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SP5 Questionnaire Complete!

A little while back I decided to join in the fun that is the Secret Pal 5 swap. Although primarily populated by knitters, I noticed that crocheters were also welcome to join in. We just received our swap partners, and my secret pal has kindly requested that I complete this questionnaire here. So, here goes:

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? In general, I'm appreciative of the finer things in life - good quality chocolate, tea, gourmet foods, fine fibers, etc. So, my first run for yarn is to the natural fibers and more expensive yarns. However, since having a child, I've also come to realize that easy-care, less expensive fibers also have a very important place in this world. I guess it depends on the project and whether or not I need to machine wash it, etc. If I'm making something for a child to wear, I know it won't be worn long anyway (because they grow so fast!), so I can use something less expensive...

2. Do you spin? Crochet? Unfortunately for my partner, I am exclusively a crocheter for now. I have plans on taking a knitting class, but so far haven't had the time. I'm probably the only SP5 participant who doesn't knit! Although spinning sounds interesting, I don't think I have any interest in learning myself. There are already so many beautiful yarns out there, and I'm not sure I have anything to add at this point. But, wait a few months and this will probably be my next craft obsession!

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) I'm definitely not a smoker and am not crazy about the smell of smoke. Other than that, I'm pretty easy. I don't wear fragrances myself, so I tend to be pretty aware of them on other people/things.

4. How long have you been knitting crocheting? My mom taught me to crochet when I was pretty little - I think probably around 8 or 9. The first thing I remember crocheting was a little harness and leash for my hamster. For some reason, I was convinced that I would be able to take my hamster out for walks... it didn't quite work out, but that didn't stop me from trying! Later, I also crocheted ear warmers for my rabbit (complete with chin strap to keep them on!) - I guess I was worried that his ears would get too cold, sticking up in the air like they do...

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes, I do. Here it is! If you check it out, you'll notice that some items are obviously intended for my little toddler girl, where others are for me. On some items, it may be hard to tell which of us they are intended for!

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) I guess my long-time favorite would be lavender, although I'm also getting into some of the more modern scents like green or white tea, pear, citrus. I'm generally into fresh, clean scents as opposed to very floral scents.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? I have a huge sweet tooth that I constantly try to reign in. I love dark chocolate - the darker the better.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Well, you can see a lot of my current projects through this blog. I love to quilt, sew, and crochet, and I'm just finishing up a mosaic class that has been really fun. I also dabble (meaning buy magazines about!) in beading, hoping to one day figure that out... Also at the top of my list is to learn needle felting.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I like a variety of types of music, although I seem to be listening to a more narrow selection these days. For nostalgia purposes, you just can't beat some good 80s new wave. Later in high school and through college I was quite the indie music girl, subsisting heavily on Sebadoh, Stereolab, Fugazi, John Spencer Blues Explosion, Jawbreaker, Pavement, etc. Then, in grad school and since then, my taste shifted a bit (largely thanks to Jerry) to more electronic and/or minimal music. Now I listen to a lot of Mogwai, Fischer Spooner, Mum, Solvent, Squarepusher, and the like. I'd have to say that some of my favorite artists, regardless of genre, are: Prince, PJ Harvey, Bjork, The Rachels, Blonde Redhead, Sinead O'Connor (older stuff), etc. We can definitely play mp3s here!

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? There isn't a single color I don't like - it's all based on context. I really love greens (that must be why my name is Kelly!) and oranges, not necessarily together...

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I am married (7 years this September!) to my dream guy, with a beautiful little girl named Brynne who just turned 2. We have 2 cats (Divali and Issey) and Brynne has a little fish named Blue Fish.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know) At its simplest, I dream of a life where my family is happy and healthy. Beyond that, I would love to get to a place where I could make enough money working for myself doing crafty stuff. I also love to travel, and it's hard for me to think of a place I wouldn't like to go...

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit crochet with? I love using Tahki Cotton Classic because there are so many colors available, and it works up really nicely for tight, close crochet work. I've recently been working with plain old Lamb's Price Bulky, and I love how quickly it works up - definitely not the cleanest yarn out there (what were those sheep doing???), but I've been pretty happy with it.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? None that I can think of (see #1).

15. What is/are your current knitting crochet obsession/s? Definitely Japanese amigurumi crochet critters - the cuter the better!

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit crochet? I've had a lot of fun making hats lately - they go pretty quickly. I'm also experimenting with crocheted critters (see #15).

