Alexandra at the Tell Tale Blog and Rebecca at Baby Sloth were sweet enough to think of tagging me when handing out the most recent round of blog awards.  I have to admit, now that (Into) the Fray is well into its 3rd year, I had to pick my brain to think of things I haven’t covered before–and I’ve already squirmed out of it on one occasion with a true/false version.  So I’ve decided to split the difference between Rebecca’s 7 random things, and Alexandra’s 10 happy-making things with the list below:

1) My friends make me incredibly happy.  Funny, supportive, kind, generous–none of those descriptions begin to cover it.

2) Being creative makes me happy.  The satisfaction of a finished project, even the learning I acquire from screwing something up, cannot really be matched by anything I’ve done in my work life.

3) The opportunity to travel and see the world–even if only in 1-2 week bursts through the year, makes even the rainiest Seattle day a happy one.

4)  I feel very privileged to say that my job makes me happy.

5) Stanley Bear.

6) Books and the escape they provide.

7)  Lovely, heartbreaking, uplifting music.

8) Quiet weekend mornings, tea in hand, and the whole day before me.

Tagging:

Mariss

Lisa

Dianna

Tara

Lizzy

and Michelle.

The theme last year?  Christmas at the Movies.  2007?  The Captain’s Ball.  This year was about partying like a rock star.  It only took a day or so to mull it over before I settled on a classic 60s look–either as Amy Winehouse or one of the Ronettes.

People who’ve known me for 10 years thought the rose tattoos were real.  I’m blaming the darkness of the venue for that mistake–though I have to admit, when I first put them on I was kind of digging it and wondering how long the waiting list at Lucky Devil is.  I’ve always had a soft spot for the rockabilly look.

My beehive was no where near the realm of Winehouse or Ronnie Spector but nonetheless took a few tries to get 1) decent volume, 2) symmetry and 3) bobby pins positioned in a way that didn’t kill my scalp. I have so much respect for the amount of time that goes into constructing the ice cream-like bouffants Joan sports on Mad Men–I just left the ends of my various twists loose and hoped for the best.

More pics here and here.

Despite the best laid plans, I ended up running to my local grocery store for nutmeg & cinnamon the morning of Thanksgiving so I could make a crisp for the first dinner I attended.

Because I have no mixing bowls, the strawberries went into a pitcher I picked up from the Aurora Antique Mall, soaking up sugar while I mixed the batter.

Wearing white might be considered risky on such a day of feasting but I managed to keep myself clean.  I think the clogs might actually increase the nurse-ish look of this dress but ah well.

More pictures on flickr…and here.

I’m not as clued in as I used to be to the local street team’s activities but I managed to find out about the craft show taking place this weekend at Intiman Theater near Seattle Center.

The set up was wonderful and open, with lots of room between booths and plenty of natural light to see all the goodies by.

I’ve already got Christmas shopping on the mind and there were definitely lots of tempting goods on display.

The miniature chairs here were so charming that I had to get a picture–I could see any of the little babies I’ve come to know this past year enjoying them at some point.

My haul includes Christmas cards from Cakespy and a yummy candle from Wicks and Wire.

The show goes through Sunday so if you’re in the area, you should definitely swing by.

This was my inspiration for my costume.

I could blame the recent upheavals in my life on the fact that this costume inspiration didn’t actually occur to me until about two weeks ago but I’ve always been last minute with Halloween.  My Red Riding Hood costume a few years back was totally glommed together from existing items in my wardrobe.

There’s nothing crafty about this costume.  I intended to make the hat but a good friend was able to lend me one.  While I saw a few Red Cross costumes on ebay, they were priced pretty high in anticipation of Halloween–so I hit up Value Village and found this white shirt dress by the Gap.  I really wanted back seam tights to make the look a bit more vintage–Sock Dreams was sold out so I got a pair from Amazon instead.

The live music, fire breathers, and open bar made this one of the best Halloween parties I’ve been to in a long time.  I was one of two nurses but my outfit did not incorporate visible garters.

More pics here.

My mom was in town a couple of weeks ago to help me move and we fortunately had the opportunity to do something fun besides pack while she was here.  The Cider Fest was taking place on Vashon Island, which I realized as we were waiting for the ferry, I’d somehow never been to.

