Thursday, September 30, 2010

a wee triumph but a triumph nonetheless!!

oh yay! twenty-eight days into our new etsy shop and we sold our first item! woo hoo! it is one of my favourite items and i just wanted to take a second to celebrate. odd that celebrating entails a new blog post, but ahh it's the 21st century and that's what we do!

anyway, this was a vintage vitamin jar that i have had for years and always enjoyed. we filled it with chocolate/peanut butter eyeballs and called it the witch's one-a-day vitamin jar. heh. i'm dork-excited about halloween and even etsy.com knows it.

well, that's it. just sharing good news. i'm excited. later, friends!
adieu for now,
lu

coat herder

well, after the tragic hairspray incident early last spring (an entire can of dove hairspray was accidentally let loose on the sleeve of a synthetic-fiber jacket while out celebrating with friends, which ate away at the fabric and left a giant hole in the sleeve that proceeded to molt like a diseased parrot) i've been yearning for a new winter coat. so here is what i drooled over on bluefly this morning while i was supposed to be vacuuming.
miss sixty double-breasted peacoat (with an unbelievable amount of buttons, right? is it just me?) $144MICHAEL michael kors wool peacoat in the most fabulous military-y green/brown. $177miss sixty wool double-breasted collar trench. the picture is in brown but i want it in black (of course). $165elie tahari "jackie" wool coat. it's no surprise that the one that ends up being my favourite is the most expensive. $297miss sixty faux leather motorcycle jacket. love! $78


adieu for now! happy shopping!
~lu

put the lime in the coconut

somehow i woke up with this on the brain today. one of my favourite scenes from this slightly cheesy-awesome movie.

the haps

oh dear, i have been remiss. what a weirdo week this has been. a little help-out-where-i-can work but mostly my schedule going up and down up and down and me passing out before ten p.m.

i've been crafting a lot which has been f-u-n to say the least. little felted brooches (i may have mentioned this already but there is a zombie skull, an alien, a banshee, and a pierced heart), i've made two necklaces (one of which i will be taking apart and redoing because...well, because i'm a perfectionist).

the etsy shop has 33 items and we have a couple of new great ones to add (probably going up tomorrow!). no sales yet but that's okay. we're optimists and i'm really hoping to mold the shop into a more cohesive appearance photo-wise within the next month or so.
this week has also been a week of financial blessing. from mamas to grandpas to finding money on the side of the street. this week we have had our heads above water and that has been a truly wonderful thing. we are very grateful for that, indeed.

little dood has been keeping me on my toes for sure. he looks like the wild man of borneo this morning, or einstein. he has been pulling some hijinks that have me scratching my head. all i can say is i think i'm going to have to set up a camera to see what's going on when i leave the house. perhaps i don't want to know actually.

so that's what's new at the moment. more to come!

Monday, September 27, 2010

rainy day movie

i'm in the mood to watch quirky, slightly spooky foreign/indie films today. The Price of Milk.


tipped

today is dark and it is raining. thunder, lightning, wind. it's magical. now that the season has tipped over into autumn, the night lingers just a little bit longer. the sunlight is diffused through the clouds. the air is fantastically cooler. the pumpkins are coming.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

some mood music for my fall obsession

it's nowhere near thanksgiving yet, but i love this movie and this song. it's so chill and makes me want to wear corduroy pants, clogs, and the perfect turtleneck sweater.


whisper of autumn

good morning friends! 'tis saturday and despite being unemployed, this has been one hectic week. all of my part-time trying-to-make-money gigs fell through. oh well, i'm still trying and applying. i'm looking forward to relaxing tonight because something has come up or occurred nearly every night this week preventing relaxey time.
tonight i want to watch dexter on dvd, eat something delicious for dinner, enjoy my home and my boys.
i was fortunate enough to witness the harvest moon, the equinox, and the uber-brightness of jupiter this week. what a pretty sight! the mornings and evenings are beginning to be cooler. the air is a little drier.
my senses are waking up after several months of trying to survive the heat. my skin is tingling, my hair (which is in desperate need for a haircut) somehow looks better than it did. food is tastier, scents are more fragrant. it's my favourite time of year!
here's to you friends. i hope you have a great saturday! i'm sending positive energies your way, please send some my way!
adieu for now,
lu

