Christmas came early to the Biddiscombe house this past weekend! Rob and I adopted a dog!!
Rob and I are real huge dog lovers that been wanting a dog for a long long time. With Raine gone, Rob felt bummed out that he no longer had a buddy since Raine bonded with him the most. After much talking, we decided that we could handle a dog in the apartment as long at it met certain requirements (sizes, good with cats...)
We found Molly through Petfinder.com. She came from Cedar Farms, which is an awesome small rescue owned by a great and smart man Tony and his wife. We met last Saturday, fell in love and then Tony took her to our house and made sure we got a good place and he taught us lots of stuff, which is so important. Thankfully we already knew and understood a lot of what he talked about from watching Dog Whisperer; )
Molly is the greatest dog. It amazes me how wonderful she is. She's quite, friendly, well mannered, good on a leash, doesn't make a peep in her crate, potty trained and so much more. We need to work on commands a bit, but that's ok and it's fun for me. She loves to get hugs and have you hold her and she's just so appreciative of what you do for her. She doesn't seem to mind Faith, but Faith is still very scared of her. Makes me sad, but with a lot of love and patience and discipline, we'll all be sitting together as one big happy family.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Weekend at Asheville
Rob and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this past weekend by going to Asheville, NC. The drive up was a little scary at times since it was pouring rain and foggy. But all that hard work payed off when we got to our bed and breakfast and then of course, dinner that night.
We stayed at the lovely Asheville Seasons bed and breakfast. Our room we stayed in was called the Leaf Peeper and it was decorated all autumnish. It was so big and so nice and it over looked a beautiful quiet neighborhood with big trees and falling leaves. Our hosts were very nice and made such yummy breakfast. They even made me a special breakfast on Saturday because I told them I'm lactose intolerant. We are so coming back to stay there when we're looking to get away to Asheville.
Here's Rob enjoying the fireplace in our room:
For dinner on Friday we ate at Barley's Taproom and Pizzeria. Rob wanted to go there for their big selection of beers. We had soy cheese pizza with beefalo, sun dried tomato on beer dough. Fun place, good beers. Oh! And for dessert I got some cupcakes at a bakery down the street. (they were good, but not as good as the ones rob got earlier that week)
Saturday we headed to the big farmers market in Asheville. We bought pumpkins for Halloween, bell peppers, tomatoes and apples. It was a pretty big place, but a little confusing because it's all open and there's lots of lots with people selling their produce. Either way, I went and *bing* that's another thing crossed off my list! The veggies turned out yummy as I've used them for dinners this week.
Here's me under a maple tree at the farmers market:
After that we walked around downtown Asheville for a bit looking at all the cool shops. Asheville is one of our favorite cities and plan on coming here often. We totally love the vibe and the art and shop and everything! Heh. We saw dogs dressed up for the Halloween doggy festival, it was too funny. For lunch we ate at the Mellow Mushroom where we had a tempeh sandwich. Very good!
That evening we went on a Brews Cruise. You go with a host and a group of other people in a big van and you get to visit some of the local beer breweries in Asheville. Rob's brewing his own beer right now and thought it be real neat to visit actual breweries since he's never done it before. Our first stop was Highland Brewery, a fast expanding microbrewery. We got to see all the vats where they do their magic, learn about the process and of course sample a LOT of beer. And as an added bonus, a black bear decided to take a stroll right outside where we were! Our next stop was French Broad Brewery, a smaller brewery that's becoming a fast hit around here. They specialize in cold brewing like ales and lagers. I really enjoyed their beer. They also have a bar next door in the warehouse where you can listen to live music. Animal we saw there: super cool dog that loved belly rubs. We made a quick stop to Bruisin' Ales, a beer shop with a wide variety of beers, including some Rob said is hard to find. Rob got a bottle of special Flying Dog beer and shampoo made from Doghead Fish beer ingredients. Last stop was Asheville Pizza and Brew for more beer and food. We ordered pizza again, this time with wheat crust, yay. Their beer was all right, but ask Rob...and he'll say he enjoyed it too much, heh. We'd definitely do it again and bring friends along with us. They also tour other breweries, so it's not always the same. The tour guides are super nice and make the tour fun. Check it out, if you ever find yourself with nothing to do in Asheville.
Here's Rob at Highland Brewery:
Sunday, after a breakfast of delicious sweet potato pancakes, we sadly packed up and headed home. The drive was so beautiful since it was nice and sunny out and we were able to see all the changing trees. And for lunch, we had leftover pizza from the past two days, hee hee. I think we're all pizzaed out for a bit now.
We stayed at the lovely Asheville Seasons bed and breakfast. Our room we stayed in was called the Leaf Peeper and it was decorated all autumnish. It was so big and so nice and it over looked a beautiful quiet neighborhood with big trees and falling leaves. Our hosts were very nice and made such yummy breakfast. They even made me a special breakfast on Saturday because I told them I'm lactose intolerant. We are so coming back to stay there when we're looking to get away to Asheville.
Here's Rob enjoying the fireplace in our room:
For dinner on Friday we ate at Barley's Taproom and Pizzeria. Rob wanted to go there for their big selection of beers. We had soy cheese pizza with beefalo, sun dried tomato on beer dough. Fun place, good beers. Oh! And for dessert I got some cupcakes at a bakery down the street. (they were good, but not as good as the ones rob got earlier that week)
Saturday we headed to the big farmers market in Asheville. We bought pumpkins for Halloween, bell peppers, tomatoes and apples. It was a pretty big place, but a little confusing because it's all open and there's lots of lots with people selling their produce. Either way, I went and *bing* that's another thing crossed off my list! The veggies turned out yummy as I've used them for dinners this week.
