M is for Makeup

Two things.

1. I had two delicious yards of the “Maude the Yogi” fabric waiting for me in the mail when I got back from my Eastern-ly Journey. I didn't think that fabric could be funny, but man, that chicken sure does make me chuckle.

2. Do you know about the Tumblr “Your LL Bean Boyfriend?” I find it quite magnificent, and not just because of the bearded preppy men. My point for bringing it up is this: When asked if the dress she was wearing to an awards ceremony was in fact actually from LL Bean, Liz Price (the mastermind behind the blog) answered, “I’m big on themes.”

I, too, am big on themes. So, while this makeup case may have several commonalities to other things you have already seen this summer (here, here and even here), think of it as an overarching theme (like “Good and Evil” in To Kill a Mockingbird, or “Dependence on Men” in A Streetcar Named Desire.)

The case features some familiar fabric, but it also debuts a new treasure. In looking for a plastic material for the lining of this little guy, I stumbled upon some... ZEBRA PRINT... wait for it... VINYL. Yep, that's right. Zebra print vinyl. Which, of course, not only makes it water/makeup resistant on the inside, but also freaking fabulous.

Enjoy the pics.

Hey you! This is post #13! Halfway point! Which is to say that Alphabet Summer made it over the hump! Which is your favorite hump video between these two: Camel v. Unicorn ?

L is for Love

 What's more inspirational than love? Not a whole lot. Well, mmmm, probally (as my niece would say)... a trip to LOVE Park in Philadelphia.

The park's official name is JFK Plaza, but it is rarely referred to as anything but LOVE Park, after the installation of the Robert Indiana sculpture in 1976 for the Bicentennial. Although never a legal activity there, LOVE park became quite the Mecca for skateboarders in the 1990's until it was banned from the park in 2002. Check out this short podcast (99% Invisible, a.k.a my recent favorite podcast, episode 71, starting at minute 5) on the battle between city planners and skaters (featuring Kevin Bacon's dad, no less) for a great insight into why skaters get no LOVE in JFK Plaza.

Besides other important Philadelphia landmarks such as the gorgeous City Hall building and, even more noteworthy, the Quaker Mecca, the Friends Center, LOVE Park is the perfect central point for Philly tourism. Why, in the distance, at the far end of the flag lined JFK Parkway, you can even see a few Rocky aficionados running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art! (Note to self: Run steps for next Alphabet Summer!)

A little over five years ago, on a much colder sunny day, LOVE Park was a destination for pictures on my sister's wedding day. This time, with two little members added on to the clan, we headed back to the statue for some informal family portraits. And, big surprise here, I took the opportunity to play around with my photo editing skills!

And, a pair o' sisters:

Lotsa LOVE.

K is for Kite

kite, nounˈkīt:

A light frame covered with paper, cloth, or plastic, often provided with a stabilizing tail, and designed to be flown in the air at the end of a long string.

Behold, the visual story of how I went from zero to KITE in a matter of hours...

A special thanks to my kite making crew/family members on this one, especially my niece Stella. Go fly a kite, guys!

J is for Jewelry/Japan

It happened again. I went to get a necklace from my travel jewelry case (a.k.a coin purse) only to find the chain in a tangled mess, so entwined with his friend that it appeared they had melted together. While some may say that untangling a pair of knotted silver chains is meditational, I’d rather not spend forty-five minutes of every trip dealing with jewelry! Sheesh.

Solution:

You might remember that I’ve already discussed how I LOVE to make cases for things. LOVE it. So, my latest endeavor is this little jewelry case with fabric my mom got on a recent teaching trip to Japan. Such beautiful colors, designs and textures. The case can hang from the wall, and then roll up like a burrito. Inside, there’s a hook and pocket for necklaces (so they don't tangle!), and not one but TWO zipper pouches for earrings, rings, etc.

A little shout out to my dear friend Lorien. She makes, among other beautiful works of art, gorgeous jewelry. She made the bridesmaid's necklaces and earrings for my sister's wedding, and countless pairs of earrings, bracelets and necklaces that I (and others worldwide) still wear to this day, and will ALWAYS be found in my travel bag! And if you like the little pink earrings below, you should check out her stuff here, here, oh and here too.

