That time of year

Saturday, November 6, 2010

It's that time of year again. I woke up to a dusting of snow on my deck and little flurries swirling around the dogs as they went out to pee. Crap. I hate the cold. Guess it's time to break out these bad boys!

(image via LLBean.com)

And whenever those guys come out, these guys aren't far behind.
(image via zappos.com)

Coolest bike EVER!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Madsen Cycles Cargo Bikes
Have you seen these bikes? They're made by an amazing company called Madsen. How awesome would I look toting around my big and little dogs, groceries or even the kids I nanny for with this puppy?!

Madsen Cycles Cargo Bikes

Pictures of....well, me.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

I happen to take all of the photos of myself for my Etsy store. Okay, that's not entirely true, my friend Annie took the photos at the Biltmore Estate for me. Other than that one shoot though, all pictures have been taken by me. Of me. This means I have hundreds, if not thousands, of photos of myself on my computer. Is that kind of weird? I think it is, but it doesn't bother me. (and TRUST me when I say there are hundreds, if not thousands of HORRID pictures of me too!) I am one of the rare breed it seems that enjoys having their picture taken. Maybe it's because I've been told all my life I should be a model*. Maybe I'm just a narcissist? I don't know. I do think I photograph better than some other people... but ONLY when I take the pictures myself. haha. That's kind of like saying "only after I photoshop the pictures into non-recognition". Anyway, it's a lot of work for me to come up with a look and then try and execute it so when the pictures come out good, I get really excited. I happen to really like how my hair turned out after this last photo shoot ( I slept in foam rollers, people! Do you know how much dedication that takes?!) So I am shamelessly putting them on my blog. And my facebook page. And my Thimble Kiss fan page. Okay, so now I'm kind of sick of looking at myself, but that probably means I'm not a narcissist, right?! Good.






*"You should be a model because you're so tall!" Gee, thanks.

Imitation is the sincearest form of flattery, right?

Sunday, October 24, 2010



I did a photo shoot for Thimble Kiss today. If you are my friend or fan on Facebook than you know this. I kept thinking that this one photo I took looked SO familiar and then it struck me! It looks just like the photo from the Lady Grey pattern over on Colette Patterns! I've been seeing this pattern a lot recently since the lovely Gertie is leading a sew along for it. Okay, so it doesn't look like the photo from the pattern, but the button that Gertie made for the sew along. Close enough! I'm not brave enough to do a coat yet, but one day The Lady Grey will be mine! =)
(photo credit to Gertie over on Blog for Better Sewing!)

Ugly Crush

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Do you have anyone you have a crush on that is less than stellar in the looks department? Mine are all musicians, but yours could be authors or movie stars. My mom's ugly crush is Tommy Lee Jones. She says his "confidence is sexy." George brings this up EVERY time Tommy shows up in ANYTHING.


My number one ugly crush will always be Adam Duritz. I love the Counting Crows SO much and the pain in which he sings some of the most beautiful words ever... well, it gets me every time. I must not be the only one because he's dated some of the most beautiful women in Hollywood including Courteney Cox, Mary Louise Parker and Jennifer Aniston. He's (I think) still dating Emmy Rossum. I also was on a flight with him once from Newark, NJ to Orlando. He sat right across from me while we were waiting to board the plane and looked at me at least 20 times. Its probably because the color of my face was going from pale white to deep purple. I ♥ him. (Just not as much as this guy apparently... scary. )




My latest ugly crush has been Win Butler, the lead singer for Arcade Fire. Now, I say ugly, but he isn't really. He's just not what I'd normally be attracted to. I was home in Savannah recently and late at night I caught a live show Arcade Fire did on tv. Ever since then, the crush has been full on. There's just something about him! I can't put my finger on it. That cute girl in the yellow dress? Totally his wife. =)
"We Used To Wait" Oxegen Festival 2010.

10 Things About Me

Friday, September 24, 2010

Carolyn over on Diary of a Sewing Fanatic passed on the challenge to post 10 things about your self you've never posted before. Well, considering I'm such a crappy blogger, unless you know me personally you probably know very little about me, actually! Okay, here it goes.

1. I don't feel completely validated in calling myself a crafter or even 'crafty' most of the time. I know, I have my own Etsy store, do craft shows and sell in local stores. I read all of these fabulous blogs from people who are SO much more talented than I am and who put SO much time in to their craft and I feel not worthy to even be partially in the same category. I know this has to do with some sort of weird crafting self esteem thing, but its true. I think it also makes me feel guilty that I don't spend more time on my craft business.

2. I don't like crafts/sewing projects that take more than one sitting! If I see a project sitting on my table, partially finished it makes me hate it. I like em quick and easy. I did finally make my first dress from a commercial pattern. It turned out to be a tent that was too short for me to wear. I fixed the tent part but am still going to have to give it to a friend because it's too short.