Here's me under a maple tree at the farmers market:
After that we walked around downtown Asheville for a bit looking at all the cool shops. Asheville is one of our favorite cities and plan on coming here often. We totally love the vibe and the art and shop and everything! Heh. We saw dogs dressed up for the Halloween doggy festival, it was too funny. For lunch we ate at the Mellow Mushroom where we had a tempeh sandwich. Very good!
That evening we went on a Brews Cruise. You go with a host and a group of other people in a big van and you get to visit some of the local beer breweries in Asheville. Rob's brewing his own beer right now and thought it be real neat to visit actual breweries since he's never done it before. Our first stop was Highland Brewery, a fast expanding microbrewery. We got to see all the vats where they do their magic, learn about the process and of course sample a LOT of beer. And as an added bonus, a black bear decided to take a stroll right outside where we were! Our next stop was French Broad Brewery, a smaller brewery that's becoming a fast hit around here. They specialize in cold brewing like ales and lagers. I really enjoyed their beer. They also have a bar next door in the warehouse where you can listen to live music. Animal we saw there: super cool dog that loved belly rubs. We made a quick stop to Bruisin' Ales, a beer shop with a wide variety of beers, including some Rob said is hard to find. Rob got a bottle of special Flying Dog beer and shampoo made from Doghead Fish beer ingredients. Last stop was Asheville Pizza and Brew for more beer and food. We ordered pizza again, this time with wheat crust, yay. Their beer was all right, but ask Rob...and he'll say he enjoyed it too much, heh. We'd definitely do it again and bring friends along with us. They also tour other breweries, so it's not always the same. The tour guides are super nice and make the tour fun. Check it out, if you ever find yourself with nothing to do in Asheville.
Here's Rob at Highland Brewery:
Sunday, after a breakfast of delicious sweet potato pancakes, we sadly packed up and headed home. The drive was so beautiful since it was nice and sunny out and we were able to see all the changing trees. And for lunch, we had leftover pizza from the past two days, hee hee. I think we're all pizzaed out for a bit now.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Happy 2 Years!
Happy Anniversary Rob!
It's been a crazy 2 years! I can't wait to see what the other years bring us. Love ya!
It's been a crazy 2 years! I can't wait to see what the other years bring us. Love ya!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Raine
It's been somewhat of a sad weekend for us this past week. We unfortunately gave Raine back to the shelter I adopted him from.
If you know us personally, then you know about Raine and his problem. Ever since I got him, he's been spraying on our furniture and clothes. Rob moving in was the worst, he got anything and everything and we cleaned it all up and threw away what couldn't be cleaned. After that, he was so good. Then when we moved to New York it started getting bad again after a couple months of moving. Then came the time when he peed on the bed while I was actually sleeping in it. It was stressful, we did all we could....and believe me, we did. We've spent so much money on cleaning supplies, Feilaway, books, blankets and such that were ruined, extra litter boxes and more. Warning people to put away their stuff and close the doors when they came over. But we sucked it up and dealt with it. After moving to North Carolina, all was ok until a month later he started again and we knew that this was never going to stop. We worried about when we got a house and all the new furniture we'd have to get and if he'd ruin that. We worried about when we have kids if he'll spray on their things. It all caused me so much stress and it obviously caused Raine stress too. Him and Faith were not getting along either, he was too bossy and too hyper for her. I felt bad, because he wants to play, but she doesn't like that. There so much more to it, but in the end...we decided for all of us if we took Raine back. I wanted to do it right and so I flew with Raine back to Arizona to the shelter I adopted him from. AAWL is a wonderful shelter who treats their animals so good and really focus on behavioral issues and I volunteered there, so I know really how it is. I didn't want to take him to just any place. Yeah, it was expensive, but he deserves it. And I hope that someone will adopt him soon...like a single guy or someone with an equally playful cat. It breaks my heart because I swore I'd never give an another animal way, but we know it's the right thing to do.
So Raine...thank you for all the licks you gave us, for the way you spread yourself out like a rug when you napped, your orange little nose, they way you begged for pieces of meat when we made our sandwiches, and just for being our big silly boy. We love you!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Rob and Suzy do NASCAR
This past weekend me and Suzy went to the Bank of America 500. IT WAS AWESOME. When we originally moved down to NC people were always joking about something like this - hell Plaid even bought be a bunch of NASCAR® merchandise as part of my going away package. We originally went for some tailgating to go meet some friends from AZ who were in town visiting some family but it turned out we were able to get some tickets for 10 bucks a piece (originally they went for $80). As you can see from the video were were pretty excited to be there but the video doesn't do the experience justice. You need to go and see for yourself how fast and loud these cars are!! I promise you'll have as much fun as we did.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Update on the List
It's been a while since anything was posted. We've been busy getting settled, job searching, camping and a visit from the in-laws.
Things are some what normal now. Rob got a job, the apartment is unpacked, we have our plants and Rob's car, back. We even had visits from a few friends, 2 who live here in NC. No job for me yet, but I have a feeling things should be getting better soon: )
I have managed to get a few things on my 28 Things List
I mentioned before that we went to Ashville, NC for the Bele Chere Festival. Someplace brand new for me!
We went camping a few weeks ago at Marrow Mountain. It was a lot of fun and hope to go many more times.
And what's camping without hiking? We went on one trail that led us to the river near by. On the way we saw dung beetles, lizards toads and even a deer with her fawn!
