Mad Hatter

I also have some new fun appliqued hats for fall. For some reason my pictures didn't come out very well, so I'll have to be retaking them sometime soon. I sold one at the Alberta Street Fair to a "tween"-aged girl & looked so adorable on her!



I love all the different patterns of blank hats I ordered!



The hats are supposedly one size fits all, but each one is a slightly different size. The only complaint I have with the company I get all my blank apparel from, is their inconsistent sizing. Frustrating! But, the quality & price are awesome, so I deal.



As you can see, I just couldn't quite get the hats in focus. Doh! Time for a re-shoot ;-)



I've been busy job hunting & interviewing, so I haven't been able to focus on my etsy shop as much as I'd like. I need to get my butt in gear before the holiday season is over!

Newly Felt Up

As promised, I finally took some pictures of the latest Felt Up Tees items. I have some autumn-y stuff, baseball tees & sweatshirts, and some larger sizes -yay! Now I just have to get them listed on etsy!

Here's a size large sweatshirt with an atom design -



And a baseball tee with my little fawn. This one is a XL & my model is not, but it fits me really well - relaxed, but not overly baggy.



Last but not least, another sweatshirt. This one is hand stitched with red flannel diamond appliques. It's a XXL, so I have a much better variety of sizes now.



I have lots more, so I'll have additional show & tell pictures soon! I'm going to try to get everything up on etsy this week :-)

I Swear This Isn't Turning Into a Biking Only Blog ;-)

I went for another bike ride today. I was back on the Springwater Trail again, but further west nearer to my 'hood in outer SE Portland. I biked down 92nd & connected to the trail there, rode east to 174th & looped around back home - about 14 miles in all. The trail is interesting in this section because it skirts along industrial, suburban & rural areas. One of my first views wasn't so pretty.



I couldn't tell if this was a garbage dump or a recycling center. It kind of looks like stuff was bailed together according to material.

The view quickly improved! From garbage to greenhouses in only a few blocks!



I ran across one of my favorite little creatures - fuzzy wuzzy caterpillars! I had totally forgotten about these guys while I was living in LA, but they are thick in Portland this time of year. They really are as soft as they look & have the honor of being one of very few types of bugs I like. This little guy was bookin along! I had a hard time getting a clear picture of him.



A little further east, it's easy to forget you are only about 10 miles from downtown Portland! I love the little pockets of rural life that manage to survive suburbanization.



Hard to believe this area is well within the Portland city limits & look at that sky!



I'm having a great time rediscovering my hometown. I have a job interview tomorrow (& the rain is supposed to be coming down pretty hard), so probably no biking for me.

The Little List To the Right

Have you noticed my recommended reading list over there on the right? It's a list of my favorite blogs. I don't always have time to look through them everyday, but I usually browse them all two or three times a week. Most are crafty related, but there are a few other random ones in there as well. One thing they all have in common are great pictures. I'll admit, I like the eye candy! The lovely images always inspire me & I end up reading so many great creative tips. It's always fun to get a little sneak peak into someone else's life, so if you have a few extra web surfing minutes give them a looksie :-)

I've managed to go biking the last three days straight! Today it was along the Marine Drive bike path past the airport & a bit up the 205 path & back. I am stiff & sore, you hit 30 & it's all downhill! I'm sure the fact that I haven't been on my bike regularly in a few months doesn't have a thing to do with it ;-)


Heading east on the Marine Drive bike bath. The Columbia River & Vancover, Washington on the other side.



PDX



Heading west on the bike path.

Today's Field Trip

I decided I better take advantage of what would probably be the last 80+ degree day of the year & get outside. My Aunt Sandra was nice enough to go for a bike ride with me on the Springwater Trail.



We started in Gresham's Main City Park, rode up to the end of the paved path near Boring, turned around & rode back to Linnemann Station, turned around again & rode back to Main City Park, about 10 miles in all.

The weather was gorgeous, but the high clouds had already started to roll in. Probably the last we will see of the sun until next July! We saw blue jays, robins, a cute little chipmunk, fuzzy black & orange caterpillars & a couple of bunny rabbits. My flash made this little guy look possessed, but he was very nice & let me get pretty close before he scampered into the under brush.



Back when I was little the Springwater Trail was still a working railroad track. It's pretty neat to see how well it's been transformed into a very nice mixed use trail. It's a part of the 40 Mile Loop, which was originally proposed in 1904 by the Olmsted Brothers to circle Portland & link it's many parks. A little over a hundred years later, it's almost complete. Better late than never, right?

I do love to bike (not cycle, as I avoid brightly colored spandex at all costs) & I once again live in one of the most pro-bike cities in the country, so I better get out there & explore all the paths & trails at my disposal!

I'm not just an etsy seller, I'm a buyer too!

I've gotten so many fabulous things on etsy that I've decided that I need to start showing off some of my pretties. I figure I'll do a little feature on one of my many goodies once every week or two.

First up is a lovely necklace & earring set I bought from Patricia Saab Designs as a little treat for myself after my move back to Portland.



I was really drawn to the necklace. I think it has a very deco feel to it, which I love! I figured the earrings would just be a nice bonus, but when I received them I realized the earrings are beautiful in their own right! They are perfect as a set with the necklace, but they also look great worn alone.



The handcrafted set consists of white freshwater pearls & natural jet. I originally "met" the designer through forum posts on pearl-guide.com, a website for pearl lovers/experts/nerds, so I knew her jewelry would be very high quality. Of course I was thrilled with my purchase :-)

My Quirks

Beck over at Little Daisy Chains (and the maker of some of my favorite hair clippies) tagged me a few days ago to list six of my most infamous quirks, so here they are!

#1. I have The Toes of Death - with them I can pinch hard enough to draw blood. Go ahead & scoff at my powers, just watch out the next time I'm sitting next to you! Be warned, I don't even have to be barefoot - socks are no match for my inhuman toe strength!



#2. I talk to animals. I am certain they understand what I'm saying ;-) I'm no dog whisperer, it's pretty much just conversational. I'm also very polite if it's an animal I don't know, just ask Mr. Squirrel who I greeted on my walk today.



#3. I have a couple of pairs of heels I can't wear because they are excruciatingly painful (& I have a HIGH tolerance for both pain & suffering for fashion), but I can't bear to get rid of them they are so beautiful. The picture is actually of one of these pairs. Sometimes I take them out of the closet & just look at them... sigh.



#4. Two of my favorite books of all time are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through The Looking-Glass. The books are so much better & weirder than any of the movies! I absolutely love the original illustrations by John Tenniel. This one is my favorite, where Alice is trying to play croquet with a flamingo as a mallet & hedgehogs as the balls!



#5. My favorite drink of all time is water! Even as a kid I'd always choose water over soda or juice - yuck! Probably my only healthy habit ;-)



#6. I always eat around the edges of my Reese's Peanut Butter Cups first & save the peanut buttery goodness of the middle for last! Oh & they are my most favorite sweet ever & if you give me one I will be your best friend! One of my co-workers gave me a whole bag of them for my drive from LA to Portland & I wasn't really sure if I should thank her or curse her!