Here's the little Japanese burrito case:

Machine appliqué in action.

Rubi was sort of interested in what I was doing.

Hanging out:

The other zipper pouch is hiding behind the first one!

Roll her on up!Now, if only I could use this for an actual TRIP TO JAPAN!

I is for Ice Cream

Number of bowls of ice cream eaten in my life: more than 1,000Number of years worked as a professional ice cream scooper: 4 Number of countries in which bowls of ice cream were eaten: more than 4, less than 20. Number of times made ice cream myself: 0

These statistics are skewed! It was time to change that big fat ZERO. I have happily admired, eaten and served ice cream for years without ever trying to make it myself. That's crazy. I don't know if any of you have ever tried to make ice cream, but I can now put myself among the elite. And I have two words to describe the experience: WOW, and YUM.

At home in Ann Arbor with my folks, we spent a lot of time this weekend watching Wimbledon and making things. I had found this recipe in the July Real Simple magazine, and was really excited to make my favorite ice cream flavor: Mint chip.

The ingredients are "real simple:"

2 bunches fresh mint

1 cup whole milk

1 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

6 large egg yolks

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

The mint leaves I found were definitely spearmint, and they reminded me of the tea we drank in Morocco, the kind that isn't really tea, it's just mint leaves and sugar.  The recipe called for two "bunches” and since who knows what THAT means, what I included could very well have been 4 bunches, or even 8! It was MINTY.

First step: The MINT.

What a beautiful bowl of mint!

Not quite as attractive after it takes a sauna with whole milk and heavy cream...

Second step: The CUSTARD.

It was at this point that I realized: Green ice cream can be naturally green in color! This was 100% natural green color.

This part was highly labor intensive. Thankfully, I had two sous chefs.

Third step: CHURN, baby CHURN.

Oh, this is the fun part... The Kitchenaid mixer doesn't have a lid so you can watch the show.

Fourth step: The CHOCOLATE. And a little nod to San Francisco!

Fifth step: The EATING.

Even Mabel enjoyed the mint...

Ooh my. If I had to give this ice cream a name, it would be Moroccan Mint Chip. You're transported to Marrakech with each bite. Exotic, calming, delicious.

And it will always remind me of tennis.

H is for Hands

What’s the first thing you think of when you think 4th of July?

No, not fireworks...

Not grilling...

It’s natural beauty products, duh! On the 4th of July here in Michigan, we had a discussion about this very topic. My mom and aunt were talking about how my grandma used to go to this place called Merle Norman because (pre-Clinique) they had the only hypoallergenic makeup around. Even nowadays, the search for makeup that doesn’t irritate our skin still endures, and we spend a lot of time talking about chemicals in what we use.

Not to get on a (natural, chemical-free) soap box or anything, but I was doing some fancy “internet research” about the topic, and I couldn’t get the image of us essentially rubbing lighter fluid all over our faces, arms and legs. Using natural products makes a lot of sense to me, really. When I stopped using a face cream with chemicals, I no longer felt a burning, tingling sensation every time I put it on. Now, I don’t know a lot about biology or chemistry, but that has got to be a good thing.

ANYWAY.

Back to the fun part! I have been longing to try this Creativebug homemade apothecary tutorial by Amy Karol from Angry Chicken for months. And in the intro to the lip balm section, Amy speaks my soap box-y mind. She says, “You use it next to your mouth, so you want to know what’s in it... because you’re kind of eating it.”

The ingredients are so simple, and so delicious: Cocoa butter, shea butter, sunflower oil, vitamin E, and an essential oil for scent. I used tangerine, and a bit of lavender for some of the hand creams. The mixture of the scents of shea butter, cocoa butter and tangerine is quite delightful! And, it is SUPER easy to buy empty lip balm tubes (I did not know that a week ago) and violà... Homemade lip balm.

