Cabin in the City

Books, cats and midwestern charm.

Life

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Small Goals // December 2017

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I’m back with some new goals for this month (lots of holiday-related goals to come!), but first let’s see how I did in November.

  1. Finish half my Christmas shopping. Check! I checked a few people off my list, and I feel really good to have that weight off my shoulders as I go into December.
  2. Have a cozy Black Friday in. Check? Well, I didn’t leave the house if that makes it cozy. I did spend a lot of the day deep cleaning before we put up Christmas decorations, though.
  3. Unplug a bit. Done. November 1, I said goodbye to Facebook on my phone and set up some do not disturb times. I’m not sure if it was a drastic change, but that’s OK! Experimenting with this was a good idea.
  4. (Lightly) rebrand Kaminski Handicraft. I’m going to check this one off my list. I updated the colors used in my Etsy header and that’s about all I’ve got time for at the moment. I’ll be calling in a favor from a designer friend come the new year.
  5. Make 5+ new designs for Kaminski Handicraft. Done! I haven’t really kept up with exact numbers, but I’ve made some serious progress.

5/5. November went by fast, so I’m thrilled that I kept on track with these goals! For this coming month I’ll be focusing a lot on crafting and the holidays – ’tis the season!

  1. Make it through my first craft fair. I’ll be at the Mini Crafty Fair Saturday, December 16 in Madison. It’s my first one ever! Let’s see if I can get enough inventory piled up, create a half decent display and not feel entirely overwhelmed!
  2. Make time for Christmas crafts I love. Kaminski Handicraft is closing up for the holidays about mid-month. This is to give myself a little time to relax and enjoy sillier seasonal crafts, like these plastic canvas houses.
  3. Get baking. I love making Christmas cookies. It’s seriously one of my greatest joys to take a day off from work and bake all day around the holidays. I might have to adjust my normal baking lineup, though, so we don’t end up eating cookies until February. That or loosen up my (almost) no cookies before Christmas policy.
  4. Watch 3+ Christmas movies. I just watched The Holiday for the first time last week and now I’m craving all the Christmas movies. I’ve made a short list of new-to-me flicks to check out, like Christmas in Connecticut and Home Alone (I KNOW!) and some time-tested classics like White Christmas.
  5. Get rid of a bag of clothes/books/miscellany every week. I’ve been trying to cut down on stuff lately just to make my home feel a little less congested and cluttered (not that it’s bad, but you know).

Got any small goals for December? I’d love to hear about them!

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Small Goals // November 2017

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I’m back with another month of goals! Let’s see how I did on my October ones first.

  1. Create a great couple’s costume. Check. I’d say our Bonnie and Clyde turned out pretty good.
  2. Check out Old World Wisconsin’s Legends & Lore. Nope. In my defense, it was exceptionally cold last weekend. Plus Stranger Things just came out. (I’m the worst.)
  3. Make three (or more) apple recipes. Not even one! The month got away from me kitchen-wise. Good thing apples keep a long time.
  4. Anything tarot. Stop trying to make tarot happen, Lisa. It’s not gonna happen.
  5. Scary stuff. Done! I’ve been listening to Lore and Welcome to Night Vale, and watching Unsolved Mysteries, Salem and Murder Maps all month long.

2/5. Not my best month, but that’s OK. Not every Halloween can be the spookiest.

  1. Finish half my Christmas shopping. I cannot deal with the stress of last-minute shopping. I can hardly deal with the stress of on-pace shopping. My goal this year is to have half my gifts purchased before December rolls around so I can maximize my baking and crafting time closer to Christmas.
  2. Have a cozy Black Friday in. Last year, for the first time in my adult life, I had the day after Thanksgiving off of work. To really celebrate the day, I spent a good portion of it in my jammies and then I made Michael take me to see Fantastic Beasts. I feel part two coming on this year.
  3. Unplug a bit. I do not need to look at Facebook on my phone multiple times a day. I do not need to keep up with every Snapchat. I do not need to answer every text immediately. To separate myself from technology a bit (not entirely, though – I love this blog, I love my job and I love Etsy) I’m going to take a step back, remove Facebook from my phone and get comfortable with not having it nearby all the time.
  4. (Lightly) rebrand Kaminski Handicraft. I’ve got something up my sleeve for next month, so I think a very light rebrand for my Etsy page and business cards is in order.
  5. Make 5+ new designs for Kaminski Handicraft. Ambitious! If you have any good ideas for hoops you want to see, I’m all ears!

