Some more Illustrator play

I'm mostly just playing with live paint and the pen tool and finding my way.  Learning this sort of thing requires all kinds of practice.  And I'd rather practice this than clean my house.  (Not because I don't like a clean house, mind you.)

Because I'm an unabashed Jenny Komenda junkie.  

For the August Visiting Teaching Message

Creating a symbol in illustrator

Playing with the shape tools in illustrator

Coloring with the Blob brush

An imaginary blog header for this awesome blog. 

More pen tool practice.  practice practice practice practice. 

typography

I finally bit the bullet and am attempting to slip an Adobe Illustrator class under my belt before I start school in September.  (Mostly because I know I won't have time for any such shenanigans for the duration of my Grad program).  It's a four week class through Nicole's Classes, taught by Alma Loveland and I'm just eating it up.  It's beyond delightful to be able to create something that stays created when you have four tiny embodied entropies cycloning around your ankles all the time (sweet and beloved as they may be).  I cannot overstate how vital it is to my well-being to have some such creation going on.  (Nor, conversely, how destructive to my well-being the relentless, thankless entropy can be.  Counterattacks are appropriate).

So this, this is good.  My 1st week homework was to create a typography poster.  I created 3, because it's addictive.  They are nowhere near where I'd want them to be, but since I'm still learning what tools I have in my belt and how to use them, I'm going to be kind to myself and say it's a decent 1st attempt.

This is from the novel Housekeeping, which I just finished.  It is devastating and hypnotic.  Lots of tremendously deep thoughts, but not a terribly redemptive piece, all told.  

I love just about anything that flows from Brian Doyle's mouth or pen.  

From A Blog about Love, which is consistently outstanding.  And which everybody ought to enlighten themselves with. 

New Curtains

According to my brother, these are my new "Where's Waldo" curtains.  But naysayers aside, our living room has been crying out for curtains for a long time.  Most of our living/working/coming and going is visible from this window, and while I'm fine having it open during the day, having the option to close it off at night has been sounding nice for over a year now.  I wanted to do something pretty graphic, to keep the room from feeling too stuffy.  I tend to lean toward either really fancy traditional or else really glam modern shapes in furniture.  And one is much easier to find in online classified ads than the other, so the room was teetering on being a little too granny chic.

I was going to sew pinch pleat drapes myself, and was a little nervous about wielding vast quantities of fabric without them winding up crooked, but the fabric I had chosen was pricey enough that I kept holding off on the purchase.  Then, thankfully, I stumbled across the etsy shop LaFortune Linens, and ordered these lined with pleats and eliminated all my worries.

I had to give up my plans for silk and go with more of a canvas fabric, but I decided that might be a good thing for introducing more whimsy and less fanciness into an already too-formal room.  And the finished and shipped curtains cost about as much as I was preparing myself to spend on fabric alone.

I lucked out in that the Restoration Hardware curtain rod I had been crushing on went on sale right after I ordered the curtains.  It was still a lot to pay for hardware, but it's such a pretty thing, I love it.

Mr Renn is hoping they will help keep the room from losing so much heat at night.  I love how much contrast they bring to the space.  And they are helping me feel motivated to tackle a long list of projects needed to make the whole room come together.  If only time and money weren't such hard commodities to come by.  I think everyone is having that struggle right along with me.

But while I nurse Bunny and wrangle my crazy boys, I will have some awfully happy curtains to cheer me up now!

The Dinner Bell

Three and a half years ago I passed on a fantastic ship's type bell at Home Goods in Pennsylvania and I immediately regretted it.  It was going to replace a little musical triangle as our dinner bell, because Sir O was constantly losing the metal stick portion of it.  Somewhere in our move back to the West the triangle was lost and so was a really fun family tradition.  So when I found another awesome bell at TJMaxx lately, I knew I better buckle down and buy it or I'd be haunted by regret all over again.

And so the routine at our house is that whomever helps me set the dinner table also gets to ring the bell once dinner is served.  And once the bell has rung, you had better scurry to join us, because we won't wait around for you to start (can you tell we have pokey kids?)   It's been a fun way to eliminate one of the dozens of times each day that I find myself nagging my children.  If I could just find a fun way to help my kids "want" to get ready for school and out the door on time......

growing green

i had intended to spend my single mother nights watching a Katherine Hepburn movie marathon. I still think that would be a fun way to treat myself if I stumble upon any large blocks of alone time. But somehow instead I spent the nights Mr Renn has been away (job-interviewing) poring over these:



I have an enviable list of exact species I should very much like to plant someday. I just need some dirt.
If you happen to have dirt, I hope you are doing something fun with it. Few things are as therapeutic as helping something grow. (And plants don't talk back or require potty training).

everybody's doin' it, doin' it....

I cannot tell a lie, this is a desperate attempt at raising money for the "diapers and gas" fund.

Welcome to my etsy shop.

Humble beginnings, I know.

"Stuff" added at least weekly.

I am a renaissance crafter, after all.

You're in for a treat

The lovely Chell decided to spoil us rotten again.
Oh how I love being spoiled rotten!
I've been amazed at how many people have seen fit to spoil me (and the Captain) in so many ways. Some seriously lovely things have passed our way.
And here is some magic.... somehow she managed these lovelies in our bear-cave of an apartment. (A place where I had given up on the possibility of a decent photo, let alone anything like these)
Methinks it is time to get to work on the birth announcements/valentines....
And this one makes me giggle....