So please enjoy the making of his "handy" little cream!

hyphen (a punctuation pause)

Happy Hump Day, everyone! The hyphen is a glorious punctuation mark, in my opinion, because it allows you to make up new words. Making up new words is towards the top of my list of "Favorite Things To Do: First Half of 2013," right after putting shredded parmesan cheese on everything but before eating pluots. Yesterday, I made up the word "granola-ness," if you will recall.

Anyway, here's a brief interlude by the lovable (and ageless) Maxi & Carmel. "H" is on it's way...

And if you want to truly appreciate the fog, and not complain about it... watch this video. (It's billed as the "Karl the Fog Sex Tape" on the Bold Italic. Just sayin'.)

G is for Granola

I’ll just start by saying that the adjective “granola” was a mystery to me. I had heard the words “crunchy” and “hippy” before, mostly to describe the Haight street dwellers (as well as Californians in general) but had never myself understood using granola to describe people. If you look up the definition of “granola” in the Urban Dictionary, you get the following humorously long-winded response:

“An adjective used to describe people who are environmentally aware (flower child, tree-hugger), open-minded, left-winged, socially aware and active, queer or queer-positive, anti-oppressive/discriminatory (racial, sexual, gender, class, age, etc.) with an organic and natural emphasis on living, who will usually refrain from consuming or using anything containing animals and animal by-products (for health and/or environmental reasons), as well as limit consumption of what he or she does consume, as granola people are usually concerned about wasting resources. Usually buy only fair-trade goods and refrain from buying from large corporations, as most exploit the environment as well as their workers, which goes against granola core values. This definition is sometimes confused with hippy.”

Oh my God, they just described most people I know. With the exception of the “animal and animal by-product” part, and since they also added the qualifier “usually,” (thanks for that, by the way, nobody’s perfect,) they also just described me!

I am [usually] granola!

Yes! And what better way to celebrate one’s granola-ness than a Granola Gathering in Golden Gate Park on Pride weekend in San Francisco. Boom.

You’ve heard of a wine “tasting” or a coffee “cupping.” Well, what we had was a granola “bowling.” Four bowls, four recipes*, four gals who like to gab.

*You’ll find links to all four recipes below, with comments describing each one, followed by some glorious photos.

1. Smitten Kitchen: Big Cluster Maple Granola (From the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman)

I have been making this recipe for months, and I cannot get enough. Her magic touch of an egg white creates chunky clusters if you let it cool completely. It's simple, yet the coconut and maple add a little pizzaz. The girls described it as a great “everyday” granola.

2. Iowa Girl Eats: Maple Almond Granola

Holy crap. This granola was hands down our favorite. The only thing I changed about this recipe was that I added a whipped egg white right before baking it, a là Deb Perelman. It worked like a charm. The girls decided this one “tasted like a bakery.” I think it was the vanilla and almond extract that gave it that flair. It tasted like heaven.

3. Emily Levenson: Peanut Butter + Honey Granola

I HAD to try a PB granola. And this one did not disappoint. I substituted flax seeds for the chia seeds, and the PB flavor was subtle and not overwhelming. Wendy said something like, “I don’t usually like peanut butter flavors, but this is delicious.”

4. Allrecipes: Ultimate Irresistible Granola

Molly brought this batch, and it was outright finger-lickin’ good. A chewier variation, it had all the elements of a classic, everyday granola: crunch, salt, and a little sweet. We all agreed we could eat this granola every day (and probably will.)

And so they don't kill me for ONLY including pictures of them eating:

So pretty. Oh! Don't forget the doggie bags! Hey you! Do you have a favorite granola recipe? I'd love to try it!

Also: Check out the 2010 "G" post here. One of my favorites from the OG Alphabet Summer.

F is for Fabric

“Hey, nice bag!” says kind stranger.

“Thanks!” says proud owner.

“Where did you buy it?”

“Oh, I made it...” proud maker says, blushing.

“Oh, no way! I really like the fabric! Where did you get it?”

Here's where I've always wanted to say,“Oh, yeah, I made this fabric." Well, wish granted!! I have, literally, CREATED MY OWN FABRIC! The exciting story about how this came to be is as follows.

