kelly mastracchio | blog

Animated Advent Calendar

2011-12-23T10:22:00.000-05:00

A new animation for every day of Advent
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

yeah!

2011-11-23T08:06:00.001-05:00

A Save-the-Date animation for friends:

I painted a basketball.

2011-07-21T16:50:00.001-04:00

It's a wedding gift for a high school buddy and his soon-to-be wife, both teachers and coaches at our high school. In place of wedding doves, the birds are cardinals: our mascot. I plan to have the wedding party autograph it.

down on the farm

2011-06-15T11:04:00.001-04:00

I designed a logo for Hummock Pond Farm, a Nantucket-based organic farm. Above is a photo from their Facebook page. I hope to get to the farm and see this sign in person sometime soon.

Pirate Party

2011-06-02T17:38:00.001-04:00

For my nephew's pirate-themed birthday party, we all chipped in our creative energy.

Handmade

paper mache pirate ship with plank (built by my brother) and striped and torn sails (my contribution)
"Pirate's Cove" sign for the front door
geocaching treasure hunt complete with pirate-themed hiding spots for rebus puzzle pieces that, when put in order, spelled out a birthday message (my sister and her husband organized all the coordinates and clues, including tea-stained, edge-burned treasure maps for each clue)
Pin the Patch on the Pirate game
pirate-themed activity placemats with coloring, crossword puzzle, lingo matching game, and jokes (my sister and I pulled together the elements; I put together the tabloid-size layout)

Purchased or Re-purposed

treasure chest pinata which we filled with gold-wrapped chocolates/candies and a few ring pops
photo station with costumes/props including hats, eye patches, bandanas, telescopes, empty rum bottle, sword, parrot visor (most of the items we had or purchased for $3 or less), and a handmade hook made from black felt and the dough hook from my mixer covered in aluminum foil
pirate ship cake with plastic pirates and sails
write-on pirate that acted as a guest book
treasure chest "goody bags"
fishing net with stuffed animal fish and other sea creatures and tissue paper seaweed as decoration
Pirate's Booty, Swedish Fish, Goldfish crackers, and an assortment of other goodies to feed hungry scallywags and prevent scurvy
pina coladas for the adult pirates

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T14:35:00.000-04:00

I named a trust.

2011-03-31T13:25:00.004-04:00

Over dinner, using a Sharpie on the back of an order form, I did some pro bono brainstorming with my husband and came up with a name/acronym ultimately chosen for a new trust. (This was merely for fun. I do not work for the Trust; he does.)

According to their website (which I had nothing to do with):
The Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust (“RACER Trust”) was created to address contamination and position for redevelopment 89 industrial plants and other properties (“Properties”) used by the former General Motors but left behind in its 2009 bankruptcy.

Pretty cool, eh?

a simple website

2011-01-15T13:17:00.001-05:00

A simple website for a great program: London Cultural Connections

scrap paper holiday

2010-12-26T12:32:00.001-05:00

My brother and I made good use of scrap paper by turning them into holiday decorations. We took inspiration from Elf and filled our parents' living room with paper snowmen, angels, hearts, bells, bows, candy canes, and more.

diaper tree

2010-12-24T12:57:00.000-05:00

For my nephew, a diaper "tree" topped with a shampoo angel.

supporting the arts

2010-12-15T13:09:00.001-05:00

I designed a logo and poster for the Thomas-Clark Theatre Company (also known as TC Squared).

I heart Mom.

2010-11-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

Today is my mom's birthday.
(And, one of my talented brothers provided the music).

summer is almost over...

2010-08-26T08:58:00.000-04:00

Enjoy what's left of it.

with a little help from my friends

2010-08-20T18:00:00.004-04:00

Today I re-designed a website for a former classmate who has a sweet voice and an even sweeter personality.

Visit Amy's website to see her updated site and to listen to two tracks from her debut album.

Fun Facts:

1) On a cold day two years ago, I took the photos of Amy on her site.

2) Her album cover was designed by another classmate of ours.

alphabet series

2010-08-18T15:46:00.000-04:00

I don't think the current vampire craze has any connection to the popped collar craze, but I do think Dracula, alone, pulls off the latter.

men in uniform | summer jobs

2010-08-04T15:01:00.000-04:00

click on the image to view the full version

men in uniform | washington, dc

2010-08-03T23:14:00.003-04:00

click on the image to see the full version

tortilla flats

2010-07-26T18:10:00.001-04:00

Early Sunday morning, my friend Lauren came over with an art project she completed for a digital screen printing class she's taking. Tasked with printing on "anything but paper," she creatively chose to print on tortillas with ink consisting of Crisco and food coloring.