Preggo Eye Candy

Sweet Chell offered to do these fabulous maternity shots for me, and I had to go and wait until it was 20 degrees outside to take her up on it. Sheesh, self!
At least I made it happen while I was still pregnant, right?!


Didn't she make me look good?! I love people who can make me look good! Especially when they are willing to do it in stocking feet in the snow! (Okay, that was only for a moment, but I was feeling the love!)

Today

I am grateful for a husband who lets me be spontaneous and declare a family outing for fall foilage photos even when he has a massive midterm tomorrow.
And who, rather than muttering about the whole thing, gets into the spirit of it and enjoys the treasure hunt for great photo spots.
Today was a rather last-chance type day for this. I have piano through the midweek, rain is forcasted for the coming weekend, and we are on the tail-end of the leaves anyway. Fleeting opportunities... the story of my life.

27 weeks and scrabble tiles

Haven't been sleeping well. Funny how that colors every other aspect of your life.
And boy howdy have I had some wild pregnancy dreams! Disturbing and stressful ones generally. Oftentimes involving adults in my life throwing tantrums like 2-year-olds.


How many times have I mentioned how much I love Etsy? Especially for jewelry?
Checkout my latest favorite, made by HomeStudio. (It's a scrabble tile... coolness).

Fantasy Pumpkin

Isn't this the coolest Halloween pumpkin ever?!
Instructions at Hallmark. (Found via How About Orange).

Heirlooms and masochism

Somewhere along the line I decided it would be neat for my kiddos to have sterling silver baby dishes. I think between reading about vintage baby bowls on SouleMama, then seeing Ari use one that had been her husband's as a baby, I was sold on the idea. Seemed like a great thing to pass on through the generations, so I started scouring ebay. Turns out if you are persistent you can find tarnished silver for pretty decent prices.

And now I know why.

It's far too dungeon-y in my apartment to get a good shot of that spoon. It came today. (Flash + silver, even tarnished silver = aaack) But all of the pieces arrived looking at least that bad. I have spent hours (on end) of time and elbow grease, plus several home remedies (all involving baking soda), and I'm still not completely happy with the result. But I have learned some fun things about chemistry.

Anybody out there got any silver-polishing tips?

Oh, and when Sir O chucks one of these at you, it hurts. Maybe I need to rethink this whole thing.

spring fever

I don't have one iota of outside dirt to call my own,
but I just ordered about 20 free seed catalogues,
courtesy of the handy gardenlist.com


Fun daydreams ahead.

(photo from cottageliving.com)

For prego-mamas

Since I know a few people who read this have buns in the oven....I thought this was a fun way to share good news once it arrives.

Christmas in September

You know, sometimes God is really good at what He does. (Okay, well...always)
Usually this is brought to my attention as evidenced by the people He puts in my life. Seriously, looking back on my life, a lot of teachers, roommates and friends I have had seem to have been custom selected based on what I needed to learn and was prepared to learn, or simply what I needed at the time.

Such is the case with Tracy. Which is crazy, considering we've never met. But our relationship is such that Mr Renn would go to the ends of the earth for her. She's just intrinsically nice, and gracious (and humble...and talented). And she manages to simultaneously make me feel like a million bucks, and like my disasters in mom/wifeness are perfectly normal.

Who could ask for anything more? Well, nobody. But she is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only did she single-handedly cloth Oliver for his first year, but look what she did just for me! This lovely package appeared out of nowhere today.

Who wouldn't be overwhelmed with such unprovoked loveliness?

coveting

the coats and jackets at Tulle.

(thanks to the Fray for one more thing I can only drool over)

3 more years!

happy thought

A little hurrah for my Black Apple prints, arrived and waiting to be hung. (Better photos forthcoming...) They came considerably later than hairyshoefairy's.... so I've been anxiously awaiting the moment they were ready for the wall.

Unfortunately these frames still need hardware nailed in ... and it's too late at night to be hammering. So the poor wall will have to remain bare until tomorrow.

gifted

Oui - I'm such a klutz. I was trying to hurry and make these yesterday(I'm a total copycat, and not even a very good one):

when I accidentally did this:

Yup, that's one more sewing machine needle that I broke, by putting it right through my finger - nail and all...

gifted indeed

Happy thought: last night I magically ended up having a long girlie talk with some of my neighbors. We were up until at least 1:30 and it was marvelous. For whatever reason it is so much easier to have meaningful conversations after bedtime. And I don't get them in abundance these days, so it was precious.

bonus

I found these black chandalier light fixtures at Voldemart for $6 each. Since the "designers" of our apartment complex didn't see fit to have any built-in light fixtures (brilliant, no?).... we have been left to our own devices for light. I like the drama/contrast of this, and I'm working on ideas for a shade for the actual light bulb..... the wheels are turning.

I will not be living in a poorly contructed, poorly designed apartment forever, but most days it feels like I will.

brilliant

this image from the Vera Wang show totally set off sparks in my imagination.... now what to do with all those sparks?