The Bee's Knees

Hey guys! Look what I did! It's my first Etsy Treasury! Yay! :D

Click here to check it out and leave a comment, if you fancy. And while you're there, go ahead and get me one of those quartz necklaces. I mean, you're already there, you might as well...

The Perfect Purse

I've been on the hunt for the perfect purse for about a year now. That hunt has consisted of browsing various sale websites during downtime at work and glancing at boutique stores' slim picks, and so far, I still don't have the perfect purse. All the purses I see are too expensive, not well made, not the right color, etc. You may be wondering, as I have this past year, "Is there such a thing as a 'Perfect Purse?' And what makes it so perfect, anyway?" Well, take a seat.

The Perfect Purse must:

1. be big enough to hold a sketchbook/laptop, but slim enough to not get in the way. I'm big enough as it is. I don't need any help knocking breakables over as I walk through tiny stores.
2. have a pocket on the outside for easy keys/cell phone retrieval.
3. have a handle that stays on my shoulder and doesn't make me go crazy by falling down all time.
4. be leather, but not patent. No more of that faux leather crap. I want the real thing and I want it to last.
5. be classy enough for work, but casual enough for the farmers' market.
5. be dark green, gray, brown, taupe, red-orange or some other color that strikes my fancy.
6. be under $200.

Now, I realize we all have different ideas when it comes to the perfect purse, but this is what I'm looking for, so shut up. :) As you can see, that is kind of a lot for just one purse to live up to. But I'm a good hunter. I've been patient, and here are some contenders.

The Woven Bags.
I LOVE this treatment. The purse I have now is woven and I hate to give it up. It meets all of the rules except for No. 4, and that is why I have to find another one--it's made of cheap faux leather and is falling apart! I wish I was rich enough to have a bag made for me, because I would just have it duplicated, but in real leather. But alas, I am not rich. But about these two bags, I won't get them for the same reasons. No. 1 is not made of leather and No.2 is way too expensive.

The Understateds.
I really like these guys. No. 3, though not shown in the picture, meets all the requirements. It has a slit pocket in the back and another, detachable strap for the shoulder. I also really like the color; bold, yet still kind of neutral. No. 4 gives me a very 80's vibe, like a rolled down slouchy boot cuff, but like the 80's, it wouldn't last long. It's not made of leather. Boo. I like really like them both, but I have to eliminate No. 4. Sorry No. 4.

The Tote-cases.
These guys are serious. They are very structured and ready to get down to business. They both meet all my requirements. I think I like No. 5 better than No. 6, though. The oversized stiching and big buttons are too playful for me. The long zipper pulls on No. 5 add just the right amount of flair, dare I say, the perfect amount? I do kind of wish No. 5 came in a more interesting color, though, like dark green. THEN it'd be perfect.

The Sloppy Hobos.

I really like these two bags. Like REALLY like. Unfortunately, No. 7 is super expensive (and no longer available), but I couldn't leave her off the list. She's just so great. But No. 8, now No. 8 is do-able and everything I'm looking for. I'm a little worried about the flap getting in the way, but I can overlook that for now. For now, I think I'm in love. After a year of searching, waiting and complaining, guys, I may have found my purse. (EEE! :)

P.S. A special thanks to Ana for turning me on to endless.com. That's where, in the end, I found most of these. So, thanks! :)

Jenna's B-day Present

Here is a little guy I made for my "niece," Jenna. One side has sleepy eyes and the other side has open eyes! I stole the idea from some etsy lady I can't remember anymore. I want to make another one for my other "niece," but I'm a terrible, lazy "aunt."

Anyway, the following video might be the cutest thing I've ever seen. I can't thank my "sister" enough for it.



I don't care if the appreciation is forced. I know if she knew what "thank you" meant or knew who I was, she'd really mean it. :) LOVE YOU GUYS!!! Can't wait to see you for Thanksgiving! *MUAH!*

P.S. Here is a tutorial for a similar/way better style toy: Making Felt Monsters

Apartment Tour, Part 1

Heyyyyyyy! Welcome to my new apartment! Can I get you something to drink? Take a seat and admire all my hard work! :) I apologize for the blurriness and all around poor photography. I was borrowing a friend's camera (thanks, John!) and didn't realize how bad they were 'til I gave it back. Oh well. You'll still get an idea. :)

This is in my kitchen, above the sink. I love the scalloped trim at the top. My mom made the cute little curtain--thanks, Mom!

This is also in the kitchen, above my little table. That yellow thing is a lightbulb shade I crocheted. My AMAZING sister, Jessica, sent me the lamp cord kit and this link a while ago, and I was so inspired I went to making one just like it. I couldn't figure out how they got their ruffle so tiny and delicate, then Jess told me I had to use smaller yarn which makes sense, but I'm not making another one. :)

This is also in my kitchen. If you can't tell, my kitchen is the room I'm most happy with right now. All the other rooms need some MAJOR help, but my kitchen is small enough to not need much.

