10.31.2006

Is it possible to NOT love these slippers??? Especially since I am in such a warm-and-snuggle-up mood these days.
I am eating oatmeal like I'm due for a cholesterol check (yummy Kashi Heart Smart Instant Oatmeal with raisins), quilting galore, and dreaming of this super fun fabric from Springs Industries (same Springs family who owns the dairy barn where we were married and the beach house where we vacationed as kids!) I would love to curl up under
these bugs!
The great thing about the chilly weather is how our attention is turning back to the house. The mister had the day off from work on Friday and called to say he'd picked up some dining room chairs. I can't remember where I saw it, but I remember someone posting about the Egg Chairs from Wal-Mart. As an aside, I
do not shop at Wal-Mart for many reasons, but I have vastly different shopping habits than my nest cohabitor. He found the chairs on clearance for $13, visited 8 different stores (all within our local region, reason #1 for not shopping there: Too big for their britches) and found 3. He got the ones called Walnut, which are, in fact, black (except one is more of an auburn color) and surprisingly sturdy and comfortable. Color me surprised! After work and the next day we visited 3 more stores between Gastonia and Durham (on the way back from visiting Cliff) and found 2 more. One is damaged and was reduced to $5. There you have it: new dining chairs picked out by Hi-C. I don't see them lasting through retirement, but they'll last until we're settled in enough to by Thonet Bentwoods or something equally gorgeous!!

10.30.2006

Yum, I had Vegetarian Tom Kha for lunch today. I am one soupy girl these past couple weeks. Looking on the great big ol' web, I found the site for Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. I don't think the mister is gonna know what hit him.
Just look at that slice of pie. Isn't that what fall is all about? I'm going to try to make homemade pumkin [soy] yogurt, which could either be way too gourdish for one meal or so delicious I might be back on the vegan train. We'll see!

10.29.2006

Yesterday Hi-C and I took the quick-ish drive up to Durham to see the Branch Gallery, the Nasher, and, best of all, my Cliff.
It's amazing that one day I opened my eyes, looked around, and found successful artists. . . my age. . . all around me. It's a good kick in the seat, I am great at making excuses and spending all of my time finding "my Place" but really an excuse is just an excuse.

Spot Jen Garrido at these fine sites near you:
Her own site
Design*Sponge
Design*Sponge Guest Blog
Oh Joy
Port2Port

Jen's work resonated with me, her painting style similar to my own, however, I am not a painter anymore. I enjoy the process only on my own terms and not on a regular basis. The desire to push paint only comes so often, which is exactly why Jen's work excited me enough to make the drive. She is a painter interested in the behavior of paint.
Amanda Barr's work is naive and fun. The folk artist explosion seems to cover North America fully and succinctly. I wonder why, if it is a reaction to the politics of today?
Which brings me to the Nasher's Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China exhibit. The show extensively covers contemporary photography from China. A lot of the work is a political dialogue about the rapid change of culture in China. From this theme, many pieces stem into subcategories, which dissect past, present, and future.
If you're around the Durham area, go check it out. Give yourself plenty of time, the work is challenging and can take some time to really understand.

10.27.2006

Identity theft, Part I, Door Prizes, Round 3

I know this blog seems to go back and forth on subjects, the only cohesive thread is seemingly that it is from my point of view: things that deeply interest me and catch my attention. The underlying theme, though, is my place as a woman in this world, although with the history of human rights one would hope that we would be to the point that I would see myself simply as a person and not the gender specific subcategory. That is exactly why I get so flustered with sexism, because though we are different, we are equal. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we've gone through this before, so why in 2006 am I blabbering on about this issue?!? More on this self-realization has been discussed in previous posts, and will be discussed in future posts. Last weekend at the craft show, I was talking to another crafter (a male) who had been joking with the mostly female crowds flowing through his booth about how he is a male and he doesn't know anything. Chuckling to myself, I jokingly told him to please teach his philosophy to my husband. Jokingly, because Hi-C is an incredible person and in our house we are equal, with equal knowledge and the openness to let each other know the good, the bad, and the "you're overstepping your boundaries." It was simply a meager attempt at conversation with my booth neighbor. Oops.

