if i were artsy cool this would be called my studio...

...but instead it is called my craft room.

(Enter "before" photo equivalent to the slouching, overweight, ratty haired, pasty white and always frowning person in the make over show)

This is my room before.  I loved the room but seemed like every time I started a simple project, it was a disaster. Even when I cleaned it, it was a little cluttered for my taste.  

(Enter "after" photo equivalent to the always smiling, skinny, tan, confident, happy person on the makeover show)

And this is my room now.  This is the room where I go and I am suddenly not tired anymore. This is where hours pass like minutes.  Really, I love it in here that much.

It took me a few months to get it just right.  I measured and moved and labeled and moved again and I finally got it to work. There are still a few places that bug me.  But I can accept that.

I was inspired by my survivor of a woman, talented as an artist, sister in law's studio and her large bulletin board she had hanging on her wall.  But, they are expensive.  Even if you are lucky enough to find them at a thrift store.  So, google helped me out and told me to go get a sound board from the hardware store.  It was only $8.  It left a trail of little particles so I found a table cloth at Ross and covered it.  It was too dark so I added the orange (my favorite color right now).  I tacked some ribbon on there to cover the seams and it works well to hold stuff.  

The table was our kitchen table all of our apartment living days.  

My ribbons.

They are so happy all in the same place and displayed now.  Much easier to grab what I need.

I got the racks for $5 each when Zims went out of business , the buckets at some Roberts outlet store over 5 years ago in Provo for 50 cents each.  Finally using them.

My dad helped me go get the peg board from Lowe's.  It was only $4.  Must have been because of the weird maple color.  But I used the back, so it didn't matter.

The art is by Kathryn Knudsen, she was one of my many art genius room mates in college.  I got  it a while ago and have been nervous about displaying it wrong.  Had to get over that.  Well, kind of, if you look close, you can see it is help up by the non committal person's adhesive, magnets.

 

The bookshelf, drawers, and the magazine holders are from IKEA.  Have had those drawers ever since we lived in Chicago.  Once upon a time, those held almost ALL of my stuff.  I would like to be one of those people that likes vintage, cool, mismatch-y, bright, colorful, stuff.  When other people do it, I love it.  When I do it, it looks messy.  Instead I am drawn toward structure, straight lines and balance.  Maybe to balance out my chaotic lifestyle.  

The little table is for my kids but usually just gives me more work space.  You know I am short when I am totally comfortable working at that table.  Like, when I want to be close to my ribbons.  I told you I love them.  

  

The tall shelf was from my sister.  It was a regular book shelf and I turned some of the shelves to turn it into a wrapping paper apartment building of sorts.  They like it there, right next to the ribbons.

The whole re-do was motivated by those big shelves.  $30 each from when Steve and Barry's closed.  I wanted to put them side by side and make a huge work space but this room is actually quite small and wouldn't cooperate.  Ended up stacking them instead.  I looked forever for boxes that fit perfectly.  I have had the metal IKEA ones ever since our apartment days.  Used them in the kitchen.  I loved the way the looked so I got a billion more.  Best friend was so nice to pick them up for me on her way up.  

Knocked/sawed/smashed out two shelves and my 12 by 12 paper stash fit vertically.  Just perfect.  I decided that storing paper vertically is the way to go.  Doesn't mess up the whole pile when you need just one.  

The red chair/step stool used to be white.  Previous owner of this house left it.  It was gross.  After a bunch of spray paint, it isn't gross anymore.  People that feel comfortable at the kid table because their feet actually reach the ground need one of these chairs to reach things.  I use it all the time.  Also provides a little more work space when I need it.

I don't like the space right next to my table.  Still working on it.  Until then, it houses my sewing maching, hand me down serger, and other stuff.  I like to have the TV on when I make stuff.  Just do.  

    

Made this pin cushion caddy last week.  Thought it would help me be a more efficient sewer person.  Got Anna Marie Horner's book from the library and thought I could handle this project.  Hers is all smooth and beautiful.  My looks a little shriveled and confused.  Just pretend like I meant to do it, right?  

Wow.  I wrote a lot.  Know why?  It's because I am in this room.  See?  Time flies in here...

crafty

Favorite friend, Kristi, came over and I showed her how to make these flower clips.  My new favorite is the yo yo clip at the bottom.  

 

But I am not the only one that has been crafting around here.  
Eva made this bear out of some of my fuzzy brown fabric and a toilet paper roll.  

 

And Samuel, he has been obsessed with paper airplanes.  It started out as a way to keep him quiet in church.  These are a few of his earlier versions. 

 

Can't forget Karl, right?  His 4 year craft project.  Our house remodel.  He is currently working on his office.  

 

Okay, I have a question.  Just like the rest of my family, I like to make stuff.  I have sold some at a couple of boutiques but always without a name.  I don't have a "brand."  I have always thought about "cyi design"... my initials and, well, you get it.  But today I googled it and it is taken.  Sad.  I am stuck.  I think it is time I name my stuff (I suck at naming stuff.  My cat's name was Kitty by default).

Any ideas?  It doesn't have to, but I liked the cyi thing.  

And I am so embarrassed but amused that I sound way too much like Tamn right now. See for yourself.  

more stuff that i love

I am not only a freak about food.   

My mom and dad got back from Japan a while back and I just love the things that they brought back for me.  They kind of show all the other things that I am freakish about.

  

My favorite store in the world is Muji.  Sadly, the only ones in the U.S. are in New York.  Happily, my dad is willing to go there for me when he goes to Japan.  Their stuff is so simple and that is what makes it beautiful.  These two things are from there:

 

Okay, some might think that when it comes to electronics or anime or cars or even food, that Japanese really know their stuff.  Me?  I dig the office supplies.  Oh man, I just love them.  And according to my love language, I think they love me back.

 -the billion ring binder- no need to reinforce these holes, they have a billion others to back them up.  It is so much sturdier and just makes more sense.  I use them for journals and they have yet to let me down.

-the pen/pencil- this superman of writing utensils does both.  I write my name on these things and guard then with my life and still, they seem to disappear.  Ask Karl, I have the hardest time lending these pens out.

 

-Cute little apron with silly English on it.  Of course. 

-Treats.  My parents know me.  These are a few of my faves.  I love the snacks that they have there.  Not all of them have to have crazy colors and be totally made out of sugar.  Some do, but there are some that aren't that I just love (Samuel loves them, too.  I tried to hide them, but he found them and made me share).

  

Japan is the land of cutesy.  Just is.  They take something totally practical, stick a little character with great big eyes or bows or pink or whatever and call it done.  Just ask Hello Kitty.  She knows what I am talking about.  She'll vouch for me.  

-I wonder if eggs that don't get to be cut with this cute little tool are jealous.

-and I wonder if sandwiches that don't get to be cut with this cute little tool are jealous, too.

Okay, so along with going to Italy for a food tour, I want to live in Japan for a while.  Just a while.  So I can deck my house in Muji.  Okay, okay, and maybe because I happen to BE Japanese.  "Dreams free," right?

food freaks

Okay, to all 8 of you that read, I blog on.  Even though I am totally addicted to the instant gratification of face book.  I do like that this blog holds my family history for the last 17 months.

I thought everyone loved food.  But I am learning that there are people out there that don't really care so much.  That makes me feel even more obsessed.  I will tell you now that I do know people that are more into food than I am.  Granted, they are called chefs or restauranteurs.  But, whatever. 

   

Karl and I took a sushi class at Orson Gygi a while back.  I love that place.  I like to go and just look around.  They have so many great cooking things that I never knew I needed (and always the things that I need). 

The teacher was Jonas Otsuji and he was awesome.  He had some serious sushi skills and he was funny and nice.  

-He showed us how to cut up a salmon (just in case we need to make sushi for, like 40 people one day) and the tastiest part of the fish.

-He showed us to use "extra fancy" rice.  Hah!  First time in my life I have ever needed anything extra fancy.

-My first roll.  Not beautiful.  But tasty.  

-He broiled up that extra tasty part of the salmon with some amazing sauce.

Not shown but definitely remembered:  the fresh crab, the spicy tuna, the tempura rolls... oh man, I want some sushi now. 

So, posting about the sushi class reminded me of the dumpling class we took in Beijing.  I never got to blogging about it because I got sick of posting about the trip.

Me, being me, making one of the foods that I crave so much, dumplings, at a place called Black Sesame.  It was in this trendy historical shopping district and I loved everything about it.  Our teacher was Chairman Wang and she was so cute and jolly.  

  

-Stirring the meat.  For whatever reason, you have choose a direction to stir and stick with it.  They were delicious, so I won't argue.  

-Before you add the Chinese cabbage you have to squeeze the excess liquid out.  It takes muscles.  We also made some with pumpkin.  Yum.

