Today's Very Cool Picture

Photo: Filippo Monteforte / AFP / Getty Images

Vay Kay

Yeah, yeah, I've been absent for a bit. Been busy with stuff: working on the house (more later), went to the Bay Area to visit for several days, adopted a dog (much more later). Stuff like that. It's not that I haven't missed you bloggy, I've just been taking a break from you and my business and all. I got an order today so I guess I've got to get back to it. Reworking my Etsy shop and business, prepping for the Saturday Market's March opening, getting my taxes/paperwork in order, house house house stuff, etc, etc. And, of course, walking the dog.

Crunching Footsteps

"Is that...?" "Hey, it's snowing!" "It's really coming down." "Yeah, but it never sticks." "I know."
This was the conversation yesterday afternoon standing in my kitchen with my friend Leah looking out the picture window. A couple of hours later, there were inches of snow. Kids were sledding down my street. I ended up walking to a party I went to last night - couldn't drive in the stuff. It was actually quite beautiful. The side streets were pretty quiet and you could hear the crunch of your feet in the snow. It was already starting to melt when I left the party a few hours later. These pictures were taken this morning of what was left. When I went out today, there were some sad, melting snowmen sort of tilting over, their heads really small. Tonight it's mostly gone.

Alternative Energy

Wish I could harness some of the static electricity in this house to save on my power bill. I could sell the excess back to the grid. It's either static or, as I sometimes believe, this house is haunted.

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale

The date has finally arrived!
THE CRAFTY WONDERLAND SUPER COLOSSAL HOLIDAY SALE IS TOMORROW!
Come out to find all sorts of amazing handcrafted goodness!
One day only! Tomorrow! Be there!

Everyday Engineering Miracle

"Morning dew reveals a spider's web on the outskirts of Bhubaneshwar, India."
Photo: Biswaranjan Rout / AP

Ice Skating Anyone?

I have a tiny pond in my backyard. With temperatures dipping into the teens last night (and currently in the mid-20s!), the little guy froze completely solid.

A bit colder that we are used to here in Portland, the inside of the house was frigid too. When I woke up, my bedroom was around 42°! I know this because my alarm clock has a temperature gauge on it.

If I had leeeettle ice skates, I would go for a couple of spins around the rink. Watching over the pond is a moss-faced garden gnome that came with the house. The cement blocks in the pond are part of some sort of fountain - I think - which I will hopefully get working. In the spring. When it thaws. And it's not so cold.

Curly Girl Black Friday

Avoid the mall (like the plague!) and buy handmade this holiday!
For this weekend only
- until midnight PST Monday 11/30 -
I'm offering
FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING
on all jewelry in my Etsy shop.
Just click on the pictures on the right to be
whisked off to the wonderful world of Curly Girl.

Kitchen Calm Blue

What a difference a $20 can of paint can make! The challenge here was to find a color (uh, not beige) that would go with the wood cabinets, copper tile, bronze-colored appliances, beige counter tops and burnt orange carpet. I wanted to go to the cool end of the spectrum. I wanted something bold and bright, but calming. The little curtain/valances were something I had from my old house and just happened to not only go with the paint color, but actually pulls everything together. Until I can get around to completely redoing the kitchen, I really like what my small investment in paint and time has done. I'm thinking I've brought this kitchen right on up to the 90s!

Deflowering the Kitchen

I was going to wait. Really I was. But then one evening, waiting for my tea water to boil, I picked at a little corner. Just to see what was underneath. It was idle curiosity. Next thing I know, I'm peeling the orange wallpaper off of the kitchen. Thing is, it's vinyl so it neatly and easily comes off in complete sheets. Not to say that it doesn't leave residue and not to say that there isn't still the old wallpaper beneath, but it was just soooo satisfying. Getting rid of the old, feeling like I was doing something constructive (yet hopefully temporary) to update the kitchen. Frankly, I found the shiny 70s flowery stuff pretty oppressive. Once done, the room actually felt bigger. Maybe it was just me. Here are some pictures of the deflowering in progress. I've already started to paint too - pictures to follow.

Wallpaper Archeology

When I started to peel the kitchen wallpaper, I naturally exposed the layer beneath. The floral paper that came with the kitchen (at the left in the photo) was probably put up in the 70s. The paper underneath has a distinctly French feel and, I think, is from the 50s. Maybe even the 40s. I love how the color palettes are pretty much the same. The beige areas are the backing paper from the vinyl flower stuff. I haven't found anything underneath these even though the house is from 1911. I do have more than a passing wonder about the people who picked out these papers and lived with them for so many years.

Today's Reality Check: Child Labor

"Sweatshop boys: Twenty years after the U.N. adopted a treaty guaranteeing children's rights, Bangladeshi kids are still working in factories like this balloon workshop in Kamrangir Char. While fewer youngsters are dying and more are going to school, an estimated 1 billion still lack essential services."

Photo: Pavel Rahman / AP