cloud cartographer

2010-07-14T17:38:00.001-07:00

I'm a sneaky mind-changer.

Go here.

six weeks

2010-01-07T23:26:00.001-08:00

i'm getting married in 6 weeks. that trips me out, that it's come so fast. there's still so much left to do, but i would be a pretty heartless gal if that's what was foremost on my mind. i'm going to be married. i don't even know what that means.

i can see myself getting scared and sort of confused.
feeling like i have to do things a certain way.
best to nip that in the bud, because however we do things is the way we do them. not like other people do them.

i know i made the right choice but...fingers crossed anyway.

xkayla

My Decade in Music

2010-01-04T03:05:00.001-08:00

I was inspired by all the "best of" lists everyone's been doing to commemorate the new year (and decade), but this list ended up being more a personal timeline of my life the last decade, represented by the songs that were most influential to me each year. It's likely incomplete, but each song on this list reminds me of a time it either affected me because of my emotional situation, or was poignant because of who I liked/loved/was dating at the time, or because it's just a good song that I really enjoyed (I don't like all of them now, for the record) throughout the last 10 years. This whole thing is more for my interest and enjoyment than for a need to showcase some good music, but I thought I'd share.

So with all that ado, here's my life as interpreted by music, through the past decade:

Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers (2000)
Last Resort - Papa Roach (2000)
All My Love - Led Zeppelin (2001/02)
Downtown - Petula Clark (2001/02)
Even When I'm Sleeping - Leonardo's Bride (2001/02)
I Miss You - Blink182 (2003)
My Immortal - Evanescence (2003)
Holding Out For a Hero/Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler (2003/04)
Dark of the Matinee - Franz Ferdinand (2004)
Unintended - Muse (2004/05)
Nothing Better - The Postal Service (2005-2008)
What is Love - Haddaway (2005)
Lay Lady Lay - Magnet ft. Gemma Hayes (2005)
Better Days - Josh Joplin (2005)
Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright (2005/06)
I Will Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie (2006)
Fidelity - Regina Spektor (2006)
I'm Not Okay - My Chemical Romance (2007)
Almost Lover - A Fine Frenzy (2007/08)
Wonderlust King - Gogol Bordello (2008/09)
The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson (2009)
Her Morning Elegance - Oren Lavie (2009)
Sea of Love - Cat Power (2009)
I Am Not a Robot - Marina and the Diamonds (2010)

(I can't believe I stayed up til 3 doing this. Apparently I have energy for this kind of thing, lol. Don't you think it'd make a decent - if not completely genre-jumbled - mix cd?)

music

2010-01-04T00:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry for all the silly, non-wedding related posts lately. I promise I am actually doing wedding things, but those kind of posts take energy, man. I don't plan on having energy again for at least another six months after we're married.

Lately I've been feeling really interested in music; new music in particular (well, new to me.) Let me first give a big, collective THANKS to my friends and family who've been slowly and unwittingly introducing me to new artists and songs that I never thought I would have liked but am ending up loving. I am and probably always will be a lover of music that is tried and true, but I need to remember that music is an ever-changing art and the same powerful muses that were operating long ago are still as relevant and hardworking today and for today's artists. Open yourself to the world Now.

Okay, /soapbox. Begin lyrics and music video.

I Am Not a Robot
(by Marina and the Diamonds)

You've been acting awful tough lately
Smoking a lot of cigarettes lately
But inside, you're just a little baby
It's okay to say you've got a weak spot
You don't always have to be on top
Better to be hated than love, love, loved for what you're not

You're vulnerable, you're vulnerable
You are not a robot
You're loveable, so loveable
But you're just troubled

Guess what? I'm not a robot, a robot
Guess what? I'm not a robot, a robot

You've been hanging with the unloved kids
Who you never really liked and you never trusted
But you are so magnetic, you pick up all the pins
Never committing to anything
You don't pick up the phone when it ring, ring, rings
Don't be so pathetic, just open up and sing

I'm vulnerable, I'm vulnerable
I am not a robot
You're loveable, so loveable
But you're just troubled

Guess what? I'm not a robot, a robot
Guess what? I'm not a robot, a robot

Can you teach me how to feel real?
Can you turn my power on?
Well, let the drum beat drop

Guess what? I'm not a robot

toms + new year

2010-01-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

i got the rebate for my cell phone today, and decided to buy myself a new year's present.

TOMS.

these shoes are so comfortable.

now i'm listening to the doors, waiting for my baby to get home so we can get some food.

jim morrisson and i wish you all a very happy new year.
love, kayla

thirsty

2009-12-30T21:35:00.000-08:00

today it snowed, and yesterday it snowed, and all last night it snowed, and it's snowing right now. i got home to mom's house after leaving the new home tony just moved into because that new place is still so strange to me. i stood in the street in my boots and coat, and the snow was falling so slightly it almost might as well not have been snowing at all, but even those few, small flakes had filled up our city. and it was cold, but i felt the urge to sit in it, or roll around in it, or just run through it. the streetlamps burned, and my car was full of gas, and sometimes i feel so lost. sometimes the realization that the world is everywhere and it's just such a big place, and i could walk and keep on walking, or drive and keep on driving and be in some place completely new and different by morning, and what's stopping me. and i'm blocking thoughts before they form. and who am i exactly? i don't have a memory like my father's to help me define who i am. sometimes in my head there is only snow, and streetlamps, and a thirst for blindly picking a direction and then running.

engagments sneak peek

2009-12-19T22:51:00.000-08:00

our house has been kindof lifeless lately, what with sickness and busted up knees and working late and having no energy for christmas, so i'm the only one who's really excited about this right now, but the cd with all of our pictures from the engagement shoot monday arrived in the mail today.

so to make up for the deadness, here's a big YAY!

i think they turned out splendid. i don't feel like uploading the whole shebang tonight, so here's a sneak peek:

(click for pictures too big for your screen)

katana? why yes, i have some of those.

