QueenBeeBlogs

It had been a great summer

2007-08-07T22:56:00.000-04:00

I have had a great summer here in Chicago. I feel like I have done a lot, yet I also feel like I wish the summer would go on forever. We still have so many people and places I want to visit while it is warm. I am not looking forward to the winter snow. I can deal with fall, since i have knitted a few new fall items but I am not ready for 10 below.. I guess I am thinking about all this since it is supper hot today! O well enough about the weather.

I have been knitting and sewing. No big up dates to my etsy account which is unfortunate since I check it every day some times 2 and 3 times a day. I have done some yarn dyeing this summer(three wonderful balls of wool) - all of my yarn came out great. So great I have not been able to give any up as planned. I have started knitting a neck wrap (see below) which I am planning on felting it when I am done, even though I have taken the time to knit it in moss stitch. It will be so nice and warm this winter.

I am also obsessed with the baby booties pattern that every one else has been knitting. As far as the sewing goes... I have also been doing some sewing for my friends wedding in September. Which has been great so far although I still have a lot to do- I will keep you posted.

My friend Sara claims she is not a very good blog reader. I am just the opposite. I love to read had have a hard time up dating my blog since i can no longer do it at work and most days the last thing I want to so is turn on my lap top. I have blogs i check every day, I will try and share them with you some time soon .

Okay i need to do some knitting before my evening is over .... Until next time.

Keep cool because its hot out there!

Celebrating his life

2007-06-20T23:17:00.000-04:00

Today was a hard day, the last 4 days have been hard! I think when you loose some one you love it is aways hard, it takes a the wind out of you and makes your heart hurt, At least it does for me.

We have driven to Indiana twice in the last 4 days and I saw a lot of people that I have not seen in years. The funeral 4 my step brother Wesley Beaty was amazing. So many people loved my him, so many people! It was astounding the amount of people who were at both the showing and the funeral. If I have 1/3 the amount of people at mine I will be doing good!! The funeral was standing room only with people spilling out the front door.

I know it was really heard for my step dad Ed and my mom. - okay am I really depressing you or what? It was a sad day for me but today was also a time to celebrate his life, I know they always say that at funerals but I feel like this one really was a celebration! There were over 40 motorcycles in the precession, he was taken to the cemetery in a Harley Hurst and we let balloons go into the sky to honor him. It was sad but rememberable just like Wesley was for me, and all of those who knew and loved him.

More knitting next week! Yea the weekend is only 2 days away!!

where have I been?

2007-06-19T09:38:00.000-04:00

I have been moving into our new apartment. It is a great little 2 bed room apt on the north side of Chicago, in the north center area. We really love the area and the apartment is not half bad. It is a lot smaller then our old apt so we have been trying to go through things and get it out of here. But we now have a deck for grilling and entertaining. It will be nice place for us to be for a few years.

I am so happy that summer as arrived in the Chicago area! Chicago is so much fun in the summer, there is a festival every weekend and always more to do then you could ever do. We have done some traveling this spring. A few trips to Indiana to my parents home as well as a trip to Gene's sister Kelly's. This past weekend we went home for fathers day weekend, the weather was beautiful and I was able to see a lot of my family. We also had a tragic loss, my step brother Wes Beaty left this beautiful world. At 26 he had only begun to experience this world and he will be missed by all who knew him. I know I will miss him!!

Above is a photo of a pair of booties that I have been knitting. I am addicted, I have knitted up 3 different pairs so far. You can find the pattern here.
http://www.saartjeknits.nl/

It rocks!

girlscantell's new home for rambliness!

2007-04-03T19:09:00.000-04:00

since blogger's in some state of reversioning itself (and because it's not super mac friendly, or at least not to me), girlscantell decided now might be a good time to move into bigger digs.

i'll still be checking in here periodically (hope more often than i have been the past few months!) but from now on, here is the new girlscantell blog! give it some lovin', mark it a favorite, put your bookmarks there.

yay!
see you soon!

Is it Spring yet?

2007-02-21T09:56:00.000-05:00

Winter is really dragging out this year, It is my first full winter in Chicago and the cold temps combined with the cloudy short days can really bring me down. I was born in the summer and I prefer heat and the long days of summer sun. In the winter I find my self going to bed by 10 and getting next to nothing done. I guess I only have a few more months to deal until the long sunny days return and I can once agian do my running out side.

Gene and I are moving into a new apartment at the end of March. I am really looking forward to the change, my days will be longer to accommodate the growing commute and my visits to a laundry mat, but I think it will be okay. We are moving in to a great neighborhood, called Lincoln Square it has lots of great shops, pubs and even a yarn store with in walking distance.

I have been knitting .....mostly hats, mittens and baby booties. Small projects work best for me this time of year. I find that they are a great distraction from the bitter cold we experienced this month. You would not even believe my gas bill, I all most had a heart attach right there at the mail box. What else is going on you ask? I have started my volunteer process at the Anti-Cruelty Society. It seams like a great place to help the community and my little furry friends who need a loving home.

yay! the powerbook is back!

2007-01-27T19:10:00.000-05:00

wow! it's been some time since i've been able to write, since my trusty powerbook needed a new harddrive and appearantly that takes a whopping 8 weeks to do [i don't believe it actually takes 8 weeks for normal people, but for some reason it took my people 8 weeks...]

anyway. shanna. i'm tired just reading everything you're up to!
lately, i've been working on finishing things up around the house, doing the sorts of things i've wanted to do but that weren't super high priorities. like painting the living room, putting a door on the basement, trimwork in the kitchen, painting the built in bookshelf i built... fun stuff.

i've been reading a tree grows in brooklyn lately, because i realized i had never read it, and it seems like one of those books that everyone should read. well, i was totally right, as it's super good and i'm very much enjoying it. i haven't read a good book for fun in some time, so it's refreshing.

my little etsy side project is also going well. i have been silkscreening in the basement, and i have to admit, preparing the screens isn't at all as difficult as i thought it'd be. it's actually really fun. so keep your eye out for lots new stuff on my flickr page and my etsy shop with my own screenprinting on it. yay!

100 miles by april 1, eh? wellll. every morning, i've begun running janie instead of walking her, so i guess if i'm doing about 1.5 miles every morning with her, and then do a couple real runs a week or a long run on weekends, that's totally do-able. i was hoping to do the broad street run in march, but, despite my stop and go running with janie, i feel incredibly out of shape, so we'll see.

so. that's what's new for now! and i'm so jealous! everyone is spinning but me! eeek!

Spinning

2007-01-14T21:53:00.000-05:00

It has been a good weekend and now it's time to go back to work, for yet another week of drawing; for love or money. Last week I took a spinning class, (one of my yearly goals) at my local yarn shop. Loopy Yarn - It was great. I think I did okay for my 1st spinning class. I was on a wheel that had two foot peddles like in the photo. It was hard to make it spin in the direction that I wanted it to spin. I think it will take time spent working on the wheel to get it down. I was able to make just a little bit of yarn, but I learned a lot in an hour. I think it would be fun to have a wheel but I may be saving for a bit. They run around 600 bucks... That is a good chunk of change for me. Although some day I would love to add spinning to my growing list of craft skills.

100 miles my april 1st.....

2007-01-07T21:41:00.000-05:00

This weekend has been great. I have had it to my self, for the most part. My husband has been working on an architecture competition. I will have to show you once he finishes, I think it is looking good. So while he has been hard at work, I have had the whole weekend to my self - at home. I am proud to say that there is not a dirty garment in my apartment, which is unusual for me. I don’t really like doing laundry… but now I don’t have to do any more for a while. I have been done some knitting. Mostly on a baby blanket that I started over a year ago for my girl friend’s daughter, she is going to be one in March. My goal is to finish it by her first birthday. Cross your fingers for me. I also headed out to the Salvation Army for a wool hunt. I found 4 great sweaters that are ready to be washed as well as some great fabrics that I hope to make into a spring skirt for my self. We will see…. First I need to find a good pattern.

Friday was a good day. I spent to morning out on site for my project – the Metra Market (train station I am working on). I will post photos when construction starts. Then for lunch my boss Sue and I headed to an opening for Chicago’s Winter Delights Stitching Salon. It was wonderful. The photo posted above is a skirt that every one is working on collectively. It was so much fun. I can’t wait to see what it looks like next week. About 10 people were sitting around this table working on the skirt, you could bring your own work of art to attach or you could kit something there. What is great is that this even is free and it will be going on for the next two months. The good news is that it is only 3 blocks from my office. So that rocks! Next week I am also going to take my fist official spinning class on the wheel! I will let you know how that goes! J

Also… for the new year I have decided that I am going to run 100 miles by April 1st. This was my 1st week. I got 7 miles in! I think it is a great idea… Hey sara will you join me?? You are only 7 miles behind you have plenty of time! After our spectacular finish in September I think we have to redeem our selves! What do you say?

Reading 4 2006

2007-01-03T00:22:00.000-05:00

I have always liked to Read, ever since I was a kid, I would go to the library and book stores. Today with the combination of my hubby's books, and mine our little book self is over loaded.... A few years a go I started writing down the titles and the authors of the books I read. This works out well for me since I can never remember the title and the author, to recommend books to others. This year I read 8 books to last years 6.
I do not know how I have out read last years books because I feel like time just slips away since I have moved to Chicago. Leaving less and less time to read. But It is a given that I read for at least 10 min every morning. Commuting to work by train gives you that little time to read while trying to ignore the fact that your head is right next to some mans arm pit. Since our commute is about to get longer I hope to read more then 8 books in 2007 .... I just finished my first book for this year tonight. ("Gift from the Sea" by Ann Morrow Lendbergh this book was a gift from my grandmal and It is a must read for any woman.) Even though I read most of it last year, it will be counted for this year 2007. (Can you believe it is 2007 already)

Okay... So I thought I would list my books for this year, just for entertainment proposes... I have also posted a photo of an art piece which was finished as a Christmas present.

2007 Reading......

"Night" by Elie Wiesel - 4.30.06
"The Lake of dead Languages" by Carol Goodman -5.15.06
"Leeway Cottage" by Beth Gutcheon - 6-16-06
"Night sins" by Tami Hoag - 7.4.06
"The myth of you & me" by Leah Stweart - 7.30.06
"Here on earth" by Alice Hoffman - 8.20.06
"Thirty-Three Swoons" Martha Cooley - 9.16.06
"Good night nobody" Jennifer Weiner - 11.11.06

Do What?

2006-12-28T17:14:00.000-05:00

Back from the Holiday Loop. Chicago to Indiana, Indiana to Ohio, Back to Chicago in 3 days. Wahoo! I had a wonderful Christmas and am looking forward to 2007. I will try and list 10 things I did in 2006 ....

Hopefully I have done ten things...

1. Moved from Philly to Chicago.
2. Started a new job at OWP/P.
3. Developed my love for etsy and flicker.
4. Started The Total money Make over by Dave Ramsey.
5. Took a trip to Atlanta to visit my great friend Laura Ann.
6. Went to the brick Yard 400.
7. Took a trip back to Philly.
8. Passed my LEED Accreditation Exam.
9. Finished 1 art peice and 3 collages.
10. Bought my self a digital camera that I am still learning to use.

A few of my goals for this year are. . . .

