Christmas 2011

They got their Keurig.

Welcome to our Christmas.

Happy Holidays to you and yours! 

4: Edition 2

1.  Smashbox O-Gloss

This stuff is the bomb.  I know it's been out for quite a while so it's nothing new.  In fact, I don't even think the technology that goes into this gloss is new either.  O-Gloss is basically a lip color that goes on clear and shortly after turns your individual shade of pink.  Holler.

2.  The Lonely Island



I'd heard all their stuff before and was quite familiar with them but just recently got their whole sophomore album 'Turtleneck and Chain' on iTunes.  It's a comedy album and I wouldn't exactly call it G-rate.  But either way, smitten I tell you.  Smitten.



3.  tumblr

Yeah, click the link and you can see my tumblr in its infancy.  Not as interesting?  Eh.  While I love blogging, I appreciate what tumblr was intended for.  Microblogging.  'Cause I don't always feel like writing out a long post.



4.  Wayfarers



Thank you for helping me buy myself a much wanted present, Grandparents!  I've had my eye on a pair of Ray-Bans for a while.  I really thought I'd get the tortoise glasses, but then I did a 180 and went all Risky Business on it.  Wayfarers really are great glasses, so I'm sorry I inadvertently look like a cocky jerk in the picture.  Again, Risky Business.  I swear it's just the photo!

Things Change

Change of hearts are such a double-edged sword.  But in most cases, I feel that it's simply God laying something heavy on my mind -- telling me I need to do something different. 

He did that in March when I went back to the art program at school.

He's done it again.

I enjoyed the 2 art classes I took and I was really looking forward to next semester.  But I'm so burnt out.  And honestly, I don't truly appreciate school right now.  So I'm more than likely taking a semester off.

There's nothing overly dramatic about my exit.  It's simply that I need to do some growing up.  I haven't appreciated school.  I can't keep a clean home.  Seriously.  The townhouse is so dirty.  I'm super lazy in nearly all aspects of my life.  I kinda suck.

At least I'm responsible at work.  And I really enjoy every single day at the shop.

But I need to learn responsibility in all areas.

I'd like to prove to myself that I am responsible before I go back to school.  I'd like to take some time to work at my job, work at my drawing, and work at keeping my pigsty clean for once.

Aside from that, I still don't know what I want to do.  It's not that I want to be working retail for the rest of my life.  I'd love to have a job someday that allows me to use my creativity, regardless of whether I have a college degree or not.  But seeing that I'm almost 24, I think I need to figure out what I want to do sometime.  I'm young, but I'm certainly not getting any younger.

I feel pretty confident in my decision.  Jarred told me to do whatever I needed.  I'm glad to have his support.

Whatever happens happens and I know God is faithful.

Christmas Wishes

I'm lumping both birthday and Christmas together, because let's be honest; when your birthday falls only days before the most major holiday, it's all the same.

To clarify, that's my own doing.  My parents (and Jarred.... and all extended family) have always been really good at separating the two days.  But now that I'm older, my birthday isn't as important to me.  So when Jarred asks for a wish list, I normally only have 2 or 3 things I want.  

Wish lists have been presented to family and presents have all been bought, so I figured I could post my Christmas list to the world now and it be acceptable.  I didn't want to post it early before family knew what I wanted and make it seem like this was an obnoxiously obvious hint.

1.  Hunter Wellies

How does Jarred know when I really want something?  When it's something I've wanted and kept wanting for about a year.  And it's a rarity that there's something I hold off on buying for that long.  I discovered Hunter wellies while researching boots.  I have wanted a pair of riding boots for a number of years but have yet to find a pair that I love that costs less that $400.  Yeah. 
I was intrigued by these pairs of rain boots that I kept coming across during my boot search.  After more research I've concluded that Hunters are the ultimate in rain gear, yet the boots can also be worn in the winter snow, during the summer with shorts, etc.  And apparently they are very fashionable. 
I concur.


2.  Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh

I haven't worn perfume in years.  I have some perfumes my high school boyfriend gave me that I still love, but I hardly ever wear them.  In fact, I have no idea whether they're still good.  Do perfumes have expiration dates?  I have Chanel No. 5 and Miss Dior Cherie, but I have recently been interested in purchasing a perfume that I could wear every day.  I'd heard many good things about Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh, so Jarred and I went to the mall so I could sample.  Sure enough, I think it's the scent for me!

3.  Anthro Necklace and Charms

I love Anthropologie.  Love.  I have quite a few pieces that I've collected over the years, including my favorite necklace ever:



Lenora Dame Menagerie necklace worn during our engagement photo shoot.  Best $70 spent in my life.
Just a note:  LD has really jacked up their prices.  And by 'jacked up' I mean doubled.  And by doubled I mean HOLY CRAP.

Anway.

Anthro is now offering DIY charm necklaces.  I wish listed the bronze necklace above.  I also had several charms picked out, but honestly, they're all pretty.

There were also 1 or 2 decorative dish towels I put on my list.  If I receive them, I won't be using them in the kitchen.  They'll get framed and hung up because they are way way too special and pretty to get food gunk on them.


That's it for my wish list this year.  I've been toying with the idea of buying some Ray-Bans after Christmas, but there's not all that much I could think of to ask for.  Jarred and I are very lucky and happy in life.  We don't buy things that are super expensive during the rest of the year anyway, and we've always been of the opinion that if we really really want something (within reason; no Chanel purse for me!) we buy it.  And we'd rather have quality items that will last a lifetime too.