2009-12-06T22:01:00.000-08:00

um, yesterday my mom took me to out and bought me some fancy pots and pans and some fancy knives. i really need to get some pictures of them up here because they are sweet! i never thought i could get excited about cookware. as it turns out, anything can be exciting when it's yours. seriously though, you've got to see my knives. we opened them all up today and i cut a red bell pepper with one of them, and oohhh man. it is so gratifying to use a fresh-out-of-the-box sharp knife.

now if only we had a house to put them in.

the pots and pans are nice too. they're big ol heavy things that could definitely put a burglar on his back (and yes, that was one of the factors i weighed while comparing sets.) plus we got a couple of free ones and two $50 gift cards for spending so much dang money. bed, bath, and beyond may simultaneously give me claustrophobia and vertigo, but sometimes i love that store.

sales are good. joann's just ended a pretty great one yesterday, where vogue patterns were only $3.99, plus i got half off 3 yards of fabric that was normally 10 bucks a yard. it's a deep delicious purple stretch cotton sateen, and i should probably get pictures of that too because you all'd thank me.

and the best news of the weekend? tony was ordained an elder today. one more awesome milestone of his spiritual progression, and now we're one step closer to our temple sealing. sometimes it's hard for me to wrap my head around what all this means and the sheer significance of it all, but i know we're on the right path and doing the right things, and i'm sure one day i'll truly appreciate all the good stuff that God is giving us.
right now we've got our eyes on the wedding date, and i kindof think we're holding our breath. not because it's going to run away or anything, but for me at least i plan on letting out a big sigh of relief once we're finally married and then really get to work on setting up our life together.

right now it's a lot of planning and detailing and preparing for the actual wedding, while also trying to keep the marriage part firmly in focus. it's exhausting. it will be nice to have the wedding out of the way and to have one less thing to worry about.

one small step forward

2009-12-05T12:02:00.001-08:00

i finished designing our invitations today!

i debated whether or not to post a picture, but i figure not too many read this anyway and it's just a crappy cameraphone picture, so i'm not risking much. :) but i am excited and wanted to share.

i painted the design with watercolors and did all the wording with micron pens (i totally know you're impressed), and it's all on watercolor paper. i'm going to try and solicit some photoshop skills from a friend to help clean it up a bit and get it properly jpegged so i can go and have them printed. the idea is to have the inserts hanging from the main invite, instead of shoving a bunch of loose stuff in an envelope (or worse, stuffing things in multiple envelopes all stuffed into one big envelope.) i'm going for simple and user-friendly.

when i get them printed and sent out i'll post a much better picture.

woot!
love kayla

what's your favorite cezanne?

2009-12-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

i'm pretty sure it's one of those days. like if you were to ask a medicine woman or someone who knows a lot about numerology or something, she would say "oh yes, december 4th - the numbers say this is a very risky day. stay indoors and pad your walls and under no circumstances should you get out of your pajamas." i think this because work today was full of tired, whiny, clingy children and tired, grumpy adults, and on the way home i passed several car accidents, and i had to return to the art supply store a total of 2 times after my initial purchase after having made it all the way back to my car only to discover i 1) forgot to buy something i specifically went there to buy and 2) forgot my keys on a shelf. the girl who worked there was all kind and customer-servicey about it, but i'm sure she was thinking that i must be a really big ditz.

anyway, since it was apparently one of those days, i decided to skip doing anything vital and important like dressmaking at home and instead went straight for the xbox to unleash some pent up bad juju on unwitting zombies. (rest assured, about a billion zombies were harmed in the making of this film.)

driving in winter is just bad anyway, even on normal days. even in salt lake city, where cold, dangerous winters are the norm, where you'd think drivers would know how to handle icy roads and stuff. but somewhere between may and october i guess everyone just forgets because there's still a lot of transportative carnage on the roads during the winter months. but things get pretty evened out i guess because i still love driving at night around the holidays. i love christmas lights. i totally dig them this year. they're just so magical and sparkly and make me feel like covering everything with silver glitter when i get home. our family was never too big in stringing up a lot of lights or even decorating much at all, but i'm pretty sure i'm going to be one of those holiday decorator moms. i'd really like my kids to get in on all that pizazz.

i hope everyone's having a happy and safe holiday season so far. don't forget to not drive like a moron, especially during and directly after snowstorms. if you plow into my car i'm going to take back the well wishes i just wished you. now i'm off to finish my soup and take a steamy hot shower.

goodnight,
love kayla

how are your retinas?