1. I would like to actually have a shop and sell something on etsy.
2. Write on this blog 1+ times a week.
3. Finish my IDP program.
4. Travel to Florida to see my Grandparents.
5. Take a adventuress trip abroad with my husband.
6. Maybe even run and finish a foot race (which I never managed to fit in this year)
7. Move into a great apartment in a neighborhood I love.
8. Take a class or two.

top ten, tep ton

2006-12-28T10:34:00.000-05:00

i've been so out of the loop this year. you know, the loop. the big loop of things that happen that people listen to or watch or talk about in any given year.

i don't think i've even seen 10 films that count as '2006 films', so i can't reasonably decide upon 10 best or even really recall them enough to rank them. it was a year of netflix for me - so my top ten films of 2006 would indubitably just be a list of 10 movies i saw. in no order, with no real qualifications other than i happen to catch them sometime in the past few months and i remember their name.

as luck would have it (or as homeownership would have it) i probably haven't gone to ten shows this year, or even bought ten albums that were released this year. it just wasn't that kind of year for me. a list of shows would likely just be all the shows i remember attending in the 16 months i've lived here in philly - a handful of performances i had the clarity of mind to get tickets for at the TLA, the church or the starlite ballroom (which i constantly want to call the satellite ballroom, the quaint little middle-school auditorium style space next to the plan 9 in charlottesville). and now that space boy's gone under, well, odds of me getting to shows with any more frequency are kind of crap. it would require a bit more effort, is all.

this is not to say i've been doing nothing all year - quite the opposite. in fact, if i was feeling argumentative, i'd say it's because i've been doing so much other crap that i've used up all the time i had for enjoyable crap like paying attention to new albums and watching films.

so, in no real order, here is a list of 10 things i did (and enjoyed doing, to some degree) in the year of 2006:
a] discovered etsy.com
b] got a puppy
c] spent a good amount of time on my roofdeck
d] drank wine and pretended to knit with my stitch + bitch ladies
e] wrecked a house then put it back together
f] visited maya in dc [and bought amazingly fun chairs]
g] became an entrepeneur
h] quit dagit saylor.
i] went to a couple dance parties
j] bought myself a lovely, soft, amazing new bed.

so, the year was not wasted. even if i can't even name 5 albums of 2006.
yay.

goals for next year include travelling [since i didn't really leave the city of philadelphia at all this year], taking janie to the dog park more often, wrecking and fixing my backyard, restarting the etsy shop pick of the week and being a better penpal. super, no?

oh my oh my.

2006-12-14T10:55:00.000-05:00

well, i guess it might be apparent from the lack of posts lately, or that i haven't really posted new flickr photos in about a month now, but my precious powerbook is still not back from the powerbook hospital.
they're having issues recovering a lot of files (oh no! i neeeeeeed my iPhotos!) but i'm still hopeful. although the whole thing at this point isn't looking very good,as i thought it was going to finally get shipped today, instead he's running another recovery program on it instead.
but sales at girlscantell have been hopping anyway, which is great, since i still have lots of goodies made from the craft show that never happened (yeah, i don't want to talk about that).

the kitchen is done! (well, fully functional). i wish i could post a photo for you!
christopher came over for dinner last night, one of the first sit-down dinners i've made at the new place. very great.

that's all for now. hopefully next post will be better news!

hi!

2006-12-05T18:56:00.000-05:00

so. things are slowly falling into place in lots of ways. big changes at the house on bancroft this weekend, but i'm excited about starting new things.
yesterday was a record sales day for girlscantell on etsy, so that was pretty amazing, although now i have a slew of sewing and order packing to do before i can begin to work on merchandise for my upcoming holiday craft shows.
but there's no stressing out here... none at all...

the kitchen countertops arrived today - they haven't been put in place, but i saw the full size thing in the color i chose for the first time and it's GORGEOUS. very much like stone (hence the name paperstone, i guess). slatey, almost. i can't wait to install it this weekend. oh gosh. then it'll be like a real kitchen!

that's all the news for now - that and a LOT of work. all kinds of work. all the time.
yay!

Let it Snow.....So I can stay home!

2006-12-05T10:38:00.000-05:00

Well the Holiday season has arrived! - wow has it! -

The snow came down last week and it is still lingering around with the temps in the mid 20s here in the Chicagoland. I had 2 Holiday partys and a cold this weekend. so I didn't get much creating/making done. Yet I did manage to sit down to the sewing machine on sunday night and crank out a pot holder or 2 as well as repair some hanging clothing hampers that were in of a tune up. Last night I worked on some chirstmas presents that I am knitting and thought about somethings i would like to get done by the end of the week for etsy... Check it out I actualy have something you can buy one my site! Yep it was a huge step in the right direction for me! It's only taken almost a year! haha... and I am getting some costum tags made by Emily who seams to be the tag master! I am looking forward to seeing them! How fun!

etsy showcase of amazingness

2006-12-01T17:13:00.000-05:00

girlscantell's designated slot in the showcase is january 7 & 8. so get your pocketbooks ready!
however, it changes every day, so go play!
also, i cut out fabric for about 25 iPod covers and 25 zippy cases the other night, so the pre-craft show frenzy has officially begun.

a little bit of fun

2006-11-25T17:25:00.000-05:00

yipppee!
today i finally rearranged everything in my basement workspace to create a silkscreen table! i'm so proud because everything i used to make the table / worksurface is reused. i recycled the old cabinets from the kitchen that came with my house when i bought it, and an old closet door that we took down from the sewing room closet is the tabletop.
it's a really huge worksurface and i can't wait to begin making things on it!

yesterday i went to the sale at the art store to buy some screens and things, so i'm heading downstairs now to start coating the screens with emulsion.
soooo... cross your fingers that it goes well. yippee!

busy busy

2006-11-24T15:01:00.000-05:00

well, things are about to switch gears here in south philly.
the kitchen is sooooo close to being done (i don't want to talk about it right now, i'll definitely post an 'after' photo sometime soon), so i'm getting ready to walk out the door this afternoon to invest in new silkscreening equipment.
i'm not sure i can convey how excited this makes me. i bought a ton of stuff to screen on, so i'll be preparing for my big show at the University of Pennsylvania, the second weekend in december.
i'm hoping i get my laptop back from its adventure in maryland where it's receiving a new 100GB hard drive (yeah, i went big, because i don't want to have this sort of scare ever again... i'm still waiting to hear how much data they were able to recover). i can't wait to get back to listing regularly on the new etsy.
if you haven't played around much yet, i seriously recomment you do. it's most definitely growing on me.

so, that's the big news.
janie and i went home to my parents house for thanksgiving, and she was on her best behavior the whole time. she's still most definitely the cutest dog EVER.

The day before ....

2006-11-22T16:52:00.000-05:00

The day before Thanksgiving and what do you see?
I see a Beaver has cut down a tree. ....

Tomorrow I leave the city for a 4 hour car ride to rural Ohio, we will share thanksgiving dinner with my husbands family.
I love road trips, I have always loved to travel and in my opinion car trips are the best. I get to watch the landscape fly, knit in the car, listen to good music all while spending quality time with my hubby!!

Yesterday I sat down and made made a over all Christmas list for those I want to "make for" not buy for. I will buy this year too... but mostly I plan to make. What you ask... well you will just have to wait and see.

Above is a photo I took a month or so ago, while out on a field trip with work.
The leader of our hike told us that This little beaver
(okay not that exact beaver) cut the tree down in just one night. His craftsman ship is superb, his teeth are strong.....
I just had to share.

rough week here

2006-11-15T15:10:00.000-05:00

well, i'll get right to the point and say there will be little action in the virtual world of girlscantell this week, as my beloved powerbook will make its way to baltimore for some servicing. it's very ill-timed and makes me really sad, but that's the way it is.
on the bright side, it means that once my super laptop returns, i'll have lots of good stuff to share - i'll be finishing the kitchen and sewing up a storm in its absense.
in the meantime, go browse over at the new etsy. they made our favorites lists visible to the masses, so you can see all the shops i adore by clicking on my favorites in the right hand column.
enjoy!

Build A Tree!

2006-11-15T12:53:00.000-05:00

I am not sure why - but the last few years I have really starting to get into the Holiday season. It may be the family gatherings and great food or maybe just the chill in the air that promises snow.

This year being new to Chicago, I find that their way of "building" the city's Christmas tree fascinating. Why go out into the forest and chop down an old beautiful tree, that has lived many years, when you can chop down 20 medium trees and build a Huge Tree!

I still can't decide if it is the eco friendly way to go.... but I do like the concept ... Check out the process.

Sara.... good job on your kitchen it sounds like it is coming along, and I love the counter top choice.

janie's first word

2006-11-12T20:42:00.000-05:00

this is completely insignificant, really, but it seems like the sort of thing that gets blogged about...
janie barked today. it's the first time we've heard her bark. we were just lying in bed this morning and she was in the hallway, when seemingly out of no where, she barked two or three times.
it was so odd.

what, janie? what is it? what do you have to say now, after being here for two months and not barking once?
she's the funniest dog ever.

[the photo is her in her halloween costume, by the way. she was jane fonda.]

back to it.

2006-11-11T20:18:00.000-05:00

well, the kitchen isn't quite done yet, but it's getting pretty close.
we finished the hanging and spackling of the drywall a couple weekends ago (hanging drywall is hard work... who knew?) and then we primed. then we hung the ceiling drywall, and primed that. the cabinets arrived before all this was done, so working around the big packages was a bit of a challenge.
then i picked out my countertops. i was really gung-ho about getting my friend in charlottesville to build me a custom concrete countertop, but it would have taken quite some time for the concrete to set in the form, plus portland concrete isn't a very environmentally friendly product, so i chose paperstone as my countertop material instead. my counter will be 100% post consumer recycled product, a composite material held together with a low-toxin water based resin. i'm super excited about it. it arrived at a local cabinet maker's shop on friday, and they're going to cut it to my dimensions.
so we've painted the ceiling, painted the walls with bioshield paint, a no VOC paint product that was actually really nice to use - it has a great texture when dry and doesn't drip much when you're painting because the product is almost as thick as pancake batter in the can. the walls are a blend of artichoke green with a little white mixed in to lighten it up a bit.

so. that's what's going on here. the stove works, and the cabinets have all been tentatively put in place as we wait for the countertops to arrive to permentantly install them, and we hooked up my dishwasher today. i'm in love with my dishwasher, seriously.

on the etsy front, i'm super excited about v.2 that is being released to the general public on monday. i'm hoping to catch up this weekend and make a bunch of goodies to have in a little reserve for frequent new listings to my shop. i'm still just barely hanging on at the top sellers list, which comes as a surprise to me, with how life-consuming the kitchen renovation has been. my work has, however, been really successful in the few places i consign in the city, so that's a good thing. i still have a rll of kelly green vinyl that i'm waiting to take full advantage of, so i bet it'll be creeping into more and more of my work to come.
so, it's all about gearing up for the christmas rush (and crossing fingers). i have a short wishlist of things that i think will make my shop even better for the holiday - gift wrapping, a stamp to make hangtags with wash instructions for my goodies, and lots, lots more.

sorry i've been so deliquent about posting here! like miss shanna, i've been pretty busy at my job. congrats on the LEED certification! that's outstanding! [i hope you're proud of my eco-conscious countertops!].

love always,
sara.

twist my arm

2006-11-10T17:49:00.000-05:00

An early Thanks Giving dinner with my family leads to the discovery of why I am addicted to knitting. Okay that might be an over statement but I did discover as a small girl I was often know to wear a hand knitted sweater! My Granny was a sweater knitting fool. My mom pulled out about 10 sweaters from her cedar chest that she has Saved. They were all so cute and little. My favorites are the Owl and the blue bear sweaters. As a child I must have loved theses Sweaters my Granny even made 2 Owl sweaters in two different sizes. The blue bear sweater was more of a vest but the detail of the cute buttons - rocked. I am definitely going to start including cute buttons in my work.

I can't leave for the weekend with out posting yet another hat. We all know I am addicted to knitting hats I think they are wonderful quick projects that offer a canvas with out limits. Above is a hat I am knitting for my Great friend Asia. She lives in Philly and sent me one of her fav. black hats to have it reproduced in cream. I have never done cables before and I am happy with the out come. It is not exactly like her first hat but it is close and I hope she likes it. Just in time for cold weather to arrive in Philly. It is suppose to be in the 30s here this weekend and cold! yuck Chicago weather can really suck! Owell I guess I will just stay in side and knit. - Twist my arm!

Sew or Knit? I'm missing It!

2006-10-26T21:48:00.000-04:00

A Birthday present for my friend Marcie- New fancy wallet and Some lip balm!

I have got all my hats in a row.

Now they are in the box - Off they go to an Atlanta art fair Hope they sell.

A new wallet for my friend Laura ann - A thank you gift for selling my hats at the Art fair!

I have been so busy lately I have not even been able to do any Knitting or Sewing. Although earlier in the month I made a big effort to send down some of my baby hats and some new adult hats for a craft fair in Atlanta, Georgia. My great friend Laura Ann was selling some of her art work and she included me... How nice of her! I didn't really do that well I only sold 3 hats and non of my new fancy Big City lip balm, which is a take off Sara and my original creation QueenBee balm -This web site is named after it!!

Things have been crazy for me at work since the craft fair effort. I have been unable to even pick up my knitting needles which has almost killed me. But it paid off. I have passed my LEED exam and now going to have LEEP AP after my name on my new business cards. How fancy, and just in time before the test changes at the end of the month. Okay since it is 10 pm and I am still at work... I better get back to it!