It's finals week here and I had my final drawing critique today.  It went well and everyone was very complimentary of my piece.  I think I will be able to get my portfolio back later in the week, so I may begin to post photos here. 

Also to be noted:  I started a tumblr account tonight, which is a microblogging format.  I can see myself posting over there multiple times a day.  I already have 8 or so posts up, but I think I want to wait a while before I make it public beyond Facebook.  Yes, if you're FB friends with me, you can find the URL on my page already.  Once I do make the link viewable to everyone, this will be the place to find the URL.

Ciao!

Purple and Red

I'm a week late, but Happy December y'all!  Obviously Jarred and I have had much of our (minimal) decorating done since Thanksgiving Day, but it doesn't exactly feel like Christmas.  Blame it on the weather, school, and work if you must.  The weather has just started to turn really cold, school is still in session and that's always a buzz kill, and we're not playing Christmas music at work (thank God).  Once finals are done, I'm sure I'll begin to feel the Christmas Spirit. 

But I'm far from in a bad mood.  I've been doing really really well this past week.  Awesome.  We have a cluttered home, but Jarred and I manage somehow (eyeroll).  Just as long as the laundry is being kept up, we're good.  

I'll stay busy with school until next week and then I'm free at last.  I will be doing a lot of drawing this weekend since my last critique is Monday.  I've definitely proved something to myself in that class, but I won't be sad to see it over with.  I want to get to mediums of art that actually interest me!  Hope by the end of next semester I'll be able to finally do something with the 'Art' tab under my header.

I big puffy heart the people I work with.  So maybe that's why some of the women kinda rubbed off on me.  A few had their hair dyed and I started to get the itch to change up my color.  On the cheap. 

So I bought some box dye.  The color was called 'Reflective Auburn Black' or something like that.  Perfect.

I'm still washing dye out of my head almost a week later.  And my hair isn't black by any means.  It's more reddish purple.  At least in direct sunlight or under fluorescent lights.  Gah!!

But you know what?  I can rock it.  Whatever.  A male customer even told me my hair looked great last Saturday, totally unsolicited.  *cheesy grin*

  I think the color has toned down throughout this week, but last weekend, I got a few weird stares from people at the shop. 

SO SORRY YOU CAN'T HANDLE THIS HAIR! 

I don't think I look half bad and  it may be red/purple/whatever, but you know what?  Honey Badger don't care!!


Um, by the way, please don't watch this if offended by vulgar language.

This is a running gag at work.  Yes, we're awesomely funny AND have may-jah swag. 

As finals approach, I wish all students good luck!  Don't down too many energy drinks!

What I've Been Up To

This post doesn't have too much of point besides me making excuses for myself as to why I am a terrible blogger.  It's all the normal stuff:  school, work, sleep, TV, Coldplay....

Okay, so the first day back to school wasn't too awful.  I especially enjoyed my drawing class.  Today was a figure drawing lesson, but this time the model was clothed.  I was a bit relieved.  I still can't believe that only 3 short months ago I was standing at our front door crying my eyes out to Jarred because I was so nervous to attend my first drawing class.  And look at me now:

Excuse the lighting -- it's an iPhone photo!

I'm really proud of the work I've done.  I've obviously improved, even past this piece, which was drawn during the mid-terms.  Once the semester is up, I'd like to show some more of the work I've done. 

Jarred and I took some time yesterday to do a little Christmas shopping for Lucas.  We ended up going to Petco where I found the cutest little sweater for him:

Click here to view the shirt on Petco's website!

How darling is that?  I saw the skull and cross bones and was instantly sold.  He is going to look so adorable.  Can't wait for Christmas to get here so I can stick him in it!  We also got him a matching monkey's fist knotted rope ball.  What a spoiled pup he will be!

There's apparently been a dilemma at work over what radio stations we can listen to.  We'd been listening to country for the first few weeks and that got old super fast.  Thank goodness we are now able to listen to an edited version of Top 40 radio.  I even told one of the assistant managers that I feel like I work harder with more upbeat music playing. 

I've been so busy with work and school that I've had no time to keep up with music.  As I said in a previous post, I bought the entire Mumford and Sons album and have been playing it on repeat constantly.  I remember telling Dad, "Mumford and Sons could possibly replace Coldplay as my favorite group".  And that pained me to say.  But one week ago at work I heard it:  Coldplay's new single "Paradise".  And that's when I reaffirmed my love of the group.  I don't think anyone will ever displace Coldplay in my heart.

So who wants to see their new video for "Paradise"?  Dad, I think you'll get a kick out of it!



Try not to abuse the replay!

This will probably be the last you'll hear from me for this week.  I may write one more post before the weekend, but I'm still mulling topics over in my head.

Have a wonderful week and happy beginning of December!

After Thanksgiving

Howdy y'all!  Hope Thanksgiving break has been a blasty-blast!  Only about 8 hours of it left!

Jarred and I stayed home this year due to my fine job in retail.  I knew I would probably have to work Black Friday, so driving 8 hours back to the Motherland was out of the question.

 Jarred and I woke up on Thanksgiving like we've done for the past 3 years to decorate the Christmas tree and watch the Macy's Parade.  I only took a few photos because I am not embarrassed to admit how completely enthralled in the parade I was.

Jarred and his Corvette ornament

 My Wall-E ornament

Action shot!

The tree is so full now -- this is the first year we've had all Jarred's ornaments too.  I will remember to take a photo of the tree all lit up sometime.  It's lovely!

