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a new year, a new age, a new post.

February 16, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Finally, a new post! Sorry I’ve been slacking. I have been busy busy with recipes and crafts as usual, but unfortunately I am lacking a program for editing photos and an external hard drive to keep said photos on. Excuses, excuses, I know. I have to keep reminding myself to not only use my camera but to do something with the pictures I take. I bought my camera a year ago and many of the pictures I’ve taken have only lived inside of it. A better photo uploading system is definitely something to add to my list of goals (not to be confused with resolutions- but more about that later). A lot of the photos I have been taking that have made their way online I’ve taken with my phone. I’ve been really into instagram because it’s so very, well, just that- instant. It’s a nice way to capture sweet little moments through out the day…many of which I admit, are with Bennett, but c’mon, this face is too much not to share.

If you don’t follow me already, find me: Katieohead
If you don’t have an iPhone you can follow them on Webstagram
& If you don’t already know, you can also find me on Twitter & finally Pinterest!

Like I said, I’m not really a new year’s resolution type of person, though sometimes I feel like that have a bad reputation because most people don’t stick to them much by the first week of February. Though I do like to make goal lists, sometimes for specific dates, monthly, weekly or even just daily. My planner is filled with lists every day and I take a lot of joy in crossing each item off. I do enjoy the idea of making a birthday list and having just turned 25 last weekend, I’ve been thinking of things to put on my “25 before 26″ list. The first thing I came up with was “learn something new”, though this will probably make the list every year. I am happy to say that I have already learned something new this year!

For years… literally YEARS I have wanted (and tried) to learn how to knit. I can’t count the amount of times I went out, bought a bunch of supplies and said “okay, I’m going to finally figure this out.” In fact, when I started this blog a year ago, I took the picture on my about page with a hat on that a friend had knit for me and I was going to do a post all about how I learned to knit. Well it never happened… until now. A few of my lady friends from work (at The Flying Rhino) and I started a knitting night with the owner of the restaurant (and my old neighbor) as our experienced mama bear knitter. She started us all on our projects and helps us all when we lose our place or drop a stitch. It has been extremely helpful and I am happy (and proud!) to say that I have finally completely a whole project! A cowl!

It’s a little wonky and a bit awkwardly sized but the fact that I completed a knitted project (almost) all on my own is huge for me! I already started another project that has proven to be much more time consuming, but I’m not giving up, I just might have to have little instant gratification projects to keep me interested. Any tips or tricks for a new knitter? Fun fast and easy projects? Please, send them my way!

What are you all doing this weekend? Tonight I am going to one of three presentations of The Vagina Monologues where I have donated a handmade item each night to benefit Girls Inc. I can’t wait to see who wins tonight’s necklace!

Stay classy & crafty!
xoxo, KO

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DIY Holiday

December 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

make your own wine charms!

For Christmas presents this year (and well, every year really…) all of my presents are from small local shops, Etsy, or homemade by yours truly. There’s a small list of people I’ll get gifts for, and then I’ll make some homemade treats for the others (I was thinking cookies or something this year but my mom totally out did me and made Kahlua!) This is a busy time of year for everyone and sometimes it’s hard to find time to make creative gifts, but in my opinion, they really are the best kind! There’s always so many people and parties to buy for, so here’s a simple gift idea for many occasions! Paired with a bottle of wine they make a great addition to a Yankee swap or even a housewarming gift!

What you’ll need:

Buttons! Of all colors shapes and sizes. You can find them in the craft stores but the best ones usually come from unique places. If you have a friend like me (read: craft-hoarder) then they’ll have a collection of old vintage buttons. But ask your grandmother if she has a button tin, I bet she does (if not, your mom has it) comb through thrift stores, dig through your junk drawer- get creative!

