a picture & a poem

i have been traveling a lot lately...including a trip to massachusetts this weekend. although it has been beyond lovely seeing old friends, eating tons of food and exploring new places...it is a comfort to know that my own bed (piled high with blankets) is just waiting for me to crawl back into it when i return home.

INSPIRATION: a travel poem by edna st. vincent millay and a picture from pinterest.

travel
------------------
the railroad track is miles away,
and the day is loud with voices speaking,
yet there isn't a train goes by all day
but i hear its whistle shrieking. 

all night there isn't a train goes by,
though the night is still for sleep and dreaming,
but i see its cinders red on the sky,
and hear its engine steaming.

my heart is warm with friends i make,
and better friends i'll not be knowing;
yet there isn't a train i'd rather take,
no matter where it's going.

(poem source)
(image via amy zimmerman via imgfave.com)

mad for the muppets!

ARTISTIC INSPIRATION: jim henson and the muppets

over the weekend i heard terry gross (fresh air/npr) interview jason segal and nick stoller about creating the new muppet movie. jason and nick seemed thrilled to described how their personal passion and love for the muppets brought this movie to life. to be honest, i kinda wrote off the muppets when they became part of the disney family.

WEEKEND REVIEW: THANKSgiving distractions

sunny skies, delightful friends (with welcoming families) and SO much food! i am thankful for the chance to create such beloved memories!

now i have to figure out a way to block all the repetitive christmas music from entering my brain!

a picture & a poem for thanksgiving

i am going to take the next few days off from the blog - have a wonderful thanksgiving and see you on monday!

INSPIRATION - poet lisel mueller and a picture from pinterest...

[a dear friend gave a photocopy of this poem by lisel mueller when i was in college. it now lives on my refrigerator, where i can look at it and smile as i read the simple words and remember my friend.]

love like salt

-------

it lies in our hands in crystals

too intricate to decipher

it goes into the skillet

without being given a second thought

it spills on the floor so fine

we step all over it

we carry a pinch behind each eyeball

it breaks out on our foreheads

we store it inside our bodies

in secret wineskins

at supper, we pass it around the table

talking of holidays and the sea.

(source: alive together: new and selected poems, 1996)
(image via pinterest via liesl maertens)

closet dreamin'

ARTISTIC APPRECIATION: jeana sohn and closet visit

the blog closet visit feeds my beautiful photograph addiction while also increasing my lust for care-free california living. artist jeana sohn "visits creative, inspiring and stylish ladies' closets"...and invites us along for the ride.

WEEKEND REVIEW: new york distractions

i had such a lovely weekend, but now i need a nap...so glad that this is a short holiday week!

WEEKEND DISTRACTIONS: the big apple & hudson valley

i did not plan any specific distractions for this weekend...just some empire state state of adventure since i will be heading up to new york city today (AKA the ultimate distraction) and then on to the beautiful hudson valley to visit with a friend who just had an adorable little baby.

but on a slightly related note...i thought i would share something specific that has been distracting me ALL WEEK: the song "moves like jagger" by maroon 5. i know right, a maroon 5 song?? for some reason this jam has infected my brain and gets me MOVING & SHAKING. more than one sweet dear friend has had to watch me interpretive dance/dork-out to this track blaring from my iphone. how could i not share it!?

get up and dance and have a great weekend!

DIY Thursday: does it smell in here?

 

on rainy days my apartment has a faint funky odor...i think it is a smell-collage of all the random people who lived here before me. since i am just a renter and my time in this apartment will be brief (thank god!) i would rather not think about those people. but a solution is needed...so i am going to make an herbal room spray for my thursday DIY project. prepare your nose!

a picture & a poem

INSPIRATION - poet mary oliver and a picture from pinterest...

the uses of sorrow

(in my sleep i dreamed this poem)

------------

someone i loved once gave me

a box full of darkness.

it took me years to understand

that this, too, was a gift.

(image: jon cook)

oh etsy...i love you/i hate you!

ARTISTIC APPRECIATION: etsy

the etsy mission (from their website):

etsy is the world's handmade marketplace.

our mission is to empower people to change the way the global economy works. we see a world in which very-very small businesses have much-much more sway in shaping the economy, local living economies are thriving everywhere, and people value authorship and provenance as much as price and convenience. we are bringing heart to commerce and making the world more fair, more sustainable, and more fun.

WEEKEND REVIEW: artsy bathroom, delicious pastry and indie rock boys.

it was a beautiful weekend in philly and my distractions were equally fantastic!

WEEKEND DISTRACTIONS: modern art, vintage clothes and a cinnamon bun!

by charline von heyl

DIY Thursday - lavender honey salt scrub anyone?

when i lived in minnesota my skin was super dry (i can confidently blame the cold long winters)...then i moved to philadelphia and my skin turned oily (i can confidently blame the hot humid summers)...and now that the season is changing my confused skin is simply FREAKING OUT.

yes, the allure of yoga pants!

INSPIRATION - garance doré

this is not me or garance.

i love (photographer/illustrator) garance's blog, not just because she is french or involved in the alluring world of fashion or even because she is really funny...but rather because she writes her posts from the perspective of a successful adult woman who does not take herself too seriously. so refreshing!

i am sure that sufjan stevens rocks the vote...

ARTIST APPRECIATION: sufjan stevens

Photo by Marzuki Stevens

ok, let's get something out of the way before i start talking about sufjan. yes, i know, he is totally sexy. that said, he is also a talented singer-songwriter, musician and (if you have had the chance to see him live) incredible showman.

WEEKEND REVIEW: all you can eat, a HUGE moon and good friends.

ahhh...another weekend filled with distractions!

1. art/dance: i went to first friday...but the dance performance was way too crowded, so instead of trying to cram into the room, i decided to meet my friend at kraftwork, in fishtown, for a delicious, cozy supper...see soup in dim photo above.

WEEKEND DISTRACTIONS: art, dance and stay-cation!

beautiful picture via etsy store raceytay

DIY decorating - the many uses of seam binding!

when i lived in south philly i often visited the stores on fabric row to buy shiny buttons and velvety ribbons for projects that may or may not have ever been made. it is in one of these (relic from the past) stores that i discovered a product that is just plainly AMAZING: seam binding. i think that a spool of 100 yard cost me $2.50! YES, and it lasts forever!

still feeling under the weather, so please enjoy this brief post about my (new) shoes!

i have wanted a version of colorful adidas sneakers for a very long time (well, since early spring) and of course i thought it was fate when i saw this pair at a consignment store here in philly - for super cheap.

i am not sure if i am going to keep the white laces, but i am not too ashamed to say that i love my (slightly) used, new shoes. i am now walking/limping around with a party on my feet!

bike accidents, bike love and roger sterling on a bike...

my beloved bianchi milano (the italian station wagon of bikes...before the accident)

so yesterday i was feeling a bit of melancholy and i thought "what makes me happy?" (beyond friends and family) and i came up with MY BIKE!