Calling on ArtistGirl

Ok, my neighbor is over there likely throwing some beautiful pots right now and my friend Kelly spent much of the holiday season fashioning some awesome glass beads and making shadow boxes. My friend Noelle is currently ensconced in what may be the most artfully done apartment I think I've ever seen, layered with so much color, texture and whimsy it makes my heart spin. And of course Tracy right about now is popping some great snaps of Nico or life in Baltimore through her very artsy lens. My friends are all highly creative. And so am I.

I've been rocking the analytical brain too long. Barking like a seal and balancing a ball on my nose for applause is a more like it. Motherhood has cast me back in the ocean of the only true language: beauty. Maybe 2011 will be the start of something good.
Hey- Check out these carpets by ETHOS at ABC Carpets

Polka Dot Leaf

fine art image can be found at Eggcity Arts

Friendship on a Friday Night

mini leather bracelet from kjoo

These bracelets remind me of 'friendship bracelets' of my youth. I was always amazed and not just a little envious of those friend-loaded souls (or maybe people with time on their hands) who wore a wrist-full at one time (and for months such that they became faded and frayed). I thought 'wow, what nice and committed friends they must be'. Well, I am 'nice and committed' too. Well, mostly nice and committed.

I snagged this image from SFgirlbythebay. With appreciation. I enjoy your blog. xo

Ferm Living: Some Fresh Stuff

Here are some treats from ferm LIVING, I like the contemporary sensibility of these items. Clean and fresh.

Draw Unto Me: The Magnetics of Waiting

So I am in this new energetic balancing act: Draw to, await arrival of, think of it and bring it to you, and any manner of feminine, horizontal, round and magnetic wiles. All of this is versus go forward, move ahead, plan for it, masculine, structural, cognitive and linear.

The image I provide here is one of openness, emptiness, no expectancy or associated word games or puzzles to figure out. Sorry, even this posting lacks a framework and I just don't care. Seems to be fine just as it is. At least I will spellcheck.

Can you imagine yourself sitting and waiting, for what, you don't know? It is NOT passive, don't get confused with that. I know some of you know EXACTLY what I am talking about. And for others, this is 100% lost on you. Yup.

The Goods of Slumber

I saw this image and was reminded of the pile of books,magazines and Washington Post Style sections that adorn the top of my nightstand. Buddha is there too. So much can be known about a person when taking in some one's space visually, even in snippets of the whole. I am a Slumber Champion. That means I am all for setting up the conditions for good rest. For me, that is reading novels, non-fiction and the Style section lying in view of Buddha who rests so peacefully. My itty bitty son sometimes walks up to him and says "Hi Buddha". Ahhhh, good slumber buddies.

Charging up my Imagination: Time for a New Owlet, I Mean Outlet

Handmade Owls by Lulu Detwiatkowski

The word 'gestate' is close to the mouth movement and ear catch of 'just sit'. I just realized that. As a former pusher, defined here as someone who pushes herself along life's road, I am now called to gestate. Or just sit. And you know what? That's all I feel like doing anyway. What are you being called to do?

My toddler son likes owls. He likes the visual 'O' in particular. He'll say 'hoo hoo hoo' when he sees the likeness, and pronounces the word with respect.
Lulu's TrailofInspiration blog is full of the good stuff of life and she took a snapshot of her own handmade owls that I have posted here. Give her a visit.

Now this is a corsage

Laurie Cinotto You can find her and this corsage on Etsy.

Sweet Paul Magazine

Sweet Paul Magazine is dedicated to 'Chasing the Sweet Things in Life'. Me too. You?

I Wanna Up the Fabulous

Carleton Varney's version of Tobacco Leaf

Check out Jennifer Boles's blog The Peak of Chic. Sometimes it just does me good to look at fabulous things and learn about the people who conjured them. It reminds me that my imagination is limitless and that those ramblings can often take form if just provided the room and focus.

From another angle we certainly do conjure that which we spend the most time focusing on and this is an often writ universal concept. I'm just saying.

Ghetto Bird

Description
Ghetto Bird was made using a combination of printing, collage, & painting (using acrylic, ink, & oil), and is mounted on two 6"x6" (ready to hang) wood panels. No framing required.

This piece of art and many others can be found on Etsy by a company called Retro Whale.

I just like it.

Cakes-o-Love

Over the last couple of years our nation has turned its attention to cupcakes. That's right, cupcakes. Those tasty treats of our youth baked usually by some body's mama and brought to the classroom have now taken on icon status with chic cupcake boutiques popping up all over the place.

Perhaps as a collective we are seeking to bring a small bite of sweetness into our daily lives. I like the idea, anyway.

My husband is a HUGE fan of Crumbs cupcakes. Check them out- they have bricks and mortar stores and you can order online.

Mother-in-Law Love

I don't hear a lot of chat about how awesome a mother-in-law can be in your life. Well, I have now had some wonderful real life experiences that have provided me an excellent education on the subject.

This year my mother-in-law is having a 'bench-mark' birthday. We'll celebrate with a lovely luncheon with the family to include her beloved, shiny-haired grandson- her very first.

I'll also give her a treat from a potter whose items have meant a lot to me over the years. Rebecca Wood has very organic, naturally colorful forms that are built on Georgia red clay. I can't wait to give her the 12 inch platter in 'clover'.

Happy Birthday Roberta! XXOO.