Après La Pluie...

Bespoke

2008-06-23T09:58:00.003-04:00

is a word that is incredibly overused all of a sudden. I find it extremely irritating and I wish people would stop. It seems very nouveau riche.

PS: I am done with teaching FOREVER, thus giving me the time to think about these things without feeling guilty for neglecting my duty to the children.

2008-06-10T09:14:00.001-04:00

How beautiful is this chandelier from The Well Appointed House? I think it would be especially gorgeous in a big, serene bathroom but since my bathroom is tiny and has no overhead lighting I might put one in the upstairs hall... The 12" round is $380.

Heat Wave

2008-06-10T09:07:00.002-04:00

As of 8:54am it was already 89 degrees with a heat index of 95 here in Philadelphia. We let out school early (at noon) yesterday and are dismissing early again today because of the excessive heat and lack of air conditioning (or really lack of air in general) inside our schools. Even though it is disgusting out (and in), I am pretty excited about these two short days thrown into the end of the year!

Since the high today is around 100 with a heat index of 110 I will be hiding out in air conditioned places, preferably those with drinks like the one you see above for the rest of the day.

Concerning etiquette...

2008-06-07T16:30:00.003-04:00

My fiance and I have decided to have a non-traditional wedding with just the two of us. I guess it is not actually eloping since it is planned and we aren't going anywhere, but there will be nobody else present. I am trying to put together announcement cards to send out to family and friends but want to word them in such a way that people won't think they are the only ones who weren't invited - in fact, nobody is invited!

This is deceptively tricky.

Creating

2008-06-07T09:37:00.004-04:00

I put my first product up on my Etsy shop. This may be a little premature because I don't have a business license yet (they are expensive in Philly!) so I am not sure it is really legal, but I do plan on getting a license soon and I wanted to get going to really push myself to do this design thing again.

The first product is a set of pretty, simple recipe cards. I came up with the design because this is something I've been wanting to have myself - I love cookbooks and cooking magazines but I need to streamline my recipe collecting a little so I decided recipe cards are the way to go. I also love the idea of eating more seasonally, which is reflected in the design. Coming up are my menu planner, and some different pieces related to pets. Part of the delay is going to be getting myself set up with all the supplies I need, like a good paper cutter and the right glues, etc. I'm excited about the possibilities and getting back to that design side of myself!

Busy bee

2008-05-30T10:58:00.004-04:00

Things have been busy lately. Three more weeks in the school year (thank God), more drywall going up, preparing myself for my new job, finding a house/dogsitter for our trip to the beach, etc, etc.

Anyway. I found this amazing shop on Etsy called Elephannie that sells very inexpensive decorative vinyl wall decals (including the cute one up top). I guess this is the big trend right now. I particularly love those at this shop because you can pick the color, the designs are lovely and they are inexpensive. I am thinking I might get that birdy to put up in my kitchen. And maybe something for the downstairs bathroom...

Bummer

2008-05-14T12:21:00.002-04:00

Got an email today saying that since I'm overseas, they would need to add a £25 courier fee to my order for the window film (see below) and that I could either email my card info or call. I am kind of irritated since it says on the website that overseas shipping will be calculated during checkout and I am not comfortable emailing my card info and don't know if I can call internationally on my cell phone so I am just cancelling the order all together. Bummer. I guess I'll just have to keep looking...

Baby steps

2008-05-12T18:56:00.002-04:00

I just ordered adhesive window film in the pattern shown above from Brume, a British company I found via Decor8. I am really excited, in part because this is the first online purchase I have made from an overseas company. Also, I am excited because it is a nice little treat with the extra tax money I just received before the rest of my money this month goes to more drywall (also exciting, not so glamorous). This decal will be going on the lower half of the kitchen window to provide some privacy since it faces my neighbor's kitchen window about 8 feet away. There is currently a ratty curtain there, so this will be significantly better - much more clean and sleek.

This kid says the darndest things...

