KVH/.

Laura You So Pretty

2012-01-09T21:33:00.000-08:00

(10 points if you can name the title reference)

Remember how I got a DSLR camera for Christmas (oh hey thanxs Sarah for the recommendation and Alyssa for encouraging me to take the plunge.) and how I promised myself that this was the end of lame photo booth pictures on my blog. Resolution fail. But a post with lame pictures is better than a naked post right (right Liz?)? So check out my Laura short row sweater, pattern via Purlbee!

I know your thinking it so I am just going to say it, this looks like a pregnancy picture. But I got to give you guys 360 views.

I love Purlbee and all their awesome patterns which are even great because they are free. I really want to make this clutch next, I have all the yarn ready to checkout but now I feel like I have to justify buying all this yarn. So if you have any (justifications, that is) please let me know.

I promise I'll be back soon, and with better pictures...

For Auld Lang Syne

2012-01-01T18:49:00.001-08:00

We two have paddled in thestream,
from morning sun till dine ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

(it kind of pains me not to put up the Sufjan version, but you can listen to it here.)

For me 2011 was ushered out with dancing in a beautiful 1950s dress from Xtabay which was nice, but 2012 got off to a great start with a beautiful wind storm which I watched from the comfort of my wooly socks and a motorcycle gang that was right behind me on the freeway on the way to church, Happy New Year.

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

2011-11-06T17:30:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-10-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-30T23:31:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

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)

2011-09-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

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!)

2011-09-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-09-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-28T00:39:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-08-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

{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

2011-08-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-07T23:16:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

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

Happy Friday!

2011-07-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-07-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

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

Maya Angelou

Let's Talk About Food.

2011-07-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

{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

2011-07-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-06-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Hairsicles.

2011-06-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

What if I cut my hair like Kate Lanphear's?

{via Fearlanphear}

The Things She Sews Pt. 2

2011-06-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

I also finally made an Amy Butler Weekender bag, which I have been wanting to do for a long long time!

I made the bag for my dear friend Jack before she had her sweet baby girl Grace. But silly me I didn't take and pictures of it! So here is a hint of it I cropped out of one of Jack's pictures. I used Amy Butler coral fabric with green cording, handles, and lining. I embroidered a line from "Mushaboom" by Feist on the lining and I did take a picture of that.

"We'll collect the moments one by one..."

I would say that out of all the advice I read about this pattern online (and there is a lot of it) I think the best trick this this one, that recommends using stitch witchery to create your cording.

Now I just need to pick out some fabric for my own bag!

The Things She Sews Pt. 1

2011-06-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

Remember that little icon on the side of my blog that said I was participating in the Colette Spring Palette Challenge? Well now I can finally take it down. I finished the dress, but never blogged about it. Do any of my other sewing friends have this problem where you pick out a really awesome pattern and get all excited to make it, but upon finishing realize that it's not something you will ever really wear. This may be one of the reasons I end up giving up many of the things I make. For example this dress looks nice on this no-curves model, but is not quite as accommodating on my form.

From this view you can't tell as much, but from the side my chest holds the dress out and isn't too flattering. Plus I lengthened this, but the skirt is pretty short.

But I loved making this dress for all the details--I tried to get a detail picture above, but it is still hard to see because it is navy. But the whole top is filled with great pin-tuck and pleating details, and I am really happy with how it turned out--at least on the hanger. But maybe you are short and small chested and will come visit me and I will give it to you.

Hemming and Hawing

2011-06-17T00:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, I am missing my computer charger and so have limited computer access, but I certainly have plenty I could talk about. But first I would be remiss if I didn't mention the lovely Jennifer who I interviewed for Colette patterns. Jennifer creates all the textiles for her line, Ermie, and you can read the interview here.

And I just love this dress, I think it is my favorite from her last collection, but her newest textiles look amazing too!

And I will try so hard to write some updates in the next few days! I love you all.

Holly Stalder

2011-05-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

First of all here is my latest interview for Colette patterns with Holly Stalder, or the Portland boutique Haunt that I've mentioned here before.

Turtle Dove

2011-05-26T23:17:00.001-07:00

This Sunday as I was heading out to church I asked my sister what she thought of my outfit, and if it was too dramatic.

"It's a little over the top." she said.
"Should I change?" I asked.
"No, I mean that as a complement."

The same could be said of this turtle dove tee Kate Towers made for me, based off of one I loved on her Etsy, you can see it here.

I love it, though I may need to put a cap on my tops with dramatic shoulders. I don't know if you can tell but it is beautifully dip-dyed grey so it's darkest in the center of the ruffles. Kate has some great things up on Etsy right now too, I wish I could justify buying this aptly named Escargot dress!

Something else I am in love with is the Once Upon a Tart book I mentioned earlier in this post. The other week I made a frittata with my dad and it was great--and there so many easy variations you could do. We ate it right out of the cast iron skillet we baked it in which felt rustic, but they also suggest making mini frittatas in cupcake tins which would be cute!

{Via Tartlette, because I forgot to take pictures}

This Could Explain a Lot

2011-05-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

Although I will say the version I listened to as a child didn't have the "slut" in it.

"I don't need a man to fill this void in my life--just more pens."

2011-05-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

is a thought I had the other day (okay several weeks now since I wrote half of this and forgot about it) as I sat down to my writing desk. That's a lie. My actually first thought was better--but I can't remember it because ironically I could not find a pen or any other writing implement at my desk to write it down with.

Don't we all have those moments when your not really thinking of anything and something great or absurd pops into your head?

Natalie Goldberg says in her book "Writing Down the Bones":

"First thoughts have tremendous energy. It is the way the mind first flashes on something. The internal censor usually squelches them, so we live in a realm of second and third thoughts, thoughts on thought, twice and three times removed from the first fresh flash."

I've been trying to write down these thoughts as soon as the come to me more often, and some of them are pretty funny and I will try to share them from time to time.

