Cantilevers. And why I love my small house.

On Friday I surprised Ben with an afternoon date to tour Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House which is not too far from us. We have wanted to visit it for a long time and it just never happened. I was particularly excited to see this house because it is the same size as our house. This was an example of Wright's innovative designs to create a modestly-sized and affordable single-family home in 1939. Every space in the house was designed beautifully with a specific purpose in mind and although it is small, it felt big inside. Part of that was due to Wright's use of only four materials (wood, brick, glass, and concrete).

Houses have become so large. I think about the houses that my parents grew up in. They were not big. And even with 4 or 5 children, they managed to survive in them. Today, you need an extra bedroom just for your Costco membership. Lately, I have really been embracing my small house. I love that it takes me little time to straighten. I love that I don't have to travel far to return all the clean laundry to its proper place. I love that it prevents me from accumulating too much stuff. I love trying to organize a small space and I have actually gotten my home to the point where I have extra storage space. It is just right for our little family. Wright was against basements and attics and garages and felt that everything you use on a daily basis could be easily stored somewhere in your house. I really like the idea of living more simply.

The other great thing about the Pope-Leighey house, as with all of Wright's houses, is the way it is made to blend in with its surroundings and bring the outside right into the home. You hardly notice when you've transitioned from the outside to the inside. One of my favorite Wright features are his corner windows and doors. They are seriously stunning. There was some beautiful (and versatile) furniture inside as well. We left the tour and Ben immediately had all sorts of ideas for tearing out walls in our house to open up the space.


Notice the raised herb garden right outside the kitchen window. Perfect.


This photo shows one of the corner doors opening up onto the patio. Why don't they build more houses with corner windows and doors? They are amazing.




(This was the only photo I managed to sneak inside, because photography was not permitted in the house.)




This was a corner window in one of the bedrooms.

The Magic of Screen Printing

My interest in graphic design started when I was in high school. My school actually offered graphic arts classes where we primarily did screen printing. It was the most fascinating process. This was more like a shop class with lots of huge equipment. There was only one computer with some very basic clip art and one scanner, which was like a new toy for everyone. I came out of that class with some fabulous band t-shirts, Charlie Brown pillowcases, and countless numbers of notepads. Ben recently bought me a screen printing kit and it has been fun to get back to my "roots" and experiment a little at home.

I designed a logo for a band I'm loving lately (Great Lake Swimmers) and we used the photo emulsion method to transfer the design to the screen. We were pretty happy with the results. I'm still completely amazed by the process.



I recently discovered another home method for screen printing which is not as easy, but cheaper. I LOVE using things for purposes other than what they were originally intended. I made my own screen using an embroidery hoop and sheer curtain material. This process involves painting the negative space of your image with glue. I was completely surprised that this actually worked. I printed a bunch of cards and then a little apron for Amelia.





These are the two different screens.

I still like to do the freezer paper stencils, although they are only good for one print and you are limited by your ability to cut with an x-acto knife.

My latest stenciled onesie...it was originally going to be just an umbrella, but it seemed rather lonely.

Sew fabulous!

My mom made the most beautiful dresses for the girls. Awhile ago I bought a dress pattern and some fabric to make Amelia a dress. I finally pulled out the pattern and panicked and did what I usually do...I handed it over to my mom. She did an amazing job and even got fancy and used her serger. She also managed to squeeze out a dress for Elsa with the left over fabric.

Thanks mom!

(Amelia was not happy that I made her go outside for a photo shoot)

Inaugural Crafting...

I decided I would use the Monday and Tuesday holidays to attempt some projects I have wanted to do for awhile. A little while ago, Etsy posted a "top 100 tutorials of the year" list from another craft blog, which had compiled the list from several other craft blogs, and I just decided to pick a few projects from the list and get to work.


The 1-hour bag from Ric Rac. This took me much longer than 1 hour for my first attempt, but it was pretty simple.


The Black Apple doll by Emily Martin. Emily Martin is one of the top sellers on Etsy, and rightly so. I have some of her prints hanging in Amelia's room and they are beautiful. She demonstrated how to make these dolls on Martha Stewart awhile ago so the video makes it very easy to follow along. My cousin Brooke made some of these incredible dolls and when Amelia saw them on her blog, she became obsessed with them and really wanted to make one that matched her bedroom. She refers to them as hair dolls because she is fascinated by the felt hair. She had fun helping me stuff the arms and legs. They are so fun to accessorize that I think we might have to make some more.