17. What are you knitting crocheting right now? I'm finishing up a little dress for Brynne (that is taking forever!), and a little surprise for someone that I can't give details on yet!

18. What do you think about ponchos? I think ponchos are cute and fun, but I don't think they'll be around much longer... I crocheted one for my sister-in-law last Christmas so that she could nurse her newborn in public without revealing all...

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

21. Are you a sock knitter?

22. How did you learn to knit?

23. How old is your oldest UFO? The oldest one is the dress I mentioned for my daughter. I started it in January, I think, but it is a long process, and it keeps getting pushed aside for other, more pressing projects...

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? Don't really have a favorite animated character, although I definitely love all the Japanese stuff out there - Sanrio, San-x, and beyond... As for animals, I'm definitely caught up in this whole bird/owl crafty trend right now...

25. What is your favorite holiday? Definitely Halloween! I hope this counts as a holiday!

26. Is there anything that you collect? Me and collecting are a dangerous pair (just ask my husband!). I have the annoying tendency to get really into something for a while (maybe even a couple of years), and buy up tons of related stuff, only to eventually lose interest and move onto the next thing. It's a sad story, but true. My current obsessions are definitely craft related - Japanese craft books and magazines, fabric (vintage and new), and anything cool (especially vintage crafting materials - fabric, trims, yarn, etc.) that I can pick up at the thrift store!

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I don't subscribe to any needlecraft magazines at all - I just pick them up when I see something I'd like to make... I do subscribe to a bunch of other magazines: Ready Made, Dwell, Metropolitan Home, Interior Design, Martha Stewart Living and Kids, Elle Decor... I love magazines!

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on? Check my Amazon wish list - Cozy Crochet is one I'd like to have, and The Portable Crafter: Crochet looks good, but it's not out yet...

Phew! I hope this helps Secret Pal! We now return to our regularly scheduled programming!

Here's to wonderful husbands...

... who endulge their wives in hunts for Japanese treasure! I managed to convince Jerry to go to LA on Saturday to visit a long list of places I had been collecting as "must-sees". What a wonderful day I had, and I only hope that Jerry and Brynne were not too annoyed with me. Unfortunately, we forgot to take the camera, so I wasn't able to capture any of this for you.

We started the day in Little Tokyo with a visit to the Kinokuniya store in Weller Court. I was like a kid in a candy store with the huge selection of Japanese craft books, but I showed great restraint and just purchased the latest issue of Quilts Japan. They also had an impressive selection of kawaii stationary and what-nots, so I came out with two Teru Teru Tenshi stationary sets and a bunch of Apple Hoppe stickers. We stepped outside Weller Court and found a cute looking Japanese sweets shop across the street. I picked up a delicious looking lime mochi to snack on; we all shared the mochi and decided that although it was sweet, it wasn't "limey" enough for us... maybe subtletly is not our thing!

After a quick lunch and the obligatory run into Amoeba, we made a spontaneous trip to the La Brea Tar Pits so that we could say some of the day was for Brynne! She loved running around seeing the animatronic mastodons and saber toothed tigers. Isn't it weird that there were lions and camels in North America?!? They also had a greenhouse with plantings meant to be similar to the environment at the time these giant beasts were running around. Brynne loved the koi in the ponds and the turtles sunning themselved on the rocks.

After the tar pits, we went to Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills. Our timing was not great, as they had just been written up in the LA Times and the line for cupcakes was out the door. Once we got closer to the front, we also feared that they were running dangerously low on the sweets! Luckily, they were bringing fresh, still warm cupcakes out as we reached the front of the line.

 

We purchase 4 different flavors to sample: coconut, milk chocolate, red velvet, and banana. The unanimous consensus was that coconut was the best of these four, primarily because it had a cream cheese-based frosting which was perfect with the buttery cake and toasted coconut. Both the red velvet and the banana cupcakes were topped with a plain sugar frosting, and we thought they could have done better. The milk chocolate was good, but we're both dark chocolate fans (which they were out of), so we're holding out for the dark. All in all, the place was really cute, the staff were nice and friendly and the cupcakes were pretty good. However, their most interesting flavors, in our opinions, are offered mid-week when we can't get down there to try them (flavors like pumpkin, lemon coconut, chai latte and ginger lemon). They told us they can ship, however, so if we get really desperate for a chai latte cupcake, we may have to see how that works out!

