2013 Week 50: Be an elf yourself – don’t sit on a shelf

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Leigh

So far, this year was the best Be an Elf me, Z, and our friends have done. It’s where you go to USPS and pick a Letter to Santa to answer and follow through. This is the third year we have done it and we did good for this single mom Fanchon and her two kids, which in turn makes us feel good. Our friends are awesome and we love doing this with them! Highly encourage anyone in a major city to look this up for next year.

This week: birthday cake @ Alison & Ian’s. Christmas Cookie Throwdown @ Kimmi’s. White Elephant swap @ work. Christkindlmarket with Z. Target with 2 Jens. Dimo’s with Z and Shanleys. Mailed off my #FOLswap package – I hope she loves it! Our holiday party. Last Chance Holiday Sale @ Hideout. Drop off Katniss @ Hannigan Household. Drop Be an Elf boxes at USPS. Show Beth’s apartment while writing our holiday cards. A very productive week!

Films watched 50th week of the year:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The White Ribbon ** [ Austria ]
I Am an Animal *

* documentary
** foreign language

I was really excited about TPOBAW. It was actually fairly good, but it was one of my favorite novels growing up, so it couldn’t hold a candle. Makes me want to re-read the book though! Man, The White Ribbon – I definitely did not grasp all the layers, but it was pretty to watch.

Ingrid Newkirk is not a role model for me in her style of animal activism, but I did gain respect for her in I am an Animal. I do realize that her and PETA’s sensationalism sometimes benefits the greater good, but it pushes a bit too far. The documentary did capture Newkirk’s deep empathy for animals, which I fully support.

2013 Week 49: Don’t let them shoot my kite down…

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Leigh

First political card I’ve made and most likely my last. Our Mayor has done a lot of stuff to rub me the wrong way though and that deserved a card. Available in the Rhymes with Twee Etsy shop as a single card of as a set of 5.

This week: Hopleaf with Cindy Paper Parasol Press and a group of her lovely friends. Takito Tuesday with Stacy & Jen L. Z’s work Holiday Party. Leah & Tim’s Party. Lunch Buffet @ Tava. My Trunk Show @ Local Goods. Shopping for Letters to Santa gifts.

On Sunday night, I made grapefruit sandwich cookies filled with grapefruit (& malÃ¶rt) buttercream frosting for Kimmi’s cookie exchange. They took FOREVER to make, but these were some of the best cookies I have ever made – they are freakin’ tasty. I followed this recipe exactly except for the grapefruit juice in the frosting, I subbed in half malÃ¶rt and the bake time was only 9 minutes somehow? I burnt the first batch.

Films watched 49th week of the year:

Foodfight!
The Watch
From One Second to the Next *
The Kite (2003) [ Lebanon ]

* documentary
** foreign language

At Show of Hands, I was talking to a customer about The Room and they told me and Z about a “film” called “Food Fight!” and they assured us it was a similar so bad it’s good movie. Well, they are liars! Z and I are both convinced that this was the worst thing we have ever watched. So much is wrong with it! Upskirt after upskirt of weird sexy lady cat. Worst plot ever. I could not even deal with it! No redeeming qualities. DO NOT WATCH. The rest of the films this week ranged from OK to good. I have not read the history as to why Werner chose texting as a documentary subject for From One Second to the Next, but he did a good job. This film should be shown to every single person who gets behind a wheel. My foreign film new year’s resolution has done a really good job educating me about world affairs that I admit I did not know much about. Watching these films has made me do a lot more reading about international conflict. The Kite made me read more as well.

2013 Week 48: Rene-made!

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Leigh

Booth Setup @ Renegade Craft Fair Chicago Holiday

This week: Katniss follow-up appointment. Z and I picked out our Letter to Santa to answer for Be An Elf. Went to Quesadilla with Ian and dropped off stock for him to sell at Handmade Arcade. Went to OOAK Show at Merchandise Mart. Sold at Renegade Saturday & Sunday. Celebratory dinner @ Bite.

