The wedding

So, looking back at my blog and thinking back to August, it's hard to believe that the wedding has come and gone. It was a beautiful exchange of love and friendship and I am so happy for Karolina & Carlos.

Many, many happy years to come to you both!

A few things I'm currently obsessed with

A country house, a country house, oh how I want a country house.  

I have wanted to live in the country for years now (I came very close to purchasing a great farmhouse in rural Kentucky back in 2007), but the pull of the city has kept me from moving back to the midwest where farmhouses abound.  A perfect compromise would be to get to travel into the city for work periodically, and still enjoy the space and domesticity of getting to nest in the country.  

While I haven't found the perfect spot yet, I know that it is out there with my name on it.  

Photo from HERE

2010 - better watch it's back!

So, on to the New Hopes and Aspirations:

1. Visit 1 new country
2. Read this list once a month
3. See at least 6 shows (saw one on January 2nd, so I'm off to a great start)
4. Visit Grandma before Christmas
5. Go to "Drink & Draw"
6. Take a course at the book center
7. Lose 3 pounds every month until I reach my goal (I figured baby steps are lessoverwhelming)
8. Visit 16 museums/galleries
9. Keep a "Thankful journal"
10. Visit Mantauk
11. Read & complete 37 Days
12. Get New York driver's license (goodbye great photo from my Massachusetts license)
13. Create 25 small pieces of art
14. Go to Balthazar for dinner
15. Complete the Creative Entrepreneur book with all the journal exercises
16. Spend one weekend exploring Staten Island
17. Take advantage of the Apple store free courses; go to at least 6 sessions
18. Go to Saturday Euchre at least 3 times
19. Buy 2-liters of soda & take ice to work instead of spending $2 each day on a fountain soda
20. Put $300/month into savings
21. Participate in 2 juried shows

2009

We're going into the 2nd week of the New Year & I am just now posting my New Year blog post, but hey, it's all good.

So, getting inspiration from my friend Melodie, I am listing my resolutions from 2009. I didn't do horribly, but hope I will do better this year with my goals.

I will list the two that are ALWAYS on my list - every year - first.

1) Read this list once a month: J_F_M_A_M_J_J_A_S_O_N_D. Um..less than 50% of the months...I read it in January, February, March, September & October.

2) Visit a new country: accomplished; Chile, Argentina & Brazil

3) Visit at least 12 new galleries or museums: I know there were more visit, but not necessarily new places...and only 4 were documented: Queens Museum, Warhol Museum, Carnegie Art Museum, Detreich Gallery.

4) Complete the Creative Entrepreneur book with all the journal exercises. Nope...maybe 1/2 way through it.

5) Create at least 52 postcards & document them on my blog. Well, from the sad, sad job of posting I did the better part of this year, we can all see that this did not happen.

6) Host at least 4 dinner or cocktail parties: I had 1...it's just a hard thing to do in a studio.

7) Participate in 2 juried exhibits. Hhm, I think I will put this one back on my list for 2010.

8) See at least 10 shows: Royal Family, Hedda Gabler, Mary Poppins, Polobolus, Groovaloo, Freedom, the Nutcracker & Klangforum Wien (Free Radicals). I think had I read this list on a regular basis, it would have motivated me to see more. Since I've left 35 years of age behind & am no longer eligible for $25 tickets thru hotix...that makes a difference too.

9) Go on 3 dates by March...hmmmm.

10) Successfully create & accomplish a group "creative trip to NYC" - why am I afraid of this?

11) Send at least 1 item with a publicity kit to 4 magazines...scared of this too.

So, I thought I had done pretty well until I just wrote these all out. I now realize that only ONE of those was completed in full. Wow...I think this might be a wake-up call to pay attention to life & each day...and to not just assume that I will be able to accomplish one or all of these "another day."

Tomorrow I will list my NEW list for 2010. Goodbye to this unfinished list...hello to so many new opportunities!

Showering...

Wedding invitation suite

Karolina has decided: The orange umbrella it is.

Invitations

Designing the Wedding Invitations;

so much fun, but only 1 can be chosen.

A Day of Green

Etsy Treasury

Running away with the circus on my etsy treasury list.

Click here to see for yourself.

So, this is even more exciting...especially because of the similar themes!

Only a few minutes after I'd finished creating my list, I got an email form another etsy seller,  Becky Kazana, saying she'd included one of my pieces in HER treasury list!

This made me smile.

What movie is this?!