Black Friday wasn't as dreary as I thought it would be.  There was a definite difference from the last time I worked retail.  I didn't come home ready to keel over this time around.

I've got less than a month left of school and I am so glad.  This semester has been a hard adjustment.  I'm more than ready for a little break.  I'll be back to do it all over again in January and then I'll be assessing whether I like school enough to continue or want to take a semester off to refocus and work and make a little money.

I hope this month leading up to Christmas is fun-filled and stress-free for everyone.  I'll be back soon!

4

There are 4 things I'm crazy about right now:

1.  Mumford and Sons.

Please don't give me that look.  I've been hearing about them for a while but didn't pay it any attention because I thought they were a country group.  And Meaghan no like country!! 

Ahem.  Anyway, there's this song I've been hearing on the radio lately called 'Little Lion Man' and finally learned who performed it last Friday while Mom and I were driving to see a play.

Bought their album.  Got up the next morning and almost immediately messaged Dad about it.

Could this group replace Coldplay in my heart?  Maybe.  And it pains my heart to say that.

2.  LORAC gloss or just makeup in general

After the unusually craptastic day I had at work last week, I went to the mall to buy myself some new earphones and I made a trip to Ulta.  I came out with minimal damage done money-wise and with some fabulous new gloss.  The beauty blogging community has long been all about LORAC Couture Shine in Haute.  Their assessment that it was the greatest color ever was in fact correct.

In other beauty news, Meaghan has finally found the best highlighter (Benefit's High Beam) and has developed the motor skills necessary to use a lash curler.

3.  Leopard Print

It's a well-known fact that I love animal print, be it zebra, tiger, or crocodile.  The one print I have been searching high and low for was leopard.  In the form of a scarf, if possible.  Finally settled on a non-budget breaking one from Target.  It's been worn 3 out of the past 3 days.  And I can guarantee that you could potentially see me about town wearing it tomorrow.

4.  Sandy Skoglund

I am very fortunate to work with some of the sweetest people in the world.  The majority of my coworkers are my age of younger and I enjoy being with them during work.  What I've found amazing is everyone's genuine interest in everyone else.  Most of my coworkers know I am an art major, but of course I haven't showed them any of the pieces I've worked on.  At least not yet.  Before we closed up for the day, I had a good conversation with another employee about art.  He said he enjoyed Picasso and asked who my favorite artist was.  I answered without hesitation "Sandy Skoglund" and ended up doing a search for some of her work. 

Of course I love Van Gogh and very much feel an emotional connection to his works.  So in that respect, he is my favorite.  But if we're talking about what artist I admire and get inspiration from, it's totally Sandy.  And to think this love affair all began with a simple photograph of 'Fox Games' in a textbook.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and be looking for a new post sometime this week!

No Fashionista

I hadn't forgotten about you bloggy world.  I've been cooking up ideas for posts for about a week now and have had simply no time to actually write out anything.  I guess that's what happens when you're a student and work a job.  

Student?  Yes, it's whatever.  I love my studio class, but all my other classes are meh.  And honestly, I'll be glad when I get this basic studio out of the way.  Next semester I can focus on areas of art that I am actually interested in.

Job?  Yes, it's going quite well.  I enjoy my coworkers, the actual work isn't too bad, and I come home at night in a decent mood.  It's a nice change from my last job, that's for sure.

Other than that, nothing much else has been going on.  The home is barely being kept up, but yesterday I focused on deep-cleaning our bathroom.  It looks all nice and sparkly now.  Went to Target and picked up a shower caddy and a new toilet brush.  Big purchases, right?

In my last post, I had mentioned the shower curtain I had recently bought.  Today I had Jarred kill two birds with one stone and photograph the curtain and... me.  Because I was loving on my outfit, though fashionista I am not.  

Jarred and I went to our church's Christmas bazaar today to have lunch.  I wanted to wear my new menswear button-up shirt and leopard scarf.  I cuffed my jeans over my Minnetonkas, looked at myself in the mirror and became concerned.  I asked Jarred if I looked too hipster.

He answered, "No, you don't look too Occupy Wall Street-y."

I love my husband.

Anyway, don't you love the shower curtain?  It's so nice and clean looking and so is the bathmat and counter tops.  Ignore the mismatched towels.  I wanted to put out 2 plain white towels but we apparently lost the second somewhere.  

I am on a major minimalist kick and am finding everything white with a dab of color to be very appealing.  And besides for that, if something in the bathroom gets dirty, whatever!  Bleach it!

Alright, now this next picture is a little bit weird for me to post because it's not meant to be a portrait but rather a close-up of my skin.  I unfortunately don't have a before shot of my face, as in 'before I began using my Clarisonic'.  But this is the after shot of using it for about a month and a half:

 

My skin is much smoother and makeup goes on much better.  I will always have a tiny bit of scarring on my cheeks from when I had acne.  But the tone and texture of my face is much better than it was before.  Clarisonic, you win.

I've been a bit more careful with my makeup application and nail polish.  Maybe it's because I'm working at a place where the uniform is less than feminine. 

Speaking of nail polish, I think I've found my one true love:

butter LONDON's All Hail the Queen.  My new favorite color. 

I'm going to remain pretty busy until the end of the semester of course, but I hope that I can keep up the blog by making one post a week.  Maybe? 

Though I'm probably the last person people would take beauty advice from, I'd like to do a post that goes through my makeup routine from start to finish.  With pictures included.  Which could be scary.  But then, it's just a thought.

I hope everyone has a good rest of the weekend.  I'll be busy busy!

