Grey Moggie Greetings

my funny valentines 2010

For a little Valentine cheer this year I participated in Carina’s Valentine Swap (she’s the brain behind Crow & Canary). I got partnered up with the cutest ladies, Diana and Meagan. Diana sent a cute cupid and doily adorned Valentine from one of her favorite etsy shops. I have a total doily crush lately. I’m waiting a week or two to see if it’s the real thing before I go out and buy hundreds of paper doilies from the craft store, but I’m soooo impatient. I’ll probably end up caving in a few days and buying a bunch of doilies only to realize I don’t know what to do with all of them. So if you have craft ideas involving doilies, send them on over!

Before her valentine arrived, I had checked out Diana’s etsy shop and fell in love with her sweet photo postcards. She sent this perfect telephone postcard along with her valentine. And then I went ahead and chose a few to purchase from her shop. I love having sweet notecards on hand – it makes sending mail so much more fun.

Meagan’s valentine arrived a couple days later. I was floored. She stitched a dictionary definition of Valentine onto a pretty piece of fabric. I love that she used neutral and blue shades and not typical Valentine red and pink. Yay for pretty embroidery.

I’ve done a lot of great swaps lately. If you are looking for a reason to craft and a way to receive a few inspiring crafts from others, I highly recommend getting in on a swap. Or find a friend who wants to do an alphabet swap with you :)

thirty's on it's way

On Sunday I’ll turn 30. I’m really looking forward to it. My twenties were great and I’m satisfied with where they’ll be leaving me.

I am not without plans for the year. When a few of my friends turned 30 earlier this year, I made them each a 30 Things to Do While I’m 30 book. Last week I put one together for myself. I still have a few spaces left to reach 30 and I’m taking these last few days to make sure I’m not forgetting something.  I’ll share the list once it’s final…probably on Sunday.

music to take you home

As party favors for Sunday’s birthday brunch I made a few mix cds for friends to take home. I’ve loved the Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ song Home for the last couple months. And since we moved to a new home recently, I decided to make a whole mix based on the theme of home. I used this sweet new font I found and then handwrote some of the lyrics from the edward sharpe song. Then I copied the whole thing onto kraft paper and attached to a cd sleeve. So easy and fun! If you want your own copy, click on the song titles to connect to the song on iTunes. Enjoy!

home | edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros

via chicago | wilco

when they fight, they fight | the generationals

wasp nest | the national

come on home | honeyhoney

i feel like going home | yo la tengo

i’ll take us home | matt & kim

oklahoma | bishop allen

let me go home | camera obscura

to wild homes | the new pornographers

where is home? | bloc party

yankee bayonet (i will be home then) | the decemberists

eviction party | darlings

basic space | the xx

to go home | m. ward

one project done

I am so happy with the final outcome of this project. It’s the perfect place to store little things that I use often. Like glue sticks and book rings and embossing powder and pretty tape. It sits on a table that I’m going to try to keep relatively clear of clutter (we’ll see how that goes, right?) so that when I get a sewing machine as planned in January, it will have a cute home. Perhaps I'll find a sister shelf for bobbins and thread and notions and other items with cute words for names.

I used two coats of craft paint on the shelves. If I were to do this project again I would probably start with a coat of primer.

pumpkin weekend

yay for a three-day weekend! ours was filled with lots of double dates. we had pizza at red rocks with kara & dan on friday night. after my day at the studio for the letterpress workshop on saturday, eric and I caught up with jeff & jonine for college basketball, the office wedding, and pizza & gelato. 

sunday was a drive to pumpkin patches and vineyards in virginia with tim & annabel for some frolicking and wine tasting.

on monday, it was just the two of us, carving pumpkins. It got pretty chilly out so we converted our living room into a carving workshop. i found a few free patterns online from pumpkin glow, including a unicorn. eric used a pattern from the carving tool kits we picked up at the drug store. it was so much fun to have a silly project that we could work on together.

now it’s already tuesday. time to plan next weekend’s festivities!

welcome fall

the temperatures have dropped and there is a distinct smell of crisp. crisp air, crisp new sweaters, apple crisp. and with a new season, comes new music. here's my latest mix cd, fall in dc 2009.

