, which explains why it is still a work in progress. While I first thought this could be “my” project to work on, Keith has graciously stepped in as I find myself more and more tired with less and less vision for seeing things through (35 ½ weeks pregnant, remember?).

In our small living space we have no choice but to paint the doors in shifts; no more than four at a time can be painted. Once the doors are down, we've got to take the hinges off which is made more difficult because the screws are somewhat stripped from a previous encounter with an over-eager electric screw driver. Then, because the doors are dusty like everything else in our apartment, they must be wiped down. Finally, the painting may commence.

When I was started out these doors were requiring four (!) coats of paint on the outside, and two coats on the inside (we decided a little purple show-through would remind us of our humble beginnings... and save paint). Keith showed me how two thick coats of paint is far better than four thin coats. But, we still need to wait for one side to completely dry before flipping the doors over to do the single coat on the inside. Finally, there's usually a little touch-up work required along the top and bottom edges, and the putting back on of all the hardware.

This project has been in progress for about two weeks, but is looking like it will be finished in the next few days. Already, the effect is astounding to me, as not only do we not have purple sore spots that just never seemed to make any sense, but also a whole new palate for the light to play off of. Even at night, when I am getting up to pee for the umpteenth time, my path to the bathroom is “lit” by the soft shimmer of the outdoor lights reflecting gently off my white wardrobe doors, instead of disappearing into the purple that use to lurk.

the half-way finished results

We are not professional painters, and we were perhaps a bit over-eager to rehang some of the doors as they are already exhibiting a few scratches and nicks here and there. But, as Keith said last night, "They're not perfect, but they're not purple!" And I'm really thrilled about that.

A Halloween Treat

2009-10-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

This is one of those rare Fridays in which I will be sidestepping my usual DIY project or Green Tip to share something of a less professional nature. During my early childhood years my dad worked for a local television station. As a result my sister and I ended up in a few commercials. This one was shot when I was about 7 years old and seems strangely fitting for Halloween. I am the one in the blue dress with white horizontal stripes. I can also be seen donning a red outfit. Oh the 80's. Enjoy!

My Favorite Things: Bloom

2009-10-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

I am back from my beautiful trip to Iowa and St. Louis and will definitely be sharing more details on that later. In the mean time I wanted to share pictures of Bloom, one of my favorite little shops on HWY1 between Iowa City and Kalona, IA. Walking through this little shop (and it's next door neighbor, Sister's Garden) got the creative juices flowing and it's easy to see why.

Festoon lighting, old branches and crystal! I am inspired to create something like this for my home or studio just so I can stare in awe.

I love the bold reuse of the old china and the lack of fear used to plaster them to the wall:

And the lovely bath products so artfully displayed in their beautiful bottles and what a fantastic piece of furniture!

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Annie & the Arch

2009-10-28T07:00:00.001-06:00

This weekend Annie (yes, our Annie!) and her sister Jessica came to visit me in St. Louis. I was thrilled to see them, and happy to oblige Jess’s one request: that we visit the Arch.

Having not been to the Arch myself since high school I had forgotten enough about the experience to make another visit worthwhile. And when I invited my brother to accompany us I was shocked to discover that, despite having been born and raised in St. Louis, he has never been to the Arch! Apparently, he skipped that field trip in high school, and has never had the impetus to go as an adult. So when Annie & Jess rolled into town Sunday afternoon, we picked up Buddy and headed for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (aka, The Arch).

