I didn't until I met my handsome honey. It is his special birthday cake, and now his son's.
Stuart's son Zach turned 14 last month. Zach has been my little buddy. I met him when he had just turned five! He's now 14 and on his way to high school! So weird.
So, birthday. I made him the requisite cake. Which is really not cake. It is literally cookies and cream. Chocolate cookies and whipped cream, to be exact. It tastes exactly like an ice cream sandwich or cookies n' cream ice cream. Frigging YUM.
You make some fresh whipped cream:
And then you smoosh it onto these Famous Chocolate Wafer Cookies:
And then you stack them up and lay them on their side:
And make like a loaf type shape. And then you 'frost' it with the whipped cream and crush up some cookies on top:
And then you throw it in the fridge for a few hours (the longer the better) and the cream soaks into the cookie and it gets all mushy and then you chow that stuff down, yo.
And if you are lucky, there is a little bit left over and it is amazing for breakfast the next day. I mean, Im guessing.
I'm designing stuff on Zazzle, a print-on-demand thingie place.
I've been toying with this idea for a while. I had signed up to sell on CafePress and Spreadshirt in 2007, but never did much with it.
I've been designing tee shirts for years and I created a ton of designs for products when I was first looking into licensing in 2004. Not to mention the years of surface design since then! So I have a lot of experience and material to draw from. It's a natural fit.
I took the plunge last week and I am having so much fun with it!
I get to do my favorite parts---design and marketing--- and they print and ship. Perfect!
And I get to crack myself up and make things like this you=awesome mug :
Because that's what mature, adult women do on Saturday nights, right? They design 'Guess What Chicken Butt' merchandise. Right?
Did you see that the chicken's butt is right there next to where it says 'Chicken Butt.'? Planned it that way, yo! Also, if you are right handed, the "Guess what?" side faces out , becoming a perfect trap for coworkers who will say "What?" Mwah aha ha.
Did you know that there are other fabric designers on Zazzle?
If you want to be notified when I add something new to the shop, at the bottom of the sidebar here, click on 'Join Fan Club!' and then, you know... do so!
I hope you'll bear with me showing you what's new from time to time!
As is usually the case, I didn't do much of anything.
But.
I did come home to this note on the kitchen counter when I returned from my Bikram yoga class in the morning:
That's my honey's cute writing.
And this is what was waiting for me in the fridge:
Fresh fruit salad! Which I ate in one sitting, all four cups of it, from that measuring bowl.
Fruit salad is my standard birthday request. I frigging love fruit sald. Fruit salad, fruit salad, fruit salad.
So, that was pretty much the highlight. Yum! (thanks, babe.)
Also, my yoga class sang happy birthday to me, which was cute.
Beth and I did get to celebrate our birthdays together a week or so ago during our Double Birthday celebration which consisted of several hours of BBC drama and eating my weight in cheese (Cheese Dinner, as we liked to call it) and jordan almonds. Go to that link to see the throw quilt I gave her that matches the bunny pillows and duvet cover I made a while back.
No, because that would be too easy for Beth. The more complicated, ridiculously detailed and---let's face it---impressive something is, the more she loves it and wants to master it. Oh, that Beth. What an overachiever.
Yesterday I started to keep track of my food intake again. At the beginning of the year, I used the LoseIt app on my ipod touch. I was diligent about it for 6 weeks and it really changed the way I eat--- for the better! This time around, I am using FitDay because I am on my laptop more than I mess with my ipod. They are basically the same thing so I would recommend either one!
I also went running for the first time in months yesterday--- 45 minutes without stopping!
This morning I went to pilates even though I didn't want to and I am so glad I did because it was actually fun! And tonight I am going to Bikram yoga.
I'm checking in about it to stay accountable. If I am not yapping about it then you can be sure I have stopped!
One of the awesome things we had planned in advance was to go to the Quilts 1700-2010 Exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
That's right, a whole special exhibit on quilts. While we were there. Magic, right?
Of course, no photography was allowed in the show, so I can't give you an accurate portrayal of what is was like.
But. The walls?
They were pink. PINK!
And surprisingly, it was rather dimly and moodily lit, which was kinda neat.