{fall in dc 2009}

YOUR ARMS AROUND ME jens lekman

SEAWEED SONG passion pit

TOWERS amy millan

DUST ME OFF tilly & the wall

THE MAJOR LIFT years

DOORWAYS/WHY BOTHER smile smile

CONTENDER the pains of being pure at heart

DON’T WAIT UP the takeover uk

ROSE CITY viva voce

ACTION/REACTION choir of young believers

CHAMELEON brendan canning

ACTOR OUT OF WORK st. vincent

TWO WEEKS grizzly bear

HELLO SUNSHINE langhorne slim

TWO DOVES dirty projectors

RED AND PURPLE the dodos

finding inspiration at an art fair

After a trip to the farmers market on Saturday, I convinced Mr. Moggie to bike over to Arts on Foot with me.  Juried art fairs are great because someone has hand picked all of the artists and crafters so there’s no sifting through the bad to get to the good. At every single booth, I found something I adored.  In particular, I can’t wait to save up some spending money and get a bag from JennyJen42 and a sweater from The Devil Made Me Do It. My favorite booth, however, was the one set up by Moonlight Bindery.

 

photo from the moonlight bindery blog

I had run into some problems making a book of my own on Friday night and it made me appreciate beautiful, perfectly crafted books at a whole new level and all the hard work that goes into the process.  The challenges of Friday night could have led me to give up and think, “Bookmaking is too hard.” But seeing such beautiful books on Saturday inspired me to practicepracticepractice because beautiful books are worth it.

the book that came out of Friday night’s binding session

What artists or crafters inspire you to be better at your art or craft?

***I've decided to run a series on books over the next few days (weeks? until I run out, I guess). I'll share some of my favorite books to carry around, what supplies I bring with me on trips, some easy book-binding techniques, and what inspires my favorite pages.

Feel free to use any tip or technique I share on the blog in your own work. If you find a way to make it profitable, by all means, use it. If you really like an idea that I've shared, I'd love a link back to my blog or the post where I shared it; if you like lots of my ideas, consider adding me to your blogroll. If I share something that I didn't come up with myself, I will point you to the source; if I point you to another website or blog, please be considerate about how others want their work attributed.If you make something super neat using an idea from my blog, I'd love to see a photo of it! Thanks and enjoy.***

use what you love

After looking through photos of my latest mini books, K emailed asking "i noticed your adhesives-- do you not worry about using archival materials?" No, I don’t.

I try to take advantage of inspiration as soon as it hits. If a vintage map catches my eye while I’m flipping through some of my old books, I’ll make a greeting card with it right away. If I think of a neat cover for my latest mix cd, I open up Photoshop and get to work on it. (See the one above? hot air balloon image from www.balloonfestivals.com.) When I sit on an idea for too long it feels forced and inorganic when I come back to it later. And whatever I create doesn’t feel like me.  

When it comes to supplies, I have a similar attitude. I use what inspires me and usually that’s what’s easy to use or easy to reach. Maybe I should worry that there’s too much acid in my pretty little masking tape (not sure?) or my favorite pen or that the beautiful decorative paper I was compelled to buy is going to ruin my photos. But my photos are all digital and safely backed up and my bigger worry is that I won’t use the pretty paper that’s piled up in the corner of the room, or that I’ll never print my photos and have them on physical display.  

In the spirit of letting inspiration take hold, I made a new book last night. I’m not sure what’s going in it, but I didn’t want to wait for an event or a theme to put this book together. I’ve been loving blues and reds together lately, so I combined some of my favorite shades. It helped that I went to an event at Paper Source and got to take advantage of sale prices. Yay!

What are your favorite supplies? Do you worry about their archival quality?

***I've decided to run a series on books over the next few days (weeks? until I run out, I guess). I'll share some of my favorite books to carry around, what supplies I bring with me on trips, some easy book-binding techniques, and what inspires my favorite pages.

