This is sick

But I love it. de'cat'pitated mouse head cat toy by spellwell

mel

Waiting

It is so so quiet today and I am just waiting for the weekend to start. I'm freezing! It seems like at work I am always either too hot or too cold. Right now it could have something to do with the icy cold water I'm drinking. But isn't it so refreshing to drink cool water after your morning coffee? I think so.

Last weekend the lovely and amazing Erin and I journeyed by bus to SCRAP. I am pretty sure it was the first time I took the bus out there; it was quite an adventure. We braved a walk in frigid winds in exchange for perhaps 15 minutes inside the SCRAP warehouse, and, for me, it was worth it. I came away with a great armful of matboard, which I promptly cut into notebook size pieces as soon as I was in the warm confines of my apartment. Those pieces are still sitting on the coffee table, but soon they will be covered with woodland creatures. I turned in my last project for my design class yesterday and I am looking forward to lots of making in the break. I had a bit of practice with my gocco in the last few months, so I am hoping something will come of that. I also recently purchased Lena Corwin's Printing by Hand, and want to put that to good use as well. I would love to do screenprinting, but I'm also itching to try my hand at linoprinting again.

I hope my friday flies by fast, and yours too! And here's to a wonderful weekend.

mel

New For the Holidays

I had a lovely time at Apple Hill this weekend; as you can see I had my photo taken on a tractor! Does it get any better? What's perhaps even more exciting, is that Sunday I was finally able to take photos of the books I made last Monday, which means 1) I can share the photos with you and 2) I was able to list the books in my etsy shop! Yes, it is thrilling I know. Just in time for your last minute gift giving needs. Tomorrow I hope to have a little gift guide up here for even more assistance. Now, I will leave you with new photos.

mel

ps - click on the photos to go to the listing!

Apple Hill

I was just sitting at my desk, munching on a delicious apple and thinking, mmm, this apple is perfect. My mind wandered from thought to thought as it tends to do, meandering from crisp apple to lovely fall weather to the impending Thanksgiving holiday and finally stopping with, Hello! It is time to go to Apple Hill! And that is the most wonderful thought of all.

Do you know what is at Apple Hill? That's right, a whole lot of apples. But! Also! There are apple donuts and apple wine and apple butter and apple cider(cold and hot) and apple streusel and apple buns and apple tart and apple chips and fudge and honey and salt water taffy and tchotkes and a fishing pond and about a million different kinds of apple pie. A million I tell you! And, if it isn't raining, there may be a whole pig roasting on a spit.
Apple Hill is, of course, a horrible and tacky tourist trap, but it is also completely amazing and in some of the most beautiful country in the world, the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. More to the point, it is in Camino, CA, which is about an hour north of Sacramento on Highway 50. And actually, it is quite easy to avoid the more touristy parts, if that's what you're after. Apple Hill is an association of 56 farms, and they are all more or less located on a loop (Apple Hill Scenic Drive) and there are many of those that are just orchards where you can fill a box with apples you pick yourself and stroll around and enjoy the quiet. As much as I love that, I do really love the touristy spots as well. This year, my two wishes for my Apple Hill trip are 1. It doesn't rain, and 2. I get to try apple pie with cheddar cheese. I can't wait!

mel

if you'd like to visit Apple Hill yourself, you can get directions and read more about the farms here: Apple Hill Growers Association.

Tinkering

I'm thinking about changing the look of this blog. I like the gray, but I'm not sure about the other colors. And I'd really like a more lovely header up there for the title. What I have now is so blah and kind of low budge, right? So, I'll be adding that to my long long list of things to do. Yay! Actually, I did get a good piece of work done last night, I cut a whole slew of covers and now they are just waiting to be made into notebooks. My hopeful schedule for completion is construction Saturday night, then photo taking on Sunday, provided it doesn't rain. I've been thinking for a while that I would love to try taking some product pictures outdoors, so I'll try to work that in too. Chances are there will be lots of new notebooks popping up in the shop next week! Fancy that, it's been a long time since there was any fresh blood in there.

