Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

eek!

goodness, life is crazy. but i have a project or two, and a ton of pictures to post. now, i just need to find the time. until then, music recommendations:

andrew bird - mx missiles

carla bruni - quelqu'un m'a dit

ratatat - lp3

i heart sb

(the view from the courthouse tower)

this weekend, the boy and i did touristy things. i have lived here for 5+ years, yet i have never walked around the courthouse or been on the harbor.

the mosaic star was created with a stone from each county in california.
pretty neat.

the riviera/montecito from the bell tower. the burn areas (from the tea fire) are no longer visible.



one of the old courtrooms. tons of people get married here. it's a little suffocating, in my opinion, but still quite interesting.


in case it's not obvious, this was an awkward picture. the boy is currently coming to terms with my new photo obsession. i am also learning that
pride should sometimes be sacrificed
in order to get a picture with a loved one.

even though i was called a tourist.


coming soon: memorial gardens + the harbor

happy weekend!

so the boy and i met some friends at epiphany last night. it's a super small, super adorable restaurant/bar off of state st aka the tourists haven't found it yet.

it has a wonderful moroccan feel, super cozy, and creative cocktails. robin discovered that cucumber water and vodka does, in fact, make a tasty beverage.

i splurged on a dirty martini, mainly because
i love their martini glasses


and fell asleep immediately after returning home.

wild thursday

i love impromptu gatherings. thursday brought 3 wonderful friends, a gazillion types of hummus, a bottle of old vine zinfandel (my personal favorite), terribly mismatched plates, and

scattergories aka the best game ever.

the boy came home from law school to silence, furious writing, and shushes when he tried to talk. this is serious, people. within moments, he was embroiled in the fury as well, and proceeded to pretty much bury us with his wit and intelligence.

also, christian and i had had a little bit of wine. we weren't really on our "a" game.

the project that keeps on...project-ing?

dozi's paper flower tutorial has singlehandedly changed my life. i tried it for valentine's day with leftover felt from holiday ornaments, and i think i liked it even better than with paper! i will post pictures asap, but until then, trust me - it's an easy project with major impact.

so yes, i made about 15 felt flowers for the v-day dinner, and scattered them around the centerpiece on the dining table. pretty awesome.

but now, i have a bunch of flowers just sitting in a drawer...what's a girl to do?

oh yes.

use them!

the upcoming event at my work is our volunteer appreciation luncheon, and i, of course, am in charge of decorations. the budget? $25. yes, times are tough. and there are certainly more important things than decorations (ie. being able to pay staff), but i really want to wow our people.

so here's the plan:

reusable decorations

none of that wasteful business around here, please. i am making a pretty banner out of fabric, thank-you-very-much, that will be used and re-used for small events to come!

(hopefully)

pillage my craft junk.

namely: those dang roses. they're beautiful. and hard to ruin (being fabric and all).

but what to do with them?

we will be on an amphibious vehicle (don't ask), so i'm thinking i shouldn't just strew them around. i don't want to add them to the banner (too heavy).

hmmm...

maybe this is the perfect time to practice

delegating

how to: make a silhouette

look!

(it's the boy)

my silhouettes were super easy to make - i actually switch them out every couple months with minimal effort. i have found instructions online, but i felt my method was extremely simple and virtually fool-proof. as a lefty who absolutely cannot use scissors, fool-proof is pretty important for me. so, without further ado:



how to: make a silhouette


materials needed:
super-sharp, fine point scissors (i recommend cutter bee scissors)
picture frame
posterboard or cardstock, cut to fit your frame, in the color of your choosing (this will be the background for the silhouette - i used light blue to match my curtains)
posterboard or cardstock (but not white-core, or it will look awful when you cut it out), in the color of your choice (this will be for the actual silhouette - i went with traditional black)
photo mount spray adhesive (it is much cleaner and smoother than regular glue, and about $8 a can at michael's)


1. find a picture that you like. i used a few old flower drawings a friend made. i have also taken side profile pictures of friends and used those.

2. resize your image on the computer, making sure it will fit into the frame. i used a 10x13" frame, so i enlarged my picture to be 11" tall.

3. print the image (b/w is fine)

5. using really sharp, fine-point scissors (i recommend cutter bee scissors), carefully cut out the outline of the image. it may not look pretty yet. don't worry, it will.

6. using a ton of scotch tape, tape every inch of the picture's edges to black cardstock.

7. carefully cut out the image again. this may sound redundant, but the results are much better than just taping a picture printed on 8.5x11 paper, because the edges are secured exactly as you would like them to be; there will be no wrinkling or distortion as you cut. also, the taped picture should fall right off, in the end, because you've cut through all the tape.

8. cut out the background cardstock, according to the dimensions of your frame.

8. put down some old newspapers or magazines. place the newly cut-out silhouette, wrong side up, and spray for a few seconds with the adhesive. wait a few moments for the glue to become tacky, and then carefully press onto the background cardstock.

voila! a silhouette.

finished?

curtains are done.

silhouettes are done. except for the boy's.

banner for work - not even started.

oh dear.

toys

So I bought an old-school Polaroid Colorpack II off of eBay, and it may the best purchase I have ever made. It's my only camera (I know, I'm a little behind the times), but it's okay because everyone around me has a digital camera.

Loading the film is fun. I do it in the dark.

Taking pictures is extra fun, except that I cannot find a flash bulb (otherwise known as a flashcube) anywhere. Help a lady out, if you have any, let me know.

But the best part is pulling the film out of the camera. It's even more fun than peeling the film apart to see the picture. Whoever created the colorpack is a flippin' genius.

So my goal is to actually remember to bring it out with me! Social butterfly I am not (especially since the bf and I invested in Netflix), and post-college = osmosis of friends to all over CA. So my goal is to use this camera as a unique way to capture memories.

and who knows? Maybe I'll scan (old-school!) my instant pictures and post them here. This blog is my oyster, after all.

on ne voit bien qu'avec le couer

Le Petit Prince: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

That's quite the mantra. I hope I stick with it.