I feel like Goldberg's book and I were fated to meet since it was on the book list for one of my classes and then when I got to class I found out we didn't need it, but I read it anyway. I love that it is made up of lots of really short sections that I can read quickly but get me thinking and excited to write.

Here is another little nugget:

"Don't do that to yourself--'I am here, but I should be there.' It was torture for me. Wherever you are is the place to be writing from. Don't use the excuse that you are not in the right place. There is no perfect place. Just pick up the pen, record the details of where you are. Writing will show you that you are in the perfect place right now."

I love this because I actually wrote half this post over a month ago and just yesterday I was thinking about nostalgia, and how dangerous it is to become to seeped in it, at least personal nostalgia. The control freak in me loves it, because I know how all the stories end and they are subject to my complete control, but it's too safe. After all that thinking I signed on to get involved with a community art project though!

The one warning I would give is that this is a "warm and fuzzy" book, meant to help people to get it all out there in their writing. If you want a book to help you edit and refine your writing--this is not your book. But I would recommend it anyway!

Mary Mary Quite Contrary

2011-05-13T10:55:00.001-07:00

I stole this idea from my dear Jacqueling because she is a genius. I think I might need to paint the words on like she did though since my chalk is so fat I had to draw the spinach--I'm not sure why it looks like its falling over. And I still need some parsley, rosemary, and thyme to make this my Simon & Garfunkel pot.

Double Dipped Interviews

2011-05-13T10:08:00.001-07:00

Whoops, I never posted my interview with British designer Nadia who designs Nadinoo, you can read the interview here.
And then today another interview went up with Teo of Unforeseen Circumstances. Please remember this designer so in the event that I get married you can gift me with some of her beautiful lingerie, it is just an added bonus that Teo was so kind and lovely to talk to. You can read that interview here.
And is anyone else as over blogger being down as I am?

Bustling

2011-05-12T00:23:00.000-07:00

I am so excited I have the day off and can go check out the Frances May & Lille Boutique sponsored VPL trunk show! But I'm also hoping to have time to swing by Narcisse and try on one of these gorgeous Bunny and Pear bustle skirts they just got in! I'm not sure you can ever have too many bustles.

{via Narcisse and Bunny and Pear}

Sweaty Eggplant

2011-05-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

Blogger deleted my post. Grrrrrr. I made this eggplant tomato basil tart with my sister and Dad for Mother's day. It was delicious. Sweating is the grossest culinary term ever. Over and out.

Flossy Flossy

2011-04-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

The last two days I have been living the glamorous life of a jet-setter. Long story short, my friend's mom had some frequent flyer miles she needed to use before the 29th. I put off calling until the 26th, and though it wouldn't work out. I knew I could only be gone the 27th and 28th because of work and it ended up working perfectly!

I left Portland yesterday morning for Salt Lake City Utah. After some adventures with some homeless people on the MAX and an uneventful plane ride I met one of my favorite people--Jack!!

It was nice to see the beautiful Utah mountains again.

Then we knocked some items off my Provo/Orem bucket list by hitting up Noodles & Co, seeing Jack's chickens, graham canyon at the creamery, seeing Kait and her baby bump, and then met up with the Workman's to eat dinner at the Art City Trolley in Springville and then see their gorgeous historic Springville home--seriously if you know Candy you should go check it out!

We stayed really late just talking, then in the morning went to Kneaders and got to see more friends such as Mizz Chelsey and Carly! It was so great to see everyone and spent so much time talking that I am sitting in the airport feeling hoarse from talking so much!

It was a quick trip but so happy, and on the way to the airport I finally got to feel Jack's baby peanut kicking, the only thing that could make this better is if I went and got some airplane snacks right now...

..and off I go.

PS. Allie, you and Boston were second on my list, fingers crossed for another free flight!

I see London I see France

2011-04-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

I see Kirsten's seeds turning into plants! (I was so excited, after weeks of waiting I thought I killed them!) Only time will tell if this is sage or basil, but there is another seed just barely sprouting so there is still hope that they both survived!

Kirsten And The Chocolate Factory

2011-04-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

I think that writing about your job on the interwebs in generally frowned upon, but its okay if I only write great and not confidential things right? Some of you know that on Thursday I took a temp job at Portland company Moonstruck Chocolate as the receptionist at there cooperate office and factory in North Portland. I have always loved Moonstruck and especially love their new package designs.

I learned so much in just one day there. The day before I got an email telling me that the day I was temping there was going to be a meeting there with the entire board of directors, including the people who own the company--no pressure or anything! But everyone was so nice, and the owners gave me a great history of the building. It is this tiny industrial building right next to the train tracks under the St. Johns bridge. If you have ever been to Cathedral park it's right there! The building has lots of great windows because it was once owned by Pendleton and they needed the light to work on the fabric and before that, back in the 30s it was a cherry factory and that's why it is next to the train tracks. The trains would bring the cherries and they would bring them straight off the trains.

Knowing the location makes me love this packaging even more--especially when I learned that there is a Sasquatch hidden in each of the designs. Can you find it? I actually haven't been able to find it on this one yet!

I was surprised how small and truly handmade all there chocolate it. It was a factory, but nothing like the bread factory! The windows where I was working looked down on the worker so I could see them even wrapping chocolates in foil by hand!

I also learned all about chocolate tasting, it is serious stuff. You have to use all five senses.

1. First you are supposed to smell the chocolate immediately after unwrapping it--that is when the smell is most potent.

2. Look at the chocolate--it should be shiny and smooth.

3. Snap off a piece of chocolate. If it breaks off really clean it is high quality chocolate with a higher amount of cacao in it.

4. Place the piece of chocolate on the middle of your tongue and let it sit there while you taste some of the different notes.

5. Finally move the piece of chocolate around your mouth so you taste it through all of the taste receptors on the front, back, and sides of your tongue.

