magical science experiment

giant baby! 37 weeks. photobooth self-portrait.

Sometimes I forget that I look like this. Then I find myself near a full length mirror and it wigs me out a little. 

There have been a few periods of time during my pregnancy that I've felt really connected to the season in one way or another. Some of the milestones seemed to really merge with the larger patterns of the year.  It turns out that I had planted most of my garden right around when I got pregnant. And then I took the pregnancy test on Mother's Day. And soon after that, little seedlings started coming up in the backyard. The zinnias were in full bloom and the tomatoes were finally ready right around when I started showing. 

And then, Advent. The time when the church prepares for Jesus coming into the world as a little baby. So this Advent was super meaningful to me. . .preparing for our own little baby. I woke up the day after Christmas and just kind of felt Ready in a way I hadn't felt before. 

So that's where I am. Despite wondering and fears and nervous anticipation, I do feel like we're ready. Almost there. 

And in other good news, I also got some of my making mojo back. I've actually been making collages and drawing and finishing the quilt I started months ago. I really hope this continues for the next few weeks. Who knows what my creative life will be like after that. . . 

three or four days

here are a few the things that have happened since I last blogged:

1. I got sick. Thursday I stayed home from work, watched terrible TV, made chicken stock, and laid around blowing my nose all day.

sick day breakfast: tea, orange juice, cinnamon toast.

2. I learned an important lesson: don't drop your iPod on the garage floor. After the fall, I tried to turn it on, heard the worst noise and saw the sad ipod face:

It is totally broken. Sad times.

3. Mike and I actually went to a movie together. We saw Role Models on saturday afternoon. Recommended! Not the best ever, but still a nice time. Mostly it was great because we rarely venture out together, just the two of us, and I think we're both realizing the time for leisurely saturday matinees will be coming to a close in the next few months.

restless

feeling restless this week. can't concentrate at work, not making any art. Just in a little slump I guess. I don't mind the cooler weather, I welcome it actually, but the sun setting before 7 pm is totally on the not awesome list.

also, for the first time in my pregnancy, I am seriously missing wine. i'm realizing a lot of my fall and winter time relaxation/recreation involves wine. I mean, maybe it's good to change those habits, but right now, man. . . . thumbs down.

On a positive note I have been doing many other lovely autumnal activities. I started working on the baby's quilt and am really enjoying it. i hope my excitement doesn't fade as the project goes along, but for right now I'm always looking forward to the next time I get to cut and sew. I haven't ever taken on such a large sewing project and I'm seriously excited about having the finished product.

I think that' s all. Just wanted to pop in and say hi. Hope you're having lovely autumnal activities too.

iowa surprises

i really love going back to iowa. i love it so much I don't mind when I get lost on the country roads after I've already been driving for five hours. . . . but that's my own fault. the country is so pretty it made up for the lost time.

i visited my friend Mindy in Ames this weekend, my college town. i can't imagine how it would have been any better: going to the des moines farmers market & craft fair, walking around campus, talking about arty stuff, listening to music. and a gastronomic tour of ames too: the west street deli, stomping grounds, the cafe. yay for ames.

two stories though. the melancholy one first.

when i drove into town and neared campus, a ton of college memories flooded back to me. and not good ones. I've had ample time now to cultivate my collegiate memories into a neat little package of happy times. being back in ames reminded me that there were a lot of not so great times. feeling lonely a lot. wishing I was different, smarter or cooler or whatever. worrying about school. i had pushed all those things away and it was interesting to face them, now that it's so far in the past and I'm in such a good place right now. so I suppose that's a happy ending.

and now. . .the funny one.

saturday afternoon mindy and I went to walk around campus. we started at the design building. oh, my old home away from home. it was surprisingly crowded for a saturday, and we walked into the main atrium and saw a political rally about to begin. and who was speaking this afternoon? ashton kutcher and demi moore. unbelievable. i was actually a little ticked because I just wanted to wander the building in peace, and it was interrupted by stupid ashton kutcher.


college of design.


stupid ashton, can you see him down there? i also feel like this picture is sorta creepy since nearly EVERYONE is talking a photo.


ames in the morning.

bits and pieces

Some pretty things I've found in the past few weeks. Wildflowers in a park near my house. Zinnias in the side yard around dusk. And "natural graffiti," shadows from some foliage on our dining room floor.