Renegade was great for me, but a bummer for my boothmate. Jessica of diPalermo Body shipped 4 boxes priority mail that were set to arrive earlier in the week, but not a one made it there. She only had what was in her suitcase, but at least she made the booth fee back with those items. She wasn’t going to come back on Sunday, so I sold her stuff for her. Seriously, what happened to her was every single maker’s nightmare. So, basically, if you want high quality soaps and sugar scrubs that smell fantastic, here is your gal: diPalermo Body.

Films watched 48th week of the year:

Project Nim *
Vanishing Waves ** [ Lithuania ]

* documentary
** foreign language

Project Nim was not what we thought it would be at all. Thought-provoking and heart-breaking. So hard to watch. At least he got a semi-happy ending after bouncing around from caretaker to caretaker.

2013 Week 47: ThankFILLED

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Leigh

The Wreath of Katniss – new postcard

I am thankful for my partner in love & life, Zachary. I am thankful for my family, which has now tripled in the last 10 years, with finding my birth mom Lauri and marrying Zachary. I am thankful for my absolutely spectacular friends who help to make my life even happier. I am thankful that I am in good health, have a day job I love, a roof over my head, food to eat, and some money left at the end of the day. I am thankful that I have a creative outlet that I am starting to learn how to do correctly (fun AND profit) with Rhymes with Twee. I cannot be more thankful for my wonderful customers who I think the world of. I am thankful for a lot of things always, but this year especially.

Week wrap: Baths for our furry babies. Dropped stock off with Eliza to take to White Rabbit (Iowa City, IA). Z and I dropped Amanda & Derek off in Toledo and then got a flat tire about 40 minutes outside of Cleveland. It was a comedy of errors, truly, but we made it into Berea, OH a bit after 1am. Thanksgiving lunch @ Don’s Pomeroy House. Melt! Dante with family! Thanksgiving Saturday dinner (Christmas, celebrated) with Hansens. Many amazing presents! Jess & Eli were so happy with their matching Megan Lee Designs shirt/onesie! Waffle Christmas @ Kate & Brian’s! Drove back to Chicago, dropped off our stuff, headed to Dimo’s, dropped off Amanda & Derek, bought a Christmas tree @ the fantastic Christy Webber Gardens, came home and decorated our tree and put up the rest of our decor. What a whirlwind of a weekend – it was one of the best homecomings we’ve had yet!

All kinds of awesome stuff going on in Rhymes with Twee land. Two brand new Katniss postcards up in the Etsy shop. Old version of the tea towels is back in stock. Love my supplier ACS Home and Work (formerly they went by only American Chair Store). They are based in Coopersville, MI and they are great to work with. Thankful for the amazing vendors I work with!

Films watched 47th week of the year:

What’s the Matter with Kansas? *
Escape from Tomorrow
Trances ** [ Morocco ]

* documentary
** foreign language

Kind of a MEH movie week. Can’t recommend any of the above, really. Trances was enjoyable for the music. Perhaps I’m becoming jaded after watching so many music documentaries? Escape from Tomorrow was an epic idea, but executed on a mediocre level. There were some pretty neat moments, but the cohesiveness was not there.

2013 Week 46: Winter craft shows are upon us!

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Leigh

Rhymes with Twee Booth set-up @ Show of Hands

Z made me a monthly dinner, as he officially vowed to at our wedding. He made mouth-watering vegetarian lasagna and then we went to see Free Birds. I have not mentioned it here, but when we got back from our mini-moon, Z decided he would see a film in the theatre every day until Thanksgiving; a total of 35 days. He’s kept up with this goal, so it was nice to have a whole night together, rather than just half of one.

