Walk to Work Wednesday

John, Andrew, Paul and Matthew

Sneaky Sunlight

The Breakfast Club

Beacon Street Water Works

Mini Mums

How did it get to be November already? Autumn this year has been less than spectacular--the leaves are stubborn and refuse to change or fall from the trees. We've already had a snow storm--and still many people are without power. As for the temperature change, I don't mind...too much. I sometimes wish the summer away--the heat and humidity are worse in my mind than the bone chilling temperatures we're expecting in a few weeks. Fall and winter means Mamcat's-Not-So-Secret-Anymore-Hot-Cider Recipe, pot roast, Jane Austen, knitting, purling, quilting, Baileys & Cocoa, snowy Sunday dinners with friends, the Nutcracker, down comforters, holiday handmade gift making and purchasing (and sometimes keeping!). By February I'll be through but for now I'm settling in with a mug of tea and already enjoying the incumbent holiday season. And finally...finally...my fingers are itching to create some new baubles.
XO Terez 

Parasol Pendant Lamp

Parasol Pendant Lamp

It's finally finished! Parasol Pendant Lamp. I saw the lamp on an Etsy post a few weeks ago and because I had all of the raw materials (100+ drink parasols, as Mamacat calls them), 10 glue sticks and paper globe lamp, I had to give it a try. (Also because it goes splendidly with the tropical colored walls in my apartment).

A few tips:
1. Be very careful when cutting the wooden picks out of the parasols. Do not do this around children, pets, or frankly, anyone else. The sticks are incredibly sharp and they ping right out of the scissor blades when you cut them. I also advise glasses or goggles--seriously these things are dangerous!

2. Do not hotglue 100+ parasols to a paper globe on a day when the temperature is above 85. Just don't.

3. It helps to glue the umbrellas if the lamp is hanging from the light fixture (not on or plugged in). It gives greater flexibility in turning the paper globe just so and you can place the colored parasols easier.

4. On the video on Etsy they glue just the centers of the parasols, but I found it more effective to do quick dots of glue between each of the spokes near the rim--and then gently press the colored paper on the lamp base. I think my parasols would have popped off, otherwise.

Now, the big decision: what room do I hang this lamp in? I've tried the kitchen, the living room and the bedroom and I can't decide. Until then I'll continue hanging it wherever I want a little mood lighting.

Go forth and craft!

XO Terez

Mystery Bird

Mystery Bird Jeckyll:
Mystery bird in my back yard,
before I started snapping his her
photo through the window.

Mystery Bird Hyde:
Mystery bird after I started
snapping photos. His Her tail feathers
(blocked by leaves) are just
as bright as his her orange breast.

Anyone have any idea what this little guy lady might be? I have never seen anything quite like him her. Sure way to spice up a summer Friday afternoon.

XO Terez

Edit: 7/10: It's a cardinal! A lady bird. Who knew?

Rear View Window II

April 5, 2011 Sunset Over Brighton

The dishes can wait. Dinner won't burn. Let the phone ring. The instant message indicator will still blink.

A sunset like this can't wait.

When you are blessed with such a view, pause, and marvel.

Windy, rainy walks home are worth clouds like these.

XO Terez

My First Vera (Bradley)

Whoopsie Daisy!

 When I visited Boston for the first time in 2002 I couldn't figure out the quilted bag craze. It was October, and cold, and many very fashionable women on the T were clutching quilted cotton bags to their shoulders. To me they looked like bandanas and very 80s. Gasp!

But time marched on, I move here, and the patterns evolved. My favorite roommate of all time, KV, moved in and brought with her some beautiful lunch bags, purses and wallets. "What are  those?" I asked. "Vera Bradley!" she replied.

Vera Bradley Folkloric Pattern (pardon my whitebalance!)

 Vera B. (not to be confused with the amazing textile designer from the 50s-70s, Vera Neumann, creator of the first "signature scarf," a few of which I own) is an American company that creates handbags, accessories and home pieces. Founded in 1983 by Patricia Miller and Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, they named the company Vera Bradley after Baekgarrd's mother, Vera.

Me and VB

 Now that I sew and am enamoured of fabric, I can't help but admire the Vera Bradley line even more. Mamacat and HH bestowed a Barnes and Noble gift card upon me this Christmas and when I saw this print in the store and was assured I could use the gift card toward it, destiny came calling:

Bag, Hat, Scarf, Gloves

Anyone who really knows me knows that I love: *pink *orange *green *cream *mandalas *hearts *Scandinavian inspired prints *handbags. As you can see from my Crafty-Valentining post, mandalas, especially heart ones, are my current inspirational fire.

Warding Away the Cold

Obviously this bag and I are a match made in design heaven. Even if it is a bit spring/summery and it is 26 degrees out with 3-5' snow drifts!

XO Terez