on my honor...

Life is so real...

2013-04-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

So naturally it isn't hard enough to have four people live in a small place, but lets see what happens when the dryer breaks... I will give you a hint: it's not awesome.

But luckily we are capable of some ingenious drying techniques...

Maximize all molding, and hang garments in all doorways.

Bathroom can double as dryers if you turn on the overhead heater.

On a warm day with a breeze outside space is prime real estate.

Combat wrinkles by handing clothes,

So don't worry, if your dryer dies, you can totally create a cloth wonderland. It is still a total pain though, but hopefully a detriment that will be alleviated this week.

Time out

2013-04-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

As Christine mentioned on Monday, there's a lack of inspiration as of late. I think a temporary hiatus is on the horizon. More on that later, but for now, I'm already running late for work. I wish I could keep driving south today. I would like to drive south all the way to Disneyland and have myself one of these Mickey ice cream sandwiches. That would be a delight!

Make: Spring come alive.

2013-04-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a lot of time lately with (work and being lost in transitions) to be creative in a real productive way. Hopefully that will change soon as life's pace steadies for all of us. I have to say that this weekend there was some furniture moved around in the homestead, and that typically stirs things up in the ole' creative brain pan, so fingers crossed.

Bu the furniture wasn't the only new arrangement introduced in to the house this weekend, the decor got a little Springtime makeover as well...

I pulled down some of my (many) ceramic birds to sit as a colorful stationary aviary. (This one always reminds me of splash mountain... sigh, Disneyland it's been too long.)

But spring can't be sprung without new growth, so naturally the additional of some clovers was necessary.

(clovers compliments of Dawn)

And with Easter this weekend Dawn also brought home some lovely peonies (which are one of my favorite flowers, and I am sure yours as well).

I cleared out the dead plants from some of my planters, and proclaimed, 'This time it will be different, I will not let you perish!'. Who knows if I will actually be able to keep these alive, I guess I'll have to post an update later on.

All in all, I feel like there's Spring in the house, and with that creativity will bloom. Is that too Hallmark-y? Oh well I suppose the creative voice in my writing is also suffering.

Don't you think the birthday ferns Catherine gave me are oh so charming? Maybe I will just look to them for inspiration.

Blergh.

2013-04-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

via Life Takes Me Random Places

Working six days a week while packing for a move is not helping me be a good blogger. AT ALL. It is, however, helping me be an excellent complainer...as evidenced by the series of texts I sent to Catherine last night. Welcome, April.

I was going to talk about some essential short stories, starting with the menace-laden masterpiece that is Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", but that's definitely not happening. Maybe tomorrow afternoon...maybe not. We'll see how things progress. In the meantime, you should pick up her massive brick of selected stories: High Lonesome. It's a dream and a scream.

Insta-sista

2013-03-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Part of the moving process entails packing up my delicate snake sheds and collecting the creatures adorning my succulent pots. Luckily, Matilda already collected this small ceramic roadrunner and deposited it in her bed.

She's such a little brat attack.

And I'm soooo tired of getting up early for work. I know this is something I shouldn't complain about, but I am so not a morning person. At all.

That being said, when I go to work, I receive going-away post-it samplings from friends...which is really most excellent.

As you can see, not much is happening in my life. Just the packing and the prepping and the feeling exhausted. But, if that's the sort of subject matter that you love seeing on Instagram, you could follow me @christinesuzanne.

P.S. Happy Easter!

DIY: Easter Cards

2013-03-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Okay so if your family is like mine, they have an endless supply of amazing vintage cards, that you are eternally jealous of and pretty impressed that they have found so many. If you are like me, you don't have any of these cute vintage cards (except the ones graciously given to you).

But guess what! You can make your own and be the envy of your friends...

All you need is a cute children's book (I found mine at the Illiad for $5), some liquid gilding, and pinking scissors.

Find your favorite illustrations, and get ready to cut... this is really hard for me too, it feels wrong to cut a book... but I did it.

I luckily found some little egg shaped illustrations featuring bunnies, perfect for Easter.

Once you cut them out dip your brush in a little of the liquid gilding and delicately paint around the scalloped edges of your card.

