Calamity Kim

Spoiled Rotten Calamity

The big adventure to Tampa on Sat was wonderful!

After walking around Anthropologie and looking at everything twice I finally decided to use my Sister's gift cards on this bag.

It has embroidery and is large enough to carry my knitting.

The embroidery is great and it has a little bling that isn't too trailer park. They only had about 4 different bags; not a great selection compared to the last time I was there. The whole store was less filled and the displays were all different and I only took photos of the front windows.

They were filled with flowers made from soda bottles and mounted on bike wheels.

Really incredible display that must have taken months to make. I can't even imagine getting that many bottles together, more or less cutting and airbrushing them!

Their windows always make you stand back and say, ahhhh.

I didn't buy a whole lot but I got things that I loved, like this badger pillow.

OK, to explain my love for this pillow- Not only do I love the combination of graphics and embroidery but it reminds me of the Badger in The Fantastic Mr Fox and Bill Murray voiced the badger and I have a small thing for Bill Murray, especially his performances in Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters, CaddyShack, Lost in Translation and Zombieland.

I know I make flower rose pins but this one was just too pretty to pass up.

The most expensive tea towel I have ever owned.

This one was 24.99, usually the ones I buy are 18.00 or on sale but I picked this one because the birds could be me & my sister.

I love the embroidery and applique.

I have been wanting one of these red cap mushroom plates and finally bought one. I think I am totally spoiled rotten, don't you? Yeah, I know. I have lots of stuff and now I have even more stuff! Imagine if you had every possession you had ever owned in your life- NOW that would be a whole lotta stuff! I do purge on occasion and have minimized it to only things I truly love left in my house.

I also bought some raw fleece to wash from eBay and some new fabric from Ikea.

This is very thick, almost like canvas and will be great for bags.

I had to have this because it looks like Godzilla is attacking Swedish Asian chicks! I wish I knew the story behind that fabric!

I also bought a sheepskin to put on my chair when I spin.

Spoiled, right?

So I had a wonderful birthday and Valentine's Day. We saw The Wolfman yesterday, which I totally enjoyed except for a few editing blunders it was pretty good. I think I will always love the original more but I can see this becoming a cult classic, maybe the extended director's cut will be better when it comes out on DVD. The costumes, sets and actors were all fine and there were scary moments that made you jump. The Wolf was pretty fierce- he was ripping off heads and disemboweling folks right and left- much nastier than the original and of course Sir Anthony Hopkins plays malicious and evil like no one else. I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I'll quit there.

This week is another busy one and I will be volunteering at the Sewing Expo on Thurs, Fri & Sat in Tampa. I hope to get started on my row for the Row 10 Group I'm in over at Flickr. Feb is my month and a few of the quilters have already started my rows which were all about red cap mushrooms, gnomes, snails and mushroom houses.

This is by Lucinda:

and this is by Laura J:

 and this block is by Sarah:

I am blessed to have such talented friends! The Group is about making a quilt row for someone each month and there are 10 people in the group so there will be 10 rows. I can't wait to see all the finished quilts after this year is over- it will be amazing! Like a virtual Quilting Bee! If only my Grandmother was alive to see the quilts and quilts shops out there now. She would be so happy.

Anyway, I hope you all had a happy weekend and thanks for dropping by.

Gotta get busy!

xo,

Calamity Kim

Day Tripping with Calamity Kim- or Anthropologie is Almost Heaven and only an hour away!

OK, maybe I should go make a cup of Earl Grey Lavender Tea and come back.
The pictures are still loading in Flickr...
I'll be right back.
Talk amongst yourselves.
That's better!
 Now I can share the fine adventure I had yesterday with "Mr Wonderful".
We went to Tampa- first to Hyde Park to visit the Anthropologie Store for me and then to Sam Ash Music for him.
It was a wonderful day.
Really, it was!
Sometimes I call him Mr Krabbs but yesterday he was Mr Awesome.
Even when we were lost and had to turn around multiple times and consult the gps he was patient!
We went to "my store" first and it was ______ (insert either awesome, wonderful or fabulous here)- forgive me if I continue to repeat those three adjectives when describing Anthropologie.
It's difficult to explain what a shopping experience in Anthropologie is like but I'll give it my best shot- maybe you should get a cup of tea too- I'll wait.

