Every time I watch one of these videos I am MESMERIZED (and distracted... I'm SO good at distraction!). Check it out. Perhaps I can talk Joey into padding the apartment and practicing some simple moves with me ;)
Happy Friday!
Friday, June 28, 2013
AcroYoga
This is becoming an obsession...
Every time I watch one of these videos I am MESMERIZED (and distracted... I'm SO good at distraction!). Check it out. Perhaps I can talk Joey into padding the apartment and practicing some simple moves with me ;)
Every time I watch one of these videos I am MESMERIZED (and distracted... I'm SO good at distraction!). Check it out. Perhaps I can talk Joey into padding the apartment and practicing some simple moves with me ;)
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Before, After, meanwhile...
Forever ago, I posted about a class on Skillshare that I was taking during a far too busy time in my schedule (at least I probably should not have been worrying about this kind of frivolity). Due to the fact that I was so busy, I could not properly keep up with the homework, though I thoroughly enjoyed the class. It was one of those happy projects mixed in with several other big projects that kept me going and sane during a big grind. After all, happy is important and just as important as important, right?
I never completed the class entirely (at least on my end), but since then, as I've found the time, I've worked in the extra "homework" on my own time. So, here's one of the assignments from the class...
I never completed the class entirely (at least on my end), but since then, as I've found the time, I've worked in the extra "homework" on my own time. So, here's one of the assignments from the class...
The Console:
Before...
After...
It could still use a little bit of work... but it's getting there.
Meanwhile...
Meanwhile, I've been rearranging the apartment like a mad ant creating the perfect ant hill. I'm determined to make a work space... and so far it's working. The shot of the closet is proof of the first step.
Pairing down and consolidating is the name of the game, so my first objective was to combine Joey and I's clothes into one closet, instead of spread out around the apartment like they had been. This closet used to be a supply closet, but then it turned into a crazy nightmare because it simply could not hold all of the supplies and art projects that Joey and I both have. It was silly to think that it would. Once, while trying to work on a project for work (our computer used to reside there), the closet literally caved in on me and I had to crawl out of the mess. Therefore, I'm creating a solution...
A solution that will allow me to do more of this...
Artwork.
Sadly, I don't have any recent artwork that I've been working on. I was scrolling through my pictures thinking that surely there was some doodle, at least, to use as an example to represent my illustration, painting, collaging, or something... but there was really nothing. This laptop has not seen A SINGLE piece of new artwork since we bought it close to a year ago. That needs to be remedied, so put it on the list at #1 of Studio/Workroom activities.
This...
Sneaky Snake
This (the pom bottle) to this...
Before...
After...
Recycled plastic vessel into pretty bud vase.
AND this...
Although I love having Darla as a work partner, a bed as a desk does not properly suit laptop, scanner, and printer. Neither does the coffee table or the kitchen table properly conduct themselves as a workspace for Art, Sewing, and Crafting projects. It's time to get organized and get working (properly) over here. If Joey and I are going to be creating and working properly, then we don't need to set ourselves up for failure by having a dysfunctional space.
So... that's what's happening in the meantime...
What do you guys think about the console makeover?
Happy Wednesday! See you Friday!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Monday, Monday...
Hey guys!
Sorry about the silence during last week's Wednesday/Friday posts. Things have gotten very busy in a very non-busy way. I realize that that makes no sense, but there's been a lot of sorting through things going on over here and I'm doing my best to do it to it. I'm going to leave that vagueness right there where I put it and revisit it later... Hope you don't mind.
In the meantime, I need to upload some pictures for future posts, but I do know that one thing is for certain... this workout video needs to make it into my life very soon...
I hope you all had a great weekend spent with a gorgeous moon!
Happy Monday!
Sorry about the silence during last week's Wednesday/Friday posts. Things have gotten very busy in a very non-busy way. I realize that that makes no sense, but there's been a lot of sorting through things going on over here and I'm doing my best to do it to it. I'm going to leave that vagueness right there where I put it and revisit it later... Hope you don't mind.
In the meantime, I need to upload some pictures for future posts, but I do know that one thing is for certain... this workout video needs to make it into my life very soon...