It's super easy and once they dry you have cute little impostor vintage Easter cards. Now if only I ever make it to the post office. Sisters, you'll get these in May!

Home & Away: Home...again

2013-03-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm home again. Peanut is super excited each and every time I come home, and I am certainly happy to see her too. I apologize for having such lackluster posts lately, it's a transition week, and therefore nothing too exciting is happening.

That's not exactly true, tomorrow I will go see Phoenix, and that shall be grand!

Peanut & Purls: Moving

2013-03-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

So I've been extremely busy doing everything but knitting. Don't worry, there will be plenty of knitting (and plenty of Peanut) in the weeks to come. This week marks the final move out of my home for the last 3+ years. Exciting things are happening though...everything is coming up Milhouse!

Brief Musical Interlude: Eurythmics & Aretha

2013-03-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

This one's going out to Catherine. Sisters are doing it for themselves. True that.

Plus, that white blazer is bangin'. Double plus for Dave Stewart jumping around and kicking like a maniac.

Make: Dawn's French Linen Tea Towels

2013-03-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

From Austin, Dawn brought me a little handmade treasure, french linen tea towels. They are super sweet, oh so useful, and easy to make. Observe...

Find your linen (you can also use a nice cotton blend too) cut to size, overshooting it enough so you are able to hem the edges without compromising your finished measurements; and hem. The big part is to make sure you pick the loveliest color pallet or pattern so it will fill you with joy every time you need to wipe down a counter or set your table.

Next sew on your ball fringe. I recommend lining the bottom hem only, a little goes a long way.

There you have it, adorable tea towels, or you can even use them as place mats if you're feeling fancy. They are so charming you should make multiple color runs for every season or occasion. Thanks Dawn!

Book Report: Murder, She Wrote

2013-03-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Murder, She Wrote is something I'm happy to watch, but not half as happy to have described to me on the page. Otherwise known as read. Sigh. I think Murder, She Wrote: A Slaying in Savannah is the first book that I've chosen to post on without loving (or at least mostly liking) the story or writing. I don't want to be a snob, but honestly, there's no way for me to get around it at this point. I'm just going to admit that I'm a little snobby...

It might have been wiser to go with Agatha Christie's Miss Marple or Alexander McCall Smith's Precious Ramotswe, but I really liked the idea of fitting J.B. Fletcher into my book reports somehow. Should have known that a novel spin-off from a television series might not be all that I'd hoped for. Traditionally, I haven't had the best of luck with movie or television tie-ins. I did read a couple X-Files books in my day, as well as one Indiana Jones book. Huh? Yeah. Pretty sure it was about Stonehenge, so double nerd bonus.

Still, it is what it is. I can't pretend that I didn't know what I was getting myself into. And it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read. I did enjoy that the book brought J.B. Fletcher into this century in a weird way--she checks emails and accompanies her young driver to a sale at Old Navy. Surreal.

1. Angela Lansbury, by Carla Marinho; 2. Savannah mansion, by Savannah for 91 Days; 3. Forsyth Park, by Georgian Gentility; 4. Tall windows, via Rainbow; 5. Plates, by Angela Cox of Southern Weddings; 6. Staircase, via Secret Kingdom; 7. Skirt and blouse, by Monsoon, via Positively Noteworthy; 8. 80s brick patterned blouse, via ASOS Marketplace; 9. Peabody Pullover, by Brooklyn Tweed; 10. Judith with the Head of Holofernes, by Cristofano Allori, via Terminartors; 12. Poinsettia lead glass Tiffany lamp, via Christie's; 12. Tulip Staircase ghost, via Moonslipper.

Insta-sista

2013-03-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

So this installation of Insta-sista is dedicated to my recent trip home to Washington to help Catherine move. I flew out in the afternoon on Friday so I could squeeze in some Monika and Olive time. We took a lovely little stroll and she did so well...

When we went to pick up the U-Haul at the storage place, there were a few little gems that I am going to hold on to. First the gentleman that assisted us wasn't eager to make eye contact and spoke very, very softly; and secondly (most important) on top of the fuse box outside were treasures that (we assumed) were left in various U-Haul trucks. Lots of Simpsons stuff, and a name tag that said, 'Chong' (blurred out of picture).

