spring is making a wonderful early appearance here, and my toes are itching for fresh air, and my legs want to see some sun. i can’t help but get excited for a few new pieces to wear on warmer days. during a trip to target over this weekend i picked up this dress… the print is a bit bolder than i normally wear, but i couldn’t resist the yellow!

wrap is simple this year: kraft paper, baker’s twine, tags made with ledger paper.

i’m just not finding the time to get everything done that i want to get done before xmas. the gifts are wrapped, but the cards have not been sent. gifts to go overseas have not been packaged up. yummy goodies are only ingredients on a shopping list. hopefully this weekend i will get caught up!

happy weekend!

the floor guy started sanding my floors yesterday. before i left for work, we both examined the first step to the second-floor stairway (it’s the step you see in the 2nd picture of this post). we agreed that it needed to be replaced: it was cracked in half, the finish was worn down, and there was gunked up paint bordering it from the old trim.

he called me at the end of the day to give me an update. he mentioned that he found a bunch of “neat papers” inside that first step, and that they were waiting for me in my kitchen. i assumed he found a some old newspaper scraps, whoo-hoo, big effin deal. but it was neater than that:

from what i can tell, a little girl named jeanne figured out a way to remove the piece of wood on the top of the stair, and used it as a hiding spot for her special things. a lot of the items had dates on them, indicating that it was early to mid 50′s when she lived here.

dresses for paper dolls, valentines, advertisements, playing cards, drawings, letters… i’ve actually purchased ephemera packages containing the same items. it’s even more fun to find them in your house!

(ugh, we have officially entered that time of year when we have about 1 hour of natural light for photography. apologies for the crappy photos.)

i recently found this little guy tucked away in a box. i originally found him in my grandparent’s basement. his tail has been reattached a few times, and there are nics and cracks. but with a gentle cleaning and a little moss he’s renewed. and he’s not going back into the box.

my construction project is slowly coming to an end. i need to paint this weekend, and i’m starting with an off-white. but then i think i’m going to do one wall of grey in the dining room, and one wall of pea-green in the living room. not sure if it’s going to work, but it can always be painted over…

school starts late here in minnesota: most districts start after labor day, which is next monday. this 3-day weekend is the last blast for the little ones dreading the school year. and even though it has been years since i stepped into a school bus, i still feel that little pang of dread that the summer is over…

but i do love the ritual of school-supply shopping! so in the spirit of back-to-school, a little giveaway is in order: in the comments, tell me a back-to-school story. you have until tuesday (sept 8th) morning, and the random number generator will pick the winning commentor. the winner will be sent this refillable book that i made for last march’s pARTy.

the book has half-moon envelopes in the inside covers, to hold little goodies. the interior pages are 8.5 x 11 office paper, folded in half, so you can refill your book easily (if you’re in the states!). it’s the crafty version of a trapper keeper. remember those?

happy weekend!

buttons were on the brain over the weekend: a button popped off my bag on the same day a button popped off my favorite summer pants. both were successfully repaired, and i thought it’d be fun to test out my new sunprinting kit (from cali!) with a few buttons from my stash. i don’t think i ever did sunprinting as a kid, so i think it’s pretty neat. i’m saving my other sheets for more sunny fun…

i’ve put some stones in my etsy shop.

i’m not entirely convinced that they will sell, but the comments i received when i first posted the stones were so unexpected… i may as well see what happens. and eh, if they don’t sell, they are just stones.

so to kick things off, and to see if there’s still interest, i’m giving away the stones pictured above. if you’d like a shot at receiving the set, leave a comment (and include your email address, please!) telling me what herb you most associate with summer. i’ll use a random number generator monday morning to pick the winner.

updated august 3: we have a winner! comment #14 was chosen by the random number generator. thank you, everyone!

