Saturday, October 30, 2010

sisterly love, of the embroidered kind

i made this for little sister {the elephant lover}

 i got the design from a printable valentine, here.


for sister-in-law {the math lover and teacher}

 originally found on graphjam.com
 i love that i doubled the nerdyness by embroidering it. it's nerdy squared!

big sister's project is currently in works this weekend. {and super secret!}

Thursday, October 28, 2010

wedding rings {chronology}

I recently posted about one of hubby's tattoos. but i also wanted to share this one, too.
it's the reason we went into that parlor to begin with:
His (tattooed) wedding band. 
He's not a jewelry person, and I always knew that he wouldn't be crazy about a ring, so this was perfect. Growing up my dad never really wore his wedding ring (I have no idea why)  so I always just thought it was kinda optional for men. Because of that, it really wasn't a source of contention that his wedding band may not be a permanent fixture of his left hand.

Add to that the fact that my sister (the maid of honor) forgot his wedding band during the ceremony and we had to make due with her teeny-tiny little ring. Seriously, this thing was small. It wouldn't fit over his first knuckle! So I always joke that he didn't get a ring during the ceremony so why would I expect him to wear it?
But to go the traditional route, we still got him an (all metal) ring as well, but he lost it within a couple months of the wedding. Although to be fair he was an avid rock-climber at the time and he was always having to take the thing on and off. 


So I got him one for christmas:
 He helped pick it out from this shop on etsy. All wood and very light and comfortable. He wore it all the time, but after about a year it broke (see the crack?)

So then I got him this one (from this amazing shop):
Probably my favorite. Nope, definitely my favorite! I like that it's a combo of the first two rings: metal and wood together. He still doesn't wear it much and so I did sometimes, but he thought it was weird so I stopped. I don't know, i guess it is kinda weird...

and just so I don't feel left out, here's mine (which could use a good polish, i see...)

i absolutely adore it and you'll never catch me without it. 
 
Josh picked it out all on his own from a local shop, and later we got the wedding band made especially to go with it. I wanted something simple that didn't take away from the unique shape. 

And I love it most of all. Because of all it stands for, because it's my very own one-of-a-kind, and because it was chosen by my very own love!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

current style icon

 "icon" may be an exaggeration.
{ok it's definitely an exaggeration, but it's the word i choose to use.}
i love chuck from pushing daisies, and i love emma from glee, but honestly, as much as i admire their clothes and whole "look", it's just not me. and it probably will never be me. so choosing them as my personal style icons would be silly and impractical. 

you probably saw inception this summer {and if you didn't- you need to immediately find your bootlegging-downloading friend {cause we all have one} and get a copy to watch. tonight.} but am i the only one drooling over ellen page's wardrobe? 
seriously?

i'm in love with the simple, dressed-down almost vintageness {it's a word} of it all. 

and the scarves. 
i think it comes down to the scarves. i'm obsessed with them. i wear them all the time and i was so excited to them in the movies. {really. i leaned over and squealed in husband's ear. much to his displeasure}

she may just be an absolutely adorable person in general.
ok no. she definitely is. 
{although i must confess at this point that i still haven't seen juno. *cringe* i know! i know! it's in my que}



it's all fine and well to aspire to be audery hepburn, but that's just not really me. i'll take someone with a little more down-to-earthy-ness thankyouverymuch.
all images via we heart it

Monday, October 25, 2010

bias tape brooches

in between planning for what is quickly becoming a day-long halloween party at work {the kids are out of school this friday and it's my job to keep them entertained all day} i got out my ribbon drawer and played with an idea i had runnning around in my head.

pinwheels? spirals? odd flowers? i don't know exactly, but i like them. 

{made of bias tape, ribbon and embroidery thread}

so i stuck a pin-back on them and i'm calling them brooches.

i love how this one looks on my favorite fall jacket.

i may be making a few more of these this week. they took no time at all and i like the unique look.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

chalkboard doodles

just before my gloomy week i did this little chalkboard doodle.

it was a great reminder and helped me {try} to stay positive.


i loved it so much, i took a walk today and left these little doodles all along the way...




 and i couldn't resist my staircase...


i may have found my new favorite sunny-day activity.

Friday, October 22, 2010

highest highs & lowest lows

this week has been....something else. to say it's been a roller coaster ride just doesn't quite cover it. it's like the week that never ends.
it started with my mom's {major} surgery on tuesday morning, which went well. yay! 
high!
but then she had complications, and was back in the hospital for 20 hours. my dad sounded a step away from distraught, and with no family nearby him to be supportive and a mom in a "precarious" situation, my siblings and i were all freaking out. a lot.  
low.

but then she went home and things have been all clear ever since. 
high!

wednesday husband had his final all-day interview with teach for america. 
high!

but the interview was in lawrence {a couple hours away} and the night before our car broke down. disaster.  
low.

but then a dear friend came through with a car to borrow. she's amazing.  
high!