So. When I was at Purl Soho (which is just straight up ridiculous, by the way, have  you been to that place?) back in February, I found this book which inspired the emotions on the right:

If you’re unfamiliar with Heather Ross, you are (like I was only a few months ago) living in a world of boring fabric designs.

Not only are her prints rich in color, but they incorporate original drawings and artwork that evoke happy nostalgia. I am particularly drawn to how she combines hand-drawn art and Photoshop... and ever since I discovered this book, I have been DYING to dive into this challenge:

And challenge it was: Several really ambitious artistic endeavors all wrapped into one.

First: Decide to draw the chicken.

Choosing my subject was actually a piece ‘o cake. Meet Maude.

I found this card in probably 2005 at 16 Hands when it was on Main Street in Ann Arbor. (Note: I have since tried to get more of them, but it doesn't seem they are making them anymore!) And, since Maude has made her way with me to all of my various homes, front and center on my wall, and she ALWAYS manages to make me chuckle... I decided it was time to pay homage to her and her foam yoga mat.

What is it about her that is so captivating? I mean, she not only asks us a good question around life and work ethic, but she also exudes personality. Something about the way her little plastic chicken legs angle in towards each other, or how one eyeball is just a tiny bit larger, or the fact that somehow her little plastic hip juts out to one side ever so slightly... Sass and angst all wrapped up into one plastic chicken.

Maude, you are my hero.

Second: Draw the chicken.

Wow. I guess I hadn’t drawn in a while. She’s not only complex in her emotions, but Maude is difficult to duplicate. Truly a rare bird.

Third: Photoshop the chicken.

So here’s where my fabulous Photoshop training came into use! I got down and dirty with the polygons, the command T function, the marquee tool, and I got up close and personal with Maude, pixel by pixel.

After some deliberation, I decided on a chevron pattern and tried to stick to the original color palette as much as possible, in order to honor the original card.

Here are some thrilling screen shots of the process:

Fourth: Print the chicken.

Do you know about Spoonflower? WOW. I have known about them for a little while now; I follow them on Instagram, and my friend Susannah has printed fabric with them before. But now, I truly am a believer. Essentially, you upload a JPEG file and they PRINT FABRIC WITH YOUR DESIGN ON IT. That’s it! So simple.

Here's the process (Captured in a mere three photos!)

And now... I await my yard of "Maude the Yogi" fabric! So exciting! What should I make with it? Leave me a comment below if you have an idea!

E is for Education

“Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in...”

Not like school is the same as being in the Corleone family or anything... but school’s out for the summer!? Not entirely! This week, I had the awesome pleasure of teaching a sewing camp called “Accessorize it!” ...and please don’t forget the exclamation mark.

All but one of my students (age 10, approximately) hadn’t used a sewing machine prior to showing up to class on Day 1. Fresh meat! And thanks to some generous friends and colleagues, we had a 1:1 ratio for machines. We spent the week cranking out all kinds of accessories: bracelets, drawstring pouches, pins, tote bags, infinity scarves, and even hair scrunchies (hello 90’s!).

To summarize:

The experience was educational for all parties. The students were eager and energetic, their final products were elegant, and their egos were elevated (ever so slightly) and I believe they have truly caught the sewing bug.

Yay! More little sewists for the world. But I'll tell you who also learned a thing or two... this guy. (Pointing to myself.)

Basic lessons learned:

1. Bring extra sewing machine needles. Within 20 minutes of the first class, two needles broke, and we were down to three machines. Rookie mistake!

2. Draw lines for students to sew along! Beginners (who are also ten-years-old) tend to veer off course.

3. When drawing said lines, DON’T use a turquoise Sharpie. Use a writing utensil that doesn’t bleed through!

More exciting lessons learned (or re-learned):

1. Sewing is FUN.

2. Watching a bobbin wind is AH-mazing. I had a crowd around me EVERY time we had to wind a bobbin. They were in complete and utter awe.

3. Sewing on a machine is a lot like driving. Therefore, when a person under the age of 16 is sewing... do NOT assume they understand the “your foot controls the show” idea.

4. Do not even bother to give advice to a ten-year-old about which colors look best together. They have their own ideas about that, and cannot be convinced otherwise.

