Vision Board Follow-up

I had said that I would post  my vision board on my blog, quite a long time ago. I forgot. Until now. First, though, you need to see what I went through to work on it and complete it. It wasn't easy.

Beckham always wants to be on my projects...

Beck & J Boo playing in the frame when I was trying to frame it.

Not a great photo of it!

I would like to point out that from my vision board, I actually DID go to Mexico and Italy, (as well as France!) which are some of the places I put on there. India is another place, but the wedding is next February, and we'll have to see if it happens. For my own reasons, I may not go. However, Hawaii is on there, and I WILL be going there in December! Tickets are purchased! The other things on the board are things that will come with a home, so I don't expect them now. But this vision board has been fundamental in helping me to focus on what I want. Now it just needs to be tweaked!

Revamping the Mantle

Hello Friends... the other day when I went on my Rainy Day Walk, I picked up a cool branch. I wanted to use it in my mantel display, and had to change things around, add and take away things that I had there already. It was too heavy to go in any of my vases, so this is what I did instead. What do you think?

 

 I also revised the little dresser that's in the living room. There wasn't room for it in the bedroom, which is where I used to keep it. So now it's in the living room, with kitchen linens in two of the drawers, and electronics cords in the top drawer. I enjoyed redecorating the mantle! The mirror used to be on the floor, which was nice, but once I moved things around on the mantle shelf, I realized that it needed "grounding," with something dark. Otherwise the branch looked bizarre. What do you think?

Rainy Day Walk

Today I really felt the need to get out of the house. The only getting out I've done this week was to the grocery store. It's been raining, though it's still kind of warm, which has kept me in. When the rain let up a bit, I ventured outside this morning, and I took some pictures along the way for you, dear readers. 

Love this sidewalk with leaf impressions in it.

I love seeing fallen leaves scattered about.

Don't know what this plant is, but it's darling!

Fall color thru the ivy.

Love the red barn door.

I see hearts everywhere!

 It was a really lovely walk... two people smiled at me along the way, and I felt connected to humanity again! I also love getting in touch with nature, even if it's of the garden variety. I also saw a bird because I heard it's strange call, but I don't know what it is. Do you?

It's not a blue jay. I don't think.

 I also took a couple pictures of my favorite house that's for sale right now. I love the funky chandeliers they have hanging out over their outdoor porch. The people are really nice, too. They have a nice sense of aesthetic, as you can see by the garden. Sorry my pictures aren't so great. It had started to rain more and I didn't want my camera getting too wet!

 Oh, I guess you can't really see into their garden from my pictures. But see that back part of the house there? It's a huge house.... I love the front entry, which has the framed glass walls like a conservatory! The old brick and black shutters are such a nice combination. It's an old home. I forgot to check how old, but there's a plaque on there somewhere, from the historical society. If I had half a million dollars, I'd buy this home!

Vintage Inspired Palette

From The Cottage Chick

I wanted to find a vintage-inspired space that I really liked, in order to do the palette for this week's submission to Brandi Girl's blog.I love the soft pinks, as well as the use of gold, in the picture above (from Better Homes & Garden) but I didn't like gold in the palette. I think these muted tones are more representational of the vintage colors in this photo. I would love to find some large letters in the initials of my boyfriend and I. It's hard to find them for a reasonable price, though! This old mantel is amazing! I love the peeling paint.... I don't think I could fit it into my Mini, though, do you? I can barely fit the small things that I find in my search for cool vintage! I think I'm going to have to get a little trailer to hitch to the back of my Mini!

Loving Art

In my last post, I showed a Masked Owl print from yellowmonday, an etsy seller. I sent her an email asking about the print, and she responded that I could order it from her new shop, olive dear. She also told me that she would be happy to have me blog her shop. (Yay!) She is a wonderful illustrator! Here are some of my favorites...

I have a feeling that Brandi will like these a lot, as the artist has a fine use of line in her drawings. Also, they are so sweetly colored and appeal to the child in us. Each drawing has the feeling of an entire story... I love that about her work. 

Additional prints that I love from her original store, yellowmonday, are these...

If you enjoy these prints as much as I do, you should check out the etsy shop, olive dear, as well as yellowmonday. So much to love there, don't you think?

Look What My Search for Owls brought me....