In the museum shop, there was this great big bookof the exhibited works, but it was a.) too expensive and b.) too heavy to cart around so I didn't get it.
I got the postcard set instead. They are snack-sized.
Also, I got some, well, what else? Fabric!
I didn't realize until after I bout it that it's by Liberty!
I discovered your blog about a year ago and have throughly enjoyed it. If I'm ever in the area I would love to check out the shop. It's a long way from Georgia but maybe one day. Congrats on the book, the new line, and #400! What a great reason for a giveaway!
Yay! Email me your address and I will send you my book and some of my Sugar Snap fabric!
While I'm at it, a big congratulations to the winners of the Fat Quarter Friday giveaways:
In other news, (though I don't think this is news to anyone, really):
Dude, I am such a slacker.
I have a ton of emails that I haven't responded to and it makes me feel like a bad person.
Please forgive me?
I will buckle down on Monday and attack the inbox, ok?
More evidence of my slackitude: This awesome piece of Anonymous Unicorn Mail that I got almost a year ago.
And I'm just now blogging it:
So the image is from Natalie Dee this adorable webcomic. I emailed the artist to see if it was she that sent it (she? her? whatever). But she was all, " I have no idea what you are talking about." So I don't think it is her.
Also, yes, I am assuming a female sender. Is that wrong?
And doesn't this person have the awesomest handwriting? Jealous.
This same person sent me another piece of Anonymous Unicorn Mail but I don't have pics of it. I have been wanting to blog it just in case that person is still reading and wants to know that I a.) got them and b.) appreciate them. Resounding YES, yo!
But, as of tomorrow, I am back on track. I will go to Bikram 4-5 times a week, run at least 3 times and hopefully hit up the Y for a couple of pilates classes. If you are in with me, feel free to state your plan in the comments for accountability!
I just went shopping and bought all sorts of good things for me to eat. As we walked to the car with our groceries, I did the following, just so I could say I did:
Today will be my 26th Bikram yoga class in the last 27 days. I still need to make up one class, but I'm almost all of the way through the 30-day challenge!
I am the least disciplined person I know, so I kinda can't believe I'm really doing this! Yay!
Do you know about Bikram yoga? It is a series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises done in a heated room. Like, a hot room. Like 105 degrees hot. Which, I have to say, I actually love. You know how I hate to be cold.
Beyond the heat even, the postures are challenging. Even so, it is a yoga that is for beginners as well as experienced practitioners. Not because it's easy, mind you, but because you work where you're at. You don't have to be "flexible" or "in shape" to go. You get flexible and in shape by going. Right?
You just have to give it your honest effort each time. That's all. And over time you build the strength, the balance, flexibility, patience, humility, determination.
One of the things I love about Bikram yoga in particular, is that it is so challenging that I have to concentrate only on exactly what I am doing the whole time. And that, my friend, is meditation! I am super-focused in class and that has been carrying over into other areas. I have been getting much more done at the shop. I just feel more... well... focused is the only way I can say it. Oh, wait, here it is: More productive.
Also? Tired.
Daily 90 minute sessions of challenging yoga in a room heated to 105 degrees? Um, yeah. I'm tired. But it's a good tired.
So, Bikram yoga = really hot, really sweaty, really challenging yoga. Awesome Yoga! It is definitely not for everyone, but it is for me.
Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class. Book available on the Bikram site.
When I started up a few weeks ago, I just wanted to get back into a yoga practice. (You can read about my yoga history here.) I thought it would be fun to blog my experience, including any changes I feel as I go through the weeks. Megan, who owns Bikram Yoga Cape Cod where I practice, took my measurements and weighed me. You know, just in case there are some pleasing changes to note.
I'm not doing this to lose weight though, rather to be healthier and let the yoga work through me. I didn't want to start a big regime and change my eating and be all diet-y about it. I just want to get back to yoga and let the yoga change the way I eat. Because I know that it does and it already has.
I was not in tip-top form going in, that's for sure. I never drink enough water, I usually eat too much and I could stand to lose about 20 pounds. I hadn't practiced any yoga in a while, or even been working out.
