knock-knock.

who's there?

orange.

orange who?

orange you glad it's wednesday?

sorry, couldn't resist the thirdgradeness of it all. loving color week!

(and so didn't realize my yoga toes look like monkey paws!)

yellow

hulaseventy declared that this is officially color week!!!

I'm late to the game and missed monday (green). today is yellow. happy, lip-puckering, sunshine yellow! not too abundant in my life. but in small doses, like a squeeze of lemon or a pinch of saffron, it really livens up the place.

monday mosaic

I always feel happy eating pancakes, drinking coffee and chatting with a friend in a classic diner. my little burg has a few excellent restaurants, but they're not big on breakfast here (well, what I consider to be a good breakfast; light on the salt and grease please!). and there are no diners anywhere in the vicinity.

I'm hoping to discover a few on an upcoming road trip to philadephia.

these great photos are some of my flickr faves, click here for credits.

happy monday! and if you live by a classic diner, go and have a stack or a toasted cheese for me, please.

oh, for pete's sake!

I can't stop thinking about this amazing silk paisley tunic from tracy porter. this one goes beyond the usual "have to have it" obsession...I've been dreaming of this one since sometime back in december when it made it's stunning debut in the catalog. and when I say dreaming, I mean dreaming. there I am floating through a variety of scenes, all smiles and calm efficiency: solving problems, saving the day, making a small child giggle with delight, delivering a persuasive speech to an audience of dolphins, dancing a jig in a small irish pub in the 1930's...all while looking flawless in my fabulous silk paisley tunic! only to wake up to the harsh reality that it's STILL NOT MINE (not to mention looking nowhere near flawless). usually my clothing crushes subside and I'm able to spare myself another self-indulgent jacked-up purchase ($280!), but this one won't let up. thought I would blog about it; sometimes that subdues the electric charge.

a little bird told me the stimulus checks are arriving sometime next week. I really, really think I deserve a larger check because I have done way more than my fair share of stimulating the economy over the past 20 years. maybe I should testify at a congressional hearing in support of the stimulus checks being a regular reward system for those of us who in their twenties happily consumed 3-for-$1 frozen burritos and ramen noodles so that they could purchase a pair of apple green pointy-toed stiletto-heeled mock-croc boots (oh how I miss those boots!). do you think the congressional dress code allows for silk paisley tunics?

wish

john + teresa = happy life

(wish I was there to share your day)

lovely to look at

if you haven't noticed, I'm wild about color. vibrant, saturated, doesn't-really-go-together color. my friend krista found r. wood studio online and knew it was right up my alley. ceramics artists in athens, georgia create the most beautiful pieces to brighten up one's day. the website is a joy to browse; the creators not only showcase their art, but include lovely photos of what inspires them in "ideas for creative living".

things I like about my job #3

some friday afternoons when there are no emergencies brewing, I can leave early and enjoy the sunshine and plant a pot of sweet alyssum.

oh wait, there's my cell blowing up...

faux ho

so I poked around and found many, many tutorials on how to create holga or lomo effects in photoshop. I experimented with a number of them and this one had the most pleasing result. It took a bit of fiddling (especially with the curves) and I think it only works in CS3, but I am very delighted with the holgaesque quality of jumbo here. the bonus being that I actually learned some photoshop terms and actions that were once foreign to me.

mixed messages

mixed prints are so quirky and fun. currently coveting:

1. burning torch recycled silk top at blue bee
2. donald pliner newsprint clutch at zappos
3. phillip lim floral tank and plaid shorts at nordstrom
4. christian lacroix collage pumps at zappos
5. elizabeth & james dress (peacock and stripes!) at revolve clothing
6. naughty monkey floral embroidery and textured leather d'orsays at zappos

monday mosaic

it was a pink weekend.

it all started around 3pm on friday. a weird, out-of-nowhere craving for strawberry milk grabbed me and showed no mercy. I had to succumb. strawberry milk? the last time I drank pink milk, I was about eight.