2008-05-08T12:50:00.008-04:00

Today one of the first grade teachers (the one who took over my class when I was switched to math and science) was out so there was coverage in her room all day (other teachers rotating through for 45 minute periods). There's a boy in the class who is very bright but has a lot of trouble controlling his behavior particularly when his routine is disturbed so I took him out of class to spend the last 2.5 hours of the school day with me to prevent any further problems (typical behaviors include running around the room in circles, spinning around with his arms out, crouching on his chair and rocking back and forth, hitting other kids, talking nonstop, tantrums, and so on). He is quite the talker so I thought I'd record some choice ramblings for your entertainment. Please keep in mind that most of these statements were unsolicited and not a part of any previous conversation - more like random outbursts of hilarity. Enjoy:

"The reason [my cousin is] older than me is because first my brother was born, then my cousin, then me."

"And another way I like to get some puzzles together is I find all the parts that are gray... I mean, silver... whatever color this is."

"Did you know how I color so well on coloring book pages? First I trace the lines then I color! But my brother did it first."

"Oh yeah, and my cousin has got really big cheeks."

"My cat only caught one mouse. My mom asked if it was one of my toys and I looked at it and jumped right back on the bed."

"My brother's name is J-. He's got a big head."

Before & After: Upstairs Hall Closet

2008-05-06T12:07:00.006-04:00

I have been home sick the last two days but have been incredibly bored leading to some projects around the house. Essentially, my routine has been Eat, Sleep, Project, Sleep a lot, Eat, Sleep. All that rest seems to be helping because I am indeed feeling better and will be back at work with the children tomorrow. Anyway, my project today was the upstairs hall closet, which has been something of a black hole:

(Please excuse the wonky angle but it is, after all, in the hallway, and thus hard to photograph nicely.)
As you can kind of see, I had tried to use those hanging shelf things to organize it, but they were just not cutting it. Additionally, random crap had piled up everywhere, including garbage bags of stuff that were thrown in the bottom.

After a quick trip in my newly inspected and emission-tested car to the nearby Linens-n-Things and a lot less work than I was anticipating, it now looks like this:

A marked improvement, if I do say so myself. Next up, the back patio.

How cool is this little guy?

2008-05-05T09:50:00.001-04:00

I'm on a bathroom kick at the moment - not sure why, since they aren't the top priority on the renovation schedule...

More books?

2008-05-05T09:30:00.003-04:00

Yes, I ordered more books. However, they are both practical books to have around (more than one reading) AND I got them with my virtual credit at Powell's from all those books I sent in to them! Yay!

Beautiful...

2008-05-03T18:02:00.002-04:00

(from Domino)

2008-05-03T14:57:00.002-04:00

I just found out that I will be graduating from my MSEd program "with distinction!" I am pretty excited!

(This picture turned up when I did a Google Images search for "UPenn Graduation." Hm.)

Corner store magic

2008-05-01T12:28:00.003-04:00

I just went to the corner store across the street from my school for a snack and came bag with two bags of these for two of my teacher friends:

Why yes, those are "Homegirls" potato chips. Why yes, they do say "It's all that" on the front. There are so many more hilarious things about these chips that I could point out (the sweet outfits), but I will limit myself to the writing on the back with all sorts of useful advice for homegirls, including (but not limited to) "NO RING... NO THING!"

PS: One of the lunchroom ladies informed me that they also make other versions, including a male one, but that I probably hadn't seen them before because "they only sell them in the hood."

Happy (early) birthday to me...

2008-04-25T07:17:00.003-04:00

I got myself my birthday present yesterday! I have the CS version of this on my old laptop but couldn't get it to work on my new one, plus I still have the education discount for a couple of months so I figured now was the time to get it (at about a third of the regular price). I am so excited!!! I have some sketches already of some things I would like to make, including a weekly menu planner that I want to make so that I can use it RIGHT AWAY! I miss Illustrator!

PS: I did NOT put it on my credit card! I paid from my checking account (thank you tax refund). I am paying OFF my credit, not adding to it!

Overheard in room 306

2008-04-24T11:57:00.004-04:00

I had a 5th grade class today and we were watching Cars for fun and relaxation. There's a scene near the beginning when the racecar falls out of the tractor trailer and ends up in the dirt. One of the boys said (in a very loud whisper), "And he still got that shine on him!"

Hah! Sometimes they still seem like children. And then you turn around and see the sixth grader with the full sleeve tattoo...

No good at all!

2008-04-22T21:44:00.002-04:00

I just took a shower and lost about 1/3 of my hair. This is not good.