Also, I found this website where you can list up to 43 things you want to do. So, I put up my list there and I'll add a few more things that I want to do. 43 Things
Things are some what normal now. Rob got a job, the apartment is unpacked, we have our plants and Rob's car, back. We even had visits from a few friends, 2 who live here in NC. No job for me yet, but I have a feeling things should be getting better soon: )
I have managed to get a few things on my 28 Things List
I mentioned before that we went to Ashville, NC for the Bele Chere Festival. Someplace brand new for me!
We went camping a few weeks ago at Marrow Mountain. It was a lot of fun and hope to go many more times.
And what's camping without hiking? We went on one trail that led us to the river near by. On the way we saw dung beetles, lizards toads and even a deer with her fawn!
Also, I found this website where you can list up to 43 things you want to do. So, I put up my list there and I'll add a few more things that I want to do. 43 Things
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Hello North Carolina!
Well things have finally died down to a semi normal state for us! We're finally here in North Carolina. It was a bumpy ride, leaving at 3am with 2 freaked out cats who pooed and meowed most of the drive down. I did give them Richard's Organic Pet Calm, the first does didn't work well, but it's understandable because they we're just too freak out. The second dose worked wonders!! Barely a peep. I continue to give it to them with all the people coming in and out of the apt. But we made it and couldn't be happier.
The apartment is fantastic! One of my favorite features is the big window that lets tons of light in. It's always bright in here and lifts up my spirits: ) And we all enjoy the balcony, just sitting and relaxing out in the fresh air. We managed to get everything unloaded off the pod in a few hours, but are still unpacking, figuring out where to put all of our stuff. I hope by the end of this week the apartment is all unpacked and there's no boxes or piles of junk around.
In the middle of all this, Rob insisted we go to Asheville for the Bele Chere Festival. He went last year with Plaid Nation and loved it. And since we're so close to it this year (just 2 hours) he felt that we couldn't pass it up. I had a wonderful time in Asheville and enjoyed the festival a lot. It was nice to see the kind of arts and crafts they have down here. I want to go again when we have a house and buy things for it. We ate at the Laughing Seed twice for lunch and dinner! Veggie food never tasted so good!! They also have awesome mixed drinks and beer. Oh and the drive to Asheville was so lovely! We drove through some mountains that loomed like giants in the fog. And we pass by lots of open grass and farms, something I don't see enough of. We plan to go back to Asheville in Oct and stay at a B&B for our anniversary, I can't wait.
Other than that, things are good. We're not running to the stores all day spending tons of money on those small, but necessary things. Nor eating out, but cooking actual meals. Today I'm going to start exercising again so I don't become fat lazy Suzy. Job hunting is...going, but we're confident that at least Rob will have a job within a few weeks. I'm crafting a little bit too. I just started loom knitting and am going to make a blanket. I can't wait to start embroidering and sewing again!
The apartment is fantastic! One of my favorite features is the big window that lets tons of light in. It's always bright in here and lifts up my spirits: ) And we all enjoy the balcony, just sitting and relaxing out in the fresh air. We managed to get everything unloaded off the pod in a few hours, but are still unpacking, figuring out where to put all of our stuff. I hope by the end of this week the apartment is all unpacked and there's no boxes or piles of junk around.
In the middle of all this, Rob insisted we go to Asheville for the Bele Chere Festival. He went last year with Plaid Nation and loved it. And since we're so close to it this year (just 2 hours) he felt that we couldn't pass it up. I had a wonderful time in Asheville and enjoyed the festival a lot. It was nice to see the kind of arts and crafts they have down here. I want to go again when we have a house and buy things for it. We ate at the Laughing Seed twice for lunch and dinner! Veggie food never tasted so good!! They also have awesome mixed drinks and beer. Oh and the drive to Asheville was so lovely! We drove through some mountains that loomed like giants in the fog. And we pass by lots of open grass and farms, something I don't see enough of. We plan to go back to Asheville in Oct and stay at a B&B for our anniversary, I can't wait.
Other than that, things are good. We're not running to the stores all day spending tons of money on those small, but necessary things. Nor eating out, but cooking actual meals. Today I'm going to start exercising again so I don't become fat lazy Suzy. Job hunting is...going, but we're confident that at least Rob will have a job within a few weeks. I'm crafting a little bit too. I just started loom knitting and am going to make a blanket. I can't wait to start embroidering and sewing again!
Friday, July 18, 2008
The List Update
We were in North Carolina this past weekend getting things ready for the big move. We got ourselves a nice apartment that we're super excited about moving into. (photos are on flickr *points to right*) Rob also had a couple interviews that are pretty promising. I also got to cross a couple things on my 28 Things to do When I'm 28 List !
14. Eat at a new place.
This was easy since North Carolina is new to us! But I specifically wanted to go to Cabo Fish Taco and they had awesome awesome food! Huge portions at great prices and fresh sides and yum yum yum....wish I was there now. Also I had a delicious mojito: ) Can't wait to go back there again.
23. Go to a winery.
Rob's parents (who were with us) wanted to check out one of the local wineries since North Carolina has a bunch of them. We went to Ray Len which turned out to be a nice place. Their wine was quite good and we ended up buying a couple bottles, including some sparkling wine to celebrate our first night in our apartment next week.
And that's it right now! Once things get settled I'll pursue more things on the list. If things go as planned, we're going to go to Asheville next weekend and that is traveling to a new place for me: )
And I guess this will be the last post in New York. Next time I write we'll be in North Carolina! See y'all later!
