i want this!

my goodness those letterpressers are amazing. my sister, annie, just sent a link to Ink and Wit and what a great hand they have.

safety is creepy

Tyler and I have been working a lot on his place (he works the MOST!) but have also been doing a little playing. Somehow the Shop Vac has turned into the most important tool and toy. Here are some pics of hairstyles and facial manipulation.

Also, covering up to keep the dust out.

And, one shot of last week's interior which I hope to update with this week's because we have made SOOO much progress. yea! It's on it's way.

summer canning

Jennifer, Ryan and I all went out to Bellevue, picked a bunch of blueberries, then canned bluesberry jam, relish and made fresh corn salsa. That was a week or two ago but it is all still very fresh in my mind and on my tongue.

And then Annie(my fabulous sister) sent me this post on inhabit about Theo Jansen, an artist/engineer who makes kinetic, wind-powered sculptures that walk along the beach like Star Wars concoctions crossed with a tinker toy kit, and packaged for Dwell magazine. They are somethin' else. Drool worthy.

with my people at last!

Friends Amy and Chris married in northern Wisconsin a few weeks ago and the trip, everything about the wedding and the company of Chris and Amy's friends and family were all so delightful, I don't know where to start. A few notes:
1. I felt really at home with the midwest set. I understand that is where some of my forefathers lived and I must have received genetic transmission because I felt like I was among my people out there.
2. Minneapolis is everything and more that people have said it is. The photos just show a few little nibbles of what we saw.
3. Jean Nouvel's design for the new Guthrie theater is a prime example of what is Right with innovative architecture. The theater serves as a delicious, mysterious public space with sweeping, nearly 360 views of the Mississippi River. The immense panorama is then refracted and reconfigured in the many mirrored window wells to create a whole new Minneapolis to be seen and experienced differently by every visitor. It's as if the building is a kaleidoscope constantly reinventing the ground, sky and everything in between. It is worth a visit, especially on a clear day.
3. Amy and Chris' wedding photographer basically turned them into rock stars (as if those two could be improved upon!) in there photos. Here is a taste of Matt Blum's talent and an incredibly beautiful weddding.

hat for sale + link light loop is up

Tyler and I completed Link Light Loop on Broadway and it looks great. We had an informal opening at Dick's Drive-In across the street on the unusually chilly Friday night. Justin was kind enough to take some great pictures of the project. I got a few people shots. Thanks to all who made it out.


photo: Justin Martin
And, Yuko modeled the hat I just made(which is now called the John Boat hat, thanks to Tyler) and it looks great on her. I have it up for sale on etsy now so it's up for grabs!

Oh, and I ran a half marathon yesterday and came in at 2 hours and 1 minute! I am so excited and very sore. No pictures. Tyler didn't shoot any which is probably for the better. I am not one of those runners who looks effortless and elegant. I think my brother and I are going to set our sights on a full length 26 miler.

Now that August is over, I officially have to start diligently looking for work. I am working on my portfolio today and if anyone knows of cool gigs that I might like, please pass them on.

new hat in need of clever name

So, I may be unemployed, but I am not sleeping all day. Although sleeping 8 hours a night still seems really indulgent, I guess I could call this phase of my life grad school rehab. One of my goals while I look for work was to get a bit more sewing going, especially some hat. During the movie "An Incovenient Truth" darling Al Gore is carried by his darling father who is wearing an equally darling hat. I made a little sketch of the hat to remember it as best I could and here is what I came up with yesterday.
First, the sketch.

Then the hat.

Then some drawings for improvements.

And I actually made an honest-to-goodness pattern for this bad boy so I am ready to make more. Well, I can make more of the same hat for someone with a tiny weeny head like mine! I will have to do some sizing. I am sure I can learn how to do that on the internet.

news and more news!

ONE: I am officially done with grad school. I got an email today that made it all official. I didn't have a celebration like I had planned because there have been so many parties and weddings this summer and other things to celebrate, I just don't have the energy to toot my own horn more than just saying it here, but it is still really great news. Maybe I will organize a night out. I honestly don't feel closure because I have not gone through some ritual or ceremony. I need to do that. Any ideas?

