Pom Pom Project: Denver, Colorado

I live in Denver, Colorado, so I put a pom pom there.

At first glance, there's not much to this story, but there's actually more to it than meets the eye.

This is an international pom pom.  

I made it in France, then took it to Las Vegas with the intention of hanging it there, then ended up leaving it on a tree in Denver.

Pom Pom Project: Oahu, Hawaii

Hooray for summertime and beaches and pom poms!

Our family went to Hawaii a few weeks ago and I couldn't help but leave a pom pom behind.

Here it is pictured with the famous statue of Duke Kahanamoku at Waikiki Beach. (It's on the torch just behind the statue on the right. See it?) I thought it would be fun to hang the pom pom from one of Duke's fingers so he'd be holding it along with the leis that he's always holding, but as you can see based on the height of the stray toddler who's photobombing my picture, Duke's hands are really high and I couldn't reach them.

I didn't leave the pom pom on that working torch for obvious reasons (fire hazard!) so I took the pom pom with me to a second location. 

Pom Pom Project: Amiens, France

I left a second pom pom in Amiens, France.

It's on a little bridge in the middle of a beautiful park with a canal and weeping willows and joggers everywhere.

This was the first town we visited after leaving Paris, and this park setting was especially peaceful after the hustle and bustle of the big city.

I made this pom pom out of cotton yarn, and while I think the sunshine-yellow color looks fabulous in nature, I learned that cotton yarn doesn't make the best pom poms.  This one is definitely not as full and fluffy as the pom pom I made out of acrylic yarn in Paris.

I have a feeling I'll be forming strong pom pom yarn preferences as the pom pom project progresses...

Pom Pom Project: Paris, France

Hello world.  It's been a while.

Where have I been?  Skating, traveling, knitting, reading, enjoying being engaged, and taking a breather from blogging.  At first the blog-break was scary, then it was liberating, and then -- six months later -- I finally started to miss it.

So here I am, easing back in.

(With emphasis on the "easing.")

My fiancé and I are currently touring France with an ice show.  We're traveling to two cities per week for nine straight weeks.  It makes for a lot of different hotel rooms and more time on the bus than I'd care to calculate, but oh, the sights we get to see!  Churches!  Beaches!  Adorable cafe after adorable cafe!  And people really do walk down the street here wearing berets or carrying armfuls of baguettes.  One time I saw someone doing both of those things at once and my heart exploded.

Anyway, while I'm taking away memories from all these places, I thought of a way to leave a little bit of myself behind as well.  It's a pom pom project.  

I'm going to leave a pom pom everywhere I go. And by everywhere, I mean most places, when I remember, and when it feels right.  No pressure.  Just for funsies.

The first place I left a pom pom was Paris.

I didn't leave it on that fence with the locks, or on the Eiffel Tower, but this is where the whole pom pom project really took shape in my mind.  The idea that all those couples have written their names on locks and left them forever in the city of love is so whimsical and touching.  

All those people had locks; I have pom poms.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm in Mexico today, and there's no turkey or pumping pie in my near future, but I have a lawn chair by the pool and a whole lot to be thankful for.

So in the spirit of the holiday, here's a list of the top 5 things that I'm thankful for today:

1.  My family.

2.  My awesome friends back home who put up with me being away at ice shows all the time.  (I'm looking at you, Karleen!)

3.  Getting to do what I love for my job.  It's seriously the best.

4.  Spending today by the ocean in Mexico.  If I can't be at home; this is a pretty great second choice.

5.  The internet, for keeping me connected to all my friends and family all over the world.

What are you thankful for?

xoxo
Laura

Heading Home

I'm all packed up.

We'll do 3 shows this afternoon and then start driving home.

I'm looking forward to stopping in Kansas to see my friend Johanna and I'm also looking forward to sleeping in my own bed on Tuesday night.  Yay!

xoxo
Laura

A Few Snapshots

Our road trip is over.  We made it to Sandusky, Ohio yesterday after three long days in the car, and we started rehearsals for our summer show today.

Looking back on the journey, my favorite moment was at dusk in Indiana.  The colors of the sky were ridiculously vibrant; I didn't change them with photoshop.  I also realized how fun it is to shoot through a car window when it's covered in reflections.