Feel free to use any tip or technique I share on the blog in your own work. If you find a way to make it profitable, by all means, use it. If you really like an idea that I've shared, I'd love a link back to my blog or the post where I shared it; if you like lots of my ideas, consider adding me to your blogroll. If I share something that I didn't come up with myself, I will point you to the source; if I point you to another website or blog, please be considerate about how others want their work attributed.If you make something super neat using an idea from my blog, I'd love to see a photo of it! Thanks and enjoy.***

a few of my favorite things

At one of the shops we visited in Aix, there were beautiful dresses and skirts that were all designed by the same artist. I bought a gorgeous yellow skirt with handpainted detailing, and a one-of-a-kind printed dress with bright ribbons that Mr. Moggie chose. In the corner of the shop I spotted a shelf with some sweet handmade books. I got a simple cahier, with beautiful natural flecked pages and this amazing stitched book with a musical note cut out of the front cover. When I picked it up I noticed that under the stitching, the book artist had slipped a piece of sheet music so that the binding of the book is littered with musical notes. My face lit up and I looked over at the shopkeeper, who had the biggest knowing grin on her face, like she had been waiting and waiting for someone to notice that detail.

Later in Paris my friend, Amber, pointed me to a fun little shop near her apartment. She thought I would love it, and she was right. I found a couple more little cahiers there. One featured an illustrated map of Paris with the major sights collaged in, and one with adorable animal characters for each letter of the alphabet.

And while we’re on the topic of cute alphabet drawings, here’s a sheet of paper I picked up in Aix. And have you seen Emily Martin’s Black Apple alphabet poster? I snagged one a few weeks ago and it’s tucked away safely to be hung on the wall at our next apartment.  

What kinds of books inspire you to make books of your own?  

***I've decided to run a series on books over the next few days (weeks? until I run out, I guess). I'll share some of my favorite books to carry around, what supplies I bring with me on trips, some easy book-binding techniques, and what inspires my favorite pages.

Feel free to use any tip or technique I share on the blog in your own work. If you find a way to make it profitable, by all means, use it. If you really like an idea that I've shared, I'd love a link back to my blog or the post where I shared it; if you like lots of my ideas, consider adding me to your blogroll. If I share something that I didn't come up with myself, I will point you to the source; if I point you to another website or blog, please be considerate about how others want their work attributed.If you make something super neat using an idea from my blog, I'd love to see a photo of it! Thanks and enjoy.***

Mini-book tip: Planning page

It’s a good idea to jot down thoughts every day while traveling. You might remember all the activities from a specific day and record them later, but it’s harder to capture emotion and fleeting thoughts more than a few hours later. When I make a mini-book, I always leave spaces for journaling. You can use labels on scrapbook paper or insert a few blank pages. On our last trip to New York, we wanted to fit a lot of stuff into our last full day there. If we were going to fit in coffee at Abraco, noodles at Momofuku, hat shopping, pie shopping, the Brooklyn Flea, and dinner with friends, we were going to need a plan. Along with our hosts, we came up with a schedule for the day while we were at dinner the night before. I jotted it in my Something to Keep You Distracted journal, on a page with the prompt “present dreams.” Jenny added illustrations, and also all of our initials with checkboxes to the bottom of the page so that we could sign on to show our approval of the plan. We made a rough go of the plan that Sunday morning and while the weekends’ previous late nights made us pretty slow, we fit almost everything into the day.

A couple weeks later in France, I used the same concept on a page I had left blank for journaling. It was a fun way to practice a new way of lettering I had seen during our time in NYC. As the day went on, I added notes about each of the day’s planned events, and whether or not we stuck to the plan. It’s one of my favorite pages from that album.

Can you make your daily to-do list visually appealing? Try it!

***I've decided to run a series on books over the next few days (weeks? until I run out, I guess). I'll share some of my favorite books to carry around, what supplies I bring with me on trips, some easy book-binding techniques, and what inspires my favorite pages.