After a coconut cupcake sugar high was in full effect, we wandered into Giant Robot and GR2 in West Los Angeles. They are within the same block, but GR2 is more of an art exhibition space, where Giant Robot is the retail store. Those who have visited the online Giant Robot store may be surprised to find that the bricks and mortar store is tiny, and difficult to negotiate with more than 8 people in the store. We gawked at all the fun vinyl toys and t-shirts, but didn't buy anything. We then walked down the street to the Asahiya Bookstore Express (yes, another Japanese bookstore!), and I was once again overtaken by the number of Japanese craft books out there. I came away with the latest issue of Patchwork Quilt Tsushin, a cute Monokuro Boo cell phone mascot that I will use as a stitch marker, and an issue of Patchwork Club magazine (by the same publishers as Patchwork Quilt Tsushin). I found the selection of craft books to be better here than at the Kinokuniya store in Little Tokyo, but the Asahiya store didn't have the selection of stationary and accessories.

All in all, a fun, albeit exhausting day. Jerry was great at keeping Brynne entertained while mommy browsed the goods. The good news is that I've gotten this sort of trip out of my system for a little while, and I have a bunch of new stuff to browse for even more inspiration (as if I needed more!).

Swaps Anyone?

In my shopping/thrifting madness, I have ended up with a few duplicates or items I've decided I probably won't use. So, why not offer these up for a little swappy goodness? Here's a start of a couple of items, and I hope to have some more up soon. Just send an email if you're interested in a little swap for the item. These are inexpensive things, so small bits of fabric, buttons, trims, etc. are perfect - or, surprise me!

First is a beautiful Japanese craft book full of fun patterns for quilted bags. There are patchwork bags, appliqued bags, and bags embellished with buttons trims, etc. All text is in Japanese, but there are very good pictorial instructions that should be easy enough to follow if you have some sewing experience. Somehow I ended up with two of these, so this one needs to find a new home where it can be used! Thanks Stephanie! Enjoy!

Next is one of Annie's Attic Pattern Club magazines from Oct-Nov. 1981. This includes some fun crochet patterns, including the cute monkey you see on the cover, a soccer ball pillow, a candle and holder (!), hamburger coasters (each item is another coaster - lettuce, tomato, bun, cheese, burger, etc.), a flower oven mitt, an armadillo "bottle buddy" (can hug your glass or soda bottle), a mouse potholder/puppet, a football rattle, and baseball bat/ball, basketball & net, and bowling pin keychains. In addition to the crochet patterns, there is also a pattern for a quilted oven mitt and an old-fashioned, bonnet-wearing doll. This one is also a duplicate, so I'll share in the goodness!

Lastly is a lot of flower-themed stuff for your outdoor summer parties. This could be fun if you'd like to have some retro barbeques this summer! First there is a vintage paper table cover that is designed to cover one long table, or small card tables. The paper has perforations to divide it into 40"x40" table covers. Three of these have been used, but the remaining three are still attached. So, you could have 3 40"x40" table covers, or one long 40"x120" table cover. The flowers are really fun:

Also in this lot are 2 packages of vintage paper placemats with a daisy print on them. Each package (these are still sealed) contains 35 10"x15" placemats. The original price was 59 cents!

Last in this lot are two plain yellow paper table covers, one vintage (40" x 7') and one not (54" x102"). They aren't terribly exciting, but they will coordinate with the placemats, and the package on the vintage one is pretty cool:

Ok, that's it for now!

So Tired...

Anyone else feeling exhausted lately? I know that it's summer (at least here it is!), and I usually feel energized and cheery this time of year. But for some reason, I've been feeling downright beaten. It could be the fact that I have a toddler that keeps me constantly on my toes; it could be that I'm not loving my job and would rather do anything but work (especially thrifting and crafting!); it could be that I've recently started getting up at 5:30 am to go jogging before Jerry leaves for work. Whatever the reason, I'm not feeling my usual chipper self. So, not much to blog about today, but I thought I'd share a non-crafty link that brought many smiles to my face and will hopefully do the same for you. This blogger collects and comments on remarkable photos - it's definitely worth going into the archives if you have some free time...

Oh, and I guess I need a photo, right? Here's Brynne in her first day of pre-school this past Tuesday. As you can see, she's really torn up about mommy leaving her...