Beads! A collection of medium and large beads and then a bunch of different seed beads (the teeny-tiny ones). If you’re not a beader, then these you might have to buy but fortunately they’re super cheap! Seed beads usually come in tubes and go a long way. For my charms, I try to make each one entirely unique so as to differentiate, an all yellow one, a black one, a gold one etc. I usually pick out my big bead and button first, and then use those as a guide for the seed beads and spacer beads.

Wire! Craft wire is something you might not have laying around, but it is also super affordable and can be found at any craft store. It’s important that you don’t get beading wire which is thinner and feels more like string. Craft wire holds it’s shape and comes in all different colors and sizes. If you’ve never worked with wire before- it’s sold in gauges. The higher the gauge the thinner the wire and vice versa. For this project you want anywhere between a 20-24… an 18 is probably too stiff to bend and anything thinner than 24 will snap too easily. I prefer a dark copper wire in about a 22 gauge.

Wire cutters! You’ll ruin all of your scissors trying to cut through craft wire, but any wire cutters you have in your tool box should do.

Assembly is entirely up to you, so be creative! I usually start with a button and find a large bead I want to go with it. Then I will fill about 5 or 6 inches with seed beads and smaller spacer beads within that color scheme, end with the larger bead and twist the wire around it to hold it in place. They are pretty simple to put together and a good project to do with friends over wine (you might say I know from experience).

Make a set & tie with ribbon to a bottle of wine for a perfect gift! What else have you guys been creating this holiday season?

Happy crafting!

xoxo,
Katie O

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overdue overload

December 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

sleepless nights & coffee days.

Remember me? It has been so so long. The holidays are always busy for everyone, but I’m happy to say that at least I’ve been busy with crafts. Whether it’s been being creative with the boys, baking for a party or making decorations for my home- I’ve been keeping busy doing what I love. While I’ve been good at filling my extra time with projects, I still need work on finding extra-extra time for pictures and posts about them. I’m working on it, I’m working on it.

needy pup.

It’s actually been awhile since I’ve been on a non-mobile website. I recently got the new iPhone 4s and have been living on it during coffee breaks, nap times and puppy walks.  Consequently I developed an obsession with instagram (follow me!) so at least I’ve captured a bit of what I’ve been up to.

bridesmaids necklaces.

One of my major recent projects was making bridesmaids jewelry for a friends’ wedding. This is something I have always been interested in doing (especially after I saw my friend Marisa wearing the earrings I made her at her wedding) so I was thrilled to help. I fell so in love with the necklaces I  made for them that I’ve been working on developing a new line to have for my fancier jewelry to make room for opportunities to do custom bridal orders in the future about it.

pumpkin cheesecake.

pilgrim hats & acorns by the boys.

craft night. homemade kahlua. bead & button wine charms.

polaroid piano.

I bought a new toy, a Polaroid Instax 300. I’ve been dying to make this purchase for years.  I  used to take a lot of Polaroids before they stopped making the film and it became completely unreasonaby priced. Lately I’ve really missed instant photography so I caved and bought this new camera so I could create the following…

a polaroid christmas tree!

I’ve been carrying the camera around snapping pictures of people and things that I love to hang on my tree. We had a holiday party this weekend and I left the camera out with a few rolls of film, yarn and a marker so people could add to it themselves. I absolutely adore this idea and plan on making it a new tradition.decorations.

I had a giant blank wall next to my bed that was in need of some serious attention. I filled it with some felt leaf garland I made, lights and some if my older Polaroids to bring some holiday into my bedroom.

sunny day adventures.

“The mystery was gone, but the amazement was just starting” -Andy Warhol

Stockings for Rocky II (pup), Gourdy (bunny), and Toast (kitty cat).

I’ve been busy with work, crafts and love… but what have you all been up to? How are you surviving the holiday rush? Any crafty ideas for gifts or recipes, send them my way!

xoxo,

katie o

 

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sicko

October 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

late nights & early mornings have finally caught up with me.