Redecorate

So tired.
Life just got super hectic with school and work and everything in between.  

I took this past weekend and began purging our home of more junk.  Could I possibly be addicted to that?  I love love love throwing stuff out.  You just wouldn't be able to tell from the state of our home right now.  Read: messy.

Jarred and I have yet to begin working on our computer desk.  I'm sure it's something we'll be able to slowly work on soon, but I want to make sure the computer room is all spick and span before we begin sanding and painting.

While we are redoing our computer room, I also wanted to begin work on our bathroom.  I have a vision, but I just can't really describe it and can't even draw it really.  I just see it in my mind.  And love the ideas I have.  Along with the extra money to pay credit cards and student loans, my paycheck will go towards buying new home items.  We figure taking it room by room would be best in the end.  We won't lose focus as easily!

I bought a new shower curtain last week and it finally arrived, though I had it delivered to my parents' house.  I greatly recommend West Elm for anyone looking for some nice home items.  With much contemplation, Jarred and I originally decided on this curtain:

...and then I saw the backorder date of November 15.  No thank you.  So I bought us this one:

Happy happy.  I have dreams of glass canisters and a cute gray striped dish for jewelery/etc.  And a cheap white bathmat.  Can't wait for it all to come together!

This will probably be it for the rest of the week.  Mom and I have some fun planned to begin the weekend and I'll be back here to report!

Beginning of the Inspiration

Alright, so as I wrote about around this time last week, Jarred took some vacation days that coincided with my fall break.  While we went to fun places like the distillery, we also hung out around town.  Meaning, we went to the mall and Barnes and Noble.  Favorite. 

Though we like going to the bookstore, we never actually buy anything.  First, we don't have enough room, and second, we don't have enough room.  Get it?

This trip was different.  I had a plan of action.  If you'll see in my sidebar, I'm a pretty huge fan of Design*Sponge.  Huge.  And thank goodness Grace Bonney, in all her glory, came out with a book.  When I heard about it, I nearly peed myself.  But only nearly.  I had been eyeing the book since it came out in September, but wasn't sure whether I wanted to buy it justyet.  But then I thought about it before we went out that afternoon and was all "Heck yeah I'll buy it!".  And I never looked back.  Best purchase ever.  I spent the rest of the afternoon rifling through the book and having my child-like vivaciousness moment of "Wows!". 

Then I started walking around our home looking at what I could do.  And thus I began costing Jarred money.  Sorry Sweets!  We promptly went to Lowe's and bough the supplies needed for my redesign project.  I was giddy with excitement. 

Too bad I had to wait a week to actually begin...

Yesterday while over at my parents' house, I finally got to finish the first project:  filing cabinet redo.  My parents bought me a little metal one right before I went off to college.  It proved very useful, especially in storing valuables away from questionable roommates.  I spent one evening drawing all over the filing cabinet with Sharpies and pasted wallpaper cutouts of cats on it. 

Fast forward to rightnow and the cabinet was still in the exact same state.  I figured the metal cabinet could be something easy to repaint and update.  How right I was.

Just for reference, we went to Lowe's and bought Valspar Premium Enamel spray paint in Primer White (65054), Gloss Exotic Sea (65201), and Gloss Clear topcoat (65058). 

Jarred and I buff off some of the Sharpie marks I had made and peeled off the wallpaper cats.  After sanding, I took some wet paper towels and wiped clean.  Just yesterday, I sprayed the cabinet.  The primer wasn't as great as I thought, but the color and sealant were tops.

I think it turned out great, don't you?

Soon, our computer room will be looking as updated as the cabinet.  I have some other projects to start soon.  The desk you can barely see in the second photo?  Yeah, that's getting painted.  Major.  I spilled polish remover all over the top a few weeks ago, so I'll be glad to cover that spot.  This project may take longer, but I hope to have photos up within the next month. 

Have a happy next week!

Planes and Plans

 Jarred informed me last night that a week ago he was taking some vacation days and we would have been heading to the distillery.  I hate it when he does that!  Just like on August 15th (the day after our anniversary) when he told me "Remember back this time last year?  We were at Hilton Head Island on our honeymoon!" 

Yes.  And we're not at the beach this year.  Thanks for reminding me dude.

Ever since last Friday when I posted pictures of our bourbon trip, Jarred's been bugging me to post photos of our side trip to our town's aviation park.  I had no real interest in the airplanes, but Jarred on the other hand... let's just say that I'm glad I married a man that never lost that child-like vivacity when it comes to everything.  Everything is "Cool!" or "Wow!" or "Look at this!"  So you can only guess that old war planes got extra "Whoas!"  Totes presh.  Yes.  I said totes presh.

I'm not really sure what to say about them.  Maybe I should have gotten Jarred to write this post....

 Super happy to be there.

This weekend will be spent relaxing a bit and doing some DIY projects.  My plans are to spray paint our metal filing cabinet and paint our computer desk as well as make some table cloths.  I won't get done all in one weekend, but I wasn't expecting to anyway.  I don't want to share too many details about what I'm doing because I just want everyone to be impressed at the end result.  Yup.

I've got to get this stuff done quick however because I am starting a new job!  I didn't mention anything during the interview process because I didn't want to jinx it.  I'm pretty excited to be working again, at least part time.  Considering I am still in school, I won't be getting a ton of hours, but whatever extra money we can get will help us out immensely.  

I just might be posting photos of my DIY projects as they're coming along, so be on the look out for a post of two this weekend!

