Lara

+ & –

by Lara on April 24, 2012

in + & -

  • Today is my bff Jen’s 33rd b-day! Happy Birthday Jen! I miss you!!!

  • Friends and great food! Sunday after the craft show, Carly and I went out to eat. We had no idea where to go and suddenly picked Arcadia just walking past it. Crab cakes and Bellinis for brunch? Hell yes! Then on Monday my friends Meg, Sarah, Jess and I went to Secco Wine Bar for “flight night” where you can let the bartender pick 3 wines. We also ordered a ridiculous amount of small plates and shared it all. It was wonderful!

  • Working on the new painting was great. I liked having a project to keep me busy and off the internets a bit. Since the sections were so large, it went pretty fast. This is how I paint – on my bed, canvas in my lap, flipping it around as needed, hunched over with my favorite teeny angled brush:

  • I made my own pesto for the first time. Spinach, basil, walnuts, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parmesan, S&P – all in the food processor. It was delicious and made a ton. I put most of it in an ice cube tray in the freezer then a bag for single servings!

  • I had never watched Mad Men but some of my fave ladies are into it so mom and I watched all 4 seasons on Netflix like mad women and I’m all caught up and watching new episodes on Sunday. Mom says I’m a total Joan but I really like Peggy. They’ve both been kicking so much ass this season!

  • I’ve been hitting up the Marshall’s near my parents’ house about 3 times a week lately. It’s ridiculous but I’ve started Christmas shopping! I also picked this dress up for myself yesterday! $20!

  • This isn’t really a negative but, I’ve been weaning myself off my anti-anxiety meds (generic Celexa) for the past week or so. I wrote about my anxiety in January. Four months ago, I said that I never wanted to get off of them but I was definitely going to have to be off for at least 6 months before thinking about getting pregnant. No, no babies in the immediate future… yet! It just felt like a good time to see where I was without it. I’m not experiencing any withdrawal side effects, but there are many I could feel. I went from 20mg a day to 10 for a week and now 5 this week. So, here’s to hoping things have regulated in my brain!

{ 15 comments }

prints

by Lara on April 22, 2012

in art,decor

I never thought I’d like a grouping of small framed prints, always thinking they looked cluttered, so I leaned more towards single large pieces on a wall. Well, I’ve bought 3 prints since November last year. They just spoke to me – were instant decisions where I purchased them immediately, no debate. I finally got them all framed and hanged in the hallway, above the catchall cabinet when you walk in the apartment. The wall is really long though and I think over time, I may just fill it!

David showed me this website on Friday. It’s called RedBubble and it is epic! They have prints of EVERYTHING for really cheap… as well as iPhone cases, cards, stickers, t-shirts, etc. Anything you could think of, just do a search and dig for an hour.

I have barely scratched the surface but here are a few that have caught my eye and I will probably get soon!

Energy! by Grafixcat

incredible macro shots by Sharon Johnstone

Sibling Rivalry by Helena Babic

Barbara Ingersoll’s rust shots are gorgeous

Baby Deer – Lara Allport

Age of Loneliness – Swin

Octopus Man – Lloyd Harvey

love these doll prints 1 2 3

What do you have on your walls?

{ 4 comments }

new painting

by Lara on April 21, 2012

in art,crafty,decor

On Saturday the 14th, I went to Ben Franklin and bought a 30″ x 40″ canvas on sale for $28.

On Saturday the 21st, I finished my 3rd and last geometric painting! This one is going over the sofa.

Here’s the original inspiration. The proportions are different than the canvas I purchased so there was a lot of stretching and improvising. I also used some different colors and mine will be going horizontally. Whatevs.

Stephen Ormandy

Here are some super craptastic progress pics:

Day 1 – got out a ruler and pencil, mapped it all out and started painting.

Day 5

Day 6 – the 3 white sections are done too but you can’t tell – leaving 4 more to go!!!

ALL DONE!!!!