14. Eat at a new place.
This was easy since North Carolina is new to us! But I specifically wanted to go to Cabo Fish Taco and they had awesome awesome food! Huge portions at great prices and fresh sides and yum yum yum....wish I was there now. Also I had a delicious mojito: ) Can't wait to go back there again.
23. Go to a winery.
Rob's parents (who were with us) wanted to check out one of the local wineries since North Carolina has a bunch of them. We went to Ray Len which turned out to be a nice place. Their wine was quite good and we ended up buying a couple bottles, including some sparkling wine to celebrate our first night in our apartment next week.
And that's it right now! Once things get settled I'll pursue more things on the list. If things go as planned, we're going to go to Asheville next weekend and that is traveling to a new place for me: )
And I guess this will be the last post in New York. Next time I write we'll be in North Carolina! See y'all later!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Run Rob Run!
This past 4th of July Rob ran his first race with some of the guys at work. He did his personal best and can't wait to do another race!
Ever since Rob quit smoking little over 2 yrs ago, he's been running. Back then he struggled with 2 miles on the tread mil and now he's running outside for like 5-7 miles at time. I'm so proud of him and he's a huge inspiration to me. I recently started running and I hope to be as good as him and sign up for a couple races myself.
You're awesome Rob! (heh)
The move is almost upon us and we're heading down to NC to find an apartment. Then on the 21st, we say good-bye to New York and head to our new home in North Carolina!
Ever since Rob quit smoking little over 2 yrs ago, he's been running. Back then he struggled with 2 miles on the tread mil and now he's running outside for like 5-7 miles at time. I'm so proud of him and he's a huge inspiration to me. I recently started running and I hope to be as good as him and sign up for a couple races myself.
You're awesome Rob! (heh)
The move is almost upon us and we're heading down to NC to find an apartment. Then on the 21st, we say good-bye to New York and head to our new home in North Carolina!
Monday, June 30, 2008
My Feeling Stitchy banner!
Feeling Stitchy is having a contest to design their new banner. While I'm still new at embroidery and feel a bit self conscience about my work, I felt that I should try and submit something anyways.
So this is my entry. I had a lot of ideas floating in my head and when I thought of this one, it just felt right! I was going to add a bit more detail to it, but I didn't want to overdo it and make it too crowded.
And I know Rob is proud of me for entering the contest. We'd all like more people looking at our photos, reading and commenting on our blogs or twitter....and you just gotta put yourself out there and get involved is what Rob always tells me. I tend to lurk and be silent on the millions of blogs I read, I'm just a shy person...but I am trying to be more "social". So, entering this contest is a way for me to get myself out there more.
Sheesh, Suzy....emo enough? Hee hee.
So this is my entry. I had a lot of ideas floating in my head and when I thought of this one, it just felt right! I was going to add a bit more detail to it, but I didn't want to overdo it and make it too crowded.
And I know Rob is proud of me for entering the contest. We'd all like more people looking at our photos, reading and commenting on our blogs or twitter....and you just gotta put yourself out there and get involved is what Rob always tells me. I tend to lurk and be silent on the millions of blogs I read, I'm just a shy person...but I am trying to be more "social". So, entering this contest is a way for me to get myself out there more.
Sheesh, Suzy....emo enough? Hee hee.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
In which Suzy turns 28!
Happy happy happy birthday it's my birthday!
I'm so excited to be turning 28! I've been waiting for this birthday for a long time since it's my golden birthday (june 28 = 28 yrs old). I feel it's going to be a great year for me! To do something special for myself (an idea i got when reading Joy of Doing Things Badly), I made a list of 28 things for me to do when I'm 28 which I'll list in a moment.
What are the activities planned for today? After breakfast of eggs and a chocolate muffin (thanks to the in-laws for the first of many sugar filled goodness) we went to a super early screening of Wall-E. Wall-E was SOOOOOOOO fantastic!! I'm so in love with this movie. It was so sweet and funny and lots of Apple/Mac love in there. At home I opened presents which included a super sweet bike helmet, cupcake, flowers from Rob, a new digicam from the in-laws, an awesome singing and moving Hoops and Yoyo card with an iTunes card from my brother and his wife and I finally got to break out my Renegade stuff and the books I ordered. I also got lucky bamboo from my parents (i requested something that lasts a little bit long that flowers). And I can't forget the lovely vintage patterns from Steph and Sarah! For lunch we had Pizza and Brew where I got a free meal: ) Then in a short while we're going to Rye Playland for mini golf, walking and maybe a ride or two. Finishing the day off with champagne and my cupcake.
On to my 28 Things to do When I'm 28 list:
(which i'll try to update my progress as i go along)
1. buy a house
2. take a yoga class
3. travel some place new
4. sell something I made
5. send out artwork for freelancing
6. plant a tree
7. paint a picture
8. pick a random book to read
9. sew something to wear
10. sew a quilt
11. donate to a charity
12. bake cupcakes from scratch
13. throw a party
14. eat at a new place
15. go to a local fair
16. print wedding photos
17. go out for breakfast
18. buy a cactus
19. buy original art
20. crochet something to wear that's not a hat or scarf
21. get a massage
22. go hiking
23. go to a winery
24. go to a bar just for drinks and appetizers
25. have fondue
26. have a picnic
27. go camping
28. go to a farmers market
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
We're Moving!!!!
As sad as it is to say, and in such a short time, Rob and I are moving out of New York and to....North Carolina!
We gave New York a chance, but in the end and for the future, we just felt that we couldn't have the life we truly wanted. While we love the trees, the food, Rob's job and culture, we also don't like the drivers, a lot of the crabby people and the cost of living. We're ready in our lives to plants some roots and buy a house and in New York we could only afford the smallest of places. It really upset us, but why should we make ourselves suffer for just a few small good things?
