blur

this christmas season

DisneyWorld

chandelier

mom's tree

starlight

I am celebrating lights this December.
Here's a little star light to start things off.


With any luck I will arrive in Black River this evening before Mom's light timers for the trees outside automatically turn off. She warned me of the potential for this. I resisted asking the obvious question- who programmed the lights?

thanksgiving

'eating is a small, good thing in a time like this'
-raymond carver

black book

someday this book will be famous

on secondhanding it

My family is giving secondhand Christmas gifts this year. Two years ago we made Christmas gifts. A fairly successful venture, despite Jessica's mixed CD. Last year we gave books. Another qualified success, given my immediate downward spiral via Twilight series.

Secondhand gifts are complex. They unearth a lot of sensitive subjects. What objects of used clothing make a person squeamish? Does mom know that Mossimo is a brand sold in Target? Is it wrong to cut the Mossimo tag out of a cute blazer so that no one has to know? Does Jamie consistently lie about her shoe size? Does Dad need a black silk kimono? Would that shirt have caught my eye if it wasn't Marc Jacobs? Why did I bid on the painting of a ship in the silent auction at the Central Avenue thrift store? Should I buy everyone housewares? How would Jessica fly home bearing the head of an antelope? At what point is buying Dad another large picturebook a very bad idea?

If nothing else, we're opting out of the system this holiday and opening the door to a whole new level of honesty. And, yes, Dad needs a black silk kimono.

The Precious Object

The Cesar Pelli library in downtown Minneapolis has an inspiring exhibit showing now in Cargill Hall through early January. A bold mix of diversity and brevity. Definitely worth a trip through the stacks. *



*this exhibit may contain used band-aids

good fortune

A year ago I picked up a fortune cookie that someone had dropped on the sidewalk. The wrapper was still intact. I ate the cookie. My fortune read:

You will find your solution where you least expect it.

I tucked it in a clear compartment of my wallet and regularly wondered to myself where I would least expect to find the solution. Never mind that I didn't have a problem that I could pin my finger on. I would enter unlikely places or scenarios and think to myself, 'well, isn't this an unexpected place to find a solution.' Not the point. Answers are everywhere. In a handful of crackers, gracing the tab of my tea, on the sides of buses, in the conversations I pretend not to listen to, in nature- all around us. They will find you.

living room makeover

I spent $3.50 on a children's costume at the Salvation Army that I thought I could fit into. I then spent 3 hours modifying it in order to get it over my head and on my body. After so much investment ($3.50 + 3 hours = $3.50), I was determined to wear this thing to work at the restaurant today. I could be a goddess of wine or a goddess of beer or a pasta fairy or a .... The costume is so benign it boggles the mind. I gave up on it.

I am dressing up as a living room instead.

what ifs

We are replacing light blue carpet with a rustic wood floor in the bedroom. All because on the last Sunday of September I thought out loud, 'what if we ripped the carpet out of the bedroom.' Travis is new to my what ifs. He acts on them immediately. I hate to think if we had been friends when I was five. I used to walk around the barn wondering aloud, 'what if our whole family had to live in this horse stall?', 'what if our whole family had to live in the horse trailer? Mom and Dad could live in the tack compartment...', 'What if our whole family had to live in the wagon?'

The floor will be a challenge. (see raw materials)

For the record, I still think we could live in the horse trailer in a pinch.

pumpkin

for real

11 ft zipper

I bought a 10 x 11 ft rug on my birthday. I found it at a garage sale for $75, of which I paid $60. In hind site, if anyone practically throws an oversize oriental rug at you for $60, either someone died on it or it smells like cat pee. In both cases, I recommend Nature's Miracle. It turned our 10 x 11 ft litterbox into something I have totally rubbed my nose against while breathing in.