2009-11-29T23:50:00.000-08:00

if you're reading this, would you please let me know if the new colors are okay? if your screen settings or different than mine and you've been blinded, just put your fingers on the home row and tell me. i'm trying out some new colors to make the blargh look more interesting, but i don't want you to be uncomfortable.
when time becomes less scarce and i can move to typepad where i think i have more artistic freedom with my limited html knowledge, i have all sorts of cute blog designs planned. but until then i'm gonna make due with shenaniganing with the font colors.

thanks and goodnight!
love, kayla

i can't hug my sewing machine

2009-11-23T22:29:00.002-08:00

words can't express how much i'm lusting after this little sewing machine.

yes, that's right, lusting. i am feeling crazy crafting lust for this adorable piece of goodness. i mean, i don't even know what i'd do with it, except cozy up to it at night and dream of other non-fluffy small appliances made fluffy.

here's the maker's, caitlin bell's, etsy, but the shop is closed for some reason. for you utah peoples, though, she'll be at the Beehive Bazaar in provo next week. i'm thinking of going, and not just to steal the sewing machine. i owe it to myself, don't i? i can sort of be considered a crafty person - but not if i don't go to crafty things like bazaars and meet other people who can be considered crafty. if anyone wants to go too, let me know. seriously.

break for cute!

2009-11-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

taking a break from the dress to browse etsy (and also stand up for quality control. i.e. no i will not revoke my neutral rating for a neutral transaction. i didn't spend $50 for me to be dissatisfied and her to get a positive rating. the nice person in me says to forget it because it's not a big deal, but the smarter person in me says to stick it to her. for justice!)

anyway, here's some pretty for you to look at, and, you know, christmas is coming up, so...

pillow, wall hanging, and pin cushion from olive.

cool wooden earrings from carpedraco.

scarab beetle necklace from nouveaumotley.

back to work!

love, kayla

gotta get this wedding planned!

2009-11-20T17:32:00.000-08:00

big busy weekend coming up! i have two goals: 1) finally just decide on wedding invitation wording and design and get a prototype completed, and 2) completely finish the first mockup of the dress. i know it's just two things, but i expect to be drained within like five minutes of getting started, because my creative energy usually depletes likes...well i can't think of an analogy right now, but the point is it goes fast. alas, things have to get done and i have to do them. (ignore the negativity because i'm EXCITED! just exhausted.)

i want to use this weekend to my advantage because on tuesday, my favorite extended family members + 1 are coming to visit, which is exciting not only because i LOVE them and haven't seen them in really long time, but because the + 1 is someone completely new and i can't can't can't wait to meet her.

xoxo times billions for that little dollface.

well, the boy just got home and i have to tell him about all the space pirates i fought today. see you monday.

love, kayla

3, no 4, things i love saturday

2009-11-05T21:33:00.000-08:00

i'm totally ripping off this idea from a number of sources. i hope that's okay with you.

sometimes i don't have anything to say. or, rather, i have lots to say but when it goes into word form i lose something in the translation. i already know it's because of me and not the things i want to say, but anyway some things just cross over better with pictures. so let's nix the talk, and get on to some things i'm really loving right now.

(p.s. there were originally going to be 10 things cause that seems to be the norm, but i lost steam when dealing with blogger's stupid-small post writing window and how difficult it is to put pictures into a post. grrr.)

anyway, in no particular order, i love:

textiles. pretty, pretty textiles. mmm.

zooey deschanel. i almost hate her, she's so cute.

adorable homemade stuffed animals, i.e. not lame-o mass produced storebought ones. (i especially love the whole mish-mashed cutesy vintagey fabric thing.)

4. the mall during the holidays.

i didn't think to snap a cameraphone picture of this today, but i was definitely loving the spirit of the season in the mall whilst shopping for engagement photoshoot details. there's something really special and happy to me about strolling down big mall-y hallways around christmas. it would have been better if my mom and sisters were with me. hopefully we'll all get to go shopping together closer to the big holiday.

this kindof goes along with #4, so i guess:

4.a - having the excuse of getting married to allow me to splurge on jewelery and new shoes. i LOVE getting new things, especially jewelery and shoes. i got big bright earrings (which tony says are too big, but what does he know?) and bold, colorful necklaces, and purple shoes. i. love. purple. i am now so excited to do our engagement session, until i start to think of what the heck tony will wear. i don't want to dress him up so he doesn't look like himself, but i don't want us to clash for the pictures. would it look bad if i were all colorful and he were in blacks and greys? must we be all matchy matchy?

here's a sweet wedding blog i found. i'm a little sad that all of my great blogging ambitions haven't really come to fruition yet. i wish i had the guts and know-how to make a cute, artsy, frequently used blog, but most of all i wish i had the time. maybe i've set my sights too high for now, and am lusting after a goal i have no way of achieving right now. with this whole wedding planning thing going on, i feel guilty if i spend my creative energy on things other than the dress and the flowers and the cake and the decorations and the photos. and the bouttonieres and the ties and the invitations. oh crap, the invitations!

oh and i have to plan my lesson for church tomorrow.

uhmm, what things do you love?

