sketch

Have you ever been to Sketch Burger, my Philly Friends? DJ and I were debating on where we should have dinner in Leotah's Place yesterday and decided on this joint. Our friend sitting nearby had never been, so I am going to tout its awesomeness.

First, it has great food, not just burgers.

Second, it has yummy deserts and ice cream. DJ and I have our favorite milkshake there: coconut & peanut butter!

Third, they have many vegan/vegetarian options. No really they do, even their treats!

Fourth, you get to decorate the place with your sketches. Here is mine from last year that is still on display by the drink fridge.

yes we came here for our anniversary

So needless to say, you should check this place out. End of plug.

tiny obsession

I have had several conversations lately about the obsession with small or tiny things. Several friends share this obsession and I was asked, what's my latest tiny thing. I had to think hard, because my latest is actually a old one revisited...

In high school my friends and I collected Homies. You could get them from a candy vending machine for 50 cents and they came with a bio. I found one of my Homies after I moved into our new apartment.

 I put him in my last remaining terarium. 

He looks meditative, no?

Other tiny things: cat and dog creamers turned planters
with chicks & hens 

Chicks and hens crowns

What is your latest tiny obsession?

August already?

This summer is flying by! July was a full month of school, vacation, friends, and a new job. Here's the details:

I am finishing up my first semester online for my Masters of Special Education at Saint Joseph's University. It has been wonderful getting back into academia. It feels like I have never left.

DJ and I camped at the wonderful little Reeds Gap State Park. We hiked, waded in the stream, napped in the hammock, and the best: cooked our favorite camping foods over the fire. We also went to the Remington Ryde Bluegrass Festival in Reedsville, PA. The whole vacation reminded us why we love our state and how much we miss the country.

We had friends over to our little apartment for dinner. DJ's friend from the port, Michael and his beautiful new wife Rachael visited. We had shepherd's pie with turkey sausage and strawberries for dessert. I even got out the good Blue Ridge pottery from Mrs Clapp and Siesta Ware mugs from Smartz. We had such encouraging conversations. I felt so blessed to have over.

tiny kitchen set up

At the end of July I was asked to fill in at Circle Thrift. Soon enough the position was extended and I will be there for a while. I love working there. Everyone should come by to see me and buy some awesome merch from CT!

I am excited for what August has in store. More updates to come.

box set

Ever wonder how your beautiful vinyl box set was assembled? No, neither did I until I volunteered to help. Yesterday and today a bunch of friends lent a helping hand to mewithoutyou et. all to get their limited addition box sets together. I  folded posters, and stuffed 7 inch vinyl into their special sleeves. If you got one of these puppies you will not be disappointed! And plus they were assembled with love! Here are some of my crappy shots of the happy helpers.

End of the line...packing the extras and boxing them up.

The guys signing posters. 

tops just waiting to be reunited with their bottoms

The assembly line was more of a U shape.

One thing I gotta say is that I am so glad we had air conditioning! The Philly heat today is over 100 degrees! If you haven't heard their new album Ten Stories order it or get a listen on spotify.

birthday

Today I turned 26. I don't really like parties, and never have, so DJ and I had a low key birthday lunch at one of my favorite places: Zama. Its a sushi place, which is not usually on our rotation of places to go because sushi doesn't always fill us up.Today we got two veggie rolls, a super crunchy spicy tuna roll, the smoked salmon and fig roll, and the Philly cheese steak roll. All were so amazing! After, we went to a cafe that we have been meaning to check out: Pure Fare. The coffee was really smooth and the pistachio-dark chocolate bark was rich and certainly worth the price.

But before all of this, DJ came home with a great little gift...

Classy? Maybe not, but definitely thoughtful!

Along with all the great wishes that I have gotten through text, FB, and calls, it is shaping up to be a good B-day!

canvas love

I often see really fun paintings at Circle Thrift but don't know what to do with them. I saw a post on DesignSponge for an ipad case made from upcycled canvases and I went to the Swarm website to see more. Here are may favorites:


You could find both the plates and painting at a thrift store!



I love the blues, oranges, and browns!





cool lamp shade



So many ideas! Maybe next time I'll be inspired to make one of these.

Trenton Ave Arts Fest and Kinetic Sculpture Derby

Today Chompsky and I went to the Trenton Ave Arts Fest and Kinetic Sculpture Derby! I was so excited that I almost forgot to take some snapshots. Here are a few highlights...

Such a beautiful day.
You can just see the Comcast building in the center of the photo.

Little Baby's Ice Cream!! So good!

So tempting! But we collect the brown glass ones.

The Kinetic Sculptures travel around the neighborhood and then drive through mud.

One of the sculptures. This one was blasting dance music.

Nice little three-seater.

Yards Brewing Company's mobile. I love the taps on the steering wheel!

A very tired Chompsky

Our spoils! T-shirt for me and a bandanna for DJ.

The weekend is off to a good start. Tomorrow, DJ and I are going to my nephew's first communion celebration. I am excited to see my family.

Trenton Ave here I come...

Excited about this today! Stay tuned for the haps!

ball jar art

Look at this awesome art from Canvas & Canvas ! What a great way of blending the modern with the old. 

free indeed

DJ and I found these beauties at Circle Thrift yesterday. They were in the free bin and covered in dirt. I think the previous owner was using them under potted plants. I cleaned them up and now they look great! I think they are Blue Ridge pottery plates, but I cannot be sure. If they are they are worth upwards of $5 a plate! Either way, it was a good find.

nice and clean...

siesta ware

company mark on the bottom

classic

Growing up, my family used salt and pepper shakers from siesta ware. I was given two siesta ware mugs when I was in college. I love them. I feel like I have grown up with these beautiful relics. And as our pint glasses from our single years ( and some from our wedding registry) have broken from clumsy hands and the 3 moves in the last 3 years, DJ and I have decided that we want to make this our new glass ware. Right now we have 3 but are buying them piece by piece. We just found one at a flee market for 50 cents! So if you see one for cheap with or without a hand let us know!

amy butler bags

I have always loved Amy Butler's fabric designs. I worked at a quilt fabric shop in high school and saved up my money to buy her fabric. Lately she has been putting her designs on bags and even iphone skins! This bag is called the ginger tote. so cute!

looks like cats like them, too!

spring terrain

I just finished helping a friend, Jenna, with a sewing project from Terrain. I wasn't familiar with their store so I looked them up online and I found some really cute things. Here are some of my favorites.

This cuff is made of oxidized metal. It looks like a cross between turquoise and robin's eggs.

They had all the supplies to make your own terrarium. I love how this one looks like spring.

And my favorite: oyster mushrooms in a box. Its really a growing kit you can put in your kitchen and snip to add to a delicious meal.

Either way I am glad to be done with the project. We finished all of the banners before the deadline and with our sanity still intact.

new kicks

My old Chuck Taylor's have finally worn through so I bought myself these sweet TOMS. The classic TOMS look really weird on my feet so I am glad they make these cordones. Just in time for spring!

so sublime

In the search for embroidery projects I have stumbled upon a great pattern company called Sublime Stitching. I have used some of their patterns before and I can't help but want to get all of them. Here a a couple of my favorites: