so, I think this officially makes me a hooker. /  by jen geigley


I'm a hooker! (Awww, but not that kind.) Last week, I got to hang with some really cool girls and take a granny square class at Ephemera from Chrissy Jensen. I'm so excited to cross over to the dark side and start crocheting something. So here's my first imperfect but bright granny square, which will hopefully be part of a throw in the near future.

I met Chrissy over the internets + her blog and ran into her at the local craft fairs a couple of years ago. Ever since, I've been dreaming about her amazing granny blankets (pictured above.) She has two Etsy shops – Popsicle Stick (for her crochet amazingness) and So Automatic (fun vintage finds) – that you should totally check out if you have a sec. She also is working on a new project ... an online and bricks and mortar shop called Domestica. (Love the name, love the logo too!)

Switching gears ... because the day after the granny class, I taught session two of my knitting class. I just loved hanging with these ladies, practicing our knits and purls.

Everyone did such an awesome job.

It's so much fun to see what each person in class accomplishes between the two class sessions ... some walk in with piles of finished or near-finished projects.

And there's always lots of laughing, story-telling and joking around by the time we're done. (If you're interested in taking this beginner knitting class at the lovely Ephemera in the East Village, I think there may be a spot or two left in the Feb 25th/March 11th session. If not, there is another session coming up soon after! Email info[at]ephemeradesign.com for details.)

scrappage /  by jen geigley


New Dare is up today: fashion on paper. Tina picked this rad collection of outfits to serve as inspiration for our pages. (Makes me wish for spring to get here already.)

This is a little page about the first sweater I knitted for Lo last fall. I wish I had gone more light and airy with this one; next time, I swear, I'll be all light and airy. (I try sometimes, but it still comes out looking like this.) I sorta ran with the navy and I want a do-over.

And there's a new challenge up at The Creative Type, too – type + comics. I hoard this kind of stuff, so I was ready to go. This was a pic from the trip to Kansas City that Bo and I took last summer to see Rancid. (I love this Bam Pop paper. And the 'super rad!' stamp. And yes, there are a couple of stickers on this page that came with our Guitar Hero game.)

she's three... /  by jen geigley


This past weekend, our house looked like this ...




Lotus picked Ni Hao Kai Lan for the theme this year (which was perfect, since today was also Chinese New Year!) She's been talking about this party since July. ;)






















Two days of birthday parties ... 50 cupcakes, paper lanterns, paper flowers, paper garlands, fortune cookies, chop sticks, adventures in frosting + fondant, plus lots of friends and family. It was definitely a busy weekend, but celebrating another birthday with my baby girl is definitely one of the most fun parts of being a mom.

I heart you /  by jen geigley







I loved letting this kid loose with the red paint. Thumbprint + foam heart valentines. (A little fun break from our winter routine of watercolors and play-doh. And making pancakes.)

folded notes + love notes, junior-high style /  by jen geigley


So, I took this pic for the love notes series on Smile and Wave. Remember folding notes like this in 7th grade? I know you all had (or have!) a shoebox of these in your closet. Do you remember how to fold them? Can't quite get it? Never fear – here's a little V-day love note pictorial tutorial to jog your memory.

Version 1:




Version 2:




Hide a special note for someone you're crushing on today, or pack one of these in your kids' lunch box. Try it now ... just for fun. :)

a little bit of sweetness /  by jen geigley


New Dare is up today, and it's a sweet one. We're doing an ode to first crushes ... that first boy who held your hand or called you on the phone or wrote you a note in class. (Awwww.) My page is dedicated to my first big crush in 7th grade. We used to fight for first chair in band (we both played the clarinet) and I liked him because he wore a Jane's Addiction t-shirt and knew the words to "Unbelievable" by E.M.F. (What a heartbreaker.) ;) You can read the whole story here on Rachel's blog, where she's featuring several guest bloggers and their love notes in honor of V-Day. (Thanks, Rach!)

Another sweet thing ... this scarf. I worked on this guy on the plane home from L.A., and I'm super excited to send it off to The Orphan Foundation of America’s Red Scarf Project.

