Cabin in the City

Books, cats and midwestern charm.

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Fix Me Up // My Stitch Fix Experience

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I mentioned in my small goals post for this month that I was on the hunt for the *perfect* first day of work outfit. After spending the last year in a very casual office, I wanted some new work gear (and to treat myself a bit). I spent a lot of time scrolling my favorite sites and shopping my favorite stores for a new ensemble only to find that nothing appealed.

I was beginning to think I’d have to start a new job in an outfit I already owned – horror of horrors! Since my favorite stores and my closet were both failing me, I knew I needed help. I needed real professional style help, so I started exploring Stitch Fix.

At first I was extremely wary. How could a quiz and a few sentences encapsulate my desired style aesthetic? Would the stylist ever understand how much I hate cold shoulder tops? Could they even know how hard it is for me to find a pencil skirt? Would it be worth risking the $20 styling fee? In the end, I realized that in order to get new clothes that suited my new purpose, I needed to expand my horizons. And having a professional scouting merchandise that I couldn’t find on my own would be a an option worth exploring.

When the box arrived, I was nervous. WOULD IT BE WORTH IT? I opened the box and was pleasantly surprised by the first item: a kelly green blouse with lace detail on the shoulders. Um, wow. OK. This isn’t bad. It was actually gorgeous. Then I pulled out the textured A-line skirt with a Greek key-style pattern. This is so me. Next was a bright violet blouse with a slight ruffly bell sleeve at the elbow. HOW DID THEY MAKE ME LIKE BELL SLEEVES?! Last were a black and white polka dot blouse and a pencil skirt with a crochet overlay. Umm, close but no cigar. This shirt looks like something by best friend’s mom would wear, and this skirt is going to make me look like a stuffed sausage.

And then I tried everything on. The A-line skirt, the green top and the violet shirt were all home runs. I stared at the polka dot blouse and evil pencil skirt. I had to at least try them, even though I was certain they’d be garbage. Once I had the shirt on, I came around to it. It struck me as a bit career-y, but I suppose that was really the point. Then I put the skirt with it. I held my breath (really because I thought I’d have to suck it in). To my complete and total surprise, it fit, and it fit well. And the black on black detail was banging. Looking at everything, I was really pleased, especially because of the mix-and-match potential.

And just like that I was sold.

I purchased all five items, which came with a nice bonus: 25% off the whole box. It ended up costing me a little over $200, and I felt that was pretty reasonable for five really nice items.

I realize that this is only one box’s worth of items and that my request for clothes for a fun, creative job might have been a softball, BUT I’m still thrilled with the result. The process saved me a lot of time while exposing me to styles I wouldn’t normally consider but really enjoyed. And now instead of one ho-hum outfit of my own making, I have a mini collection of pieces from which to draw for my new gig.

So if you’re considering Stitch Fix, I obviously encourage you to try. Tell ’em Lisa sent you.

• • •

P.S. I know it’s pretty lame to post this review and not actually include any photos of me in the outfits. I’m a lame person. But I’d rather you hear how about how cool I thought this was than wait forever for me to have one decent photo.

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Spooky Hoops // What’s New in Kaminski Handicraft

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It’s no secret that I’m all about spooky things here on this blog – or embroidery for that matter. So it’s not really a surprise that I’ve combined the two for a few scary shop updates at Kaminski Handicraft.

My first hoop is a real pride and joy piece for me. I dabbled with a new text style and new colors to make this Beetlejuice hoop. As a kid I loved Lydia Deetz, so this one is close to my heart. Plus, I feel like the red rose fabric (major heart eye emojis) and metallic black hoop scream Lydia.

For those looking for a more obvious Halloween-theme, I obviously had to tap into my 90s childhood for a Hocus Pocus hoop. It’s really a shame that this one doesn’t photograph that well, but I think it’s bewitching nonetheless. Bonus: the fabric glows in dark. Super cool.

And of course, Halloween would not be complete for me without some X-Files references. For those of you keeping track, Michael and I won a costume contest last year dressing up as Mulder and Scully. We’re way into it. And I’m way into these hoops! You can find them here and here.

For those interested parties, get these hoops now! I ship them out pretty quickly (within three days), but who doesn’t want to celebrate Halloween sooner than later?

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Small Goals // September 2017

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Welcome back to Small Goals! Let’s see how I did on last month’s goals.

