on the road

The east has made me love road trips. I haven't really always hated them (our trips were always fun), but some of my vivid childhood memories of driving hours and hours in the west were mostly filled with hot sun on my face, fighting for space in the van, desert, tumbleweeds, and vomit.

Yes, I was one of those people. It still lingers, but I mostly grew out of my extreme carsickness after my senior year. My family had a whole system built around my motion sickness. Most important was communication. So many times I felt awful, but didn't want to say anything, because it would cause my parents to panic (and I was hoping it would go away), I hated the commotion and attention. But many times, I would wait to long, utter a feeble plea for more air, and then spew all over my sisters backpack. So I would try to voice my discomfort before I felt really awful, which then sent my parents into a panic anyways, but at least I could empty my breakfast on the side of the road, while my brother and sister plugged their ears, nose, and buried their faces in pillows. So there's some lovely morning thoughts for you.

That aside, we left for a lovely road trip this last weekend, off to visit family in Virginia. Our GPS seems to take us the most rural way possible, but I like it. We drove through so many towns and farms, I was snapping semi-blurry pictures from the car the whole time. I love farms. They are beautiful. Bales of hay, cows, horses, barns, I hardly dare to sleep. These road trips are full of wonderful things like impromptu thrift adventures, yard sales, ice cream dives, great music, giggles and great conversations while I sit with my feet on the dash.

This one was one of my favorites so far. More to come, see more pictures here.

weaver.

My weaving lessons have been going well, it's been fun to learn. I started working on a project (I can't show it all because it's a future gift) and now I'm able to work on it at home. The little loom I'm using is so cute. After the long set-up process, it really isn't too hard. I love the texture of weaving, the colors and optical mixing, there are so many different variations you can do.

This smaller simpler loom makes me appreciate how people would weave their own linens and fabric for their homes using much more complicated methods. Just the time involved is so overwhelming to think about! I do enjoy understanding a little more about history by learning these niche skills.

I am also so excited to be a part of abby and chelsea's little winter sale, which will be the first weekend in November in Portland this fall. The vendors that will be there are so amazing, and I am so honored to be among them. I have some new things in the works that have been turning over in my brain for a while. Check out the website for more info.

I've got a case of the mondays.

I think I've had gallons and gallons of crystal light already this summer. We buy a new flavor every week, and I shake it up with ice and have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and during my workout. This picture is of some pomegranate flavor, which turns my mouth horribly red. I don't love red drinks (they make me nervous). I'm a fan of the orange sunrise whatever flavor, and the lemonades, I like to dilute the lemonade flavor, I have no idea why but it makes me feel sophisticated (like maybe I'm in denial that I'm drink some fake sugar drink).

Summer is turning out good, it's a little more stressful than I imagined, and I'm starting to get a panic that I'm not getting enough things done. But it's not like my time has changed because I still work—it seems like I have less time than before. I've got project anxiety. Hopefully I can conquer it and be where I want to be for the fall. I've got a super exciting trip planned to Portland soon, so I'm looking forward to that. Nothing like a little twin time, baby time, and lots of great food, with maybe a haircut in-between. Any Portland stylist suggestions? I'm looking for a really good one for a short haircut (remember?).

And I'd like to say a little hello the new folks that have started coming by. Thanks! I'd love to hear from you, and check out your blogs if you have one, it's one of my favorite things.

How is the state of your Monday?

a little before and after

Remember this guy? Well Tyler got in a cleaning mood yesterday and totally cleaned our whole house (one of my favorite things about him) and this to-do got caught in the cross-hairs. I came home and it was all spray painted, ready to hang. The pattern is really shown off now that it is all the same color, it went from brassy to clean modern in no time. Somethings really get a new life when they are spray painted. Especially when they were only $1 at an estate sale. 

refocus

from come home vol. 13 (isbn 978-4-391-62687-2), and stylish dress book #1(isbn 978-4-579-11185-5)

Now that I am focusing on making rather than baking, I have been thinking of one of my summer goals, which is to attempt to sew a dress from a japanese sewing book. I have only sewn one dress, and so I am not very confident in this area, but I plan to learn the way I do best, try and fail and try again, with hopefully no tears involved. I am going to just use some kona cotton muslin, and if it turns out, I'll dye it, and if not then I can rip it up and not feel bad about it.

I just love the japanese style that I see in my books and magazines. I love the boxy/slim combo of jeans and an oversize sweater, tights, boots and dresses, they even make socks and sandals look chic.