Remade two of the current four veggie vampire tea towels in preparation for Show of Hands @ Ravenswood Event Center. The show was the best curated fair I have been to yet. Emily Orange Beautiful pulled together a great venue with great energy and swell customers! I had some of the best booth neighbors yet; Beth (Four Eyes Handmade) to my left, Hanah & Nellie (SoapHappy!) to my right, and Jessie (CroquisKnits) directly behind me. I bought a number of gifts for family and friends, but my fave purchase was a necklace for me from Veronica Riley Martens, whose work is made with beads made from tagua nuts. My fave card maker a.favorite was there and she rarely does shows open to the public anymore, so that was neat and she has the coolest metal card display I have ever seen. Drool.

Speaking of shows…I am in a boat load of them this winter. Come say hi! I will not be attending my beloved Pittsburgh’s Handmade Arcade. Buddy Miss Alison’s wondrous boyfriend Ian will be working my booth. He is vegan and loves snacks, just FYI.

Rhymes with Twee 2013 Winter Shows:

Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Sale (Chicago, IL)
@ Pulaski Park Auditorium
December 7 + 8, 2013 (11am â€“ 6pm)

Handmade Arcade (Pittsburgh, PA)
@ David L. Lawrence Convention Center
December 7, 2013 (11am â€“ 7pm)

Rhymes with Twee TRUNK SHOW (Chicago, IL)
@ Local Goods
December 15, 2013 (2pm – 4pm)

The Hideout’s Last Chance Holiday Sale 2013 (Chicago, IL)
@ Hideout
1354 W. Wabansia Ave.
December 21, 2013 (11a – 6p)

Films watched 46th week of the year:

Last Days Here *
Free Birds
Celeste and Jesse Forever
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Lords of Salem
The Temptation of St. Tony ** [ Estonia ]

* documentary
** foreign language

Katniss Everdeen…say no more! What an amazing movie. I loved the first one, but this film was heart-stopping, lush, and so sharp. Last Days Here was like watching a train crashing and then reversing and then having a semi crash into it and push it off a bridge. I had never heard of Pentagram, but man, their manager Sean Pelletier is the glue that binds Bobby and his bandmates together. A really crushing look at a drug addict fighting his addiction to pull his band together for a reunion tour. While watching documentaries, I often do Wiki searches to get updates and this story goes on after the film ends and continues to go on today. Highly recommend even if you don’t like metal. Celeste & Jesse Forever was the first thing I’ve seen Andy Samberg in where I didn’t want to throw the remote at my tv. Breakups are hard, especially when you remain best friends with that S.O.

Wee Twee Rant: I am sick of movies saying “eating his/her feelings” or “eats his/her feelings” or putting the word eat and feelings in the same sentence. Just don’t do it. I watched two movies on Tuesday night and this phrase was in both freaking movies; Free Birds and Celeste and Jesse Forever. Truly un-funny. Putting it in a kid’s movie (even if it’s one that barely anyone will see because it is about the turkey Holocaust) is just inviting kids who watch it to think: “this is a funny thing I can say about someone who is fat”. Hollywood Fail, y’all.

2013 Week 45: “Yes he was alright, and the song went on forever.”

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Leigh

Let’s do some more wedding talk! For our hedgehog & music-themed wedding, we tried to tie in music in little ways where we could. For our drink menu, we cut the menu into a square shape and used double-sided tape to affix it to a 10″ record sleeve. Then we put it into clear sleeve and put in on a stand. We had beer, wine, cider and two signature cocktails for the wedding. Mine was the Cuba Leigh-bre and Z’s was The Old Curmudgeon. The Cuba Leigh-bre was a Cuba Libre and Z’s was something Adam from Takito gave us the idea for. The Old Curmudgeon was Jeppson’s MalÃ¶rt, grapefruit soda, and orange bitters. Funny enough, I did not drink any of my signature cocktail because Z’s was so tasty!

