Class Schedule for my last semester

Monday
2:00 - 4:50- Portfolio w/ Judy
5:00 - 7:50 - Studio w/ Langhorn

Tuesday
9:30 - 12:20 - Creative Writing
5:00 - 7:50 - Advanced Solidworks (bleh)

Thursday
9:30 - 12:20 - Textures (?) Not signed up for this yet but might try to get in
5:00 - 7:50 - Studio w/ Langhorn

Filling the remainder of my time up with teaching at various schools around Brooklyn. I am also in the middle of helping a friend reorganize/decorate her apartment in the financial district and may have another interior design job in the east village!

Last First day of school!

Today is my last first day of school so in celebration I made Rachel take some photos of me and vice versa on our lovely banister.




My favorite tank top- Anthropologie via ebay
Sweater- My local salvation army
Orange skirt - American Apparel via Beacon's Closet in Williamsburg
tights- TJ Maxx in NH
Boots - Old Navy sale in LI my mom bought them for me for $6!
Earrings (can't see them!) - Early Designs via Bust Craftacular
Necklace - bought at market in Lima Peru
Silver Ring & Cuff Bracelet - gifts from my mother
green coconut ring - bought in Lima Peru

Sick Computer

My poor Powerbooks hard drive bit the dust last week so I am getting a new one. I won't have a computer until Wednesday but after that expect updates galore! I have lots to share and one of my new years resolutions is to blog as much as possible!

Meet Pacha

I adopted Pacha from BARC in Williamsburg on Saturday. She is a 2 year old tortoiseshell persian cat who was abandoned at the shelter with her "sister" a siamese cat who has already been adopted. When she was found she was very matted and flea infested. The nice people over at BARC took very good care of her. Unfortunately her fur was so bad that she had to be shaved but it will grow back soon enough! Pacha is a very petite shy girl that is slowly getting used to her new surroundings. So far she loves perching on the window sills, playing with her carrot and loves to snuggle with me when I go to sleep!



About BARC Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition's (BARC Shelter's) mission is to provide safe haven for homeless animals and find permanent, loving homes for them.

The animals in BARC's care receive quality food, shelter, and medical attention. BARC meets the needs of the animals through the assistance of dedicated volunteers, revenues generated from the success of our onsite SHOP, BQE Pet Supply, and from private donations.

Established in 1987, BARC is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, no-kill, privately funded animal shelter, located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.For more information about BARC, visit their website The people and animals over at BARC are both equally wonderful!



Pacha and I wish you a wonderful 2008! Happy New Year!

Massimo Giacon + Alessi Nativity + Brooklyn

I am back in Brooklyn!

Ok I know it is no longer christmas anymore but can we please appreciate the above nativity set it can be found here

How to Knit Portuguese style

Until probably a month and a half ago I thought there were only two ways to knit, continental and english style (which is how I knit) and then I stumbled upon a very peculiar you tube video on someone's blog which showed a woman knitting with two crochet hooks, using a knitting pin, and putting the yarn around her shoulders and she referred to it as the Portuguese style. I searched the internet but couldn't find out much about this variation of knitting. I had to know and wasn't going to take "I haven no idea what you are talking about" for an answer, since I knew my grandmother who passed away when I was 8 would have known the answer, I HAD to find out. So I went to my personal knitting know-it- alls, my other grandmother, Grandma Honey and her friend Marie who lives next door. My grandmother had no idea what I was talking about and Marie accused me of making it up! Marie is quite the character, to sum her up she is the wonderful hilarious italian woman who lives next door to my grandmother (they have a path between their houses, isn't that cute?!) she shows up whenever she wants with her portable phone and is not afraid to grab knitting out of your hands and rip out hours and hours of sweat and tears if she sees a single mistake, even if you just learned three hours ago! That Marie is fierce more on that later before I go off on a tangent. Next I went to my dad, now I knew that my dad probably knew nothing about knitting but I thought I would at least give him a chance considering that Portuguese was in fact his first and only language until he was 5 and grew up in Stoughton/Canton MA which has one of the largest portuguese populations in the US and my grandmother was always making me pray novenas to the lady of fatima every time I visited, while knitting or crocheting up a storm AND blessing me with holy water at the same time! That is talent. Whew this is another tangent I could go off on, refer to two posts back about crazy catholic upbringing, but back to knitting. Nothing. To make my story short, I asked a lot of people and got lots of dead ends. To my surprise on Christmas morning, I opened a dvd shaped present from under our teeny tiny christmas tree and was surprised to find "Learn How to Knit Portuguese style". I immediately called my grandmother (pictured above) and spread the news. Sadly the woman in the DVD knits with regular knitting needles and not crochet hooks oh well. I've watched most of it sans knitting needles in my hands but when I get back to Brooklyn am going to break out my yarn stash and prized wooden needles. Stay tuned.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I am in NH for a few more days but will be leaving either Friday or Sat and be back in Brooklyn soon enough.