Thursday, September 23, 2010

watch this

three reasons:
1. their videos are always rad and the song is catchy.
2. i like to think that seven could totally have been in this video. at least for the walking in circles bit.
3. it's something to make you smile and smiling is good. as a wise dolly parton (playing truvy in steel magnolias) once said: "Smile! It increases your face value!"

dedicate 7 minutes to this

three reasons to watch this video:
1. PBS is the jam.
2. mr. roger's neighbourhood was an important show for kids.
3. because good triumphs. sometimes it's easy to forget that. but good does triumph.

happy thursday, friends!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

percentages

seriously, does anyone else ever feel like they aren't talented? i feel very untalented today.
i'm not sure if it's because we haven't had any sales on the etsy shop or because i haven't found a job yet or what. but i'm feeling grody.
here's the deal. i'm pretty much one of the most obnoxious optimists on the planet. i work to be one, strive to be one. but, today i'm partly cloudy.
the little bit of sunshine that's in there is working very hard to peek through the cloud coverage. it's there. i'm grateful for that, but man is it diffused by the dark roiling clouds.
what's up with that? i know it will pass, but perhaps there is something bigger under the surface? do other creative people feel like this? yuck. i don't like it one bit.
it makes me feel about 12% compelled to want to prove myself while simultaneously 86% compelled to stay in my pajamas, being eeyore and eating half-baked ice cream. that other 2% is hilariously a wish to have some sort of time-travel device so i could go on vacation to paris in the 20's or something. that 2% time-travel thing is always there. you can pretty much just ignore that part, folks. heh. that tickled me.
at least i'm good at cheering myself up a bit, eh? optimist priiiiiiiiiiiime strikes again!
adieu for now, friends. i'm not insane, i promise.
~lu

miniature frolic

because i (as well as my mother) have a odd fascination with miniatures. my dollhouse christmas decorating festivities were embarrasssingly well-known. and well, i've just spent an hour down the rabbit hole on etsy's how-tuesday blogs and i'm so inspired i don't know where to begin. in the meantime, i want to find this little village and walk around with a cup of coffee or an ice cream cone. if that didn't make too much sense, read that third sentence again. it's getting very lewis carroll in here.

Monday, September 20, 2010

f.o.x.y.

i think everyone has a fetish of some sort. i'm not meaning dressing like a french maid kind of fetish; i mean a fetish animal. an animal that possesses some sort of characteristic that is representative or speaks to a person in some way. my mom has always loved owls. my best friend growing up always loved turtles (so does mississippi). i love foxes. so here are some foxy treats for you to enjoy today!

www.matteart.etsy.com The Duke of Ny print. $60

www.marisolspoon.etsy.com rose print- somerset velvet $32

a few of my favourite things

1. chocolate & peanut butter. sure there are the basic peanut butter cups and nutter butter bars. but now that i'm really getting into the halloween spirit, i've gotten quite excited about chocolate and peanut butter eyeballs by palmer. last night mississippi and i bought three bags and filled up one of my vintage jars with them. it makes me smile, and from what mississippi says,there is an excellent peanut butter to chocolate ratio (something that he happens to be very serious about).

2. paper mache pumpkins. especially the vintage ones with crazy faces. i'm planning a few projects along the paper mache route and i'm getting quite excited about them.
3. comfort food. i've got all the fixins for my much-lauded (by me anyway) corn & sausage cheddar chowder ready and a-rarin' to go. i've also got a mad craving for meatloaf these days and sweet potato fries. good grief!
4. the new "mexican pumpkin" and "indonesian teak" candles we got at world market the other day. now, i know i sound sickeningly domestic but i'm a candle-freak and pick up seasonal ones whenever i find ones that smell really really good. these smell really really otherworldy good.
5. bon iver, neko case, tom waits, the tallest man on earth. all the great music one would listen to (especially on cold, breezy or rainy days).

what are your favourite things today, friends?
i hope you enjoy your mondays!
adieu for now,
lu

Friday, September 17, 2010

it's not as depressing as it sounds. i'm an optimist!!

