MOVED!

Click here to visit my new blog!



I've been thinking about starting a new blog for a while. It seems like every year or so I get antsy and change the name and feel of my blog. So I did, over at Tumblr because the interface is a lot easier for me to share the things I find around the Internet, which is primarily what I aim to do with blogging. I think it'll take tome time for Tumblr to gain momentum, but I'm happy there.

Thanks for visiting over here, but head over to Blonde Rhonda for more design inspiration!

runner for the hallway

Our hallway needs a new runner. Currently, we're using two overlapping Ikea Alvine runners, which I love, but they are not durable at all in this location. The one closest to the door is now gray, and it has barely survived a month. What we need is an easy to clean, synthetic material instead of indoor-only cotton like we have now. The hallway is 2'6" x 12', so the runner needs to be 11 feet long. I don't have a lot of choices because most runners are 8-10 feet, maximum. I found a website, HomeDecorators.com, that has a good selection of rugs, though most are much to contemporary for my taste, so I've had to spend a long time weeding through all of the rejects. Luckily, we've narrowed it down to two different rugs, both have the same dimensions of 2'3" x 11'9", and they are the same price of $79.99.


For some reason I've been smitten with southwestern decor lately, so I really like the Pueblo outdoor rug.


And then there's the Persimmon rug, which also has a great feel to it!

I think both will hide dirt relatively well, and they're both made of the same synthetic dercion, which I've never heard of before. The boy prefers the persimmon rug, while I am leaning more towards the pueblo. I'm going to have to sleep on it.

Any thoughts?

so many things to do

I am counting down the days until I'm done with school. Only 15 more class days left, and I couldn't be more excited or distracted, thinking of all of the things I am going to do when my days are free (shopping, for a start.) I'm so distracted that during a particularly boring part of class today I wrote my entire to do list for the apartment, detailing what needs to be done in each room. It feels good to have it down on paper; I work better that way.

The list was started because we had such a successful weekend. The boy installed shelving in my closet, put together the other chest of drawers in the living room, and assembled the last bookcase for the kitchen. That one was tricky because I needed to hack an ordinary Ikea Billy bookshelf. I wanted to make it into a utility closet, complete with doors, but it needed to be built without the fixed middle shelf, which is integral to its strength. So the boy had to brace it from the inside with 2x4s, and it was a whole lot of work. You'll see the photos of it sometime in the future. I'm shy about taking pictures of my apartment because I want it to be perfect! I tend to forget to take 'before' or 'during' shots, only to regret it later. I have some poor quality pictures on my iPhone from when the apartment was empty, though, so perhaps you'll see them for comparison.

Sorry for such a jumbled entry. I just wanted to write that I had a productive weekend, except that it gave way to so many more things I have to do (paint, changing hardware, installing hooks, getting curtains, etc.) Luckily, it's all stuff I can do. Before, it was a lot of waiting around for the boy to do important construction that I wasn't experienced enough to do (he was taking drills and saws to stuff like you wouldn't believe.) I hate it when I need something to be done by someone else, that I can't do. But at last, it's done, and his work in the apartment is largely done in general. Now, for the next few weekends, as well as late August, and into September, I'll be playing decorator, so maybe, finally you can see what my apartment looks like!

outbid

I was outbid on my very first auction at Housing Works! This rug would have looked so nice in my living room, but I decided that $150 was my max for a rug less than 4x6 in size. Should I have bid more? The highest bidder's maximum was set way above mine, it's still going now for $159.50. Le sigh.

looking forward to brighter days

I came by to post because I had another one of my flashes of feeling good. It's been a long year already, full of stress about when I am going to finish college. First it was May, then it was August, and now it's December, but hopefully it's for keeps this time and things are finally winding down. I am taking two summer semesters of class, each with two courses. Tomorrow I finish the first two, and on August 13th, I am done with the other two. Then, I have to take and pass two more CLEP tests for a total of six credits. One I will take in the coming month, and another in September. I've already earned nine credits this way. And finally, this fall I will be taking a three credit independent study with my graphic novel professor from this past spring (more information on what I created last semester later!)

But soon the major hurdle will be jumped because after August 13, I will no longer be attending classes at all. Any work left will be done at home, on my own, which is a huge step. I can't believe that I have less than a month until this day. In my mind, on August 13, I am basically done. And I sort of am. I'd be free to get a real job with real hours, since I won't be in class at all. But I'm not going to do that. I'm going to go back to photography and try again to get this business off the ground. I don't need it to be a full-time wage (I don't really need it to be any wage), but it will be a full-time job until I can either make a happy living at it (unlikely, but a recent college grad does not have a huge salary to aspire to) or find a good job.

I love photography and I really loved starting my own business. It was an amazing feeling. I don't want to give up on that. I feel like if I have the time, instead of coursework constantly looming over my head, and I can budget the time well, then I will succeed more. Living in Brooklyn now, I can also try to get local shops to carry my work and go to fleas and craft fairs.