One Year

My mother died a year ago today. It is still a bit surreal.





The nuns at PMA where my mother was the librarian and I went to school for 9 years had a mass in remembrance of her today at 6:30 am and I felt my life flash by me through my eyes there. I don't consider myself religious but 13 years of catholic school leaves a lasting impression on you. I thought of myself when I was 5 sitting restlessly at mass staring at the ornate alter especially the angel paintings and wondering why there are stars on one side of the alter and flowers on the other side, my mom sitting in the pews watching me read the first reading (something from ephesians I remember, this is a big deal getting chosen for 1st reading when you are 7) at mass when I was in second grade, my mom watching me receive my first communion in my white dress with the champagne colored flowers that I picked out in my hair, my mom attending mass as a teacher when she taught there, my mom watching me receive my diploma when I was in 8th grade in the shrug that she made, my moms funeral last December 27th with her casket in the middle of the aisle and me bawling my eyes out in the front pew that I cleaned every friday afternoon with sister lucy when I was 10, me sitting at the one year mass admiring the angels on the altar feeling like I am 5 and still wondering what that that phrase in latin painted around the chapel really means when I should be listening to the homily but I have no recollection of it at all. It made me laugh, my mom would have laughed too.



Rest in peace mom, I love you.

Pod + desk chair

Here is my newly reupholstered desk chair in action with Pod, my diaper bag. Plans for the rest of the night include finishing my product book for critique tomorrow and getting a good nights rest. Tomorrow is going to be ever crazier than today!

Teaser!

I have been working extremely hard all morning shooting photos, getting together my portfolio, and working on my product book for Pod the diaper bag I have designed. Here is a sneak peak of what to expect!

I thought that I would share my purchases yesterday from the Craftacular, although I can't share everything because some of the purchases were gifts!


I couldn't resist purchasing this porcelein pendent from Alyssa Ettinger. I have been in love with her work since I first laid eyes on it. You can purchase this pendent along with many other beautiful objects at her etsy store here



I wanted every single pair of wooden earrings by Kylie Earlene Grater of Early Jewelry. Kylie came out all the way from Kansas and was extremely friendly! You can buy these earrings along with a whole array of beautifully handmade jewelry here

Of course there were a ton more talented crafts women and men but I haven't even had time to sit down and sort through all of the business cards that I gathered!

Expect photos tomorrow of my kitchen! I finally put up my new curtains and reupholstered my found chair. I plan on taking photos tomorrow in the nice morning light!

Today was one of those perfect days. You know what I'm talking about. I started my day off my sleeping in until 10 and then heading off to the Fort Greene farmers market to meet Aimee. She was late, but I got all of my shopping done and even got time to indulge in a hot apple cider and raspberry apple pie muffin. mmmm... delish. After Aimee arrived we had a brisk walk with Bixby her dog around the park and hit up my first craft fair of the day down the street at a church on South Oxford. I ended up buying 5 ornaments for a whoppingn $10 (2 for me and 3 for my family yankee swap!) We then headed over to Schellie's and I had my first brunch at Outpost on Fulton which was wonderful, and had such a nice ambience inside! I would recommend it! I ended my day with a trip to the Bust Craftacular fair in Manhattan and indulged myself in some goodies from Alyssa Ettinger, Early Jewelry, Repro Depot and Screech Owl Design. I will post photos along with my Craftacular wishlist. I saw some many talented ladies (and men!) that I couldn't help but want to run home and start working on the line of products that I have floating in my head and sketchbook at the moment. Before sat down I snapped some photos of my next apartment project at hand...



The chair on the right is part of the six piece bedroom set that I own, I found the chair on the left right around the corner from my house on Friday night! I think that this photo conveys how excited I was at my find.



I glued the loose parts together tonight and am waiting for them to dry, tomorrow I am going to reupholster both of the seats, and it looks like a paint job may be next in line for my newest chair. Here is some fabric that I purchased from the Repro Depot booth today that will be reupholstered tomorrow after a trip to my local hardware store for more staples! Sorry it is a bit wrinkled I was far more excited to blog about it than pull out my iron right away!

A Very NH/Ma Thanksgiving

Last weekend was spent in New Hampshire and Massachusetts with the family.



My sister Kristen, dad and myself at my grandmothers for Thanksgiving



It is not a holiday without artichokes, it is a Merola family tradition. I ate two!



Grandma teaching me how to crochet


It was crochet/knit and movies night at the Mustone's


Kelly and Kristen knitting


Sisters sisters! I have known Heather (far left) and Kelly (far right) for 17 years! Crazy!