Loading the U-Haul was interesting. It poured down rain while we were moving the heaviest, most awkward items (mattresses and solid wood wine cabinet). I will admit that I was laughing so hard that I kept dropping the mattress and actually pushed Catherine off the loading ramp with it. Whoops. Featured above is the box of books that tumbled down from the stack. Catherine has too many books, and I will not admit fault.

After the storage unit was loaded and we returned back to the empty house, Mom brightened it by feeding the cats grass... and they proceeded to climb all over her. We love our Mom.

To shake of the moving blues we went out to get a couple drinks. Catherine (unintentionally) wore all shades of red imaginable. It doesn't help that there was also a red light on her. Based on her expression, you can tell she isn't thrilled about having her picture taken. Sorry Sister.

Home again, and back to reality (and Olive!)... Oh well, I'll be visiting again soon.

If you want to follow my excursions and other randomness on instagram (I'd like to follow yours...) my handle is @monikajane.

DIY: Tiny felted earrings

2013-03-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking for a while that I should needle-felt some earrings--this week I decided to go for it. Turns out, it's a super-simple project, even if you've never needle-felted a day in your life...

What you need: earring posts, glue, wool roving, felting needle, and foam block. The earring posts can be picked up at any craft store, while the needle felting supplies can be found at some craft stores. My foam block and felting needles were purchased at Canvas Works in Olympia, and most of my wool roving is from Paradise Fibers here in Spokane. They have an amazing selection, both roving and yarn in abundance (and even spinning wheels and drop spindles!).

Start with a small amount of wool roving, just a woolly wisp.

Roll the wool (roll the wool! roll the wool! roll the wool!) between your thumb and forefinger until it forms a ball. This will put all the wild strands in one place. All the better (read: easier) to felt with.

Once you have a hand-rolled wool ball, you'll need to tighten it up with needle felting. Insert the needle in the center of your ball, lifting the needle and punching it back into the wool. The notches in the needle will catch the wool and make the fibers intertwine. Try to keep your needle thrusts fairly shallow, or you'll end up felting your wool right into the foam block. If that happens, it's not a huge deal. You just pull the wool from the block and felt the fibers back into place.

To get the needle felted ball to tighten, you'll need to pull all the loose wool along the edges towards the center. I accomplish this by using the tip of the needle to fold in the wool at the edges. It's really difficult to capture in photos (especially when it's just you felting and taking pictures), and I'm not doing a great job articulating the process, but I always think of kneading bread while I'm doing it. Just keeping tucking everything to the center.

Eventually, you'll end up with a nice tight little ball.

Smoosh that ball! Unless you want really round earrings, in which case, leave the ball ball-y.

I used my felting block to hold the earring posts while I applied glue.

Then just stick your flattened felted ball to the earring post and press to make sure it adheres.

Trim any crazy straggly fibers--oh, there will definitely be some--and then allow the glue to dry.

And that'll do it. Wear them out and about, in matching or mixed-color pairs. Cute and easy, just like I like.

Home & Away: Moving Home

2013-03-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

In front of Mom's house.

As Monika said on Tuesday, we're all sort of in transition right now. I'm preparing to leave Spokane after almost seven years. SEVEN! I'm as shocked as anyone. It seems the west side is calling, something I never thought would ever, ever, ever happen--especially considering that I'm allergic to everything that blooms on the west side during the spring--but there it is...

One of the things I like about moving is that I discover a bunch of treasures that have been secreted away in drawers and between the pages of books. A couple weeks ago, I found Catherine's old Tamagatchi, as well as a few vintage pillowcases I'd embroidered. This week, I discovered an old digital watch wristband. Now, I know the time is knit to 4:20, but I really bought it because I thought a knitted digital watch was a hilarious contradiction. And it is, right?

I also found a BUNCH of matchsticks in this little cabbage dish Monika gave me. So many. An unhealthy amount of candle-burning must be going on here. I've probably been saving them for the entire time I've been in Spokane.