I will have to try it with my Easter Toblerone later I guess, and the only really sad part of the job was that by the end of the day I couldn't smell the chocolatey aroma that permeated the office!

Can she make a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy? Can she make a cherry pie, Charming Billy?

2011-04-24T22:43:00.001-07:00

She can make a cherry pie,
Quick as a cat can wink an eye.

You can tell this is a pie triumph because most of it is gone even though there were lots of other dessert options. Also, here is the wonderful Easter "basket" I received this year--a paper bag with a bunny drawn on it.Those weird squiggles are supposed to be the bunny's eyes. Love it, a great day with a great family.

This weekend I missed High School,

2011-04-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

well not really, I just missed the time in my life when I listened to this band a lot--

which I guess has come again, so no need to miss it.

Kate Towers

2011-04-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

I know I've blogged about Kate's designs before, but now you can read an interview I did with her over at good 'ol Colette Patterns! One of the cool parts about this interview is that I got to go over to Kate's house to talk and see her studio. First of all, her house is adorable, design-oriented, modern, and has great pops of color--just the kind of home you would imagine from her designs.

Also, Kate is really nice and down-to-earth. She was very honest about how hard it is to try and design with a family, but not in a negative way. Her little basement workspace was impeccably organized and reminded me of Seaplane--such a great shop!I particularly am loving this "Lion's Mane" dress right now. Of course because of all the ruffles, but even more so because guess who also owns that Noa Noa belt from Narcisse?

Not Much to Say

2011-04-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

Except these shoes look insane. Gotta love Jeffrey Campbell.

Gender Neutral

2011-04-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

was the title of the email I received from my kindred spirit Lumberjacqueline that made me laugh so hard I decided it needed to be shared here on my blog although many of you might not find it nearly as funny as I did.

"besides cultivating perfect enjoyment reading your emails, i have to give it to us for maintaining a good sense of exactly what our conversations in real life sound like via email. I.E.: temping is romantic: next topic- cat barfing."

The only background I can give is that we have been emailing back and forth for at least a week now and it is so great. My theory on why it works so well is because even in real life we do a lot of "monologuing" which is really a nice way of saying we both ramble a lot.

I was going to post a cute picture of us and talk about how I love her to pieces (which is true) but really have you learned nothing from this post?

Borscht

2011-04-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago we had Borscht for dinner, which no one touched. Last night we had something else, but mom decided to eat some of the Borscht, and when I commented on its unappealing muddy look and earthy smell mom said,

"It's just like grandma made--in the old country!"

There was a long pregnant pause before I asked,

"What grandma?"

Mom just laughed and said she didn't know, since we aren't remotely Russian.

Mom had been talking up the Borscht since the night no one ate it. But she didn't tell me until I was sitting at the table with my promised portion of Borscht dripping off my spoon that she had thrown out the recipe after trying it once, and that this was the thawed remnants of that attempt (and my family will eat just about anything).

It tasted just as you would expect a soup consisting of only beets and potatoes to taste.

If you try to google a picture of Borscht it actually looks pretty good. Often times Borscht contains tomatoes or other vegetables that give it a color other than muddy brown. So, being persistent, I Googled "bad borscht" and this is what I came up with.

I think I should get one for my mom (but in all fairness it was probably a bad recipe because my mom is a good cook).

A Case of The Mondays

2011-03-28T18:07:00.001-07:00

Although technically this would be the Sunday night/Monday.

Last night as I lay in bed convalescing (aka watching a movie) I had my laptop charger draped over my blanket and when 20 minutes into the movie I decided I'd had enough and just wanted to sleep I unplugged the laptop and thought I had shoved the charger onto the floor. I only realized that I was mistaken when I pulled my comforter up towards my chin and said comforter launched said laptop charger up into the air like a trampoline and the charger landed squarely on my face. And when I say my face I mean my mouth, and especially my bottom lip that split like an overripe tomato. I also got blood on my favorite sweatshirt as I tried to discern whether my lip was bleeding or not.

My mom says I'm lucky I didn't break a tooth or something, but she also told me this afternoon that my nose blowing sounds like glass breaking.

Convalescing

2011-03-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

I am back from California, and while it was fun I got sick--and I hate being sick!

I will maybe write about more of the things I did on my trip later when I am not sick but here is a quick rundown:

Driving>Sheep>Sunnyvale>pouring rain> family bonding>Church>Google>me almost stealing a google bike>Palo Alto>Stanford>Hearst Castle> LA> rain> Disneyland> crazy> sunburn> sickly> more rain> vintage shopping> fashion district> bacon wrapped hot dogs> near-death experience> Venice Beach> my mom gets pulled into a hobo's act>Jelly Belly factory>memories>more driving> San Francisco> more sheep>home.

Winning

2011-03-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Today I keep seeing fluffy dogs and I just want to stop and cuddle all of them!

On Tuesday I found out I won Palace's March raffle! Palace is a cute little shop on Belmont and 34th that carries a lot of vintage and specialty items, and my prize for winning was a free bottle of Olo fragrance!

Olo is a small fragrance line, that is handmade in Portland, and today I went in and picked out my scent! I chose Erastus, which has a nice NW foresty smell, but all of them smelled great so it was really hard to choose! You can check them at several stores here in Portland, or you can get samples on their website.

Also, last night I was in bed reading when I thought "I wonder if I can fit my fist in my mouth?" and I tried. The Phalanges were fine, but metacarpals were a no-go. I think I might have just been overly excited because I am leaving for Disneyland tomorrow!

18.

2011-03-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

Today is my sisters 18th birthday and my mom decided to throw her a surprise party. At first I was jealous (because I am SO mature) because my mom has never thrown me or anyone else in our family a surprise party. In part because I remembered my 18th birthday. I was at BYU, I had only been there a few weeks and one of my fears before going to school was knowing I would be there for my birthday and probably wouldn't know anybody yet and that I would be really lonely.

But in fact my 18th birthday was one of the best, in large part because of these girls who are still some of my favorite people on this green earth!

