Ps, I did a cover of a song. Listen

an illustration i did of Joni Mitchell
water color, charcoal and ink

before I leave for my retreat, I'd like to leave you with a little treat of a song. I just recorded a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" just for fun. Give it a listen.

Both Sides Now
click here or listen on my myspace.

Retreat Retreat!

I'm really excited to get away this weekend with some of the women in my church. 70 of us are going on a retreat to Snoqualmie Pass. It will be a weekend of getting to know new friends, snowshoeing, skiing, drinking warm drinks by the fire, meditating, and connecting to things beyond ourselves. I hope that I wont be too shy and can open up and get to know some other ladies my age. And I hope that I feel God's presence in a profound way. Nature always evokes such a huge sense of awe for me, I am so excited to get out of the city!

See you next week, and don't forget to sign up for the raffle of my latest jewelry piece! I will be drawing a name out of a hat on Tues. (also, one of you anonymously posted and forgot to leave your name to be entered in the drawing! make sure to go back and check that you left your full name!)

Reelin' Back A Little

Well, it seems to me that I need to be a little less in depth with my thoughts on a blog that is completely open to people I both know and totally don't know. I am now at the point of getting about 1000 views of my blog each week, and that's a whole lot of people to be sharing so much with! I am debating whether to create a separate private blog for more in depth thoughts or just nix the deeper stuff altogether. If I do create a private blog, you may request to be added to the list of people allowed to read it. But I apologize ahead of time if I do not allow you to read it for, if I do not feel completely comfortable with you, it just makes no sense to share deeper parts of me with you. I am sorry that I cannot be an open book. I have always been more of a half-way open book, but I think I may need to reel back farther and just be a book with lots of pages that can only be read by certain people who have special magical glasses that can reveal the hidden writing.

But that doesn't mean I won't be sharing lots of sweet stuff on here. Nay, nay, there is still so much to contribute to my trusty rusty blog! For example... This song kills me in the best way. Bjork is a genius. I want to be her.

man, if I had written this song I would think I was probably one of the most creative and beautifully minded people in the world. But that award goes to... Bjork! She is so icredible. wow.

Ladies Makin' Sweet Stuff

ok. This is one of the few times I have really really really felt interested in an internship. There are tons of internships for designers, but not as many obvious ones for fine artists. I already work for an artist, so that is sort of like an internship. But it is more like i'm an apprentice, or like I am a contractor.

This is an internship I am totally diggin' though. I found this video, of a project done through this particular organization, through one of my favorite past professors, Gala Bent. And through the video I found the organization Women's Studio Workshop.

awesoooome, right?
books/paper are 2 of my favorites things.

oh ps, speaking of the ever so talented Gala Bent, one of her pieces was just featured on the cover of the Stranger! Seattle's favorite magazine.

Giveaway! Yes, that means this handmade necklace is FREE!

Well my dearest darlings, today is the day.
500th post day!

In honor or my 500th post, I have decided to reveal one of the new jewelry pieces I have been working on with my roommate/new business partner Scott. And beyond just revealing it to you... I am giving it away!
I have wanted to do a giveaway for a long time now, but needed just the right occasion. And I think my 500th post is the perfect timing for a fancy gift to you my friendly readers!

I have been working on creating a line of miniature book necklaces. I love books, and I love accessories. So what could be better than combining the two! I am working on some books that can be used as tiny sketchbooks, journals, and memory holders. I have lots of different styles in the works, so keep your eyes peeled for more postings ahead filled with all sorts of treats!

So, if you would like this necklace, just leave a comment on this post.
Make sure to include your name in the comment so I know who you are!
A week from today I will draw one of your names from a hat and reveal the winner of this new special book necklace!

This particular piece was carefully carved out of Padouk wood.
The pages were hand painted gold along the edges and hand sewn together with a golden brass colored thread. The chain is also brass colored.

I hope you like it! And if you don't end up winning this necklace, don't worry, there will be plenty more unique miniature book necklaces for sale in my Etsy shop very soon!
(more photos of this necklace on my flickr.)

