Can you believe that these are Crocs! Crazy, right?
I was looking for some cute but comfortable wedges for the summer when low and behold I saw these on Endless.com. Within 24 hrs they were on my feet. They don’t disappoint. They’re super comfortable and super lightweight. The height is ideal and there are 3 other colors to chose from. Who knew that comfort AND style could come from a pair of Crocs!
I picked up a new cd this week and as soon as I listened to it in the car I knew right away that this will get played a lot this summer. It’s by the french alternative band called Phoenix. Not to worry the lyrics aren’t actually in french. Their latest album is called Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and its a great mix of songs for a long run or interstate road trip.
It’s the kind of fun, pop-rock that I love. I won’t attempt to critique it but if you’re looking for a good review you can check this one out from Pitchforkmedia.com. I purchased my copy at Target for only $9.99.
Other favorite bands at the moment:
Elbow, Glasvegas, Matt & Kim, Kings of Leon
Wow…where has the time gone. It’s been a while but we’ve finally been able to share big news with friends and family that a baby Buscher is on the way. YAY! 24 more weeks to go.
Once I learning the news of Baby B my first reaction after realizing I need to stop binge drinking and chain smoking (only kidding) was what can I make for this little girl or guy to be. We wouldn’t know the sex of the baby for a few weeks so I started with a sweater since I’d made one before for a friend’s baby shower.
It’s funny how you don’t realize something until it’s right in front of you and that happened for me the other night. I’ve been working on this little number. I like the yarn and the tight weave of the pattern makes for a nice, chunky effect. I thought the color combination is pretty neutral and could work for a boy or a girl.
Magi Knit yarn by James C. Brett
Once we started moving a few things around in the kitchen to accomodate some new appliances (let the nesting begin) I noticed something about our kitchen rug that I hadn’t noticed before…
OMG…the colors of the rug and the yarn are almost identical! It’s one thing to have a matching scarf and gloves but how often does someone say their kid matched the kitchen rug. Hum…I may have to rethink this one or get a new rug.
Anyway, since the word is out, it’s so great to finally be able to talk about it. So, for any of you that follow mommy blogs or mommy-to-be blogs if there are a few that I should add to my Google Reader, I’m love to hear about them.
Today I visited Simplicity.com to check out some summer sewing patterns when I got completely sidetracked by their lastest sewing gadget. It’s a bias tape maker. Bias tape is often used to finish edges on quilts and hide seams. Naturally, I exclaimed…”oh, I want that” but then I saw the price tag. $99.99!
I’ve tried making bias tape the old-fashioned way with an iron and this little tool. It definitely takes some finessing but for the handful of times I need to make it I’m not sure this tool is worth it. Please let me know if you’ve seen or read any reviews on this product.
Bias Tape Maker
This weekend while running some errands we decided to head to Design Within Reach in the Central West End. Although we’ve been to the website many times we haven’t actually been in the local store. We tried out a few chairs one of them being the classic Womb chair. Not really in our price range but still a very cool piece.
Bubble Saucer Wall Sconce
While browsing through the lighting section the sales associate told us about their floor sample sale. Low and behold we saw this beauty! It’s called the Bubble Saucer Wall Sconce. It’s a reproduction of a George Nelson design created by Modernica.
I really liked it in the store but now that it’s at home and hanging from the wall, I love it! It’s a modern classic that we’ll have around for quite some time and at 75% off it was steal! Man, I love a great sale.
Well, I went a little nutty during the grand opening of a new Joann store last weekend. The store was by no means in the neighborhood but the extra drive was well-worth the trip.
I came away with two new dress patterns, and plenty of fabric. I’ve made a couple of skirts in the past but haven’t really tried making a dress. At first, I found way too many patterns I liked so I reverted back to my plan which was to stick to something super simple and something that I will wear a lot!
So, Saturday morning I jumped all over the first pattern. It’s a simple a-line dress with pin-tucked detail in a stretch knit fabric.
Butterick pattern B5349
Review: This is one of the few times I’ve completed a project that worked out perfectly! There was no frustration or confusion in the directions even when it came to installing the invisible zipper. It was well illustrated and all the instructions were on ONE SINGLE PAGE! As we would say at work it was the ideal user experience! :)
The knit jersey fabric has a lot of stretch and is something I haven’t work with but once I tested out my thread tension and followed directions, it was a piece of cake.
I would say that the sizing of this pattern was a little on the big side but it’s intended to be a very loose fitting dress. To give it a little more shape I will likely wear it with a skinny belt which also helps to dress it up a bit. I would show a photo of me wearing it but I’m way to judgemental! It can also be dressed down and would make for a great swimsuit cover-up.
Now that I’m invigorated by a successful first attempt, I hope to work on the second dress sometime later this week. More progress to come.
This fabric started out as a 5 minute skirt but that pattern just didn’t seem to work out for me. Since the fabric is a lightweight lawn cotton I knew I wanted to make some kind of wearable item.
That’s when I went back to my favorite (and perhaps only) summer top pattern from the Built by Wendy collection. During the first attempt there were a few minor mishaps and the second attempt was much easier but the fabric choice was a little bland. This time around I shortened the length of the top and omitted the elastic around the arms.
I was definitely feeling inspired by all the cute tops during Spring Top Week on Made by Rae. There were some really adorable creations but my next wearable maybe a simple summer dress. I’m not sure which one it will be yet so if you have any suggestions, I’m all ears.
Earlier this week I read an article on nytimes.com about the growing trend of homemade ginger ale in bars and restaurants across the country. Being a huge fan of ginger ale and with the long holiday weekend ahead of me I though I would try and make my own.
I followed a recipe on simplerecipes.com. The only ingredients required are fresh ginger, sugar, lime, club soda and water. Seemed easy enough and it was!
I found that one package of fresh ginger purchased at Trader Joes was the right amount for the job. I didn’t have any club soda as the recipe suggests but I mixed it with Pellegrino (sparkling water) and it worked just fine. This is a very easy recipe that packs a lot of flavor. Whether you drink it alone or use it as a mixer for your next cocktail party it’s a refreshing choice for summer!
A while back Jason purchased some metal barrister bookcases (4 total). They’re from the 40’s & 50’s and were designed to protect books and paper documents during a fire. You can find them on Ebay and Craigslist but they often need some TLC. With the glass front they are ideal display cases. Another great feature is that they’re stackable and can be easily separated.
Before
It’s taken a while to get them all sanded, primed and painted but he’s almost done. Since they can be separated he decide to take one of the individual cases and turn it into a media cabinet. He build a wooden top (painted it to match the metal) and added some hairpin legs.
After
I think he did a really nice job and it looks great in our living room next to our other mid-century modern furniture. Well done!
Today is my husband’s birthday. I wanted to do something special this year so I planned ahead. As some of you may know we have a pretty eclectic art collection. Back in February, I contacted one of our favorite artists, Jason Limon, to create a small painting for Jason’s birthday.
I love the depth and detail in Limon’s work. So, for this piece the only direction I gave was that my husband loves blue and that his robot characters are his favorite!
Here’s the end result:
5in by 5in “9 Volt Heart” by Jason Limon
It came out perfectly and most importantly the hubby loves it.
Happy Birthday Sweetie!
