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My Head = Exploding

No, I do not have a bad headache.  

Although it's not a bad guess on your part - I do get bad headaches too often!!

My friend Heidi and I often use the expression that our head is about to explode or is exploding when we discover something so amazing and inspiring that words cannot describe our feelings.

To illustrate this to you, I will show you what recently made my head explode!!!

  And Mr. John Galliano himself:

That was the Christian Dior collection from the Spring 2009 Couture shows.

It was just so full of amazing techniques, details, shapes, colors and ideas that my head just exploded when I saw it!!!!!!!!!

If yours just exploded too... then I'm sorry (not really) ...but at least now you know how it feels.

ALL IMAGES ARE FROM www.style.com

One Day Road-Trip

The best way to really live in the moment is to do something unplanned and adventurous.  At least, this was true for us this weekend.

Evan, Peter and I hit the open road at 9am on Saturday for a full day of discovery.  The plan was to head south-east and make stops anytime something seemed interesting.  The plan was to have no plan!  We wanted to let fate be our guide.

Now lets go back in time as I take you on a journey through the small and seemingly forgotten towns of south-east Ohio...

Vultures feasting on something dead.

This sign was pointing the way to a nature conservatory of some sort.  It ended up being "closed for the season" so apparently it doesn't like the second day of spring?

So we continued on the road out into the woods anyway.  We figured we might as well see where it takes us!  That is the point of the day after all.

We find a little town.  I saw a sign for an "Artisan Mall - Crafts & Antiques" and got really excited to find it.  We found it!!  Yayy!

Empty??  Nooooooo!!  *look at the pain in my face!!*

So we push on to the next neighboring town which happened to be Logan, Ohio.  We got out to tour Logan on foot.  It was nice outside.

We couldn't resist a reenactment.

We come across "The Spotted Owl Cafe" and go in for some caffeine.

That was about all we really saw of Logan.  It was a quiet little place.  The road then takes us through more winding woods and some trailer parks until we come across a home I can only assume is owned by the King of Ohio.  It's out of control how awesome this house looks!

We soon approached a town perched at the base of a hilly area.  It was such a curious place.  Or, we were curious about it, I should say.  What IS this place??  Where are the people?

It screamed "old west ghost town".  It was surreal - like a movie set.

Later on - our research tells us that this town is Shawnee, Ohio.  A great write-up on it can be found here.  It sort of is a semi-ghost town!  There was something so intriguing about it though.  I want to go back and just sit in the local bar and meet everyone and hear their stories.

Traveling on, we come to Crooksville, Ohio.  Crooksville is a pottery town known for its clay and pottery.  Their High School "mascot" is the Crooksville "Ceramics"!  Haha.  Intimidating.

We get out and walk to find something to eat.

Oh wow - they DO have pottery!

FOOD.

My tummy has been acting up weird lately and I'm on a diet of "no fried, spicy or dairy foods".  That is hard.  So I ordered a salad thinking even though there was some cheese on it - usually it's just a sprinkling.  Not in Crooksville!!!  

I was served a CHEESE salad.  There were a few pieces of lettuce under there that I managed to eat.  Then I had mashed potatoes-n-gravy.  An interesting lunch.

We parked our car next to this lovely condemned building.

After Crooksville we head north toward Zanesville.  We pass an interesting looking building that happens to be an 'exotic dance club' called "The Foxhole".  Apparently they have a one-armed stripper there!  Their sign said "Check out OUR stimulus pac".  Ehhhw.  No thanks not today.  

This was the only water we really saw all day and it was gone in a flash.  Ohio really lacks water.  Us Michiganders are not used to that.  A road-trip in Michigan would consist of happening upon more lakes and rivers than you could count.  We miss water.

Big bronze statues!  *notice there's even one on the top corner of that building!*

Walking around Zanesville...

We pass a restaurant that shocked us a little.  Christ's Table?  I've never seen a religious themed restaurant before.

My GOD.  No weapons!  *duh?*  And wait what does that other sign say?

HAAAAA!!!  What?!  Oh.  Look at the hours.  It's a soup kitchen.  Ohhhhhh.

Moving on.  To the Antiques!!

DANG!  This building is amazing!  And oh so photogenic, right?

This downtown area reminds me of the houses in Amsterdam.

A dirty-pretty alley I couldn't resist capturing.

After Zanesville it was around 4pm and we were pretty tired.  The drive home was pretty quick - only about 45 minutes once we hopped on the highway.

What an adventure and great use of a Saturday.  Taking a trip like this makes me feel like I'm really living life and making the most of it.

I can't wait until the next one :)....

Patchwork Addiction!

Any fellow crafters and quilters should be excited to know that there's a lot of patchwork in the runway shows lately.  

*Isabel Marant*

 

Quilting and patchwork is not something that is looked at as a trend but more as traditional and timeless handcraft.  But at the moment, it's definitely trending and it's fun to see the way the designers are using it.  

I've been wanting to try to make a patchwork/quilted something but I've found it so hard to decide on what to make and what prints to use!  There are just way too many options.  The library books that I just recently picked up have a zillion ideas in them.  

Last night, I decided to just go for it and make a simple patchwork quilt with the Lizzy Dish fabric that I got from Lizzy House when I won her giveaway!  The prints are so cute and are all in the theme of cooking/eating things like cutlery, plates, tea kettles, etc.

I just cut it all up into 3 inch squares and started sewing random pieces together.  I wanted to go for the jumbled vintage look - but with these crisp modern prints.

I was surprised at how fast it started to come together.  It takes longer to cut the pieces (and press the seams!) than it does to put it all together.  I'm not done with it - right now it's about the size of a pillowcase.

I don't know how big it's going to turn out because I didn't feel like doing any math.  I had 12 fat quarters and cut them all up into 3 inch squares.  I used a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  How big will the quilt be if I use all the fabric?  Anyone like word problems?

Patchwork Pippi

This week Evan and I went to the eye doctor to pick up his new glasses, which happens to be right by the library.  I realized that I have not been into a library or checked out books since.. well, I guess since college 2 years ago - but even then it was only because I had to.  I haven't done it because I wanted to since I was REALLY young!   I have had this craving to buy new books lately but I've also been on this "saving money" kick.  So I thought *duhh* I should see what the library has to offer!

It turns out that they had a ton of awesome crafty books!!!  Aaaaaahhh!!

I left with a few.  One of them is this:

This book is so simply designed and so full of inspiration.  

I wish I could show you every single page of it and all the cool things there are to make!  

But that would take forever so instead I'll show you the first thing I decided to make.

A stuffed elephant!  Haha!!

This is their version:

I love the print they used.  It's so cute and works so well in the design.

I didn't have anything like it so my elephant makes a different statement :)

The book divides projects into how long they take to make.  This was in the 4-8 hour section.

It ended up only taking me 2 and a half hours!

I guess I'm super speedy!

I named her Pippi.

Here she is... the guardian of the sewing machine!

I plan to make many more projects from these library books - and I will share them as I go!!

I'm so excited to learn more new things!!!

Cake Balls: Re-Do!

In my last post I showed my failed attempt at making Bakerella's cake balls.

Today I tried again with the proper ingredients, better cake, and sucker sticks.

They totally worked!

And they're really yummy.

Now I have a favorite new treat to make!!