It's on.

So I taught a Wine & Weave a few evenings ago (SO. FUN.  Local folks, hit me up and I can price one out if anyone's interested--grab a few friends, and I'll come teach how to do a boho wall hanging), and decided then to actually get my act in gear and open an online shop for weavings and custom pieces.

The pic below is from setting up for the weaving party. Everyone made such gorgeous pieces! Even the self-proclaimed non-crafty ladies!  I was so proud! (And yes, I did proclaim at the beginning that it was :so easy:.  BUT IT IS!)

table set up, ready to weave!

And yup, Kumquatmay Studio is officially open for business!  (link also in the nav above!) (Did I bury the lede? I'm good at that.)  Go on over to Etsy and like my stuff and spread the word.  I've only put up a few listings so far, including custom pieces, since I need to photograph the rest of them.  But there's more where them came from.

linky links! Organizing stuff

I had nugget ice in the hospital where I delivered both kids. It is the SHIT, man! I don't know that I'd get this, but I understand the urge.

Confession time:  I would like nothing more than to sort the biggest little's Legos by color and then by shape.  I am also the person who wants to complete a set and NEVER have it taken apart. Yes, I do identify with Lord Business in the Lego Movie, why do you ask? (I mean, did you SEE his bin setup? Sweet.) So that's why I don't play with Legos.  However, this sorting machine would be my favorite ever.   

Speaking of sorting and organization . . . my affinity for Martha Stewart is well known.  And here is her cleaned up craft room. Covet. 

This playroom is probably a bit more "blogger organized" than anything we have will ever be--my kids put things away for the most part, but would also tear this place to shreds. I do like some of her tips and tricks--thick foam core wrapped in paper or fabric for dividers, and the link through to a puzzle pouch tutorial are great ideas

linky links

pretty pretty pretty by Fringe and Fettle 

Mark Ruffalo is AWESOME.  "Ignorant little jerks," indeed!

I love this in air cocktail kit, (go support small biz and buy it here!) and also want to DIY it with my own preferred bitters and bar snacks (spiced nuts? meh) and an altoid tin. 

Related: Maggie Mason's genius way to make travel toiletries with a straw.  You could totally do this for individual packets of sugar or other cocktail mixins.

Also related: guess who just bought a heat sealer? The real question is how did I not have one of these before?

This solution to refilling the soap dispenser is freaking genius.  If only our built in dispenser weren't busted. 

I love a good pottery tray, and these by Fringe and Fettle are stunning. 

linky links

Food52's examination of who makes the best black and white cookies is so up my husband's alley. Though not up my alley. They are not cookies, they are cakes, and bleh.  (By the way, he says the best ones are by some place in the Bronx.  I'm sure he'll comment to tell you all. HINT HINT.)

Most self striping yarns are dyed to work for socks, not shawls. Caterpillargreen self striping shawl yarn is genius--they dyed their base yarns so you get perfect stripes as you knit your top down shawl.  

No one gives a bad review quite like Kirkus. Sick burns, the best of Kirkus Reviews.  And those who know me, yes, the best bad review of all made the cut.

Oooh, fancy shelf paper makes me want to rearrange things.

linky links!

These are not my eggs. These are Not Martha's eggs.  Got visit her site to see how. 

not Martha breaks down the most gorgeous intense colors for easter eggs. (The secret is neon color food coloring and a long soak)

toddlers are aholes. Truer words, my friends. From the Honest Toddler folks. 

Please please please let them actual reboot the Muppet show!  

Fascinating interview with a sound effects artist. (via Kottke)

let's get a few things straight right now: "all right" not "alright". You have myriad things, not A myriad OF things (myriad means, technically, 10,000, and you don't ever say " a ten thousand of... "). But don't fuck with my Oxford comma.

Betsy Greer, coiner of Craftivism, on crafting and privilege. I've been interwebs friends with Betsy for a number of years and she's pretty brilliant. ( Just bragging that my friends are brilliant.  No bigs.)

A Cup of Jo has pieces of advice from women entrepreneurs.  

how adorable is this?

There are some talented clever illustrators out there. Because, seriously, how adorable are these from Hands Off My Dinosaur?

Poor sad dragon!

Aww, it's ok Nessie. We love you!

See the rest here. 

I may need to get the biggest of my littles a shirt with this:

Big Mr. Incredible, Little Car!

Quiet week . . of illness and links

Quiet, because we were all nearly on our deathbed with the damn stomach bug going around.  First the littlest little, then the bigger little, then me, then JBB.  I'm just waiting for our poor poor sitter to be the next to fall by the wayside. 

But now that I've fully cleaned out the Shop Rite of all the lysol and sanitizing everything and am vertical with solid food again, I have links saved up because what else is there to do when sick but moan and read random shit online?

Think they'll do Leggy Blonde? Even without Murray?

I found these amazing mason jar lids by intelligent lids, with lids for every possible use via Food in Jars. they have a notch for a straw! They are brilliant.

Free streaming TV shows and movies at ShoutFactoryTv!! Really random ones that are all over the place and truly awesome, like MST3K and Miss Firecracker and RHODA people, RHODA! It's like you can see who acquired what companies just by looking at the weird weird mix. 

This is an amazingly elegant solution to smoothing out neckline shaping in handknits at cocoknits.com.  Really genius and simple. 

linky links! the food edition

Dorie Greenspan's custardy apple squares on food52.com

Why oh why does no one in my house save me like cooked fruit?  This looks AMAZING. 

I myself prefer fudgy, but not overly fudgy, brownies. Food52 breaks it all down. 

Mmmm. Nachos. 

It's well worth the trip to Philly for Bassett's ice cream. 

An oral history of  More Than Words by the brilliant Maura Johnston. Cheese is a food, a delicious, super catchy, awesome food.