{and oh yeah, he nailed the interview}
double high!

so now it's the end of a long long week and everything has ended on a good note, but i'm still reeling from, well, everything. 
i'm looking forward to a calm weekend. 
a weekend of recovery. {especially for my mom}

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

blog-buddy-crafting-love!

i've been crafting so much the last several weeks, but there's really only so many things one can make for themselves. so i decided to spread the love a little!
i sent these zippered pouches out to a couple lovely ladies:
 {for brandi}

 {for lauren}

and this itty baby hat for caroline's new little boy joy {and she sent me the most adorable photo of him in it!}

but of course, my favorite project was for my bestie. she is such an inspiration {even when she's so far away!} so i made her a little embroidery from this photo of a miniature love note she left for her hubby.
{the note}

{the embroidery}


i've just finished projects for each of my sisters and i'm sending them this week. the worst part now is the waiting! and the mail here is so. slow. 
i hate waiting!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

sugar baking high

so this weekend i looked at my life and realized that what i'm missing is french pastries in a rainbow of colors. plus all the uppity snotty-ness that goes along with being a master baker! which is laughable because the only things i can do in the kitchen is make mac and cheese and cupcakes. look at me branching out and growing up! {and lets not focus on the fact that all the things i can make are really unhealthy in large doses}

so. macarons. i've been seeing them everywhere lately, and they look so yummy and adorable {is that a word i can use to describe food?} all at the same time. i keep describing them as "the next cupcake" because that really seems to wrap it up. so this weekend i attacked them! i scoured the internets for directions and a recipe and relied heavily on this one. which i followed as closely as possible. 

these are the results:
batch #1
success! these little babies got feet! which is huge, but unfortunately the only good thing about them. 
 problems: texture {i didn't sift the mixture well enough}
i over-beat the egg whites
i didn't cook them long enough {they were gooey inside}
very inconsistent shape/size. who knew circles could be so difficult!

but they still tasted pretty good. and they look, well, pretty!
{they're purple in real life, not this weird grey}

batch #2

 success! i am in love with these. they're much lighter and the texture is finer. and they didn't just get feet, they got big feet! yays! i got the size and shape much more consistent this time, too.

i made them yellow and filled with nutella {which i just noticed makes them look like mini-burgers...} and then ate way too many before bedtime. 
luckily the only supply i didn't already own was a kitchen scale, so i just got a cheap one. now i think it may be time to invest in an awesome macaron book, too. i'm pretty proud of my new venture, and i'm already thinking of some halloween macarons!
 not perfect yet, but oh so close and oh so yummy!

Friday, October 15, 2010

have i ever told you?

...how much my husband loves me?
 a lot.
i'm talking get-my-name-tattooed-on-his-wrist-a-lot.

less than a week after our wedding we walked into a tattoo parlor and this is what he came out with. it was kind of a big deal. i mean i knew that we'd spend the rest of our lives together, but a tattoo feels a little more permanent than a piece of paper.
this is my very favorite love letter.


ever.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

exciting awesomeness!

how is that for a title, huh?
but it really is exciting awesomeness cause i'm famous now!
yes, it's an undeniable truth that i'm awesome and now everyone in the city knows it {of course you already knew of my awesomeness, didn't you? well aren't you smart for being friends with me before the fame. that's how i know who loves me for me and who just wants a mustang for christmas}
you can see the article written about me in manhattan magazine here {i'm on page 54}
and don't worry, i'm not letting it go to my head. my agent says i'm staying very grounded :)
 {but on a more serious note, i've already gotten a phone call about a teaching opportunity, which is amazing. teaching the violin is truly my passion and i'm thrilled that someone wants me!}

and while we're here, i thought i'd share this video done by the students and faculty at my alma mater. at this point we've all seen a lib dub video or two, but this one is worth a look even if you didn't go to school there. {but watching it will make you want to go there. i miss that beautiful campus!} 

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

reasons to love manhattan #3

the sky!
and don't bother me with silly details like the fact that everyone has the sky.  i'm telling you, if you want big wide open spaces, move to kansas. this time of year i really start missing michigan and all it's trees and beautiful color tours, but it's hard to beat all this:

bright skies:


and some gorgeous sunsets that seem to stretch on and on: