Month: November 2015

crEATive.

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You can’t spell “creative” without “eat.” It’s true! Feed your brain and your imagination will thank you! Remember when I took a couple of  days off of work to attend a craft workshop? YASSS!!! This post is all about the food I ate whilst a cast member of the Zelma Rose show. I felt so fabulous. Working at my day job has it’s perks. You know, discounted hotel rates, …hmm, ok, that’s it. Hanging out at fun companies in San Francisco is way more glamorous. With breakfast, lunch, and snacks provided, my insides felt so great, my blood sugar stayed on point, and I felt focused all day. On the first day I enjoyed a bagel with smoked salmon, cucumber, and cream cheese for breakfast, and tamales with rice, beans, and assorted salsas for lunch. On the second day of taping I went straight for the bagels. What I should have done was made a beeline for the waffle bar. What?? I know I own a waffle maker, but having it there for you all set up with …

you wood.

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Watch out world, I built a triangle shelf! I took a class with Wood Thumb in San Francisco. They make cool things and they teach common folk like me to make some of those cool things. I’m super impressed by the outcome of this workshop. And as my friend Joy of Lighten Up Shoppe put it best — we’re basically carpenters now. We started with a lesson on wood — for example, did you know that soft wood trees produce pine cones and hard wood trees produce flowers? If that’s ever on Jeopardy, I win! We then learned to use a few power tools, played with a little wood burning, and did lots of sanding. Using the power saw made me super nervous but it was my favorite tool. Ok, maybe the nail gun was my favorite, too. Once our shelves were nailed and glued together, we got to staining. We all left with amazing, structurally sound shelves…and all of our fingers! I’d say it was a huge success! Are you handy in the woodworking department? …

shop feature: beadweaver

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Solo adventures in Santa Fe mean less outdoor nature explorations (I could get captured by wildlife! You never know!) and more safe activities, like going to the local bead store. #whatsnew I spotted Beadweaver while driving down a main road in Santa Fe and made sure I added it to my itinerary. The ladies in the shop are super helpful and entertained all of my bead inquiries. They had a great assortment of beads, including shapes I hadn’t seen before. Those were appropriately displayed in the “Fun Shapes” section. Check out these decorative finds and imagine all the lovely pieces you can create with them. There were walls of bead tubes. And walls of bead strands. If you think you can only make jewelry with beads, think again. These bowls, animal figurines, and flower garlands are made with tiny beads. Beadweaver has lots of inspiration pieces on display and bead books for purchase. Unfortunately, they do not hold classes in the shop. They do, however, have relations with bead artists who teach elsewhere; just ask. …

chalkboard.

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I love simple Thanksgivings at home with the family. We still cook tons of food, plan tablescapes and decor, and host family friendly activities, but it’s totally simple! 😉 This year I’m making chalkboard name plates, mostly because I saw these wood slices in the craft store and exclaimed “I must have them!” These are easy to make and you only need a few materials and patience (for drying). Gather wood slices, chalkboard paint, a foam brush, and chalk. Apply the chalkboard paint as directed on the bottle. Allow to dry. If you want your chalkboards to last / be reusable, make sure you condition your mini chalkboards by rubbing on chalk, then wiping it off with a cloth or paper towel. Otherwise, I find that you can just write directly on them. Pro tip: sand your wood chips for a smoother finish and writing surface. For writing, try regular chalk for a rough look or chalk marker for a more crisp look. Get fancier and paint the perimeter with autumn colors or add sparkle, add …