Things have been nice and quiet around here. Lately I have been waking up fairly early and really enjoying it. sunday morning the whole neighborhood was so cool and super quiet, I ate breakfast on the back patio and it felt like I was the only one awake for miles. It's lovely. We've been having some friendly bird visitors on our back patio, too; a hummingbird, a pair of american goldfinches, and a daily afternoon sparrow party (dozens of them!). It's fun to watch.

I'm appreciating all these calm docile moments. Lately I have been feeling a little unsure about some of my friendships. Once again it's an issue of my being in a different life place than some of my friends and it makes me feel so awkward. I'm pretty sure it's all just my perception, but still, I think about it too much and it troubles me. Not everything is easy. But. Everything is good, ultimately.

all things considered.

Things i've been considering lately:

1. Getting a haircut with bangs.

2. Taking a life drawing class.

3. Cleaning out/tossing a TON of my paper stash. (just considering though. we'll see.)

4. How can I make the most of the rest of the summer? I need to regain that adolescent feeling of exciting summertime adventure.

I think we need to go on vacation somewhere new and exciting. Currently the top of the list is a bed and breakfast in Door County Wisconsin that is also a Sheep Farm and Art Gallery. I swear I didn't dream that up, it's totally for real.

5. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that the premiere of this season of Project Runway tonight pretty much negates every bad thing that's happened to me in the past two days? Oh, Tim Gunn, his voice is like a soothing balm to my troubled soul.

Some of my last month

So I've been feeling kind of "meh" about the internet in general lately. Sorry folks.

Here are some other things I've been doing with my time:
1. Mike surprised me with a trip to the zoo on my birthday.
2. Trip to Iowa to visit my parents, eating Dari Barn twice in a span of less than 24 hours.
3. Trying to get my snow peas to climb up a little support I made for them.
4. I was out of my office for a photo shoot all last week, which was a nice change of pace. I took home all the unused prop fruit and made some tarts this weekend. Yummy.
5. Took a trip to Goodwill this weekend too, it's been a while since I've been to a thrift store. Thrift shopping is great because I enjoy the process and the outcome ($3 perfect fitting short sleeve cashmere sweater! among other treasures).
6. I saw David Sedaris for the first time yesterday on the Daily Show. Can you believe I have never seen his face? It's totally surreal to hear a voice that is intensely familiar coming out of a strange head. I can't really explain it other than to say it weirded me out.
7. Lots of other fun things that I can't really recall right now. Things have been good though. I just don't feel like writing about it very much. :)

rainbows and flowers

I'm still feeling pretty quiet. I have to say, my break from the internet has not been as much of a break as I'd hoped, but I feel like I'm making strides. I have been taking walks and reading and cooking more than before.

I've also noticed that I feel a lot less pressure to start new projects. When I constantly look at flickr and read art blogs, I get crazy with the amount of stuff I want to do/try/accomplish. That has definitely subsided in the past week or so. It's refreshing, and I feel like it's allowing more room for original ideas and my own taste/aesthetic. Essentially, I feel better about making my own way, rather than wishing I was more like someone else. If that makes sense ...

Anyway, here are some pretty pictures. Rainbows and flowers. Word.

Want to know what makes me sad?

Imagine you're enjoying a nice saturday morning reading the newspaper. You turn to the second page and see. . .


Yep, that's right. Narwhals are totally endangered and facing extinction now because of climate change. I had a suspicion about this and now it's confirmed. The whole article is here in case you're curious.

I have been a little extra sensitive lately, but seeing this threw me for an emotional curve and it made me SO sad. I ended up crying on and off for hours after I read it. I just love narwhals so much, and for me, it represents so much more than just the endangerment of my most beloved weird arctic marine mammal. What's happening in our world? It's frightening.

Anyway, once again I am seriously considering starting up a Narwhal Appreciation society, proceeds going to a Save the Whales or Save the Arctic organization. Honestly, polar bears shouldn't get all the press! Narwhals are way more magical and interesting than a big jerk of a bear.

mail art and a meme

this is a piece of mail art I made for robyn. our trade was my first experience with this kind of mail art, and it was really fun!

and. Here's a meme I've seen in a few places around the blog world lately, I thought I'd share my answers. . .

What was I doing 5 years ago?
2003. . . hmmm. Kind of an awkward time of my life. I was living in chicago in a weird neighborhood, still not used to not being in college anymore, not loving my job at all. i had great friends, though I don't think we were the best influences on each other at that time. Overall, probably your run of the mill 23 year old malaise. On the upside, i saw a ton of great live music that year and bought a lot of shoes. So, there you go.