Amy Ruppel = Genius

I hope you don't think I'm posting this to make you green with envy, but I just had to share what arrived in my mailbox yesterday. Together with Karen, I was among those frenzied folks trying to quickly choose one of Amy Ruppel's beautiful pieces of art during her last online sale. After many quick email messages back and forth, Amy let me know that one of my favorites was available. But, I was really set on getting a pair to hang together, and everything was selling faster than I could keep up with. So, the ever sweet and generous Amy offered to make me another to match! I was so thrilled - I immediately jumped at her offer. Without further ado, here are the latest additions to my wee art collection:

They are so beautiful and tactile in person. The wonderful irregularities in the wax make these feel so handmade and personal. I love her technique, her colors, and her subjects. If you haven't already familiarized yourself with her work, you can visit her site, buy her everyday and holiday cards at Vigo, shop for artwork at Velocity Art & Design, or buy her adorable bird t-shirts at be6 designs. Enjoy!

Monkey Party Re-Cap

After I posted some stuff about the monkey theme party we were planning for Brynne's 2nd birthday party, I got a lot of interest in comments, independent email messages, and search engine hits. So, I thought I'd post a wrap-up of the party for anyone interested in hosting their own monkey theme party. Also see previous posts here, here, here and here for lots of great ideas in the comments from other folks.

We had the party at a city park located a couple of blocks from our house. We brought a folding table, a few chairs, and beach blankets of our own. We set up next to the playground most appropriate for toddlers, and this worked out really well so that the kids could play and eat on their own schedules. We also brought baby sunscreen and wipes because we knew these would be needed! I already posted our invitations here, but I also wanted to add that the incredible Myra agreed to share her monkey template with the world. So, here it is as a pdf. Thanks Myra!

The menu was loosely based on a Latin American theme so that I could incorporate as many bananas as possible! Here's what we ate:

• Monkey Chow - trail mix with nuts, banana chips, etc from Trader Joe's
• Banana Black Bean Empanadas (yummy!)
• Chicken Cilantro Bites - these were totally amazing!
• Mango, Jicama and Corn Salad
• Carne Asada Salad - This one I made up, and it was quite a hit! Take romaine salad mix and toss with a creamy cilantro dressing, crumbled cotija cheese (also called queso seco), and pepitas (roasted, salted pumpkin seeds). Serve alone if you have vegetarians attending, with a side of sliced carne asada for the carnivores. We used a pre-seasoned carne asada from Trader Joe's and we cooked all the meat the night before - a great time saver!
• Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey Ice Cream
• Monkey Cupcakes - I used the banana cake and chocolate buttercream recipes from The Whimsical Bakehouse (I have tried several recipes from this book, and they have all been delicious!). The banana cake was very moist, and the chocolate buttercream, although quite challenging to make, was to die for. (We used excellent quality dark chocolate for the buttercream and, although it may have cost a bit more, was definitely worth it!) I have made their buttercream a few times now, and have a few hints for anyone who would like to try it.

Here is a picture of the decorated cupcakes getting packed up to go to the park:

Decorating details: plain M&Ms for eyes, tan Necco wafers inserted into the cupcake for ears, round graham cookies (cut in half) for the muzzle, and red and black piped icing for the mouth and nostrils. The cupcakes were a huge success; Brynne used them to apply some new facial decor:

and her friend Grace was also inspired:

We played two games that we hoped were appropriate for the age group; both games worked really well and I would recommend them for two year olds. The first game was a banana bean bag toss (see this post for more details) where we timed the kids to see how long it took them to put all the bananas through the monkey's hoop. The kids had a great time; here's a picture of Aidan showing everyone how it's done:

The second game was a banana hunt. We hid finger bananas around the playground and gave each child a bag. The toddler to come back with the most bananas won. We gave out one prize to the winner of each game: a cushy monkey pillow and a bubble monkey machine.

We didn't do a lot in the way of decorations because the park didn't really need them. However, we did have an inflatable monkey and palm tree, monkey picks (we used these for the chicken cilantro bites), and balloons:

Each kid also went home with a treat bag that looked like this:

Inside each bag was a:

• Monkey Door Hanger - we assembled these with hot glue. (These came in packs of 12, but we only needed 6. If anyone is interested in 6 unassembled monkey door hangers, please email me.)
• Monkey Bath Sponge - this eBay seller was nice enough to set up a special auction for 6 sponges
• Monkey Bead Tube - these were featured in the Martha Stewart Kids spread on monkey party ideas. Each tube has painted wooded beads and thread to make a little monkey necklace or bracelet.
• Paper Balloon Monkey - we also got the wooden rod to carry these
• Sheet of Monkey Stickers
• Monkey Shrinky Dink Keychain/Zipper Pull - see this post for more detail
• Monkey Magnets - we found the pre-painted wooden monkeys at Michael's and I glued a magnet to the back. Here's what they looked like:

All in all, the party was a great success. I had lots of help from Jerry and my mom, but that certainly didn't keep me from exhausting myself! Brynne had a lot of fun and was talking about it for days afterward. It was also fun because it was the first time Brynne had her grandparents all together in the same place at the same time. Apparently our theme also rubbed off on at least one of Brynne's friends; we hear that Brynne's friend Paige can't stop talking about monkeys!