Feel free to use any tip or technique I share on the blog in your own work. If you find a way to make it profitable, by all means, use it. If you really like an idea that I've shared, I'd love a link back to my blog or the post where I shared it; if you like lots of my ideas, consider adding me to your blogroll. If I share something that I didn't come up with myself, I will point you to the source; if I point you to another website or blog, please be considerate about how others want their work attributed.If you make something super neat using an idea from my blog, I'd love to see a photo of it! Thanks and enjoy.***

What to bring on an adventure

I always intend to put my photos and scraps together after a trip. Intentions, however, give way to unpacking, laundry, loving my cat, getting back into the every day routine, and recovery from the trip. So the last few times I traveled, I made a mini-book before we departed and packed it in my bag along with a few good supplies. My supply stash grew with each trip, and in France I found a cute little bag to hold them all. Here’s a list of the things I will likely carry on future trips. Take some ideas from my list and then let me know if I’m missing something.

Mini scissors: If the blades are less than 4 inches, you can pass through airport security.

Adhesives: I brought a glue stick, tape runner, and glue pen. The glue pen can be used as a permanent or repositionable adhesive. When at home, i use Zots, but they come in a bulky roll.

Mini stapler & extra staples: Once I picked up my mini stapler I didn’t know how I ever survived without it.

Mini hole punch: So you can add extra pages while you travel (especially cool if you have a Polaroid and want to add photos as you go)

Pens: My favorite pens are Paper Mate Flair pens. I typically bring black and red with me. I also like the AC Slick Writers since they write on masking tape, photos, & glossy postcards.

Labels: I always stock up when Paper Source has a sale on labels, or you can find lots of free templates online and add your own adhesive.

Decorative tape: I carry 3-4 rolls of happy tape on a trip – whichever rolls best match the theme of the book. 

Ribbon: The ribbons in the photo are those I picked up during our trips and tried to incorporate into the books. We visited an art store in Aix-en-Provence and a scrapbooking store in Bar Harbor and I found lots of fun items that I don't typically have access to. 

Bone folder: If you have it, you will use it. I used mine to smooth down wine labels that I added to my pages in France.

 

See how nicely they fit into my little pack? I picked the bag up at a gift shop in Aix. It's a Quo Vadis bag featuring Benjamin Vautier insignia. And voila. All zipped up and ready to go in my day trip bag.

What do you bring when you want to craft on the go, and how do you carry it all?

***I've decided to run a series on books over the next few days (weeks? until I run out, I guess). I'll share some of my favorite books to carry around, what supplies I bring with me on trips, some easy book-binding techniques, and what inspires my favorite pages.

Feel free to use any tip or technique I share on the blog in your own work. If you find a way to make it profitable, by all means, use it. If you really like an idea that I've shared, I'd love a link back to my blog or the post where I shared it; if you like lots of my ideas, consider adding me to your blogroll. If I share something that I didn't come up with myself, I will point you to the source; if I point you to another website or blog, please be considerate about how others want their work attributed.If you make something super neat using an idea from my blog, I'd love to see a photo of it! Thanks and enjoy.***

France Mini Book

Have you ever gone on a really amazing trip? You had high expectations and they were exceeded? That was our recent trip to France. And it is so difficult to adjust to real life after a trip that takes you so far from reality. Making this mini-book helped the recovery a bit, but we're definitely still adjusting.

We spent the first part of the week in Aix-en-Provence. What a beautiful, charming city! The pace was relaxed, but not slow. Everyone was gorgeous and I loved how well they wore even the simplest clothes. The shopping in Aix was an indie girl's dream. So many of the shops and market vendors sold beautiful handmade hats, dresses, and tops in which you couldn't miss the marriage between fashion and art. And I found beautiful handmade books in several shops, too. The food was ridiculous. We took advantage of the food markets and Provencal restaurants, and on a day trip to Marseille we hit up a bouillabaisse joint. Provence does rose wine really well and we drank lots of it at every meal and sometimes while we sat and watched the beautiful crowds stroll by our cafe table.

Next we ventured up to Paris to spend some time with my college roommate. She and her husband were such gracious hosts and introduced us to many of their friends. I think part of the reason it's been so hard to adjust to real life again is because it was so wonderful to reconnect with such a dear friend. That, and the macarons at Laduree.

 

This mini-book is a beast. I used a bunch of photo postcards we picked up along the way, and had included some soft paper in muted colors before the trip. I added wine labels, business cards, train tickets, the map we carried around every day, our printed itinerary, and lots of other random paper pieces, even the wrapper from the duck sausage we picked up from the market. For the photos I took, I printed them out in 4x6 blocks, three blocks to an 8.5x11 sheet of photo paper. I started out with tiny book rings, but had to upgrade to giant rings, of course. I've never used the big ones before - I'm glad I still had them lying around! Lots of photos of the "mini"-book below:

Maine Mini Book

 

After a few days in NYC, we headed directly to Northern Maine. We spent the rest of the week at my parents' house, all the way at the tippy top of the state. One morning I got up to pack a picnic lunch for the whole family and we canoed all day long. Until it was time for ice cream. We spent a few hours on the lake with my aunt and uncle - they even let Mr. Moggie captain the boat for a while. And we always seem to be in town for the annual Muskie Derby and Ploye Festival. Seriously. We ended our time in the north by attending a 55th wedding anniversary party for my dad's aunt and uncle. So. Ridiculously. Cute. 

The rest of our stay in Maine we were in Bar Harbor. We had a few relaxing days, dining out with my parents, reading on the lawn while the waves crashed below, and devouring lobsters. It was wonderful!

Here's the mini-book that captures it all:

I'm back

Whew. We've landed. I spent the last week getting through piles of laundry leftover after our trips to New York, Maine, and then France. More importantly, I spent lots of time printing and clipping photos to add to the mini-books I built up while we were traveling.

We started out in New York so I'll share my NYC mini-book today. We spent the weekend with friends in Greenpoint and tagged along their normal weekend routines. Like tamales at Beaner Bar on Saturday morning. And coffee at Abraco on Sunday morning. We wandered around Brooklyn all day on Saturday, in the company of Jenny, Walter, the fabulous Jen of McFlashpants. In the evening we had an earth shattering meal at the new Graffiti. On Sunday we shopped in lower Manhattan, went to the Brooklyn Flea, and shared a lovely dinner with friends hosted by the lovely Sarah (& JT). The trip was a perfect way to start our summer travels. 

Jen, Eric, Jenny, & Walter walkingin Brooklyn

Photos of my NYC mini book below:

 

 

 

DC Coffee Shops: Peregrine Espresso

Part of the Coffee Adventure, where I review area coffee shops based on totally random factors while I study for the bar.

Food & Drink. Typically I've started my reviews with "location" and while Peregrine's location is quite nice, the coffee is where it's at. Since I started my coffee shop tour, I've been to Peregrine Espresso twice. But I'd been there one other time. During my holiday break after fall exams Mr. Moggie and I spent a day wandering around the city. It was one of those unseasonably warm December days, and we started the morning in Eastern Market. We popped into Peregrine for some coffee. I ordered a vanilla latte but then got distracted by cute t-shirts and bacon chocolate. Yes, bacon chocolate. I'd heard the coffee at Peregrine was serious; Counter Culture is their roaster, I think I read that the owners had been affiliated with Murky Coffee, and I knew that they didn't stock traditional coffee syrups. The only flavor they'd add to a drink was a vanilla syrup they'd infused themselves. I'd say that's pretty serious. But, like I said, there were t-shirts. So when I took that first sip of vanilla latte while looking for a cute tee in my size, I wasn't really paying attention. Until the coffee hit my mouth. And blew my mind. Hands down, it was the best coffee drink I'd ever had. Fast forward several months and I still remembered thinking the coffee was the best ever, but couldn't exactly remember the taste. That's a tough situation because my expectations were really high, but I was worried they were unrealistic. Not to worry. My second vanilla latte from Peregrine (this one iced), following the first by about 7 months, did not disappoint. The third time I visited Mr. Moggie and I shared a large, tasty cinnamon bun. Peregrine gets their offered food (predominantly sweets) from a few different area bakeries. But you won't care. Because you will drink their coffee and it will change your life.