Takito Tuesday with Stacy. Made veggie and tofu tempura. Saturday was all about errands. Dropped off promo items @ Orange Beautiful for Show of Hands. Dropped off stock at Local Goods. Was recommended an Indian restaurant called Tava in Melrose Park and it had such unique and amazing vegetarian buffet items. Dropped off items and checked out The Free Store – highly recommend everyone support this next time it pops up. Within 30 minutes of my stuff being put out, nearly all of it was gone, and seemingly to people who needed/would put it to use. Kiku/Megan Lee Designs Open Studio. Birthday brunch for Dave @ Delish. Did a mega clean-up after our landlord had our front window replaced and cleaned up our mantel (below). Made a new RWT card especially for Pittsburgh’s Handmade Arcade!

L&Z puppets, hiding, were made by Katie Rose Crafts! Because Z proposed with a puppet and we knew Puppet Bike was going to be our special wedding guest, we knew we would get puppets made of ourselves. My buddy Nate’s professional photos should be coming soon and I cannot wait to show those off!

Films watched 45th week of the year:

Turn Me On, Dammit! ** [ Norway ]
What’s Your Number?
Zoolander
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
A Walk into the Sea *
5 Broken Cameras ** [ Palestine ]

* documentary
** foreign language

Fave movie this week was Turn Me On, Dammit!. Z had seen this before and knew that I would like it and he was correct. Very refreshing to see a teen sex comedy where it is a horny girl instead of just some horny dude. Silly and serious at times, a very worthwhile watch. It was surprising how much I enjoyed Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Really sweet and it made me cry.

Speaking of crying: David Bowie, Lady Hedgehog crossed the Rainbow Bridge and her person, Aimee, was an amazing hedgemom to her. A few things have been happening in my world that are out of my control and reading this news Saturday night sent me into a long crying fit. You are so missed, DB, LH. Hopefully you got to meet Hoggle and Hermione and you are chomping up all the mealworms you can fit into your mouth. Being agnostic, a heaven for people seems strange to me; that scene from This is the End is kind of how I used to picture it, but an animal sanctuary in the sky where all of our beloved family pets to hang out together doesn’t seem odd in the slightest.

2013 Week 45: What does the derp say?

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Leigh

Shop Dog Joplin with Z

Took Tilda to a new vet, Wicker Park Vet – a vet who loves animals; what a concept! Dropped veggie vampire tea towels @ Plenty. FINALLY stopped at Modern Cooperative. It is THE best curated vintage furniture and home goods store I have yet to visit. Then I attended Chicago’s Cooking Up Change event with Z and Ashley – this event is really a game changer for kids with a lack of opportunities in their neighborhoods and schools – pairing high school culinary students with important area chefs to create a school lunch menu. I love that the founder of the company I work for is so passionate about it, which in turn makes us passionate about it. Friday, Z and I ran a million errands in a row and gave Katniss a bath. Enjoyed sleeping in and naps for the first weekend I can remember in months. No spin and I’ll get back into it, but for now am enjoying a little time off. Went to Nick & Erin’s lovely wedding and so happy to say it was our last wedding to attend this year. 8 down, including our own, and 0 to go. Went to Kris’ karaoke bday party! Went out with Stacy and a whole bunch of her awesome lady friends for bday drinks @ Three Dots and a Dash, which (sadly) met my low expectations.

Films watched 44th week of the year:

Gravity (3D/RPX)
Maniac Cop
The Ambassador *
Gasolina ** [ Guatemala]

* documentary
** foreign language

Gravity was pretty to look at and extremely intense, but there really did not need to be any backstory whatsoever. Would have been just as beautiful to watch unfold and maybe a little more pleasurable. I loved The Ambassador. After reading a handful of reviews, it seemed to receive a lot of flak, but I think what Mads BrÃ¼gger did was commendable. The afterward at the end of the film showed a number of people he interviewed had mysteriously died. Quite literally, he could have died for his art/undercover film-making. Yet another reason not to buy diamonds! The “gem” in my wedding band made by Chocolate and Steel is a lab-grown pink tourmaline.

.
My perfect wedding band!

Now that’s it’s been nearly a month, maybe I will start posting about all the details of what made our wedding spectacular!