I am achieving baby steps as I sit here in my boxy oversize mini gingham shirt from uniqlo. But I am also sitting in an 80 degree house, so the layers and sweaters will have to wait, but come fall I'll be ready.

make or bake

One thing I've been dying to do since getting this cake stand was to make a cake to put it on! In my mind I was always dreaming of lemon cake, with lemon curd filling and a delicious frosting. The cake in reality pretty much lived up to my dreams, I bought the lemon curd instead of making it myself, and I just made my go-to buttercream recipe, the swiss buttercream might wait for a less humid day. But the cake did turn out wonderful, not any major problems. I don't feel like it was the prettiest cake, but Tyler said it was the best I've ever made.

I made this coconut popsicle recently, and I love it. I halved the recipe and only used 1/4 cup of grated unsweetened coconut, i'm still deciding if I like that texture in a popsicle, but it tastes great. It is amazing when layered with the mango popsicles, nice combo of fruit-tangy and creamy sweet.

I think sometimes I tend to have baking or making binges. Lately with my schedule it seems like I've had so many things going on that I haven't even spent time in my studio lately. So I have fulfilled that void with cooking and baking. I made some peanut butter cookies this weekend that were pretty awesome. Now I need to get back to the studio, and lay off the sweets!

some favorites

My computer's charger is broken, again, and while I wait for a new one to come in the mail I can't use my computer. So I'm using Tyler's dell, which no offense to pc users, but I feel like I'm in a foreign country. I can't use my photoshop and do the things in my blogging routine, just surfing the internet is almost a challenge. So today I thought I would share some of my favorite things on etsy right now.

First up, Betsy from foundling's amazing earrings. She uses reclaimed and recycled materials in her jewelry, and I love this paper with needlepoint patterns on it. I already am lucky to have some earrings from betsy, and I love them so much, I need to add to my collection!

Alana from Humunuku is the sweetest, and I love her beautiful simple screen printed goods. This onesie is so adorable and makes me think of my new little nephew/garcon. Alana just opened a new brick and mortar shop and I wish I could stop by it looks so wonderful.

I keep going back to Patricia's beautiful calligraphy from Primele again and again. I keep thinking that I can't get a stamp because we aren't in a permanent place, but then I realized that we should be in this house for 4 more years (hopefully) and that is plenty of time to get good use out of it! I might have to snatch one up. 

I love buying handmade so much, it's great knowing that you are supporting these artists directly, and buying something that is great quality and unique. I hope you have a super Tuesday, we just got a great big thunderstorm and so I've got my little pup snuggled up with me. Nothing better than that!

humid weekends

This weekend has been ultra-muggy. Sometimes I think it seems to affect my mind. Sunday I resorted to baking a cake, french braiding tyler's beard, and eating lots of popsicles. I might have stuck my head in the freezer once or twice. Gingie is always sleeping in some crazy way to keep the heat off her belly. Sometimes I think September couldn't come soon enough. Beginning of summer? Bring on fall!

**update my sister had her baby early this morning! 8.5 pounds, and it went really well, my sister is so amazing. Little Theodore and mom are resting after a long weekend!

Father's Day DIY

For father's day this year, I really wanted to send something fun, and a little more personal. I decided it would be fun to give them terrariums, something to put on their desks at work. I also gave one to my brother for his handmade of the month club present for june. At first I was trying to figure out how I would send it, then I decided to put them together as little kits, and then my mom would help get a few plants for it there. She has succulents, hen and chicks, things like that. I thought it would be a fun and easy project for them to make.

I bought jars, gravel, potting soil, charcoal and little scraps of burlap for filtering (I love design sponge's video, and I did a little research online.) I wrote out instructions, and made little flags to stick in the dirt if they wanted to. I put it all in the jars, and sent them off! Sadly, one of the jars broke in transit, be sure to pack them carefully! (It helped that my brother is living at my parents house and my in-laws live one mile away to send them all to one place but I think they hit each other.)

My dad and brother opened them early, and I think they are excited to try it out, especially because it's hard to mess up! My mom has the terrarium bug now, and has some beautiful vintage jars she's going to try it with. We also want to try it, we found two vintage jars, we just need to find some plants for them. I'll let you know how it goes!

Happy Father's Day to my dad, he's the greatest, funny, caring, and always there for me. My brother is also a dad, he is amazing with his daughter, and I really look up to him. My father-in-law is really kind, and I am so happy to be in the Sasser family.

Did you make any handmade gifts for father's day?

pops

Tyler and I made some mango pops last night. We've made these several times lately, and we can't get enough! Living without air conditioning means you have to find ways to cool down. Mango is our favorite fruit, and these pops are fruity, creamy and tangy. Yum!

Gigi would have nothing to do with it, she acted like I was punishing her! But her tongue was stuck and it was too perfect.

My sister's due date came and went, I did have a really intense stomach pain yesterday morning, and I texted her and she had contractions all night! But she was in false labor. Hopefully that's the last sympathetic twin pain I feel!

