cooking dinner after work

apron
chopping
oil drizzle heating
afternoon breezes that smell like blossom
steam lifting the hair from your face
doors open
sipping wine and singing Rush songs to yourself
tasting garlic on your lips
stirring
add milk it becomes smooth
salt taste
low heat wait
for you to come home
dinner time

- a poem by kleja

more drawings

When I'm at work and can't focus this is what I do.
3 or 4 colored pencils and a whole lot of scrap paper make good therapy for my tired brain.

Thursday

this is what I look like today.

The reason I should buy stock in vacuum bags and what I've made recently

One true sign of spring is the sound of the vacuum cleaner ringing in my ears. This is usually something I do weekly but this time of year I don't even bother putting the vacuum away.

Yes the spring time brings many wonderful things ...

Cherry blossoms



Walks by the river



Rainy day gatherings at the park



But it also triggers every single hair on my Lab Chester to suddenly dive off his body. Get within a couple inches of the boy and your lovely outfit will have a protective layer of white dog hair which you can look forward to bringing along with you for the rest of the day. Monty, the Aussie, is also going through this seasonal shed but his hair is long and has a less needle like penetration effect on anything cloth. Fleece anything has pretty much been banned in this house. I guess that's not such a bad thing since fleece is apparently the 'what not to wear' fabric of the tres chic. So, is it uncool to say that my dog makes me more fashionable? Anyway, while I ponder that, here are some photos from the first de-fuzzing of springtime. This will be brush number 1 in an all-season effort to save vacuum cleaner bags and my back.

I will say this, so you're left with a warm fuzzy (pardon the pun) feeling. When I brush Chester outside I usually gather up what doesn't fly away in the wind and put it in the garbage. What does get whisked away , which is a lot, often reappears in the bird's nests around the yard. I think that's really neat and I love that the bird's little feather bodies are warmed my my big yellow dog Chester.










In other news... I finally got around to making a project from Lotta Jansdotter's new book
I decided to start with something I need, a new apron.











I used some of the vintage fabric I got while thrifting a few weeks ago. It's a very stylish and reversible apron. I almost want to wear it as part of my outfit outside the kitchen.

In Honor of the Earth, I am making cloth grocery bags with stylish appliques. I hope to sell these cheap in the shop. They are no frills bags with a big impact. I almost want to distribute them free but I'll leave that to those who can afford such philanthropy.








Happy Earth Day!

A Bag for Laura

Hey there, I just made a new bag and I think it turned out pretty neat!
It's going to Laura who I have been supplying with bags for Haircuts...she'd the best hair cutter around so it's really all in my favor.

Here's the new bag. If I can find some more Asian type silks I might make more like this. What do you think?

A poem for Monday

I love this one. It's not always easy to invite certain things into your life but leaving them out on the stoop will just make it harder to leave the house ... pretty soon you're going to run out of food and coffee :)

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

-- Jelaluddin Rumi,
translation by Coleman Barks

Fashion forward?

*UPDATED Again** see below

Ok, here in Spokane we're just slightly outside, like orbiting Saturn outside, the loop when it comes to fashion. Along the streets of Downtown Spokane you'll see various fleece items some with moose prints and some that look more like moose poop, retro demin (the kind you're not supposed to wear, you know pleats), 'Office' circa 1992 and something that I like to call homeless chic. Perhaps a photo essay is in order here, I'll see what I can do about that.

Anyway, I am so excited to announce that I, the homebody of all homebodies, am going to the Big Apple. That's right NYC! Eights days in May and I am soooooooooooooooo excited.

The dilemma, which isn't really a dilemma but there always has to be a dilemma, is ... what in the F&#$@%? am I going to wear?

So, here's the NYC fashion themed question for the day ...
Who's more ahead of the curve when it comes to fashion
London or New York?

* Here are some more "fashiony" type examples because the links above are really just street style. After looking at these sites I think that I'll blend in well as long as I don't wear any embroidered sweatshirts or Statue of Liberty foam hats.

London or New York (Paris and Milan are a whole other story don't you think?)

** I thought about taking this post down because who really cares about what I am going to wear in New York? I also don't want anyone to think that I don't think Londoners have style. I just thought it would be fun to look at some street fashion blog style.

Really, I don't think what I'm wearing in NYC is going to make one bit of difference but I might pick up an item or two to sport on the Spokane streets.

what I'm loving today

This post by Keri Smith is what I am loving today.
May you all speak the language of trees.

Also, please enjoy the notes from my project meeting today. k