I couldn't find any pictures of the day, I don't know where they went! But I remember staying up really late the night before and joking about how I probably wouldn't go to sleep at all because I was writing a paper I had put off. But I finally went to sleep and woke up to a ceiling packed with balloons! There were dozens! And on my chair there was a card with some of my favorite treats (*cough* Swedish Fish *cough*) and there were all these really cute signs on the door. I had early morning class so I had to leave, but I just remember feeling so happy and loved all day because I hadn't expected any of it! That night we went out to Legendz Grill which was fun too.

Part of the reason I love this birthday so much is because often I feel like birthdays and other holidays become all about presents and being disappointed when things don't go the way you would like them to. This birthday was great because I didn't have a lot of expectations, and really I didn't get any great material things--everything was bought with bought with dining cards or drawn with markers--but I felt loved and I would really give up all the presents for every birthday to be like that.

$1.50 Liberty Necklace

2011-03-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

I finally decided what to do with some of the pieces of Liberty fabric Carina sent me. On her tumble there are pictures of these fabric necklaces she does that are so pretty, and my mom has one just like it so I decided to make some for myself!

{Via Malinka}

{My beautiful baby sister Bridget modeling my necklace}

Plus I made 3 necklaces that only cost me $1.50 to make. All I had to buy was one bag of marbles. They are really easy to make and you can customize yours however you want. All you do is sew a tube (for marbles I would make it at least 5' around) sew one end closed, turn it right side out and then insert the marbles. You just tie a know on either side of each marble, hand sew the other end and you are done! I may have to dig through my scrap box for more!

2011-03-05T23:08:00.000-08:00

I am standing in the kitchen watching my cat fidget in his sleep and I realized,

this is kind of what he looks like in my head.

{10 pts to anyone who knows what the picture is from}

Love From Sweden

2011-03-04T14:13:00.000-08:00

Today I received a package from Carina, the designer I interviewed for Colette Patterns and wrote about here. She send me a couple phiffikus to try out as well as some pieces of her gorgeous Liberty fabric that I am obsessed with and need to find a project for. She also sent me:

A skirt! I decided that I had to use this picture because it looks like I am giving the skirt a thumbs up, which I would but wasn't meaning to. Honestly, I probably would have never chosen red gingham for myself (bad experience being forced to make "picnic pants" for YW) but I love it! It is great for now with tights and will be a good spring skirt too. I think it is a testament to the skirt that I haven't take it off since I got the mail. Hopefully I will have a job someday (I could end that sentence there) and will be able to buy one of her dresses!

Also, today my interview with Kristina of Fischer clothing went up on the blog, you can read it here. I just love her new collection!

Hot Men With Babies

2011-03-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

Today I was listening to The Andrews Sisters radio station on Pandora (which is AWESOME btw), and a familiar male voice came on that brought me to shocking realization.

Gene Kelly, you might be my dream man.

Just look at him being so paternal. I love this photo even more because it introduced me to the website Hot Men With Babies after which this post is titled. In reality many of the men, especially some of the athletes are not really all that hot, but good news! You don't have to be a celebrity to be featured--so if you're a "hot man" I implore you to take a picture with a baby and submit it.

Also, I am on an omelet kick and am I the only one who finds cooking eggs incredibly (edibly) frustrating? Omelets can be tricky anyway so I watched a clip from the cooking channel on how to properly make them and as they described the fluffy texture the properly cooked egg is supposed to have, my heart sank because I'm pretty sure I have never properly cooked an egg in my life.

When I make eggs they always seem to turn out dry and crusty. I think that (like many other of my cooking problems) the problem may be in me trying to rush and cook them too fast.

I wish I could jet off to Paris and take a cooking class like Julia Child. Bus alas, I will have to settle for thoroughly researching egg cooking technique.

{ps. This is my 200th post}

Shhh

2011-03-02T17:52:00.001-08:00

Is it bad that I don't like this music video because of the girl's ugly yellow belt, and her clashing hat and scarf? Nevertheless I love this song, it was featured on a V-day Postsecret video--maybe I should have posted that instead. But now at least you know, so if you suffer from the same snobbery you should close your eyes or open a new tab after pressing play.

Memories & Socks

2011-03-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

It could be something in the water, or the fab Spice Girls Pandora station Jack recommended, or this post on Miss Modish's blog, or the fact that I am back at home and went on a little jaunt through the neighborhood that brought back a million memories, but I have been thinking about some people from my past lately.Today I remembered one girl in particular, we went to church when we were young. In my memory her mother had passed away (but that could be totally wrong). I just remember her telling this story about how her mother had seen an angel--was it purely the imagination of a child or is there any truth to it I wonder.

Also, socks.

When going through my closet I found my long lost pair of Hansel from Basel socks! But alas, when I put them on I discovered that the heels are worn almost all the way through. So of course I must buy more, and thought I should introduce you to my addiction!

{These knee pad tights are one of my favorites}

Hansel from Basel is a company s based out of LA that focuses on leg wear. Their socks and tights are great quality, but can sometimes be a bit pricey but they have a great section and---the sock of the month club! Every month they feature one item at a super discounted price. February's sock of the month is still up, and so cute at $10 I am struggling to talk myself out of buying a pair!

{They say "Bon Voyage! Hansel from Basel"}

Malinka

2011-02-22T10:06:00.001-08:00

You can read my interview with Carina from Malinka on the Colette blog here.

Carina has definitely been one of my favorite people to interview so far, she has been so nice and gave me some great answers. And I don't think I ever posted here the story of how I saw her dresses on a blog, tracked down her email and emailed her about doing the interview. Her response email struck me as a bit strangely informal, and only then did I do more research and realize that she is from Sweden and English is not her native language! Anyway I love Malinka, but it probably helps that as you read this there is a package making its way to me from Sweden. I will share more when it arrives!

