Purple

White vs. Color. I can't seem to decide. My old apartment was an obvious sway in the color direction, but I found myself coveting the tranquil white rooms that are all over my favorite design blogs.

While I still swoon over pics of those amazing airy spaces, three things have happened since. First, I moved into a new apartment with white walls. Ok, apartment-off-white walls, but still. Second, I realized I can't keep my place clean and organized 24/7, and the purest white walls and furniture just aren't going to look tranquil with all of what I've got going on. And third, I started to swoon over the most colorful pictures on those same blogs.

Now this, for better or worse, was my entry way. I love having an entry way for the first time in my renting life, but this sad scene wasn't cutting it. So I did what I thought any self motivated and determined young person would do - I upholstered it. Purple.



Inspiration and starch recipe found here. Yes, this makes a great big pot of goo, but I used a whole lot of it and it's not expensive.



Step 1: Paint a bit of the wall with the starch. I slopped it on pretty thickly. Smooth your fabric up against the sticky section, leaving some overhang at all the edges. (The fabric will shrink as it dries, and you'll go back and trim it later.) Then paint again on top of that section of fabric, all the way to the corners, just to be sure everything is well saturated. I also used a couple of thumbtacks along the top to be sure the fabric would stay put, just because it was going to get heavy.



Step 2: Work your way down the wall in sections, painting the wall first, smoothing the fabric into place, and painting over the fabric. Don't worry if you need to pull up the fabric and adjust in spots. Just keep painting on the starch, and things will stick right back down.



Step 3: Let the whole mess dry. Trim along the edges with a utility knife. Enlist the help of a tall person, if necessary. Use more starch to paste those corners and edges securely onto the wall. It all dries clear, so touching up is not an issue. We had a hard time trimming around the woodwork, so we actually pasted on some extra patches to square everything up a little better. The patches just barely peek out from behind the main piece, and you really can't see they're there at all.



Step 4: Enjoy! The fabric pulls right off the wall when you're ready to move on. Supposedly you can then toss it in the wash and use it again for other projects. All the work involved took maybe 2 hours, from making the starch to trimming the edges, but I did leave it to dry overnight between steps. I bought 3 yards of fabric from Ikea for this wall. Total cost, under $10.

It's Official!

Remember this handsome guy?



Well, in about a year and a month I'm going to be his new Mrs!!!



Before I go overboard and dish about all of my plans and inspirations and diy's, let me just say two things. First, I have to acknowledge the amazingness of a groom who wants to help plan his wedding. Because discussing color pallets and stationary styles can't be top on his to-do list, but he's my hero for wanting this to be our big day.

And second, we want this wedding to be about people. We're trying to plan an event that honors our families and the marriages and friends we hope to follow and learn from. That, and of course we want all of our guests have to a blast. Yes, there will be much discussion of dresses and the like on this blog. But please, when I stray too far with worries about this detail or that, feel free to send some good sense back in my direction. My Dad's baseline for a successful event is, "everyone got a hotdog and nobody got hurt." Besides the hotdogs and adding a bit about getting married somewhere in the middle there, those are the priorities, no matter what the glossy wedding mags have to say!

Alright, one picture, I can't help it. My niece is on tap to be the flower girl. Or rather, the two-year-old of honor. She's not going to hold the rings, she's not going toss petals, her only job is to get herself up the aisle and look cute. So I think she gets to wear something along these lines...


I forget where I snatched this pic from, but credits and thank you!

Home

At least, my summer home. Gracious, I miss this place! I hope you all had a fantastic summer, and best wishes for the back-to-school season. We'll be in touch :)

Downeast

I love how people use "summer" as a verb. For example, "we summer on the Cape," or, "we summer at Martha's Vineyard." I'm certainly not living the lifestyle of those so rich and famous, but I like to say I summer in Maine.



Downeast Maine, to be precise. There's a music festival up here, and by some strange twist of fate (and a long phone chain) they called me to come fill out their horn section three years ago. Every summer since it seems I can't keep myself away. So here I am, summer number four, spending six weeks in Maine. Summering in Maine. And it's such a good thing.

So I'll be in touch sporadically. It all depends on when we get into civilization for internet and cell reception, because we have neither out in the woods. But I look forward to sharing updates on the music, the hiking, the quilting, and the Maine-ness of it all.

Oh, and that there photo up there - that's my back yard this summer.

Finished

Remember this guy? I think my blog got started with this project! And today I wrapped it up in pink tissue paper and sent it off in the mail!



Truth be told, I've never finished a project so large, and I was sad to see it go. Towards the end I kept trying to find one more little detail to quilt, a tag to add to the back, one more thing to make it just right.



You can see I filled each crazy nine patch square with a spiral. For my next endeavor I think I'll pick a pattern that goes a little faster. I finished by running a stitch-in-the-ditch along the border, and it went so quickly in comparison. Fancy that, straight lines!



And yes, I do mean my next endeavor. Somewhere around block 11/35 I thought the hand quilting would never end, and there was no way I would ever do this again. But I love it. I love the way it turned out, the way it looks all warm and quilty after a run through the wash. I love that it looks handmade, that it is handmade, and that it will hopefully be special to Audrey. The last time I visited my Dad I found a stash of handmade quilts and blankets that had been mine, some I remember well and some I had nearly forgotten about, and I just nearly turned to mush when I saw them. I love that. So my next quilt, my summer project, will also be hand quilted. And, gulp, queen-sized.

Hello Beautiful

Oh sweet laundry, how I love thee.



Fred and I got keys to our new apartment this morning. That lovely pair is our brand-spanking-new über-energy efficient washer/dryer. I can't wait to move in!

And the projects begin . . . I love this part. How do we best arrange the furniture? What colors should we focus on in different rooms? How about a canopy in the bedroom? Can I find a shower curtain that I like, or will I end up making one? Should we start an Etsy art collection? Can we Craigslist for any new furniture? What about making a new quilt for the bedroom? Yep, I think that one's next!

Tulips

Cricket...cricket.....cricket.......

Well I obviously needed a break, huh? Between my sister's wedding and that impossible apartment search, I think I burned out. Yes, some time off was in order. Amazingly enough, though, I didn't stop crafting! As much as I thought I'd put away the sewing machine and the gocco after the wedding, I've actually finished some significant projects. More on those shortly. For tonight, I'll ease back in with the simple stuff.



I have an office job, but it's not like that. Sometimes I go downtown to visit my Aunt and Uncle at their offices, and it feels so foreign to me. Actually, offices look like they must be a lot of fun. I mean, what goes on inside those huge buildings? I do neat things with a lot of neat people, so I bet office buildings are brimming with coolness. I think I don't understand, but I like to think that it must be exciting.

At my "office," in a nutshell, I work only with musicians, I pick my own hours, and all we do is talk about music. Really, it's a great gig. So we hosted a conference last weekend, with all sorts of people flying in from across the country. We were about to be stuck in a hotel conference room with no windows for two solid days, and our "boss" (Department head? Fearless leader? Grand puba? Really, he's just Larry) wanted something to brighten up the place. So I volunteered myself for the hard job - flower arranging.



And the results are so happy! Whole Foods came through with some lovely tulips, and the square glass containers are ones I've collected over the years. I'm digging the clean minimalist/modern vibe these days.



It seems appropriate to post these in honor of Mother's Day. For the women doing the most important work in the world. I can't begin to imagine it.

Tomorrow morning Fred and I get keys to our new apartment! For my first order of business - I get to do laundry in my own space!! Oh, and take pictures and measurements and try to decide where the furniture goes. I've been looking forward to this for months. I'll report back tomorrow!