3. Most of the time I am too busy to miss my friends and family, but when I stop and think about them I get really sad. I have friends all over the country and my family is in Savannah, Ga. I go down to visit every now and then, but not nearly as often as I should.

4. My mom is still the most important person in my life. She rocks. I love her and I have a panic attack just thinking about the fact that there is a good possiblity that one day she won't be around. She is bitchy, has an attitude, can curse so well it will make any sailor blush and is my biggest cheer leader. She coddles me which I don't get anywhere else and is my go to person for advice. I wub her.

5. I am one of those crazy people who is obsessed with her dog. I actually have two dogs but clearly have a favorite. It may very well be because I'm his favorite too. =) (Said dog and myself.)

6. Custom orders for weddings stress me out so much I almost give myself an ulcer. Its so very personal and is completely about taste. What if they don't like what I've made? What if I can't find or make what they want? Ugh, I don't even want to think about it. (Custom wedding order)

7. I love fabric way more than I love sewing. Actually, that's not completely accurate. I love sewing too, just not all of the ironing, pinning and cutting you have to do first. I'm also not that great at sewing. I'll take a shortcut if you give me one and usually my stuff comes out pretty sloppy. That's handmade, right? I need to get better at that.

8. I am going to be trying to get into a competitive program at school this year. I'm trying to get into the medical sonography program (think ultrasounds). There are only 11 spots in the program and roughly two thousand applicants every year. What if I don't get in? It makes me want to wet myself to think about.

9. If you haven't guessed by the theme of this list, I'm a Negative Nancy. Glass half empty all the way! I can't help it, and the sad thing is I'm usually right!

10. This is the biggest secret, even to the people who know me personally. All five of you that read this blog (that includes the strangers! haha) will be the few in on the gig. George and I have pretty much decided that we aren't going to have kids of our own. In some ways, that feels weird to me because my entire working career since I was 15 has been about kids. I love them, they love me and I'm good at my job.

(The rugrats I currently nanny for)



Its not that we're never going to have a 'family', in fact its the opposite. We fully plan to adopt. We're pretty dead set on it. I don't know exactly from where or when, but we'll probably have to get started on the loooooong process in the next few years. It's super expensive too. We would definitely want a newborn. The craziest thing about it all as that a lot of the agencies I've researched will adopt to a single mother, a divorcee, and married couples, but not couples who aren't married. In theory, I get it, but George and I have been together 9 years. I don't really see us separating anytime soon and even if we were married who says we wouldn't get divorced? Because of this however, I think we are going to have to get married, soon. Most agencies require you're married for at least a year, usually two. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I have created a comfy little identity with not being married but being committed to him. I believe in the reasons why we've stayed this way for so long. If we do get married, it will be an uneventful thing at the courthouse that resembles notarizing a legal document, but it still irks me. Anyway, off of my tangent, I am excited and nervous and terrified of the process all at the same time.

Lets Cook! Kale, Sausage and White Bean Soup

Monday, September 6, 2010

This is a good recipe. Super easy, quick and delicious. I say 'recipe' loosely as you can pretty much do whatever you want with this soup. Throw in a little of this or a lot of that if you want. Make it thicker by using less stock or more soupy by blending half and adding more stock. You can make it veggie by eliminating the sausage and using veggie stock. You still have the white beans in there for protein and sometimes I make it that way just for a change. Either way, its delicious.



I used leeks because I had them. Slice them in half length wise then chop crosswise and throw in a big bowl of water. That way, if there is any sand in them (which there usually is, don't skip this!) it falls to the bottom of the bowl. Swish them around every now and then.

This time, I added sweet potatoes. Sometimes I use regular potatoes or no potatoes at all.


TIP! When you go to drain the leeks, use a slotted spoon instead of just pouring them all into a strainer. You don't want all that grit you just washed out to get dumped back on them!

I add a little olive oil to the pot to help my sausage brown up. Its a local sausage I've used a lot so I know it doesn't give off too much fat.


Local sausage I use. I like the hot kind, but any kind will do.


Brown up your sausage in the olive oil and when most of the pink is gone, go ahead and toss in your leeks. Drain the leeks well first and maybe even roll them around in a dish towel to dry them.

I use this prepackaged kale. Its already chopped and ready to go. I used about half of this big bag.


Let your Kale wilt down a little bit. Stir the sausage and leeks around with the kale (making sure you're not leaving your sausage on the bottom of the pot to burn!)


Add your chicken stock. Scrape any bits of sausage that may have gotten stuck to the pan at this point.


Sweet potatoes, AWAY!


I used two cans of great northern beans, rinsed.


Grate in your garlic. If you ever chop garlic, you're a chump. Use a microplane like the cool kids do.