Well, scratch that, I believe it was just last week that I listed my latest drawing, Nesting. It's been seen here before; I've had it kicking around for quite some time, but for some reason only just got the impetus to list it. So, it's for sale now over at Etsy. I like it a lot, I hope you will too.

mel

Living In Real (Slow) Time

I am the worst business woman in the world, I reckon. There are about a million things that I would really really love to get done to promote myself for The Holiday Season. But I haven't done any of them. I'm hoping that now that I'm pretty much over my sickness I'll be getting back in the swing of things, but I think it might already be too late, at least too late to do every single little thing. (I find this to always be the case with the holidays, I have a list a mile long of Awesome Things to Do that I don't get too because the season goes by sooooo fast. Well, this year I'm going ice skating!) One thing I did manage to do is be included in the current paper n stitch exhibition. It's so exciting that I'm included in this collection of amazing shops because paper n stitch is one of my favorite favorite blogs in the whole world and Brittni, paper n stitch purveyor, is a super sweet gal with impeccable taste. Unfortunately, the site is down right now, but as soon as it's back up I'll be posting links to point you over to my shop as well as some of my peers'.
mel

Update - Here's that link for y'all! paper n stitch and a link to my little shop here. yay! mr

A Whirlwind of Emotion

Kir Royal, originally uploaded by savor_soaps.

The title pretty much says it all. That's kind of how it's been since my last post. I was elated then sad then sick sick sick. I'm finally starting to get better, yay! Just in time for the weekend! I'm going to make sure I won't (ahem) overindulge again this weekend and weaken my immune system making me susceptible to stupid germs. And I don't want to talk about this too much, mostly because it makes me a little teary, but guys, I am really really sad about the passage of prop 8. There are rallies all over the country tomorrow to speak out against it, and I'm hoping that there can be some increased positive awareness of the cause so that the next time around, we can switch up the 52 to 48 ratio.

One thing that did make me very happy this week was the arrival of a package from savor. I've thought about writing a blog post on savor for a long time, but for some reason am only getting around to it now. So if you're just now learning about this amazing shop, I'm sorry for procrastinating because I know you will want to snap up everything in stock. Savor is Lisa Salamida, and she makes the most amazing soaps known to man. Seriously. They are so delicious smelling and looking. In fact, Steve once almost ate one of her soaps because he thought it was a cookie, but he stopped himself (good thinking Steve). When I received my package this week the delicious fragrance of creme brulee wafting out of the cardboard was making me salivate. I was burying my nose in the packing peanuts! Yes, embarrassing but true.

I was wary to shop Savor at first, partly because her product photos are so gorgeous, I was worried I would be let down. Well, I had no reason to worry, everything is as good as it looks. If you want a mega pick me up for your morning shower, head to savor. I can recommend from experience Kir Royal (pictured above), tropical style Hawaiian black sea salt, sex appeal and creme brulee sugar scrub. I was trying to decide what my next savor purchase would be, I had it narrowed down to a choice between raspberry walnut creme fraiche and caramel apple creme fraiche, but when I was checking out the savor shop before writing this post, I had a total impulse moment and snatched up a pound of soap bits. I love these kinds of variety packs, miscast or weird colored pieces of soap, ends or messups. So, the creme fraiches will have to wait. At least, for as long as I can, which probably won't be that long.

mel

why I will not be signing up for google ads.

