I’m reveling, big time, in the jewelry I made this past Tuesday at Brickelltown Crafternoons‘ recycled jewelry making class with Lorien Powers of Drake & Lulu’s Art Shed. I not only got to repurpose my chunky apricot chain necklace into a pair of rocking earrings, I scored a pair of wooden whales for which I crafted loops and found a new home for the mini harmonica Chris gave me. Woo hoo! Plus, my partners in craft, Hanni and Chelsea, made use of feathers, leather and antique silver plates.
We’re getting settled in our new Tahoe Pines home, and it’s so refreshing to be living here! Not only did we find the rare specimen pictured above (ha ha!) on our short walk to the beach this morning, we can see the stars again, have loads of storage space and have a home that holds heat! Pictures of our new space to come soon…
My latest Moonshine Ink arts column is on newsstands… hooray! This time I tackled a topic close to my heart: crafting. The folks at Truckee’s Brickelltown have launched a series of intro classes for all sorts of skills like sewing, printmaking, jewelry-making, etc.
Check out my article online here. And learn more, along with a detailed play-by-play, at the Brickelltown Crafternoons blog.
Hey world, we’re moving! It’s too early to pack, but I’m so excited to say farewell to our condo on October 1 and hello to our new cottage-style abode that I’ve compiled a little montage of moving-inspired products:
First up is this art print dubbed “Moving On” from Dahlia House Art Studio, who re-works her photos with many mediums, including photo manipulation software, water colors, pastels and acrylics paints, and sells them on Etsy. Like these birdies, Chris and I are flying far, far away… well only about 7 miles down the road.
These magnets, collectively dubbed “We Moved Around A Lot,” were also found on Etsy, in Agent Mermaid‘s shop. Agent Mermaid handcrafted the set using original vintage papers from 1961. I’ve only lived in 2 out of the 6 dwellings she depicts (can you guess which ones?)… looks like I’ll need to relocate a bit more to catch up.
Not sure our plan for notifying our friends and family of the move, but aren’t these cards by Perideau Designs neat-o? We actually don’t have to worry about it as much here in this mountain town since physical address delivery is rare. I guess there is an advantage to having a PO Box—besides also protecting your mail from getting swiped, like it did at my dad’s box in Georgia once.
Last but certainly not least is the rainbow of masking tape found at Happy Tape, and brought to my attention by local artist Heather River on her blog Chocolate and Needles. Though any tape used during the move would likely be in vain, how awesome would it be to seal up all my boxes with this snappy apricot color?
I have amazing friends, so when six of them decided to up and get married within two weeks, I knew I was in for a fabulous—and exhausting—late summer. Each wedding was unique, and each surprised me with creative little details to make the day extra special. Here are my highlights:
Wedding #1: CHRIS + ALANNA Truckee, CA
First and foremost, the best thing about this wedding was Alanna’s dress. A classy lady, Alanna is often clad in black or comfy cardigans that keep her style effortless and classic. But for her wedding, Alanna did not bow down to the princess dress. Oh no, she went straight to Etsy where she found this gorgeous number from Armour sans Anguish (see more here).
And here’s Alanna rocking the dress. Please note that the cat-man is not her hubby—I just loved this photo so much that I had to include it! Also note that the cat-man wore the furry hat all night, until he let the bride don it on the dance floor during the reception.
Their wedding also rocked due to the game set-up of darts and cornhole, the fire pit with s’mores, the “That’s What She Said” sign at the bar and the homemade cherry-filled chocolate cupcakes that Zan and I baked the day before. Stay tuned for the launch of our baking company…
Wedding #2: CHARLIE + ANYA Tahoe City, CA
Anya is a graphic designer and all-around über stylish person, so I knew that her wedding would be an affair to remember. Before going in for the big day, I knew a few things: A) there was to be a carnival theme, with handmade triangle carnival flags B) brass animals would act as center pieces C) the bridesmaids would carry giant balloons down the aisle, then Anya would carry the bunch out with her.
Those details alone was enough to send my heart aflutter, and to see them all in action was a treat. Plus, the bridesmaids wore pencil skirts with ruffled silk shirts, a nice contrast to the ubiquitous solid-colored bridesmaid dress.
Tall sun-kissed grasses provided the perfect backdrop for the vows. Here’s a nice shot of the crew headed down the hill from the ceremony.
The brass animal center pieces got a little thirsty and found an oasis of Stella Artois. (We got a little carried away with arranging them… this is but one of many poses.)