[Warning: derail imminent!] Though I know this is an artistic blog and not a political one, I do think it would be irresponsible of me to post about the Arch without at least mentioning that I’m not 100% supportive of the philosophical ideation it represents. I’m not a huge fan (understatement) of Manifest Destiny, or any other ideology that promotes the subjugation of cultures or claims that the USA is somehow inherently superior to other nations. So the fact that the Gateway Arch is a monument that was erected with the express purpose of celebrating “Westward Expansion” and is thus not entirely ethically-neutral is not lost on me. However, rather than deny the aesthetic beauty of the Jefferson Nation Expansion Memorial and refuse to visit, I prefer to increase awareness of the one-sided representation of history, so that hopefully one day soon the museum at the base of the Arch will display fewer fawning descriptions of Lewis & Clark’s journey, and more accurate information about the indigenous cultures destroyed as a result of Westward Expansion. [Derail ends here. You may now rejoin your artistic blog post, already in progress…]

We approached the Arch from the north, and enjoyed the particularly beautiful autumn day, and the lovely sight of leaves drifting lazily to the ground in the park. Jess decided to take a picture of herself, attempting to get the Arch in the background. She succeeded phenomenally!

We went inside and immediately got tickets to go to the top. The tram ride up was the least fun part of the trip, as it seems all of us are, at minimum, mildly claustrophobic, and the pictures of the trams’ interiors online truly fail to communicate just how tiny they are, especially when four adults are crammed inside. Annie had the brilliant idea of taking a picture of our knees, all scrunched together at the center of the car.

We chose a rather cloudy day for our visit, so the view was not particularly breathtaking. I know I had a picture of downtown STL as seen from the top of the Arch, but apparently I forgot to load it from Annie’s camera (perhaps she can add it later when she returns home from her road-trip?) True to form, however, I managed not to let the Cardinals-related picture slip through the cracks, so here is a glorious aerial view of the new Busch Stadium.

[All comments referencing our performance in this year’s playoffs or espousing a pro-Cubs view will be deleted and users will be banned from the site. Just kidding! …sort of]

After returning safely to the ground we wandered the museum for a while, marveling at the extreme 80’s-ness of the animatronics, the walls plastered in photos of the wilderness of Idaho and Montana, and the random 18th century paraphernalia that sat in glass boxes hung on the walls without any plaques or identifying texts. Yes, the Museum of Westward Expansion could do with a makeover for more than one reason. Though, as Annie was generous to point out, the lighting was rather well done.

So, while the Arch experience was not exactly new for me, I thoroughly enjoyed being able to share it with Annie, Jessica, and my brother. It’s funny, when I first considered topics for this series I saw myself adventuring solo most of the time, but I have been blessed with friends and family and have so far had the joy of sharing my experiences with loved ones. But perhaps next week I’ll set out on my own? We’ll see…

Artist Profile: Jessie Collins of 2gorditas

2009-10-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

I am pleased to introduce to you Jessie Collins of 2gorditas. Her treats are no doubt tasty and have plenty of artistic flair. While her work is geared more toward El Dia De Los Muertos, they would also make a fun Halloween treat. Enjoy!

1. Where is your business based out of?

I am located on the beach in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada & at my sister's house in Tsawwassen, British Columbia

2. Where are you from originally?

I was born in White Rock, but have lived in: Ottawa in Ontario, Montreal in Quebec, Edmonton in Alberta, Bathurst in New Brunswick, All over British Columbia and have spent a lot of time in Baja, Mexico.

3. How long have you been an artist and/or business owner?

About a year

4. Where do you get your creative inspiration?

Mexican art & cuisine

5. What does your creative process entail?

looking at pictures to get inspirations and color combinations. Hours looking on-line at chocolate molds and thinking how to make them special and different!

6. Would you say your environment (where you live, work, play) influences your creative process? If so, how?

I find where I've traveled to influences me more! I'm very fortunate to live on the beach, but find it can be distracting when trying to work, especially on sunny days.

7. Who are your creative mentors?

Definitely my sister, Jane of Janebonbon

8. Tell us about the one project you would say you are most proud of.

That would definitely be my first craft show! I had people coming up to me and saying "you're 2gorditas!" They had seen my work on Etsy and knew I was in a local craft show. It was very inspiring!!

9. What do you enjoy doing when you're not creating?

I enjoy walking on the beach collecting sea shells and beach glass. One day I'll find a use for the thousands of shells and many pounds of tiny sea glass, but for now I have a sea shell garden!

10. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully working less at my real job, making lots of chocolates, still walking on the beach, but being able to do it more often!

See Kate Conquer: With a Little Help from Our Friends, Pt. 2

2009-10-26T07:00:00.004-06:00

If you'll remember from last week, Keith and I – with a lot of help from our amazing friends Nikola and Marija – were in the middle of covering our crappy linoleum floors with laminate flooring. Admittedly, my involvement in redoing our floors was more concentrated on the front end of the project, the “Ideas Phase”, if you will. My dear husband and Nikola took care of the rest, while Marija and I sat back, drank tea, and made a bad-ass pot of goulash and some Serbian plum buns (a whole other post, I'm pretty sure). This is not to say that my part of mentioning the idea, choosing the color (walnut – not too light, not too dark), and helping Keith take floor measurements were not instrumental to the process. It's just that, had we stopped there, no one would even be able to tell what we started.

However, Keith and Nikola are go-getters, takers of action, men of passion! After we got back to our apartment with our laminate panels, foam padding, and an arsenal of tools, Nikola suggested they get started even though he and Marija had only an hour before they had to be somewhere that wasn't Our Apartment. Marija and I cleaned in the kitchen while the guys tackled the bedroom.

Keith was feeling pretty excited after Nikola left so he ahead and finished up the bedroom, save for a few tricky edging pieces that required Nikola's adept hand at the saw. I was amazed, to say the least! How could it be that we had woken up to a floor that made me feel like I needed to shower before making the nine-step journey to my coffee, and yet I was going to bed feeling like we had come home and HGTV had flipped our house while we were out? This, my friends, is an incredible feeling.

The next day, Keith and I cleared the living room so the guys could actually do some work. I emptied the bookshelf and put the “general mess” away; Keith took furniture into the stairwell and shoved things to the kitchen end of the room. Keith got a jump start before Nikola arrived, and by the time I left to join Marija at her place for some tea and cooking, they had finished a third of the room already. I left for Marija's with visions of returning to grandeur later in the day.

Slight tangent: As I've mentioned, two of my favorite things are cooking and eating. One thing that is so great about moving to a new country is meeting people from all over the world. I've been able to coerce a bunch of these new friends into teaching me how to cook their native foods. So, getting to learn first-hand from Marija how she makes goulash and plum buns was like the cream cheese icing on the laminate flooring cake.

Several hours later, just as we were really, really starving, Nikola and Keith showed up, their part of the project complete. We celebrated with our fabulous meal, and then Keith and I headed home to admire their handiwork.

I was amazed. Within the span of about twelve hours over two days, we had gone to the store, purchased our new flooring, and got it into place with relative ease. I kept asking myself why it took us a year to do such a simple yet dramatic face lift in our apartment.

For people like me – people with good ideas but who perhaps lack just a little bit of follow-through from time to time – at least part of the answer seems to be allow yourself to be inspired and helped by those around you. In some ways this requires vulnerability to say, Hey! I don't know what I'm doing over here! For Nikola and Marija, and my friend Jess that I mentioned last week, this lets them do something that they're really good at and enjoy. It seems pretty win-win. The flip side is that there are things that Keith and I are really good at, things that it's super easy for us to help others with, things that don't come as naturally to them. But that's for another day.

We are just finishing up some furniture rearrangement and still hope to get pictures on the walls (...someday...). For now, though, we are reveling in our “new” apartment, and letting the inspiration carry over into other minor projects with big impact. Stay tuned!

How about you? Have you tackled any home or craft projects that inspired you in other areas of creativity? I'd love to read about it in the comments section.

DIY: Envelopes

2009-10-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

This week's DIY project is also green in it's use of materials. For a while now I have enjoyed making my own envelopes. My favorite paper to use are old maps and magazines. You will need a template (I bought the one seen here but you can also take an existing envelope and disassemble it), a bone folder or popsicle stick, glue stick or double sided tape, and your paper of choice.

Start by tracing the shape of your template on your paper & cut.