BourbonTown

Day trips are the best. While they still cost money, day trips seem to be just enough for both our wallets and our minds. We're able to get away for a few hours and have fun. Just what the doctor ordered.

Okay, so Jarred and I aren't too unconventional, but we don't make a huge deal out of things like anniversaries or birthdays/holidays. The reason I say this is because for our 1 year wedding anniversary, we had originally planned to take a day trip to some bourbon distilleries. 

Yeah...

But that trip never actually happened.  Of course, Jarred took me to a botanical garden and art museum and the best friggin' restaurant ever in Nashville.  Germantowne Cafe, if you're interested...

Ahem.  Anyway, we finally took the trip to the Bourbon capital of the world, Bardstown, today.  How marvelous it was.  Aside from the fact that the tour was free, the plant wasn't busy and we got our very own private tour. 

Behold, Barton 1792 Distillery!  I wasn't aware at the beginning of the tour that we could use our cameras and I am not displaying photos of the actual distillery or bottling plant.  We went into those too, but I dunno, I just feel weird about showing them.

Outside one of the rickhouses.  Huge!  And there were so many scattered along the property.

 

Inside the rickhouse looking up the elevator shaft.  No one can use it -- gotta climb the stairs to the top!

Huge barrels full of bourbon! Some are aged for 10 years!

Inside the rickhouse was so cool. I think Jarred wanted to skip through it touching all the barrels!

This huge barrel was made by a local high school shop class as a monument to be placed at the welcome sign to Bardstown.  Officials thought it was politically incorrect.  How?  I dunno.  So Barton got it.  Pretty neat!

Jarred was happy!

Yes, of course I had to get a shirt.  Duh.



Totally recommend Barton's or just Bardstown in general.  Very cool and informative tour.  Did you know that there are more barrels of bourbon in Kentucky than there are residents?  Yes.  Be blown away.

Font:  Western Swagger

Pugly Pixel:  Staples and Tape

Sun Tricks

Welcome welcome welcome to our updated home!  It's quite cozy isn't it?  Fall weather has me in such a good creative mood that I just got the itch yesterday to change things up.

Aside from the pretty exterior of this blog, there are going to be a few format changes.  I'm not going to be blogging everyday (or more like, feeling guilty for not blogging everyday... ahem) and I will instead be focusing on giving this blog some depth.  Expect more photos to be added and more craftiness.  I hope I've got it in me!

Some quick details -- my new navigation bar under my header will be changing frequently.  My 'About' tab gives more detail about where you can find cool clip art, fonts, and tutorials.  My 'Contact' tab contains a link to e-mail me.  My 'Art' tab is still under construction, and I am currently working on creating an in-depth catalog for my 'Archives' tab. 

Now then, let's get back to it!

This weekend pretty much summed up why I love fall.  Saturday morning was spent lounging at home.  We used our patio for the first time while Jarred smoked a cigar and drank some coffee. I was just bundled up tight in a hoodie and coat.  The sun was out, but our patio was in the shade and the wind was a bit strong.  Still, I could smell fall and hear the neighborhood high school band warming up before a competition.  I'm sure Jarred would say it simply feels like football weather.  Oh boys :-)

Sunday was spent at my parents' house and whatdoyouknow, I remembered to bring my camera along.  And tripod.  I was on a roll.

I don't take too many pictures of the two of us together.  But then again, maybe I do and my Facebook-addled brain is getting the best of me.  In this age of social networking, I feel like I need to always keep up by taking photos.  While some momtographers (synonymous with this) have their cameras surgically implanted to their hand, I only get mildly concerned when my profile picture gets to be over 3 months old.  Is that too long to go without taking a picture of myself?  Will bloggies forget what I look like?

Outside we went for about 15 minutes.  It was windy and cold and my Dumbo ears were throbbing.  But it looked beautiful outside.  Perfect view for photos.

Except, we took most of our photos with our sunglasses on.  Jarred pointed out that quite a few of our recent photos together have been with glasses.  Whoops.

Jarred is very patient with my camera experimentation.  I took one photo of him where the sun rays were hitting him juuust right.  And that was that.  I was hooked and we spent the rest of our time shooting ourselves wearing the sun as a hat.

Can I just say, Jarred takes beautiful photos.  Without any real guidance.  He's just a natural.

He's pretty cute too.

We wanted to make another attempt at a photo, so we made the decision to take some without our sunglasses on.  It was difficult.

It just didn't feel right.

I'll be back Thursday or Friday!

Handsome Man

There are few things I'd rather do on a fall day than sit out on our patio with this handsome man while he enjoys a cigar.  I know he's disappointed we weren't going to the football game this afternoon, but I've got major cleaning and a test to study for.

I'm super excited for fall break coming up soon.  It will be so good to have a few days off and have some adventures with J.  I'll make sure to take my camera with me this time!

Tomorrow I hope to get some time to craft a bit.  I have a super idea for Halloween that I hope to share here sometime next week.  I just have my test on Tuesday and then I'm home free for almost a week for break.  I'm not exactly sure for this bunting/banner will turn out, but I will report back either way, possibly with instructions if I like it well enough.

I still am in the process of writing a review of the Clarisonic.  I've now had it for 2 weeks, so I feel like I can give a good overall first-time review.  Maybe that will be up tomorrow.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day full of sunshine, breezy air, and football!

