junk drawer

one of "them"

(Sorry to be so late with this! Meant to do this last week...where has all my time been going? Oh right.  new job.dang)

I am doing what I hate...giving a recap of what it is like to go see a taping of a show.

I think this additude is derived from reading endless message board posts back in the day about what was really going on at the Trading Spaces set. (most often it was all speculation) Posts, mind you, that were written by passionate strangers/fans who merrily stood outside and watched carpentry world and the occassional outdoor craft scene take place during the taping of an episode.

So with that being said...I kinda did the same thing at the Martha Stewart Show and it was fascinating....

First off...it's a huge set.  Most television studios that I have ever been to/worked at look like dollhouse versions of reality.  But her set is just HUGE.  and everything works! In the land of television that is just too cool for words.

The set is bustling with stylists who work until just seconds before they start rolling tape, you could just tell that the creative staff was making sure that everything was perfect.  Seriously people.  they were painting the cuboards in the craft area.  PAINTING THE CUBOARDS! talk about perfection.

(urm...although this guy is just adjusting the ornaments....but still!)

The taping was fun and I was so glad to see Francis Ford Coppola as the guest.  Pretty neat to see someone like him up close.

I think the biggest bummer was the studio audience gift.  A notepad.  BLAH! Too bad I wasn't there on this day.

(shot of the monitor as t he photo stylist prep the shot...can you see the curved needle in her sleeve?)

We did walk away with some fudge marshmallows and I was excited to see Darcy from Martha Stewart Weddings come pose for a picture...check out Darcy's blog post about this here.

Overall...the taping was very intriguing indeed.  And that's without me getting into all my geeky technical television garbage.  Like how I get weepy at the sight of a jib camera or wouldn't stop gushing about how talented and STRONG the steadicam op was to be able to shoot for the whole show like that....or how personable the audience coordinator was or how much fun it was to watch the production staff interact during the taping or how the lighting was kinda tungsten and the main monitor wasn't white balanced or how the stylists looked at the shot and rearranged it about 100 million times cupping her eyes with her hands so she could see what the camera.....

Hmmmm..........

I think I miss the field.

SO. MUCH. FUN!

That's what I had yesterday. So! Much! Fun!

O's sister and I headed into the "city" to go see a taping of The Martha Stewart Show. Otis had picked up a VIP package at an auction and we had been hording the tickets till the holiday season...

Martha's set is amazing to begin with, but her set at Christmas time, UNREAL!

Me, being the nerdy tv producer that I am, was totally enthralled with the ENTIRE process. I'll write more about this tomorrow after the show airs.  I'm a little uptight about publicizing things that haven't aired yet (wouldn't want to break my own rules)

But check out your local listings and tune in to tomorrows show to see my mug on camera. Francis Ford Coppola is the guest and let me tell ya, you don't want to miss it...

As if that whole experience didn't make my day already...after the show I said goodbye to O's sis and headed downtown to Soho.

Bet you could guess where I headed....

Purl Patchwork.

Purl soho

And the topper?

oh yeah.

It was a very very very fantistic day.

the end and the begining

Fall is in full swing.  I can see it in the trees, feel it in the wind, smell it in the air.

Last weekend Otis and I headed up to the little farm in the city for our last visit to the market stand till next spring....an ending.

This week I also found out that my project from the summer (aka: my job!) has finally come to a close as well...and as of this posting I have nothing else lined up.  It's a little stressful to think about, especially with the holidays coming up (these winter months are notoriously slow in the TV biz) and since I thought that maybe (just maybe!) the project was to continue for a few months more....oh well.

The time off, however, couldn't have come at a better time. This Saturday O and I are hosting both sides of our family for "fake" thanksgiving as it's been dubbed by O's nieces and nephew.  I've got LOADS to do.

(sigh)

So all is well. Just send some happy job hunting thoughts my way.

As I like to think, closed doors always open to new beginnings.

PS - If you live in philly and you want a free range organic turkey you must check out the L Halteman country stand at reading terminal market.  I put my order in yesterday and they were a TOTAL pleasure to work with and pretty well priced. Amish=good in my book.

has it really been a month?