Next use your bone folder or popsicle stick to fold down the flaps of the the envelope and secure with glue stick or double sided tape.

This next step is optional. I like to take this double sided tack film found at your local craft store and make labels. I bought some labels and used them as templates to make more handmade labels. Once you have traced your labels onto your paper, follow the directions on your double sided film. Trim down your labels and use as needed on your handmade envelopes.

Voila!

Before and After: Island to Storage

2009-10-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

A while back my parents gave me this old (and moldy…ewww) kitchen island.

A little paint, fabric and decopauge and voila! I love the extra storage and surface in my studio. It's much needed and for around $10 in supplies it is now clean, chic and updated.

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Mom’s Roast

2009-10-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

In order to reward ourselves for a job well done (or, done, anyway) painting the house, my brother, my cousin and I planned a full weekend that would revolve around watching the first season of Fringe on blu-ray, and cooking (& eating) a delicious meal of mashed potatoes, peas & corn, and our Mom’s amazing roast beef. Trouble was, I’d never tried to make Mom’s roast before, and it pretty much goes without saying that Buddy had never tried, either. He doesn’t even own a measuring cup, much less a crock pot.

So, I was tasked with 1) retrieving the recipe from Mom, 2) purchasing the ingredients, 3) packing up my entire kitchen and transporting it to Buddy’s house, and 4) spearheading the cooking offensive. Unfortunately, none of those tasks were as easy as they sound.

1) Like any natural cook, Mom didn’t exactly have a recipe to give me. Oh, she knew what ingredients she uses (except for the main one, that is: Mom confessed that despite the fact that she’s been making this roast for over 25 years, she can never remember what type of meat to buy and always has to ask the butcher; that’s my mama) but she had no idea what to tell me with regard to the amounts. In the end, my approximation of the recipe looked like this:

the kind of roast that falls apart when you poke it – stringy

¼ c. cup lemon juice, ¾ c. worcestershire sauce, ¼ c. soy sauce, lemon pepper & garlic salt

2) At the grocery store on Saturday morning I wandered bewildered in the meat department before getting up the guts to ask the butcher, and then I realized I had no idea how much meat to ask for. So I whipped out the cell phone and called Mom again. 4-5 pounds, apparently. Ok. So I went up to the counter and, feeling like a total buffoon, asked, “I’m looking for the kind of beef roast that falls apart when you poke it…” Turns out, it’s a chuck roast. They cut a five-pounder especially for me.

3) Saturday morning was truly a flurry of phone calls and text messages. Turns out, Buddy does not own: a potato peeler, a large pot for cooking potatoes, a colander, a mixer, a measuring cup (?!), a cutting board, large sharp knives, or a crock pot. I don’t like to play into gender stereotypes, but at times I do feel that the “Bachelor” archetype fits my brother so well it’s eerie. Anyway, thank goodness for my stockpile of canvas bags – I used nearly all of them packing up the necessary dishes, tools, and spices.

4) The cooking effort turned out to be a little more difficult than predicted. We thought, “It’s a roast, right? Set it and forget it!” But it turns out, if you set it too low, and you try to gauge the done-ness of a five pound roast by looking at only the outermost inch, you’re going to end up with a very raw hunk of meat three hours later. And then your potatoes will be ready and your bellies will be empty, but your roast will need another 1.5 hours in the crock pot – this time on high.

So, yeah, I guess it didn’t turn out quite as well as we’d hoped. We cut it into smaller chunks to make it easier to monitor, but cooking it on high made it a lot tougher than Mom’s roast is supposed to be. I mean, it was still really good, and Jeff (who made a face when I poured the soy sauce in the crock pot) thought it was great, but Buddy and I were a little disappointed.

Lesson learned: 25 years of cooking experience counts for something. Even if you can’t remember the relevant butcher-terminology. Don’t expect to be able to duplicate Mom’s Anything on the first time out. And don’t let a failure stop you from trying again. I hope to get Roast: Round 2 on the calendar with Buddy & Jeff soon, in order to make sure it happens before I leave for New York. Cross your fingers for a happy follow up to this roast post…

Huge Sale On Now!

