More complaining about the Internet.

Of course, I'm terribly late to this party... I was catching up with some blog reading of blogs I don't read on a daily basis and realized some parts of blog and are a little too cupcakey, even for me. There's a major DIY home design blogger who recently asked her readers to 'donate' money for a major item for her home. She freely admitted to not needing the money and you would understand why if you looked at the photos of her huge, incredibly beautiful house and garden. Given that many of us know people that are in very real danger of plain not having a house, or their house literally falling apart and there being no money to fix it, you can see why this might rub some folks the wrong way. While it does rub me the wrong way too, that isn't why I'm posting this. I think part of people's problem with this was the use of the word donation, which in most people's minds means charity or collecting for a recognized charity. Perhaps contribution might be a better word to use for this situation. The blogger doesn't do a ton of advertising. I think she was thinking of it as a way to monetize the blog and I have no problem with that, so long as it's all out in the open. If a pro blogger wants to try to monetize by direct contribution, that's fine. So yes, she could have posed the request for money more gracefully, but I don't have an issue with the heart of what she was trying to do. The blogger does deliver lots of quality content with little advertising. Actually, my huge problem with this blogger was her response to the critics of it. He immediately pulled the post on this fundraiser with cries of bullying and how mean people were. Seriously? I didn't read the actual responses on her blog, as they're now gone, but I've read other bloggers response to her and it seemed reasoned, critical but not unkind. Just people questioning why they should give money to someone who obviously has so much already. Certainly not what i'd call bullying. Real bullying is out there. Feminist and lesbian bloggers getting threats of rape and murder. Bloggers having their real life names and addresses published. Credible death threats. It's driven some young kids to commit suicide. Getting called out on your privilege is not bullying. You put anything out on thte Internet, you're opening yourself up for criticism. That's just the way. Unless someone threatens violence or to silence you in some way, you don't get to call bully just because they didn't agree with you and were willing to say so. It dilutes the meaning of the word. Bullying is a very serious problem with dire, even deadly anyway, I've said my piece, so I'll just leave you with a photo of my cat.

I really want this tent

http://www.fieldcandy.com/nans_house/button_it.htm Of course that begs the question of what would I do with a $600 tent when I don't actually ever go camping. Still, nifty, yes?

I guess it's actually been two years since I regularly posted to this blog. I just looked at the dates. 2010. My, how time does fly. Also, I decided to send the green shoes back. Life is too short for tight shoes. Finally, I wish someone would give me a kick in the pants about getting this quilt done. I finished the top a year ago. It's been waiting for batting and quilting ever since.

Not that I can really talk...

Seeing as I haven't posted here in a year, but it bugs me when a blogger, a professional blogger who has sponsored posts, big advertisers, etc. posts multiple days of vacation photos as their daily posts. If you're getting paid, then I'd like to see real content. Also, I can't decide if my new shoes fit well enough to keep. Cute though, yes?

Sweet Summer Pretties- five Etsy faves (and a bonus)

We're heading into the last days of summer, sadly. August is my favorite month, but it's always a little bittersweet because I know it will be over before I know it and then it's back to the grind of the cold. Still, there's a little time to grab onto these last lovely days and savor them. And here's a few of my favorite summer lovelies from Etsy.

I love this necklace from little black rabbitt. The artist uses one of my favorite things- old tin tray and arranges them into a sweet but simple necklace.








What can I say about this print from thewheatfield other than it's so pretty and I want one?


















I adore those stacking vintage mugs and this set of four from Vintage Reinvented is particularly pretty. Perfect for sitting on the balcony, sipping coffee on summer mornings. Or, more likely, in the winter time, inside, dreaming of summer days past and yet to come.








I love theseRainbow colored party poms from Party Poms . I'd hang them up in my dining room and every day would feel like a party, wouldn't it?

Check out her Petite Poms too.
















I don't iron. Life is far too short for that. But I do sew sometimes, and you need an ironing board for that. This ironing board cover by City Chic Country Mouseis so lovely and sweet. It might almost make you forget that you've already ripped out and resewn that stupid seam five times already and still haven't gotten it right.










And a bonus favorite from Toybreaker, for the guys, and other tie wearing folks. Not sweet at all. But with clipper ships. I have an enduring love for clipper ships and other tall ships from the golden age of sail.

We've already got our tickets for Tall Ships Chicago on one of the last weekends of the summer. I love this event. We went last time the tall ships were in the city and it was just amazing. I marvel every time I see one at the intricacy of them and the craftsmanship. They are so beautiful.