Location: Peregrine is in the old Murky Coffee space in Eastern Market. It is mere steps from the Eastern Market Metro stop and if you are there for the market, you will walk right by Peregrine. Except, after reading the above review of the coffee, you will not walk by. You will walk in and buy a coffee. And a t shirt. It's a wonderful neighborhood. I've found some great finds at the Market. Like my favorite winter hat. And the pearls I wore in my wedding. And the cute handmade bags I gave as bridesmaid's gifts. Another favorite in the neighborhood is Capitol Hill Books. On our wander-y winter day, Mr. Moggie and I spent hours in the used book store. I was looking for cool old map books; he was looking for cool old cookbooks. The Market Lunch in the market building is perfect for a greasy breakfast. And I hear someone sells old letterpress type in the neighborhood, but it's still a mystery to me.

Decor and Seating: When I was at Peregrine the Friday of the Independence Day holiday weekend, I sat at the back counter and worked on some multiple choice questions and flash cards. The seat was comfy, and others around me were having friendly conversations or working from their laptops. The shop was bustling but lots of people just stopped in for coffee to go. I was totally comfortable spending a couple hours studying away while sipping coffee and eating pastries. The next time I visited, I sat at a table near the front window. I longed to be outside since it was a beautiful day (and Peregrine has outdoor seating), but I knew I wouldn't get any studying done out there, so I just enjoyed the view. I used my laptop to work on some outlines for studying and monitored my email with the free wifi. It's a pretty good place to study. I'd shy away from taking up a table for too long on the weekend since it seems pretty busy, but on a quiet week day, it seemed fine. It can get a little chilly, so bring an extra layer if you plan to stay for a bit.

Music: Anecdote - I've been listening to Passion Pit a lot lately. After I'd been studying at Peregrine for a while, I got it in my head that I had to hear PP's Seaweed Song RIGHT THEN. So I pulled out my earbuds to listen to it on my computer, but before I had a chance to set it up, the song came on over the speakers in the shop. Not kidding. It was perfect.  So yeah, the music is good, if not a little eery.

One more story: One day last spring, I wore my Peregrine Espresso shirt to class. After class I walked over to Murky Coffee* for some evening studying. I'd forgotten what I was wearing until the barista chided me for wearing the Peregrine shirt to a different coffee shop. I think he was kidding but he had an awfully convincing poker face and I offered feebly, "I can zip up my hoodie if you'll let me stay."
 
Overall: Go to Peregrine and drink coffee. It will be awesome.

* The Murky folks appear to be opening up a new shop called Chinatown Coffee Company in mere days. I'm pretty excited to check it out! You should be, too.

DC Coffee Shops: Baked & Wired

To continue my DC coffee shop reviews, here's how I feel about Baked & Wired.

Location: B & W is on Thomas Jefferson Street in Georgetown, near Barnes & Noble and Snap (where to get your crepe and bubble tea fix). It's a perfect stop off the beaten path during a shopping day. And it's not far from Paper Source, so I love the excuse to stock up on pretty paper after a cupcake break.

Food and Drink. Cupcakes! Cupcakes! Cupcakes! That's what this place does well. And also coffee. I've been there twice in the last couple weeks, and both times I've eaten a Pretty Bitchin' cupcake. That's what the chocolate cake/peanut butter icing cupcakes are called. DELICIOUS! The cake is moist and springy, the icing tasty and flavorful without being overly sweet. And it's the perfect companion for my signature drink, the iced vanilla latte.  B&W is a place that takes pride in the brew it serves, for sure. Last time I was there, I ordered my latte from a barista-in-training. When I went over to the next room to pay (cupcakes and cashier on one side, coffee on the other), the cashier (manager? baker?) urged me to taste the coffee and give immediate feedback. He wanted to make sure the training coffee was as good as the shop's usual. And it was! I used to work in an office building across the street from B&W, and I'm sad that I didn't appreciate coffee back then, or know the cupcake wonders this place held/holds.