An annotated version of his rant (after my silly joke):
1) Women carry emotional baggage, men don't.
2) Women don't listen to a statement without arguing back and trying to get the last word in. This blanket statement brilliantly negated any retort I might have by clumping me in with his generalizations, thus defining me as a stereotypical woman.
3) Women don't network. Men do.

4) And women use their emotions to make decisions (see #1) creating a weakened ability to orga
nize and lead.

What a damaging, angry, misogynist philosophy that is! First off, he had thought this out really well. Any response I might have could be categorized as any of his "women issues" and simply brushed off as emotional. Secondly, and thankfully, his rant made me realize I need to thank the strong women out there for being such an inspiration. Some entrepreneurial souls, who happen to be women, who give me something to strive for:

Tsia Carson
Sarah Hood
Maya Lin
Emira Mears
Sandra Day O'Connor, because I want her back
Dorian Solot
Martha Stewart (love her or hate her, she is a survivor who kn
ows how to write a thank you note)
Gayla Trail

I'd like to offer these incredible people a pink tank badge of honor.


And from the
National Women's History Project Website, some
notable October dates:
Oct 3, 1904
- Mary McLeod Bethune opens her first school for black students in Daytona Beach, FL
Oct 16, 1916 - Margaret Sanger opens the nation's first bir
th control clinic in Brooklyn, NY
Oct 15, 1948
- Dr. Frances L. Willoughby is the first woman doctor in the regular U.S. Navy.
Oct 28, 1958 - Mary Roebling is the first woman director of a stock exchange (American Stock Exchange)
Oct 10, 1983 - Dr. Barbara McClintock receives Nobel Prize for Chemistry for discovery of mobile genetic elements
Oct 4, 1993 - Ruth Bader Ginsburg joins Supreme Court as
second woman and 107th justice.

Which leads me to part 3 of my bi-weekly Bribe-You-To-Read-Me doorprizes:
In the comments section, list 3 entrepreneurial women who "inspire you to aspire." There are some exceptions: no entertainers (singers, actors, etc), also choose fairly prominent women. This is your chance to offer a small bit of thanks to women you may only know of through the internet or news, and a way to proudly thank them for their strength. Men out there, I know you know some names, too. I'll take names through next Friday, draw a reader's name from a hat, and the lucky reader will win. . . hmmmm. Now that has to stay a surprise, doesn't it?!?

*I'll keep this post at the top of the page until the Door Prize Deadline.

10.26.2006

It is in the mid-50s outside and all I want to do is nod off for a bit, wake up and be lazy, sip Double Ginger Tea (recommended for upset stomachs, I recommend it for afternoon pick-me-ups, and easing the icks of feeling sick), and eat soup.

I'm still looking for a recipe for a good Portuguese Vegetable Soup, if anyone out there in blogland has one.

Today I got collard greens soup from Berrybrook Farms, the best natural foods store in Charlotte. (And also where I took my organic hierloom tomato seedlings when I realized I couldn't be a good mother to 70-something odd tomato plants.) It was good enough to wax poetic over, but I won't subject you to that, so back to the tea.

I got hooked on ginger tea about 8 years ago when I interned in a gallery. The gallery was connected to a restaurant where I befriended the chef, one of the most serene people I've ever met, Michael Tomlin. He would make me ginger tea to try and wean my caffeinated brain off coffee. The weaning wasn't successful, but I did adopt a new liquid love. The tea is simply grated ginger (about a tablespoon is adequate) and hot water. He dressed it up with lemon juice. If you prefer a sweeter flavor, don't mess up a good tea with sugar cane madness, sweeten it with honey or Steve. A bit of lemon juice to flavor, and your ginger tea is ready: warm, spicy, and flavorfully simple. There are lots of ways to steep your ginger, but I use a Bodum infuser. You can use a French Press just as easily, or unbleached muslin bags. There are plenty of infusion options.