It's something I've considered in the past, but today was the clincher for me. Why? Today several of my favorite blogs featured Yes on Prop 8 ads in their sidebars. (like this one) No thanks google.
PS - If you don't know about Prop 8, you can read up here

Mas y mas cerca

I am listening to Jonathan Richman's self titled album. I haven't listened to it in quite some time. I am one of those people who have very specific associations between music and moments in time. This album always reminds me of being on the bus listening to the CD right after I bought it at Amoeba, heading towards Steve's house.
The notebook above was made using a copy of Billy Joel's Glass Houses. It reminds me of New Year's Eve, 2004.
I don't have any very good memories of Halloweens. Halloween has been either boring or kind of a sad day for me over the last 6 or so years. And, to be totally honest, I find Halloween a little scary since I moved to San Francisco; there are just soooo many people out and about. So usually I like to fortress myself in my house. This year I am fortressing myself at Sarah and Bryan's house. And I am making these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from Bakerella...yum, I can't wait. The frosting is a maybe, I'll have to determine how ambitious I feel this evening. I'm considering getting a pumpkin to carve....we'll see. Perhaps there will be some sort of Halloween themed cocktails...
I hope you all have a great Halloween!
mel

rar!

My little sister is in New York right now! That's where she snapped the awesome photo you see above. I'm so jealous. But hey, even though I'm not there, I can shop like I am! So here are some picks I found using Etsy's shop local tool.

This purse from pesky cat designs is so cute! And the color is gorgeous.

Squee! The cuteness of this little owl family from ManiMina is too too!

I feel like maybe I've shared this fern leaf bangle from EmilyEJewelry before, but I can't help it, I think it's great.

This sweet sweater from theAnecdotes looks so warm and cuddly...I wish they had it in an adult size!

I'm loving the warm colors in Gwen Meyerson's work.

mel

Coptic

Hey y'all! I know it's been a while, but check it out! I made a couple new books! They were made with the coptic stitch method, which is definitely a new thing for me. Of course, they are still made with the same recycled materials; vintage record covers and rescued papers. They are a bit larger than my normal notebooks, 8.5" by 5.5" instead of 5.5" by 4.25" I think they're really cool and I'm excited to update my shop with them over the next few days. I hope you'll check it out! And I really appreciate you still stopping by, even with the dead air over the last couple weeks, look for more frequent posts like in the old days from now on.
mel

Sorry

Yes, there are loads of new books in the shop.

Sorry I fell off the face of the blogging earth. I haven't been feeling very well this week, but I feel like I'm snapping out of it a bit today. I have a big project to work on that is due on Saturday, but as soon as that is out of the way I will have lots of new exciting products to offer you. But until then, things may continue to be pretty quiet around here. Just a heads up. I hope your week has been great!

mel

Fashion Heroes

Did you know that the Library of Congress has a flickr stream? Well, they do. And it is pretty awesome. If you find yourself with nothing to do and a few hours to spare, browsing through it is a lovely way to pass the time. I do this every so often, and today I've decided to pull out to share with you. Here are my fashion heroes for this week.

mel

Trendy

Well, I finally did it. I jumped on the fascinator bandwagon. I've been pondering it for a while, since my ever awesome pal Erin brought my attention to a fetching one worn by the femme fatale in the movie Brick, and recently they have been popping up everywhere, all over the blogosphere and, of course, on Kenley on Project Runway. I've been dragging my feet because I am not normally one to accessorize and my overall look is pretty low-key so I was worried I might clash. But Erin counseled me through my doubts yesterday and today I bought the above pictured feathered headband from victorygarden (a San Francisco shop, woo hoo!). I'll let you know how it goes.
Also! I found myself another food related blog; LifeFlix (though at the moment it looks a little more like a moving/new house blog). Lots of awesome recipes, I'm going to have to try this one right away. What else is awesome? The author of LifeFlix, Marichelle not only has a lovely name but also writes another lovely blog; hearthandmade! I'm sure you know that one, so you know you'll be getting into a good thing with LifeFlix, you don't just have to take my word for it!

mel

Yum

I'm getting myself all psyched up for the farmer's market in a couple hours, and I realized I've never talked about my love of cooking on this blog. It's something that I've only recently been doing with any regularity; in San Francisco it's soooo easy to fall into eating out every night because there are so many delicious cheap eats here. Also, going to the grocery store is more of a chore when you're on foot than it is when you have a car. But eating out is not especially good for the health of your wallet or your body, so I have been making a concentrated effort to eat at home.

