I'm back

Steelers shirt - Brandon's circa 1979, blazer - Forever 21, shorts - American Apparel, belt - clothing exchange, bag - thrifted, shoes - Sperry Top-Sider

Took a blog hiatus and now I'm back like NFL football.

During the past few weeks, I've been all over the place: Spain - Pittsburgh - Girard, Ohio, and along the way I've picked up a few things and have been inspired. I'll be posting pics of Spain soon enough, but in the meanwhile, one of my favorite things about taking a 2+ week vacation is thinking about what I want to learn and make. When I went with my friend Laura to Oaxaca, Mexico back in 2005, I remember coming back and reading up on honey bees, ants and quantum physics. This time around, here's what I want to learn:

Crochet

My friend Kelly who lives in Spain has these beautiful towels that a neighbor made for her birthday. I really like this idea of taking a plain towel, dishcloth or hand towel, and crocheting the ends with a pretty lace pattern. I have no idea where I'm going to learn how to do this, but hopefully one of these yarn stores in Portland can help me.

Teacup Candles

Occasionally I read Cupcakes and Cashmere blog. For the most part, it's pretty boring, but every once in awhile she has some decent ideas like this teacup candle. Although this wasn't something I saw in Spain, I was inspired to get together with friends to make things. So get ready friends, we're going to make some candles.

Spanish Civil War and Christopher Columbus

One of my favorite things to do while traveling is to read the country's condensed history in a Lonely Planet book. I discovered some fascinating information about Spain from both Lonely Planet book and talking to Kelly.
For instance, Christopher Columbus died alone and broke, and George Orwell fought in the Spanish Civil War. I hope to find a biography about Christopher Columbus that has more to do about the end of his life and less about when he sailed the ocean blue. For the Spanish Civil War, Brandon bought Homage to Catalonia, which I hope to read when he's finished with it. The Spanish Civil War is an interesting topic - much is still not talked about today.

Simplify

Life in Spain is good, and you don't need very much. Just some bread, olive oil and of course lots of wine. There's something to be said for that. So often I try to use up every little spice and condiment in my kitchen to make a meal, when in reality if I have good quality ingredients, I don't need to drown it in Lawry's seasoning. Maybe it's easier said right now while tomatoes are in season, but I hope to keep it simple.