To get back on target, Bija has the best ginger tea I've tried, with a hint of peppermint to make it just sweet enough. I am inspired enough by the flavor of ginger to make sweet potato gnocci with a ginger tea and apple cider reduction sauce tonight. I'm thinking that and I'll pull out some collards I made and froze a couple weeks ago, get the mister to whip up a fire while I play chef, and fall will be officially kicked into gear.

10.25.2006

Fiber Folk Explosions

I think some of the most important work, both contemporary and historically, has been a reflection of the global environment.
Michele Kong's Gossamer Balls (upper left) are seemingly giant dandelions, waiting for God to make a wish. The contrast of organic versus synthetic is a profound reflection of environmentalism by whimsical means.




Maine artist Karen Gelardi stitches representations of natural objects together to dissect human interaction with nature. The image to the right is of an inverted tree made from tubing and Gelardi's prints on fabric. I felt this image was especially poignant with the dismantled limbs and the ladder in the background. Though her finished pieces are much more subliminal and open to interpretation, to me, this image symbolizes the ironic dichotomy of man and the environment.

White Light

The first 2 door prize groups are going in the mail today. Sorry for all the confusion! I'll get this blogger thing figured out soon. I hope)
Just when I thought I was ready to make the big dining room chair purchase, Better Living Through Design showed me the light: White on White.
I'm not sure how they do it, or the copyright laws surrounding the whole issue, but they have items identical to better known brands for a fraction of the cost. The only thing I found on the website is this statement:


"WHITE FURNITURE'S PRODUCTS ARE NOT MANUFACTURED BY, SPONSORED BY, AFFILIATED WITH, OR ASSOCIATED WITH HERMAN MILLER, CHARLES OR RAY EAMES, KNOLL, FRITZ HANSEN OR OTHER COMPANIES

That statement itself makes me wary, but the pieces look substantial, and nothing says mdf/composite board that I saw. Hmmm. Yours truly just might change her uppity design standards in the near future anyway. Hi-C called on me on my cell yesterday (a rarity to hear from him while he works), with resolve that now is the time to start looking for a house. Would that make us "official adults"? I think I have an ingrained fear of growing up, and buying a house (though incredibly exciting) is one step closer to khakis and coming to terms with the fact that I work a 9-5-ish job. Cripes, would this be considered an early onset midlife crisis?!?

10.24.2006

I picked up my Drinkabutter painting yesterday from the post office. It is gorgeous and delicate, and even better I got it on sale. There are several more pieces on sale. . . go snatch them up!
I'm also in the early stages of purchasing a piece from Lisa Solomon, which will make Mary (tricycle image to right) very jealous!
Mary was my fibers professor at UNCC, and is still a huge source of inspiration, a mentor, and a great friend. Read the article about her to know more. What an incredible woman!
Though here I most often vaguely, and snidely, comment about my own work situation, I struggle with ideas of womanhood. I wonder if my friendly phone voice and adeptness at transferring calls solidifies the stereotype.
I joked, when I first got the job, that I should wear a white dress to work everyday, in hopes that a suitable and honest-working man in the construction industry might find me an appealing prospect of a wife. What a perfect match that would've been!
All joking aside, as a secretary by day yes sirring my way to 3 when I go home, and using traditionally female roles to create art in the afternoon, I struggle.
What else do I know, and how do I prove myself to just be a person?