I took both of those pictures through the side window.  The windshield was crazy gross.

Yep, those are bugs.

I'm not quite done with my road trip knitting project... I'll be sharing it soon!
xoxo
Laura

On the Road Again

My yarn and I are all packed up and driving across the country!  We're Ohio bound for the next ice show.

I can't wait to show you what I've been knitting on the road...
xoxo
Laura

The Non-Making Life

This blog is all about the things I make and how I make them, and I love it.  The whole blogging experience has given me (and continues to give me) the push I need to lead a creative, productive, crafty lifestyle.  Every once in a while, however, I go through a non-making phase as well, which is what happened last week.  Although those phases are not necessarily the best thing for my blog, it's ok with me because I'm busy with other, non-crafting adventures.  Blogging is great as long as it's leading me to create new things, but I don't ever want it to hold me back from getting out there and living life.

Last week in Mexico I went swimming with a dolphin named Chuck.

He was super cute when he was kissing my cheek, but he was a little scary when he took me for a ride on a boogie board.

The dolphin trip was eye-opening and fun, and I highly recommend doing it if you ever get the chance.

A few days later, before the dolphin excitement had even worn off, we went on an eco hike on St. John in the US Virgin Islands.

Did you know that St. John is an arid environment?  I just assumed it would be wet and I was pretty shocked to discover that it was more like a hike at home in the Rocky Mountains than one in the rainforest.  My favorite plant that our tour guide, Jen, talked about was the Moses in the Cradle.  I love the deep purple leaves that are mixed in with the green ones.

In addition to swimming and hiking, I've been doing a bit of island-style relaxing with my friends.  "When in Rome" right?

So that's what I've been up to lately.  Never fear, though, the crafting bug is in me to stay, and I've been thinking up some new projects that I'm excited to start working on and blogging about in the very near future.  These ideas involve knitting with super soft yarn, embroidering pretty letters, and stamping away.

Until next time,
xoxo
Laura

Nautical Style

I accidentally fell in love with a super expensive swimsuit.  It's the Port Stripe Halter Bra swimsuit from Juicy Couture, and I think it is the perfect nautical fashion statement.  It has the classic nautical stripes, a cute little anchor on the front, and the ties in the back are made of white rope. Isn't it so fun?

Image via Juicy Couture

I'm loving all things nautical lately, though, so I'm not pulling out my wallet for that swimsuit yet.

To be clear, I'm loving fashion's whimsical take on the nautical theme, which is different from the industrial feel of actually living full time on a ship like I do.  While it's an adventure, the real ship life is not nearly as adorable; my uniform onboard is a bright blue polyester track suit.  Ugh.

Here are some other playful (non-track-suit) nautical pieces that I love:

1.  I love the red rope detail on these Valentino nautical ballet flats.
2.  The sparkles on this nautical sequin anchor tank from Delia's stand out in a very good way.
3.  This "life ring" from Asprey London is classy and cheeky at the same time.
4.  The fit and flare shape of Kate Spade's Mariella dress looks chic with a navy nautical stripe.
5.  I can't get enough of the watercolor details on the Candace Carryall by Coach.
6.  These bright red anchor earrings from River Island prove that the cutesy nautical vibe can also be affordable.

Do you love nautical fashion as much as I do?
xoxo
Laura

Embroidering on the Beach

Today I'm hanging out at Orient Beach in St. Maarten.  I've mostly been lounging on one of these lawn chairs:

Instead of reading my book (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay) or messing around on my iPad (7 Little Words is super addicting), I did a little bit of embroidery on the front of my notebook.

It's been a great day.

I'll show you how I did the embroidery in my next post!
xoxo
Laura

Week in Review (Jan 27-Feb 2)

Here's a quick look back at some of the little things that made last week special:

Did you do anything fun this week?
xoxo
Laura

The Past Week In Review

I'm happy that it's finally Sunday because it's time to reveal a picture journal that I've been working on for the past week.  There's one picture for every day, celebrating the little things (and a few big ones) that make every day special.

Did you do anything special this week?

xoxo

Laura

Merry Christmas from the Caribbean!

xoxo
Laura