5. Also, don’t bother telling a ten-year-old about what is/isn’t trendy. Making an infinity scarf is apparently a lot less fun than making a long piece of cloth that you can turn into a blindfold or use to whip your friend.

Now... "E"njoy a few pictures from class:

Hey you! Check out the "Blue Tool" here. This thing is MAGICAL for turning straps and threading drawstrings.

D is for Detroit

This activity is a DOOZY. It involves not one, not two, but three things I really like:

1. Making a case for something. 2. Machine applique (or “fancy patches” as I like to think of them) and... big surprise here... 3. Detroit baseball*.

(I promise to not mention baseball again for at least a few letters. See below.)

So here’s the story with the “D.”

Back in the day, I used to make little cloth cases for iPods (back when they didn’t look like iPhones...remember those things?). A few of you probably still have your aforementioned case, even though it's probably serving more as a dust protector than anything else at this point. But, man oh man, I used to love making those little guys. The whole touch screen fad really put me out of business. Poof! Just like that, I had nothing to make snug little cases for! Wahh. And so ensued a dark period.

Then, seven years later, when I was least expecting it, that dark, case-making-less era finally came to an end. Last week my sister told me about a special early birthday present she was getting for our mom, who had recently re-earned the “super” part of her Super-grandma title. Sweet crafting serendipity! It didn't take me long to decide what to do.

A kindle, you say? It’s essentially a GIANT iPOD!!

So I got to work. It was foggy and rainy out (can it be both? Cuz it was.) There was no shortage of coffee. I had a fancy loaner sewing machine and fabric from my trip to Purl Soho. There was a Tigers v. Red Socks game on. ‘Nuf said.

*Now, regarding the theme of the "fancy patch" on this case: I know I must across as some sort of obsessive fanatic. I mean, I already confessed my love AND mentioned it again in the "C" post. But I will say, in my defense, that the Detroit Tigers “D” is more of a tribute to the recipient than it is to my own tastes. It just so happens that we have the same taste when it comes to baseball. Okay?

Hey you! Did you notice I didn't actually HAVE the kindle? I'm sure my pretty awesome cardboard replica fooled you. It's up for grabs if anyone wants it. Let's just pray to the sewing Gods that the case fits on the real thing.

C is for Craft Party

Nothing screams “Wild Night” quite like a Craft Party, am I right?

Yes!

There are few things I look forward to more than a good old-fashioned crafternoon. I mean, can you blame me? Let’s talk about it for a second. You've got sassy conversation, healthy and unhealthy snacks, some kind of needle and thread, and (if you're lucky) at least three types of crafting adhesive. It’s pretty much the perfect way to spend an evening. (Okay, well maybe I’d like there to be a baseball game on the radio, but I can survive without that one.)

And last night’s Etsy Craft Party at the Creativebug HQ was no exception.

If you’re ever in the search for creative inspiration, I highly recommend that you check out Creativebug. They offer affordable online classes for everything your little heart fancies... from quilting to paper crafts to making lip balm. They not only have top quality videos, but they have coralled the crème de la crème of instructors... some of my ultimate crafting idols are teachers for Cbug; Melanie Falick, Radmegan, and of course, the woman who LITERALLY gave birth to Alphabet Summer, my very own mama, Sue. (When you do go to their site, you’ll see why it’s not just because of my mom that I love the site! But also watch her bio video... it features my Grandma Tiny, among other Alphabet family members!)

I was first introduced to Creativebug back in January when my mom was filming her classes here in San Francisco. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know some of the rock stars behind the scenes; Jeanne, Kelly, Courtney... who are not only inspirational artists in their own rites, but are proof of what amazingness can happen when truly good people put their creative minds together.

So last night I headed over to Potrero Hill with my new 50mm lens and my all-around-life-partner-in-crime, Molly. Paper art genius Courtney (Paper Musings) was leading an activity in making ATCs (which, it turns out, does NOT stand for Air Traffic Controllers, but Artist Trading Cards) and faster than you could say “black and white chevron washi tape,” we were crafting our night away!