A Conversation That Just Took Place In The Kitchen:

2011-02-20T21:05:00.000-08:00

K: "No! His White Grandpa!"

Me: "Kathryn, you're so racist."

B: "My friend had an Asian grandpa, he said I was pretty"

K: "well if all else fails you can marry your friends Asian grandpa"

Me:"____ (the RS president from my family ward) said my hair looked sexy today!"

K: "well if all else fails you can marry her."

H: "People said I was cute when I was young..."

(cue laughter)

Today was my first Sunday in the singles ward here. It is not uncommon to have off the wall comments, the kind where everyone just smiles and nods at the person. Well today in RS I thought someone was making one of those comments. We were talking about the Good Samaritan and charity, and this girl commented, "When I am having a hard time with someone I imagine them eating a sandwich."

Which seems like a weird thing to say--but when you think about it it's pretty genius. I mean, think about someone you are frustrated with or something and think of them eating a sandwich. There is just something so humanizing about eating.

So I will leave you with a picture of our fearless leader eating a sandwich--doesn't he seem so approachable with his mouth full?

Springbean

2011-02-19T17:27:00.000-08:00

I wish spring would hurry up and get here.

Today was a bad good day (or good bad day). I am back in Portland, at least for a little while since I finished my internship at 826 Seattle and my whole family has tickets to the Decemberists concert tonight.

Today was my first full day back and I was ready to run back to Seattle by mid-morning. I had an appointment to get my haircut, but at the last minute my mom needed me to take my sister to work and so I ran out the door in whatever was closest to me in my room. I was trying out The Ginger Suite, a salon Kassandra runs out of her cute teal house in NE Portland.

Anyway--I had a number dyslexic moment and got lost on the way there, but things were so much better when I finally got there. Kassandra was really great about working with my hair's natural texture, and we talked about economics, family, and she gave me a great tip on where to get high-waisted jeans. It doesn't look too different, but she put in all these short layers that bring out the curl like so:

Also, I am wearing the great find I snatched up on my way home at one of my favorite Portland shops.

Also, I finally finished my Valentine's (S)cowl! I made it WAY too wide, but at least it will be warm.

Also, I would love to have a job. I have a couple things in the works, but I am afraid if I talk about them too much it might jinx it.

The Dahlia Lounge

2011-02-18T21:52:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't written about my gastronomic adventures in a while, and that it mostly due to the fact that I have decided to go easy on my wallet, but today I drove back to Portland with my dad and lunch was on him. So we went to a place in Seattle that my dad keeps raving about (he informed me that he likes to rave about lots of other things--but when it comes to food he is pretty right on). So we went to the Dahlia Lounge, which he informed me was in "Sleepless in Seattle", except it was at the old location. It is in the scene where Tom Hanks goes on a date with "that lady that laughs like a hyena".

The decor has definitely updated, but wit still has the fish lamps and everything. And the thing in particular my dad raved about was the grilled bread salad:

It lived up to its praise. Lettuce with a pesto, oil-cured olives, mozzarella, coppacola, lots of other fresh greens, and of course the grilled bread. Basically they take bread, and instead of toasting it like a crouton the bread is grilled like a panini. The result is delicious and I am excited to try some grilled bread in my own salads!

(Okay, and to write about the Dahlia Lounge in my Diary of Dining Out!)

Nuts for You

2011-02-14T13:03:00.000-08:00

Even though I am single once again on Valentine's day this year it hasn't been too shabby. First of all my interview with Dace Moore of Dace clothing went up on the Colette Pattern blog on Friday (you can read it here).

And today I saw that it was tweeted by Jen McCabe of Honey Kennedy. I love her blog so that was really exciting.

Also, there is a legend that Earnest Hemingway was once challenged in a bar to write a memoir in six words. His six words read: 'For sale: baby shoes, never worn.' So, this Valentine's day we had a challenge at 826 to write a 6 word memoir about something you love. Then I took all the memoirs, typed them up and we made the most adorable book. It is 2x2", and everyone at the office is obsessing over them today.

Look how tiny and cute that is. Plus, you can tell that this is a good picture because I am flashing some major thigh. Here is the cover:

(Sorry it's so small, but that's its actual size.)

I challenge you, my readers to come up with your own six word memoir about love, and leave it as a comment! My memoir that is included in the book is written about my love of people watching and was inspired by someone I saw on the bus that day.

"Kilted man sits with fanny pack."

Hopeless

2011-02-04T09:13:00.000-08:00

My latest interview is up on Colette Patterns, you can read it here. It is with Gabrielle from Melbourne Australia who designs and sews Hopeless Lingerie. I love her designs (like I said before I don't need any lingerie currently, but she is the one who has inspired me to make a new swimsuit). I think she is so interesting because so many of her pieces are designed by horror films, which is interesting and the results are beautiful.
One of the hardest parts was picking which pictures to leave out!

Valentines (S)cowl

2011-02-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

Until I am reunited with my sewing machine (Feb. 18th, count it down) I need something to tie me over/I have wanted to do this for a while. I am knitting a red seed/moss stitch cowl with stockinette stitch hearts. I am calling it my Valentine's (S)cowl for I find myself single again on this Valentines day (but don't worry, I'm not too torn up about it I mostly just enjoyed the play on words).

My problem is that I have lost all my decision making capabilities (we are talking large and small scale here) and I can't decide how many hearts to put on it! I am no where near done, but here is what I have so far:

So what do you think? Part of me thinks that it would be cool to have just one or two, but like I said-- I just can't decide.

Also, I wrote down in my notebook yesterday "find out how feasible it is to own a gramophone."

Today I can report that it is very feasible indeed...

Something REALLY cool

2011-01-31T15:23:00.000-08:00

watching people enjoying something you designed. You should have seen this one kid from Eritrea, it was priceless. I would have put up a picture of me, but I looked super scrappy. Who cares about me anyway right?

