bricolagelife

feels like fall...

i made a loop scarf from my autumn leaves fabric. it's for sale in the shop. (sold!)

i liked it so much i made one for me, too!

and the autumn leaves scarf with fancy trim... because it's starting to feel like fall.

right now i am: playing with toys

they couldn't be left alone in the house.

i'm finding toys express some things better than words can. this is how it feels inside my head lately. i should probably make time to meditate before i leave for work...

taste this :: beans + cornbread from the impecunious pantry

i had the idea for days, envisioning my ingredients and how the flavors would work together. a dollop of olive oil, a small piece of pancetta, half a sweet onion, two cloves of garlic, a cleaned and de-veined bundle of swiss chard, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes. a small can of black beans, a large can of chopped tomatoes, dried basil, black pepper, the little ziplock bag of leftover red wine in the freezer. a 50 cent box of cornbread (an egg, some milk), the herbed feta cheese that was on sale at the grocery store down the block. several meals in one pot, served in shallow bowls, making us both so happy. for under ten dollars. and so delicious.

tiny porcelain raindrops

another tiny white porcelain raindrop pendant is on a flight to australia.

limited quantities... don't wait too long! get yours at the bricolagelife shop :)

the autumn leaves...

one of a kind autumn leaves scarf is freshly listed this morning in the bricolagelife shop :)

shop updates :: vintage biography stack

stacks of vintage biographies and autobiographies (and a few novelty titles) are prepped and ready to stock the shelves of my clubhouse books shop. a few fun craft, back to school and gardening books are still available as well. check back often at the shop for fresh daily listings - or let me know (via comments or email here) if there is a specific book you don't want to miss. i am always happy to create a reserved listing for you :)

it's a great time of year to snuggle up in a cozy chair with a good book to read...

see what i see :: webs

an instant double exposure from an old science book page shot on sunday morning.

webs observed on a walk in the park late sunday evening.

making stuff :: instant double exposures

i have a habit of holding pages up to the light when i am cutting up books and magazines for collages. when there are images on both sides i check to see if i can extract from one and still use a portion of the other. i do this all the time. so i can't believe i never thought of this before. i saw it here on vivienne strauss' flickr stream. she found it here on seriykotik1970's photostream. good stuff. and so much fun.

if you try this (and i think you should), leave a link in the comments - i would love to see what you make of it.

see what i see :: beach collections 3

every summer the beach we walk and comb offers something a little different. if you are observant and come back to the same place once a year, you may notice this, too. washed up along the cold wet sandy border of our big lake we have found among the stones and pebbles an abundance of birch bark one season, tiny broken shells the next, and oddly, last year, tiparillo tips everywhere we looked. but 2011 happened to be a very good year for face rocks.

and fossils...

tiny frosted jewels of beach glass,
 

and my favorite; alabaster. both smooth and rough. i may attempt to carve some of the larger stones... more research is necessary.

happy weekend everyone!

see what i see :: beach collections 2

this year i rearranged my beach combing finds into multiple collections. last year i arranged them by day and by common objects. i like to switch it up a little :)