A little self gifting never hurt anyone!
Monday, December 10, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
One of a Kind
that's the name of the show we went to yesterday at Merchandise Mart in Chicago & what a great time Nacho & i had! i found out about it by accident (a click here, a link there) but put it on my calendar more as a reminder, not thinking i'd actually go. Nacho saw it & did a little googling himself & was all up for it, so off we went.
the official One Of A Kind Show site phrases it better than i could ever hope to!
and oh the things we saw & ate! there was just so much! okay, the easy parts first, IT WAS CROWDED!
i am not a person who likes crowds & i really had to talk myself down from the ledge when i saw all the people. when i accepted we were gonna be here for a while & we were not going to go anywhere fast, then it was fine.
i started out by heading to the Etsy village to track down Four Eyes Handmade. it was their Robot Uprising Venn Diagram clock that caught my attention from one of the many design blogs i follow. Unfortunately, they no longer sell that item according to the gentleman that i spoke to at their booth. awww so sad!
after that disappointment, i stumbled upon Laura Berger's Etsy booth. i'm a sucker for a good print! many many lives ago, i worked in an art gallery back in undergrad & i will never forget all the neat/cute little prints or cards that people would bring in to have framed. it taught me, art does not have to be some expensive piece hanging on a wall that you can't touch. so a memorable post card or pricey oil on canvas; if it speaks to you or about you, then that's all that matters. i bought a couple of items - her 2013 calendar which i plan to frame so i can switch each card out, and something else (shhh, you'll see later).
i mean, we see all these guys on or around our beach every day! how cool is that? he came up with the concept while searching for something for his own garden. ah, the best ideas are the simplest aren't they? and we could not leave without coming back to pick a little something up for ourselves!
we came home with 2 baby turtles from the log & the middle turtle just below the log. can't wait to put them in the garden!
next came FOOD! 1st up was River Valley Kitchens.
that Five Cheese Garlic Spread is U-N-R-E-A-L! it's taking all i can do not to go open it now while Nacho is at hockey, eat the whole thing & claim we must have forgot it! heads up: i'm going to leave my husband for this jar! and the Spicy Pickled Mushrooms....2 words: Bloody Mary! 'nuff said! and they sell Mushroom Kits! i am definitely trying that next year.
moving on....Gourmet Blends & here's something i never thought i'd say....Dark Chocolate Balsamic (note, this links to their Chocolate Balsamic. i did not see a link for the Dark Chocolate that i purchased).
Dick Cooley's specialty was spark plugs (aka Spark Plug Guy) and he did some "interesting" things with them. don't get me wrong, he had some great items, this was just the most bizarre piece i'd seen at any show! the man has quite the sense of humor & imagination. really, he was impressive.
i did actually purchase one other thing for myself. i found myself at the Chomp booth 3 times until i simply could not help myself. her canvas bags are just so beautiful!
Dana was super super pleasant & when she didn't have anything in a cross body bag that i was looking for, i decided i couldn't stand it any longer & bought myself one of her totes instead.
the official One Of A Kind Show site phrases it better than i could ever hope to!
Chicago's Most ONEderful Time of the Year
The 12th annual One of a Kind Show and Sale Chicago® is Chicago's holiday shopping show! A refreshing alternative to traditional retail, the show is the ideal place to find one-of-a-kind gifts for everyone on your holiday list. More than 600 talented artists from across North America will bring their imaginative, handmade creations to this year's show offering a wide range of media and categories...
and oh the things we saw & ate! there was just so much! okay, the easy parts first, IT WAS CROWDED!
i started out by heading to the Etsy village to track down Four Eyes Handmade. it was their Robot Uprising Venn Diagram clock that caught my attention from one of the many design blogs i follow. Unfortunately, they no longer sell that item according to the gentleman that i spoke to at their booth. awww so sad!
after that disappointment, i stumbled upon Laura Berger's Etsy booth. i'm a sucker for a good print! many many lives ago, i worked in an art gallery back in undergrad & i will never forget all the neat/cute little prints or cards that people would bring in to have framed. it taught me, art does not have to be some expensive piece hanging on a wall that you can't touch. so a memorable post card or pricey oil on canvas; if it speaks to you or about you, then that's all that matters. i bought a couple of items - her 2013 calendar which i plan to frame so i can switch each card out, and something else (shhh, you'll see later).