Decor and Seating: The shop is sunny and bakery-cute. Cupcakes and other treats are displayed in glass cake stands and everything is clean, shiny, and bright. They sell coffee beans for home brewing and also pet treats. There are two sitting rooms, one with couches and lounge chairs, the other with a counter, a large table, and a shelf with stools. The first time I visited, my friend and I stayed for a few hours and felt pretty comfortable, but judging from signs I saw there more recently, they'd prefer for guests to sit and sip and eat their sweets and then move on. Which is what I did yesterday. I sat and studied while I ate my cupcake and drank my latte...and then moved on to a new study spot. Bonus: Cute pink bike out front. Bonus bonus: chalk board outside always has something fun.

Music: I heard an awful lot of Michael Jackson music there a couple weeks ago, which doesn't say anything about this particular establishment since I've been hearing MJ tunes everywhere lately! Another time, I think they had some NPR music show (as opposed to talk radio) on, but I was pretty engrossed in whatever I was studying so I can't really be sure. Bottom line: The music isn't offensive, but it didn't stand out. It's all about the cupcakes; who can be bothered with music?!?

Overall: Cupcakes. eat them. love them. enjoy the delicious coffee. and then move along and go get yourself a pretty dress a few blocks away at Anthropologie. Or a sweet tank top from American Apparel across the street.

A new book

I love my spring quote book. It reminds me that while it was difficult and intense, the last month of law school was also a lot of fun. I want to remember the same about this summer. I don't want to look back and think "wow, studying for the bar was miserable." I would rather say, "yeah, that was tough, but look at all this other cool stuff that happened, too!" So I made a book to capture photos and thoughts - similar to the 3L Spring book - to remind me that this summer was, in fact, summer.

I used some of that French muscletone kraft paper for the front and back cover and then made each page slightly longer than the previous page. I added happy tape to the bottom of each page, alternating between bright yellow with flowers and black and silver striped. The pages are made from text weight paper in cement from paper source. I punch holes about a half inch apart along the top of the book and used ribbon to bind it all together.

Here are some photos that might make it into the summer book.

mini golf at H Street Country Club

hanging out at The Red & The Black

dancing at the Metric concert

And of course, the post-bar summer trips will get their own books.

Spring Quote Book

I decided to capture the last few weeks of law school in a collection of funny things I heard or said around school, at home, on Twitter. Using some inspiration from Elise's Get Crafty workshop, I made some paper from a random photo I took in our back yard (it's the background paper on the photo pages of the book).

I collected my favorite, funny outbursts and typed them out on yellow paper. Then, I gathered my favorite photos from those few weeks, or some of my favorite photos of the people involved in the quotes.

I put it all together with some book rings and happy tape. And voila...a funny book to help me remember what otherwise could be a very blurry time.

DC Coffee Shops: Big Bear Cafe

Big Bear Cafe in Bloomingdale.

As part of the Coffee Adventure, on Sunday Mr. Moggie and I visited Big Bear Cafe in Bloomingdale. I felt instantly comfortable when I walked in the door. In fact, this is from my Twitter: checking out big bear cafe...it's only been 2 minutes, but i kind of love it here.

Here's a rundown of some of the shop's features:

Location: 1st and R Streets, NW in the Bloomingdale neighborhood, east of Shaw. We hadn't really ventured out there much before. There's not a whole lot out there except for lots of cute townhouses. We took Metro to Shaw and it was a 6-block walk. Apparently there's a farmers market on the same corner every Sunday morning. The neighborhood boasts lots of community spirit, but there weren't a whole lot of people out and about for a nice Sunday afternoon. We did see a few folks out walking their dogs on our way back to Metro later in the evening.

