For the love of ... refurbished rubbish

the bench in it's original sad state

It's almost summer and I've been busy rebuilding our back yard. Now that we redid the front door, the floors, the nook, and the interior of the house. it was time to focus a little attention on this much needed part of our home. The Mr. and I really wanted a space to sit, share food and fun with friends or just enjoy the fine Colorado weather.

The hardest part was that we have very little back yard space and didn't own suitable outdoor seating, just a tiny two-seat cabaret table from our old apartment. Larger dining options (that I liked) were a bit too expensive, so it was time for another project! I salvaged an old rusty park bench that had 1/2 a seat still hanging on and with much help lugging the thing home (thank you in-laws!) late last year began renovations. It took a little longer than expected, the rust refused to file down, the bolts were almost impossible to remove without days soaking in WD-40, but I am pleased with the final result.

closeup (and kitty inspection)

What I did:

• filed off as much rust as possible
• spray painted the metal base black using a triple coat of Rust-Oleum
• gave the table portion a good sanding and pre-treated the wood with primer before painting it a lovely shade of Behr Premium Plus outdoor paint in peacock to match our front door
• used found wood for the seating and carriage bolts to secure them
• waterproofed the seats

ready for bbq season

We are so happy with the results, and doing it for pennies brings me much pride. I love that you can still see the imperfections in the table top (Tom and Erin, whoever you are, you will be happy to know that your proclamation of love is still there.) and that we can now comfortably have six people sit and eat or play board games late into the night. Now onto the rest of the area...more photos to follow.

~miao miao for now!

For the love of ... New Beginnings

Start of the Coaster

Apologies for the gap in posts, but (real) life has a way of catching up with you. My new promotion has kept me pretty busy these past few months, however things are finally starting to settle down so I am again able to take up activities outside of the office. It's a new year and I like to challenge myself with doing new things, so I've decided to take up a new craft. After much thought I have chosen needlepoint.

Needlepoint is something that, believe it or not, my grandfather used to do quite often in his spare time. I have fond memories of him sitting in his living room after church on Sundays embroidering a new tapestry style pillow or monogramming a handkerchief but mostly he enjoyed using plastic mesh canvas to create three dimensional things like tissue boxes, toilet paper holders, napkin rings or vases. I too wanted to see if I could work up to creating cute but practical things just like Nonno, so the search was on!

My First Color Theory Coaster

I scoured the net for a good beginner project and stumbled upon the Color Theory Coaster pattern in Diana Rupp's book 'Embroider Everything Workshop'. This combined both my love for art color theory and desire to create simple yet utilitarian craft items so it was perfect for a first attempt. I was even able to find a helpful tutorial given by Diana herself on Design Sponge's blog.

Ironically, while I love color theory, I seem to have inherited the New England fear of color itself so it took a little coaxing to purchase tapestry wool in something resembling non-neutral colors. Thanks to Fancy Tiger for having such a lovely selection. I ended up purchasing some Persian wool choices from the Brown Sheep Company's Waverly Wool line in a light grey, cream, blue-grey and lime.

Two Squares in...So Far So Good!

I started off with the off-center pattern and went to work. Watch the video tutorial and you will see this couldn't be an easier project for anyone to pick up. I was quickly doing my basic cross-stitch square by square and in two short hours had my very first coaster ready for use. I love that it required only one basic stitch and one finishing stitch for the edging and that it incorporated both a tapestry needle and embroidery needle in the project.

I've since tested it out on my toughest critic, the hubs, and he gave an enthusiastic two thumbs up. He enjoyed that it wasn't flimsy, didn't stick to a sweaty beer glass and that the felt backing kept it from sliding across the table. He is even going to pick out some tapestry wool colors so I can make him one for his office. I know I'll want to make a complete set of six, so it looks like I've found something to keep myself busy these next few weeks, perhaps I'll even venture into primary colors!

~Miao Miao for now!

For the love of ... Holidays!

I know it's been a while, but I want you all to know that I am thinking of you and wishing everyone a very happy holiday season!


A huge thanks to Sherrod and her pretty in pink dog Suede for sending me this photo in the dog scarf I made. It always warms my heart to see my happy customers. LOVE THE TREE!

~miao, miao for now!

For the love of ... Art by Craft

B in the Storm

Last night was the opening for Denver Handmade Alliance's third annual Art by Craft exhibit. This year we were lucky enough to gain space at RedLine gallery.

Beth Wood's Literary Diorama

And as the saying goes, third time's the charm! I felt this year's submissions and venue worked harmoniously and kept with our organization's focus of having this annual event be a celebration of craft by elevating it in a fine arts setting.

Rebecca Peebles 'Migration'

Those of us on the A x C committee heavily edited entries this year so to truly highlight and showcase what our fabulous DHA members and local artists can really do. We had so many fantastic submissions and were able to showcase a wide variety of craft mediums: knitting, crocheting, collage, fabric art, gadgetry, paper sculptures, dollmaking, needle felting and re-purposed found objects. The result is a curated mix of sculpture, framed artwork, interactive displays and performance pieces.

sarah wallace scott - Your Birds

If you are sad to have missed the opening, you can still enjoy the closing celebration at the Art by Craft market which will be held in the same space on Sunday, October 9th. Come down to see the art and to shop from a great selection of local craft wares.

sandra fettingis - How it Ends

A huge thanks to all who attended this event. I had fun and I hope you did as well. The Art by Craft exhibit will be on display at RedLine through October 15th.

