Gross!
4/30/2009
4/22/2009
Creativity
Summer/Spring Projects:
- light box
- take more photos with my new camera - learn about speed and lighting
- bottle garden
- more toys
- headboard?
- bottle chandelier
- paintings
- books
Hi. It's been forever.
I just got back last week from my very first adult, non-working vacation. Till now my vacations have mostly either been work-related, work-involved, or family-related, which can be fun but never feels like rest. This time, all I did all week was lie around, wine taste, read, listen to music, cook, sight-see, eat, and shop. It was such a great time, the first relaxation I've had since last April. It was an opportunity for my brain to leave off from Pinups for Pitbulls 2009, to begin my spring, and to get back into caring for myself and my household and my own projects. Time to get to do art stuff again. I bought a whole new set of watercolors, brushes, and tablets while up in Carmel, and am hosting another creative cocktails party on May 9th. I feel emotionally healthier than I have in a very long time, and am taking steps to get my much-fatigued physical self back into great condition.
But apart from a few quick paintings here and there and decorating my bathroom walls with painted flowers, my hands-on, just-because creativity has been almost zero.
I've just been catching up on the blogs and creativity of all my Crafty Friends. One is Audrey, my friend who owns a paperie called Urbanic in Venice, CA (on Abbot Kinney). I went into her shop on Sunday for the first time since last summer, and am just blown away by what she and her husband have accomplished. I was there when they were moving into the store, and now it just blows me away to see what they've done with the place. They have this great bridal lounge where brides can custom order invitiations. It makes me want to get engaged just to have an excuse to sit there and look through all these great books. I picked up a cute journal... I can never resist buying stuff when I visit. I didn't even go in to their clothing store next door, Neighborhood, because I just spent so much on vacation, and everything in there looked super cute. Sigh. Maybe in a few months!
During my visit, their son Javin was running around with this great, fun handmade cape on. Turns out our friend Liz made it for him and dropped it by the night before. Audrey mentioned Liz had stuff up on Etsy, so I wrote her and got the address. I've just spent the past hour looking at all her stuff and am completely charmed and drawn in and inspired to sew and paint and make things this spring and summer. She makes fabrics and shirts and collage/paintings of found objects and prints of paintings... she is my hero this week. I can't wait to buy some of her stuff! I can't wait to go home and make stuff too!
My friend Jessica and I have been talking about bottle gardens this month. I'm excited to get with her soon and make them. Meanwhile, I'm on the lookout for the perfect bottle. There's a great picture of one in one of my 70s plant books. My Bottle Garden Goal is to recreate it.
Finally, my friend Xea in portland has been talking with me about recipes,photography, and how she's been sewing kid's clothes and selling them to local stores. (I'm trying to find a link here of her stuff but I can't... it's very cute and retro.) I'm the kind of person who always thinks that would be a fun idea, but who would never actually get the guts to do this. Maybe in a parallel universe where I live in Portland and don't have social anxiety. For now, I'll just live vicariously through her. She did the photo of her sheep, Napkin, up top, enoying some Sushi.
Anyway, time to sit at my desk and browse Etsy!
xoxox
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