There are no words that can express just how much I love this video. Just watch it.

40 before 40- cushions for the sofa

So, I made some cushions for my sofa. To be fair, I had the fronts of the cushions done a long time ago, but they were sitting in my red chest for months, unfinished, waiting for me to get it together and sew them up. The white, aqua and yellow one was inspired by one I saw done by Emma Lamb, only I didn't have the same colors of yarn she used. I used leftovers from my stash. Oh, and I didn't save a picture of my inspiration, so I was working from my memory of the cushion. It's basically just a ginormous granny square. It was fast and fun to work up. The back I sewed using a thrifted velveteen big shirt in orange. I was able to save the button holes so that I can unbutton the cover, in case I ever want to wash it or replace the insert.





The multi colored one with the small grannies, I pretty much copied directly from Lucy, one of my favorite bloggers and crocheters, from her blog Attic 24. The back is just rounds of half-double crochet in leftover yarn from the front. The front did seem to take forever, but I think that's mainly because with so many colors, there were so many ends to bury. I wasn't able to think of a clever way to make this cushion removable, but each side was sewn separately, so if I ever need to get the insert out, it'll be an easy matter to just undo one side and sew it back up again. I thought about putting a zipper in, but that would have meant a trip to the fabric store. I'd had a certain momentum, working on these and I didn't want to lose that by taking a hour or two (or three- you never know with me and the fabric store) to go to the store.

40 before 40- the Starbucks Challenge

One of my forty goals is to kick the Starbucks habit. At four bucks a time, I've been known to spend thirty dollars a week just on my morning coffee. Not to mention the temptation of muffins or scones, which are both not vegan and very hard for me to resist.

What you see here may not look like much, but it's the key weapon in my struggle to stay out of the Starbucks. It's a Coffee Toddy, the easiest, most convenient way I've ever found to make cold brew coffee concentrate. It's lower in acid than most other ways to brew coffee, so it's also easier on my stomach. I didn't run out and buy this. It's one of those things I've had floating around the house for a while, not getting used much. I've committed to making my own coffee and so I dragged it out of the high cupboard where it used to live. It's really easy to use and surprisingly quick, with a little planning. I buy the coffee pre-ground, rather than having to grind it each morning. It takes about five minutes of effort to set it up to brew, then it sits over night. In the morning, pull the plug in the bottom and ten minutes later, its all drained into the carafe. Throw the used grounds out and then it goes into the dishwasher for cleanup. Yup. Brilliant.

The other thing you see is the best cup for iced coffee ever. Seriously awesome. BPA free. Double walled so it doesn't sweat. With the straw included.

What I do in the morning is pour a couple of ounces of the coffee concentrate into my tumbler, add a four or five ounces of chocolate almond milk, then top everything off with ice. It's not exactly an iced mocha, but it's almost better in my mind. It's got just enough happy inducing chocolate without being so numbingly sweet like the Starbuck's iced mochas. Also, it takes like one tenth the time it does to stop at the Starbucks, wait in line, order, have them make my drink, and pay up.

Best of all, it fits into water bottle cage of my bike and I'm off to work with no fuss.

time for a new bike bag

I'm probably harder on panniers than the average cyclist. I use them every day, rain or shine. I jam them full of gym clothes, groceries, books from the library, finds from the thrift store. Basically anything and everything I want to haul. A bike is to be used and panniers or some kind of bag and a rack really contribute to their utility. So much so that I can't imagine having a bike without at least some kind of rack even if I intend to use it for nothing but sport riding.

Anyway, my current bag, which is a Detours Toocan in green, a slightly different shade of green than this, is getting really shabby looking. During my dooring adventure a few weeks back, it also acquired a hole in the side. Not a big one, but it's growing. I've had it for maybe three years and it's served me well. It's super convenient because the hard rubber bottom makes it stand up on the floor, table, etc and the mouth opens wide for filling it up with my various junk.

This time though I want something pretty. Something cheerful. Most bike panniers are unrelentingly utilitarian, coming in any color you want, so long as it's black. Or black and safety orange. Or alternatively, you can find something pretty but that only carries five pounds of stuff

I've done a little digging and I've come up with a few bags that nicely skirt the grounds between utilitarian and pretty. Bags for people like myself who want to carry more than a loaf of French bread and a bundle of flowers home from the farmers' market, but that still want that kind of romance and cheer in their life. I'm not sure what to get. Why don't you help me pick one out?



