Tuesday, June 30, 2009

No one said life was easy. But then again, not everyone's been to Camp Meeting. Our front porch consists of 4 swings, 2 benches, ceiling fans and plenty of rocking chairs. Perfect for...
...congregating................. whittlin'...
...reading and sleeping!

Monday, June 29, 2009

Camp Meeting is almost here! A week-long family reunion my family puts on every summer in West Tennessee. This year will be our 182nd year camping -- it's a long story. Let's just say I'm excited looking through some of my pictures from past meetings. This is us at Cousin Blanche's lake in 2006, hanging with second cousins Harmon, Laura, Elizabeth, Kelsey and Austin.
In front of Blanche's amazing sunflower field. Pictures don't do it justice!

Random article talking about camp.

Friday, June 26, 2009

I found these images so inspiring today. Off a blog I just discovered, Smosch, run by Sandra from Sweden. Beautiful pictures from places I've never seen. She makes me want to try out a Granny Square. If I find them too difficult, it's nice to know she sells these blankets online.




Sandra also introduced to me the term fika, an ambiguous word usually meaning taking a break from work or a coffee break with colleagues, friends, date or family. Apparently, a Swedish thing. I would like to include more fika in my day.

Groups gathered quickly around UCLA Medical Building after word of Michael Jackson's death spread. The hospital is about 2 block from where I was working and you could tell something was up not 20 minutes after he was pronounced dead. There's was about 100 people already there and rumors were spreading that they would have to close Westwood Village. I got out of there while I still could. I can't imagine how many people are there now.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Good Things


Watching the sun go down on Venice Beach.

Heather Ross for Kokka

My finds from the day's fabric shopping downtown. It's tough to limit yourself when surround by enormous quantities of fabric but I'm satisfied with my little selections.

Alexander Henry Collection

Kaffe Fassett for Rowan Fabrics

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Sarah Applebaum: Granny Square Extraordinaire!




Can I hang out here or what??
Sarah Applebaum's work is like an ADD fiber artist who had so many unfinished projects that she decided to smash them all together. I would like to send her some of my unsuccessful knitting experiments, I have a feeling she could make them work!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009


Than and I love Disneyland. Every time we're there, we always try to pick out our favorite uniform that the different ride operators have to wear. This varies from jodhpur pants at Indiana Jones to galaxy-printed shirts at Space Mountain. This image is from when we decided to design our own - my dress is for Toon Town, complete with a glittery corsage on the wick!

Monday, June 22, 2009


I'm so excited about my brother's wedding coming up in September!

Here are some of my favorite wedding blogs to look at for great pictures, colors, crafts, etc, even if you're not planning a wedding:

100 Layer Cake
Once Wed

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Saturday, June 20, 2009


I just remembered how much I loved this painting from "Up". Done in gouache, painted by Lou Romano.

Friday, June 19, 2009


......and across the street......


At the corner of Hollywood and La Brea. I was at that perfect age when Harry Potter first came out and have been hooked ever since. I enjoyed waiting and looking forward to each new book release and now I feel the same about the movies. And the best part is that enough time has passed between me reading the book and seeing the movie that I forget the story and get to experience it all over again! Can't wait!

Thursday, June 18, 2009


Than and I went to Van Nuys last week and found where they film The Office, ie - the Dunder Mifflin building. It was in a very industrial, nondescript cul-de-sac and it wasn't too easy to get a good shot of the building with its high fences and shrubs. I did fall in love with this little bit of typography across the street though.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Oh, the Possibilities.................When You're Rich


I stumbled across a photo gallery on Martha Stewart's website filled with behind-the-scene shots of her Martha Stewart Living office in Midtown Manhattan. I picked all the shots of storage/prop rooms filled with meticulously catalogued fabrics and ribbons and antique corkscrews and all the beautiful stuff that gets used for photographs and such in her magazine. It must be a blast for the people who work there to get to have this kind of inventory at their fingertips. I'm getting inspired just imagining what kind of things you could find in these rooms. Not to mention, these are just a couple pictures, I'm sure that she has even more rooms full of random, one-of-a-kind, expensive, amazing stuff. I mean, there's a guy who works for her with the title -- Editorial Director for Collecting...awesome! Check these out:


Linens, including napkins and kitchen towels, organized by color.


Framed illustrations and photographs make up just a fraction of the prop house's vast inventory. Some flat file drawers hold unframed drawings and mirrors. Others contain flatware and utensils, including silver teaspoons, ladles, Bakelite cutlery, and vintage corkscrews.


In another Weddings closet, patterned dress forms stand in single file; they are occasionally recovered in new fabric for photo shoots -- for example, to complement the palette of bridesmaids' dresses. On the shelves above, clear plastic bins hold pieces of ribbon, silk flowers, and crafts supplies, which are grouped by hue and labeled accordingly.


A counter with an assortment of candlesticks; each of the thousands of items in the collection, which are used for photo shoots and as inspiration for merchandising, is cataloged and labeled.


One of Living's two crafts rooms -- lined with bins containing fabrics, papers, tools, glues, and other supplies.


Dishes in nearly every style and hue -- blue transferware, green Leedsware, and hand-painted creamware, to name a few -- are cataloged and stocked on metal racks in the prop house. On the bottom of each piece is a bar code, so that items can be scanned in and out easily, just like books in a library.


The fabric closet.....yes, please.

Full article here.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Victoria's Secret Semi Annual Sale starts tomorrow!


Now is the time to stock up on all things girly and pink! The sale usually lasts for about a week depending on how fast a store sells through their stock. I couldn't resist those little bows and grabbed a few things for myself while I was organizing the sale bins at work. How many pairs of underware can you buy using the excuse that they're necessary??

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Caterpillar quilting done!



Finished free-motion quilting my fourth kid quilt. I'll put up some pictures of the finished piece after I do the binding.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Thursday, June 11, 2009


I walked into Sewing Arts Center last week and watched this lady quilt using this badass machine. I'm free-motion quilting my Hungry Caterpillar quilt today but on a far smaller machine.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Keep On Truckin'


15th Annual Gilmore Heritage Auto Show on Saturday.













I think this 1927 Ford Model T was my favorite, but of course there were so many great ones, there's no real way to choose!