xoxo,

kayla

me vs the man

2009-10-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

do you ever feel like once the ball of your life starts rolling it's very exciting, but it's also sort of scary because you realize that it's rolling in directions you weren't entirely planning on and even some you were sure it never would and you never wanted it to? wait, let me skip the timid passivity and rephrase: i feel like once the ball of my life started rolling it was very exciting, but i'm also sort of scared because i'm realizing it's rolling in directions i wasn't entirely planning on and even some i was sure it never would and i never wanted it to. i really don't feel quite as negative about it as that sentence may sound, but this is something on my mind. i'm not a cookie-cutter person. i've never liked doing things lots of other people liked doing, partly out of choice and partly because i just don't like them. things like reading harry potter or enjoying high school musical, wearing my hair with the bangs all pinned straight back from my forehead so it makes that "bump" on the top of your head, wearing coats or shoes, going to nursing school, attending "ward game nights" to play awkward social games in a room full of single people dying to get a date, dating lots of guys in general... i'm not comfortable in those situations for a variety of reasons, but mostly because they don't feel like me. i'd rather read non-mainstream fantasy novels and enjoy watching fiddler on the roof, wear pigtails and go barefoot, go to college for art and piano lessons, skip school to play "axis and allies" and drink whole bottles of sparkling cider with my highschool buddies and fall in love with my friends rather than date people i don't know.
you know what else i don't like? cookie-cutter houses. and those brand new neighborhoods that don't have any trees. and beautiful homes with brand new everything, that people always decorate with pre-made cutesy wooden signs and fake ivy and those jars full of vinegar and vegetables that would be cool if your grandma made it but isn't because you bought it at target. (p.s. i do love target.) okay, so maybe it's ridiculous and too critical and a little harsh. but my favorite homes growing up were the little old brick ones, ones with actual ivy growing in the cracks and unevenly plastered walls in the inside, with faulty swamp coolers and old plumbing. ones in old neighborhoods with sidewalks all broken up by the roots of the enormous trees lining the streets. i like being in the heart of the old suburbs; not in the butt end of the valley where the sun shines too hot and colorless and everything smells like drywall and wal-mart.

please, just give me an old house with some character, and some kindred spirits nearby.

however, that ball keeps rolling, and if i let it get away from me i'd be lost and sad. so sometimes i might have to suck it up and do something i hate. i might still be sad, but at least i wouldn't be lost.

etsy noms

2009-10-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

*yaaaawn*

weddings are bad for me, i've found, because i get too excited about the details and end up staying awake until 1 am browsing etsy for the perfect hair accessory or what have you. and kittens are bad for me because they wake me up at 7:00 by playing with plastic bags on my floor and, well, here i am back on the computer, browsing etsy.
the browsing has been a success, though. i made my first ever etsy purchase last night, which is saying something because i've been an avid etsy browser for quite a long time. you should see my favorites list. i just couldn't pass these up. because they're whimsical and adorable and perfect and only 18 little dollars for two tiny things i could make myself, but sometimes i don't WANT to make everything myself. other people are really really good at making stuff too! it's my DUTY to support the small business artisan.
anyway, this is what i bought:

they're cake toppers! how cute are they?! i didn't even run them by tony first; i loved them so much and they're just quirky enough to be perfect to top my ideal wedding cake. but, if he doesn't love them then that's okay too, we'll find something else and i'll turn these babies into hair accessories or something. i'll probably do that anyway if we use them, after their cake-topping purpose has been served.

finding those made me happy. i'm also looking for the perfect peacock feather fascinator to wear in my hair. i've found several i really like, but haven't made a decision. i guess it's a decision i could leave until it gets closer to the wedding, but like i said, i'm excited and love planning the details. if i could turn over all the big-time stuff like venue finding and funding, photographer booking, materials and decorations purchasing, food preparing -- basically anything that involves forking over money -- to someone else, and just focus on shopping for other wedding things like weird cat-shaped drink stirrers,

amazing lego cufflinks, sure to please any traditional wedding party,

gorgeous shawls to wrap myself up in,

and...diaper bag tags? these came up in a wedding search, which i don't understand. maybe "wedding" in another language means "ensuring the return of my diaper bag in case of loss", or maybe it's just to dress up the diaper bag you'll invariably be carrying around on your wedding day.

i don't know, but it's cute too so i'd probably buy it.

unfortunately i can't shirk all the less-exciting stuff to pick out all the essential little details. we're meeting with a photographer on tuesday who i really like, but then last night i found another photographer who's several hundred dollars cheaper who also isn't bad. picking a venue hasn't happened yet, mostly because all the places we've looked at are several million dollars to rent for 3 hours on a saturday night, so it's likely we'll just hold it in a church cultural hall which i vowed never to do but which is looking increasingly appealing because it's free. i'm waiting for my dressform to arrive so i can begin work on the wedding dress, and i need to plan some nights to invite a bunch of people to do slavework for me by helping me embroider and bead all the flowers for the reception and all the bouquets and boutteniers, and to assemble invitations once we decide what those will be.

my wonderful sister kari is in town this week though for me to harass with all my ideas and whining.

people have been telling me how short of an engagement tony and i have given ourselves, but it feels like a long time still.

BLOG PURPOSE OVERTAKEN!!