I was delighted by it's frothy pinkness and thought, "I don't have enough pink in my life." I'm drawn to deeply saturated mid-tones and raspberry and plum are the closest I normally get to pink. or are they? throughout the weekend, I found pink poking it's strawberry shortcake head into my life in a variety of ways:

1. mmmm...ice cold strawberry milk
2. azaleas in my yard
3. my favorite hi+lo fragrance mix: 1 spray fracas + 1 spray love's baby soft (try it, it's amazing!)
4. an abandoned pink lady, on the market for over a year. a great price, but in a somewhat sketchy neighborhood
5. a sweet note from my sweet man
6. three sweet & lows in every cup, I'm so about the faux sugar
7. my favorite summer skirt (jeez, it's a tad snug, must tend to that)
8. hooray for havianas weather
9. simon's pink tongue (I don't know how it fits back in his mouth!)

fun with film

whenever a photo catches my eye and I'm magnetically drawn to it's unique color quality, chances are it was shot with either a holga or a diana+ film camera. I'd like to try my hand at capturing some of these vivid images. the question is: which camera should I try? if you have an opinion or advice, please share. if you know of photoshop actions that can replicate the effect, I'm interested as well (it just doesn't seem as fun).

unexpected joy

when I started this blog a few months ago, I had no idea the significant part it would play in my life. surprisingly, I love sharing little stories and posting colorful and unique and ordinary images and creations (others and my own, although I felt a little stupid at first posting my own). I love how something will happen during the day (big or little) and my brain will start to structure it into a short post. this is monumental for me. I'm not a sharing kind of girl. I'm a listener and a solver for 8+ hours a day for 15 years and it's interesting how that bled over into my personal life. it's just so nice to share, even if no one is reading (although I know that krista and hope check in regularly, you are both listeners and solvers too, and I love you for that).

something else that has unexpectedly become part of my day is poking around in others' blogs. I find their lives and art and hopes so interesting and endearing and inspiring. I've added a few of my regular reads to the list at the right.

flickr inspiration

balinese umbrellas

in it's full summer lushness, my backyard is a riot of color. I'm looking to find a few balinese umbrellas to up the rainbow factor even more. they're so brilliant and fanciful and make me smile.

thank you, thank you very much

I'm an early riser. I'm talking early early...like 5am on the nose practically every morning, naturally. ken is a night owl (he's a theatre guy), so I find myself quietly padding around the house in the morning hours so as not to disturb him (and he does the same at 1am. well, he tries).

this morning the house was so silent and still. probably because we're sans air conditioner/heater hum due to the perfect sleeping weather. the dogs were up and hyper and needed to go out. We tippytoed downstairs in absolute hushness.

my yard backs up to a small woods and apparently there is a bird convention in town being held in my hood. as I opened the door, I was greeted by the electric sound of thousands of birds rehearsing their morning repertoire. it was like stepping out on a stage to wild applause. it was awesome. and it wasn't your normal, run-of-the-mill morning bird songs. it was like an orchestra vacillating between tuning up and full-on symphony mode. and there I was: standing alone on the deck in my best paisley pj's with a cup of joe and a giant grin on my face, the slightest stream of sunrise posing as my spotlight, humbled and grateful for my adoring fans.

backyard evening

I was just messing around with my camera in the backyard this evening and somehow managed to shoot these two images. I hope I'm developing what my Grandpa called, "a good eye."

summer camp option #2

bikini bootcamp at amansala in tulum, mexico.

beach? check.

yoga? check.

surfing? check.

bike touring? check.

spa treatments? check.

"bohemian chic" accommodations? check.

guests who look like models and why-in-the-world-would-they-sign-up-for-something-called-bikini-bootcamp? check.

bikini bootcamp book written by camp founders so I can do the program in the privacy of my own home and won't have to parade around on the beach next to said models? check.

aspire

design undercover introduced me to paris labokoff's ethereal, colorful photographs. this is just the type of art I long to create. for now, I'm still learning but so enjoy being inspired by work like this. I could just look at it all day...

summer camp option #1

first up for consideration for my summer camp adventure: artistacreative.

a camp/art workshop/getaway for women located in super-gorgeous Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, it's got everything I'm looking for: art, yoga, outdoors, great food, fabulous accommodations. surfing lessons would make it absolutely perfect.

pancake-a-rama!

