I'm back!

Hiya guys, I'm back in Hawai`i. The whole program was a blast, and my presentation went really well; people are encouraging me to apply to more fellowships with the Smithsonian, which is makes me smile really big every time I think about it! I had so many great experiences, met so many nice people, and had a lot of fun ;) I only wish I was able to see more (including Julia Child's kitchen at the Museum of American History) but now I'll have more things to do when I get back to DC!

My shop is back and running, but it's going to take me a little bit to get things back to normal. Just an update; I'm still working on fabric development, but I've just discovered a new fabric printing website; fabric on demand. I've heard that their printing quality is actually better than spoonflower (they may do better printing reds). I'm going to check it out before I offer the option for customers to order berrysprite fabric.

Working on August's calendar... it'll be an amigurumi this time; Here's a one word hint: "savvy" Hee hee, I bet you just have more questions now, but that's part of the fun!

I also am still actively working on my patterns. Although I initially decided not to include too many pictures, I've since thought that more pictures would make the pattern easier to follow and will enhance what customers get for their money. So, I'm actually re-making all of the items I want to have patterns for and photographing every step.

Thanks for all the well wishes while I was on my trip guys; I thought I'd share some highlights with you all:


Best meal eaten: Pulled buffalo burger and yucca fries, with a pineapple aqua fresca from the National Museum for the American Indian cafe, Misitam. If you are in DC this is a must visit museum... shell out the big bucks for traditional foods and Native American inspired gourmet cuisine!


Coolest thing to do: Visit the monuments and DC sights at night; the lights are awesome!


Perk that I wouldn't have done if it hadn't been free for Smithsonian staff: Walk through the butterfly house: It was $6 to walk through a garden tube of butterflies... all together around 15 feet long! It was expensive for such a short amount of time and distance, but the butterflies were beautiful and it was an experience to walk among them, and to have them land on you!


Best bit of green: The National Botanical Gardens were so beautiful! It was a trip being inside such a huge greenhouse, and the plants were so lush and alive it made me feel like I was back in Hawai`i (it also helped that they had a Hawai`i section of plants!)

Museums: Make sure you try and go to all of them, because each one is unique and you can never have enough museum fun (especially if you are a dork like me!) Save the Holocaust Museum for a day by itself (or make sure you do it after everything else, because after going through the museum, you won't feel like doing anything... it's so sad but in a way that will make you remember, you know?) The Air and Space museum is a must for plane/space buffs... probably many girls and almost all guys will love it. The Museum of Natural History is also fun, they had a giant squid!


Don't forget the National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of Art!

Eastern Market

Recently re-opened after a huge fire gutted it, the main building for Eastern Market opened; I was able to go on opening weekend (it was a few weeks ago already). There are three main parts to the Market: the main building which has butcheries and bakeries and lots of eating places, the craft market and the flea market (plus lots of trendy places to eat outside of the actual market). I got some really neat stuff, there, but my favorite was the felted beads (you'll have to wait and see what I have planned for them) and the lantern slides (glass slides that were used for teaching way-back when). The market was super crowded, but it had a pretty nice vibe... lots of handmade and vintage items. If you're ever in DC, check it out!

Fresh peppers and other yummies

Pretty flowers!

I LOVE these ducks... I wish they could've come to live with me in Hawai`i!

Would you like some vintage crockery? How about some Rachel Ray?

Bags made with felted beads... I wanted one so bad! Luckily, I could afford some of the beads :)

my new favorite bugs

A perk of being an intern/fellow at the Smithsonian...

...You get to go into the museum at all hours! We woke up extra early this morning (before we had to catch the shuttle to Maryland) to go the Museum of Natural History when no one was there! Although they turn off the lights at night, in the mornings they are cleaning, and museum people are able to roam leisurely around... no screaming kids or pressing throngs of people; just you and your camera :) It was really cool to be able to actually see the exhibits, take time to read the information and push all the buttons. Even with waking up early I wasn't able to see all of the exhibits (I didn't see the Dinosaurs), so I'm going to have to go back again before I leave DC- next week is the last week of the program!

Metro

Although it's not always the most economical way to travel, the metro in DC is awesome! I'm told its one of the cleanest and best in the nation (despite the recent accidents) and it is most definitely one of the most convienient ways to get around. It took me a bit to figure out (I actually sat in one station for about half an hour the first time I ever went on one... we don't have anything like it in Hawai`i).

Look what I found!

This is a great yarn store I found in Eastern Market in DC (yep, put me anywhere in the world and I'll find yarn!) I had looked up this store on the internet, and had resigned myself to not going to it because I thought it was too far away from a metro. However, I was walking around Eastern Market (i.e. getting lost) and I accidentally stumbled upon the store... I nearly died and went to yarn heaven! The store is Stitch DC, and I believe there are three branches; you can visit their blog for store locations, hours, etc... they even have FREE patterns for knit and crochet! They are a bit expensive, but they have some really nice, luxury yarns. I got two skeins, and I can't wait to go and get more... I just have to consider paying for them! I couldn't take a picture of my yarn yet, because my room is a cave. Anyway, more adventures to come!

4th of July

I have to admit, I don't usually do much to celebrate the 4th of July... it's just not high on my priorities list (sacrilege, I know!). However, this year I'm in DC, which is kinda like July 4 headquarters! We ended up going to sit at the Lincoln Memorial (which was uber cool) at 7 and waiting around 2 hours for the fireworks to begin at 9:10. It was pretty crowded and noisy with fellow firework enthusiasts, but once the fireworks began the crowd literally hushed. The fireworks were launched off the reflecting pool in between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial (the one that Jenny from Forest Gump wades across) and because of that they seemed so huge and so close to us; it was really cool! I had Ray Charles' America the Beautiful playing on loop in my head; it's one of the only patriotic songs that I really love, and it really made the whole event; the fireworks, the crowd, everything... feel really special! Hope you guys had a nice day yesterday too!

July Calendar

I seriously thought I wouldn't be able to do it, but here it is just for you (Lucky thing I got out of seminar early tonight!) Although I couldn't make my typical calendar this time, I was able to Inkscape this one out of thin air fairly quickly... let me know if you guys like it!
As always, visit my flickr or photobucket to download and save the picture (in the appropriate size to your computer. Then just set it as your background!

Here is the short story:
Beepo the sprite is a little sad that its not raining... but Pik knows something that Beepo doesn't!