Happy Holiday!

Another year!  

Love y'all! 

We are hitting the road tomorrow.  

California highway 1 for the week. 

Pictures to follow. 

For now, a lovely Arizona Inn gingerbread house.  

Around the house...

Today I went home and it was strange. Besides a couple minutes here and a couple of minutes there, I honestly have not been home in six weeks or more. As in, I have not slept in my bed since early October I believe. I have been staying at the shed.

But today...today I came home. It feels nice. We have been spending a lot of time visiting the shed lately on the blog here (don't worry, there are more posts to come), but for today, let's take a [very] little tour around my house.

The bathroom. On my counter sits an old baking tin with things I use - salts for baths, lotion, q-tips, various makeup brushes and such, a candle, and a little battery radio so I can listen to NPR in the morning when I am getting ready. And another flashcard so I can remind myself to "bounce" to it in the morning.

A little bedside vignette. Yes, the lampshade is supposed to be broken, I kind of like it that way. A little ornament frame that I spray painted and hung on the wall using a ribbon has a picture of my dog's namesake, Madison Square in Savannah. Next to it is a framed Sanborn Map of Savannah. Also, remember this silhouette of my dog that I made? Hmm - this seems to be quite the dog/Savannah corner now that I think of it. On top of the frames are wooden models of buildings from NYC from MOMA, my initials in old typewriter keys, a shell found on a beach, and this matchstick case.

A little shelf in my bedroom. Jars of sand from two of my favorite beaches. My initials in old letter blocks. A silly owl from Urban Outfitters. An ikat bowl from Anthropologie full of Japenese washi paper tape. That white thing? That is a card - remember this? Yes - that is an alligator head (from the Farmers Market in New Orleans probably 20 years ago). On the wall is a drawing by the wonderful Molly (there is a long story behind this - for another time maybe), a little mirror, yet another flashcard, and a print from Made By Girl.

The [cluttered] gallery wall behind my TV. Every piece on that wall has a meaning. Do I dare bore you with links to everything and explain what everything is? Ask me in the comments if you want additional information about anything.

And, my bed. Though not used, it is unmade and disheveled. Oh well. Just so you know, there is a loft above my bed that is a little home office.

Ah, home.

Thanks for letting me tour my house a little. Now back to the shed...

(Apologizes for the crappy iPhone photos - the only "camera" I had)

This week...

Whew. Thank heavens it is Friday. Honestly. I hate to be a downer and I hate to complain - really I do - particularly in a space that is supposed to be full of pretty things and a source for inspiration..this week has been a doozie though. I feel drained and overwhelmed. I have been doing my best to keep my chin up, but man it has been hard. Here are a few things that helped make this week a little brighter - or at least interesting.

Sorry to vent. Hoping next week things are back on track. I know in your worlds there are weddings this weekend and babies to swoon over. Here's to a weekend full of love and baby cuddles. See you on the other side.

Telluride Brewing Company finally opened! Rebecca and Scott - wish we could be sharing a beer together this weekend. Matt and his motley crew got on their snow bikes (Pugsley) and rode across the valley floor to the brewery after work the other night. Matt was very proud of his hunting and gathering when he arrived back home with a delicious growler of beer for us to share.

I had to go up to Montrose on Wednesday for a doctors appointment. I won't go into details, but please please make sure to not only wear gobs of sunscreen, but it must contain zinc oxide. Anyway, while there I went to the "big" supermarket to pick up some items. This was a display inside. So absolutely random. Cause when you are shooting elk, someone better bring the Gouda.

It is the weird "in-between" season here. Too cold and wet to bike, but not enough snow to really ski just yet. I took the dogs on an afternoon snow hike. And, yes, it was as cold and dreary as it looks.

Gave a presentation at one of our local schools for work. They have a huge wall dedicated to student artistic interpretations of bikes. I went a little nuts snapping photos. I absolutely loved this project.

The dogs got new toys this week. Belle sniffed hers and has been snuggling with it all week. Maddie immediately destroyed hers - I have never seen so much stuffing!

Coming Soon...

I know I have been saying it forever now (it seems), but I promise, shed before and afters are coming soon. I finally have some before photos. MCB & his Dad are "doers" and just went in and started demo before I could really get the images I wanted for my "before" shots. So, I have some that the boys took, just not the ones I really wanted. What I wanted to show you was just how bad the shed was as it is so wonderful now. A little bit of touch up paint still needs to happen, a little styling and then I can get some great "after" shots.

Until then, I leave you with this - a demo photo. In it you can see the gross carpet/linoleum being removed. Also, you can see the blood red wall that was the bane of my existence - so many coats to cover - why were the renters allowed to use that horrid color? Also notice the door trim - horrible teal. All of the window/door trim throughout the shed was painted teal and purple (to, you know, coordinate with the red?). It took two coats of primer and four coats of paint to cover up that trim - and touch-ups are still happening. Ugh.

Thanks for your patience while I get these images pulled together.
I cannot wait to share MCB's shed with you guys! Soon - promise.

A peek in to the weekend....