I guess it has. Sure, I've thought about posting. I've written in my head millions of times. Snapped a photo and knew just what to say about that image, that moment, that experience...

But I haven't written have I?

There are many reasons for that, I guess. I kinda fell off the tracks in a way. I just kept thinking to myself How do I sum up where I went, all of my adventures, what's going on in my daily life if I am so far behind?

I've been to Maine, and to weddings. I've been working a ton, knitting a ton. Having a great time. I've been on television 3 times this month. Great stuff. funny stuff. Entertaining as hell.

I just haven't been too inspired to share this news. There are good reasons for this, of course. Certain people have been popping their heads into my little corner of the bloggy world and it weirds me out. To know that they are reading, watching. listening

but that was my choice, wasn't it? to put myself out there...to carve out a little hole in this forrest of stories.

So I have been censoring myself - pausing before I share again.

But you know what I say to all of that?

I am who I am, I live how I live, I share cause I wanna. so F*&K FUCK IT

So I'll start with a simple: hello there. It's good to see you again. You all have been doing quite well- I certainly haven't stopped reading...here's what I've been up to:

{I've been knitting up a storm. My sisters birthday came and went before her present was off the needles. ( a hat, pattern here)
She didn't seem to mind.

It's done now and I really like it.

{I had jury duty, I brought the pattern for muir from knitty to start. Gah. It was very hard. I might be putting it down. Mohair + lace pattern charts + courhouses aren't the best combo.

{I was on TV - a lot. TLC is airing a series of special shows about Trading Spaces, just like "The Best Week Ever" on VH1. It was super funny and I'm going to be on again this weekend. hilarity. tune in if you like

{My big project at work that has had me traveling all over the place finally launched this week. Check out what I do for a livin' here

I'm also a credited photographer on National Geographic.com. pretty cool, no?

Check out my photos here.

There has been so much in between. Moments where my chest fills up with joy. I look around. I love my life right now. I am home, I have friends here. I feel settled. It's all very very very good. ya know?

Hopefully the spirit will move me to post more often. It's just so entierely overwhelming to blog sometimes.

It can be alarming to discover who stumbles upon my humble little space...and the effect that it has on those that you love most. I don't like that. I don't like opening up that door for others...in ways that might be painful. Even though this site is quite benign...it is far reaching...beyond what I could ever imagine or care for it to be.

I only want good things to come of this place? ya know? It's not like I'm posting politcal diatribes over here. geesh. It's a freaking crafty blog.

but anyways-

I don't feel like closing down shop. I just had to pause; to think and to ponder.

thanks for listening.

ahem

hello all. Sorry for the long absence. I've been busy hopping between both coasts and buried under creative burdens at work...sadly this here blog had to take a seat on the back burner while I focused on the projects at hand.

But with lots of airplane time and a few decompression days at home (read: sitting on my chair doing absolutely nothing but knitting and watching television) I've been able to tackle quite a few projects that popped up on my radar.

The purl bee has had some phenominal projects listed recently and I was thrilled to see a produce bag pattern listed for free.

during my marathon tv spree i watched a news story about how cities do not recycle plastic shopping bags. I was horrified. I had made the choice years ago to move away from paper to plastic so that I could recycle them.

the only way to remedy my impact was to knit my own reusable bag and I'm quite please with the results.

So pleased in fact that I already have another on the needles.

**updated to include the link to this GREAT pattern.

hire this man!!!!!!!

My friend Phoebe's brother Alec is a director in new york city and he created and directed a pretty sweet mock ad for the iphone.

check it out and show your friends. (his contact info can be found here)

I think Steve Jobs would approve, no?

where's my cheetah?

Another great benefit to going home and visiting my family was presenting my mother with a valance that I made using the same animal print fabric that she used to cover her vanity chair seat in their bathroom.

I would dare to say that my mom's not really an animal print kinda girl...but I think this print works in the room and I was pleased to be able to harnass some skills that I picked up back in my TS days in order to make a valance on the cheap.

