Don't You Ever Be Caught Shedding Your Skin Too Soon

Saw Laura play this last night at Siren Fest. Oh she is lovely, as was Y La Bamba (and Laura Veirs who was standing right by us).

I loved when she talked about how sleeping is scary because its like practice for dying...

Got to Go To There!

Also, I am very excited for this week because:

1. Halloween, duh.

2. I get to go see Sufjan Stevens preform the soundtrack to this documentary LIVE, here at the Hollywood Theater in Portland!!

3. Haunt, 2nd annual sample sale! (You may recall the fun I had last year, here)

Be there or be _____________.

Come See, Come Sew

For Jack, who wanted to see my front...

The front is pretty basic, but I am now officially obsessed with quilting details in clothing ( I am planning a skirt!). I modified a men's shirt by making the front all one piece, and replacing the collar with bias binding, the sleeves are finished but I like wearing them rolled up. I wore this with a black pencil skirt to church today straight from the sewing machine so I spent a bit of time pulling off threads I had missed!

I think it would be fun to try something similar in silk as well, what do you think?

PS. The jar of 993 candycorn is empty...

Finishing

up my white shirt for the Colette Palette Challenge, and I think it might be my favorite out of all the things I have ever sewn.

Also, I won a jar of candy corn at FHE on Monday (I guessed 999, I'm not sure what the real count was though) --BAD, so bad. Come take it away from me.

Story of My Life

Unfinished. Here are two of the pieces I am making for the Colette Pattern Challenge I have taken on. The black shirt underneath it done except the buttons and buttonholes and its a modified men's shirt with a peter pan collar. On top is the leather bag, which is done except for the bias binding on the armhole.

Now I need the willpower (to go buy buttons, first of all) to finish, when I really just want to start the next project!

Remember (Looking Ahead)

Remember when I lived in Seattle while I did an Internship with 826?

Remember how I love She & Him?

Well, did you know that She & Him announced that they are putting out a Christmas album this year and guess who a portion of the proceeds are going to?

(If you guessed 826, you guessed right.)

You can read more about it here, and pre-0rder the album here! (I'm getting so very excited for my fall/winter holidays here, almost to the point of needing holiday songs!)

Today during my lunch break I picked up St. Vincent's latest album, "Strange Mercy" ( I highly recommend it/musical rambling will follow) at my local record shop, and while I was looking at the pretty white and gold cover I realized that I need to talk about my little icon to the right of this post.

Once again I'm participating in Colette Pattern's palette challenge, you can check out all the details here. Hopefully I'll be more successful this time since I actually have my sewing machine with me. Will anyone be terribly disappointed if I skip out on the palette/mood board part though? If you are disappointed let me know and I will post one, but in thinking about the pieces I wanted to make I realized that a lot of them are basics not a cohesive fall wardrobe.

I will talk more about my projects as I finish them, but I will tell you a little bit so you all can hold me accountable! I am planning on 4 pieces.

1. A leather bag (I'm so excited about this and just finished the lining)

2. A skirt made from this beautiful cream and gold silk suiting I'm in love with already.

3. and 4. Black and white blouses--I really need more white shirts!

So my palette for this challenge is white, black, and gold. But if I have time I may do something colorful.

We started on St. Vincent so I think we should end with her too, and two reasons why I'm excited to see her next month!

1. St. Vincent plays like this (ps. if you feed the hungry box your email you can get the song free.)

2. St. Vincent plays like this:

You've Got a Friend in Me.

Today this song came on my sister's ipod. I don't think I will ever forget the association I have with this song. I was driving back from a concert in Bend, OR (Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists, and Mates of State) with my friends Sara and Allie in 2008. It was late and we were getting drowsy as we approached Tualatin when this song came on and two raccoons ran out onto the freeway! It was completely out of nowhere and I'm pretty sure we were all jumping out of our seats. Sadly, the raccoons were perfectly spaced between the tires, so I doubt that either of them lived to tell the tale. This is for you little guys:

Fruits of my Labor Day

I miss writing on here, don't ask me why I haven't been, I guess I just needed a break. And I keep thinking of great things to write about and then forgetting so my head may have sprung a leak, but don't worry I'll put a sandbag on it. Or start writing things down, like how I bought one of my favorite pieces from The Portland Collection at a labor day sale this weekend and I love it so much! Too bad our NW weather decided to turn around for the weekend, making wool a less than ideal choice...

And remember how I was having a hard time picking out fabric for my chair here? Well I finally picked out some beige linen and finished the cushions this weekend!

I stole the throw pillow from the living room, but I'm planning on going out and finding a new one to put there permanently. I'm pretty happy with the fabric, although it seemed to keep moving as I sewed it. Cushions are deceptively hard, you think they are just big fabric rectangles but they require a lot of precision for everything to match up and there are definitely some things I will probably go back and tweak on this chair.

