Before & After

Yay!  Our co-shared blog was becoming a little one-sided.  Ryan is excited to share all the steps of the Crankshaft (or "crookshanks") Lamp Project.  And I'm kind of wondering what office they will be placed in since I transformed it into a crafting space instead - eek.  I'm sure we can place the lamps somewhere.

And speaking of transformations...

Our books need a new home.  A BIGGER, more comfortable, home so the search is on for a new bookshelf.  But instead of trashing my old one (it was a cheapy from Tar-Jay) I thought of a way to transform it into something we can use.  I added little bins (found on sale) and it's now located in the bedroom holding all our extras that won't fit in the small dresser.  Perfect!

Wednesday

You know what I'm talking about?  The days were you can't make sense of anything that's wrong in particular, but you just want to run away from work/school/any other obligations to find a cozy bed and a good book or movie.  Where the little things = really big things, whether that be a specific situation or a kind word.

For me, today is just "one of those days".  I'm sure it happens to all of us... and I'm sure tomorrow will better!

A Simple Gift

necklace from the vintage pearl

I love this little treasure from my friend Carol.  It's simple and thoughtful and I wear it every day.

Happy Weekend-ing

(via)

This weekend we plan to party like rock stars with THIS GIRL because she's leaving for Australia very very soon.  And her upcoming adventure is definitely something to celebrate! I plan to capture a festive photo for the Photo Swap and I'm looking forward to seeing what you all are up to this weekend as well.  

A quiz? Okay!

Does anyone remember Facebook quizzes that were popular four or five years ago?  The results that gave insight to the "Color of your personality" or "Which Harry Potter character you most relate".  I took them all.  I mean, an embarrassing amount of quizzes, so much that I would "hide the results" so no other friends would know how much time I spent on facbook.. taking quizzes.. *glad I got that off my chest*.

Well anyway, once I saw the word "quiz" on How About Orange today I jumped right on over there and dived into the questionnaire. 

Take the design quiz!

Let the quiz "delve into your design soul" - so it says.

My Results?

"You most resemble an Antiquated Espresso."

Details of craftsmanship with natural materials surround you. Home cooked meals from a kitchen full of country (really?!  country?). With everything else so fine, you can live with an unmade bed (yes, please). Musical lyrics bring to mind life's extraordinary events (preach it). A sense of rolling hills and vineyards surround this table. A lithe and agreeable cab - no meal required. Pre-war, upper east side attitude. Sytle cues of fun and discovery abound...

Love for Music, Music for Love

Photo courtesy of James & Ashley Myers

Since learning to play the guitar I have enjoyed sharing my gift of music. I learned from studying chord books and playing praise and worship music with my youth pastor, Abdy, who is now a pastor at a church in Miami. While he was still leading I just played in the background but after he left I quickly learned how to play and sing at the same time (sometimes not as easy as you would think) so that I could lead. I have continued to play in various places including my college church, open mic nights at the student union, and summer camps. Recently I have had the joy of playing in a few weddings.

 My first wedding was James and Ashley Myers. Joining me for a slightly Caucasian version of Israel Kammawiwo'ole's Over the Rainbow are Ethan(singing lead) and Jesse(guitar). I got to break out the yuke' and sing some backing harmony. Thanks to a sly mother of the bride we were able to completely surprise them as they walked into their reception. Feeling overcome by the moment they decided to make this their first dance. Most of the young women sitting on the edge of the stage were in tears by the end and I think that I might have seen a little moisture in the grooms eyes as well. Also, weeks of prep were almost ruined by a broken finger on my left hand but in the end I was able to bear it to bring this moment to our friends.

Photo courtesy of Adam & Kirstie Mikles

Next were the Mikles. There was no surprise for this couple but they did ask for double duty. For the ceremony, I played guitar for Ethan and Zealin who playfully performed the Jason Mraz & Colbie Callet duet, Lucky. I secretly wished that I could sing the harmony (the Colbie Callet part) for the chorus as I tend to do in the car. If you don't believe me, ask Kendra. For the second performance of this wedding, Jesse and I sang You and Me by Lifehouse for their first dance. A wonderful song that I have loved for years sung for wonderful friends whom I too have loved for years.



Photo by Nicole Ecton

 And the most recent was the solo performance for my bride at our wedding reception. The first time that I heard Indian Moon by State Radio I knew that it was the song I would play for my wife. Kendra had no idea that I had secretly planned and practiced for weeks when she was out of the house. When the moment came for me to interrupt after all of the speeches I was nervous enough to almost shake myself out of my fitted vest. I will always remember how my nerves hadn't shaken off by the second verse and I forgot my favorite lines, "And my words are forever you're my blanket my shiver. Whatever you give I'll never lack." Thanks to Nicole for, by far, my favorite photo of this moment.

