Bags Down Under

I found a great artist via Loobylu this morning.

Her name is Laura; her store is Laura's House of the Red Shoes; and her bags are fabulous!

I particularly like this one... and this one. I bet one of these (especially the first) would make a girl melt as a Valentine's Day gift... hint, hint...

I went antiquing yesterday afternoon and found that I have developed some collecting obsessions.... vintage sewing books, linen napkins and tablecloths, and vintage purses. I actually didn't get a purse but there were several that I really wanted....but I was trying to behave myself.

Speaking of bags...I'm also enjoying The Bag Blog via Alex, the Girl.

What about Bob?

Saturday was spent visiting with my good friend Bob and his wife Stephanie (I was in their wedding back in October.) They just bought their first house! Andrew and I showed up with a castiron tea pot and some floursack tea towels for their new home and then helped them unpack their kitchen. The house was great (as most in that neighborhood are) it was big, old and had lots of character.



Bob and Steph are the third in our cirlce of friends to move into this neighborhood. I must admit it is hard to not think about moving to that neighborhood too. I drove there Friday night and Saturday morning to be with my friends. It's about 15-20 minutes from where I live in the 'burbs'. The problem is that it's a little more city than I like... some of our friends have had their cars stolen (more than once) and one friend was mugged. It's just not the kind of place I can think about walking Kula in the dark without feeling pretty nervous. The neighborhood does have good points. A great park, a main street of restaurants and shops, the Missouri Botanical Garden and you can get a really BIG house for a good price. Well for now I guess I will live vicariously through my friends.

For fun I wanted to show you how Bob has changed over the last year..... Feb 2004 Bob abandoned me in Corporate America. He is now living the life we all dream of...selling used books on Amazon and...just enjoying life. I think the difference in spirit is obvious. See below.

Sick Pets...Part 2

So it just doesn't end....with the animals. Really, who needs children when you have a dog and a cat?

Like Della, Kula has been going through her own health issues...hmm...let's see....probably since the day I got her! (really Tony...you should be paying dog support...she was your idea...) I swear I am taking this dog to the Vet every other week. They know her by name now. We joke with Dr. Holt about how I should just get a job there because I'm there all the time anyway.

About 2 years ago Kula was having lots of problems with IBS..Irritable Bowel Syndrome (a.k.a. diarrhea). I mean, come-home-from-work-and-kitchen-floor-covered diarrhea. It was not pretty. After lots of begging and pleading with the Vet to actually think of a solution instead of just giving her pills they suggested changing her food. We started her on Science Diet Sensitive Stomach and lo and behold it worked! Kula was IBS free for almost 2 years! Then....the peeing started....

Late last year we would go to get into bed and there would be a big wetspot on our bed... (I think we have dry cleaned the down comforter 3 times now...) Then there was one in the armchair...and then one on Kula's own bed. These wet spots kept appearing so back to the Vet we went.... Turns out she had crystals in her urine. A sign of worse things to come if we didn't increase her pH. First we tried Urinary track infection antibiotics....then we tried incontinence pills crushed on top of her food.... then we tried changing her to prescription dog food AND incontinence pills. She has been on the new food for about a month....and so far so good.... Until today.

The diarrhea is back, which is what I feared the most. Thank God Andrew was home today to let her outside. But now I am a total mess at work...wondering what will come next. Are there other prescription foods to try? Are they more expensive? Will I have to learn how to make home cooked meals for my dog when I can't even cook for myself!? What else is going to go wrong with this dog!? It's kind of ironic really.....Kula's sensitive stomach...Andrew's sensitive stomach..... My bladder problems...Kula's bladder problems... This dog seems to pick up the sickness of anyone around her.

So I will head home tonight and take a urine sample from my dog to test her pH...and then I will call the Vet and tell her the bad news... Let's see if she says, "let's throw out that 60 dollar bag of dog food you just bought and try an 80 dollar brand." You are lucky you are so cute Kula....very lucky. (Tony..I will take checks..)

Della

Della is not an outdoor cat. She is a very talkative indoor princess. (Seriously...Andrew used to have pink glitter pillows for her..) When we got back from walking Kula this evening Della was there to greet us...outside...on the second floor landing. Apparently the door had popped open, which has happened before, but Della has never ventured through the door before. Tonight was a different story.