I was also really excited when I was reading Jack's blog post, and when I clicked on one of the links I discovered this under more ideas...the only difference is that mine is not a rocking chair and did not cost $300!

*PSsst. If you love The Portland Collection as much as I do you should enter this giveaway from Honey Kennedy. The prize is $100 to the Portland shop Tilde which carries the beautiful Portland Collection scarves!

Today my sister showed me this picture of her friend, and I immediately told her I needed a copy.

I really want to recreate this with my hair spelling something completely random/crass/obscenely obscene. I might have to use my sisters hair though since I just cut a bunch of mine off. Any random/crass/obscene suggestions?

{I have no idea where I found this}

Is it bad that I am so ready for fall, and especially Halloween already? Maybe it's all the Harry Potter Hype or this cold Portland summer, but I am already in the Halloween spirit. I have a great costume idea (which I stole from my sister, and will not share) and now I am planning to cut my nails just like this. Anybody else ready?

Sew-Sew

Last week I made this navy blue Beignet skirt for Miss Allie for her birthday, which was yesterday! It was so nice to have a project to get my mind off things, PLUS I am in love with the striped sueded silk (striped sueded silk, striped sueded silk, striped sueded silk) I used to line it.

Isn't it so pretty? I know Allie loves nautical things as much as I do, so I was trying to find something fitting for the lining which made me think of stripes. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed by the lack of nice striped fabric at Mill End. I almost went for a blue and white seersucker with crabs embroidered on it--but I figured Allie is turning 23 which requires a little more sophistication.

But now I'm in love with this stripey fabric and need to come up with something to make with it! Any ideas?

Oh Hey

Just adding to my Church & State collection with the Montana skirt, bringing me up to a grand total of 3! I wish there was a bigger picture of because its very pretty and was quite the bargain!

I have no excuses, I should be writing more.

'Pressed

So are you ready to hear about my awesome weekend? I drove with my horseshoe cousin (is that even a real term? She's my cousin's cousin.) to eastern Washington where I stayed with her family and learned to letterpress!

We were talking about it beforehand and decided we wanted to do postcards so we designed some the week before and sent them off to be turned into printing plates! Here are some of my favorites:

We chose and mixed the colors for the first two--and I will say that ink is surprisingly stickier than you would imagine. We did a plain line on the back to mark where the postage and address goes. I learned about how paper has a grain, just like fabric--and just like sewing most of the work is in the setup. Once we had all the plates in place it was pretty easy to crank out stacks of postcards.

I also loved being out in the country for the weekend; in a place where I didn't have any cellphone reception and downtown has two traffic lights. We ate at this diner called Top Notch that had a sign advertising "The world's greatest burger outside. It reminded me of elf, but my burger was pretty good as well as the moose track shake we shared! And apparently Bill Gates had eaten there! I was sorely disappointed that the thrift store called "Classically Trendy" was closed. I guess that means I have to go back, which is good since a part of me wanted to stay in the country forever.

PS. I am getting my hair cut tomorrow and I have no idea what I'm going to do!

Kirsten's Secret

I got these coupons in the mail from Victoria's Secret a couple days ago, and thought I would finally cash in on them last night. My little sister Martha saw these coupons when they first came in the mail and started asking me, "Are you going to go get your THONG?" very loudly whenever we were in the same room.

So, I went to the VS in one mall and was immediately surrounded by a gaggle of pre-teen girls with their moms all brandishing the exact same coupon.

I left soon thereafter, head bowed in shame.

But don't worry, I just went to another less busy VS--because really how can you have too much underwear?

Names

Today at work I discovered my new favorite name: Mortimer

Isn't that a great name? Say it out loud...Mort i merrr. Doesn't that just roll off your tongue?


Also, when I googled "Mortimer" I found this picture of Sir John Mortimer.

{oh thanks Gaurdian}

I think next thing I have the power to name will be named Mortimer, be it plant or fish, or tiny child.

Any other name suggestions?

New

I think I'm going to need a whole slew of new belts for fall so I can belt all my sweaters and jackets. But really who am I kidding? I could wear this now! (Those who have been in Portland in recent months know why--right now it looks like November outside.)

Margaret Howell has a definitive mastery of belting that you can see in many of her collections, but I am especially loving her F/W '11 looks.

{Photo via Honey Kennedy}

Also, I am so excited about my weekend plans that I am having a hard time focusing and it's only Tuesday!

A Beautiful Day

For reading Marshall McLuhan and eating a pear out on Marquam Hill.

Happy Friday!

