Since there move there has been nothing but fretting and fussing over what we need to buy to fill the new space, and me taking my sweet time getting everything out of boxes.  A very large order is getting placed with IKEA online today… (well, large compared to how much I usually buy from a flat-pack furniture store).

But what have I learned from this move?  2 key facts.

1. Finding a good moving company, while not necessarily cheap, saves many many future headaches.  For anyone in NYC who is doing an in town move, I can report that I was very happy with the service we received from OZ Moving.

2. The secret to a happy relationship, especially when you have very different tastes in TV, is two TVs.  Even better if one can record the footie matches while you boyfriend is at work.  I may never have to watch football/soccer again.

And that fish that mysteriously vanished from the tank one night?  Never found him.  Apparently the true story of Aubrey’s disappearance will die with Maturin. 

Well, not all…. moving this week, so lots and lots to do…  Hopefully I’ll be able to offer some before and after pictures for yall!

beginning the squares

cookies!

So yeah, blues and greens.  Pretty boyish.  Even after the 3rd round, it’s pretty boyish…

Now, I find pink a particularly girly color, so to add a bit of y chromosome to the afghan without making it actually girly, I ventured to a Michael’s yesterday to get some purple yarn.  This will be the joiner for all the squares, hopefully evening out the boyish-ness, since I have a feeling they’re actually having a little girl!  But the bean is due in April, so I figure all these colors are perfect spring colors.

For this project I’m using Michael’s in-house brand Loops & Threads Snuggly Wuggly acrylic baby yarn.

On an unrelated note, has anyone tried to actually follow a Loops & Threads pattern?  Crazy impossible to decode!

~Robin

The Holidays.  Teaching.  Crocheting.  Family.  More Crocheting. Pinteresting.  Playing with my new camera.  Digging out my watercolors….  I’ve been busy.

I finished my first term of teaching an afterschool program at an independent school here in the city.  In the fall the boys learned about Greek mythology.  Now, every Tuesday, I teach them Egyptian mythology, and soon Norse mythology.  I’m enjoying teaching more everyday.

Days when I’m not teaching I’m crocheting.  As a gift for my father I completed my first wave blanket, in colors perfect for the upstairs sitting room at my parents’ house, and most gifts I gave were handmade…

friends in the hat and gloves I made them

Anthropologie Mugs... my mom's favorite gift to give this year

Christmas in general was pretty fantastic.  I decorated the at my parents’ house, as well as the rest of the house…

Our tree with it's vintage Danish Star on top

The tiny tree from my apartment

remains of the Christmas fire

I went to the holiday gift market at Union Square with one of my oldest, dearest friends, Katja.  We enjoyed the sights, and tasty food, and got a few Christmas gifts.

Jewelry display in a stall at Union Square

Moroccan Lamps

Awesome driving gloves

Katja contemplating dinner

We even spent some time at my sister’s, including New Years Eve.

The Metropolitan Museum and Resevoir from my sister's balconey

A New Year's Eve Moon

Happy 2012!

That being said, I’m going to move this blog over to either WordPress (which I already use to write this) or blogspot. Anyone have opinions on either??

~Robin

What’s up?

The Clay Biddle Design Etsy Shop!

That’s right.  I’ve decided I’m so bad at time-managing my own projects, that I should go ahead and get my mother’s business into the 21st century!

Tile Gift Set

So go check out the new shop and buy something!

~Robin

(PS- did you notice the picture taken with my fancy new camera??  Still learning it, but so far I’m loving my Canon Eos Rebel T3 D1100!)

Since my mother is an interior designer, I’ve done nothing for the past few days but look at design blogs.  Ever since the advent of the Jonathan Adler Age of Modern Design, the chevron print and its variations (see: Missoni Flame Stitch items for Target) have been on the rise.  I love that a little bit of chevron print can go a long way to adding some serious punch and attitude to a room.

This time around I decided to try my hand at making a Treasury of some of my favorite pieces from around Etsy (and how fantastic is that hot pink pillow???):

‘Chevron is Heavron’ by digthisbird

A little Chevron goes a long way…. but what a way it is! I love using this bold print for a fantastic pop of color and vigor!

Pattern Letterpress Statione… PurpleInkPress $8.50	personalized note cards stat… naomilynn $13.00	The FLEUR Clutch in Apple Gr… ao3designs $68.00
Bird PIllow. Yellow chevron … urbanfringe $33.50	Chevron Decor set of 5 Itali… MeadowTea $30.00	NEW Chevron Square Monogramm… PencilShavings… $56.00
Chevron High Waisted Skirt OhSewDainty $32.00	Going to the South West – na… melaniefavreau $70.00	Big Chevron – Hand Carved St… creatiate $9.00
Icy Blue Chevron oblong clut… foundbymarie $35.00	Pair of 2 Chevron Stripe Des… WillaSkyeHome $64.00	Hand Block Printed Yellow Ch… whitenest $6.00
Brass Chevron Necklace. Geom… paperfacestudi… $26.00	Chevron Dinner Plate – Aedri… AedrielOrigina… $23.00	Yellow and White Chevron Clu… OceanPearlBags $25.00
Drum Lamp Shade in a Pink an… LampShadeDesig… $65.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

~Robin

Friday I got together with two of my bestfriends since middle school, and went to see an off-off Broadway play created and directed by a school friend of ours, Jeremy Bloom (and his creative collaborators Brian Rady and Laura Dunn).  The play was The Orange Person.  I’m always wary of off-off Broadway, but I was pleasantly surprised by this show.  It was low budget, but quaint and welcoming like a well staged Williamsburg loft.  The story itself, while an original premise (the story of a boy born bright orange in a small Texas border town), was pretty predictable.  And while I found the actor playing The Orange Person himself a little over-the-top in his acting and singing style, the rest of the cast was pretty fantastic.  The real standout was the girl playing The Orange Person’s mother, who I believe was Catherine Sullivan.  Her voice went from giving Adele a run for her money to ghostly and ethereal.  I will be first in line to buy her album if she ever creates one.

Horn of Plenty Table at The Orange Man.

Catherin Sullivan looks on as Brian Rady ends the show

And it was awful nice that they offer $5 bottomless wine before the show starts.

Saturday night I took over a couple couches at The Belgian Room in Alphabet City for a late celebration of my birthday, and got to see my favorite Kallie of Happy, Honey, and Lark (bar was too dark for any pictures).

But before The Boyfriend and I headed downtown for that, we spent our afternoon at Petco.  I cried a little because I desperately wanted to adopted this cat Chippie whose personality reminded me of my dearly departed Smudge, and Tom reminded how allergic I was to Smudge after 18 years, and how much I detest cat hair.  Nevertheless, It makes me so sad knowing that there are so many lovely cats and dogs in NYC that end up being euthanized due to lack of funds or space to keep them happy and healthy.

So, moving away from that topic, we got Fish!

Boyfriend introducing the fish to their new home

The Fish inspecting their reflections

The Fish are as of yet unnamed.  I’ve suggest Laurel and Hardy or Morkam and Wise, while Boyfriend insists on British naval battles or admirals.  Clearly we are at an impasse.  Our little 15¢ Comets seem to enjoy their fancy-schmancy feng shui aquarium, complete with live plants and tiki gods!

Tiki God you make me shake you make me shiver

Certainly better than that sad tank at Petco where they keep 200+ comets all together.

~Robin

Our booth at the Tag Sale

DigThisBird's little section of our booth

Prints and Chickens

I have a feeling the sale would have been a lot more successful if the weather gods hadn’t decided that we should get 6″ of snow, 2 days before Halloween.  Nevertheless, it was great to get out and about with other designers!