Fashion-spiration

I discovered fashion blogs a while ago and what fun I've had. These gals are very clever and oh so inspirational, putting together combinations of color and pattern that I've never dreamed of. They have encouraged me to put a bit more thought behind what I wear on a daily basis.

A friend made this necklace for me using hand crafted beads she bought while on vacation in the Caribbean and some interesting seed pods. I hadn't worn it because I didn't think I could do her handiwork justice. Armed with my newly budded fashion sense, I put together this outfit. Nothing worthy of the fashion section, but I'm pretty proud of my effort.
Olive green shorts (in need of ironing) from JCrew a few years back.

Marine blue tank from JCrew also a few years back. This is their favorite tee and it's one of my favorites. I own quite a few.

Faded black cardi from Liz Claiborn many, many years back.

Not shown is the pair of matte gold ballet flats that I bought on sale from Garnet Hill last year.

I won't assault your eyes with photos of me in my outfit. It's enough of an effort for me just to come up with an outfit anyway.

Fall Dressing

Halloween is fun. Dressing up as an alter ego or wanna-be dream can be quite a blast. But it is only one day so when I decorate my home I dress it for Fall. I love Fall and adding a bit of Fall inspired decor carries me from October through Thanksgiving.

OK, the jack-o-lantern is a bit of a stretch but it is surrounded by lots of Fall leaves :)

Variety Shop

Looking for sparkling jewelry, a toasty scarf or maybe a bit of vintage style?
Made by Melissa's shop offers a large variety of items at super prices.

Jewelry made with glass, crystal and charms.
Colorful blankets and scarves.
And even some Retro/Vintage.

Visit Melissa's Blog for more info about her and her shop.

Studio Peek

Etsy Bloggers are sharing photos of their studios this month.

With bits and pieces of my various projects migrating to almost every room, my whole house seems to be my studio. I mainly work at my kitchen table, not terribly glamorous but it has great light and a wonderful view of my backyard.


I have a variety of storage containers.


I'm particularly fond of these.

I like the orderly little compartments and the fact that I can see what's inside without opening the lid.

This case is very efficient at storing a number of larger items. The multi-level tiers give me a lot of storage in a small space which is really great when I go to workshops.


I'm pretty low tech too and have been 'green' well before it was the 'in' thing to be.
I re-use all sorts of containers from plastic bags to cardboard boxes.

This has been my long time favorite way to keep my supplies semi-organized. The emphasis on semi, because while I'd love to be super organized I never quite seem to get there.

How do do like to organize your supplies/workspace. I'd love to hear your tips and tricks.

Blue Bird

Damask blue and green cardstock mounted on acid free paper and made into a set of three all occasion cards, this is just one of the lovely handmade items you will find at DesignsbyVanessa.

She also makes sweet jewelry items at great affordable prices.

And she has a fun, colorful blog where she features many great Etsy artists. Stop by and take a look.

River of Gold

AKA Vinyasa by Susan Pandorf.

I've been lusting after Susan's patterns for a while but being fairly new to lace knitting, and being prone to mistake making, I hesitated trying one of her patterns.

Vinyasa is a very easy pattern. Her directions are clear and the pattern is easily memorized. Of course that doesn't mean I haven't made any mistakes nor did I have to frog it and start all over, twice. But that's just me.

I would like it if she would include the pattern repeat in the specs. Otherwise, it's perfection.

BTW Vinyasa is my very favorite yoga style to practice and to teach.

Enchilada Casserole - Picky Eater Approved

Love this casserole from the FatFreeVegan site. It was just the right amount of sweet and spicy and was so easy to make. The hardest part was opening all of the cans.

I tweaked the recipe just a bit.

1) Added some salsa to the refried beans to make them easier to spread.

2)Used a can of salt free diced tomatoes because I forgot to buy fresh ones.

3)Used 3 cloves of garlic.

4)Subbed green olives for the black

5)Added cocoa powder and cinnamon to the enchilada sauce recipe. I didn't measure but I think I added about 2 Tbsp of the cocoa and 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon.

I served it with honey ginger marinated chicken breasts. Because there be meat eaters among us.