2009-10-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

okay, so first off: i'm a terrible blogger. i don't even want to go back and check the date of my last entry cause it would make me feel too shameful.

second off: sorry.

third off: i am temporarily converting the purpose of this blog from being solely an arty-crafty blog into a weddin' blog, because, well, I'M GETTING MARRIED! woot. so aside from facebook and real life, my friends and family will get to see the whole process documented here, whilst i continue to type and talk about it incessantly until no one really wants me to get married anymore cause they're so sick of hearing about it. and away we go.

before we truly begin, some stats.
1. the date is february 20, 2010
2. we'll be married in the salt lake city temple
3. we have no idea where the reception will be
4. the plan is to make my own dress, flowers, and invitations, but depending on how stressed and crazy i get as time goes on, that list may be reluctantly downsized
5. my dream for the reception is for it to be informal, non-traditional, fun, happy, and more like a big party than a boring 'reception'

i'll save topic-specific pictures and things for another post, hopefully tomorrow, but for now i'll leave you with some quickly-snapped photos (cause i'm a perfectionist?) of what my mind's on now. here's my precious, and my already fat planning binder to keep me organized. oh gosh, this is bad already.

crunchy leaf business

2009-08-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

i can't believe leaves are already starting to fall. that's not to say i don't enjoy stepping on a crunchy leaf while walking the dog, but the winding down of summer makes me sad. i'm no friend of winter. we don't really get along. i don't like coats, i don't like having to wear shoes (and worse, socks), i don't like the hems of my pants being constantly cold and wet and dirty from dragging in the snow. i don't like spinning out on icy freeways and crawling out of a warm bed in the morning to a room so cold it should be frost-covered. i know some people really get into that sort of thing, but it's just not for me. i can admit, though, that fresh snow is very pretty.

okay, so winter's not exactly on our doorstep. it is a little chilly today but a week ago it was hotter than boys, and i'm sure the leaves i stomped on are just a pretentious few, maybe the ones at the top of the tree who are sick of getting all the sunlight and ready to get on with it and be done with summer. i just love looking forward to summer so much more than looking forward to winter. i guess i could try looking through winter and into next summer and try to think of the cold as a brief tempermental phase that weather is going through. like puberty. uncomfortable and awkward, and in a rush to be ignored.

my walk was enjoyable. i stayed home from church sick but the gentle sunshine and fresh air was too good to pass up. and the dog needs the excercise. my birthday was yesterday, and that always makes me thoughtful. it was a very good birthday. i remember a birthday a long time ago when i was 4 turning 5, and we lived in the small town with the man who yelled. i was alone in the basement, staring at my reflection in the glass door of a cabinet, thinking "do i feel so different than 4? what is 5 going to be like?" i tried to notice any changes in my face, any added wisdom in my eyes or length to my limbs. i tried to imagine being all grown up, having long hair and breasts, wearing big girl clothes like my sister and going to the mall with my friends - or whatever grown up girls did. i didn't know. my days were filled with barbies and pretending i was a horse.
since then, almost every year i find myself looking in a mirror at some point on my birthday, trying to notice the ways i feel different. (of course i always look the same as yesterday, but i take the moment to mark how far and yet how close i am from the girl in front of the mirror the year before.) it also helps me remember the 5-year-old me. i'd tell her having breasts isn't all that neat.

tired bloggy goodness

2009-08-02T19:34:00.001-07:00

hello! i'm not dead. sorry i haven't been around much lately but my computer decided to lapse back into its coma a while ago, which kinda sorta killed my blogging mojo. not that it's particularly strong anyway. i'm trying! IT'S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS!

i do have something i'm excited to share, however. i know most of the time i hint at great ideas i have and things i'm psyched about trying, but to fill all the extra time i have now that i don't have my own computation machine (f.y.i., i'm using tony's computer that he's got hooked up to his big ol' tv, which for some things i great, but a couch and low coffee table just don't quite rival the comfort of a computer desk and chair for me) i've been getting a headstart on an idea i've had for a while. if you don't know princess lasertron, you should check her out. do a google search for "felt bouquet" and prepare to go "aww" and "holy crap!" simultaneously. here's an example:

emmirite? she makes wedding bouquets for brides and adorable button boutonnieres (or however you spell that) and also has an etsy shop. i've more or less been drooling for months. i plan on getting married someday - and hopefully sooner than later - and tony and i and our parents don't have a lot of cash to blow on a wedding. and really, even if i could afford it i wouldn't want a fancy expensive wedding. it's just not my style. i hear flowers are expensive, and while i am a flower lover, i also love the idea of a handmade bouquet and it'll be cheaper and waaaaay cute. so i decided to take inspiration from princess lasertron and make my own felt flowers for the wedding i will eventually have. no, i'm not even engaged yet, but...who cares. i don't know, i don't really have an excuse. i just like planning.

here's a picture tony took of my progress so far.

it doesn't show the detail or colors very well, and these are mostly experimental and to get my feet wet, but they're a start. i've made several more since this picture and i'll be heading back to the fabric store for more felt in more colors. i'm not a fan of the light blue. i've decided on the colors in a peacock feather - deep, rich purple and blues with vibrant green and teal and turquoise. if anyone knows where to find a wide assortment of felt colors, please please please let me know. the selection at joann's and hancock's was rather disappointing.

more and better pictures (and flowers) to come.

because..tony just got a new camera. yay! he went straight up old-style and traded service for goods with a guy at the dealership; transmission labor for a fancy D80 nikon camera.

i guess we're camera junkies. now all we need are some photography classes and we'll be set.

okay world. sorry for the crappy post but it's all i got for the moment. with luck and hope i'll get my own dear computer back on board and i'll be valiant with my crafting and documenting in the meantime. groodnight.

