cooking : crafts : organization : gardening : thrifting : going green
I had to bid Des Moines farewell, but I thought I’d tip my hat to what I believe is a vastly underestimated city by giving you my Des Moines Top 5 (once upon a time a feature I put together for Juice magazine). 1. The East Village. OK, so maybe it’s cheating to make a [...]
Is it time for fall yet? I say that because even though the leaves are turning and we have three pumpkins on our front porch, it has been so unseasonably warm this October that it hardly seems authentically fall. You might remember that last year in early October it snowed! But two weekends ago when [...]
Mary Marie Knits is making her fall debut this weekend at the East Village Sunday Bazaar. The bazaar has been moved slightly due to the World Food Festival, so it will be at E. 3rd Street, between Locust and Walnut. I’ll have some lovely fall-ish items, like scarves, fingerless gloves, and cup cozies. It’s been [...]
I just had to share some of the goodies I picked up at the Swap-o-Rama-Rama. Volunteers got goodie bags filled with crafty gifts from local artists. Even the bags themselves were handmade from old t-shirts. I have been wanting one of Urban Posture‘s screenprinted kitchen towels for a while now, so that was a bonus. [...]
I almost forget to tell you about this event tomorrow! Des Moines is hosting its first Swap-o-Rama-Rama at the Des Moines Social Club, 1408 Locust St. from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. I’ll be volunteering at the door, and then at 2 p.m. I’ll be giving a quick demo on how to make a T-shirt rug. You [...]
Last weekend Mike and I went to a Des Moines Menace soccer game. The team’s on a roll this year, so it was the second time we got to watch them win at home. Tickets are normally less than $10 anyway, but we heard they were down to $5 for this game if you wore [...]
I think last year the 4th of July weekend was when I really fell in love with Des Moines. I spent two days at the first 80-35 music festival where there was great music, clear skies, a fabulous view of the downtown skyline and just about every friend I’ve made in town. Hippies, hula hoops, [...]
On my last day at work my co-workers gifted me some lovely things including a Michael’s gift card and a L’Occitane set of yummy bath and body products (they do know me well), but probably the best gift was my own framed Juice cover. Mike even got a spot on it! And it was important [...]
When I returned from vacation everything was dry, dry, dry, which is very unusual for Iowa. Springs are very rainy here (especially last year when it flooded badly), but not this year. Still, some of my blooms were hanging on for dear life, including a rose bush that has not bloomed once since we moved [...]
At the last minute I scored a free ticket to a local event that I always heard was cool, but had never actually experienced myself, the Big Hair Ball. It’s a fashion show, where wildly huge themed hairstyles are the stars. It’s sponsored by the Des Moines Art Center, so a lot of the artist [...]
Two of my crochet patterns — vintage hanger covers and a colorful granny square pillow — have been published in a new book. You can now order So Pretty! Crochet, by my talented friend Amy Palanjian, at Amazon.com. 