Enough pitch. The rug is way too big. Travis suggested installing a zipper down the center, after removing a cross-section. The idea grew on me with time. The catch- I needed the perfect 11' 4'' zipper. Enter Zippersource. You could make a slipcover for the world. Our zipper arrived in the mail yesterday. It is a heavyweight antique brass work of art. Stay tuned for the finished project.

pastry

I have been wanting a marble slab for pastry since a visit to my sister's place in April. On Saturday the neighbor placed a 28" square piece of marble next to his garbage can. By Wednesday I was rolling croissant dough from Baking With Julia on the slab, retrofitted to a section of countertop with a saw blade purchased at Menards. $30 for the blade and a leap of faith. On Thursday- croissants for lunch (and dinner). They were exceptional croissants, only because you cannot help but appreciate anything so consuming of two days' time.

alterations

It is funny how these things happen. I obsess momentarily about whether or not to buy pretzel bread at Kowalski's- a soft pretzel in the form of a demibaguette. I skirt the corner of my favorite coffee shop in order to finish chewing my pretzel bread before entering. I often enter this coffee shop while chewing and have no desire to be that girl who always walks in chewing something. The momentary detour brings me face to face with a sandwich board advertising the adjacent alterations boutique. I swallow, enter the boutique, and offer my free services. Without pause, the owner sizes me up and tells me to show up next Thursday at 11AM.

pillow covers

If you want to impress someone, sew a zipper into anything. You are basically taking credit for how inherently cool a zipper is. I have been experimenting with making pillow covers. My new best friend- a little blue seam ripper. There is no method to the madness. First, I sew a zipper into a piece of fabric. Then, I figure out how to make that fabric part of a pillow cover. I've been stealing random squares of mesmerizing vintage fabrics from a few old quilt pieces I have acquired. It is a tricky business, paying respect to the labor of our elders by painstakingly unraveling the fruits of it. Stay tuned for quilted bangle bracelets- a longheld dream.

iDye

Projects beget projects. Last Thursday, a project requiring high-gloss white paint led to a high-gloss white patch on the elbow of my otherwise black jacket. I lifted my arm from the workbench and realized that the lid from the paint can was stuck to me. Never a good sign. I immediately soaked the arm of my jacket, brushed it vigorously with a retired toothbrush, and doused it with paint thinner. All for naught.

Enter iDye. I cannot heap praises on iDye. It requires a large pot and stirring device that will never again be used for preparing food. No one owns a giant pot for uses other than cooking. It's the equivalent of telling my mother that she can never again use her serrated knife to cut the twine from bales of hay down in the barn. I used a cooking pot anyway. A cheap pot we've been thinking of getting rid of and a metal spatula slated for Goodwill. Then thoroughly cleaned them with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser before washing them.

I now have a jet-black jacket with barely distinguishable white stains and bright white pillow shams with barely distinguishable black stains. #1 rule of dovetailing- don't even think of dying something black while brightening your whites.

bikini repair

How to Not Be Topless in 5 Minutes or Less

4 years ago I bought a tube top bikini on sale at Old Navy. It has nautical stripes and can easily be mistaken for Ralph Lauren if you squint hard enough. It is all I can ask for in a swimsuit with one minor exception. Every instance of me wearing this bikini ends with the top spontaneously falling off me. The clasp is wily and I am stubborn. This sounds more provocative than it actually is. I somehow always manage to pin my arms to my body with a superhuman strength that has failed to manifest itself in any other circumstance, thus preventing toplessness.

2 days ago I finally took action. I removed the clasp entirely and sewed the back ends together. This took all of five minutes. Save for my sudden urges to jump into deep water from heights of 20 feet or more (keep it to yourself, Jame-O), there is virtually no chance that my bikini top will leave my body against my will. Ho hum.

farewell to sushi snake

Sometimes turning over a new leaf requires getting rid of a few things. Sorry sushi snake. It was great while it lasted.


I recently got rid of many cherished things. The plastic/yarn needlework pitcher last seen bearing tulips, my blue Dolce Vita suede pumps that I had never worn, the red roses hat made from upholstery pilfered from a chair found by the dumpster, the dress I wore to Matt and Liz's wedding, my Big City Junk book, etc. I cherish things too readily.

