handmade wreaths.

it's almost christmas! this means the following:

1. i am finished with my first semester of grad school, and i am expecting a 4.0 gpa. (i'll post the fruits of my labors later.)

2. i am spending the next few weeks in indy with my family and will soon be in the beautiful tennessee mountains with even more family!

3. i have time to read, make treasures, and probably watch some terrible reality shows since i have access to a tv. maybe i'll even have time to post on this humble lil blog more often.

i wanted to share some fun projects from my TU bffs. you know! these girls:

stacey, brittany, and abby

when they came to visit me in bloomington in november, they fell in love with some handmade wreaths on etsy that used yarn and other pretties to make them...pretty. little did i know they would all soon get to work, creating their own holiday wreaths and sharing photos with me. such creative little guys!

abby's wreaths: 

 britt's wreath:

stacey's wreath:

sometimes there is nothing more relaxing than a fun, simple craft that you can personalize any way you want. i'm so proud of my bffs for taking it upon themselves to create these little masterpieces. 

what will you make this christmas? 

vote for MWH.

this semester i have been working on two projects regarding domestic violence -- one is a series of feature-length articles, and one is an analysis of NYT coverage since the late '70s.

for one of them, i get to volunteer at Middle Way House, a shelter / transitional housing facility for survivors of domestic violence and their children. i have learned a lot through my research, interviews, time spent at Middle Way, and also through my friend kevin who is the coordinator of children's programs. this organization and social issue as a whole has become near and dear to my heart.

the pepsi refresh project is based on votes. i posted about it a while ago when Homespun was applying for a $5,000 grant. through the voting process, Homespun received the money and has since opened their shop, so i know firsthand that the pepsi refresh project is legit.

now that Middle Way House is in the running for $250,000, i want to try to help as much as i can. maybe you will, too? if you have a second, you should vote. it really does make a difference! this agency is an important part of the bloomington community and can do even more groundbreaking work through their transitional businesses (which employ MWH residents), save money by investing in solar energy technology, and provide shelter for more women and children in need if they receive this grant. you can vote every day until december 31st.

(thanks, friends.)
love, tarabee.

christmas crafts.

for the past few months, i've been spending my tuesday nights with some of the best people in town. in the state. in the...universe. it's a huge blessing to be welcomed in as a lonely little loner and spend time with new pals.

last night we made ornaments for tim/carrie/josh's christmas tree. carrie brought over a giant box of supplies (!!), and we all got to work. here's what we came up with: 

carrie and her double rainbow (all the way) jesus and professional silhouette cutout.

sam's snowflake. and sam's adorable self.

josiah's christmas tree for the christmas tree. wait a minute...

worky worky. crafty crafty.

colleen's homage to her totally awesome cat, jose.

will's origami eskimo, koala, and something that is not a penguin but looks like a penguin.

craft factory '010.

josh's santa rocket ship delivering toys to the moon.

kevin's advent pyramid and awkward kindergarten school picture face.

my sticky stocking. i had a mega glue disaster.

i'm glad i got to participate in a christmastimey decoration party because i didn't bring any of my christmas decorations back to bloomington with me. i guess this year i'll just be a plain jane. but it doesn't mean i don't have christmas spirit. remember: the best way to spread christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

parka party.

well, it didn't take long for me to find more treasures to lust after. i don't know why i love coats so much. maybe for the same reasons i love shoes. they always fit. never shrink. and have nothing to do with the parts of your body that you tend to hate.

anyway, i am dreaming of a parka. something to keep me warm as i traverse this wintry town come december, january, february, etc. i stumbled upon the most precious asian fashion site called yesstyle.com and fell in love so many times!

from CLICK:

from Stylementor:

from Tokyo Fashion:

from Stylementor:

all of these girls look like they're warm, right? and also like they're having fun and being cute in their coats. it's really what dreams are made of. a good coat can hide all of the chaos going on beneath the surface with things that aren't fitting right as a result of winter hibernation weight gain. come on, ladies. you know what i'm talking about. 

just wanted to share the wintertimey love! 

indiana is for lovers.

oh, hey.
i've spent this past week gearing up for harry potter & the deathly hallows part 1 (aka hp7.1), which means that i stayed up late multiple nights in a row, watching movies with pals (including last night's dream-come-true midnight premiere.) what a fun life!

when not deeply immersed in the world of witches and wizards, i spent some time making this little guy for my computerized publication design class:

it's a web header for a site that i will complete for my final project. it's bound to be the #1 site for indiana enthusiasts. i mean, just look at that corn.