I forgot to take a picture of it, but I also added a big can of crushed tomatoes with about half the juice drained. I love smoked paprika so I add a generous amount of that. Also, add in salt and pepper of course and any other herbs you like. I did grate a little nutmeg in there too because I love nutmeg with dark greens.


Now we're looking like soup! All you should be waiting for at this point is for your kale to get tender and your sweet potatoes to be done. keep checking them and when they're soft enough for you, turn off the heat! You're done!

Good...


Better! Grate some parmesean on top and maybe a splash of lemon juice. DELICIOUS!


Holy Tooth Extraction, Batman!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

source
I have to have my wisdom teeth pulled. All four. Two are partially impacted under my jaw bone (doesn't that sound lovely?) and two are just gnarly. I also have four cavities, one of which is in one of the wisdom teeth. My dentist wants to put me completely under with iv drugs but I'm not so sure. First off, its around $500 for just the drugs. Not to mention, I'm kind of excited to get the crazy gas. I mean, you've seen this video right? it's been all over everywhere and still makes me laugh every time!"I feel like a unicorn just took me on a ride... to a magical palace with blueberries..."
Not to mention that the IV stuff is expensive! I think the gas has to be cheaper, right? I'm looking for a budget friendly buzz thankyouverymuch!

Just be thankful that I'm too lazy to scan in the photos the dentist gave me yesterday. HD high quality glossy photos of my mouth printed on professional photo paper... I mean, seriously?! That's what my money is being spent on? And why do I need a copy to take home? I highly doubt these will get framed!

Dyeing fabric... a new addiction!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Have you ever tried dyeing fabric? I did it for the first time yesterday. I made a hand cut linen flower and thought it was pretty, but would be better with some color. I saw the tutorial that Kathleen put up on her blog, Grosgrain and decided to go for it! It's SO fun and satisfying! This is definitely the first of MANY hand dyed (doesn't that sound fancy?!) flowers in my future!



A GREAT Tutorial

Friday, August 20, 2010



Are you struggling to hold on to summer as much as I am? I found this tutorial for a 'shirt skirt' over on Sew Like My Mom the other day and fell in love. I adore a good jersey knit skirt. They're SO versatile and easy to wear with flip flops (my staple) or even Chacos (an Asheville staple). I went to Good Will the day after I found this tutorial and bought two shirts to try but haven't had time to yet. I think if I can find the right shirt, it could even be a great skirt to wear through fall with some tights and my Ugg boots!

Asterisks Abound

Sunday, August 8, 2010

List of Shit to do or that has been done by me:

*Visit Austin,Tx.
I did this and it was a hell of a lot of fun. Went out dancing with the bestie and drank way too many Shiners. Thankfully we found a fan with a mister under it and planted ourselves there to get our groove on. My false eyelashes even stayed on. Yay for bff's good with eyelash adhesive!


*Do the Wink Heads and Threads CRAFTACULAR show.
I did this yesterday, and while it wasn't a great show monetarily, I did get to actually have a conversation with the other crafters. If you've ever done a craft show, you know how rare this really is. There was also free lemonade and cookies. Yay for free!

*Pay tuition for this semester
I did not do this. I got an email from the financial aid office saying my application had been revised and they were putting me on a 'do not purge' list. Yay for not purging me or my classes! Also, yay for another week to scrape up the funds for tuition.

*Sit around and read a sickening number of books
I have been doing this for a few months now. Right now I have five library books checked out and have read all but one of them. I got said books not even one week ago. Usually this is a sign that I'm going into depressive/hermit/toostressedtodealwiththeoutsideworld mode, but really I've just been reading some good shit. If you need a suggestion for funny chick lit, let me know. I have the hookup.

*Do the laundry and dishes before George gets home
I have done a few loads of laundry and a few sinkfulls of dishes, yet the piles never seem to dwindle. I think I'll blow the rest off until he has a day off to do them and I'll go read some more. =)


* I'll throw this in just because it's obscene. That is a donut covered in chicken fingers. Really fucking good chicken fingers.

Sewing Failure?

Monday, July 26, 2010

(Photo from Freshly Picked)

