Emily August

Its not often that you get a genuine look of content from Ruby. Usually she is piercing you with her yellow eyes, sending signals of brainwaves that read, “Give me a treat. Give me a treat. Leave me alone, but give me a treat.” Often there is a significant amount of showmanship, posing, and cat-calling involved, but the message is always the same.

However, I seem to have found the one thing to satiate our tiny jaguar:

the kitty ego.

Paws down, our favorite purchase on ETSY so far has been this handmade crochet name doily by crochetingbyrose.etsy.com. Approximately $15 plus shipping, and super fast turnaround time mean that you might consider one as a Mother’s Day gift! According to the blog, Rose is a retiree who has been crocheting since she was about 8-years-old.

I can think of about one million doilies that I want to order from Rose, both ironic and iconic in nature.

label on the basket reads: ruby’s basket

What would you want on your doily?

Had a great time last night with Allison after a long day: cabernet and chianti at a bar on Sullivan, followed by midnight cupcakes at Magnolia, and a salute to Marc Jacobs surplus (pictured here).

Also, check out Rory’s recent ITP blog posts, including:

He will be done with his degree really soon! He’s building lots of little musical robots for his final thesis, and getting groups of friends together to help him in the final throes of semester-end crunch time. Hence, robot knitting circle. I think the little robots are amazing, but I have always had a thing for robots.

Tyler from Chauchat sent me the band’s new CD on yer bird records, and a super old split he recorded with Birdie Hilltop, after I wrote to him and told him that I lost it. The split CD has one of the most amazing songs I have ever heard, and I was devastated after recently sorting through all of my CDs to find that it was gone. I’m so glad he slipped it in the mail! I am also working on putting on a show somewhere in Jersey City with Tyler and Ryan Doyle, but its just a loose plan at this point. And of course, all things are related in some way: Chauchat is part of a 4-way split cassette release coming out on Unread Records that my band mate Kevin is also on. Kevin’s been busy recording a new album, and he’s getting ready to move away, so we haven’t hung out at all.

But if he’s reading this, you left your sweater here.

photo via Leah’s flickr.

Just a quick note to point out Leah’s comment linking me to her post: Hyena In Petticoats: Cathedral Window Quilt Tutorial. I am still enamored with this design, and the tutorial sounds like the quilt might actually be easy for me to do. I wonder if I’m putting my foot in my mouth on that one.

Thanks, Leah! Be sure to check out Hyena in Petticoats for more great stuff.

Make it Yourself: sewing and knitting hobby book. Picked up at the Salvation Army in Jersey City this weekend along with a book my drawing teacher told me to buy last year, some really cute dresses, and a bright red polyester swing coat that is destined for my etsy shop, since its a tad too big on me. I don’t have time to photograph these, but I’ll get to it this weekend.

Since I have literally given up on my car, and put it in storage, and since I’ve started relying solely on public transportation, I have felt kind of limited in the thrifting sector. Used to be I could pull up to a thrift store, load up my car with whatever I wanted and haul it home easily. Lately, I’ve felt thunderstruck at the prospect of carrying my purchases home in my hands, and in the process, I’ve all but abandoned my favorite past time.

The stupid thing is that I live about four minutes from New York City, which is vintage clothes Mecca if you’ve got the money.

Well, I am happy to report that it turns out the walk to the Salvation Army and back is only about two miles. Once I realized (remembered?) how close it is and now that I’ve experienced how easy it is to walk there, I have started feeling like the luckiest girl in the world again.

I can’t wait to go back, maybe this weekend.

Also, while I was shopping, I listened to the same song over and over. It was by the Doleful Lions, from a Parasol Records comp I got years ago and never listened to. It reminded me of listening to Indie Pop Radio nearly all day long in college. I’ve been feeling like I should sell my guitar pedals and get one like the one Kevin lent me years ago, because there is something about loving a certain sound that will help you write the songs you are hearing and humming.