I'm thinking about creating a tutorial for this project. It's so easy and only took me about 2 hours to make. Anyone interested?

In other crafty news:

I've been thinking about making a quilt for our master bedroom. Perhaps it's due to all the inspiration out there...I don't know, it just seems like something that I would like to tackle.

I am always inspired by the gorgeous quilts that fill my parents house. I believe they were sewn by hand by my great-grandmother. Unreal.

Look at those little squares! can you imagine?!

hurray for Hollywood!

Friends-

I'll be taking a bit of a blogging break for the next week or so-

It's time for me to put on my best "Hollywood" hat and FOCUS!

See you in a few! Just think, by then all the leaves will be on the trees!

hookin' and lookin'

I've been spending my days in happy ways for the past week and a half. Visits with old friends, lots of cups of chai tea, chai cheesecake, and drinking margaritas early in the day with fellow "retired" folks (ie- my former co-workers).

Indeed- retirement has been treating me well.

I also picked up my crochet hook...something that I had put down for over a year...in attempts to do a little "free-form" craftin'. For whatever reason, I have rarely never followed a pattern when I crochet, yet have always followed a pattern when I knit. Who knows why, but I just feel more comfortable making it up while I go along when it comes to crochet. Right now I have picked a spicy ball of cotton out of the stash and am attempting to make a beret, inspired by Le'Slouch over at Knit & Tonic.

The idea of working in seed stitch makes me want to vomit. Ugh. I'm in no mood. So single crochet it was. Whaddaya think?

In digging around my stash, I was reminded of this lovely yarn that Hildi brought back for me from Paris. It was such a special gift...and I'm looking for a special knitting project for it. Anyone have any ideas for this stuff? I'm at a loss. Lace (is it too thin for that?) A project with a heavier yarn? Got any great pattern ideas for this?

I have about three skiens of it....

Speaking of knitting and crochet. Check out this Christopher Guest inspired video about knitters vs. crocheters (via Mason Dixon Knitting). Too funny!

I also ran across this video about dude knitters via whipup...meh. It's an ok video but the old dude knitting a hammock using two old pool cues FLOORED me. HA!

Hmmm....video and crafts.

**VERY INTERESTING**

Keep an eye out for some very exciting additions to junkdrawer in the coming weeks.

Free time=unbridled creativity.

i've been hit!

I've been dodging bullets here in philadelphia. Not in the literal sense, but in the employment sense.

As of Monday I finally got tagged...hit with the "I'm on hiatus" bullet. To those of you not in the know, "hiatus" is when a television show goes on break between seasons. Well, for me, that break is now and I have done what many other television producers have done before me, I have filed for unemployment and began to enjoy what Otis calls, "retirement"

I've been working in the biz here in philly for over 5 years now. Philadelphia might not seem like an entertainment mecca, but I've been lucky till now and been able to find one gig or another to keep me going.

I've seen other producers go on hiatus before...so it was no surprise when my number came up. However, I wan't prepared for unemployment to be such a tough pill to swallow. Is it my pride?

Yesterday, as O rolled off to work and I found myself sitting at home saying "now what?" I was mildly overcome with panic. But no worries, that was quickly replaced with a sweet sense of liberation. I think I might just like this whole "hiatus" thingy.

Being at home alone, with the liberty to do what I want, when I want to is GREAT. In the past two days I have gotten more sewing done than I have since Christmas!!!! Plus, during the day our whole house looks different. For whatever reason, the light that fills our home on weekends feels like "weekend light"...but weekday light- dancing off the walls, changing by the hour- seems magical. It's like the streaming white beams pouring through the windows are saying, "We're a special treat, here just for you!"

So I've poured myself big cups o' joe, plunked myself down at my sewing table, downloaded a craftsanity podcasts, and gotten to work.

here is where I have been spending the bulk of my time these past 48 hours:

sweet bliss.

BTW- I highly highly highly recommend the craftsanity podcast. It's like listening to Fresh Air all about craftin'!!!! Smart creative programming. I am loving it! This one especially.