Summer love

Gordon Ramsay. And not the Gordon Ramsay of American tv crap like that dramatic atrocity "Hell's Kitchen." Give me BBC "Kitchen Nightmares" or "Gordon's Great Escape" where he travels to India and learns about the country's cuisine. I truly love this man. No about-face or fakeness- just straight up food knowledge, profanity, and brutal honestly. And he seems like a pretty nice guy IRL, seriously.

Business, man.

Attention: I have a website. Go!

Heat wave

Epic heat for the last few days, but it's like that across half the country. It wouldn't be so bad, except I've been inside my un-air-conditioned apartment, on my computer, doing work for finals. And I have yet to unpack from the weekend. So, a 100+ degree apartment smelling of campfire it is! Main goal is to keep the kitties cool.


Precious angry wet kitten. He might look unhappy, but a dripping cold towel is a cat's best friend in this weather.


I just hope the weather will improve by Saturday. Trampled by Turtles at the Cabooze. The outdoor show of the summer I've been waiting for. Yum.

Nights in a tent

Back from another wonderful weekend at Harmony Park. Rain, mud, sun, music.



<3<3<3 Highlight!

Bought a few goodies from my favorite spot:





It's an art co-op in Eau Claire with an amazing selection of jewelry, clothing, glass, etc. They're at PE every year, and I usually buy at least one thing. Would love to go to the shop sometime when I'm in WI.


New purchase:


Nothing like a neat little leather cuff. Generally buy vintage leather only, but this was too sweet to resist. Also, a brown, jersey, wrap-around skirt with screen printed tree and birds. Picture to come!


Favorite older purchases from T.U.I.H.:





Now back, melting in my steamy sauna of an apartment. Can barely unpack.

Secret spaces

Spent a few hours at Hidden Falls today. One of my favorite spots around St. Paul. Especially now that I've found many little private beaches along the river.

I'm finishing up my personal website for another class, and I think it's turning out really well. I get lost for hours working on projects like this. Good, but dangerous.

Tonight, must prioritize and get packed for Project Earth. So ready to go home. <3

Work & play

I'm working on a website for a friend for summer class. I think I have the basic CSS down, now just have to edit page content! Also, making a page for myself and intending to purchase a domain for it.

Here's a sneak peak at the banner image I made for dianapantz:




Not up on a server yet, but check her out on Etsy!

Hydration, seasoning

Oh, how I love the Mall of St. Paul. One block away and so many treasures! Recently, I've only been going with specific, necessary items in mind. Housewares, mostly. Why go to Target when I can walk and find something unique, durable and affordable?!



Some recent (and very necessary!) purchases:



Owl salt and pepper shakers! Blue for salt, yellow for pepper. My old plastic ones broke, and cooking was becoming quite annoying when I'd forget and spill a pile of salt on my food. So, found these little guys for $7. No stoppers in the bottom, but an easy fix at Frattallone's Ace Hardware- tiny corks for $1.




Ice cube tray. Cheap plastic ones broke, so I hit the M.O.S.P. for some metal ones I'd seen. Unfortunately, I went the week that MN first hit 90 degrees, and could only find one. But still, most important in an upstairs apartment with no air conditioning.



And lastly, something not from the Mall:



A canteen! Found at Arc's Value Village on White Bear Ave. Perfect for hydrating while out and totally portable. I replaced the strap- the original was falling apart and had someone's name on it. A few dollars at Jo-Ann Fabrics, some sewing and it's good to go. The fabric I used was a little prone to fraying and very thick, so it took longer than I expected, but was worthwhile.

Writing on walls

Exploring new areas around STP/Mpls lately. I've been seeing a lot of beautiful graffiti around. I hesitate to call it that. Is there a different term? I especially enjoy stencil work and (definite fav!!) yarn bombing. Have you seen it? Go here to see some of the pictures of the work.

Here are some of my recent discoveries:


Found near W. River Parkway in Minneapolis.





On a cement platform of the staircase on the St. Paul side of the Lake/Marshall bridge.




Must photograph local yarn work when I see some again soon.

And I say, it's alright.

First one.

Happy happy summer. My goal is sun. Other stuff, but mostly activities under the sun. Hope to document them with my ubiquitous sidekick: my camera. So, you can expect many pictures: food & drink, outdoors, music, craft projects, thrift finds, cats. But mostly sun.