knowing you knowing me

photege

well don't i feel special. :)  two women from the post art exchange that i'm a part of have asked me to participate in a kind of get to know you better/get naked in blogland post.  the first invitation came from tamber at yellow porch light.  she's an artist and an herbalist and i love her piece called trinity. check out the story of how she came up with the name for her blog.  the second came from courtney at run 2 the wild.  a little while ago she celebrated her etsy shop's first birthday with over 700 sales!  she also has her work in a gallery for the first time.  and she's the brains behind our post art exchange so she's talented and smart - a great combination.  i love the very real and honest thoughts that these women share on their blogs.  it's inspiring to me. 

ok, so the first part of knowing you knowing me is five random facts about me.

i love the ocean.  i'll take a day at the beach over just about anything. my parents used to bring my brother and me to Long Beach on LI even during the winter.  we'd gather shells, walk the boardwalk, play some old fashioned arcade games like skee ball and then get knishes.  great memories.  sometimes i wonder why i moved to the mountains.

i went to the fashion institute of technology a loooong time ago to become a fashion designer.  somehow i didn't quite realize that i would have to sew the clothes i was designing.  that was kind of the end of that.

i used to have a little vintage shop in an antique center.  i loved it but didn't make much money at it.  

i hate wearing socks.  that can be a pain in the butt when you live in upstate ny.

i like to read cookbooks like novels.

ok, here's the second part - the questions to answer.

what is the best story you've heard or read in the past couple of weeks?

my kids are constantly telling me stories about their days and i love hearing them.  the antics of a 17 year old who has just gotten his license, the experiences of a college student and the adventures of a 24 year old moving to the big city.  and i've got jane eyre on my bedside table.

is halloween a holiday you care much about?  if so, how did you celebrate?

halloween has always been about fun to me.  when my kids were younger we would throw the best parties.  we would decorate and bake and cook like mad.  now there are certain traditions we still follow like pumpkin dip and ginger snaps.

what blog have you discovered lately that you really dig?

fleachic: flea market savvy  :   great design before and afters for inspiration

art in red wagons   :   beautiful words and images

ginger mandy   :   just found this blog but i'm liking the mix of politics and curry coconut pumpkin soup

what was the best thing you ever found at a thrift store?

this is just too hard to answer.  too many things.  ok how about a pair of fabulous citrus orange shiny sheer curtains that i have yet to hang.  

where's the farthest you've traveled?  

the farthest places i've been are florida, arkansas and montreal.  geographically florida and arkansas are about a tie but montreal felt the furthest and not only because they speak french there.  loved it.

how do you get inspired?

i get inspired by seeing art - going to a museum, a gallery.  it just starts that creative excitement, that feeling in your gut.  also by a sunset, a song, some beautiful words strung together... oh yes and blogs.

what is the one thing you wish you could do but don't have the guts to?

oh you know, trusting again.  but i'm working on it.

or maybe it's hang gliding.

what is your biggest dream?

to be a successful non-starving artist.

what is the one thing you hate and love about blogging?

hate: having to censor myself

love: meeting people i probably never would have met otherwise.

what is the most important lesson you have learned so far in life?

well, things i've experienced but am still learning - life is what happens while you're busy making other plans and change is inevitable.

done! (huge sigh of relief)

my nominees

(only if it fits with your blog schedule/structure)

joana at trincar uvas

angela at garden and sea

holly at quiet galaxy

jennifer at grimmricksen

diane at the expressive palette

my questions for you

what is your least favorite chore?

what is your favorite book(s)?

what inspires you?

do you have a favorite childhood memory?

what dishes are always on your thanksgiving/holiday table?  feel free to share recipes!

instructions

nominate 5 other blogs in your post (all must have less than 250 subscribers)

post 5 random facts about yourself

answer my 5 questions, then list 5 of your own for the other bloggers to answer

let your 5 friends know you have tagged them by commenting on their blog

handcrafted in virginia

thanks ladies!

summer thoughts and new work

i guess i have to face the fact that summer is ending.  my best friend's daughter is off to begin her first year of college.  middle son is going back next week and we have been trying to squeeze in all the things we said we'd do back when summer felt endless and expansive and new.  i tend to think we've got all the time in the world during summer.  this might also be known as denial. of winter.

anyone else feeling the same or are you all ready for autumn?

cucumbers for refrigerator pickles

cucumbers and feta and balsamic vinegar and olive oil

margaritas with pink salt - yum!

every wednesday there is a what i made link party at trees. hides. and i was lucky enough to be featured this time.  it made for a very happy wednesday for me!   shirley has a very cool blog with some tutorials, giveaways, freebies and some very adorable pictures of her kids along with pictures of her own work. thanks shirley!

here's some of the work i've been adding to the link party.

click here to link up!

