Sunday, November 21, 2010

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! 

Saturday, November 20, 2010

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.


Monday, November 8, 2010

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. 

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

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!