~miao, miao for now!

For the love of ... County Fairs!

Fairgrounds

The Mr. and I took in a little part of history as Denver opened its doors this past weekend to its very first County Fair. The Denver County Fair paid tribute to county fairs that have been going on for centuries, but with a modern twist and urban appeal. In its own words "It’s cool to be crafty. It’s hip to be homey. It’s stylish to grow your own. Dang straight!".

Top Hogs Show

Along with your typical funnel cake, pie eating contests, carnival rides and animal shows, there was also a focus on urban homesteading, backyard farming, sustainability, buying handmade and eating local. Crowds of all walks (and styles) in life showed up to celebrate Denver's creative community at large.

Spinning Demo

I was particularly happy to see that the Craft Pavilion was bustling both days I visited and that many of my fellow crafters were having a great time selling their fine wares. There was an impressive display of just about anything a person could want: cute dresses, jewelry and housewares to die for, craft kits and the like that just screamed 'Create Me!'. I hope those that went stopped by the Denver Handmade Alliance booth which had an impressive display of our member's goods for sale. I also enjoyed walking around to see the blue ribbon winning art, craft, fashion and food competitors showcases in each pavilion.

Crochet Competition Entry

While I have never been to an old fashioned county fair, I felt this one did an OK job at giving a nod to the past while looking ahead to the future of such events as well making a commentary about how Denver County has grown and changed since the 1800s. I have to admit there was room for improvement (hint: could we have had some samples of those award winning craft beers and gluten free baked goods please?), but overall it proved an enjoyable weekend and I am interested to see what's in store in coming years.

~miao, miao for now!

For the love of ... birthdays in NYC!

Ai Weiwei - Zodiac Heads

June is the B's birthday month and while I hate to celebrate my own birthday, it's always fantastic to share a birthday adventure with someone you love. This year we both were pining for some sophistication without sacrificing the fun, so we decided to head to NYC. What better place for us to visit? There is so much that caters to both of our interests, that it is always a welcome destination.

I have to say that our timing was perfect! The weather was not too hot or muggy, we were able to stay at the lovely Essex House on Central Park and I felt especially lucky as there was a huge variety of public art on display that I desperately wanted to go see. It was such a thrill to head out our first morning (albeit a bit hung over after a fabulous time hanging out with my best friend at Rye until the week hours) and stumble directly on the Ai Weiwei Zodiac Head Sculpture that had just been unveiled in May at Pulitzer Fountain. This was my first time seeing any of his work in person and it did not disappoint. There was such an intensity in this piece I couldn't keep my eyes off of it.

Karen Beck - Space Available

After a trek down to the Sunset Park neighborhood to see another wonderful friend and enjoy delicious Vietnamese Bahn Mi (thank you Michael!) on his rooftop, we ventured back to Manhattan to visit The High Line. I had been wanting to visit this since the first section opened up back in 2009 and now with the second phase completed and open to the public we had twice the beautiful urban greenery to enjoy.

The High Line

I immediately fell in love with this integrated landscape which to me was a sublime mix of wild constraint/civilized nature with cleverly integrated art installations that felt like part of the city's everyday environment. Needless to say we spent many hours strolling the tracks, eventually ending up at the Rainbow City inflatable outdoor exhibit from Friends with You. Such a cheerfully playful and upbeat thing to encounter, especially perfect as we happened to be in town just as NY passed its legislation for same sex marriage.

But I digress, the true reason for this trip for for me and the Mister to celebrate another year of his life and the adventures yet to come. We laughed and drank sippy cups full of whiskey at the Book of Mormon, stayed up all night in the city that never sleeps, ate far too much delicious food, hung our heads in shame as we watched the Rockies get trounced at Yankee Stadium, and caught up not only with much missed friends, but each other.

the handsome birthday boy

Such a lovely trip. Thanks to NYC and to B, happy birthday baby! Looking forward to many more.

~miao, miao for now!

For the love of ... Strawberries!

Our first berry in it's natural habitat

Since planting the vertical garden last month, things have been growing in quite nicely (save for the Salvias which didn't like being on their backs for two weeks). In fact, we have just started getting our very first strawberries of the year! Not having ever grown anything edible, this is a truly exciting development for me. I noticed that one of our berries had begun to ripen and kept my eye on it until it was just perfect for the picking (I'll be damned if I let a squirrel or bird get a taste before I do!).

So tasty!

Well, yesterday was the day! I picked it, washed it up and shared it with the Mister. It was delicious, slightly tart, but oh so lovely. I know it's a bit silly to have just one, but I felt so proud of my accomplishment. I guess I may have a green thumb after all? And just in time as our CSA has kicked in, so hopefully we can enjoy them in a salad sometime soon.

Now I have to try and be patient as the other ones ripen enough to enjoy. Fingers crossed!

In other events, I also have tried planting wildflowers from seeds in our back yard planter. So far, they're just tiny seedlings but it seems they are pretty happy in their new homes so perhaps we will have some lovely color soon.

~miao miao for now!