That’s it for me this month, and seriously, folks, if you have any ideas, send them my way!

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The Story of Bonnie and Clyde

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Prior to last year, couples’ costumes weren’t really Michael’s and my thing. Halloween was our thing, costumes in general were our thing, but never coordinating looks. But now we’re going hard into the couple thing, dressing up as some of the most famous duos ever. Last year we were Scully and Mulder, this year we donned our best Bonnie and Clyde getups.

This idea, while not exactly original, came via my gangster history-loving dad. Immediately he recommended the 1967 movie for research. Michael and I watched it dutifully. And we followed it up watching the made-for-TV version that came out in 2013. I think our costumes borrow a little more heavily from the latter, not that it really matters since neither rendition was historically accurate (OK, OK, I like gangster history, too).

At any rate, I’m pretty happy with how things turned out! I say the hats really do the heavy lifting for us with these outfits, and that’s fine by me – I love a good beret.

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Fall Feels + Spooky Sounds

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So far this fall has not been giving me the cool, breezy weather I’ve been craving. How can I don my favorite flannel shirt and boots if it’s 70º outside? How can I be expected to enjoy apple picking if I’m sweating at the orchard? But I decided that if Mother Nature isn’t going to provide fall feelings, I’d make them instead.

That’s when I dragged my Halloween decorations out and put some Fleetwood Mac on the hi-fi. It was finally fall.

I realized flipping through our record collection , that most of our albums made me feel nostalgic and cozy. I mean, we have a ton of Christmas albums and those are instant warm fuzzy-makers. But so many other albums made me think of windy fall days, hot drinks and just being inside my weird little cabin. (From fall and into the holidays is when my house feels most itself.)

Here are my favorite fall albums currently in my collection.

Rumours by Fleetwood Mac 

A classic! As a child I loved Fleetwood Mac and would jam out to “Don’t Stop” whenever it came on the radio. Everyone knows Rumours, but I don’t care. Just listen to “Never Going Back Again” and tell me it isn’t the prettiest.

Unicorn by T. Rex

Michael shared this album with me years ago, and I instantly loved it. It’s psychedelic, hippie ren faire goodness. Plus with songs about black cats, owls, wizards and alchemists, it’s a Halloween no-brainer. This one is probably a tough sell for most people, but I highly recommend the track “Cat Black” for starters.

Tapestry by Carole King

This is such a mom album, a really great mom album. Filled with classics “You’ve Got a Friend” and “Where You Lead,” it really pairs well with gusty winds and falling leaves. Plus “So Far Away” fills me with that sort of melancholy nostalgia that fall can bring – in a good way.

His 20 Greatest Hits by Harry Belafonte

I love the movie Beetlejuice (obviously). You’ve got Alec Baldwin at his absolute dreamiest, Winona Ryder as style queen Lydia Deetz and an amazing soundtrack! I’m tempted to buy the actual album because the Danny Elfman score is top-notch (and it’s the perfect accompaniment for pumpkin carving), but half the fun is all the Harry Belafonte tracks. I mean don’t tell me you don’t think of this scene when you hear “Day-O!”

What are your favorite fall albums? I love hearing what puts people in that fall state of mind.

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Small Goals // October 2017

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Let’s start, like always, with my goals from last month.

  1. Find the perfect first-day outfit. Done! I signed up for Stitch Fix and got a handful of nice things. You can read more about my experience here.
  2. Clean up my wardrobe. Check. Got rid of a giant box of clothes plus two extra shopping bags full. I’m probably down 30+ items, and it feels great! I hope to go through this coming month and do a final sweep.
  3. Find a suitable 70th birthday gift for my dad. Done. I got my dad a fancy cribbage board and a custom deck of cards with his initials on the back. It wasn’t a knock out, in my opinion, but still a good gift.
  4. Paint the cabin’s shutters. Done.
  5. End the mattress shopping saga. Nope. I’m just as unsure as ever. I want my old bed back (but transformed into a larger size).