This weekend I will start knitting again! Whaoo!!

take out all the time

2006-10-19T22:40:00.000-04:00

so... i'm redoing the kitchen. completely. those of you who have been to my flickr page or have ever met me already know this. it's life consuming, completely and utterly.
the side effect of not having a hooked up oven or a kitchen sink is that you eat food made by other people all the time. so i thought i'd dedicate a post to all the places in the city we've eaten since this debacle started. it's a partial list because, well, it's been about 3 weeks or so now, and i don't remember what we ate all those times...
govindas [broad | south] - vegetarian fast food
abbisinia [west philly] - ethiopian
francoluigi's [13th | tasker] - our local pizza place
mazza [south philly] - mediterranean delivery
new noodle heaven [12th | snyder] - well, we ordered from here, but they don't take cards...
golden empress [south street] - best veggie chinese food in the city
the sushi place on chestnut - yum, sushi.
whole foods salad bar [10th | south] - delicious easiness, always barbequed tofu
horizons [6th | bainbridge] - amazing all organic, all vegan gourmet cuisine
azure [2nd | brown] - seitan tips. unreal. [techinically, they're 'vacation cuisine', whatever that means]
south philly tap room [15th | mifflin] - our local neighborhood pub. i miss the portobello burger a LOT.
giannas / giannas jr [the one on 20th delivers] - it's gross and greasy, but it's filling and they deliver.
ikea [columbus blvd] - yeah, i'm obsessed. their food does leave something to be desired, i admit.
ihop [snyder] - jen and i are LAME.
o sandwiches [unfortunately on the same intersection as effing genos] - delicious tofu sandiwches on baguettes
fergie's [12th | sansom] - excellent center city pub.
good dog [15th st | walnut] - we're totally gonna sneak janie's picture onto the wall, really great cc pub
nodding head [15th | sansom] - i always forget that i really don't think their beer is very good. but their salads kind of rule.
pad thai [18th | sansom] - tofu rolls on the way to rittenhouse at lunch
paolo's pizza [13th | pine] - they gave chris a free slice one night. he was soooo thrilled.
la esperanza[the wilds of nj] - this mexican place actually merits driving to nj for dinner.

so. yeah. i'm actually super excited about just cooking for myself. i mean, i want the kitchen done because i'm excited to see a space that i basically completely designed and i know it'll make living in the house infinitely more pleasant, but mostly i just want to sit at a kitchen table and eat something normal. something i didn't have to order. i actually miss grocery shopping for things other than ice cream, plastic spoons and orange juice.
this is my motivation for getting the drywall behind the cabinets up and primed this weekend, and the cabinets slid into place. i think after these things are done, it'll feel like we've made as much progress as we actually have...

oh gosh

2006-10-15T11:57:00.000-04:00

things here have been super busy (hence the lack of updates - sincerest apologies!)
christopher got me a dog dog for my birthday, so of course she has her own photo set at my flickr page. we've been working on housebreaking her (she's a good girl, but she is just a puppy - she's 9 months old). she came from the morris animal refuge on lombard street here in the city, so we're happy to have her here at the house of tran.

we've also been making big progress on the kitchen. we completely demolished all the drywall that was existing, took up the subfloor and realized there was no repairing the old floor framing, we really needed to just replace the whole thing instead. so we reframed the kitchen floor and put down new plywood. and i bought the cork for the floor.
then we started working on the drywall and the kitchen cabinets arrived. they're absolutely gorgeous, and the color of the wood finish i picked goes really nicely with the tones of the exposed brick i'm leaving, the existing finished hardwood and the cork. it's all just coming together really well.

so. the kitchen project has been somewhat life consuming, but i did actually start my new job in the meantime, and i really like it so far. i'm working on a residential project right now, which is a familiar scale considering all the work i'm doing here on the rowhouse...

but i have been doing some making of bags and whatnot, too. i did a show here in the city - the philebrity street fair in northern liberties, and have been consignging lots of handmade goodies with the curiosity shoppe on fourth street and the girls at the mew gallery. i'm excited about both locations because they're such different little shops and both great in their own ways, and both in really hot locations.

other than that, i'm trying to maintain my little online shop , of course.
i'm hoping to have some time to update my pick of the week soon! keep checking back, i'll try to post one on thursday.

see you soon!

A Fishing and Fire weekend

2006-10-04T13:01:00.000-04:00

beautiful colors...

I love the orginization....

Last weekend was a very exciting family fishing trip. Trips like this are why Gene and I moved from Philadelphia. I am really glad I didn't miss this trip. I was able to spend time visiting with my Grandma and Grandpa and well as my aunt and uncle. My Dad and Pam made the trip most memorable with their spontaneous bon fire. It was the 1st time I have ever had to call 911 and I can only hope that it will be my last.

Before my trip to Philadelphia last month I bought a new camera. I am in love with my camera, I am so happy with the images I am able to capture with it. On the fishing trip - I did not catch a single fish mostly I just feed the fish their dinner, my bobber would bob and dunk but never did I pull one out of the pond. It might be just as well because I don't think I could have taken it off the hook. I did how ever gain appreciation for the colors of the lures and the organization of a mans tackle box. see photos above. I have been knitting hats like crazy. I am hoping to send them down to my girl friend in Atlanta for an art show she is doing the middle of the month. I will post them later this week.

Where is my Friend Sara who wears skirts?... she is normally so good a posting on our site...
She must be busy with her new Job and new Puppy!

Where have I been?

2006-09-20T18:12:00.000-04:00

Good question- I have been traveling around the US. This past month.

Over Labor Day Weekend I went to Atlanta, Georgia to visit my very best friend Laura Ann. I had a superb 3-day visit. We did some wonderful things like.. Going to a local book festival, a firework show, and Laura’s 1st yarn store. I even taught her to knit! We went out to dinner with a few of my great friends from Lexington who is now new residents of Atlanta. We ended my trip with an unforgettable hilly bike ride and a pedicure. Whenever we are together we have a good time. I was able to get to know her Man Victor; who is great and wants the world to know that his name is actually pronounced with a "B" sound and not a "V". I knitted him a new hat for the winter trip Laura and Victor will make to Chicago, he has never seen snow.

I also just returned from a fabulous trip to Philadelphia, with my Husband Gene. We had an awesome trip. We were able to catch up with most of the friends that we really miss. We arrived on Thursday and Headed straight to one of our fav. Old hang outs Furgies. My 2 great friends Vivek and Brigham showed up to share a pitcher of yuengling with us. The weather was fairly gloomy but we made the best of it. The Next morning I went over to my old office for lunch with the gang, we went to the Reading Terminal. Then it was off to Fabric row with my Fabulous Blog & Balm Girl Sara. It was great to see her! We hit all our old fav. Shops then headed to Happy hour where all of the old Dagit Saylor and Agooslovera Gang. Which was Great; thanks for making our trip back to Philly so remember able. Gene and I hit Sammy stakes on Saturday and spent some quality time walking our favorite streets. Sara and I even made it to the start of The Distance run on Sunday, and we will never tell how far we made it. :)

I have been knitting fingerless mittens for the past month or so. The single mitt shown above was my first and I ran out of yarn to make the pair. So I am still on the search for a ball of this yummy stuff.
Ps. Check out my shop, not that there is much in it... but I actually made

birthdays and running, remodelling and time off

2006-09-20T17:22:00.000-04:00

sooo. i've been enjoying my time in between jobs. i've gotten a lot done in the past week and a half. i did more demolition in the kitchen (there isn't all that much left to be demolished... i feel like that's all i say... "we broke shit in the kitchen"...) , filled a consignment order for the curiosity shoppe here in philly (on fourth and south), i turned 25!, shanna came to visit and we "ran" the half marathon on sunday (well, ran then stopped and met her husband for brunch), i built a bookshelf in the living room, picked out and ordered all of my kitchen cabinets (see? i demolish, but there will be new stuff eventually!) and i got my puppy, janie!
yipppeee! janie!
janie's a lab mix, she's 9 months old and she's the sweetest dog ever.
of course i'll post a photo when i can get her to sit still for more than 2 seconds, since she's not exactly lounging and posing so far. but she's been super good - she's so friendly, lovable, and she's been my shadow for the 30 hours that i've had her so far. she pretty much just wants to be with us all the time.

oh! and i learned that in south philly, you have to bribe your trashman in order for him to take your trash if you have more than, like, 4 bags. which is completely absurd to me, and i'm so naive that i had no idea what he was saying when he kept repeating "you have to take CARE of your trash man". i was like "what?" and he kept saying "what part don't you understand?" and finally it dawned on me - if i give him $20, we can probably put out whatever trash we want and he'll take it. soooo. yeah. uh, wtf?

and i'll sign off with this tote that i made from this fabric i found last week on fabric row. it's completely ridiculous. i love it. i bought 5 yards, and liked it so much that i went back and bought another 5 yards (10 yards is HUGE for me - i usually don't buy more than 3 or 4 yards of anything, to prevent myself from making the same thing over and over again). and... i don't want to write much more since there's a project runway marathon and holy crap, i can't stop watching. eeeeee!

last day

2006-09-07T11:32:00.000-04:00

well, today's my last day at dagit-saylor. i just finished up some presentation drawings and after lunch, i'm out. i can't say i'm super sad, but that's mostly because i'm taking a much-needed break between jobs (to work on my kitchen and get a jumpstart on a whole lot of etsy projects i've been meaning to get to for some time now). so i'm really looking forward to a little more than two weeks of living a life of leisure (well, at least a life on my own schedule... i'm probably incapable of complete leisure.)
but it's been super fun here - there are quite a few entertaining people at DSA. and many conversations over speculations about the illusive ">suri cruise. bodhi's pretty much obsessed with suri cruise at this point, and now it's just entertaining to see how often we can get our boss who sits between us to talk about her. so... it's a fun office.
i'll leave you here with a photo of the llama we painted for 'abZOOlutely' - a charity something having to do with chestnut hill and painted fiberglass animals. uhhh... yeah.

we called it the trolley llama.

and my favorite piece of good new is (are you ready for this?) christopher has promised to get me a dog for my birthday! so we're going to the shelter next weekend to adopt a new member of team bancroft. i'm sooooo excited. i'm not stuck on any particular breed, but i love goldens and labs for their disposition and because i just like medium to big sized dogs. they're so lovable and perfect. so... i'm taking votes on names. wheee! submit your vote for a name via comment below. yipppeee!

n.e.e.t. magazine

2006-09-01T08:49:00.000-04:00

i'm pretty excited because the new issue of n.e.e.t. magazine comes out today and girlscantell has claimed a page. it's the kick off of my whirlwind autumn, the first little baby step in my efforts to get serious about this little endeavor of mine. this weekend the lovely erin brings her silkscreen table over to my house and i cannot wait. then in three weeks, finnifer joins team bancroft and, well, braces yourselves for a whole new level of amazing.
here's the ad i designed for n.e.e.t. magazine:

the green spatula

2006-08-31T09:44:00.000-04:00

inspired by a thread on the etsy forums, noelle from pinkbathtub and i decided to collaborate and make a set of recipe cards in their own coordinating zipper case. we called it the green spatula and it features 5 delicious recipes (all vegan) perfect for summer. noelle printed the brilliant cards and i made the cases and handwrote all the recipes. i think the set is absolutely stellar, and i was so proud to post it in my shop, especially after taking a few days off from posting because of the move and whatnot... the set is a limited edition, so when it's gone, it's gone, although we plan on doing a set each season, so you can collect a whole lot of fantasticness or give a set to each of your friends.
the recipes are:
appetizer: olive tapenade
salad: pear walnut salad
entree: lentil wheat burgers
side: carrot chickpea couscous
dessert: strawberry pie

so, while they're all vegan, i think even carnivores would love this summer fare. doesn't it make you want to pop open some wine and hang out with friends?

Art Fest.

2006-08-29T23:31:00.000-04:00

Scrappynation

Piecesdesign

I went to a really great Art festival last weekend. - There were so many talented artists that it was hard to get out of there with out spending my whole paycheck. I did how ever end up with a really wonderful Asian inspired wool Jacket that my mom bought for me as a belated birthday gift. It is great and I even get to add my own touch to it. The arms on it are a little short so I am going to add my own cuffs. I don’t know how I am going to do it just yet but once I get it finished I will photograph it for all to see.

