cooking : crafts : organization : gardening : thrifting : going green
Two really cool things happened this week that brought a little attention to Mary Marie Knits. First, a local magazine, Diablo, featured my giant pouf in a collection of handmade gifts. And then CasaSugar ran a little interview and tour of my house. I had so much fun chatting with Elka and taking stock of [...]
So while I was home in Kansas, I made the mistake of going into a J.Crew outlet store. I absolutely fell in love with pretty much everything in there, and with some unknown source of willpower I walked out with NOTHING. But I’m still thinking about some of those goodies. I looked online, and you [...]
I absolutely love when The Sartorialist posts vintage photos of people’s stylish relatives. Mike and I were looking through some of his old family photos, and we found these gems. (Mike’s words): This is my great-grandfather, Otto Satorius Sr., probably in Milwaukee, probably in the 1910s. This is his son, Robert Satorius (my great uncle), [...]
I have so few pairs of pants that fit anymore (but not much budget for new ones), so I was really excited when I found this pair of Zara jeans at a consignment shop for $14. Just one problem. They were a tad too long. But I bought them anyway, because I learned a few [...]
Now that’s the one I should have gotten! Check out Jenniegee’s shop.
Finally, I have a place to show off my collection of vintage Pyrex bowls besides the dusty top of the refrigerator. We bought this expedit shelf from IKEA while we were in Minneapolis. We also got the desk attachment because Mike has had a hard time working in the living room without a dog clamped [...]
Caught Sadie sleeping on her Nylabone. How could that be comfortable? I should also mention that she’s sleeping on the dogs’ early Christmas present. It’s a Molly Mutt dog duvet cover. They’re so cool. You buy the cover in one of many adorable patterns and stuff it full of old clothes, towels, blankets, or even [...]
Perhaps Stacy and Clinton would not agree with this approach, but then again nobody’s handing me a card with $5,000 on it and telling me to shop my heart out. I am also no fashionista. I own more black pants/shorts/skirts and Gap favorite tees than anything else. But I think I have a pretty good [...]
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 [...]
When I set out my blue vases I felt like they just didn’t quite go with the table runner I had on the table. But I remembered that in my craft room I had some unused fabrics that might look better, and it turns out this Amy Butler yellow/gray pattern was a surprisingly good match. [...]
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. 