Why North Carolina? Well, it was actually going to be Arizona that we moved to because it was a familiar place and it's easy to live there. But, we did not expect to fall in love with North Carolina like we did! North Carolina won us over with its super friendly people, beautiful trees and the affordability. It's clean down there and is growing and it just makes us happy. It's all rather crazy and sudden, but Rob and I thought we'd give it a chance! We're looking at Charlotte as our starting point because it has the most design firms that suit Rob and the city has a wonderful urban art district and for me a Trader Joe's and soon-to-be Ikea. Surprisingly, we're getting wonderful support from family and friends. My parents realize that we can have a good healthy life there. Rob's parents are moving to North Carolina themselves in a few years. Rob and I actually have a couple friends there, including my old next door neighbor from when I was around 8.
And when? Since our lease is up on the apartment and we have it in our heads to move, we're leaving near the end of July! It's all crazy, but it's exciting: )
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Renegade Recap
Renegade Craft Fair Day!
(rob and i with the mustaches we got from Something's Hiding in Here)
We woke up bright and early yesterday morning to get ready for the craft fair. I was so excited I woke up extra early! Nice job sleeping in on a weekend Suzy. After taking the train and a couple subways and walked a bit, we found ourselves at McCarren park...over an hour early! Luckly, there was a farmers market being held and we enjoyed some yummy raspberry and apple cider and a delicious apple while sitting and relaxing on the grass. It was super nice to just sit there and watch all sorts of people walk by. I love the diversity of New York, 'specially in the "normal" living areas of the city, not the tourist clogged streets in Manhattan.
(me in front of the booths)
Little after 11, we headed to the "pool" where the fair was being held and I went into giddy crafter mode. We started at one end and ziz-zagged our way through almost every booth looking and drooling over everyones' goodies. It was so exciting to see crafters I've been following online in the flesh with their products in real life. Me being shy, didn't really talk to them. And you know everyone's super nice and friendly, but I just freeze up! Although the boys at Etsy were too awesome and I did talk to them a bit. Anyways. I was able to buy a lot of great stuff! A LOT!!! (i will list what i bought in the photo down below) Surprisingly, I did not spend all my birthday money and had quite a bit leftover, which is pretty rare for me to do. It did get overwhelming at times with all the wonderful things people were selling and we tried to make mental notes to come back, but the list got so long! But, there are a few things we are going to order online in the next fews weeks that we didn't get a chance to buy and that, I think, is a great sign because that person made a lasting impression. Despite the grueling heat, sun and humidity, everyone (vendors and visitors) was so friendly and totally laid back. I seriously loving the indie craft crowd. And the tattoos everyone had! Oh so kick-ass! After making our second way around, we decided that we saw all the we could see and it was time start the trek towards home.
(yummy cupcakes)
Our next stop was Babycakes in Manhattan. This sweet little place claims to have the best cupcakes around, which are all made with all natural, vegan friendly ingredients. Me being a lover of cupcakes just had to go there! And the verdict? Fantastic!! Even Rob liked them! I had a chocolate cupcake and a cupcake top and Rob had a carrot cake cupcake and a brownie bite. The word to describe them is refreshing. The lack of refined sugar and all the crap makes the cupcakes taste light and not rich and overly sweet. They were a little crumbly and messy, but it is sweets and that makes it fun sometimes!
As we headed uptown towards Grand Central, we ended up in Bryant Park and I told Rob that Kinokuniya, the japanese/asian book store had just relocated there and it was supposed to be bigger and better then its last location in Rock Center. Man oh man do I love that store! 3 floors of japanese goodness. We spent a good time looking at design books, craft books, tattoo books, manga, and paper goodies. I ended up buying a sweet japanese craft book with sewing and embroidery projects with cute cat motifs (yes it's all in japanese, but the illustrations make it manageable), a folder for papers and a little notebook.
(my sad shoe)
And it's not a trip to NYC for me without it raining of course! I swear, every single time we go there it rains when we head back! This time it rained hard. To make matters worse...my beloved mary janes that I had been wearing for 3 years got a hole in it!! So we're running to Grand Central, covering our goods from Renegade like they were the holy grail and my poor foot is completely soaked. Thankfully, our things did not get wet, but my feet stank so bad! Ahhh! R.I.P dear shoes, you were the best.
The fun didn't stop there, nope! For dinner we had yummy sushi from the place down the street. I also spent the rest of my birthday money buying some books I've been wanting for a long long time. Crafting books of course. I'm so inspired!
The Loot:
(i'll do my best to list what i got)
L-R
-Japanese craft book from Kinokuniya
-felt mustaches and wooden acorns from Something's Hiding in Here
-laptop skins from Sharp Shirter
-t-shirt from Renegade
-purse from 31 Corn Lane
-pins from assorted places
-bunch of zines and cards and stickers
-cardinal print and pins from Berkley Illustration
-a subscription to ReadyMade mag for only $5!
-wooden bookmark from Beacon Bookmarks
-wallet from Chikabird
-iPod cozy from Mr. Poncho
-mini grab bag from The Sampler
-lip gloss, lip tint and shaving soap from Bunny Butt Apothecary
-and for $5 the boys from Etsy gave you a plastic bag and where whatever you could fit in the bag from these 3 boxes of fabric, yarn and art stuff was yours. I got yarn, fabric, sweet clothing patterns, a yarn loom, a shirt, tote and a video on silk screening.