Fiber fun with Kristen, after going through moms craft closet.




Can't forget the dogs, Me and Eijah, (Mikey not pictured!)

Decoylab Design Studio

Grace over at Design*Sponge blogged earlier today about Decoylab Design Studiowhich is run by over in Kansas City. I absolutely love her paper clock but was her Grow Your Own Poster: Fairy Tale really hit a soft spot for me! As I child I usually had my nose buried in a book and I made sure to take out every single fairy tale book in my school library even though the evil nun librarian told me that they too hard for me. (Swedish fairy tales were my favorite). I feel like this poster captures that childhood awe so well, add this to my christmas wishlist please!

ohh Martha...

On a more personal noteI am not looking forward to the holiday season and everything that comes with it. My grandmother mentioned to me on the phone earlier that I should check out Martha Stewart.com because she saw something the other day that she thought I would be interested. Instead of looking for it I cried my eyes out for 12 minutes straight to the video tribute of Martha's mother who died two days ago which can be seen here

On a lighter note I think that Martha Stewart is a genius which reminds me that I want a subscription to Blueprint.

Lists!

I have been in a sort of creative funk lately. I blame it on a multitude of things, cold weather (brrrrr), the holiday season approaching, and an anniversary approaching too which is understandable. I have lots of ideas stirring in my head right now and they are slowly becoming a reality. Inspired by Tricia over at Bits and Bobbins here is my creative to-do list.

-Redesign website and move this blog over to KimberlyLewis.net, this is in progress as we speak!
- Research different grants that I would like to apply for in the next few years
-Get portfolio up to speed/find amazing job so I can get said grants
-Learn to crochet, this is being accomplished over thanksgiving, my grandmother is giving me a lesson
-Learn to knit portuguese style, will post more on this later.
-Relearn embroidery skills and learn how to ribbon embroider (perhaps this is another lesson with my grandmother over christmas)
- Set up Etsy store
- Try to fully comprehend my digital slr, I am so embarrassed that I have had i for so long and don't even use it to its fullest extent!
-make all of my patterns in my sketchbook into repeats in illustrator
-Make dress with the DVF fabric I thrifted two summers ago and is sitting in my closet!
Oh yeah and you know the usual...
- Finish all of my school work, have fun teaching creative movement to preschoolers, and surround myself with really expensive table settings at my internship that I will never be able to afford on Fridays!

Parable Ink

A few Sundays ago I ran into Cora Fisher of Parable Ink selling some of their designs on the streets of Soho and immediately fell in love with their printed tees. My personal favorite is their Leaf design feature below. It is a print that is silkscreened from an actual leaf from the Ciales Jungle in Puerto Rico and is actual size! Really beautiful!

Soon to be Kitchen Curtains

I thrifted this fabric over the summer in Copenhagen for around $2 and they will soon be restyled into a pair of cafe curtains for my kitchen

Weekend Musings

This weekend has been extremely refreshing for me even though I am coming down with a cold. The above photo is not from this weekend but last weekend of Alli and and is just an excuse to show off my show girl bird costume. But back to this weekend, after work on Friday I spent 2 hours trying on dresses that I could not afford and finally buying a pair of new shoes. This may not seem like a big deal, but here is my secret, I have not bought a new pair of shoes since 2001! All of my shoes are thrifted, stoop sale finds or second hand, which is why I have way to many pairs!




The pair on the right were thrifted in downtown Brooklyn, left are my new pair, Nine West



On Saturday I did a multitude of small errands and then headed over to Boreum Hill to check out Lotta Jansdotter's studio and shop. I arrived just in time, Lotta was there shooting some photos for her spring product line. I poked around and she graciously answered my questions and we chatted a bit. Although my time there was brief, it was a breathe of fresh air, and reminded myself how I too am looking towards the future but not ready to give up the personal, and down to earth ideals that make me tick. Thanks Lotta!

Second Hand Rose

I have so much to blog about! Yesterday at my internship I was asked to pick up a roll of wallpaper from Second Hand Rose for the spring product shoot. I had heard the name of the shop before but it wasn't really ringing any bells but when I stepped inside the Tribeca store I was floored. Why hadn't I been here before?!?! I honestly could have stayed for a few hours and just sat down in awe of all of the vintage wallpaper in front of me, rolls and rolls and rolls but I did have to go back to my internship. The storekeeper was friendly and extremely helpful and answered all of my questions as I drooled and he rang up the transaction. Must. Go. Back. Soon. Heaven!! He kept telling me to go to the website and I picked out some prints that caught my eye.


This print reminds me of a dress that my mother wore when I was little


I have a soft spot for bicycle patterns, and this one satisfies it!


This looks like one of my doodles in my sketchbook, not to mention that I have been drawn to this color palette a lot lately.