4/5. After reviewing these, goals, I realize how blah and wimpy they were! September is the start of fall – I should have incorporated more seasonal goals.

To make up for my lack of fall-related goals, I’m going full fall for October. I’m talking apples, pumpkins, scary movies, leaf crunching and the like.

  1. Create a great couple’s costume. After a successful go as Scully and Mulder last year, I’m sold on pop culture-inspired couple’s costumes. I’m pushing for Don Draper and Peggy Olson right now, but we have some time.
  2. Check out Old World Wisconsin’s Legends & Lore. Michael and I went to this event a few years back, and we totally loved it. I think it’s time to revisit and get our old timey spooky kicks.
  3. Make three (or more) apple recipes. Michael and I went apple picking with some friends of ours and brought home 20 pounds of Cortlands and Macintoshes. I’ve got to put those to good use (outside of snacking).
  4. Anything tarot. I am really enamored with the mystery of tarot cards, but I never seem to find the time to read them or learn more about them. No more hesitating! October is peak spooky season and prime time for spooky practices.
  5. Scary stuff. I’m big on ghosts, ghouls and anything creepy. It’s time to binge on old seasons of American Horror Story, Unsolved Mysteries (original Robert Stack episodes only!) and scary movies. (This is an easy one, but super important!)

I’m feeling good about these October goals: super achievable and super fun. What do you have lined up for this month?

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Fix Me Up // My Stitch Fix Experience

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I mentioned in my small goals post for this month that I was on the hunt for the *perfect* first day of work outfit. After spending the last year in a very casual office, I wanted some new work gear (and to treat myself a bit). I spent a lot of time scrolling my favorite sites and shopping my favorite stores for a new ensemble only to find that nothing appealed.

I was beginning to think I’d have to start a new job in an outfit I already owned – horror of horrors! Since my favorite stores and my closet were both failing me, I knew I needed help. I needed real professional style help, so I started exploring Stitch Fix.

At first I was extremely wary. How could a quiz and a few sentences encapsulate my desired style aesthetic? Would the stylist ever understand how much I hate cold shoulder tops? Could they even know how hard it is for me to find a pencil skirt? Would it be worth risking the $20 styling fee? In the end, I realized that in order to get new clothes that suited my new purpose, I needed to expand my horizons. And having a professional scouting merchandise that I couldn’t find on my own would be a an option worth exploring.

When the box arrived, I was nervous. WOULD IT BE WORTH IT? I opened the box and was pleasantly surprised by the first item: a kelly green blouse with lace detail on the shoulders. Um, wow. OK. This isn’t bad. It was actually gorgeous. Then I pulled out the textured A-line skirt with a Greek key-style pattern. This is so me. Next was a bright violet blouse with a slight ruffly bell sleeve at the elbow. HOW DID THEY MAKE ME LIKE BELL SLEEVES?! Last were a black and white polka dot blouse and a pencil skirt with a crochet overlay. Umm, close but no cigar. This shirt looks like something by best friend’s mom would wear, and this skirt is going to make me look like a stuffed sausage.

And then I tried everything on. The A-line skirt, the green top and the violet shirt were all home runs. I stared at the polka dot blouse and evil pencil skirt. I had to at least try them, even though I was certain they’d be garbage. Once I had the shirt on, I came around to it. It struck me as a bit career-y, but I suppose that was really the point. Then I put the skirt with it. I held my breath (really because I thought I’d have to suck it in). To my complete and total surprise, it fit, and it fit well. And the black on black detail was banging. Looking at everything, I was really pleased, especially because of the mix-and-match potential.

And just like that I was sold.

I purchased all five items, which came with a nice bonus: 25% off the whole box. It ended up costing me a little over $200, and I felt that was pretty reasonable for five really nice items.

I realize that this is only one box’s worth of items and that my request for clothes for a fun, creative job might have been a softball, BUT I’m still thrilled with the result. The process saved me a lot of time while exposing me to styles I wouldn’t normally consider but really enjoyed. And now instead of one ho-hum outfit of my own making, I have a mini collection of pieces from which to draw for my new gig.