-somewhere in there is small bird earrings from Figs & Ginger
-and there are a couple of other things in there that I can't remember the names of the places I got them from.
*and as a good girl, I put everything and I mean everything, into the closet and will not take anything out until my birthday. I haven't even gotten to look through my grab bags, but at least I'll have a few surprises for my birthday: )
(rob and i with the mustaches we got from Something's Hiding in Here)
We woke up bright and early yesterday morning to get ready for the craft fair. I was so excited I woke up extra early! Nice job sleeping in on a weekend Suzy. After taking the train and a couple subways and walked a bit, we found ourselves at McCarren park...over an hour early! Luckly, there was a farmers market being held and we enjoyed some yummy raspberry and apple cider and a delicious apple while sitting and relaxing on the grass. It was super nice to just sit there and watch all sorts of people walk by. I love the diversity of New York, 'specially in the "normal" living areas of the city, not the tourist clogged streets in Manhattan.
(me in front of the booths)
Little after 11, we headed to the "pool" where the fair was being held and I went into giddy crafter mode. We started at one end and ziz-zagged our way through almost every booth looking and drooling over everyones' goodies. It was so exciting to see crafters I've been following online in the flesh with their products in real life. Me being shy, didn't really talk to them. And you know everyone's super nice and friendly, but I just freeze up! Although the boys at Etsy were too awesome and I did talk to them a bit. Anyways. I was able to buy a lot of great stuff! A LOT!!! (i will list what i bought in the photo down below) Surprisingly, I did not spend all my birthday money and had quite a bit leftover, which is pretty rare for me to do. It did get overwhelming at times with all the wonderful things people were selling and we tried to make mental notes to come back, but the list got so long! But, there are a few things we are going to order online in the next fews weeks that we didn't get a chance to buy and that, I think, is a great sign because that person made a lasting impression. Despite the grueling heat, sun and humidity, everyone (vendors and visitors) was so friendly and totally laid back. I seriously loving the indie craft crowd. And the tattoos everyone had! Oh so kick-ass! After making our second way around, we decided that we saw all the we could see and it was time start the trek towards home.
(yummy cupcakes)
Our next stop was Babycakes in Manhattan. This sweet little place claims to have the best cupcakes around, which are all made with all natural, vegan friendly ingredients. Me being a lover of cupcakes just had to go there! And the verdict? Fantastic!! Even Rob liked them! I had a chocolate cupcake and a cupcake top and Rob had a carrot cake cupcake and a brownie bite. The word to describe them is refreshing. The lack of refined sugar and all the crap makes the cupcakes taste light and not rich and overly sweet. They were a little crumbly and messy, but it is sweets and that makes it fun sometimes!
As we headed uptown towards Grand Central, we ended up in Bryant Park and I told Rob that Kinokuniya, the japanese/asian book store had just relocated there and it was supposed to be bigger and better then its last location in Rock Center. Man oh man do I love that store! 3 floors of japanese goodness. We spent a good time looking at design books, craft books, tattoo books, manga, and paper goodies. I ended up buying a sweet japanese craft book with sewing and embroidery projects with cute cat motifs (yes it's all in japanese, but the illustrations make it manageable), a folder for papers and a little notebook.
(my sad shoe)
And it's not a trip to NYC for me without it raining of course! I swear, every single time we go there it rains when we head back! This time it rained hard. To make matters worse...my beloved mary janes that I had been wearing for 3 years got a hole in it!! So we're running to Grand Central, covering our goods from Renegade like they were the holy grail and my poor foot is completely soaked. Thankfully, our things did not get wet, but my feet stank so bad! Ahhh! R.I.P dear shoes, you were the best.
The fun didn't stop there, nope! For dinner we had yummy sushi from the place down the street. I also spent the rest of my birthday money buying some books I've been wanting for a long long time. Crafting books of course. I'm so inspired!
The Loot:
(i'll do my best to list what i got)
L-R
-Japanese craft book from Kinokuniya
-felt mustaches and wooden acorns from Something's Hiding in Here
-laptop skins from Sharp Shirter
-t-shirt from Renegade
-purse from 31 Corn Lane
-pins from assorted places
-bunch of zines and cards and stickers
-cardinal print and pins from Berkley Illustration
-a subscription to ReadyMade mag for only $5!
-wooden bookmark from Beacon Bookmarks
-wallet from Chikabird
-iPod cozy from Mr. Poncho
-mini grab bag from The Sampler
-lip gloss, lip tint and shaving soap from Bunny Butt Apothecary
-and for $5 the boys from Etsy gave you a plastic bag and where whatever you could fit in the bag from these 3 boxes of fabric, yarn and art stuff was yours. I got yarn, fabric, sweet clothing patterns, a yarn loom, a shirt, tote and a video on silk screening.
-somewhere in there is small bird earrings from Figs & Ginger
-and there are a couple of other things in there that I can't remember the names of the places I got them from.
*and as a good girl, I put everything and I mean everything, into the closet and will not take anything out until my birthday. I haven't even gotten to look through my grab bags, but at least I'll have a few surprises for my birthday: )
Thursday, June 12, 2008
It's that time of year again!!
http://renegadecraft.comLast year I was lucky enough to go to the Renegade Craft Fair. We had just moved to New York and I was super excited to be able to go. Me and Rob's good friend Eileen traveled to Brooklyn, which was my first time going to the city as a non-tourist. The craft fair was one of the coolest things I ever saw. It was filled to the brim with some of the coolest crafters and coolest looking urban people walking around. I got to see some of my favorite crafters there and buy some of their products. And I discovered so many new people too! The biggest disappointment (not including the heat) was that I didn't have a lot of money to spend and missed out on a lot of cool finds.