My dad cooked these amazing meals for my family when I was younger, so I learned an appreciation for a wide variety of foods and cooking techniques from him. I think one of the reasons I like cooking so much is that I can recreate things he made for us. Another reason I like to cook is that it's something I'm fairly good at and am confident in my ability to do it well. That always makes things more fun! And I really like the creative aspect of it, the art of seasoning and spices. It's so satisfying when everything comes together in deliciousness.

My go to for recipes, after my mom and dad, is epicurious.com. They have the archives for every issue of Gourmet. It doesn't get much better than that. But they also have the bon appetit recipe archives, which definitely pale in comparison to Gourmet's, but they're nice to have nonetheless. Also, they have a "recipe box" so you can save all the recipes you like or think you might want to make. I recently made a delicious roasted acorn squash from one of their recipes.

I also get recipes from a couple food blogs. My favorite favorite favorite is 101 Cookbooks. 101 Cookbooks is a recipe blog by Heidi Swanson, author of the James Beard book award (!)nominated Super Natural Cooking. It is updated often and always with the most mouthwatering recipes and photos you will ever lay eyes on. And they are vegetarian and seasonal and healthy....and generally really simple to prepare. Really. My favorite so far is the Spinach Rice Gratin, which I just happen to have at home right now.

Another new favorite blog is Bread and Honey. It is written by two busy moms and is a really enjoyable read. The authors are funny and personable and take gorgeous photos. I've been reading this blog only about a week, so I haven't actually had the chance to try any of their recipes yet, but there are many for which I am itching for the chance. I'm especially interested in this no knead bread recipe; I haven't made bread since I was in middle school and we had a bread maker, and I just bought some whole wheat flour, so I figure I'm ready to go.

Do you have any favorite food blogs? I'd love it if you'd leave me the URLs in the comments! Thanks!

mel

BOOKS - No, not just more books I made, but yes, there is that too

Yep, that's my new notebook. I love it. It's exactly what I wanted. I went to the Big Book Sale at Fort Mason last weekend (and I know I say this a lot, but I mean it: if you live in SF and you've never been, put it on your calendar for next year right now. It's so awesome). I was shopping for more materials for my books and was specifically looking for botanical guide books. I found only one, but as you can tell from the notebook above, it is really wonderful. It's a Golden field guide and it's for Identification of Trees of North America. It was published it 1968 and it has the most gorgeous illustrations. I'm really really pleased. I also found a couple other guide books, including my first that focuses on East Coast flora/fauna; it's a guide to sealife of New England. Very cool. I also got a fun Jacques Cousteau book for kids and a Disney book about animals, both with awesome photos and illustrations. I also got some books that I actually intend to read, imagine that! I'm really looking forward to reading A Year in Provence and America by Alistair Cooke. I'm not sure exactly when I'll get around to those; I have, in years past, become a very bad reader, but I've been trying hard to be better this year. I just finished Craft, Inc. and am now working on The Adventures of Augie March, though, to be honest, I'm not sure I'll make it through that one. I am really really tempted to preorder this book; it is taking all of my self-restraint to hold myself back.

mel

update: speaking of books...ok, I really am trying to be good about not spending, but I just found this via the obsessive consumption blog, and there were no two ways about it: I had to have it. HAD to.

Etsy Finds: Replicca

Patchwork the Second by replicca

This morning I logged on to Etsy and surfed over to the front page to see what was going on. I was scanning the treasury when an item by replicca caught my eye. I thought to myself, "Hey, I know that shop! And I like it!" (you may recall that I posted one of her items here a few days ago). So I clicked through to the main shop and, as I was browsing her items I realized that I hadn't added replicca as a favorite shop. And I felt kinda stupid, because Hello, EVERYTHING IN REBECCA'S SHOP IS AWESOME! Yeah, sorry to be so forceful, but I really love these clothes! They are adorable and modern and feminine and sporty and colorful and bold and .... well, just see for yourself.