1. good grief i am exhausted today. it's been 14 hours of yard sale preparation and now i just want it to be over so that i can rest. it's going to be a big sale, three contributors, lots and lots of stuff.
to all the locals in tallavegas, it's on the corner of MLK & 9th. bring cash and bring friends. we need to move it out of here and make a little money so we can pay our bills!
2. i've been craving order and simplicity lately. considering how much i have gotten rid of for the sale last june and this upcoming one; i still have to marvel at how much is left over. i'll more than likely start the cycle over again in the next few months.
3. i'm concerned about finances big time. usually my plucky good attitude and can-do spirit shoulder the brunt of my concerns. this week though, the worry has seeped in a bit. everything will work out the way it's supposed to, though. i know this to be true. it may not be the way i want but oh well. it's just how it is sometimes.
4. old movies. i've been in the mood to sit down in front of a slew of old black & white comedies. the thin man series (nick & norah), fred & ginger etc. i think it's an escape thing.
5. 21 days.
6. i can't believe i'm 28 and ready for bed at 8 p.m. when did that start happening?
7. i really hope all of you are having a wonderful friday evening and a super enjoyable weekend coming up.

adieu for now,
lu

Thursday, September 16, 2010

static on the radio

perfect for dreaming of a cold day. he's playing tomorrow night at the american legion hall in town. check it out, locals


adieu for now, lovies!!
~lu

autumn must-haves

because i'm hopelessly addicted to the season and willing it into magnificent fruition with every breath.

1. pumpkin spice anything. barring yankee candles (ew!), pumpkin spice is the most fabulous autumn scent! when we used to have a dunkin donuts in town, they would come out with pumpkin spice old-fashioned donuts every october. oh my heavens. i can still taste them and it's been three years since i've had one.
2. in that vein, pumpkins. there is something so magical about them. i told mississippi when we first met that i always dreamed of going to a big pumpkin patch/hay bale maze kind of place with my love in the fall and buying pumpkins together. since i was a little girl it was the epitome, in my mind, of a grown-up relationship. someone to buy pumpkins with. in our romantic geekiness, we are in the midst of planning such an outing. score!
3. berry-coloured anything. lip stick, nail polish, peacoats, scarves, sweaters. you name it, i want it in aubergine, blackberry, boysenberry, and raspberry hues. aaaand now i want a smoothie too.
4. corduroy. i'm talking hats and jackets, mini-skirts; and the britches. that slightly embarrassing (yet somehow still wonderful) zzzzzt zzzzzt zzzzzt sound they make when your... ahem... thighs rub together when you walk. if you run you could start a small fire, but it's still alright. plus, it also makes it totally justifiable to have that second pumpkin spice donut because your thighs will make that sound anyway. viva la corduroy!
5. thermal shirts. i have the strangest soft spot for printed thermal shirts. i think it's from being a child of the 80's. i had one with stripes on them and hearts. as an adult i have leopard print ones and polka dotted ones. you can't ever have enough of them, man!

well, that's all for now. i must get back to uploading items to the new etsy shop!
adieu for now,
lu

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

so many little things

1. the container garden hath begun. i spent $4 on nine broccoli plants and it's my first foray into growing my own food. i really hope i don't accidentally kill all the plants or somehow manage to poison us all. sheeeeesh!
2. i began needle-felting beads last night. i can't really explain how therapeutic needle-felting is. i got into some bizarro trance and apparently giggle to myself alot (so says mississippi). i made five beads last night and i'm planning several new pieces that will incorporate the ungodly amount of glass beads in my possession (as well as my new felted beads); aaaand my groovy new sewing machine that i will be practicing on (relearning) today.
3. there is so much coffee in my system right now that it feels like i swallowed a carnival. there's organ music and a popcorn machine; a strong man, a bearded lady, and jugglers. no clowns though. no clowns allowed anywhere near me and the whackadoodle caffeine carnival.
4. i have a kitchen accoutrement obsession. so does mississippi. i love high quality goods and used my beautiful porcelain/enamel casserole dish to make the best version of my chicken pot pie casserole last night. it was a thing of beauty and if i had the ability to show you a picture of it right now, i totally would. and i would brag even more than i already have...because i'm a loon.
5. although there is no money coming in (from me) right now and the man and i are trying to live as simply as possible, i can't help but keep fantasizing about acquiring fall clothes. there is something seriously wrong with me with my borderline unhealthy fascination with all things corduroy, felt, wool, turtlenecky, and bootsy. *sigh* i want it all!!!
6. the creativity train has pulled up to the nest and mississippi and i have been spending wonderful quality time creating things. he has his collage focus in high gear in preparation for the december/january art show. i have been trying to channel the white noise in my mind into all the different projects i want to tackle. it's a really fun and exciting process.
7. i have about 80% of the ginormous yard sale organized. i know i mention it almost every post, but i'm really excited and hoping that it garners a lot of business.
8. anyone have a pattern for a bean bag chair? i know that sounds a little ridiculous, but i want to make one and it seems deceptively simple. how many pieces would it take to make the "bean"? what's the best thing to fill it with? hmmm. anyone have any insight, please share.
9. the two most luxurious things i can think of right now? getting my eyebrows and my nails done. just thinking about that sends me into one of those sephora comas that happen every so often with me.
10. i'm not really sure why i keep writing in list form these days. it seems to help me clear my mind. it's been so scattered that i haven't written as much; and writing this little blog and sending it into the nothingness of the interwebs is really good for me psychologically. expect some format changes, they're headin' this-a-way!