First we have the Detours Toocan Juicy Weave. Made by the same people who made my current bag, it's very much exactly like it, only made out of woven, recycled juice boxes. How cool is that?




Next we have the Axiom Town and Country Shopper in navy polka dots. I love navy polka dots! It looks sharp and sporty to me. Sporty in the old sense of "plays tennis and rides horses in the country" kind of sporty.




Basil Mirte Shopper in Rosa/Color mix is maybe my top contender at the moment. It's so bright and it looks like you found it at Cath Kidston only it attaches to your bicycle.




On the other hand, words can hardly convey just how brilliant the Basil Mirte Shopper in Blue/White will look with my light blue bike. And it's just like Delft ware. I love Delft ware.

So, what bag gets your vote?

40 before 40

Last month around my birthday, I wrote about making a list of things I wanted to do before my next birthday. I know this is hardly original, but bear with me, I think it will be valuable to me. One of my bigger faults is that I exist in a state of goalless fuzziness most days. I have things I want to do, to accomplish, but somehow, because I have no real, concrete plans or goals, not a lot gets accomplished most days.

It was harder than I thought, writing this list. Everything had to be concrete, with an actual, measurable result. I didn't want to put vague wishes on the list, like "do more X". The temptation was definitely there to make it all too self-helpish, or alternatively, to make it nothing but a "honey-do" list of things I want to do around the house. I wanted to have fun too. So, after a month of thinking about it (and to be truthful) procrastinating, here is my list of 40 things I want to do before I turn 40. I'll write posts here, detailing my accomplishments, the fun I might have, the improvements I've made.

1. visit Sharon in Milwaukee again

2. get up to the MCA

3. dye my hair- blonde?

4. Finish the quilt

5. Go on a biking camping trip

6. Break my Starbucks habit

7. Do a mini kitchen makeover so I can finally have the kitchen I want

8. Organize my dresser so everything fits, nothing is jammed in

9. See a Shakespeare play

10. Set up a dedicated sewing area in my flat

11. Make one dress a season, four total

12. Have at least one party

13. Finish the tattoo on my arm

14. Read at least one of the “classics I'm catching up with” a month

15. Organize and clean out the red chest

16. Take a painting class

17. Shoot 100 pictures a month

18. Buy my dream bike

19. Make cushions for my sofa

20. See one movie a month in the theater

21. Make a full deal fancy layer cake again

22. Go hiking with my sister

23. Go to bed at the same time as my spouse, pretty much every night

24. Go to the beach, at least once.

25. Make twenty more knitted hats for charity

26. Wallpaper the dining room

27. Wear every item in my closet at least once

28. Kayaking!

29. Have a professional portrait taken of myself and husband

30. Save 50% of what I earn

31. Organize my kitchen cabinets/pantry

32. Put at least 30 more of my books into circulation on “book crossing”

33. Go back to knit club (the first rule about knit club...)

34. Weekly pleasure rides, for as long as weather permits

35. Get involved with the new community garden here

36. Take a glass blowing class

37. Start and keep up a simple, short diary

38. Replace all the boring kitchen stuff with colorful stuff that will make me smile

39. Go to Ravinia for a concert and picnic

40. Go on a picnic, just because.

Public Service Announcement

Seriously folks, if you're on a bike, wear your helmet. I had a little bike accident on Friday night. I was wearing my helmet and I was glad I was. I have no dramatic photos of bruises or skinned knees for you. Most of my aches and pains from the accident are internal (my neck is still out of wack. Chiropractor, here I come!). But I did hit my head and my helmet had a chance to do what they're supposed to.

See, that's the thing about accidents, you can't plan them. You can't decide that you'll always land in such a way that you won't hit your head. They happen so fast, without warning. So, really. Be safe. Wear it. It doesn't matter if it's too hot or if you're just going to be on the bike path. For what it's worth, the worst bike accident I've ever seen was on the bike path, between a cyclist and a pedestrian. Both were taken away in ambulances. Wear a helmet, because you never know when you'll need it.

Why did I never think of this before?

I've worked at the same place for nearly eight years and yet yesterday, I did something I'd never done before. I took my bike out for a ride during my break. I don't know why it never occurred to me in eight years that I could do this. I've been wanting to get more rides into my life. Admittedly, an hour isn't a very long time for a ride, but it's better than not riding at all.