I was tasked with documenting them before they perished - they had already hardened and were curling - and giving her some photos to use in her final critique.

closed case

2010-07-25T10:22:00.000-04:00

For our new couches, I made new pillow cases with some vintage fabric. I also turned a shirt that was too shrunken to wear, but had a great flower detail, into an accent pillow layered with one of the fabrics for the new case.

And, remember that yellow sweater pillow case I made a while back? I finally sewed some ribbon ties to keep the bottom closed.

craigslist

2010-07-19T20:11:00.003-04:00

We're big fans of Craigslist - both for unloading unwanted items and for buying bigger purchases (furniture, electronics, etc.). We have had some amusing experiences in our deals through the service, so I've put together a not-at-all-complete list of things to consider before selling or buying through Craigslist.

1. Whenever possible, try to bring a friend along. Most transactions take place at people's homes or in parking lots (see #2), so be cautious dealing with strangers while carrying cash or valuable items. At least let someone know where you will be.
2. If you are going to meet in a parking lot, try to choose one at a busy store (any big box will do) and park as close to the entrance as possible. More people will walk by the areas closest to the store's entrance and will give you a better chance of getting help if anything unusual happens.
3. If you're selling an item and you're the kind of person who - I don't know - picks your nose and wipes it on the bottom of your furniture, do your buyer a favor and wipe off the snot. (Yep - we've had this happen.) Same goes for dust, pet hair, etc. You may be selling it used, but it doesn't have to be dirty.
4. On a similar note, wash things you buy before using them - especially anything upholstered or that might be used around food.
5. If someone is coming to your home, do not send your address over e-mail until you have a confirmed date and time. Avoid giving your exact apartment number, if you can help it, and...
6. ...meet your buyer outside with the item. Unless the item is large/heavy, the buyer does not need to enter your home.
7. I always make sure I have shoes on and my cell phone in my pocket. (I do this when we have maintenance done, too, as I have technically invited strangers - with tools! - into my home.)
8. Expect the weirdest. One woman came to pick up a $10 item and shoved $6 in my hand before running away and a friend once followed a guy to a sub-basement parking garage the guy ominously called "the bowels of the earth."

Craigslist posts their own warnings about being cautious regarding wiring money, long-distance buyers, and general weirdness. The bottom line: if something seems a little off, you're probably better off waiting. There are new posts and new visitors to Craigslist every day.

it's curtains for our roman shades

2010-07-13T19:10:00.002-04:00

We inherited Roman shades with our apartment which we are starting to take down as they block too much of the upper window when open and add visual clutter (and dust). We'll probably have to put them back up when we leave, but for now we're brainstorming alternatives.

For my workspace window, which gets a good deal of light, I made a felt circle curtain (the pattern for which I got here). It blocks enough light to prevent a glare on my monitor without making the room too dark. It looks pretty, too.

It took a couple of hours to make, but I saved time by cutting two circles at a time by folding the felt in half and by tracing only one circle and then using it as a template. Instead of tacking it to the window frame, I sewed on small tabs of felt to the top row and made loops for the curtain rod. This limits the curtain to the width of the window and the number of circles I needed to cut.

English

2010-07-07T21:10:00.001-04:00

Today, I made some edits to the home page and small tweaks to other pages of this site, wrote two lengthy e-mails in the style of Charles Dickens (don't ask), and wrote a short, rhymed - and very silly - poem about a Papasan chair that got the boot in our most recent cleaning spree.
I present it for your amusement:

said sayonara to the Papasan
rejoice! woohoo!
that burden is gone

the girl who came to get it arrived in a van
just a girl. no other, no man
she seemed very upbeat
despite the oppressive heat

now the bike on the stairs
has no longer any cares

the weight, though light, of that round-shaped chair
is gone - for good! - and out of our hair

fourth (part three)

2010-07-06T10:55:00.003-04:00

Where better to watch fireworks on the Fourth of July than the National Mall?

Our view of the fireworks framing the Washington Monument was perfect, but equally wonderful was the ease of walking a few blocks and plunking ourselves down on the grass minutes before the fireworks started.

