Negative Nancy/Positive Polly

I'm going to warn you all that this post is going to be a lot of me whining, so if you can't take it, scroll down to #1 at the bottom. I need to vent though, so here goes:
1. Had a lovely dinner with Danielle (my Craven!) at new restaurant Town Tavern. Not so lovely were the two HUNKS of meat on my salad with 5 walnuts and teaspoon of bleu cheese for $15. And what restaurant, in this day and age, doesn't have a website? But you are smoke free, so maybe I can let SOME of your shortcomings slide. I said SOME.

2. I may be burning some craft bridges, but I don't really give a tiny rat's A. After inquiring if a certain local store that I like(d) would be interested in some of my products, I was told their clientele didn't really "'get' the indie look". Huh? I know some of my things are not *super* mainstream, but isn't that kinda the point? Plus, I feel like that was insulting to her clientele! Jessie, let's go knit some dildo cozies. Maybe I'll send Local Store Lady one.

3. More burning bridges. I understand people are busy, but can I PLEASE get paid for a certain large order that I filled??? I need something out of the whole horrible experience. I'm sure it's like a drop in the bucket of what you make. I might even be placated for a bit if I got to see my product displayed online, but that hasn't happened either, and all questions asked regarding status of said online and/or catalog display are never responded to. No more wholesale orders for me, I learned my lesson.

4. I don't want Seth Rogen to be famous. He's MY Seth Rogen. He's my Ronnie. Now he's going to be known as The Green Hornet writer? Blaspheme! Even though, I'm sure it will be good (dammit).

5. Stop ruining movies, people!!!! I just read Zac Efron is going to be in the 2008 version of Footloose. Stop the madness, just STOP! This may be unpopular (don't call me an idiot unless you're over the age of say 23), but High School Musical is a steaming pile of horse pucky. But then you had to go and ruin Hairspray. And now Footloose???!!! There is one Ren McCormack, and you, sir, are not him.

6. I'm not even going to start with the flippin homophobic homosexual, ahem, Congressmen of a cetain party affiliation. And what kind of PR people do these men have? Yes! Let's tell everyone you were scared that these large African American men were going to violate you, so you just offered them some money and a blow-jay instead. That's a wonderful excuse. And the one at the MSP airport? Yes, he has a "wide stance" and he put his hand under the stall to ask if the gentleman next to him could spare a square? You people are pathetic! Effing hypocrites, the lot o' ya!

7. There's no ice cream in the house.

I know, I know-- if the aforementioned are the biggest problems in my life, I'm a lucky woman. And I do know that. So I must close on some happy/love notes:

1. I love Naomi. She is a doll. And she's so together! I want to be like her when I grow up (although I'm almost certain she's younger than me).

2. My smart-as-a-whip niece, Miss Sophia, started first grade yesterday. Even though I don't see her every day, I think of her often. I can only hope Q turns out to be such a nice little girl.

3. I love all my real-life friends and that we make time to stay in touch and that you always think of fun things for us to do even though we're all busy. I'm talking to you, Amy F., Danielle, Lindsay, Amy C., Ginny, and Jana.

4. I love all my blog/craft friends and all the little words of encouragement and inspiration you give me daily. I'm in awe of your talent!

5. Wes Anderson, you old so-and-so, it looks like you've done it again. Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, AND Jason Schwartzman? Shut the front door.

6. Lindsay and Ruth have been cast in The Lovely Bones. I love that Peter Jackson uses unknowns. God bless him.

7. I have gotten over the weirdness of estate sales, and I am in fact hitting a doozy tomorrow.

On that (bi-polar/moodswinging) note, put a fork in me.

The Unveiling

It's finally done! My crafty oasis! Let me give you a tour...

As you enter from the kitchen. Notice children's hankies on the wall a la Jenny (actually I was inspired GREATLY by Jenny's room if you can't tell). Plain metal lightswitch plate will be replaced by a lovely Robot Candy custom creation (think Little Red Riding Hood). Will post pics of that once it comes.