i have a feeling i'll be purchasing from her again!
at that point, we decided to start from the beginning and wonder up & down each aisle - just like the grocery store! we were in awe of the rock & metal sculptures at Chuck Adams (aka Francis Metal Works)next came FOOD! 1st up was River Valley Kitchens.
moving on....Gourmet Blends & here's something i never thought i'd say....Dark Chocolate Balsamic (note, this links to their Chocolate Balsamic. i did not see a link for the Dark Chocolate that i purchased).
yeah, crazy right? well guess what i'm eating on vanilla ice cream RIGHT NOW! this stuff is amazing!
after this it was just a sea of people & lots of wondering. but we found some really impressive pieces. i am no where near being able to purchase a piece from Kevin Lahvic, but boy i wish i was! his Faces series is spectacular.
and we found ourselves going back to Kudu-lah & enjoying Kenneth's unique art.
 |
| apologies for the blurry photo here |
his About says he believes in "fun and affordable" art. it was definitely both! while i can't say an original is quite affordable for me yet, i'd really like to own one some day.
Loft Prints had some of the most vibrant prints of anyone in the entire show (IMHO). and his Blue Heron piece was great! this one will be on my wall before it is all over with!
i wish i had the kitchen for his Bad Sushi series. too funny!
there were plenty other artists that i simply did not get any info from. just too much to take in! and not everyone was serious. check out this guyi did actually purchase one other thing for myself. i found myself at the Chomp booth 3 times until i simply could not help myself. her canvas bags are just so beautiful!
i just love the simple modern prints that she designs. i was so impressed that she does all her own prints & taught herself to sew. how i envy that creativity!
ok so i gotta stop cuz i could go on forever about all the cool & unique things we saw. i think my favorite part of the day was how much fun we BOTH had. i could not believe that Nacho was the one really pushing to go (when i hadn't planned on saying anything to him). we decided we will definitely return next year & make an overnight event of it. and maybe by next year i will be able to buy at least one of those things i fell in love with this trip!Saturday, December 8, 2012
Tech-NO-logy
Okay im in a place right now in life where im not so certain technology is an improvement. My speech & interpersonal background shudders at the loss in communication skills these days. And yet i write this (1) on smart-ish phone, (2) from a commuter train, (3) while accessing data that tells me exactly how to get to where i need to go. DISSONANCE.....I can haz it!
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Paw-fect Stocking
har har! get it? "paw-fect"? a little dog humor! i thought that might ease the transition into another gap in posting. didn't even notice it after that little joke did'ya?
yes, it's been a couple of weeks since posting but we were busy visiting The Fam down in Florida & then getting our Christmas on at the house! i decided to revive an old tradition of my mom's - putting the decor up right after turkey day! but since we were in FL for turkey, it had to wait until this past weekend. but i am proud to say i have all my holiday goodies up & time yet to create more if i choose. yeah me!
and on that note, i spent Saturday working on a project that i actually meant to do for last year - new doggie stockings. i had never really been a fan of the 1st two iterations of stocking for our kids & had planned to make new ones last year. in true ME fashion, i bought all the supplies and......they sat! so after putting up all my decorations last Friday, i was hanging the existing stockings & remembered those supplies sitting in the box. out they came & to work i went! i got my Pinspiration from this
my colors are a bit different - i went with a dark brown trim, but here's how it all went down! i started by free handing the paw pattern (my printer refused to cooperate). i'm alsoso cheap the type of person that likes to recyle, that i didn't want to waste another piece of paper just to get the end of the paw. instead, i just continued cutting past the paper to create the round end. i also cannot draw stick figures so this was probably the most stressful part for me...drawing!
i then cut out the pad parts from brown felt. yet more free handing & stress!
i then sewed the pads on using the embroidery floss & just making it up as i went stitch-wise!
then i created the "sandwich" that the tutorial advised. i got a little confused here because of their wording (their "dark" fabric was my "light", etc.), but i finally got it stacked correctly.
notice the dark & light fronts & backs are stacked "back-to-back". so the liner pieces (aka dark) are placed rough sides together, furry side out. then the outside (aka light) pieces are placed on each side of those with furry side out!
