Auburn Street

Simple Valentine's Bouquet

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

One of the reasons I've come back to blogging is to avoid just being a passive observer of all the wonderful craftiness and creativity that is out there. I found that while I am still inspired to get creating after perusing the endless possibilities on blogs, pinterest, and sites like craftgawker, I can spend an hour looking and then never create anything or act on any of my inspirations.

One of my goals this year is to get back to sharing some of my projects here, in order to have a record of what I've done. I'm hosting a Valentine Making Party in a few weeks, and I was inspired by this easy project by Rebecca Cooper at Simple As That.

I gathered some of my craft supplies, made a big ol' mess, and created my own little bouquet of hearts!

After pulling together a little of this and a little of that, I came up with something fun that is festive without screaming "Valentine's Day!"

I'm getting pretty excited about decorating and hosting my Valentine's Crafting Session. I'll be gathering some of my crafty friends to make valentines for Etsy's Share the Love 2012 event. I can't wait to make some fun little notes for meals-on-wheels recipients. So fun!

Sipping Pretty

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite gifts this Christmas has to be the amazing state glasses my mom picked up for Matt and I from a little boutique in Northern Michigan. Despite our move to Chicago, my serious love for Michigan still reigns true. Luckily, my mom knows that both locations are important to us!

Michigan

Chicago

She doesn't remember what store she got them from, but luckily I found both the wholesale seller and an online place to purchase your own glasses!
Find your state here: CatStudio
or
Purchase at Uncommon Goods

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

Now that winter has finally settled in to stay, Belle and Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister has been on repeat around these parts. It's the perfect soundtrack to quiet afternoons curled up reading with a warm cup of tea, or for late night crafting binges (both of which have been occurring with frequency as of late). I love the way the music instantly carries my thoughts to memories of college winters and long, snowy walks.

Find a comfy spot to observe the snow and let the music take you away...

Late January by Auburn Street on Grooveshark

Any music suggestions to add to our late winter music selections?

We've also had all Sigur Ros, Jimmy Eat World Futures and a bit of Kanye West 808s and Heartbreaks (gotta get your dance on!) on constant spin.

Black Thumb

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

I always have the best intentions when it comes to plants in our home. I want to have a green thumb. And I try my very hardest to keep things alive, like my little pots of grass, because I just love the look of live plants scattered about the apartment.

My intentions over the past year have led to the purchasing (and quick demise) of a potted palm, a gorgeous orchid, and four to five air plants. I could make excuses for why each of them died (a couple of animals that shan't be named, ahem...), but the truth is the only think I've kept alive is a small fern of some sort that is waaaay up on a bookshelf. I sometimes remember to water this little plant that could.

But! I've been wanting to try out my hand at terrariums forever. And with the help of the lovely folks at Sprout Home, I think I may have finally found success. With a store this lovely, who can say no?

The store is a true urban oasis, and the ladies there helped me pick out everything I needed to make these little guys:

spaceman terrarium

little cactus terrarium

I am determined to keep them safe from prowling pets and dehydration. And I'll be visiting Sprout Home again as soon as my wallet allows me to!

(dead houseplant image from the book "All My Friends Are Dead", Sprout Home images here, terrarium images by me)

Saturday Morning

2012-01-14T11:44:00.002-05:00

Warm coffee and a chocolate chip pancake...

Winter has arrived to Chicago and I'm taking this morning slow.

Why Hello There!

2012-01-09T07:00:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's been over a year since my last blog post.

I hadn't intended on taking such a long hiatus from blogland. My silence in these parts was the culmination of many things... but I'm back and ready to get blogging again!

We sent the above holiday card this past year to our closest friends and family. You can see we've added a big ol' cat to our little family. Kitty Cache (pronounced cash) is an awesome, albeit a bit grumpy, addition to our little family.

2011 was a year of peace and settling around these parts, as we adjusted to new jobs, new friendships, and a new city.

Life is good, my inspiration is flowing, and I can't wait to get back in the swing of things!

Easy Cheesy

2011-01-04T07:00:00.001-05:00

Please tell me you saw Poppytalk's 2010 Most Influential design list last week. If you didn't, check it out immediately! I love Poppytalk, and man, this list pretty much sums up 2010 design-wise. A few of my favorite trends included:

driftwood

reclaimed wood

bright ideas

(images from poppytalk)

Inspired by these design ideas and having a wide-open Sunday afternoon, I decided to whip up a little something.

I dug though my old jewelry and found a pile of bangles. I used to rock bangles all the time, and lately I've wanted to update my accessories.

I grabbed a yellow bangle, a hot glue gun, and embroidery floss.