I took today off to have a much-needed long weekend and have some time to research a summer retreat. I dream of a getaway that mixes yoga, nature, artistic expression and maybe some other interest of mine (without being too new-agey, the thought of running around a bonfire in the buff with total strangers frightens me).

so, I'm perusing kripalu yoga's catalog of summer programs and see a retreat that catches my eye and I'm giddy with excitement: pancakearama!!! My mouth drops open, my eyes grow tenfold and my skin is tingling with disbelief. this will be the best summer camp EVER! I had no idea that there were others who were so fond of both yoga and pancakes! who knew there was an actual market catering to my kind?

I take a closer look to get the details and realize that it actually reads panchakarma (an ayurvedic cleansing ritual). only I could imagine that there would be a summer camp mixing yoga and pancakes.

I'll keep looking...

monday mosaic

april weekend at home: simple enjoyment of everyday life and amazing nature.

left to right, top to bottom:

1. first sandal day
2. brand new journal (brand new hopes?)
3. red azaleas line a neighbor's wall
4. brilliant blue sky
5. starbucks, schmarbucks! home espresso is best
6. new print purchased at this fantastic etsy shop
7. so many new magazines, my postbox was crammed full every day last week
8. I'm crazy about my new apple green pumps (always on the lookout for apple green shoes!)
9. caught in a sudden storm while shopping for said pumps

read. this. book.

this is an amazing story. I delayed reading this for months. after a decade of interviewing and advocating for children experiencing abuse, I really thought I had heard and read it all. I was so wrong.

so many histories of childhood sexual abuse are filled with oh-woe-is-me malaise and paralysis. as a cog in the system machine (and it is indeed an antiquated, sluggish, flawed machine), I often felt relegated to the obligatory task of gathering enough viable information to provide just enough protection so that a child and family merely survives. I didn't see a lot of actual living taking place after the intervention. true healing was essentially non-existent. mia and claire provide real emotion, hope, deep understanding and no-holds-barred accountability (not just for the abuser).

I took away so, so many lessons to apply at work. the personal bonus for me was the lesson about control. thanks claire.

go play outside

tomorrow: eighty degrees and partly sunny. let the outdoor decorating begin!

there is a pile of magazines by my bed filled with dogeared pages of colorful and whimsical backyard ideas. can't wait for summer nights under the stars, watching the fireflies twinkle like fairylights in the trees. sipping margaritas and beers and talking for hours about nothing and everything.

this is the year the yard will be finished (well, can it ever really be finished?). here are a few of my favorite inspirations from sunset.

oh my stars

look at this amazing chair currently up for bid on ebay. the opening bid is low, but certain to skyrocket for such a unique piece. my living room is currently an eclectic mix of art nouveau and modern...do you think I could add some victorian in there as well?

weird childhood

this is my mom being kissed by shamu at sea world circa 1972.

she was chosen from an audience of about 200 to have the pleasure of a two ton giant get intimate with her.

everyone was laughing and clapping as the trainers led her up to the platform. I was petrified and could barely move or speak. shamu cranked up the entertainment quotient by circling his tank several times, building anticipation, before pulling his massive self up out of the water and planting one on my mom.

it was over in an instant. my mom was led back to her seat to wild applause. my dad was practically falling over himself in the hilarity of the moment. I was just relieved that she was safe, would still be my mom, and I wouldn't have go through my life explaining to people that my mom's head was eaten by a killer whale. I finally cracked a tiny smile that eventually exploded into uncontrollable laughter. and I thought, "she is so brave."

friends

I'm very much inspired by others this week.

