While Tangerine Dreams

Fully Recovered Shop-a-lot-ic

I decided I hate shopping in real life. At first I figured it was because my mom's an amazing seamstress so I see things that are super cute yet simple enough my mom could whip up for me in an evening if I asked her nicely so I could never bring myself to shell out the insane price tagged on some sterile garment with no story behind it. It's also the whole experience of being out there, trying things on. Maybe it's because I have my little sidekick tagging along now and I'm lazier now in some ways that makes the process of being in public, getting half-naked, trying things on, getting hungry, even more hellish.

All I know though is I have to learn to sew better (Mumsy says I'm going to score all her fabric and machines once she passes on, knock on wood - that that doesn't happen for a long time that is) and as soon as we get settled into our new digs I'm going to delve deeper into crafting up matching outfits for the whole entire familia. I've been owing Craig a pair of yoga pants forever! So, once we're out there I'll have my little sewing nook and I'm going to get back on board with the sew, I knit! sewalong and I finally received from Amazon (four months later!!!!) my Reader's Digest Guide to Sewing to help me out with any glitches. Before we move too my mom's been giving me some tutorials on the serger she's giving me. Thanks, Mumsy!

So, where I was going with this? Oh, yes, I have a nice alternative to shopping I am so selflessly sharing with you, my sweet friends. I love Curious Bird's vintage shop (as well as the rest of her crafty out-of-site). I love vintage and feel eco-better in general about buying used clothing but still I just hate trying stuff on and the whole ceremony of shopping out there in the real world. So, she so graciously does the grunt work and then offers her booty to the world (so to speak). You have to act quickly though cuz stuff goes fast. Scored this cute red top from her and she so kindly gifted Edie a felted carrot pin. CUte! Thanks Leya!

Happy Anniversary Sun and Daughters

Happy Belated Solstice! We celebrated out in our new neighbourhood with the locals. Our friend has organized an annual celebration now for nine years that just so epitomizes the sense of community and connection to nature that is the reason for us wanting to move there. The party's on a field in his "backyard" and there's a prayer circle to begin then bands, good food and chai, dancing, and at dusk, the burning  sun.

And then there's the annual Mommy n Me photo (me sporting the white hat and the E way in the back left):

Not only solstice but also my and Craig's fourth anniversary. Well we married on the 22nd, as close as to the 21st as social niceties would allow. And I suppose too that it's the anniversary of us discovering this little town that we will soon call home. We visited this magical place on our honeymoon along with six other friends who have also since bought land in the area and our now living there. Thus, Craig doesn't want to expose the name of the place here on my blog lest too many people decide to move out there too. Paranoia will destory ya!

Anyhow, Happy Anniversary Craigy and everyone else, Happy Solstice and may the sun shine on you for ever and ever!

Four Painted Rooms and a Wedding

We're back from our painting mission. Mission half accomplished so Craigy's going to have to head out by himself to finish the downstairs. The wallpaper is what stalled us. I guess we could have kept it on the wall but ...

...yeah. No.

So the wallpaper removal, both in the bedroom and living room, involved using fabric softener to drench the stuff to get it all soft and mushy and then using a scraper and scraping full force so that bits of wet, ugly paper gets spattered all over your face. Much fun had by all. Me being a smell person was all over the instant childhood flashback with the first whiff of Downey but then I got over the nostalgia pretty quick. I don't reckon I'll be going back to that magical Downey softness place again.

On the way home we stopped in a beautiful mountain resort for our friends' wedding. It was a full weekend event (as was ours - highly recommended. You really get to relax and get to know more fellow guests that way) so my mom made me and Edie not one but TWO matching outfits! I kind of gave her artistic liscence to make me whatever and she surprised me with a couple of "Mommy 'n Me" numbers. I have really sad representations of both outfits.

I finally realized that there wasn't a pic of me and Edie together wearing our matching dresses number two so I mentioned to Craig in a not so lowered wine induced hissy hush, "take a picture of me. Take a picture of ME!". Not too classy, especially during the first dance.

In case you haven't noticed, Edie's wearing the wrist warmers I finished on our trip out (my first cable project - from Rowan No. 38) as leg warmers to keep her little chub chubs warm. And she's dancing with her Easter Bunny I made. We were the handmade family that weekend I tell ya. Craig was wearing the bright yellow cordoruy shorts my mom made him and a shirt he got made for himself somewhere in S.E Asia. Pretty cool, literally. It was a smoking hot weekend and lots of suits representing. I'm trying to get in the habit of using the word "represent" more often to bring some of the big city back to the country with us.

The second dance we were off. It so happened to be the song of our first dance as a newly wedded couple (Dave Mathew's Crash) and we shook it as a family. Here's the beautiful bride and groom. Super, super fantastic couple. If it wasn't for these guys I might have never met my Craigy (Jackie brought me to the Halloween party I met Craig at). Cheers to Cam and Jackie - especially from Edie!

DAD

 

Happy Dad day, my love. Everyone else, I'll post again next week!

Color Week: Red

My lunch box.

Color Week: Blue

Edie's first swim last year...

Splash! Splash!

Hopefully by the time you're reading this we'll be doing somethin' like this in a river eddy.

Color Week: Black

Here is Craig's Grandma's headstone. Creepy part is she's still alive and well. Black.

Nibs n Knitting

Colour de jour: bruin. My newest obssesion: nibs. Cocoa nibs to be exact. These chocolate concentrated beans are making their way all ground up into my morning lattes, my evening icecreams, my once-in-a-while smoothies. They also go nicely with the fibre I got for Craig's "Gotsta Fit Him" Sweater. Super Duper Bulky. I'll be taking this project with us on our trip out to the Valley. We're leaving at four so must go! I may post some auto post until the week's end but after that must leave you all until the 26th. Please come back and visit then! Please! My delicate ego hangs in the balance!

Have a happy brownie day.

Color Weak: White

I may be leaving tomorrow for a week an a half so some auto-posting may be called for. Not today though! I have a long awaited FO to announce: my Electra Vest!

Took me about six months of on again/off again plugging away at but it has finally completed itself. There is still a need to block some but it's not fitting as ill as I was starting to fear. I'll get a better pic of it in actual action once I get it blocked and have a proper bra on.

So with my absence this week I think I'll just post some pics keeping in theme with Little Bird's  and Port 2 Port's color assignment. Today being white, I took a couple of shots of of the Mananita my sweet Grandma crocheted for me all the way in Peru.

Crotchet Rocket

I know, lame posting title, but I can't help it! When I type out crochet I think crotch and when I think crotch I think crotch rocket for some reason. I don't ride motorbikes. Strange.

This is my first crotch project ever! I took a class at Make 1 Yarn Studio that was a three week thing and by week two I was just a mental mess. I'm so overwhelmed with moving stuff (we're leaving on Tuesday to go paint the place for a week) and soap stuff and life stuff and taking artsy fartsy self-portraits stuff I was just a zombie in the class and most definitely the slowest one to learn (that apparently is the newest P.C. way to say stoopidest). But I did manage to crank out this Squiggle Scarf design by Amy of Indieknits.

I better giddyup on my crotch rocket cuz I also ordered and received already (thanks Alicia!) the world's cutest crocheted baby dress kit from Rosy Little Things. The pattern's for 24 months and Edie's more than 3/4 of the way there so I have to learn more faster quickly!

On top of that I've been making soap this week. Orders coming left and right. Must get that now, I'm making Tangerine Dream Pork Chops for dinner guests tonight (from Meat Club cookbook - the cookbook for girls who love their meat. That's me! This recipe's from the "Pretty in Pork" chapter) and I guess we'll see you after the weekend! xmooch