In that precious hour, I got to go for lunch at a place I love but have always considered too far away to go during my break. I did an errand that has been pressing on my mind, but that it seemed like I didn't have time for. And I rode about two or three miles. Awesome. The weather has been fantastic lately, perhaps even a little too cold for my taste, but sunny and fresh, so riding was a pure pleasure. I didn't ride fast, so I arrived back at work just as rested as if I'd sat reading magazines (my usual break time pleasure), not sweaty in the slightest and ready to go back to work. What could have been better?

It makes me think, what other ways have I been unconsciously stuck in my routine, that I could change for the better, just by thinking differently?

Just a few more pictures of London

A summer house built for a Queen, just so she would have somewhere to have picnics. Shades of Marie Antoinette, eh? This rustic folly being much larger than most average homes. The queen, though was Queen Charlotte, wife to King George the III, interesting because between bearing fifteen children, she still found time to support the arts and music, including the composers Handel and Mozart, as well as be an amateur botanist, working on Kew Gardens, where this summer house and the delightful little palace, Kew Palace stand.



There was this brick garden wall in the charming neighborhood we stayed in that had wisteria, in full bloom, climbing all over it. I love wisteria, but have never been able to grow it, as it's a little too tender for Chicago's northern climes.





The reflecting pond and garden in front of Kensington Palace. The ranks of flowers so brilliant and beautiful, the garden so serene. I wish I could walk in this park every day.

Some of my favorite pictures from London

Everything seemed to be in bloom when we arrived. Everything. Even the chestnut trees, which I'm not sure I've ever seen an actual chestnut tree in bloom before. They're very much like buckeye trees, which we do have in plenty around here, but it filled my heart with delight to see actual chestnut trees. Almost all of the chestnut trees in America died of the blight early in the last century. I guess there are some around, but they're hybrid Chinese and they're mostly all very young trees. Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park were both filled with massive, obviously ancient chestnut trees. So beautiful and magnificent.









We went to Covent Garden a couple of times this trip. My husband loves the buskers. There's tons of great shopping in the area too, including Cath Kidston. In the Covent Garden Market they have lots of lovely little stalls with handcrafted goods and vintage and antique wares. One could spend hours shopping in this neighborhood.




The bluebell woods in Kew Gardens are just enchanting. We spent the whole day wandering the grounds. When the bluebells are out, there's this haze of blue in every clearing it seems, under every tree, every where you look. Kew is such a magical place anytime, with trees from every corner of the globe and fantastic greenhouses, from so very Victorian palm houses to super modern desert houses.




This little staircase is in Hampton Court, the biggest of the three palaces I visited this time. Built by Cardinal Woolsey for his own residence and later claimed by Henry the VIII for his royal court, Hampton Court is simply sprawling. It's half Tudor, half Baroque, because William III tore part of the Tudor palace down, and rebuilt it, using Christopher Wren as his architect, intending for the palace to rival Versailles in size and magnificence. Thankfully, he ran out of money and never finished, so we have a remaining Tudor portion.

This picture is a little hallway off the part of the palace William III built and it leads up into the private residences. Even though no royalty have lived in the palace for three hundred years or so, it's still lived in. There are dozens of grace and favour apartments in this castle still. Can you imagine living in not just a palace, but in a palace owned by Henry the VIII? Also, I love the blue green of the woodwork, just the right tranquil shade of it.

This is the Chapel of the Old Royal Naval College, originally built as the Greenwich Hospital, a residence for injured and pensioned sailors of the Royal Navy. It's beautiful, isn't it? Just like a piece of Wedgwood china.

We spent a whole day at Greenwich, taking the Thames river taxi to get there. Which is about the most civilized public transportation option ever, by the way, with a decent coffee shop right on board! We saw baroque wonder after wonder, from a formal dining room with the most amazing painted ceiling to a small palace built for Queen Anne. But the chapel remains my favorite.







This carousel is on the south bank of Thames, near the London Eye and Jubilee Gardens. It just makes me happy to think about and too look at this picture of it.

Just a quick post

I just turned 39 and I'm thinking about making up a 40 before 40 list of things I want to do before my next birthday. 40 wonderful, maybe wacky, definitely beautiful things I want to try that I haven't before. It's a lot to think up and about.

So, until then, I'll leave with a sneak peak of my London pictures. Bluebells, from the bluebell woods at Kew Gardens. God, I love Kew. It's simply one of the most beautiful (man made) places on the planet.

I love this

Via Apartment Therapy who got it from the flickr user Cottonblue. And I just love this room. I actually love all the pictures of her home, especially the pictures of her blue and white kitchen. Make sure to follow the link and check them out. It's all so soft and granny chic. I'm really loving the granny chic these days.