Drawings

I said that I wanted to find a way to show everyone the drawings I've done so far in and out of class.  There's always the issue of people stealing others' works, so I wasn't exactly sure how I could prevent that.  In comes the copyright/watermark.  Even though these photos beyond suck (taken on my camera phone) I didn't want to take a chance.  So yes, the watermark is kinda annoying, but it has to be placed that way.  And I know my photos are normally really big, but these need to stay small in order to be viewable.  Bear with me.

These drawings are in chronological order.  The teapot was drawn the first day of class.  The second drawing is a charcoal of some paper towels tacked to a black board.  I drew the artist's mannequin one night while Jarred and I were watching TV.  He's about a quarter of the size of my class drawings, yet he took me over 3 hours to perfect.  The final drawing is my most recent:  a large milk can with gourds.  I am proud to see the progress I've made. 

I know I'm my own worst critic, but honestly, it feels nice to say that yes, 100% without a doubt, I can do something and do it well.  I can draw.  I'd love to do a comparison at the end of the semester to see how much I've actually learned.  Could be fun?

I definitely have more confidence that I made the right decision coming back to the art program.  I didn't think I could stand with the rest of the students, but now I think I could go toe to toe with them.  I may not be able to make any painting look realistic, but that's okay.  No artist is great in every field.

Next up:  printmaking and weaving!

Side note:  I am still tweaking my review of the Clarisonic Mia.  I am giving myself one more week of use before I feel comfortable telling my experience.  Coming soon!

Happy

This whole school thing gets in the way of blogging.

...Is that even an excuse?

Anyway, I'm still getting the hang of my schedule and figuring out how much time and effort I need to put into work outside of class.  I'm not finding any class to be too awful demanding, but some are more enjoyable than others.  Like my drawing class.  I've found out that yes, I can draw, and no, there doesn't seem to be any da Vinci reincarnates in class.  Meaning:  I'm considered one of the better drawers, but still, that's scary.  I'd love to show some of the work I've done in the past few weeks, but I need to read up on laws regarding copyrights and registering artwork, 'cause I don't want some creep pillaging all my hard work via Internet.

I was so dreading my drawing class.  In fact, I cried and hyperventilated in front of Jarred on the first day of school before I walked out the door to drawing.  I was so nervous that I'd suck, that everyone would be amazing artists, and oh yeah, that I'd suck.

I enjoy being in class.  There are some people in the classroom that are pretty negative towards every assignment, but I try not to listen to them.  I walk out after the lesson feeling like I just spent the class period doing something I love.  

Yeah, I think art is happiness.

Sometimes I feel like happiness is hard to come by.  I truly have nothing to complain about, but there's also always something else I want.  Eventually I need to learn to let go and just be happy.

This little guy sure helps.

In fact, I think he's the epitome of happiness.  He is enough for me.


Coming up this weekend/next week, I'm going to be writing a review of the Clarisonic Mia.  Don't know, don't care?  That fine.  Just check back later to see if I've updated this thing to something interesting.

Sorries

Apologies all around.  I've been quite aware I haven't written in a few weeks.  I have mostly been psyching myself up for school. 

Oh yes.  That dreaded time of year.

Last week was my first week back and as an art major!  I enjoyed my first week of classes but it's going to take a while to get used to my schedule.  At least Jarred and I began acting somewhat adult-like once we moved into the town home and began going to bed between 10 and 11 and getting up at 8 or 9 on weekends. So the change in my schedule didn't mess me up too much!

I've also had some pretty bad health issues as of late.  After Jarred and I spent a wonderful anniversary in Nashville, I spent the next week and a half sick as a dog.  I'm not sure whether I had some sort of stomach bug or food poisoning, but I got nicely acquainted with our bathroom.  Ahem.  Anyway.

I've since been trying some new supplements to help my system get back on track.  It's been slow-going and partly responsible for the silence on this blog.  I had some nerves last week because I was excited/nervous about classes.  Unfortunately today I woke up feeling like I was dying; my stomach hurt so badly.  Not a good way to start the second week of classes.  But things happen and I've been trying to cool it for today so that I can be prepared for everything I have to do tomorrow!

At His Level

Whenever I take pictures of Louie, I like to sit down at his level.  He's generally more receptive of a clicking camera when he can walk up to it, sniff it, and size it up.  Once realizing that no, the camera won't get him, he likes to model.  I only wish I had one of his ears all perked up.

Getting on the ground to take the photos always makes me think of the photographer Tony Mendoza who is well-known for his photographers of a cat named Ernie and his dog Bob.  All the photos are taken low to the ground at the pet's eye level.  Makes for a really interesting photograph.

I don't take photos because I think I'm any good at photography.  I'm only slowly learn how to properly use my camera.  I probably post pictures that would make photo-enthusiasts scream in horror.  But I'm not looking to take photos worthy of being hung in art galleries.  In fact, I submitted tons of work to an art show a few years back and every piece got rejected.  Apparently the female judge was looking for pieces that employed classic techniques and naturalism.  Meaning no abstraction.  Which is what I did.

I did cry a bit.  I was upset that I had worked hard on all my pieces and none got in.  But come time for the open art show, my pieces had the best reception.  I even scored my first commission.  I painted a piece that would become the artwork for an album cover.  The husband and wife team even framed me a plaque with the album inside.  A proud moment for sure.

Anyway, I'm not a great photographer.  But you know what?  I love my photos.  They are absolutely my style.  I love portraits.  While I don't understand other people's never-dying propensity to photograph flowers or skylines, I won't knock it.  I simply enjoy something different.

When I look at a photo I've taken and I smile, I know it's a good one.  Because Lord knows I take plenty of bad ones.

