Cabin in the City

Books, cats and midwestern charm.

Life

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Small Goals // June 2017

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A girl’s gotta have goals, amirite? That’s why I’m going to follow the lead of Nicole from Writes Like a Girl and start sharing a list of monthly goals. I like seeing what people are up to, I like checking off lists and accomplishing tasks – this series is no brainer, right?

So let’s start with my small goals for June.

  1. Celebrate our second anniversary – Last year we really celebrated our anniversary in a big way in Jamaica. Not every year is a vacation year, but every year is a reason to celebrate.
  2. Get the house in order – Since the basement got tore up from the floor up, we’ve been living in quite the mess. You can’t move in our house without tripping over a box for Goodwill, a piece of furniture that’s on its way out or just general clutter. I hope to remedy that so we can get back on track with a clean(-ish) home.
  3. Add a few non-wedding items to my Etsy shop – I recently made a Golden Girls hoop for my shop, and I really love how it turned out. I hope to add a few more fun pieces like it this month. I want to shoot for four more, but I’d be happy with three!
  4. Visit La Crosse and Eau Claire – I’ve got friends up both ways with new homes (and one with a baby on the way!). It’s been too long since I visited, so I’m hoping to stop by and say hey all in one weekend.
  5. Polka at Polish Fest – My dad and I started going to Polish Fest together about ten years ago. Now, it’s a family affair and the perfect way to celebrate Father’s Day. I’m hoping I can con Michael into a polka before I stuff myself with too many pierogis.

Alright, folks! Let’s see how I do this month! I have good feelings about the fun stuff, and hopefully enough frustrated energy to accomplish the home stuff. I’ll see you back here in July with an update (and before that with other posts!).

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The Wedding So Nice We Did It Twice

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We tied the knot, folks! Yes, again.

You’re probably wondering why. I’ll tell ya: When Michael and I got married almost two years ago, we had a non-denominational ceremony (NO REGRETS). But as good Catholic kids, we thought it would be nice to follow through on the sacramental side of things too, if not for the Jesus points, at least to make our families happy.

So we arranged a small ceremony at my great-aunt’s convent down in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin. This was a great honor because very few people get permission to get married there, and also because so many exceptional women dedicated their time to make it a really memorable day. One sister even volunteered to play the Irish harp during the ceremony, which was a real treat. Visiting the convent there is a really wonderful reminder of what sisterhood can do and this day in particular reminded me of how lucky we are to have so many people that love and care about us.

After the brief ceremony, we enjoyed cake, the beautiful patio and an A+ playlist chock full of Sister Act tracks (could not help myself). I have to say this part of the day was flawlessly coordinated thanks to my aunt Pat and Sister Mary Ellen (and I’m certain a handful of helpers). Sitting back with a wedge of cake and catching up with a few of the sisters was really wonderfully relaxing. It was nice to be able to share the day not only with our fams, but some of the sweetest well-wishers around.

After we stuffed ourselves with cake, we did the logical thing: stuffed ourselves with dinner. We hit up Caroline’s Restaurant inside the Hotel Julien in Dubuque, Iowa (just over the Mississippi River from the convent). Michael and I capped off the whole affair in the hotel’s lounge where I had an exceptional Bee’s Knees.

One of my favorite parts of the day, though, exchanging gifts with Michael pre-ceremony – we wanted to do something special since we already had wedding rings. I went the practical yet sappy route, getting Michael a tie clip with his initials on the front and a secret Beach Boys message on the back  (OK OK – it says “God only knows what I’d be without you”). Michael, though, knocked it out of the park with this wonderfully weird UFO ring from Little Rooms. The guy just gets me.

Overall, I feel incredibly lucky to have shared this day with my fam and some special nuns. I’m also obscenely fortunate to get to marry the dude of my dreams twice over.

Also I realize I never shared photos from my actual wedding (other than a few here and there). Maybe I’ll do that soon.

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The Stars Align: Tarot Art Show

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Once in a while, the universe does me some wonderful and mysterious favors. And more rarely, the universe does me some wonderful, mysterious and coordinated favors.

Proof? A few months back, I wanted to get a little more serious about my interest in tarot. I had been envisioning embroidering tarot cards for some time – as a for fun, witchy woman sort of thing – but didn’t really want to go at it until I knew more about tarot readings and what the cards symbolize. I expressed some interest in this to some friends one day – less than a week later I got an email from my local yoga studio advertising an upcoming tarot workshop. That’s some great timing.

But then just a few days after the class, I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram and I saw that an artist I follow, Lesley Numbers, posted a final call for artists for her art show. Her tarot-themed art show. HOLY SHIT.

Talk about the stars aligning, right?