love, kayla

find a way to make your natural tendencies pay

2009-07-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

hi guys. happy wednesday.
before anything else happens, look at this smoothie i made.

it's orange-vanilla-watermelon, and it's amazing. you've got to try one.

did you know that the coolness of a place is exactly equal to how many pictures one feels the need to take of it? guess how many pictures i took of idaho? none! (i didn't even bring my camera. sorry idaho, you just lose.) actually i concede that parts of idaho are actually quite beautiful and interesting, but we were in burley; far, far away from those parts. even my dad referred to it multiple times using the word "armpit".
but the reunion was good and family's what matters, right? i got to meet distant relatives i didn't know existed before this weekend, and i learned a lot about my grandparents and my maternal great-grandparents and great-aunts and second cousins and i'm sure people of other combinations of relation. but besides all that, check out this sweet afghan made by my aunt darlene.

and it's all mine! i thought the colors were beautiful and i can't wait to use it to decorate the home i will someday have.

i also learned that my grandma was a painter and also - get this- a SHOEMAKER. how cool is that? she even wrote a book about how to make shoes and my uncle made everyone copies, and i just think it's so rad that my grandma was a totally crafty woman. i'm one of the younger grandkids, so i never knew her very well, but hopefully, maybe i got a little bit of me from her? my aunts and uncles gave me one of her unfinished paintings and told me to finish it. maybe someday i'll summon the guts to do it, but until then it's neat to have something of hers.

does anyone else love cupcakes as much as i do? i don't think so.

i got this little gem for being such a good girl at the dentist's office. i can't eat it yet cause the entire right half of my face including my tastebuds is numb, but i'm sure it's delicious. looks like red velvet to me.

well i know i keep promising pictures and finished things and things, but time never seems to make room for me. i'm in the process of finding a new job and i'm still trying to snap out of vacation mode. there's still those dang bracelets to finish that i'm completely dreading because they're so time consuming and headache inducing and i think i have arthritis but only when i work on them. if you're confused, it's okay. i'm a schizophrenic, and so am i.

but wait! i've got a few shots of tony working on my sewing machine like a cool little man. check out his blog, a picture of my life, for the complete project. plus there's one kindof lame pic from waiting for fireworks in the park on the 4th of july. i don't know why i didn't take any pictures of actual fireworks. i have a lot to learn.
love, kayla

mini update

2009-07-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

i am TERRIBLY sorry for how crappy a blogger i am! especially lately. this week's been crazy (in a good way) and i've got one project finished with what seems like gajillions more to go, plus one shared project betwixt the boy and i. pretty much the only reason i haven't done a serious post for a while is because i'm too lazy/distracted to take pictures, and i hate posts without pictures! so, i'm running away to idaho for a quick family reunion weekend that will be gobs of fun, and when i get back i'll update y'all on my fabulous week and 4th and get some PICTURES all up in here.

have a gorgeous weekend!
love, kayla

um...

2009-07-07T13:39:00.001-07:00

i was going to say something, but i forgot.

city guide goodness

2009-07-02T23:31:00.000-07:00

i had to share this, because it's so amazing and makes me feel like i've been living in a HOLE for the entire time (like my whole life, kinda?) i've lived in salt lake. this is an incredible, detailed guide that's given me a whole list of things to do whenever i say i'm bored and stuck and feeling icky.
i hate that i'm so uninvolved with my surroundings and my community. i know there's a big art community here, but i'm scared to jump in and say hi. maybe if i was actually producing much art these days, or maybe that's exactly what i need to give me back my mojo.
anyway, if any local yayhoos want to hit up the monthly gallery stroll with me, let me know, cause i think that would be fun.

in other news, did anyone see that rainstorm today? yikes. driving home felt like that scene in big fish, where the storm he drives through turns into massive amounts of water.

i'm working on some things, but they're all unfinished so i don't want to show them yet. but i've found that moving in new directions is all at once invigorating and deflating, because i love broadening my self spectrum but i'm also made painfully aware that i'm not automatically amazing at everything. just kidding. but really. it's a good reminder to appreciate the things people do and make even when they look easy, cause they're probably hard! sometimes i get cocky.

and, because i don't want to go to bed without leaving a little eye candy, here is something adorable. (it's also a semi-preview of what i'm a-working on.)

the shop is here, but i think these gnomes are especially precious. i would buy one for myself and have no shame. :)

night, guys.
love, kayla

SO MUCH DEGREES!

2009-07-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

hello!
it's very hot today. very very hot. the first thing i did when i got home was peel off my dark wash jeans and black t-shirt (what was i thinking?!) and lay spread-eagle on the floor in my underwear. thank heaven for swamp coolers!

the day has started off less than great. i woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep, and then work, and my body for the last few days has been a little wonky and blah blah blah, i could whine all day. instead of doing that, though, i'm going to try and be productive. maybe some nice, cool, cotton dresses are in order. cotton dresses filled with ice.

p.s. before i go, how adorable is this??

plus all the other ones. LOVE her shop. :)
love, kayla

no sense in cleanin'

2009-06-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

my room is a mess right now. i think it likes it, like a kid who's happiest when she's covered in mud from running through sprinklers or something, only this mud is rainbow colored and really really girly. there's embroidery floss and fabric scraps and makeup and sketchbooks and shoes and purses and clothes that were too clean to be put in the laundry basket yet too dirty to be put back into drawers. i'm not really comfortable with the mess, and i can tell you my family isn't, but the room seems happy so i'll let it marinade for a little bit while i take a shower.
i love a lot of things today (stuffed animals, embroidery, ice cream & milk, spinach/artichoke/parmesan cheese dip), but i can't be bothered with pictures and a detailed post. i just wanted to say hi. hopefully tomorrow i can write up something decent.
night!
love, kayla

harry potter?!?

