celebrations

30 on my 30th and some sharing

I sat down to write thirty things about myself this morning, in honor of my thirtieth birthday. That is a hard task. I felt confronted with how boring I am….but nonetheless, I managed to think of thirty things, thrilling or not.  Enjoy them and then we’ll get to the good stuff:

1.    there is a crown and sash in my history
2.    I played the clarinet in middle school and high school and never sat lower than first chair…I’ve only played it twice since emma was born
3.    I cannot draw
4.    If I chose my favorite singer today it would be patty griffin
5.    I have a sweet tooth—actually it would probably be more like a molar
6.    I grew up on a farm
7.    I used to be an elementary school teacher
8.    I am not a morning person
9.    I’ve inherited my mother’s high standards for bed-making: smoothed out bed, hospital corners, folded down flat sheet, sides tucked in…etc.
10.    For the life I me, I can not get my legs from knee to ankle to get anything tanner than pasty white
11.    I’m a procrastinator
12.    I hate talking on the phone
13.    I shave my legs every time I shower (I guess my pasty white legs need all the help they can get)
14.    I have showed sheep, pigs, a steer, chickens, dogs, sewing projects, cakes and hard candy in my county fair. (hint, hint for no. 1)
15.    I always like to have something to drink with me in the car
16.    I could do bagels and diet coke every day for lunch.
17.    I had a great college experience
18.    I just started drinking coffee—but I have to put some hot chocolate mix in it to get it down.
19.     As I type this my four year old is drawing on a cucumber, and I walked in on my two year old squirting expensive conditioner all over the bathroom sink
20.    I can get frazzled easily….breathe…in…out….calmly address no. 19…..
21.    I still get a few blemishes , but I’m thinking I should start putting cream around my eyes…
22.    I have one grey hair (that I know of)
23.    I have two children and hope for more.
24.    I can’t fathom that I look different or older than I did in college.
25.    I hate being hot
26.    I love a little bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream in front of the TV at night, after my children are in bed—and I can really enjoy it.
27.    My husband and I are obsessed with getting BBC/PBS shows from netflix—formerly “monarch of the glen” currently: “Ballykissangel” next: “miss marple?”
28.    I love reading children’s books
29.    I always have music on
30.    I hope my next thirty years will be marked by growth: spiritual, emotional, familial, marital…(oh—and some loss—in the weight department)

**maybe I should clarify marital growth: I’m not planning on acquiring more husbands, just a deeper, richer relationship with the wonderful one I have now.**

Now as a sort of birthday in reverse, I thought I’d give the gifts today and share some of my thrift store scores with a few of you. I think we’ll go with the old name drawing method. If you would like your name in the hat for some of the fabrics below, please leave me a comment, and be sure to say you are interested. Last time I did this, I had a hard time telling which people wanted to be in the drawing, and which were just leaving a comment.

Gift# 1 and 2: (about 2 yards each panel)
Birthday_giveaways_6

close up:
Birthday_giveaways_1

gifts 3 and 4: (also about two yards, I think)
Birthday_giveaways_2

Birthday_giveaways_3

Gifts 5 and 6: (these curtain panels have tucks at the top, but they could easily be taken out with a seam ripper…about a yard to a yard and a half each)
obviously no ironing involved here, but I washed my set yesterday and they cleaned up nicely:
Birthday_giveaways_5

Birthday_giveaways_4

So there’s the stash for sharing. Remember, if you’re interested in having your name in the hat for one of these 6 pieces of fabric, please make it clear in your comment. And one small disclaimer–if you are an international reader, I’d be happy to send fabric to you, I only ask for a little donation towards shipping…fair enough?

So, I’m 30…wow. feels just like 29. I’m planning on spending my day poolside with my two favorite girls and then a small dinner celebration with the girls, Dan and some close college friends. A nice, simple, quiet day. Happy July26th to all of you! Have a wonderful day–for me!