I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick (in cranberry) to knit up this super easy pattern – Super Fast, Ultra Cozy Scarf by Jen Reilly. There's still a little bit of time left if you want to participate in Craft Hope’s Project 6: scarves for foster care teens. The deadline is February 14th!

the big three /  by jen geigley



Baby girl turns three today. She was just laying on my lap last night while drinking her apple juice, staring up into my eyes. Just like she did when she was drinking milk when she was a newborn. Checking me out. (Yup, still here. Still your number one fan.)

I honestly feel like I had a baby one day, and then turned around to find a three year old who can hold a conversation and help me fold the laundry.

Just for the record ...

Favorite songs to sing in the car: the alphabet, Robo Dancing (Money Mark), Nice 'N Clean (Chromeo), Lotus (Cage the Elephant), Fireflies (Owl City), Just Because it's Different Doesn't Mean it's Scary (I'm from Barcelona), Friends in All the Right Places (Manchester), It's Okay, Try Again (The Shins)

Favorite snacks: pretzels + peanut butter, yogurt, cheese

Favorite thing to wear: a dress over jeans, yellow Chucks with a surfboarding cat on them, new Vans slip-ons

Playtime: dress up, dollhouse, playing outside, drawing/coloring/painting with watercolors, play-doh

Favorite tv shows: Ni Hao Kai Lan, Charlie and Lola, Yo Gabba Gabba. (I could add Caillou, but I'm trying to phase the little whiner out of our lineup.)

Beverage of choice: apple juice

Funniest thing said in recent days: "No no no – I'm not emo, mommy. I'm sad."

Potty training: negatory (but making progress)

Naps: optional

Cuteness: on a scale from 1 to 10, she's an 11

the things I saw (or California recap, part 2) /  by jen geigley


CHA in Anaheim looked a lot like this.

We admired all hard work that went into the booths and displays. (I think this was 7Gypsies.)

This cool chandelier caught my eye.

We spotted a lot of globes.

And globes plus paper airplanes.

There was some petting of the Thickers at American Crafts.

We all drooled collectively over the Dear Lizzy line and display.

And talked Instax for a bit.

And we of course love the Hambly.

And Allison!

And the peacock overlays. (This was a fave for all of us.)

And the gorgeous papers. (Don't you wish you could have them all?)

This yellow + gray fabric trim by Pink Paislee had me swooning.

We loved the new lines by Crate Paper.

The colors were just fantastic (and the textures, too.)

But Studio Calico really won my heart.

April was super sweet and friendly and their displays were simple but cool.

(Check out all the rad ways they showed off the great colors and patterns and alphabets.)

And it doesn't hurt that they have downright awesome design/color concepts.

How can you not love everything they do?

But a really exciting moment for me was spotting all of the yarn displays. (o m g)

First up was Bernat.

Check these wicked cool sweaters.

And wraps, shawls, hats, cowls, armwarmers and legwarmers.

And next was the Lion Brand area – if you've seen these photos around the internets, you already know how insane this was!



Everything here was hand-knit. So incredibly cool that these photos really don't do it justice.

I got to see all of their incredible yarns in person, which was so nice, since quite a few of their products are only available online. Like their cashmere and the new gorgeous Amazing yarn (think Noro.) The colors were really impressive in person. Although I still really love my Noro. :)

And last but not least was the brand new Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller line.

(This would be the part where Tina nicknamed me 'Yarn Girl.')

Ummm, wow.

If you aren't familiar with the name Debbie Stoller, you should know that she's the author of the Stitch and Bitch books. A beginning knitters' must-have resource, and the book that really helped make knitting cool again amongst a new generation.

I got to see, squish and pet her three new lines – Full o' Sheep, Bamboo Ewe and Alpaca Love. The colors are divine. (Seriously, especially the colors for the 100% Peruvian wool single ply Full o' Sheep.) And the price can't be beat – each skein is only $4.99.

And that was our CHA experience in a nutshell. It was such a blast to spend the day with equally crafty girls (who totally understood my need to take pictures of yarn and didn't mind me stopping to chat for five minutes with the washi tape guy.) It was a long day for sure, but we loved it.