then more hand stitching with the embroidery floss down one side & up the other. without stopping or cutting the floss, then stitch across the opening side of the front, then the opening side of the back. obviously if you just stitch across, you'll stitch it closed & that's okay if your "kids" have been bad & you have no intention of filling their stockings - hear that Baxter, no more drinking out of the toilet!!!
i finished my stockings off with a twine hanger. i have plenty of twine laying around from gardening & just rolled the top cuff down & make-shifty sewed a twine loop in place to hang them from.
okay, i actually sewed the twine on the wrong side. i had my other stockings leaning the other way, so i went back & sewed a 2nd loop to keep it in line with the others. you know what that means? i don't have to commit to hanging it one way or the other! suprised?
yes, it's been a couple of weeks since posting but we were busy visiting The Fam down in Florida & then getting our Christmas on at the house! i decided to revive an old tradition of my mom's - putting the decor up right after turkey day! but since we were in FL for turkey, it had to wait until this past weekend. but i am proud to say i have all my holiday goodies up & time yet to create more if i choose. yeah me!
and on that note, i spent Saturday working on a project that i actually meant to do for last year - new doggie stockings. i had never really been a fan of the 1st two iterations of stocking for our kids & had planned to make new ones last year. in true ME fashion, i bought all the supplies and......they sat! so after putting up all my decorations last Friday, i was hanging the existing stockings & remembered those supplies sitting in the box. out they came & to work i went! i got my Pinspiration from this
my colors are a bit different - i went with a dark brown trim, but here's how it all went down! i started by free handing the paw pattern (my printer refused to cooperate). i'm also
then more hand stitching with the embroidery floss down one side & up the other. without stopping or cutting the floss, then stitch across the opening side of the front, then the opening side of the back. obviously if you just stitch across, you'll stitch it closed & that's okay if your "kids" have been bad & you have no intention of filling their stockings - hear that Baxter, no more drinking out of the toilet!!!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Santa Paws
What a great way to start off the holidays! We had the opportunity for the 2nd year in a row to do the photography for a fundraiser for The Ark Animal Shelter & we couldn't be more pleased.
Disclaimer1: I am by no definition, no matter how loosely based, a photographer. Like many people, I just like shooting pics & wish i knew more. But unlike some, I've learned, I'm willing to bypass the Automatic setting on my camera in favor of the Manual setting & do my best & take my chances! So with that, here are a few samplings from ourwork fun last night!
Disclaimer1: This post is photo heavy & full of cuteness!
Let's start with the woman who started it all, Miss Donna & the rest of the Sarver clan.
Of course we had to pose for our own photo as well!
By far our funniest customers were these 2 Macaws. They were a riot & completely out of control!
As the macaws proved, it wasn't all about dogs, we had quite a few cats this year & these 2 were just the best buds!
A return couple from last year's event, and man had this lab grown!
Another return from last year...Miss Sally. My god this girl is perfection! If her mom would look away for just a minute, I would have gladly brought her home. They are both so lucky to have one another.
And we could not post these adopted pets without including a couple of the honored guests who are still looking for a home. Macey (pointer beagle mix) and Leo (standard poodle). It is a wonder they made it out of the shoot. I was gonna take Macey & Tisha was gonna take Leo. They are looking for forever homes & you COULD NOT go wrong with them. They were both so sweet & gentle! I'm still trying to figure out how i can trick Nacho into Macey!
Last, but not least, the crew that made it all possible. So much work in so little time! In 3 hours we managed to raise $2000+ for The Ark. A job well done!
Disclaimer1: I am by no definition, no matter how loosely based, a photographer. Like many people, I just like shooting pics & wish i knew more. But unlike some, I've learned, I'm willing to bypass the Automatic setting on my camera in favor of the Manual setting & do my best & take my chances! So with that, here are a few samplings from our
Disclaimer1: This post is photo heavy & full of cuteness!
Let's start with the woman who started it all, Miss Donna & the rest of the Sarver clan.
We had so many people that obviously loved their pets, be no one made as clear as this gentleman did. He has so much love for his friend & it shows!
Lucy (we may have that name wrong) we such a sweetie! With her "I'm blind" sweater, she had us all at woof!
