Fibers. AKA Reputation Ruined

I know my first post after the weekend usually tells you how great our weekend was and how much fun I had even though Eric drug me along on some death march hike. However, there is no time for that today. Today, I must share with you something that has, in all probability, ruined my reputation forever. I bought a piece of fiber art. I gave into my inner granola and purchased a ratty old piece of 1970s bohemia. Yup. Comments regarding said piece have included, "What were you thinking?" "It's moving!" "Wow, that's.....something....." "Won't your cat eat that?"  "Don't touch it! Don't you know that 75% off all dust is human skin?!" "Giant stripper lost a titty tassel!!!" "What were you thinking?" "You usually have such good taste....."

That last one hurts the most. I know that my friends will no longer be able to ask my opinion on anything without thinking of the giant woolen titty tassel hanging in our den. "She owns fiber art," they'll think. "Is she right when she tells me that the blue whale is the biggest animal? ...... this skirt looks good on me? .........my fire extinguisher needs to be inspected each year? .....I should paint this wall grey?"

I would take it back if I could, but it's too late. Reputation ruined. Never mind that fiber art can be lovely and textural; too many people picture fiber art owners as chain-smoking, cherry liqueur-drinking 80-year-old EX-LasVegas showgirls who spend their days on the penny slots and return to a house smelling of cat food and loneliness and cluttered with ashtrays, afghans, and (of course) fiber art.

I am here to tell you that fibers can be beautiful, people!!! Examples:

GalavantingGirls 

I'll be the first to admit that my fiber art is probably more on the cherry-liquor-chain-smoker end of the fiber spectrum (verses the sculptural, art studenty kind), but I still like it (in a half-joking, look at that specimen kind of way). Can you guess which is mine in the pictures above? :)

Please don't think less of me.

The Admiral At His Leisure

Accessorizing: Living Room Lighting

I've been looking for a light for our living room for a while now. There used to be a fan in the middle of the ceiling, but it was too low; Adam kept smashing his head on it. Plus, it was incredibly wobbly and we couldn't really use it for fear it would come crashing down. Now there's just a giant hole in the middle of the ceiling. 

I almost had Eric convinced that we should get this light from Oxford Antiques (sorry about the horrid picture)...

Anyway, I almost had Eric convinced we should get it for our living room, then he said something about it not having mounting hardware and having to get really long screws....so we left empty-handed. 

Here are a few other options in the same vein. I don't know a lot about lighting a room properly, but I'm looking for something that will be closer to the ceiling than our wretched, wobbly fan, something we can switch on as we walk in the door before reaching for the nearest lamp. I prefer lamps anyway. I really don't like overhead lights unless they're some kind of pendant, but that's impossible with the height of our ceilings.

After seeing the prices of lighting online, I think I may be able to convince Eric to go back and get the light from Oxford Antiques. Lighting is expensive, man. 

Living Room Rug

I love this rug.

It's a more affordable version of this Moroccan berber.

Love! Want for the living room!

Happy Tuesday!

Because I really like this song. And the music video rocks:

OTW: Big Sky State Games

I. Am. So. Sore.

I got to play volleyball yesterday in the Big Sky State games. Our team was not the best, we came out somewhere in the  middle, but it was so fun. Loved it. Just can't walk today.

Audience with the Admiral

Drafted

Boom.

This just happened.

I got a drafting table yesterday! After a veritable drought of cool, affordable furniture in Billings, the sky has finally opened up. Hallelujah!

I've been searching for a wooden drafting table for a while, but all the ones I've loved have been in the $500 range. That's a bit ridiculous. Especially for something I'll probably only use once a month.

This one, $30. Heck yes!!!

Some guy named Steve made it for his wife, and since they no longer had room for it, he put it on craigslist. Just for me! It's going to be so great in our completed fireplace room!!

Lookit I Made: Sneak Peeks

Hiding out in the basement where it's cool, eating popsicles and watching The Bachelorette, I've had a lot of time to work on projects. Here's a sneak peek:

Lino prints and paper cutting! Finished projects coming soon!

Dining Chairs! aka: Another Project

I got some more dining chairs!

They need to be cleaned up a bit, and I definitely want to reupholster them (ha, yeah, add that to that pile of stuff to be done), but they were so cheap I couldn't pass them up. With the others, I will finally have enough seating to invite more than two people over at a time!

No, they don't match, but they're similar styles, at least. The most exciting part is that, even after buying fabric and sandpaper, I will have a set of dining chairs for less than $100. Yep, you heard me. Less than $100! Waaay better than the wishbone chairs I was drooling over last summer. Now to find a table....

I also got a tapestry.

Eric hates it. He thinks it's creepy, but for some reason I really like it. The patterns are great and I love the Scandinavian feel it has. It reminds me of a Merrimekko tapestry my Ex-Roommate had in college. It was cool. While unusual, the E.E.R. did have impeccable taste.

I don't know how Eric can hate it. He's pretty much in it.

Adorable.

Over the Weekend: Pool Time

In our attempt to escape the Billings heat, we headed to Buffalo this weekend. We stayed in the weirdest motel I have ever been to, wandered around town, went on a few walks, but mostly, we just hung out by the pool. I wish Billings had a sweet pool like that!

Nasty motel contained a lobby full of birds' nests, a strangely skinned crocodile, a couple of the biggest geranium plants I've ever seen, a cat-hating proprietor, and a shriveled up turtle.

Over the Fourth of July Weekend

I. Love. Vacations. Seriously, long weekends rock my socks.

We had a great Fourth of July. We went hiking with a bunch of people from church, had a barbecue with Nick and Hanna, and ended with a bike ride to the Heights to watch fireworks.

 Then, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, we went backpacking. I have never been before; other than the lack of showers, toilets, and blankets in the forest, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm pretty sure I hiked more last week than any other week in my life. 

I think I'd really like to go again soon!

The Admiral Sits for His Portrait

New Books!! (Part II)

The second book I ordered - Julia Rothman's Farm Anatomy

 It's amazing. It's basically a giant infographic about farm life. Man, if I had my stupid senior thesis to do over.....

...it'd be more like this.

and this....

 ...and even this.

Kind of in love with this book.

Over the Weekend: Just Chillin'

This weekend made me feel old. We went to a party at the Vowell's house on Friday night, and after staying up late....we slept until two. In the afternoon.

Old.

But the party was worth it. Super fun :)

Then we drove to West Rosebud. Or we tried to. We ended up...somewhere. Stillwater? It was pretty.

Sunday we hung around the house. It's been too hot here do anything besides lay in the basement with fans blasting. I haven't even been cooking. I'm pretty sure we've had lemonade and popsicles for dinner the last several nights.