The first two weeks I was just trying to get to class every day. Like, ok, am I really going to follow through on this? I wasn't hydrating and I wasn't eating any healthier or more moderately.
The first class back was a killer. I had to sit out some postures because I was dizzy. Going into it I was already at a disadvantage, being dehydrated---me with my not-drinking-water-camel-like-ways. But boy, did I start guzzling my water between postures! If you are well hydrated before class, you really don't get thirsty or need any during, but I was a hurtin' puppy gulping from my pink container as quickly as I could. It seems like it would cool you off, but it just gives you a stomach ache and makes the postures more difficult, which you don't think is even possible.
This is what I wear to class:
It's actually black. A danskin one piece. I only wear this for Bikram classes because I don't want to be fidgeting with my tops, always pulling them down over my hips. It's not flattering, but it is the only thing I can imagine wearing in that heat and working that hard!
So after about two weeks of struggling through class pounding my one bottle of water a day, I decided to try harder to hydrate before class to see if it made a difference.
Dude, it totally made a difference! I hardly even needed a sip during class, and I swear to you, the postures were about 25% less difficult. I won't say easier because there is nothing easy about it, but I honestly did them with much less difficulty. So much so, that I am currently a water drinkin' fiend! I think of it as Yoga E-Z juice now.
So at about the two week mark, the water thing changed and so did the food. I just am eating lighter without even trying. Not that I don't sometimes mindlessly snack or eat more than I'm hungry for, but mostly I just want to eat fruit and yogurt and cheese and salads and only when I am hungry.So that's what I'm doing. I know, weird! But what I love about it is that I'm not trying to do it. I just want to.
The other night, there was a guest instructor at my studio, so my teacher Megan was taking pictures of the class. I don't think I've ever been photographed during my practice before! Makes those balancing postures even more challenging when someone is right in front of you with a camera!
I am almost at the point of bringing my forehead to my knee in this posture, which is actually called Standing Head-to-Knee, or dandayamana janushirasana in sankrit. The teacher is firing instructions out like an auctioneer: "Standing knee locked like a lampost , unbroken, like you have no knee! Thigh muscles contracted! Lock the knee! Lock the Knee! Tack the big toe down on the standing foot! Two hips in one line! Lock the lifted leg! Flex the toes, all five toes toward back your face! Kick the heel toward the mirror, keep kicking, keep kicking! Both legs locked, solid, unbroken! "
This is what happens when I just let the yoga work on me. I want to eat better to fuel my yoga practice. I want to drink water so I'm well hydrated for class. I want to get more sleep so I .... you get the idea.
Additionally, I can definitely see improvements in my postures. I m ean, how could I not after all these classes! I am naturally pretty flexible to begin with (don't stab me!) but it's been a long time since I was at my most flexy and I am approaching that again. My strength is building over time, as is my balance.
I love how it looks but I would never want to make one myself. All that precision gives me hives. Well, maybe I could make one all wonky and rough. Melissa-style.
The weather was lovely. Blue sky.Whispy white clouds.
The place was beautiful. This is what it looked like when I turned around, away from the stones:
And doesn't this view just beg to be recorded in paint?
I don't know why it took us all day to realize how much we enjoyed our tour guide, the Dapper Young Man, Phil.
For the whole trip, we had been sitting in the second-to-last seats on the bus listening intently to his commentary and guffawing at his jokes--- and often the only ones doing the latter! I don't know if it was because we were a) the only ones listening b) the only ones who got them c) the only ones who spoke english or d) very easily amused.
We found him totally entertaining, informative and charming.
Also? Stonehenge was fuzzy:
Fuzzy wuzzy was a Stonehenge.
Some spots in the grass had sweet little colonies of buttercups and such:
I couldn't resist picking a few and shoving them into my brochure.
Probably totally illegal, but, you know. I'm a rebel like that.
We chatted with Phil a bit for the first time before boarding the coach back to London, and found him to be just as funny as his told-on-every-tour-every-day commentary.
Beth and I have decided that when we go back to England, we are going to take another of his tours and sit right behind him so he has a good audience for the whole day. It's going to be a blast.
We arrived back in London after 8pm and walked out in search of dinner.
I got fish and chips.
