Fancy Schmancy

Screw You!

2009-12-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

Ok ok, so you might get a few gift ideas out of me. I just could not resist showing you this screw key set. Its the perfect stocking stuffer for your dude. And the set is only $5.00!
Screw Key
I have to admit that I am a bit offended by their high shipping costs though.

2009-12-04T06:35:00.000-08:00

OK Go - WTF? from OK Go on Vimeo.

From Brandflakes for Breakfast-
"OK Go became a household name based on the success of a single video that went viral. And it wasn't a million dollar budget that got Here it Goes Again millions of views. It was a great idea.

Their new video is just as clever. They've taken an age old video effect, "trails" and made it fresh and fun. Once again - not technology, not a kabillion dollar production budget, just a fantastically great idea done well."
I couldn't have said it better myself.

2009-12-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

Yokoo of Yokoo Cold Weather Knits created this awesome wreath for Urban Outfitters blog. Check out the tutorial here.

Bah Humbug!

2009-12-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

This is a warning to anyone who knows me and is reading this blog-
I am not going to buy Christmas gifts for anyone other than my daughter this year. I am too busy caught up in my own messy life right now to have a big beautiful holiday. Don't come round here for the best of the seasons fanciest gift list and what nots. There, I've said it! (p.s. to my bbbff (big bodacious best friend forever) who will be here the week of xmas, we will still have a great time but in all fairness you are Jewish :)

I may come around still. I may change my mood and become a last minute Santa. It could happen. So here are a few things that caught my eye as great "make your own presents".

Homemade vanilla extract. I have recently had the joy of finding out that way too much really good vanilla in your chocolate chip cookies is a wonderful thing! Coco&me shoes you how to make some. Plus now that we are all in the thick of the green movement, we can use our garbage as cool containers. How bout that?
This "turkey dressing skirt" tutorial is only for a limited time so chop chop! I think I will make one for Sophie and one for me.
S'mores.....mmmmmm... Sophie still talks about how we made s'more this summer while camping. This would be a great gift for any kid. You can buy them at Twig & Thistle or make your own. You can find boxes here for around 30 cents each. And if you are really feeling adventurous make your own graham crackers and marshmallows.
Sophie still loves everything I have ever made for her. How cool is she? I made a pretty bad version of this outfit last year and it still makes her daily wardrobe changes. I think I need to make a new larger version for the up and coming year. Perhaps I should make one for me as well.... Hey bbbff- you want one?
I love these. I always have. And once I get my craft room up and running again I promise to make one. Scouts honor.
This garland from Shoptwig.com could easily be make using your extra large craft hole punch, some yarn, felt and glue. Makes a great gift or decorate your tree with it. I think they are lovely and they, for some odd reason, remind me of the ladies in Italy that toss ribbons off their balconies to lure male suitors.

Do I really need to say how cute these are? Ok "these are so stinkin cute! Go here for the free PDF to make your own.

I have been spending alot of my time at Etsy, working on my shop Avant Garage and starting a new one selling vintage shoes, Shoe Shoe Studio. Please go check them out. I have some great things there.

Here are a few things off of my favorites list too.
Eddie Ross says that black candles have a more understated glow and by golly I believe him!
I would love to have this soap sitting in my bathroom. I don't think I could bring myself to use it though...
These are so sweet. And sold now. Sorry. But since I live in the forest now and am surrounded by moss, I think I might take a crack at making some terrariums sometime.
I think I drink chai tea a bit more than I should simply because I want to smell it. This might help me with that addiction.
I love this teak safety pin. It would look fantastic as a scarf pin.

This guy inspires me to make Sophie yet another bunny.

2009-11-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

I am totally bored with this day. I guess because I seem to be getting a cold. I have been reading a great little book ( Bringing Home The Birkin) all morning while letting Sophie play video games. Boring boring boring. Sophie still does not know how to use that word. She keeps trying. "This food is so boring mom." "I can't clean my room now, I'm bored!" Kids! Gotta love em. Speaking of kids, here is a video my stepson set me. Fantastic! It's prolly driving his mom crazy!

Peddy Cash FTW Trailer from Thunder Horse Video on Vimeo.

2009-11-19T09:09:00.001-08:00

Dezeen in the Czech Republic: Daniel Piršč, Studio Pirsc Porcelain from Dezeen on Vimeo.

The Chimney Sweep by Joseph Mann

2009-11-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

The Chimney Sweep from Joseph Mann on Vimeo.

2009-11-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

My initial reaction to this concept was repulsion, but really, spaghetti and wieners are a normal thing. I think it would be a fun and easy thing to make for kids or strange parties. Just cut the dogs into 1 inch chunks, break the spaghetti in half and pierce pieces through each dog chunk. Then cook in boiling water according to the spaghetti directions. You could serve it with chili. Maybe even Cincinnati chili!

2009-11-11T09:08:00.000-08:00

I cannot stop staring at this Enzo Speedster from PlayForever. This is like one of those toys that you would display and later it would become valuable.

Shop News!

2009-11-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

Here is a sneak peak at my Avant Garage shop. I have been working on it for the past couple of weeks. I have some real vintage gems to offer. Arne Jacobsen spoons! A Smith Corona typewriter with script font! Fabulous vintage shoes, leather jackets and handbags and so much more that is yet to come.
Have a look see and enjoy FREE SHIPPING on all orders!!

2009-11-08T14:58:00.000-08:00

Two great diy projects by Elsie from A Beautiful Mess.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Project.

DIY Woodgrain Rug

2009-11-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

I just finished pillaging Apartment Therapy. Check out these great finds.
Philippe Starck kitchens for Warendorf. I love the bookshelves that surround the cabinets.