I have held on to this awesome tutorial from Freshly Picked in my Google Reader for a while now. It looks so easy and just like the kind of skirt I like to wear... simple cotton, gathered, knee length... and with POCKETS! I've looked over this tutorial a million times and finally tried to construct it myself a few weeks ago. I got the inseam pockets on the first try (woohoo!) and all was going great until it came time to attach it to my 2" elastic waistband. I had kind of a hard time getting used to the whole stretching the elastic from both sides as you're pushing it through the machine thing. Then, I realized that instead of following the directions exactly, I had been slack and actually had 2 times the amount of fabric (my waist measurement) instead of 1.5 times. This really added up when I realized that the elastic wasn't stretching THAT much and that I had a huge bunch of fabric left over all wadded up in the front of my skirt. I couldn't just cut it either because one of my precious pockets was included in that wad! UGH! I put it down and walked away.
Jump to yesterday when I decided I really wanted that skirt. The fabric was too cute and I had made those pockets, dammit! I went outside and sat on my deck with my trusty seam ripper and went to ripping away the waistband elastic. I finally got it off and decided it would be best to pre-gather the fabric and then attach it since I now know that there isn't enough stretch in the elastic. I did that (have I mentioned how much I hate gathering with the basting stitches technique? I NEVER get them even enough to satisfy my OCD) and actually got a finished skirt! I was all proud of myself and put it on to show George. Know what he said after staring at it for a solid minute? "It looks HUGE!" Excuse me?! What did you say?! ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?????! "It's HUGE because I'm HUGE you jerk-off!" Then came my two year old tantrum. I knew what he was saying... it was too full but after the seam ripping and feeling like I salvaged the skirt it was all I wanted to hear. I can kind of agree with him, I should have gone with the 1.5 times my waist measurement instead of a full 2 times but STILL! Oh well, I'll still rock it. I don't care if I look bigger. I think the cute fabric and the pockets make up for it. Hmpf.

... and I call myself a blogger...pfffft!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Man, oh man. I am a horrible blogger. I always think of things to write but then realize that no one wants to hear about it. haha. Then again, I subscribe to over 400 blogs (or something equally embarrassing) and a lot of time I read crap I don't want to so I have decided just to go for it.

Some things that have happened recently in no particular order:

*My business, Thimble Kiss, is booming! I started selling in a local salon, Wink, and have had to replenish clips twice already because they're selling like hot cakes! Its great money for dropping off merch and letting it sit. I even had a girl come up to me at a huge craft show I just did and tell me that she bought one of my clips to wear for her wedding the weekend before! She saw my stuff on etsy but it was really last minute so she popped over to Wink and picked one up. I love those kinds of stories!

*Oh! And tomorrow is my one year Etsy anniversary! WOOHOO! I've sold way more than my 'sold' count suggests, but I'm fairly happy with this year's work.

*Said huge craft show was The Big Crafty here in Asheville. It is a semi-annual show that is definitely the biggest of the year here. I was included with 140 other vendors and had a really, really great day. I also got a pair of earrings from Figs & Ginger and met a few people who's blogs I read and who's names I've seen about town! It was SUCH a fun day and I'm really glad I did it (and made mad dough to boot!)

*My best friend, Christina, had her baby girl! Bailey Annabelle Bolton was born June 12th. I got down there as soon as I could before that new baby scent went away and got some snuggles in. She really is the sweetest little mush ball ever. I also have an affection for angry baby photos. =)


*My summer break is winding down now. We have had a few visitors come into town and had a great time this summer. I've been working and have enjoyed being able to come home at night and crash at seven pm if I want to. Classes start back up in August. I'll be sad to be in class until 10pm three nights a week (after working 10 hours all day...ugh.) but I'm getting closer and closer to finishing. I'm happy to report that this semester will be the last math class of my college career. EVER. I. AM. SO. EXCITED.

*In a few weeks I am heading west! I'm going to visit my bff in Austin. I have no idea what we're going to do except shotgun beers and dance like fools. Should be a good time.

*My friend Annie took some photos of me for my etsy store at The Biltmore Estate a few months ago. Its the largest private home in America and I try to avoid it like the plague. The grounds are vast and gorgeous though so we found some off the beaten trail places to shoot (ie: no where near the house!) and I am kind of obsessed with these photos. I know, its sick to be obsessed with photos of yourself, but there are a few of them that I swear I've seen in dreams. I have an affinity for wheat field/tall grass photos and we took quite a few. Needless to say, I haven't actually used any for my etsy store. I have a few that I am planning to use for some listings tomorrow and I'm excited about that. Honestly though, I need to make more flowers! After The Big Crafty and another shipment to Wink I'm nearly dry!


*I saw a great quote that I think could describe me pretty accurately today. I think it was on the back of a book or in some liner notes. I can't remember the source but it was something along the lines of 'I could never be president because the US media outlets can't say the word "fuck" and so they would never be able to accurately quote me.' I love my potty mouth. =)

So that's really it for now. I am seriously going to try harder to post stuff I find interesting and hopefully won't bore you to death. You can also find me on the virtual book of faces you never wanted to see again here: Thimble Kiss Fan Page

Spring's Bounty

Monday, April 26, 2010

It seems like this time of year is when beautiful photos of local farmers markets start popping up all over my favorite blogs. If you can't beat em' join em'! Here are a few photos of some of the wonderful goods found at the Asheville City Farmer's Market this past weekend!






This asparagus was in the field 45 minutes before I bought it. I LOVE that!
We even have a local company that sells bottled water from a local source. Its tasty too!








 
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