It brought me some adorable Owl Cupcakes!
 What other kinds of cute animals have been made into cupcakes...? I know this is off-topic, but my sister's friend Mischelle made some cute monkey cupcakes on Cinco de Mayo, which this reminded me of. I LOVE cupcakes! (Note to self: Future blog on cute animal cupcakes!)


I also found another blog site called Chocolate and Steel, and she likes owls, is from LA, and makes sweet jewelry. Check out HER favorite Owl Things.... My favorite is the masked owl! I have to say that looking at him made ME giggle, too! I'm sad that he's already been sold. This would've been wonderful in my studio! As a matter of fact, I may contact yellowmonday to see if there's any way to get one made for myself as a commission request.... don't you think he's a sassy little guy? I love him!!

yellowmonday.etsy.com

 Ever since I was about five years old (that's a long time ago, by the way) I have loved owls. My parents house-sat for my aunt & uncle's friends, The Carries. They lived in Menlo Park, CA, and had an amazing home on stilts, which was on Ladera Hill, where my aunt & uncle also lived. They had an amazing collection of owl things.... I used to try to count all the owls that I could find, however, I'd always see more! They had a macrame owl that hung on the wall, and I wish I could just remember exactly what it looked like. It was probably something like this, which is vintage 1970's, and is probably the closest thing you could find to the one I saw at the Carries' house.

And speaking of macrame owls, you could make your own little macrame owl key chain, if you wanted. Check out this adorable one on Craftzine! It's precious!

Vintage owl trivet set

 My boyfriend loves owls, too. He found the cutest set of owl trivets at a second-hand store here in Bethlehem. Check them out... they are a little family of owls. So cute! 
 We also have another family of owls that we bought while we were in New Orleans from a vendor at the French Flea Market. This is quite the motley crew of owls, but we love them! They're actually made by hand in Peru, and there's no paint on them. They are carved and scored with heat. Check them out!

Peruvian owl gourds

I also found this wonderful British crafter who makes amazing creatures out of fabric. She sells her stuff on Folksy, which is like Etsy, but in the UK. 

Check out her stuff

Yes, I love owls. I love their big eyes, their mystery, their beauty. I've seen them flying around dusk in California, only twice. They are stunnning... their wing beats sounded huge above my head, causing me to look up. Wow. Seriously. And the burrowing owls that live in California are diminutive, and adorable... they'll look like ground squirrels or gophers at a glance, if you aren't paying attention! 

Image source: JournOwl.com

Oh look! A family of four! I just found out from JournOwl.com that burrowing owls are again in decline! They were doing so well, too. I just don't understand how people can not care what happens to the creatures on our planet! Why is endangerment and extinction for capital gain okay?? It's NOT OKAY. Argh! Well, it's my opinion that when you get people interested in different animals, their awareness for those animals increases. Increased awareness leads to care and concern. Especially for animals, I believe, because they are so precious and easy to love. The more that artists and crafters bring animals to the forefront of what they create, the more people will love and want to protect the different creatures. That's my thought, anyway. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am. I will keep blogging about the animals, and I'll keep supporting artists that represent them. Let's just see what happens...  and I hope that you will keep animal care in your consciousness.


Blessings and love to all! xoxo

Happy First Day of Autumn!

Taken on Sept. 19th

New at my Etsy shop

For those of you craving some fall foliage... here is some "Welcome Autumn!" themed photos for you! Enjoy!

GRATITUDE

An island of shrubs in Merced River, Yosemite, CA

I think it's really important to stop every once in a while and take stock of your life. By this I mean, it's helpful to your psyche if you slow down and say "Thank You" for all the things in your life.... your family, your friends, your good health, your pets, your creativity, your ability to read, speak, breathe....

So here are the things I am THANKFUL for, in no particular order:

family, friends, my cats, my boyfriend, my bright apartment, my fast-walkin' legs, my good health, my creativity, my etsy shop, living in America (the land I love best), the food in my fridge, hot & cold running water, the sun, the moon, the stars (oh, the stars!), the birds in the sky, the squirrels in the yard, hearing music, missing my grandma, grandpa and cousin Alison, because that's a reminder that I loved deeply and was loved deeply, cooking, eating (!!), books, my literacy that I never take for granted, my cameras (because i have several), all my fun art projects, the fact that people care what happens to me, the JOY in my life, the excitement in my life!, the traveling I have done, the traveling I will do, all the laughter in my life, all the smiles, people who read my BLOG (oh yes, you!), and so many other things that I would be here all day and get nothing else done.