This October, I am getting rid of things via making other things out of them. This will involve ripping up many dear old textiles that I have carried with me, unused, for years. I will be adding a zipper to a beautiful 11'x 10' threadbare rug, making curtains out of things not intended to be curtains, experimenting with leather handicrafts, getting my cross-stitch on, and making pillows for the first time. It should be fun.

first project- Curtains made out of top piece of a rather homely quilt. $4 at a garage sale where they apparently believe our grandmothers should be working in sweatshops. I am in the deconstruction stages on this one.

bruises

I'm sporting a black eye on the right side of my face recently. I have never received so many sympathetic smiles in one week. I appreciate the straight forward approach. The guy at the gym desk asked, 'it's none of my business, but what happened to you?' The grocery store clerk- 'who'd you beat up?' I feel a lot of pressure to be graceful in my everyday activities until my eye clears up. To belie the fact that I brought this upon myself. In truth, I was leaning over a co-worker at the restaurant and gossiping in soft tones when she stood up and bashed the back of her head into my eye. Karma. It could happen to you.

pizza crust

In August of 2001, within the first month that I lived in New York City, I saw a posting on a New York City job listing site for personal assistant to Jeffrey Steingarten. With my heart in my throat, I applied for this position. I faxed my cover letter and barren resume from a bodega down the street. The owner did not speak English, I did not know the area code of Manhattan, and I paid for my three attempts with a handful of pocket change. The owner of the bodega placed three pennies from my handful of change back in my open palm and told me they were useless to him. He ordered me to take my pennies with me and leave his store. I never heard back from Jeffrey Steingarten. Two weeks later the World Trade Center towers collapsed. I stopped feeling sorry for myself.

Jeffrey Steingarten recently wrote an article about homemade pizza for the New York Times Magazine. I admire Jeffrey Steingarten greatly. Here is the recipe for pizza crust recommended by Jeffrey.

Pizza Dough

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more for dusting

3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 1/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.

1. The morning or ideally the day before cooking, prepare the dough. Using a hand whisk, combine the flours, yeast and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in 1 1/2 cups cold water and olive oil until a rough dough forms. Set the bowl on the mixer and, using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 1 minute. Increase the speed to high and beat for 4 to 6 minutes, until it becomes a wet and vaguely menacing mass. (If it forms into a ball, lower the mixer speed to medium-high. If not, stop the mixer to scrape down the sides once.)

2. Scrape and pour the dough onto a heavily floured work surface. Keeping your fingers, the countertop and the dough well floured, fold one dough end over the other so that half the floured underside covers the rest of the dough. Let rest for 10 minutes.

3. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Place each ball on a well-oiled plate, generously dust with flour and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it is at least doubled in size, about 3 hours.

4. Punch the dough balls down, shape into rounds and place each in a quart-size freezer bag. Refrigerate dough between 1 and 24 hours. Makes 2 balls. Adapted from Jeffrey Steingarten.

adventures of a beach ball

the creamery

The only thing I love more than a great dining experience in good company is an unexpectedly great dining experience in good company. This happened on Thursday. My parents took me to the Red Cedar Bike Trail with the promise of a delicious dinner at The Creamery afterwards. I had never heard of it and always temper my parents' dining critiques with the knowledge that nothing makes mom happier than a whopper with cheese. That being said, mom and dad's greatest dining moments align closely with mine. We have shared most of them. They have funded most of them.

The Creamery boasts the most local menu I have ever seen. Gracing the margins of the menu are a list of local purveyors of every ingredient from dairy to berries to rabbits to grass-fed beef. I was overjoyed to see fiddlehead ferns incorporated into several dishes. I have never tried them. They are elusive and much talked about in certain circles. Esoteric circles, but still. When I inquired about their source of fiddlehead ferns, I was told that the owners went to a nearby location and picked them by hand. Our meal included smoked trout cakes, sushi with pea tendrils, miso glazed halibut, seared scallops with fiddlehead ferns, bison sliders, pea risotto and a complimentary side of fiddlehead ferns on account of my inquiry. For dessert, a flourless chocolate cake and schaum torte. All delicious and accompanied by a sparkling Californian wine. For the record, fiddlehead ferns taste like a cross between green beans and asparagus with a delicate crunch. The essence of spring. But, as a friend pointed out, not recommended for people who tend to see vague resemblances to centipedes in foodstuffs. We ate outside on a bug-proof porch overlooking beautiful gardens. Everything about The Creamery is charming. There is an adjoining bed and breakfast that has recently undergone an eco-friendly makeover. It was recently lauded by CityPages as the Best Weekend Getaway 2009.