Well, not the whole time. Only since my Daiso cat lighter ran out of lighter fluid... I tossed the matchsticks, even though the sick crafty part of my brain was like, What a waste of perfectly good used matchsticks. You could probably do something with those. I've decided I won't be parting with the kitten lighter quite yet. Oh, and I almost threw away a special rock that was at the bottom of my cabbage dish. Close one.

I also braved the wilds of my desk drawers and found some choice notes by Catherine. She's the kind of person who researches and takes notes on a subject for fun. Like outside of class. She's just keeping the Conlin spirit alive. (Conlin was one of our favorite professors--we were in his class together. Weird for him, right? It really was because we had an academic sister crush on him. Sorry, Conlin, but we're not sorry.)

And in a box on top of my fridge, I found my Koosh ball. What?! Amazing! I mean, it's not my original Koosh (I think that one was purple and jade...sisters?) but it is definitely from a time when I bought myself Koosh balls. And like my original Koosh, I still want to chew on this one a little bit. Something about it's sproingy-ness. However, it smells like a million rubberbands and the urge is nowhere near powerful enough to overcome that. The only flaw in an otherwise perfectly ridiculous ball. Welp, back to the boxes I go!

Peanut & Purls: Knitting Roundup!

2013-03-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings fellow knitters! I haven't had time to knit much lately, but I've still been spending time perusing Ravelry to find creations to add to my queue. I love the gray sweater from Purl Bee...nice and simple and classic. I always like the look of the chunky cowls, but I've never made one. I like the lavender shade of the cowl above. And this heart socks are just plain precious!

I'm also smitten with these looks...

Olive by Helga Isager

Varia by Alexandra Tinsley

And a nice little blanket

Now go knit!

Brief Musical Interlude: Langhorne Slim & The Lumineers

2013-03-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

Violent Femmes cover ya'll.

Make: Easter Table Settings

2013-03-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

So lets talk a bit about Easter. There has been a terrible lack of bunnies, eggs, and chocolate on the blog this month... but as you may have noticed we are a bit behind (still have our valentines day pics and banner up, whoops). Mainly it's because all of the Nicolai sisters are tied up in some big life things currently involving a lot of travel, time and giving up plastic bags, scraps of fabric and various things that we were going to use for something... someday. That's right, it's forced spring cleaning due to all of us moving in the next few months.

So now that I have spilled the beans on why we aren't singing about spring and Easter (also, Easter in March is really throwing me off), allow me to offer up some really fun Easter table setting ideas (well a lot of them have come from wedding blogs, but the ideas are still super cute and easy). So start planning your brunch menu...

While doing some pinning I came across these little numbers from Southern Weddings; instead of eggs why not painted silver?

If you have grandiose designs in mind and can't fit them on a small orb, check out Paola Parsons blog loveandcupcakes and bust out some spring colors and dress up your table napkins.

If you are lucky enough to live in a warm Easter climate check out Amorology Weddings, this featured anniversary party has an amazing outdoor dinning setup including these handkerchief garland.

If you aren't lucky enough to have an outdoor dining situation for your Easter brunch you can still dress up your setting with this table leaf garland. Check out this tutorial on Green Wedding Shoes.

Assuming you'll also be enjoying some lovely beverages, you should make some of these confetti tumblers, brought to you by Erin at House of Earnest.

Check out these folks sites and try some fun DIY for your table settings this year!

Book Report: The Hidden Staircase

2013-03-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's time for Nancy Drew! Even though the writing styles are vastly different, "The Girl Detective" (from last week) and The Hidden Staircase fit quite well together. Absent mothers, secret passages, paunchy middle-aged men with secrets, concerned housekeepers, dress up, dancing, and super-nosey young ladies....

Honestly, I haven't read much Nancy Drew. This comes as a surprise (for me more than anyone!) because it seems like I would have devoured Nancy Drew as a pre-teen. I was probably working my way through Fear Street and all the Christopher Pike and Richie Tankersley Cusick books (OMG, she's written books since 1996! I wonder what's happened since the Silent Stalker and Someone at the Door days...). However, I did own at least one of the young sleuth's books: The Secret of the Old Clock. Unfortunately, I don't remember what the secret might have been. Horrible of me!

