In anticipation of a feast.

I simply cannot wait until 3pm today when get to leave work early, while it is still light out no less, and start enjoying my four-day weekend. So excited.

We are having a FEAST tomorrow. And, because I love this word and around the holiday season is really the only time to use it without being strange...there will be a smorgasbord of food.
***Le Menu***

Basil Pesto Deviled Eggs
Baked Brie
***
Gourmet Mac & Cheese
Creamed Spinach
Swiss Chard & Sweet Potato Gratin
Rotisserie Chicken
Stuffing (NOT from a box!)
***
Apple Pie
Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake

I also plan on...
planting flowers outside,
outlet shopping on Friday in Camarillo,
continuing a holiday apt window display with Naomi,
working on my hexagons,
going on a 6-mile (nervous though, it's been awhile since 5+) run...

...and simply enjoying not working. :)

Here is a snowflake preview...they're addicting to make. We've been having whoever comes over try and make one, it's fun to see what each person comes up with.
*before*
*after*

Project Hexagon

So I've always thought that crocheted afghans blankets are just about the most beautiful and soft as blankets come, and I had this beautifully crocheted blanket growing up that my great grandmother Snowdie made for me as a little girl that I've always loved. Now, thanks to my birthday gift from Jackie and Naomi of yarn, knitting needles and a crochet hook, I've been inspired to learn the basics of knitting and am moving on to my dream crochet project - a hexagonal blanket.

Hexagon how-to HERE.
While the colors I'm using are much more "retro" than this picture...isn't this beautiful!? It's just so bright and simply radiates color, I love it.

I will try to take a picture of two as I learn how to make hexagons, guided by the ever-patient craft mistress Naomi.

an apple a day.

Can't afford a sweater this fall like this beautiful Gap cardigan?

Well how about you save yourself some ca$h and knit your favorite piece of fruit a camel-colored sweater* instead like this Etsy shop? Much more cost effective. I wouldn't actually mind shielding my usual bananas from excessive bruising in my purse, but I can't even keep a straight face thinking about how awful the connotations of a banana-sweater would be... ;) Enjoy thinking about that the rest of the day - Happy Monday.

[from HandmaidenBC's Etsy shop]


*I'm not actually serious about knitting fruit sweaters.

This & That.

I had so much fun hanging out with Naomi's fam on Friday night / Saturday, we had so much good food and they were so amazing to include me in their time together...here is the product of too much fun at Malibu's best Thai restaurant (and my fav) Cholada along with my P90X-ident. Courtesy of Ms. Nathalie Con. (Carrot, by the way.)

[via The Bedroom Pantry]

Not much going on this week, I've been fighting a cold so I've been laying low. I've been learning how to knit thanks to Naomi the craft-mistress, and although all I am working on currently is a scarf, this is my ultimate dream.
[via Design Sponge]

Someday...

Scraps of my weekend.

Such a great weekend! Went to the beach x 2, farmer's market flowers, dim sum, cat naps in the sunshine, a VIP experience at the Greek Theatre Gipsy Kings concert...good times.

A Seale and a Seib. I need to get a wetsuit...I'm missing out!

A real seal. And an example of what I did this weekend. I can only wish I was that cute though. :)

Mango dessert. Delicious because it's heart shaped.

[via A Cup of Jo]
I want to do this with our flowers. I need to find/save some taller jars however. New project.

Let's accessorize.

I'm loving long gold necklaces these days...here are a few favs from Etsy for you / I to dream about this fine Monday. I wish I could make jewelry like this! Perhaps I'll take a community ed class someday...

[LauraLombardiJewelry]

[minusOne]

[missashleylu]

HERBS.

[via Nothing Elegant]

How cute is this herb/flower pot?! I love.

TMOOH Launch!

Brett's new site is up...and it looks amazing!

Seriously, it doesn't get any more inspiring than seeing your friends' dreams become reality. Really makes me think about what it is that I want to make happen in my own life and just what it is that I am willing to take a risk for.

Check it out HERE and tell all your friends.

Some of my faves...
I must get my hands on a giraffe tshirt at some point!