See that shaved patch of hair on Della's leg? It's from the IV she had a couple weeks ago when she had "a dental" at the vet's office. She had a rotten tooth (so much for being a princess). Anyway the vet runs a bunch of test to make sure it is ok to give Della anthesia. Turns out her kidneys aren't working as good as they used to. So now Della is on prescription cat food. (Did I mention how every living being in this apartment is now on a prescription?) The prescription cat food is dry...Della is used to gravy. Now the rath of Della is overtaking the house. She keeps us up all hours of the night tickling our faces with her whiskers, stealing my pillow and humming in our ears.

Now she is apparently trying to move out of the apartment. I can only assume it is over the gravy. Andrew is ready to give in...but I'm trying to stay strong. We can't give in to her demands or she will never give up the gravy and the rest of her teeth will rot and fall out. Wish us luck...

In other news:
* the cute purple multi tweed shoes absolutely Killed! my feet at work today. It never fails...I try them on in the store and they feel great. I get them home and they feel awful! Why must it be so hard to wear cute shoes?!!!
* Congratulations to Bob and Steph who moved into their new house today. Andrew and I should be there in the next couple days to help carry items down the block.
* Saturday evening Andrew and I attended our first Trivia night fundraiser. These events are HUGE in the midwest and I can't believe I've lived here for 7 years and never attended one. It actually turned out to be a lot of fun and it was all for a good cause.

It's never too late to learn about fashion

Fashion blog night. I've gone cashmere crazy! Andrew got me a black cashmere turtleneck for Christmas and this weekend I bought myself three more cashmere sweaters. Mostly because there were some really good clearance sales...but also because I am in love with cashmere!



I also got my first pair of "kitten" heels tonight! I am very excited. Actually this is also related to Andrew and Christmas because he got me a pair of Steve Madden shoes but they were too big so I had an I.O.U. for another pair of shoes. These new ones are also Steve Madden in purple-multi tweed. Not really what I would usually look at but when I tried them on they looked super cute. I think it is so sad that it has taken me 30 years to appreciate what a big difference shoes can have on an outfit. No wonder so many women have shoe fetishes. The kitten heels don't work so well on the carpet in the house....but hopefully they will look smashing at work!

See watching all those episodes of America's Next Top Model, Project Runway and What Not to Wear have actually been worth while. I'm learning how to dress myself. I'll post visuals as soon as I can.

Kula

Bags I Made

This is the first bag I made. I created my own pattern based on what I had in my head. I wanted something for work that I could carry my lunch bag in...so I didn't have to look at the ugly insulated lunch bag. It's made of wool boucle on the outside and cotton on the inside.






This bag I made from vintage fabric that I purchased on ebay. I was a little disappointed when I got it in the mail because it was a knit fabric and it was much more pink than I thought it was going to be. I didn't like the bag when I first finished it but it has grown on me. For now I keep all my extra knitting supplies in it.


This is my favorite bag by far. I also made this pattern myself. The idea was based off a vintage bag that I had. It was also the first time that I used VERY stiff and thick interfacing. It is made of cotton denim on the outside and white cotton on the inside. Right now I'm using it to hold my knitting project.


This is my second favorite. Another original. I am currently using it to hold my mini ipod and ipod charger cord.


This bag I made for my friend Bob's wedding. I was a bridesmaid and the wedding was in fall colors. Our dresses were brown. I have had this fabric for a long time. It is some kind of silk. I LOVE the pattern on it but could never think of what to make with it that was worthy of how fabulous it was.

Caution: Life in blog may appear more spectacular than normal

I’ve been struggling lately with a severe case of “the grass is greener on the other side.” It’s really making me crazy. It is making me crazy because there is no reason for it. I live a very wonderful, safe, and comfortable life. What could possibly be greener about it?

Unfortunately this feeling isn’t anything new…I would say it’s something that has plagued me my whole life. Even though I try and tell myself I’m really one of those confident people who doesn’t like to be a cookie cut out and be like everyone else… yet I constantly compare my life to others and wonder…why don’t I have that?

I know I’ve talked about my community of blogs a couple times here and how beneficial and important they are to my life. However, I am beginning to think that maybe I am totally brainwashed by these blogs! I have been sucked into a blog culture cult! I seriously think that reading about 17 other peoples’ lives for 5 years has begun to take it’s toll on me. Instead of using them for inspiration I’m just comparing my life to theirs….and then feeling like the loser.

