New Year, New Lists

Although it is NO replacement for the shiny bible that is Vanity Fair, their site online is surprisingly well organized. For all you Vanities out there (that's you Juice)

If googling "must have items of s/s 2007" wasn't geeky enough...
I present you with the results of "in out list 2007"
washington post
vanity fair
paste magazine
cbc

There.. that should keep you busy until the next post! I'm editing my To Do List 2008. Looks like it's going to be a busy year... what with all the traveling, exercising, meditating, reading, sewing I'll be doing!

Christmas: Done!

Hello and welcome back! We had a lovely mini-break and are rearing to attack 2008. It will be the dawning of a new age of productivity.
Yeah, right! I can't even pluck my eyebrows... but here is stuff that I managed to get done before Christmas:
Mateo's toy train made by Bruno
Artist Carry Roll made by me
same as above
part of a calendar made by me
More artist carry rolls made by me
inside of artist carry rolls made by me
part of a calendar made by me

Enough bragging.

Why am I still awake...

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, specially to those far from home or celebrating it in new traditions! Change can be good sometimes, and yes family can drive us crazy, but they love us unconditionally, regardless of blood.
To my whole family:
All the best, thank you for being so supportive throughout this past year. I may not have been there for you guys, but I will be in the future... heck, we have a lifetime together!
ok- can you tell I'm exhausted- I'm getting all mushy and sentimental.

Match made in heaven

Wow... they had me at green bathtub.

It juxtaposes my two favorite activities... if only they could work it into a 24hr breakfast restaurant.
Also from Inhabitat
what a great site.. i want to blog about everything there!

I love goats

My kind of house:
Photo via Treehugger
If we ever build a house (yep, it's on our list called Life: To do) it will have a green roof, and hopefully, that roof will have goats on it. How do they even get up there?!?!
If you're into goats, check out Farmgirl Fare's goat story... it might make your little heart explode!
Back the green roof thing for a second...

It's one of those things that seems stupidly simple. Why isn't it happening on a larger scale?
Seems like Toyota has been working on a green roofing tile since 2003! Can Japan be any cooler? (also on our Life: To do... go to Japan)

These tiles are relatively inexpensive ($43 per tile), self-watering and easy to install. They connect directly to the existing irrigation system and don't require any structural changes to your roof. Duh.
The car company is involved in quite a few non-automotive projects. You can read more about them here.
For more on green roofs and other green issues check out Inhabitat.

Breakfast Love

"most important meal of the day"... very true indeed. I can skip lunch or dinner, but I can't even fathom surviving past noon without breakfast.
Check out this great photography project by Jon Huck.. it's a guaranteed time waster!

Crossword Update

Saturday Puzzle: more than halfway through... it's tough... but not that tough.
I got a big first lead with eurodisney as the answer for "anticipated 1992 Paris opening" and flashlight for "sleuthing aid" has, more recently, opened a few doors in the NW corner. I probably won't crack the whole thing. But I'm giving myself a couple more years before I can breeze through them!
For all you NY Times crossword fans... if you haven't seen it already, RUN to your closest video store and demand to rent Wordplay.
Ok, off to 'sleep'.

Wow, I'm a terrible sewer!

Ok so the bad news is that I really don't know how to sew... That's it. There's no good news.
A whole slew of people (mostly children- thank god) will be proud owners of 'quirky soft goods'. Quirky is another word for amateur looking, but I'm trying hard to not be so negative about all this Christmas creating!!

notebook & pen holder

soft trees from Little Birds

family stockings

Now I have three more projects (12 units total- ouch) to finish/start. Why did nobody tell me that Christmas is in one week???? And Christmas cards, more baking, family photo for the cards and maybe a recap on the Golden Globes nominations??? Eeeeek, not enough time.
hmmmm... just had a stroke of genius... maybe I'll post a Best Of List for the new year...?
Can you tell that my brain is just about at capacity? Itll soon start oozing out of my ears.

speaking of food....

For all of you foodies out there...and for those of you who are not drowning in a mess of half finished Christmas projects:

Well Fed Network » Food Blog Awards

Here are some of my favorites
crazy lunchpacking at Lunch in a Box
Family Cooking with Dine and Dish
and my very favorite Orangette

Handmade Christmas

oops- had forgotten to post this!

So Christmas is 12 days away, and for a gal who made the pledge I'm feeling a bit on the screwed side. I've sketched out many ideas and have "made" most of the gifts in my head, but I have yet to sit down and make anything, you know? I have lofty visions of me, dashing to the printer's to pick up my own holiday cards (designed by moi- if I could ever figure out how to use stupid Photoshop) . I think I need to buckle down, lock the kiddos in their room/closet (boooo... can't you guys take a joke?!), and get creating. Instead, I spend my time browsing on Etsy , convincing myself that I can make everything those guys are making. Ya right, I can barely get stockings to look decent!!
Take a look at this:
I'm loving the stuff over at Shimandsons. Too bad she's all done taking orders for this year!
Design Sponge's 2007 Handmade Holiday Guide

Bringing down the NY Times!