 Taco Tote 

 Finished invitations for Bree's bridal shower

Still enjoying yummy beers from our Colorado trip! 

From the bathroom wall

You are exactly where you should be....

[Wisdom found on the wall of the bathroom at The Grill] 

A dog with a sweater....

...that is it.  Just a funny picture from our trip.  Saw this old car with the dog hood ornament with its own knitted sweater.  

Happy 43

Happy #43 wedding anniversary to my parents.  A few sweet photos.  The first picture is the day they were dropped (the day Paul gave Nona his fraternity pin).  The second is obviously the big wedding day (love my aunt Lucy as the bridesmaid in pink).  

Happy Day -- Nona and Paul!  

Trying to...

[Taken by the lovely Michelle - vote for it here]

Hipster Dads

I am sure you saw this post on Cup of Joe about Dads are the Original Hipsters.  With evidence of the picture below - I would have to agree.  Here is my dad - Paul - I would say in 1972.  

Happy Friday!

Off to Seattle tomorrow for work.  

So sad to leave Tucson in the spring time - everything is blooming.  

Happy weekend friends! 

[photo taken outside the Ice House in Tucson, AZ]

Tomato Tour

At work this week we went on an amazing tour of the University of Arizona -College of Agriculture and Life Science Farm - it is right in the middle of town.  I was amazed by the hydroponically grown produce - we even got to take home our own bag of tomatoes and cucumbers.  Yum!  

Check out all my photos here 

(Warning - there are also some graphic shots of meat - we visited the classrooms/meat lab).

 

In awe...

I met up with an old friend that was in town to go to his girlfriend's MFA thesis project.  Luckily, I was able to join them at the end of her AMAZING show.  It will be hard for me to truly express how awesome her work is.  But I will try...

First - check out the work of Margaret Kimball here.

For her project she sent out these pretty invitations. 

Guests took part in a scavenger hunt that ended with drinks at Gentle Ben's in Tucson. Any project that ends at a bar is genius in my opinion.  

While on the scavenger hunt, participants found pieces of her art and put them in this 

cute bag. 

 When at the final location -  the pieces fit together in a puzzle to create these lovely drawings.  Go here to enlarge her work to enjoy them in more detail.  

The Everything will be alright Project - a great mantra for any graduate program...

Thank you Margi and Brian for the invitation! 

Oui Oui

My [talented] roommate Ben Knight recently visited Paris for work (I know, all expenses paid trip to Paris? I have the wrong job I think sometimes). He is a filmmaker & photographer - and only brought his iPhone with him on his trip. No other camera. Crazy? Maybe. Look at what he did with his iPhone though. Since you all aren't friends with him on FB, you don't get to see all of his pictures - featuring a lot of your typical Parisian shots (Eiffel Tower, Louvre, etc). You get to see MY favorite of his images - the more obscure images.

So I leave you all with these to drool over for the weekend. Makes me want to visit Paris all over again.
Swoon.

NYC in pictures

A few photos from the NYC trip last week.  Happy Friday!

 

 

 

 

 

Things That Make Me Happy...

I recently read a great article in a back issue of Real Simple all about taking time to appreciate things in your life. In a small side note caption in a much larger article, it mentions a woman who takes a week every year to capture the nitty-gritty of seven solid days of her life in order to celebrate the "everyday stuff." For some reason this resonated with me and I decided to take a week & photograph my favorite part of each day. It was a fun project...and helped me appreciate the little things that comprise a day and see them in new ways.
What things do you appreciate in your day?

Saturday: A snowy hike. My new favorite thing - this moss that grows on the trees that is the most amazing color of green. Apparently elk & deer snack on this throughout the winter for nutrients. It is by far my newest favorite discovery.

Sunday: Farm fresh eggs. Brown, white, blue. The colors are amazing & these eggs taste unreal.

Monday: Poetry. Read to me in bed. This particular book - a recent gift. I haven't read poetry since I had to in school for English class. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed poetry and I was surprised how much I actually remembered. Pick up a poetry book today - I promise you won't regret it.

Tuesday: Coffee. Well, this is an everyday favorite. Black. French Press. I cannot live without it.

Wednesday: A simple DIY. Seriously - it took mere minutes. A fun project. Sort of industrial bling. Dig.

Thursday: TAB Fashion Show. A huge annual event here in Telluride - all to benefit AIDS organizations doing great work around the world. The models are all locals who practice for months. The show is a huge production and is always a blast.

Friday: Gift wrapping. I don't know what I get a bigger kick out of...the wrapping or the gift inside. I love wrapping gifts - I always have such a great time. This gift...wrapped in newspaper with a grosgrain ribbon. The card...spray painted with chalkboard paint. Easy. Fun. Different.

I must admit - I had a little help in the photography department as I have come to realize that I am in desperate need of a new camera. So, this is a bonus photo - per request of my photographer. His favorite for the week - beer. Not only is this New Belgium beer his favorite, but he loves the graphic design and colors on the can.

To note: all photos treated by Rollip to give that "weathered" look.