Above are two artists that I found to be inspiring and over flowing with creativity.

The first is SCRAPPYNATION artist Sara Steedman makes each animal with an unlimited amount of thoughtfulness with every creation. If I was a little one I would love to have my bed overflowing with her imaginative handmade stuffed animals.

The other artist whose craftsmanship was amazing was PIECESDESIGNS; Kristen Holub . Her metal smith abilities rocked my world. I just had to grab a card and hope that she had a website, Turns out she does… check it out.

I love craft fairs … they are so inspiring! Congratulations to those Artists who have the spunk to put out your hand made goodies out for the world to appreciate!

knithappens - sara etsy pick

2006-08-25T13:55:00.000-04:00

okay, i've been trying to upload photos from her shop for days now, and it won't let me. which is a shame, since they were great photos.
until i can upload them here, go check out:
the mini morkers
pippi longstockings
and some twins.

in honor of shanna's obvious knitting problem, which i could have diagnosed in february (it's not a new obsession for you, shanna!), i present my pick of the week.
let me explain how i began interacting with ms. hall.
it was after my 99th sale, and i posted in the forums that i was ecstatic and waiting for my 100th sale. and as i was posting, the lovely knithappens stole into my shop and became my 100th etsy sale. because she's sweet like that.
well, if that were the end of the story, it would be a lovely little tale of "oh, how nice". but since i jumbled up her package, the story continues. she ordered a zip pouch, one of two that i made that were very similar in design and fabric, but in my mind, still fairly different. i wrapped her package and filled out the customs form and mailed it off before i looked closer at the transaction and realized i had sent something close, but not exactly what she wanted (along with a whole mess of goodies, since she was my special 100th sale) and i felt awful about it. so i sent her a little message, explaining my mixup and promising to send either the right zippy case, or another one to make up for my mistake. lo and behold, the correct zippy case had completely vanished when i went to mail it (and months later has yet to resurface...). so i set about making a new pouch, and mailed it off.
a week or so later, when it arrives, knithappens sends me the sweetest, most heartfelt little note of glee upon receiving the replacement case, and she insisted on paying me for the second case, which of course, i declined. i can't accept payment for a case sent because of my own error. she keeps telling me that it's okay then, karma will take care of it.
and a few weeks after that, i'm working on my sweet new little house, and i get a package through the door. from england. from knithappens. inside is a most beautiful pair of twin gloves that she knitted expressly for me, since i had hearted a pair in her shop. totally unnecessary, just sent out of the kindness of her heart. with a sweet little note inside.
basically, the point of my story is that this lady is the absolute nicest, most wonderful, thoughtful person anyone could hope to ever interact with. she's nothing but positive, understanding and caring. i could rave about how i LOVE her knits, how she's a breath of fresh air to the world of knitting, how she has a fantastic eye for color and everything she does is so precious and well thought out. but you can see that for yourself. i thought this story might give you a little insight into the creator of all the lovelies you see at http://knithappens.etsy.com. and did i mention her shop's clever name makes me smile every time i see it? she's the best.

12 Hour days.... Got to love them!!

2006-08-23T20:19:00.000-04:00

Lots of worked with no time for knitting - okay very little, in the last few days I have realized that I have a real problem. I really have begun to believe that I am addicted to knitting – It sounds silly but if I am not at home knitting, I am in public knitting.. (Example: My 1st cubs game last Friday) and if I’m at work, every third thought is about knitting. I have a problem … but at least it’s a legal creative problem.

Above are some booties that I finished at the Cubs game- who are they for one might ask, good question since I only know one person, who lives 600 miles away, who having a child right now and I don’t think pink will suit her new baby boy. I guess that’s why last weekend I finished 3 sets of booties. See I am addicted.

I knitted them from a pattern that I had previously used several times and I never liked the results. Although after using my own dyed yarn and switching to dp needles mid pattern…. It turns out that is a lovely pattern. I guess that’s why I woke up at 5 am this morning with the thought that I was defiantly going to order 4 more skeins of that yarn to dye.
Sara we will catch up soon- the time change sucks I could never figure it out before I moved but now I understand that one-hour can flip you off cycle. – The concrete counter top idea rocks and so does the guy’s web site who is going to do them! Is cork a good material for high traffic areas? Just wandering… Sounds fun!

human wrecking balls

2006-08-23T10:42:00.000-04:00

oh man.
over the weekend, christopher and i wrecked it. we demolished most of the kitchen in the better part of two days, and it was a crapload of work. but... the kitchen is going to look amazing, thanks to the fact that there are no longer floor to ceiling mirrors in what was the dining room, that the refridgerator can now be in the same room as the stove, there are no more gross 8x12 tiles on the wall and we're raising the ceiling height. my amazing friend justin has agreed to build me custom concrete countertops and i couldn't be more thrilled. so now i need to do some research into the cabinets + cork floors.
on the etsy front, things have been slow in my shop since i haven't had time to stop and figure out what way is up, much less post new things (or make said things to post, really). i gave bethany mimi's laptop tote last night and she flipped over it (it IS super cute, i think). bethany is probably one of my favorite customers, and also one of the best people to enjoy a yogurt cone from ikea with.

finally, one thing has been bothering me a bit lately (well, not like losing sleep bothering, but i just am stumped by it). that is: why hasn't anyone bought fred? does no one like him? does dwell magazine offend people? (that is a joke, dwell is a brilliant publication). he has 800+ views, yet no one has wanted to shell out about $20 to take him home. and he's absolutely stunning, i swear. that fabric is so amazing.
that's all for now.
that, and i wish chicago wasn't a whole time zone away. shanna! i miss you! sorry we can't ever catch each other on the phone!

all you need is love - the pick from philly

2006-08-18T11:26:00.000-04:00

long shirt, short dress

manicures

lonely pear

typically, i feel like when you see an artist tackling as broad a range of media as jillian of all you need is love, there are obvious weak points or the artist is a jack of all trades and master of none. this is very much NOT true of jillian's shop. it boasts over 100 items, each just as amazing as the next. from jewelry to reworked clothing to original paintings to accessories to curating a fine assortment of photography... it's just so much fun to peak through. jillian is a full time art student and works in a fine tea cafe (no coffee! stop asking!), and i love the tone of her listings. it feels like she's just chatting with you. i believe she's occasionally to be found, among other fine etsyans, at the south end open market, in boston. if you see her, tell her i said hi.

In Luv with DYE

2006-08-16T15:19:00.000-04:00

FUN WITH DIE-
I have been toying with the idea of dyeing my own yarn for a month or so … I researched many dyeing processes and found that for first timers, koolAid dying is the way to go…

This past weekend I finally accomplished my goal- 2 beautiful skins from a wonderful local farm are now eye pleasingly bold colors. I am so pleased with the results, I may never buy pre-dyed wool again. It was so easy and very rewarding to watch the white yarn turn to a unique color before my eyes. I also found out that if you don't like the results on your first dye you can just re-dye it. Check out my photos...

before

duringFinal!

O ya!
Also I finally started my own flickr site so check it out…..

charmpits and other photos of note

2006-08-15T11:53:00.000-04:00

bag for bschell

charmpits

demo tute
this is my dad.

dear man using the jackhammer on broad st.,
stop it.
thanks,
sara.

[today's post will just be some photos and links, because of said jackhammer.]

katrinakaye - Shanna’s Etsy Pick Of the Week-

2006-08-11T14:42:00.000-04:00

So… I am a little behind on my Picks! I have 2 reasons for that…. one there are so many awesome sellers on Etsy that I just can’t decide on one, but my main reason is just plain Procrastination! Haha

katrinakaye creates Beautiful handcrafted Recycled bags.
If you love big patterns and exquisite color combinations these bags are for you! This pair who creates while laughing and singing, ship their wonderful bags from Amsterdam to the rest of the world. They are recycled army bags matched with original Scandinavian 60’s and 70’s printed fabric see your self, these bags are truly Groovy.

ORBITAL

SKIPPER

Racing to Knit

2006-08-09T18:48:00.000-04:00

I spent all day last Sunday at the Brick Yard 400 NASCAR Race in Indianapolis with my Dad and other family. It was an extremely hot day, but as always we had a great time grilling out before and hanging out in the stands. Once again the Water Fan saved my life I really need to invest in one instead of bumming off those around me.
There was a group of about 20 of us - (I will have to post the group photos some time… what I really need to do is hook up my own flicker site like my girl Sara!- she rocks)

The one great compliment I received on Sunday was a guy telling me that he would have never dreamed he would see some a chick knitting while attending a NASCAR event. I thought it was a perfect combo; the unbelievable speed of cars flying past my eyes paired the meditation of my yarn turning round and round on my needles. By the end of the weekend I had finished knitting 3 baby hats. I decided that it was a sign that baby hats are my new thing. They are so fast to knit up and they are an unlimited creative palate. The ones above are for that girlfriend of yours
who is blessed with twins.

To top off my weekend we got a beautiful photo of a little humming bird that frequents the feeder behind my mom’s house! Isn’t she cool?

off for the week

2006-08-09T09:37:00.000-04:00

so, much to my delight, i have this week off of work. so i'm working on the house most of the week. and also, trying to post three items to my etsy shop each day. which is a job in and of itself, because it means after spackling and drywalling, i need to come home and sit in front of the sewing machine (which i really should name already).
but my goal is to finish the special order laptop case for bethany and to make a certain number of sales in the time i have off (but i won't tell anyone what the number is because i don't want to artificially spark any pity sales). and my other goal is to get to the beach. so fingers crossed the air conditioner guy will finish his work today - then not only will i have air conditioning in the house (YIPPEE!) but i'll get to go to the beach tomorrow. sweeet!
so. that's all.
here's to a week of sweating and putty and sanding and 'free time'.

ex-boyfriend - sara's etsy pick o' the week

2006-08-04T10:20:00.000-04:00

peter and polly's happy hour

robot romance shirt

'i'd rather be making out' button
oh, ex-boyfriend. even the name makes me grin. the wit and creative eye of this slick couple from baltimore is definitely not lost on me. i love, love, love the wry sarcasm found in just about every aspect of ex-boyfriend collection. from the graphics (clever throwbacks and a salute to modern classics) to the tone of the listing descriptions, you just kind of want to be friends with smartie-pants meredith and her talented boyfriend (well, i do anyway). i've chosen three of my favorites from their shop, but it was a hard choice, as everything they offer is pretty funny. so, what i'm saying is: you have friends. you need to buy them gifts on occasion. keep these kids in mind come mandatory shopping time.

what's on your wist-list?

2006-07-31T10:02:00.000-04:00

how awesome is shanna's competition news! i'm so impressed!!!
congrats!
so, etsyans are always finding new ways to promote etsy online (and off!) and a popular one lately is this social bookmarking site, wists. basically, you plug a little button into your browser bar, and whenever you're browsing the net and come across something you like / want / have to have, you can click "add to wists" and it adds it to your wist list. i use it all the time, and i love browsing other people's wists, too.
the fun thing is, you can also use the search tool to see if people have wisted the items you've made and sell. i've found some of my totes on other people's wist lists, and of course, some QueenBee balm (which is unavailable in my etsy shop for the time being because of the extreme heat all over the country).
in other news, i did some more work in the house over the weekend. i need to bring my camera over to post photos to flickr, but basically, i'm working on finishing up the floor i sanded in the master bedroom. and curiosity finally got the better of me, as i hammered a big ol' hole into the wall i'm taking down in the kitchen. much to my delight (and not much shock), it's an old brick column inside of it. so... pretty sweet. if it has to be anything there, it may as well be an original exposed brick column, right?
photos to come...

We Placed!

2006-07-27T16:01:00.000-04:00

Gene (my husband) and I just received word that we placed in the "You, Me and the Bus Competition"! We are very excited about this. We have entered about 5 different competitions the past 5 years and have never won a thing. We entered this competition in April and as of July we had given up on any recognition. Then last Friday a letter arrived in our mailbox announcing that we had received 8th place and that or project is going to be published and possibly built. We were not in the top 4 which are listed on their web site. But thats okay because they are considering building the top 16 winners. Above are a few images of our designer bus stop.

Ps. Sara - Spoon is playing in an out door festival this weekend wish you were here we could check it out!!

