J. Crew catalouge arrived this week... I had already seen a preview on the city sage's post "Begrudging Admission of Admiration: J. Crew" Her title is intriguing, although I do not begrudge my love for J. Crew. Sure, I could do with less expensive items, and at that point I might actually shop there. ( if you haven't realized by now, my shopping style is cheap! goodwill, thrift, target, oh yea)
My crafty and fabulous roommate Jenny made me a necklace to rival the one above for an early bday present! She is the best :) After seeing a similar bauble at the outlet mall marked down from over a hundred to still more than she would spend, Jenny got to work with her tools and made her own!
Picture coming soon...
However the few items I do own from J. Crew, I have had for YEARS. The kind of fabric Target has never even dreamed of. So thrift stores, outlet stores, I keep my eyes open for that label! I scored a pristine condition Banana Republic sweater last fall, and have worn it all winter.
One thing I will invest in is accessories. My skin just can't tolerate a cheap necklace. I have ordered adorable agate pendants from Old Navy, funky multiple strand necklaces from F21, and all of them rub off their fake plating and leave a residue on my skin for days! Its not the visible green kind, just a feeling that the necklace is still on, kinda burning. So I know better now.
Wow. I was completely soaked on my way to work today. Living so close to the light rail, its too easy to forgo the bike and all its waterproofy accessories, but today I wonder if I might have been drier on bike, considering I would have been wearing waterproof pants, rather than sodden jeans.
As I type, the sun is coming out. Oh Portland, you and your finnicky weather.
Saturday we headed down to the Willamette River for the opening ceremony of the Dragon Boat Season.
The dragon boats are a gift from our sister city, Suzhou, and the opening ceremony feature monks, dancing dragons, drums and Sam Adams, aka Mr. Portland Mayor came out and dotted the eyes of the boat Travis and I were on!
(I don't race, its Travis's work team, but they needed some volunteers to fill empty spots!) The Rose Festival is in June, and the Dragon Boat races are a huge event at the waterfront. Last year Trav's team took gold in their division!!
Afterwards we hit up the Farmer's Market downtown, mostly sticking to vegetable starts for the garden. And made lists of all the cookies and cheeses we want to buy next week when our restrictions are off!
The afternoon was then spent in the garden, planting my strawberry starts, some chard, snap peas, and a shasta daisy. I repotted several indoor plants, my fushias mainly. They have been particularly haggard this winter... not too sure what they want from me! Maybe more fertilizer?
A few friends came by to play in the sunshine, and I brought out my yoga mat for some sunshine asana. All in all a lovely Saturday.
Sunday however, Travis and I were exhausted. We woke up feeling hungover which doesn't feel very cool when you go to bed early on a Saturday night with hot lemon water as your evening night cap! From what I understand day 2 & 3 can be the worst as you adjust to the toxin burning. My liver must have been expelling all those winter ales we indulged in.
I spent most of the day resting, knitting, and watched a movie. Travis went into work and felt awful, so I cooked us some cinnamon apples to revive our systems. Worked well, I think we just need to ease into this new part of our life. We had never detoxed fully before, so I think it was especially hard. Hopefully next time we'll be ready for it! Maybe take a day off from work and schedule some massages...
Oh and I also planted seeds for my wildflower/butterfly gardens! And some mammoth sunflowers... I hope the rain didn't wash all of our little seeds away!
"If you don't think that Cherry Blossoms aren't the best thing ever, then I don't want to know you!"
I adore this set on bunbunlife's flickr, not just because of her above quote! That being said. Yes, I do want to know you. No judgements here!
Well I missed my chance to frolic under the Portland Waterfront's Akebono cherry blossoms. However, all is not lost. April is just around the corner, and let me tell you what that means my friends.... Apple Blossoms!
I foresee tea parties under our ancient flowering apple
as well as bbqs, hammock naps, and candlelit wine-drinking layabouts. This also makes me want to go shopping for new spring outfits to photograph. But truly, I have plenty of dresses and frilly things, so I can just focus on some sweet accessories. Pink lacy handwarmers perhaps.
I just realized I don't have any pictures from last year's apple tree blooming! To be fair, we didn't actually live in the house yet, but we had signed the lease.. and spent a few afternoons there imagining life in this amazing beautiful house.