molasses and cream

I can't wait to see what you make of yourself.

fashion show

I attended my first fashion show last night. A midwestern swimwear event. I don't know why I feel the need to disclaim. Possibly because the audience was sporting an almost exclusive collection of Mossimo via Target. The show featured Tekno Doll Swimwear and a line of swim coverups by Kristy Simmons of Je Ne Regrette Rien ('I Do Not Regret Anything'). The coverups had an intriguing one-off demure quality. Modest until the bodylength slit revealed itself along with a full back or side view. I love the duality. The line was primarily constructed from fabrics collected in Cameroon by her do-good aunt. Kristy seemed equally beneficent. I accidentally struck up a conversation with her and was mesmerized by her good nature.


power shoes

fresh

Fresh is a documentary film about the food we eat and where it comes from. I saw the movie at Riverview Theatre last week and was greatly inspired by it. Foat Design will be hosting a viewing of the film sometime this summer. I plan to deliver a brief vegetable manifesto. I know- the suspense. Stay tuned for details.

The day after watching the film I went on a shopping spree at the local co-op and also signed up to become a member of Environment Minnesota . There was a college kid flagging down passersby. I was his easy sell of the day. I left the Wedge with two amazing cheeses, organic blueberries, Hope Creamery butter, dried figs, Fage yogurt and a Panda black licorice bar for the road. One bag of groceries has never made me so happy.

dreamcatcher

I'm 30 today.

thank you sarah and jamie

your support of dress month was much appreciated

reparation dress

This dress was given to me by a woman I worked for in NYC. I was the beneficiary of her annual closet cleaning. A major haul that I toted away in Prada gift bags and with higher hopes than anything therein merited. Despite the disappointment, I did score this mysterious little blue silk dress that I have never worn. Truthfully, I didn't leave the apartment in it this time, either.


dress XXXI

I did it. I wore a dress every day in May. I did not drink more sparkling wine than usual, I never once donned a hat, I cheated by wandering around in my undies for the better part of many days until I finally put on a dress, I developed an ironing habit and honed a reckless method of laundering nice things with complete disregard for the washing instructions. On the whole, I felt pretty well-received. The project was mostly about stepping out of a comfort zone. It remains to be seen if I am any more likely to sing karaoke than when this whole thing began.

M by Madge

I tried this dress on three years ago in H&M on Broadway in Soho. It was part of a line designed by Madonna- 'M by Madonna.' It didn't fit well enough to justify spending $68 on it. I walked away from it. Thursday I encountered this dress at a garage sale in Bloomingdale Hills outside of Chicago. I tried it on in the laundry room of the woman throwing the sale, then bought it for $7. I have been eating a greasy pain au chocolat while typing and it now bears several faint grease stains in the 'between my legs' region.


dress XXX

happy funeral dress

I was invited to a happy funeral recently and found this dress perfectly suited to the occasion. I picked it up at a Chelsea flea years ago. I love this dress. I cannot breath deeply while wearing it. Great for scuba training.


dress XXIX

equestrian tie-dye

I dress for utility when I visit home. I found this tie-dye tank dress could be easily modified for an evening horseride. I threw on a ratty pair of dad's lycra tights (lots more where those came from), a down vest, and waterproof equestrian boots. According to mom, both mom and dad almost died on the ride. I would agree with this assessment, though it is a difficult thing to gauge accurately- almost dying. Mom took the picture. Surprisingly, I am not ashamed of this look. Being home shuts off my shame radar entirely. It has something to do with Dad's affinity for spandex.