PSS. For some reason the color is all messed up on these. I will work on fixing that situation!!

alice of kansas - sara's etsy pick

2006-07-27T15:51:00.000-04:00

plum and tangerine tangles

shine a light pin set

marisol seahorse skirt

aliceofkansas is just the right combination of smart, sarcastic, snarky and, most importantly, talented for my taste. her shop showcases her love of color ("all this wool is like a new box of crayons. a big one. with a sharpener in the back that i i never use, but i love knowing it's there. i just wanna roll in it.") her things are all one of kind and also, have magical powers. marisol transformed herself from an adorable three-dimensional seahorse into a skirt with no further explanation... she's just both now. it's amazing, really. what's new and exciting in the land of aliceofkansas is that she's now officially a crafty bastard, so make sure you show her shop lots of loving as she gears up for her first huge show. basically, to get to the point, i wish alice lived next door to me. we could steal pies cooling in each other's windows and stay up til the wee hours of the morning making craziness. until then, she's a chinatown bus ride away in the wilds of... dc.

spoon reissues telephono!

2006-07-26T17:51:00.000-04:00

so, yesterday evening, chris and i decided to take a drive since it was nice out and it's top down weather and all that. so we went to put new cd's in my cd player, and i got a little made fun of because in my visor alone i had two (burned, not real) copies of spoon's first album, telephono. so you can imagine my delight when i noticed a little blurb today that the band is re-releasing telephono with soft effects. sweet! i mean, not as sweet as scoring a copy of the real deal, but sweet nonetheless!

Food 4 Thought

2006-07-26T11:26:00.000-04:00

For those of us who live in the city it is often hard to find good fresh food. Lately the farmers market that arrives each Thursday at Daily Plaza has inspired me. The farmers who arrive each week bring with them a wonderful assortment of baked goods, fresh fruit, veggies, flowers and many other delightful items. I have started taking photos of the amazing freshness, in hopes that one day they could be framed in my kitchen to motivate healthy eating. When I lived in Philly I always made a weekly trip to Reading Terminal market, which houses some of natures best. This is where I got all my fresh fruits, veggies, and fish and even Christmas presents. I truly miss my weekly trips there with my coworkers and my regular market partner Brigham. Now living in Chicago, I look forward to tomorrow’s arrival of white tents & crowded lunch goers, as the farm makes it’s presence known in the windy city.

man jewelry (mewelry)

2006-07-25T10:48:00.000-04:00

i finally finished this box. it'd be haunting me how long it took me to finish, but with the whole house hunt, the mortgage hunt, and zillion other things i had going on, it just took forever, since i really wanted to spend a good amount of time on it anytime i sat down with it.
so, it's finished. the overall dimensions of this box in plan are to the proportion of a golden section (or google it if you're unsure what this is). then the depth of the box was derived from making a golden section of the shorter dimension of the box in plan. within the box, there is a lift-out tray that reveals a 'secret' compartment (which is the common link between most of my woodworking endeavors - a secret space). the liftout tray is divided into smaller compartments for the utmost organization, they spiral out forming perfect squares in descending order.
the box is made of birch plywood and walnut, and the lovely natural coloring of the woods were preserved with a clear vanish, so as not to detract from their natural loveliness. the bottom panel of the interior of the secret compartment is painted a rich adobe color, and the sides of the secret compartment are lined in dark walnut.
it's a complete departure from everything else listed in my shop (all the fabric-y things and lip balm and earrings), but i'm quite pleased with the results.
what do you think?
ps - mewelry is alice of kansas' lovely invention of a word. it rocks.

Sasho Art - Shanna's weekly Etsy pick

2006-07-24T17:30:00.000-04:00

Black Cat Raccoon Playing Chess

Fairy Orange Tabby Cat Owl Squirrel Tree

Fairy Black Cat The Earth Moon

Okay…. so I am a Cat Lover! Keeping with Sara’s Theme of “For Children and Adults alike”
(see below) I have picked Sashoart’s etsy shop for this week’s pick! These cats are great and so is the artist who creates them! Sasho is a young Bulgarian artist currently living in Seattle, Washington. He is very talented and he has work in collections around the world (thanks to his new etsy site there will be more) I have yet to order a Mini poster but that is only because I can't decide which one I like best! If I were ever to write a Children’s cat book, (which has been a long time dream) I would want Sashoart to create the illustrations! I see a undeniable expression of heart felt feelings and attitude in his animals! I know they would be a treasure to any art collection.

staceyrebecca - sara's etsy pick

2006-07-21T09:05:00.000-04:00

snalg

mr.mistachioed sunshine

chubs the bunny

while my chicago girl was growing up and falling down (see below), i was making things official with the house. what a big day in queenbee blog history! wheeee!
but, onto my etsy pick of the week. this week? staceyrebecca.etsy.com, who makes fantastic, amazing puppets. each seems totally squeezable, squishy and full of character. it's so easy to spot staceyrebecca's quirky sense of humor (mr.mistachioed sunshine? brilliantly funny) and her amazing attention to detail (snalg above is only a wee 2" tall!). her descriptions are fabulously entertaining introductions to her little peanut gallery of characters. i absolutely love how she photographs all these little buddies so up close and personal, and lets you look the the puppets exactly in the way you would if you were to pick them up and examine them.
go check out the rest!

Create and Fall Down!

2006-07-20T17:56:00.000-04:00

I had a sparkling Birthday and now I am back to an even number. I don't know why... but for me an even year better then an odd year. Not that I have truely had bad odd year but... for me I like it even! So 28 is going to be good, I can feel it. I think Saturday birthdays are the best. I woke up and my husband took me to get a coffee at this cute little neighborhood coffee shop called Sip, then we walked in the 90 degree heat to this southern cooking breakfast place called "Wishbone" located in the west loop. I had an all egg white omleet with a bunch of healthy veggies added it was just delightful!! Then it was home to the cool air and my sewing machine. I have desided that I can sew. Although I often get my steps out of order- so some times I end up with edges unfinished and stiching showing where - I wish they wernt... but it's okay! I call it a learning process. I ended up making an I-pod case and a phone cosy. The phone cosy was suppose to be an I-pod case but it ended up being to little, but it ended up fiting my phone nicely. haha..... The evening arrived and it was time for our party hop which was stupendous! Meeting new foks and partying with ones I already know and Like! As my night dwindled in the twilight is was only deserving that I fell to meet the sidewalk, and that was my signial that it was time to go home. Happy 28th. Images are of my birthday creations!

2006-07-19T10:30:00.000-04:00

i'm pretty excited about lots of things this week. most obviously, signing a hundred papers tomorrow so my house is officially... mine. but also, i'm participating in the BIG ART SHOW this saturday. there are a bunch of reasons why i've decided to show work from my days making ridiculousness in architecture school in leui of locking myself away and making a zillion zip pouches. namely, my apartment is too hot for me to be in full-on sweatshop mode (i'd pass out. seriously.) i've also been going out more, being social for the summertime. but really, i just feel like it's the perfect venue to show it. i've never publicly displayed the stuff i slaved over in college, and so lots of new friends have never seen all the crazy shit i worked on, and why i have this making-bug now... how i really miss the stress of deadlines, constructive criticism, creative input, getting my hands dirty... and i think some of it is just plain ol' fun to look at and kind of interesting...
also, the big art show is gobs of fun - good people, decent bands and hopefully a large enough and air conditioned space. yippee!

2006-07-18T13:42:00.000-04:00

okay, so i don't even like video games. i prefer to spend my "free time" making things (obviously). but when our good friend keith rented out the pinball-parlour, i had to see what it was all about. turns out, it's hundreds of pinball machines, from the very old (but working) to the current, all set to free play. sweeeet! and if you tire of pinball (possible?), downstairs is a free jukebox (odd selections, but whatever), foosball, driving games, and old video games, including pac-man and mrs. pacman, side by side. so, even i was converted. it was an amazing four hours of awesomeness. my mind was completely blown, and i can't imagine how someone who actually LIKES games much enjoy the place.
and, for those keeping track, we're at less than 2 days til house-closing time. wheeee!!!! i can't wait. i went and made some very 'grown-up' purchases yesterday - a refridgerator, washing machine and dryer. and then some flower pots, since buying refridgerators isn't as fun as one might think, where as flower pots are quite fun. until i get a puppy, my houseplants are my leeettle pets.

minerva orduno - sara's etsy pick

2006-07-16T12:23:00.000-04:00

necklace from rubber hoops

taxco silver + hills

rusty pipes ring

so, this week i think the unofficial theme for our etsy picks is architecture. this makes sense, since shanna and i met working for the same architecture firm in center city philly, and we both believe architecture is a base for many other types of design. yippee! architecture!
my pick this week is also a "pretend architect" (meaning not registered) in arizona - minervaorduno.etsy.com . she's a bunch of fun, and part of what i love about her shop is that she makes jewelry that's about making the unexpected into something a little more glamorous. while i'm anxiously awaiting my order from her, i thought i'd feature some other jewelry and photography from her shop that i really like. many of her pieces feature rubber hoops that she procured at a hardware store, which is brilliant - so geometric, elegant and frankly just stunning. what catches my eye many days, though, is her photography, where it becomes so obvious of her love affair with buildings and structure. a curious eye for detail and composition, minerva seemingly finds great shots in so many great cities. how fun would it be to travel with this lady? too fun. go check out her travel portfolio and her unusual and elegant jewelry, and tell her i said hi.

My Pick of the Week!

2006-07-14T11:22:00.000-04:00

My week has about slipped by with out posting my pick of the week!

I don't know how my magnificent Philly Girl has time to do it all! She is simply astounding!
I completely agree with her post about photographing. I feel like lack of Photographing set up is my major hold back from posting things on etsy. I have don't have access to effortless photo back drops (no deck or out side space for this city dweller) Nor do I have someone to "hold" my new creations, so it just so happens that I have a little stash of jewelry and some knitting just waiting in zip lock bags to be posted on my etsy site! I just can't seam to get it photographed. Perhaps it is just another excuse but I do feel like I could use some help on the topic. How do people get these pleasing close ups of jewelry? Perhaps I need a new camera.... okay enough....about my drama!

on to my.....PICK of the WEEK!

mmsomewhere's Shop

Once again I do not know this person nor have I had any contact with her, but I think her art work is Spectacular!
I love the Architectural forms and the dynamic spaces. She captures life and space in her photography!
Below is a sample of her work you can also see more at her personal web site~!
She has yet to make any sales on etsy - but I think its only a matter of time!

model shot

2006-07-13T13:17:00.000-04:00

so. i think one of the hardest aspects of selling online is taking photos. i am slowly warming up to the idea of installing a light tent in my new studio, so i can take wonderful, amazing photos of my bags and things without being at the mercy of the weather. that, and i'm not going to have access to my roofdeck by the end of summer, so i need a new consistent backdrop for my shop.
everyone always clamors over good photos on a white background, and for a while i thought they were just so overrated and boring. but as i continually list things in my shop, i'm beginning to understand the value of consistent photos.
however, i have no idea how people like dyno fit into their lightboxes... does she have a big white room to take all these awesome shots in? a set? a big green screen? i definitely always like seeing well-taken shots of people holding or wearing the items that are being sold (note i say "holding or wearing" and not "modelling" - modelling to me = cheeseball...). this is the best way for a customer to a) imagine themselves with the item and b) grasp how big (or small) the item is. showing a hand holding an earring is a simple way to display how big the earring is without wearing the earring on an ear (which is a BIG no-no - gross!)
so, when i go up on the deck to take photos, lately i've been striving to get one of myself holding the item (yippee for the self timer, as chris is not a great photo-taker, no offense...), one of it straight on, one of the inside or alternate view, and one good detail shot. but the one of myself holding the item (usually a purse) is soooo difficult to take. i'm super self-critical, and try to get discreet shots of myself (no face, not emphasizing my body but rather what is being sold, a shot that gives relative size without being distracting...)
so. my point is, i recently listed two items in my shop with myself in the main photo. and it was a scary thing to do...

one week!

