I've officially moved...

...so please come and visit the new blog! :)

Check out the continuation of my ramblings

here at Prairiesque.wordpress.com

This morning's musing...

I'm thinking about starting a new blog. Possibly in addition to this one, probably instead of. I still feel like I'm not blogging to my full potential, hehe. Suuuure, I could simply change my ways here. But... I suppose that somehow, by starting fresh, I feel like I can have a better chance. Clean slate and all that.

Also thinking of other new endeavors which I won't mention yet...because, you know, if I can't seem to finish existing projects, starting a new undertaking is always the thing to do. ;)

I still have thinking to do. So we'll see.

"Beki's Barn Sale," or, "Maybe I should tell you about these things BEFORE they happen..."

Saturday was the Barn Sale.

What Barn Sale?

As you, um, may be able to tell (though I hope it's not too apparent), I have not been the greatest blogger lately. Okay, ever. But I've been on one of my especially irresponsible non-blogging tangents so I didn't tell you about Beki's Barn Sale in Hesston, KS.

It was wonderful!! I didn't sell there because I was unable to make it for the entire day, but I wish I could have. I was, however, able to stop by for a little while and got some marvelous goodies from Shop Vintage Girl (who, by the way, is having a sale right now.)

There were some really great items and people there, and you should definitely go next year!

Shop Vintage Girl, aka Shelly (& mom)

Aid for Aidan: Help an extraordinary little boy!!

The sad news: Aidan, the 5-year-old nephew of my friend, Mandi of Red Planet, was recently diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. It is 97% curable but he will have to go through 2-3 years of chemo.

Aidan, working on his art

The awesome news: Regretsy (and yes, I mean THE Regretsy) is going to be holding a fundraiser just for Aidan! If you're not familiar with it, Regretsy is a hilarious blog that showcases ugly, stupid, or just plain weird items from Etsy. (Be warned, it is often pretty crude and could be considered offensive...definitely not PG rated.) Contrary to what some believe, the intent is NOT to discourage sales of these items--being featured on the website has actually helped many artists make big sales. And most importantly, has become a routine thing for Regretsy to raise money for good causes, like Aidan. :)

A photo from Regretsy, originally from Meg Swansen

Info about the Regretsy fundraiser won't be officially announced until later on, but here's what you can do for now:

Follow Aidan's journey via this blog:

http://aidforaidan.wordpress.com/

Purchase items featuring Aidan's own artwork, via the Regretsy Zazzle store. (All proceeds from this will go to help with Aidan's medical bills):

http://www.zazzle.com/Regretsy

Check out his Etsy store, where you can purchase prints of his artwork (Again, proceeds go to Aidan):

http://www.etsy.com/shop/aidansmonsters

ANNNDDD..... if you cannot donate, you can still help by spreading the word!!! Aidan is an incredibly creative little boy with a spectacular personality and I would love to see him get as much support as possible.

Thank you for your time and help!

xoxo,

Leanne

Huh?

Well, I'm (nearly) done with my cardigan and, as I thought, have done a completely awful job of tracking its progress. This is mostly due to the fact that as I was working on it, I was too excited to see it done and didn't want to take time to snap pictures, etc.

Now I'm in the middle of trying to type up the pattern, and was wondering...does anyone know what the heck this says? I sure don't. But once I decipher my own handwriting, I'll be sure to post pics of the finished sweater AND the pattern! :)

Music Monday: Leslie Hall!

I've mentioned her a couple times, maybe posted a video or two, but I thought I should bring her up again. Because she's just that awesome. Well, really I should say she AND her band mates are awesome. I'm talkin' about Leslie.

Leslie (Hall) and the LY's are a small group out of Iowa. They started out as "cewebrities" and...well...I suppose they still are mainly that. But they also tour the country, and I am just waiting for the day they come here.

Just why do I love them so much? They are midwest girls and proud of it. Their overall aesthetic has a real '80s-neon-kitty-and-pink-bows-on-wicker-woven baskets kind of vibe. Leslie wears a LOT of spandex, gold usually...in fact I think spandex is all she ever wears. And they sing about crafts. And sequins. And snacks. And besides that, their music really is catchy.