It's located in a sweet little area known as Hyde Park (on Dakota Ave) and we had a pleasant walk to get there.
The weather was perfection and trees were blooming-
no, wait, I said BLOOMING!!!
that's better!
and we saw cool old fashioned red telephone booths near the park...
As we got nearer to Anthropologie there was a few faded chalk drawings on the sidewalk and I could barely contain my excitement!
Did I say it was a terrific day?
Anthropology is renowned for its fabulous
window displays and I wasn't disappointed.
As you enter and look to the right there is a giant bee hive made from waxed tissue over a chicken wire framework with bit o honey wrappers used in layers with the tissue. It hung from a branch made from paper mache with paper leaves. so cool.
This kind of creativity makes my blood pressure start to rise.
The front wall was covered with stucco and made to look like a garden grotto with ferns and moss.
I was so glad they allowed photography!
 The sales assistants were super nice and only a few of the shoppers looked at me strangely. I'm used to a few sideways glances so I didn't care! Nothing could dampen my enthusiasm.
We had walked all around and I made my purchases and then, while Mr Super Husband was sitting on a sofa, waiting ever so patiently,  I walked back around taking my pictures.
love the faux bois table and stools.
these were display items only- I think- I couldn't reach them but- I recognized the work from the American Craft Council show I saw this year- these are designed and made by Jim Mullan of "Mullanium".
you know I love everything they sell.

They use cool stuff to decorate the different sections of the store and most of the walls and floor and counter was concrete- very cool- with old wood beams and stones on the floor.
The honey combs were made from cardboard and layers of paper bag and tissue melted with wax paper. They really glowed like stained glass in the afternoon sun.
I didn't buy much- but I did get a few things.
The tea pot, creamer and sugar chickens were regular $48 bucks and I got them on sale for 19.95. I love the happy colors and every time I look at it I will be reminded of my marvelous day in Tampa.
The mushroom salt & peppers were on sale for $3.95 so of course I had to get them. The K mug is from my trip to Anthropologie in Naples (no camera that day!).
Here's the whole small cupboard with the aqua "Butterprint" pattern Pyrex I have been collecting for a few years and a cherry pie and some tin cans of soup.
This bird container has a candle with wet meadow grass fragrance- I bought it yesterday too, couldn't resist though it was regular price and probably the most expensive candle I have ever bought ($16) but the container will last forever- right?
I took everything off both cupboards after breakfast and dusted and rearranged everything and then took these pics.
The lighting in there is never really bright and I don't like using the flash so forgive the darker images. It's the best I can do without asking Mr Wonderful to help.
that's with the flash. so's that
I bought this cup too yesterday and just love the design- I must be secretly European or something cause I have a thing for Dutch shoes, English tea time, Scandinavian gnomes, German bears and fairy tales,and Irish Linens and Italian, Chinese and Mexican foods!
Maybe I am just an international kinda gal- my ancestors are Italian, Scottish and Cherokee. That must be it!
I even cleaned off the top of the fridge!
Amazing!
Now I have to go do dishes and fold laundry- at least I have some fine and happy memories to keep me company!
 Oh, and this guy...
who makes me laugh and is very patient with me most of the time...
it ain't easy! (Most of the time I am a hot mess, as they say down south!)
 As we came back home (over the skyway bridge- thank goodness it was dark!) I nearly broke his arm holding on tight- I will probably never get over that fear of heights, but it's better in the dark cause you can't see how high up in the air you are!
so there ya go- a fine adventure- he had fun at Sam Ash Music center and bought a keyboard stand and some blah blah blah that he needed- I don't care- I went over to Fresh Market and had fun buying clementine oranges and rose water and other fancy stuff.
 The waldorf chicken salad is delightful.
I'll be doing some more work on the table runner after my chores are done and will show some progress when I make some- and I will show pictures of the completed handbag soon too-
have a happy remainder of the day!
xo,
calamity kim