(i'm attempting to navigate through some basic html coding and site building in dreamweaver, but it's seriously like trying to learn in another language -- one that i do not understand whatsoever. 

i'll let you know how it all turns out.)

aside from that, i've been applying for internships and doing a lot of writing and reporting. but that's boring, right? here's something better: 

dear santa, will you bring me these shoes?

and also this coat? (which might be ugly, but i love it.) 

it's from modcloth, so of course i could never buy it with my own dollars.

christmastime will be grand again this year in the tennessee mountains. but first is thanksgiving in my home sweet home, and i can't wait to spend some time with the benders. 

until i have more arty things to show (or more online shopping search results to publicly lust after), 

tarabee.

BHM, IN, & BFFs.

this weekend my bff's came to visit me here in bloomington. it's always a blessing to have them around, and i'm thankful that we all live close enough that we can have weekends together, even if we can only manage to do it a couple times a year. 

crammed into a stone gazebo window on the IU campus:

we went to the bloomington handmade market, which was just a couple blocks from my apartment. there were quite a few familiar vendors and some new ones that i really loved! i allowed myself to make one purchase, and i found my treasure at kin ship press. 

it's a canvas print of my homeland, obviously, with all of the counties labeled, and a heart appropriately placed:

like i told the people at their table, hoosiers love indiana. it's true. home is where the heart is, and i love this representation of that comforting thought.

i wanted to hang up my canvas as soon as i got home, but i was having a hard time finding any wall space. oops. abby told me to prop it up on my shelf, and it's pretty perfect that way. 

i was able to see my friend jessi of two seaside babes at the market. i've been lucky enough to do two shows with her and am glad to know her as a member of the indiana crafting community. her shop is amazing, and i have always wanted one of her lovely crocheted creations, but it's hard for me to fork over the cash, especially on my grad school budget. 

but the other day, i woke up to such a pleasant surprise -- i won a contest...without even entering! jessi did a giveaway on her facebook page, and i was the recipient of a $30 credit to her etsy shop. hooray! i placed a special order, and i can't wait to get it! check out her etsy shop to see all of the cute stuff she does.

i really needed this weekend, and i am thankful for it. for lasting friendships and handmade love. 

make crafts. not war.

here i am, bloggies. i miss being able to update my blog with new creations and pretty findings and things that are lovely. it's ok, though. 

the last year of my life involved a lot of solitude, and one of the only ways i felt like myself was when i was constantly creating. it's still important to me, but i'm so thankful to be learning so many new things and spending time with new wonderful people. i feel happy and healthy and thankful to be where i am. so -- i didn't fall off the earth: i'm just enjoying it in different ways at the moment.

i wanted to share a project that i made in my computerized publication design class. i am learning a lot about how to use PhotoShop, Illustrator, and InDesign, which is really exciting! Illustrator is the most difficult part for me, but i am coming along slowly but surely. 

the assignment was to make a poster for a fictitious event. i decided to make mine for a charitable craft fair. here it is (click to see it bigger) : 

the thread looks weird in the small version of the poster, but when it's the size it should be (11x17), it looks right. promise! i downloaded the cross-stitch font and built the rest from scratch. (again, i'm not posting my work here because i think it's award-winning or anything. it's just a new phase of creation for me, and i'm excited about it!)

speaking of creations, i have some evidence of halloween 2010:

i made a unicorn costume this year. it took two whole skeins of yearn to make the mane and tail. yikes! the horn is made of poster board and a glittery sheet of foam. 

