Yup. Still Got It.

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July 2012

Fabric: Part Two

I didn't get any offers on the Xanax, but that's okay -- I sufficiently kicked the crap out Fabric Depot today, sans anxiety.

It helps to have an idea what you're looking for.  I knew that the poppy + diamondy patterned thing was going to be the start, and it blossomed from there.

And, it helped a lot getting a pep talk from my Momma beforehand.

I pursued only the kitchen stuff today, as more research is still required to figure out what needs to happen with the living room window.  I want it to be spectacular but not flashy.  Fresh and crispy but not stuffy.  I don't know precisely what that entails, thus I must Pinterest this monster.

The far left will be the table cloth at my coffee station, with possibly the more open dots as a secondary, smaller cloth over it.  I'm thinking the pattern might be a little too much and the dots break it up nicely.  The other three are to pull in the colors elsewhere.  I have a few tricks in mind.  Overall, I'm very pleased -- that I found stuff I genuinely like, but mostly that I didn't lose my shit at the Depot.  

After that I found myself a tasty little salad at a gluten free bakery and cafe called Tula.  I don't bother much with gluten or no gluten, or organic or inorganic, or whatever else, but I've passed by the front of this cafe a million times and it's so cute I had to stop in.  

spring mix

radish

tomato

fresh dill sprigs

fresh cilantro

carrot

some sort of unglutenized toasty bread thing

rosemary balsamic

NOM.

I came home and showed the fabric to my Boy, a little bit hesitant because you never know if people will share the excitement and delight of your creative endeavors.  I am very lucky that I received nothing but GUSHING, RAVE REVIEWS about how BEAUTIFUL these choices are, and how FUN and HAPPY they make him feel.  

That's a WIN in my book.

Fabric Frenzy

You know how you're never supposed to go to the grocery store hungry?

Well, you're never supposed to go to the fabric store when you're starving creatively, either.  Especially not Fabric Depot on 122nd.

And especially not when you have a beautiful clean slate of an apartment just waiting for you to get your hands on it.  An apartment that, I will note, no fabric won't look fantastic in.  Wood floors + butter yellow walls + black accents + lots of light = uh, that sucks.  Everything looks good.

I called my mom after I took a nice long swim through the aisles.  I didn't tell her at the time, though I'm sure she sensed it, but I was panicking a little.  I don't do well with lots of choices.  You know, that "making decisions" thing.  It's tough for some people, okay?

Oh, and as a Cancer who is both supremely skeptical and falls in love with things easily, being at Fabric Depot while they are having a 25% off EVERYTHING sale is a special kind of horribly difficult.  I almost melted down.

Runners up:

Kitchen?

Poppy + dusty grey-purple + butter yellow

Curtains in the living room?

From far away it looks like tweed.

Pretty charming.

If you've never fallen in love with something inanimate, I recommend doing it with the home decorating fabrics that are on big rolls in the back.  Rows and rows of fabrics on rolls, all beautiful and lush and expensive, towering from the floor to above your head.  And every time you turn a corner, there are more!  Towers of rich, luscious fabrics!  I tried to nab a free sample of all of them, but many of them were out.

<3 Grey <3

Mustardy thing + brown

<3 <3 Purple <3 <3

Grey details

Bloo

<3 all of these together <3

Dotz

Whoops blurry, but because they're so 

tiiiiiny... Is this not the sweetest thing?!

I think I was there for like five hours.  I was so spent when I got home I fell promptly into bed and then asleep.  Will popped in about two hours after I'd racked out to put some laundry on the bed, and I awoke, startled, and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know I'd fallen asleep..."

He laughed harder than I've heard him laugh in a while.  He thinks I'm especially funny when I'm sleeping.  Apparently I have a lot to say, and my penchant for being unexpectedly and brutally honest has become a household joke.

I make up for it by letting him buy me wine and cheese, and then when I get happy I tell good stories and do really good impressions.  He thinks I should be on a stage.  I think he should be on a stage.

We're a bunch of goofies.