2009-06-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

woot for saturdays. the plans for today are costco, the mountains, cameras, and loving summer. i was woken up this morning by tony bringing me lots of new music and kisses. we ate breakfast over the paper and cut out one of the funnier comic strips, then we jumped on the trampoline and i got a piggy back ride. aren't we disgustingly cute? :) i love my boy.
the plan for right now is to kill time while waiting for people to shower by working on the current embroidery project and listening to harry potter on tape. that's right, harry potter. for those of you who don't know, i swore to never bother with harry potter since it first came out. i have a thing for purposely not following fads (less now than then) and it more or less began with harry potter. but tony got all 7 books on audiotape and put them on our itunes, and i would eavesdrop when he listened to them. the sensation of being read to is one of my favorites; i feel like i'm back in 5th grade where the teacher would read us wonderful stories, like mrs. frisby and the rats of NIMH and the last of the really great whangdoodles, and i can just sit back and be totally enraptured and it's a different experience than reading a book yourself.
i still prefer reading to listening to books, but i'm content to experience harry potter this way.
and yes, i like the books so far.

real quick, this is what i'm working on. it's just for fun, to learn new stitches and get some practice in. the pattern isn't mine, i found it on a website somewhere.

happy saturday.
love, kayla.

sudden extra time

2009-06-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

it's such a beautiful summer day, my boss told me to go home early to enjoy it! :D just kidding. i did get to come home early, but only because business was so agonizingly slow. the reason doesn't really matter though; i'm grateful to be home.
i've got the windows open and the blinds pulled up, the swamp cooler making things livable. cherries in the fridge, a puppy in the yard, flowers on the desk.

perfect and lovely, no? maybe i'll get something productive done. ha. actually i'll probably do some embroidery while listening to harry potter.
what do you do on your summer days when you get home from work?
love, kayla

end of lazy haitus + spoils from yard sailing

2009-06-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

hi! it's been a few days. that's my fault. we got some sweet loot last saturday that i've been wanting to blog about, but they needed to be photographed and i just never got myself around to it. isn't it funny how sometimes we lack the motivation to do even the things that we really love?

well, i'm back so let's get to it.

our neighbor had a garage sale last saturday and tony and i had the same idea to finally go yard sailing (read: sale-ing) like we've always wanted to. so we saddled up, armed with petty cash, and drove around aimlessly seeking handmade signs to follow.

here's the majority of what we came home with, minus cds. there's a big ol bag full of mix-matched yarn, a brand new camera tripod, an adorable silver fish ring, a bra, and...

oh hang on. kayla, what is that? is that a totally rad vintage camera that's completely blowing my mind right now?

why yes, sub-concious kayla, yes it is.

meet lympie. he's our new best friend, and he was $2.

after taking lympie apart and doing some research, we've discovered
a) he works
b) he was made in either 1968 or 1978
c) he's SOLAR-POWERED. no batteries!!
d) he's really really neat.

okay, so he works now. tony had to disassemble him because the aperture was sticking, and the metal ring around the lens was dented, but tony is amazing and got everything working again. we even got our first roll of film developed!

i don't think anyone else is as excited as we are, but we're pretty excited. if you couldn't tell. excited. us. YAY!

by the way, i do know it's disgusting that i bought a used bra from a yard sale. but it's from victoria's secret. do you know how expensive those bad boys are? this was 2 bucks! and it's my size. and i have a washing machine.

i'm getting distracted by my music. today i think i'll do some embroidery, go to harmon's for cherries, take a shower, replace the flowers in my room, take dani for a walk, and maybe play a video game or two. i hope everyone's having a wonderful tuesday!

love, kayla

dinoswars!

2009-06-17T21:56:00.000-07:00

no promises on coherency tonight. i waited until it got way too late to post, so i'm exhausted and delirious but still not wanting to go to bed. what a smerk-perfect time to show off those pictures i've been talking about, eh?

t-bonez and i went to like a lumberjack lollapalooza something-or-other a couple weeks ago down at thanksgiving point. they had big tool exhibits and wood chopping/log cutting/chainsaw massacre races and things like that - it was definitely a guy's venue, full of engines and powerful machinery, with sawdust and wood shavings everywhere. (but i got ice cream, so i was happy too.) it was actually pretty interesting, even though we missed all the more exciting events like log rolling. part of the niceness was just getting out of the house and doing something a little different.
on our way out i begged to go check out the thanksgiving point home decor boutique thingy since we were there anyway. utah mormon style isn't really my thing (if you live here, you know what i'm talking about) but this particular store has some really pretty things which are slightly funkier than i was expecting when i first visited, so i like browsing now and again. it's all way too expensive to actually buy, so there's no real threat of me accidently losing money and acquiring new neat but useless things - but oh how i wish there were.

anyway, on to the lovelies.

