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A little late but here are my plant observations for June!
Lots of flowers!! Veggie garden is started! Replated roses! Farmers markets! What do June plants look like where you live?
These little light green plants popped up in our blueberry bushes all in a clump? What are they?
This weird fungus also appeared! Can anyone help us identify it?
It was a great month for plants! Love living this plant life!
Fabric storage is a problem in our house. We always seem to have more fabric than we know what to do with. Not a terrible problem! This One Monthly Goal for me is to find some good fabric storage options and declutter and organize. I'd like to have the majority of my fabric neatly put away by the end of July.
This is an especially important goals for me this month as I will be taking a big step back from sewing for the rest of the year. Even though I'm putting sewing on the back burner, I want to make sure that my resources are available to me if inspiration strikes .
Linking up with Elm Street Quilts this month, as usual!
You know when you sit down to start something at your desk, or you set out for your morning run, or you get ready to walk in to an event, or work, and you say to yourself internally "OKAY"?
Like, "okay, let's get started", like "okay, we're gonna do this", or "okay, let's get down to business". That's how I approached June. Maybe that's how I approach every month (day?). I knew June was gonna be a thing. I just didn't know what thing it would be.
Turns out, June was great, but hard. June helped me sit down and reassess what my goals are and what the rest of 2018 might look like. We did a lot of our regular things in June, too! We saw family and friends, watchercats, we saw a lot of bees this month!
1) Bees, 2) Bees, 3) Bees... 4) and a sea princess.
The month started out for me in a different state so we did get to travel some in June. We got to visit beaches, pine barrens, and hang out in our city.
1) The cutest #myfavoritetrucksofasburypark. 2) Funeral home #watchercat. 3) Gazing. 4) and Yawning.
Since high season is here, June saw us working a lot! But we made time to tend the garden, have our first (and hopefully last) yard sale, and do household things, although never as much as we would like.
1) All the great signage. 2) Pink in Point Pleasant in NJ. 3) We replanted this rose and it had one big bloom. 4) Weekly challenge #1!
June was hard, but I feel it set me up for some great things to come. I have a lot planned for July, so let's get started, okay?
Last week I found myself in Cleveland Ohio and decided to visit the Greater Cleveland Aquarium.
This is a really sweet little aquarium on the West Side of the Cuyahaga River. It's under ground, housed in the lower levels of the FirstEnergy Powerhouse Building which was built in 1892. It's a gorgeous brick building and being right at the edge of the river makes one feel that they are going deep under the water.
This aquarium is pretty kid friendly, with touch tanks and little activities to do throughout. It is a little pricey to get in at $20 for adults. I understand that these attractions need money to survive as well as our support. But I often wish they could find a way to be more accessible as well.
By far the main attraction and the big finish for this aquarium is the shark tunnel! This is a really neat feature towards the end of the space and it's worth the price of admission!!
I found Cleveland to be an extremely nice and interesting place to visit and this aquarium was no exception. I would definitely recommend checking it out if you are in the area!
Has anyone else visited the Greater Cleveland Aquarium?
For the first months of the year I had the same One Monthly Goal and I still haven't completed it. I thought about keeping with it this month, but I thought I would take a break and make a goal that would, hopefully be easier to accomplish.
Last month part of my hiatus from this blog was also a break from the Mad Cat Quilts Block Of the Month in May. For June I want to get back into it so I'm making creating two MCQBOM blocks my June OMG.
So far, in 2018, I still haven't completed any OMG Goals:
Jan - Finish one small quilt - Not Finished
Feb - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Mar - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Apr - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
May - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Jun - 2 MCQBOM Blocks -
I'm linking up with Elm Street Quilts today.
May went by in a blur. I took an unexpected hiatus from the blog, saw so many friends and family, made new friends, found watchercats, worked on the house, took long walks, explored places new and old, worked hard, but had tome to rest, too. June started off in a new place and with a celebration. What will happen next?
Who else has a morning walk routine? I hope you all enjoy seeing one of my beach walks. If so, please subscribe to my channel. comment, or give a thumbs up!
Where is your favorite place to walk?
It might be an unofficial goal for 2018 (and every year) but I would love to get more tattoos this year. Actually, I think about my next tattoos constantly. Does everyone feel like this?
In honor of my future tattoos, I thought I would take a look back at my current tattoos. I hope I can remember in what order I got them!
Getting your first tattoo is so odd bc you have no idea what to expect!! It did not go as I was thinking but one thing was for sure, I loved it! This tattoo was not at all how I expected it to come out. I had had ideas of what it would look like, but it working with another person on art is always a surprise! My artist was Ryoko and she was working at Brooklyn Tattoo at the time.
I always get asked if I intend to put color on my tattoos, but I do not! I love my thin black and grey line work. I hope that all my tattoos are semmetrical, so this tattoo is on my left forearm, and I have another one of the opposite arm.
What is the story behind your tattoos?
I have been running low on inspiration for my Mad Cat Quilts Block Of The Month, so I thought it was time a group photo.
I'm not sure what the final layout will be and every time I see them all together, I'm more confused! It's nice to see them all in one pace, though.
Linking up with Monday Making, Move it Forward Monday, and more around the web!
What, you don't have a shelf full of droids?
