A Call to Action

Dear lovely readers,

I am putting together a series of posts listing my favorite books through the years. They are going to end up being pages that I add to from time to time when inspiration or memory strikes.

What I would love from you is a few of your favorite books, any in the time starting from the first book you remember to the last book you read. I know my current list is lacking a bit. If you are a child of the 80's and 90's it will be even more helpful. Where I need the most help with my memory is the Junior High section.

So, comment away, let me know your favorites and if nothing else we can get a nice little discussion of books going!

xoxo,

me

Lovely Day

It was sunny again today! It's getting closer and closer to summer here, thank goodness! I had a friend date today which consisted of sandwiches from East Side Deli, sitting at Laurelhurst Park and chatting/eating them, going back to Hawthorne to walk around, buy an expensive paper and pipe cleaner flower from a boy so he can go to soccer camp, getting iced (decaf) coffee from The Fresh Pot in Powells and then chilling at M's house, writing a little bit.

While waiting for M, A and I saw some incredibly small ladies, just look at the signs for reference. So cute.

Table art at East Side Deli... I want to learn how to etch wood like that.

wagon full of rubber ducks outside of The Dollar Scholar. We went in and I found some stuff to send in a care package to Unicorn Sparkle(bottom)s and a Virgin Mary scarf that is amazing.

After The Dollar Scholar we went to House of Vintage, an awesome antique mall that I could get lost in for an hour or two.

Found these, they would make an amazing addition to my animal salt and pepper shaker collection which consists of chipmunks and siamese cats right now... I had to hold back though.

Cute fawn but it was $23, no justifying that purchase.

Then there was a photobooth, how I love photobooths!

So we took a strip of pictures and after I took a picture of being in a picture booth. How cool can I get?! 

After writing and hanging out I came home and started my two loads of laundry for the week. I borrowed The Notorious Bettie Page from M so I plan on watching it and finishing Bronson's blanket! Two goals checked off my list in one day? Maybe!

xoxo

Mayhem: Brighten My Day

cozy and comfortable

haha

adorable

inspiration

beautiful proposal

gorgeous friendship

oh rings

want to make a photobooth backdrop for my living room!

want want want

xoxo

Week 4: The halfway point

Last week's goals:

1. Finish blanket, that means connect last two strips and crochet border. : Did not finish, but close!

2. Finish film roll for Rolleiflex and develop. : DID IT!!!! All blurry but here's to learning.

3. Do 3 morning pages each day starting today. : YES! Done and done.

4. Do 3 loads of laundry : I did two, I need to do two more.

5. Make at least one thing off of this list. Take picture.  : Oh the lovely rainbow cake!

6. Blog 4 times (other than this). : Pretty sure I did that :)

7. Spring clean Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin, etc : Did that before I posted this, cheating? Maybe haha

Wooooo I did really well this week, always had my goals in my head and laundry was the only thing I got really, really lazy about. I connected the last two strips of the blanket and did the first row of border, I just have to complete the border and I'm not sure how many rows that is going to be.

The rollei film came out completely blurry and I was a tad upset, more with the Diana film that also came out blurry, but it just means I have more to learn I guess.

Morning pages were lovely to do and of course the first day I don't have to check off I didn't do them but I went back to them again today and I'm glad I did. Sometimes they are hard to motivate myself to do.

The rainbow cake was a success with all I shared it with. 

Spring cleaning was needed, I'm also limiting what I post on facebook and twitter, bringing my thoughts back and not sharing every one.

This week:

1. Communicate only positive thoughts with others, friend, acquaintances, strangers.

2. Put $1/day toward credit card. This will increase each week.

3. Finish Dark Tower book VII aka Complete the series!!!

4. Two loads of laundry, trying to keep it simple and realistic.

5. Spend at least 20 minutes per day on any of my projects.

What's on your list this week?

xoxo

I miss classroom learning

s

I never hated school but I do miss it. I am definitely ready to go back and take more classes, this time in the art field. There are two summer classes I really want to take but the cost of both of them is about $600. Sheesh education can be expensive, and that's at a community college for one and a non-credit art course at an art school. The classes start June 22nd so I have to find a way to scrape together the extra money for them. 