But see, now that I have laid all those wonderful things out there, I feel amazingly blessed! I feel charged up and loving, and special, and grateful. I am a very lucky girl, and I am ever so thankful for LIFE, which is constantly amazing and surprising me with gifts and joys that I treasure, and that I want to share with YOU.

Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA

What Is Your Creative Style?

I was perusing ArtLoveJoy when I decided to do the quiz that she had taken. It's on a website called Psychologies, and it was a little enlightening, to be honest! I had never really thought about it much, but I do find solace in creativity. I DO want to fall in love with whatever I do... it isn't an object, in and of itself, separate from me... I see it as a part of me. Which is maybe why I enjoy giving away the things I make to people that I care about. It's me giving myself to friends and family, and it's kind of what I do.

Here are my results from the quiz...

Creativity enriches you

Creativity is separate from the real world for you. But it’s a magical world in which you like to immerse yourself. When you’re involved in it, you get the wonderful sensation that there are no limits, that anything is possible. What you are really looking for is harmony — you want to feel you are a part of what you create. Planting flowers, writing poetry, embroidery or putting together a photo album, these are all suited to your sort of quiet creativity. You want to fall in love with what you create. You also think of creativity as a part of you in which you can take refuge and feel protected. As the psychoanalyst D Anzieu explained, creativity acts as an ‘encouraging parent — loving, enriching and supportive’. You would love to use your creativity to retreat into a world that is kind and reassuring. For you, being creative means having the chance to become one with what you create, bathe in the glory of it and allow yourself to be taken over by it. This is why you seem more suited to the sort of creativity that calls for gentleness, subtlety, harmony and patience.

What is YOUR creative style?

Flea Market Finds

One of my favorite treasure hunting activities is going to flea markets and yard sales. You never know what kind of awesome deals you're going to find! You can get so lucky in finding something to re-purpose or reuse in your home... something that someone else has become blind to because it's been in front of them for too long. I think it's a wonderful thing to be able to take something someone else is tired of and turn it into something new and exciting for you.

Wire basket for $0.25

 This wire basket, for instance, that someone had had around and sold at a yard sale. I bought it for a quarter and have a cool looking way of organizing my bath stuff! It's more than purchasing something for little money, though... it's the thrill of the hunt! It's also the opportunity to rethink the usage for something that you think is cool and has a nice feel, or look.

Minnow trap for $10

I was really excited about this metal mesh minnow trap that we found! It has an unusual shape, and opens up. I plan to fill it with lights and use it as a lamp! It can be hung as it stands, or sideways, which is how I think I will hang it. We also found this really neat metal cabinet, which has a shelf inside, and we plan to use it for a little bar out in the living room. We just need to find a tray or something to use on top. As seen in the photo, I was testing out a mirror to use as a top, but it's too square and a little large for what we wanted.

Metal Westinghouse cabinet for $10

 At the last apartment I lived at, there was a little bar, similar to this, though smaller, and it was really handy for keeping wine glasses, extra bottles of wine, etc. The other one had a little drawer, which was nice, but we can just put a little tray inside for holding small items like bottle openers and extra wine corks.
 All in all, I felt like our excursion was very worthwhile and fun! Our living room is coming together nicely, and has that funky edge to it that I love.... and there are lots of one-of-a-kind things that really show our personality and creativity. I'll follow up with more photos once we get a top for the cabinet, and put up the Minnow-catcher lamp!

Mmmm.... Donuts....

Talk about inspirational food! These donuts were handmade by Liz Smith, a friend of a friend. I saw her post this picture on Facebook, and they made my mouth water... also, they had that effect of causing Color Inspiration, which I wanted to share with my color-inspired friends! Aren't they adorable? Beautiful AND edible! My favorite combination... I even created a color palette from this photo! This is just for Brandi Girl. :-)

Don't they make you want to go out and eat donuts? Or maybe even make your OWN donuts... you know I'm in a baking mood these days with the cooler weather coming on! If I get the nerve to try making donuts, I will definitely post a blog on it!

