12.05.2008

goodbye for now


it has been awhile now since i have posted anything of significant value (i feel) & i am sorry for those few faithful people out there who actually read my posts. i have been doing my share of crafting, traveling, cooking, shopping, visiting trade/craft shows etc. but my heart just isn't in it to blog about it for now. i have come to the conclusion after returning from Argentina and having all these wonderful memories of things we saw that to share it here just feels like work. when the time comes that you are doing something because you feel you "should" and not because you really want to than it's time to move on.

for now i would rather be making something than sitting here writing about it (perhaps this is because my full time job involves staring at this same screen!).

so~~~~~~~~~
my pictures will tell you more than my words can for now & if you enjoy seeing what i'm up to; come visit me (aka WeBees) at flickr where i will continue to post my life experiences in photos.

~things could change here, if they do you will be the first to know.

until i post again, have a safe and happy end of 2008!

11.25.2008

Pinch me, is this real?


Pinch me, is this real?
Originally uploaded by WeBees
a taste of things to come. i have been very busy and very slack in posting to the blog lately but i promise to catch up over the holidays and share all the wonderful-ness of Argentina. there was a wedding, beautiful architecture, great fashion, history and awe inspiring nature in El Calafate, Pagagonia. there was and is a lot to be grateful for! have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends this week.

11.14.2008

orphan works bill~find out more

Important for artists, photographers and desigers:
go here and learn more about the Orphan Works Bill.
please take action to keep our work safe and protected by copywrite laws.

11.13.2008

100 Things in the world I love


thanks Hula Seventy for the idea to share 100 things i love. tis the season to be grateful after all!
1.air
2.water
3.fire
4.dirt/earth
5.my cats
6.green
7.travel
8.pasta
9.rice
10.dark chocolate
11.yarn
12.textiles
13.reading
14.taking pictures
15.my husband
16.my family
17.my friends
18.fall leaves
19.snowflakes
20.the ocean
21.sand in my toes
22.yoga
23.nia/dancing
24.gardenias
25.gardening
26.fresh baked bread
27.homemade soup
28.mom's chocolate bourbon pecan pie
29.squash casserole
30.tango music (since I just returned from Argentina)
31.birds singing
32.quotes
33.colored pens
34.postcards/letters from others
35.purple
36.red
37.yellow
38.homeade salsa
39.NYC
40.DC
41.cherry blossoms
42.japanese design
43.candles
44.parties
45.entertaining
46.tom ka gai soup
47.trying new things
48.changing the page on the calendar
49.thanksgiving
50.halloween
51.new years day
52.cocktails
53.a good smile
54.children playing
55.music (almost any kind)
56.an open heart
57.trust
58.faith
59.road trips
60.spontanaity
61.randomness
62.the sky
63.fresh herbs
64.line dried laundry
65.a clean house
66.chocolate chip cookies
67.brownies
68.french fries
69.massages
70.a good haircut
71.$ in the bank
72.no debt
73.a good deep breath
74.sleep
75.sleeping in late
76.waking up early
77.avocados
78.art museums
79.weaving
80.cooking
81.sewing
82.taking the train
83.boat rides
84.first snow
85.libraries
86.calculators
87.binder clips
88.digital cameras
89.glue sticks
90.lavender
91.seashells
92.rocks
93.trees
94.honey
95.silver
96.jeans
97.dressing up
98.my husband playing guitar
99.leaving work early
100.myself!

11.10.2008

yes we did!!!

we toasted Obama on Perito Moreno glacier on election day! we were one of 2 American couples there and everyone was excited about Obama!

we joked that we would not come home if Obama didn't win but we were so glad to hear of his victory and glad to be able to come home to this wonderful country full of freedom, opportunity and people who are open to change!

10.28.2008

loofa ~harvest time


loofa harvest
Originally uploaded by WeBees
we haven't yet cut the vines but they've been frost bitten. we have harvested about 8 large loofa (between 16-24"). did you know you can eat them when they are small (under 8" or so)? i didn't realize it until i came across the info in another blog and i tried them cooked like zuccini, they are very good! we have been doing all the regular fall cleanup in the yard but i've also planted lettuce, nasturtium, arugula and cilantro for the colder season. we haven't quite had a hard freeze but i expect it will happen while we are away.

we depart tomorrow for Argentina for 10 days so i'll be away but back in mid Nov. with lots of photo's and excitement to share.

Diebold leaks election results~

10.22.2008

13 Days to Vote!


13 Days to Vote!
Originally uploaded by WeBees
PHEW! Done, we rocked our vote yesterday. We will be out of the country in Argentina for the election so we cast our absentee ballot's yesterday. Get out there and get it done!