I suspect it is a nasty combination of stress, split ends from needing a trim, not so great nutrition and more stress. This can not go on! My action steps are:

- Get a trim a.s.a.p.
- Clean up my system with a relatively bland/safe diet for a little while
- Do something about the stress*

*Clearly this item is not as well thought out, but it should help that I will be done with my master's portfolio on Monday and with my whole program on May 7th. Also, the school year will be over in about 8 weeks and I anticipate my quality of life rising immensely as a result. Until then... I am not sure.

2008-04-20T16:59:00.002-04:00

Right now the only house numbers we have are the small stick-on variety right next to the door - not attractive. I love these blue enamel numbers from France, but they are a little pricey (85€ = about $135). Also, we have talked a lot about having the numbers printed on the semi-circular transom one we get the doorway redone, which I think would also be lovely...

One of my problems is that I have trouble focusing on the immediate projects and start dreaming away about big things like stripping the entire front of the house of paint, having it re-pointed and getting an entirely new doorway/ transom. Expensive and not in anyway necessary right now (although the door is actually a priority now that there is duct tape holding one of the locks in place).

In the black(ish)

2008-04-19T09:03:00.004-04:00

I am happy to report that my paycheck and my tax refund were both direct deposited yesterday, so not only did I pay my monthly bills but I also sent in the final three months of my car insurance payment (instead of one month, which has been all I can afford lately), and took care of renewing my registration, paid off a small chunk of each credit card and still have some room to start my newfound... well, not frugality since that's just not me, but budget-consciousness.

A few months ago I found myself in a sort of early quarterlife crisis and looked for some literary guidance in solving some of my problems (not hating my job, making new friends, saving more money, etc.) and found the book up top. Now, I know what you may be thinking ("Self-help books? Ewwww!") because I was skeptical at first myself, but I must say that this is a very helpful book for the younger set. It didn't make me feel overly guilty about my spending habits, which I know are not always the best. It didn't give me advice I found impractical about things that will be important to me in a few years but aren't now. Best, it gave me very specific doable steps towards a better financial life.

Also, I got it from the library so it was totally free and I still was able to use the code in the book to set myself up at the corresponding website which has a whole questionnaire you fill out and then tells you exactly which action steps to do and in what order. As mentioned in the previous post, my current action step is to pay off my credit cards (I have two). I have already gotten my credit score and negotiated a lower interest rate on my older credit card, both things that scared me before.

2008-04-17T19:01:00.002-04:00

I know, I have been MIA of late. Not that anyone reads this to notice...

However, I am happy to report that I earned a grade of 100% on the paper I was working on that created the paper explosion on my desk! I am very proud of myself - that was a difficult assignment.

Also, I have since cleaned my desk (and bedroom, and even vacuumed) and just succeeded in catching up on bills. I have this unfortunate current habit of living pretty much paycheck to paycheck and I am getting one direct deposited tomorrow so I wrote out all the checks to drop in the mail tomorrow A.M.

Which brings me to the point: I need to budget more effectively. I make enough money that I should not be having this problem. Yes, I have had some unexpected expenses lately (namely three different courses of doggy antibiotics over the last three months, all expensive), but this is ridiculous. I am a smart, educated adult. I need to budget better and ERASE MY DEBT.

More to come on how this is going to go down later...

2008-04-07T20:20:00.002-04:00

I am taking a short break because I want to record for posterity (and for the information of anyone considering a graduate degree) what I am currently looking at. I am writing a research paper on education policy for my masters program. I feel like I am in a den of words.

And on a lighter note, this is what I see when I look directly behind my chair:

How's that for moral support?

The "Antique"

2008-04-07T20:05:00.003-04:00

This was my free antique store find from yesterday - yes, the broken off top of a plaster column. As you can (kind of) see, my plan is to use it as an umbrella stand. I was inspired by many recent posts on blogs and also a recent Domino image of a fish umbrella stand, but wasn't really sure what I wanted. I suppose this solution found me.

Score!