2006-07-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

only a little more than one week til girlscantell relocates to its new world headquarters. and by that i really just mean i get to start playing around in my house. i couldn't be more excited, even if i do have to buy not fun things like a furnace and a refridgerator... my first project is putting a new door into the closet from the front bedroom. so, yes, i'll be banging holes in walls right from the start. i mean, why else does one buy a house?

in other news, i got tags in from rohm, who is one of the sweetest, most attentive seller's i've bought from yet. i emailed her my design, and she did a test tag, and decided it could be better, so she asked if i'd mind tweaking it a bit, so they would come out as awesome as possible. pretty great, no? i'm just tickled by the results, it makes me so happy to sew them into my little pouches and purses. very, very cool.

pinkbathtub - sara pick of the week

2006-07-07T10:59:00.000-04:00

you are what you wheat cards

greeting card sampler

letter S cards

choosing just three images to post here for my etsy pick of the week this week was hard, because everything this artist does is just stellar, in my opinion. noelle, aka pinkbathtub, and i are working on a special collaboration right now which will be unveiled by the end of the month. while i don't want to get into specifics about that just yet (!), i will say that noelle is amazingly sweet and a pleasure to work with. she knows the limitations on her craft, and is always willing to experiment and try new things to make her work pop! just right.
look at the colors on the items in her shop - so vibrant and gorgeous and rich! having seen a small sample of her work in person, i was blown away by how great her eye is. everything is so clean and clear and simple, but at the same time has depth and substance. she uses a lot of everyday imagery in her work - fruits and veggies, letters, household items, and makes them vivid and interesting.
she's the type of seller who makes etsy fun!

I luv the 4th of July.

2006-07-06T20:15:00.000-04:00

The 4th of July is my Favorite holiday. Perhaps it is because it is the closest holiday to my birthday or maybe it is because I love the hot weather and the happy, party, carefree sprit that most people have on this day. I can't explain it but it is a great day. This year I spent my holiday weekend on the Lake in Cicero. This is were I would spend every 4th of July for the rest of my life, if it were up to me. The lake is cool when the sun is hot, my family and friends are close and the sun set is beautiful. This is the place I feel most at home!!

I spent part of my weekend picking cherries off 2 cherry tree's that my great granddad planted for me. This is the 1st year I have ever been there when the cherries were perfect, so I couldn't resist the laboring joy of making a cherry pie from scratch. It was a lot of work but it all paid off when I was able to share it with my grandparents whom I have not seen in a very long time. I had a wonderful 4th of July and I even got some knitting done..... stay tuned.

Cindyart98 - shanna's etsy pick

2006-06-30T19:16:00.000-04:00

Cynthia Schiebar

Berry-liscious Purple

Spectacular Swirl Scroll

Mellow Yellow Triangular

Cindy creates some wonderful pieces that are all compleatly original of the highest quality!!
I love all the wire swirls you can check out more of her work at this site.

pretty funny

2006-06-30T13:37:00.000-04:00

a few people have sent me the link to today's married to the sea because it is (a) hilarious and (b) about rowhouses.
i laughed out loud the first time i saw it.
enjoy.

gemmafactrix - sara's etsy pick

2006-06-29T14:28:00.000-04:00

teaparty earrings (custom order)

mingle earrings

apple and saffron necklace

brooke medlin is one talented artist. she works mostly in metals to create gorgeous, out of this world jewelry from scratch. i think what i like most about her work is the saturation of color and the simplicity of form - she carries her style through not only to the finished product, but into the photography she uses in her store. she has an amazing eye for capturing what makes a piece intriguing and it's just a pleasure to poke around at her most recent listings (as she's a firm believer in listing a new item several times daily - inspiring? yes.) in her interview at etsy (she was a featured seller in april) she says how she enjoys doing things to take her mind off of things, like haiku and crossword puzzles. so, gemmafactrix, if ever your daydreams of being on the ocean need to become reality, just give me a call and we'll take a ride out to the shore in my little convertible, and you can enlighten me on japanese pastry. it'll be awesome.

Monkey Around!

2006-06-28T23:01:00.000-04:00

While my girl has been buying houses and escalating into an “etsy” supper star. I have just been trying to take one day at a time, but I feel like it’s all just a bunch of monkey business and my creative juices are on low. However I have managed to finish a wonderful fall scarf that will be great a great addition to someone’s scarf collection. Check it out I even put it on my etsy site. I am so excited it is my first post. I have been addicted to this site, checking it every day buying- wonderful yarns, but I have never gotten my act together to be a seller ….. But today I did it! Wahoo. . .

By the way Congrats Philly girl on the new house I can’t wait to see it.

Also I love the Idea of us picking a few great sellers/items to show on our blog-
What great advertising for that lucky person… what do you think?

new house

2006-06-28T14:53:00.000-04:00

so, i know i keep mentioning that i'm buying a house. it's probably all i ever think about (well, that and etsy and chocolate chip cookies, to be honest). i even combined two of these things together and made my avatar on etsy my new house. i know i posted a photo of christopher (aka nerdburger, aka my boyfriend the librarian) in front of a house a few days ago, but since that was posted, i scrapped my offer on that house (RIP, pope house) and instead made an offer on a better house. what makes it better? well, the asking price was better, for starters. but also, it's already clean on the inside - no icky, dirty, smoky shag carpet that older than me, no fake wood panelling hiding layers of dingy wallpaper, it doesn't need a new roof yet and it's never had termite, and, my favorite, it's three bedrooms, not two. yippee! this means i can have a guest room and a sewing room (aka girlscantell world headquarters). plus, the kitchen in the new house is super tiny, which means i get to rip down a stupid wall and redesign the kitchen! i know it sounds weird to be excited about that, but i totally am. i'll have to do before and after photos, TLC style. i absolutely can't wait. i'm already assembling a big binder full of ideas and inspirations for the kitchen, the exterior, the backyard and colors that i love. this is toooooo much fun. i am the biggest house-having nerd ever. i honestly don't think i've ever been so excited about something in my life. how giddy and excited i am actually makes me begin to question if i'm really old enough to own a house, but then i think if i wasn't excited about it, there would be something horribly wrong and i should be buying. so i think the issue of over-excitement is really less of an issue. let the countdown to july 20th begin: 22 days!

finally 100

2006-06-27T17:38:00.000-04:00

well, today was amazing and i finally hit 100 sales in my etsy shop. i can't believe it - i haven't even had it open for 6 months yet! (almost, but not quite - i started selling on january 3). pictured above is the 100th item to officially sell - a zip pouch, of course, silkscreen with a lovely little bicycle, on some of my favorite fabric, warm orange stripes that i'd originally purchases for a special order for mLee. today was also exciting because i got a package in the mail with three things i'd traded for and bought on etsy - a lino print, some glamorous red earrings and, most exciting of all, a set of gorgeous tags to sew into my bags! i'm so excited. the print is from http://rainyprints.etsy.com, the earrings are from http://redpolka.etsy.com and the tags are from http://rohmcustom.etsy.com. they're all super high quality and were all packaged and shipped so well. it felt like i was opening presents (well, presents i paid for, but still...)
and the last thing that completely made my day today was coming up with an idea for a collaboration between another etsy artist and myself. we've worked out a lot of details, but i'm sure i'll talk more about that as we make progress on the project. it's going to be awesome! i can't wait!
so. enough gushing for one day. this has been an excellent week. and it's only tuesday...

last call

2006-06-26T13:41:00.000-04:00

well, lately i have lots of reasons to have a major clearing out of my shop.
things have been going well, consignment-wise, so i'm putting together major packages for the lovely places i consign and also, (i know i've talked about this at great length) i'm preparing to move. so many of the purses, handbags, totes, clutches and zip cases in my shop are going to be unlisted from my etsy shops and sent off to brick and mortar shops to find their owners. it makes me kind of sad, as many of these items have people who "call them a favorite", but they just can't sit all lifeless and unused in my (tiny) apartment forever... they must go one to fulfill their destinies in the hands of funloving chicks all over the country.
help give them a home! pass some links on to your friends who might like these one of a kind goodies!

jcasa - etsy pick of the week

2006-06-22T09:47:00.000-04:00

felt freezy pops

box of books

floating blue blaze family sized bowl

so, i first discovered jcasa's etsy shop because she has what is possibly the world's most adorable avatar, and i was complimenting her on it. well, since then we've become etsy friends (asking each other advice, doing a little trading, etc) and she's just the bee's knees. she lives in ohio, and has twins! and is a super talented artist. you can tell she's just one of those people that can't help but make wonderful things by the wide range of goodies in her shop - from beautiful glazed earthenware, to papergoods that are too cute to use to delicate little tissue cases (must be useful when you have two little twins running around with two little noses!). and she's just as sweet as can be.
so the photos above are three items i've picked from her shop that i just love. but go check it out, and fall in love with a completely different set of good stuff - there's lots more in there to love.

things are good

2006-06-21T10:40:00.000-04:00

i've been working on lots of little projects lately, and one bigger project. my little projects include these earrings. i bought about 3 dozen pairs of white hoop earrings and have been having the best time making them more fun. i just listed the first pair in my etsy shop, but i won't be listing many there, instead i'll be selling them at the big art show on july 22. you should come check it out! i'll also have gobs of my usual purses, totes and other fun goodies. and it takes place right after the scheduled closing on my house, so i'm sure i'll be bouncing off the walls...
i'm also still working on a lovely "man jewelry" box for a lovely couple in california. it's great fun, once i get over my initial fear of touching the project a few times a week. i'm a bit intimidated by the idea of doing woodworking for others as a commission, but i'm not entirely sure why. it's just very different than what i've been doing the past year or so. but wood is a medium i absolutely love... i missed zap a gap and my trusty exacto, and i didn't even realize it.

exciting few weeks!

2006-06-13T12:59:00.000-04:00

this has been an amazing month so far, and it's only half over.
i'm in the market for a house. my first house, and i am super excited about it. i found one i like, a little two bedroom rowhouse in south philly, so i'm in the process of negotiating with the owners for it. it'll require a bit (and by a bit i mean a pretty good amount) of work, but to me that's the most exciting part! all the decisions to be made, all the hard work, effort and hours i'll have to put in that will make the house truly mine. i am so tired of renting - of living somewhere tentatively, of not really being able to carve out a space that's exactly what you want. i love our apartment now - it has a high ceiling, a fantastic roofdeck, it's nice and open, and we live in a great neighborhood. but it just pales in comparison to the thought of having a house that i can paint and put in new floors, and add shelves without the fear of not getting back a security deposit... the very idea of not having to share a washing machine with our bitchy downstairs neighbors sends chills of excitement down my spine. seriously.
the other really cool thing that happened this week is that i popped up into the etsy "top 100 sellers" page. yippee! how did that even happen? as i type, i'm #89. i'm sure this will change, and i know i'll soon be too busy to put in enough time to sustain this accomplishment (um, reread the previous paragraph if you're unsure why) but it's an honor to be up there. and fun to click every day to see where my avatar will fall this time... yesterday i got a little bummed out because i usually just scan the bottom row - #91-100 - to look for myself. and i wasn't in the bottom row. and i thought, "bummer" (yeah, i think dorky words like "bummer"). so i glanced up the list, and low and behold, i had bobbed my way up to #86! yippee!
so, that was the highlight of my monday.

i'm going to try to post here a little more often. i wish my cohort, shanna, would, too, but i think she's all busy and important at her job in chicago. boo. it sure has been nice out here lately. makes me wish she was here so we could walk to the park and eat lunch.

everything works if you let it

2006-06-01T17:06:00.000-04:00

i'm a mentor on etsy, and i met a really amazing artist through a question she asked. she's so sweet! she posted a pair of that girl earrings (yeah, you're super jealous) for me as a totally unnecessary thank you. it completely made my week.
so, i'm just so antsy all the time. i want to spend all my free hours making things to post and sell in my shop, but i just don't have enough hours in the day. i've been househunting lately, trying to find the perfect south philly rowhouse to completely revamp into a rowhouse of awesomeness, and it's just not as fun a task as one might imagine. most south philly rowhouses are the same, really, so it's not very interesting, and when you're looking for houses as inexpensive as the ones i'm looking at, well. it's kind of depressing at times. and even less exciting than looking at a slew of granny houses? shopping for mortgages. and bickering with Penn-DOT.

so. i feel like i'm on the verge of awesomeness in my shop. as soon as i have time. really. consider this your warning.

foot fetish

2006-05-25T15:11:00.000-04:00

The first warm/humid day has arrived here in Chicago, leaving me with the inspiration to buy some Summer Shoes! –