Lucky for me, Lesley still had cards available to assign. Through the powers of divination and random assignment, I was given the Knight of Cups. I obviously took this as a sign and immediately googled its meaning. Just like drawing the Fool, it turns out the Knight of Cups had some relevant messages for me. The Knight of Cups can symbolize energy and drive (but in a controlled and peaceful way) as well as creativity. Ummmm… is it just me that sees that card as the perfect parallel for this project? Tarot is real, everyone.

With this assignment and metaphysical encouragement, I got to work embroidering my most complex project yet: the traditional Smith-Waite Knight of Cups. It took about 40 hours to complete (and some really sore fingers), and I think it turned out really well! I’m pretty proud of this one.

Some of the really lovely cards on display in the Bubbler inside Madison’s Central Library.

For all you locals, you can see my work in-person, along with cards from 150+ artists, at The Bubbler inside Madison’s Central Library now through the end of April. And if you’re really into this idea, you can attend the opening on Friday, April 14 – there will be other works on view, including some from Lesley Numbers herself, the library’s artist in residence. You can find all the details about the event here.

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Introducing… Kaminski Handicraft

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In my last post I made mention of new and exciting embroidery projects and how they were keeping me pretty busy. Well, it’s true! I do have some fun embroidery news to share!

After literal years of saying I would, I opened my Etsy shop! Say hello to Kaminski Handicraft!

Kaminski Handicraft sells custom embroidery pieces to celebrate life’s special occasions: weddings, anniversaries, new babies and more! I have a handful of standard designs that are ready to customize, and I’m also open to all sorts of design-to-order work to match invitations, websites and whatever else comes my way.

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit that I first wrote about this idea here all the way back in 2015, but that’s OK! I’ve got a few more hoops under my belt and a few more designs to pop into the shop!

Thanks for checking Kaminski Handicraft out. I’ll be adding more styles in the future, and – who knows – maybe a few non-special occasion hoops (looking at you, Golden Girls quotes). 😉

P.S. You can follow this new venture on Instagram: @kaminskihandicraft.

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The Great American Baking Resolution

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As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been making resolutions galore this year – cutting out soda (thanks to my dentist for that one), eating less fried food (sorry, Culver’s) and exercising more than never. These are going alright so far (could still be exercising more than once a week).

But not all resolutions or goals need to be boring or difficult or no fun like the ones I listed above. I decided to set a fun goal for myself as well. Inspired by The Great American Baking Show (and the original of course!), I decided to try a new baking skill or recipe every month. I figure if those bakers can try their hands at Battenburg cakes and petit fours, I can give those more challenging desserts a try.

One new recipe a month isn’t overly ambitious, but there’s nothing wrong with an achievable goal. The way I see it, by 2018, I’ll be confident making 12 new recipes. That’s bound to be more than if I just winged it all year, right?

I started this weekend with eclairs. I’m not confident enough in my execution to show off some sort of tutorial, but I was confident enough with the result to bring those (slightly misshapen) beauties to work. It was a good sweet to start with since it challenged me to make two things I’ve never attempted: pâte à choux and crème patisserie. I had always assumed those things would be ultra-complicated, but it turns out they’re really not too difficult. It was a good recipe to launch me into a sweet 2017.

I don’t have my 11 other recipes quite sorted out yet, but I’m planning on French macarons and another type of pastry to really keep me on my toes. If you have any suggestions for what I should bake next, I’d love to hear them!

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The Fool

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Happy belated New Year, friends. I’ve been away for a bit, but I can assure you it’s because I’ve taken up lots of new habits (like trying to bring my lunch to work everyday and not eat every French fry). I’ve also been focusing more on general goals, like spending more time doing things that make me happy and aren’t hours of Netflix.

That is precisely how I ended up taking a tarot class at my local yoga studio. I’ve always been interested in all things new age-y, supernatural and spooky (see here, here and here), so taking this class really wasn’t a big stretch. I was sort of hesitant at first because no one really needs to take a tarot class, but no one needs to spend hours making plastic canvas houses either. So I signed up. I’ve been interested in learning more about tarot for a while but never got too far into my internet research – besides I learn better in-person anyways.

I hopped over to Tosa Yoga on Friday the 13th – a full moon – and sat down to hear what Erika Schreck of Turtle Healing Energy had to say. And I was totally enlightened.

After some basic introductions and an overview of the deck, the instructor had us all ask ourselves What do I need to know right now? as we picked a tarot card from the deck fanned on the floor. As I approached, I saw an end card and was like nah –not the end. But then she called out, “First choice is best choice!” Makes sense for an intuitive sort of craft like tarot. Turns out it also made sense for me!

I drew, as the title will tell you, the Fool. I definitely had sort of a aww really? moment about it. I drew the Fool out of all the 76 cards? But since I was completely uneducated about the whole tarot deck, I had no idea how appropriate this card was.