Also, if anyone has an extra copy of Sweatin' to the Oldies, let me know! I've been keeping an eye out for it at thrift stores...
Love them both!
I hope you all had a great weekend spent with a gorgeous moon!
Happy Monday!
Monday, June 17, 2013
National Geographic...
National Geographic Magazines are magical. Open the cover and you have countless windows to peer through into unknown worlds or even windows of insight into our own, familiar surroundings. Stunning photographs document and archive our play and toil, our existence, science and the environment, and our fellow animals that inhabit the earth with us. The intimacy of each window through which we peer is astounding and unbiased, giving us a clear perspective of the world from the view of an outsider, explorer/investigator, or, a curious being. In other words, each magazine represents a small representative of a larger, more comprehensive time capsule of the world.
I'm often so enamored with a particular picture that I've found from National Geographic, that I revisit it over and over, as I'm sure that many people have. Chosen pictures have been revisited so many times that I've carefully chosen them from an already battered copy and cut them out to display around the house so that I may visit them everyday. Other photographs that I love have been saved by the good condition of the magazine, and they sit, wonderfully preserved in their archives, to be viewed and visited on special occasions.
So, when I stumbled across National Geographic's Tumblr site, I found myself lost and mesmerized once again, by the mystery that is life on planet Earth. Take a look...
I'm often so enamored with a particular picture that I've found from National Geographic, that I revisit it over and over, as I'm sure that many people have. Chosen pictures have been revisited so many times that I've carefully chosen them from an already battered copy and cut them out to display around the house so that I may visit them everyday. Other photographs that I love have been saved by the good condition of the magazine, and they sit, wonderfully preserved in their archives, to be viewed and visited on special occasions.
So, when I stumbled across National Geographic's Tumblr site, I found myself lost and mesmerized once again, by the mystery that is life on planet Earth. Take a look...
Still curious? Want to keep exploring? Then just click here.
You're welcome.
Happy Monday!
Friday, June 14, 2013
Friday Research...
This Friday is a good Friday.
I've got a lot on my mind. A lot of research to do. So bear with me if I come at you with a lot to think about...
For my research, I'm currently mixing the two books "Zoobiquity" and "Some we Love, Some we Hate, Some we Eat", to create a sort of "literary double feature" and I have to say that the outcome thus far is fascinating and has left me hungry for more.
I'm thinking that my next pairing will be "Animal Factory" and "The Moral Lives of Animals", or, "The Moral Lives of Animals" and "Brutal: Manhood and the Exploitation of Animals". If you have any recommendations, I would love to hear them!
For a summer read (long live book club discussions!), I'm reading "Ishmael", by Daniel Quinn, with Joey and my friend Garre. Although it's "for pleasure", it feels like it is sharpening my awareness while enhancing my ability to make connections in my research. I absolutely cannot wait to drink this one up and share it with you.
In the meantime, I hope you have a most excellent Friday!
I want to leave you with a few goodies to enjoy over the weekend...
Amanda Palmer on connecting the dots...
PLEASE be patient with this and stick with it through it's entirety. It's a FANTASTIC speech and I think it's extremely important for everyone, especially artists and writers.
"Connecting The Dots" - Amanda Palmer talks art & controversy @ Grub Muse conference from Grub Street on Vimeo.
I've got a lot on my mind. A lot of research to do. So bear with me if I come at you with a lot to think about...
Research... feels good.
For my research, I'm currently mixing the two books "Zoobiquity" and "Some we Love, Some we Hate, Some we Eat", to create a sort of "literary double feature" and I have to say that the outcome thus far is fascinating and has left me hungry for more.
I'm thinking that my next pairing will be "Animal Factory" and "The Moral Lives of Animals", or, "The Moral Lives of Animals" and "Brutal: Manhood and the Exploitation of Animals". If you have any recommendations, I would love to hear them!
For a summer read (long live book club discussions!), I'm reading "Ishmael", by Daniel Quinn, with Joey and my friend Garre. Although it's "for pleasure", it feels like it is sharpening my awareness while enhancing my ability to make connections in my research. I absolutely cannot wait to drink this one up and share it with you.
