Midori Ribbon will be holding one of their Outlet sales this Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. here in Seattle on Friday, May 1st. It’s at 708 6th Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109. It sounds like a few new things will be revealed at the sale so it may be well worth the trip.

I’ve admired Moop handbags for a while now, and I’ve been jealous of the fantastic fabric that she buys to make her bags. She is moving her family and business to Pittsburgh and is selling off some of her fabric in an Etsy shop called Five Yards. This is something to jump on if you are looking for excellent mid or heavy weight fabrics, there is even some organic orange duck.

She’s also having a seconds sale over at Supermarket, and I agree with everything she says here about handmade items and sales.

I simply cannot wear shoes that have the little bit that goes between my toes (please know that I’ve made valiant efforts). Last year Mandy pointed me towards these Kena shoes made by Teva (thank you Mandy!). They are perfect as a non-thong flip-flop and I wore mine all last summer. I took a pair with me to Vegas and actually felt like a normal person while on my way out to sit by the pool. My prayers have been answered, all is right with the world, etc. So, if you also suffer from get-that-thing-out-of-my-toes-itis I suggest stocking up as things I love dearly are often discontinued immediately after I find them. (Dear Teva, Please keep making the Kena shoes forever, thank you. Love, Megan.)

They come in a few colors, though my favorite is simply black. The straps are soft and the knots slide back and forth just a bit so that the straps have enough give that they don’t rub, the foam soles are comfy and squishy, the straps form two X-es across the top of your feet and don’t look much different than a normal flip-flop shoe. My flip-flop envy has been cured.

For our wedding I was planning on wearing MAC Carbon eyeshadow but in my trials it didn’t want to stay on for more than a few hours. The day before we were getting on the plane I hunted down a MAC counter and asked about eye shadow base and the representative recommended I try their Paint Pot. It’s an eye color but she told me that people have found it is the best thing to keep on intense eyeshadow and that she uses it herself. It worked! I am so very pleased. The day of I put on my makeup at around 11:30 a.m. and my eyeshadow was still dark and dramatic at midnight without any touch ups. I used the Paint Pot in the color Painterly, a matte nude beige, which was just slightly darker than my skin tone. Paint Pot also comes in pearl and frost finishes in a range of beige and pink tones as well as some colors (shockingly bright teal anybody?). You can apply it with a brush, I’ve been using my finger and it goes on very thick. I can definitely recommend giving Paint Pot a try if you suffer from eyeshadow slippage. Paint Pot also gets remarkably high praise from reviewers at Makeupalley (registration required, worth it).

Thank you so much to everybody for the good wishes! We have returned from a very relaxing time in Vegas and, I have to admit, I’m not ready to return just yet. Pictures soon!

We’re headed off to be married this week. I had hoped to have a full week of posts for you all but of course I underestimated how much time I’d need to get ready. I’ll be back soon.

Above is a copy of the wedding portrait given to us by Jessie Olsen, the genius behind Cakespy. We love it, thank you Jessie!

(Pictured above is my BaByliss mini iron with 1/2″ plates which I use for my bangs and which does a fantastic job. The small size means you can get really close to the scalp. I love this thing and cannot recommend it enough. If you’d like to see more scale I took a picture of it on top of a dollar bill.)

(Pictured below it is the original Chi straightening iron which is hugely recommended and which I bought on a whim yesterday. The Chi, as far as I can tell, has a reputation for being the best, and also for breaking after only a year. It’s expensive, most salons sell them for around $200, but you can find them online and at Target for less. Be aware that if you buy one at someplace other than a salon the warranty does not apply.)

My old hairdresser once used a fabulous hair straightening iron on me. It was far smaller than the Chi pictured above and larger than the BaByliss mini. It was compact and easy to maneuver and I want that one. Unfortunately she is no longer at that salon so I cannot ask her what kind it was. I bought the Chi above and I find it just large enough to be awkward. My hair is fine so I don’t need a really super heavy duty iron, and I’d rather have one that is easier to use.

I seem to remember her iron being white, slim and straight sided (no crocodile styling) with 1″ plates, but it was a while ago. Does anybody have any idea what this iron I’m thinking of might be?