Next up is our new HP laptop on my chippy metal top farm table. My ribbons are all neatly situated. Books are stacked not as neatly to the side. On the wall is one of my favorite flea market finds-- a felt silhouette prepared by a woman named Fern Weaver who lived in Detroit. My Target office chair which will have a new cushion soon courtesy of Karen. Still waiting for my vintage nursery lamp to arrive which will sit next to the paper cutter.





Maybe my favorite area: Ikea desk, Ikea storage jars, rad Tivoli radio. I've had that stool for almost 20 years and it's been painted every color you can think of. It may also get a seat cushion, but I'm not sure. Wrapping paper rolls in a galvanized pail in the corner. And on the shelf, The Black Apple Mama and Baby Dunces, Land of Nod train cases, and my newest Tiny 3-d Book from Australia, Little Red Riding Hood. Still want to make a fabric covered bulletin board for this area.



And the piece de resistance, Quinn's craft table. I'm so proud of it! The table and chairs are from Ikea. Ryan and I painted it antique red. The fabric is from reprodepot that was finished with iron-on vinyl to make it water and stain-proof! Then I stretched it over the tabletop and Ryan attached it to the table base.

Thanks for stopping by, as always! Still have a few details to go, but you get the idea. xoxo

The Cupcakiest

I've found a new hero. Local schoolteacher Dave Slater ate 17 cupcakes in 8 minutes. Well, not just for the fun of it-- it was a contest put on by the Cupcake Station in Birmingham, and he also won some moolah and (just want he wanted) more cupcakes as well as the fame and admiration surrounding his feat. He will also hold the title in the International Federation of Competitve Eating. I did not know there was such an animal, and reading some of the records on it frankly made me ill. Anywho, here's my homage to Mr. Slater:

Reading his story also made me hungry for cupcakes. So the hubby and I had a date night tonight and stopped by The Cupcake Station to split a vanilla petals. Verrrrry good, but the cake was verrrrry heavy. We also did a little window shopping at Design Within Reach and Arhaus furniture before heading to Anthropologie. Last but not least, we caught a movie-- Superbad! I know I have voiced my Judd Apatow (and Seth Rogan) love before, and this movie did not disappoint. I also have a tiny inappropriate crush on Michael Cera because I love his awkwardness, and I was a big Arrested Development fan. Plus (and Ryan didn't like when I told him), he reminds me a little of my husband.

Hope everyone is having a grand weekend! xo

Fab 5 Friday

Ack! My picks were featured on Rarebird Finds' Fab 5 Friday. I sent it in quite awhile ago, so imagine my surprise when I clicked on my favorite shopping blog to see my dorky face on it. Happy Friday, all!!! xo

Kitschy Cute Lamps

Whilst shopping for a lamp for my craft room, here are some that have caught my fancy. Aren't they great???

I Could Get Used to This

Nothing much new to report. Well, besides that I packaged up my 100th heart gift to Jamie in my half done craft room, and I loved it! For the most part, I could get to everything I needed. Only had to dig for scissors, but they are not in their intended spot yet. Ahhhhhhhhhh.


I'm crabby and tired today. But I am excited because Lindsay and I are going to Ferndale tomorrow night for sushi and maybe Naka. I've been meaning to go there forever! Also excited for Miss Amelia's very important birthday party on Saturday. I have Q's dress all picked out-- it's her first birthday party ever (well, except for her own) Another fun friend thing-- Amy invited Ryan, Q and I to join her family for Dally in the Alley. I have such nice friends!

Oh! One more thing. I will tell you all now (and most of my friends already know) that Fall is my absolute favorite season and Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. I'm a freak. Last year, Quinn had a festive outfit to wear to the pumpkin patch, a festive outfit for daycare, and of course, her Halloween costume (we went to 2 houses). She was a pudgy (and runny-nosed) spider. This year, she will be (doop doo doo DOOOOOO....) a STRAWBERRY (yes, I superimposed her face-- the model baby was a lil' homely).

100 Hearts

I take my Etsy hearts very seriously. I appreciate each and every person who hearts my shop or one of my items! And I actually check every day to see if anyone new hearts me as well as who is reading my blog. I can't see who is actually reading, just where they are from. It's my morning ritual-- coffee, protein bar, Etsy hearts, then Google Analytics.