10.23.2006

Arts and Crafts Movement

What a long but glorious weekend! I spent Friday through Sunday selling my sewn little goodies at the Cabarrus Arena. The turn out was great, the vendors were better than usual (and usually wonderful!!), and I sold a fair amount of my stuff!
Ignoring the spirit of the show, Christmas, I didn't buy any gifts for others, but I did buy a gorgeous mirror framed in a 3 inch strip of bead board. I kept staring at it across the aisle the entire show, and the last evening I went to check it out, held it up against the table cloth I'm turning into curtains, and it was (surprisingly) perfect! The bead board is painted in muted, fall-inspired colors, which really struck me. I wondered if it was just because of the crisp Autumn weather we're starting to feel. On the way home I realized I have no idea what the names are of the people who made it.
Then, this morning, I visited Creative Swoon, saw the work of PBCP Studios and fell in love with their darkly themed skull painting. At $45.00 it was irresistible, and if I can get over my selfishness, it just might become a Christmas gift for a very special friend. (If you're reading this, very special friend, and you think it's you, well, it isn't you. This is for someone else, no matter how perfect you think it is for you.)
And in other arts and crafts news, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the Charlotte Craft Mafia. So far it seems to be all gals on the organizational level, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that guys won't be too intimidated to get in there and get active. It is great for Charlotte to have this group, we seem to have an understated arts culture that is being swallowed alive by the banks and corporations. I can't wait to see what great things happen with the Craft Mafia in town!!

10.19.2006

Revisiting the Dining Room Chair


The mister was less than awed by the Ikea chair, so I've been reconsidering. Lo and behold, reading Shelteriffic this early morning, a reader was looking for a table to accompany these chairs. Funny, I have the opposite problem: a table and no appropriate chairs. So off to DWR to check out these cuties, but I am willing to be the old-school design (don't they remind you of the cafeteria chairs from high school??) will appeal to Hi-C, and so will the price: on sale for less than $40!! Now to decide which cheery color would suit us best!

But maybe I've found my answer. . . I bought this Drinkabutter painting on sale on etsy ($30!!!!) and it seems the dining room might just be heading towards a robin's egg blue theme. Hmm, that means the black and yellow Vera curtains will need to find another room.

What a neverending process! Must quietly repeat my mantra for decorating sanity, "It doesn't all have to be done right now. It doesn't all have to be done right now. It doesn't all have to be done right now. It doesn't all have to be done right now. It doesn't all have to be done right now. . . . "

10.18.2006

Say Hi! October 20 through 21

Come on out to Christmas Made in the South, and say hi! I haven't been posting too much, I've been getting ready for a craft show that starts Friday morning. I'm pretty excited about it, simply because I have had so much fun making stuff. It is in Concord, so even if you're in Greensboro the drive isn't bad.

If you think you can make it, let me know and I can either pass some coupons on to ya or even a lucky reader might get a set of comp tickets in!

One tiny woman, One big bird

So owls are cute, but every time I see an owl or think about them I also think of my grandmom (aka Me Ma). Lucky me they're so popular right now!
My Me Ma was a diminutive woman, but from stories I gather that though she was somewhat prim, she was also creative, talented, intelligent, independent and incredibly strong.
I don' t remember her, or actually even know if I was there for this story, but my mom seems to have the same owl- association, and when owls are brought up, she tells us about one owl in particular.
This one was at the Nature Museum here in Charlotte. My mom and her mother (and maybe us kids?) went there one day, Me Ma looking quite proper in her yellow dress. This particular owl was so taken by her yellow dress, its eyes followed her everywhere, turning and craning its amazingly jointed owl neck to watch that Me Ma and her spectacular yellow dress.

Every time I see an image of an owl, I imagine my Me Ma, a woman I barely got to know, in her sunny yellow dress, holding the gaze of a wise old owl.

I've made some owls to go to the craft show this weekend, there are Meowls (catnip filled mini owls), Bow Wowls (tougher
versions with a squeeky toy for the pup) and My Pal Owls (larger stuffed owls for kids or to use as a pillow). Every owl I make, I pay homage to Me Ma, in my own quiet whisper.

(Iron owl paperweight from The Curiosity Shoppe. Pretty Little Things' corduroy pillow. Basket is filled with Meowls. For info on owls in North Carolina, visit the Raptor Center's website.)

10.17.2006


Robert Mahar of Mahar Dry Goods infamy took the last prize. He shared the work of Sharilyn Wright:

If you're not familiar with the work Sharilyn Wright, you have to check out her site LovelyDesign.com. Simple and beautiful - I want one of everything!

I can't imagine a more sophisticated way to keep recipes or phone numbers organized than her beautiful walnut card file. (Actually, that might be just perfect for the at-home library file to keep track of who you last loaned your copy of They Shall Know Our Velocity. Hmmmm. . . because, come to think of it, I don't know where mine is.)