However. Don't give up on me yet. I did capture some pics under a lovely blossoming tree downtown last week, featuring some handmade fibers.
I suppose if I am going to insist on taking these pictures of myself and my ingenious wardrobe, then I should learn to pose! I always want to put my hands behind my back... hiding their fidgety nature.
boots - etsy
leg warmers - buffalo exchange
tights - buffalo exchange
dress - target
belt - buffalo exchange
circle scarf - handmade by me! (yarn - twisted pdx)
*can you tell I work practically next door to buffalo exchange??
me and my sweet
Okay, funny story. Clearly this is one glove. If I had knit two, you'd definitely be seeing both, artfully arranged for your viewing pleasure. As Travis and I drove up the Pacific coast, seeking Vancouver and his one-year old niece's party, I furiously finished knitting the second! Excitedly, I tried it on before darning in the loose ends... only to then realize it was the left hand. Another. Left. Hand. Glove.
Couple this funny story with a not so funny story of Travis and Alice arriving to Mt Vernon, resting on Ma & Pa Puckett's couch and realizing... no passports were packed in the leaving of this trip. Yes. Double doozy. Although both had nifty solutions.
Solution #1 - have roomate FAX copy of passport & birth certificate. Discover border patrol actually understand that sometimes, when you are going to a birthday party, things get left behind.
Solution #2 - buy more yarn! So this means I have two sets of beautiful gloves. And since the first pair is for my sissy (shhh!) we get to have matching magical gloves! Yayyy
And that is the end of this tale. Thanks for reading loves.
"For the past 2 years I have visited a beautiful mound of earth that I have come to call "the hill." Each time I have come to the hill a new story is told to me as if the hill is my stage and the locals are the actors in this daily play."
Travis and I headed up to Vancouver, BC this weekend for his niece Fiona's 1st birthday! We drove up the Olympic Peninsula and drank in the mountain views, verdant meadows, and made sure to pee outside as much as possible. Gas station bathrooms are so grody! When you commit to finding perfect hidden spots among the trees, think of all the fresh air and good stretching you can get! Travis and I marvelled at our amazing idea. I'm sure I am grossing out many of you, but we had a blast. Best adventure buddies ever.
Travis's binoculars have become one of our favorite accessories... We were able to see the elk grazing, napping and showing off thier huge white bums. What sweet, deliberate animals. All the male elk seemed to run off and hide when we showed up. I saw a couple fuzzy antlers at first but then couldn't find them again! Maybe some kind of territory thing. The ladies just plopped down and said "this is our spot, suckas. just try and come over here. see what happens." We declined the challenge.
When we finally arrived in Vancouver, it was party time!
Gramma's balloon was the best present all day!
Big sister love
Carson and Uncle Travis play ball... such stylish dudes!
Confession: I have a horrible, unnatural, unexplainable phobia of needles. I am ok at the dentist, I just close my eyes and breathe. But for some reason it is impossible at the doctor. I panic, cry, and freak out. I have plans to undergo hypnosis and they even prescribed anti-anxiety pills so I will go in and get my tetanus booster. But I keep seeming to find excuses not to.
Unsurprisingly, I do not have any tattoos. Living in Austin, a super creative and half naked city (oh Barton Springs, I miss you so) there were many tattoos to be admired. I remember one shop girl at my favorite local boutique that had this cap sleeve pattern on her shoulder. It was red ink, and just the outline of a floral, leafy pattern. I don't know if she planned to fill it in, but I found it perfect in its simplicity. Its always been the idea of what I would get if I grew the cojones.
This ramble was sparked by Elsie's post yesterday, featuring this awesome, Austin-y tattoo.
A very special little lady is turning 1 year old this weekend, and I found a book on knitting toys for babies just in time at the library! However, my enthusiasm waned after I cast off several rows too early. (no head for that bunny...) I have since observed cute little friends in the crafty commmunity, and Swedish artist Camilla Engman has caught my imagination.
So for now, I appeased my over-gifting self with an adorable Liberty of London baby girl dress, and will have something whipped up by the time we visit next! Shopping for babies is so fun!