Beautiful water cooler by Aquaovo.

Fill line tub decals. Totally cute idea.

Great lamp from the Supon house tour. I actually still have hundreds of the edge banding strips that I need to do something with.

Fantastic diy Christmas card idea!

And end it all with the trailer for "The Fantastic Mr. Fox". I had forgotten how giddy I was when I saw this trailer last month.

2009-11-08T02:48:00.000-08:00

2009-11-03T13:15:00.001-08:00

The Future of Food

2009-10-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

We decided when we moved into this house (that is way out in the country) that we would not spend the nearly $350.00 each month for internet and cable tv. Instead we are working our Sprint card to the max by running 4 computers and a VOIP system off of it. We watch a lot of HULU to get us by. I have to say- I am quite liking it! We get to discover a new series and watch the entire season commercial free in one night.
Last night we stumbled upon "The Future of Food". A 2003 documentary about Monsanto's genetically engineered seeds.
"This stylish film is not just for food faddists and nutritionists. It is a look at something we might not want to see:
Monsanto, Roundup and Roundup-resistant seeds,
collectively wreaking havoc on American farmers and our agricultural neighbors around the world.
In the end, this documentary is a eloquent call to action."

Pretty interesting and scary stuff! It has fueled my desire to embrace the local farmers in my new found homeland. I have been sorting through Local Harvest all day.

2009-10-29T03:49:00.000-07:00

We found our way to Bellingham WA. today and I have to say that I am in love! It has both big town and small town feel. It has a great art scene and a vibrant heartbeat. I know I will be spending a lot more time there.

Deception Pass-

This is the bridge that you have to cross to get to our home. It is super high and when the tide below it is coming in or out it looks like a toilet is being flushed.

2009-10-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

Just snooping through the free section on Craigslist and I cannot believe how nice some of the stuff is in Vancouver!

2009-10-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Our beaches here are completely littered with driftwood. Plenty to go around! I am thinking about creating a few pieces with it. Something modern but also nature related. I have always loved the pieces at Bleu Nature.
I am currently investigating how to treat the wood to rid it of fungus and bugs. I found this extensive page on just how to do it here.

2009-10-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest fears about having a daughter is the fact that at least once in our lives I will be forced to take her to one of those paint your own pottery shops. Where I will be forced to pick out an over priced piece of ceramic and then have the privilege of paying out the wazoo to decorate it myself. I will more than likely sit frozen with a brush in hand trying to figure out what to paint on my piece. Flowers? Hearts? Words? Nope. I'm going this route! Bloody fingerprints! Thank you for the idea Circa Ceramics.

2009-10-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

We just came from the post estate sale of the late Ron Nicolino, aka- the creator of the "Bra Ball". I had not hear of him until today, when I walked into his garage/studio and spotted a giant ball of bras on a wagon in the corner. The guy there told us the story of Ron's bra ball and ended by saying that he never would have guessed that he was going to marry this guys daughter.
That's not the best part- we went to his house because his daughter had placed an ad on Craigslist saying that everything was free today. That's in my budget! I scored a mutha frickin J Schatz Egg Feeder too! Mr Hubby score some Ampzillas that he says are worth a fortune.

Regretsy

2009-10-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

My newest blog crush- Regretsy!

p.s. I am gearing up to reopen my Etsy shop with some awesome new products!

2009-10-21T16:32:00.001-07:00

2009-10-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

We have arrived! We have actually been here for over 2 weeks now. The house is small and it was full of country bumpkin stuff. We had to pack up everything and put it in their shed just to have room for our stuff. Which left us furious! And they did not get it. We have been paying rent since 9/15/09 but they were not even ready for us by 10/6/09! This place should have been move-in ready!!!
The jacuzzi was disgusting. We spent 3 days flushing it out with nasty chemicals. The carpets were urine stained, they did replace them. Pergo floors, bleck. Our bedroom is only large enough for a bed. No headboard, no side tables, no lamps. Just a bed.
We gave notice of departure upon arrival. I think we will be out sooner though. We have a live-aboard slip for the boat and are seriously considering moving on it and leasing/buying office/warehouse space.
By the end of each day we have thought of nearly 100 different ideas. Our lives are changing so fast. So dramatically, I cannot keep up.
One day we want to open a restaurant. The next day a lamp shop.
Today we found a fantastic, brand new storage facility right next to the marina that we can start a business in. We are starting the process of putting in an offer. We have lots of minor legal issues to figure out. We plan to turn it into "creative space" where we can prototype some of our most interesting ideas.
The picture that I have in mind is of some ultimate artist studio! The shit that you dreamed about when you where 18 but to the tenth degree!

Later Gator

2009-09-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

Today is D Day! Today we pack the truck! We have sold just about everything we own. It was a blast! We had 3 days of successful estate/moving and eventually a yardsale. After it was all done and counted we all decided that maybe we should be pros at this stuff. "Professional Yardsalers"

Oh- here is an odd thing. We called Out Of The Closet to pick up the remains of our stuff and when they showed up they were total bitches and just picked though it and took what they thought was nice. They left behind so many valuable items. We even told them that some of the stuff was actually purchased from their stores but they just thought we were lying. So no more Out of the Closet donations from us. I will take my business elsewhere.

In just a little bit I will have to pack up my computer and will not unpack it until sometime around the the 7th (my b-day!) The boat will be hauled out of the water and onto a truck on the 2nd. I can't wait for this to all be over. My stomach is in knots.
Wish us luck on our long haul to Washington state.

Autumn Magic

2009-09-28T09:28:00.001-07:00

Autumn Magic