I sat down to write thirty things about myself this morning, in honor of my thirtieth birthday. That is a hard task. I felt confronted with how boring I am….but nonetheless, I managed to think of thirty things, thrilling or not.  Enjoy them and then we’ll get to the good stuff:

1.    there is a crown and sash in my history
2.    I played the clarinet in middle school and high school and never sat lower than first chair…I’ve only played it twice since emma was born
3.    I cannot draw
4.    If I chose my favorite singer today it would be patty griffin
5.    I have a sweet tooth—actually it would probably be more like a molar
6.    I grew up on a farm
7.    I used to be an elementary school teacher
8.    I am not a morning person
9.    I’ve inherited my mother’s high standards for bed-making: smoothed out bed, hospital corners, folded down flat sheet, sides tucked in…etc.
10.    For the life I me, I can not get my legs from knee to ankle to get anything tanner than pasty white
11.    I’m a procrastinator
12.    I hate talking on the phone
13.    I shave my legs every time I shower (I guess my pasty white legs need all the help they can get)
14.    I have showed sheep, pigs, a steer, chickens, dogs, sewing projects, cakes and hard candy in my county fair. (hint, hint for no. 1)
15.    I always like to have something to drink with me in the car
16.    I could do bagels and diet coke every day for lunch.
17.    I had a great college experience
18.    I just started drinking coffee—but I have to put some hot chocolate mix in it to get it down.
19.     As I type this my four year old is drawing on a cucumber, and I walked in on my two year old squirting expensive conditioner all over the bathroom sink
20.    I can get frazzled easily….breathe…in…out….calmly address no. 19…..
21.    I still get a few blemishes , but I’m thinking I should start putting cream around my eyes…
22.    I have one grey hair (that I know of)
23.    I have two children and hope for more.
24.    I can’t fathom that I look different or older than I did in college.
25.    I hate being hot
26.    I love a little bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream in front of the TV at night, after my children are in bed—and I can really enjoy it.
27.    My husband and I are obsessed with getting BBC/PBS shows from netflix—formerly “monarch of the glen” currently: “Ballykissangel” next: “miss marple?”
28.    I love reading children’s books
29.    I always have music on
30.    I hope my next thirty years will be marked by growth: spiritual, emotional, familial, marital…(oh—and some loss—in the weight department)

**maybe I should clarify marital growth: I’m not planning on acquiring more husbands, just a deeper, richer relationship with the wonderful one I have now.**

Now as a sort of birthday in reverse, I thought I’d give the gifts today and share some of my thrift store scores with a few of you. I think we’ll go with the old name drawing method. If you would like your name in the hat for some of the fabrics below, please leave me a comment, and be sure to say you are interested. Last time I did this, I had a hard time telling which people wanted to be in the drawing, and which were just leaving a comment.

Gift# 1 and 2: (about 2 yards each panel)
Birthday_giveaways_6

close up:
Birthday_giveaways_1

gifts 3 and 4: (also about two yards, I think)
Birthday_giveaways_2

Birthday_giveaways_3

Gifts 5 and 6: (these curtain panels have tucks at the top, but they could easily be taken out with a seam ripper…about a yard to a yard and a half each)
obviously no ironing involved here, but I washed my set yesterday and they cleaned up nicely:
Birthday_giveaways_5

Birthday_giveaways_4

So there’s the stash for sharing. Remember, if you’re interested in having your name in the hat for one of these 6 pieces of fabric, please make it clear in your comment. And one small disclaimer–if you are an international reader, I’d be happy to send fabric to you, I only ask for a little donation towards shipping…fair enough?

So, I’m 30…wow. feels just like 29. I’m planning on spending my day poolside with my two favorite girls and then a small dinner celebration with the girls, Dan and some close college friends. A nice, simple, quiet day. Happy July26th to all of you! Have a wonderful day–for me!

thrift and vintage

thanks for the advice

When we first moved here a few months ago, I was whining to Hillary about the ridiculous prices at my "new" goodwill. Sixty dollars for a dirty 70s chair, six dollars for a plastic Barbie laptop? Forget it.
But Hillary wisely recommended I find a thrift store on the junky end of town.