i made the whole head piece sort of like a stretchy headband with the mane attached at the top and bottom. 

i also carved a ridiculous / ugly pumpkin. i like dinosaurs (who doesn't?), so i rolled with it. i drew the t-rex, but when i cut it out, i realized that i just had a pumpkin with a gaping dinosaur-shaped hole. oops.

 i added "happy dino-ween" because if i were a dinosaur, that's what i would call it. 

that's all for now. despite all the work that is hanging over my head, i am a pretty happy girl these days. in the words of penny lane, it's all happening. 

ps. the bloomington handmade market is this weekend. i can't wait!

i think i just fell in love.

i stumbled upon this beautiful image today on my friend jennifer's facebook page: 

the artist is a british illustrator named clare owen (clare spelled the same way as the character in the time traveler's wife, one of my favorite books!) i, of course, hurried to learn more about her and came across a lovely interview on No Country for Young Women. 

she is also featured today on Design Sponge.

this one is called Dream Bike. (of course it is!)

i think i am going to save up my dollars to buy a print. i really love all of them, but the sewing machine is  just perfection. if you want to see more of her work, take a look at her web site and etsy shop.

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i love this piece of advice she offers to aspiring female artists:

{ "And by the way, everything in life is writeable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." -- Sylvia Plath

I think this quote can apply to any creative field. For your best work, you have to be calm and confident. So try to keep your head up and believe in what you do. }

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i have never considered myself an artist, but i do see beauty in crafting, even if it is more practical than most "art." i also appreciate these words as i continue to learn how to apply creative ideas into journalistic design. so perfect.

i hope you stumble upon something just as inspiring today. 

spinning their stories.

when i think about how long it's been since i have been crafty, it makes me sad. grad school's not kidding around. it's major. i have had quite a few projects already that have kept me extremely (and surprisingly) busy. 

because hair treasures is on a forced hiatus, it seems, along with all other projects, i thought i would share some of the creative work i've been able to do in my classes. i am by no means posting my work because i think it's award-winning -- these are really my first attempts. i just thought it might be fun to share the journey as channel my crafting creativity into print design. 

assignment: create a cover and four-page magazine spread. 

programs used: Adobe InDesign & PhotoShop

disclaimer: the woman in the photos is not the actual woman interviewed in the story. all other info in the spread is true, though, if you should happen to browse the actual text.

this is my cover. i wanted it to look fall-timey so i found a picture of leaves and a fuzzy acorn. the "local spotlight" is a teaser for the rest of my project.

these are the first two pages of my four-page spread, so just imagine that this folds down the middle a la magazine. i fell in love with this giant yarn, especially the yellow, so there is yellow all over the rest of the project. 

i wrote the story for another class but wanted to use it in my design, so if you want to read about ladies who spin their own yarn, go right ahead. 

these are the last two pages of the spread. again, just imagine a line down the middle. i knew i wanted to do a spinning wheel diagram because the parts have crazy names! everything here is fairly simple, but i like the way it turned out. 

(i still need to get myself to yarns unlimited and in a yarn basket! i also still need to learn how to knit and/or crochet. oops.)

i had a wonderful time interviewing the ladies for this story. i stumbled upon them one saturday morning and spent a couple hours with them. they gave me a homemade drop spindle and some wool so i could make my own yarn. it's still sitting on my desk, but hopefully i can spin it like a pro sometime soon! 

thanks for checking up on me. hopefully i will be back soon! enjoy fall. 

a mixed bag.

hieee. i just wanted to share a few random things that i've been keeping in my back pocket.

this is the display at ceramic dreams in broad ripple, IN. (can you spot the hair treasures?) i have loved having my items for sale in this wonderful shop!

if you live in the broad ripple area, you should definitely visit ceramic dreams to paint some pottery and browse the handmade gift shop. tanya, the owner, is so supportive of local handmade goods. what a great business!