I don’t tape off sections. It’s all freehand with a 1/4″ angled shader brush. I also used the same assortment of paints I’ve used for the other geometric paintings so they’ll coordinate with certain colors. Other paintings here, here and here. That makes 5 pieces in my place that I did for less that $100 total! Yay!

I hate mixing my own colors. They usually dry up by the time I need to do a touch-up, but I did mix a few for this one.

Paints are all acrylics – my 12 year old expensive Liquitex from design classes, cheapo craft paints (require multiple coats and drive me mad- Delta Ceramcoat is the best), and those small enamel paint pots that come in strips (great coverage but only for small areas unless you have multiples).

So that’s that! $28 and the paint I had lying around!

Here’s a post I did a while about with tips on doing your own!

{ 3 comments }

craft show

by Lara on April 17, 2012

in crafty

It’s been a super long time since I’ve been to a craft show. My mom and her friend used to make fancy wreaths and sell them at various shows at schools, dragging me along when I was younger. My mom also made a lot of little things like quilted chicken shaped baskets to keep your dinner rolls in (???) and cat pillows (!!!) and sold them at local shops back in the day. Crafting and sewing have always surrounded me but I haven’t gone to a big show since my mom got so sick that she couldn’t come along too.

The Richmond Craft Mafia throws the Spring Bada-Bing show (and a Christmas one) every year and this past Sunday Carly and I went. It was my first time going and I’m so ashamed I haven’t supported this event in the past. It was awesome! It was like an etsy explosion… not your grandma’s craft show for sure.

The venue (Plant Zero) is full of artists’ studios, a cafe and a gigantic space that was perfect.

Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my camera but I grabbed a ton of vendors’ cards so I’ll highlight some of my faves here.

First off, when I saw this table, I gasped.

Thanks for the pic Carly!

I have been wanting one of Robin’s figurines for years. She disappeared on etsy for a while so there was no hesitation in grabbing a piece. (Mine is the blue bird baby planter, already in my hallway.)

The Runny Bunny

Fisticuffs Leather

No two bracelets are alike – all made from repurposed leather. This is the one I got, made from a Fossil bag-

metamorphosis metals

Monkey Dog Studio

The New Woodsman

etsy shop

Hand cast resin & pigment antlers

Modern Atelier

SO many scents! Singular notes like Demeter too, last longer!

Cephalopod Ink Ceramics

Mood Swing Studio

Milk and Honey

she does custom work as well

Articipe

She will do a custom print of a fave family recipe!

Zouzou’s Basement

Lazymuse

inedible jewelry

There were sooo many great vendors. I didn’t get cards for everyone and I know I’m forgetting some more great things. Carly got this pic of the awesome terrariums.

Everyone was incredibly nice and friendly! I also met a reader of my blog, which totally made my day! Hi R! :D

Did you go to the show? What did you get?

{ 11 comments }

action cats

by Lara on April 16, 2012

in geek

Here are some weird and wonderful cats!
click for more action cats 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14 – 15 – 16 – 17 – 18 – 19

{ 4 comments }

neat nail things for cheap

by Lara on April 13, 2012

in beauty

So, I’ve been going a lil nuts on eBay lately for cheap nail crap from China. Most things are $1 and free shipping! Whoa big spender over here!

This is the saved eBay search I always go to. Nail stuff, lowest price first and buy-it-now option. No sense in bidding.

Sometimes shipping from China is lightning fast and other times, it takes weeks.

dimensional rubbery roses to glue to your nails via

more cute lil dimensional flowers via

flat back pearl and rhinestone wheels (2mm is the size I use but there are others available) There are also star shapes, hearts, flowers, etc. via

there are SO many nail stickers! These are listed as “3-D nail art stickers” since they’re a lil puffy and dimensional.

fimo fruit slices – a few of one type of fruit at Sally will set you back about $5. You can get uncut fimo rods also. You cut them yourself with an x-acto knife. No thanks. There are tons of different fimo slices.

striping tape to leave on as is or to paint over and remove  via

dried flowers

steel balls for a studded effect or a “caviar” mani

There’s also a ton of water decals (like temp tattoos), big plastic bows and flowers with rhinestone centers, lil ceramic flowers, nail art pens… just so much stuff.