10.09.2008

SafeLawns.org


SafeLawns.org
Originally uploaded by WeBees
i attended a lecture 2 weeks ago on organic lawn care by Paul Tukey and this is the book he has recently published on the subject. somehow i thought organic lawn care would be a difficult subject to tackle but he broke it down into simple easy to follow steps.
1. reseed, reseed, reseed
2. compost, compost, compost
3. mow that lawn high and recycle the grass clippings right back onto the lawn
4. spray the lawn with compost tea, this activates the micro organisms that are alive it the soil so they can get to work
5. water properly (long and deep and in the am)
6. only create lawn where you will use it and enjoy it.
the last is probably the best advice and most important! if you don't use your lawn, why do you have it? convert some to wildflowers, some to vegetables, some to trees, shrubs and other plantings.

the book goes into a lot more detail but there are many free resources such as videos on the safe lawns website. now's the time to get that lawn ready for next year, if you love it use it, if not get rid of it!

10.02.2008

Daily Ray of Hope photo today



Originally uploaded by WeBees
this photo was choosen by sierra club for use in their daily ray of hope email.

You're only as young as the last time you changed your mind.
-- Timothy Leary

is she qualified?

a bit long but well researched video on Sarah Palin's experience and qualification. the video is cut off on the left but it's really what is said, not shown here that's important.

9.29.2008

Crafty Bastards DC

this was a first for me attending Crafty Bastards DC Street Fair . i was pretty impressed with the turn out for this one day show. my intention was to see what kind of crafty goodness was at this show, who was exhibiting, what the foot traffic was like and if people were buying. being an attendee, it seemed there was a good turn out, pretty good variety of vendors and it was well organized. i came home with a few purchases from woolarina, spaghetti kiss & tasha mckelvey. other exhibitors that i didn't buy from this time but really liked were hats from rocks and salt, tee's by squidfire, leather cuffs by fistcuff, lunchbags by goshdarn knits as well as all the other vendors below i took pictures of.


Alitas Jewelry Booth-i loved his work but have a BIG criticism for his booth, it was well merchandised but there was no sign with the company name and no pricing so each person had to wait to ask questions about each product. oh well!

Pear Booth

Pear Booth

Pistol Stiched Booth

Shaghetti Kiss Booth

Something's Hiding in Here Booth

Something's Hiding in Here Booth-i think mustaches are going to be one of the next big image icon's (owls were still all around as well as mushrooms).

1 Girl 1 Boy Booth

1 Girl 1 Boy Booth

1 Girl 1 Boy Booth

Color Hive Booth

Cleo Dee's Squid Market Booth

Cleo Dee's Squid Market Booth-some clever props were used in this booth.

Claire McDermott Booth-all her jewelry shown was made from recycled skateboard platforms.

Claire McDermott Booth

The Small Object Booth-wonderfully clever items!

The Small Object Booth

The Small Object Booth

Greg Metal Booth-beautiful and unusual jewlry resembling enameling or cloisonne but made of more industrial materials. unfortunately he was almost sold out when we made it to his booth but i'll be on the lookout for him again.

Greg Metal Booth

Greenware Designs Booth

Biggs and Featherbelle Booth-their packaging and booth design was really well done. each assortment was well presented with fun colorful embellishing of ribbons and dots. simple, clean and cheerful.

Biggs and Featherbelle Booth
all the booths above with 1 or 2 exceptions were well merchandised and had good signage. i felt there were a lot of booths at this show that needed some work in this area, several vendors ran out of business cards as well but this is only the 3rd Crafty Bastards show (still folks-get it together). the quality of all the products seemed pretty high at the show but there were certain cagegories of product that were not well represented. it will be very interesting to see how well this show evolves and if it lasts. it hope so, it was a lot of fun and a good size. perhaps it could even expand into a 2 day event?

Craft Zine's Booth-making an l.e.d throwie
there were 3 demo's spread throughout the day and tables set up for each item. these little projects were fun and a good way to get out of the sun/or rain depending on when you were at the show.

Craft Zine's Booth-making an l.e.d throwie

Craft Zine's Booth-making an l.e.d throwie

Craft Zine's Booth-making button rings

Craft Zine's Booth-making button rings

Craft Zine's Booth-making button rings

9.26.2008

cooking up a story



thanks to my friend marley who passed this along to me. check them out HERE.