Erika came by and gently explained its meaning: Fool is the start of the tarot deck – it’s numbered as zero – and the Major Arcana (the cards that are not Wands, Swords, Pentacles or Cups) is essentially the journey of the Fool. This means that the Fool is the start of something – though I may not know exactly what.

She went on to say that if I don’t know what direction to head in, it’s a good time to listen to myself, the world and try to learn a bit more before I start forging a path. That piece of wisdom really struck a chord with me. For some time I’ve been searching for something new – whether that’s opening an Etsy shop, exploring a new career path or maybe none of those things – so hearing that I could be on the cusp of something (rather than stuck) really lifted my spirits.

Truthfully, the whole class lifted my spirits – not just pulling a card that spoke to me. Sitting in the studio for a few hours on a Friday with a bunch of like-minded women really tapped into a few things I love most: learning, sisterhood and all things magical and mysterious. Maybe that’s a little something I needed to learn before I start my journey.

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A Christmas Miracle

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The 90s are back. We all know this. Chokers and combat boots abound. But these are all small bananas compared to my dream 90s comeback trend: velvet.

YES PLEASE. I recall being a child and thinking velvet was the epitome of glamour (it is) and loving every velvet Christmas dress I owned (which was at least three). So early on, the idea of velvet at Christmastime was cemented in my mind. If you want to look fabulous and holiday-ready, you need a velvet dress. Plain and simple.

Except not.

Last year I ordered a plum velvet dress from ModCloth. It was a bust. As was the gold one I tried on at Boston Store. I was disappointed, but I vowed to search again in 2016. I did. I found a beautiful velvet burnout dress – but the keyhole neck was too droopy with the weight of the fabric. But then I saw a blue velvet option from Nordstrom for $58. Oh yes, this would be it! The quest was complete and shipping in two days! But lo! The cutouts looked so stupid on me! My hopes for singing “Blue Velvet” to myself were dashed. So I lurched back to Nordstrom to return another contender. I thought again, next year. I believed that the world did not want me to find a decent velvet dress.

Until I was walking out. There she was: a beautiful long sleeve velvet dress with a skater skirt and flower pattern. Only one in my size left! It was fate. I fell in love quickly. I made plans for this dress: a holiday party! Dinner! Christmas Day!

And we’ve been happily together ever since. A Christmas miracle.

• • •

P.S. I’m not a fashion blogger and my husband is not a fashion photographer, so this is the best we do.

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K.I.S.S. Holiday Traditions

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Anyone that knows me well can tell you that I’m a sucker for traditions. What can I say? I like the routine, the nostalgia and the fuzzy feelings.

But in the past few years, I’ve realized that maintaining every single tradition while simultaneously adding new ones is not realistic. The FOMO of the holidays quickly turns into yuletide burnout, and it’s not fun. So last year I took a new approach: K.I.S.S. Keep it simple, stupid. It’s not the greatest mantra for the holidays, but I like it because it makes me think of this:

Image result for keep it simple stupid the office

Anyways, keeping it simple last year turned out to be exactly what I needed. After running out of gas pretty early in the season, I let myself coast on the traditions that made me feel good while skipping out on others. It was a valuable lesson for me. I learned that focusing on a few things that made me really happy was infinitely more satisfying than maintaining every tradition at the expense of my semi-valuable free time and sanity. And I also learned that foregoing certain traditions to make room for new family is a good thing! And it gives you all sorts of new, positive feels.

In light of this K.I.S.S. revelation, I wanted to share with you a few traditions, both old and new, I’m happy to keep.

THE OLD

Wrapping Gifts

Since I’ve been in high school, I’ve had the tradition that I cannot wrap any presents until December 1. This, I realize, sounds like no big deal. But as someone that really enjoys wrapping and checking things of my list, it’s a big deal and exceptionally satisfying. And when I think of the holidays from that time until now, a lot has changed – living at home, living in dorms, college apartments, a commune (yes, really) – but wrapping gifts December 1 and onward has been a Christmas constant that makes me happy.

Cookies

My mom makes the best Christmas cookies. Period. Since I’ve been a kid, she’s maintained a semi-regular lineup of cookies and candies – spritz, cream cheese pillows, raspberry meringue kisses, ting-a-lings and way more. Many of these recipes come from vintage Wisconsin Electric cookbooks and have been filling Kaminski and Michalek bellies for generations. Making (and eating) this regular roster of treats is a tradition I intend on keeping up with for life.