You know that light pendant I said I was gonna do? Well, I did it. And it kinda sucks. I used yarn nearly the same color as the wall, so you can barely tell it's there, which is fine because I didn't wrap enough yarn, so it's sagging in the back. :( I'm thinking of taking it down and wrapping some more yarn around it, but it was such a huge pain in the ass I probably won't. Also, I want a new couch.

So, that's it for now. Thanks for stopping by! You're all welcome anytime! When I get the rest of the place in order, the bedroom and bath, I'll post again, but don't hold your breathe. It'll be a WHILE before that happens. K, bye! Don't be a stranger! :)

Crappy Halloweiners!

Hi guys and Happy Halloween! Here are some sweet treats I made for the spooky holiday. They are spiderweb sugar cookies & brownie bug bites. I stole the idea for the bug bites from Bakerella, that's why they look like spiders, but mine only have six legs (made of pretzel sticks) 'cause eight legs didn't look very good--so sue me. :)


This guy is gonna fuck you up.

This guy is scared of that other guy. His name is Howie.

These cookies were really fun to make and pretty easy, actually. I used a recipe from a book I have, but any simple sugar cookie recipe will work. I didn't use royal icing though (it's so gross). I just mixed confectioner's sugar with milk to make the right consistency, and eventually the top dries hard enough (I recommend drying over night) to stack and package without ruining the design and the inside still stays gooey and soft.

Yay! Now go eat lots of candy!

Bananas Foster Bread, kind of

So, I've crossed a few things off my TO DO lists and this is one of them: Bananas Foster Banana Bread from the Brown Eyed Baker. I did leave out one main ingredient though, the rum. I know, I know! The best part, right? Well, I tried to get some, but it was Sunday and the liquor store was closed! Stupid puritanical values bleeding into state policies, ruining my banana bread. Well, actually, I can't really say it ruined the bread, it's still REALLY, really good, but it could have been so much better! Another thing I would change, that the boyfriend suggested, is putting some of the walnuts from the yummy, crumbly top into the actual batter, to give the bread itself some texture. But other than that, the bread was super moist and flavorful, not gummy in the middle, with just the right amount of banana flavor. Mmmm. I think I'll go have another piece right now.

Some other things I can cross off my TO DO lists:
-pendant light (pictures to come)
-egg in a basket (sorry, no pictures, didn't last long :)
-light in the kitchen (pictures to come)
hmmm...it seems like I've done a lot more...
-OH! The portfolio site, that was a big one, but you knew about that :)

I guess I still have a lot more to do. Stay tuned!

Bucket List

What do you want to do before you die? I know, kind of a morbid question, but getting laid off has made me, or rather, allowed me to question where I stand in life in relation to where I'd like to be standing. The truth is, I'm not happy where I am. Don't get me wrong, there are parts of my life that I love (i.e. boyfriend, family, and for the first time in my life, hairstyle(!), but for the most part, I don't really feel like I can honestly say I'm LIVING my life as fully as I'd like to be.



But, I don't need to justify this post. Let's just say when I stumbled upon this site it got me thinking about what I'd like to do before I die. I couldn't fit it all on a polaroid, so here is another TO DO list. Before I die I want to:



1. be recognized internationally as a great graphic artist/design an internationally known brand.

2. live in a major city, i.e.: London, New York, Chicago

3. live in a foreign country, i.e.: France, Italy, Japan

4. shop at a market in India.

5. fluently speak another language/s. I'll be honest, this will probably never happen. I have the worst memory EVER.

6. have lots of really great friends, all over the world, with really comfortable couches. :) But first I have to get better at making them.


7. grow my own food. Backyard garden, fruit trees in the front yard, goat in the backyard (goat cheese...mmm) or farm, doesn't matter.

8. work at/own a bakery.

9. fall in love. check :)

10. live in a van down by the river--seriously! I've always wanted to throw away all my possessions and just live simply.

11. have a puppy/baby. For most of my life I've resisted the idea of being a mom, but we'll start with a puppy and see what happens. :)



12. learn how to walk in heels.

13. be healthy/in shape.

14. be genuinely, undeniably sexy/single digit size and keep it that way.

15. shave my head, but only after I accomplish no. 14.

16. own a Chloe bag.

17. find that perfect pair of jeans. I know it's out there somewhere.



18. be well read. I have a lot of time for reading now, so if you have any suggestions, I'm looking for something good.

19. be more articulate.

20. learn to work a letterpress.

21. bake a souffle.

22. knit a sweater.

23. learn to sew clothing.

24. go to a live taping of 1. Conan O'Brien, 2. Price is Right, 3. What Would You Do? (I kind of missed the boat on that last one).

25. see The White Stripes in concert.

26. find something at a garage sale for a quarter, then take it on Antique Roadshow and have one of those guys tell me how much they creamed their corduroys when they saw it 'cause it's so rare and worth way more than it should be.


27. stop giving a shit about what people think.

28. trust myself.

29. help as many people as possible.

30. love as many people as possible.

31. be as honest and genuine as humanly possible.

32. be able to say, "I could die right now," and actually mean it.

33. live.

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