manifesto

i am loving the idea of creating a manifesto for myself and my work lately. it is brewing in my mind and is beginning to take some sort of form.... perhaps it will become a part of my website, perhaps just a private little motivator, but something is coming......

as for manifestos, ever-inspiring jonathan adler has a *great* one on his website (along with fantastic objects and design delights, of course!)

in his words, here is what his company stands for:

We believe that your home should make you happy.

We believe that when it comes to decorating, the wife is always right. Unless the husband is gay.

We believe in carbohydrates and to hell with the puffy consequences.

We believe minimalism is a bummer.

We believe handcrafted tchotchkes are life-enhancing.

We believe tassels are the earrings of the home.

We believe in our muses: David Hicks, Alexander Girard, Bonnie Cashin. Hans Coper, Gio Ponti, Andy Warhol, Leroy Neiman, Yves Saint Laurent, and Madonna.

We believe in the innate chicness of red with brown.

We believe in being underdressed or overdressed always.

We believe in infantile, happy emblems like butterflies and hearts.

We believe celebrities should pay full price.

We believe in rustic modernism: Big Sur, A-Frame beach houses, raw beams, and geodesic dome homes.

We believe in Palm Beach style: Louis chairs, chinoiserie, Lilly Pulitzer, The Breakers circa '72.

We believe our designs are award winning even though they've never actually won any.

We believe in Aid to Artisans.

We believe dogs should be allowed in stores and restaurants.

We believe in mantiques - suits of armour, worn chesterfield sofas, heraldic tapestries.

We believe you should throw out your Blackberry and go pick some actual blackberries.

We believe colors can't clash.

We believe in blowing your nest egg on our pots.

We believe our lamps will make you look younger and thinner.

We believe in irreverent luxury.

i love that it is fun and humorous, but really true for his own life, and really focused on making work that is connected with the world and will make our homes and lives better, happier places.

here are some faves from his website:

i'm going to SOFA!

i have some super exciting news: i'm going to SOFA Chicago with translations gallery!! judy (the owner) entered the gallery with myself and 4 other artists, and we got in!! i am so excited. i will be taking my tables, and i am hoping this will be a sort-of kick start in the next phase of my career as an artist/designer. have any of you been to SOFA before? any advice or comments about it? i have no idea what to expect, a i've never been to a big design show or trade show or anything. that is one of the downfalls of not living in or near a big city (denver seems to not count as a big city to me for some reason...) i'd love to hear some of your experiences!

here is a photo of a table i made a few months ago. this is the sort of thing i will be exhibiting...


you can see the rest of my work on my website, or please contact me if you have any questions!

philly on my mind....

i can't think about anything else. i know nothing about this city, and yet i am so so excited
about moving there in just a few weeks!

does anyone know anything about philadelphia that they'd like to share with me? where to go, what to do, etc....

today i am... wanting to start an etsy shop

this is something i've wanted to do for a while now. i have all these ideas of things i want to make and sell in the shop, but i haven't made any of them yet. i have a list of things to do before i can start setting up the shop: wash out screens for silkscreening, buy fabric printing ink, make sure printer prints perfect replicas of my paintings... instead of just starting it and going from there.

so, my promise to myself: i will start my etsy shop by the end of may. that gives me a month and 3 days to get it all together. starting TODAY.


(ceramic candle holder byetsy seller sumiko)

writing about life

(tree carving on flickr)

sometimes i forget that life is more than work, and "getting somewhere," and being productive and financially successful. i think every self-respecting and ambitious 20-something may feel that way at times. sometimes i feel like i may be a little more neurotic than most, but that's a story for another day!

i was reading the sweet juniper blog this morning, and i had a little awakening. my life is RIGHT NOW. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, not 10 years from now (my favorite thing to fixate my thoughts on), but right now. So simple. So why is it so easy to forget? reading this blog also mad eme feel like i want to have a kid, but that is also a story for another day! i won't tell ryan about this little dream this morning. :) he's busy studying for the mcat . med school awaits.

it's a rainy morning here, and it feels like a real spring day. it's nice to feel an actual change of seasons-- it seems the last few years we have jumped straight from winter to summer in boulder, and i am loving the delicate spring days as of late. tulips, rain, longer days, sitting in the backyard in a tanktop for the first time, peeking at the garden everyday for signs of sprouting...

life is truly amazing, and i have no idea why we're here, but that doesn't mean i shouldn't make the most of it. life is not about making money. it is not about getting the most things done in a day that you can. it is about having love and giving love, and creating a memorable experience for yourself. maybe not even memorable, but an experience nonetheless. feeling the full range of feelings. profound joy and then deep sadness, letting it all go. this is what i would like to aspire to. and realizing that it all passes. nothing is permanent.

what i would like to aspire to, in order to deepen my experience of being alive and being a human being:

1. writing in my journal instead of watching tv. tv feels like a brain drain to me lately.
2. spending more time with family and friends
3. doing one thing at a time
4. let go of expectations of other people and myself
5. start writing my morning pages again (see julia cameron's the artist's way)
6. be gentle with myself
7. write more on my blog ; create a balance between product posts. these just get me into the more more more mentality. i want my life!

cheers to you all on my rainy little morning.

(alaskan tree carving on flickr)

happy birthday to the love of my life!

it's ryan's 29th birthday today, and i just had to tell the world how much i adore him. :)

happy birthday honey!

[ryan is in the lovely pink hat]

dreaming of morocco

as if i didn't already want to go to morocco enough, now i know of a book that seems to exist solely to entice me there further. alberto pinto's book alberto pinto orientalism looks just divine. i'm going to have to get my hands on a copy of this. or maybe i should save my money and just buy a ticket to morocco instead...

hard to believe it's 2007

{here's to peace in the world and love in our imperfectly human hearts!}

well, it's january 2nd, and that means back to work. i sufficiently lazed around for a good 2 weeks, and i'm feeling like the new year inspiration is kicking in. the best part about doing when i do, working for myself, is that my schedule and my days are entirely my own, so taking off 2 weeks around christmas time is not only a possibility, it's become a necessity for me. this time of year feels to me like i'm supposed to be nowhere but curled up on my couch reading good books, letting the past year sink in and inspire me to continue on with the good, change what wasn't working, and generally welcome the new by being quiet and listening inside myself. but the holiday are behind us, and it's tome to kick it into gear!

2007 is going to be a GREAT BIG year....

here are some fun images for the evening:

new and improved blogging

well, i've decided to update my blog and make it a little more all-inclusive of the things i'm currently obsessing over and in love with. a short list to begin with:

*glitter glitter glitter!
*gorgeous hand-printed paper
*fall weather and halloween costumes
*trail running
(yes, i've taken to running. hard for those who know me to believe!)
*late afternoon sunlight
*waking up at 6am to write and drink coffee in my living room
*screen printing
*making kombucha (have you tried it?)
*making frames
*striped scarves
*beginning the winter knitting extravaganza!
*fall cooking (think squash pies and roasted beets...)
*crimped hair!! fun fun fun
*watching little kids
*skirts and boots
*my boyfriend ryan (heart heart)

i know there's more, but i think that's enough for now.

this is a photo of a little boy on pearl street, in boulder (where i live), and i just thought he was cute in his canycane striped hat. i used to sit on that snail when i was little-- it was gorgeous outside today , and i had a sentimental moment. sometimes i miss being little and unjaded. this is my challenge to myself: to learn to live in that innocence and joy again. i feel it more and more every day, and i feel so blessed.

i am RECOMMITTING to my blog. daily posts are in my future, because i want to open my eyes more to all that's around me!!

more tomorrow!