market day!

Hey local kids ... if you're thinking of hitting up the Farmers Market this weekend, be sure to stop by the first-ever Market Day indie arts and crafts show this Saturday. Market Day is a casual, monthly bazaar for art, vintage, found items and handmade goods.

I'll be there with my usual goods ... some hand-knit items and screen printed kids' t-shirts. Market Day is located in the 120 year old Market Building at 118 SE 4th Street. Hours are 9am-2pm. Click here for map. See you there! (Also, yes – I'm back and I survived Vegas ... more to come on that.)

the jacket

So, a few posts back I was gushing about the YYYs 'Zero' video and Karen O.'s studded leather jacket. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

Because it's been everywhere. Lucky for me, I have a black leather jacket that I think will work for a DIY version. So I've decided to go for it. But it's definitely going to take a long time.

Mine has a different design on the back than Karen O's, though – I couldn't put her initials on it. Although I guess KO could have stood for 'knock off. ' I didn't quite know how to start, so I looked to the mother of DIY. No, not Martha. The other mother. I'm talking about punk rock.

I'm going the slow and painful route ... best demonstrated here. Using nothing but an x-acto, needle nose pliers, and my fingers. I really think it's the only way that works.

I have to admit that I broke down and bought a Bedazzler after a few nights of finger torture, but the bad reviews are spot on – that thing sucks. (Cheap plastic, doesn't set the prongs correctly, your studs keep falling out... really not a fun experience.) So I returned it. Besides, the hardcore kids have done this by hand since, well, forever. Punks don't Bedazzle, I can assure you. So late at night, I sit on the floor with my Bad Religion playlist and work on the jacket.

Lots of punk jacket inspiration here. No pain, no gain. Get your leather, leather, leather, leather on. (also, happy birthday Dad!)

and off we go.

Yup, we're going back.

Travel mates include Erin and Trisha plus new pal Shannon. Representing Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri, respectively.

Last year brings back fond memories and inside jokes.

Hazzzaaaar.

Breakfast pizza.

Perez.

Zoltar.

Britney. (Okay, we didn't actually see her... but she was there.)

Beer pong and Guitar Hero.

Taco.

Gerbils.

Get ready, Vegas. Here we come. (See you next week.)

digits

Just in time for the 3-2 yesterday, we posted a challenge at the Creative Type that's all about numbers. Which is the perfect opportunity to record an infinite amount of random facts about your life as it is right now. (Yeah, 643 Twitter updates, 244 blog posts? Woah. I can't even tell you when I became that kind of girl. And I didn't even get into my Tumblr stats.) I dare you to play along – you have two weeks to make a page using lots of numbers and link it up here. Go forth.

Also, speaking of Twitter. I am currently taking CZ's microblogging class. It's basically perfect for me. I love to embrace the inner monologue. You scrapbook your Twitter updates. To describe it in 140 characters or less, it's genius.

I had always intended to do something with the 'good' ones (because it really is cool to read back over the past year and see what kind of random stuff I had posted) but sometimes it takes a little push from an pro to actually get me to put it down on paper. Stoked. (Okay, there, Aaron. You said I Twitter about blogging, but asked when I'd blog about Twitter, so here you go.)

today

the new ride.

So excited to get a new car after five years with the old one. Bo has a Civic hybrid so now we are officially a 100% hybrid family.

And I'm so not even worried about what my neighbors think of me by now. They already know we're weird. Had to get the jump shot; I have no shame.

I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it

Friday means time for a new Dare. I am in love what the other girls did with this one. Up today – Style: your signature thing ... a piece of jewelery/shirt/shoes/bag that completes you. Everyone has something and I bet a lot of people share mine. I started wearing Converse in high school. The days of metal (and okay, Nirvana and Pearl Jam.) All because of three boys named Blaine, Brian and Mark; one played drums and the other two played guitar. They introduced me to the best shoe in the world and I've worn them ever since. I still have my very first pair of (now) faded black hi-tops from high school that I drew all over (and I think there are stickers on them, too.) I even wore a blue pair of light blue All-Star lo-tops (and Bo wore black Vans old skools) for our wedding. For a very very long time, I have either worn Chucks or Vans (a very close second) every single day of my life.

Listening to this today...

If you haven't already, you can download the free NIN/JA EP here.

I sooo wish we were able to catch them on tour this summer, but it is just not going to work out. I'll be in Vegas during the Kansas City show, and the show in Chicago will only have NIN and not Jane's; we just saw NIN by themselves not long ago so it has to be both. Then they're playing Bonnaroo in TN like a week or two before I go to Nashville in June. Dang. I keep trying to win tickets on Twitter anyway. :)

ziggy stardust

Remember that second skein of yarn that I was talking about?

Handspun scarf no. 2 is done!

The last one was Iron Maiden, so naturally this is Ziggy Stardust.

This yarn was such a blast to work with; every few stitches brought in a new color.

This one turned out to be about 5" longer than my yellow/black one but I love that they're both nice and long. With loooong fringe.

So now what am I going to do? I am actually working on this completely crazy, semi-dangerous new project that I'll show you soon. I stayed up late last night getting it started and my fingers are about to fall off. Tonight's plans to see My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult have been squashed (they canceled) but I'm not sad, because I can just work on project crazy instead.

tulips and ... motocross.

Just a ton of photos, really...

Mother's Day weekend part 1: Tulip Time festival in Pella.

(Sometimes I think Lotus kisses the flowers instead of smelling them...)

The Dutchesses.

I love the dancing and singing. All in Dutch, and it's a family affair. Even the littlest kids participate.

This song was so sweet ... the kids sit on their dad's feet (under the 'windmill') and then the boys come and grab the girls' hands and then they run away together.




The Dutch letters were delicious.

The tulips were perfect and so bright and it's cool to see all of the varieties.

Lo and I wore matching Vans. Ha.

It was pretty much a perfect day to spend outside, and the perfect Mother's Day activity.

Part 2: We found out that there was going to be a freestyle motocross demo at Val Air (as part of the Disturbed show that night) so we headed over to check it out. Not the concert, just the motocross. Because Lo was with us.



Riders were Tommy Clowers, Myles Richmond and Destin Cantrell. They were doing crazy tricks and back flips. And probably nearly causing accidents for the cars passing by since the ramp was in the parking lot, right on Ashworth. Super fun to see, though. Hope you had a great weekend!