As the girls went from room to room in the cellar, Nancy beamed her flashlight over every inch of wall and floor. At times, the young sleuth's pulse would quicken when she thought she had discovered a trap door or secret opening. But each time she had to admit failure--there was no evidence of either one in the cellar.

"This has been a discouraging day," Nancy remarked, sighing. "But I'm not giving up."

Helen felt sorry for her friend. To cheer Nancy, she said with a laugh, "Storeroom after storeroom but no room to store a ghost!" --Carolyn Keene

I'm not sure one book (plus that first book when I was thirteen or whatever) gives me enough of an idea of the Nancy Drew universe to make recommendations, but I'm going to anyway. I think that I Capture the Castle would be up your alley, dear Nancy Drew lovers. I'm also going to throw Charlotte's Web into the mix, and suggest that you read Life Among the Savages by perennial Nicolai sister favorite, Shirley Jackson. It's nonfiction, but it evokes the same Nancy Drew time period, and it seems to fit somehow. Then again, I'm always trying to make everyone read Shirley Jackson. Slightly nefarious happenings in recommendation-land...

And now a dilemma. I don't know what to read or write about next week! Any suggestions for books or stories with a female detective lead? I'm at a loss. Help please!

1. "Curious Life", by Rachel Kertz; 2. Flowerhill drive, at the University of Montavello; 3. Red brick mansion, via Sarah Belle; 4. Winchester Mystery House bedroom, by Raymond on Flickr; 5. Crystal chandelier, via A Touch of Crimson; 6. Dad's Antique Wardrobe, by The French Bedroom Company; 7. "Casual Friday", by A Noble Savage; 8. Knotted belt, by Swampy August Dawn; 9. Buffalo loafers, by Classy Girls Wear Pearls; 10. Current/Elliott Spring 2012, via Rhapsodic Musings; 11. Owl portrait by Jean-Simon B, via The Swag Owl; 12. Candles in brass holders, via Rejoice Always.

Insta-sista

2013-03-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Lincoln band aid.

Glassssssessssss

Bomb scares at work bring the SWAT team to town!

Finding cat whiskers is the best of luck!

Is Peanut missing a whisker?

Follow me on instagram @cnic

!!!!!!

DIY: Fern watercolor

2013-03-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

As you may remember from my post last week, Monika recently turned 30 (and boys can also be jerks). As part of sister Monika's present, I wanted to paint her a little outdoors that she could bring indoors. Cue the ferns!

Grab your watercolors. If you don't have any watercolors, you can pick some up from any craft store or even Target. The water colors I used aren't special. They're Prang and only $8 online. You'll be using both of the green options and the brown...and some water.

I looked up some pictures of ferns on my iPad for inspiration. You might want to do that, or you can just wing it.

You start by making little curved lines. These are the fern leaves. Don't worry if they're not perfect, it just makes it look whimsical, and who doesn't love nature with a touch of whimsy?

Just keep working up one side, curve the fern slightly, and make the leaves smaller as you get near the top.

Now make another side to match.

I practiced making a bunch of ferns in different color palettes before I went for my final painting.

I decided to add little fronds to the fern. All this means is that you take brown paint (not a lot of water) and dot on little fronds all over the leaves.

I also wanted to have a little fern cluster to frame, so I gave my first fern a friend.

Then I realized, who just wants two ferns? Why not have three ferns?

Three ferns for three sisters!

Can't wait to see Monika this weekend when she arrives from Burbank. She'll get to open her goodies, including this fern print!

Now go paint some nature (or cats!) and make sure it's full of whimsy!

Home and Away: More Home...

2013-03-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, allow me the opportunity to apologize for the following offenses;

1. There are many instagram photos in this post, but it is not an insta-sista installation.
2. This is yet another post about a. Burbank and b. Jay and Dawn now living with us.
3. There are many furry faces in the following post

Now that I have apologized in advance I don't feel any recourse for asking you to observe Olive's cute neck accessory (pink and white stripped tea towel) that makes her look like such a lady. Enter, my current life...

