I had a good day

Yesterday morning I saw my best friend. We walked through the neighborhoods of the central district, looking for ziploc bags and tacos. (We found the bags, and ate the tacos, which were absolutely delicious). The neighborhoods were filled with interesting houses, each with it's own distinct character, and the ground was covered in multi-colored leaves. It was a sunny, warm, perfect fall day. I saw a bike shop filled with vintage cycles and I am determined to get my new bike from it. To top it off, the conversation was superb.

After that beautiful morning, I took a new bus home, and noticed some of Seattle's beautiful architecture.

Then I came back to my apartment, chatted with my roommate while eating delicious pizza, and took a 2 hour nap.

After waking up and feeling extremely groggy from my nap, I headed to the art center to paint, achieving the compliment of, "You look like an art student." Yessss.

I spent the next 3 hours in this position, finishing up a timed still life and beginning my homework painting. (Assignment was to paint the ugliest painting ever. Harder than you'd think).

Here's a junky cellphone picture of my final product. Note: This project was given 3 hours maximum to complete, and I would have spent much more time on it if I wasn't restricted on the time.

After my painting session was finished, I came back to my apartment, engaged in a BB Seaweed facemask, and slept. What a nice day.

urrrgh

Does this work?

YES.

Wish List: Fred Flare

The other day, Shelly made a fun fall wish list. After browsing the new arrivals at fredflare.com, I've become inspired to post one of my own. Maybe this is a Christmas wish list, or maybe these are some things that I wish I could have in general...no matter what, it's fun to dream!

Also, I apologise in advance if this is long.

100 Years of Fashon Illustration by Cally Blackman, $40 at FredFlare
This all-you-can-eat buffet of fashion illustration surveys the last hundred years of style in sketch form. Featuring everything from the bold Erté prints of the early 1900's to the superhappy advertisements of the 50's to Warhol of the 60's to 80's power babes to today's Toledo.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for glossy, graphic, coffee table books. Books in general just make me...lust. Leaving a bookstore is difficult for me because I always find books that I simply cannot live without. (Side Note: Maybe I should do a post about my many coffee table books, because my mom is nice enough to buy me a few for Christmas most years.) Anyway, this book would be inspirational to my future carreer as an illustrator/artsy girl! And it would feed my constant need for exposure to the fashion world.
                                         
Fashion Designers' Sketchbooks by ?, $40 at FredFlare
This luxe hardcover features a veritable Who's Who of fashion supertalents as they share their creative process with you. Watch how a simple sketch and scraps of inspiration becomes jaw-dropping awe-inspiring beauty.
This actually would be very useful to me. Seeing into another artist's creative process is so helpful! Follow the link to see more pictures of the sketches...

Silver Action Sampler Camera by Lomography, $35 at FredFlare For those who prefer silver over gold, a Lomography multiple lens camera takes your simple click & turns it into four surprising shots.
I am in love with film photography. For only $35 I could have a fun little film camera for special times with friends! In snazzy silver, I can't resist. Observe the fun photos that it takes at the above link.

Happy Birthday Nailpolish by Deborah Lippman, $18 at FredFlare None of that formaldehyde, toluene or dibutyl phthalate. No animal testing.
Yes, $18 for nailpolish is a bit extreme. But how fun is this nailpolish? It screams party.

Yum-Yum Mini Earring Pack from Crowded Teeth and Loungefly, $16 at FredFlare
Mix ‘em & match ‘em for so many different combos. Set of 6.
I'm really picky about earrings. But I would spring for these little studs.

Lightweight Dip-Dye Infinity Scarf, $14, FredFlare
Soft and silky, we can't get enough of this gradient colored infinity scarf. Measuring a full 68" round and 23" wide, it's perfect for layering or scrunching. Light & airy, never bulky.
So basically this is the perfect scarf for me. I love big, bulky scarves but frankly, they hurt my neck. This looks like it could give some extra warmth while still being airy. And it's gorgeous.

Festive Christmas Tree Hat, $28 at FredFlare If aunts w/ funny sweaters have taught us anything, it’s that Christmas is the time to get a little silly.
I really need this hat. I would sport it, often. I would wear it on Christmas morning, Christmas eve, during the Cornish Christmas festival, while playing in the snow, while drinking peppermint hot chocolate at Starbucks, while decorating the tree, when I feel nostalgic...just please make this hat happen.

Mini Elephant Earrings, $10 at FredFlare
These earrings are perhaps the tiniest we've ever sold on FF and yet they feature the famous and unforgettable GIANT of the animal kingdom.
I have a thing about elephants. They are one of my most favorite animals. They are large, gentle, strong and majestic...and I love illustrations of elephants. These tiny earrings would be a perfect glint of gold for my ears.