Please look at her website and maybe even buy an album. I am also big on Leslie because she is not unlike any other independent crafter/artisan with a dream, working stitch by stitch to make that dream come true. Except her stitches are beats...well...and sometimes stitches. (She makes and sells spandex pants, too.)

My favorite new video of hers. Please be warned that it is what some might call "weird":

Bike Ride.

I got a new bike...and wicker basket. Nothing fancy, but it soooo pretty! :)

Pictures from its maiden voyage....

Decisions, decisions....

For the longest time, I have been wanting to have my own custom fabric printed up at Spoonflower. The reason I haven't yet is that 1.) it's a little pricey so I want to be sure about my design and 2.) designing decent looking fabric is not the easiest task in the world, at least not for me. :/ And since I have quite enough to do already, I've not even messed with it.

Over the last few days, though, I've started to seriously think about what I would want. And the more I think and experiment, the more I realize the possibilities are endless!! Here is just one design I came up with. I did a little collage in photoshop elements using some pictures I snapped at Botanica this summer. Which color combo do you like best?

(Note that the watermark isn't part of the design. I normally wouldn't worry about it but who knows, I might decide that this will become part of an exclusive collection!)

Music Monday: Natacha Atlas: "Ana Hina"

Natacha Atlas is beautiful, dreamy, hypnotic. Her music is often categorized as "pop" but it's a far cry from Britney Spears. Natacha sings in English, French, and Arabic, and there is also a wide range of musics from different cultures that influence her style. And she is so very versatile--every one of her albums has a distinctly different feel, but all are excellent. The one I'm recommending to you today is Ana Hina, her latest release.

Ana Hina seems to be the least "poppish" of her works. It's elegant and smooth, and, well....you just have to hear it! There are so many great tracks, but one of my favorites is "La Vida Callada." It is an eerie duet with Clara Sanabras, the words being from a poem written by Frida Kahlo.

Slugs.

Not too long ago, we had to take out some landscaping due to needing the underground water pipe to be replaced. This stump got unearthed, and was covered in slimy slugs! I think they're fascinating. This was from a few weeks ago, I just forgot to share. :)

Paper Ornaments: A Picture Tutorial

Materials:

• metal brads
• yarn or string
• scissors
• paper - I used pages from a vintage (replica) flower book. You could use something similar or some lovely scrapbooking paper, or whatever strikes your fancy! The pages I used are approximately 4" x 6.75". Using this size or the same ratio should give you perfect circles!

Follow the pictures...

Etsy Finds: Bronzed

Fall is upon us--

so close I can taste it...

I'm already wanting

autumn metallics.

Right now I've got bronze on the mind; rich but not too rich, muted and sophisticated.

vintage dress by PranceAndSwagger

hour glass neckalce by GwenDelicious

heels by lisunette

corsage brooch by TheBroochBoutique

woodland earrings by novella

liquid metal leggings by kellylynne

fingerless gloves by BellaBlueKnits

wrist wallet by WilmaWorld

tote by woodroots

silk/merino yarn by kangaroodyer

Music Monday: Beats Antique

I haven't talked about it much on here, but I am in love with music. (Who isn't?) But I also like a lot of music that isn't quite mainstream, and figure there's no reason to keep the awesomeness all to myself!

When I started bellydancing about 7 years ago, I got introduced to a whole new world (literally) of sound. At first I heard a lot of traditional song: Egyptian, Greek, Turkish, Spanish, etc. There was also world pop, and then some industrial/techno...and really all sorts of music.

Today I want to share one of my favorite modern bands, Beats Antique. They fall into the fusion/techno/instrumental category (though some of their newest songs have a few lyrics). True to their name, they mix some solid beats with older, more traditional ethnic sounds. The result is very rich, layered, soulful, and danceable. A lot of their songs also make for great "chill" music.

And--GASP!--upon checking out their website, I realize that their new album is due tomorrow! EEEEEeee! I'm going to go listen, and leave you with a couple of my favorite songs.

Beauty Beats...this one gives me chills!

A little slow at first, but it does pick up... LOVE it.

Sweater Adventure, Part 2

Wow! Not much to say other than I got quite a lot done on my cardigan since Friday morning. A lot of stockinette stitch and a little bit of arm shaping. I was thinking the front and back would be knit as one piece, and seamed at the side, but I'm thinking about some things and may end up knitting the two fron pieces separately. I don't like more seams, but it may work out better...