What's interesting to me though is the vociferous hatred so many of the posters of Apartment therapy had for this picture. They hated the fact that they didn't match mostly. And I have to say, yeah, they don't match, but to my eye, they go together. The soft colors complement each other and the lines of the bookcases even work together.

To me, this row of bookcases has more style and more soul than the row of matched Billy bookcases with glass doors that I have in my condo.

So, what do you think? Cluttered and mismatched? Or sweet, unique granny chic?

five blogs I read every day

Beyond the obvious ones, that is. I mean, beyond the usual big name design blogs like Apartment Therapy, SF Girl by the Bay, Decor 8 and Posey Loves Cozy, which of course I read everyday, but so does most everyone else. These are blogs that I like to think of as my little secret.



Does This Pen Write?. Devoted to office supplies, a great, secret love of mine, and particularly, pens.


Bohemian Hellhole. No, it's not updated every day, sadly, but I check every day to see if there's something new. I've never run across a design blogger who's aesthetic quite matches mine so closely.


Dottie Angel. It took me a little while to get used to the center justified format and the whimsicle, meandering text, but I just love every picture from this blog. She's doing a giveaway right now of the most gorgeous crocheted pillow. I didn't enter, because I can make my own, but so inspirational.


Lovely Bicycle. I think we all need more lovely bikes in our lives. And I just adore the pictures of the blogger's Pashley Princess.


The Mogg Blogg. Like Go Fug Yourself, but for interior design. Always screaming funny. Sometimes just makes you scream.

five things I love right now

I love this Sweet Garland Venice Dream. I might hang it up with my string of cherry blossom lanterns. Or I might wrap presents with it. Or just spend hours looking at all the little maps on each dot.












I love this vintage princess phone. When I was a little girl, what I wanted more than anything to complete my strawberry and red and white gingham themed room was a white princess phone. My mom, quite rightly I suppose, didn't think a little girl of nine needed her own phone in her room. Now that I'm grown up, we don't have a land line and rely on our cell phones, but there's still a part of me that thinks it would be more glamorous, more elegant to place my calls on a princess phone.









This bicycle pendant would be just what I need to complete today's outfit. I love jewelry which lets the world know about my great love for my bike and lets me carry a little bit of the freedom and joy of biking with me when I'm stuck at work or in the store or wherever. This particular pendant is already sold, but etsy being the magical thing that it is, I'm sure the seller would be happy to make me, or you, a pendant very similar.






This garden party bunting is so cheerful. It's all things springy and cheerful and bright. I think I would hang this one in my bedroom, once I've finished my new vintage sheet patchwork quilt. This particular bunting is sold, but it would be so easy to make my own out of one of the sellers fat quarter bundles of reclaimed vintage fabrics. How cute would it look if you used lots of bright stripes with the florals?







We all need a little more Patience in our lives. I love Lisa Congdon and I love this painting. Perhaps it's my favorite of hers ever. It manages to make me smile as it inspires. How gorgeous are her color choices, right?

Back from vacation

Hello Lovelies-

I had a brilliant time in London and took tons of photos. Over 500 in fact. I'm just dreading going through them to see if any are worthwhile. It was kind of freeing, having my digital camera and the huge chip and a fully charged battery, knowing I could take pretty much as many photos as I wanted. Still, going through them all. That'll be a task and a half. The computer has already spent ten minutes copying the files from my camera to my folder and it's not done yet. Maybe there's a more efficient way to get pictures from folder a to folder b, but I don't know it.

I'm sorry I didn't make a post about my planned trip. Mr. Campion has ideas about internet privacy and particularly didn't want random people on the web to know that our place would be empty for nearly two weeks. I guess he has a point.

In any case, soon there will be pictures of bluebell woods and palaces and a summer house folly that's bigger than most people's homes, but was built so a queen could have picnics in the woods.

Two new projects

Both blankets. Of course, I need more blankets around this place like I need more holes in the head, but I can't help it, the crochet has me (ha ha) hooked. But so far I've only crocheted one afghan for the living room, this will be the second and I don't think you get into that special kind of crazy category until you've done more than five per room, right?

The stack of fabric is a bundle of vintage sheet fat quarters that I bought from Etsy. I'm slowly cutting them into 4 inch charm squares and the plan is to sew them into a simple quilt. I'm a little worried, because the last quilt I made was about fifteen years ago and I'm not known for patience in sewing. And a full size quilt takes plenty of patience. More pictures as I get further on.