You can celebrate by reading my newest interview on Colette pattern with Swedish designer Ida Sjostedt, here!
And if you have been eyeing any Colette patterns lately, but haven't worked yourself up to actually buying it I have good news for you. Fill out a quick survey (the link is here, or you can find it on the blog) and you will get a coupon for 20% off!

Hopefully I will spend the weekend catching up on some of my sewing--although I doubt it since I have a full docket attending this, this, this, and taking care of this furry friend.

"The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them."

Maya Angelou

Let's Talk About Food.

This Weekend my dear old roommate Michelle came to visit me and we went and tried out brunch at Tasty N Sons on N Williams. I took it as a good sign that there was a wait at 9am on a Saturday. They do only take reservations for groups of 6 or more, but just for the two of us the wait wasn't long at all.

Michelle had granola with strawberries and yogurt--I think that was milk in the cute little pitcher. She also had french toast with rhubarb syrup that was delicious.

I of course had to try the chocolate potato donut in creme anglaise--which was so fresh it was still steaming! I also got this delicious fritatta with feta, confit green beans, asparagus, caramelized onion, and feta. That fried thing on top was a feta ball, the fritatta obsession continues...and I would definitely recommend breakfast at Tasty N Sons.

Food Food Food Food.

Litte Bird

For my Birthday dinner this week I went with my parents to Little Bird (or Petit Ouiseau as it says on the door). This bistro is the younger sibling to Le Pigeon, another great Portland restaurant. And while Little bird might be newer, it is definitely bigger, and I just love the interior. This actually doesn't give the best view of all the decor, but it shows one of my favorite things--the fitted metal ceiling! I also love the robins egg blue paint.

For an appetizer I wanted something adventurous so we had the marrow bones. It felt kind of barbaric, eating marrow--we had a very animated waiter who when we asked what marrow was like described how the bones are cooked and then you scrape the marrow out with a spoon. Sounds appetizing, right?
For my entree I had duck confit (this time the waiter vividly described the way the duck thigh was soaked in duck fat) and it was moist and delicious. Definite mouth pleasures, as my mom would say. My mom had a delicious pork chop, and my dad had the best gnocchi I have ever tasted!

For dessert I had the ice cream/sorbet sample which I loved! Oh, and you can see my birthday candle. They used a ceramic egg carton to put the scoops in, but they are half eaten in this picture. I think my favorites were rhubarb sorbet and lemon rosemary sorbet--I may need to try making them at home.
The check comes with mini macaroons for everyone, these were hazelnut flavored (macaroons are another thing I would like to try making). Overall I would say the only thing I didn't like about Little Bird is that it feels bigger. At Le Pigeon the kitchen is out in the restaurant for everyone to see and the restaurant is physically smaller so it can't accommodate as many people. This is definitely just my opinion, but I like restaurants that feel small and cozy. However, if I were going with a large group I would definitely choose Little bird!

And are you tired of all these pictures from my phone yet? I mean don't get me wrong, I appreciate you dear cellular device. You do right by me, but your picture quality leaves something to be desired. perhaps there will be a new camera in my future...

Phone Home

Just cleaning out my phone and thought I would share a couple pictures...

1. Out on my walk with the big fluffy teddy bear of an English sheepdog I was dog sitting a couple weeks ago. I am pretty sure he shared my love of house-watching on our walks, and we found some great ones.

2. I love days when I come home to this in the fridge. The first time this happened I didn't get a picture but the milk had "POISON" written in huge letters with a skull-and-crossbones. My little sister Bridget has decided that this is the best way to inform the rest of the family that our other sister Martha has been drinking straight out of the jug. Let's just say I don' t drink as much milk as I used to.

Violet

Sarai, the Colette Pattern proprietress just posted these versions of one of our newest patterns made by the ladies of Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver, CO. I have my pattern all cut out; I just need fabric and these patterns are definitely inspiring!

(Hopefully you can enlarge this because the pattern on the fabric on the left is so great. It's Liberty of London, which is $$$ so I think I will do something basic first. But I sure hope there is some LoL in my future!)
And I love this shade of yellow. Stay tuned for a version by me...

The Asian Year is Over

Today I told my dad that I am one year closer to death--or to people not thinking I am still in high school I hope. Can it really be that a year has already passed me by? Scary. So, Scary. It seems like it was just yesterday I was celebrating my "Asian birthday"?

I guess my hair has grown about six inches since then so it might be true. And I guess I should be grateful that time seems to be passing so quickly since I have been telling my mom I want to be Rip Van Winkle, but is still seems strange.

Also, I have been getting all these wicked birthday discounts, and even though I know they are ploys to make me spend my hard earned $$$, it is kind of working. I mean how can I not justify buying this talon candlestick from Catbird, especially when I have a discount?