Now, Molly and I are no strangers to being around Craft Royalty (back in March we attended Craftcation together, but more on that later), but we were, as usual, humbled by the openness and warmth of the Creativebuggers. And, in other serendipitous news, it just so happened that we were ATC-ing across the table from Ali and Emily from the Makerie, the creative retreat in Colorado that we had been swooning over for months. Ridiculous! It was a crazy night, that’s for sure.

Thanks for having us, Cbug! We are inspired.

Scroll down to enjoy the pictures of Courtney’s GORGEOUS studio design for last night’s party.

comma (a punctuation pause)

This punctuation pause is brought to you by the comma.

As I prepare for the letter "C," which will be up tomorrow, please enjoy this interlude starring the adorable amoebas (thanks Jessi!) Maxi and Carmel. All I can say about "C" is that it may or may not involve a CRAFT PARTY. Whaaaaaaaat?!

I know.

Also, please enjoy the definition of the comma below. Kind of perfect!

Noun

1. A punctuation mark (,) indicating a pause between parts of a sentence. It is also used to separate items in a list and to mark the place...
2. A minute interval or difference of pitch.

Source: Merriam Webster dictionary

M & C, take it away...

I feel like we are all a little bit Maxi, and a little bit Carmel.

A special thanks to Alice and Nick for the ideas in this one. You guys really know how to delve into the "square" mind:)

B is for Baseball

THANK GOD “B” is the second letter of the alphabet, because I have been dying to tell Baseball how I feel about him for some time now, and I am so relieved that I don’t have to wait any longer.

Baseball, I LOVE YOU. There.

ALERT: For those of you who, upon hearing the word “baseball,” feel the sudden urge to yawn, don’t skip this post! I have included this little visual treat to keep your eyes from glossing over.

So here’s a little background on the “B” activity.

Every year at my school, the seventh graders write essays that are based on the NPR series “This I Believe.” They are personal, honest, and often touching declarations that challenge the thirteen year old mind to dig deep; they examine themselves and their core values. It’s a REALLY GREAT EXERCISE. And every year, I promise those little sweethearts that I’ll write one of my own. And so the familiar scene played out again last month. Them asking, “so what did you write about, Ashley?” Me, dodging the question, “Hey, sooo ahhh what’s up with that Justin Bieber dude, anyway?” I simply cannot live with the guilt any longer.

So, below you will find my attempt at This-I-Believing it. Thanks to Jodi for the advice and edits. Even though it is still a work in progress, you all can thank her for improving upon the wretched, mind-barfy first draft.

Oh, and did I mention, we literally force them to read their essays out loud a là NPR? Therefore, everybody, I have taken this as an opportunity to practice what I preach. As I prepared this recording (found below), I realize now why some of them might burst into tears or run screaming to the bathroom. It’s HARD to read something personal out loud! But, Alphabet Summer is all about “trying new things,” and “stepping out of one’s comfort zone,” and all that...

If you want to listen (you may have to click on the m4a file link after the word "Download"):

[audio http://alphabetsummer.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/ibelieveinbaseball.m4a]

If you want to read:

I believe in baseball. The game of baseball. Baseball is numbers. It’s technique. It’s skill and luck, it’s human error and precise measurements. Baseball is humility. Baseball is pride. Baseball is a marathon and a sprint. Baseball is disappointment. Baseball is celebration. Baseball is life.

Echoing the ins and outs of the human existence, the game itself is a thing of beauty. Sometimes the shortstop is out in the dusty field, unsure about what’s coming his way, but knowing that the batter is looking to smash the ball over his head. And sometimes he’s up to bat, his sole responsibility is to get something going, all eyes waiting to see what he’ll do with the pitch thrown. Baseball can be so dog-gone slow, dragging on and on for hours into the middle of the night. Or, it can be fast. Double plays, grand slams, stolen bases... the course of the game changing depending on how the ball leaves the pitcher’s fingers.

Sometimes, players slump. They strike out every time they get to the plate. People talk about what’s going on with them and then they get all messed up in their head about it. Or whack... they finally hit the ball but it goes right into the shortstop's glove. But then... sometimes they get hot. On FIRE. Man, when it rains, it pours. A twelve game hitting streak, hitting it out of the park in consecutive games, or maybe they even bat through the cycle or win triple crowns.

