holiday

darling shoes in the palest pink

red shoes - my favorite.

black and white stripes.  so french.

gray city

big, cute tee shirt and big, cute glasses.

i wonder what they're talking about.

my holiday has been nice.

a short six hours to petoskey,

where lakes carry chunks of ice [like soup].

a new pair of boots from the boys section

make me look like olive oil in my skinny jeans.

i talk [listen] at length with will's grandma about clothing,

cooking, fingernails, morning shows, etc.

we barely play the music while she's in the car.

i choose iron + wine.

disc 2 will be perfect.

music that's soft like a new kitten.

volume so low

all u hear is the percussive sound

of lips and teeth making consonants

and fingers plucking strings. 

it's hard to detect the key, even,

and i wonder if she's thinking

"these kids and their loud music,"

or

"i can barely hear it."

a long six hours home

weeds like a brush's bristles

poke through the snow.

diana f+

my new camera. 

i ordered a diana f+, complete with flash, with some christmas money today.  (thanks, mom.) 

i'm looking forward to the dreamy pictures i'll be taking with it once it arrives.

semi-homemade gifts

though i haven't learned how to knit (yet), i adorned these myself. 

i was inspired by the cowls that my cousin made.

on the left is tricia's - will's brother's wife who is pregnant with her second child,

and on the right is katea's - will's younger sister, who's in the fifth grade.

my camera doesn't do the colors justice, it seems.  tricia's is a chocolate brown, and katea's is purple with pinks sewn onto it.  neither of these wondeful ladies read my blog yet.

today i'll be making more gifts.  i bought paint and paintbrushes yesterday.

no one else has them

when all of the fun, artsy blogs i've been following insisted there would be owls at the thrift store,

they weren't kidding.  look at this fun one i found.

robinson crusoe + jane eyre = owl pedestal

his new home.  i wonder where he's been before.

an inexpensive assortment of fabrics. 

the men's shirt and the yellow floral bed sheet are my favorites.

front and back of pillow number 1

pillow number 2.  spawned from a delicate pink pillow case.

i'd like all of this to result in an eccentric gang of living room pillows. 

a conversation between me and will.

-do you like them?

-yes.  no one else has them.

i was blog surfing, as i often do, and came upon this one.  this woman was once working with orphans in haiti, and while what i did in chicago doesn't come close, what she said in an interview really tore me open.  she's placed glasses over my blurry eyes.  this is how said blogger answered the following questions.

1. Why did you start your blog?
-I went to Haiti to work with orphans for the first time three years ago. When I got home, I remember sitting on a closed toilet seat in my house and bawling my eyes out because I felt like I couldn't make a difference anymore. My life since that night has been a process of learning how wrong I was. That trip was the beginning of my whirlwind - three years, six transfers and five moves later, I've come to believe that you can make a difference from wherever you are, no matter who you are. This blog is 1. my way of blooming wherever I am planted and 2. my way of celebrating normal people making a difference from where they are at.

2. What do you hope to achieve with your blog?
-I hope to notice the little things. I hope to think less about myself, and more about the causes other people are promoting. I hope to tell the stories of people who don't tell their own, whether that be the orphans I've met, the friends I have that are devoting years to working with human rights overseas, or the way my grandfather makes me laugh, every single day.

3. Describe your blog in one sentence.
-I think I could better describe it with a quote. "This is the urgency: Live and have your blooming in the midst of the whirlwind." - Gwendolyn Brooks

blue garland and bits of lace

some nice yarn i picked up tonight.

i made a second string of finger garland. 

now i just need printed pictures to use. 

that'll come soon. 

until then, a postcard of a bridge in france works as inspiration.

    

this began as a bacardi keychain, buried deep in an old purse.

i adorned it with bits of lace and felt.

and i hooked it on one of my favorite purses.  [urban outfitters]

will and i are going to watch a movie.  i can't wait to try my new sewing machine one of these nights.  maybe thursday.  i have a video tutorial to watch.  i want to find some fun fabric at the thrift store this week to make a few more pillows with.  i hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.

pillow + garland

will drove me in horrible weather to walmart so i could pick up some supplies for my first project, which was so nice of him.  i was feeling ready to tackle the pocket pillow. but no doilies at walmart - so sad.  and too much snow to go to the craft store.  this horrible "lace" had a plasticky sheen to it, but i had to get creative.

a close up on my button closure.  i loved that brown fabric.

my pocket.

i was starting to get a feeling that there's too much fabric when i was stuffing the pillow. 

will claims to have noticed, too, but didn't want to say anything.

and it turns out i was right.  that evening i ended up with a "manute bol" pillow. 

the next morning i woke up and fixed it before i went to work. 

[just don't look at the blanket stitch on the bottom.]

here is my thrift store suitcase and its contents.

following katherine's tutorial, i tried some finger garland.  lots of imperfections,

but then i've got a lot of practicing to do.  it's the fattest yarn ever and this bright yellow caught my eye.  i made it while watching it's always sunny in philadelphia, which i think is appropriate.  :)

today i'll be making some things, but they're meant to be christmas gifts,

so i'll post them privately until after they're opened!

thursday after school

last night i made my pocket pillow.  stay tuned for pictures.  but tonight at 7 i'll be conducting my 6th grade orchestra in concert and won't be able to drive home and come back before then.  so here i am.  and i need three hours to pass by quickly.  here are some photos that i felt inspired by.

a minty blue and sunshine yellow version of my grandpa's fish shacks.

everyone in the city needs this contraption.  and look at that yellow.

a lady riding a pink flamingo.  that's all.

this reminded me of the scene from my 22nd floor laundry room windows in chicago.  it was the west side of chicago at sunset, and it was flatter, because the west side didn't have tall buildings.  but still.

and this one looks more like the northeast side, with its old buildings and neutral colors.

i like when it's just a little out of focus.  this came up during my search for "bright pink."

and today at the thrift store i got these things: a vintage suitcase, "for to keep my supplies in," embroidery thread, which i forgot to get last night for my pillow, some lace, and a polaroid spirit 600.  i spent five dollars altogether.  if anyone knows the best way to secure a film cartridge, please let me know.  i'll try ebay.

future purchases might include: an old purse to decorate, some mens "fishing shirts" (that's what it said on the rack.  picture manly colors in plaid), some old sheets, a lamp shade to add things to, and maybe some tea cups, but my sister in law (also molly, who is very crafty) was right about their size.  they are very small.  maybe they can be espresso cups.

i'm babbling.  time to move on.  peace.  [next up - pictures of my scrappy little pocket pillow.  did anyone think of putting a little picture of a baby kangaroo in there?]

i really think you'll like me

name. molly claire (levine) robinson
where i'm from. green bay, wisconsin.  i studied music in college in madison, then moved to chicago for three years, then got married this summer and moved back to green bay.
current obsession. learning to make cute things, updating my wardrobe, decorating
favorite collection. i like looking at vintage things, but need to learn how to buy them.
favorite trends. patterned tights, headbands, bright lipstick
high school clubs and other stuff. everything drama, dance and music, english club (like mathletes for grammar dorks), and always always always violin.
what u hope to learn in style school.  i want to learn how to make things that will jazz up my wardrobe and home.  i want to bask in my own personal style. :)
which projects are u most looking forward to? the quote pillow, the headband, the apron, and everything else!
five things that inspire me.  independent musicians, film, vintage fashion, blogs and websites, city life