Anyway, I just thought I'd update with that information. I am starting to feel good again. I'm starting to feel hope and excitement, and I'm looking forward to brighter days.

Photo above: A Brooklyn rainbow. On or around July 4th, near home!

wardrobe

Ok, I give up. I'm so sick of scouring Craigslist for weeks trying to find a stylish, affordable armoire that has drawers and shelving, that isn't laminate, that's sturdy, and preferably white, to house my printers, scanner and photo accessories. So I'm going to buy the Leksvik wardrobe from Ikea. Technically it's a children's item (the best department at Ikea, in my opinion! haha) but it is not too deep and just wide enough, plus its tall and has shelving inside. And it's not ugly. At first I will put it together and use it, but I fully intend on painting it a color eventually and papering the insides all pretty. Well, I want to paint it white, but I might think of a color, like yellow. Will get back to you on that. But my Epson's been sitting in a box since we moved over a month ago! Oh, photography business? Yeah, right. I'll have to get back to you on that one, too.

june

Ok, I cheated. This entry wasn't written in June at all, but it was killing me that I didn't write for the entire month of June. So on July 19th, I wrote this, to give my archive a June 2009. Is that so wrong?

hiatus

I haven't written here in over a month simply because I've needed a break from blogging. I've moved to Brooklyn and I have so much to write about over the summer, but I'm not quite back yet. See you all soon!

sushi love

I don't write enough about how much I love sushi. Well, I guess there really isn't too much to say besides I love sushi, and that I could eat sushi every day. My favorite kind of fish is salmon. I'll eat salmon nigiri, salmon sashimi, salmon roll, you name it. What's your favorite?



Lately, for lunch, I've been going to a sushi takeout place right across the street from me. Yesterday I got a salmon roll with cucumber instead of avocado because I thought I'd save on the fat calories. But alas, faithful reader, whenever you are faced with the choice between avocado and cucumber, make the right choice, and choose avocado, because it truly is meant to be with salmon.

Excuse the poor quality of the photos because as always, I take these with my iPhone. That's one of the downsides of owning a dSLR. I don't bring it with me unless I know I'm taking a lot of pictures, as it doesn't fit so nicely in my bag.

I've got a lot of things cooking (or baking?) for my shop, which may be released this weekend or early next week. New everything! More to choose from!

Oh, yeah, and here are some bananas:

gawker artists & trunkt

Yesterday was one of the best and most important days so far for my business. First, I was accepted to Gawker Artists. You can see my page here. Gawker Artists is an online exhibition for emerging artists run by the gossip website Gawker. I'm so thankful to the curator, Liz Dimmitt, who runs Gumshoe Culture.



The other equally as exciting thing is that I was accepted to Trunkt. See my portfolio here. Trunkt is a website that helps bring wholesalers and artists together, and the company I am in over there is fabulous. I hope there is never a day when things like this don't mean something to me.

I have so many things storming around in my brain that I need to do! I get so quickly bored with my blog, I think it may even be time for a new design, and perhaps for my domain as well. What do you think? I'm very critical of my own work, never happy with it, even though to others its fine.

One thing I'm working on right now is adding notecards to my shop. I have them, as you saw here, but I keep debating with myself over whether I want a .10" or .25" white border around the photo. I know, I know, stop thinking about it and put 'em in your shop before Mother's Day! Well, I'm working on it!

inspiration daily

I am so excited! Ez of Creature Comforts featured me as her Inspiration Daily yesterday, April 14th. Check it out here. Thank you so much, Ez!

The photograph featured, Like a Painting, is available in my shop, right here!

appreciation

I spent a long time last year hoping to move out of New York City. To Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, or even Westchester County, I just didn't want to be here anymore. Then in January, I conceeded, and we decided to move to Brooklyn instead. Honestly, it was a great decision to make. When I got my heart set on leaving, I beaome quite negative about New York City. But when I realized I'd be here for a lot longer than planned, I held my chin up, and decided to look for the good in this city, and there is surely a lot of it.

Yesterday I had one of those "I love it here" moments when I was at Eli's, the East side version of Zabar's (though I'm not sure in what capacity they are related because Zabar's website doesn't allude to it.) Eli's is the king of prepared foods (for a hefty price of course, but I don't cook hardly) and every time I go in there I think, "I should come here more!" I appreciate living so close by. I always forget to snap photos of the amazing food when I'm there, next time I will, I promise, but when I saw this postcard that read, "One of the greatest pleasures of life in New York is shopping at Eli's," I smiled to myself, and thought, "Yeah."

new prints in the shop

I'm sorry for my absense over the past week and a half! The first part of last week I was at my mom's house in New Jersey taking pictures. This is one of them, and I've listed five more in my shop. Coming soon: Notecards! Perfect for Mother's Day.