The Chi Turbo irons look like they might be smaller (shorter) than the original (and since they have temperature settings I might get one of those instead). I’m not particularly loyal to Chi though and would happily try out other irons that aren’t as large. Unfortunately I’m having trouble searching for irons because there are so many mentions of plate size and hair length that using words like short, small, and mini don’t really help sort through the results. Even Folica, which it seems is to hair stuff as Makeupalley.com is to makeup, isn’t helping me out here. Anybody know what iron my stylist might have used?

I’d like to thank Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm for being my first big sponsor. If you’re not already familiar with this amazing venture please allow me to introduce you. Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm is the first yarn and fiber CSA, giving knitters and spinners the chance to buy a share in the fleece the farm’s well cared for animals will produce each year. The farm was started by Susan Gibbs and Patrick Manning after they fell in love and decided to make some big changes to their lives. You can read more here and get acquainted with the animals on the farm with Who’s Who at the Fiber Farm part one and part two. Also meet their extraordinary farm dogs.

Susan keeps a fantastic blog called A Shepherd’s Tale about what is going on with the farm and just last weekend they had their first baby goat of the season, an adorable pile of soft curls. His name is Arno (they are naming the baby goats after fonts this year!). More babies are coming and you can keep an eye on the very popular LambCam.

You can find Yarn CSA shares in the shop, and it’s well worth noting that there are also “spinner’s shares” for those who make their own yarn. As a shareholder you can visit the farm during the annual shearing festival. The farm also sells yarns made from their animals, both dyed and undyed. I had the opportunity to touch some of the yarns a year or so ago and it’s delightfully soft and squishy. Later this year Susan and Patrick will have a book coming out about their experiences.

I’ve been following Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm for a while now and I’m so delighted to see that they are expanding and keeping animals on Patrick’s family farm in the Hudson Valley. They are planning on adding bees, and chicken and ducks for the eggs this year. I’m really excited to read about everything they have going on this year and for many years to come.

It’s time for me to try a new black eyeliner. I like to smudge just along the top lashes but I’m often unhappy with the lack of intensity of color in pencils, and I’m too clumsy to apply liquid liners well. Right now I’m using L’Oreal Le Kohl Pencil in Carbon Black and it’s ok but I’m not inspired to buy it again.

Does anybody have a favorite black eyeliner pencil? Something that is very dark and matte and easy to apply and smudgeable but stays in place? You know, something that does the impossible? I’m happy to try either drugstore or department store brands.

Oh my gosh, I must own this. A personal mini donut maker. All just for you. I mean me. All for me.

Think of the Sunday morning possibilities. Just you, your paper, you coffee and delicious hot fresh donuts.

(This image is from ThinkGeek, where it’s also sold.)

A time of high stress and not much time left before a big important deadline is, as everybody knows, the perfect time to start a new knitting project. I ripped out my top down raglan experiment sweater for the time being and started in on these fingerless gloves just in time for it to hit 70 degrees in Seattle. These are Fetching from Knitty, made a little longer and using a tubular cast on and bind off. That little section of orange stitches is where the thumb will be picked up to knit.

I’m using some leftover Dark Horse Fantasy yarn on size 6 needles. I’m using two circulars for most of the project, and dpns for the thumbs.

Yesterday morning I took Scott to the emergency room with what we thought was some food poisoning and by that afternoon he was in surgery to have his appendix removed. He’s home and doing well (should be considering the painkillers he was sent home with). The hospital experience was great, the doctors, nurses and staff were unfailingly helpful and kind and I learned you can get room service when you’re in the hospital. But now we’re both tired and I’ve become overwhelmed with the desire to wash every single thing in the house.

Here is to wishing everybody good health and a great weekend. Drink ’em if you’re not on antibiotics!

I absolutely love this, a creme brulee branding iron that is heated in the fireplace of Savoy, where it’s served. According to the owner: “It adds a nice ‘fireplace flavor’ to the dessert”.

(Quote taken from the story in New York Magazine, photo credit Melissa Hom, and via Brandon of Delancey, which I’m anticipating opening soon.)