January: The Month I went Pro-Bono

I joined Taproot and worked as the graphic designer on a brochure project for the Jewish Community Center of the East Bay. We worked on this project for just around 6 months, and it was the best experience I’ve had working in a pro-bono capacity. My team was fabulous and I can’t wait to work on another project with Taproot.

February: First Trip Abroad

I traveled to London with one of my favorite people, Brianna, to visit another one of my favorite people, Kendra. The trip was so so great; I miss London so much. Such a beautiful city.

March: My Birthday Month!

This year, my dream of having a karaoke birthday was realized. Not that getting all of my friends to karaoke is a huge feat, but it was such a wonderful feeling to see how many friendships I’ve developed over the last 2 years in the Bay Area. I felt very loved and very lucky. Also, it’s just fun to sing your heart out in front of your friends… and strangers! Also, this year I decided to buy myself a birthday present, as seen above with my sparkly red Jeffrey Campbell platforms. Yay!

April: Cousin Day

At least once a year, my cousin and sisters drive up to San Francisco to stay with me for a long weekend. We gallivant around the city, my cousin Ryan comes in from Oakland and we just hang out, laugh and eat good food. When everyone leaves I get sad, but I always look forward to our next cousin “day”.

May: First Big Craft Show

I took Babushka Designs down to Los Angeles to team up with Late to the Revolution at Unique LA. There were over 350 vendors, we saw many a D-list celebrity, and just had an all-around great time. I (again!) was lucky to have the support of so many friends and family members who drove to LA to stop by, say hello, and buy some stuff. Also, it’s always fun hanging out with Traci and Patrick and tagging along on their vegan food adventures. My digestive tract was so happy that weekend, lemmetellyou.

Oh! And I know I’m trying to only highlight one thing per month, but May is also when I met one of my heroes, John Waters. How freaked out/excited/weird do I look in this photo?

June: My Baby Sister Graduated

In my eyes she’ll forever be 9-years-old. That’s how old she was when I left home for college. She’s grown up to be a beautiful young lady with an excellent sense of style (even though I have to sometimes lecture her about how leggings are not pants). She has a promising future ahead, and I’m excited to see where life takes her.

July: The Birth of Mandatory Craft Days and Crochet Dates

July was a month full of crochet dates, movies, happy hour, and general good times spent with good friends, and the first of hopefully more mandatory craft days with J & K. It’s amazing how relaxing it is to hang out in your friend’s studio apartment on a Sunday with your craft of choice, music in the background, good conversation and snacks.

August: Fun with Fascinators and Themed Parties

August was another month of lots of friend time, discovering new bands (Gabby Young and Other Animals), and learning how to bake bread!

September: LA > Tahoe > San Francisco

September was the month of roadtrips and visits with more of my favorite people. J and I drove down to LA for FYF Fest and stayed in a studio apartment we booked through AirBNB and had a wonderful Thai Town/Little Armenia experience. The following weekend 3 friends and I drove to Tahoe (which was scary at times!) to stay in K’s grandma’s cabin for the weekend and explore the town, and Reno… even though I didn’t realize it was Reno when we were there. Lastly, my good friend K (I’m starting to realize a lot of my friend’s names start with K!) flew up to visit for the weekend and it was so great to see her, finally check out The Smiths tribute night at Milk Bar, and people watch. San Francisco is a great place to do that.

October: Wedding Madness!

With my sister’s wedding coming up in November, October was the month of bridal activities. Her bridal shower and bachelorette party were so much fun, and I’ll never forget either of them. Especially the fact that my grandma sat right in front of my sister as she opened her scandalous gifts.

November: My Sister Got Married!

It was a week of prep, running around town, seeing family and friends, bonding with the bridesmaids and just having a great time celebrating Kristina & Jonathan.

December: Renegade SF & Family Time

December was quite the busy month! The SF Holiday Renegade Craft Fair was a lot of fun and a great experience. Above is the video a friend of mine shot while he was there. I met a lot of really great people and had a blast hanging out with Traci & Patrick all weekend. Always a treat!

Bonus: Because there are always more photos…

1.) Spending time with my parents, 2.) Finally seeing not one, but TWO capybaras in the flesh at the SF Zoo, 3.) Many Midnites for Maniacs at the Castro Theater, 4.) Seeing Cibo Matto and feeling like a college student again, 5.) The Jimenez sisters visit Alcatraz, 6.) Although our book club dissolved, we still keep and touch and it’s lovely when we get together, 7.) Trip to Tahoe, making the most of the cold summer weather, 8.) Finally decorating my apartment, 9.) Experimenting with food, 10.) Getting into drawing again, 11.) Learning how to make bread from scratch!, 12.) SF Family Thanksgiving, 13.) Visits from Katrina (and bottomless mimosas!), 14.) Visits from Andy & Chandra, 15.) Playing games created for kindergarteners and getting confused, but still having fun, 16.) Lots of inventory and planning this year for craft shows, 17.) San Francisco food adventures with Judy, 18.) Fun events in SF like Bay to Breakers – this group costume’s message: “Use birth control!”

