philly, portland, chicago, atlanta, seattle?

philly, portland (OR), chicago, atlanta, seattle? what can you guys tell me about these cities, as far as urban living goes?

can you live there w/o a car? is the city bike-friendly?

what kind of cultural environment do each of these cities have? the arts, fashion, music?

what's the average price for a ~1000 sq. ft. loft/2-3 bedroom apartment/townhouse/small home?

or, outside of these cities, are there any other good livable cities in the u.s. you'd recommend?

basically, just trying to do some research!

SF is just too unaffordable for what it is, and a year has been more than enough here.

thanks a bunch, all!

even more (used) stuff

last week i had the pleasure of thrifting with my new friend, lisa congdon. some of you might know lisa, but if you don't, well...she's a san francisco-based creative powerhouse who makes the most amazing art.
but lisa is also a downright amazing person. she is one of those people who is as nice as they appear online as they are in person, if not more.
lisa is real, honest, intelligent, interesting, outgoing and ridiculously talented.
to say that lisa inspires me would be an understatement.
:)
i believe that being in the presence of THE lisa gave me some good thrift ju-ju, because i found lots of lovely things during our thrifting adventure!
thank you, lisa! you rock.

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on with the stuff!

gold knit tank

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lisa looked at me sideways when i bought this, but i will find a way to do something with this...it makes me laugh.

crazy patchy vest

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i've got a bit of a thing for neons @ the moment:

neon stripe knit top

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mizrahi striped top

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green knit collared buttondown

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i love this one, it's just so insane!

insane tie-dye 80s dolman sleeve blouse

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calvin klein denim jacket

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fluoro for the winter:

fluro 60s coat

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gold fabric pumps

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these are definitely getting dyed/painted somehow, as i loathe off-white/natural leather:

worishofer wedges

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and last but certainly not least, a pair of red woven leather pumps, found for me by lisa when at the goodwill on mission & van ness. did i say she rocks, people? yes, yes i did.

red woven leather shoes

dizzy for doilies!

what i've been up to lately, creatively:

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square doily tee

i made this doily-emblazoned tee in my silkscreening class. the class ended yesterday. so sad, because i LOVE silkscreening and want to do more of it. even more sad, i lack space in my current (minscule) pad to do it right now. perhaps in a new place, should we move (we're looking for a new, hopefully larger apt. where i can hopefully have a larger, more suitable home studio).
i actually made another tee, with a different doily, using fluorescent pink ink on a yellow tee, but it didn't come out right. QA issues to work out, obv. :)
i may sell these, once i work out the kinks, and perhaps some prints of the doilies (this square one and another one) on paper. BUT...it might be a while (see earlier lament about lack of space). *sigh*
stay tuned. :)

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felted granny blanket sample

the crocheted/felted granny blanket project is also coming along!
all the squares (144 of 'em!) are finished, all ends have been woven in. yay!
i took some extra squares (i made several more than i needed) and made a sample, using the techniques that i intend to use for the blanket itself, i.e., how i am going sew it together/edge it. i felted it in the washing machine with some towels to help with agitation.
i gotta say, i think it's gonna turn out pretty amazing! next step: sewing the whole blanket together, square by square, then edging it. then, of course, felting it...and DONE. woot! the end is totally in sight now.
some unfelted squares are on the right for comparison between how the squares look felted vs. unfelted.
as for that border color, i only used blue b/c it was readily available in the stash, but...i'll probably use some other color, maybe orange, pink, red, aqua blue....purple? anything but royal blue. :P i don't completely dislike royal blue as a color, but it's not at the top of my list of faves.