Anywho, this may be dorky, but I received my 100th heart on Etsy last week. Thanks, Jamie! In honor and appreciation of my 100th heart, I shall concoct a treat for her and send it off to Texas.

Accosted While Thrifting

I had a traumatic experience today. First off, the disclaimer. I am in a weird in-between pant size right now. One size is too big, the other too small. I was rushing around this morning (per usual) and grabbed a pair of smaller capris and poured myself (rather stuffed myself) into them. I had a longer top on, so I thought no one would notice. They were a light khaki and this weird show-all material, but I didn't have time to change before work, and frankly, didn't care.

Fast forward to 1:00pm. I go to a newer location of the chain thrift stores in the area during my lunch hour, and I get a couple cute things-- a green and white sheet I will cut up for some crafty project and some Xmas stuff. Anyways, I feel someone standing behind me as I rummage through some books. Not only does this man address me as "Hello, Sexy", he is CRANING HIS NECK to stare at my butt. Here's me, feeling a bit self-conscious, quickly proceeding to checkout. On the way out to my car, two men behind me (completely different from the one inside) start talking about my big ass and how they want to take a bite out of it. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. This is me freaking out, run-walking to my car.

For those of you who have never met me, I am obviously not a member of the tiny arse club. However, I do not have a good big butt-- all popped out and cute. It's wide. And I hope you all don't think I am bragging about this experience. These men did not look employed let alone, um, clean. Sigh. Off to eat some carrot sticks...dipped in hot fudge. heh.

Did I also tell you I have been on a spending spree??? I have. My big Repro Depot order came yesterday as well as a Japanese embroidery book from etsy. Look how cute! Six yards of fabric, one yo-yo guide, a felt chipmunk kit and the aforementioned book.

Also, look what else (,Amy C.)! I used to have these as a kid-- I got these on eBay. I am going to keep a watchful eye out for the Snow White one. Oh, and there's my thrift store sheet too.

P.S. It's coming along!

Drosophilia Melanogaster

We have a fruit fly problem, and it's completely grossing me out. I think they're from my husband's organic bananas (the regular Dole ones didn't have them, I swear!). What's even more gross is the contraption he's erected and his morbid fixation on seeing them dead ("I'm killing them all!" he just yelled). It's a paper cone set in a juice glass of apple cider vinegar, but then he felt the need to put it all together with packing tape, so some of them are getting stuck underneath the tape. It's really disgusting. And it's one of my nice Tuesday Morning juice glasses too.

I remember in 10th grade having to do experiments on fruitflies (I'm not kidding) in Mr. Kelley's biology class. We actually had to drug them with this really foul-smelling stuff we dipped a Q-Tip in and then stuck into their jar. Then we looked at them to see if they had red or black eyes and some more things I don't remember.

So as not to leave you with a bad taste in your mouth this fine Monday morning, I will end my post with some things that are currently making me happy!

Oberweis Apple Strudel Ice Cream:

Commercials for Season Three of Prison Break (Season Premiere 9/17!). I'm jonesin' for a Wentworth Miller fix:

Janie & Jack's Strawberry Fields line (just on sale!):

The hubby's baby quilt that Q now adores:

The hope of another lovely Michigan fall and (my favorite) Halloween!!!

And last, but certainly not least, my Kitschy Cute Wonderland courtesy of Amanda. I wanna jump right into that forest!

Gray Day Sunday

I luuuuuuuuuuuv icky rainy gray days. The three of us basically slept, read, ate, and watched movies all day long. Love me some lazy Sundays. The Firm is on now. It's one of those movies I could watch over and over. I remember when the hubby got his job after law school, and I said, "I heard some firms pay off your student loans!" and he was like, "Sarah, did you get that from The Firm? Yeahhhh, that doesn't happen" and I was like, "Uhhhhhh". How embarrassing. Luckily, he'd already proposed, so there was no way out for him.

I'm at a bit of a standstill with the craft room. Waiting for my Ikea desk and new (!) laptop to be shipped to me and for my fabric to come in. I've decided to pick up an unfinished wood kid's table from Ikea too, but I don't know whether I should stretch oilcloth over the top or paint and embellish them with these super cute decals!!!