In the meantime, I hope you have a most excellent Friday!
I want to leave you with a few goodies to enjoy over the weekend...
Amanda Palmer on connecting the dots...
PLEASE be patient with this and stick with it through it's entirety. It's a FANTASTIC speech and I think it's extremely important for everyone, especially artists and writers.
"Connecting The Dots" - Amanda Palmer talks art & controversy @ Grub Muse conference from Grub Street on Vimeo.
And, finally, 5 movies that are on my movie list. They are all possible "double feature" picks...
Which do you think would pair well with one another?
The Real Dirt on Farmer John
King Corn
Tapped
Garbage Warrior
Dirt: The Movie
Also, if you have any recommendations of books or movies to add to the book or movie list, let me know! I love watching my lists grow.
Happy Weekend!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Three Years...
Time passes with a blink.
Three years feels like 3 hours and an eternity all at once.
Moments spent with Joey are precious; whether we're arguing about something petty or whether we're just enjoying sharing space and talking incessantly about our thousands of ideas and projects to be worked on. They're precious and we do our best to hold them tight and with care.
Joey is my teammate, my support, my confidence, my cheerleader, my family, my friend, and my lover. He is my champion. I am a better person with Joey by my side and I am so eternally grateful that he is in my life.
What can I say? I like the guy ;)
In dedication to our three year anniversary, I'm going to sprinkle a few "lovey-feely's" all over this post. Enjoy. They're sweet and I think they sum up, for many people, the amazing complexity that is love (all kinds of love) and partnership. It's not easy, and doesn't always make sense, but it's worth the work. I think about my life sometimes before Joey, and, although he wasn't actually there, it feels as though he was. Perhaps when we've grown old together (if we're lucky), and when we pass, our energy will create a perfect little cocktail together for someone to drink, and they'll taste it, enjoy it, and never realize that there were ever two parts to begin with.
To love of all variations... they're all part of the same family...
Three years feels like 3 hours and an eternity all at once.
Moments spent with Joey are precious; whether we're arguing about something petty or whether we're just enjoying sharing space and talking incessantly about our thousands of ideas and projects to be worked on. They're precious and we do our best to hold them tight and with care.
Joey is my teammate, my support, my confidence, my cheerleader, my family, my friend, and my lover. He is my champion. I am a better person with Joey by my side and I am so eternally grateful that he is in my life.
What can I say? I like the guy ;)
In dedication to our three year anniversary, I'm going to sprinkle a few "lovey-feely's" all over this post. Enjoy. They're sweet and I think they sum up, for many people, the amazing complexity that is love (all kinds of love) and partnership. It's not easy, and doesn't always make sense, but it's worth the work. I think about my life sometimes before Joey, and, although he wasn't actually there, it feels as though he was. Perhaps when we've grown old together (if we're lucky), and when we pass, our energy will create a perfect little cocktail together for someone to drink, and they'll taste it, enjoy it, and never realize that there were ever two parts to begin with.
To love of all variations... they're all part of the same family...
Eyelids
Bottle
Our way to fall...
Remote Control
Death to the Tinman
... and that is why the Tinman didn't have a heart.
Lost Love
When Harry met Sally -- Love Stories
Love to you all; and, to Joey, Happy Anniversary, you're my favorite!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Who you callin' bulky?
Before buying in bulk, you first need to make sure that you are prepared. When storing bulk items, you can no longer count on the boxed or bagged packaging for freshness, but on the permanent containers that you have at home. I've always loved the look of mason or bell jars, however, the prettiest ones that I find at the thrift store or antique store don't always convince me that they will actually seal in freshness... and that's what we're going for here... keeping our food fresh.
Here are a few online examples of bulk storage...
... which left more room in the pantry to organize... in alphabetical order of course!
I have one giant pot for dye projects specifically, so I just used the pot itself as storage for my dye products and clothes, fabrics, that I plan on dyeing.
Here are a few online examples of bulk storage...
I found these beautiful green "snap-close" jars that perfectly matched and melded with my blue jars that I had picked up from the thrift store years ago! They were a cool-colored match made in heaven AND, with the rubber-snap-enclosure, they keep in freshness.