To Grow Old

Advanced Style

I love old people. Especially sassy old people with some flare for style. My grandma is one of those inspiring elders. She was the one who got me interested in fashion and encouraged self expression through what I wear. She taught me to be fearless in what I don on my body. She taught me when to recognize an investment and how to treat it well, and on the other hand seek out bargains that could be treasured. She has always had daring and creative style. Almost all of my favorite clothes that I wear today were hers from the 60s 70s and 80s. Creative colors, styles, patterns, textures. She has an eye for style and powerful enough of a personality to really pack a fashion punch. She wears what she wears, and wore what she wore with pride and through that gains even greater confidence in herself and her choices. I adore her and admire her.

I just came across a blog dedicated to elderly fashion, sort of like the Satorialist. Its called Advanced Style. Dear Golden Vintage just posted about the new blog and I dashed over there as quick as lightening. You should really check it out and revel in the wonder that is elderly fashion. They are older, wiser, way more stylish, way more adventurous, way more unique than all of my peers.

Also, I hope I can as awesome as this lady when I am older. She has the SWEETEST glasses. I am dying to get a new pair of glasses. I feel like my glasses are a part of my blody. A phantom limb?

Snuggle

Yesterday, a few of my friends and I had a marathon date day. We went to the opening of the new Modern Art Museum in Bellingham where I had installed the pieces I had help build for John Grade. We had coffee before, went out to lunch after. Drove back, made dinner together. Went to see a romantic movie (Bright Star) and came back to my house and had tea and toast.

Somewhere along the journey, traveling in the car, we were talking about snuggling. I said that I can't initiate snuggling. On later reflection, I would say that I can't initiate snuggling with most people, and especially cant initiate with whatever boy I'm crushing on at the time. But if I am dating, at least past the initial snuggle with someone I am diggin', I can initiate. I just need confirmation that that person wants to snuggle with me too before I curl up next to them for the first time.

Somewhere else, in the middle of the excursions, we were in my studio and Cate found this little funny book I made a few years ago called Favorites and lists. I haven't looked at it in a long time, and they were curious as to what it held. So we flipped through it and read some of my lists: Favorite Things Ever, Favorite Movies, Things That Taste Good With Peanut Butter, Coziest Places, Worst Smells... and so on and so forth.
When it hit the page "Coziest Places" I felt stunned.

Coziest Places:
1. lying next to someone you love.
2. snuggled up in blankets on a couch reading a good book.
3. lying in bed with the sunshine seeping through the window.

I think that my "coziest places" reveal that I am an extremely snuggly person. I wouldn't call myself touchy feely because I think that touchy feely people are the sorts of people who are very physical with everyone. I am quite the opposite of that. Touch has a lot of weight and meaning for me so I don't want to be touchy feely with everyone. But I do recognize now after rereading my silly little book that a lot of my deepest comfort is found in being cozy, snuggly, wrapped in the arms of someone I love.

I have been feeling anti dating for a long time now. And I haven't had a boyfriend in a year, almost. On top of that, I haven't been in love for 3 or 4 years. At this point, because I have been out of dating for so long, I have built up some sort of barrier that hasn't allowed me room to see why dating or having a boyfriend would be a good thing. I have been bitter towards dating, love, and most especially marriage. But I think realizing some things today and yesterday are helping me recognize where I truly am at, what I need most, what is best for me despite my stubbornness.

I love snuggling. Especially when I am in love. I feel restrained in my emotions, or at least restrained in what I can reveal to friends. I desire a confidant and am uninterested in revealing all of me to everyone. I just want to reveal all of me to one person. I want to snuggle. Not with everyone. I just want to snuggle with one person. I think that I do want to be in love.
And I have such a hard time saying this because I feel weak, but... I want a boyfriend.
And I don't want just anyone, I want someone who I want to love.
Let me love and be loved.

all photos from we heart it