Bingo.
Edgewood_thrift_store

If you recall, the girls and I went last week. I will probably avoid going with my children in the future, it’s just too much trying to keep them at my side, when there is a carousel (yes–like a carnival carousel) filled with crap children’s toys. I was even lucky enough to be scolded about keeping my children in the cart over the loudspeaker in the store. Is grumpiness and general dislike of children a prerequisite for working in a thrift store?
Anyway, despite the "friendly" staff, I scored big. So big in fact, I’ll be sharing the wealth here tomorrow…a little "birthday in reverse" where I’ll be giving the gifts instead of receiving….so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I sat down with three little baggies of thread and such this morning and tried to untangle the mess. I have a small obsession with thread on wooden spools. I love the stuff. And these baggies had the spools in all different sizes from gi-normous to eensy-weensy. Love it. And there were some other goodies buried inside as well:
(and I’d love to know what the mystery needle is in the last picture)

Bags_of_sewing_supplies

Giant_wooden_spool

Loot_thinned_out

Embroidery_needles

Red_cross_labels

Tapestry_needles

Mystery_needle

When we first moved here a few months ago, I was whining to Hillary about the ridiculous prices at my "new" goodwill. Sixty dollars for a dirty 70s chair, six dollars for a plastic Barbie laptop? Forget it.
But Hillary wisely recommended I find a thrift store on the junky end of town.

Bingo.
Edgewood_thrift_store

If you recall, the girls and I went last week. I will probably avoid going with my children in the future, it’s just too much trying to keep them at my side, when there is a carousel (yes–like a carnival carousel) filled with crap children’s toys. I was even lucky enough to be scolded about keeping my children in the cart over the loudspeaker in the store. Is grumpiness and general dislike of children a prerequisite for working in a thrift store?
Anyway, despite the "friendly" staff, I scored big. So big in fact, I’ll be sharing the wealth here tomorrow…a little "birthday in reverse" where I’ll be giving the gifts instead of receiving….so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I sat down with three little baggies of thread and such this morning and tried to untangle the mess. I have a small obsession with thread on wooden spools. I love the stuff. And these baggies had the spools in all different sizes from gi-normous to eensy-weensy. Love it. And there were some other goodies buried inside as well:
(and I’d love to know what the mystery needle is in the last picture)

Bags_of_sewing_supplies

Giant_wooden_spool

Loot_thinned_out

Embroidery_needles

Red_cross_labels

Tapestry_needles

Mystery_needle

Uncategorized

an afternoon in the workshop

bisque-fired buttons and pendants ready for glazing:
P1010005

backsides painted with wax resist to keep the glaze from adhering to this side, and to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the kiln:
P1010001

Lots of notes on glaze colors and behaviors when they’re fired; as well as notes on what glazes and combinations I use with each batch. (in case I do something great  (or lousy) and want to repeat it):

P1010006

glaze gets brushed on, and must dry between each layer:

P1010009

all finished glazing. glaze is rarely the same color unfired as it is fired, that is why my notes are so important. the glazes in this batch will be deep shades of blue, green, brown and mulberry (I hope!)–you’d never know it by their colors now.

P1010012

after the layers of glaze dry, I clean out the holes…(almost always results in bloodshed):

P1010014

any glaze spills are wiped off the back:

P1010015

four hours later: finished pieces, out in the kiln shed waiting for the final firing:

P1010018

bisque-fired buttons and pendants ready for glazing:
P1010005

backsides painted with wax resist to keep the glaze from adhering to this side, and to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the kiln:
P1010001

Lots of notes on glaze colors and behaviors when they’re fired; as well as notes on what glazes and combinations I use with each batch. (in case I do something great  (or lousy) and want to repeat it):

P1010006

glaze gets brushed on, and must dry between each layer:

P1010009

all finished glazing. glaze is rarely the same color unfired as it is fired, that is why my notes are so important. the glazes in this batch will be deep shades of blue, green, brown and mulberry (I hope!)–you’d never know it by their colors now.

P1010012

after the layers of glaze dry, I clean out the holes…(almost always results in bloodshed):

P1010014

any glaze spills are wiped off the back:

P1010015

four hours later: finished pieces, out in the kiln shed waiting for the final firing:

P1010018