Was going through some of the pics on my computer, and I came across these of Q's nursery taken before we brought her home from the hospital. I would have made it a tad more kitschy if I had the chance to do it over again, but I still love this room best in our house. It's very peaceful, and I spent many an hour in that chenille rocker during my pregnancy and after Q was first born. I was in my House Inc. phase and became rather obsessed when they discontinued the fabrics I had picked out. Hope you all had lovely weekends too!!!! Xo.

All Gone

Eek, I had my hair chopped off Tuesday. I think I’m fine with it. It was pretty darn long, and it was a spur of the moment decision, but um, I think I’m fine with it (did I say that already?). It was so much easier to do Wednesday morning, and I’m liking the compliments (my 2 friends at work said it was “sexy”—not sure I agree, but I appreciated it nonetheless). I took this dorky picture on my camera phone to show my mom and cousin. Do you know what sway bangs are? I’m not sure either, but I have them. I guess it is a fancy name for angled bangs. Ok, enough about my dumb hair.

This week has been busy but fun! Monday worked on my craft room, Tuesday got my har did, Wednesday went to the zoo with Amy and Ramona to see The Candy Band! I am partial to Skittles myself, and as I told Amy, if I were asked to be in the The Candy Band, I would like to be called "Goobers". I really like having a kid so I can schlep her to fun things. Amy was sweet enough to ask us and get us free parking and admission! Whoo hooooo! The girls had fun, saw penguins and otters, danced, and Quinn learned a new word courtesy of Ramona. This is the two of them in the backseat most of the way home: STICKY sticky STICKY sticky STICKY sticky STICKY.

This morning, Quinn had to go the doctor for a routine checkup and one shot. The kid didn't even cry. Tonight watched the Season Finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Lacey was robbed!!!!!!!! Well, Sabra may have been a *tad* better, but Lacey had a goofier (=better) personality. Dang-o. Also received these lovelies in the mail-- more fabric for Q's toddler room quilt and a mini diaper bag for Amelia's birthday although it's more of a gift for her mommy! She's getting some more things though too. I am also on the lookout for a vintage-looking table to pair with this chair, so I can create a lil' crafty space for Q in my new room!

Tomorrow, Ry and I are playing hookey and going to the in-laws to visit "The Spaniards" which are Ryan's uncle and cousin and her boyfriend visiting from Spain. They've never met Quinn before. They don't speak very much English, but maybe that language Q is speaking isn't jibberish-- maybe there's some Spanish in there somewhere...

In Flux

I'm in transition between my old, ahem, "system" and my new craft room! For now, things are in boxes in the guest room and closet, and I am typing this, keyboard in lap, on the floor of my future home. Ryan has been so great. He painted from 9:00am-9:00pm yesterday minus a small lunch break. Today, he put together my new file drawers from Ikea and hung the curtain rod. The curtains need to be hemmed, however.

I received two lovely packages in the mail today. The first was a piece of fabric from Japan, and the second was a 3 pack of soon-to-be diorama owls from Spokane, Washington. Frances packaged the fabric beautifully in a strawberry print cellophane bag. And the shipping was so fast!

IKEA-- Where Crafty Girls Meet

Bless my husband's heart. It was a sad day in the Girl Land household. Ryan moved all of his things out of his old office *slash* my new craft room. He also took Q and I to Ikea which is like 35-40ish minutes away. I like Ikea in theory, but our house is very traditional, so I always feel the decor is a little too mod and hip for us. But I ended up buying some great stuff which I think will meld well with the retro feel of my new space. By the way, I'm following suit with this Ikea-themed post. Jenn voiced her Ikea love last month.

Sooooo, I got a desktop but had to order the legs, rolling file drawer for my decorative paper (I have buttloads of it), red and white ticking curtains, some small painted buckets and wonderful vintage-looking jars for a song! Looked for curtain rods and bracket shelves but didn't find much I liked. This week, I put Ryan's expert painting skills to the test-- wondering how much primer will have to be applied to cover up the dark burgundy walls. Hmmmm.