The farmer’s market itself was an impressive deal with tons of gorgeous produce that made me long for typical fall foods.

Of course the cider was to die for, as were the various breeds of apples that were on display.

The best part, however, was the chicken beauty contest.

We all voted but were busy having lunch when they announced the winner.  I’ll definitely have to keep my eye out for this event next year.

I’ll be on hiatus until further notice.

I’m sorry for the sudden absence.

Edited to add: Thank you everyone for all of the well wishes.  You can’t know how much they’re appreciated.

There are a lot of things that are different about this second trip to Victoria.

Given that we now have a house, we were ridiculously frustrated by the 50% off sale at Nood.  Even though it’d probably be illegal to bring back a lot of the furniture since it violates U.S. copyright law.

Ridiculously gorgeous weather has meant wanting to be outside as much as possible, even for breakfast at Lady Marmalade, where I so butchered the pronunciation of my crepe ‘croque monsieur‘ that I confused the waiter.

One of the thrift shops where I had so much success last time has become almost entirely devoted to American Apparel–which is fine but not what I really had in mind.  Hitting up the boutiques turned up this dress, which I didn’t get since it was 1) shiny 2) shapeless 3) weirdly puckered where the lining was attached at the seam over my breasts.  The seamstress in me shook my head at that last one.

I did get this one in an equally great print but much better fabric and cut.  I’m inspired by A Blonde Redhead, who wore a cute shirt dress over cuffed jeans.  While I pondered getting the exact one she’s wearing, I think this one will do.

And while I’m positive I had an Etsy shop the last time we were here, I don’t think it had been open very long and I didn’t feel super confident shopping for beads.  This time, however, I went a bit nuts–I think a huge shop update is going to be in order once I get home and have time to make things with what I found here.  More pics on flickr.

Hope those of you in the states are having a lovely holiday weekend.

Indulge me as I break out the geography terminology (for the 2nd time), if only to explain the strange little world that exists so close to the Seattle metropolitan area.  The Olympic peninsula is a huge land mass directly west of the city, reachable only by ferry across the Puget Sound–or a long drive around.  While I always think of Seattle as technically being a west coast city (as I’m sure others do as well), it actually takes hours to get to the ocean.  The majority of the towns on the coast are either severely economically depressed because of the decline of timber and salmon, or were tourist destinations that never quite took off given that the term ‘beach‘ has always been a stretch for Washington’s coast.

Another reason the coast isn’t much of a destination is that it probably more closely fits the stereotype of what people expect Seattle (and Washington weather) to be like.  It’s gray, dreary and actually gets more rain than further inland.  The reason for that?  The Olympic Mountains.

One of the few temperate rain forests in the world exists on the Olympic peninsula.  When a forest of evergreens gets doused in 12 1/2 feet of rain a year, this is the result.

The boyfriend and I drove through on a road trip 3 years ago and always vowed to come back to Lake Quinault.  This summer, with more ambitious vacation plans on hold, we finally went.  The moss draped canopies were like something out of Lord of the Rings or Neverending Story, simply beyond unreal and much more eerie and gorgeous in person.  More pics here.

While we thought three years ago that we’d be camping, a reader recommendation was backed up by a coworker and we found ourselves at Lochaerie, a series of cabins built in the 1920s and 30s.  It was utterly charming, quiet, private and ridiculously perfect for kicking back whenever we weren’t exploring the labyrinth of trails around the lake.

While it probably took a few hours to adjust to having nothing more to do than read a book, it’s probably only taken minutes to get back into the list-oriented go-go-go of being home.  Luckily, we’re heading to Victoria and Vancouver Island next weekend so hopefully I can get back to that down tempo frame of mind soon.

Also, the BOGO sale ends tonight!  Be sure to check it out.

Hope you had a lovely weekend.

I’ve gone on about it since last summer, when I first rode my mom’s cruiser.  I predicted I’d have the justification to get one when we made an offer on the house and realized I’d no longer be walking distance from, well, everything.

The boyfriend promised me one last Christmas but between the house hunt and the hit & miss nature of bike shopping on Craigslist, we only got around to it this weekend.

We went with Craigslist because my inexperience made me reluctant to pay hundreds for something I have no expertise in–I figured I could get a serviceable bike, figure out what I like and don’t like, and maybe upgrade after (not too dissimilar from how I tackled getting a sewing machine.)