DON’T FORGET YOUR NAIL GLUE AND TWEEZERS!

{ 6 comments }

my place

by Lara on April 12, 2012

in decor

Yesterday, I took a bath and Ringo sat in the hallway and watched me the whole time. What a creeper.

I posted this pic on Twitter and then got in a convo with a friend about my place so I frantically tidied up and took a bunch of pics and dug up some old ones. I thought maybe you’d like to see crappy phone pics of my place too!

Here’s the view from my tub into the hallway. The hallway goes almost the length of the place to left.

 We live in an old Victorian house that’s been converted into 5 apartments. There’s radiator heat and high ceilings. I love the claw foot tub! There’s a linen closet and the kitchen pantry in that space on the front left.

We hung one of those Ikea lights from the ceiling and redid the floors in here as well. Oh, and I’ve painted soooo much in this place, even the tub. It was blue.

Here’s the eat-in kitchen. For how big it is, I only have about 1′ of counter space to work on. That rod is for propping the window up. Ha!

Two years ago, we redid the kitchen floors with some cheap peel and stick tiles. Here’s the post about that.

You’ve probably seen the bedroom most of all in my other pics.

The living room – next big thing to get is a new sofa. There was a huge plant on that elephant stand but Ulti killed it.

There are doors to the living room and bedroom from the hallway but also one connecting so, when we’re doing our own thing, we can still talk to one another.

We also have the most stupid tiny closets in the world. I have the one in the living room and D has the bedroom one.

So that’s mah place!

{ 10 comments }

+ & –

by Lara on April 9, 2012

in + & -

  • Heyooo! Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. Mine was peaceful. We went to Easter on Parade on Monument Ave. It’s a block away and it’s a carnival setting on the median. Everyone walking around for blocks both ways with their dressed up dogs and Easter bonnets are the parade. I had an Italian sausage and soft serve with sprinkles and saw a purple poodle.

  • So, David wants to go skydiving on his 30th birthday in May, which means I will be skydiving in May! I’ve never even been on a plane before (I know, I know)… and now I’ll be jumping out of one. We’re going tandem with pros so yeah. I’m not even scared… yet.
  • My city is hosting the G40 Art Summit this year, which means we’re getting 15 gigantic murals painted on the sides of buildings all over town, near my neighborhood. Sweet.

  • I’m getting the itch to do another painting for the apartment. This is my copycat idea:

It took forever to source this image and the artist but I finally found out it’s Stephen Ormandy – from Vogue Living Australia via

Here’s a better pic I found:

 

  • I reorganized my shoes, got a rack out of my closet, added it to the hallway and put all my boots away for Summer. D has the last rack and an extra shelf. This is getting ridiculous.

 

 

  • We tried rearranging the furniture in the bedroom and it was impossible with what we have to work with. If we can get a singular long dresser, it can happen. Do we need one? No. Do I want one? Yes.

{ 10 comments }

Easter mani

by Lara on April 5, 2012

in beauty

Here’s a Springtime mani for you!

I tried one with painted bunnies and grass and well… it looked like crap. It also got ruined that same night. So here’s a simple skittle and stamped argyle pattern. My thumbs are orange.

Happy Easter everyone!

{ 4 comments }

crustless coconut pie

by Lara on April 4, 2012

in crafty

This is THE easiest coconut pie recipe in the world. Plus, it makes 2 so you can gobble them both down or give one away!

photo via

You need:

2 9″ pie pans – greased and floured (spray or rub with butter & lightly dust with flour, tapping out excess)

4 eggs

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup self-rising flour

2 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 stick butter/margarine melted

7 ounces flaked coconut

 

Beat this all together (or mix with a spoon!) and pour into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Let cool (or eat warm, omg!) and put in the fridge.

There’s no crust. No fuss. It’s custardy and delicious!

 

{ 6 comments }

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