Decor and seating: We chose the large table in the middle of the exposed-brick-walled shop that felt like a living room. Several smaller tables lined the perimeter of the room along with a couple of vintage chairs and a comfy-looking couch. Big Bear also has outdoor seating and stools along the counter. There were tons of windows and the doors were wide open. I love ceiling fans and there were several sending a cool breeze throughout the shop. It was easy to spread out and work at the table, which is always great for a Sunday afternoon at a coffee shop. Almost everyone there had a laptop; there was free wifi. Did I mention the ceiling fans? Bliss.

Food and Drink: I had a vanilla latte, my standard coffee drink. I got it iced. It was delicious. Big Bear serves counter culture coffee. The espresso was incredibly tasty and there was no evidence of burnt beans. The vanilla flavor was subtle and not overly sweet. I'm pretty picky about my dairy products, and the milk held up to my standards. All the milk at Big Bear comes from Trickling Springs. We didn't try any of the food, but I'll certainly be back to taste the sandwiches and salads. I have high expectations since the coffee was so good and the owner seems to take similar care with choosing ingredients and preparing food, sourcing the kitchen from the Big Bear Garden, local bakeries, and local farms.

A blurry photo of my delicious iced vanilla latte.

Music: The music was loud. I can't say if it's always like that, but I can say that for the most part the selection was good. They played some new takes on the oldies while we were there, as well as some really enjoyable tunes. I wish I could say more about the music, but I didn't recognize a lot of it; I just liked it. I see this as valuable since if I spend enough time there, I might discover some new bands. If you're looking for a place to study and need absolute quiet, this is not the place for you; I like loud music to drown out other distractions so I was pretty content to study while tapping my foot to the music at Big Bear.

Closing time: This is the only factor I saw as a downside. The shop closes at 6pm every night. I'm pretty productive in the evening to nighttime hours so I like it when coffee shops are open until 9 or 10. However, I think the neighborhood borders on the unsafe after dark, so perhaps the early closing time is for the best.

I am definitely going back. In fact, I think I'd be content to stop my search for the perfect coffee shop here. However, that would be unfair to the other contenders. And how amazing would it be if shop after shop kept blowing my mind?

I leave you with this from the Big Bear website:
Regarding not stocking Splenda [I only noticed honey and raw sugar as sweeteners] - our milk is sweet, and our coffee isn't bitter, so give it a try without the sugar!

Mr. Moggie reading at Big Bear, researching for our trip to Provence in August.

A coffee adventure

I was totally inspired by Elise's Adventure last week. I've fallen behind in my studies for the bar exam and part of the reason is that I've found it hard to get some good study time in on the weekends. With my beloved Murky Coffee closed and my general distaste for the library at my law school on weekends, it's been difficult to sit for many hours and get lots of work done. Both study spots were/are within a few blocks of my apartment.

For the last few years, I've kept a growing list of area coffee shops I've wanted to try. They are scattered in different neighborhoods throughout the city (and surrounding areas) but the one thing they all share is that people in the know report that the best coffee is served at them. With the need for a new study spot, I've got more reason to give them all a try.

For the next few weeks I'll be visiting area coffee shops and reporting back on the blog. I'll definitely write about the quality of the coffee, the availability of work space and free wireless, and the volume and type of music played. I may discuss other factors as they strike me from shop to shop. For example, today I went to Big Bear Cafe, and realized that all good coffee shops should have ceiling fans.

I'll also record my thoughts about the coffee shops in this neat little book I created this weekend. The paper is all from Paper Source - from their in-store 12x12 selection. I cut the sheets down to 10x12 so the pages are 6x10. Then I used some 5x9 cutouts to cover up the white backside of the paper. This the first time I tried sewing a binding. It worked quite nicely, but I covered it up with some tape to be sure. On the outside, I used random strips of a variety of Happy Tape I had on hand and for the middle pages I used a strip of packing tape from Tape Swell. Decorative tape has quickly become one of my favorite products to have at my desk. If you're into that sort of thing, it's definitely worth the purchase - it's inexpensive and super versatile.

I'll post my (glowing) review of Big Bear Cafe tomorrow.