There were so many rescue dogs with happy endings. We could not possibly post all of them. This husky youngster was the perfect model. One shot & we were done! What a lucky human he has!
One Final Note: We were happy to raise every penny that we could, but you know it's never enough. If you find you have the room in your home for a pet, please find the room in your heart to adopt!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Early Batch
you won't usually see this
for at least another month. but we were so excited & grateful to be done with Cookie's radiation treatments that we just couldn't resist making a batch for the VCA staff. of course, the minute a couple co-workers found out, i had to promise to bring some in.
for those who've never experienced this treat, they are called Pizzelles and Nacho makes them every Christmas. they are D-Lish!
although the ingredients are pretty basic (sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, vanilla extract), as we've learned, there is some sort of trick to it because they seem to come out different every year! Nacho has tweaked the recipes multiple times (one year even trying to do a healthy version YUCK), but we think this batch is by far the best!
you can use an electric Pizzelle maker (like we do) or the old ones you held over a stove - no thanks!
you can see the batter in the picture above, lower left corner. it's rather thick - thicker than cake batter but not as thick as peanut butter. just put a dollop on each pattern
close the lid & let it sit for 1 minute & you've got yourself warm soft Pizzelles. Nacho lays ours out to cool & harden, but you can roll them up into cannolo & fill them with creme or ice cream. speaking of ice cream, most people say they remind them of a waffle cone & that's about right.
we've seen traditional recipes call for Anise, but neither one of us care for that so we just leave it out. and this year i sprang for some expensive type vanilla & i think it was worth it. you can really taste it.
so while we did save some for ourselves, the bulk of them (7 dozen to be exact) went to VCA to thank them for all they've done for Cookie.
and i'd say they were worth every penny!
for those who've never experienced this treat, they are called Pizzelles and Nacho makes them every Christmas. they are D-Lish!
although the ingredients are pretty basic (sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, vanilla extract), as we've learned, there is some sort of trick to it because they seem to come out different every year! Nacho has tweaked the recipes multiple times (one year even trying to do a healthy version YUCK), but we think this batch is by far the best!
you can use an electric Pizzelle maker (like we do) or the old ones you held over a stove - no thanks!
we've seen traditional recipes call for Anise, but neither one of us care for that so we just leave it out. and this year i sprang for some expensive type vanilla & i think it was worth it. you can really taste it.
so while we did save some for ourselves, the bulk of them (7 dozen to be exact) went to VCA to thank them for all they've done for Cookie.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
What Time is It?
but what i'm talking about is when you take a map of your downhill adventure this past summer
combine it with an old stretch canvas commemorative photo from the local farm hockey team
add a little of this
a kit from a local craft store....and what do you end up with? well, i didn't end up with exactly what i set out to do for my Pinterest Challenge, but, in the end, that turned out to be kind of the fun of it!
My plan was to paint over the hockey print. yep i said that right & painted over it - and Nacho did not freak out about it. i started out by using ordinary white house primer that i already had & then discovered that white spray primer was just as good & faster - and i had that too!
next i was supposed to recycle more paints that i had to create something similar to the YHL art, but got stuck when i didn't have multiple colors that worked well together. i really didn't want to buy MORE paint since we have only about 30 cans in the garage.
that's when i came up with the idea to use a map. i'd seen maps used in a variety of decorative projects. so i guess, technically, i hit on two Pinspirations!the tough part was getting the map wrinkle free, which, of course i didn't accomplish but i really have to embrace getting something done instead of doing it perfectly!
The clock kit came from Hobby Lobby & cost me less than $7.00. so really, if you don't count the cost of the trip this past Aug (and you can't cuz that was priceless), not only was i recycling but i saved some $$$.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Mr Meni
i can thank my sis for talking me off the ledge....for now. and for those interested, we've had a very tough week here at Playa del Nacho! actually, a tough month, but it all culminated last week when we took Cookie to a specialty vet hospital to find out she has a brain tumor. you can read more about that here, but the extremely short of it is this
and the good news, for now, is we have options & will begin radiation tomorrow! if you got 'em, cross 'em cuz we sure could use it!