Are there more weddings to play for, you ask? I hope so. Time will tell and I will be there to play for them too. Until then the youth of Spring Creek will be enjoying their acoustic praise and worship.

Sewing 101: A Laptop Cozy

So many good things happened:
1. My laptop is finally covered (poor guy)
2. Straight lines!  Now that's something to get excited about.
3. And lastly, my mini Janome tackled SO many layers. Yeah!

Another successful project with Val!  My favorite so far.  

Go, check out her (awesomely yellow) sleeve here. 

A space to call my own

I reorganized my crafting/creating space over Christmas break and now all I want to do is play!  I guess I should backtrack and say we live in a pretty small 2 bedroom apartment with no storage space.  And I like to think we're "minimalist", but with that, we're adventurists too who own a LOT of backpacking gear.

Holy moley.
The closet is pretty much taken, which leaves no room for my crafty things.

So, I stole the shelf from my bathroom for storage and set up the card table as a "work station".  And now I have a non-fussy crafting space! 

Not too shabby, huh?

Happy Weekend-ing

(via fffound!)

Our weekend will consist of:

+ sleeping in!

+ trip to Stillwater

+ day hike with the pup (sound familiar?)

+ a coffee date 

+ baby showering

+ Skype sewing date

And don't forget to e-mail your photos for the SWAP!  

Happy weekend, friends.

On the Bookshelf: a catch up

It's been too long since I've shared a book post...

MockingJay - All I can say is, if you haven't read the Hunger Games Trilogy you need to get your buns to the store ASAP.

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Confession:  I've only read half of this book.  Somehow I lost it on the way back to OKC from Thanksgiving.  I mean, I read it ON the way home and haven't seen it since.  Weird.  But, the first half was really really good.  And I look forward to getting my hands on another copy and finishing it.

Pretty Little Liars - Another young adult book!  3 of my (adult) friends are reading the book series and I recently joined the crew.  I've heard the series on ABC Family is really good too.  So far, the book is a little creepy and I can't read it right before bed (I was warned) but during the day, I really like the story lines of each girl and look forward to solving THE mystery.

I'm always looking for new reads if anyone has any suggestions!  I try to switch between young adult and big kid books. 

Home

Oklahoma isn't the most visually stimulating place in the country, but for now it's home, and we try to make the best of it.  Like a little day hike with our pup at a state park just north of Oklahoma City.  

It was the last day of sunny weather before the snow flurries made their appearance.  The wind was a bit chilly, but the sun beaming down felt so nice and warm and inviting.  Zia really enjoyed the trail too.  She chased down bike riders, snacked on fruit and nuts with us (she never gets "people food" so this was huge), and frolicked in the high grass right off the trail.

In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks - John Muir

Football Schmootball.

 

The boys watched football in our messy apartment tonight.  A little man date, if you will.  Ethan brought beer and Ryan provided dinner - wings, of course.  It was cute.

So, I retreated to my newly remodeled crafting room (more on this later), turned up the tunes, and went to work on a special gift for them.  I laughed a little every time I heard yelling from the living room.  ...Boys.

Look what I made:  coasters for their beverages!  

They were excited.. sort of.  Ha!  

Maybe it was more of a gift to myself because I had a lot of fun making them.

Weekend Wintery Mix

A party for your ears

Listen

The Decemberists' new album, The King is Dead, comes out Jan. 18.

Listen

 Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

Sewing 101: Simple Skirt

Holy cannoli, I made a skirt!

And I learned the techniques needed from previous projects with Valerie, so it wasn't difficult at all to do by myself!  I took on this skirt over Christmas break while she was visiting her family.  I was also inspired by the 65(!) degree weather we had in OKC.

Techniques:
#1 hemming - fold, measure, press, sew
(from the groovy hostess apron project)

#2 casings & elastic
(bloomers)

Check out those straight(er) lines!  

I've made progress since our first project together. 

The design is super simple - an elastic waistband, no pockets (though I want to learn), cotton material.  But, I like simple!  And I might go make 10 more.

Old Stomping Grounds

Over the Christmas break I visited my old elementary school in Owasso, a small suburb of Tulsa.

I loved sharing stories with Ryan of my eventful elementary years.  Funny how everything looks much bigger when you're young (such as the US map).  The visit was pretty bittersweet, the school has really dilapidated over the years.