dress XXVIII

pajamas

I cheated. I wore my yoga pant jumpsuit all day and decided to wear a dress to bed to make up for it. I am just barely keeping the dream alive. Here I am at 6:30AM in the hotel bathroom of Indian Lakes Resort and Spa. The dress in question was another 99 cent purchase. It came as a set with a matching snap cardigan.


dress XXVII

purple with polka dots

This dress is a work in progress. I wore it to Foat Design with unhemmed sleeves (they used to be long and I hacked them off that morning) and unhemmed length of skirt. I consulted both Kaja and Ellie, the new summer intern, on my best prospects for the dress. We all agreed on a nearly sleeveless ruffle in place of the short sleeves. I will get around to this task eventually. We were contemplating whether or not the material necessitated a finished hem. I later sucked up half the skirt in an industrial car vac and proved definitively that it is subject to fraying.


dress XXVI

black wrap

Memorial Day sale at Savers!! I am wholly amused by Savers culture. 50% off sale days are the best examples. Just the sheer notion that Savers relies on its primary demographic having nothing better to do on a national holiday is telling. I show up as the doors open. Savvy. This black wrap dress was originally marked $14.99. I got it for $7.50. It will be a work staple.


dress XXV

dressing down

A super casual Sunday. Chuck Taylor's will effectively dress down anything. This little patriotic sweater is an H&M piece bought secondhand. I love it. It makes me want to go boating. I saw Star Trek instead. It was everything I hoped it would be.


dress XXIV

night gown

I think this dress is pajamas. I bought it on my trip to Mankato in March. $8 from the vintage rack at the local Salvation Army. I did not try it on but convinced myself that if it didn't fit me, it would fit one of my sisters. The dress doesn't fit anyone. I sewed some lace binding tape into the side seams to tie in the back, hoping to cinch it in and give it some shape. I also cut an inch or so out of the shoulder straps on either side. The top is puffy and gives the illusion of a bust. This feels unnatural to me. I cut the top layer off the skirt to avoid feeling like a snach of cotton candy.
Hollah.


dress XXIII

diagonal stripe sheath

I wore this dress for about an hour. On days that I work, it is hard to muster the energy to slip into a dress before changing into a work dress. Mostly because my dress selection has dwindled to a mix of those that need serious tweaking and those that seem too formal to busybody around in. The very notion of a dress being too formal is an idea I am trying to overcome. I bought this BCBG dress at a flea market in Chelsea two years ago. The vendor sold his dresses for $15 each or 2 for $20. I opted for two. He was flamboyant and stylish, which fooled me into thinking that all of his dresses were cool. I have come to realize that the biggest hang-up with wearing certain dresses is not wanting to wash them or iron them afterwards. The last time I washed this dress, I tried to OxiClean it to remove imagined pit stains and the color in the dark blue stripes was completely stripped, leaving behind cream-colored stripes. I refuse to pay more to launder a garment than I paid to obtain it. Conversely, I am happy to pay more to reheel a pair of Payless shoes than to buy a new cheap pair of shoes. It's complicated.


dress XXII

poutrage dress

I was being pouty today and got even by wearing the same dress as the day before. That will show them. It occurred to me as I walked down Hennepin Avenue with my sunglasses on and my lips pursed in a little knot that my bra and undies might be completely visible in the glare of the afternoon sun.


dress XXI

dress for a heat wave

Mid-nineties in Minneapolis! Every year when it gets really hot for the first time I interrogate everyone I encounter regarding whether or not they like the heat. I guess I just want to know who's on my side. I hate the heat. Because I sweat a lot. Life is a pain in the ass when you are always sweating. This dress is a black linen GAP dress that I found for 99 cents. Consequently, I expect nothing of it. I was elated to discover it is a perfect bike riding dress. Improbable but true. The slit up the back is long enough to facilitate biking while the entire dress is lengthy enough to prevent full exposure.