Also ran into Taryn of Talking Squid at Ikea. She's so sweet and so very talented. I owe my new attempt at embroidery all to her. Thanks, Taryn!

Speaking of-- my niece, Miss Sophia, has a wiggly tooth, and I am mailing this little guy to my mom on Monday to finish up a tooth fairy pillow for her. Hope it gets to her before it pops out!

I am really happy with how this turned out. This is my own design too. I am a little nervous about the quilting pen I used because it really isn't fading! I'm debating washing it or soaking it in Oxyclean, but I'm scared. Anybody? Yay or nay?

I cannot believe tomorrow is already Sunday. Bleh. I'm wishing for a gray day because I have so much to do inside! Makes me feel better about being a shut-in. Xo, Lovies!

The No No Song

Did I ever tell you I am a pop culture junkie? I think I got it from my brother. If I were to ever apply to the World Series of Pop Culture it would be with him and his wife (let's do it, Joel and Ruth! ha). I like being addicted to pop culture. Although, Ryan gives me a hard time because I can probably tell you the name of every cast member from Lost, but ask me about politics and world affairs, that’s another story. Kinda pathetic.

I may have also gotten it from my mother who (and I’m not kidding you) has called me up on multiple occasions and will ask something along the lines of, “Have you seen Beyonce’s new video? That song isn’t very good, and she’s being downright nasty in it!”. About five years ago, she called me and said, “Have you heard of this group called Maroon 5?” I hadn’t yet. She also loves Queen, Gwen Stefani, and Prince.

Anyway, I’m apparently keeping the pop culture awareness alive. The other day, in the car, I asked Q what she wanted to listen to. I’m NOT KIDDING YOU, she said, “No No Song! No No Song!!” which translates to Rehab by Amy Winehouse (as in “They try to make me go to Rehab, and I say NO NO NO”). She loves it and gets this little bobble head thing going in her carseat. Probably not a kid's song she should be listening to, but ain't no way I can handle something like The Wiggles in the morning. Ryan will have to balance her out with teaching her about more important (less fun but way more intellectually significant) things. He has already bought her U.S. President flashcards, and the kid’s not even 2—lucky her!

On a crafty note, check out Crafty Chica's Amy Winehouse wig project! It's a riot!

On a Fine Friday Evening

Here are some things that I love tonight!!!


1. Nutty Little Squirrel Blankie from Chickabiddy
2. Lenticular postcard from Viosarghi
3. Peanut the Elephant Spinner from Rachzel
4. Vintage Bambi Planter by RetroKitsch
5. Reconstructed Storybook Card by Glitter Workshop
6. Potluck Flirt Pastry Stand by Catching Fireflies (I love the product name!!!)
7. Vintage Storybook Tree Purse by Little Odd Forest
8. Clown Cupcake Toppers by A. Bel Emporium
9. Mon-KEY key protectors by Patina

Happy weekend-- you deserve it (I'm right, aren't I? Knew it!)!!!!!

Quick Craft Room Colorway

I feel like I'm fixated on my room. Thanks for listening, all! I'm currently upset with Ikea because after severe scrutiny and deliberation, I decided on this desk. The key is the little pane of window that I can use to trace embroidery patterns or what have you. As luck would have it, it's not available online, and our local Ikea has the desktop, just not the trestle bottom. Phooey!!

Here is a little colorway of my room, and lo and behold, I found this nifty fabric that coordinates perfectly! Also matches the aforementioned cutie petootie hankie. I think I shall make a fabric covered bulletin board and maybe a stool cushion with it if I can find the stool I'm dreaming of. Oh, and any of you gals who sew know where I can get this fabric for less than $11.95/yard? If I have to do it, I will, but just thought I'd ask.

LOVELY BONES CAST!!!

Two blog posts in one day! I can't wait until tomorrow to share. The Lovely Bones has been *partially* casted!!!! This is one of my favorite all-time books, and I have been periodically checking IMDB and also spending an inordinate (geeky) amount of time on the Message Boards trying to guess who will be starring. As you may know, Peter Jackson is directing. My vote was for Sofia Coppola a la Virgin Suicides. I think she would have done a super job, but I was a huge LOTR fan, so I think he will do it justice.


