Stone Soup

Over there on the right — my current contribution to Fraction’s DESKSET on Flickr.

• Nested is a new shopping blog for baby and kid stuff. So far so good — I love the pointers to Nightmare Catcher Journals and Hand Knit Booties that look like Doc Martins.
• Take Your Jacket Off: Are you reading Kathryn and Stuart Immonen’s Moving Pictures webcomic? I’m thoroughly intrigued. Also, Kathryn is my current girl crush. If she sees how I’ve been writing her name over and over again in my notebook I’ll just die.
• I love the days between when you get birthday money and when you spend it. It’s a magic time when you can fantasize guilt-free about all the silly little things you could buy but since you haven’t actually done anything yet, the dollar figure never registers a change. I collect (well, it’s a new collection — I have only 3 thus far) brightly colored tea cups. The rules are: they have to have a matching saucer, they have to have gold trim and they have to cost me less than $10 each. I had ebay alerts this morning for two that make me consider throwing out the budget constriction for the sake of birthday bliss. This one and this one. The Aynsley ones are always really good and always over budget.
• Shit. Speaking of budgets, I just remembered we have an appt today to discuss life insurance. $@%$#@%$#@.
• Droob wrote this morning to point out that McSweeney’s is hurting. If you’re thinking about subscribing or buying books, they say now would be a good time.
• Can’t say I’m particularly blue to hear Jane is going under. I loved Sassy, but Jane always rode my nerves.
• Via WhipUp — this blog shows you how to crochet little amigurumi dolls that, it occurs to me, could easily be made into Duruma dolls. Part One. Part Two. (Instructions, I should mention, are in Spanish. Which is probably good news for me as I’m not exactly sitting on my hands and if the instructions were in English I fear I’d have a hard time resisting.)
• Do you know of my love for fresh figs? The cupcake bakeshop just posted a new recipe I’m going to have to try out at some point.
• Laurenn’s been putting up some fantastic photos from Dr. Sketchy’s Kansas City. I haven’t been as I don’t, you know, draw, drink or get off the couch past 10 pm, but it looks like they’re somehow managing to have a good time without me. Such troopers! If you’re local, you should go check it out.
• Adrian wrote this morning to share her enthusiasm for The Bearded Men. Like me, she has particular fondness for The Bearded Men in Striped Shirts.  She passed along this link in case I wanted to try and get Fraction to play dress up.