Five things on my to-do list today (or things I did today):
1. Get work done so I don't have to stay late at work.
2. Return a purse I bought from anthropologie. but this probably won't happen today.
3. Cook dinner.
4. Go out and look at my garden even though there's only three little sprouts so far.
5. Watch LOST. yay!

Five snacks i love:
1. triscuits and cheese.
2. hummus and pita
3. chips and salsa.
4. fruit crisp with vanilla ice cream.
5. dark chocolate.
apparently I love combinations of things.

Five things i would do if i were a billionaire:
1. pay off our house and buy a vacation home somewhere nice in the midwest.
2. pay off my parents house, buy my brother a new house
3. give money to our church and my dad's church
4. Buys lots of goats and cows for heifer international.
5. Ginormous blowout of a European vacation with all my friends and family! italy, paris, london, ireland, copenhagen, croatia, germany, etc. etc. Seriously, you're all invited, all expenses paid. :)

Five bad habits I have:
1. Never answering my cell phone.
2. Spending waaay too much time on the internet.
3. Keeping a super messy car all the time.
4. This is probably TMI, but it's my worst habit right now. . scratching my itchy excema hands. :(
5. Not keeping in touch very well with my old college friends and extended family.

Five places i have lived:
a selection of the many, from smallest to largest :)
1. Wentworth, South Dakota
2. Marshfield, Missouri
3. Ames, Iowa
4. Rome, Italy
5. Chicago

Five jobs i've had:
1. Camp Counselor.
2. "Bingo the Dog" at a pumpkin farm.
3. College Residence Hall Tour Guide.
4. Screen printer at a sporting goods factory.
5. Graphic Designer for lower-grade textbooks.
This list could go on. . . i've done a lot of weird jobs in my life.

well, that was fun. now i'm off to do all the things on the to do list for the day. :)

warmth!

my mom and I at "cloud gate" (aka, the bean) millenium park, Chicago.

okay, how many other good things could have happened this weekend?
1. friday night i fell asleep on the couch at 9 PM. yes, that's a good thing.
2. my mom came to visit. and she brought dari barn ice cream. .. with crunch coat (a hometown favorite). dude, best thing ever, in the universe.
3. we went to millenium park saturday afternoon and just sat there forever watching people. i really love millenium park, I truly do, and am really happy that some of my tax dollars as a city dweller funded it's billion dollar-ness.
3a. we had such a nice day walking around downtown, walking along the lakefront, drinking warm drinks at the cosi on michigan avenue with all the art kids, taking the metra through all the western suburbs, etc. etc.
4. today I did the crossword on the patio, then fell into some kind of dreamy sun coma/ half sleep. SUNSHINE. it is back, and like I said, I honestly feel like I'm in a whole new world. it's glorious.
4a. also this afternoon I made some collages with the windows open. is there anything nicer than a good music mix mingled with the birdsongs from the backyard? it's kind of the ultimate nice sunday afternoon sound.
5. tonight mike and I rode our bikes over to a friends house, sat on a patio, drank beers, and petted dogs. let's think about all the good things in that sentence. there's a lot.

Honestly though, it's so strange to live in this new universe of warmth. I feel like this was one of the worst winters I've ever lived through and now it's totally bizarre to get used to non-winter anymore. I'm sure I sound like some kind of weirdo talking about this, but I'm guessing if you live above the mason-dixon line you'll probably understand. SPRINGTIME. Yes.

"but now I'm gold"

portrait of a backyard, friday at 5:30 cst.

This morning was one of those sucky mornings when everything is frustrating, wrong, headachey. Which was a shame since it's kinda lovely outside. The first days of spring here feels like moving to a new continent. . . the t-shirt continent. Can I get a YAY for t shirt weather?

Anyway, here is a chronological list of the things that improved my day:
1. giant bottle of san pellegrino
2. carefully crafted on-the-go playlist on repeat for a few hours
3. a little bit of fresh air
4. closing my eyes and just dropping out of the cubicle world for a bit
5. mashed potatoes for lunch
6. finding awesome snacks in the break room and totally freaking out over how good cream cheese+marionberry jam is on crackers. Yes!