Another new thing is that I am now offering a free sheet of mini Through the Viewfinder series stickers with your order when you sign up for my mailing list! Sign up on the sidebar on the right or visit aliciahurst.com.

in bloom

I was not expecting this at the park yesterday, or else I would have brought my real camera. These were all excitedly taken with my iPhone as Jolly and I rushed around the park looking for all the blooming flowers and plants. I've never been so excited for spring before! Perhaps it's because now I have a shop and a reason to take more photography outside.



There were even some cherry blossoms in the park. I can't wait to head to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in a few weeks to see the cherry blossoms there. I missed them last year.

If you're hankering for spring like I am, check out my shop, where I have loads of flower photos sure to get you feeling the warmth.

shop opens today

My shop is officially open today!

This has got to be the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever done! The past month leading up to today, trying to finish getting everything ready late last night, waking up hours earlier than usual to begin listing. Listing itself! Crazy.

Make sure you head over to my shop! It's going to be a crazy day. I don't think I will list everything today, so if you don't see something you like right away, stay tuned because there is more to come.

my notecards came!

When my Crane museo cards arrived late last week, I felt like I had just received a package from Tiffany. Look at those boxes! I'm just trying to think of what I'll store in them after I run out of cards. And of course the boxes are sitting on top of my gorgeous Rotatrim monorail, which cuts like a dream. While I was doing test prints a few weeks ago I was using my old scrapbook cutter that has a blade you need to replace often, and the edges were so uneven. But the Rotatrim makes perfect, clean cuts that make the paper look like it just came out of the package. I love supplies!

puppy play

Last weekend we pet sat for an 8 month old puppy named Nigel. This was the first time I'd ever done pet sitting, and it was a lot harder than I'd expected. Luckily, Jolly and Nigel got along like a house on fire. They played several times throughout the three days he was here until they both collapsed on the floor. I would then put Nigel in his crate and he'd sleep for several hours.


It was definitely a learning experience, but I told the boy not to book us for any more sitting any time soon. It's hard enough taking care of my own dog!

coffee film

Did you know that you can develop black & white film using coffee and vitamin C? Using instant coffee, vitamin C powder, washing soda, dishwasher liquid, and a few other ingredients, it's possible. There is a neat tutorial at Photojojo. Surprisingly, the results aren't bad at all, like the above photo. There is a group on Flickr called Caffenol that is dedicated to photos developed using this process. So if you're ever in dire need to develop film at 3am when CVS is closed, there is hope, still!

Via Geek Sugar.
Image by remediate.this.

starting the process again

I don't know what happened, exactly. We had decided that we were going to move to Brooklyn on June 1st, which means we'd have to begin looking for apartments in the beginning of May. But somehow I found myself on craigslist this weekend, and suddenly I'm looking for May 1st move-ins instead.

This will be our 3rd apartment in the city, but now we are specifically targeting the Park Slope neighborhood (or Fort Greene, but it's more expensive, if you can believe it.) Yesterday I looked at one apartment that was too small. Otherwise it was perfect - elevator, washer/dryer, dishwasher, shared roof and garden, on a nice street, not far from all of the subway lines and Atlantic Avenue. But it was advertised as a 'loft,' and the realtor said 'around 900 square feet.' Here's a tip, Property Shark is your best friend. The craigslist listing provided the cross-streets and a photo of the entrance to the building. That was all I needed to pinpoint the exact address even before the realtor gave it to me, and knowing the floor, and that the owner of the condo was a woman, I was able to see that there was no 4th floor apartment owned by a woman with more than 740 square feet. There was that one, and one that was 504 square feet. Guess which one she took me to see? Yeah, the one with less square footage than I have now. I told her it was 400 square feet smaller than she'd said, and she gives me the, "Oh, we thought it was much larger," deal, but come on. She's a realtor. She spends her whole day in apartments. That's why working with realtors is tough. They're like used car salesmen. Do your own research and don't listen to a darn thing they say, that's my motto. Well, it's fine that it didn't work out because it had a one month broker fee, and ideally it would be no-fee or through an owner or tenant instead of realtor.



The photos provided in the listing did the apartment justice (it was also in crummy shape), so I didn't take any more except for up on the roof deck, which had a 360 degree view of Brooklyn and Manhattan. It was awesome. But pets weren't allowed up there and the deck part was like a catwalk, very narrow and kind of scary, unlike other roof decks I've seen. Sort of a let down.

But hopefully I'll see more apartments later this week and into the next, and if nothing still, we'll just keep looking! Actually I really enjoy looking at apartments, it's just that I hate knowing I have to choose one of them and do all the paperwork to apply. But I cannot wait to decorate a new place!

it's beginning to look a lot like spring-mas!

The tree that was budding was totally in the shade, so I appologize for the poor photos, but look! It's blooming! I just had to show you. It's so exciting. I can't wait to see more.