ha! i'm ridiculous and in a really silly mood right now. enjoy this gorgeous, nearly autumn day. adieu for now,
lu

an eef clem journey

a little eef for you on this beautiful wednesday.



Clem Snide covers Journey

more to come!
adieu for now,
lu


Tuesday, September 14, 2010

ten things to share with you

1. i think i have to forgo my photo-a-day project "officially" because my laptop is still dead. i'm missing tons of photos and have lost track somewhat. if that changes at all, i will start it up again. i'm bummed because i was over halfway done with it. but $#!+ happens, right? gotta go with the flow!
2. the nest is cleaner than it ever has been. i'm like a cleaning/organizing tornado!
3. i just uploaded our first item on our etsy shop, nido di gazza (magpie's nest). woohoo!
4. we bought a sewing machine. it is a half prudent, half...imprudent (?) choice. now i can make things to sell but biting the bullet and spending $80 was hard. i have always wanted one and i have the "sewing for dummies" version. i'm totally okay with that.
5. the yard sale is a go for saturday and i am really excited about it. it's going to be B-I-G.
6. i've been making jewelry agaaaaain! stay tuned on that one.
7. seven has been getting bathed with head & shoulders and his hair has never had so much volume and bounce. it's one of those things like little boys always have thick, pretty eyelashes. the kind that grown women pay lots of money to pretend that they have naturally. *sigh* my boy has great hair. i would kill for that kind of volume and manageability.
8. 24.5 days. again, stay tuned.
9. gutting and refurbishing an ice cream truck into an apartment and/or buying a pre-fab barn from a big box hardware store sounds like a really fun adventure for when we leave ole tallavegas. just sayin...
10. i'm praying for the temperature to decrease by a degree every day so that in two weeks it will actually feel somewhat like fall! wouldn't that be rad?! i think so too.

adieu for now friends. my love to you.
~lu

Saturday, September 11, 2010

around the palace

good morning lovelies. 'tis saturday. my very first saturday of no work or obligations or travel or this or that in eight weeks. it's a beautiful thing, this weekend thing. i could really get used to it. i was a little bummed i slept late (7:45) because i wanted to take a sunrise walk around the nearby pond with little buddy. but it's okay. i'm pretty sure sunrise will happen again tomorrow.
i'm sitting at the nest, sunlight is pouring in through the windows. i have a freshly brewed cup of earl grey and a decadent list of to-do's to accomplish.
i have diamond-studded laundry to do, emerald-encrusted dishes to wash, the royal pup has been scrubbed within an inch of his sweet little life, and well, there are just a lot of things to do around the ole palace.
more to come friends. i surely hope today is beautiful, calm and productive (if you want it to be) for you.
adieu for now,
lu

Friday, September 10, 2010

a little bitta info for yous guys

argh! i'm so behiiiiiiiiiiiind! it's so frustrating. but at least i can say that i am behind on my posts because i have been a busy bee. i worked at the shop for a few hours today helping the accountant close everything down. in the meantime i have been getting organized, planning my projects for the etsy shop, planning the yard sale for next weekend, cleaning, and unbelievable amounts of laundry. it has been a very gratifying week. i anticipate next week being just the same.
my computer is still dead. mississippi is going to try to do something to fix it this weekend. if that doesn't work, off to the geek squad it goes. yuck. i feel like i'm missing a limb without my (somewhat) trusty old dell.
it's unfortunate ailment has, however, allowed me to become thoroughly spoiled by mississippi's mac. hopefully my spoiling will be short-lived because i miss my old slow heavy as lead pc. heh.
well, tonight mississippi and i plan a fabulously quiet evening at home. hopefully i will be uploading some things to etsy tonight. i'm so very anxious to get it up and running. after being at the shop for a little while today, all of my exuberance about my current situation was quickly diminished. it was just as rapidly replaced with the stress, anxiety, and frustration of what had been my career there the past few months. i'm trying to keep it from getting to me too much by planning my projects. if i plan my projects then the frightening void of the unlit tunnel that lay before me becomes ever-so-slightly lit with by the candles of my imagination.
ha! wax poetic much?
well, that's all for now. i'm going to get some cleaning done before mississippi gets home.
adieu from the nest!
~lu