We are also in the market for keyboards, particularly a Mini Korg or something of the same ilk. Totally missing the ease of the black and white keys. Its a bit easier for my brain to build scales linearly than on the neck of a guitar.

Oops! I almost forgot, thanks to my friend Tricia Royal, who has the most notoriously best blog ever, for linking my quilts post, and to all my lovely visitors for your comments and emails. I am really excited about patterns and lines. Keep sending me your links and ideas!

Ruby and I have had a thing for quilts for quite a while. Maybe its because we both like to sleep for long periods of time.

Wee Ruby, still a baby.

This lovely little piece of patchwork was something that I picked up a few years ago, when I was living near Red Bank, New Jersey. The quilt is handmade, and has traveled with me, every where I’ve lived since I bought it, though it is literally starting to fall apart because its been loved so much. The quilt is something that nearly everyone who walks into our home will ask about immediately. The palette fits so perfectly into our bedroom, and it looks like something I would have picked out and sewn myself, because it seems so personal to me.

Here is Ruby disregarding Rory’s personal space.

When I started dating Rory, and met his family, I found myself in the company of experienced quilters. His mom and her sisters created the gorgeous quilt below for Rory’s brother and sister-in-law when they got married, and I’ve since spent lots of time with them, chatting about fabrics and peeking through his aunt Joyce’s vintage fabric collection. (Both of his aunts are also librarians, and I can think of nothing better.) Needless to say, they’ve planted seeds of interest in my mind that have really started to take root.

Amber’s wedding quilt.

Up until now, I really haven’t felt like a quilt was something I could work on successfully. I used to sew “baby doll quilts” in third grade, by cutting squares from the rag bag and sewing them together by hand. They always turned out crazy-looking and lopsided, but I didn’t really care, so long as the quilt covered my sleeping, plastic children. Year before last, I got the book In Stitches by Amy Butler, which features all kinds of home-sewn decor that suits my taste. After reading through the book several times, I felt confident that I could design something I liked, and I’ve kept it in mind ever since.

It seems like this season, quilts have continued to weasel their way into my heart, and I’ve begun to notice my eye drawn to quilts posted on blogs and in design magazines that I read regularly. There are so many neat ways of creating a quilt, without heralding the hippie era, and I wanted to highlight a few of my very favorite examples of this traditional and practical art form.

Since we are without need of crib bedding at this point,
I think this would be a great wall hanging.

This amazing vintage hand stitch crib quilt was featured on Reference Library, a blog that makes me smile with nearly every post. I love the neutral creme color with pockets of bright fabric peeking out. The intricacy of the design is well defined, and I like the way the layering effect allows for the mix of patterns to feel pleasing to the eye, more so than if the squares of fabric were left untempered. I also happen to like the colors chosen for this piecing. Let’s call it Hipster with a twist of Country Living.

Touches of vintage green, and a darling red phone
play off this nuetral-friendly cover.

The next quilt is in the home of Zee from homebug. Zee lives in Ireland, which I happen to be visiting this summer, and so I was doubly interested to read her blog. Though not the focus of the post, I think this quilt helps pull the room together, along with what looks like a felted wool blanket in my favorite shade of green. I really love the neutral palette (again) as it is used here, under a pop of color, and the fact that the contrasting pattern in each piece allows the quilt to avoid falling into the category of pastels, which just aren’t my thing. I first saw this quilt featured on design sponge.

Gather up the fragments, let nothing be lost.

Another gem I found on design sponge was this amazing quilt in a post about Brooklyn designer, and part-time Parsons professor Paul Loebach. Though not “quilted” per say, the felted wool is striking and historically literary in tone. Who wouldn’t want to go to bed with an amazing bit of typography like this? This is also such a delicious shade of red, that its hard not to fall in love.

Tiny quilts are becoming a near-obsession for me.

Syko carries her quilting sentiments into a quirky scarf design.