That concludes this 2011 Year in Review. I’m excited to see what 2012 has in store. We’re already 3 weeks in and I’m feeling nothing but positivity and excitement about this year, and I hope you are too. Cheers!

It’s the truth. Sorry I’m not providing photo evidence, but you’re better off just using your imagination. My former boss once reacted to it by calling it “very Golden Girls.” I took that as a compliment, naturally.

So, here I sit at SFO waiting patiently to board my flight to Portland. I’m using my shiny new Macbook Air which has improved my quality of life exponentially, but I unfortunately haven’t had time to upload any photos from my iMac, hence the Portlandia image up top, which is relevant yet impersonal, but whatever. It’s all good.

I know it’s tacky to talk about how one has been avoiding the blogosphere for an extended period time, but I’m going to do just that and outline what have been huge (but productive) and/or great time sucks for me:

• My Sister Got Married! – That’s right, kids. And with a wedding comes lots of events, lots of time with family (which was really great, my family is a lot of fun), and of course dancing, good food, and laughs.
  
• San Francisco Holiday Renegade Craft Fair – which involved crocheting and planning every day. EVERY DAY. EVERY WEEKEND. It’s fun and was totally worth all of the work, but it didn’t really allow for much else… the exact reason why I am happy to not be a full time crafterprenuer. Yes, I made that word up. It probably exists.
• Sewing – Once Renegade was over, my wrists rejoiced and I dove right into my “to sew” pile which currently consists of 4 dresses and 1 top. Fabric has been cut, everything is slowly being assembled. And I’m still very much in love with my serger.
• Reading – I reached my goal of reading 30 books in 2011! Yes. Thank you for the applause. You can take a look at what I read here.
• Reuniting with Friends – Well, not really reuniting. I see my SF friends on either a weekly or bi-weekly basis, but due to craft fair stuff I became somewhat of a hermit, actually announcing my ‘hermit weeks’ in various social media, as a way of warning my friends to not ask me to hang out. I’m kind of a jerk, no? I try not to be. Also, my friends are the coolest people on Earth.
• Freelance & Pro-Bono Projects – I just finished my 3rd commissioned logo last week, and this week got the great news that I’ve been chosen to be on an amaaaazing Taproot project that I’ll be starting work on soon. 2012 is going to be a great year for my professional life. I can feel it. (At least I hope so!)

Anyway, I’m going to do another post that goes over my 2012 Resolutions, as well as my 2011 Year in Review. All of these things are written and in my ‘drafts’, so stay tuned.

But, back to vacation mode…

This is my first time ever traveling to Oregon, and although I hear it’s going to be quite chilly, I’ve been looking forward to this all month. I’m especially excited to see my Seattleite friends whom I have not seen for over a year. OVER A YEAR. That is just unacceptable. I’m happy to be remedying this this weekend. I have my Instax Mini, emergency granola bars in my purse, and my trusty Hello Kitty umbrella handy. Will post more about the trip when I get back!

A few weeks ago, my roommate informed me that we had a new roomie… a cat named Djuna. Growing up in a family where practically everyone is allergic to cats, I’ve never lived with a cat before – but I did house-sit for two weeks once and got along quite well with the two cats who lived there, so I was pretty excited at the prospect of living with a feisty feline.

The first thing I did upon meeting Ms. Djuna, was see how she reacted to yarn. To my delight, she was very Honey Badger-like and just didn’t really give a shit, which is fantastic, because we all know how much yarn I have.

Left: Djuna plays dead, vying for attention Right: Djuna sits on my fabric, again, trying to get attention

Cats have always been one of my favorite animals. They’re self-reliant, fluffy and sassy. What more could you want from a pet? Well, I was a little sad to discover that cats don’t play fetch, and almost lost my hand when I tried rubbing her belly (must remember cats are not dogs!), but aside from that, Djuna and I are getting along just fine. She also makes sick days (like today) way less depressing.

I stumbled upon the Taproot Foundation while sifting through the volunteer listings on idealist.org, and after perusing their site for a few minutes was pretty impressed. Taproot works with business professionals across the country (and around the world) to place them with nonprofits who have been awarded “service grants”. There are applications on both ends – you have to apply to be a Pro-Bono Consultant, and the organizations have to apply to receive a service grant.

I applied and was accepted within a few days. Once you’ve been accepted, you’re entered into Taproot’s well organized online system (which feels more like an online community), where Account Directors assigned to projects can find consultants to recruit for their teams.

I was recruited to be the graphic designer for a brochure project for the Jewish Community Center of the East Bay. I was thrilled to be a part of this team – working as a designer/marketing professional in the financial industry on a daily basis, I had my heart set on a project that focused on kids (to change things up) – and I was lucky to be chosen to work on one!

Our task was to make a brochure that would promote and introduce (or re-introduce) the JCC East Bay’s Afterschool Programs to the Berkeley and Oakland communities.

Our team consisted of 5 (amazing) people: an account director, project manager, marketing director, graphic designer (yours truly!) and copywriter. We worked wonderfully together, and were kind of a dream team! We all completed our individual tasks on time, and were able to deliver a great brochure as a result.

