Sunday, August 31, 2008

A few shots from Bumbershoot 08








I should have been working yesterday but my high school pal Kevin came into town for Bumbershoot so I had to go with him, right? We saw my beloved Neko Case, Lucinda Williams, Band of Horses, and Beck on the mainstage (Beck was rockin', kicking off his set with "Loser"), wandered around the Seattle Center looking for bratwurst and roasted corn, checked out the Flatstock show—I'm obsessed with a certain Breakfast at Tiffany's poster by Diana Sudyka—and checked out the great indie crafts (I love you and your tooled leather goods, Kim Sun). I particularly loved a performance by members of an Australian troupe called Strange Fruit—two couples swayed and spun on tall, bendable poles. It was magical and whimsical.

Today, I'm sending Kevin off to Bumbershoot and it's back to work for me.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Hear me on A Chef's Table this weekend

Finally, my interview about The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life for A Chef's Table airs this weekend on your local NPR station. If you are around the radio, check it out. You can also look online here. Just click on the "listen" button on the left and go to about 26:43 into the broadcast. Woo hoo!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Piper loves a party



My favorite little pal Piper turned three and we celebrated yesterday in the CoSos' backyard. It didn't take long for the kids to get nekkid in the pool and to don princess costumes. Piper celebrated in grand fashion, turning everyone into chocolate with her magic wand. I was a Chocolate Chickaboom (Piper's nickname for me) in short order.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Whidbey girls' weekend





Long overdue, a group of us got together this weekend on Whidbey Island at the ridiculously tricked-out Soaring Eagle Lodge to celebrate Laurel's upcoming nuptials. We drank, ate lasagne and pie, read trashy mags, looked at an eaglet in its nest, watched Roman Holiday (see the clip below), hot tubbed, munched on fish and chips at Toby's Tavern (the salmon and chips never, ever disappoint), but mostly spent time with each other laughing and philosophizing. But mostly laughing.

We can't wait to do it again.

Of course I started a new knitting project (a feather-and-fan shawl in the yummy grey/blue/brown yarn I bought at Boersma's last weekend in McMinnville). Even drunk on countless gin & tonics, I had to keep my hands busy. No matter where I go, I'm still there.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Cabin fever





I spent a few hours today sewing with Michaela. I was champing at the bit to make a pillow out of some log-cabiny fabrics I found last weekend at Boersma's Sewing Center in McMinnville. I'm thrilled with the result. One side is a wood-grain print and the other is a cool mountain map fabric.

And check out the adorable kid's dress Michaela whipped up without a pattern in just a couple of hours (completely lined with muslin).

We both brought out the Brother 6000s. After Michaela tried mine out and found out that it was $139.99 on overstock.com, she had to get her own to add to her machine collection!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Backcountry Betty podcast online!

I did a podcast with King County Library System last month and it's been uploaded to the KCLS site. Go to this page and scroll down to the "Hear the author" section. Another reason to love the library.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

McMinnville craft motherlode



My friend Jessica and I were in McMinnville, Oregon this weekend for a wedding and we took time to enjoy the haunted Hotel Oregon (art adorns the rooms, the hallways, pretty much the entire building). Then we discovered Boersma's. We started at Boersma's Knitting Basket and each bought some gorg yarn. In my "spare" time, I'm going to start a smoky grey shawl. Then we moved onto Boersma's Sewing Center.

Sweet baby Jesus.

The store was huge and packed with scrumpdilious fabric and great, modern ideas on how to use them creatively. We started picking out bolts and piling them up at the counter.

Then we found out the sale fabrics were in the basement.

Sweet sassy molassey.

Needless to say, our stash grew by leaps and bounds yesterday. I am already fixin' to make a cool cabin-style pillow with the retro mountain map fabric.

In my spare time, of course.

Token necklace tutorial online

My tutorial on making a lariat necklace out of tokens has posted on craftstylish. Check it.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Rainbow sighting

I haven't seen any unicorns in Seattle lately but I did spy a double rainbow on Saturday night. Thank goodness I can't seem to go anywhere without my new Canon Powershot.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Stitch 'n' Pitch






A few images from tonight's Stitch 'n' Pitch event at Safeco Field. The weather was lovely, the food was delish, the yarn booths were plentiful, the knitters were industrious, and the Mariners were victorious. All in all, a perfect evening. (Please forgive my skewed angles on the photo; collectively, they look like an old episode of Batman. POW!)

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The hits keep on coming

I just received another etsy package, this time from XO Handworks. I noticed that Tam had Nancy Drew pendants on her page and then when I investigated further, I noticed she was using text from my book, Nancy Drew's Guide to Life, on the back. So I immediately ordered up a pendant (she's graciously including a credit line with the pendant descriptions). I also asked her to make me a pendant using a section of map from my hometown of Benton Harbor. Being the heart of the fruit belt, she added a cluster of cherries to the back. I'm wearing the Michigan pendant right now and I absolutely love it, seeing as how all the significant towns are representing on this little piece of map: Benton Harbor, where I lived during high school; St. Joe, where I went to high school; Coloma, where my mom and stepdad now live; Stevensville, where my dad and stepmom now live; and Sodus, the tiny farm community where I spent my formative years B.D. (before the divorce) shucking lima beans and swinging from ropes in the barn. Thanks, Tam!

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Crow up

My Mid-Century Mod art from Four Crows Art came yesterday and I hung the prints in my breakfast nook-turned-office. Don't they look fab?

Monday, August 4, 2008

Beachy keen

I spent the weekend in Oregon, celebrating my friend Gina's impending nuptials with her friends and family. We drove through McMinnville, where the wedding will be next weekend, and I was completely charmed by the farmland and vineyards in the area. Then we got to Lincoln City and I was bowled over once again. I love the craggy, windswept beaches of the Oregon Coast and had a glorious time collecting driftwood and all sorts of stones that have perfectly round holes dotting them. I don't know what's up with that, but I thought it was magical. My favorite is currently serving as a paperweight on my desk.

The driftwood, however, is bound for a project for Backcountry Betty: Crafting with Style, coming in Spring 09 from Skipstone Books.

Of course, I also loved roadtripping, eating bad fast food, and looking for ridiculous bumper stickers...

Host a Fun & Fancy Craft Swap


Another CraftStylish article has posted. This time I'm discussing how to host a craft swap. Check it out!

A sampling of my books