Quite often, players get humbled. If the basic mechanics aren’t there, then the pitcher will never consistently throw that curve ball. They make mistakes, they watch the people around them make mistakes. They go on the disabled list. They pitch a shutout into the 8th inning, and the closer can’t seal the deal. They lose some.

But it’s all a part of something bigger. It’s you, it’s the pitcher, it’s the catcher’s throw to second, it’s the warm-up swings, it’s the signs from the third base coach. It’s the sacrifice squeeze, it’s the right fielder on the warning tracks, it’s the person who sews the number on the back of the uniforms, it’s their high school coaches. It’s the manager’s long walk out to the mound, it’s the high-five to the guy who got the sacrifice out, it’s the seventh inning stretch. It’s the sunflower seeds, it’s that punching gesture the home plate umpire makes on a called third strike, it’s the belly flop slide into home.

Turns out it’s not hard to pinpoint the things I love about baseball. A distraction, an obsession, a pastime, a tradition. The game can be magical, inspirational, heart-breaking. It’s perfectly imperfect. What more could you ask for in this life? This, I believe.

Hey you! Did you click on the "This I Believe" link up there? It's an essay that Jackie Robinson wrote in 1952. It's pretty cool.

A is for Amateur Animation

Ahhh! The letter A is such a high profile letter! I mean, it’s my letter. It’s ridiculous how much I adore that block letter A. And it's the FIRST letter! The Alpha of the whole summer. I have lists upon lists of amazing activities for the first letter. So many of my favorite things start with this letter. Artichokes. Avocado. Apple Pie. Arizmendi. Ann Arbor. I mean, just look at my house:

I mean, really.

And there are two more that aren't even pictured.

But back to the blog.

Okay, here’s the story of this year's letter A activity:

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to participate in the Photoshop training course, Blogshop, here in San Francisco. Ever since then, I have become a Photoshop junkie. More specifically, I have gone cuckoo for the animated GIF. I do not exaggerate. I made my friends suffer through a photo session involving a five person rotation (with props) on my loveseat to create my first GIF. I documented a school project by creating a GIF for each of the groups (there were 22), and then placing them in a 3 by 7 grid (check out my page on the wiki if you’re a Friends schooler!) and it was...awesome. Potentially migraine-inducing, but awesome just the same. And yet, I still haven’t satisfied my ravenous hunger for animation.

Enter Alphabet Summer.

Back when Alphabet Summer was just a twinkle in my little Valencian eye, my “Save Tuesdays” crew in Spain used to craft it up HARD CORE. Once, we even rented a giant apartment in Denia and spent THE ENTIRE WEEKEND CRAFTING. It was wild. It was there, somewhere between a stop-motion animation session and a hair dyeing extravaganza, that my little blob friends Maxi and Carmel were born.

Occasionally a way to illustrate internal turmoil, and mostly just because they’re so fun to draw, they became my favorite two-dimensional amigos. Maxi is the nervous, anxious one; Carmel, his laid back and fun-loving contrast. They generally are only seen in my journal, but they eventually became the main characters in my second NaNoWriMo novel (2011’s thrilling Star-Crossed Glovers, about an adult co-ed softball league, among other equally as exciting things.) Who knew back in Valencia that Maxi had been the starting catcher on his college baseball team and was working a dead-end job in Ferndale, Michigan, playing Wednesday night softball with a group of misfits?

So, here you have it: A little bit of simple Photoshop magic + little blob creatures = Amateur (but amazing) Animation.

Everyone, this is Maxi, and this is Carmel. Maxi, Carmel, meet everybody.

The GIF plays on repeat, so if you miss something just watch again!

ABC... Easy as 3...2...1...

Well, it's that time of year again! It's a time when I say goodbye to teenagers and hello to two months of summer! And thankfully, since I live in San Francisco, my first day of summer vacation greeted me with cold, God-awful fog. A perfect day to stay inside and prepare for Alphabet Summer! Who needs sandals, sunglasses or outfits that don't require leggings? That's so "summer-normal." I love wearing my puffy jacket and Smart Wool socks in June!