I picked up a helmet from REI after meeting Dawn for a lovely coffee and chat about house hunting–the helmet cost nearly as much as the bike.

A trip to a local marina has me a bit saddle sore but otherwise thrilled with my ride.

Everything I needed to do this evening felt like it could wait.  Instead, I picked blackberries.

The lower edge of a park had caught my eye when running and it was the first place I headed.  Though it looked as though folks may have already harvested the good stuff, I still found nearly a container’s worth of berries.

They grow wild all through Seattle and my sister and I picked them wherever we lived every summer I can remember.  Though back then, I think we just ate them.  This time, however, I had a dish in mind.

An old roommate used to make this blackberry dish that I mistakenly thought was a cobbler.  As I began searching recipes, however, I realized it was actually a crisp.

A bit more ambitious than the results of my berry picking as a kid but perhaps more delicious.

When more than a week goes by without any creative output on my part, I start to feel a mix of guilt, an antsy compulsion, and exasperation that my schedule doesn’t allow me to spend as much time making things as I’d like.  The last thing I finished was a tunic top for a wedding that took up the entirety of the first August weekend.  I feel like it’s been catch up on other things since then.

Then a project for my sister took up some of my focus, the car the boyfriend and I share started to overheat, we decided to book a trip to Victoria for the coming holiday weekend only to realize after the fact that my passport has expired, and one of the cats has been adding to the fun by pooping next to the cat box instead of in it.

Yesterday, after nearly two weeks of doing nothing creative, I made myself sit down with my beads.  After fussing with various beads and stones for nearly an hour, I gave up.  It just wasn’t going to happen and I couldn’t force it.  Despite having had 4-5 hours of sleep last night (I don’t know how chronic insomniacs like Wendy do it), I tried again today and had a bit more success.  The earrings are in the shop, and the necklace will shortly follow.

Happy Tuesday.

It’s been nearly a week since I emptied my memory card so apologies for the delay in content.  While the housewarming on Saturday was my official social birthday, the following Sunday was the true date of my birth and the day which my boyfriend treated me to a number of things.

This included a trip to the Fremont flea market, where we picked up these candlesticks for $10.

And dinner at Tulio where I had the most divine salmon and Maker’s Mark iced tea.

I wore my favorite capris but the dress barely fit by the end of the night, I was so stuffed!

Thanks for the birthday wishes!

Despite taking Friday off from work, we were still prepping and scrambling until people showed up at the door.  Given this was the biggest occasion we’re likely to have for some time, the guest list included many people I don’t have the chance to see often–which meant taking pictures was far down the to-do list through the night.

Because of those two things, these pictures were taken towards the end of the night when there were mostly empty plates to see.  This garbanzo bean salad was delicious, taken from this recipe minus the olives (because olives are evil.)

I’d never made sangria before but the variety of recipes made it clear you could pretty much throw it together without a lot of stress.  The dregs at the end of the night would have gone into our compost bin if it wasn’t already bursting.

31 today.  I’ve been thinking quite a bit about what I want this year to bring.  Given that I had no idea this past year would involve owning my first home, I’ll try to leave myself open in addition to browsing my list.

Hope you’ve had a lovely weekend.

Peeps have already noticed the new layout, which surprised me given that my stats show the majority of you viewing (Into) the Fray via some type of reader.  For those of you who have yet to click through, please do.  After nearly three years (three years!) of writing here, including a switch in platforms and nabbing my own domain, I thought it was time to clean house a bit.  That includes:

1. The curtains now match the drapes.  The main page matches the blog which matches the shop.  And strangely enough, the colors seem to be reflected in the house.  Crazy.
2. So many of the directories I’d joined way back when I was still new to blogging resulted in zero traffic so they’re gone.
3. I’ve long wanted to flesh out my links list and now I’ll have the chance to since they’re located on their own page.  I realize the categories are rough given that so many of my favorite sites straddle the line between art, craft, and general awesomeness.  If anything looks off or a link goes no where, please shoot me an email and I’ll get it updated.

Lisa recentl tagged me to share 10 honest things and I figured I’d focus on all things intertubes given the recent sprucing.

1. Email was my first introduction to the internet.  My university issued email addresses that were the same as our student IDs (a mess of meaningless numbers.)  It strikes me as so impersonal now that I think of how clever people get with their email addresses–and frustrated when they can’t use their name because it’s already taken!