these made me laugh cause they're so random. haha, i mean really.

the identical posing was completely an accident. p.s. w stands for wawesome.

my meagre photo skills don't do the place justice. parts of it are simply ethereal. but i think tony was feeling pretty tortured so we made to leave.

however, we got about as far as the parking lot before the huge mural of a t-rex busting out of the dinosaur museum sang its siren song.

like moths respond to the tantalizing dance of a flame, we were obliged to satiate our craving of cliche photo posing.

tony's all turned out way better, though.

this face he's making completely slays me.

well, i'm glad those are out of the way. i dove a little deeper into my newly acquired pile of fabric today but didn't make much progress. for the next little bit though i'm going to be tied down to finishing some friendship bracelets a friend from work requested a long time ago.

not now, though. now, bed.
love, kayla

thriftiness

2009-06-15T23:40:00.000-07:00

it is very much definitely bed time.
i'm very proud of myself, because i've been up using my sewing machine. i'm sure my mom in the next room and my stepdad in the room below don't really appreciate me using any type of machinery at midnight, but i'd already started the project and if i stopped then it would fade away into the pile of things to finish when i don't feel stuck anymore. i didn't finish it, because sewing when you're tired is the mother of all bad ideas, so i guess i'll have to bust out some willpower and finish it tomorrow.

this brings me to today's thrift store finds. yay!

i can't tell you how in love with this phone i am. i've wanted one since i was little, and when i saw it on the shelf for $3 you know i had to buy it. who cares if tony and i aren't married yet or have a place of our own? the time to stock up on quirky home goods is now!

(the best part is that it actually works.)

i also bought two sheets and a neato pillowcase. the sheets are for clothing practice because they're cheaper and prettier than muslin, and the pillowcase is awesome, what with it's tree design and all. i'm thinking pillowcase dress, or maybe something a little more special. we'll see.

and before i go to bed, my very sweet boyfriend surprised me with brand new rolls of film today.

we love him.

that's all. tomorrow maybe i'll have some pictures of our adventure to thanksgiving point a while ago. there's a boutique thingy there that's full of all kinds of prettyness. happy monday!

love, kayla

it's sunday, and i'm happy

2009-06-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

i never know how to start these blog posts, so i'ma just gonna jump right in.

I WANT A HOLGA.

i'd settle for a polaroid camera. i would also settle for film for my newly fixed-but-not-really-fixed-cause-it-was-never-broken fancy nikon film camera, but for a very long time i've been wanting overexposed, grainy pictures INSTANTLY. i judge the importance of my obsessions by how long they last without me indulging them too soon, and if they make it into the months range, i say they deserve to be indulged.

however, film is slightly less expensive than a whole actual new camera, so i guess the instantness part is still going to have to wait.

it's been a trying weekend.

not that it wasn't good. i got to see some little boys that i haven't seen for a while so of course it was good. but i think i got my first real dose of what actual marriage and motherhood is going to be like. a heart is quick to melt in the face of big, innocent blue eyes, but it hardens back up pretty fast when you don't know why those eyes or crying or how to make them stop, and you can't pass them back to their mommy, and your boy-boy is downstairs playing video games all day. i really do hate to say it, but i've had to work hard to keep myself from getting frustrated at the man i love all because i'm stressed out taking care of a baby. i'm sorry tony.

but today was church day and even though i was tired, i always feel better after church. then a couple of movies and some exploding kitten noises, and the weekend's pretty much over. back to work, which i'm sure will make me want to be a mother again.

as far as crafting or doing anything creative goes, i've come to understand i've run into a little bit of a dry patch. which is weird, after having just gone through a very fertile, productive stage. i've got a napkin dress design magneted to the noteboard waiting to be started, a bag full of unfinished sewing projects, multiple little embellishment ideas floating around in my head. oh, and the secret embroidery project, of course.

and last but not least, what would a penniless, stubborn do-it-yourselfer be if she wasn't her own hair stylist, too?

i need a nap. and a good day at the park. happy sunday, everyone.
love, kayla

compilation + the new new blog

2009-06-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

one of my most frustrating and wonderful traits is that i'm ever-changing. i have a new love, new dream, new idea, and new favorite color every day it seems. the blog i started for my crafts, treasurefulness, felt like what i wanted for a little while, but it ended up feeling too different from me and who i am. i got confused. i've been very interested in other people's blogs lately and i wanted to make something like theirs, to be the beautiful, creative, hip person like some of the girls i've come to admire (ahem *rachel elsie cakies crissy marta* among others). i don't think that in itself is bad, but i tend to lose myself in things i wish i were. sometimes i'm just not things!
so i created this new blog, in an attempt to remain true to who i am and the stuff i love, and hope to blossom into the beautiful person i'm supposed to be.

(if you've followed me here, thanks!)

love, kayla

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p.s. since i'm a-movin' blogs, i don't want to lose some of the cool stuff i found and shared. instead of copying over every post, i'll just throw the pretties here mish-mash style.

loghouseclothing

emmabee

quiltlover

leahkl

ballerinagrape

patchesandrags

beautiful crocheted flower hair clips from mariannes.

i very much love these announcements and invitations from inkylivie.

and domesticconstruction's teacup chandeliers. i'm so happy i discovered these! i absolutely think i need one.

enchanting wonderfuls from brighter day.