This was the hardest puzzle of the year for me. I thought I had post-yoga brain melt yesterday when I took forever to do DQ's puzzle, but now I don't know. Maybe I am in a serious slump - or I'm not eating right or sleeping enough. Whatever it is, I am off my game. This was hard to begin with, and by the time I got down to the final SE corner, it turned borderline impossible.
Rex Parker

Who is Rex Parker? He is THE NY Times authority. He blogs every puzzle and rates them, has the completed puzzle and info about each clue/answer. He signs his posts: The King of Crosswords. He's the guy you go to when you need some ... ahem... help. Hey, sometimes you need a breakthrough!!!

And he claimed that the puzzle we ripped through (Oh Yeah!!!!) was "...the hardest puzzle of the year for me". Oh Yeah.

Two years ago, I set a goal for myself: to be able to complete a NY Times Saturday Puzzle. To my surprise, a lot of work and hours of frustration have paid off. It doesn't happen every week, it actually hardly ever gets completely solved, but we (Bruno and I) give it our best and can usually get about 3/4 of the grid penciled in.
There are usually many many eraser marks, but who's looking at those?
Am I proud? Yes. Do I like to brag about it? Yes. Does that make a bad person? No.
Till next week Saturday Puzzle... I'll be waiting for you.

for you horse lovers out there....

When I worked for a fashion retailer, a good friend of mine would forward me all the trend forecasting reports. It was the only highlight of the job. That and the paycheck.
In the spirit of reviving the non-mama in me, I set out on a hunt (pardon the pun!!)... and look what I found:

Riding Jacket from JCrew
Corso Como Sophia Boot
Heather Ross fabric from FreeSpirit

Equestrian fashion is back! There was a brief revival in the late 90's, but folks, it looks like it's here to stay (at least for a few seasons). It was hot hot hot for F/W 2007 and it looks like it's going to hit mainstream for next fall. If it hasn't already... am I totally lame? Don't answer.
So get thrifting and find those cute tailored jackets and riding boots! Gotta go dust mine off...

Oh and I stumbled upon this site while I was "researching" this entry.
Sure beats googling "top ten must have items S/S 2007"!

Inspiration

I'll be honest, I've been suffering from bloggers' block.
There are so many great blogs out there, it's almost been intimidating to write here these days. It feels drab over here. I keep on fussing about with the layout and format, but it still doesn't feel like me. Soon....

I'm sure it will pass, but in the meantime you guys should check out these gorgeous sites:

http://siagrafica.visualblogging.com/
http://designspongeonline.com/
http://swissmiss.typepad.com/
http://www.pinkchalkstudio.com/blog/
http://www.sewmamasew.com/blog2/

I've been meaning to post some shots of my Christmas crafting, but it's been so gray around here... need better sunlight to show off my creations! I'm also planning an all-out-sewing extravaganza for Friday. I will be attempting a mass sewing project for Christmas giveaways...
Just trying to figure out what sewn-goods would excite my dad!

Oh and in other news, we ROCKED the Friday NYTimes crossword puzzle. Oh Yeah. Saturday's is still in progress... feeling a little defeated by it. But I'm sure we'll get a breakthrough... I've already ripped through both the NW and SE corners... soon the center shall fall!

Paper Goods

Wishlist item no. 166 785 98 4 531...Moleskine Red Limited Edition Daily Planner
Check out the calendar post over at Might Goods.
Sure beats the one I was trying to write.

Christmas Baking

He must take after his mother...




Wow, I never realized that baking 5 dozen cookies with a 20 month old as my sidekick would be as painful as it was. Tears were shed, most were his, some were mine... but the good news is that the cookies are done!

Thanks to Nelson.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?"
–Nelson Mandela

Wow, not only am I brilliant, fabulous and talented, but you guys are too!
Thanks Nelson

Kidney Love

Thank you to all of you who have called and have sent us good vibes. THANK YOU... Things have been a bit chaotic, and I'll be in touch as soon as things quiet down a bit.
Oh and happy birthday Mom (as if she's reading a blog!!!!!) you got the best present of all...


Just wanted to stop and take a moment to thank the universe for the kidney it sent our way. It gave us hope that things somehow end up working out for the best. It went to a very strong person who, despite many bumps in the road, holds her head high and keeps on living. I know she has her bad days, though she seldom shows it, and I hope she knows that she was chosen to live with these burdens. The universe chose her to be a messenger. Someone who reminds us that, despite all our problems, we can still be strong, loving and generous people.
I love you even though you never shared your chocolates with me.

Design: an old friend

Once upon a time, a time before cloth diapers, playgroups and naptimes, I was a designer, or so I'm told. Hard for you to believe? Even harder for me!! In a lapse of nostalgia, I floated onto Apartment Therapy this evening. To my surprise, it thrilled me just as much as it did a few years ago!
Dear AT: sorry I've been such a fairweather friend...

Batya Kalderon-Hadani, Cresskill, New Jersey. Kitchen entered in the Architectural Digest Open Audition Contest

For those of you who aren't familiar with AT (is that even possible!?!?), it's like one of those glossy expensive design magazine. But it's FREE! It's like a design blog that has a staff of 20 scenesters web hunting for good articles, great craigslist finds, hosting contests, and writing on general design topics. Recently they've branched out and have added AT Nursery for great baby stuff, AT Kitchen for all you foodies out there, and most recently, they've gone green!

So do like me: pretend you've accomplished all the things on your To Do List, boil up some tea and ignore the phone. It's time to get re-acquainted with an old friend: design.