Happy Birthday, America!
Click "more" for more colorful fireworks photos. (The smoke clouds look like jellyfish!)

fourth (part two)

2010-07-06T10:33:00.004-04:00

After our Capitol tour, we drove to Maryland for crab. While I had eaten crab legs before and am a big fan of crab cakes, this was my first time opening a full crab. I admit it took me a while to work up the courage, but I did open and eat one. Our waitress made it look incredibly easy, but my dinner companions had sore fingers after breaking through a dozen shells. The food was well worth the long wait (two hours!) to park and be seated. I love that the crabs are blue to start, red after being cooked, and white on the inside.

Click "more" below for before and after shots of our dinner.

fourth (part one)

2010-07-06T10:17:00.004-04:00

We started our Fourth of July holiday weekend with one of the most patriotic things an American can do - a personal tour of the Capitol. There are two statues for each state within the Capitol and, especially lined up in the statuary room, they echo the lines of tourists. We played around with the whispering spot, asked the informative "red coats" a few questions, and then took in a high school art contest on display in the basement.

Click "more" below to see more photos.

5'2"

2010-06-30T23:39:00.002-04:00

I'm 5'2."
Seriously. Barefoot, and someone else did the measuring.

I would be more upset at your skepticism, but I, too, have met many women who claim to be 5'2." Many, that is, who are noticeably shorter than I am - sometimes, by several inches.

I suppose it's a "safe" height to claim. 5' is too clipped, too short-sounding. 5'3" might be too much of a jump.

Should I:
a) call out my fellow little women when I catch them in a lie?
b) bump my own height up by an inch or two in a backwards attempt to make us all sound more honest?
c) continue to politely, and half-heartedly, smile?

The worst part? After a few years of noticing this pattern, I was almost convinced these women were correct and I was, perhaps, not 5'2," but - intake of breath - taller.

Thanks for dashing all my hopes, liars.

birthday upon birthday

2010-06-28T19:39:00.000-04:00

I didn't get a photo of it before he ripped into it, but I decorated my nephew's birthday gift with a pipe cleaner dog. One of the books we bought him - which he really seems to like - featured dogs driving trucks.

The best part was that he targeted our gift first, looking at it for a minute before grabbing it and giving it a few of his signature "whoas."

my work space is furry

2010-06-25T09:14:00.003-04:00

This isn't merely a photo of a happy cat. This is a photo of my cat, sleeping on a cork board on top of my desk right beside me. I had hoped to get the board on the wall before he made a bed of it - he loves to sleep on cardboard, so I'm not surprised he's digging the cork - but it is more fun to see him basking in the sun.

Sometimes, in the summer heat, he lies so still and sprawled out I will check if he's still breathing, but it is early enough in the day that he has assumed the feline fetal position.

nightshade

2010-06-21T15:48:00.003-04:00

On Thursday of last week, I made an eggplant, zucchini, and asparagus casserole with garlic and herb sauce and a thin layer of monterey jack cheese. Wondering why it is called eggplant? I was.

what's in a name?

2010-06-21T15:42:00.000-04:00

In 2005, we took photos of objects and landscapes in Ireland that looked like letters of the alphabet and spelled out my sister-in-law's last name and my sister's first name as gifts from our trip. When my sister's baby came along, I set out to do the same - this time while in San Francisco.

Can you guess which letter this is?

our dad is better than your dad.

2010-06-21T11:00:00.000-04:00

A few weeks of travel and some trouble with our Internet service put a wrench in the challenge, but I have been making things and hope to get caught up with posts this week.

The one project I haven't completed in time is the Father's Day video. I am still thinking of making it, despite the holiday having passed. Until I decide, here's a list of some reasons my dad is great:

1. He has a fantastic sense of humor, mostly influenced by a unique view of the world.
2. He is generous and always willing to help.
3. He drives as well as a race car driver and completes marathon drives that reach legendary status.
4. He has an unparalleled work ethic he has passed on to his children.
5. He loves music, can find a song for any occasion (big and small), and will sing no matter where he is or who is around.
6. He is one dad who truly can fix anything!
7. He has great ideas - an inventor and entrepreneur - and appreciates new technology and clever designs.
8. He makes the best pancakes.
9. He can talk to anyone and seems comfortable in any situation and with any type of person.
10. He has made countless sacrifices for the sake of his family without complaint.

working girl

2010-06-16T22:23:00.000-04:00

This evening I got a new workspace. We moved my perfect stand-up desk to a wall near a window (in our apartment, moving furniture requires much thought and a bit of swearing). I have a newer, better monitor, too.