This is Niccolo' (Machiavelli), or Nicci as he more commonly goes by. Quite appropriate to his namesake he is kind of a prince... and the size of a small cat. Dawn loves him terribly, even though he has a bit of an eating disorder, which she has pointed out as being very strange since her and Jay both love food.

Not only do they both love food, but they both love to cook! So this is a peek at what my mornings have been looking like lately. I have taken to calling them 'egg treats' because they really are. Also, that is a spicy pickle and greek yogurt; don't say a word until you try this combination, it is delightful.

As of late, my mornings are not only filled with delicious food (and company, Dawn is an early bird too), but they are also filled with this 'morning cat' (as I have called it). Morning cat first appeared as seen in this picture, outside the window by my kitchen table. To get the full experience of our first interaction, go ahead and just stare hard at this picture for at least one full minute (if not two); because that is what happened to me. Have you ever starred in to the eyes of a strange cat for over a minute while it was completely frozen? Don't. It is creepy and in the mornings to follow when I see this cat it continues to haunt me.

Tonight actually marked the first time Dawn has met me after work for a cocktail. It was just the ticket. Also, my Pirate Mojito was super refreshing as it was in the 80s today (in March!).

Along with coming home to outstanding dinners, and friends, the above picture illustrates the other things I come home to. So precious, and not too different than what Olive is doing right now as I am writing this post... oh Olive.

Peanut & Purls: Wheat baby booties

2013-03-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: there won't be any Peanut in this post because I, Christine, am taking it over this week. Catherine is working a few wretched fourteen hours days as the legislative session draws to a close, and I volunteered to step in with a little knitting post. Such a nice sister!

I made these wheat booties for my dear friend Abbie, who added a charming lad to her family this February. Little Ralph! I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him yet, but soon enough I shall make his acquaintance, whereupon I plan to cuddle him mercilessly...

Now for some Instagram pictures. No pressure, but you can follow me @christinesuzanne

These booties were knit using a pattern from The Purl Bee. Whit's Knits: Baby Mocs, to be exact. Now might be a good time to plug The Purl Bee. If you're a knitter and haven't been to their website, I must say: For shame! Get over there right now. They have tons of free patterns and excellent tutorials. This baby moccasins pattern was, for instance, free and super easy to follow. And when I call a pattern "easy to follow," it most definitely is. Just knit and purl stitches. I'll leave the detailed steps to Whit's capable hands, just follow the baby mocs link above.

While the moccasins are so adorable, I didn't have the yarn on hand to recreate their design. So I decided I'd follow the pattern, but knit them in a solid color with a little accent embellishment. I used 1 skein of Milky Whey yarn in Milky Green (which is more blue-green than green-green). Milky Whey, as the name suggests, is composed of 50% milk and 50% soy--a combination that I'll admit I don't quite understand. But it is super-soft, and I was left with yarn to spare (currently, there's a bonnet in progress). The booties knit up quite quickly too. I mean, they're so tiny.

I had this lovely yellow yarn and decided that I'd use a duplicate stitch to make some little wheat designs. Every time I say the word wheat, I think about one of my former professors, who happened to be from Bulgaria, saying the word wheat. With his accent, it always sounded like weed, and each time he would say it, he would qualify it like so: Wheat. The good kind. And then he would smile sheepishly. So, these booties have a wheat--the good kind--design.

You might remember the little package I sent off to Abbie. Well, it contained these very booties. So, I guess this post does contain some kittens after all. How satisfying!

Brief Musical Interlude: DAVID BOWIE!!!!!

2013-03-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

The universe has aligned, and David Bowie has a new album, and I'm freaking out a tiny bit. I love it! Bowie has always played with androgyny in a really interesting way, and there's pretty much no better representation of androgyny than Tilda Swinton. I dig her, but I'm also a little terrified/thrilled by her porcelain skin, ethereal eyes, and those cheekbones. Dear God, those cheekbones.

So, that terror/thrill was magnified when all the young rock'n rollers started shaking things up (as rock'n rollers so often do). They're all Bowies! And Bowie playing the disapproving older man is quite excellent too. I'm just so excited. I can't even articulate my feelings.

