4/30/2008

i want it !


i saw this amazing needlepoint pillow in a magazine spread and told my co-worker how much i loved it. today she sent me the link to buy it and if i could justify spending $165 on a pillow i would get it in a heartbeat. i'm sure my cat would use it as a scratching post and you know my place just isn't all that fancy. but isn't it just lovely? that jonathan adler, he's so good.

lists

I've always wanted to do a post where I just list stuff I'm doing and into but it feels so self-indulgent. I guess that's sort of what blogging is all about though. And I love it when blogs I read post these sorts of things, lists are good. So says this guy and I agree.

what i'm watching
On the very painful and slow day after my birthday celebration I mustered enough energy to walk to the couch and sit in front of the TV. I was grateful for my roommate’s good taste in movies and addiction to netflixing tv series because it was thanks to her that I discovered Shameless. Shameless is a BBC series full of that dark, sick humor I just love the Brits for. I had to watch the first couple of shows with sub-titles since the cockney accents are so hard to decipher at first. I hadn't felt so good about not being able to leave the couch in a long while.

what i'm listening to
Admitting I just started listening to Pandora sort of feels the same as saying I just discovered what friendster was, but I don't care. I'm obsessed with tuning into my own Pandora stations while I work. Except I need some new suggestions- all my stations end up having similar songs. I'm tempted to put in some 80's metal but I'm afraid of what songs it will get stuck in my head.

what i'm reading

Just started two books The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Letham, which is just the big meaty long novel I've been looking to sink my paws into and a the much lighter, quick read The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. Just finished At A Crossroads: Between a Rock and my Parents Place by Kate T. Williamson which made me want to pick up A Year in Japan.

what i'm inspired by right now

Warm Weather and people who can make cakes that look like this:



amazing cake and photos by Heidi Kenny, water color by Kate T. Williamson.

4/28/2008

summer in the city



Vote for Softies!


All of the judges have picked their top 5 softies in each of the categories and voting has now begun! It wasn't easy picking out only 5 of the softies in the pink or plaid category but I tried to get a good cross section. It's fun to vote and really quick so head on over and vote without worrying that one of these adorable plushies will keep us in war for the next 10 years or ruin our economy.. Click here to cast your ballot.

4/26/2008

open studios and another summer weekend


It's open studios here in the Mission this weekend, and with 80 degree weather expected today and tomorrow there's no reason to not get out out there and be all voyeuristic in other peoples art spaces. Last night Molly and I checked out Active Space and visited Helen's fantastic new fabric shop, Whiz Bang Fabrics. It's so cool to see people you know open new spaces and do so well what they've always had their heart set on accomplishing. I love me some Mission Fabric Outlet, but I'm thrilled there's a place right around the corner from me (owned by a friend!) where I can get beautiful, good quality fabric. Be sure to swing by Whiz Bang and welcome Helen to the neighborhood!



WhizBang Fabrics (@ Active Space)
3150 18th st Suite 113 (on Treat @ 18th)


treat this as fiction

In my writing group we have this 'rule' when giving feedback where we address the narrator of our stories as someone we don't know, even if it's in the first person. Sometimes it trips me up, but in the end it's always nicer to hear feedback in a more objective way, even when we know the voice is that of the person reading it. Is that confusing? Well Chris probably says it best when he tells people in his writing classes 'remember to treat this as a piece of fiction and not a personal essay'. Below is a piece I wrote recently and while I'm pretty happy with it I really hesitated to put it up here, it's poetry and I always feel bad about people reading this who may not want to read my poetry. Another one of my of my favorite things I've heard recently was an old interview with Donald Hall, he was talking about his wife dying of cancer and the poetry he wrote during that time in his life. He said 'It's perfectly OK to lie in poetry, except this isn't a lie'. I loved that, because you really never know what's true and what's not in poems and we all take some serious license when writing them. At least I do... so feel free to treat this one as fiction..oh and laugh too, it's supposed to be funny. ,

I’m tired of this story before it even begins
but here it is again, same plot different setting
instead of beer and whiskey
there was wine and cheap champagne
it was too late on a Sunday night
I should have been getting ready for bed
instead I was sitting in front of a backyard bonfire
my clothes gathering smoke

there was no wood left to burn so we tore up old New Yorkers and fashion magazines, they gave a bright blaze that quickly died
and I should have taken that as some sort of sign
instead
I hit play

rode along as the night blurred to morning
and here I am again
same boy different face
his egg shell skin covered in familiar black and red tattoos
the uneven ink tracing every tragic story
new frame, same wounds

it was a long night with no sleep
and all we shared the next day was tired
I entertained the thought of seeing him again
because I liked him, the way he kissed, the things he said,
the weight of his body curling up against mine

I’ve heard this one before
and I swear my vagina feels like the Statue of Liberty some days
give me your tired,
your broken,
homeless,
unemployed
they can rest here
don’t need to pay rent,
bring flowers,
respond to messages
because I get it, get these poor huddled masses broken at my feet
here’s a place to lift your sprits
so you can walk away strong and rested
ready to head for the shore of some other city
while I say, ‘that’s cool- see you around’

Not anymore
I’m closing for repairs
I’m remodeling
the pope is visiting
and I need a new paint job

4/21/2008

30 seconds

One of the few things I truly miss about working in a political, non-profit organization like the one I spent 7 years at, is how aware the people I worked with were about what was going on in their cities and governments. It forced me to be a part of the conversation, do my homework, and seek out alternate sources for news. There was an excitement there about what was going on in our world. This was especially true around election times, candidates were talked about, their policies and voting records-- people took pride in knowing these things. Sure there was a naive idealism in that place at times, and maybe I got too jaded to keep it up, but I still miss being around people that challenge my opinions and views like the people I worked with at that place. Not that I don't work with brilliant people now-- it's just not part of our job to be up on current affairs, so we don't talk about politics much at work.