2. Other than email, the internet was largely meaningless for me through the remainder of college. (I’m trying to think now what I did with my time–oh yeah, that’s right.)  After I graduated, I discovered the world of Damn Hell Ass Kings and quickly got emersed in the Fametracker forums.  I liked Mighty Big TV, too but even then I wasn’t much for television.  It still cracks me up that Mighty Big TV took off, underwent a name change and was then bought by Bravo, while the site I loved languished and eventually went on permanent hiatus.

3. Right before I left the country, I toyed with the idea of keeping some kind of online journal and even played around with Diaryland before ultimately deciding it was too weird.  I regret not doing it now.

4. I joined Friendster while I was living abroad.  I wouldn’t have known it existed given that I still had no internet at my flat & barely had time to glance at my email at work–only a friend sent me an invite.  I’ve read a few explanations of why it crashed & burned when MySpace came on the scene but I still don’t fully understand what was up with that.  While I know people love being able to customize their Myspace page, it ultimately feels like getting inundated with LV logos or unicorns or music I don’t like.  In other words, get off my lawn.

5. I met the boyfriend via an online dating site.  He had an ability right from the start to crack me up over IM that remains largely unparalleled.

6. The same week I met him, I met up with another fellow via the same dating service who was also:

a. an only child

b. of older divorced parents

c. from kentucky

and wondered if I’d landed on a reality tv show without my knowledge.

7. While on my first vacation with the boyfriend, I decided to start a blog.  I’m still not quite sure why he was the only one I told about it for months and months.

8. I resisted digital cameras for a long time, which is why my first few sets of flickr photos are actually from a 35mm I refused to get rid of.

9. I was also a bit late to Twitter but still managed to get teased by a coworker when I mentioned using it.

10. I believe my friend Tyler, the very talented artist who is responsible for the new look and layout, is the first person besides Ben to know about my blog.  He was the only person I knew in real life who had one himself (check out his portfolio–he’s seriously talented.)  I’m still not sure why I kept it a secret from people I know–anyone who knows of it is quite supportive.  Silly me being self conscious, I guess.

I’d love to see 10 honest things from Julia, Missa, Franca, Betsy, and Sister Wolf because her constant honesty impresses me.

My plan for the weekend includes washing the car, some sewing and potentially picking up some sweet chairs in Tacoma.

Hopefully they’ll still be available.

Have a good weekend.

Both Eunice and April tagged me with the latest survey making the rounds.  Given the brevity of my most recent posts, I thought it was about time to write something a little meatier.

1. What is your current obsession?
Sewing and my house. I continue to be surprised at how motivated I am in the wake of the Burdastyle meet up. Maybe it was seeing some of Christina’s amazing garments in person, maybe it was the camaraderie of mutual frustration and excitement, but I have never been so focused on not just sewing, but really taking things to the next level. While I’ve never had trouble putting a lining in a handbag, I never thought I could tackle fully lining a dress or jacket—and now I really want to learn.

2. What is your weirdest obession?
I admitted this to Reese when we recently meet for coffee (tea, actually, I think, for both of us.) I can remember when I first moved in with the boyfriend and was captivated by his extended cable TV, that I’d find myself watching Jon & Kate + 8. It was a mindless but not totally brain-cell-killing kind of program that I didn’t have to feel utterly guilty watching–& the family seemed kind of wholesome but still real. The recent total meltdown, given that I haven’t watched it in at least a year or two, has fascinated me. Terrible, but true.

3.  What do you see outside your window?
The Space needle, the radio towers of Queen Anne, construction cranes, and an old brick apartment building.

4.  What is your favorite color?
I would say I definitely gravitate towards certain colors and find myself trying to shy away from them given their prevalence in my closet. This would include blue & purple, and to a lesser extent, yellow and green. The real struggle to resist is stripes, tho.

5.  What is your weakness?
Sweets. Without a doubt.

6.  What animal would you be?
A recently read an article on the long beaked echidna, one of three monotremes in existence (the short beaked echidna and platypus are the others.) That’s what I’d be.

7.  What would you like to learn how to do?
Reverse applique. Really learn what aperture and f-stop mean without having to ask the boyfriend for the 5^th time. Understand what the heck curves really does in Photoshop. The list is endless.