  1. Get my summer reading list together. Done! I’ll let you know if anything is worth checking out.
  2. Get a few more designs whipped up for Kaminski Handicraft. Happy to report that this is also done! I added this Yes to staying in more! design, an X-Files hoop and a Beetlejuice hoop.
  3. Apply for the Crafty Fair. I applied for this, and unfortunately I didn’t make the cut. I also applied to Hover Craft in Milwaukee, but I won’t hear back until September 11.
  4. Get my stitching in order. Yes! My fabric and floss combinations are all in writing (finally).
  5. Clean, like really clean, my bathtub. Done. I’m pretty happy with how this turned out. The tub looks 95% cleaner and all it took was a half hour, some elbow grease and $5 for supplies.

5/5. I feel good about this past month! I had a whole week of vacation tucked in there and I still managed.

Let’s move on to September. I hate to see summer wind down, but I really love the fall. I’m going to take it easy on myself this month because – drum roll – I’m starting a new job! This is a task on its own, so I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself to accomplish a lot outside of work. Also, I’ll share more about that later!

  1. Find the perfect first-day outfit. I’ve bought a new interview outfit for every post-college job I’ve had – except for my new one. I’m going to treat myself to a new first day outfit instead.
  2. Clean up my wardrobe. Looking in my drawers and closet recently I realized that a lot of my clothes are under- or over-worn. It’s time to trim down my t-shirt collection and get rid of sweaters that have seen better days. I’m not going to go full-on Kondo by any means, but if I can get rid of a laundry basket full, I’ll be happy.
  3. Find a suitable 70th birthday gift for my dad. My dad likes simple things: new zip-front sweatshirts, Elvis memorabilia and anything he can take camping. Those aren’t going to cut it for a milestone birthday like this. I’m making it my mission to find something special for his 70th.
  4. Paint the cabin’s shutters. Our family cabin (OK – it’s a mobile home) is looking a little worse for wear due to its bleached out shutters. I want to spruce the place up and paint the shutters a fresh shade of Blue Midnight.
  5. End the mattress shopping saga. Earlier this year, I upgraded our full-size mattress to a queen. I was convinced after limited research and limited understanding about my own sleep needs that a Purple mattress was going to perfect for Michael and me. It was impossibly firm. So I ordered a Cocoon by Sealy. Still way too firm. It’s time to put this problem to rest. PUN INTENDED.

Alright, that’s all, folks! See you in October.

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Small Goals // August 2017

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Predictably, July went by quick just like any other summer month. Let’s see how I did on my goals.

  1. Take some time up north. Done! Michael and I went up to our cabin the very first weekend in July. My oldest friend Amanda and her husband came to visit, and we did some of my favorite tacky tourist things in the Wisconsin Dells. We also had a very good fire. I also learned that gin and tonics are amazing. WHO KNEW?
  2. Deepen my tarot practice. Did not even touch this. I spent a few weeks this month in a kind of stress spiral. I was tempted to shuffle the cards for some insight, but I thought all that anxiety wouldn’t yield the best reading.
  3. Sew a dress from Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book. Didn’t get into this one either. To make matters worse, I bought even more summer fabric for another TBD dress. What is wrong with me?
  4. Get back on the horse with my Great American Baking Challenge.  Back on the horse! I tried my hand at making dinner rolls over the 4th of July weekend and then focaccia the next weekend. I think they turned out really well!
  5. Visit the Hoyt Park beer garden. Maybe I should have been less specific with this goal. I didn’t visit the Hoyt Park beer garden, but I did visit the one at Estabrook and I learned how to play kubb. Does this count? Half a point?

2.5/5. Overall, not super great, especially after I went 5/5 in June. I did kind of fall into an anxiety pit mid-month and lost control of my schedule a bit, and that definitely impacted how I spent my time. You can’t win them all, so let’s move on to August.