Etsy seller syko also seems to adore a nuetral palette, pop of color (red, again, in this case), and a charmingly folky sentiment. She’s working on new top stitching patterns, like clouds, and words (dream, above). I fell in love with her 7 birds scarf, for the same reasons, and wouldn’t mind having a flock of these across my bed, or my neck.

Bright white and sassy, grassy green.

Now, here is a quilt that’s not quite finished, but still really inspiring. I first found Jodie’s blog via this super-cool sign post, and then happened upon her two-thirds of a green-and-white quilt. Again, its the pop of color that gets me. I simply adore the spots of green among crisp white, and I also love the boxy patterned stitching that she’s chosen for the finished look!

How proud would you be to own this haughty hen?

And, finally, check out this rooster quilt photographed in this set, by Melissa Sue Stanley at the 2008 International Quilt Festival in Rosemont IL. Found via craft zine, this is probably not what you would expect from a quilt, but how lovely are the colors? Red, white, and yellow are such powerful colors to use amid the dark, muted greens of the background. How fitting of a strong portrait like this.

So, have you noticed any amazing quilts lately? Are you feeling the pull of patchwork, like my beloved friend, Rachael? Have you ever attended a quilt show, or scored a sweet coverlet from your local thrift? Working on something now? Is it worth all of the pressing, and measuring, squaring and blocking, or do you think I am crazy for even contemplating?

These were taken inside the new home of some family friends. All original floors, and framework, and everything. Its enough to make your knees weak. I have a thing for old houses, especially those owned by persons for over fifty years and left intact as they were originally intended to be enjoyed.

Also, since watching Atonement on Friday night, I’ve got 30’s inspired wallpaper and fabrics on the brain.

New Hampshire and Vermont are lovely, by the way. So nice to be out of the city for awhile.

I can’t wait for these trees to sprout leaves.
Photos taken last weekend.

So far we’ve only got a smattering of flowers on our street.


This is one of those long-winding posts where the narrator takes stock of her life and comes to some conclusion that you may or may not feel is worth your time reading.

Quick note: Rory was on the Discovery Channel on Wednesday. You can only watch the clip in Canada. Or on Rory's laptop.

Thanks for continuing to read my blog, and I'd love to hear your own strategies and revelations in how to balance what you want to do versus what you need to do.

Thanks to Meg at Decor It Yourself on Threadbanger for featuring my stretched t-shirt panels on today’s episode! I am so honored! (PS: You have great hair!)

And thank you to my new friend, Miss Elly Zee for pointing this out to me through flickr.

Way to make a girl’s Tuesday.

So, I never got around to publicly posting any of the photos I took for the Willie Mae organization last month, and there is a reason for that. The campers signed media releases, but I can’t make the photos that I took open to public view because they belong to the organization to use at their discretion. I am sad about this, only because there were some awesome pictures that I took and would love to share with you all. This agreement is something that I discussed with the organizers of the event in advance of my signing on to come and take photos, so I am more than happy to comply.

One group of photos I can share, however, is that of the bands who came to the camp to perform. I suppose its something to do with the expectation of privacy; bands coming to perform on stage know that they are in the public eye. Good thing, too, because you should definitely check out these amazing (and young!) female-fronted bands. There is nothing more inspiring than watching a younger generation pick up the instruments you play and make something amazing from them. These kids are seriously good.

First up was Magnolia. During their set, the gals switched places, each playing songs on guitar or drums and singing. I loved their outfits, and they hung out all day with their friends, enjoying the camp and socializing. They seemed to be the youngest performers, but they handled the gig like pros.

Next up were the stylish duo known as Mod Rocket. I was taken by their fashion choices and really down to earth personalities. They aren’t usually a duo, but they told me that their bassist couldn’t be there because she was sick in the hospital with something. They weren’t even going to do their set, but I’m so glad they did. The singer has such a cool voice, and their songs just have a really great musicality with an alt-folk vibe. I bet we’ll see more of them in the future of Indie Rock.