Giant Hoods are Good

Ruffle My Shoulders Longer

Slouchy Wonderful

Ruffle Ruffle Bow

As if that weren't enough, Rebecca also makes these adorable pulse protectors out of fabric remnants. They look super hip and they have pockets, which seems so handy. You want a peek? Ok, if you insist:

Yes, they are cute and functional and affordable...I think I just convinced myself to buy one. And I hope I've convinced you to take a peek at replicca! Don't forget that it's about that time, you know, that time when you might need to do a lot of shopping for a lot of gifts for a lot of people...if you happen to be buying for any fashionistas, I think replicca would be a great place to start.

mel

PS - Oops! I have a bit of a bias for women's clothes, but I'd be remiss if I didn't alert you to the fact that Rebecca also makes great menswear! You and your bf will love it!

ha ha! POUNCED!

So I am truly distraught over my inability to check out the treasuries. It is one of my favorite things to do on Etsy. To console myself I decided to indulge in some serious pouncing. Of course I quickly found loads of awesome undiscovered shops that I cannot wait to share with you.

This Love Birds cut-out card by pocketstudio is so sweet and pretty!

I am loving the over the top old school glamour of the cuffs (like this geometric gold one) by lizncoco.

I am totally digging the colors and lines of Growing Young by JohnStorm.

These pastel fabric bangles by MelissaWarren are totally 80s, but in the good way.

There something I find so appealing about this mixed media piece by ksantiago. It reminds me of the best children's books. Click over to the listing to read the interesting inspiration behind it.

More birds! More works on wood! Butter yellow! Yes, Little Yellow Bird by KimFoxArt is a no brainer for me.

I found a lot to love in the Lighthouse Designs shop, but I think I was most enamored with these El Tango earrings. Gorgeous.

Tomorrow: POUNCED! pt. 2!
mel

one of those days

Yes, I am having one of those days. Bad hair day, bad skin day. Tired and achy. Late for work. Bored. And, worst of all, I can't check the treasury on etsy at work anymore! So so sad. I'm trying to cheer myself up with this cute picture of Ava in a box and by eating a delicious roast beef panini for lunch. It's working just ok. Actually, the picture is making me feel a little guilty; it seems like I have lots of pictures of Ava, but not so many pictures of Nick Nolte. I have a good reason for it; Ava is much less camera shy than Nick, and she's good at posing, whereas Nick doesn't like to stay still very much. But still. I'm going to be trying harder in the future to take and post lots of cute photos of the cuteness that is Nick Nolte.

Anyway, I did have a reason for posting today other than to complain and talk about my cats. I am trying a couple new things with my notebooks that I think are pretty cool. In the past I have used matboard to make my animal books; I cover the matboard with the pages of illustrations and use those as the covers. Recently I ran out of matboard. I haven't been able to get to SCRAP in ages, so I haven't had a chance to restock. I tried using the chipboard that I use in my bookbinding class, and it was fine, but just a little too thick and heavy for the size of book that I'm making. So I was kind of stumped when I wanted to make some new books the other night. Then I noticed the back cover of the Air Supply record I had just made a book out of. Usually I save the album sleeve scraps I have to use in packaging, but I don't use that much, so I end up with a big pile of scraps that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. So I though, why not use that scrap cover as I would use matboard to make animal books! So I made a couple and was really happy with the results. The album cover is the perfect weight, not to heavy but not too light, and substantial but still flexible. The first of these is in the shop, it is covered with cute owls and it is pink and lavender! You have to see it, it's adorable. And more will be popping up in the coming days. Yay!

mel

NEWNEW

New notebooks in the shop y'all! Woodpeckers and Air Supply...and lots more to come. Yay!

mel