outdoor craft day

We continued Serra's wedding prep on Sunday with a backyard centerpiece making party. We picked up a ton of bright yarn in her wedding colors, and spent the day coating it in glue and wrapping it around balloons to make these fun, bright balls.

 There was champagne involved, of course.

 As everyone got gluey, we started finding creative ways to do everything without our hands!

back from Canada!

I've been in Canada for work for the last two weeks, and relatively cut off from the world. I had five days off when I returned home, and as luck would have it, the weather in Chicago was unreal- 85 degrees and sunny for four out of the five. I spent the weekend catching up with friends and helping Serra, my future sister-in-law, prepare for her upcoming wedding. 

Energized by our standard Saturday breakfast trifecta of mimosas, chicory coffee, and banana pancakes, we cranked out Serra's remaining save the dates in no time.

Wedding anxiety struck as we were shopping for craft supplies, so I bought Serra a sequined bride crown which she rocked for the rest of the day. We also picked up a pair of retractable lightsabers to relieve any future wedding stress.

Adam whipped up some smoky mezcal margeritas for us, using our new favorite recipe from Rick Bayless. To make these at home, mix 1 ounce Mezcal, 1/2 ounce Don Pedro brandy, 1 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice, 3/4 ounce simple syrup, and 3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters. Rim the glass with some coarse sea salt, and get ready to make more. They go fast!

We spent the rest of the afternoon working on any motorcycles that weren't running after the winter. Jerry's Yamaha V-Star was first up.

My Triumph Scrambler, Adam's Ducati GT1000, and Mark's Triumph Speed Triple were running just fine!

This '73 Honda Scrambler was my first bike. Its a wee little 175, and I've had it for six years now. After a new front tire and a new battery, we were spinning around the block on it like it was new! 

I love this little bike like crazy, and its the only motorcycle I own that doesn't require standing on tiptoe!

summer for the weekend

It was 70 degrees and sunny in Chicago this weekend, which is certainly rare in early March.  Pancake breakfasts, backyard champagne, motorcycle rides, sangria, bonfires, and pizza on the grill...it was a damn good sample of what is sure to be a magnificent summer.

my dream dress arrives!

The second I decided on a Marie Antoinette inspired birthday party, I knew exactly what I would wear. This dress, designed by Katie Louise for Audrey Grace, has been on my mind since I saw it back in December. The sheer organza, the full skirt, and that enormous bow...it was the birthday dress of my dreams! 

When the dress arrived today, I got so excited for my party that I drove straight to the craft store for supplies. I picked up a ton of bright feathers and birds for my hair, and some sparkly materials to make party invitations this weekend.

I also picked up a ton of 3D cardboard letters for a cake-themed display behind the bar. I can't wait until April, when I can finally start decorating!

one new bookshelf, one less piece of Ikea furniture

I've wanted to replace our janky Ikea bookshelf for a few years now, so I finally drew up a plan this weekend for a new set of shelves that would fit our space a bit better. We found some great reclaimed lumber at a nearby salvage warehouse, and built the support structure from plumbing pipe.

 We wanted the shelves to be 14" apart to house our vinyl collection, so between each shelf we had to use a combination of 12" pipe, a coupler, a closed thread, and a T-joint. The T-joint was connected to a perpendicular 12"pipe, secured to the wall with a flange. 

Our sound system runs through the bookshelf, so I tried to conceal the audio equipment as much as possible. I liked the contrast of stacking this small speaker on top of a vintage radio, so it almost seems like the sound is coming from the radio.

In the far corner of the bookshelf, we set up our Kindle Fire and the volume control for the speaker system. Both items are small enough, they aren't even noticeable on the shelf.

The open sides of the bookshelf presented an issue for displaying all our records. I found three of these wine crates at the salvage warehouse and was thrilled to discover they were the perfect height to hold vinyl!

All in all, it took Adam and I about four hours (and four Home Depot trips!) to complete this bookcase. I can't believe I put off building it for so long!