I am so excited! Being the bargain shopper that I am, only $9.99 can you believe it and they are cute! If my feet don’t swell and blister up - I may just have to go back for a second or a third pair at that price. I have been obsessed with women’s feet for the past 2 weeks. Looking at all women’s feet…on my way to and from work, lunch…. I can only hope it is over.
On the crafting home front I have started some socks to go along with my foot fetish. I have had longs dreams of knitting socks but never gotten the whole turn the heal thing. So I have found a pattern to knit them in the “flat” then add a after though heal and toe.The book that inspired this was twisted sister sock workbook! It’s wonderful that talks about dieing and spinning as well as kitting beautiful socks. I will let you know how that goes. Above is the photo of my start. I bought the hand died yarn off etsy this mother daughter team makes beautiful yarn and I am definitely going to buy a complimentary color for the heal and the toe. I hope everyone has a lovely Memorial Day weekend. I finally feel like spring/summer has arrived here in the lake area. But as I have learned in the past it could be just a joke.

where i work

2006-05-24T09:25:00.000-04:00

no, not my office. i thought i'd give you a sneak peak of where all the girlscantell magic happens. i used a singer 328k, circa 1961, for all my sewing, and, more recently, embroidering. it's a tank and i loooooove it. isn't it fun seeing other people's work spaces? i've begun the process of house-buying in south philly, and one of the major criteria i've been considering in my hunt is adequate space for my work area, so i can continue in my slow process of world domination via tote bags.
in other news, my work is now available not only in the world of e-commerce on etsy, but is also available in person (and online) soon at up in arms, the curiosity shoppe at fourth and south in philadelphia and at kebbie loves ken, a small funky shop in skaneatales, ny (that's upstate, i'm told). and i'll be represented in small form at the art star bazaar in olde city philadelphia this weekend, if you're in town, check it out. like i said. world domination via stripes and polka dots. ; )

lots of new schtuff

2006-05-03T10:46:00.000-04:00

okay, so i may just have to refer you all to my flickr page since i have so much new stuff. seriously. more silkscreening with erin and i've made a ton of totes, zip pouches, purses, etc. it's been awesome. here's hoping they sell quickly on etsy. things have been going well there lately.
last night, i had my first etsy related injury - i was cutting bookmarks and business cards on the coffee table with an exacto, and i suffered the worst exacto cut i've ever had. i stabbed myself clear in the leg - about my mid thigh. i thought about photographing it (gross, but true) so i could share it with the etsy-world, most of whom i know could sympathize with injuring ones own limbs to promote their shops, but decided not to. plus, it was bleeding profusely and chris would have really thought i was actually insane. i mean, he suspects it, but photographing the gash in my leg might have pushed it over the top. suffice to say it's a doozy. but it's just a leg. it'll heal. and, as chris always says, my legs are tanks (sort of) from all my running, so i'm sure it'll be okay in due time. and now i'm seriously considering hiring somewhere to print and cut my promo materials. ick.

so, to recap - i'll probably be around at first fridays this week (may 5).
may 6 - whole foods craft fair on south / 10th - all afternoon.
may 7 - society hill synagogue - all day.

see you then!

Long days

2006-04-26T10:34:00.000-04:00

Long days

The days here in Chicago are long. I am not sure if it is the time difference or what but I feel like the days go on forever. I am busier then I have ever been with work which makes me sad at times because my personal creating time has significantly diminished but I find that I can steal moments here and there to day dream about the creative things that I want and will do some day.
My camera is a gift that I retrieve creative energy from, for it only takes a small moment to snap the button but the image can capture a feeling or energy forever. Above is a photo I took last week at lunch. I have been knitting in Daley plaza which is conveniently located across from my office. Tulips are my favorite flowers and the square has been in full bloom

I have a hard time parting with the creative things I make, unless its art work, for some reason I have never thought my painting or drawings were good enough to keep so most of the time they are given away to family members. As for my fiber arts well I have been trying to get my etsy shop set up what 6 months and it just isn’t happening. That is my goal for the month of May is to post at least 5 things by the end of the month. That’s a reasonable goal I think.

This is a satchel bag that I made out of recycled fabric from a dress that I found at the Salvation Army. I loved the fabric at first glance, just my color and style maybe that is why I had to keep the bag once it was finished. It has been very handy for my travels back and forth to work, although it is not very professional I have really enjoyed it. Three inside pockets and two out side always allow me to feel like I have lost something only to find it hiding in one of the other 4 pockets and it always seam like there is room for just one more thing.

oh, snap!

2006-04-24T17:05:00.000-04:00

featured again! and, like a true nerd, i was sure to snap a screenshot so i could share with all of you devoted fans of the queen bee blog. this time the girlscantell piece is in the bottom left-hand corner.
so, yep. another friday made awesome by the nice boys of etsy admin. and, what made this even sweeter is that the bag actually sold! sweet! after all, that is the point of being featured, no? i convo'ed jared to thank him for choosing the bag, and he said that he chose it because it was made from a skirt and turned into a purse, and reuse was the theme for the day. i'm still hoping he'll pick the dino iPod cover he hearted as a featured item soon.
so that's that. i've been a busy busy person preparing for the craft shows and still trying to update the shop 4 or 5 times a week. this is hard work! but i love it, so i don't mind. it's probably the best second job ever!

where to put your money

2006-04-19T10:48:00.000-04:00

at the BIG ART SHOW in west philly at the beginning of the month, i got to meet fun local artists and mingle and sell (mostly lip balm and potholders... odd, but whatever) stuff. but i go a great custom order for a wallet from a really sweet local jewelry artist. it was probably the most flattering custom order (or order in general) yet, as i wanred her i'd not ever made a wallet, but she had confidence that i could and would make one she liked. sweet! i'm always up for a challenge, so i was ecstatic. and above is the result! i really liked making it. i might have to make one for myself now (i bought a new wallet, but am slightly less than thrilled with it). i don't know why i have such issues making things for myself, but i just don't like to keep my own things. am i a freak? (yes, but not as much a freak as tomcat.
so yeah, that, and i've begun posting sales for my shop on myspace - to kind of test out how many people pay attention to these things, and to sort of reward people for wading through countless stupid bulletins. add me to your friends!

On my LIST!!

2006-04-18T00:10:00.000-04:00

list person... I feel like I have always been a list person. Although I have noticed it more since I have made the transition to Chicago. I keep a note pad next to my desk and in my bag; when my mind starts to wonder and I dream of doing things other then my current task - I jot it down. Not a bad thing I guess, it is just something I have noticed lately. I keep a list of what I want to do, what I need to do as well as what I am going to do. Tonight I am catching up on my craft documentation as well as a few less fun things. I have a hard time getting a lot done since I work until 7 or so every night! Yuck!!

Any way…. Above is a little hat that I knitted a few weeks ago, it actually ended up a fairly big hat when I took it off the needles. It was fun and fast, I did my own pattern so it came out a little cone shaped, but still wearable. I worked with splashing colors (not the technical term of course) – which was fun and easier then I though it would be.

I have also posted a bag that I made for a girl who lives in Louisiana; it is a dipper bag with lots of pockets. I worked off of the Amy Butler Nappy bag Pattern. It was fun. I am not very good at following directions so it was a challenge but, I think it turned out fairly dead on. I even surprised my self. I may have to make a few more now that I know what I am doing. –

I also want to share this web site I found called Local Harvest; it allows you to find local farmers selling things they have grown/made. I really like the wool and fibers page! When I get my first “real” paycheck I just might have to buy some. I would love to work with dieing my own yarn as well as spinning, which I have tried but have never had success. Okay… see you in a few days. (I promise) shm

i have a new hero

2006-04-13T16:30:00.000-04:00

my friend, erin, is fantastic. she's just the bees knees, seriously. so when she offered to let me use her silkscreen set up to do some projects on, i was soooooo psyched. i can't even begin to tell you.
here's an example of what we did on our first adventure in making together. pretty sweet, if you ask me. the deer is a drawing katrina did, erin helped me screen it, and i sewed it up into a tote. there's some excellent collaboration!
the green has kind of a vinyl-y backing, with green something woven on top of it, so it's super sturdy. and the pink is just sweet. i lerv it. lerv, lerv, lerv.
i'm going to go into super-maker-mode again this weekend, as i prep for two upcoming craft shows - one at whole foods on may 6, one at the society hill synagogue may 7.
fingers crossed for productivity!

dear windy city,

2006-04-13T13:49:00.000-04:00

what have you done to my crafty friend? have you sucked out her creative juices?
will you tell her to post? this crafty lady misses seeing her stuff!

:)

dino-rific!

2006-04-05T14:11:00.000-04:00

hello! we've had some crazy, mixed up weather here in philly. it wants to be spring so badly, but then it snows like crazy for 10 minutes before it's sunny and april again. bleh.
i had the BIG ART SHOW on satruday (i don't know why it merits caps to me, but it does. i guess it's cause it's called the BIG art show, as opposed to medium sized art show...). it was excellent. sold lots of queen bee balm (original as well as new and improved). sold lots of potholders (weird, i wasn't expecting that) and got a custom order, which is awesome.

this little guy was posted for sale on etsy yesterday, and jared, one of the admin's, has him flagged as one of his personal favorites, which rocks. didn't sell iPod covers much at the show, which struck me as weird, but whatever. maybe they'll sell on may 6 at the whole foods craft show?

more good stuff to come! including more info on the NEW and IMPROVED QBB!

best friday ever!

2006-03-24T14:55:00.000-05:00

i can't tell you how excited i was to learn this morning that my "iPod cover of the month club" was chosen as a featured item on the front page of etsy this morning. (that's it in the top left corner on the screen shot... kinda hard to see here, but trust me, it's a GCT item!)

i was SUPER excited. beyond excited. it had to be the best feeling ever.

my only beef with it (can vegetarians use that expression? well, i just did...) is that it's the most expensive thing in my shop - so i hope that doesn't deter customers - i hope no one think i'm selling SINGLE iPod covers for that! part of the reason i started to make covers is because i was too cheap to buy one and think paying more than $15 is scandalous!
but in any case, that's the news here in philly for today. here's hoping it's a great weekend, and also that i get a sale from it (since i've yet to get one).

shanna is the hat making queen! rachel wore a hat by her yesterday (rachel is the queen of wearing hat and scarves, in my opinion). i'm still too chicken to start one, although i did make myself learn how to knit in the round (on double-pointeds) a few weeks ago, so i'm slowly overcoming those fears. whew. it looks great! what a great cause!

:)
cheers! happy friday!

Rolled Brim Chemo Cap

2006-03-22T19:12:00.000-05:00

I knitted up this hat as a trial for a Chemo Cap for Head Hugger, which is a great organization who gathers hats, for those who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy. I tried this pattern out from a list that they had. I think it came out nicely, although I think it could be a little longer to cover my ears. It was fun to make and easy.

Today I went to the local thrift store and found a bunch of fabric that I am going to try and use to start my etsy shop! So stay tuned I will post a few here and at my shop which is called FreckledFuzz so stay tuned. By the way I got a new job so no more interviews for me (whaoo!) …. Now I get to go back to work! Crafting will have to be a night time activity!

busy, busy bee

2006-03-22T09:34:00.000-05:00

i've been hard at work here in philadelphia... i made a new batch of queen bee balm last week, and it's been doing quite well.
and i've been preparing for two upcoming craft shows: the big art show in west philadelphia on april 1 and a craft show at whole foods on south street (at 10th) on saturday, may 6.
so i've been sewing like a fiend lately. i haven't gotten a chance to take many pictures (but i will), but this is just a one of the goodies i've made so far. more to follow, i promise.

Interview Pro

2006-03-17T14:20:00.000-05:00

Not really…… I have been interviewing at architecture firms in the city of Chicago. I have had 4 interviews in the last 2 days and I feel like I could be reaching pro status. Even though I have already had my resume case brake and a pop quiz in my chair sketching abilities, it has been nerve racking but fairly enjoyable. Maybe next week I can start some where, I have my fingers crossed any way, but until then I will craft and chill.

I did quite a bit of sewing before I started interviewing. Above is a new wallet that I made for my self. I have always hated all the wallets that are available in department stores, they just never have the lay out exactly like I want so…. I made my own. It is made from some scraps that I had; I think it turned out quite nicely.

Great Job on the new queen bee balm, I am so excited to get some! I wish I could have been there to help arrange the tins and concocted it with you, I can’t believe the beaker cracked, good save!

oh, it's back. soooo back.