I don't ever take pictures that don't need at least a tiny bit of editing.  That's where I am completely lost in the dark and just tweak certain toggles until I think the photo looks better. 

Regardless of whether I am destroying my photos with bad editing or not, I never want to lose the reason why I took the photo in the first place.  Take the two pictures of Louie.  I took those because of his face.  He has the sweetest, kindest eyes and cutest little tongue that always sticks out.  There's a look in his eye in the first photo that I love.  I can't pinpoint what emotion he's portraying; possibly thoughtful.  The second is simply a visual love letter to my dog and his sweet innocence.

I don't think anyone should be afraid to take photos.  The only way I can possibly get better to to learn more and try more!

1st Anniversary

Remember in this post when I said I was making some coasters and would post a simple tutorial?

Yeah, I had all the pictures taken and planned on posting the instructions on Tuesday.

But I woke up this morning to this post on the blog, Under the Sycamore.  Apparently this published and very well-known blogger beat me to the punch.  My instructions would have been almost the exact same, down to the measurements.  The only difference is I put a piece of batting in between the two fabric layers.  What a bummer.  So, if you want to know what could have been, just go there I guess.

Anyway, if one could tell from my previous post, yesterday was my one year wedding anniversary.  While I think of our wedding with happy memories, I am unbelievably glad to be on this side of the aisle.  The wedding itself was not stressful (neither was planning) but it's good to be done with it and be able to focus attention on something else.  These women who have wedding planning withdrawals are nuts.

I let Jarred do all the planning for yesterday and he did a wonderful job surprising me.  We took a day trip to Nashville where we started our day at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.  We snapped some great photos of the grounds and had fun taking leisurely strolls through the different gardens.  We had lunch at the cafe, which Jarred enjoyed.  A lot.  He got a blackened grouper sandwich and said it was the best sandwich he'd ever eaten.  I didn't want to ruin my appetite for dinner, so I had a simple Cobb salad with spicy ranch dressing.  SPY-SEE.  Spicy.  Very.  Good thing we were seated right next to the air vent, because my head was on fire.

After some time at Cheekwood, Jarred took me downtown to the Frist Art Museum to view the Andy Warhol exhibit on display.  Let's just say -- it was AH-mazing being that close to his screen print paintings of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, and Judy Garland.

And the last stop on our trip was dinner at Germantown Cafe.  Again, just amazing.  Squash fritters, Caesar salads, and plum pork with green beans and mashed potatoes.  No fanciness or frills.  Perfectly us.

When we finally got back home last night, we sliced our saved wedding cake and toasted to 1 happy year of marriage.  I guess since the first year is history, we're not considered newlyweds.  Mom says we've always acted like an old married couple anyway.

Cheers to 1 year down Sweets!

One Year

J,

How fast a year goes by. 

My normal chatterbox self is hard up for words that describe our first year of marriage.  So I think I'll let some music do the talking.

I made you this slide show using some of my favorite memories of our time together, from the very beginning of our relationship.

('You and I' sung by Ingrid Michaelson)

I love you times infinity plus one.

I take great comfort in the fact that we are one and always will be.  I have my best friend with me for life.  I made some pretty special vows one year ago and I'd say them every day if I needed too.

Husband, you are too cool for words and make me feel all mushy inside.  Year 1 has been a blast and I have a feeling Year 2 will be even better!

-M

How Sorrow and Happiness Affect Art

Though I'm not a musician, I appreciate music.  And I tend to think music and lyrics put together have the ability to speak to the heart in the way simple prose cannot. 

I tend to gravitate toward music that is pretty weighty and deals with heartbreak and lost love.  I've always been that way.  Of course, I love an uptempo song as much as the next person, but I think the most powerful words come through sorrow.

I imagine that writing a song from the heart and performing it heals a lot of wounds.  Maybe that's what this blog does for me.

Not that I have wounds that need healing.  I don't have many problems in life and I thank God for that.  Jarred and I can pay our bills, though we must be careful with our money.  That's not a real problem.

Jarred and I live in a lovely town house that I am in the slow process of decorating.  My parents let me take my bedroom suite when I moved out of the house.  Jarred and I bought a really nice, sturdy, expensive couch and matching armchair for our living room.  We don't have the income to buy and take care of a home at this point.  That's not a real problem.

I am getting to go back to school and study something I'm passionate about.  I have a husband who wants me to have every opportunity in the world to succeed.  I get to take classes and truly enjoy it.  We'll rack up my student loans on top of Jarred's.  That's not a real problem.

Maybe I love sad songs because inside me there is a tortured artist waiting to burst forth.  Sometimes I feel that because I grew up in a happy home, had a happy childhood, and have a happy life, there's no feeling for me to express through art, be it in mediums such as photography, or paint, or simply pen or pencil.  Van Gogh was the epitome of a tortured soul and look how famous he is, though it was mostly after death that he gained notoriety.  I don't know of too many happy artists.

So can I be that one?

That's something I've always struggled with artistically.  I'm happy.  So what do I have to say to the world?  The art world seems to thrive on the weird of Orlan, the controversy for controversy's sake of Andres Serrano, and the 'un-art' of Damien Hirst.  So where would I fit in with all those people?

I wouldn't.

I say yes to a new movement of happy art that truly speaks from the soul.

Because that's what I want to do.

Man, I hope I can express all that in a tapestry.  But I will learn.  And I will always have my own little world of my photography.