Anyway, I'm avoiding that I will have to go back to Fabric Depot to, like, buy fabric, because I couldn't make a decision yesterday.

Anybody have any Xanax?

Sunflowers & Sweet Vermouth

I painted a little painting last night but I rightly detest it.

I texted J this morning after I'd slept on it.

I painted sunflowers last night and discovered the same thing I always discover: I do NOT UNDERSTAND FLOWERS.


Dude, me either.  Too much consistent inconsistency.

I think that's it.  The structure is too consistent and rigid but still, somehow, surprising and inconsistent.

I don't understand anything that's not a FACE.  Just give me a FACE.

Well, I guess it's okay now that I look at it on here.  But it wasn't what I was going for.

It's been a rough couple weeks.  I had a strange stomach ache for over a week that, no matter how I treated it, stayed and stayed.  Kept me up at night, wouldn't let me eat anything, distracted me and wouldn't leave me alone.  All I wanted was soup and crackers and 7-Up for days...

It feels allergy related.  I've only developed allergies since I moved to the big O and they're sneaking their way in gradually.  Each summer they're a little bit worse, a little more inconvenient, and little more Hmmm, is this what allergies feel like?  And I know it sounds weird, but this stomach ache was so resistant to anything I did I can't help but wonder if it wasn't your typical "bug."

Oh yeah, then my birthday rolled around (more to follow on that) but, wah, it was on a Monday and WHO in the WORLD wants to have a birthday on a MONDAY?  NOBODY.  Mondays are inherently stupid, even if you do go to a killer breakfast at Gravy when nobody is there, and the food is just as awesome as it is on a busy Saturday.

I guess there's just something... "off"... about having a birthday.  Even if you have tons of fun and surround yourself with people, as soon as you get a moment alone all these sad/weird feelings start creeping in.  A reminder of the swiftness of time, perhaps?  I think so.

Anyway, enough of that.  The weekend before my birthday was splendid, particularly my Girls Breakfast on Saturday.  When we do Screen Door, we each order our own meals and then put Fried Chicken & Waffles right smack in the middle of the table to share.

Don't be afraid.  I was skeptical at first, before I discovered the magic...

It's the thing I keep telling everybody: it's all about the Salty + Sweet.  The ice cream shops are finally starting to figure it out.  There is yet to be fried chicken and waffle flavored ice cream, but Pear & Bleu Cheese is certainly a step in the right direction (ten points for Salt & Straw).

[diversion]

[saltandstraw.com]

[Seriously, check out these flavors. You'll just crap.]

[...Pretty sure my mom's like "Ooooo, Coffee & Bourbon!"]

My lovely and adorable friend Nelle gave me a bundle of fresh sunflowers that now sit perkily in my sunny kitchen.  I've never had sunflowers before and I'm starting to understand the appeal.  They prompted the desire to paint and are just so darned HAPPY!

The next day, I had a coffee date at my house with Brother and that was as delightful as delightful can be.  I really do have the best kitchen for coffee-ing.  He mentioned the dangers of having a tall comfy stool next to my java station, however, and ever since he mentioned it I've begun to understand the perils.  Not to mention the "station" has slowly become home to not only the hot tasty beverages, but the tasty "adult" beverages.  I'm sure you can clearly see the perils of having a strategically placed chair of proper height next to the place that dispenses happy juice.

(Tonight was especially happy.)

Oh, that reminds me -- I need help thinking of a name for the beverage I invented.  Well, at least that's what Brother told me.  If it actually exists somewhere and he said that just because, then I'm going to be really mad.

Mystery Drink a la Summertime

Rocks

Vodka

Vermouth

OJ

Splash tonic

YUMMMMM.

I have this problem with blog posts.  I just start going on and on, as if they're going somewhere, and then I don't know how to stop them.  I don't know how to tie it up neatly at the end, to make it feel "whole."

How about,

Buh-BAM.

The Week's Summation:

Friday
47.8 hours worked, no breaks


Me:  I need some booze tonight.  At home.  With you.
Will:  Mixed drink?
Me:  Perhaps.
Will:  I got it handled.