Eels @ 9:30 Club

It's been awhile since Donnie and I have been to any shows, but it's something we've always enjoyed doing.  I mentioned  a few weeks ago that we had tickets to see Eels in DC.  We've been looking forward to going, but like the tired parents we are, we had moments where we weren't sure we'd actually go.  It was on a Sunday and didn't even start until after 7pm.  We had dinner at the usual spot we stop at before shows and then we headed out!  I tried taking a few photos, but a dark club and the iPhone camera don't really make for great shots, so enjoy this recap instead!

Now I had found out ahead of time that one of the opening acts was a clown.  Yes, a clown.  Now I don't really love clowns.  They're creepy.  This particular clown, Puddles, is pretty tall and sad looking.  That makes him extra creepy to me.  He doesn't just come out from backstage, like most performers.  Instead he makes his way through the crowd carrying a lantern and a suitcase.  So he gets on stage and he stands there looking sad and I don't think I was alone in wondering what the hell was going on, but then he starts to sing and there is this great deep voice, so lovely.  His voice was seriously so lovely that it took me a moment to notice the monkey girl that was sort of dancing about on stage with him and handing out bananas.  It keeps getting weirder, doesn't it?  He ended his performance with My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion leading into One by Metallica.  Then he jumped down from the stage, motioned for the crowd to part, and walked off carrying his lantern and suitcase.  I was both completely entertained and creeped out by the whole thing!

Here is the only non-live performance I could find!

Next up was Nicole Atkins.  I've had a few of her songs on my iPod for awhile.  Actually when I first downloaded her song, Neptune City, I think I listened to it nearly every day.  It's such a dreamy song.  She was adorable and funny and her voice was just as beautiful live as it is on her songs!

Oddly enough, there are clowns in this video too!

I don't really know what I can say about Eels that will do them justice.  Mr. E is a seriously cool guy, in my book.  He's one of those singers that when I listen to him sing, I can feel the emotion.  Side note, I could do a play list of musicians I feel that way about.  Anyway, back to Eels.  They were amazing!  They wore matching track suits and sunglasses.  Do I need to say anything else? 

One Man's Trash

My friend, Heidi, and I have been talking about renting a space at a flea market/antique mall and this past weekend, we finally did it!  The two of us are definitely collectors, which is a polite way of saying hoarders, so it wasn't too difficult for us to fill our cute little space.  We went over Saturday to pick out our spot and start stocking our shelves.  I went back on Sunday and realized we had already sold some things!  I'm having fun gathering up more items and even hit the thrift shop on my lunch hour to see what I could find for reselling.  Obviously I want to keep the cutest things for myself, so maybe I'll just keep rotating things out of my house and onto our shelves!  If you're in the area, our space is upstairs at Remember When in Hagerstown, MD.  Check it out!

I still play with dolls!

Over the weekend, Heidi had a little tea party themed Blythe get together.  There are only a few of us around here with Blythe dolls, unless there are more in hiding, so it was just a small gathering.  There was even a friend who doesn't have a large Blythe yet.  We are doing our best to change that, though, because we are the worst enablers!  Ha!  It was fun to see everyone's dolls and clothing.  Jessee brought adorable little necklaces, skirts, and dress kits for our girls, Heather showed off her super cute collection of wigs for her girl, and brave Heidi pulled out all of one her girl's hair in preparation for a re-root.  Even I started sanding one of my doll's faces, so I can redo her makeup.  See? Enablers!  You can read about the party and see pics here on Heidi's blog.  I didn't bring my camera to the party, so instead of sharing iphone pics, I thought I'd share a short wishlist of Blythe related goodies!  Anyone else have Blythe dolls??

As always, click the picture to enlarge!

tote bag, petite Blythe, necklace, earrings, custom doll, print

Musical Crushes

I don't care what you look like, if you make good music.  These artists/bands have the added benefit of being pretty darn crush-worthy, in my book, though.  I really could have made up a whole playlist of Macklemore, Ben Gibbard, and Coconut Records, Jason Schwartzman's solo project, because they are my favorites!  Enjoy!

A Walk Through the Forest

I found this adorable dress online over the weekend and have gone back to look at it several times.  It's on sale for $11!  After looking at the size chart, I think the large would be slightly too small, but it would be a really good incentive to lose some more weight.  What's better motivation than a pretty dress?  The last time I visited the site, I had every intention of buying it.  Alas, this color is only available in small.  I'm not sold on the other color option, a sort of mauve/pink, and I think buying a size small would be a little too ambitious!  So instead, I just planned a whole little forest themed outfit.  You size small ladies can thank me later! ;-) 

moccasins, earrings, dress, necklace, barrette, handbag

Easy Chocolate Cake

I found this recipe a few months ago here, while looking for a vegan dessert to take to dinner at a friend's house.  Her husband is vegan, so I wanted to bring something he could enjoy too.  It was pretty good and really moist.  I had intended on making an icing for it that time around, but ended up with a tub of store bought icing instead.  In the end, I didn't even have time to ice the cake, so I just took the icing along.  The cake was good without evening adding the icing!  This time around, I had Oscar helping and he wanted to add some extra goodies to the cake mix.  We added peanut butter and milk chocolate chips and marshmallows, which ended up getting all toasty and crispy on the top of the cake.  It was seriously delicious!!  Here's the basic recipe, but feel free to mix it up and add something extra!

• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1 c sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 c cocoa powder (I have added a bit more the two times I've made this.)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
• 1/3 c vegetable oil
• 1 c water

Sift together the dry ingredients.  Add in the wet ingredients and stir until everything is mixed together and the batter is smooth.  Pour batter into a lightly greased loaf or small cake pan and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Look at those toasty gooey marshmallows!!!

A Little Peek Into My Craft Room

Oh my poor little neglected craft room, I am so happy to say that I have finally given you a pretty good purging and you are ready for some crafty fun!  Before having kids and moving my mom in with us, Donnie and I had lots of our own little spaces.  We just seem to be gaining more occupants and with that comes less of our own space.  I have managed to hold on to a bit of that space, though.  What was originally a balcony and later converted into an enclosed sun porch, has now become my little sanctuary.  I love this little sunny room and am glad to slowly be improving it and working in it again!

This is my little workspace.  It's not usually so tidy, but this was right after the big clean.  There's also my Valentine's Day wreath, in progress at that point, but since finished!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's a better depiction, although it still looks pretty neat compared to how it looks right now!  Oh! The table beneath that festive cloth is our original dining table, a beautiful yellow and chrome metal table from the 1940s or 50s.

For someone who doesn't scrapbook, I have a ridiculous amount of paper and stickers.  I also keep all of my copies of old art magazines, because I'm maybe a tiny bit of a hoarder.

Look at all those clean paint brushes!  They go great with the stacks of blank canvases on the shelves across the room! 

I also collect (hoard) stationary and maybe one day I'll stop being an awful pen pal and put that stationary to use!

I may have look through these books once or twice.  Who knows?  Maybe one day I'll complete a project from one!

A proper blogger probably would have fixed that curtain that's hanging higher than the others, but I'm being real here, people.  Oscar likes hanging out in here too.  He calls it the pretty room.

Who cares about seeing the rest of my craft stuff?!  This is the cutest trash can ever!

So here's some proof that I am both crafty and a giant slacker.  I made this little octopus years ago and spray painted the bowl he's in a pretty blue, with the intentions of making him look like he's coming up from water.  He will probably sit like this for another four years!