Spring marks one year that I have done a capsule wardrobe. Now I'm able to compare my first spring capsule with this year's. There are a few of the same items from that capsule that made it into the latest one! Both have my signature colors of denim, grey, black, and some white. Both are colorful, far more than my Winter Capsule.
My previous Spring Capsule had mostly cool colors, but the new capsule has more warm jewel tones but with teals, and browns.
My first capsule was far more casual, in the newest one, I consciously tried to be more dressy and formal. I feel more more in tune with a personal style since I have been using the CW method! That was one of my goals, and I'm glad it's working!
With this spring, I also have been a little looser with the "rules" of this capsule. I have never followed the stricter rules that some people use, but this time around I feel like I haven't even completed this capsule and we are already one month in.
My first Spring, I was very rigid on purpose. I wanted to make sure I was trying this process whole heartedly. Now I feel so much more comfortable with capsules, I feel ok to play around with this one more.
Since my first attempt, I've been introducing more and more slow fashion into my capsules. This latest one has the most ever, and I've almost completely stopped buying fast fashion! Even if I tempted, I try and seek out a sustainable alternative. I also care much more about what my clothes are made of. Sure, I always knew cotton felt great, but now I look for wool, cashmere, silk, and linen, too!
How long have you been keeping a capsule wardrobe? Does yours change much season to season? What have you learned?
Yep, you guessed it. This month I'll still be trying to finish this scrappy little quilt.
So far, in 2018, I still haven't completed any OMG Goals:
Jan - Finish one small quilt - Not Finished
Feb - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Mar - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
Apr - Finish scrappy quilt - Not Finished
May - Finish scrappy quilt -
Linking up with Elm Street Quilts and around the web.
April was all about flowering trees, the weather getting warmer, the anticipation of Spring and Summer. But let's face it, April was all about cats.
I got to meet a magical space lady, 'Lil Bub!
We saw so many #watchercats!
We hung out at home with all our cats, which is always a priority for us.
Work out of the house was busy this month and not too much sewing got done. I'm far behind in many projects, but it felt like a very productive month.
So many plans were completed in April! May is shaping up to be a whirl wind, so let's get going!
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While making the last Mad Cat Quilts Block Of the Month, I had scraps and extra time, and threw this block together right after.
I can't wait to do a group photo of this bom! I've been super happy with the way these blocks have come together.
Linking up around the web today.
Finally!! Flowers in my plant update!! This update is all about flowers, in fact. From the beginning of the month, with snow covered buds, to the end of the month when many trees and flowers are in full bloom, here are some pretty plant observations.
Can anyone tell me what these flowers are?
This crocus was hanging on for dear life.
Finally the magnolias are blooming.
Same tree...
...different day.
This apartment/tree set up always reminds me of Nola.
Yessssss.
What's blooming in your neck of the woods?
When I was younger thrifting was one of my favorite activities. I never stopped thrifting but I did slow down quite a bit. But recently, I've caught the bug again.
Now that I only buy second hand clothes, I find myself stopping by the local thrift shops quite often. I also keep an eye out for rummage sales, yard sales, etc... I still try not to buy too much, but sometimes I find treasures I can't resist.
I try to have a mental list of what items I'm looking for; I love to get shoes, clothing with great fabrics, lovely homewares, vintage toys, and more. But I try to only buy what I need and will use. What do you look for when thrifting?
It's that wonderful time that comes around every so often! I have filled my bullet journal and its time to set up a new one!!
My favorite notebook to use is Fabriano notebook with grid paper. I've used a few of these, my last BuJo was a purple one and for my new journal I got one in blue. Bc I buy a new (bio friendly) notebook, I make sure to only use pens I already have. We have a seemingly endless supply of pens and markers. So the pen I'm using right now is just some sort of black in pen that has rattled around the house and the name brand has worn off.
I am on the hunt for a more zero waste/low impact solution to just buying a new notebook Perhaps I should start seeking them out at thrift shops or yard sales? Does anyone have any low impact solutions to notebook needs?
My last journal lasted from November until April. I'm excited to see how many months I get out of my new bullet journal!
A home improvement I'd love to do before next Winter is to install a wood stove for added heat and comfort. Some are very fancy, but I'm looking for something simple (1,2).
Did you know that Catitecture (architecture and interior design for cats) was a thing!?! The video at the end is a must watch.
Even huge corporations see that there are alternatives to plastic straws, and more people are asking for them. (this link contains a disturbing video link, please be aware).
Speaking of fires.
Here's a sneak peak of the furniture we picked up from my grandma's house this week. It was my dad's bedroom set growing up in the 50s and 60s, then my grandma use it in her bedroom for many years. Now it's ours.
You can see it got made our own, with toys and plants quickly taking up residency. Don't mind the roll of paper towels, they are still one bad anti-zero waste habit we have.
You would think it would be easy to find the time to make two blocks a month. But somehow I always feel like I'm behind with the Mad Cat Quilts BOM. This block was again inspired by Pat Sloan and her amazing free patterns.
This week some friends and I had an art salon of sorts. We gathered at a friend's house and all made art together! Interestingly enough, I wasn't the only one hand sewing! We plan to make our salon a regular thing! Everyone who came got work done and it was nice to chat, explore idea, and discuss our work!
Do you prefer to work alone, or make art around friends and family?
Linking up around the web!