That's right, scones and tea in Bath for lunch followed by fish and chips for dinner in London.
I wanted to wait until it was all perfect and 100% ready to go, but whatever. I'm just winging it anyways. Let me know if you see any typos or if you have any trouble! This is all new to me, so bear with my growing pains!
My book will be added to the shop soon, ok? I'll let you know when.
Ok, so I've been meaning to blog about this yoga thing for two whole weeks already so I am just going to frigging do it!
But first I have to explain to you about Wing Stand. Bear with me.
(I know this is kind of long and there aren't many pictures, but as a personal favor to me, will you read the whole thing? Thanks, you're a pal.)
Ok. Wing Stand.
Do you remember Unicorn Stories Episode 2: To The Moon? The one that my Unicorn *Hearts* Moon project from the book is based on?
{In case you are new here, Unicorn Stories are these little silly animated shorts that my friend Beth and I make to amuse ourselves.}
Well, I never said much about this before, but one of my and Beth's favorite things about that episode is what we refer to as 'the breakout star of the show: WING STAND!' aka Wing Stand.
Do you have any idea what I am talking about? Remember when Unicorn needs to get up to visit his love, the moon, and all of a sudden Wing Stand just waddles onto the scene...walks right up to Unicorn and is conveniently selling sets of wings for just 5 cents?
Here, just watch it again, ok?
See? Wing Stand.
So ever since we made that episode (almost a year ago now? What?) we always refer to things that just work out or show up when we want as Wing Stand (Blank).
It goes like this, you say, 'Oh, hmmm. I wish I had This Thing I Need or Want.'
Then there is this goofy innocent sound effect that goes like this: Doot-dee-doot-dee-dooo....
and voila!
Up comes walking Wing Stand Thing I Need.
A recent example: When we were in London, we had decided we wanted Indian food and just moments after we set out in search of vittles we happened upon this great little Indian restaurant. Like, immediately after. Wing Stand Indian Restaurant. We actually said, "Oh, Hi Wing Stand Indian Restaurant!"
Another: Just got an email from Beth after she read my last post talking about tomato plants and she's all, 'I have some Wing Stand Tomato Plants for you.' Someone gave some to her husband and they have been sitting on the step waiting for a home which Beth was reminded of when she read about me getting my jollies off of sniffing tomato plant leaves.
Wing Stand Tomato Plants. Doot-dee-doot-dee-doo.
They just showed up right when they were wanted.
Get it?
.....
Now, hold that in mind while I tell you a little of my yoga history, ok?
I have been practicing yoga on and off for 20 years now.
Let's be honest, mostly off.
But yoga is in me- I am a yogi, whether I am physically practicing the postures or not- and when I do it I feel like I am home.
I went to my first class when I was 15, with my 23-year-old-boyfriend. I loved it. Growing up, I didn't play sports, dance, ski, ride horses, nothing. Never. But I loved this yoga class. I remember being in knee-down twist and the teacher came over to adjust me and he said "You're really flexible in this." I only went to a couple more of his classes but it stayed with me.
I used to stretch a lot in high school, like, just by myself, in my room. Maybe it was after those classes.
I thought it was so cool how I could just relax into a position and just by staying there and breathing, slowly my body would sink deeper in and release and I could reach further than when I started. I still think that's awesome. I remember telling my friend Jake about it and showing him by having him stretch and see the difference after holding it for a little while. This was all 1990-ish.
Crafty side note: I made my first quilt just before I went there because I wanted to bring one with me! This is me on the front lawn of Kripalu with my quilt:
I have so much to share about my time there (like how I gained 35 pounds in 5 months) but for now I'll get on with my yoga history.
Since 1997, I have gone through periods of practicing and then it falls away... then I find it again... then I leave again.
In 2000 , I started doing Bikram yoga. I might have been consistent for 6 months. In 2002 I was working out a lot at the gym doing lots of spin classes, pilates, yoga and lifting weights. Again, for maybe 6 months.
In between I might have gone to a class here or there.
A few years ago I was practicing power vinyasa yoga 2-3 times a week for 2 years. That was the most consistent I'd ever been and it was so good for me. I fell out of the habit and have gone back for a few weeks or months at a time since.