Thursday, September 9, 2010

pictures!!!

so here are a few pictures that i confiscated from mississippi to keep the photo project alive. i put them on here in reverse chronological order but here they are!

sunday dinner. appetizing, no? 8/29/10

saturday night date. get low. hightly recommend it. it's a beautifully made film. 8/28/10

friday at lee's. i look maniacal. 8/27/10

thursday night family dinner. mama gave me a nice book of quotes to ease the frustrating close of the shop. 8/26/10

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

i'm baaaaaack.

okeedokee. it's been like six days since i wrote. the shop closed on the third. mississippi and i went to...well, mississippi on the fourth to pick up his car and get a visit in. we got in at midnight on the fifth. the sixth i was still under the weather (had been since friday) and finally had to accept that yes, my laptop is officially on the fritz. yesterday i ran computerless errands and today i have hijacked mississippi's mac. heh.
that's the catch-up. things are really good on my end. aside from being sick for five days, i'm in great spirits. the stress of the shop is behind me for the most part and it is really exciting to be facing a new chapter head on. it's frightening but so thrilling at the same time. someone may be more of an adrenaline junkie than previously thought.
i've got several things lined up that are keeping me from freaking out completely that i'm unemployed. multiple yard sales (one this saturday), some consulting work, and our new etsy shop, nido di gazza.
as for the photo-a-day thing... well, i'm almost two weeks behind. the photos do exist, they are just on my dead computer, hopefully not lost forever. so, it make take a little while, but the project will be completed...i hope!
well, that's it for now. the creative (and organizing) spirit is strong with me today so i must be going before the inspiration wears off.
adieu for now, darlings! i hope your wednesday are easy and positive!
~lu

Thursday, September 2, 2010

segundo

hello friends. 'tis thursday evening. i'm swiveling around in my new (read: old) drafting chair (that i got from the shop as it is drawing ever nearer to its close). right now mississippi and i are creating our etsy shop name and listening to hocus pocus playing in the background.
i know. this fall obsession is in actuality, a sickness. i get it. but we are both afflicted with it. we anxiously await cooler temperatures. it's nice to have company in my affliction i must say.
well, tomorrow is the big day. we close the doors forever at five o'clock p.m. EST. weird. i'm sad to see it go, but i'm also excited about what lies ahead.
i hope that great things are in my future and that one day i love a job as much as i used to love this one. i also hope that i find another job. heh. um yeah. really hoping for that one actually.
well friends. mississippi is uploading the two photos i'm missing for my photo-a-day project, so more than likely tomorrow morning i will have thursday-thursday photos for my project.
adieu for now, darlings!
~lu

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

september!!!

good morning and a hap-happity september! i am so excited to be inching ever closer to autumn. oh my goodness i want sweaters and pumpkins and corduroy and root vegetables and neko case and bon iver and warm wool socks.

oh heavens! it's only going to be 95 today so, clearly you can see why i'm all excited. it's ten degrees (ten blessed fabulous degrees) cooler than it has been for the past 10 weeks. it's enough to kickstart that bizarro seasonal obsession of mine once again (because it's only been 24 hours since i rambled on about fall).

i don't know what wire it is that short-circuits in my brain once the temperature drops. i swear it's like a drug. i dream about cool weather the moment spring ends and nearly every day until fall begins. i very anxiously anticipate the september issues of all my favourite magazines so i can pretend i have money and plan outfits and redecorate my house (in my head).

oh good grief. i'm a mess. heh. i reckon i should get ready for work. but before i do... some more fall fashion lust.

http://www.itemvintage.etsy.com/ vintage 1970's cap-sleeve sweater $19.99 (worn with some kind of fabulous cropped peacoat).

http://www.andemonster.etsy.com/ vintage studded leather clogs size 8. $30




http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/ grandpa skirt in washed black. $48


http://www.hue.com/ opaque tights in espresso 2/$20



http://www.modcloth.com/ marigold marvel bag $27.99



http://www.bluefly.com/ cashmere hat $42