Mango-Pops

1 cup frozen (thawed at least a little bit) or fresh mango
1/2 cup lowfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup mango nectar (or any other kind of nectar or juice )
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon maple syrup


whiz it all up, and pour in popsicle molds, or dixie cups or whatever. My molds are the super cheap ones from target or a grocery store, $1.30 for 4. Freeze until solid 3-4 hours, ours were good in 2 hours.


I plan to make coconut pops next, and maybe do a little layering with the two flavors.

rosy rhubarb

Taking a cue from Shanna, when I received a load of rhubarb from a friend, I wanted to try rhubarb soda. Everything else I make with rhubarb is full of butter and sugar, and I thought this might be refreshing. It was really easy to make, and it tastes great on a humid summer day, and come on, I can't even say enough about that color. Beautiful! (and it looks great in my newest vintage glass I found in Pittsburgh.)

I like that it has ginger and lime in it, it has a complex (tart :*) taste.

I listed more magnets in the shop today so check it out! Thanks to the lovely angela from seesaw for posting about the sale! Check out her blog, did you see that family reunion tee she designed? love.

Rhubarb Ginger Sodafrom the seminal


 2 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 cups water
the juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup sugar or more to taste
Optional: a few sprigs of fresh thyme OR a handful of fresh lemon balm OR a handful of fresh mint

Combine the rhubarb and the water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the rhubarb is almost dissolving. Strain out the rhubarb (and eat it with a spoon!). Add the lime juice to the rhubarb water, along with the ginger and sugar. Allow to cook at a low boil uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, or until slightly reduced and thickened. Remove from heat, add your herb of choice, and cover. Let steep for 5-10 minutes. Taste and add sugar if needed. Strain and cool. Store in the refrigerator, and mix with bubbly water one drink at a time.

operation don't-look-like-justin-bieber.

I am a short hair girl. I've always had shorter hair since I was 13. I was the short hair twin, and my sis was the long-haired one. That's how people told us apart. I have grown my hair out once since, and it drove me nuts. I'm going to get a new haircut soon, and I want to go more drastic. I hate hair on my neck, and if I can put it in a ponytail, then that's what I'll do for weeks and weeks, until I am depressed and my hair is smelling weird because it has never dried completely. I had oddly thick hair for a natural blond. No one ever believes me until they feel it, even my stylists, but it is a mass–my ponytail is 6 inches+ in radius.

I love michelle williams new hair, and I am totally set on completely copying it, without the platinum tresses. I have never dyed my hair, and I just can't, I'm too low maintenance. I've been collecting some inspiration, and hers is totally perfect. She helps me believe that I don't have to have a tiny model face to have hair that short.

Thanks for all the kind words about the sale, and tweets and retweets. I am in the process of listing a few more.

PS. my twin sister's due date is today(**tomorrow I can't believe I messed that up)! waiting...I am freaking out, send out some positive vibes for her and her little theo.

guess what?

I'm having a big sale. I've been cleaning out my studio and decided to let go of some of my favorite magnets, I became so attached to those little scraps of fabric. They all are made with my best vintage fabrics from my collection, with a few that made with vintage lace and crochet doilies.

I decided to list them as singles, and let people pick their own sets. That is one thing I miss about selling these at shows, it's so fun to see people put together sets that they love, it's so personal and end up much better than sets I put together. So curate your own favorites.

In the spirit of one of my favorite things, estate sales and flea markets, the more you buy the more you save!

1-4 magnets 10% off
5-9 magnets 20% off
10 or more 30% off

I will refund the sale amount after payment.
Of course I will include a super awesome magnetic vintage playing card, I love them!  Yes they are magnetic, they are a really thin sheet of steel, they came with a special board for playing camping or in windstorms I guess.

Which ones would you put together?

lost long finds

I was so happy to open a package yesterday. Over Christmas we stayed in Buffalo with some friends to fly home from there, and I had totally forgotten that I had left some of my thrift store finds there. I just recieved them, and since I couldn't remember what fabric they were anymore, it was like Christmas. That purple patterned fabric would be perfect for a dress, and I love how vintage the prints are. Of course I added two more embroidery hoops to my collection. It was so fun to find them all over again.

It was a part of a great day, it started out really rainy, and it stayed rainy all day and night, but I was able to spend some time with a good friend. It was so great to get some girl time to grab some boba tea and eat some dumplings over hours of chatter. So perfect.

a little gray

Today is a little dark. Super rainy, and cold (sweater and socks back out). Gigi hates the rain, she won't go outside when it's raining. Which means there is a greater chance for a tiny poop under my table because she can't stand it anymore. I don't mind the change, but I do think that the sun makes me more productive, where rain brings blankets, and crap tv. Ok I will treat today as a wash, and hope to start over tomorrow.

clearing my head.

Lately I've been thinking a lot, brainstorming, coming up with summer goals. I really want to keep those goals, and be at the end of it where I hope to be. But it's been pretty tough so far. Time just slips by. My thoughts of late have been all over the place, and here are a few.