I pulled one too many all-nighters in the last few weeks and spent the better part of last week with a 3 year old on a nebulizer.  It’s caught up with me & I feel awful. Hot tea, soup & echinacea have become good friends. Half of me wishes I could curl up in bed with my cat and watch a zillion movies, and the other half wants to clean my whole house and organize my craft room. Unfortunately there is time for neither, which is probably how I got here in the first place.

I’ve finally cut down hours at work and I couldn’t be happier. I now have Fridays AND Sundays off! Two whole days to myself! I’m hoping this time off gives me significantly more time to work on my crafts without making a significant impact on my wallet. It’ll take a little better budgeting skills (oops I spent $100 at lunch yesterday) but I think it’ll be worth the peace of mind.

How is everyone else handling flu season? Any tips for natural* cold remedies? Don’t overwork yourself & stay hydrated!**

*My body doesn’t take kindly to most over-the-counter medicine.
**note to self

xoxo,
sniffly o

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Tea Talk: James Holton Fox

October 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This long overdue Tea Talk comes from the incredible Jim Fox! He is a Vibram wearing, silk painting, hard cider making, beer brewing, eccentric goof ball from the cape.

TEA TALK
introduce yourself!
James Holton Fox- Liquor Store Clerk. Artist. Eccentric Wierdo. Relutant cult leader.

What’s your cup of tea?
Making paintings on cardboard with sharpie and acrylic paint.

SLIP STITCH
What’s your favorite materials or ingredients to work with?
Adobe Illustrator, it’s like markers and paint just waaaaay faster.

What’s a good crafting or cooking tip?
Don’t throw anything away, especially if its shiny.

BRAIN FOOD
Where do you find your inspiration & ideas?
Behind closed eyelids. I see lots of hallucinogenic and cartoon like images before I go to sleep. I used to suffer from hypnopompic hallucinations which heavily influenced the art I made in my early 20′s. Sometimes I wake up and I have to scribble things down when the maelstrom of images becomes too much. It’s always back there and doesn’t go away. Drinking can keep it at bay but other drugs just help it flow out. Sometimes after drawing or painting for a few hours I feel completely drained and unable to do anything. Making art for me is a reaction to life, it is the one thing that has remained constant, the need to create, even if that means scribbling on a wall with markers in the back of a dive bar.

The days go by and you wish you were a different guy,
Different friends and a new set of clothes.
You make alterations and affect a new pose,
A new house, a new car, a new job, a new nose.
But it’s superficial and it’s only skin deep,
Because the voices in your head keep shouting in your sleep.
- Ray Davies

What’s on your crafting/cooking soundtrack?
Psytrance, 70′s rock and roll,  trip-hop.

FULL PLATE
What’s a craft or meal you’ve always been meaning to try but haven’t gotten around to?
Coloring book. (I’m working on it now and i’m currently obsessed, but it has been a long time coming.)  This year has been about working on those ideas on the back burner.

What’s your favorite easy meal or project that should that everyone know about?
Making pizza can be really easy and intensely rewarding. Mushroom curry pizza with smoked gouda.

LEFTOVERS
What’s the best thing to do with your scraps?
SAVE SHINY THINGS !
I am a art / craft supply hoarder.
Compost yo vegetables !

What’s something you can’t live without?
Caffeine, I get headaches if I miss a dose.
Did you know addicts can develop a resistance to caffeine’s diuretic dehydrating effects ?

CRAFT CIRCLE
How do you know me or how did you find me?
I’m pretty sure I first met you at the Umass Craft Center, or at my house.

What other blogs are you reading on the regular?
I used to read “Celebrate Lunacy” but he stopped updating. 

LAST BITE
have any websites to promote, or ways we can find you?
I can be contacted through the Aumlogic website.

CAST OFF
Thanks for reaching out.

Jim’s art:

 

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Summer’s Almost Gone…

September 22, 2011 by 2 Comments

So ready for fall…

but soaking up what’s left of summer while we still can.