Families reunited...
I had already been using the blue jars to store pasta, rice, lentils, and beans. So now that I had extra "green" storage (works on two levels!), I could store more of our foods, especially now that we have an awesome grocery store nearby that was recently renovated and boasts a badass bulk section!!!
Bulk options at Grocery Stores... hopefully we will begin seeing many more of these pop up... http://www.apartmenttherapy.com
So now that I had the means to store bulk foods, I needed to sort, consolidate, and organize the food into the jars and in and around the pantry. It was the perfect opportunity to get some organizing/cleaning done to a long-neglected area of our busy little apartment.
First came the purge... I'm really good at making messes, so this was a piece of cake although, if Joey hadn't been at work, he might have just thought I was making a mess without any other intentions... you know, sometimes it happens.
Here's the mess:
Darla waited patiently the entire time for food to rain down from the sky...
After clearing out the cabinets came a quick clean...
And then came the challenging part--for me anyway--organizing:
First, I found all food products that I had multiples of and consolidated them...
... which left more room in the pantry to organize... in alphabetical order of course!
Any food products that I thought I might need instructions for, I simply cut out the instructions on the packaging and dropped them in the jar with the food. In the future, I'll skip the packaged food and simply keep the instructions in the jar.
I have one giant pot for dye projects specifically, so I just used the pot itself as storage for my dye products and clothes, fabrics, that I plan on dyeing.
The utensil drawer isn't any major feat of organizing, but it's definitely in better shape than it was.
Noodle and Darla trying to comprehend the madness...
After nearly a day of gathering my resources/motivation, I stepped away from a disaster of a kitchen, to a warm, inviting, and relaxing space. I can now quietly pour my coffee in the morning and my wine at night without feeling an overwhelming sense of failure as a sanitary, disheveled human being... at least where the kitchen is concerned. *Sigh*.....
Bulk jars lining the counter, so that they're both accessible and beautiful :)
Basic cooking necessities (vinegar, oil, hot sauce), nearby, sitting pretty...
I even took some time to re-organize the two baskets on the cart, the baking sheets, and the pot lids, which I keep "filed" in an old dish-drying rack that was my grandparents (I know, weird object to keep around, but it always reminded me of them).
New and improved cabinets with space up top to spare for baking pans, casserole dishes, griddle, and mixing bowl...
I stepped out of the house momentarily to go search for some baskets at a nearby antique/thrift store. I wanted to use them to help sort out various things in the cabinets. I scored the two baskets above, and a cool little wooden box with handle (not shown, but I'm keeping it under the sink, holding my seed collection). I picked up all three for $5. Here, I've sorted all of the breakfast items in one place, and used the basket on the first shelf to "file" oatmeal packets and unopened jars of home-made jam (Made with love by my friend Garre's mom, Laura!).
Flours and various "mediums" were sorted in the longer basket.
Cans, cooking spice blends, and broths above, and boxed necessities + crackers below.
Organized spices...
Cooking aids...
And, extra picnic/party disposables leftover from a hungry film crew and classroom parties.
I love our cozy (no longer scary and uninviting) new kitchen...
And, the best part of this week... Joey and I get to celebrate our 3rd year as a married couple! Three years and hopefully many, many more to come!
Here are some helpful resources for shopping "in bulk" and the benefits of doing so...
Why make the switch:
Starting the change:
- 5 reasons to shop from the Bulk Bins
- Making the switch from plastic
- Buying in Bulk for small spaces
- Best Pantry Organizers
- 5 ways to cut down on packaging
- More tips to cutting down on packaging
- Easy, drop in your purse and go, reusable bags - these are a bit pricey, but for the long run, they would be worth it. I currently use all of the cloth reusable totes that I receive from in-services, workshops, and meetings... they really are easy to obtain for free, although, they're not as easy to have on hand for a random shopping stop.
- Reusable bulk and food produce bags
Being green is fun:
- 45 ideas for recycling plastic bottles
- 25 ideas for how to recycle plastic bags
- In fact, have fun recycling anything
- Be a recycling fashion star
- Inspire, reduce, reuse
Happy Monday!
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