Anyway.

As I'm drinking hot herbal tea, I'm also preparing for my "A" post. BREAKING NEWS: My sewing machine is IN THE SHOP until Wednesday. Gasp! It's okay, everybody, I'm actually totally geeked about what's coming up. Spoiler alert: Maxi and Carmel* are involved.

*If you're unfamiliar with Maxi and Carmel, don't fret. If you know them, then you're totally excited right now, aren't you?

So, my friends, let this post be the official countdown announcement for "Alphabet Summer 2013." It's on.

See below for this year's Alphabet Anthem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho7796-au8U

J is for Jewelry

Today, I thought of all of us who have ever struggled to carry jewelry around. I used to put everything in a small zipper pouch, until I un-snaggled one too many necklaces. The silky cases from Chinatown were an inexpensive solution, but they were quick to unravel. Sooo...

Voilá! This little guy is perfect for a "light" jewelry traveler. It has a hook for necklaces and earrings, plus a pocket for rings and bracelets, and easily can hang from a hook or doorknob.

And... It can roll up like a burrito.

Thanks for reading:)

Oh, and the view from my favorite park was ridiculous today. What a pretty city.

Photos taken on Instagram.

Tales of an ABC (Après Bird Cleanse)

I wonder how many people, like me, ate a cabbage salad today for lunch. It wasn't helpful that my birthday fell on Thanksgiving week and my lovely friend Anne made me the world's most delicious chocolate cake, and I "accidentally" didn't give anyone doggie bags.

Coincidentally, I was also on pie duty for Turkey Day, and since we were a party of 11 people, one pie wasn't going to cut it. Three cups of butter and 2 cups of sugar later, I had dessert covered! Did I mention we held our second annual wine tasting contest involving 11 different bottles of Zinfandel?

Needless to say, today was a cabbage day. It was also a day for this:

I'm thankful for all of it, including the moderate headache and the newly formed cavities. I mean, I got to spend the day with some of my favorite people in the world, AND this morning I got a letter from England in the mail! England! As the old saying goes, "you know it's a good day when a letter for Hashlay arrives in the mail."

Check out Susannah's art here. She's an inspiration. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some leftover pie to eat.

Photos taken with Instagram.

A Fruitful Summer

Even though the summer of 2011 didn't sow quite as many seeds as last year, I still managed to harvest some crops!  Cherries, cucumbers and oranges were the fruits of my labors this year.

A is for ... Anticipation?

Summer is quickly approaching! I thought I would take that journey down memory lane from last summer and reminisce. Here's one of my favorite activities from Alphabet Summer I. On a side note, since her creation in summer 2010, the quilt has been hanging in the faculty art show at school, and due to the show's high-traffic geographic location, she was occasionally trampled and kicked by small and large children (perhaps a tree branch was not the best way to hang a quilt...) But she's a tough cookie, and has lived to tell the tale. She now hangs out on a safer (but not less-rowdy) wall at home in the Mission.

Check out last summer's post:

After spending the better part of the weekend feeling like my project was out of control (how could I let it slip into the hands of those fools at PayPal!), I decided to revert back to some good old-fashioned Type-A sewing to regain my crafting karma.

I dusted off my Bernina machine, got out all of my fancy gorgeous fabrics, and checked myself into the SF Art Rehab clinic (my bedroom on 16th street.)

Two fabulous things flowered from this therapy session.

1. The Fabric Flower.

As I was going through my fabric (see above picture to understand the amazing-ness) I found the last scrap of my beloved artichoke print fabric! Heaven! So in a complete fit of crafting ADHD, I set my original piece aside and made this flower straight from my artichoke-heart.

Sidenote- These button making thingies from Cliff´s Variety in the Castro (see below) are unbelievable. I have never experienced such an amazingly incredible crafting tool. They will literally blow your mind.

2. The Big Guy.

I will let the fabric magic speak for itsself:

Update on the eBay auction: Two bids. Let's give them some friendly competition! You could get something like what you see above... Here's the link again:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160450196057#ht_569wt_967