and the sea sure as i

yesterday was the most perfect saturday. we slept in, goofed around (j was playing muppet movie clips on his phone ~ hearing kermit sing the rainbow connection first thing in the morning is a pretty nice way to start the day), made yummy biscuits and peaches for breakfast. then packed up some snacks and sunscreen and drove out to the coast (after stopping halfway for lunch at the *cutest* cafe [wildwood cafe in mcminnville] stuffed full of vintage tables, chairs, signage and hand mixers hanging from the ceiling ~ so cute!).

our destination was the huge kite festival at lincoln city, and it was *amazing*!! the craziest, hugest, most colorful structures i've ever seen way up in the sky. and we got there just in time for the sport kitefliers, which means at one point 6 quad line fliers (four-stringed kites) were flying choreographed to led zeppelin! so great, i didn't even know that was a thing! (you can see more here) seriously, if you ever get the chance to go to a kite festival don't miss it. did you do anything fun this weekend? i'd love to hear about it!

merry happy

i figured out a way to add some *color* to this so-far pretty dreary summer, so as a birthday present to myself, i made... a new bike!!! if you've been following my blog for a while you know that this bike has been through some pretty crazy adventures. unfortunately her look was kinda... blah. so inspired by this blog post (that i tracked down through oh joy!) i made her the most gorgeous bike i've ever seen. ok i'm a little biased, but isn't she adorable?!?

if you're crazy enough to want to do this yourself here's how: get about a yard of pretty fabric (i used this one), scissors, sand paper, matte acrylic gel medium and some small paintbrushes (1" and less). take off the tires and seat, sand everything you want to cover then wipe down with a damp cloth. cut out rough estimate pieces for each part of the bike you want to cover, then glue down a small part to the bike. here comes the super anal part: carefully lay the fabric down, then cut to shape around the bike. this took me probably 5 hours (for 10 parts total). there were lots of weird connections and bumpy bits to work around. good for a detail oriented person like me!

i found the basket at an estate sale for $2 in the perfect turquoise, and i glued the vintage trim on with clear caulk (my other favorite adhesive). for the seat cover, i traced the parts onto paper, then cut out a bath towel to fit the seat, then pinned tightly and machine sewed. i'm not sure if i'm going to keep it on though ~ at this point it kinda reminds me of a muppet (kermit?). we'll see...

warning: if you do this project you will get dirty, tired, covered in glue and bike grease. but having the cutest bike *ever* makes it all worth it :)

whew! k i'm off to enjoy this gorgeous day (my birthday present from mother nature). hope your day is beautiful as well!

ps ~ thanks to my dear friend abby for the most ridiculously sweet blog post this morning, and for all the birthday love. i'm feeling it, and i appreciate it oh so much!!

je veux gagner ce coeur à coeur

i need more... something in my life. i need more popsicles and sun glare. more giggles and swing sets and fireflies. more dangly earrings and flowy skirts and flowers in my hair. more paper lanterns and goofy dancing and 60's french pop. more tickling and picnics and peach juice dribbling down my chin. more dappled sunlight and curtains blowing in the breeze. more forts and twinkle lights. more paint on my hands. more pen pals. more sparklers. more bike rides. more camp fires. more fresh flowers.

my birthday is wednesday and i intend on giving myself more of all of these things. if you've been lacking too, maybe you'll join me?

happy, happy summer!!!

ps ~ for some reason comments aren't working for everyone. if it won't allow you to comment will you please drop me a note here? (or at artsy{at}corikindred{dot}com). thanks so much. i thrive on feedback! :)