Robert, I can't send you one of everything because they would have to be pathetic attempts at plagiarism, which is not very flattering on anyone, no matter what they say about imitation. But you will get my last package from prize round 2!

10.15.2006

And then there was one. . .


Mipmup commented to point out Lori Joy Smith's delightfully playful blog and store. Her plates are too cute, and at $30 cdn are perfect for dressing up a table or hanging on a wall. Can you imagine getting a hand stitched card in your mailbox? A handstitched card is a gift in itself. Too sweet!

So that leaves one lonely package, waiting to fly through fluffy, happy clouds to its new home. One lonely little package. Please help it find its way before the new contest starts in another week!

This weekend the man and I went on a mission to find extra shelves for the kitchen. We aren't gourmands by any stretch, but we both sure do like to make a mess in the kitchen. So an extra bit of counter and several shelves seemed necessary to fit all the beautiful pieces of cookware we received for wedding gifts.

I'd found some metal and frosted glass shelves on CB2 that were about $100 each and would've worked if we got 2. Not a bad solution, but they were back-ordered and it is past time to get the mounds of nice gifts we got out of the gift boxes and into function.

Off to Lowe's we went, and found this metro shelving bakers rack for $38 on clearance. It was the display unit, so we didn't even have to put it together.

That wasn't the only bargain this weekend. To the left of the bakers rack you can see my newest love of a plant that set me back a mere $8: a mule's ear kalanchoe. If you are familiar with Mother of Thousands, this is its bigger cousin. Each leaf is about as long as my forearm and 5 inches across. Like Mother of Thousands, it grows little babies up the sides of its leaves. It was (along with a gigantic Elephant Ear, also $8) my birthday present to myself. We had people over for a costume/birthday celebration, and they all went home with fairly good sized starts from it. The gift that keeps on giving, and not in the bad way!

10.13.2006

There are still two prizes seeking new homes. . . international is a-ok, folks! Don't be turned off at the geared towards kids thing, if you have a sense of playfulness, you, too will be entertained, and who doesn't love mail? So, what do you do to get a surprise in the mail? Simply leave a comment, with a link to your very favorite artist's shop. I'll share the shop with my readers (hey mom!) and everybody wins! Take a look at yesterday's suggestions:

Auntiem linked us over to Aimee Ray's (aka Merwing's) store Little Dear,
and
Ariane showed us small things designs.

Both of these stores have incredible, colorful, and memorable imagery to offer. I want one of Aimee's fat cats, too, Auntiem! How can you resist that little tail?!?! And that green rooster pendant at small things has my name written all over it. So simple, and so unique.





Yay or no way?
I'm thinking it would look great with our table, even though there are 2 different browns., and I'm loving the idea of woven chairs. Ikea, who woulda thought??
At $70 a pop, I'm leaning this way.

10.12.2006

Not So Secret Prize: Take 2

Somewhere out there, there are readers with kids. . . be it 4 legged ones or 2, and I have a special gift for you! Nobody took me up on the free seeds, so I thought I would at least try again. Please, let me feel loved?

The first 5 readers who respond with the name of their favorite independent artist, and where you can find their wares for sale, will receive a package in the mail.
When you comment, let me know who and where, if you have a baby at home, and what type of baby it may be. . . cats and dogs, included!

EDITED TO ADD: Blogger wasn't shooting me an email (like it used to!!) when comments came up! Ack! I'm so sorry. I think I just enabled comments all the way back to friggin' July!
Oh Joy mentioned (in yesterday's?) blog a company called Superdeluxe. She showed a gorgeous image of their peacock designs, so I took a gander myself. I love their monogrammed items. So self-indulgent! I can'’t imagine a more tasteful gift than a monogrammed tray, which, at $135 would make a great wedding gift for someone dear to your heart.

