white picket fence

about skating. and dumb anxiety.

my skates! yes, I am a 31 year old woman that owns a pair of roller skates! proudly!

You know those articles in women's magazines about like "Top Ten Tips of Happy Moms!" and "Five Steps to Stress Less!"? They're full of these platitudes that always seem amazingly obvious to me. Connect With Your Spouse! Eliminate Activities You Don't Love! Make Time for Yourself! I used to read these articles before I had kids and wonder, who are the idiots that can't figure this stuff out? 

Well, I'll admit now. I'M one of those idiots. Lately I've been feeling really anxious. I know there are things I can do to make myself feel better, but I avoid them. I put pressure on myself to cook all our meals from scratch, I'm the only one that worries about our house not being decorated well enough, I waste my downtime on things that aren't relaxing to me. . . and then I suffer for it. It's all stupid stuff I could handle if I just stopped and redirected myself. Yes, there have been some speedbumps lately (our living room being torn apart for 2 weeks to get rid of mold is the biggie) but that's no reason for me to freak out daily and feel like I'm a horrible mom. I know that's not true. 

Soooo. I joined this roller derby class. I'm really doing it: I'm Making Time for Myself! Getting Fit! Pursuing a New Hobby! etc. 

The class is Derby Lite, and I think their tagline says it all: Roller Skating for Fun and Fitness for Women Old Enough to Know Better. (It's offered through my local park district.) So far it has been fun and it's a good challenge for me. Learning how to fall down (and get up again!) is kind of enlightening for someone that once broke their arm rollerblading. Plus, it's hard to worry about stuff like the dishes not being done when I'm solely focused on skating/not injuring myself. I really look forward to practice and I'm hoping this is something I can continue with for a long time. 

And, an added bonus: if you're local, there are some Friends and Family skate nights in the next couple months. Let me know if you'd like to come along, I'd love to have you. 

loving: vintage bed linens

What is it about these that I can't get enough of? There are so many floral patterns in vintage linens that seem to have such a perfect color palette and sweet design without being too twee. Of course there's an element of nostalgia too. In my searches I keep coming across a few designs I'm pretty sure my parents had, back in the day. 

Dream collection! (source: jenib320)

I recently tweeted that if I actually bought every piece of vintage fabric in my etsy shopping cart or favorites list, I'd have to go on Hoarders. And my behavior with the vintage fabric I do have? Very Hoarders-y. Do you know I make color photocopies of it so I can use it in collages and not dwindle my stash? It's true. See here:

Yep. The blue and white floral. . that's a photocopy of fabric. I actually kind of like using thick paper instead of fabric in collages, it has a nice weight to it and cuts a lot cleaner. 

I keep coming across other projects and products using these kinds of fabrics and I thought I'd share a few of my favorites. 

Ah! Perfect summertime fort. (source: Rachel Denbow)

I love these scalloped garlands. Of all the ones I've come across on etsy, this seller's was definitely the best. Sadly, I don't think they're available anymore though. (source: sweetjessie)

Vintage Fabric Deco Tapes! Cute. (source: littlecumulus)

My ultimate goal for all the fabrics I have saved up is to make Norah a big patchwork quilt. Since I just finished David's baby quilt a few months ago though, I'm not giving myself a deadline anytime soon. Whenever I finish (or, you know, get started) I'm sure I'll update here.