I love this photo I found on flickr and enhanced.

kelly rae included an arabian proverb yesterday on her blog:

"a friend is one to whom one can pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keeping what is worth keeping, and, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away. "

blue monday

still blue...in a good way. a few of my flickr faves.

color crush

have I told you how much I love etsy? I'm somewhat obsessed with browsing and always amazed at the talent there. my new favorite store is circa ceramics. I really, really want a set of these funky little bowls.

cheeky girl

april's self portrait challenge is "absurd".

this one was difficult for me (and I'm not sure I've nailed it yet). absurdity doesn't seem to stand out to me, possibly because it's a big part of who I am and what I embrace. I love things that don't make sense, that are quirky and whimsical. I think quite a few people can easily find some absurdity in me and my life. and that's okay with me. when I was moving east from california, a friend was curious if I was concerned that easterners would find me weird because I was from california. then she said (with love), "I mean, you're weird here."

truly absurd was the time when I longed to be traditional, normal, safe, quiet. when I wanted to curl up with sameness and mediocrity, that place where no one ever wonders, "what's up with her?" I longed to be rid of baby apple cheeks set aglow by a silly grin and giggles that I couldn't seem to control. I wanted a mind that didn't distract me from the business of life with random questions like, "who made the rule that you can't wear bloomers after age 4?" and "what does Chewbacca carry in his purse?" and "what was the blond guy's name on Scooby-Doo?"

absurd was the time in my life when I had scars from biting the insides of my cheeks to keep from smiling at everything. I wanted to be sullen, colorless, invisible.

I'm not sure when I grew out of that; it happened gradually and naturally. I finally figured out that I can live near the fringe and still be accepted and loved in the real world (even in the east!). I like being the cheeky, smiling, laughing girl. I like being weird.

more spring

can't get enough.

things I like about my job #2

the vending machine guy stocks blueberry poptarts just for me. I indulge once a week or less, so he's not getting rich, just being nice. thanks vending machine guy. you're sweet.

mercury sky

I am loving learning new photoshop techniques. I fiddled around with layers today and did some cutting and pasting to create composites. the results were, um...interesting and maybe not quite ready to post. more practice is needed.

so I went back to blending images, my favorite trick and one I feel somewhat comfortable with. here is my ubiquitous quince photo blended with a mercury-type texture (some sort of old fuse). I love the result. the colors are perfect and it's amazing how the background ended up looking like a fanciful sky.

wtf? wednesday

I couldn't even put up a photo of him with this post, I find him so hideous. I didn't want him here, peering like the monster he is, lording it over the cute maryjanes, paisley dress, and supersweet swinging girl. the fact is that he just doesn't belong in my beautiful world. there is no place for him. at the sight of him, I am thrown into immediate loathing and protective mode. wha? huh? who let him in here? there he is everyday, everywhere: loud, obnoxious, bullying.

I am writing of the (dare I speak the name) dodge ram crew cab pickup and any other of the beastly giant suv-truck monsters that litter and pollute our roads (figuratively and literally). I just don't understand why someone (anyone!) needs to drive a vehicle larger then a military tank on quiet suburban roads or tight city streets. what is going on in your life that a regular car or truck just won't meet your needs?

I am not even going to get into the environmental side of this because I can't stop pondering what it is that people who research, purchase and drive these vehicles are thinking/compensating for. I often think that maybe the answer is that they have chosen a vehicle that is an extension of their personality (or lack thereof). which would explain all the aggressive tailgating, constant rumbling and ridiculous misunderstanding of those yellow lines in the parking lot.

some say that a vehicle this size is needed for all the stuff. hauling all the stuff. now, I am a great appreciator of stuff, but I've never had the need for that much stuff in one trip.

some say they're necessary for large families. pioneer woman has one, I've seen it on her blog. yeah, but she has four kids, is married to a real live cowboy and lives on a working cattle ranch. that should be the minimum criteria for the purchase of one of these beasts. she has to contend with real live bulls for pete's sake. and the truck really seems to be happy there, in his natural habitat.

must run, the blue giant across the street just woke from his slumber, which tells me it's time to be off for work. hey, they do serve a purpose...

oh goodness

how much do I love this dress with these sweet, sweet maryjanes?! what do you think of this for a wedding? maybe with a pale aqua cashmere cardigan...

everyday fool

he lives in my bathroom, perched on an ivory shelf. he was a very costly impulse buy while browsing shops with my daughter in san francisco (@ world ware). he sits at the ready, on his little stage, waiting to do his dance and entertain.

I wanted to share him in honor of fool's day. interestingly, I just realized that he is not a fool, a jester or a harlequin as I always thought he was. I see him every day and yet I never really looked at him. how often do I do this with real people? and how foolish is that?