Speaking of dear to your heart (well, my heart, he better not be dear to your heart or I'’m coming after you), Hi-C took me on a date last night. We pretended, in the silly, child-like way that we do things, it was a first date. We both went out and got new outfits (and he even got a bottle of cologne!) for the occasion. The mister has been watching his friend'’s house and pets while they are on vacation, so I hadn't seen him since Monday morning before work.
So Monday he called and asked me on a date for Wednesday, though he didn't have the details yet. I accepted. Tuesday he called with the details. Wednesday he drove across town to pick me up to take me back to near his point of origination at 7:30, looking and smelling quite nice. . . with flowers, chocolates and wine in hand! And off to dinner we went, and we talked like people do on dates for several hours. He was dog watching last night, too, so he dropped me off at the door, kissed me good night and drove away. What a crush I have on my husband! What a great way to remind ourselves of the sparks that fly.

10.09.2006

Here I am, babyyy. . .

On the Home of the Sampler website, and I'm feeling slightly famous! Woo hoo!
(Deflating exitement, getting back to work now.)

How quickly the end of the year is coming. While Christmas always seems to be a lot of hoo-ha leading up to am explosion of overconsumption and the subsequent equivalent to a holiday sugar crash, one thing is for certain. I always fall for the hard push of "get yourself organized" items found in retail stores. I think its because they push the 2 most common New Year's resolutions the hardest: exercise and organize, and I seem to have no problem putting my head down and ignoring the exercise equipment. No, I have a balance ball, I don't need another. Maybe if I used the yoga mat I have, I would fall prey to your shiny, newly packaged ones in tempting candy coated colors.
So at the end of the walk of shame through the "I need to exercise more jungle," I lift my head to the promise of getting my act together. Ooooo, if I had this calendar life would be so much easier. I definitely need a letter sorter. If I had pencils and a pencil sharpener I would use them! You get the idea. It never works, but I fall for it year after year. Maybe this year I need a stapler to staple the calendar to me, then I wouldn't forget it or lose it. That might be what it takes, and where would I begin to look for said stapler? Past the way too tempting stapleless animal staplers over at SeeJaneWork.
Once you've coordinated (in color and fragrance!!) your files, you can look to the future! Mmmm, grassy and fresh. . . that must be bills. After I pay those I'll have money for one of Jill Bliss' pocket calendars! And just because we forget to coordinate, I can see a Bob's Your Uncle 8 Days a Week calendar for the computer desk at home. With the extra space, I can leave large hints for my man, like: Clean the kitchen, Hi-C's bathroom needs a good scrub down, and R's birthday is coming up really really soon.

10.07.2006

Traditional Thank Yous for Thank Yous for Thank Yous

Apparently there is a southern tradition (am I regionalizing this unknowingly?) where you give a friend a gift basket, and the basket must be returned full. I had no idea, really pretty unaware if my mom ever gave her friends or neighbors a basket of goodies. If she ever did in our first house, it would've been a basket of lithium and valium for our one neighbor who we couldn't see past the fence, but she would always make empty threats at us innocent, cherubic children. But, I digress. As I have mentioned before, we have something of a hundred and some odd neighbors. There are condos to the right of our house (when facing the front) and to the left is a one acre lot which has been divided into lots with 4 small-ish houses.
Leering Larry is gone, screaming Mimi has ceased her screaming, and we are on great terms with the rest of the neighbors; including the Greek lady who, through intense trying on both of our parts, I learned is named Chris (or maybe Kris?). One neighbor is incredibly dear, very sweet and is a textile designer who always smiles and says hi. We met soon after she moved in and moments after learning each other's names, we were deep in discussion about floor looms and weaving. She leant me a book about the history of design of American houses and I kept it for way too long. I finally gave it back to her in a basket of garden fresh goodies (figs, red zebras, basil, and I think I stuck a jar of pickles and jam in there, too) and a note apologizing for how long I kept the book. I took it over there and she promised to return the basket. I told her she didn't need to, without explaining that I have 10 of them, they were in the dollar section of Target. I stocked up those cute and very cheap baskets with occasions like this in mind, however, the 3 times I have tried to give them away, everyone has returned them. Come on people, if they're garish, tell me!! I thought they were super cute!
Back to D's lesson in etiquette. She explained this very southern tradition: when a gift in a basket is given, you must fill the basket up with your own goodies and return it. Now, I can see this getting way out of hand, because I gave her the basket as a thank you/I'm sorry for my gaffe and she returned it as a thank you for my thank you.
Do you see where this is going? I think it's something of a supersticion. Or maybe similar to the compulsion one gets when they receive a very touching thank you card in the mail; you want to write a thank you card for the thank you card, and so on. I found the elusive traditional thank you basket yesterday evening, on the sidewalk in front of the gate, with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, a bundle of scupernongs and muscadines, and 2 beautiful little apple pies. Yummy! What a great surprise! What a lovely tradition!
I can, however, imagine a time when the town would whisper in line at the post office, "There's the lady who didn't fill up the basket and return it. . ." And as big as our little suburb gets, that sort of thing is still out there.