May Flowers

Some of you may remember some earlier posts about a design for a growth chart quilt for Brynne that I had started on. I found the entire process very liberating - it was my own design (although it was certainly inspired by various projects), and the cutting and sewing were very free (I didn't have to use a rotary cutter until cutting the borders!). Here is the quilt top for the growth chart, which I am also offering as my submission for May's Month of Softies with the theme: May Flowers.

It was hard to get great photos today (weird overcast sky), but hopefully you'll get the idea nonetheless. The background of the quilt (the ground and sky) were sewn using raw-edge applique, and the grass, flower stem and flower, sun, bee, and ladybug were all appliqued using a satin stitch with a coordinating thread. The white fiberglass tape measure was stitched on over the right inner border (which was cut slightly wider than the left so that it would appear to be the same width after the tape measure was sewn on). Most of the quilt top (save the borders) was made using fabric scraps that I scored at the thrift store a while back. Most of the scraps had been cut into 2" strips, making them ideal for my rough edge applique background. So, a project like this is a great way to use up some of your scrap bag, if you're so inclined! I used pre-made quilt binding for the flower stem because I liked the fabric pattern, and it made it easy to do the curve that I wanted.

Here are some closer shots of the sun and flower

the ladybug and bee

and the grass

Next I will baste, quilt and bind the growth chart. Once that is done, I will embroider leaves with Brynne's height at important dates and those will be appliqued to the quilt. That way, the flower will gradually get more leaves on the stem as Brynne grows.

I really had fun with this project, and I think I may need to get into some more easygoing quilting! I love the beautiful geometric patterns of more traditional quilts, but I also liked being able to relax a bit with this one. Not having to worry too much about perfect cutting and seam allowances was refreshing!

Mosaic Progress Report

I mentioned last week that I was going to be taking a short mosaic class. The class is taught through the community education program at our local community college. The class is just three nights, and I had the second class last night. I decided to do a project based on an illustration from one of my all-time favorite childrens' books, Mary Blair's "I Can Fly". I know I've raved about her artwork before, but if you aren't familiar, you definitely need to check out her work - she's amazing!

Anyway, here is a close-up of the tree I'm using for my mosaic:

and here's my mosaic with the trunk and tree branches complete:

The instructor for the class remarked that my mosaic looked like a quilt, which I found interesting considering that she had no idea that I'm a quilter... makes me wonder about my own style and voice in my work - maybe something is emerging after all... I'll continue to post updates as the mosaic progresses. All in all, I can report that thus far it's been really fun to do, but is a little hard on the hands (all the glass cutting!).

Post Birthday Party!

We barely survived a whirlwind weekend with much family, friends, and good food. Brynne's second birthday party on Saturday was a great success, although there were a few hectic moments - more on the party in a later post. I still haven't caught up on my sleep, let alone settling back into a "normal" daily routine. So, consider this a quick post to say "I'm still here" and I'll be back to much crafty posting in the next couple of days. In the meantime, I leave you with this:

5/15/03

5/15/05

Happy Birthday Brynne!

Ty Pennington gets Rich(er)!

Following the lead of other former Trading Spaces cast members, Ty Pennington is now selling his soul for retail. Sears has launched the Ty Pennington Style line of home decor and accessories, and another, "younger" line is soon to follow (TYU: Back to Campus). I haven't yet seen the pieces in person, but the line appears to be pretty modern, with some Asian influences here and there.

I like the floral pattern and the colors of this bedding set:

and these dishes are fun:

 

The line also includes bathroom accessories, rugs, and home decor stuff. I guess I would be ok with the dishes, but I'm pretty picky about the quality of my bed linens and bath towels. Ty may be pretty easy on the eyes, but I have a feeling these might not pass my standards. (By the way, it looks like most of the line is on sale until tomorrow, May 14th if you want to pick anything up.)