Recipe Love

Photo image source: www.channel4.com

 Has this ever happened to you?... I started browsing through my binder of recipes, looking for something to make for dinner, when I realized that I had spent over an hour just enjoying looking through recipes! I had forgotten WHY I was looking through my book, I had started to fantasize about making this yummy recipe for lemon bars that I had done successfully once before, and these chocolate truffles that I had made for several Christmases.... I had totally lost track of my PURPOSE in perusing my recipe binder!

I have soooo many recipe books, and magazines, and two separate binders that I put together; one with dessert recipes only, and the other with more wholesome and savory fare. I am, in actuality, in the process of putting together a Family Heritage Recipe Book, complete with family recipes that I've gathered from members of my family tree. Some recipes have been passed down for a few generations, and other recipes were treasured from friends, and others were found on our own, but they are all recipes that my family members use, love and enjoy sharing. EVERYONE in my family loves food. I can't think of a single person who doesn't! Some of us are mainly vegetarians, others are complete omnivores, but we ALL LOVE TO EAT. 

So with that in mind, this blog is to share with you, Gentle Readers, one such recipe. I hope you will use it, enjoy it, and love it!

         ROASTED ARTICHOKE HEARTS a la Ristorante Avanti (as interpreted by me)

4 small artichoke hearts (baby artichokes best) with tough leaves removed, after 30 minutes of steaming
      remove chokes and quarter the hearts
1 med. lemon, sliced thinly
1 bunch basil, shredded
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
  olive oil
  pine nuts
  salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Toss together all ingredients, except for pine nuts
Mixture should be evenly coated with olive oil & put in an 8" x 10" pan, spread evenly on bottom
Bake for about 10 minutes, then add pine nuts, toss around in pan, and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, or until pine nuts are toasted brown. Enjoy!!

More Along Monocacy Creek...

The creek is sending out fall signals all over the place! There's still a lot of green, but the change is in the air. Even for the butterflies, as you can see... there's some metamorphosis going on!

 Thistles are turning to seed, and blowing themselves all over. Next spring, new ones will be growing from this fall's seed explosion.

 Berries for the birds are ripening and bringing out the intense colors of autumn. I love seeing the red drops amongst the green leaves. Soon those leaves will be turning and dropping to ground. The drama of nature unfolds for us every day, every season, every year!

 The sunflowers, dahlias and other flowers at Burnside Plantation are in bloom in the little butterfly garden outside the barn. The colors of fall are the splashes of color you'll see there now!

 I love that I can see and feel the changes of the coming season! Typically, in California, the only real change you get is in the temperature and the arrival of rain. Yes, the foliage changes on some of the trees, and even drop, but the strange thing about California's fall/winter, is that once the rains come, everything just starts to turn green again! The gold hills of summer start their greening, in early preparation for spring. At least, that was my experience living in the Bay Area. However, right now, during my time here in Pennsylvania, I can really sense the change from summer to fall. It's an actual season all by itself here. I'm really excited for the changes to become more visible and dramatic as we close in on winter! Plus, I'm looking forward to wearing my boots again!!

Art-O-Mat!

I read about Art-O-Mats a long time ago, thought they were really cool, then forgot about all about it. I recently came across one of my old Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazines: the Spring 2006 issue, with the article in it, and wanted to share it with you.

There's an artist from North Carolina who came up with the idea of reusing old cigarette vending machines for selling small pieces of art: 2" x 3", the outside dimensions for a pack of smokes. You buy a token, for around $5, and you get your very own original piece of art! 

  It's called an Art-O-Mat, and they're all over the world! The crazy thing is that there's even one in Bethlehem, PA! It's at Monsoon Art Gallery on the south side, and I now have to go check it out. 

 This orange machine is the one that's in Bethlehem. There are ones all over the place! You can look up their locations to see if there's one near you. If there is, I recommend supporting an artist, and picking up a bit of artwork!

  This red one is in Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco. There are Art-O-Mats in Washington state, D.C., Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, Canada, Austria, you name it! They're all over the place if you're interested. I think that I'm going to try to come up with an idea for an art piece that I can replicate for use in one of these machines... you can submit your idea to the organization, and if you get it approved, it'll go into one of the machines! Some art-loving stranger could be buying your art! Kind of cool, right? I think so!

(I got these images of the Art-O-Mat machines from their website.)