 

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Pumpkin French Toast

September 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This morning began with an impromptu pumpkin french toast breakfast with Marcus, and Bennett telling me he saw a puppy cloud. So, amazing day so far. The french toast was definitely decent for whipping it together with things that we had in our respective pantries, but there’s definitely room for improvement. I want to try making it this way but with cream cheese (pumpkin cheesecake french toast!) I also want to try making french toast using pumpkin bread, and I ALSO can’t wait for a lazy Sunday to try this recipe. Blackberry… caramel… mascarpone… RUM?! Yes please.

Easy-peasy pumpkin-squeezy french toast mix
makes 6-8 slices

- 4 eggs
-  1/4 cup pumpkin puree*
- about an  1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
- pinch of ground clove
- pinch of nutmeg

whip with a fork, dip some dank wheat bread in it, cook & enjoy!

*fresh would be best, but I said easy!

fall recipes? this way please.
peace, love & puppy clouds,
katie

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Meet Muggle

September 20, 2011 by 2 Comments

This is Muggle.

The boys got a puppy this weekend, so basically I got a part-time puppy too. She is the sweetest little bugger I’ve ever seen. We all adore her already. Her eyes the most gorgeous greyish-blue. I spent the better part of yesterday snuggling with her and little B-monster on the couch. It’s going to be extra work for sure, but a lot of extra cuteness in return. However, now there’s two little ones to house break…

Come on B, you don’t want to be out potty-trained by a puppy!

While the little ones nap I’ve been dreaming up things to add to the list of what to do, make, drink & eat this fall. So far there’s pumpkin beer (of course), spiked apple cider, pumpkin pie martinis, baked pumpkin ziti  (adapted from veganomicon) pumpkin cheesecake, and Emily’s suggestions of pumpkin hummus & pumpkin pie white hot chocolate.

Hold on, you have a little drool on your chin there.
It’s okay, I do too.

What are your favorite fall recipes? Send your links this way!

lots of love & pumpkin spiced lattes,
katie o

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Open Road Festival: GIVEAWAY WINNER!

September 11, 2011 by 1 Comment

Congratulations to Joyce Michaud for winning the Open Road Festival Giveaway!

Joyce actually took the photo below at the festival last year, when Hydrogen Jukebox was just a little baby brain-child of mine!

& here’s a little glimpse of my booth this year!

I had such a blast & I already can’t wait until next year!

 

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{GIVEAWAY} for open road!

September 9, 2011 by 5 Comments

Bare with me folks… I have been up all night crafting (read: that’s right, I haven’t gone to bed yet. It’s 8am.) the laptop I’m using doesn’t have any photo editing programs & the internet isn’t working on my desktop, I still have much to do for Open Road & Kitsa’s bridal shower tomorrow but… I managed to throw together a little giveaway in honor of Open Road! I’m really excited about it & if all goes well I can definitely see myself doing it more often-  anyone who knows me knows it isn’t hard to get me to give things away. So, without further ado let’s get onto the unedited, tired-eyed, mediocre photos & the rules for entering the giveaway!

So… what is it?

a golden oldies revisited record bowl!

A Patridge Family recycled paper notebook!& Magic Hat bottle cap earrings that read “write your own future” & “better living through alchemy”!


There are 3 ways to enter the giveway:

1. Share the Open Road Music Festival link on your facebook!
2. Tweet about the festival using the hashtag #openroadfestival!
3. Share info about Open Road or this giveway on your blog!

Then, comment here with a link to your fb/twitter/blog so I can be sure!
And don’t forget to include your name and email just in case I don’t have it!
& If we’re not facebook friends, be sure to like our page so I can see your link!

You are more than welcome to enter all 3 different ways for a better shot at winning! Just submit them each in separate comments so I can be sure they count!

I will accept submissions until Sunday, September 11 at 5pm. The winner will be chosen at random & announced later that evening where I will then contact you with shipping information (if need be)!

See you tomorrow?

xo…Katie

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