threadalicious

i went to the twin cities this weekend to visit my friend Jessica. we took an adventure on one of the hundreds of highways/interstates within the conglomerate to find a fabric gem. this was recommended to me by my friend Kali, and she is a great friend for directing me there. it's called S.R. Harris, and it is a warehouse, not much to look at from the outside, but nothing but theadalicious eye candy on the inside. zippers for 50 cents, wool for $5/yd, twill, tweed, leather, home dec as far as you could see. i was in heaven. and just like heaven you are so stunned for the first minute or two, you just stare. so we were the awkward girls blocking the doorway for 5 minutes. but that's okay, i got some great prints, solids, zippers (i might as well start collecting them for all the ones i buy) and it was still cheaper than i thought it was going to be!

and then, after Jessica saw how big my eyes could get with some fabric in front of them, she took me to her favorite place in northwest minneapolis - Crafty Planet - which has the best selection of hip prints that i've ever seen. (please keep in mind that i live in iowa. iowa is generally 3-5 years behind most industry trends.) i have never seen an entire line of amy butler lined up together until Crafty Planet - and they had 3! cherry lotus is usually sold out everywhere - i bought a lot just to ensure it was there when i needed it. she had joel dewberry, heather bailey (not Pop Garden yet), heather ross, a great alexander henry collection, and some great ones that i haven't seen before. i would love to open up something like this shop in central iowa - perhaps i will call the owner about a chain... :)
i was thoroughly impressed by the fabric resources in minnesota - and will be going back on a fairly regular basis.

i try to travel frequently, so please share what your favorite stores are in your area - i would love to add them to an itinerary!


Correction: top print is Echino and the bottom is Joel Dewberry - thanks Amanda :)

Click Click

I have finally finished the website for my first website design client! Here is a picture of the home page, and if you want to see the rest of the site visit Rogers Photography. I'm still working out some kinks but for a first shot at it i don't think i did too bad. In fact, i'm extremely proud of this accomplishment, especially because i just decided in January that this was something I wanted to pursue. YAY!

spark!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun forth of july - i know i did. i was able to have a couple of very relaxing days off of work and got to spend time with the hubby, friends and other family. this year was the best as far as weather is concerned that i have experienced in iowa for a very long time. it was very refreshing considering the crap storms and winter we just got through. thanks MN (mother nature) for cutting us a break. i didn't even get a mosquito bite.

in other news, we bought a Wii and that has been consuming most of my husbands time and i have been outside for every nice day we've had - sorry for being MIA :).

i have been asked to create an overnight bag for an infant and a smaller purse for going out. i have the designs layed out and so now i just need to do a muslin of each to see how it goes - but i'm excited to show you the results!

fork?

does anyone know a way to get more hours out of the day? props to anyone out there working more than one job or working full time with family or doing what you love on the side of working... basically i'm in awe of the amount of things people get done in their lifetimes, and i feel as though i'm not keeping up fast enough. I have more ideas than i have time and i have more ambition than i have patience.

it felt a little different when i was at a job where i had nothing to do all day to my current job where i can barely find time to leave my cube get get more caffeine. sigh. don't get me wrong, i love my new job and i love sewing, creating, etc, but when i read the stories of Heather Bailey and such I feel like i almost need to choose, like she did. but i don't know if i can yet...

P.S. I'm totally stoked for Heather Bailey's new fabric line - it's hitting stores in July!

k9 cuteness

fast shutter speed and adorable subjects... but not that i'm bias :)

free... gan?

because i have fallen off the oprah train since i began working 8-5, my friend in law school was catching me up on some of the more interesting episodes. one of them has stuck with me and i have been pondering it since may 17th (when he told me about it).
as stated by wikipedia:

Freeganism is an anti-consumerist lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on "limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed." The lifestyle involves salvaging discarded, unspoiled food from supermarket dumpsters that have passed, or in some cases haven't even passed, their sell by date, but are still edible and nutritious. They salvage the food not because they are poor or homeless, but as a political statement.

this movement fascinates me. i come from a household that could be a poster child for the shift in generational attitudes. my grandma (elsie) could have walked from the great depression to 1990 without blinking an eye... she would wash out ziploc baggies and resuse them, she would eat the entire apple including the core and she had a ball of all ready been used aluminum foil the size of a small dog. my mom on the other hand embraces the 'disposable' feature of many things (namely the disposable food storage containers) and the idea of rinsing out a baggy doesn't even cross her mind. since earning a decent income as an, ahem, adult i have noticed myself following the path closer resembling my moms, as opposed to my grandmas. while both have pros and cons, this movement has really got me thinking about if i'm using everything i need before replacing or discarding it.

(oil painting of depression glass)

i have a friend who is exactly the person i wish i could be 100% of the time. she only buys what she needs, and uses all of it. she buys locally whenever possible, and if not locally, definitely organically. she has a tendency to break things, so every inedible thing she buys is thought about and decided upon in a logical manner. she doesn't wash the baggies, but she would definitely eat the whole apple.

starting july 1, i am going to try my own stab at a movement less intense than freeganism, but something that i think will help me be a smarter person both financially and ecologically. (my goal is to be able to do this for 1 year to see if i am changed) i am going to try to not buy any clothes unless the ones i have become 100% unwearable, same with shoes, and i'm not going to get my hair cut, i will eat all leftovers from meals, and i will make what i can from textiles and what not, and buy locally if possible. gifts will all be handmade, if not by me than by someone else (heart you etsy)... and whatever else i'm not thinking of at the moment... you get the idea.
cheers!

the Nadas

the nadas are a local band that started in iowa and have spread far. they have been in the music scene for a while now and i like to promote them as much as possible because i happen to think they put on a great show and produce awesome music. they played at a great venue on friday june 6. here's a clip from a great show in Ames, IA last summer and some pictures from the event i went to last friday - enjoy :)