Now, if I can just clear out some of these boxes of paper that need to be scanned/recycled, I will be at peace. For a little while, at least.

meeting new people

2010-06-07T11:33:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I met a new person - my new nephew, born a few weeks ago.

you can't go home

2010-06-01T11:52:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I made a pilgrimage to our childhood homes in New York. My brother drove, I took pictures, and my grandmother, who lived in those neighborhoods for most of her life, filled in any gaps in our memories. Some things looked exactly the same, but others were disappointingly different - especially the little league fields where my brothers played baseball (now a middle school) and an amusement park for children (now a Staples).

we're packing (not heat)

2010-05-31T11:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I made a color-coded packing list for someone I am helping to move. It's an Excel spreadsheet, organized by room, that lists boxes and their contents and includes a furniture inventory.

I love color-coding.

I left my heart...

2010-05-31T11:50:00.002-04:00

I was in San Francisco last week, walking bridges, tasting wine, dipping my toes very briefly into the chilly Pacific ocean, etc. I wasn't able to post (no Internet), but I did take hundreds of photos while there.

be sure to wear

2010-05-21T12:48:00.002-04:00

If I'm going to San Francisco, I'll need some flowers to wear in my hair. Today, I made an assortment of paper flowers. They are attached to paper clips because I do not have (or cannot find) floral wire. I swapped floral tape for drafting tape because it's very similar, though drafting tape is not green.

See additional photos by clicking the "more" link below.

creative with cucumbers

2010-05-20T18:12:00.002-04:00

We were recently gifted with a large cucumber. Today, I made two different cucumber dishes. The first was a salad with carrots, almonds, vinegar, and seasonings. For the second, I spruced up some bean and corn salsa with chopped cucumber and the last of the tomato sauce.

Both of these dishes were a product of cleaning out the cupboards.

See a photo of the salsa, which tasted delicious with whole grain tortilla chips, at the "more" link below.

just chillin'

2010-05-19T23:59:00.000-04:00

Today, I made a stuffed penguin for a one-week-old little girl who was the exact same weight and length at birth as my new nephew. I started by looking at about a dozen photos of penguins, then sketched out a pattern for the many pieces I would need to make a stuffed version.

Made of cream-colored felt and floral corduroy, she's slightly larger than the stuffed animals I previously made. And, she took about five hours from photo search to final stitches.

I started her photo shoot in the coldest environment I could find: our freezer. More photos at the "more" link below.

leftovers

2010-05-19T19:08:00.002-04:00

It's a bit of a cheat, but I am going to attempt my two-in-one by saying I made leftovers look good and go a long way by mixing leftover veggies from different recent meals together (green pepper, corn, and eggplant) with from-the-freezer pierogies.

My other "made" for today is much better.

baby!

2010-05-19T11:10:00.002-04:00

My sister had a baby yesterday!
Because of that, I couldn't concentrate on anything while I awaited updates.
I'll try to make up for it by making double today.

...and tigers, and deer?

2010-05-14T10:00:00.001-04:00

Today, I made pipe cleaner animals.

I followed patterns from an old issue of the no-longer-in-print Kids magazine for the fawn and tiger, but made the bird all on my own. They are quite easy to make once you get the hang of the proportions.

I don't like the tiger much - the first animal I made - but I love the fawn. I'll be sending him to my mom to add to her kitchen windowsill where some other tiny animals reside.

More photos at the "more" link below.

furniture

2010-05-13T21:33:00.001-04:00

Today, I made a digital version of one of my desks. It was handmade by a former neighbor and I bought it at a garage sale after he passed away.

It has always been useful - it's a good size and very sturdy - and a nice way to remember another crafty person. Over the summer, it got a bit of a facelift when I painted it sunny yellow.

It might be the only furniture item I have to create in SketchUp as our apartment is almost entirely Ikea-furnished and other much-better-at-this people have made 3D models of Ikea items and posted them - for free! - online.

home sweet home

2010-05-12T22:00:00.002-04:00

Today, I made a 3D Model of the first floor of our apartment using SketchUp. Though I have had SketchUp on my computer for a while, I rarely use it. This was an exercise to better learn the software and to develop a to-scale floorplan. (I went around the room with a tape measure, first.)

