the train show!

We took a family field trip to see the Holiday Train Show on a drizzly Sunday afternoon, followed by dinner on Arthur Avenue.

© all photos by me

knit-a-long

Way back in January, Sara approached me about our annual knit-a-long (this is what we made last year). This wasn't a hard project (although it was my first time with intarsia), but for whatever reason it took forever. With the recent natural disaster, and my office being without power, I really had no excuse to not finish it. I actually think it came out pretty good (you can find the pattern here).
Here is Sara's version:

 and Katrina's:

 I ended up with some extra yarn, so I made this baby hat:

philadelphia: magic gardens

One of my new coworkers suggested I visit the Magic Gardens, and for someone who doesn't know me that well, he hit it right on the money. The Magic Gardens are a creation of one man (still living) over the course of fourteen years. The closest comparison I can make is to the Watts Towers, which clearly served as inspiration since creator Isaiah Zagar added an ode to Simon Rodia (see below). Other than that, it's fairly hard to describe - this is one where the photos really do tell the story.

©all photos by me

chevron baby blanket

Another baby, another project. For Baby H, I made this chevron baby blanket.

(oh, and that's my new bedding - isn't it nice?)

house on the rock

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that one of our weekend adventures was a visit to House on the Rock. Bear with me as I try to explain what this is...if you follow this blog regularly, then you already know that I am a fan of unconventional experiences, but House on the Rock might be the most unconventional yet.

The "house" is actually a complex of structures built and designed by Alex Jordan over the course of his lifetime. An avid collector and inventor, the complex features music machines, extensive and varied collections (from doll houses to scrimshaw to cash registers) and the world's largest indoor carousel. 

If it sounds confusing, that's because it is. It's also incredibly dark inside, making photos near impossible to shoot (hence the random assortment here). It's suggested to allow six hours for your visit. We were there for four, leaving only because the property was closing.

Nautical memorabilia:

Music machines:

World's largest carousel (valued at over $4.8 million!):

There is also a restaurant on site (please note the "brat" option):

It's a random place in a random location, but if you ever find yourself in that part of the world, don't hesitate for a second to visit. I guarantee that you've never seen anything like it!
© all photos by me

mermaid parade

The true impetus for our visit to Coney Island was to see the Mermaid Parade; this year marked the parade's 30th anniversary. As expected, there were a lot of mermaids (both male and female), mermen, fish and other undersea creatures. There were also a lot of questionably aquatic themed costumers (Aztec mermaids?), and plenty of just plain weird costumes that I'm still not sure how they related. Either way, people put a lot of work into their costumes (like my favorite, below) and they were much appreciated.

© all photos by me

recent pins

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

floral wallpaper

Inspired by this pin, I used my leftover halloween costume to make floral(ish) wallpaper. It didn't come out nearly as good as my book wallpaper, but it adds an interesting element to my otherwise bland and random office.

Sorry for the crap photos! There's no window in this room which makes shooting anything look terrible.