the haystack needle

polaroids + japanese masking tape

I decided to make handmade flat cards with some of my weekend Polaroids and Japanese masking tape I was dying to put to use. I played around using the colorful, patterned tape (love the gingham print) to attach a Polaroid to Italian deckled paper that I had on hand. I basically made a tape frame around the photo, covering all the white edges of the Polaroid with the masking tape. Then I stamped a word or phrase that related to the image as the card greeting. (I actually found that mini alphabet set of stamps at Barnes & Noble of all places!) The cards were so easy to make!

 

Here are my japanese masking tape meets Polaroid cards. I brought them with me to the Martha Stewart show this morning (which was super fun — and Martha was looking fantastic in a pair of skinny jeans.) I managed to work a stoplight into a greeting — that might be my favorite. Dan loves "meet me for coffee."

 

 

Did you see me on TV? My friend Ellen and I scored prime seats so it's possible the camera caught me. I'm waiting for Dan to get home to watch it on Tivo and play "where's Jen?"

buttermilk pancakes

On Sunday morning, Dan and I headed into the city to try out the new brunch service at Tablespoon, an off-shoot of Spoon. You may remember me talking about Spoon before, because I'm obsessed with their delicious jams (and in fact their blueberry jam was our wedding favor.) With jam so good, I could only imagine what they'd do with pancakes. I'll tell you: light, fluffy, buttery goodness. Check out my brunch: buttermilk pancakes served with fresh blueberries, homemade blueberry syrup, and a dollop of fresh whipped cream. And how could I forget — crispy bacon (which needs no introduction since I rarely meet a piece of bacon that I don't devour.) The good news: I found out Tablespoon uses the same recipe for their brunch buttermilk pancakes as Spoon's buttermilk pancake mix sold online. What a treat!

I should mention too, that there were several tempting savory options on their brunch menu including Brook Trout + grits, breakfast pizza, and baked eggs (but I'd eaten enough baked eggs last week!).

And the space itself is so sweet and has a vintage charm. Each table is set with a mason jar filled with fresh market flowers. And I love the wallpaper. I put in a request to find out where the wallpaper's from. If you know where you can find this wallpaper, leave a comment and I'll add in the name here. The pattern is Garland wallpaper by Jonathan Adler.

  

 Check out Tablespoon's brunch if you're in the area!

  

Brunch is my favorite meal of the week, always.

polaroid fun

I just got a batch of Polaroid film in the mail. I spent the weekend playing with my camera, which is my new favorite thing to carry around in my ever-growing, always-heavy tote bag. Did you know Polaroid cameras don't do close-ups? I'm sure you did. I'm a bit slow and it took me a few really bad photos (and Dan) to realize what I was doing wrong. It's definitely super addictive playing with that camera, which could turn into an expensive hobby considering how much Polaroid film costs. But snapping a photo and waiting for the image to magically appear is about as satisfying as 5 minutes can get. And hey, I'm making my lattes at home now, so maybe I can transfer my former Starbucks fund to Polaroid. {photograph above by hooverdust}

I'd be a happy girl if I could take a Polaroid that looks like this: Here are a couple photos from a favorite, Peonies and Polaroids. And even better for us all, she sells her lovely, romantic prints online.

breathing space photograph

fragments of memory photograph

I'm heading into the city soon to be in the audience of the Martha Stewart Show. Look for me on TV! I do have posts scheduled to run today though. Check back in later, as I'll be sharing a craft I made to combine two recent obsessions — Polaroids and Japanese masking tape. I'm going to take it as my craft for the show (that's the theme for today.)  

MOO card tags

I'm helping a friend out with some details for her wedding, and I was searching around MOO for inspiration on ways to use their fantastic mini cards. My business cards are mini photo cards from MOO — and I couldn't love them more (or how $20 gets you 100 cards in a matter of days.) I figured there must be 101 uses for these completely custom photo cards. And so I stumbled upon this beauty of an idea: Tamar of Nest Decorating created photo card tags for gifts using MOO mini cards. Absolutely stunning, right? I love how she adds the beads as an extra detail on the tags. What a simply beautiful way to tag special gifts — or favors for a party (or wedding!).

And here's a peek at what you'll find in Tamar's pretty shop.

This fairy tale birdcage is so sweet! Something about the frame of the birdcage reminds me of these fabric scrap necklaces I've been drooling over, too.