So if you’re considering Stitch Fix, I obviously encourage you to try. Tell ’em Lisa sent you.

• • •

P.S. I know it’s pretty lame to post this review and not actually include any photos of me in the outfits. I’m a lame person. But I’d rather you hear how about how cool I thought this was than wait forever for me to have one decent photo.

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Spooky Hoops // What’s New in Kaminski Handicraft

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It’s no secret that I’m all about spooky things here on this blog – or embroidery for that matter. So it’s not really a surprise that I’ve combined the two for a few scary shop updates at Kaminski Handicraft.

My first hoop is a real pride and joy piece for me. I dabbled with a new text style and new colors to make this Beetlejuice hoop. As a kid I loved Lydia Deetz, so this one is close to my heart. Plus, I feel like the red rose fabric (major heart eye emojis) and metallic black hoop scream Lydia.

For those looking for a more obvious Halloween-theme, I obviously had to tap into my 90s childhood for a Hocus Pocus hoop. It’s really a shame that this one doesn’t photograph that well, but I think it’s bewitching nonetheless. Bonus: the fabric glows in dark. Super cool.

And of course, Halloween would not be complete for me without some X-Files references. For those of you keeping track, Michael and I won a costume contest last year dressing up as Mulder and Scully. We’re way into it. And I’m way into these hoops! You can find them here and here.

For those interested parties, get these hoops now! I ship them out pretty quickly (within three days), but who doesn’t want to celebrate Halloween sooner than later?

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Small Goals // September 2017

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Welcome back to Small Goals! Let’s see how I did on last month’s goals.
  1. Get my summer reading list together. Done! I’ll let you know if anything is worth checking out.
  2. Get a few more designs whipped up for Kaminski Handicraft. Happy to report that this is also done! I added this Yes to staying in more! design, an X-Files hoop and a Beetlejuice hoop.
  3. Apply for the Crafty Fair. I applied for this, and unfortunately I didn’t make the cut. I also applied to Hover Craft in Milwaukee, but I won’t hear back until September 11.
  4. Get my stitching in order. Yes! My fabric and floss combinations are all in writing (finally).
  5. Clean, like really clean, my bathtub. Done. I’m pretty happy with how this turned out. The tub looks 95% cleaner and all it took was a half hour, some elbow grease and $5 for supplies.

5/5. I feel good about this past month! I had a whole week of vacation tucked in there and I still managed.

Let’s move on to September. I hate to see summer wind down, but I really love the fall. I’m going to take it easy on myself this month because – drum roll – I’m starting a new job! This is a task on its own, so I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself to accomplish a lot outside of work. Also, I’ll share more about that later!

  1. Find the perfect first-day outfit. I’ve bought a new interview outfit for every post-college job I’ve had – except for my new one. I’m going to treat myself to a new first day outfit instead.
  2. Clean up my wardrobe. Looking in my drawers and closet recently I realized that a lot of my clothes are under- or over-worn. It’s time to trim down my t-shirt collection and get rid of sweaters that have seen better days. I’m not going to go full-on Kondo by any means, but if I can get rid of a laundry basket full, I’ll be happy.
  3. Find a suitable 70th birthday gift for my dad. My dad likes simple things: new zip-front sweatshirts, Elvis memorabilia and anything he can take camping. Those aren’t going to cut it for a milestone birthday like this. I’m making it my mission to find something special for his 70th.
  4. Paint the cabin’s shutters. Our family cabin (OK – it’s a mobile home) is looking a little worse for wear due to its bleached out shutters. I want to spruce the place up and paint the shutters a fresh shade of Blue Midnight.
  5. End the mattress shopping saga. Earlier this year, I upgraded our full-size mattress to a queen. I was convinced after limited research and limited understanding about my own sleep needs that a Purple mattress was going to perfect for Michael and me. It was impossibly firm. So I ordered a Cocoon by Sealy. Still way too firm. It’s time to put this problem to rest. PUN INTENDED.

Alright, that’s all, folks! See you in October.

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Small Goals // August 2017

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Predictably, July went by quick just like any other summer month. Let’s see how I did on my goals.

  1. Take some time up north. Done! Michael and I went up to our cabin the very first weekend in July. My oldest friend Amanda and her husband came to visit, and we did some of my favorite tacky tourist things in the Wisconsin Dells. We also had a very good fire. I also learned that gin and tonics are amazing. WHO KNEW?
  2. Deepen my tarot practice. Did not even touch this. I spent a few weeks this month in a kind of stress spiral. I was tempted to shuffle the cards for some insight, but I thought all that anxiety wouldn’t yield the best reading.
  3. Sew a dress from Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book. Didn’t get into this one either. To make matters worse, I bought even more summer fabric for another TBD dress. What is wrong with me?
  4. Get back on the horse with my Great American Baking Challenge.  Back on the horse! I tried my hand at making dinner rolls over the 4th of July weekend and then focaccia the next weekend. I think they turned out really well!
  5. Visit the Hoyt Park beer garden. Maybe I should have been less specific with this goal. I didn’t visit the Hoyt Park beer garden, but I did visit the one at Estabrook and I learned how to play kubb. Does this count? Half a point?

2.5/5. Overall, not super great, especially after I went 5/5 in June. I did kind of fall into an anxiety pit mid-month and lost control of my schedule a bit, and that definitely impacted how I spent my time. You can’t win them all, so let’s move on to August.

  1. Get my summer reading list together. I know what you’re thinking: it’s August and you’re starting a summer reading list? I am! Every year my mom, aunts, sisters and I head way up north for a week. In this week, I typically read a half dozen books, so it’s time to search out some titles and get my library requests in.
  2. Get a few more designs whipped up for Kaminski Handicraft. I added a few new designs to my Etsy shop last month and had some success. But I want to round out my shop with some new pieces. I’ve got some commissions in the pipeline, so maybe those will inspire some new work.
  3. Apply for the Crafty Fair. I saw via Instagram that the Crafty Fair in Madison is taking applications. I know I’m not as up on my game as a lot of other participants, but everyone has to start somewhere. Once I get those designs done, I might stand a chance!
  4. Get my stitching in order. I’ve been making a little headway on Etsy selling out of a few designs (this blerg! hoop is particularly popular). But every time I start to stitch a new one, I’m searching for an old pattern to trace and the right shade of floss. I think it’s time to get those things written down and organized. And maybe I can get some new office supplies to make it fun. (I love love love office supplies.)
  5. Clean, like really clean, my bathtub. Clean your bathtub, Lisa? Really? Yes! I’ve been working toward updating our bathroom for a while now, and the project is getting bigger all the time. One issue that I’ve run into is whether to replace our old porcelain tub with a new fiberglass one or not. Well, new tubs are pretty expensive and fiberglass isn’t as durable as porcelain, so I’d like to try to get the existing tub into fighting shape. It can’t be so hard – Nicole Curtis from Rehab Addict cleans up the nastiest tubs all the time. And it turns out that her secret weapon is super cheap and easy to find: Barkeeper’s Friend. Wish me luck!

Here’s hoping that August is a little more productive than July! On to the last (full) month of summer!

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A Great British Baking Show Shop Update

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In case you missed it, The Great British Baking Show is back on PBS! I’ve been biding my time watching Master Class on Netflix, but we all know that’s not the same as the real deal (though Mary Berry is a delight AS ALWAYS).

To capitalize on my own GBBS frenzy, I decided to whip up some hoops inspired by Mel, Sue and my girl Mary. I think they turned out really fun, and I am hoping that there are some folk out there that are living for crafties like these. Also, this fits along with my small goals for June – I wanted to get a handful of non-wedding hoops up in the shop, and I did it!

The most obvious option is, of course, the ready, get set, bake! I think it’s super charming, and I hope it finds a home in someone’s adorable kitchen.

My goal is to capture that cute English garden feel with the fabric choices. I pretty much thought to myself could this be a grandma’s handkerchief or tea towel? as I picked out the fabric. I think that guided me to some pretty good options.

So far these are the only hoops in my GBBO series, but I’m always open to more! If you have any Mary Berry-sims you’d like to see stitched, leave them in the comments! I’d love to expand on this idea!

P.S. I also have other new hoops in the shop (just not baking-related). Check them out!