Arts + Crafts / Paper Cranes

[via jeremy and kathleen]

[Flickr]

My next craft of choice: learning how to make paper cranes. Jess and I origami-ed growing up and loved it just as much as any girl [or boy] does, but I never learned how to make a paper crane. They're so elegant. And graceful. And I should know how to fold them. Also...Naomi knows how to fold them. Convenient. So, I plan on getting my sage and wise craft-vixen to help me out. I would love to hang them in a corner of my room...

Plants + Books = LOVE

New project! How amazing is this plant idea? This combines two things that I already find beautiful anyway. A marriage made in heaven in my mind. I'm feeling a new craft project coming on...I could even combine this idea with a terrarium feel. I would have to get a bigger book. Like a dictionary.

[via SeeSaw Designs]

collage creations

I've been working for a couple weeks on a new collage for my room, I wanted to to have two next to each other for over my bed to balance out my room and give it a lot of color. I love how the newest one turned out, it's much more feminine and delicate. I used a lot of black and white images and older pictures with this one. And I randomly found and decided to use real dried pressed flowers and put them over some of the pictures. Here are the before and afters...

Post-it Note Inspiration

EepyBird's Sticky Note experiment from Eepybird on Vimeo.

:)

The Cat Lady

Inspiration for the day. The cat lady can be beautiful. I think this is going on my next collage.

[FFFFOUND.COM]

Once upon a time there was...a chair.

So we Craigslisted for this armchair almost a month ago. Everything about this chair has been kind of incredulous...from the man with almost three teeth who sold it to us to the disgusting way it had been reupholstered (at least three times) and the strange musty/old odor wafting around our apartment from it. So we partially gutted this chair and had it simply sitting in our apartment, just waiting for its time to become the designated project and undertaking of Naomi and me.

Exhibit A...case in point.

What an undertaking.
So, last weekend, Naomi and I threw on our baggiest of baggy sweats and set to work scouting out cheap but quality / designer upholstery fabrics ...which meant a trip to Mood Fabrics in LA.
Additionally, the arrival of the kitten (Mobes!) meant that the two "projects" would fuse, as they did...
And isn't this fabric just perfect? Especially against our "avocado" walls. :)
And thus, the project continued...into the wee 2.30 am hours on Saturday, and all morning Sunday...we pressed onward.

And then, at long last, after many hours of stapling, tacking, cursing, measuring and stretching...SUCCESS!
Victory has never tasted so sweet. Isn't it gorgeous?!

Moral of this tale: We now understand why cool furniture like this is so expensive. And if we ever went into the upholstery business (because we seem to think that we're really good at it) we would charge lots and lots of $money$.

The end.

My (Blog) Coming Out.

Hello!

In the spirit of rapid and changing technology, creativity, communication, creative writing and inspiration, I have decided to create a blog. My roommates Jackie and Naomi already have one, and Naomi is always updating hers with things that have occurred in her life or things that she simply enjoys and finds inspiring.

Although I am really enjoying my new job and, particularly after reading the news with Naomi this morning and hearing that the CA unemployment rate is at 11%, am grateful for steady employment without risk of being laid off...my new position of Pricing Coordinator is heavy on the numbers and light on the words and writing. So this new blog is my way of continuing to write and hold myself accountable to expression of thought. Can't really express who I am through a spreadsheet or database, unfortunately. Thus, in the spirit of avoiding atrophy of my writing skills, blogging it is!

I have to say that the company I am working for, Product Partners/Beach Body, is inspiring as well. There is genuine encouragement seen on every blank wall in the entire office through pictures of people whose lives have been absolutely transformed by one of Beach Body's programs. As a perk of being a new employee, I got to choose a fitness program for free. Sweet! I don't know if you have heard of P90X - but I am excited to start this 90-day challenge and fitness program. The before and after pictures are pretty astounding for so many people, and I figure it could be a refreshing way to workout for the next three months. Once Jackie gets back from Australia, the three of us roommates are going to start doing the program together. It's good to have people to hold you accountable, as well as being quite motivating.

I too, will have to put together some before and after pictures. Only to be released if the results are everything we have dreamed of and more...
:)



Welp, Naomi and I are off to check out the Fairfax Flea Market this fine Sunday...


We've heard good things and we are both looking for some good finds. Not sure what in particular...we're in need of an area rug, cool wall art, fabric for a wingback chair we are going to upholster, etc. There will be more to come as our crafts and projects unfold. And the market has cool vintage clothing. I'm such a sucker!