2009-10-20T15:32:00.005-06:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! I am headed to the midwest this week to visit friends and attend a wedding.

I leave you all with a sale. Check our website or click the pictures below to view lampshade and coffee sleeve options.

With A Little Help From Our Friends (Part I)

2009-10-19T07:00:00.001-06:00

Do you ever over think things just a little too much so that you never actually act on your original intentions, but in the end you've spent more energy thinking than you would have had you just acted quickly in the first place?

Welcome to my life, especially anything that falls under “home décor & improvements”. As I mentioned last week, I live in quite a tiny apartment that Keith and I moved into just over a year ago. Since the day we moved in we have gone back and forth on whether to move to any other apartment that isn't this one (a first-hand lease in this city is about as elusive as the Fountain of Youth), or to invest in this one despite its limitations (student housing, built in the Sixties, walls of concrete and floors of dirty, grimy, revolting linoleum) and claim it as “ours”. For ten months we did next to nothing except think about these two choices from time to time when we got frustrated with being here, and then stopped thinking when that, too, made us frustrated. Not so productive.

In August, our dear friend Jess - who just happens to be an artistic genius and loves to redecorate - came to visit. I had told her beforehand that I wouldn't mind just a little help in our place, and she wasted no time. Jess has way more of the “just do it” cards in her deck then I could ever dream of having, and she willingly shared her hand with me. She whisked through IKEA, picking out this and that (a rug, the decals you saw in last week's kitchen photos, a new lamp), things she knew would brighten things up a bit. Her instincts were right, and when she left we had a great start on our apartment.

A couple months had gone by, and we had become complacent in advancing the great Decorating Initiative. We were traveling, there were other projects (like Operation Get Ready for Baby!), and our priorities shifted. But then, I started nesting, and the nesting led to thinking, and thinking led to that familiar frustration. A few weeks ago, I was hanging out with my friend Clara who had just moved into a new place with her husband and gorgeous baby. She mentioned how they had redone the floors in the bedrooms with laminate flooring to match the living room. My impression of laminate flooring had always been that it's the modern ugly step-sister of that terrible wood paneling everyone crucified their kitchens with in the Seventies. But, Clara's place looked pretty nice to me, and I was shocked that she and her husband had done it themselves! It's easy, she assured me, it just snaps together, you trim it to fit your nooks and crannies, and voilà! I mentioned this to some other friends of ours, Nikola and Marija, who are total DIY junkies. Nikola, an architect, redesigned their entire apartment, and together they knocked down walls, refinished hardwood floors, and transformed an average apartment into an artistic masterpiece.

Last week Marija told me that Saturday was the day to get our laminate flooring. Keith and I looked at each other and knew it was now or never, so we'd better go for it. In a matter of hours, we'd visited two Home Depot-like stores, selected our laminate (at about 7$/sq. meter) and trim, and were back at our place. Were it just us, the laminate would have sat in our apartment for weeks, maybe even months, waiting for us to spring into action on a task that just continued to feel a bit overwhelming. (See? We would have been thinking again!) Fortunately, our friends had alternative plans for us and our really crappy, junky, old, perpetually dirty linoleum floors.

Come back next Monday to see how laminate flooring – and great friends – dramatically changed the feel of our apartment and the way I think about “projects”.

DIY Friday turned WIY Friday

2009-10-16T07:00:00.003-06:00

Happy Friday! This has been one busy week that's for sure. I tried my best to find time this week to blog about a fun DIY idea I have but alas I have had no time to put it together, which is a shame as it's been a lovely idea in my head for quite a while now. Instead, my friend Nikki brought this lovely old movie to my attention and even did a little writeup about it. Your DIY project has officially turned WIY (Watch It Yourself). Please stop back by and let us know what you think!