I have been wanting to develop a strong practice again. Like, a lifelong practice. I talk about it and think about it all the time. It's just something I want in my life.
.............................
Ok, so that's my yoga history in a nutshell. Now, I have to break off again for a moment to tell you a little bit about Delia.
She's one of my favorite customers, a psychotherapist who works from an office just around the corner.
A couple of summers ago, when I was just setting up the shop and hadn't even opened yet, she popped in to say hello and tell me how excited she was watching my little shop take shape and how thrilled she and her associates were about what I was bringing to our little (tiny!) West Barnstable community. She has this charming South African accent and exudes joy and peace and is always wearing some fabulous floaty linen pants or gorgeous earth-toned sweater.
One day she came in wearing the most amazing thing and I had to take her picture:
She is just a neat lady.
Last summer she brought me organic strawberries that she got for me at a roadside stand just to thank me for being here. See what I mean?
In the fall she came in to tell me that there was an office available in the building she works out of and wouldn't it be amazing if it could be a yoga studio? Or something? So we were talking about that and how wonderful that would be and I even mentioned it on facebook and talked with some of my yoga teacher friends about it. A few weeks went by and I told a few more people about it but nothing ever came to fruition. I let it go.
Last month Delia stopped in to chat and she told me that a Bikram yoga studio was opening up in that spot by her office! Which is 3 buildings away from my house!
Doot-dee-doot-dee-doo: Wing Stand Bikram Yoga Studio!
I was like, whelp, looks like I'm going to start doing Bikram yoga again!
Megan, the owner of Bikram Yoga Cape Cod, stopped in to introduce herself and I told her how happy I was that she was in our little area and that I wanted to go and hey we should document my progress getting back into Bikram yoga so people can see what it's all about and we can get her some more students and we can call it Bikram-ize Me and we can take measurements and pictures and I'll blog about it and yeah, woo!
So I went to class the Saturday after my return from England and after class as I am laying there, spent and sweat-drenched, Megan mentions: hey everybody this is Melissa and we are doing a documentary on her Journey To Perfect Health with Bikram Yoga!
And I was like, oh, I guess I'm actually doing this then!
Which is awesome because if she hadn't taken me up on it, there is no way in hell I would be on my 16th class in 17 days like I am now!
Yes, today will be my 16th class!
I had committed to 5 days a week but decided to try to go every day, figuring I would end up missing a few anyways. But I only have missed one day in over 2 weeks! In Bikram yoga sometimes they do this thing called a 30-Day Challenge, which you can probably guess is doing Bikram Yoga for 30 days straight. Or 30 classes in 30 days. If you miss one like I did, you can double up one day to make it up, which I will. Because, hey. I'm literally halfway there, I may as well keep going, right?
There is also a 60-Day Challenge, which was just written about in Oprah's magazine. It's a great article, you can read it here.
So, there. I've finally explained about Wing Stand and my yoga history and what I'm up to. Now I can get on with reporting about my experience. But I'll have mercy and end this post now. I mean, you're probably asleep by now.
But first,tell me: do you have any experience with yoga?
And I don't want to hear "Oh I'm not flexible, I can't do yoga" because that's like saying "Oh, I don't know French so I can't take French lessons."
I have a bunch of things I need to write about soon.
Here is a preview:
*I have more OMGLondon recap, but I'll give you a break since you might be bored by now.
*I still have more Quilt Market recap, too! You've probably already seen it everywhere, but I have Sandi Henderson's booth and Anna Maria's booth to show you, as well as more of the Wiley party and my presentation. Are you still interested? I hope so!
*My art show opening! (Which was awesome!)
*Sneak peek of my fabric line for Andover which has been approved and should be out in the fall! Get this, they thought I did such a good job on my presentation that they want me to take one of their coveted schoolhouse spots at Quilt Market in Houston! Eeeeep! Their schoolhouses are huge and packed and I will try not to get nervous too far in advance. (omgomgomg)
But for today just a little catch up and visiting, ok?
The spring was such a whirlwind of book stuff and travel. I'm really enjoying having a little bit of breathing room and nothing huge on the horizon! (at least not yet)
So what am I doing with my time?