Wish me luck!

xoxo

Words on blank pages

I love the moment before the photo resizes smaller on blogger, right when it comes up in your text box and it is still really bit. I like it because I see in close detail a part of the photo I never really look hard at and I find myself wondering what picture I just uploaded. Then it shrinks and I realize that it was, in fact, the same photo. 

Random bit I know, but I've thought it a lot over the past few posts and decided this time to share. 

Today was another productive and I guess you could say artistic day. I've been treating myself to artist dates every day to keep motivated with the beginning of new habits. Morning Pages are still happening, day 3... today I also went to a coffee shop with my dear friend Mandalin and we drank our beverages and wrote. I read short essays and then wrote from prompts following the essays in Julia Cameron's book The Sound of Paper. I highly recommend it. I've been wanting to write so much more now that I've taken the time to make myself put pen to page. I don't always have to repeat to myself: I am endlessly interesting. But when the hard times come, when I feel I am uninspired and the words are just crap then I just say to myself "endless" and continue with whatever might seem drivel to the snob in my brain.

I started my interest in Julia Cameron not because I went through The Artist's Way, though I did have the book and had planned on it, I found her memoir and was hooked by the end of the first page. Her writing lulls the anxious beast that lives inside me. It brings out the melancholy from time to time but the shear panic I find biting at my edges dissipates for a second and I can think a little more clearly. After her memoir I was still not ready for The Artist's Way but looked at her books once again while in Powells. I found The Sound of Paper and decided that would be a great starting point. I'm really glad I did. She has quite a few gently brilliant things to say. Things that could seem like common sense but are never acted out as common sense acts would. I appreciate that. I appreciate the simple, the big picture broken down into manageable pieces.

Before I go on too long about Julia and how I'm going to crown her my guru blah blah blah la di dah and then turn you off completely I'm just going to say I don't like the word guru very much AND that if you ever feel you want to write more, The Sound of Paper is a helpful little gem. Also, if you're not ready for tasks, reading Floor Model could calm your anxiety about how your crazy (like seemily not sane, not in the producing all over the place) creativity. 

I'm doing a lot better on my goals this week as well! More on that Sunday though.

Who's story has helped you?

xoxo

A Sun Filled Day

Today I woke up and started the day with my Morning Pages. Let's be real, they aren't done in the morning most times with me but they are done when I wake up so I'm calling them Morning Pages. Well, Julia Cameron calls them Morning Pages, I am giving credit where it's due.

After the pages of morning I hurried to dress and get myself make uped... also hair did, well bangs back and hair down. There was an obnoxious piece on the side that wouldn't uncurl but that's nothing new so off I went. No destination I just needed out of my dark apartment.

I decided soon after getting in my car, The Rose Garden was my place to go. It wasn't as busy as I expected it to be, probably because the roses have yet to bloom, at all. That's okay though, my favorite tree is still there and so I took some pictures of it. I finished my roll of film in the Rollei (yuuuus another goal close to done) and then found a bench to sit on and crochet for a bit. 

I realized after finishing a row on the blanket that I did it wrong side up and so will have to redo it. I definitely was frustrated but tried to hold on to the pleasant feeling of sewing in the park. 

After I left I thought I was going home but instead decided to meet up with friends and continue to enjoy the sun. While I want my apartment to be my palace and place of comfort I'm afraid it is just too dark and so I do everything I can on sunny days to stay out of it. 

The rest of the day was lazing around which is perfect by me and eventually when I did get home (just a couple of minutes ago) I was finally ready to pounce on the cake.

I'm going to give myself a bit more credit than I did yesterday. Not only is it delicious, but it also looks pretty cool on the inside. Not bad for a first attempt! 

How was your day?

xoxo