-She showed us how to snap each piece off the long snake of dough to make the skin for the dumpling.

 

-Roll it and smash it and it should look like this.  It took her two seconds.  It took me two minutes.

 

-You can pan fry then or boil them.  

 

-Dip them in vinegar and enjoy.

-Pan fried and boiled.  I prefer pan fried.  That is what I grew up with.  

I want to eat a few or fifty of these right now.  We have made these once since we have been home.  It was a lot of work.  Tasty but we still need practice.  

I want to go to Italy.  I want to go on a food tour of Italy.  Really.  I will be able to say, "I am just here for the food."  Like my mom says, "Dreams free."

princesses

They knew exactly what they wanted as they pulled out dress after dress (and made me pull out dress after dress).  

This is the look they were going for:

Nice poses, huh?

silver lake

Inspired by Sunset Magazine, we decided to head up to Silver Lake.  Kind of sad that a magazine has to push us to go somewhere that is just minutes away from our home. 

Couldn't do the journey hungry so we grabbed dinner at La Puente.  I love their smothered burritos (I like mine with cheese no onions, if you want to know).  

We were greeted by a bajillion mosquitos.  Was gross.  So gross that I scoped out a stranger that looked that they were much more prepared for the great outdoors and asked her if I could use her repellant.  She let me.  So nice.

 

 

The kids both wanted Karl to carry them.  You see, we don't do a whole lot of walking and, well, our kids aren't really used to it.  Our fault.  We were joking that Karl was going to start melting from so much exposure to nature.  

Cute ducklings.

 

Moose.  

Proof of bad parenting:  photo of your kids in front of a moose.  

Samuel and his "blowie."

The view on the way to Iceberg.  

The kids were excited for dessert but both fell asleep on the way there. 

Must have been all that walking.

  

to blog or to facebook...

As if I need more things to distract me from the things that I should really be doing, I joined face book.

I am hoping that I will stop spending (wasting) so much time on it after the novelty wears off.

Was posting some photos on face book and adding some captions and kind of felt like I was cheating on my blog.  The blog that I have been loyal to for over a year.  The blog that has held family memories, eating adventures, and crafty achievements so faithfully.

Blog, you have been there for me.

I'm torn.  

How do I keep the balance?

How do I decide what to blog and what to post on face book?

How do I learn to just live my life and stop posting about it?

Help.

Please.

Someone.

Now.

Please?

hair redux

Karl here. Christina officially made me a "contributor" on this blog a long time ago. She has done such a wonderful job that I haven't posted anything for making this blog less enjoyable for all of you. However, to protect my good haircutting reputation. Sam's mohawk.

This:

our independence day celebrations

Friday nights are something the whole family looks forward to.  The kids call it, "Family Fun Night."  The night before the fourth we roasted marshmallows, made s'mores, and slept in a tent in the backyard.  Let me just say that camping in the backyard is WAY better than real camping.  

Karl and the kids working on the marshmallows.

 

Samuel sleeping "in" his sleeping bag in the tent.

Notice the different pajamas?  Okay, okay, maybe we slept in the tent for three nights.  The square patch of grass is finally recovering from the three nights of camping.

 

The next morning we went to the Murray parade.  Has been tradition for 15 years.  

The highlight of the parade happens to be the candy.  The kids get so much.  It is like trick or treating but they don't have to go anywhere.  The candy comes to them.

 

Look at this.  They got SO much!  

After showing it off, the girls sat down to organize theirs and Samuel started eating his.

 

Eva being Eva, sorting.  Samuel being Samuel, grabbing onto Karl's legs.  

  

After the parade, we all cooled off.  Them at home in the backyard.  Me at the fabric store's 4th of July sale.  Nice.

They put the slip and slide at the bottom of the real slide.  It worked.  Especially for Karl.  

And a little gutter cleaning.

  

Backyard bbq means roasted corn.  Always.

Eva is getting so good with her chopsticks.  

Karl was so proud of his s'mores idea.  Reese's peanut butter cup.  Turns out everyone liked the original better.  But it was fun to try.

And what is a blog post without announcing the loss of another tooth?   I got this one documented.   We took our little stash of fireworks across the street and lit them with three other families.  Was so fun.   And maybe all they had in the cooler was beer and Mt. Dew.  And maybe I had to explain to my  thirsty 6 year old that she was going to have to wait until we got home to get a drink. Did I mention the pit bulls had babies?    Fourth of July, recorded.