All these things were totally a formula for greatness. I feel ten times better than I did a few hours ago. BOOM! What a way to start the weekend. Happy Friday.

just born this way

Lately I have been looking back through my years and seeing that so much of me really hasn't changed, even since I was a little kid. I mean, here I am at 27, still writing, drawing, dreaming, making little art projects. The same kinds of things I did when I was in elementary school. Looking through an old diary, I found an old list of goals I made when I was a senior in college. it's interesting to see which I've accomplished, which are still relevant. Really only one of the goals is no longer relevant, and the ones I haven't accomplished I'd still like to.

1. Get a radio show.
Yes! One of the best experiences of my college years.

2. Run a 10k.
Sadly no.

3. Design a typeface
Two actually! Here's a shamless plug: one of which you can purchase if you so chose. :)

4. Fall in love.
Of course! Yay for Mike.

5. Buy more purple t-shirts.
What a random one. . . I actually don't think I own any purple t-shirts.

6. Bake more.
I've been highly successful on this one. Just made some bacon muffins yesterday. Mmm. . . bacon muffins.

7. See Caedmon's Call, REM, The Rentals, and Sigur Ros in concert.
Funny. . . none of these. I did see countless other bands while living in chicago, so I think this is mostly a success.

8. Become more knowledgable about wine.
Yes. Here's some photographic evidence: visiting the Gloria Ferrer winery on our honeymoon, intently studying some kind of brochure.

9. Paint a triptych.
Hmm. . . haven't done this but maybe I'll revive this goal.

11. Host a fondue party.
Best party of my life. . . I should do this again sometime.

12. Write a hit play.
Ha ha, this one is a bit tongue in cheek. Who knows though, maybe someday.

13. Learn more about classic rock.
Check!

14. Get a cool job.
Yes again! Finally.

15. Start writing more faithfully in my journal.
Another one I should probably revive.

It's nice to see that I've actually made strides forward. Sometimes it's hard to see changes because I've evolved so slowly. I'm starting to compile a new list, too. I think this will be a "things to do before 30" and more of a big dreaming list. Coming soon. . .

art. and the past

this weekend i spent so much time in the art room making page after page of collages. it really makes me so happy. lately i have been worrying a lot that I've become too focused on results / feedback from others / some kind of commericial success. which is never what I intended this to be. so I looked back through a lot of my old work, before I started posting things online, back when it was solely about me and my personal fulfillment.

when I look at my old work it makes me glad that I took the time to make a painting, glue together a collage, whatever, instead of watching reruns on tv or spending endless hours reading blogs. It's nice to look at my (albeit small) collection of work and just feel proud that I have these pretty things to show for myself.

I have a lot of new things to show (as soon as it gets sunny enough to get a decent photograph!) but I wanted to show some of what's been making me happy this weekend.

the past five years worth of art journals. the flickr breaks it down.

from my messy watercolors phase. fun fact, i'm pretty sure I painted this the day before I met my husband.

more messy watercolors.

stack of little books.

more little books. yay for ribbons!

it was a nice weekend overall. sunday afternoon we went to the little petting zoo in town so I could see my favorite llamas. and out for sushi for dinner since it's been sooo long and I had a taste for some unagi.

hope you had a nice weekend too, friends.

still winter

it seems like there are signs of spring everywhere but here. the magazines and catalogs in my mailbox are full of hyacinths and short skirts. even the sun setting later makes it seem like my neighborhood should be warm and blooming. but it's not.

i don't think I'm really complaining though; it was warm enough today to ride my bike to the grocery store, one of my favorite activities of all time. there's a little path and a big pond between my house and the ultra foods. even though it's still wintry it's pretty in a sparse way. isn't that an interesting little seed pod?

headed south

Tomorrow we're on our way down to Florida. Resounding YAY all around. I will be back next week with photos. and a tan.

Just a few last thoughts. Tonight as I was intently scrubbing the sink, sweeping the kitchen, and generally tidying the entire house, I had a flashback to being about 12 and asking my mom, "why do you always clean the house before we go on vacation? it's not like anyone's going to see it." but now, I GET it. you want to come home to peace, and clean.

I love how being an adult solves most of those weird mysteries of childhood.

lucky number seven

since I don't have a lot to say I'm doing one of those "seven things about me" posts. just random stuff. for the record, yeah, i haven't really created anything lately so I don't have much to share. I think my brain is frozen. and the negative wind chill can bite me.

okay, anyway! here they are.
 
1. I absolutely hate being "blessed" after sneezing. It's probably because I sneeze a lot and would just prefer people to ignore it.

2. I sing songs to my dog ALL the time. Most of them are tuneless. And most of them are about how she is a pug dog, or how bad she smells. So the songs are not good, but I sing them with love.