MoveOn.org is doing another advertising contest for the Presidential election, this one is called Obama in 30 Seconds. It's worth heading over there and seeing all of the entries, and pretty moving that so many people are motivated by this election. Truthfully, I still don't know if I prefer Hillary over Obama, but just give me a democrat and I'll be happy.

4/18/2008

Cozy Friday . .

I promise I'm not turning into a Friday blogger...

One of my favorite authors just sent me the link to this great short below, it's supposed to be cold in SF this week, so maybe this will inspire a little crafting!



And today is the last day to enter the Softie Awards!!

4/11/2008

happy friday!


I just loved this dress made from those reusable Whole Foods bags. Saw it at A Dress A Day.

Also two of my favorite ladies have some exciting new things happening on the world wide internets. Molly Meng has opened up an Etsy shop! Now you can buy her wonderful art no matter where you live. Check it out here.

And Molly's sister, Kaari of French General fame has started a blog where she shares some beautiful pieces from her collections, interesting bits of history and loads of inspiration. To check it out click here.

Go Meng sisters go!

4/10/2008

Softie Awards!


The second Annual Softie Awards have begun! Even if you're not a Softie maker be sure to stop by Softies Central and the flickr group for the contest to see all of the amazing entries so far. I'm thrilled to be a judge for the awards again and I'm even more excited that I get to judge the 'Pink & Plaid' category! The other fun categories include Picnic Food, Elephant Tribute, Cutest Face, and Embroidered to Death.

Theresa Laskey is the brains behind the very popular contest. Terry wrote the book Softies which I had the pleasure to work on. The Softies Kit is also out now and it's just as adorable as the book. We had lots of fun promoting the book, if you haven't seen it yet be sure to watch the Softies movie that Andrew and I made. And if you're interested in entering the awards you have two weeks, so start stitching!

Also that little gem up there is a birthday present from Sarah. Sarah said her name was 'little princess' which of course made me exclaim 'Just like me!'

4/09/2008

a project for all of us. .


The last two times I've been to my local bookstore I've noticed the same book, both times I have spent a good amount of time with it and if it were not for the high price point (and my self imposed allowance) I would have bought it by now. I will own it one day. It's called The Full Body Project and it is a beautiful black and white photography book full of images of women in sizes we don't normally see naked. This last time I picked up the book I realized to my utter shock that all of the photos were taken by Leonard Nimoy, who you might remember as Spock from Star Trek. I was shocked, but delighted at this discovery. I was even more delighted at reading part of his preface: "The average American woman weighs 25 percent more than the models selling the clothes. There is a huge industry built up around selling women ways to get their bodies closer to the fantasy ideal. Pills, diets, surgery, workout programs. . . . The message is You don't look right. If you buy our product, you can get there."

Let me tell you why I think this book is so beautiful and so very important, I know too many women who have body issues, actually I've met very few women in my 32 years who don't think something isn't wrong with them, and that things would be better if they could finally lose that ten pounds, tighten up their abs, fit into a smaller pair of jeans, get something tucked, pulled, waxed, or cut. Apologies for stepping on my soap box, but if there's one thing I could give every woman it would be more self confidence. I've written about this here before, but why oh why is it so hard for women to love themselves and the way they look? And instead of talking about how fat we feel and how big our hips are in front of one another why can't we start talking about how much we love our bodies? Tell each other how good we look and really mean it? The best thing a friend ever said to me when I mentioned I wanted to lose some weight was 'But I like the way you look". It stayed with me because it was so easy for her to say and I knew she meant it. Why can't we give each other that positive reinforcement more often?

I know this, that at 32 years I love myself more than I ever have, and that includes the way I look. Do I want to lose weight and get more fit? Certainly, but I'm not beating myself up about it. And no matter what my size I'm loving myself. And seriously, thinking about that makes me feel better than any size 2 pair of jeans ever could.

In case you haven't been there yet one of my daily reads that is still snarky and smart but totally aware and responsible is Jezebel. They trash talk but also made a pact on their site this year to not criticize celebrities (men and women) for how fat or skinny they are.

Also totally inspiring was seeing Jamie Lee Curtis (god love her) go off on Oprah about the aging process and women's issues. link.

4/07/2008

still recovering.


i had a long tiring week that led up to a wonderful birthday party on saturday. it was Molly's b-day yesterday and so we had one big party for both of us. so many flowers, so many great friends, so much dancing late into the night. smart me took the day off work today and i'm just now starting to feel like myself again. bought myself some birthday presents and now i'm about to tackle the aftermath of the party in my house. the very best part of the party? the amazing photo studio Chris set up in the spare room. as a good friend said while he was watching people get their picture taken, it was so neat to see people's alter egos come out as they posed for their pictures. here are a few- hopefully the subjects won't mind me displaying them here.

this one of me was taken during the day when Chris was setting up the 'studio'. it seemed appropriate to put on my strawberry sweater for this photo.


the other birthday girl and one of her many fans.


chris, the brains behind the studio.

4/01/2008

ben's Etsy shop


Yay! One of my favorite people and favorite artists, Ben Minter, just opened up an Etsy shop. And he's selling his artwork super cheap, so be sure to buy it all up before I convince him to raise his prices!
Click here to go there.