Lastly, at the end of the day, we were all treated to a performance by Care Bears on Fire! They’ve been getting a lot of press lately, and they totally deserve it. They are so good! And that name! Unfortunately, one of their amps blew out, pushing back the performance by a good chunk of time, but by the time they were ready to rock, I was blown away. Their music is solid, and they have such a great attitude on stage. Totally entertaining and I wish these kids all the luck in the world for continued success in the media.

After the show I had to trek back to New Jersey and hop on a ride home to Rory’s house for Easter. I spent the next few days in a sort of afterglow from the event. The show was really inspiring, and just being around the campers all day long as they picked up on how to play different instruments was enough for Allison and I to start paying more attention to our own guitars at home.

For any ladies in the New York area who are interested, you can help the organization, either by volunteering or attending the fundraiser event Ladies Rock Camp. If I can scrounge up the money, I will definitely be there!

Also, be sure to check out the film Girls Rock! now playing in select locations across the U.S.

Related: All of my posts on girls rock!

Photo via last.fm.

This is happening in August, approximately one mile from my front door. I am seriously debating the purchase of the very expensive ticket, because maybe we’ll be able to hear everything from our rooftop. How upset will I be if it sells out, and I have to suffer from hearing the noise and amazement of the crowd, without being able to join them? Will I regret not being on the ground floor and grabbing amazing photographs? Should I try and find an organization that wants me to cover it for them?

I’m not one for crowds, but the bands I am most interested in seeing are:

Radiohead — Friday and Saturday
Underworld — Friday
The Go! Team — Friday
Girl Talk — Friday
Juana Molina * — Friday
Andrew Bird — Friday
Grizzly Bear * — Friday
Mates of State * — Friday
Animal Collective * — Saturday
Chromeo * –Saturday
Cat Power — Sunday
Neil Halstead — Sunday

(* And I’ve already seen them another time.)

It took a long time for us to find out that this was even happening in Liberty State Park. Certainly we hadn’t heard about it until after ticket sales were open online, and much of the event had been planned. I wonder how much press the show will get, and furthermore I wonder if we can rent out our couches to show-goers at an outrageous fee, since there are no good hotels in the area.

The only event we have attended in the park was going to see the simultaneous fireworks displays both in Jersey City and lower Manhattan this past fourth of July. The crowd was pretty intense, though the ride over by Hudson-Bergen Light Rail was quite easy (its just one stop over). Most of the walking comes from actually crossing the length of the park. If we could hop on a boat over to the end of the park, it would take all of three minutes to get here.

In fact, that is pretty much my neighborhood up above in the picture on the foreground of the left hand side of the photo. You can see the Statue of Liberty between buildings as you walk in certain areas of Downtown Jersey City, and its quite nice!

Now, is it worth $300 to attend the three-day festival? You can’t bring food or drinks, and its certainly going to be more crowded than on the fourth of July. I want to make a decision soon so that I’m not locked out of buying tickets if I decide to go for it!

I did a bit of embroidery last night while watching movies with my roommate and boyfriend. I traced a coaster three times to make a Venn Diagram of sorts, a circle to represent each of us. I used some thrifted embroidery floss, and a man’s cloth handkerchief purchased from a discount store around the corner. I am somehow going to put Ruby in the middle, and I’d like to embroider our names with other symbols showing each of our relationships. I plan to follow a book and try different types of embroidery stitches to create this as a sort of freehand sampler. It will take a long time, but its something nice to do with Allison while she’s knitting and we’re watching too much of Bravo and The Style Network after work during the week. Eventually I may sew this into a pillow cover.

I’ve been sick all week long, sharing a horrible cold with some coworkers and friends, so staying in is really the best thing possible for me right now. I did manage to go out on Thursday to an opening party for a vintage store in our neighborhood. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here, but I met a really cool neighbor across the street from me via Flickr, and we’ve been out hitting the town together a few times already. This is the magic of the Internet and real life: sometimes you meet the best people this way!