I must remember though that these controversial artists are the ones that get attention but don't get respect.  And possibly don't deserve it.  In my first painting class, we weren't asked to recreate anything by Chris Ofili (thank goodness).  We were asked to take cues from Matisse and Rousseau and El Greco.  Those are artists that will be remembered forever.

This goes for everything in life.  There may be people who achieve fame who don't deserve it.  But I take comfort in the fact that 100 years from now, children will still be learning about Martin Luther King Jr, but won't have an inkling what a Kardashian is.  There may be people you know personally who don't deserve the recognition they've gotten.  I sure do.  But I don't concern myself with it because in the end, those people will more than likely falter and the true stars will shine.  Those who deserve to be seen and heard will be.  And will be remembered for it.

Self Portrait

 

I don't take enough photos of myself.

I remember in my first B&W photography class, we were assigned a self-portrait project.  It was hard.  My professor wanted us to capture our raw personalities.  I smiled for most of my pictures and looked off to the side.  That shows I'm artsy, right?

I failed that lesson.  If only because my photos turned out blurry. 

But I remember looking at the negatives to those photos not too long ago and thinking I could do that assignment better now.  

Because this is what I know to be true about myself now:

I'm not all that creative, but I have my moments.

I normally think my photos are better than they actually are.

I must be susceptible to premature greying because I'm plucking a handful every month or so.

I'm only 23.

But where did the time go?  I'm already 23.

30 will be here in the blink of an eye and that scares me. 

I'm scared to get older.

Not for wrinkles and health, but for the mere fact that time goes by way too quickly.  In 10 years time, what regrets will I have? 

Speaking of wrinkles, I'm pretty well set on where mine will be.

I'm a good brow furrower.  Even when I think my face is relaxed, it's not.

Maybe it's because I'm such a worrier.

And I'll probably have crow's feet.  That's from smiling.  So are parentheses wrinkles.  I'll have those too.  I hope I'll think of them as a badge of honor.  It means I've lived happy.

I don't present myself the way a lot of other women do.  I'm okay with freckles and my makeup is sparse.

My skin isn't that great anyway.  So I accept it.

I lack profoundness, but cringe when I see others forcing it.

I sometimes wish I was artsy-fartsy.  The weirdness of the art world is beautiful, though I understand why most people don't get it.  My unsung hero is Sandy Skoglund.  Yet I married a true blue all-American boy who is the definition of baseball and hot dogs and apple pie. 

I find noise in a picture gives it interest.  Maybe I'm just saying that because I'm the Queen of Noise.

I want to be really good at something.  I hope I'm good at weaving once I learn.  It will take time, and patience is not a trait I was blessed with.

Aside from some physical aspects, I am happy with myself.  But the things I don't like can be quickly fixed if I really wanted.

But how do I put all that into a picture?  Is a picture worth 1000 words?  Because when I took this photo of myself, I wasn't thinking all that.  I was simply staring straight into the camera trying to relax my face.  

Alas.  A furrowed brow.  

But it's interesting that once a photo is taken, it can assume whatever form the viewer wants.  When I look at the picture, I see sparse eyebrows and freckles.  But I also see shadows of a younger me.  I guess my looks haven't changed so much after all.  It makes me wonder what I'll look like at age 40.  The same but with aged skin?  Will my brow be more pronounced?  Will my eyes still look the same?  Will more eye surgeries relax my left eye further?

Not exactly 1000 words.

  I now understand what my professor was trying to get out of us.  Art is interpreted an infinte amount of ways.  Just as people are.  

Jarred sees sadness in the photo.  Or Worry.  Or fear.  Possibly.

Those aren't exactly the emotions I was feeling as the photo was being taken.  But that's how Jarred sees it.  And that's important, as an artist or photographer to understand how others view your work.

Which can be a metaphor for life in general.  No, I don't think anyone's life should be controlled by anyone else, but I do believe that everyone should care how they present themselves to the world.  

I sometimes get nervous around people.  But am I seen as snotty?  I talk with my hands.  Does that mean I'm nervous?  I tend to look away as I talk to people when I'm flustered.  Does that make me socially awkward?  I try to be nice to everyone and can converse about shared interests with complete strangers.  Does that make me likable?

Does comparing self-portraits to real life make me profound?

3 years after my photography assignment was due, I understand the importance of self portraits.  For the longest time, I had my mind made up that those who called themselves photographers were just people who didn't like posing in pictures and didn't experience life.  I personally never cared one way or the other.  I never ducked out of frames or threw my arms out to get noticed in pictures either.  I just didn't understand why those who loved using cameras wanted to be stuck behind a lens their entire lives while their family and friends had fun.

Don't they want people to remember they were here?  Don't they want people to remember what they looked like?  Don't they want their loved ones to see their personality come alive through pictures?

I assumed not.

But not true, I've come to find.  Unfortunately, there are too many photographers amateur and professional alike that don't see the importance of capturing themselves.

I love taking photographs.  But I make myself take self portraits.  I want to remember how I looked at 23, a year into marriage and getting ready to journey back into the art field.  The last may be the reason for the brow.  Who knows.

I can't go back in time and resubmit my self-portrait assignment, but if I could, I think I'd be confident knowing that I captured something good.  I captured myself with every perfection and flaw.  I have my idea of what I want people to see when they look at my face, but I can't make them see it if they want to see something else.  

But the most important things I get from this picture is the fact that I am alive, I have lived, I have many stories to tell and I am perfectly me at age 23.

That's what a self-portrait is supposed to say.

Which, one should note, apparently takes 1050 words to say.