I'm getting the shop ready for the season:
Love that book.
Ahhh, I miss gardening. I haven't done a single thing this season. I did walk back there the other day and ate a few strawberries. The raspberries are coming along. Pretty soon it will be raspberry o'clock again!
I didn't plant any veggies. I should at least go buy a tomato plant, right? If only to smell the leaves?
I'll need figure out how to allow time for gardening this summer. Last year I was getting up at 6-7am to spend a few hours back there before heading off to the shop. Hmmm, maybe I'll do that again.
Right, back to the shop:
I amuse myself by putting the Ultra Sensitive soap with the Saving Up For Some Therapy bank and Instant Therapy breath spray.
I love these new scarves:
They remind me of Fruit Stripe Gum when they are lined up like that.
Why did that gum taste so frigging amazing? And then the flavor just disappeared in seconds? remember that?
Cool new stretchy rings:
Love these ones too:
In my 400th post giveaway ( still open for another week, so get on that!) I asked you to leave a comment telling me what you would like to see more of around the blog and many of you said "The Shop!"
You know how I keep promising that eventually I will put some of the shop stuff online so you can have some Yummy Goods?
Well, I'm Actually Doing It! I've spent the last week or so uploading dozens of products and writing descriptions and all that stuff. I will let you know when it's up and running, ok? Should be within the next week!
I may not know you yet, but you are my friend and I thank you for caring for me or being interested in what I post. We would totally be friends in real life if you came in to the shop regularly, or if we took yoga classes together, or met through a mutual friend.
We're friends already, I just haven't met you yet.
In appreciation, I offer you my 400th post giveaway!
If you are the randomly chosen winner, you will receive a copy of my book Small Stash Sewing!
And some of my first fabric line Sugar Snap!
I know, it's hard to find these days. But you know who carries some?
The sweet Jen from Runner Girl Fabric, who was kind enough to provide four half-yard cuts to celebrate my 400th post!
So in addition to my book, you will receive a half yard of Lace:
And Jellyfruit:
And Kimono:
And Wallpaper:
Pretty good, right?
To enter, just go ahead and leave a comment on this post and tell me what you'd like to see more of from me here on the blog, or how long you've been reading it, or something like that.
I'll leave it up to you, but tell me something, ok?
Also, it would make me all happy on the inside if you join me on ye olde facebook page!
A winner will be drawn on Tuesday, July 6, the day after my birthday!
........................................
I have a ton of bloggin' to do, you guys!
I still have to finish Quilt Market recap, London recap, blog the art reception, sneak peak my new line with Andover (it's a GO!), and we are woefully behind on the Bronte-Along.
Back soon with some hot bloggy action, fiends.
Meanwhile:
xo,
melissa
P.S. Go make something ridiculous and awesome with the Keep-Calm-O-Matic.
UPDATED 7/9 to say this giveaway is now CLOSED, yo! Thank you so much to all those who left lovely comments!
The lucky winner is Renee, who said:
I discovered your blog about a year ago and have throughly enjoyed it. If I'm ever in the area I would love to check out the shop. It's a long way from Georgia but maybe one day. Congrats on the book, the new line, and #400! What a great reason for a giveaway!
Yay! Email me your address (melissa@yummygoods.com) and I will send you my book and some of my Sugar Snap fabric!
But before I get into that, let me mention our Dapper Young Man.
That's what we called our tour guide, Phil:
He wore a three piece suit with a lovely butter-color tie in a kind of tapestry-looking fabric.
He wore cuff links. And a straw fedora.
He was funny and smart.
Phil told the group about some old clock while I was fascinated by these flags:
Phil tells me they were carried into battle. Battle!
Love the textures.
Just beyond these flags I happened upon this:
I'm not churchy, so I don't know if they have a specific name, but they are the cushions you kneel on at the pews.
All covered in needlepoint! (I think it would be called needlepoint?)
Ahhhh! All those different designs! Was it a fabric they used or was each stitch handmade? At the very least the crosses on the sides had to have been done by hand, right?
This made me so happy. Who made these? How long ago? Several different old ladies or just one dedicated one?