2006-03-17T12:54:00.002-05:00

more queen bee balm! back by popular demand!
we just couldn't get enough of our original blend of queen bee balm, so despite living in two different time zones, we made more. shanna was totally there in spirit. it was quite an adventure, as the vessel we usually use to double boil the wax sort of, um, exploded, but luckily it exploded early into the process, so i was able to transfer the contents (at that point, just a block of unmelted wax) into a new container (RIP, 6 cup pyrex measuring cup, it was fun using you for cooking, but no more... you've been sacrificed to the QueenBee gods of balm). after that i was uneventful, if not boring, since my partner in balm wasn't there to giggle (or drink beer and eat pizza) with. boo.

but, it's done. so go gets yours, since we've done and run out of wax, so this will be the last of it til we get around to ordering more... oh, and you can get Queen Bee Balm at UpInArms in taos, NM, if you ever find yourself in that neck of the woods, as they recently received their shipment...

i've got more stuff to post, too. new bags, since my sewing machne is totally back, thanks to mazzola's repair, in south philly. even if he called me sharon all morning, the man is my hero, fixing my bobbin case like it was no one's business.

Out and about....

2006-03-10T17:52:00.000-05:00

Today my main goal was to pick up some 11x17 paper for my portfolio. It was an ordeal that took all day. The weather was beautiful here today, 50’s and sunny, a nice change from the rain! I walked to Office Depot to find the paper; I took this photo along the way, just out side my apartment. I had a wonderful walk even though my trip was not a success. I did how ever find a Mega Salvation Army store, which had 3 floors worth of craziness. I did not buy any thing - but it was fun to look.

After walking back I got on the computer and found the paper at a Comp USA. Which was down town on the corner of Michigan Avenue, I don’t know what I was thinking but I drove downtown at rush hour to get my paper. It an enlightening experience, but a successful one.

When you move to a new city the simple undertaking of finding paper becomes an adventure!

Portfolio Hu? Oh I do that Tomorrow!

2006-03-09T11:17:00.000-05:00

So After sending 19 resumes out on Tuesday I took Wednesday for my self and I finally got my sewing machine out of it's dusty case! My Granny bought me a brand new Singer a few years a go and I must say I have only used it a few times, but yesterday was “The Singers” big Day! I sewed from Noon to 6:00 – that is 6 good hours of creating! I must say I had to pull out the manual to remind my self how to load the bobbin, but it all went well and I created 2 new things. One, a new curtain to go under the sink, since we do not have any cabinet doors to hide all the products that we keep (I won’t get into it that). The other which I am SUPPER excited about is a Needle keeper for all my Knitting Stuff! Check it out and see what you think. I used some fabric that I had laying around from my Shopping trip with Sara and a few other Dagit Saylor samples, I believe I am very pleased with the out come!

some words of wisdom...

2006-03-07T10:49:00.000-05:00

got some words of wisdom from a, um, wise person today.. those words were:
ball fringe.
yeah.
that's right. so don't be surprised when everything in my etsy shop from now on is infected with it. don't be all "where'd this come from?" or "what's with the ball fringe?". because this is your warning.
when someone imparts such wisdom, my friends, you should never turn a deaf ear. even if you're wearing pretty earrings.
ball fringe bandwagon, here i come.

foiled again by...

2006-03-06T16:15:00.000-05:00

white shirts.
why can't i just be a normal person who has the ability to wear a white shirt without spilling or squirting or writing on or staining it in some way?
damn you, white shirts.
one day i will conquer you and your stain-attracting ways.

the "knitting" bag

2006-03-06T10:54:00.002-05:00

our dear friend j-me, one of the incredible people behind in my pants and mastermind of a philadelphia story, is no knitter. but she's a frequent attendee at our stitch-n-bitch sessions, and we love her for bringing a whole bevy of fashion magazines instead of yarn and needles.
so, in going through a pile of clothes that i was procrastinating giving to goodwill, i decided to reuse one of my favorite teeshirts. j-me's posted a great photo on her blog, so i swiped it to repost here. so this is her custom-made "knitting" bag.

Moving Sucks-

2006-03-06T10:51:00.000-05:00

Hi- Hi – I finally got around to posting! Wahoo! With the whole move I have been so out of the loop so to speak. Yet I have been thinking about the Queenbeeblog (No I have not forgotten). I wanted my first post in my new city to be a Chicago photo, but seeing that I am going on 3 days with out leaving my apartment, I figured that I should go ahead and post something else. So you are looking at a baby blanket that I am working on for my friend Amy, she is due next week, so needless to say it will not be finished for the new baby girls arrival in to this wonderful world, but I have made it a primary goal to get it done as soon as possible. This is my own design and my friend Amy has always had a thing for the color purple. I love all colors therefore I figured why not go crazy cute with colors! It may also help the little one learn her colors when that time comes. Sara is surely passing me up on the whole etsy movement- but I am working that way really! I will try and post a few other things I am knitting here later in the week!

Ps. Sara I love the new I-pod cover of the month club, you rock! What a great idea!!!!

for my favorite biker lady:

2006-03-04T17:54:00.000-05:00

etsy has a great feature called alchemy - where if you just can't find something you really want, you can post a listing and crafters on etsy make bids on creating the item for you.
my first foray into the great world of etsy was a pleather biker bag for divinitydesigns.etsy.com. first, i should begin by saying it was fated from the start, as i had literally been trying to think of something awesome to do with a yard of pleather i had lying about the day before. so i answered her bid and we knew we both had the same idea of what the bag should be.
so i went over to fabric row, and nervously selected what would be a cotton lining. i wanted something bright, so she could find things easily when she was out, and something fun, because it was a one of a kind bag, and i wanted it to look it! so i found some great circle-printed fabric, in what i was happy to hear are harley colors. so divinitydesigns was thrilled, and i was excited for the challenge.
so i cut and sewed and then did some seamripping (i can't finish anything without changing my mind or making some silly oversight and needing my wonderful seamripper... well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but i still love that little tool...) and them more sewing.
then i took pictures, and sent them off, via etsy messages (with the added "add image" feature just in place) for approval. and i got glowing responses, so i continued. then i finished the shell and the lining, so i requested divinitydesigns take a measurement for a strap length. and so i did the strap and finished the bag. i sent more pictures, so she'd know what to expect, and she makes me blush with her compliments.
and mailed it and waited, still nervous, even though i knew she already loved it from the pictures, but it was my first custom order, so i wanted all to go well before i patted myself on the back.
and the bag arrived, and my awesome customer is at bike week as we speak, and is still raving about my bag every chance she gets. i'm just so thrilled she liked it and that i got to do something useful with the pleather! what a perfect deal!

so, that's the bag. the awesome, alchemy biker chic bag. woohoo!

never before seen...

2006-03-04T17:41:00.000-05:00

since our internet here at the apartment is actually pretty speedy today, i'll take full advantage and post some projects that aren't for sale on etsy, but that i was pleased with just the same...
this is the iPod mini cover i knitted for brian in the office, for his pink mini. i was especially pleased with the fact that i made the stripes vertical, not that that is any special achievement, but i really liked it.
i think i need to start bugging shanna about blogging! i know they have internet now in their new place! hmm... maybe with the change in time zones, she forgot all about the queenbeeblog... :)

the newest thing i have cooking up at etsy is an iPod cover of the month club! i have seen a couple people sell a lip balm of the month, notecard of the month or other things, but i've never seen an iPod cover of the month, so hopefully it'll catch on. i mean, who wants their iPod in the same outfit in winter as in august? seasonality! plus, if you happen to forget someone's birthday, but receive your trusty cover in the mail, instant present! and i think i priced them reasonably - the reason i started making covers in the first place was because it was ridiculously hard to find one for less than $20, much less one i liked. so i think my covers solve that dilemma nicely... go check out girlscantell.etsy.com!

stomach viruses rock!

2006-03-03T12:56:00.000-05:00

so, since i was struck with some terrific stomach flu, or something wretched like that on tuesday, i spared my coworkers and stayed home wednesday (i would hate to have been responsible for a whole office feeling as miserable as i did) and i spent the day alternately on the couch watching bad movies and at my sewing machine.
and i finally created a needle roll specifically to sell on etsy. i'd made my first for missy for christmas, then i got all jealous and wanted one for myself, so i made a too-cute orange with the black polka-dot lining one to keep, then bethany came over the other night and i sweatshopped myself out and made her one... so after everyone urged me to do it, i've finally posted one available to the masses. i have to admit, the fabric is so cute, i just love it. it's animals prancing around, then it's lined with this super-soft brown fabric with a slight sheen to it and a really lightweight tealish/blue, and the pockets are a great soft hunter corduroy. it will probably be kind of sad to see it go, since i don't have more of many of the fabrics and it really is one of a kind, but i'm sure some happy knitter will give it a good home.

until i get around to it...

2006-02-22T16:18:00.000-05:00

well, i have photos of a couple recent adventures in craft that i need to post, but until then, enjoy the hilarity that happens every single day (really, it's impressive!) at youknitwhat!?!

and soon there'll be pretty pictures. promise.

inspiration strikes!

2006-02-17T10:47:00.000-05:00

last night i got home from work, and felt really inspired, for some reason. so i broke out my trusty sewing machine, and got to work...
and created a purse from an old favorite skirt that's just too big on me now (yeah, i'm high fiving myself as i write this...) with vintage (oh, my mom's gonna be pissed if she reads that i refer to her old fabric as vintage... but i think it is... it's more than 25 yrs old...) polka dot lining.
it was so fun to do! tonight i hope to make another knitting needle case to sell next week. i just want fun stuff in my etsy shop. and i have so many ideas, i need to get going on them!
so, that's all for now. hopefully i'll have a productive weekend...

oh so etsy...

2006-02-15T17:48:00.000-05:00

girlscantellcard
Originally uploaded by selepouchinest.

i've created a simple little card for my etsy shop, girlscantell. here it is!
i've offered to compile a list of etsyians who want to exchange these cards to include them in purchases they mail to customers... free advertising!
if you have an etsy shop and you're interested, send me a message via etsy or craftster!

wooohooo! crossin' somethin' off my big to-do list.
i'm such a list nerd it's ridiculous...

batch number two...

2006-02-13T09:59:00.000-05:00

so, we got together last night at the 11th st. lab, despite the blizzardy weather, and created a couple new batches of balm. we finished the tins we promised to up in arms, in taos NM, and have a handful more for consumption by the masses (and by masses, we mean you. have you bought some balm yet?)
this weekend was pretty productive for me, in terms of crafty endeavors, as i finished (or nearly finished) my first alchemy bid - a pleather messenger bag for a lovely harley-loving lady in florida... pictures to follow soon. and i knitted a pink iPod cozy with gray stripes (i'll probably get around to posting a picture of it, too, as i really liked the vertical stripes...) for brian's pink mini, start to finish, on friday night when i was at my parents' house, watching sex & the city.
so, to recap: blizzards = lots of time for making things out of pleather, making iPod cases for coworkers and making lots and lots of lip balm. wheeeee!

HangOvers Rock!

2006-02-10T16:50:00.000-05:00

I must start off my saying I have gone out on the town every night this week (besides Tuesday night when I stayed in to watch Kentucky loose to Tennessee, which was a miserable experience) Every night has involved hanging out with friends I have made here inPhiladelphia, drinking as much as possible.

The High Lights of my week were Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights!
Monday I went to Woddy's a wonderfully establishment that has Karaoke up stairs- Best Monday night Fun in the city!!! Wednesday as so much fun- Rachel had a happy hour in my honor at her apartment which was so cute! My great friends at that office of Dagit Saylor chipped in make sure I had a great night! They even remembered my Fav. Beer A DirtyHO. The photo above is from the Party. Rachel has an amazing collection of scarves and every one enjoyed trying them on! Thursday night was a 5 course meal at the very Fancy Restaurant of Gayle (617 S. Third St) with my good friend Sydney Stewart. It was her birthday, My going away and Valentines all raped in one! Friday is my last crazy happy hour, with my Husband's office at Sugar Moms, luckily it is steps from my apartment.

I shove off in my little ford escort, which I call "The Buger" (because its green) with two cats, Roy and Lucy at my side, for the 12 hour endeavor to Cicero, Indiana.

Now I am Off to Get Smashed for the Fifth night in a row!
HangOvers Rock !!