The Finished Product – 11×17 Tri-Fold Glossy Brochure

The Taproot Foundation strives to make the experience and process as easy as possible for their pro-Bono consultants and non-profit organizations, so we’re provided with resources and an amazing blue print document to help navigate our milestones and deliverables.

Photos taken at our last meeting. We’re clearly in celebration mode.

The project overall was a really great experience for me personally. Being a designer who has mostly worked in a nonprofit environment, it was great to see how marketing professionals in the corporate world work. Also, my team had a very diverse  range of professional experiences. It was a pleasure to work with each one of them and I felt like this project helped me grow as a designer and a marketing professional. Working with the ladies at the JCC East Bay was a breeze (and a joy!) as well. I look forward to my next project!

I can’t recommend Taproot enough. If you’re interested in volunteering your time to help a local non-profit, or want to learn more, check out their website: www.taprootfoundation.org

I’m not sure how I feel about Small Business Saturday being sponsored by a company like American Express instead of being a grassroots campaign, but you know what… at least someone is shedding light on the thousands and thousands of indie businesses that are often forgotten during Black Friday sales. So, I guess I feel thankful that such a large corporation is working in our favor (for once).

However you feel about holiday sales, whether you’re a participant of Buy Nothing Day (AKA #OccupyXmas), or don’t even celebrate the holidays, I wish you a great weekend and hope you get to spend lots of time with your loved ones.

“Don’t care how, I want it NOW!”

I like treating Halloween as a time to pay homage to people, characters or icons I admire. Here are some of the costumes I’ve made over the last four years:

From left to right: Courtney Love, Virgin Guadalupe, Feminist Uncle Sam, Hello Kitty

I think my favorite costume to date is still Courtney Love. She was the most fun to “be,” and it was fun to attend parties “in character”… until I had a little accident involving those awful pointy stilettos, a step I didn’t see, and a really bloody knee; I was a hot mess. BUT, I was in character, so it worked. (Damn you, weak ankle!)

Anyway, this year, I went with Veruca Salt. She, too, is a bad ass chick. When she wants something, she gets it… or, at least until she’s sent to the furnace… but up until that point, she’s pretty fierce. This costume was fairly easy to make. I picked up a sweater dress from the Juniors section of Ross for $10, and found lace and velvet ribbon at Cliff’s Variety – the buttons and thread I already had on hand. This costume cost around $18, and took around 2 hours to make. Not too shabby!

“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.”

It’s probably the most well made costume I’ve constructed yet. You could literally rock this lolita-style dress and no one would know that it was a Halloween costume. Or maybe they would. A few people thought I was Olive Oil, and a few thought I was Mrs. Santa Claus. The latter REALLY confused me. Anyway, cheers to another fun Halloween and handmade costume!

Upcycle Sundays: The 9 to 5 Ascot Blouse Revival with Babushka Designs

Hi guys! I hope everyone’s getting in gear for Halloween! I know I am. Anyway, a few weeks ago I guest posted a vintage blouse DIY that you should check out if you haven’t done so already! It might come in handy if you’re altering thrifted tops for those upcycled costumes. Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Also, if you aren’t already, follow me on Pinterest!

No, I didn’t teleport back into the 1920s. We’re talkin’ good ol’ fashioned television here. The educational kind, brought to us by a bunch of really nice foundations and Viewers Like You. Programs also known as brain food… yes, even if you’re consuming old timey cocktails while watching.

Anyway, my friends alerted me to the great documentary filmmaker that is Ken Burns when they were on a Civil War kick. Let’s be honest, I was really excited about his documentary Civil War, but I fell asleep twice during the first episode and decided that that just wasn’t happening for me. BUT, I was excited about his latest 3-part documentary Prohibition, and still am, since the last episode airs tonight at 8pm Pacific Time on PBS. Tune in to find out if prohibition gets repealed! I know I’m waiting in anticipation to find out.

If you don’t have a television, or would like to watch from the beginning, you can HERE <-- on the PBS website. Also, according to this site, the first episode is streaming for free via the PBS iPad video app. Either way, check it out.

This post was brought to you by the letter T (for teetotaler) and the number 6 (as in the number of hours of sleep I’ll be getting tonight because I can’t seem to peel myself away from my computer screen). Cheers!

Whatever you decide to do (donate or not donate), that’s completely up to you. But, really, we all know this is going to be a kick ass documentary. Just do it. <–

I love movies. I love the outdoors. I love sneakily consuming Sauvignon Blanc in public places. Put all of these things together and you have Dolores Park movie night! I’m “live blogging” I guess directly from my t-shirt quilt in the park and Top Gun is about to start. This is the first time I’ll be watching this classic. I’m mostly excited to watch the eye candy that is Val Kilmer. Yum.

The Girl Talk is a-bumpin’ and the place is packed with happy people, dogs and the occasional baby/child. It’s events like this that made me want to live in this great lil city.

I hope you’re all having a great weekend!