*sometimes summers have a hard time living up to what you imagine in your mind.
*I wish I could be creative with no interruptions.
*the internet is pretty overwhelming.
*I want an iphone.
*video chats are the best.
*heidi montag is really creepy.
*I hate that my dog gets so itchy with allergies I can't figure out.
*getting an air conditioner always means the weather suddenly turns cold.
*nothing is better than wearing a sweater in june.
*taking a picture of yourself is really tough. sorry for the nostril shot, it was my best.
*if you can notice in the picture, espn is practically always on. I absorb a lot of sports knowledge. try me.
*the bachelorette is a train wreck and I can't look away. Are Ali's extensions really bugging anyone else?  
*did I mention I wanted an iphone? I think they invented the device just for me to keep in constant contact with my twin.
*my twin is having a baby practically any day now. This raises a lot of emotions, and causes some really crazy dreams.

I am pretty scatterbrained most of the time but it seems like I'm overloaded lately, so thanks for letting me unload a few. I'm fairly new to this blogging thing, but I have been so grateful to this community for inspiring me and helping me meet some great people. In theory it's kind of bizarre, but I love it. 


 

thrifty weekend

This weekend we got some great new things. We were one the hunt for jars, and found the cheese plate (I think) and the tall jar at goodwill, which usually is pretty awful. We drove by a little flea market at an antique store, and picked up the typecase for cheap, which I am really interested in making a wall hanging. We also got the metal stand, and the plated silver color is rubbed off in the middle, and I think it would look great painted white and put on the wall. We have so many empty spaces! The wire basket is from goodwill, and I love it, I've been looking for wire baskets since seeing some great ones online. Might become the catch-all on my coffee table. All-in-all a pretty good weekend.

Did you have any good finds this weekend? I'd love to hear and see any links if you have them.

garden progress report

My beans have come up great! It's so thrilling to see them come up all in a row. I planted my tomatoes two days ago and I am really afraid for that one withery guy. I don't think he liked the planting much. I've been watering them pretty well, so hopefully he perks up! My rosemary never did well after I planted it, it's pretty much gone to the other side. My peppers are in and they seem to be good. My leeks and onions are still all over the place, looking pretty sloppy and it's been a couple weeks. There are so many, so as long as half do alright then I'll be happy. It's been an adventure so far, my experiment in gardening, we'll see!

In other growing news, I can't stop thinking about my twin, who is about 2 weeks away from giving birth to a little boy. I still can't comprehend it, I wish I could be there! I can't wait to see the little guy who will have half my DNA. Which is pretty awesome. It's like getting the reward without having to do any of the work! I bet he'll look just like me. 

veggie week

After this weekend of eating out, we felt a little blah. We decided (well I decided) that we would have a veggie week, where we eat lots of fresh summer veggies and fruit and no refined flours/sugars. Tuesday we made omelets with mushrooms, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, onion, and lots of spinach. It was delicious.

Yesterday I made these sandwiches for lunch. The recipe is from the current Everyday Food magazine. Martha Stewart just figured out that they shouldn't post the current issue's content on the internet, so I'll give you the recipe, it's really simple. I used cream cheese instead of the goat cheese, but that was only because I already had it, I would use the goat cheese for more flavor. Today I am going to try it with fresh mozzarella and basil pesto.

Last night we had a feast of roasted veggies: new potatoes, sweet potatoes, asparagus, zucchini, carrots, onion with a lemon and garlic. The lemon totally makes the whole thing amazing. Then we had a fresh peach and I lightly drizzled some real maple syrup on mine (peaches weren't totally ripe yet). Do you have any favorite fresh veggie meals?

Veggie Sandwich


multi-grain bread, toasted
goat cheese (or similar substitute)
red onion thinly sliced
cucumber thinly sliced
sliced avacado
sprouts
grated carrot
grated radish (I didn't use this)


Put the red onion in a bowl with a few dashes of red wine vinegar (I threw the cukes in too) and let sit for 10 minutes. Spread cheese on bread and layer with everything else.

lacey plate

I got this plate this weekend at the flea market. It has a faux lace pattern, which I always can't resist. It is flat on top, so it's like a cake plate without the stand on the bottom. Which to me only makes it even better. We haggled the price in combo with the lamps, so we got an awesome deal. It's a little too big to put in my china cabinet, but I would love to maybe put this on my wall.

My co-worker invited me over to her house to take some of her peonies off her hands, and I didn't even hesitate. They all bloomed at once, and she had maybe 30 or 40! She gave me a huge armful, and now I have a few bunches around my house. My neighbors have 10 buds just about to pop so I can't wait to get those too.

I've got to get my tomatoes in the ground today. My beans have come up, and I had my first flower. As long as I can keep the groundhog away...