My new bracelet looks great with the vintage brass ones I've had forever!

Now that we have space and large windows, I have a feeling that my crafty juices may just start flowing again!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T17:10:00.003-05:00

Phew. I think it goes without saying that 2010 was jam packed with exciting and endless changes. We started the year living in Grand Rapids, working jobs we loved and loving our first year of marriage. We finished 2010 a year wiser - in a 'grown up' apartment in Chicago, having both (finally!) found jobs we love here. Life is great, and we rang out 2010 with a small celebration at our new place.

I made homemade pizza for 12 - let's just say I underestimated how much the dough would grow when it doubled!

We threw a kicken' 90's party - here's the hubs and I 90's style. We danced and watched old music videos and drank too much champagne. So much fun.

Oh yeah, those are some awesome shoulders for me. And hubs has a sweet gold chain!

Party poppers and noise makers.

Party people! Bad 90's editing to go with bad 90's outfits!

Party poppers - still not totally vacuumed out of the carpet!

Party poopers, not poppers - two tired pooches.

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve! Happy 2011!!

Ho Ho Ho

2010-12-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

see the decorations in the bottom right corner? or yeah... that's our tree. i may or may not have decorated it before unpacking anything else. and then, we painted and washed windows. yay!

how's that for christmas spirit??

this will be our second married christmas, and i'm trying not to let the feeling of the season get lost in all the crazy hustle and bustle of the past few weeks. we're starting our own traditions, bit by bit.

this year, we're doing gifts on the 23rd and then going to zoo lights. i can't wait to see the polar bears by the twinkling lights of christmas trees. it's a way for us to celebrate on our own, before we start the crazy and wonderful trip back to visit both our families.

do you have any special traditions you've created on your own? i'd love to hear about them!

Why, hello there!

2010-12-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

(hubby's picture)

Can I first say how much I've missed you these past few weeks?? My break from the blog world was unplanned and much needed. Things have been busy in the Auburn Street household. Very, very busy.

A smattering of events from the past few weeks (smattering... i like that word!)-

Packed up our lives. Again.
Celebrated Matthew's birthday
Hubs starting a new big boy job, on his birthday
Moving into our new apartment, on hub's birthday (whew... tired yet??)
Started painting and rearranging our new place
Annual watching of Love Actually and Home Alone
Crafting of Christmas presents and homemade wrapping for presents
Eating way too much freezer food because of all our dishes being packed for a week
Unpacking boxes in order to make Christmas cookies!

So. Life is good, and we have so much to be thankful for, and we're hoping that life will slow down for a while now. At least until we hit the road for home in a few days!

Kitchen Battles!

2010-11-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Old kitchen...

I'd like you to meet new kitchen - a place I plan on spending lots and lots of time soon!

(we decided to leave our teeny studio for a less expensive neighborhood/much larger apartment that is closer to my job and downtown. down side - we'll be farther from lake michigan. upside - 2 bedrooms, stainless steel appliances, FREE washer and dryer for the first time in a couple years, and a fifteen minute bus ride to work to replace my hour commute. and packing aside - i cannot wait to move in!!)

Vacation Mode

2010-11-29T07:00:00.001-05:00

(me. taking a deep breath, via hubby)

hi. did y'all have a nice break?

i sure did. in fact, it's really hard to switch gears back to the real world.

i loved the time spent with family, seeing a few friends, and road tripping with hubby. but the truth is - i'm pretty tired. we logged 1200 miles in our trusty rental car, in just three days.

so, yeah. i'm sleepy.

and this month, this month is a doozy. birthdays, out of town guests, a cross city move (more on that later).

and yeah. that little holiday known as christmas.

needless to say, i'll take my break back, pretty please. pretty please with sugar on top??

(mistletoe)

Okay. So I don't get that break back. I'm planning on facing December fortified with lots of hot cocoa, a few twinkly lights, and lots of mistletoe strewn throughout the packing boxes! Stress or no stress, I love Christmas!

So. Are you embracing the upcoming season with a candy cane in one hand and some curly-cue ribbon??

(or do you need a little eggnog to get you through the next month??)

From time to time...

2010-11-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

From time to time, it's nice to forget our age, our jobs, the rent, and planning our future.

It's nice to forget all those things so that we can spend a lazy Sunday morning climbing trees, pretending that we're ten years old all over again.

(Thank goodness that this week is Thanksgiving and I'm only working through Wednesday. I'm in dire need of a lack of responsibility!)

Fierce

2010-11-18T08:49:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, it's reassuring to have a tough guard dog on the lookout, keeping check on the neighborhood below.