Our apartment has several constraints when it comes to furniture placement - the window cut-outs, the stairs, the boxed-in kitchen, the fireplace.

Next step: measuring the furniture.

lions

2010-05-12T00:15:00.000-04:00

Today, I made a stuffed lion out of the same sweater I made into a pillowcase using the sleeves of the sweater.

The mane was going to be one round of loops, but I got a bit carried away and ended up crocheting a full mane that is about the same size as the lion's body.

Tomorrow, I'll update this post with better photos.

to "due" list

2010-05-10T22:39:00.000-04:00

Today, I made a small design for my sister who is waiting to become a mom for the first time. She was due today, but the baby is taking his sweet time.

It's a saying my great-grandfather used and it has never been more appropriate.

Any day now...

ugly sweater

2010-05-09T21:30:00.000-04:00

Today, I made a fashion statement by wearing a hot pink and green striped sweater outside of the house. I bought the sweater on a family vacation ten years ago and recently found it in a box of old clothes. I bought it as a souvenir - and specifically because it is ugly.

night at the movies

2010-05-08T17:26:00.000-04:00

Today, I made a personalized gift certificate for a couple having an engagement party this weekend. The certificate is for Fandango, a movie tickets website, so I played with the traditional interlocking rings motif and made one of the rings a movie reel.

Sure beats the Iron Man and Twilight options the Fandango website provided.

with pesto

2010-05-07T21:50:00.000-04:00

Today, I made pesto pizzas with yellow squash, red pepper, and homegrown basil, served with a side salad of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, and strips of grilled turkey.

Not my first try at pizzas, but the first time with this combination of ingredients.

Yum.

can you hear me now?

2010-05-06T23:01:00.001-04:00

Today, I made a virtual appearance (via Skype) at my Alma mater to talk to current students about teaching, job searching, finding passions, and self-marketing. Their professor and I student taught in classrooms next to each other and became good friends on our long car rides back and forth to school. It was fun to talk to her students, to see her in a different (but fitting) role, and to think back on when we were just getting started.

Thank you to those students who listened so politely at eight o'clock in the morning!

becoming our mothers

2010-05-05T16:47:00.006-04:00

Today, I made (finished, really) the Mother's Day video. Thank you for sending along ways you have become your mothers.

pile up

2010-05-05T00:31:00.006-04:00

Today, I made more than 100 original illustrations (the stack of dishes is one of my favorites) and completed approximately 85% of the Mother's Day video. Rather than spoiling the fun, I am going to hold off on posting a clip and post the full, finished video tomorrow.

If you're itching for a video, watch the stop motion animation video I made for my grandmother's birthday.

animated

2010-05-04T00:11:00.000-04:00

Today, I made more progress on the Mother's Day video (which, as happens, has gone in a completely different direction from yesterday's progress). I haven't processed any of the animation, but I might have a clip to post by tomorrow night.

step by step

2010-05-02T22:02:00.000-04:00

Today, I made a storyboard and some notes for a Mother's Day video I am working on. I also got started on some of the photography for it.

lady in red

2010-05-01T22:50:00.002-04:00

Today, I made a Mother's Day gift for my mom.
(Mom, stop reading this post, please.)

Want to see what it is?

Today, I made a reversible bag - a good size for a shopping bag, carry-on, beach tote, or even a large purse. It is red - her favorite color.

mellow yellow

2010-04-30T16:30:00.005-04:00

Today, I made a summer clutch purse with oatmeal-colored linen and a yellow zipper. I added some detachable floral embellishments, too. It is the perfect size for a wallet, keys, and a cell phone, but could easily fit more. I'm usually an if-it-doesn't-fit-in-my-pocket-I-don't-need-it kind of girl. For the unfortunate times that is not the case, a simple, small bag does the trick.

To make my keys easy to find, I added an interior button and created a simple (almost sloppy) red key loop with a buttonhole for my key ring. (More photos after the jump.)

old school

2010-04-29T22:10:00.000-04:00

In college, I worked on a group project to propose an adaptation of a Shakespeare play. We developed A Midwinter Night's Dream, using snow as a theatrical device in some way I now forget, with high school students as the mixed-up lovers and, as my costume sketch for the players clearly shows, an appearance by The Village People. I don't know why I pictured Bottom with so much chest hair.

I have used a similar project with my own high school students, a few of whom could have easily played our version of Puck.