{photographs by tamar}

mexican ceramics

I have a big ol' crush on these handpainted zig-zag ceramics from the Mexican collection of Emilia Ceramics. And this blue + white Las Olas lamp (the name means "the waves") is more affordable than I thought — which only makes me love it more.

I'd set this Olas Tibor in an entryway so its blue + white zig-zags get prime viewing. I'd likely stash stuff as I'm running in and out the door (a super spot to drop loose change when you walk in.) Throw a few fresh flowers in this classic Tibor, and you have a stunning vase. {thanks, Hilleary!}

we're moving

Announcement: Dan and I are moving at the end of May. Our journey won't be far — we're going to stay in Brooklyn. But moving in general strums up deep, intense feelings of panic in me. I'm an expert packer after years of producing home shoots where you have to unpack 50 boxes of props to then pack them all back up at the end of the day. (Can't say I miss that part of my old job.) But I did learn how to wield a tape gun, how to label boxes so you can find what you need, and I have two trusty box-cutters in my toolkit. Still no packing system alleviates the anxiety of looking at all of this stuff (that's multiplied in two years) and realizing it all must be packed and carried away. I am so excited to find a better space for us — we need a cheaper apartment with more space, and a dishwasher, please. (Know of anything available in Brooklyn for June 1st?) But the process of moving in this city is horrible — you can't look for a rental till a couple weeks before you want to move. I'm sad that we'll likely be leaving our sweet Fort Greene neighborhood. And I'm pretty sure that June 1st won't roll around without at least one good, hearty "I hate moving" cry. Any suggestions for avoiding this outcome would be greatly appreciated by me, and even more so, by the patient husband.

Since we have two months till the move, and it's too early to start apartment hunting, we're starting the de-clutter process now. The list has begun.

get ready to move list:

1. Put unwanted furniture (dining table + chairs and entertainment unit) on Craigslist and Apartment Therapy's Classifieds.
2. Pack up and ship our FLOR carpet tiles since we're starting fresh with a new rug (our tiles are trashed.) FLOR recycles their used tiles so they don't wind up in a landfill. How nice!
3. Pack a box a day of stuff I won't be using. Check, started, and have 6 boxes packed.
4. Start saving newspapers and shred bills and papers to re-use as packing materials.
5. Enlist friends for packing parties — bribe with homemade lattes from our espresso machine.
6. Recycle broken air-conditioner. You can't just put appliances out on the curb. Here's what to do with any cooling appliance containing Freon.
7. Host a stoop sale to get rid of lots of little stuff.
8. Start saving boxes — we might be able to score a bunch of boxes from friends who are moving the month before us. If we run out, here's a good list of places for cheap boxes.
9. Make a list of who we need to notify with our change of address.
10. List unwanted things on Freecycle that we can't unload any other way — so hopefully stuff gets another use before being thrown out. (Freecycle is another great source for moving boxes.)

Two favorite finds in the photos above: a journey journal plus fantastic letterpress list papers by Simplesong. I'll keep you posted how our move turns out!

crafter's block

On Tuesday, you may get to see me on TV! I'm going to be an audience member on the Martha Stewart Show, which will be focused on crafting that day. I'm super excited. Oddly enough, this is the first TV show I've ever seen live, even though I've lived in New York for 8+ years. (Thanks, Emily!) I've been lucky enough to meet Martha a couple times at a few press events, so I'm not nervous about seeing her. I'm nervous about her seeing my craft! Everyone in the audience must bring a craft to hold up at some point in the show. Holy pressure! So I'm experiencing a crafter's block. Do I make something inspired by the papercut works I've been drooling over? Do I attempt some creative handmade card? Do I just bring in something I've already crafted and blogged about and call it a day — I'm not sure Martha would approve. I have a couple ideas I'm going to try out and if I fall flat on my face, you may see me holding up this or this or this. Please, don't tell Martha.

On a random note, I heard the funniest thing come out of my mom's mouth recently relating to my ticket to Martha. After sharing that I'd be in the audience for the show, my mom stressed this important tip, "Jen, you must wear something kooky. Crafters look kooky so you should dress kooky, so you fit in." I'm not sure what to make of that, but I couldn't resist sharing. Mom, love you, but I'm not dressing kooky. And I'm not sure how kooky is defined but I'm pretty sure every crafter I've met has super cute style.

If I had a table like this one above, maybe I wouldn't have crafter's block. Instead I wind up crafting on my living room floor. This lovely photograph is by Alana K Davis, and she has a blog and papergoods shop you should for sure check out.