Make: Spring Pennants

2013-03-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

There have been high levels of crafting in our household as of late, which are just going to be amplified now that we have an extra hour of daylight to work with! I don't know about you, but I feel my creative motivation seem to deflate when the sun sets. Like I am a reverse vampire (No. That doesn't make any sense.). Like I am a flower closing up for the night (Ugh. No. Why would I even think that?). How about that as soon as the sun goes down my brain starts craving a blanket and some good ol' fashioned Agatha Christie. That. That sounds like a better depiction of why my motivation shifts in the evening.

Although I am loving some Death on the Nile, I still find so many reasons to celebrate the new daylight and put up some (more) spring decorations...

It's as easy as one, two and three!

1) Find your favorite spring patterns.

We used some nice quilting weight cotton fabric, and the really fun part about spring colors is you can do so many combinations it will make you feel crazy with all the freedom. I have obviously let this go to my head, because I keep wanting to get more fabric and create new color runs (my hoarder brain is taking over and I need to be mindful of this).

2) Cut your pennants!

You can do this several ways, we used a rotary blade with a pinking shear and cutting board. With a new pinking blade this was really gratifying, but if you don't have this apparatus, a regular pinking shear will work as well.

3) Sew your pennants.

We used a single fold ivory bias tape to tie it all together, it works really well because you can just fold it over the top edge of your pennant and sew. Just because we choose a neutral doesn't mean you have to though. Yf you are bold and color crazed you can add any accent you please and select a fun colored bias tape, or dye it yourself.

The first of many projects born from a collaborative effort with Dawn (newly of Burbank).

Book Report: The Girl Detective

2013-03-11T22:26:00.001-07:00

Remember this morning when I said that Kelly Link's story "The Girl Detective" was a bit of a puzzler? Well, it still is. I've read it several times over the years and am still not 100% sure what's going on. The girl detective is both a specific girl and possibly anyone else, including yourself. She's a master of disguise, you see. As the reader, you're left to collect clues and puzzle out the meaning...if there is one. OK, there probably is one. Kelly Link is big on games and weirdness and hidden meanings and allusions to classic myths and fairy tales. And this story has all of that in spades...

"The Girl Detective" is a mash-up of two other stories: "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" by the Brothers Grimm and the Greek myth of Persephone--only reversed so the daughter (played here by the girl detective) is heading into the underworld to search for her mother. Nothing is certain in "The Girl Detective", except that people go to the underworld to dance with pretty girls and search for lost things, like seventh grade homework and socks and albino alligators and mothers.

The underworld.

Think of the underworld as the back of your closet, behind all those racks of clothes that you don't wear anymore. Things are always getting pushed back there and forgotten about. The underworld is full of things that you've forgotten about. Some of them, if only you could remember, you might want to take them back. Trips to the underworld are always very nostalgic. It's darker in there. The seasons don't match. Mostly people end up there by accident, or else because in the end there was nowhere else to go. Only heroes and girl detectives go to the underworld on purpose. --Kelly Link

If you haven't read anything by Kelly Link, I certainly recommend you do. She's just so interesting! And every time I feel like my writing is too rooted in reality, I turn to one of her short stories to cut loose the old brain tethers. While I like Stranger Things Happen, I LOVE Magic for Beginners. So, I'll settle for recommending both.

If you're already a Kelly Link lover and looking to expand along similar lines, I suggest you check out Haruki Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, George Saunders Civilwarland in Bad Decline, and Steven Millhauser's novella Enchanted Night. You will find yourself intrigued and most definitely delighted.

1. Girl detective, via Inspiration Station; 2. Hipsters climbing trees, by Colin H. on Flickr; 3. Boats at the dock, via Delete the Adjectives; 4. Mysterious passage, via Eternita; 5. Paper lanterns, via Jennifer on We Heart It; 6. Party dresses, by Elie Saab, photographed by Florian Bohm, via Lovely Clusters; 7. Midi pleated skirt, by ASOS; 8. Days of the week panties, by Stella McCartney, via Neiman Marcus; 9. Saddle shoes, by I Swear We Were Infinite; 10. Dancer, via Eternally Classic; 11. Secret door, via Chacha Papiers; 12. Fortune cookies, by Just a Taste.