Mad about Mufflers

Ta da! Here's my latest knitted project. I wanted to make something quick and easy. I love instant gratification! This is a simple little pattern that I found on one of my favorite sites: http://www.threadbanger.com/episode/THR_20080321 I was also excited that I was able to incorporate some of my cute vintage buttons! As you can see in the bottom pic, the button holes are a bit stretched out, otherwise I think it turned out really good! What do y'all think? --S

The Fab Five

It's difficult to get a photo of the whole gang together... except, of course at dinner time. Clockwise from the top: Amber (calico), Sabine (Brown Tabby, aka "Beaners"), Sukie Lu (all black), Flynn (Grey and White, aka "Lord Flynn Mycroft Fairfax of Sebastopol"), Tyndall (Black and White). --L

Call Me Madam

I was recently helping some friends clear out their space at a local antique store when I found this cute little lady and just had to take her home with me. I love the vibrant colors and the style of the outfit she's wearing. Elle est tres chic, n'est pas? --L

Don't Take Chances with UFOS

'nuff said --S

Fairy Tea and Flowers

For Easter Weekend, I headed east to Sacramento where I got to enjoy some beautiful sunshine, good friends, and amazing food! My pal Heather took me to a super cute cafe in Nevada City where we had Fairy Tea. It's pretty much a concoction made of coconut milk, white chocolate, and mint. Yummy! And how could I resist something called Fairy Tea? It should also be noted that the same cafe had a drink called Pixie Tea, I'll be trying that next time. --S


Two tempting cups of Fairy Tea!

Heather is so excited about her Fairy Tea!

Flowers are always the best sign that Spring has come! Pretty poppies were popping up everywhere!


I loved this super Easter-y spring bouquet courtesy of Heather's mom, Florence.

Moody Watercolors

Bunny, a lady from my dad's church asked Tom and I to come over to her house Sunday afternoon to paint watercolors with her. Although we love painting, neither Tom nor I had painted in years. We only had about an hour, but we went anyway, and here are the results. Tom's is the top one and mine is the bottom one. We're not very pleased with our paintings, but at least we had a good time. Bunny provided all of the paints, paper and other tools. She's sweet that way. --L

My final Illustrator project...

Here's a better representation of the work I did in Adobe Illustrator. I really enjoyed the process but I after a while you go crazy staring at the screen for hours on end just trying to move tiny little points to make it perfect! I know it still needs some work, but I'm pretty happy with the final outcome. I was going for an Art Nouveau style. What do y'all think? --S

Why the Bluish tint?

So, this is partially what has been keeping me super busy these days. I tried to upload a picture of some fashion drawings I've done in Adobe Illustrator but I I couldn't get it to work properly. This is the best I could do and for some reason it made them all Blue! Ah well, when I'm done with the rest of my projects for the week I'll try to put a better image up. --S

Rabbit Rescue

Ok, I know this is an ad, but I just LOVE Amy Sedaris (and bunnies)!!!

Dragon Protection Ring

In the spirit of Harry Potter, I made a gimmick of one of my resin rings, calling it the "Dragon Protection Ring." I'm sending it to my friend Juniper, lover of wizards, dragons, unicorns, and other assorted magical creatures. I created a scroll by cutting out a piece of brown paper bag, burning the edges with a match (nearly burning down the house), and then after writing my letter, rolling it up with a piece of velvet ric-rac ribbon. The letter reads as an owner's manual, saying that the yellow rhinestone in the center of the ring will glow bright white when a dragon is approaching. "Lizzijonk" is a nick-name Juniper gave me in college since I sympathized with the character "Fillyjonk" in the Finnish Moomintroll books we used to read out loud to each other. I think these magic rings would make great gifts for kids. I could market them as "Aunt Lizzijonks Amazing Amulets." --L

Nora The Piano Playing Cat (sequel)

I love this video! Nora Rocks!

To Shrug or Not to Shrug

Hey y'all! My sister and I were discussing this morning how some people just don't get the concept of "shrugs". Well, let me explain to those who find this idea foolish or incomprehensible. A Shrug is a type of sweater that is meant to give a little warmth to the shoulders as well as add a bit of sass to an outfit. It is both practical and cute! What more needs to be said? So, I thought I may as well post pictures of some shrug and shrug like things that I've made. For some reason I was feeling very domestic when I wore the shrugs. Also notice in the bottom picture that I'm wearing the matching necklace that my sister made. --S

Shrug, Necklace, and Sabine...