2011-01-31T14:04:00.001-08:00

I was going through my iTunes late last night when I heard this song again--please take a listen, especially my sisters. They will know why.

I had more strange dreams last night--this time I was lost in Seattle!

Colette Spring Palette Challenge Sketches

2011-01-28T14:27:00.000-08:00

So for my Colette challenge I am kind of wimping out--BUT only because my sewing machine is currently residing in Portland and so I can plan out but won't have a lot of sewing time. So, I am determined to make two things although I am thinking about and planning more, they may just not get sewn until later.

Oh, and I promised myself I would actually post my sketches here even though drawing is not one of my strong suits, but it something I would like to work on, plus I have a lot of free time on the bus.

So the bag on the left is my interpretation of the Amy Butler Weekender Bag. I really like the bag in general but there are some things I would like to change like some of the pockets and I'm adding a shoulder strap and some embroidery on the side. I am going to make it in camel suede.

The bag on the right I will do if I have time, if not I will have to do it later because I am planning to do it in leather as well, and I'm excited to try it out!

The bottom dress is where I am kind of cheating because I have already started this dress and am well into it. It is an Anna Sui for Vogue pattern and I am making it in a lightweight navy blue batiste with a drop waist and lots of pretty pin tucks!

I am also loving peter pan collars so if I have time I will make a coral/honeysuckle dress--if not it will have to wait for later.

I am interviewing Gabrielle from Hopeless Lingerie for Colette and although I don't need any it has inspired me to make a new swimsuit for this summer!

Quote of the day from the Greenbean (the coffee shop I work from):

"It's disgusting, but it's what you always have."

Also super awkward--these guys across from me are talking about culture is on the brink of a dramatic shift and how the coffee shop is a real community type of place, but now people come in and work on their laptops and tune out and totally gestured to me on his laptop. I have my headphones in, but I'm not actually listening to anything at the moment and looked at him right as he pointed to me. Oh, Seattle.

Someone (meaning you) Could Probably Come Up With a Poetic Explaination for This

2011-01-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

(aka more of my crazy dreams)

Two nights ago I had a strange dream, and when I woke up and I thought about it I think part of it is re-occurring. I won't bother you with all the nonsensical details--but I end up in this house with someone else, and I learn it's a professor's house (I don't know who). The person I'm with decides to steal there car (I'm probably leaving a lot out here that I don't remember). And then this is the re-occurring part: we leave salt (like rock salt) on the professor's doorstep.

Then, last night....

I am at a family reunion at this old house (except there are all these random little kids I don't know running around) but I need to interview this designer (which I have been doing in real life), but she comes over to the house and she is this super old lady!

This lady is blind, or almost--so she has a seeing eye dog, except it's a lion. And it is wearing a pair of spectacles/a monocle. I am freaked out because the lion is growling at me. Oh, and the lion has been hurt somehow and so its back legs are in one of those wheely things you see on dogs sometimes.

Apparently they are called dog wheelchairs.

Anyway, the lion is freaky and this old lady just starts to chat away with my family while I a trying to figure out how she can possible be the designer I am supposed to interview! Then we get in an argument about Anna Karenina, which I just finished reading.

My Colette Spring Palette Challenge Palette

2011-01-27T15:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, i spent all this time perfecting my palette on Adobe Kuler and then I can't put it on here! Anyone else know a good site for creating a color palette?

But, I chose this picture to represent my color palette {photo via deadlipskin}. I will admit--I have a hard time getting out of fall color palettes. But I really think that navy can be a great transitional color, especially since the spring here is cool and delayed.

So my color palette is: navy, camel, and a coral/honeysuckle hue.

Stay tuned for my sketches and project planning!

{I will give you a hint: I cheat!}

826 Project #2

2011-01-25T17:27:00.000-08:00

Today we printed this book I designed for a classroom of high school students who are recent immigrants: My favorite part of the book was of course the most design oriented--the table of contents! And there isn't a big space in the middle in the real book, imagine that being the middle of the book.

Tomorrow we celebrate them and hand out the books in the classroom, should be fun!

Favorite Moment of the Day--so far

2011-01-24T11:59:00.001-08:00

I had a great conversation with My friend Liz, who is in Uganda, over Gchat. Here are some highlights:

me:

but i blew it with him

and now I am stuck with the effeminate Asian, and the mustached creeper

Elizabeth: hahahahah

oh my gosh

i want to see a movie about your life

(My live is definitely a Bridget Jones sort of affair at the moment.)

also,

Elizabeth:

and also i think i should let you know

our bed frames smell like crap

like actual crap

me: HAHAHAHAHA

Elizabeth: and it reminds me of the super junior movie

I feel obligated to tell you about the movie to which she is referring. Liz and I both enjoy the Korean boy band Super Junior {You can watch some videos here}. Well, they were in a Korean movie called "Attack on the Pin-Up Boys" that you can probably find on Youtube {ok, you can start watching here}.
It is a mystery story, about a High school where every month on the same day one of the school's "flower boys" (which means a heartthrob or pretty boy) is mysteriously attacked by getting a bag of feces thrown in his face and throughout the movie they try to discover who is behind the attacks and who will be attacked next...

Colette Spring Palette Challenge

2011-01-22T13:12:00.001-08:00

So, you all know I am an intern for Colette patterns right? Well, Sarai, the creator posted this on the Colette blog a couple of days ago and I am so excited to join in! The basic idea is that in this 10 week challenge you pick a spring palette and then plan and execute the garments of your choosing--creating a mini spring wardrobe.{via color collective}

So this week I will be blogging about my inspiration and picking out the colors in my palette...any suggestions?

First Aid Kits

2011-01-20T13:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, who feels like after all those fashion posts they are ready for a musical rant?

For my friends who love stars, I have two things--both side projects of Torquil Campbell. One is old, but new to me from Torque's side project with friend Chris Dumont called Memphis, their newest album is from 2006 called "A Little Place in the Wilderness" but they have a new album titled, "here comes a city" that comes out in March.