I do think that blogs, your own and others, can be a great source of support, creativity and inspiration but I think maybe it’s time I took a vacation from other’s blogs. I think it would be an interesting experiment to see what happens when I eliminate blog reading from my life for a week….or 2 weeks… or dare I say a month? What would happen?

1. I think I would be bored out of my mind!
2. I would miss all of these “lives” that I’ve been following for so long. What if I miss something important!?
3. I think it might bring me back to living in the moment… of my own life. Maybe I’ll be more observant of what I’m doing instead of what other people are doing.
4. Maybe I will be more creative and find my own sources of inspiration.
5. Maybe I will figure out what I really want to do with my life…

Hmm… it’s scary to give up something that you have grown attached to…

On another note there are lots of things I want to do with this blog. Now that I have had a taste of being able to post pictures and be more creative with my design there are so many things I want to try. Unfortunately I’m not sure I can do them here….in this ‘free’ blogger environment. There might be a lot of moving, changing, stretching, and creating this year. I hope you can all keep up with me.

Congratulations Denice and Stephen

Saturday night I helped host a wedding reception for my best friend Denice. She was married in Mexico on January 6, 2005 and most of her good friends here in Missouri and Illinois were not able to attend.

The party went really well with a little fiesta glitter on the tables, candles, fresh flowers, a wedding cake and wedding presents. The King and I Restaurant was fabulous. We had a private room upstairs and they gave us everything we needed.

Denice and Stephen brought lots of pictures from their big day and they looked SO HAPPY..and TAN! No really, I was overwhelmed. I've never seen Denice look so happy and so beautiful. It made me very sad that I was not there to see it in person.

Here's to you, Denice and Stephen... I wish you both the very best. I love you both lots and lots.

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction."
~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Here's my man...

or rather his alter ego. I thought you would appreciate this Chasmyn.

i luv robot

I am so in love with this robot I am just beside myself. This is what I mean when I talk about inspiration. Hillary is amazing!

Missouri Loves Company

With the new year and this new blog it is hard not to reflect on where I've been and where I'm going. Looking through the old blog it would appear that this all started way back on February 5, 2003. It's almost been 2 years! The bad news is my first few blogs were short, boring and lame. The good news is I think I've come a long way. I hope some of my faithful readers agree.

As I started to think about when this crazy adventure began I also started to think about why this crazy adventure began.

I think I was drawn to starting this blog because "misery loves company". (or as my t-shirt says above..."Missouri loves company" haha =). I love that Illinois is holding a piece of pizza. lol ) Now some may think that the phrase "misery loves company" is a pretty depressing, negative way to look at things. But I look at it from another perspective. What it really means is "individuals trying to live their best life seeking inspiration from others going through the same experiences." This is why I started a blog. I read many blogs... everyday... and I have been for probably 5 years now. I read these blogs to be inspired. I read these blogs so I can know that I am not the only one out there feeling lost, in a creative rut, searching for a better career, a better life. I read blogs to keep my dreams alive, to learn, to grow, to think, to be challenged.

Writing a blog helps me be creative. It forces me to think in new ways; to think of creative things to say; to get out there and live and then come back and share it with the world. I don't really think that my blog is necessarily inspiring anyone out there yet... but maybe someday it will. Maybe someday a young girl as lost and confused as I am will read my words and it will help her find her own path.

I am still searching for my path but my little blog community actually helps me to remember to live in the moment and to enjoy the journey. For this I am grateful.

studio

Finally...a blog is born!

This is it people! I took the plunge... or rather I got so fed up with being indecisive that I made myself go with whatever was currently on my mind. The name of this blog is something that I came up with many, many months ago....but it just never seemed quite right. Well at this rate I figure it is better to just GET STARTED! instead of waiting for what "feels" like the perfect name.

So, anyway the history of this name. I have a background in science, I enjoy the outdoors and I love wildlife so I thought some sort of science oriented name might be fitting. The phrase "A spring of teal" is used to describe a group of Teal. Teal are small ducks. There are Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, and Cinnamon Teal. I have an attachment to birds since I worked at the Laboratory of Ornithology for three years while I was in college. I also really love the color teal and to come to think of it I love Spring. Especially in Missouri where the blooming Redbud trees are a sight to see.

So there you have it. A spring of teal is born.