Amelia named this one Sally and she enjoys a lovely perch on her shelf.


The Matyroshka doll tooth fairy pillow. This was super easy to make. It's a fun little pillow with a front pocket to store your lost tooth. Bring it to bed with you and hopefully the tooth fairy will leave a lovely surprise for you in the pocket!


The crayon roll. This is super simple and perfect for any extra felt you have laying around.




I made this felt book for Amelia for Christmas. It keeps her entertained for a long time so I cut out more pieces for it during the Lost premiere last night, including the entire alphabet. Not so easy to cut small letters out of felt.



And finally, I must showcase my mom's delicious creation! My mom made these cupcakes over Christmas after I purchased the pattern, hoping to learn to crochet. I never got around to learning...maybe next time. It is obvious that I get my love of creating things by hand from my mom and my Grandmas.

Sew crazy.

Sewing machines come with a certain intimidation factor. I have to admit that for nearly a year, I sewed everything with purple thread because I was afraid to change the bobbin or thread my machine, fearing that it would never work again if I touched anything. In the past, my sewing machine would only come out of the closet when my mom was in town. So during her latest visit a few weeks ago, I was prepared with a few patterns and lots of material. I had an apron pattern that had been sitting on the shelf for months, staring me down with its pretentious "anyone can make this" attitude. I knew I could attempt it with the assistance of my mom. She gave me lots of tips and explained the basics of following a pattern. After she left, I was an expert at threading my machine, winding a bobbin, changing a bobbin, and now realize that it's actually quite easy. Of course, I am also an expert at picking out incorrect stitches.


It's reversible!


A friend gave me an easy skirt pattern and I tackled this project by myself and discovered that sewing can even be a little rewarding, and addictive. I've made 5 skirts so far, which is good since Amelia refuses to wear pants. She models a few...




When I break out my sewing machine and crafting supplies, I go crazy. Partly because I have nowhere to set up shop permanently so the dining room turns into a crazy mess and I want to get as much done while everything is out. So in addition to the sewing, I experimented with some custom freezer paper stencils. My brother and his wife made us fantastic shirts last year using this method and I wanted to try it out for myself. I went a little crazy with this as well, attempting to spruce up any fabric in sight.

The result:






I couldn't resist combining the two...I stenciled some plain fabric and then made a skirt with it.

Hoopla.

My most recent project has been creating wall hangings using embroidery hoops, fabric scraps, and my sewing machine. I stole the idea from someone else and played around with it. After I made a few wall hangings, I decided to experiment a bit more. I have a tendency to turn various items into clocks and the hoops were no exception.

It's no longer hip to be square...

...at least according to Polaroid, who has officially ceased all instant film production. Digital killed the Polaroid star, and one of my old hobbies, which I suppose was pretty much dead already.

Here is my Polaroid lament.

If past habits are any indicator, it wouldn't be surprising to know that in addition to my many other collections, I also had a pretty large collection of old Polaroid cameras. When I left college, I decided it was time to downsize my moving box collection so I gave most of the cameras to my old photography teacher, but I did keep my 1971 Polaroid 450 that I used to do emulsion transfers (see photo below). I also kept a 1965 Swinger, mostly because it was in amazing condition and came in a fabulous case.

There is endless fun to be had with Polaroids and endless experimenting to be done with various types of film and transfer methods. Polaroid is the "Honest Abe" of photography. (Too much?) No dark room manipulation. No Photoshop filters. Just unique textures and colors capturing a real moment. It is instant analog gratification. The imperfections of the cameras and the film make the end result all the better. Who doesn't love staring at that empty little square, just waiting for the image to slowly appear before your eyes.

Let's face it. Most of our digital photos sit on our hard drives or in our memory cards and will never see the light of day (or the ink of a printer). The Polaroid gives you this permanent record of a moment that otherwise may have been deleted because someone made a funny face.

All that being said, I just used my digital camera to take a picture of the Polaroid cameras. So yeah. Here are the ancient relics, along with some emulsion transfers I did long ago (some of you will recognize the locations).