3. I have vivid dreams and remember them often. When I was younger I had recurring dreams that I was shopping for something specific and could never find it. These dreams stopped when I married Mike. Seriously! Now I dream a lot about whales, and sometimes Bob Dylan.

4. I have really bad excema on my hands this winter and it looks like I have some kind of flesh-eating bacteria. It's getting better, but at one time it was really gross. Not sure why I'm sharing this. You're welcome!

5. If Google ever went away about half my life would fall apart. I rely so much on gmail, my google calendar, and google reader. I use gmail as an address book, I email PDFs of my work to myself for safekeeping, all my appointments I would completely forget are in the calendar. . . it would not be pretty.

6. I am not very good about remembering birthdays, and I really wish I were better about sending gifts and cards. This was one of my New Years Resolutions.

7. I'm starting to get SUPER excited about planting my garden this spring. I'm hoping to plant tomatoes, zucchini, snow peas, spinach, green peppers, hot peppers, and herbs. I think this is finally the year that I have learned I can't grow basil and oregano from seed, so maybe I'll finally have some herb success.

on that note of looking forward to springtime. . . I'm out.

 

lots to share!

1. I put some collages on my etsy shop. Here's one:

If you or anyone you know is interested, let me know. . . i'm giving free shipping for friends & family. maybe even discounts if I really love you. :)

2. Sometimes it’s just one image that gets me moving and wanting to MAKE things. The images of this little journal by emily falconbridge made me want to immediately come home from work and put together something similar. I really love patterned paper in good combinations. (link via ali edwards.)

3. I know this is totally a teenage girl song. My first thought when I heard it was, "dude i would have loved this so much when i was 17." Well it turns out that I love it just as much at 27. Funtimes.

Kate Nash, Mouthwash

4. My public library finally set up an emailing system to let you know when your books are due which is so incredibly helpful to me. I'd wager to guess that this will save me upwards of $50 a year in fines. Probably more. I kind of wish I was kidding about that. But it's all good now!

5. I really wish more of my friends had blogs. It doesn’t have to be fancy, get a tumblr people! I don’t care if you write about what you have for dinner every night, or the marginally funny things your children say, I would still read it. The great thing about blogs is that they have made my curiosity about other people’s lives totally acceptable. I’m the kind of person who WILL look into your house if you have no curtains and leave the lights on in the evenings. I don’t think it’s a weird/creepy thing, I’m just genuinely interested in the way people live, how they decorate their houses, what they’re up to. Anyway. . . friends, get blogs. Or at least update the ones you do have on a more regular basis. It would make me love you more than I already do. And friends who do have blogs. . . thank you.

oh blueprint

today the office was quiet so I took myself out for a long lunch. I picked up the latest & last copy of Blueprint and had some black bean soup at panera.

So, as I mentioned before, Blueprint is folding and I'm super sad. I did promise back then to scan some of my tearsheets and share them here. As you can see. . . I'm kind of nerdy about magazines. I don't like to save whole issues, since I already have enough things collecting dust in my house, so I go through all my mags a few times a year and tear out the pages I love. Then they go into protector sheets and into a binder. I LOVE my magazine binder. It's like my own personal world of interiors, projects, editorials & photography I love. . . mmm. I highly recommend doing this, it's given me quite a lot of pleasure.

anyway, here are a few of my favorites! all images are from blueprint.

these are from a section about organizing your entryway, i believe. the styling on this is fantastic.



editorial about the home of joelle hoverson, who owns purl soho and purl bee. it just looks so warm and inviting.

I'm kind of obsessed with that stuffed deer head.

a story about organizing a small home. i love the colors here.



I'm such a sucker for art-directed vignettes like this


that was fun! since I finally own a scanner (yay, thanks husband!) there will be a lot more sharing here.

2007, in photos

Last night, as I was falling asleep around 11:40 (yes, lame, but I'm 100% fine with that) i told my husband that 2007 has been one of the best years of my life. It really has been.

the evidence:


rome. my heart explodes in love for rome


friendship. lea, renae, valerie and I at the baha'i temple.


my beautiful garden.


boston. and my newfound love for baseball.


being the star mascot at my company's national conference (what a bizarre yet wonderful experience!)


visiting my grandpa's farm in iowa with the whole family.

almost too much to name. It's hard to condense all the good things, great and small, about this year into a few photographs and a couple paragraphs.

happy new year, friends. here's to another one that's even better.