The other is NEW new, from Torque's solo project, Dead Child Stars, which just released it's new album "Cold Hands, Warm Heart" this month! It's great, and both are good options if you need more Stars in your life. You can listen or buy on the Stars website: youarestars!
Next up is the just released singles from Swedish pop duo First Aid Kit, that were produced by Jack White. I wish it were a whole album, but you can listen to "It hurts me too" and read more about them at NPR, and watch some of their older videos here. I was only going to put up the first one, but I bet you can guess why I love the second. Also, if you love Fleet Foxes you should listen to their cover of, "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song".

Merchant & Mills

2011-01-19T17:04:00.000-08:00

Oh, and thank you Honey Kennedy, for introducing me to Merchant & Mills. I am such a sucker for this type of design. I am so tempted to buy tons of sewing supplies I don't really need. Maybe I can settle for a postcard. I know, I know, as soon as I say I won't be posting as much a post more...

The Portland Collection

2011-01-19T14:55:00.000-08:00

If you really think about it this post fits in perfectly with my last. Like I said, just as a season begins to wind down I become obsessed with that seasons clothes instead of thoughtfully planning for the season ahead.

Cue today.

Today I am going to talk about two things I have gushed about before, (specifically here, here, and here).but are now combining forces this upcoming fall: Church & State AND Pendleton wool! If I need to tell you I'm excited you must have just tuned in/never met me. Oh, and check the blanket holders. And excellent bags, I am in love with the top below.You can see more pictures from the look book here and here. I think the styling on all of these is gorgeous and I would expect nothing less. I better start saving for next fall!

Clog-omania

2011-01-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

So, I probably won't be blogging as much for the next little while since I have not interwebs at my house at the moment. I am excited for spring, and have been thinking about things I want to sew, I have been thinking about how I always want things when it is either in the middle/end or when they are out of season. And now, in the midst of my spring thinking--I have full-blown clog fever. and I'm not talking about Danskos.

Norman Mailer

2011-01-13T13:51:00.001-08:00

Today I feel like Norman Mailer from that one episode of Gilmore Girls when he hangs out in The Dragonfly and only drinks iced tea.

Since 826 is undergoing a remodel, we are all working out of a coffee shop but I feel bad because i hang out here everyday and never buy anything. I feel even more like I am in an episode of Gilmore Girls because the volunteer I worked with this morning looked a lot like Jess! Yes!

How I am going to change up my wardrobe for cheap.

2011-01-12T17:16:00.000-08:00

I hardly every buy magazines. Don't get me wrong--I love them, but I usually sit down in a bookstore once a month and read all the magazines I want, and then I am set. But I was very tempted to buy this month's Lucky magazine purely out of principle because of this genius article:

I especially love the idea of dying leather. Although dying your clothes is time intensive, the dyes cost around $2 and can completely rejuvenate you clothing. I am now kicking myself that I didn't buy those pants that were completely perfect except for the color!

I'm not at home with all my clothes, but first thing when I get back I am going through my clothes and picking out things to be dyed!

Devil in the Details

2011-01-07T23:34:00.000-08:00

Is it wrong to steal from the D.I truck? Because earlier this week when I dropped of a ton of stuff for my mother I took two old picture frames. I think that's probably ok, but it may be a problem that I would like to go back and scavenge for more.

I thought I would escape this winter without getting a cold, but here I am with a stuffy nose and no kleenex with moisturizer! It also means that I am going back to Seattle tomorrow and have not finished the dress I am making. I am too lazy to bring my sewing machine and everything with me, but it's probably for the best since the dress is batiste and probably too light for the winter I am making this Anna Sui for Vogue dress:

Some Gifts I Gave This Christmas

2011-01-03T21:59:00.000-08:00

I designed this coupon for my dad (it got cut off when I was scanning it, sorry!):

And made felted hats for all my sisters:

Now I am all hyped up on making things. I have been working on a dress all day, or at least the muslin-maybe I will show you pictures of that tomorrow!

Dreams and Zombies

2010-12-29T01:10:00.000-08:00

But not dreams of zombies. Last night, my sister and I were looking for something and stumbled across our other little sister's notebook in which she wrote this about zombies:

So I am sure you read books about vampires and werewolves but what about zombies. You probably have seen the Hollywood version, but we really aren’t that creepy. I mean, we are probably the most human like monster.

Anyway, zombies look ordinary, act ordinary, an nobody but other monsters can tell we are what we are. The only thing is we live or “eat” on human happiness.

Yeah, so I guess you could say we kill people by making them so depressed.

I will tell you this, if you know my sisters it is not the one you think. She also had an entry that talked about how everyone in our house hates her except, "My kind loving sister Kirsten." So sweet!

Then I fell asleep on the couch while watching The Bishop's Wife, and had the strangest dream. I was with one of my friends and we were maybe temporarily homeless or something, because I had a crush on this boy (I think he was a celebrity, but can't remember who) and we kept sneaking into his house so we could brush our teeth and were trying not to get caught breaking in.

Then my mom is trying to drop me off at my cousins, but I don't want to go and we end up going to the mall instead where the salespeople are being extremely aggressive with their advertising. I am getting frustrated when my mom says, "Advertising causes people to buy, just as lack of sleep causes..."

And then I wake up at 3:30 AM in the basement, fully clothed where I drifted off to sleep.

Again, our minds are fascinating things.

Saturday is a Special Day

2010-12-25T23:42:00.000-08:00

Even when it's not Christmas. But today was extra special. I got a pair of button up pajamas that are just like Slughorn's from Harry Potter, and I learned how to polish shoes. Truth be told, I have always wanted to know how, especially since my dad has this shoe polishing kit that used to be my Grandpa's.

(Sorry the picture is backwards, but I used photobooth since my camera is still broken, but I bet you can figure out what it says--and there is my shoe on the right!)