2008-04-06T16:27:00.003-04:00

I am posting from a coffee shop here in Philly (Chapterhouse on 9th and Bainbridge) because I was forced to leave the distractions of my house to try to actually get some work done on this paper I have due Tuesday. I am nearing the end of my masters program, which means I have a lot of research and writing to do but my procrastination has been at an all time high lately. So, I left the chair where I was "working" (but really napping and reading novels all morning) and came here to caffeinate and work.

Of course, on the way here I stopped at Vintage Connections (diagonal from Chapterhouse, great women's vintage clothing and jewelry at great prices) and this antique store (Anastasia's on 6th and Bainbridge) and picked up some amazing finds. Which I will duly photograph and share when I get home.

Because now I really must get to work.

Petering out...

2008-04-02T21:59:00.003-04:00

Now that I have that lovely file box, my energy and focus for the day is shot. However, I did manage to sneak in some furniture-buying (must stop... at least until tax refund comes):

This baby is going to live right in between my doorway/ teeny entry box and the bottom of the stairs! I picture contrasting her with some tall woven baskets underneath and a curvy mirror up top on the wall...

Organization (The Paper Kind)

2008-04-02T20:31:00.002-04:00

This being tax season and spring cleaning season all rolled into one, I have been focused a lot on getting my files and documentation in order. Especially since I am now supposed to be an adult, I figure this is a good time to start.

Also, people do strange things to procrastinate, and I have a lot of graduate work I am supposed to be doing. But let's not think about that.

Anyway, that organizational urge led me a few places:

1. Unclutterer's series on dealing with paper clutter, particularly this post about the FreedomFiler system.

2. The FreedomFiler website, which led me to determine that I cannot afford such a fabulous pre-printed sticker system. However, I did find an excellent DIY guide the FreedomFiler people helpfully provide.

3. The Captio TaxCase Organizer, another useful organizing tool that is both more than I need and can afford.

After perusing all three resources for longer than I care to admit when under deadline for completely unrelated work, I developed my own filing system incorporating suggestions from all three places, a bunch of hanging files I already had, and (of course) my colored markers. The image up top is a work-in-progress shot of my hand labeling technique. The two dots next to the black line indicate an even year and the purple is part of the color coding. Below, behold the finished set of hanging files just waiting to be filled with my papers!

The Guest Room (and a bit of bathroom)

2008-03-31T10:30:00.002-04:00

The newly drywalled guest room:

The general design direction of the guest room (Ikea rug, vintage red hospital bed, print from Yellow Monday):

My styled-by-Anthropologie, very much work in progress bathroom:

Bits and pieces

2008-03-30T14:49:00.006-04:00

My own print in a new Ikea frame over a little display of children's books and other miscellanea on top of a radiator.

I am making slow progress in adding to the house. Today was a big day - I picked up a pair of chairs I got on Ebay, and made a trip to Ikea for cushions for those chairs and a bunch of frames for my own artwork as well as the prints I got from Yellow Monday via Etsy. Unfortunately I broke one of the frames after I got them home, and I also need a different size for the smaller prints, so I will have to make another trip at some point. Good thing Ikea is so close to my house!

My own photograph of the side of a building in Durham, NC in a cheapo Ikea frame.

One of the new-to-me Ebay chairs with the patio chair cushions I got for it at Ikea - pretty good fit! Trying to decide if I want to to d a pattern or a color as cushion covers...

Slowly coming together

2008-03-27T11:02:00.005-04:00

One of the hardest parts about redoing our house is that as soon as we make a little bit of progress I am immediately reminded of the 8 million other ideas, projects and dreams I have. We finally have drywall up in the guest room (not even painted yet) and already I am collecting ideas and pictures for the entry (from Martha Stewart)

and the storage/pantry/mudroom (also Martha)

even though these are probably two of the last spaces we will be working on. I am so easily distracted!

And of course, this is all really not what I need to be focusing on at the moment, with a mountain of grad work piling up as I finish my masters program this term...

Help me!

2008-03-23T11:32:00.007-04:00

I don't think anybody actually reads this blog yet, but on the off chance somebody does, I need some design assistance. I have this set of dining chairs that I got for $40 on Craigslist, a price that is pretty unbeatable. I like the general lines of the chairs but I don't love how they look now.