Houseboat
1958
Cary Grant & Sophia Loren
Director: Melville Shavelson

Plot:
When Tom Winters (Grant) learns that his ex-wife has died, he is forced out of his perfect life in D.C. as a government attorney and is left with three kids (In my opinion they were little brats) who want nothing to do with him. While at a concert at Watergate, the youngest son, Robert runs away only to be found by Cinzia Zaccardi (Loren), the daughter of the famous Italian conductor of the a fore mentioned concert.

Cinzia has also run away in search of adventure in America when she and "Roberto" happen to meet by chance on a rowboat. From here a chain of bad luck leaves the family & Cinzia living on a run down houseboat, forcing them all to make nice.

The fabulous writing and cheeky chemistry between Grant & Loren are sure to please. If you like cutesy chick-flicks with classic charm, this one is for you!

Goofs:
Tom's apartment is in Washington, D.C., but when he's shown driving his kids to the concert at the Watergate, he approaches the area from the Virginia side of the Memorial Bridge, the opposite direction from which he would naturally have been traveling from the city.

Trivia:
Original screenplay was written by Betsy Drake, Cary Grant's wife. Grant originally wanted it to star her but his extra-marital affair with Sophia Loren complicated the project. Drake's script was drastically re-written by two other writers to accommodate Loren and bears little resemblance to Drake's initial concept.

Cary Grant initially accepted his role in Houseboat (1958) primarily because he was seeing Sophia Loren at the time. After she married another man during the filming of the project, Grant was heartbroken and tried to back out but was unable to get out of his contract. Fortunately for us, Melville Shavelson was able to direct a seamless production.

Who was the man responsible for stealing Loren away from Grant? It was none other thanCarlo Ponti who obtained a Mexican divorce from his first wife and married Sophia Loren by proxy, while she was in Hollywood, filming this 1958 classic.

Artistic Adventures of an Ardent Amateur: Painting Palooza

2009-10-14T10:47:00.007-06:00

Two weeks ago my baby brother closed on his first home. I’ve been glowing with sisterly pride ever since. On the evening of the day the papers were signed he took me over to see it. “It’s perfect!” I told him. “It’s charming. It’s adorable. It’s got character. And it…needs some paint.” Like, seriously, the insides of this house were screaming for a little latex-based love. “I know,” he said. “Wanna help me paint it this weekend?”

Now, my brother (whom I’ll refer to from now on by the nickname he acquired as an infant, “Buddy,” thanks to the My Buddy doll*) and I had discussed the subject of painting his house on prior occasions. At that time, however, we thought that the house’s previous owner had already purchased paint for the walls, all of it white. And though I tried to talk Buddy into the concept of having an “accent wall” he was staunchly against it. “Dude, the paint’s already been bought,” he’d say. “But Buddy, you own a house now! You can paint the walls any color you want!” “Yeah. And I wanna paint them white.” … Touché.

However, when it turned out there had been a miscommunication and the previous owner had not, in fact, purchased paint, Buddy was suddenly much more amenable to the idea of a color scheme. And when he asked me to help him choose paint colors I did the Dance of Joy, much to his amusement. Finally, my years of avid HGTV watching would pay off! Truth be told, though, Buddy is primarily responsible for the selection of shades that happened later that evening at the Home Depot. He decided that he wanted one wall in each room to be painted a deep green, and from there I suggested the other walls be done in a complementary beige/tan color, and all molding, doors, and trim in white. However, finding these colors turned out to be something of a challenge. Take one look at this picture and tell me it’s not intimidating to someone who’s been a homeowner for all of four hours.

And once we found the right shades, we had to decide what “sheen” each shade should be. And what kind of base do you need to make each shade? And how many gallons of each color should we buy? All in all, our first trip to the Home Depot (and there would be many more) lasted over 90 minutes, and we had to have our older brother on the phone googling things for us the entire time. And I should clarify that we basically chose the brand out of a hat. We had no prior knowledge of Glidden – in fact, I think we picked it because they had the FEWEST color chips on display of all the brands at Home Depot, and we were so overwhelmed by selecting shade and sheen and base and quantity that we couldn’t be bothered to compare all these among several brands.