For the presentation, I dressed up like Cobweb.

not a warhol

2010-04-29T21:41:00.001-04:00

I bought a big white frame on my Ikea trip, temporarily filled it with a National Geographic poster of America (it was a toss-up between that and one of dinosaurs), and hung it above our fireplace. The frame is the eventual home of a watercolor painting I plan to make.

Today, I made a digital inspiration board - images and notes - for the painting. I'll post the painting when completed, but the image to the left is a hint at my image research.

Any guesses?

go to hell, carolina

2010-04-28T23:51:00.003-04:00

Today, I made a blue bear, holding a basketball, for another expecting couple. About a month ago, I made a similar bear with ivory felt, but the basketball was entirely new.

I used a real basketball as a model and cut two pieces of orange felt in exaggerated figure eights, sewing around the edges, stuffing, then looping doubled-up thread to accent the lines.

It's not quite Duke blue (the soon-to-be dad is an alumnus), though the photos are deceiving - the bear is darker.

Sorry, new parents. I don't use baby blue.

they don't spit

2010-04-27T20:41:00.003-04:00

Today, I made a Mother's Day gift.

If you are my mom-in-law, don't click below!

Not my mom-in-law? Photos and a description await.

It's a set of note cards with a llama, my mother-in-law's favorite animal, as the star. Some of the cards feature a large llama silhouette with the words "with llove" - two Ls because that is how llamas roll. The others have an alternating pattern of llamas with one rogue llama in a different color. Paired with some envelopes and tied together with string (originally purchased for our wedding invitations) and gift tags, the cards are ready to go.

I love when I have a gift ready early, but I have a hard time waiting until the holiday/event to give them to the recipient.

tweet tweet

2010-04-26T22:26:00.001-04:00

Today, I made a tiny felt bird with scraps from a puppetry project I did with a group of elementary school students. I tried making a larger one with other fabric, too, but the pattern I created was a little off proportionally. I will probably cut him apart and try again.

I always struggle with whether adding eyes will "ruin" a stuffed animal, though eyes can really add personality. This little guy may get some eyes, but he will definitely get legs. I just have to sort out whether I want to use paperclips or floral wire.

(Oh, and the furry foot in the photo belongs to my cat. He has successfully found his way into photos for every project I have posted.)

more t-shirts

2010-04-25T14:46:00.001-04:00

I started working on a birthday gift for one of my brothers BEFORE his birthday. It never felt right, though, so I tweaked it, put it off for a while, then finally decided to switch things up and make it a t-shirt design.

Today, I made the order for the shirt. It's pretty late, but I hope he'll still like it.

rolling in dough

2010-04-24T12:27:00.001-04:00

Today, I made biscuits. Normally, we cheat and buy the tube variety. Now that I have a rolling pin, it was time to try making our own.

What I don't have, though, are cutters, so I had to improvise and use the opening of a mason jar.

Mason jars find a lot of uses in our home. They make up the bulk of our drinking glasses (purchased over the course of several months with sauce in them, we re-purpose them for drinking, then recycle the set each time we move and start over) and hold everything from buttons to flowers.

They hold cold and hot liquids, are microwave and dishwasher safe, and they're simply fun to drink from.

a little bit softer, now

2010-04-23T23:30:00.012-04:00

Today, I made our "cat gate" - a piece of metal stair railing purchased at a home improvement store, turned on its side, and our third or fourth attempt at keeping the cat from throwing his body into our bedroom door - quieter with a small piece of carpet.

It's a piece of the same carpet we used to protect the ledge along our actual stair railing so we could use it as a bike rack.

earth day

2010-04-22T17:29:00.003-04:00

In honor of Earth Day:

Today, I made a "beer garden" by arranging flowers in vases that are actually beer glasses made from recycled windshields purchased from Uncommon Goods.

To top it off, I placed the vases on German beer coasters from my husband's collection.

They are brightening up my new standing workspace.

blue and yellow

2010-04-21T22:44:00.000-04:00

Today, I made my first-ever solo trip to Ikea.

We've made numerous trips to Ikea over the last few years (and moves) for the fun of seeing what's new and dreaming about perfect dwellings (and eating a cheap lunch). Alone, though, the store seemed smaller than usual. I was all business, less dreaming.