TWO: Tyler and I got a tiny grant to do an installation on Broadway as part of the STart on Broadway program which is filling the storefronts of a block of buildings on Broadway with cool installations until the building gets demolished for the new Sound Transit light rail station. This is Tyler setting up. It is almost done and you can check it out really soon. We are hoping to have an art opening at Dick's Drive-In across the street when it's done. This week. Stay-tuned. Oh-and there are already several cool projects installed. It's the perfect to thing check out after the sun has gone down.


THREE: It was Tyler's birthday on August 15th and I put together a whole new set of bedding for him, made a duvet cover and two lovely pillowcases. All patches of things from what seems like my endless fabric collection.
FOUR: I am going to be posting on this blog from now on since Fantastisk Fint is all over. I went in and changed stuff to make that one my future blog but then it was all so CPH specific that I decided that I wanted to keep it as is.

cool helmet

so, i guess putting those words together is not an oxymoron after all. i know it's cool to be safe, but i have gotten so used to NOT wearing a helmet in copenhagen i am cringing at the thought of going back to my gnarly white razory looking thing that makes me feel like i am supposed to be exercising while i ride. i might as well wear spandex. i've been through that and i won't go back. i found this hat on london cycle chic, a really great bike fashion blog by someone who makes killer picks and there is a store attached to it, too where you can purchase that helmet for a pretty reasonable price. these are so cute, they almost made me feel like i might want to have more than one helmet so i can coordinate them with what i am wearing. i feel so, well, Clueless!

makin me wanna sew, i tell ya

ooh. this really makes me want to sew. i wish i had a sewing machine here in copenhagen. not like i have the time right now, but what a beautiful shirt. the fabric is incredible. i am gonna do it! the top is by Isabel Marant and was featured on Impulse Seattle.

if only i could bottle up this sun...

now you can. holy moly this cute glowing orb is all i would need, really, for the whole darn winter. here is the blurb from charles and marie dot com:
"Have it sit in the sun during the day and see it radiate at night. All made possible by modern technology – some LED's, a solar panel and some ingenious thinking."
wow. wow wow. wowowowowow.

christmas already

just sent in a draft of my thesis and i have, in this moment of weightlessness, decided to finally make good on something i have been saying i want to do for years. this year for christmas, i am going to have a small set of dinner coasters made and that's what everyone will get. one idea for the theme is "oops" and all the coasters would have to do with clutzy mistakes like a broken a tea-cup or a banana peel. i was inspired by this piece of art by matthew brannon called "steak dinner".

new oxfords!

i have been drooling over these beige, suede paul smith oxfords on the internet for quite some time but just couldn't bring myself to drop a whole month's rent on a pair of shoes. that is ridiculous. so, after a bit of searching, i have found an even better pair of oxfords that i am soooo excited about. just got a rubber sole put on 'em while i waited patiently so now they are susie-proof. and also, loving long dress-shirt dresses with high waists. it sort of goes with the oxford, too. a little bit business, a lot feminine and extremely comfortable. quality.

alfi

designed by ole palsby in denmark. they are everywhere. caffeination is rarely provided by a cute brown bird. i love it. i think i am going to get one. anyone else want one?

new bag for trip

in a last minute dash, i decided that i needed a new bag to carry around while in Scandinavia. you probably recognize the fabric from the chair. and even the bias cut.
i can't take total credit for the design, though, because I got a lot of my ideas from Nate Lambdin. the two panels were sewn individually, then turned inside out and sewn onto the handle which reaches continuously around the bag (is the base and the strap, one piece).

inside there is a stretch mesh pocket edged with hot pink ribbon that i think came from a Victoria's Secret box. you can see the little pink ribbon poking out of the side of the panel due to the construction style.

simple. it works great, but i would reinforce the strap with interfacing to make it a little stiffer if i got any commissions to make one for someone else(hint, hint).

nuh uh. yea tiger!

some help for designing code.