As we wheeled our cart towards the check-out aisle, my brother asked me, in all seriousness, “Do you think we can paint the whole house in one day?” Ha! “No, sorry, Buddy, it’s going to take at least two.” Ha ha!!! Had we but known.

So, paint, trays, rollers, brushes, step ladder, tarp, and caffeinated beverages in hand, we arrived at the house around noon the next day, joined by our cousin, Jeff. We set up an old boombox which we fed a constant stream of comedy and classic rock cds, and began to paint. Now, you can pretty much garner the basics of interior painting by watching any episode of Trading Spaces. Rather than bore you with Painting 101, I’m going to list a few things they don’t spell out on television:

● Windows take a long time to paint. Not only is there the interior molding, there’s the wood frame of the window itself, and you have to be sure not to get paint on the glass, or the chains, and you mustn’t paint the window shut…before we’d finished the first room, Buddy announced “Forget it! I’m getting new windows. These are crap anyway. Just paint the molding.” Aye aye, Captain.

● If you get the dark paint on an area that will subsequently be painted white, it’s going to take at least three coats to cover it up. Of course, since we did the trim on the dark walls last, we did not realize this til it was too late.

● Paint fumes can and will get you high. Especially if you spend too much time painting the inside of a closet or other small space with little air circulation. You will start to giggle at everything. You will not be allowed to drive on the next run to Home Depot.

● Unfortunately, this high is followed by a splitting headache that makes it so not worth it. (so don’t try it at home, kids!)

● Rinsing paint rollers by spraying them with a high powered garden hose nozzle is a BAD IDEA. The rollers will spin around at lightning speed, spraying everything within 15 feet with a fine mist of paint.

● Actually, rinsing paint rollers is pretty much pointless anyway. You’ll never get all the paint out of those suckers. Just buy a big batch of rollers and use new ones the next day.

● “Good enough” is a moving target – a bar that will be set lower and lower as the painting wears on and on. Therefore, when painting an entire house, start with the areas that will be most frequently seen by the public (the living and dining rooms, for instance) and finish with the more private quarters. Otherwise, you may end up with a corner of the dining room in which a hasty painter’s-tape-removal-job has resulted in uneven lines and latex paint peeling off the wall, and the pronouncement: “Whatever. I’ll put the plant there.”

On Wednesday night, Buddy & I finally finished the last bit of painting and pulled up the last of the painter’s tape. That’s right. Wednesday. We started on Saturday. Approximately 96 person-hours of labor went into painting a two bedroom, one bath house. We were exhausted. But we were DONE! …with the painting, that is. There was still the packing to finish, and the actual moving to do, and blinds to put up and GFCIs to install, and shelving to hang…

There have been a lot of things to smile about in the weeks since my brother became a homeowner. I have to say, though, that the best thing to come of it for me has been the opportunity to spend time with him, as well as with our cousin. When the Bill Hicks cd ran out and we were all too covered in paint to go put on a new one, we got to talking. We talked about our first cars and our favorite Christmases, about how many times we skipped class in high school (stay in school, kids!), our first loves, our worst loves, and a host of other topics from the mundane to the spiritual to the spiritually mundane (I learned that my uncle has a tattoo of Jesus. I kid you not). See, my cousin Jeff did not grow up in St. Louis – he moved here a year ago and it’s only in the past few months that we’ve started to hang out. And my brother and I were separated for many of our formative years owing to our parents’ divorce. So we had plenty of stories to share, years of catching up to do, and as we gave a fresh shine to my brother’s home we gave new life to our relationships with each other. So, perhaps the greatest accomplishment of this painting adventure was not a house bathed in Glidden or even newly acquired knowledge of paint formulas and fumes, but a home christened with laughter and friendships constructed on a foundation of family.

*Names have been obscured/changed to protect the innocent from the searching eyes of Google in case I say something really stupid.