Monday, October 1, 2012
very timely
it's funny because twice this year i've started to write about things that weren't so sunshiney happy - one still sits & Drafts. both times i've come across someone that blogged something similar. today it was a post about Doing & Having It All. for me, there was just as much in the comments that rang true as there was in the post itself.
i have seriously considered just stopping this little blog altogether. i'm sporadic at best - as i found out from comments on Belinda's post so many people really are. i think that is fueled by the eternal question "why do you blog?" and i can't really answer it. i started out doing this as a way to keep my family up to date on what's going in our lives so far away from them. but really, they don't visit it anymore. i actually sat down last week & wrote my parents a letter - yes, a letter! and included a photo in it (of Cookie getting Volunteer of the Month at the Nursing Home). it felt so good to (1) write that letter and (2) mail it. people just don't do that anymore. man how my handwriting has suffered!
i don't really have anything to say, and i'm certainly not a writer on any level. the stuff i do post about is pretty "normal", nothing exciting or mark making here! i love my kitchen, but really, how much can you post about 1 remodel? the whole reason i think i've never posted a Finished Product is not so much because it's not finished, nothing ever is, but because what would i really be posting about after that?
when i started this, i think i'd said i never was any good at diaries. i cannot tell you how many of those i've had since i was a kid. i still wonder where that little orange one with the lock ended up. probably the only one i ever had any consistency with. somewhere along the lines though, and i think i know where, but i'm not willing to say, i felt like i HAD to do this thing. and i don't have to.
i wrote a post back in Feb about how i hated my job. that's putting it nicely! i mean i wrote about how i REALLY HATED MY #&*%@^! job! it was not pretty. as Belinda pointed out, sometimes you just have to type things out & never post so you can get it out of your system. that's what i did, except i posted it. then i deleted a few days later because a very good friend actually called me to talk about it. she said, "i'm worried about you because that's just not you". but it was, in that moment. and that's why i deleted it (although we know nothing is ever deleted from the internet). i understand this need to "keep it real" but i realized then that it doesn't mean "keeping it all out there" at least for me. again, not that any of my family 800+ miles away even remembers this little blog, but i would never want my daddy to read that & worry about me. it was a purge that really could have been a draft forever. so i have a few of those now.
i used to love the writing classes i took in high school & college, but know what i hate about them right now? Conclusion. i don't have one. guess i'll have to wait & see.
i have seriously considered just stopping this little blog altogether. i'm sporadic at best - as i found out from comments on Belinda's post so many people really are. i think that is fueled by the eternal question "why do you blog?" and i can't really answer it. i started out doing this as a way to keep my family up to date on what's going in our lives so far away from them. but really, they don't visit it anymore. i actually sat down last week & wrote my parents a letter - yes, a letter! and included a photo in it (of Cookie getting Volunteer of the Month at the Nursing Home). it felt so good to (1) write that letter and (2) mail it. people just don't do that anymore. man how my handwriting has suffered!
i don't really have anything to say, and i'm certainly not a writer on any level. the stuff i do post about is pretty "normal", nothing exciting or mark making here! i love my kitchen, but really, how much can you post about 1 remodel? the whole reason i think i've never posted a Finished Product is not so much because it's not finished, nothing ever is, but because what would i really be posting about after that?
when i started this, i think i'd said i never was any good at diaries. i cannot tell you how many of those i've had since i was a kid. i still wonder where that little orange one with the lock ended up. probably the only one i ever had any consistency with. somewhere along the lines though, and i think i know where, but i'm not willing to say, i felt like i HAD to do this thing. and i don't have to.
i wrote a post back in Feb about how i hated my job. that's putting it nicely! i mean i wrote about how i REALLY HATED MY #&*%@^! job! it was not pretty. as Belinda pointed out, sometimes you just have to type things out & never post so you can get it out of your system. that's what i did, except i posted it. then i deleted a few days later because a very good friend actually called me to talk about it. she said, "i'm worried about you because that's just not you". but it was, in that moment. and that's why i deleted it (although we know nothing is ever deleted from the internet). i understand this need to "keep it real" but i realized then that it doesn't mean "keeping it all out there" at least for me. again, not that any of my family 800+ miles away even remembers this little blog, but i would never want my daddy to read that & worry about me. it was a purge that really could have been a draft forever. so i have a few of those now.
i used to love the writing classes i took in high school & college, but know what i hate about them right now? Conclusion. i don't have one. guess i'll have to wait & see.
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