hands away

more holga pictures to come. with real snowing action. hoo ray. speaking of which. ive come to claim the woods behind my house as my own, as no one ever goes there in the winter-- which is a shame, because there is an overabundance of wildlife about. i felt like i was in the pages of audubon society coffee table book. i don't think ive ever seen so many cardinals and robins in one place. not to sound corny, but cardinals were absolutely striking and beautiful against the falling snow. AND i found a vacated beehive, (which upon impulse i wanted to take home, but after some deliberation i feel nature is best left in its intended place), and various happy woodland animal tracks.

i'm starting to know every tree and cave and bend in the river back there. i should charge for tours.

i feel craftier than ever! ive been drawing more, knitting some, taking pictures, and now im learning the art of sewing. having felt somewhat....slighted...by anthropologie's RIDICULOUS prices, i decided to make my own copies myself. it's much cheaper, and i cant help but feel more rewarded by wearing something i made.

case in point: J Crew had the most adorable shirt in their winter catalogue, made of silk taffeta and priced at $135.



mom and i went through books of patterns to find the basic shell. its an incredibly easy shirt to make, or so im told, its just a matter of learning to gather (which is more time consuming than difficult). instead of using silk --which tends to limit the wearer to special occassions anyway -- i opted for flannel, in the same exact pattern. i think i like the flannel better, too.

i'm aiming for its completion by friday, but we'll see.