  1. Get my summer reading list together. I know what you’re thinking: it’s August and you’re starting a summer reading list? I am! Every year my mom, aunts, sisters and I head way up north for a week. In this week, I typically read a half dozen books, so it’s time to search out some titles and get my library requests in.
  2. Get a few more designs whipped up for Kaminski Handicraft. I added a few new designs to my Etsy shop last month and had some success. But I want to round out my shop with some new pieces. I’ve got some commissions in the pipeline, so maybe those will inspire some new work.
  3. Apply for the Crafty Fair. I saw via Instagram that the Crafty Fair in Madison is taking applications. I know I’m not as up on my game as a lot of other participants, but everyone has to start somewhere. Once I get those designs done, I might stand a chance!
  4. Get my stitching in order. I’ve been making a little headway on Etsy selling out of a few designs (this blerg! hoop is particularly popular). But every time I start to stitch a new one, I’m searching for an old pattern to trace and the right shade of floss. I think it’s time to get those things written down and organized. And maybe I can get some new office supplies to make it fun. (I love love love office supplies.)
  5. Clean, like really clean, my bathtub. Clean your bathtub, Lisa? Really? Yes! I’ve been working toward updating our bathroom for a while now, and the project is getting bigger all the time. One issue that I’ve run into is whether to replace our old porcelain tub with a new fiberglass one or not. Well, new tubs are pretty expensive and fiberglass isn’t as durable as porcelain, so I’d like to try to get the existing tub into fighting shape. It can’t be so hard – Nicole Curtis from Rehab Addict cleans up the nastiest tubs all the time. And it turns out that her secret weapon is super cheap and easy to find: Barkeeper’s Friend. Wish me luck!

Here’s hoping that August is a little more productive than July! On to the last (full) month of summer!

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A Great British Baking Show Shop Update

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In case you missed it, The Great British Baking Show is back on PBS! I’ve been biding my time watching Master Class on Netflix, but we all know that’s not the same as the real deal (though Mary Berry is a delight AS ALWAYS).

To capitalize on my own GBBS frenzy, I decided to whip up some hoops inspired by Mel, Sue and my girl Mary. I think they turned out really fun, and I am hoping that there are some folk out there that are living for crafties like these. Also, this fits along with my small goals for June – I wanted to get a handful of non-wedding hoops up in the shop, and I did it!

The most obvious option is, of course, the ready, get set, bake! I think it’s super charming, and I hope it finds a home in someone’s adorable kitchen.

My goal is to capture that cute English garden feel with the fabric choices. I pretty much thought to myself could this be a grandma’s handkerchief or tea towel? as I picked out the fabric. I think that guided me to some pretty good options.

So far these are the only hoops in my GBBO series, but I’m always open to more! If you have any Mary Berry-sims you’d like to see stitched, leave them in the comments! I’d love to expand on this idea!

P.S. I also have other new hoops in the shop (just not baking-related). Check them out!

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Our Blue Ribbon Wedding: Part 3

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I’ve dragged this series out long enough (though you can read parts one and two here)! It’s time to party.

When Michael and I started to plan our wedding, I had decided to dub it The Wedding That Made Milwaukee Famous. I realized later it was a play on the Schlitz slogan, so I then called it a Blue Ribbon Wedding (not that weddings need names). I still think the Schlitz version is funnier. At any rate, the intention for the day was the same: we wanted it to be fun and memorable for us and our guests.

First and foremost, to make it the most Wisconsin wedding possible (outside of it being at a brewery), we hired a polka band. Michael found a two-piece polka outfit, and they did a fantastic job – and, yes, they played, “In Heaven There Is No Beer.” The band was a nice accompaniment to the cocktail hour, not to mention a little something to set our day apart. It ended up being quite the hit, too. A lot of our older relatives made their way onto the dance floor (and schooled everyone), but so many of our younger friends and family got down to a little polka too. It felt really celebratory, and outside of marrying Michael and the sweet solo moments we had together, it was my favorite part of the day. It really captured that joyful feeling. You know, that joyful feeling that only a polka can provide.

The rest of the reception went as all weddings do: food, cake, dancing. Of course I enjoyed every bit of it (especially the cake).

Thanks for staying tuned for our story!

• • •

Again, images are via Bobbie from Roberta Rae Photography + Design. She did such an amazing job capturing the fun, candid moments from our day. Wisconsin folks, I can’t recommend her enough!

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Wedding Season Wedding Hoops

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It’s that time of year, folks: wedding season! That means I’ve been busy stitching up a few custom hoops for lucky couples near and far.

The first wedding of the season was for a family friend’s daughter, and I love this charming little design. It comes together relatively quick and I think it has a bit of fairy tale flourish – perfect for this Disney-loving pair.