Still got some useful things, even if I did have to carry them to the car all by myself.

in a flash

2010-04-20T19:28:00.001-04:00

Another been-on-the-to-do-list-too-long project:

Today, I made a loop for our flash case, so it can be slid onto the strap of our camera case.

This was not the first tweak to our camera equipment. I added the top zippered pocket on the case a few years ago, an addition that has been so useful I forget it was not there originally. The flash loop was made with leftover material from the pocket.

the shirt off his back

2010-04-20T13:13:00.008-04:00

Dave had a massive t-shirt collection - a product of being in sports and clubs in high school and then going to a college that celebrated every event from the last day of classes to an NCAA championship with a t-shirt giveaway.

In 2005, I started making a quilt of his shirts to make room in his closet and give new life to some of his worn or ill-fitting shirts. In about an hour, I cut the 70+ shirts that would later make the almost-queen-size quilt.

Then, those pieces sat in a box for nearly two years before I got around to laying them out (one side for high school, the other for college) and sewing them together. Though the lag between work on it was long, the quilt only took a few days to sew and has been used almost-daily since its completion.

Unfortunately, it is not the only project I've put off for a long time...

from pullover to pillowcase

2010-04-19T19:15:00.002-04:00

Today, I made a pillowcase out of an old sweater.

belly full

2010-04-18T19:09:00.001-04:00

Today, I made "southwestern turkey burgers" - no bun, with bean salsa, zucchini, fresh basil, and two types of potatoes.

love and taxes

2010-04-17T11:59:00.001-04:00

For their 30th anniversary, I gave my parents a calendar of 30 days' worth of things to do together.

Today, I made a modified 1040 for them to fill out (they celebrated 32 years on Tax Day).

I hope it is not illegal to mess with tax forms.

the way to a man's heart

2010-04-16T21:13:00.002-04:00

Today, I made donuts.
The best part? It took less than fifteen minutes.

I coated them with cinnamon sugar, but am planning for future donuts: powdered sugar, chocolate, Nutella...

Yum.

to spill no more

2010-04-15T18:36:00.012-04:00

My cat has a habit of pulling his water bowl around, causing water to slosh out of it. If he's persistent, he will tip it over entirely. We've tried heavy ceramic bowls, water cooler-type dispensers, several types of trays, and the kind of stay-put materials one would put in cabinets and under rugs. At a cost of roughly $6 and twenty minutes back and forth to several sections of Target, I think I finally found the solution: velcro. Today, I made a spill-proof water dish.

Now, if only I can figure out a way to keep him from pulling his food off the plate to eat it.

devour

2010-04-14T23:58:00.024-04:00

I read quickly and love the feeling of devouring a book. I rarely spend more than a few days on a book - unless it is awful and I HAVE to finish it - and get the nerdiest delight from starting and finishing a book in the same day.

Today, I made it to the end of a book.

(Kind of cheating in my challenge, but it was a book I had not read before.)

stuffed animals

2010-04-12T23:50:00.004-04:00

I have been known to make a sock-animal or two, but I recently made several sock-less (and infant-safe) stuffed animals for a mommy-to-be.

stop-motion animation

2010-04-12T11:20:00.003-04:00

I love typography and always wanted to try stop-motion animation. Combining the two, I made this video for my grandmother's birthday (and borrowed the music from one of my favorite bands, The Avett Brothers).

look back in anger

2009-06-15T23:31:00.001-04:00

I designed this poster for Orfeo Group - a Boston-based theatre group.
I took photos of one of the actresses - along with my ironing board, one of my husband's dress shirts, and the trumpet they were using as a prop.

self-portrait

2009-03-21T23:48:00.001-04:00

It's not finished - and has stayed that way for months - but I gave a start to painting our portraits in watercolor.

apple-picking

2008-10-21T23:54:00.004-04:00

I love autumn. And, I love pulling an apple from a tree, rubbing it shiny, and taking a big bite out of it.
Provided, of course, a bee didn't beat me to it.

postcards

2008-09-29T23:34:00.001-04:00

While in grad school, I worked part-time at American Repertory Theatre as a graphic designer. Below are some of the postcards I worked on.

yum

2008-09-27T23:26:00.001-04:00

Ice Cream = Happiness

botanical

2007-07-10T23:42:00.001-04:00

During the summer of 2005, I spent three months house-sitting in Northern Ireland. I spent most of the time wandering around outdoors, but the rainy days were spent reading and painting. The watercolor below is of the fuschias we saw everywhere that summer.