Crafts

The holidays sort of kick my crafty spirit into high gear. The excitement of the season and the long cozy nights make me feel like sitting down and making something silly – not something useful or essential but just plain fun. It’s not often that you get to add extra glitter to everything, after all. Every year the level of craftiness and the number of projects change, but I always try to make time for a little something. Last year I spent an obscene amount of time on Etsy looking at vintage Christmas plastic canvas books. I never got around to making these little Christmas villages, but this year I’m going full boar into this weird, 80s craft. Plastic canvas is the next big thing, folks. You heard it here first!

THE NEW

The Tree

Growing up, my family always had real trees. I fully anticipated myself having a real tree as an adult because I thought fake ones looked, well, fake. But then I realized there’s a big difference between a fake balsam fir and a fake white, iridescent unicorn tree. When I found mine, I pretty much fell in love with the kitschiness of it all (and the fact I can leave it out until February). Since moving into our home, Michael and I put up the tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving so we get to enjoy it for weeks and weeks.

Crafter Hours

Years ago my friend Kat showed me the putz house DIYs on Retro Renovation’s website, and I immediately called for a crafting party. We’ve created two or three houses each during these post-work, snack-filled get-togethers, and I just loved it. Crafter hours are a good way to catch up with pals while also making some headway on holiday crafts. When you add the snacks, these parties are a win-win-win.

Wrapping Gifts Pt. 2

For the past few years, I’ve volunteered to wrap gifts at a nearby Barnes & Noble. All the proceeds go to the Wisconsin Humane Society. Like I said, I love to wrap gifts, and if I get to do it for a cause I love – all the better.

THE LIKE NEW

Day After Christmas Party

Every year, my great-aunt Mary threw a post-Christmas party at her house (now my home!). I have really fond memories of these shindigs. There’d be pizza or Chinese food, a few games and relatives I hadn’t seen since the prior year. These parties were never elaborate, but they were always a highlight of the Christmas season. Once I moved into our home, I knew I had to keep the tradition alive. So now every December 26, Michael and I host a Mary-inspired soiree with PBR, hot toddies and more cookies than you can fathom. It’s probably my favorite tradition of all.

• • •

To give you an idea of the traditions I’ve forgone, here’s a short list: making handmade watercolor Christmas cards (tedious), crafting every gift for EVERYONE (please stop), spending all day baking a bouche noel (huge time suck) and sewing Christmas outfits (frustration of frustrations).

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Small Steps Forward

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It’s been a heartbreaking few days. I was and am completely devastated by Hillary Clinton’s loss. In the wake of such a complete and utter disaster, it can be difficult to know what to do.

I started by grieving. I woke up Wednesday and sobbed harder than I have in a very long time. It was a time to mourn – mourning for women, the LGBT community, immigrants, Muslim people, disabled folks and anyone that is not a stright, white man; mourning for the future; mourning for Hillary herself. I spent the majority of the day this way. Then I got angry. I couldn’t believe the ignorance of so many. I felt, I’m sure like many of you, and I blamed men, third party voters, the 53% of white women voters and many more people that cast their vote for a racist, mysoginist, xenophobic monster.

And that’s when I decided that I could not sit and grieve forever. I had to channel my grief and anger into something good.

Inspired by Hillary’s speech Wednesday morning – “Never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it ” – I decided to put those words into stitches. Sure, some feminist embroidery isn’t much, but it soothes my soul and hopefully – once I open an Etsy shop with these pieces – the souls of others.

But most importantly, I’m inspired to help. It can be a difficult thing to know where to start in the wake of such defeat, but a good place to start is by donating to a good cause. There are dozens of lists out there of organizations worthy of your time and money – here’s one to start. I encourage all of you to research these causes and give to an organization that means something to you. I just set up a monthly contribution to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, and I already feel about 10% better.

These are very small steps, of course, but they are steps forward nonetheless. To all of you awesome feminists, progresive warriors and woke baes out there, take care of yourselves, get angry and take action.

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The Truth Is Out There

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It is! And by truth I mean “the perfect costume.” That’s right – some real 90s nostalgia, X-Files style. I can’t get enough of this Scully and Mulder getup. It’s too funny to me.

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Michael and I have never been ones for couples’ costumes for no real reason at all, but now being married, we figured it was time to take the leap – provided we had the right kind of couple-y costume. Well, Mulder and Scully is the perfect couple costume, so we embraced it fully. Yes, I’m wearing a long 90s lady blazer. Yes, Michael is wearing pleated suit pants with a cuff. Yes, we wholeheartedly researched what type of ties Mulder wore. And, yes, I was the one that so lovingly styled Michael’s amazing 90s ‘do. I love it all from the flashlight to the phony badges.

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And turns out other people love it too – we won the costume contest at the party we hit up last weekend. Turns out other people want to believe too.

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P.S. You can find our matching Scully and Mulder pins (though they are hard to see) here.