yesterday when i crawled out of cube-land, it was bright and sunny, and the clouds surrounding the parking lot were stunning. it was storming over my house right that minute, but i was 30 miles away trying to grab photos without including the ugliness of the industrial park…

i drove towards the storm, but the sun stayed over me the entire way home. the garden got a good dousing, and i stayed dry.

india ink on lake superior stones. herbs from the garden.

i haven’t been doing anything exciting lately. spring chores, enjoying nice (gorgeous!) weather, full-time consulting gig plus a little on the side, less wine and early bedtimes… i’ve been inspired but just haven’t had the time.

i bought a couple of blank canvases this week. i’ve got some ideas. i can see them in my head, but i’m hesitant to try: i think it’s internal gal (a must-read from smoothpebble), telling me that i’m not going to get it right so why bother? i must quiet that inner voice and just go for it.

i was working on some books last night, and these little corners are an end product of the book binding process. i usually toss them immediately, but i liked the color combo and decided to do a little composition. for a moment, i was back in college taking color theory, putting together little triangles of color.

it’s much more fun with wine and knowing there’s no grade at the end of the day…

last week, jesse awarded me (along with 6 other wonderful bloggers) the kreativ blogger award. eee! i’m such a fan of jesse’s so i am very honored, especially since i have not been very creative lately. i’m supposed to list 7 things i love, so here’s what i’m loving right now:

tulips, long walks with my dogs, white wine on a warm spring evening, fresh basil in my pasta, tea in the morning (with 2 spoonfuls of sugar and evaporated milk), sushi dates (3 this week!), and birthday wishes… thank you so much to everyone who sent along birthday wishes!

i’m supposed to tag 7 other kreative bloggers, but you’re all so creative! how do i choose?! leave me some of your loves in the comments…

today i am 35.

i’m taking the day off and going to a spa at a casino an hour north of the twin cities to over-indulge in spa treatments for free, courtesy of my gamblin’ dad who has more complimentary points for casino goods and services than should be allowed by law. then i think i’ll go to cafe latte and get a giant piece of chocolate cake and a glass of wine. and then i will visit my friend jenn and her new baby, and have another glass of wine. and then i’ll meet my other friend jen for sushi. and more wine. it’ll be a good day.

mini book made by one of my favorite book artists, gena ollendieck. she doesn’t have a web site, but you can see more of her work here.

see cute grey dress at target. oooh and ahhh. discover they don’t have your size. order it online. pay $4.98 for shipping. after it arrives 5 days later, eagerly try it on. decide the length, 2 inches below the knees, looks too matronly for your youthful 30-something years. take it to a tailor, pay $26.75 to have it hemmed 3 inches. voilà, $56.72.

so much for being frugal. sigh.

i received a swatch for jesse’s swatch swap from julia of jewelweeds yesterday, and it reminded me to take another look at her etsy shop. i love the work she does with linen… table runners, pillows, aprons, and lavender blend satchets. her simple leaf and seed prints are gorgeous. i wanna skip work and create now!

photos from friday’s trip to osceola, wisconsin with jenn. the weather didn’t cooperate with our visit to the farm (we tried twice and were rained on both times). but we did see the sheep, llamas, a donkey, cows, a bunny named strawberry, a beagle, and the vegetable garden before the storm hit…

we had lunch in osceola, and explored shops in st. croix falls. it was a wonderful friday, only slightly marred by my summer cold. why did i get sick for my 3-day weekend? wah!

cafe card from my friend ayama-chan. love.

i’m taking the day off to spend it with my friend jenn (it’s her birthday tomorrow!) and her mother-in-law carole (who is the most awesome mother-in-law ever. i’ve asked her to adopt me.). we’re going to visit an organic farm in osceloa, wi, and then shop and lunch along the st. croix river. yay!

happy weekend! eat fish!

i met anna and her mom last night to knit at the cafe that’s kitty-corner to the riverview theater. i started working on this skirt. it’s the most challenging knitting project for me to date. i’m a bit nervous about it…

yeah, circles. but it’s a pretty dang cute summer dress for $25. from target.