This mod-ish Victorian shrug was skillfully made by Stephanie, given to me for Christmas. I love the color, and it's very cozy. It's called the "Carie Cropped" cardigan from the book, "Fitted Knits." Thank you, Steph!

I made two necklaces like the one I'm wearing in the photos, one for Stephanie and one for me. They are vintage glass cameo pendants found on ebay. I glued hooks onto the backs, then cut two pieces of chain for them and added clasps with pliers-- tres easy.

Sabine, or "Beaners," as we affectionately call her, was found on a camping trip Tom and I took in the Sierra mountains in 2002. How she got up there, we'll never know. But we're so glad we found her. She's a total character, and very loving, too. --L

Austin on my mind...

As Austin's yearly music celebration, otherwise known as SXSW, approaches, I'm feeling some major Austin withdrawals. I used to live there and still miss it terribly! Yes, of course San Francisco has its virtues, but my heart still belongs in Austin. For those of you who have not ventured down there, I recommend you do so, and if you're fortunate to get there during SXSW, all the better. This is the time of year when all of the UT college students head for spring break and all the crazy rock n' rollers invade the city. It's really quite fun! I've seen some good shows in years past, but part of the fun is really just people watching. Anyways, I won't ramble on too much longer on the subject, but I wanted to at least post one picture of my time there. Unfortunately, I don't seem to have too many pictures on my computer, but I did find this one from my visit there last summer in. Here I am with my pal Janie in front of one my regular haunts, Alamo Drafthouse. I miss you Austin!!! --S

Introducing... Brigadoon.

Here's a hat I made last spring when Tom and I were in Maine. It's called the "Point Lobos Hat" found online. My fetching model is none other than Brigadoon, a mannequin head I got at a garage sale when in I was in high-school. I think my sister and I named her Brigadoon since we thought she had a Scottish flair about her. We were really big into Siouxsie Sioux as well as the 1920's era so we tried making her look less 60's-ish and more 20's-ish by giving her a make-over with eye-liner. She used to sit on my dresser back in the day, modeling my hats. Sometimes her eerie glare would creep me out, so I got into the habit of turning her head around to face the wall before I went to sleep at night! --L

Sea Foam Scarf

Here's my beginning of the Sea Foam Scarf, the pattern of which is found in this lovely book I got from my dad at Christmas. Modeled with a sequin resin ring in the second photo. --L

A Room with a View

So, my apartment in SF has the most amazing view from the kitchen. On the left was a picture I took of a particular amazing sunset. It almost doesn't look real! The picture to the right and below I took this morning. It's such a beautiful clear day. If you look closely at the picture below you can see the top of the Golden Gate Bridge! Amazing!!! --S

I think we can all agree that she is so much cuter!

Ha ha! I told you I'd get you back! I love this picture of my sister, Leiza, taken over Christmas. She's so darn cute bundled up like that!!! --S

Here are a few of my favorite scarves!

Just a few scarves I knitted over the past couple of years. The one on top is a fun ruffly scarf. The picture below features a simple open lace and, my personal favorite, a chevron scarf (see Leiza's previous post of her Chevron scarf). I may not love the weather here in SF, but at least it's perfect for dressing up in hand knit scarves!--S

Foggy San Francisco Morning

I want to start taking pictures of my neighborhood in SF. The weather has been crazy! One day sunshine and warmth, the next blustery wind and fog. I took this pic the other day on my way to work. It's cool to see the fog come in from over the hills. More pictures to come! --S

klaatu barada nikto

Steph and I were trying to remember these famous lines in "The Day The Earth Stood Still." They come in handy every once in a while. --L

Ain't she cute?

I just found this lovely picture on my dad's computer, so I thought I'd embarrass my sister by showing how cute she is to the world (or at least the internet). Hee Hee! --L

Better Resin Photos...

In case you're wondering, yes I did put sprinkles and candy hearts in some of the pieces. I also used fabric, paper, sequins, glitter, charms and metal leaf. Coming up with what to put in the resin is the best part. --L