I assume they were ladies, and old ones--- is that bad? Could have been young ladies or middle aged men, for all I know.
But I like to imagine generations of women getting together and drinking pots of Earl Grey and needlepointing these cushion covers for their beloved Cathedral.
Phil talked a bit about this Baptismal Font (which was like sculpturey pool):
I only caught the part where he said that cross of darkened metal was where it was blessed (by the cardinal, I guess?) with oil. He said the people who clean the church tried to wash the oil off, not realizing it should stay. Or something like that. But the stain from the oil remains.
There was this area with all different roped-off altars, almost like exhibits, and they each had large needlework-covered cushions for kneeling:
I just love all of this craft in the church! Makes it so homey for me.
Ahhh! How long did it take to make these giant cushions!?
And look at what I saw on one of the altars:
Amazing patchwork of flames emerging from kind of a log-cabiny base!
Isn't it gorgeous?
Back soon with textures from the cathedral. And scones.
xo, melissa
P.S. if you want -or need- you can have people pray for you at Salisbury Cathedral! Fill out a prayer request form right here. That is so cool.
I will be back with my thoughts about The Real Thing, but first let's talk about the awesome day trip we took to the countryside. About a week before the trip, Beth was like "You know when we get there I'm going to expect it to look like the 1800's. We need to go to the country."
And thank god we did. I get really overwhelmed in cities and I needed the break from anxiously crossing streets where I didn't know which direction to look, even though every crosswalk has big letters painted on the tar that say LOOK RIGHT or LOOK LEFT. I get flustered crossing streets in American cities, nevermind London where they drive on the other side of the road! I am a country mouse.
Beth booked us on Evan Evans tour #20 that goes to Bath, Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge. Friday morning we boarded one of those touristy coaches and headed off on the 2.5 hour ride to Bath, the place where Jane Austen lived for a while and wrote some of her books. Beth tells me Jane hated Bath. We loved it.
We ditched the tour of the Roman Baths with the group in favor of finally grabbing some tea and scones in Actual England and roaming by ourselves.
Here is Beth loving Bath:
You can practically see the little cartoon hearts bursting from her head, can't you?
Pop!
Pop! Pop!
Beth Hearts Bath!
Me too. I heart Bath, too.
Beth really wanted to see The Royal Crescent, which- of course- I had never heard of.
Here it is:
It's a bunch of houses built together in an arc.
It was pretty cool looking, I have to say.
Also? This was the place where a bunch of scenes from Persuasion were shot. You know, the one with Rupert-Penry Jones? Who we totally saw and touched the night before at the play? Yeah.
And you know what else is neat? When I took these pictures?
There was someone playing a piano that you could hear wafting from a window.
It was kinda magical.
We then hustled back to meet up with our tour. We couldn't resist stopping to snap some shots on the way even though we were seriously rushing!
Oh, hi there, pretty blue bush!
>sigh<
Rush, rush, quick snap this, snap that!
We had been warned that the coach would leave without us if we weren't on time!
I think Beth wanted us to get "stranded" in Bath.
Whimper, whimper:
I literally made whimper noises when we scurried past Cath Kidston.
We made it back to the group with only a couple of minutes to spare, seriously.
Visit Beth's Bath post to see a quick video she shot of the crescent, an introduction to our adorable tour guide Phil who I will talk about in the next post, and the saddest picture of two sad faces that had to leave Bath too quickly.
57 pieces! I know, that sounds like a ton. But many of them are quite small.
Stuart was hugely helpful with framing the pieces that needed it.
Now that I've gone through that process, I will probably choose my materials differently so the work doesn't need framing in the future. They look great, but man, that was a lot of work! (Thanks, babe!)
I am dying to get back to painting already.
I've been painting since I was 13. I had always just done it for me--- either to get something out or to decorate my space or to give away. To show at all is totally different for me, but to show a whole body of recent work is just amazing!
Seriously, the hardest part about painting is signing the work. I rarely sign mine because I never feel like they're finished. And since I've never shown, it didn't ever matter.
And yes, the weather was amazing while we were there. Summery, sunny London. Wow.
...................................