Here is the current look:

I am thinking about redoing the seats in Clementine Pod Stripe fabric from J Caroline Creative:

Additionally, I would stain the wood to match the dark brown-black wood table. Thoughts? I am trying to Photoshop together a mock-up, so if that works out I'll post it here.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T10:47:00.000-04:00

Guest Room

2008-03-22T16:37:00.002-04:00

Inspired by some of my favorite design blogs, I have decided to attempt to make inspiration boards for some of the rooms in my house. In the process I have discovered that for some rooms, I need a LOT of inspiration. Case in point:

That is my guest room "inspiration." Sad. I think maybe a better course of action is for me to photograph the rooms and Photoshop in the colors and ideas I have as I go to compare things. Stay tuned!

Spring Cleaning: Books

2008-03-22T15:24:00.002-04:00

I have a lot of books, including many I am sure to never open again. Imagine my excitement to find this post on Unclutterer (a great blog that's name should clue you into the theme) entitled "How to Use Powell's Books for Uncluttering." I am originally from Seattle, so I have in fact had the chance to visit the amazing Powell's City of Books in Portland, OR, billed as the largest new and used bookstore in the world. Thanks to Unclutterer, I got to feel connected to the Pacific Northwest and get rid of many of my books that were just taking up space at the same time.

What you do is go to the Powell's website and type in the ISBN numbers for the books you would like to get rid of. They will tell you if they want them or not and offer you an amount of store credit. You can then accept their offer and they will give you a mailing label to print out. Box up the books, stick on the label and drop it at the post office - the postage is paid for by Powell's. Couldn't be easier! I dropped off my first load today and am about 45 books lighter and looking forward to my store credit once they receive and check the books.

A little creative inspiration.

2008-03-19T16:21:00.003-04:00

Like many others in the online world, I am loving Etsy these days. I am thinking of opening my own shop, starting with some prints I have from college and building. One of the big roadblocks is that I haven't really found an outlet for my desire to be artistic and creative recently.

When I was living in North Carolina, I used to go to the coolest shop in the world, called The Scrap Exchange.

They have tons and tons and tons of just raw material - buttons, fabric, miscellanea, beads, and on and on, all super cheap. I used to go and just collect things that later became the materials and inspiration for projects. I have yet to find anything equivalent in this area, and am sort of at a loss as to where to get scraps and fun little materials that don't cost an arm and a leg.

Some of the ideas I have for projects I would like to tackle include:
- Handmade fabric dolls
- Drawings/ illustrations
- Needlepoint work
- Handmade children's books

Eventually I would like to return to printmaking as well, but probably not the entire silkscreen process unless I find studio space I can use (my old house is not suited to such space-consuming pursuits... maybe one day we will create that studio in the scary basement, but not yet). So many ideas!

Bathroom style

2008-03-18T22:52:00.012-04:00

Anthropologie, one of my all time favorite stores, has a great selection of new bath stuff and they have done a lovely series of looks incorporating shower curtains, towels, bath mats, etc, around a variety of themes. My "master" bathroom has been my biggest design dilemma since it is teensy, needs a lot of work that we can't currently afford, and I find it entirely uninspiring, so I am actually getting a bunch of the items from the "Wildflowers" look to brighten things up for the spring and summer. Not everything (I don't like towels with textured prints like that), but a lot. Why not let the geniuses at Anthropologie be your own personal interior design team, too?

Image from anthropologie.com

Beginning again, again

2008-03-18T22:35:00.004-04:00

I've tried the blogging thing before, some times with more success than others. Big things are going on in my life, so I thought I would start anew and try chronicling the things going on in my world along with things in general that interest me (design, art, leading a bigger and better life, you know, the basics).

Currently, I am an elementary teacher but that will be ending with this school year, and I must admit I cannot wait! I just got an offer for a new job, which I think I will enjoy a lot more. Adding to the fun, I am learning to be a real adult. I bought my first house last summer, and am slowly but surely fixing it up with my fiance, although limited funds and time is forcing us to be creative and work through things in small amounts. We just got a dog (rescued from a shelter, a big huge white pit mix that might be the calmest dog in the world) and we are planning on getting married at the beach in July of 2009, although nothing has actually been planned yet.

In a nutshell, that is my life. It has been a hard few years, but I think I am finally seeing the potential in what I have. As the French say, après la pluie, le beau temps.