8.  What do you want to never happen in life?
I never want to stop being grateful. Good fortune is a matter of perspective and I don’t want to forget how fortunate I am.

9.  What is on your bedside table?
Jewelry and Barack Obama’s memoir.

10.  What’s the last thing you bought?
A new bed. It won’t arrive for a few weeks which is why it’s taken so long to show the bedroom transformation.

11.  What do you think about the person who tagged you?
Eunice & April are both amazingly talented people. I’d like to meet them both someday given their close proximity!

12.  What was your favorite children’s book?
The Happy Dromedary. Didn’t even need to think twice about that. I wouldn’t mind tracking down a copy someday.

The Trumpet of the Swan is a close second…Wow, both are extremely focused on self-acceptance, being different but beautiful, and challenging standards and perceptions. I guess those messages really stuck with me as a mixed race kid in a Scandanavian neighborhood in the early 80s.

13.  Who do you want to meet in person?
See 11. The next time I’m in Vancouver, I’m tracking April down.

14.  What did you want to be as a child?
A doctor, a clothing designer (you should have seen my horrifying drawings of skin tight outfits with cut-outs at the stomach), and finally a writer. I wrote short stories about our pet cat, Boo, with illustrations of him in the margins.

15.  What did you dream about last night?
Work! How sad!

16.  Which do you prefer, day or night?
I am *such* a day person. I rarely sleep past 8 and have always been most productive before noon. The boyfriend is the complete opposite and you better bet we’ve struggled with trying to match up our days. He’s not ready to run errands until a time when I’m used to being done with them.

17.  What’s your favorite piece of clothing in your closet?
Like Eunice, there is no such thing. If it’s in my closet, it’s because I love it.

20.  What is your must-have of the moment?
There are some jeans I’ve been eying. A light fixture for the entryway. One of those weed weasels for all the dandelions in the back yard. & shoes. Always shoes.

21.  What’s your favorite tea flavor?
It really varies. I like Bigelow’s chais, Tazos Ginger tea, and Stash for just about everything else.

22.  If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?
We have a trip planned to the peninsula for the end of summer & it cannot come soon enough.

It’s funny that I may not have time to hit up a garage sale this weekend with insane quantities of fabric because I’m meeting local stitchers later that day.  Susan, the published quilter who’s generosity allowed me to really go crazy with sewing, has further organized her stash and will be offering some unheard of prices on everything she’s getting rid of.

While I regret not having a ton of time to head to the east side, I’m really excited by the expertise I’m sure to encounter at this meet up.  Christine’s knowledge alone is worth tapping so while I’m nervous about not having much to offer, I know I’ll be taking a lot away.

Finally, I’ll be heading up north for some UFC.  I have friends who are huge fans and while I’m no expert on who the fighters are or their techniques, it’s always fun to cheer along and see people I care about.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend planned.

(& for those of you in the Seattle area, the garage sale is at 21123 NE 43rd Pl in Sammamish.  If I don’t see you there, snag some deals for me!)

An awesome card from my friend, Sarah:

It so resembled our house that for a second I thought she’d made it.  & let me tell you, I would not put picking up letter press printing past Sarah.

By Little Oranges of California.

We’re very near one of the steepest streets in Seattle, a not unlikely place to find yourself given that Seattle is a series of hills.  There isn’t anything like Lombard Street, but the views are just as worthwhile.

I was itching to explore our new neighborhood earlier this week and tonight took the boyfriend on the little route I found to the topmost point.

It’s all 1960s era homes like ours until you reach the staircase.

The houses up higher have amazing gardens with giant wisteria and rhododendrons everywhere.

This house was bathed in pinks.

This flower was blooming all alone.

Though my pictures show a white sky (very typically Seattle), it was much nicer and still tinged with blue from the lovely weather earlier today–which we mostly missed while the painting continued indoors.

Stopping to smell the wisteria at the top of the hill.  That moss growing on the pavement is pretty typical, too–the northwest is a damp place.

This water tower is a marker of the neighborhood, topping the hill on the far side of this valley.  While all of the physical labor of painting, unpacking, moving things around and just trying to settle in has been totally exhausting, these walks have been a lovely reprieve from that chaos.  It still doesn’t all feel quite real but I’m doing my best to enjoy it.