dress XX

shroom dress

My parents sent me a box of morels that they found in a very secret place in Black River Falls. The box arrived unexpectedly in the mail yesterday (note bubble wrap). My dad has only one level of engagement in any activity- fanaticism. He is now a morel fanatic. There is no stopping him. He filled an old Gatorade bottle with water, froze it, centralized it in a box full of wide wale bubble wrap, then carefully laid a dozen giant morels inside and shipped it off to me. Morels sauteed in butter for lunch, after which I might as well call it a day.


dress XIX

blue poly II

I have owned this dress for 3 years. The hem has nearly come undone. If I were to jump up and down a few times, it would unravel completely. I found it for $3 at the Senior Citizens' secondhand shop in Black River Falls. Everything there has a slight essence of 'someone may have died wearing this.' I was in the company of my little sister at the time. I had just moved from NYC and the notion that I could buy a dress for $3 was unreal to me. I did not hesitate, despite the prospect of death. We are not great shopping partners. We encourage each other to buy everything.


dress XVIII

blue poly I

I found this blue polyester dress with pleated skirt at the Rose Bowl Flea in Pasadena. It takes place on the 2nd Sunday of every month. There is a bloody mary bar among the concessions. I highly recommend it. A bloody mary helps eliminate indecision. You will simply buy more things. I bought the dress at a dress vendor that carried hundreds of dresses between $8 and $12 dollars. About 90% of them polyester. I don't have a problem with vintage polyester. From an eco-friendly standpoint, the damage is already done. Nothing is easier to care for than polyester. Just remember not to melt it with a hot iron.


dress XVII

anime frock

This cheap cotton dress only caught my eye because its delicate double straps are intriguing and the print has an element of fantasia about it. There is occasional gold paint in the print. I've only had it a year and have repaired its straps twice. Saturday was 40 degrees, so I wore it with jeans (not shown). It looked super dorky. That's part of this whole dress project. Forcing a comfort level with things I wouldn't ordinarily wear. Like walking into Home Depot in a dress and trying to convince myself people aren't staring at the girl in heels looking for casters and a putty knife. Be cool.


dress XVI

black frills

I don't consider this dress fancy because it cost me $10. The vibe of it is definitely festive and dressed up. It has a loose, flouncy fit that encourages twirling and/or standing on a windswept corner and hoping the entire outfit doesn't end up over your head. It is Ann Taylor Loft from Savers. I shortened the straps to boost the top of it and completely spaced on the fact that it would boost the entire hemline as well. I hate wearing short things. I made up for it by not leaving my apartment.


dress XV

sunshine dress

An Urban Outfitters clearance dress. This piece of shit dress falls apart every time I wash it. I get out my white thread and needle and tack it back together for another wear and try like hell not to spill anything on it. A dress this reminiscent of sunshine is like wearing happiness. Definitely a case of tough love.


dress XIV

collegiate wrap

Converse One Star via Target. I found this at the secret Target on 10th Ave. $10 but I was desperate. Heading to Foat design and still sporting yesterday's trapeze dress. The secret Target is about 5 blocks out of the way. High pressure shopping- must find dress and change in the car! Qualified success. The longer I wear it, the more I like it.


dress XIII

trapeze dress

This Nine West superwide trapeze dress was a Savers find. It is one size too big but wonderfully drapey and soft. I will attempt to gift this dress to either of my sisters when I see them next.


dress XII

deja vu dress

I often pull on the same exact thing I was wearing the previous day. Sometimes this lasts the span of 3-4 days. I have not permitted myself this luxury during dress month until today. The rewear. A staple of a recently adopted philosophy: don't make everything more difficult than it has to be. Hence, I bear a striking resemblance to yesterday. A little worse for wear.

This dress was a $2.99 purchase at Goodwill in Eau Claire, WI. The shoes $3.99 at the same store. It is a cheap poly/rayon Target dress that looks and feels like cotton. I fear it is in a constant state of becoming completely covered in pilly growths. I hope I am wrong about this.


dress XI

sundae dress

Celebrating the world's smallest sundae!
red shoes = cherry


dress X