"There are a thousand things about me I want only you to know..."

i know i've been MIA a while, but i've been busy. and processing. mostly busy. i have been trying my hand as super-nanny, and last week was with 6 families in 5 days. i'm also building up my furry friend list, and have dog sat for 9 dogs in the last month. some of my favorites include a great dane, a boston terrier and a wicked smaaht boxer.


one of the pluses to my new life is that i get to ride my bike. a lot. what bike? the bike i fixed. my church has a non-profit bike shop that is geared towards alternative transportation. if you're committed to making a bike be your main mode of transport, they'll give you one for free. i had gotten a free bike (1980s mountain bike, no less) from one of my nanny families last fall, but hadn't ever taken it in. well, a couple of months ago i did. the fabulous aaron pott helped me tune it up, overhaul the axles and get on the road.

aside from learning all kinds of bike stuff, i now try to ride at least five miles a day. i save errands like the post office and the bank for morning rides, and have only driven my car about twice a week for the last few months. radtastic. that's a picture of my gnarly rear triangle, including the derailleur and gear wheel.



when i'm riding down broadway, or basically any hill, i like to pretend i'm in an 80s movie. not usually Rad (sorry, daniel tosh). i've certainly laughed a few Pee-Wee style when crossing streets and smiling like an idiot. a few weeks ago, i realized something frightening. kevin came over and we watched Goonies. check this out:















ridiculous. apparently i've unknowingly been channelling josh brolin circa 1985. (ps: i cut my hair. and darkened it. i'll probs be rocking the fauxhawk for summer again soon.)

in other news, i've been working on my etsy site. it's not finished yet, and i've been procrastinating that big time. i haven't advertised it, but a shop in denver that's opening this week contacted me to see if i'd be interested in selling my stuff. righteous. (the etsy site is actually a fundraiser for my church, more info on that when i'm fully up and running.)

lastly, i can't stand it when you hold the door open for someone and they touch the handle as they are walking through. especially if you've obviously been holding it for them. geez a lou. seriously? thought i'd hold it just up until the second you were crossing the threshold, then i was gonna let go. people.

"I could make that."

My grandmother was obsessed with owls. She collected them her whole life. As in HUNDREDS of owls on shelves in every room, magnets on the fridge, pins on her collar, earrings...you get the idea. So when I was flying home for her funeral, I made these little felt pins for all of the girls to wear to the service.



A few years ago, I started making jewlery out of buttons. First were the necklaces (an idea I stole from Grace Rockwell), then the rings...



then the hair clips (the fabric from one of these is old pajamas)...



I got a little out of control with the button flowers for my hair (This is the first one I ever made. Check out that awesome job with the hot glue.)...



When I got sick of freehanding flowers with button centers,



I moved on to rosettes with snaps! (This was the prototype, made from the leftover satin from the tutu I made last year.)




After making 11 new flowers, I wore one in my hair every day this past week.



When I was at the Fancy Tiger looking for fabric to make those rosettes, I saw a girl wearing a scarf made of the same material that I covered my kitchen chairs with...she told me that it was a mobius scarf and that I could find the instructions on their blog. Man alive, I've made three so far...and I'm pretty sure it's my new addiction.



My mom still had the scraps from a quilt she made me, so I pieced together a super random and busy one...



Here's me wearing the first one that I made...still my favorite.



I cut my material into 1/8 of a yard so that I could wrap it three times, but if you do the 1/4 yard, it wraps twice. It's super easy...and I got enough material for FOUR scarves for $14.32. You know I love a bargain as much as I love a scarf!