The man behind the music, pro snowboarder Eric Messier, was easily the best DJ I’ve ever stomped a foot to. The dance floor could barely fit us all, and no one left until the bitter end. Don’t think weddings are a typical gig for him, but they should be.
Wedding #3: KARL + JENNA Tahoe City, CA
Easy breezy might be the best description for these two love birds. They emanate an effortless joy, and their wedding was sweet and simple. At Tahoe Park Beach on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe, the setting couldn’t have been better. Their minister/friend Kels was hysterical, and had us all chanting, on-command, “Livin’ the Dream,” which happens to be the name of his “church.” After the ceremony, he let the bride and groom jet off on his boat for a bit… livin’ the dream.
Music was provided by The Impappropriators (a melting pot of a band consisting of Jenni Charles (fiddle), Kerry Andras (bass, etc) and Kurt Beckering (banjo, etc), all formerly of the Rusty Strings, along with Ryan Salm (harmonica) and Lauren Bobowski (percussion). Because the band members are friends of ours, the whole shebang had that comfortable feeling of a house party.
One of my favorite moments was when Jenna first appeared, walking down the aisle, she said “Hi guys!” in the cutest, most sincere voice. She is rad!
Cat-man strikes again! This time, he was in charge of the pig roast, hence the attire.
And last but not least, games abounded at this wedding, too. Corn hole competition was heated, with Chris and I versus Ryan Salm (the photographer, plus Inappropriators harmonica player) and Hanni (Karl’s sister and bridesmaid extraordinaire). Thanks to Chris’s keen hand-eye coordination, we left the party undefeated that night. There was also impromptu jump roping with some of the lantern string lights… my pictures didn’t do the sport justice, so check out Ryan’s pics here.
Today, we celebrate the birth of a baby girl! My good friends Zan and Trevor had a cute little 8-pound, 6-ounce bundle at 1:20 a.m. I visited the new family this morning and took a few shots of beautiful baby Makenna.
Makenna also meant a new project for me: a crocheted granny square blanket. Hanni and I cranked out some squares (she did the brunt of that cranking) and then I sewed the whole shebang together. Success! Next up, I’d like to attempt the color block blanket detailed in The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller.
ps. Makenna is wearing a handmade beanie by the talented Tahoe crocheter Jenna Minnes, whose idea it was to make the aforementioned blanket but never got around to hooking a stitch.
So I’ve been meaning to stencil the backside of our planters all summer long, but just got around to it today. I always cringe when imagining our neighbors looking at that plain wood (while such a good view greets us daily).
I went with a jade/manzanita inspired design to match the foliage under our deck. My first “test” design (pictured above) came out pretty well, but I’ll perfect it a bit before moving on to the larger planters.
Though I’m happy to tick this off my craft to-do list, I am running out of wood to stencil. Wonder what our landlord would think of some wall art?
Here are the pics you’ve (*cough* I’ve) been waiting anxiously for—of my stencil-born monkeys and leaves, which decorated the best baby shower ever.
my creations, pre-shower. in-action pics to come.
Just went to the best baby shower ever. Here’s why it’s so superlative in my mind:
1) Tasty libations. Not only was there a keg of beer and a DIY cocktail bar (with organic lemonade and limeade), there were creative concoctions like iced green tea and lemonade (my new favorite drink).
2) A thoughtful menu. Grilled pork sandwiches were complimented by melon salad and roasted potatoes, and homemade vegan veggie burgers were yummy leaf-eater options. The caramel-colored bbq sauce topped it all off with a big fat YUM; I guessed it’s secret ingredient to be mustard, yet it was ranch—is there anything that dressing can’t do? Dinner was served with beautifully shaped bottles of rosé.
3) Coed. Males and females gathered alike to toast the unborn. Party lasted late into the night as the father-to-be took the celebration to levels that no impregnated lady would do.
4) Bonfire. Fire pits are the best… especially on cool Tahoe nights.
5) Monkeys. (or any other fun theme to decorate with abandon) This was my favorite part because I had a hand in it, thus a little swell of pride to see my handicrafts in action. Using some old packing material (from my popsicle mold shipment) as a canvas, I stenciled monkeys galore, and a BABY = ♥ sign. Then I crafted a tree on an umbrella in their yard, stenciling the leaves and making bark and coconuts from the package’s padding. Monkeys were clothespin-clipped on a line already adorned by the host.
Well, the garden is officially a success, especially the lettuce. Our chard, dill, basil and cilantro still have a ways to go, but our baby greens are busting out of their box. Here’s a picture of a salad made from the first harvest… yum!
_____smith 