The Indie Rock Coloring book, $10.95 at FredFlare With musicians like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Devendra Banhart, Rilo Kiley, and Bloc Party, it also has tons of images that are a blast to fill in.
One time when I went into Restoration Hardware and delighted in their section of novelty toys, I declared that I would someday have a closet full of fun toys and games. This will be in the closet.

Listography by Lisa Nola, $17.95 at FredFlare
Create your own unique autobiography as you rank your best friends, guiltiest pleasures & more.
I've already previously mentioned how much I want this book. I still want it.

Serendipity's Frozen Hot Chocolate Mix, $32 at FredFlare Includes one 5”x4.5” dessert glass from famous NYC Serendipity restaurant, 2 packs of world famous mix, a plastic Serendipity spoon, & 2 straws for sharing. As seen on Oprah!
Why yes, I did see this episode of Oprah, and yes, I have craved this amazingly decadent chocolate mix ever since that episode.

Little Red Riding Hood Tea Pot, $44 at FredFlare Calm that Big Bad Wolf with a hot cup of tea from this darling fairy tale tea pot. Little Red Riding Hood's, tea for 1 set includes a charming woven basket (for tea bags), & a small interior metal steeper. Her head is the tea cup, & her hood becomes the lid.
I am a big tea drinker. This is the most precious way to treat yourself to a cup of tea. I would love to display this little pot in my kitchen, it is simply darling.

Sigh. That was fun. Thanks for indulging me.

A mental bath

Do you ever experience an environment that gives you a feeling of rest and contentment? I love these moments. To me, they feel like a sort of mental bath. I feel warm and complete, even in a simple setting.

Last night I was painting in the art studio and listening to Jazz on 88.5 KPLU, and I felt content and mentally stimulated.

Right now I am hearing 60s era R&B at one of my favorite coffee shops, El Diablo. I am texting my best friend and the weather is fall-ish.

I just had some of my favorite Mexican hot chocolate, too.

Other relaxing situations that I love:

-Sipping tea on my couch while listening to classical music, reading a book.

-Taking a bath with a Lush Honey Bee bath bomb (my favorite bath bomb, smells like honey and comfort and relaxes any tense muscles).

-Hugging/cuddling/blanket sharing. I am a very cuddly person.

-Hanging Christmas ornaments on the tree while listening to Christmas music.

-Sitting with my mom in the morning, reading magazines.

-Soaking in sunshine.

What are the little moments that make you sigh with relief?

ho-hum

I've been meaning to blog lately. I keep thinking of subjects that I could write a decent post about, but nothing seems to really strike my fancy.

At first I thought I could write about my new favorite thing: tumblr. I have come across way too many fun tumblrs, but one that has really caught my eye is artlove.

But I don't really feel like elaborating on the art there...even though I am finding constant inspiration. Just go look.

I also thought that I could write about Christmas, and how absolutely excited I am to go home. I am particularly thrilled because this time around, I'll be spending most of my days at my mom's new house, which is about 5 to 10 minutes from town! This is a great improvement from 45 minutes from town/any freeway...so I'll be able to:
a) have friends over.
b) visit more friends.
c) ...be more friendly, in general.
HURRAY. I forsee many more coffee dates and shopping in the future. I also can't wait to craft with my mom. We are big on the crafting front. My potential Christmas craft? The Pom Pom wreath.

I think these are cheeky and cute and fun. It will be enjoyable to make these while sipping hot chocolate and listening to my favorite Christmas music. Anyway, I could go on and on about my Christmas plans...but I won't. Not yet.

Then I was considering writing about autumn, and how amazingly fall-like Seattle has been lately! The weather has been semi-sunny, crisp but not too cold, with leaves everywhere...it makes me want cider and apple pie and apple hill...plus sweaters and pumpkin carving. I just settled with buying some cute mini pumpkins at Safeway and ate a jumbo large apple.

Am I in a blogging rut? Perhaps...I'll be back when I have something large enough to elaborate on.

Sunday Song: Miike Snow; Animal & Plastic Jungle

On Wednesday, Elyse is taking me to see Miike Snow! There was a period of time a few months ago where I couldn't listen to anything but Miike Snow (all of my usual acoustic/indie songs are a little too touchy for me). I really do like this band though, and their album, Miike Snow, is a really great album as a whole. I like all of the songs on it. As an early birthday present, Elyse bought me a ticket to their concert in Seattle! (Thank you!) I'm pretty excited. Here are a couple of my favorite Miike Snow songs:

Animal



Plastic Jungle



I'll be sure to write about the concert soon :)

strange?

This will be a post for my most loyal of followers, who don't mind reading about personal quirks and things like that.

I feel sick. "Gee Heaven, you seem to get sick a lot," you might say. YES. Yes I do get sick a lot. It is as if my body is a magnet for all the newly mutated viruses that it hasn't built up antibodies for. "Hey virus you're new in town? Come on into Chateau le Heaven and hang out for a while!" (that is basically what happens).