I also have a set of twin hoops! Two couples chose this design and color scheme, and I think they look really lovely. Sometimes a design just works, and this is one of them! The second hoop pushed me to my limits – I stitched it up in about three days – but I really wanted these newlyweds to get their wedding gift on time. The USPS pulled through for me, and it was dropped off the day before. Talk about timing!

The pièce de résistance, however, is this completely custom design that I worked on all the way back in April and May. I love working on the designs I have in my shop, but I was really crossing my fingers for a 100% custom request at some point. Lucky for me, this bride’s style harmonized with my own. The invitation she sent me was fun and packed with color – a super fun design to riff off for my sketch. And the style of the lettering and illustration translated easily into embroidery. It was a dream project, and I’m so happy with how it turned out!

Congratulations to all these amazing couples! And feel free to visit my Etsy shop to check out more wedding/anniversary designs (and a few just-for-fun hoops too!).

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Small Goals // July 2017

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My first month of small goals is behind me! Let’s see how I did in June:

  1. Celebrate our second anniversary. Done! Michael and I stayed in Madison for a short weekend. We visited the farmers market, the zoo and hit up the Old Fashioned on the square. Pretty much all my favorite things.
  2. Get the house in order. I got everything I wanted done (with the exception of  slaying the ever-present laundry pile). While the finer points of organization might have eluded me, I think the house looks much better. I’ll call it a win.
  3. Add a few non-wedding items to my Etsy shop. Done! I posted four new designs in my shop this month: a Golden Girls hoop, a 30 Rock hoop and two GBBO hoops. I’m working on a few more and working on replenishing the design I sold out of (yay!). I’ll have a post soon showing you some of these designs plus a few wedding hoops I knocked out!
  4. Visit La Crosse and Eau Claire. Check! Though it was a short trip, I got to see my friends’ new home in La Crosse and caught up with with one of my oldest pals at her baby shower.
  5. Polka at Polish Fest. Done. My dad and I got out on the dance floor for a minute and had a good time (even if we aren’t very good).

5/5. 100% for my first month isn’t too shabby! Let’s keep this momentum going in July!

Since June was pretty busy, I want to focus on slowing down and enjoying some time at home. June was a great month, but between all our busy weekends and trying to put our house back together post-basement repair, I felt like I didn’t get to really bask in the nice, long summer days. To make up for it, I’m trying fill this month with some nice home-based goals that help me unwind a bit.

  1. Take some time up north. Michael’s family has a little place outside the Wisconsin Dells, and I really don’t visit often enough. It’s a great place to relax and super convenient for our Madison-based friends to swing by for the day.
  2. Deepen my tarot practice. Is 2017 the year of tarot? Seems like everywhere I look, someone is getting into reading, including myself. After a few classes and my art show, I got really interested in it. So this month I want to dedicated more of the symbolism to memory, which means I have to actually read the books I got and start practicing!
  3. Sew a dress from Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book. I cut out a basic day dress from this book all the way back in February because I was excited about summer sewing. Apparently not too excited because the pieces are folded up in a box right now. So it’s time to stitch this baby up and get a few wears out of it!
  4. Get back on the horse with my Great American Baking Challenge. I’ve been keeping up with this challenge, but the last two months I picked pretty easy recipes (key lime and banana cream pies) that didn’t really challenge me too much. I’m thinking about trying my hand at some bread recipes. We’ll see.
  5. Visit the Hoyt Park beer garden. We live pretty darn close to a nice beer garden. While we do make our fair share of trips there throughout the summer, Michael and I typically only go when we’ve got friends visiting from places that don’t have beer gardens (which, it turns out, is most places outside of Milwaukee and Germany). So I’m hoping to convince Michael to take a walk down there one evening and just relax. It’s really a nice place to spend an evening.

Let’s see if I can do 5/5 two months in a row! What are your July goals?

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Our Blue Ribbon Wedding: Part 2

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I covered the very basics of our wedding day in my last post, but I wanted to share a little more about our ceremony and other sweet things about the day.

I’m not sure if I can pick out a favorite moment of the day because when you plan your own wedding, you’re essentially coordinating a day filled with all your favorite things. It’s hard to pick the best parts when it’s all the best, but I will say that one of the most heartwarming moments outside of the ceremony itself, was our “first look.” Our photographer Bobbie perfectly executed this part of the day, and it made for some really sweet pictures. I didn’t include them all because I’m ugly crying in a good amount of them, but I’m glad to have them.