This year I'm dragging Rob to the craft fair assuring him he's going to love it. Also, as an early birthday present, I asked my parents for some money just to spend at the craft fair. I've been pouring over the vendor list, looking at all the people who are going to be there and making a mental note of who to see first. I'll make sure I bring my camera and blog about it when we get back.
I'd also like to stop by at Babycakes bakery and Rob's being super and agreed we can go: )
And!! Rob and I have some super exciting news to share that we'll post about after the Renegade Craft Fair. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Vacation Time!
Rob and I spent a week at Topsail Beach, North Carolina with Rob's parents a couple weeks ago.
Rob in front of the huge gift store in Topsail Beach.
The place that we stayed was right on the beach.
We got lost looking for a movie theater and found a huge battleship!
The beach houses were so amazing and beautiful! (not where we stayed)
We had such a blast relaxing, eating, drinking, reading on the beach, swimming, walking and watching tv. The people in North Carolina were all so sweet and friendly. And the state itself is one of the nicest places I've been to. Trees everywhere, lovely homes, polite drivers, clean towns. We also went to Winston-Salem where Rob's parents looked at houses for when they retire in a few years.
Then on the way home we went to Busch Gardens, VA for some roller coaster goodness. It was so much fun!
Me next to a cool fountain.
Us in front of the fountain.
Beer, rides and food = Happy Rob and Suzy.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
A new friend!
Rob and I have been watching Three Sheets* and decided we need our own monkey to drink with!
So I crocheted this guy from Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful. I think he came out faboo, seeing how I'm still new at crocheting. I gave him some tube socks for some flare and I'm planning on making him a shirt too. We named him Charlie: )
*if you haven't already, you gotta check out three sheets. where zane goes traveling around the the world drinking the local booze and learning the drinking customs and their hangover cures. it's so awesome and funny. and how can you not love pleepleeus?! itunes has a few episodes for free!
So I crocheted this guy from Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful. I think he came out faboo, seeing how I'm still new at crocheting. I gave him some tube socks for some flare and I'm planning on making him a shirt too. We named him Charlie: )
*if you haven't already, you gotta check out three sheets. where zane goes traveling around the the world drinking the local booze and learning the drinking customs and their hangover cures. it's so awesome and funny. and how can you not love pleepleeus?! itunes has a few episodes for free!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Let's Fly Away
First off, this is the first time I'm using Flickr to make a blog post, let's hope it works all right: )
Anyways! Here's my latest project! I embroidered a portrait of Amelia Earhart on an old book bag of mine that I'll be using on our various trips coming up. I'm so extremely proud of this one since it took planning, deconstructing of the bag, sewing and lots of time and it turned out almost exactly how I imagined it!
I hope to try out embroidering Amelia again on lighter fabric and a couple color changes, so stay tuned for that in the future.
As far as trips? Rob and I are going to North Carolina with his parents at the end of May. Then I'll be heading to California by myself to visit my parents in June. And I know me and Rob are going to try going other places during the summer. Sweet.
Anyways! Here's my latest project! I embroidered a portrait of Amelia Earhart on an old book bag of mine that I'll be using on our various trips coming up. I'm so extremely proud of this one since it took planning, deconstructing of the bag, sewing and lots of time and it turned out almost exactly how I imagined it!
I hope to try out embroidering Amelia again on lighter fabric and a couple color changes, so stay tuned for that in the future.
As far as trips? Rob and I are going to North Carolina with his parents at the end of May. Then I'll be heading to California by myself to visit my parents in June. And I know me and Rob are going to try going other places during the summer. Sweet.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Adventures of Rob and CRAFTY Suzy
As seen in some of my previous posts, I like to do crafts. I like trying new things and it seems crafts is the most fun way of trying new things because you make something!
Recently I learned that I love to embroider. While I'm still learning and wobbly at my stitching, I just love using my drawings for embroidering. It just fits so well together! I haven't felt this great about my drawings in such a long time. I've been posting my stitching on Flickr and even joined an embroidering group and the response I've been getting has been amazing! I'm so touched by all the comments and favorites I've been getting.
I'm going to try and make more posts about my crafts. While it may not be an adventure me and Rob share together, it certainly is an adventure for me and I'm quite excited about my crafting lately.
Anyways! Here's my tea towel that I worked on for the past week. I wanted this to be something that's all my art work since the last tea towel I did was from the Sublime Stitching Kit. I'm quite proud how it all turned out: ) Enjoy!
Here's close up shots.
Recently I learned that I love to embroider. While I'm still learning and wobbly at my stitching, I just love using my drawings for embroidering. It just fits so well together! I haven't felt this great about my drawings in such a long time. I've been posting my stitching on Flickr and even joined an embroidering group and the response I've been getting has been amazing! I'm so touched by all the comments and favorites I've been getting.
I'm going to try and make more posts about my crafts. While it may not be an adventure me and Rob share together, it certainly is an adventure for me and I'm quite excited about my crafting lately.
Anyways! Here's my tea towel that I worked on for the past week. I wanted this to be something that's all my art work since the last tea towel I did was from the Sublime Stitching Kit. I'm quite proud how it all turned out: ) Enjoy!
Here's close up shots.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
IF: Save
This week's topic is Save.
I drew a piggy bank eating my purse.
Since we are saving for a house I feel that anything we do or buy is going to suck all the money we are for saving. I like get all crazy stressed going, "Nooooooo we MUST saaaaave!" and I'm making myself miserable because I want to go out and have fun, but the money must not be spent! And that's why Rob takes care of the money, so I don't become a obsessive hoarding troll.