Clockwise from top left:

My Paris Photograph by One step beyond 70's

Pastry Chef Notecard by Blue Mango

Red Wine Fine Art Photograph by Amelia Kay Photography 

Rat Notecard by Wanda O'Connor

Please support these awesome etsy sellers by buying handmade!

For the answer...click here.

Christian Faur

The unbelievable work of Christian Faur makes me want to skip around in circles.  I am so absolutely in love with every one of Christian's pieces.  They remind me of Jennifer Maestre's jaw-dropping sculptures that caught my eye in a gallery window in Massachusetts a few years ago.

Simple Pleasures

I love this - it's since been painted over & all evidence of its existence has been removed from the site.  However, I still have this photo to appreciate it.  

Notice that he's blowing love out of his tuba; come on - that has to make you smile.

^{Main Entry: 2}graffiti

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Italian, plural of graffito

Date:

1945

: usu. unauthorized writing or drawing on a public surface

Blooms in Central Park

Traveling through memories

I am in desperate need of a vacation.  Unfortunately, instead of traveling any time soon, 

I must re-live past holidays in my memory instead.  

Here are a few of my favorites:

Pozo del Cielo Hotel in Chivay, Peru

The Colca Canyon in May reminds me of Colorado mountains in July.  The wildflowers blow in the breeze, the green layers of the tiered canyon create such depth and beauty and the ripe prickly pears are tasty treats.  I had the treat of visiting a wedding celebration, watching the couple & women twirling in a blur of colors.  The Pozo del Cielo is the perfect place to stay; it's adobe walls create a cozy comfort and the hot water bottle placed under the covers at night is a great surprise.

Haute de Cagnes, France

May Day in this ancient, hilltop town is colorful and jovial.  A friend and I had rented an apartment that had a lovely patio where we could enjoy our breakfasts of fresh bread and strong coffee.  On May 1, children knocked on our door selling flowers as part of the celebration.  As we walked around town, we found little pockets of neighborhoods creating their own floral sculptures as part of a friendly competition.  The already charming town came alive in flowers. 

Iceland

I have the fondest memories of traveling in Iceland in the winter; eating lobster bisque next to the roaring ocean as I'm warmed by an outdoor heater; running through the snow barefoot from a thermal bath to a steam hut; sipping strong, black coffee in a cozy cafe as big cartoonish snowflakes float past the windows...  

Breckenridge, Colorado

Spending my childhood summer vacations in this cozy town, tucked in the mountains still 

keeps this now-commercialized town magical for me.  

Ubud, Bali

Rice paddies, lush terraces, mangos for breakfast, refreshing swimming pools, 

monkeys, and flowers strewn everywhere.

Marrakesh, Morocco

The colors, sounds and smells of this city can overwhelm or intoxicate.  

The city has an ancient air of magic.

What movie is this?!

Clockwise from top left:

Carousel Horse necklace by Pink Milk

Parasol Rubber Stamp by Corrabelle

Kite necklace by Finch Metal

Sofie Clutch by Lola Falk Designs

Penguin by Orange Willow

Rainy Spring Necklace by Tilly Bloom

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Tee by Dinwiddies

St. Paul's by Dharma Knits

Chimneys by Tuscany Studios

Please support these awesome etsy sellers by buying handmade!

For the answer...click here.

My Best Friend Melodie

I have the funniest, smartest and cutest best friend in the world.

Our lives are different in so many ways; 

She

is a wife 

a mother of 2

a teacher

a musician

beautifully strong in her faith

has Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak as her neighbors.

I 

am single

still a child

an office-rat

an artist

agnostic

have opera singers and party planners as my neighbors.

Our differences help us appreciate what we each have and allow us to live vicariously thru the other.  

Melodie helps me see my life through rose-colored glasses when I can't see the beauty on my own.  

I hope I help her do the same.

Violet - Morado - Purple

Until yesterday, I never realized how many dog leashes and coats are purple. 

This one's for you Duane. 

What movie is this?!

Clockwise from top left: 

Spanish Endearment Necklaces from Anne Kiel

Chevy Malibu Logo Photo from Star 8278 (Lisa Ceaser)

Beach Sea Glass from Beach Gemming 

Red Wine from Jennifer Squires Productions

Golden Retriever Black Lab; a Day at the Beach from Deb Harvey

Giant Yellow Sun from Laughing Dog Photo

Please support these awesome etsy sellers by buying handmade!

For the answer...click here.

Commercials that make me smile

This is one of my all time favorite commercials.

And this one always made me smile, but then Nisha sent it to me & Orla saying it reminded her of the 3 of us - it made me love it more.