(And then I remember that this guard dog would rather give kisses than bark, will do anything to be completely wrapped up in a blanket, and allows Matt to hold him in his lap.)

Who needs a guard dog, anyway??

A reason to eat popcorn...

2010-11-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

Not gonna lie. I'm pretty excited to see this in a little over a month.

In my book, Sophia Coppola can do no wrong when it comes to perfectly soundtracked movies. And I'll take another Lost in Translation over Marie Antoinette any day, thank you very much.

A third thing - I never miss a chance to eat oh-so-healthy movie theater popcorn. Never.

Wrapping Paper

2010-11-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've been brainstorming different homemade gift possibilities for the people on my Christmas list.

Every year, I have the best intentions of making lots of goodies - then I wait and scramble the week before Christmas.

This year, I'm makin' a list. I'm planning ahead. I'm pacing myself.

But right now, I'm dreaming of wrapping those little homemade goodies:

here

of course, here

here

...I may be getting a bit ahead of myself...

Weekend Love

2010-11-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

This weekend, I loved:

cheesy bowling alleys, where you have to keep score on paper while listening to some sweet juke box tunes.

cinephile kittens. oh, and the movie adam. if you haven't seen it, you should. but i'm warning you - keep your tissues nearby!

braving the cold (i know, it's only going to get colder. today was good practice for this winter. brrrr!) in order to explore our city.

public transportation.

the gooey monkey panini at wicker basket cafe. yes, i am holding a panini filled with peanut butter, blackberry jam, and bananas, then toasted with cinnamon and sugar. it was like eating desert in a sandwich!

and this new kid cudi song on repeat. it helps that mclovin' is in the video!

'Twas a wonderful weekend. How was yours??

P.S. - Hubby has a new photo tumblr. He is responsible for most of the pictures I share here, mostly because I don't have half his talent with a camera. Check it out! He's the greatest.

Some nights...

2010-11-10T19:31:00.000-05:00

Some nights I am inspired to perform great feats in the kitchen. I get home and whip up Vegetarian 3 bean chili. Or falafel with homemade tzatki sauce. Maybe a little Shrimp Curry and rice.

Other nights, I'm grateful for the simplicity of the little blue box with simple directions. It's fast. It's delicious. And it always tastes the same.

Hopefully, I'm not alone in my love for Macaroni and Cheese. The spirally kind, of course!

Daylight Savings

2010-11-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

As much as I love the extra hour of sleep that daylight savings brings, I really dread this time of year, as the days get shorter and shorter. It got dark around 5 pm today. And I'm sorry. But that's just really early.

So I've been starting to compile a list of things I can do to keep my spirits high with all this extra darkness:

1. Puppy hide-and-seek

where is winslo??

2. Work on my poorly lit indoor photo skills:

(woah blurry. so glad i have 25 of these to remind me of saturday night!)

3. Spend more time in my craft room ::ahem:: with my craft tub. I know I've been a much more deliberate crafter now that it's cooler, but it's time to really get down to business and work on those Christmas presents!

(and yes, this is my craft room. this and a shelf and my sewing machine... and a few plastic drawers. i have a serious addiction to craft supplies!)

4. Curl up with a few good books. Like this one. And this one. And maybe this one.

(image)

5. Experiment with light writing, Chicago-style!

(bestie and i, 2008. so young!)

6. Start my search for the perfect ornament for Micaela's Ornament Swap. Did you join in?

Whew. Looks like I have enough to keep me busy for a while!

How do you plan on spending your chilly late-fall evenings?

The rally that wasn't...

2010-11-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

...so despite all my excitement and talk of going to the Rally to Restore Sanity, on Friday morning, I kissed Matt good-bye as he took off to D.C. without me. I stayed back because of the new job - as much as I wanted to go, I didn't think taking two days off my first week of work would be a great start.

My past few days have been working long hours training, enjoying a visit from my dear friend Ally, exploring our neighborhood in the midst of Halloween craziness, and catching (and conquering) a nasty bout of food poisoning/work-related bug. You know, the usual.

I was pretty bummed out some of the time.

Luckily, I have an awesome husband who takes great pictures and kept me posted through video/pictures/texts all weekend long, and I watched the Rally via the interwebs.

He got back last night, and I was super excited to get my hands on the photos he took to share with all of you! These are a few of my favorites:

(do you see that lady behind matt, taking a cell phone picture of matt taking a picture?? creepy...)

(how is it that this never gets old??)

(I have to admit I almost cried when Yusef Islam took the stage to sing Peace Train. I love him and his music so much, and it was the only time when I was sick to my stomach that I couldn't be at the rally. Besides when I got food poisoning the next day, of course!)