*     *     *

when i was in florida this summer, i delivered 13 pieces to my aunt donna. all of the pieces were made from her mother's old jewelry, and aunt donna wanted each of her sisters, nieces, and grandnieces to have something. 

here's one of the headbands: 

(tulle, feathers, and a vintage gold & pearl O brooch) 

here is chelsea (my aunt donna's niece) in her headband. it looks great in her blond hair! so pretty! 

i am so glad that i could give my aunt donna, chelsea, and all the rest of the girls a little piece of their mother/grandmother/great grandmother in something that they can keep forever. 

*     *     *

i have met some really great people in my program at IU. we're pretty lucky that we all like each other and like to do things together (besides homework). some of the girls bought hair treasures and warmed my crafty little heart with their kindness.

here's one of my classmates, claudia, in her new treasure:

purple perfection, if you ask me. this one was made for her. 

*     *     *

new project: 

sara from sara & mallary photography asked my sister and i to participate in something special for their web site! sara wants to highlight local vendors for her bridal clients, and we get to be a part of it! 

my sister trisha is a stylist at DL Lowry in indy (she is amazing! go see her!), so her part of the project will be to do some "wedding hair" (on sara, i think -- possibly professionally videotaped). and my part will involve professional sara & mallary photos of a hair treasures wedding collection. 

i am so excited and grateful that sara invited us to be included in this vendor spotlight. i am hoping that by thanksgiving, i will have a brand new bridal collection -- a piece for a bride and maybe 5 or 6 bridesmaid pieces. i'm thinking i want to go a little more over-the-top than i have with previous collections because i don't really have any guidelines. sweet!

*     *     *

that's enough of an update for now. tonight it's cool and fall-timey. i ate some pumpkin pie ice cream, which was sort of a dream come true. i can't wait to start wearing sweaters and hats and other warm things. i hope you are loving wherever you are. 

hair treasures featured on AnsleyHaydenHasLove.

hi, pals. i have been a busy grad school bee, but i just wanted to share something wonderful!

one of my sister's dear friends, hayden, has a beautiful blog, dedicated to bridging the ideas of art and love. she is a beautiful girl inside and out, as you can see from her posts, and i feel like our appreciation for the beauty in simplicity may make us kindred spirits. 

i answered some questions for hayden, and she put together this post about hair treasures. check it out and browse the rest of the blog. i know you will find something that will make your day! 

(here's a little excerpt from my AnsleyHaydenHasLove question&answer) :

here in indiana, it's turning to autumn. i am loving my leafy bike rides to campus. i hope you find beauty in something simple and lovely today. 

a hair treasures hoedown.

i was so honored when my friend annie asked me to donate an item for a silent auction benefitting amethyst house here in bloomington. amethyst house is an organization that provides services for people drug / alcohol addictions, and annie has worked at the women's house for a couple years.

the silent auction was only a part of the festivities for this fund-raiser. the event was a square / contra dance, complete with a caller (who sort of didn't know how to be a caller), a fiddle, bbq, and a live auction (featuring a real auctioneer in a cowboy hat).

here are some pictures of the donated headband (my apologies for the low-quality phone pics) :  

(orange faux suede band. topped with tan, brown, and brown w/ white polka dot feathers and gold vintage leaf brooch.)

(i believe this brooch came from my aunt donna. she was so kind to give me some of her mother's beautiful vintage jewelry to use for hair treasures.)

(look! people were bidding! the last time i saw the paper, it was at $20.)

annie and i pretty much tore up the dance floor, except for the part when i got really dizzy from too many "swing your partner"s and fell onto a chair and then involuntarily banged my head into the wall more than once, due to the disorientation. (i don't know either.) i laughed lot, learned some sweet dances, got a sweet free bandana, and left the whole thing a hot, sweaty mess. a complete success if you ask me!

(i got to be the "man" in our partnership. i messed up pretty much every single move we were taught and even caused annie to clothesline a girl. yikes!)

i really hope that the first annual square dance was able to raise money for amethyst house. i'm so glad that hair treasures was a part of it!