Last weekend I hosted a bridal shower for my neice, Sara McFarlane. Sara will marry Kirk Wolff in December.
I made these invitations and favors for the shower, along with somewhat coordinating centerpieces. More photos of the whole lady party here.
I love, truly love, making invitations and other paper stationery things. As communication becomes more digital, I’ve begun to crave beautiful things I can hold in my hands. I love the texture of paper, and the rituals of writing letters and opening letters (although I wish I did more of this…)
I also love writing things with pens and paper because it forces my mind to slow down, to work on one letterform at a time. When I’m typing I’m always thinking of two other things as I type. That sort of multi-tasking wears me down.
In any event, it was a great party Saturday. Sara is just simply gorgeous, inside and out. She’s moving to the St. Paul area after the wedding and we’ll miss her.
tags:projects
Years ago, I started to center my wardrobe around black, for a number of reasons:
- I’m a moody goth chick at heart,
- People can’t tell when dogs have jumped up on black clothes,
- Black never makes me look like I’m trying too hard.
Well, I am a moody goth chick at heart. Inspired by Emily’s cool video I’ve been buying yet more up alternative metal on iTunes. Don’t even ask how much I already have. (Please note: this video contains strong language.)
And owning Jimi and Skippy does lead to unspeakable dirtiniess from time to time, so black pants save me from having to change four times a day.
But this lovely new scarf (above) from The Window Sill. Sigh. I bought it a couple of weeks ago and it makes me so happy. It might encourage me to change up my wardrobe’s color scheme a little.
The Window Sill, btw, is one of Sauk Prairie’s hidden treasures. You can get the coolest things there, from Ugly Dolls to The Thymes body care products. And scarves.
Back to my scarf! It’s velvet and cozy and warm, with pink and brown stripes on the front and a brown velvet backing.
I have a yearning to buy a brown pea coat to match it, and to knit some fingerless mitts like these, only in brown.
Does anyone know where I can to get a brown peacoat?
I made a quilt for Laura McFarlane, my step-daughter, about five years ago. I almost forgot about it. Laura recently brought it back for a visit with me.
Seeing this old “quilt baby” thrilled me a little bit. Because it’s really cool.
The bright squares pop out from the low-chroma field, just as I intended. And the stippling is both weird and amazing.
It’s very interesting without assaulting you with its artiness. If I do say so myself, it’s great. Yet more photos here.
In my design work, I’m constantly scrutinizing my work, tweaking it, second-guessing myself, trying to make every piece a little bit better. Often I finish a piece and think, “that’s pretty good, but it’s not great.”
Well, this quilt is great. It gives me confidence in my instincts, and cheers me enormously!
tags:projects
Sometimes when I’m in the middle of something I don’t realize I’m in the middle of that something until I’m out of the thing, whatever it is.
This week I’m pretty sure it was the flu. I told myself I had a cold all week because, while I was sneezing and coughing, I was also ambulatory and able to get a few things done.
Today I started to feel better, though. And I realized that I had been staggering around in misery for quite a few days. Staggering around in misery is a habit I learned during the ten years I had no health insurance and no sick leave.
Fortunately, I stuck pretty close to home during the first part of the week when I was contagious. I crouched in front of my computer trying to design and code. My dogs ran wild, but I probably didn’t infect too many people. I am not the worst person in the world.
Yesterday I rallied. At the Sauk Prairie Farmers’ Market, I found these fused glass bracelets made by Delores Madigan, of D’s Glass and Jewelry Designs in Cross Plains, WI. Aren’t they lovely?
tags:things i covet
Remember a couple of weeks ago when I spotted some adorable oilcloth bike panniers? And said I’d find out where you can get some?
I did! You can get them in Amsterdam!
These panniers and the bike carrying them belong to Catherine Sullivan. Catherine teaches yoga here in Sauk Prairie and also volunteers for River Arts, Inc. (she has a background in art history and is a wonderful resource for our community). And she went to Amsterdam and got her bike a present.
OOO, are you a tiny bit jealous like me? Well, we can both chill. Similar panniers are for sale from the interwebs here. Get shopping.
tags:things i covet