9.25.2008

60+lbs of tomato's canned

this is a bit overdue but i've been meaning to post about my first ever tomato canning experience. i picked up over 60 lbs of organic (mostly) tomatoes seconds (several varieties and colors) from two local farms and three of us split the haul and did the canning together. you can see how beautiful the red, orange and yellow varieties of tomatoes look when all are canned together.

we started at 11 am and finished at about 5 pm with cleanup (but still had to wait on two batches). we went with whole tomatoes and tomato juice to keep things simple no sauces, diced, salsa etc. we meant business!

our yeild was aprox. 9 quarts (6 whole tomatoe/3 juice) and 2-3 pints per person (per 20 lbs). not bad!

our reward while we cleaned up and waited on the last batches was the freshest tomato juice bloody mary's ever! they were fantastic and i'm so glad we didn't waste the juice! all the tomato "trash" went to the compost pile as well so nothing was wasted.

last year i made a promise to myself to can tomato's since i don't have a large freezer but i also tried my hand at peaches, peach sauce, blackberry sauce and blackberry jam. i experimented with peach and berry infused vodka and vinegars which i still have on hand and they turned out fantastic. economically speaking i'm not sure if it's worth canning but i don't think that's the point. it was fun working together with my mom and my friend on this project and learning a new skill that is certainly useful. i'll probably be making some apple butter and apple sauce before the season is over. i'll certainly be enjoying these goodies all winter long!

*ps. a word of caution~we had one accident at the end of our long day when i set a jar just out of the water onto the granite counter top without a towel. explosion, big mess but no one was hurt. inexperience is the best teacher!

9.17.2008

making lemonaid out of lemons

deer are constantly a problem in my yard. along with them come nibbled plants galore and lyme disease (if you are unlucky-or just stick around here too long).
while surveying my yard this past weekend and again today i've discovered them eating my blooming sedum autum joy!

okay, bummer but at least they have been kind enough to leave me the flowers. so, i'm collecting them for some arrangements.

if you have a bowl, some tape and some similar flowers you can create a lovely little table arrangement.
tape a grid across the bowl, add water and flowers...


and there you have it!

9.10.2008

Women Against Sarah Palin

i've been away for awhile from blogging, i've been deeply entrenched as i watch our country head towards yet another possible (avoidable) train wreck. i've been watched both the DNC and the RNC and more importantly i've been speaking with anyone and everyone who will listen about the choices we have at the upcoming election. bear with me as i post some things that in no way relate to crafting, art, gardening, interior design or the other normal subjects of this blog. this subject is so important!

also; see what Deepak Chopra has to say about the upcoming election.


Friends, compatriots, fellow-lamenters (or for those of you who aren't you may want to read on before you cast your vote),
We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship, and that it is a dangerous farce—on the part of a pande! ! ring and rudderless Presidential candidate—that has a real possibility of becoming fact.Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for ourselves and for our present or future daughters.
To date, she is against sex education, birth control, the pro-choice platform, environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech (as mayor she wanted to ban books and attempted to fire the librarian who stood against her), gun control, the separation of church and state, and polar bears. To say nothing of her complete lack of real preparation to become the
second-most-powerful person on the planet.We want to clarify that we are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a mother, or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and all together devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin’s political views are in every way a slap in the face to the accomplishments that our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers so fiercely fought for, and that we’ve so demonstrably benefited from.
First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not demonstrate or uphold our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters. We want to disagree, publicly.Therefore, we invite you to reply here womensaynopalin@gmail.com with a short, succinct message about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation.Please include your name (last initial is fine), age, and place of residence.We will post your responses on a blog called “Women Against Sarah Palin,” which we intend to publicize as widely as possible. Please send us your reply at your earliest convenience—the greater the volume of responses we receive, the stronger our message will be.Thank you for your time and action.VIVA!
Sincerely,Quinn Latimer and Lyra Kilston
New York, NY
womensaynopalin@gmail.com
PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!* If you send this to 20 women in the next hour, you could be blessed with a country that takes your concerns seriously. Stranger things have happened.

border control, there's no simple solution

8.18.2008

Mosaic Monday~PS Water II

enjoy these beautiful water inspired images~with hopes to bring you through the week feeling cool and relaxed.


1. stars, 2. Blue Tulips, 3. Cloudwatching, 4. tea break, 5. coastkeh, 6. blue planet, 7. Handmade fabric flower brooch, 8. Café Glockenspiel III - Munich, 9. sparkly water

8.15.2008

Happy Summer Day


Happy Summer Day
Originally uploaded by WeBees
have a great weekend!