Currently reading, just read.

I've been making an effort to take a break during my lunch hour and spend some time reading. I had been in the habit of eating quickly and getting back to my work immediately after that. Lately I've found that my little reading break actually seems to make the day go by faster. Or maybe I'm just convincing myself of that. Either way, I'm enjoying it.

I've finished Jonathan Tropper's This is Where I Leave You. I really enjoyed it. It's been a while since a book has made me emotional. This one did. I also laughed, a lot. 

Another good laugh was from A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. This was my first of Bryson's books but I'd heard that a number of his were great, and this one absolutely was. A Walk in the Woods is a non-fiction book about his decision to walk the 2,100 mile long Appalachian Trail accompanied by his out of shape friend whom he hadn't really interacted with in about 25 years. You can imagine. When I first started this book I was certainly entertaining the thought that maybe this hike was something I would do someday. I've been daydreaming about getting away from work and schedules and exploring nature I'd yet to see. But, as soon as Bryson started mentioning the hazards of the trail, like black bears and hypothermia, I quickly abandoned that thought. This book, much like Through Painted Deserts, brings up the point of how awesome the little luxuries in life can be when you're away from them for so long. I've definitely experienced that. My dad, cousin and I spent three days and two nights in the woods of Pennsylvania a couple of summers ago and the first thing we did when we hiked out was eat a cheeseburger, fries, and a coke. It was so delicious.

Just this past weekend I started Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I already have the feeling that this will be one that I read many times over and over. 

Windows open.

Today's weather was perfect. Warm enough to open the windows and wear sandals. Comfortable enough to go with or without a light sweater. And sunny. Finally we see the sun in Cleveland again. I almost didn't mind that I was stuck inside all morning, drawing flowers for a poster, just because it was so nice to sit with the windows open and smell the spring. Last weekend we were finally able to set up a porch swing that we had gotten as a wedding gift. Today was the first day that it was nice enough to sit out on it, I took a new book with me and spent quite a bit of time enjoying it. I love how excited the cats get about open windows. They sat in them all day long. 

I caught Emma meowing out the window and looked across to see one of the neighbor's many cats asleep on their AC unit. I have no idea how it managed to get up there, but it looked pretty comfortable. 

The hunt.

I found this tea set in a local antique store this week. The lovely copper paint and that pattern were just perfect but I had to resist. I took a photo instead.

 Andrew and I have been house hunting. We've been putting all of our extra pennies aside into our savings for a down payment. I've been doing extra work in the evenings to save up a bit more. I'd like to say that I think we've found the one, but it seems like anything could happen between the time we put down those final signatures and now. So who knows. It's exciting, and stressful all at once and it's basically all I've been thinking about for the past two weeks. 

Woven bench tutorial.

Our bench project was featured on Design*Sponge today and received a lot of wonderful comments and compliments! I'd like to say thanks, it definitely put a smile on my face. There also seems to be a number of people asking for a tutorial. I didn't document this process with photos thoroughly enough to be able to explain it completely, so, I'm thinking that I will work on a smaller project in this same technique with step-by-step photo instructions. Look for it here in the next month or so!

Suzie McGinness - My Bear Griz.

Attending art school for five years gave me the chance to meet some incredibly talented people and I am so, so thankful for that opportunity. One of my friends from that time, Suzie McGinness, has been an inspiration to me. She is one of the most imaginative, determined, hard working people that I know. I think that it's awesome that she really followed her dream and achieved what she wanted to do as an artist. So, I'm really excited to share that one of Suzie's books, My Bear Griz, has been published and is now available for pre-order through Borders! Being a huge fan of children's books, and of Suzie's work, I'm definitely going to get a copy and I encourage you to take a look.  

Charity Shop Challenge: March.

This outfit really shows off the nerd in me. It's also pretty thrifty. The belt was the most expensive item, but it was absolutely worth it. It's the perfect accessory to add to an outfit that's lacking a little something. Plus, I think it's great to support handmade. 

Cardigan: American Eagle from resale shop - $6.99

Star Trek t-shirt: from resale shop - $3.99

White leather bow belt: Darlingtonia - $40

Orange skirt: Vintage from Etsy - gift from dad

Polka dot tights: Target

Charity Shop Challenge on Flickr.

The bench project.

Back in January I mentioned that Andrew and I were starting a little makeover on a wooden bench we had found in our basement. We thought the shape and size of it were great, but the top of it was covered in layers of paint splatters and glue so it needed more than a fresh coat of paint to make it nice again. We had come across a little inspiration at Anthropologie when we stopped in there at Christmas time and decided to try a similar technique on our bench.

We cleaned up the bench with a damp rag and sanded off any loose bits. I took a couple good looks at the construction of the piece from Anthropologie and then just went for it. I chose to weave a chevron pattern through it which I thought was a little more interesting than diagonal stripes. We are really happy with the results, and I'm happy that I could finally put some of my fabric scrap stash to use. And now we have a really awesome, unique piece of furniture for our home. 

Pinterest.

I finally made an account: http://pinterest.com/cardboard_sea/