And if I bought this Axel three-seater chair from Anthro, I could save $404.70!! Haha ok, that one was a joke, because I only have a 15% discount--have you calculated how much the chair is yet?

But really, the Catbird candlestick.

Best Thing I Saw Last Friday

Although when I saw the house the balloons were actually in the chimney, and I don't think this photo really gives you a good perspective, but the photo is from this Oregon live article. I should have taken a picture, but I was not fast enough with my phone, and today it looks like most of the balloons are deflated. But oh hey, here's a video clip about it!

Okay, it wouldn't work so here's the link!

Salt & Straw

{Via EaterPDX}

Trying out a new ice cream place every Saturday night is a tradition I could get used too. Last Saturday night we at Scoop organic ice cream, and this week we tried out the Salt & Straw cart on NE Alberta & 18th. There was a line when we arrived, but our scooper was so nice and when I told her it was our first time she encouraged us to try as many samples as we needed. I sampled the balsamic honey strawberry with cracked pepper, bleu cheese and pear, sea salt with Carmel ribbons, and the lemon basil sorbet. They didn't have every flavor in their little cart but I'm excited to try more when they open up the shop in August.

I ended up going with the lemon basil sherbet, and it really hit the spot. I also thought the pear & bleu cheese was surprisingly good, but I think Scoop has a better salt to Carmel ratio in their salted Carmel ice cream. The honey balsamic was pretty good, I'm not a big balsamic vinegar fan, but I definitely appreciate Sat & Straw's unique pairings.

This melon sherbet with slices of Olympic Provisions coppa wasn't at the cart on Saturday, but I think I will have to go back and try it in the shop!

{Via Portland Monthly}

A chair of a different color

This is a chair that has been sitting naked in my room for many months--how embarrassing! I love it and have been planning on making cushions, but one problem is that I cannot commit to a color!

The four colors I've been considering lately are: a mustardy-golden yellow, a lighter apple green, burgundy, or grey. I don't know! I want it to look good in my room, but I also want it to be versatile so that if I change my room or put it somewhere else it will look good. So please, tell me what you think before my indecisiveness consumed me.

Recollection

Today my interview with Sandra Murphy about her line Recollection went up on the Colette patterns blog, you can read it here. Her clothes are gorgeous, and the styling makes me yearn for more Mad Men!

Carting

Food carting that is of course. It was actually while Lauren and I were out shopping that we discovered one of my new favorites: Scoop ice cream! I especially love their salted Carmel ice cream, but I am excited to try every flavor. We went back last weekend and now my dad is addicted too.

I also tried the pies at the D-street nosh pod food cart the Pie Spot. I love their cute little pie holes, and I want to try making some myself! I also want to try out more of the new carts about town.

Apples & Pears

I was so bored at work I read a bunch of articles about cockney slang, and had this song in my head the rest of the day.

Deals on wheels

A couple weeks ago (June 4th to be exact) on a rare hot day my cousin('s cousin, but that's kind of confusing) Lauren went on a grand adventure. First we stopped at the Remodelista market, where we sampled delicious jams and ice cream while checking out the wares of some of my favorite local companies. I personally came away with the conviction that I need to own a Portland Schoolhouse Electric Co. Ion lamp in black with an Edison bulb.

Then after exploring a stretch of E Burnside we drove over to N Williams and Failing to shop two infamous Portland vintage shops during their "Head to Tow" event. First we explored Lodekka, which had some great dresses and shoes. Honestly, I was kind of geeking out and making embarrassing Harry Potter Knight bus reference. How can you not love a double decker bus?

{Via Coolhunting}

When we were finished Wanderlust was parked conveniently right outside, I talked them back in this post, and I bought this blue Samsonite Scadia bag on the cheap. I've used it a lot already, and it fits my laptop perfectly!

{Via Etsy, we could be twinners!}

Next Time I Need a Baby Shower Gift

I'm getting this:Perfect, right? It's the Modern White Baby Head Vase from the etsy shop Mudpuppy. They have an array of ceramic goodies that seem to fit my somewhat eccentric sensibilities. I also love these hanging planters-- they look like octopuses.

Living For the Weekend this Week.

I love Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside so much, and this is the first song of theirs I heard.

SALLIE FORD & THE SOUND OUTSIDE from More Dust Than Digital on Vimeo.

The Things She Sews Pt. 3

Last of all for today, I just finished my Beignet skirt from Colette Patterns, on Saturday.

I loved how this pattern turned out, although I was in between sizes and sized up, but I think I will do the next size down the next time I make this. I think my favorite detail is the fabric buttons I used--Be prepared for a whole post about my new fabric button obsession.