You can check the IMDB site for further updates, but without further ado:

Ryan Gosling...Jack Salmon
I am so in love Ryan Gosling-- I forgot to tell you that he's the Ryan I'm married to. Kiddin, of course! Although why anyone would (SPOILER ALERT) cheat on him with Michael Imperioli is beyond me.


Rachel Weisz...Abigail Salmon
She is in Ryan's top 5 famous people he'd be allowed to sleep with (ha!) along with Cate Blanchette, Lisa Loeb (??), and two more odd birds I can never remember because he always changes his mind.

Susan Sarandon...Grandma Lynn

Stanley Tucci...George Harvey
I like this pick. I can see this even though I was more picturing a Phillip Seymour Hoffman type-- more slobby, not as obviously villainous.

Michael Imperioli...Len Fenerman
Love me some Christofuh. Adrien Brody would have been more appealing though.

Saoirse Ronan...Susie Salmon

Figured an unknown. Thank God no Dakota Fanning. Neither Lindsay nor Buckley have been cast yet, however.


Ok, that is all. I'm so GEEKed (they call it GEEKed for a reason). Over and out.

Tuesday (or Tu-HOO-esday)

As you can see, my blog titles have been less than spectacular lately. I did find it fitting to show this guy off though. I got the embroidered fabric from a flea market in the spring, and just backed it with some cute repro fabric to make a pillow. I don’t know what you’d do with him, but I likes. You can find him in my shop!

Also wanted to show off my most recent Etsy purchase. It’s a vinyl wall decal for Q’s big girl room (you know, the enchanted forest one). I will be the first to admit that I am an idea stealer. Come now though, who isn’t? My “inspiration” came from Emily’s trees and Amy’s HD Buttercup experience. James of One Up Designs has lots of different vinyl stickers, and he was super easy to work with. And trusting too! Didn’t even ask for any $$ before the design was finished.

I’ve also decided on the paint colors for both Q’s room and my craft room. Q’s room is going to be this raisiny pink called Lovable (gotta love the paint names) as shown in this sample room pic. And I *think* that my craft room will be like a silver sagey greeny (can’t remember the exact name…pine something) with Antique Red accents. Will show you those colors laters, taters.

P.S. There may be some news involving Girl Land products in an actual local brick and mortar shop! Eek. Trying not to get my hopes up…will keep you posted.

Toleware Monday

So I've started *actually* planning my craft room-- well, sorta. I did a scaled drawing of the
room, and I found a table at Ikea that I want. Does that count? I'm now scouring the internet for ideas on how to organize craft supplies. I received two books for my birthday on organizing craft spaces, and they were, eh, ok. I decided I want to make a corner of the room into a wrapping station as well because I have SO MUCH wrapping paper, curling ribbon, cute tissue paper that is just jammed into an unlit closet upstairs. If anyone has any storage tips or secrets they could not live without, please feel free to share.

I'm going with the silver sage green and antique red from the previously shown hankie. I kinda want to go brighter, but I really like those hankies which are more muted. I kind of, ahem, "borrowed" the idea from Jenny, but I think I'm going to take it in a little different direction. We are also looking into a new computer. God bless our 5-year-old HP Pavilion computer. It has been a trooper, and it's still going strong, but it's so darn bulky.

Ok, so to the toleware. I found an idea to take a toleware tray, mount it on the wall, then take those little flat round clear lid screw-top containers and put your teensy crafting things in it then affix a magnet on the back of THOSE (phew!) and stick them to the tray...on the wall. Get it? Now I'm obsessed with finding a Toleware tray. Here's some information I found online:

Tole, from the old French taule, refers to iron or steel in thin sheets laminated or welded under pressure. (definition from a 1910 French dictionary). From a traditional point of view, "Tole Painting", is painting on items made from this thin metal...the term "tole" is that "toleware" is a very specific kind of decorative painted, highly varnished product -- usually made from metal.

Here is one that I'm mad I passed up:



Here are a few that don't match but are very pretty!

And here's one I had when I was six years old (not exactly Toleware, but still rather charming...)