So anyway, even though I'm sick, I went to fulfill my 8 hour shift at work yesterday. From 2 to 10 I tried my best to survive on tea, spaghetti (the lunch that I packed) and cough drops. Near the end of my shift, one of my newer co-workers offered me a ton of vitamins to take that would help me get better. Ok, I know you're thinking, "Vitamins? Are you stupid? Those could be drugs or something!" Well, they weren't. Apparently this guy is really into vitamins and spends about $80 every 3 months on them. So he took out his vita-stash (a Men's Health mini duffel bag) and gave me about 10 different suppliments! (Another note of caution: they were all in actual bottles, not little ziploc bags or anything). Do you, gentle reader, believe in suppliments? To a large degree I do. I guess growing up in a family that frequented the health food store has taught me a lot about what's out there. The effectiveness of some of the suppliments I took is debatable, but I did take some all around good ones: multi-vitamin, fish oil, B-complex...

I'm not sure how immediately effective they were, but it couldn't hurt. It was strange to pop about 10 different suppliments in a row while standing at the register (it was slow, no one was around, but I couldn't help but feel like it was somehow sketchy? ha). It did make me realize though how I need to take better care of myself. Let's face it, I don't exactly eat the healthiest, so that can't be good in terms of nourishing my body, and preventing illness. Maybe I should start taking a good multivitamin, and something to boost my immunity.

After my shift, I came home and began my three loads of laundry. Basically, I needed to wash everything that I owned. Every towel, every item of clothing, even my blue snuggie needed a freshening up. So during commercials on Saturday Night Live I ran downstairs to the laundry room to put in a new load. Unfortunately, 2 out of the 4 washers in my apartment complex are broken, and the third was being used. So I basically had to wash all three loads in a row (38 minute wash cycles x 3 = 1 hour and 54 minutes). Add to that one 52 minute drying cycle and that equals...a long time. I set my alarm for each cycle and slept in between them, but when it came around to 3 am (when my final load in the dryer was done) I could not get up. I basically just camped out on the couch, amid my folded towels and freshly laundered blue snuggie, and slept. I had a dream in which I microwaved my iPod. (It was scary.) I woke up twice during my sleep, when each of my roommates came out to get ready for work and church. I said hi and then went to sleep. Waking up in the living room is strange.

I finally woke up at around 11, unshowered, final load of laundry still in the dryer downstairs, sore arm for sleeping on the couch weird, groggy from tons of suppliments and sickness...yesterday was very strange.

Dedicated to my former future

When you came to me with your bad dreams and your fears

It was easy to see that you'd been crying
Seems like everywhere you turn catastrophe it reigns
But who really profits from the dying
I could hold you in my arms
I could hold you forever

I could and I would, and I will.

Will I end up like this man? If I could only be that lucky.

help.

Sunday Song

I enjoy music, a lot. I'm not one of those who actively seeks out tons of new music, connections between bands and side projects...maybe if I had more time I would. But sometimes I just get caught up in loving certain songs, and want to share them with everyone I know. This is especially interesting because I tend to stick with songs that are 20+ years old/songs that my mom introduced to me. When I suggest that someone listens to Sade or De La Soul, people don't usually take me up on it...

Either that, or they are secretly embarassed that I seriously analyze the worth of "Baby One More Time" or "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire. Heh. (P.S. Yes I did just listen to both of those songs).

ANYWAY...



Is it evil that I feature Kanye West as my first song? Um...perhaps. But his concepts for the song "Power" are amazing. For an art major, this is genius (at least in my opinion). I don't think I have ever seen a music video that mimics a still art piece.



Watching his performance on Saturday Night Life last night, (which was quite good), just re-enforced how much I enjoy this song, and the smart way that he re-interpreted his own music video.

Why I like this song: Cool chanting in the background, relatively decent lyrics...catchy? Empowering?

P.S. As I listen to my Sunday playlist, I can't help but think of more songs I could post. So sad.

a little art

I've been slowly collecting links to artist's websites on my browser windows, keeping them open so I could blog about them later. Unfortunately, I had to re-start my computer and the browsing session couldn't be restored. boo! Luckilly since then I have come across two interesting projects that I would like to share:



A third year art student used photoshop and the principles of tilt-shift photography to reinterpret some of Vincent Van Gogh's paintings. The results are quite stunning, reducing some scenes to tiny miniatures, and making others strangely personal. Go explore them here!

Artist Jennifer Maester's colored pencil sculptures take a familiar object and transforms it to something out of this world. Many of her pieces look animalistic, or resemble undersea life (in my opinion), but read the story and reason behind many of them here. The piece above is actually able to be moved and formed into different shapes!