10.06.2006

On our last visit to Grandma B's (C's father's mother), I spent time with her in what can only really be called the sewing wing of her house. She was a career tailor/seamstress, and still goes quite a bit of sewing though she claims she can't see very well anymore.
Part of our time was spent foraging some fabric she was about to give away. Between me and C, we swiped a tall kitchen trash bag worth of fabric, all of it significant yardage. After the foraging, Grandma B decided to give me a stack of preprinted pillow fabric; you know the kind: mostly faux quilted patterns in standard size squares with sewing directions printed on the unused part. Lots of quilted-style birds, lots of traditional quilt forms, some really phenomenal large chrysanthemum patterned pieces. I, however, am not one to decorate in the country/craftsy style.
So, what will happen to these calico ducks and teddy bears? Only time will tell, but I already have some ideas a'brewin. In the mean time, lets just say that Turkey Feathers has the right idea.

10.05.2006

In the Piedmont of the good ol' North State (NC, that is)

Are you dying for an excuse to enjoy the wonderful Fall weather in your garden? North Carolina's piedmont has a ton to offer. Write this on your calendar now or forever hold your peace:
Winghaven Gardens inspires both the formal gardener and more eccentric types
Their plant sale begins next week, October 10 for members (guess who just dished out the membership fee so I can call in sick to work and fantasize my mornings away with hard to find hellebores) and the 11th through 14th for nonmembers. I'm willing to wager they'll have some camellias from Chapel Hill's Camellia Forest, and even more willing to wager I'll go home with a station wagon full of cold tolerant beauts. Some of the prices can be steep, but you can while away the day in their gardens and bird sanctuary. The only thing truly sick is the money you'll find yourself shelling out for the plants you never knew you needed.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont has a plant shop, offers art classes, and keeps the community alive with events. Not to squelch on the promise of Fall, join them for their Celebrate Fall! Garden & Home Festival, Saturday October 14, 2006, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Sunday, October 15, 2006, 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. If your ability to grow does not match your ability to flow, join them on Sunday for the Feng Shui in the Garden workshop. And they should have a greater restraint with bad rhymes than I do.

The Mecklenburg County Cooperative Extension is offering a workshop on lawn care called Successful Fescue Lawns in the Piedmont. Okay, the class sounds a bit dull, but the Cooperative Extension usually leans more toward the organic side than the chemical, so I'm betting you'll leave with a good grasp of affordable solutions for a healthy, affordable and less thirsty lawn. Plus, you can use your wealth of knowledge from YGG to stump the masters. Très amusant, non ? Monday, October 16, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM: Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Administrative Office Building (5841 Brookshire Blvd.)

Camellia Forest in Chapel Hill is having their Fall Open House October weekends through the 22. They offer a rare chance to see their amazing camellia selection, which includes a handful of Camellia sinesis, the source of basic leaves for black, green and white tea.

Check out when they are open, then go see Niche Gardens this month. You can order from them online, but you get 20% off in person. Would it make it more worthwhile for you know that they have pitcher plants that hardy enough for outdoor growth in our zone. Pitcher plants. In. The. Ground. Outside. All. Winter. with 20% off?!?! I'm going.