I’ll also say that I’m a huge advocate of the first look/pre-ceremony photo shoot. From a planning perspective, it eliminates that awkward gap between ceremony and reception (I really hate that gap – what is everyone supposed to do?). Plus it allows you and your guests to ride that warm ceremony energy right into the reception. You just got married – you want to go celebrate, not stand in a field for two hours while everyone parties without you! But I also loved the first look because it really captured that moment in its entirety. I think it can be tricky from a photographer’s perspective to get those reaction shots in a crowded ceremony space. And, for me, I liked having the opportunity to spend some time with just Michael before we walked down the aisle. We both can be nervous people, so I think seeing one another first really calmed our nerves. I really can’t recommend this strategy (and the moment) enough.

When it came to the ceremony, I thought it was flawless. Michael, his parents and the wedding party (all two of them), walked down the aisle to the Decemberists’ “The Crane Wife 3.” Our first date was a Decemberists concert, so it was incredibly fitting, plus, I think the tune itself built up perfect wedding anticipation. I walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of “Morning Has Broken” because my parents and I are all big Cat Stevens fans.

The ceremony itself was nondenominational and really lovely. We had religious and literary readings, and we planted a birch tree together (sort of a nature-lover’s unity candle). And I ugly cried (again) during our vows. I could not help it. Michael is not an overly demonstrative person, so the second I saw him tear up, the floodgates opened. My friends were kind enough to not make fun of my weird gasp-sob.

We topped it all off with “Don’t Worry, Baby” by the Beach Boys because that’s Michael’s all-time favorite band and it has that happy ending feel (I mean, have you seen Never Been Kissed?). That part just sort of makes my heart soar.

I’ll be back soon with one more installment of this much belated series.

• • •

As always, credit to Bobbie from Roberta Rae Photography + Design. She did such an amazing job capturing the most tender moments of our wedding day. Wisconsin folks, I highly recommend her!

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Our Blue Ribbon Wedding

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Considering how much I loved our wedding and the photos of it (and still do!), it’s sort of a shock that I had never really shared that much about it on the blog – especially since I did not hesitate to spout off a handful of anxiety-ridden planning posts. But you live, learn and then write about it two years after the fact.

To set the stage for you, the year was 2015: Barack Obama was still in office, Jon Stewart was still hosting The Daily Show and I was scouring Goodwills on the reg for the best vintage teacups. On June 12, Michael and I tied the knot at the Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery in front of 90 of our most beloved family and friends.

First and foremost, let’s talk about the location. The Best Place is a total and complete treasure. It has that Old World charm with a heavy dose of Midwestern-meets-German flair that I really appreciate. In fact, when I first visited the Best Place for their annual Christkindlmarket, I told my mom in passing that it would be a great place to get married. I thought that such an incredible place would be out of the question – I mean only the fanciest of fancy people could afford such a place! – so the fact that it was attainable and we actually could book it with less than six months notice was a miracle to me. And in the end, it really set the stage for a beautiful day. The stone courtyard and wood-paneled dining room really added a certain warmth and character to our day, and I’m so thankful we got to celebrate there.

Many of these photos, though, are taken kitty-corner from the Best Place at the Brewhouse Inn & Suites. Also a part of the old Pabst complex, the hotel had old school bones topped off with really modern and stylish decor. It made for a really lovely and relaxing place to get ready for the day. The prep part was fairly quick, so when I say “getting ready,” I mean putting on my dress and eating chicken tenders.

My dress, like the location, was also an incredibly lucky find. For the uninitiated, getting a dress from a traditional bridal salon means that you can expect your dress six to ten months after you order. So when I walked in with four months to spare, I had very few options. Lucky for me, some bride out there ordered a lovely Wtoo gown and decided against it, so I got a brand new dress for a (relative) steal. Besides it being my style, it was a lovely lightweight thing that didn’t slow me down for a second while I shoved my face with cake and danced a few polkas.

I’ll be back soon with more details about our ceremony and reception!

• • •

Also, huge credit to Bobbie from Roberta Rae Photography + Design. She did such an amazing job capturing the spirit of our wedding day. Wisconsin folks, I highly recommend her!