I fell in my purple leather booties on my way to Church, when I was at school many months ago (Geneva should remember the fall and the resulting purple streak on the sidewalk). I scuffed the shoes pretty badly and kept meaning to ask my dad if polish could cover it up but never did.

I asked him tonight, since my sister wants to borrow the shoes, he took one look at the shoes and said, "Yeah, that's cordovan."

Baffled, I said "No, they're purple."

My dad then explained that mens shoes come in three colors: black, brown, and cordovan (which is a rich shade of burgundy--kind of purple). I love that my dad knows all about these things, and it demonstrated one of the reasons I love menswear so much, it has so much history. While women's fashion changes quite rapidly (also most women wear mainly sportswear these days) but menswear has changed very little, and especially having made a mens dress shirt I know that quality mens clothing is very intricate and interesting.

My dad also told me how when he was a kid his dad would pay him 25 cents for each shoe he polished.

I now know all about shoe polishing, my shoes look great, and I love this shoe brush. I couldn't get a good picture because I was using Photobooth--but it is metal and looks like it could be from the 1800's.

If you need me to polish your shoes let me know, I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

It came

2010-12-25T10:59:00.000-08:00

without packages, boxes or bags.

{via scribterror}

But I stayed up way too late wrapping and finishing these anyway. Merry Christmas

The Telescope

2010-12-21T19:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some close-ups of the newspaper I did for the 826 Seattle Newspaper club. It was a lot of fun but crazy, since I put together a lot of it in only a couple days. I had to blur out all of the names but one, can you spot me on the front page?

Also, my first interview is up on the Colette blog, {here}! You should go check it out and comment so it's not so lonely. This first interview was with Lady Danburry of dear Provo, and in the near future you can expect to see interviews with: Kate Towers, Dace, Malinka, Janessa Bautista, and Emerson Made.

Now, I have to get back to crafting some last minute Christmas presents!

For Cheltsy (because I love dedicating posts to people)

2010-12-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

OK, this first part isn't really for you Chelsey, but I'm pretty positive you will get the part that is meant for you when it comes up.

1. See the fruits of my labor at 826 Seattle! A newspaper called "The Telescope" for the newspaper club. This is the first issue and it went to print today! I basically put the whole thing together, and it was a lot of fun! The PDF is corrupted, so I don't have close-ups yet--but here is a teaser!

2. I keep seeing advertisements for the Rat City Rollergirls, and some roller derby competition, and guess who just picked 826 Seattle to be a sponsor for said event?

30. Who are you?,

2010-12-15T00:04:00.000-08:00

I am Kirsten, I am dark, I am light, I am a song unsung, a story untold, an enigma shrouded in a mystery, the loneliest chime in the house, I'm a picker, I'm a grinner, I'm a lover, and I'm a sinner. And I'm going to stop this before I break into song.

Because really I can't tell you who I am, and I think this was not a good question to end on. I am going to make one of these up myself and spread it around, and it will be awesome.

I liked the question from yesterday about something I've learned, because I think you find what you look for. So today I looked, and saw that a tagger has left his mark all along my bus route. The graffiti just says "urself", and I wondered all the way to work what he or she meant my that. It feels like there should be another word in front of that--but who knows, they could have meant something else by it.

I also learned that there is a company called "Graffiti Busters" which was funny enough, but then I found this when I was googling it:

Now I guess I have to find other things to write about. T-minus 10 days!

29. In this past month, what have you learned

2010-12-13T23:22:00.000-08:00

Just yesterday, I learned that Poinsettias are not poisonous--urban myth.

(Don't they look good enough to eat?)

Also, apparently there were cats at Jesus' birth. Because at the dinner table my cousins kids were deciding who was going to play what part in the nativity, and one of them said "I am going to be the cat, MEOW!"

Tomorrow is my last day of this, I guess it better be good!

28. A picture of you a year ago, and now, and how you've changed

2010-12-12T22:51:00.000-08:00

A year ago, I was spending a lot of time with Jack in her little yellow house with raised beds and a little white picket fence. Such a happy time! Here is me recently:
I think I have grown in a lot of ways, and have learned a lot of things about myself. But let's not dwell on that, because I have a long ways to go in the next year!

27: Why are you doing this 30 day challenge?

2010-12-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

Because I am bored and you are interested (words pilfered from Jack). But mostly because I am bored. I am in a new place surrounded by new people, and it has been nice some days to have these questions to think about, sometimes having questions in mind help you to notice little things around you that you wouldn't otherwise see.

Let me tell you about one of my first extensive Seattle exploration down on Fremont. It is pretty close to where I work, and I went there specifically to visit Lamb's Ear Shoes to try on some beautiful Rachel Comey shoes and am now in love with them. But let me tell you, the girl at Lamb's Ear was so nice and helpful! She was right there along side me gushing over the shoes and I could tell, she was a kindred spirit. I loved the experience so much I am tempted to buy the shoes there, even though I found them significantly reduced somewhere else (and that is a big deal for me).

Oh, and speaking of deals, after wandering around Fremont, for what seemed like forever (since I stupidly thought I would be find finding all the places I wanted to go without writing down their addresses) I found Les Amis. Les Amis, has a very Anthro-esque vibe. Just look at it:

And the clothes are just as beautiful: Rebbecca Taylor, Isabel Marant, Steven Alan, tons of cozy knits. And then I found them. Remember this post about classic dressing? Well, I found a pair of the exact same Trina Turk pants-- for 4 times the price! I'm pretty sure I did a little dance in the store.

After Les Amis I wandered around and saw a dozen places I wanted to stop and eat, before hanging with my pal, the huge Lenin Statue who was festively dressed with a Christmas banner and a blue star of David on his head. I was sad I didn't have my "Young Leninist" pin. Overall Fremont, reminded me of of some of my favorite places in Portland--urban, but not crowded.

Hopefully I will get my camera repaired over Christmas, so my future adventures will be more exciting!