another big smile

i've been working like crazy trying to get my book done for the sketchbook project which is due in six days.  yes, six days lisa.  yikes.  so what a happy surprise and needed distraction to wake up this morning to find that i've been featured in another treasury that made the etsy front page!  i'm thrilled, excited, re-energized.  many thanks to joana at trincaruvas for creating another lovely treasury.  she makes brooches and pendants that may remind you of a game you played with as a kid.  i love her color combinations, some subtle and some graphic and vibrant.  i've been following her blog for awhile now and i was first drawn in by this poem, that resonated for me in that moment. then there are her photos... lovely. 

here is some of her work

mini breastplate necklace

spirography necklace

wrap around bracelet

and here is the treasury with my little sticks and stones shadow box

sticks and stones

could this possibly mean that some of my photos are getting better?  somehow i can't believe that.  taking photos still feels like a complete and utter crap shoot to me.  whatever it means, i'm happy!

thanks joana!

sunday

i've spent about an hour checking out a detox diet that i found through someone's blog, please don't ask me whose, because it was during one of those moments (hours) of uncontrollable link clicking.  that source is so far gone from my memory - sorry. so i'm not one for new year's resolutions and i'm usually fashionably late which means it's just about time to start the dreaded d word. 

just the thought of it makes me crave this.

and this

and this

and i wish i had my own personal chef to make them for me... um, right now please?
all these lovely, non-fattening photos are from call me cupcake

and here's a beautiful things list to go with our cake and cookies and cupcakes!

bylykiard
SisterNomadSupplies
LesleyFletcherArt
photomamregina
ohthisnose
eurovintage


sweet dreams...

midnight thoughts

do you like a challenge?  this seems like a really neat one but maybe you've seen it before.  i think i'm going to try it, i just hesitate to make a decision about anything at 12:30 at night when i should have been in bed 2 hours ago.  anyone else interested?  maybe we could post blog links or something? have a link party?  think about it.  in the cold hard light of day.

sweet dreams and don't let the bed bugs bite.

beauty

i'm in love with tisane infusion.  the text is in japanese so i understand none of it but the characters are lovely, just enhancing the photography.  and that photography...  is gorgeous.  

this is just a taste of what's there.  go see it.

and here's something new in the shop

this is me

i was checking out baban cat's blog and saw the inside of my head.  had to share it.

too graphic, too much information?  sorry.

it's from a commercial for sudafed.  think i gotta get me some.

etsy lookbook

did you know etsy has a lookbook?  i didn't.  i found it while checking out la.daridari's blog.  don't you just love checking out the blog list of a favorite blogger, which leads you to another awesome blogger with a blog list which leads to another... and suddenly it's 2 hours later and you can't even remember where you started?  so i can't exactly tell you how i found la.daridari but i'm glad i did.  

because of this.... you can find other colors here

and this

and then there's this...   keep an eye out for la.daridari's page

the lookbook is gorgeous and again just reaffirms for me how important product photos are, on etsy and any other print or online venue.  it's inspiring to see these etsians looking so professional.  i have much to learn.

practice, practice, practice.

i just discovered wanelo and i'm having a blast wandering around.  while virtual window shopping, i found this.  i love it and just had to share it here.

then i saw this

these lovely prints are by bianca green. check out this neat project she's started.

i just might have to own one or two of these.

more goodness

love, v - another blog, has featured the humble hand drawn calendar and so i must (happily) spread the love with a mention.

this picture is from the post titled belly.  even if you're not a dog lover, (i am) this has got to make you smile.

i love the look of this room, so warm especially on this cold january day.

thanks love, v.

oh, yes, and i had a birthday yesterday.  i'm not talking age here but it was a big one, one that i might have wanted to forget but my kids made it awesome. one of the best moments was while i was upstairs and they were all downstairs in the kitchen, cooking, preparing, listening to music.  i could hear their laughter and feel their unity in the making of a birthday dinner for me and it was a beautiful thing.  as they get older i see them growing more and more into themselves and life taking them in other directions, and these moments of togetherness happen less and less.  and what i liked even more about it was the fact that i was not a physical part of it.  it was somehow like knowing that they were going to be alright no matter what, that they have each other, separate from me.  that was an unexpected gift.

another unexpected gift was an overnight trip to gloucester, mass.  middle son thought i needed to see the ocean for my birthday and he was right.  also got awesome music and a book about making art from books.  perfect, i'd say.

and those kids made a dinner to die for. soft, cheesy polenta, perfectly cooked steak, salad with grapes, (love grapes in a salad) and cheesecake for the singing bit. i took pictures but god are they terrible, so i will have to leave it up to your imagination.

mad awkward

is this mad awkward, as my youngest son might say, or just healthy self-promotion?  i don't know but i'm so thrilled and proud that i can't help it.  the humble hand drawn calendar was featured in 2 very neat blogs and a handful of etsy treasuries!

the first blog, such great heights is geared towards empowering teens. there are beautiful photos featuring awesome teens and the self-less, inspiring things they do.

spin. sew. sketch. features finds and projects by kate.  she has an amazing eye (not just because she found the humble hand drawn calendar) and i particularly love her very own calendar project below.

now for the treasuries.  thanks to all for including the humble, etc.