My moneys....my precious moneys.
*rob also made a post today (yay!!!) so, don't forget to scroll down and check out our trip to the zoo and actually see moving footage of me!
Getting some fresh air
Well spring has just about sprung - so me and Suzy ventured out of our apartment in borderline warm weather to the Bronx Zoo! We were pretty fortunate because my coworker Giuli has a premium membership, so she let us borrow her card which took care of everything except food. Only tricky part was getting in pretending that Suzy was Giuli which was supposedly not be an issue since they "never check ID." But apparently the high inquisitors were manning the gates that day and Suzy handled it like a pro - certainly a future in the CIA for her if the illustration thing doesn't work out.
Once we got in we saw that not all the exhibits were open or the animals weren't too interested in moving around due to the season but we did see most of the nocturnal creature exhibits and some other really cool stuff such as:
the butterfly exhibit
this bird from the awesome bird hall
or these birds from the outdoor seabird area
Hooray Spring!
Once we got in we saw that not all the exhibits were open or the animals weren't too interested in moving around due to the season but we did see most of the nocturnal creature exhibits and some other really cool stuff such as:
the butterfly exhibit
this bird from the awesome bird hall
or these birds from the outdoor seabird area
Hooray Spring!
Monday, March 31, 2008
IF: Homage
This week's topic is homage and my drawing is of two things that greatly influenced my art, Disney and anime. Disney sparked my interest to draw at a wee age and anime taught me that there's way more different types of drawing/animation.
So here we have Belle (beauty and the beast) and Akane (ranma 1/2) and they realized that they are both wearing the same outfit! OMG!!! hee hee
*x-men is also a huge influence and i would've added them, but no one wears anything like belle or akane; )
Thursday, March 27, 2008
IF: Pet Peeves
Lazy Suzy complains that now she's back at work she has no time to draw which is complete bullshit because she spends the evening glued to her laptop looking at random stuff.
Anyways!!
This week's theme is pet peeves and the first thought that came to my mind...men who wear t-shirts tucked into pants. It's a t-shirt buddy, not a polo or a button down...it most likely has a crappy graphic of some random event from 15 years ago. It's like they are trying to make something very casual into something a little more...fancy? It's a t-shirt just let it hang out, it's ok!
Let me tell you about my creepy random guy story which my pet most likely came from. So a few years back, while I was in college, I was driving to the photo store to drop off some film. Now I'm driving, the sun is shining, I'm happy, there's good music on the radio and I'm just singing along and being enthusiastic and animated about it. Ya know, enjoying the moment! I get to the place, park and start walking to the store when this middle aged man who's like 20 years older than me, wearing a t-shirt tucked into his denim pants comes up to me and says something like, "I saw you driving and singing and you looked so nice and I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch or something?" OMG!!! This random guys sees me on the freeway and decides to follow me and ask me out?! When did he think that this was a good idea? I chuckled softly and told him no and quickly hurried to the photo store freaked out. Then when I drove home, I drove as fast as I could and took many extra turns so he couldn't follow me. Men..seriously, that's not how you pick up a girl. Even if you're hot.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Crafty Suzy
I've had the last 4 weeks off of work (the joys of freelancing). So I decided to really try and use this time wisely and do some crafting! I'm actually quite excited and proud of myself of all that I did.
Show and tell time:
I baked bread for the first time ever! It was soooo yummy!
I made this cat tunnel from Amy Butler's In Stitches out of old towels and pillow cases. Faith had some major dental work done, so I thought I'd make her something to get better in. Surprisingly, both cats like it a lot and Raine hogs it all the time. Of course, they just lay on top of it.
This was supposed to be a laptop cover, but it didn't work out. It's now the cats.
I tried again making a laptop, this time using felt. It's not perfect, but it's working right now. Oh yeah, I named my laptop Sprout.
I made biscuits for the second time and they came out even better. Mmmm.
I got the Sublime Stitching kit and learned how to embroider. Fun!
Took a bunch of old shirts and started making a shirt quilt/blanket. I cut my finger kind of bad, so the blanket's on hold till next week.
There was so much left over shirt scraps, that I made pillow for the cats. Mainly for Raine since he took over Faith's tunnel. I even did some embroidery of my own drawing. This pillow came out so well!! Also, this is the reason I hurt my finger: P
And of course I opened my own Etsy shop.
And started Illustration Fridays.
Go me!
Show and tell time:
I baked bread for the first time ever! It was soooo yummy!
I made this cat tunnel from Amy Butler's In Stitches out of old towels and pillow cases. Faith had some major dental work done, so I thought I'd make her something to get better in. Surprisingly, both cats like it a lot and Raine hogs it all the time. Of course, they just lay on top of it.
This was supposed to be a laptop cover, but it didn't work out. It's now the cats.
I tried again making a laptop, this time using felt. It's not perfect, but it's working right now. Oh yeah, I named my laptop Sprout.
I made biscuits for the second time and they came out even better. Mmmm.
I got the Sublime Stitching kit and learned how to embroider. Fun!
Took a bunch of old shirts and started making a shirt quilt/blanket. I cut my finger kind of bad, so the blanket's on hold till next week.
There was so much left over shirt scraps, that I made pillow for the cats. Mainly for Raine since he took over Faith's tunnel. I even did some embroidery of my own drawing. This pillow came out so well!! Also, this is the reason I hurt my finger: P
And of course I opened my own Etsy shop.
And started Illustration Fridays.
Go me!
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