Cake Lunch
Via the magic of Twitter, I have become friendly with Lisa Lam of U-Handbag fame, author of The Bag Making Bible (available September 2010) and her editor Jen Fox Proverbs of Sew Crafty Fox. When the plans for London were firm we made a date for tea and cake!
We were sad that Jen was under the weather and was unable to make the 3 hour trip to visit us, but we did get to see Lisa.
Look at how cute she is!
We met up for vittles at Patiserrie Valerie where we enjoyed lattes (yup, not tea) and split three desserts three ways. As it was our middle-of-the-day meal, we couldn't help calling it Cake Lunch.
We talked about crafting and writing craft books, blogging and twitter, and all sorts of stuff. It was awesome.
I gave her some gifts including a copy of my book. As she was flipping through it, I pointed out this picture of Stuart modeling the Band Tee and said, "That's my fiance."
Noticing his adorableness (as if she could help it) she looked at me like 'wow, handsome!' and then back at his picture, nodding, and said "Bonus." This made me so happy. I tell him every day how handsome he is and I love it when other people think so, too. Is that weird?
Love Lisa's necklace!
The internet is so cool that it allows us to make these connections we wouldn't otherwise get a chance to make. Meeting Lisa was wonderful - she was delightful in every way. (Thanks, Lisa!) Check out her post about our little rendezvous which includes a review of Small Stash Sewing.
Over the last month or so, I had read a bunch of reviews and was dying to see it. I was so psyched when Beth surprised me with tickets to closing night! Having heard the the play was fast-paced and wordy, I really wanted to see it twice. About a week before the trip, my Dad handed me a hundred dollar bill instructing me to take Beth out to dinner. I said "Would you mind if we bought theater tickets with it instead?"
So we secured tickets for Thursday night, too. (Thanks, Dad!)
The lead actor was this gentleman from a movie I kind of like called Jane Eyre, which I may have mentioned once or twice:
That's right, Toby Stephens.
I know, he doesn't look very Rochestery when he's all smiling gingerness, but I promise you it is him.
Yup.
Bronte-Along girls, try not to want to stab me right now, ok?
Back to Toby later.
I'm glad I read the play before seeing it, because it was indeed quite dense and I think I enjoyed it more than I might have if I hadn't read it first.
Wait, what?
What's that on the ticket?
Seriously? A unicorn?
London was full of them. I took it as a sign that I was in the right place.
We were standing in line to get the tickets when suddenly Beth looked like she had seen a ghost (or a god.) She leaned in and whispered to me, "Jesus Christ. Rupert Penry-Jones is standing in line behind us."
Who?
This guy:
I had only just heard of him this spring. I've seen him in Cambridge Spies (which was very good, also starring one Toby Stephens) and Persuasion.
Beth was shaking. She assures me that if I had seen him in the recent remake of the Hitchcock film 39 Steps, I would have been shaking, too. (Note to self: order that from the library this week.)
Casually, all cool-like, I turned around to see. Separated by only one person in line, there he was standing, alone: tall, blonde, causally dressed, somewhat scruffy, and mostly unassuming aside from being ridiculously good looking.
We got our tickets and as Beth was trying to steady her hands enough to pay for our programs, I was standing pretty much next to him and contemplated saying hello. But Beth was so Freaked Out I didn't know if she would kill me or not!
Turns out that I did get several more chances, but still didn't say anything. I wished I'd had my phone with me because I would have gotten a good closeup of him, since he didn't freak me out. (My phone didn't work over there, so I went without it most of the time.) Beth managed to get this shot as he was waiting for someone before the play started:
That's him, leaning against the pillar in the background.
Moments after this picture was taken, we saw that he was waiting for Damian Lewis. I've never seen him in anything. Unless you count the London sunshine.
He certainly did not mind standing out in a crowd. I could tell by his red straw fedora.
Damn, I wish I'd had my phone!
We made our way to our seats, which had to be apart, unfortunately. But they were in the 2nd and fourth rows, so, you know. It was all good, as the kids say.
I'll talk about the play in the next post.
Meanwhile, Beth and I were wondering what Rupert Penry-Jones's friends call him.
Monday, August 2, 2010 at 09:34AM 