Anyways. Happy Wednesday! I'm finally getting in a bit of a groove with this whole 5 am wake up and new job deal, so hopefully I'll be a bit more present around these parts. I miss you guys!

My morning ritual

2010-10-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

Every morning, right after I shower, I turn the stove on and start boiling water. I take the dog out, and when I get back, the whistle is usually about to go off.

I love the smell of freshly ground coffee - almost as much as the anticipation of the wonderful french press coffee that greets me a short time later.

I decided to make a little wall art to honor my morning ritual.

Do you have any special morning rituals??

The Car-less life...

2010-10-26T20:00:00.000-04:00

Today marks the second day of my massive commute to my wonderful, brand-spankin-new job!

(A job which I adore so far, by the way. This place treats their employees fabulously, values their ideas and needs as teachers, and believes each child is essential to their school. I get to spend all day in a gorgeous classroom, working with some of the cutest babies in the world, with some pretty neat-o co-workers. It's amazing what a clean classroom filled with beautiful materials and people who want to be there can do to my outlook on work!)

We sold our car when we moved to Chicago, and I was able to walk to my old job in less than half an hour. And so far, it's been sunny and gorgeous and I loved every minute of my commute. Today, on the other hand, I woke up at 5 am to catch a 6 am bus down the road. I transferred to another bus after half an hour (by now it was pouring rain), rode this bus for fifteen minutes, and got off a block away from work. My umbrella immediately turned inside out and ripped to shreds as I ran down the block in the dark, arriving just before my shift started at 7 am.

Dramatic, right??

I'm not gonna lie - at times I just shake my head at the fact that it takes me an hour to go 5 and a half miles.

But then I remember that I loathe driving at the core of my being. And that I wouldn't get to go back to sleep if I were driving to work. And I really, really like the shared experience of traveling in a bus (or subway full of people).

Matt and I are absolutely loving not owning a car. We went cold turkey and haven't looked back. We purposely choose a city that would allow us to get around easily without driving by ourselves. And I'm loving living the car-less life.

(and hello - check out this welcome-home greeting! makes the trek well-worth it!)

Weekend Ramblings

2010-10-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

This weekend was:

lots of time in the kitchen

pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

playing in the park

lots of awkward photos

and painful attempts at a family portriat

a rad clothing swap hosted by lovely leigh

her beautiful wall of art

and her wine stealing kitty cat. cutest old man cat in the world!

It was a really great weekend. The perfect preparation for today.

Today, I start my new job, and I've got all sorts of first day jitters. This week is mostly half days of training and such, then full-time starting next week. I'm really excited - and I hope that I've found a place I will get to work for a while. I've been saying way too many goodbyes lately, and that gets rough.

But here's to new adventures (and beginnings), meeting new people, and swapping some clothing!

Handmade Love

2010-10-21T21:28:00.000-04:00

a little handmade love i sent off for a dear friend who got engaged last week. she was my roommate when matt and started dating and was with me every step of the way through our engagement - supporting and being all around amazing as a bridesmaid and a friend.

i love making things for the people i love...

Happy Dance

2010-10-19T21:47:00.000-04:00

I found out yesterday afternoon that I got the job!!

(insert happy dance here)

I start on Monday - a fresh start, with what promises to be motivated co-workers in a center that focuses on eco-friendly practices. Cloth diapers, organic food, the whole nine yards. And I get to work with babies again! I really could not be more thrilled!

Thank you for all your encouragement and positive vibes. I am so thankful for each and every one of you!

The one downside to this new job is that I will have a 45 minute commute by bus to work, and the same return journey. I've been loving walking to work each day... but I'm getting really excited to do some serious bus reading... 45 minutes of uninterrupted reading?? Yes, please!

Speaking of reading, I've finished a couple decent books in the past week or two. They were both random books I grabbed off the new fiction shelf, and I was presently surprised that both were really good reads. Maybe I should deviate from my 'to read' list more often...

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow - I thought this book was fantastic... a tragic story told primarily from a young girl's point of view. Follows her after she survives a fall that kills her mother and two siblings as she grows and grapples with race, family, and womanhood. I could not put this down.

The Marriage Buerau for Rich People by Farahad Zama. I loved this book, too. It was a very 'cute' story, simple and straight forward, which isn't usually my style. What I loved is that it really got into the culture of India, as well as toyed with the concept of good and bad matches. This would make the perfect airplane (or bus ride!) book.

Have you read anything new and exciting lately?? I'd love it if you'd share... I'll need lots to read starting next week!

(image source)