Got a lovely box of books in the mail from a long-time internet acquaintance. Roxanne at persephassa sent me:

Sylvia Plath The Collected Poems
Lawrence Ferlinghetti A Coney Island of the Mind
Leonard Cohen Selected Poems: 1956-1968
Arthur Rimbaud A Season in Hell and The Drunken Boat
Patti Smith Early Work 1970-1979
Dorothy Parker Enough Rope
Elizabeth Bishop The Complete Poems 1927-1979
Philip Levine They Feed They Lion and The Names of the Lost

and my favorite at first glance–
Louis Untermeyer This Singing World: An Anthology of Modern Poetry for Young People

I think I will most closely read Ferlinghetti, but I am excited about each of them. The Anthology is an eighth printing from 1928 and is full of interesting and bizarre illustrations. Thanks, Roxanne!

Ruby is obsessed with the box and papers from the package, likely because they smell like Roxanne’s darling cats.

So, yes folks. Rory is at it again. Check out this amazing little synthesizer you wear on your wrist. Its powered by solar panels, and has a headphone jack output. You control the sound with the little array of yellow buttons on the side.

Rory completed this project for class by sewing the strap from scrap fabric, using my sewing machine. I think he’s going to keep working on the design, but, as it stands, I think its really impressive that he came up with this concept and made it work.

Now we just need to start a band.

There was a funny request yesterday made on the BurdaStyle blog, where the team claimed to be looking for a delicious new blog column in the form of cookies and fun gum. It seemed so silly, and I knew it just had to be an April Fool’s joke, just like Google’s claim to allow you to start back-dating your email, or YouTube’s crazy scheme which pointed each link on their home page to Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up. I love April Fools web pranks, probably more than the average person, and I really wanted to participate. For instance, I had to ‘flag this as not a waffle’ on ETSY, just to get the extra giggles.

Meanwhile, I DO have a great cookie recipe that I would like to show you. These cookies, called Magic Cookies, are truly amazing. They are from an organic, vegan restaurant in Red Bank called Down To Earth, where Allison and I both used to work (years ago), and which has since shut down. I am not going to reprint the recipe here, because the authors have not given their permission to me, and because I think that if you are interested in it, you should support them by purchasing the book.

Working at Down to Earth was a second job I was working while maintaining another full-time job and finishing my last semester of college, and I have to say that maybe it was these cookies that made it all worth it.

The cookies have ingredients like coconut, shredded carrot, chocolate chunks, pecans, rolled oats, and coconut oil instead of butter. You can literally tell yourself its a perfectly healthy every day snack, if you want to stretch the truth a little. The fact is, these cookies are to die for. They melt in your mouth, and all the sugar and goodness quickly becomes an addiction you can’t break. The shredded carrot is sweet and chunks of coconut give them a hearty texture, while the chocolate (make sure you get really good chocolate) makes them a decidedly decadent treat.

People used to come in to Down To Earth just for these cookies, which were overly large and wrapped neatly in saran wrap on the counter. They always sold out, because they compelled you from the counter as you went to pay your check, “It wouldn’t be a visit to Down to Earth without Magic Cookies”. I used to buy them and sneak one in my purse on the way to see a movie at Clearview Cinema, or to have on my drive home to my parents’ house after working a shift at the counter in the restaurant.

The batch pictured above was made some time around Valentine’s Day this year. I made mine smaller than they used to be made in the restaurant, so the batch would last longer. Looking at them, now, I am feeling like I need to make them again very soon. If you are lucky enough to have one, try it with a good cup of fair trade coffee flavored with a splash of vanilla soy milk.

Cheers!

My boyfriend Rory has been working on some new little sound bots! I particularly love the videos he’s posted about them. I love his sense of humor, mixed with a simplistic construction. Its also nice to see these coming to life, as he’s been leaving prototype circuit boards and solar panels all over the apartment for months.

I always wanted to make autonomous instruments or sound generators and I’ve always been fascinated with making small, life-like creatures that can exist anywhere. So, in a couple hours as a test for me and as material to get feedback about, I built a small sound bot. — from his blog.