While you're in North Carolina's Triad, you and your best friend can head over to Logan's Trading Post. When I say best friend, I mean your ever-loving, tried and true canine companion. Yes, even the ones too big to fit into a Paris Hilton style puppy purse are welcome, and that is an idea I can really wrap a collar around.

For Future Reference and Garden Geek fun on a Friday night:
Though they don't seem to have any upcoming events, the Piedmont Daylily Club will link you to an enormous resource of private gardens and extravagant images of daylilies. It seems they have a bunch of club functions, so if you join I can foresee an incredible daylily collection in your future. These guys are very serious about their daylilies, and cover all the ground including care and hybridizing.

Okay, so I have a bad history of killing my 25 cent goldfish. I am not about to spring several hundred dollars for a fish outside, but I sure do love to look at them. The Piedmont Koi and Watergarden Society seem to have a good grasp on keeping their more-expensive-than-the-value-of-my-car koi alive, and I can live vicariously through them. Visit a meeting, or find a fish function online.

The North Carolina Botanical Gardens offers an assortment of resources for all levels of gardeners, including classes of homeopathic remedies, photography, and annual plant sales. If you missed the fall plant sale, they will have the plant shop open through the end of October. Did I mention they have coupled with the UNC Herbarium, which has a native plant guide 750,000 species of native plants? You can see it on the internet, but I'm more partial to seeing it in person.

If you have a free Saturday or Sunday, visit the McGill Rose Garden in Charlotte. They have all of the roses, herbs and veggies you can imagine, more creativity than you can find in any of the galleries within a 2 mile radius, the garden not only grows roses, but veggies and herbs for the area soup kitchens. All in wrapped up in an unassuming package, the garden is guaranteed to inspire.

And when I'm not around to pester you into visiting some gardens, try Carolina Gardener Magazine's website. They are really a great resource for the entire mid-Atlantic region including lists of when to do what, and a calendar of events that spans from Virginia to Georgia. They'll keep you busy through November.

This article was originally posted to and written for You Grow Girl's The Dirt Blog, which is way better than a good ol' hot slice of mud pie.
I can type quickly and efficiently without looking at my fingers, however, when I do look at my fingers I get all messed up. Hi-C makes fun of me when we're both on the computer at the same time because of the clickity clackity typing noises coming from my keyboard really, i want to type like the wind
there is something really interesting about the way our brains can connect so efficiently to our hands
that, and efficient typing makes me feel like putting on a Doris Day dress and singing wistfully over some handsome CEO who adores my helpless, slightly ditsy nature.
Not one to often repeat the DailyBuss recommendations, these cute little totes are perfect fore representing me, right now. Balance. When will I ever find it, and how will I ever learn to ignore the unproductive distractions of 1) crafts, for cuteness sake! 2) poor internet connections (staying on the internet to avoid working on myself. . . yoga or another game of sudoku. . .hmmm) 3) the overabundance of things I want to do blurring the focus of the things I really should be doing, and most importantly 4) my ever-ready reserve of excuses is getting me nowhere. Excuses are, after all, the biggest distraction.

Oh yeah, my name's Renee, and I'm a compulsive Libra.
This image, among many other fantastically colorful prints is available through MarlaCampbell.com. Apparently Marla was interviewed by Tastes Like Chicken, but if only I could figure out how to search their site; but still, I love them for this:


10.04.2006

Drooling, Organic Style Lust

If there were such a thing as the world wide web gift registry where you could register for this and that, here is where i would go, this is what i would ask for:

anything by Jill Bliss







this lamp by West Elm (not that I need another lamp!!)



A pretty little pile for this Wednesday. Small spools of thread from textile country (or what was formerly textile country) all piled up in a poorly finished cardboard hat box. These are from Charlie's mom, and were formerly filling a small trash bag. Much prettier now. What will I ever do with all these little fellers?

The fabric you see on the table below the hat box is some I found at Hobby Lobby. Of course, I had to get it because it is super cute, and I have no idea what I'll do with it. We'll see.