friday fab/five: energy!

1. first aid kit: heading to union transfer on saturday night to see these amazing swedish ladies perform live. VERY excited.  

2. assorted vitamin water zero: so, i am training for this race in a few months and i realized that i am probably doing myself a disservice by not really preparing my body for an hour of running at a time and thus decided to jump on the electrolyte bandwagon. am i exactly sure that this product is doing anything? not really...but it definitely tastes refreshing!

3. lunchtime yoga: my job is gracious enough to subsidize a weekly yoga class and although i sometime have to drag myself away from my desk - i am always happy that i do! and reading this book by claire dederer last year was a great way for me to learn more about the practice/history of yoga.

4. green tea: we've all heard about the benefits of green tea and i wanted to add a cup to my daily routine so i put a "tea reminder" alarm on my iphone...and guess what? i now drink tea everyday before the alarm even goes off! habits! word! (this mug is from the awesome etsy seller lennymud)

5. rosemary essential oil: too much computer time dulls my brain and nothing revives me like some rosemary essential oil rubbed on my temples. and don't worry, if you try this yourself you will not smell like an italian restaurant.

(#1 image source/ #5 image source)

DIY thursday - springtime spaceship!

i have such an affinity towards mobiles, and how they can slowly twirl in space, so i decided to create a little sparkly springtime mobile to spruce up my petite bathroom!

just because...good quotes are good!

(from etsy seller michelle tavares)

a picture & a poem!

a certain kind of eden by kay ryan

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

It seems like you could, but

you can’t go back and pull

the roots and runners and replant.

It’s all too deep for that.

You’ve overprized intention,

have mistaken any bent you’re given

for control. You thought you chose

the bean and chose the soil.

You even thought you abandoned

one or two gardens. But those things

keep growing where we put them—

if we put them at all.

A certain kind of Eden holds us thrall.

Even the one vine that tendrils out alone

in time turns on its own impulse,

twisting back down its upward course

a strong and then a stronger rope,

the greenest saddest strongest

kind of hope.

(poem source)

(picture by me)

artistic appreciation: andy curlowe!

source

andy curlowe's work is so beautiful and dreamy...it really fits the dazed-out spring i've been having here in philly...even if he is based in cleveland! i saw some of his work on the blog mint and had to spread his talent.

just because...this is my new desktop image!

(via pinterest via Bri Emery via 30.media.tumblr.com)

ahhh...monday: blooming!

friday fab/five: a few of my philly favorites!

1. tierra mia organic nail salon: all of the services that i get from tierra mia are really top-notch AND i just discovered that they are BYOB...a glass of wine while you are getting a pedicure? sounds good to me! the last time i was there i picked up this fabulous wooden ring!

2. beadworks: after a very loooong time, i finally made it back to this (off south street) bead store. totally making some new earrings tomorrow!

3. free library of philadelphia: full disclosure - i volunteer at the library, so i am there a lot in general, but the newly renovated lending library is like a sacred space to me. sometimes just i wander around the stacks...touching all the spines! 

4. fairmount park: i know, i know i talk about the schuylkill river way too much, but i have never lived so close to all it's fabulous features (One of the United States' largest and oldest municipally-operated park systems, Fairmount Park encompasses 9,200 acres and includes 63 neighborhood and regional parks.) AND since i am training for the broad street run i have been spending many many many hours in the park! 

5. lost and found: i don't get to this old city clothing and accessories store often enough, but i am always happy when i do. some of my favorite and most cherished items are from there...like my wallet for example!

DIY thursday: inspired by nature!

i have been spending a lot of time (too much time?) stuck inside creating on and through my computer. it was so nice this past weekend that i decided enough was enough and gave myself an art assignment...

just because...my allergies are making me stare into space...

...so why not stare at this beautiful video while i am enduring my endless sinus headache?

(we are ready/dancefloor diplomacy via philebrity = 20 musicians, 38 songs, all played live)

a picture & a poem: contemplation

finale by pablo neruda

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

Matilde, years or days   

sleeping, feverish,   

here or there,

gazing off,

twisting my spine,   

bleeding true blood,   

perhaps I awaken   

or am lost, sleeping:

hospital beds, foreign windows,

white uniforms of the silent walkers,

the clumsiness of feet.

And then, these journeys   

and my sea of renewal:   

your head on the pillow,   

your hands floating

in the light, in my light,   

over my earth.

It was beautiful to live   

when you lived!

The world is bluer and of the earth   

at night, when I sleep

enormous, within your small hands.

(pablo is my absolute favorite...i could read his poetry for hours! poem source)

(picture by me) 

artistic appreciation: rex ray!

source

i'm such a sucker for "mixed media" and i find (san francisco based artist) rex ray's work the perfect mash-up of art and design.

ahhh...monday: all about town

friday fab/five: spring fever!

just because...it's like your toes are wearing a painting!

talk about happy feet! helle socks via totokaelo.

DIY thursday: makin' it up!

i am NOT a girly-girl, but i love the make-up tutorials made by sam and nic - the british sister-team - AKA pixiwoo.

sam and nic are sweet, funny and sincere...and watching them is totally addicting. if you know me, you would know that most of these looks are a bit out of my comfort-zone, but getting an inside peak at these professional make-up artists at work is completely fascinating! here are a few of my favorites...

a picture & a poem: sigh...

last spring by gottfried benn

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

Fill yourself up with the forsythias

and when the lilacs flower, stir them in too

with your blood and happiness and wretchedness,

the dark ground that seems to come with you.

Sluggish days. All obstacles overcome.

And if you say: ending or beginning, who knows,

then maybe—just maybe—the hours will carry you

into June, when the roses blow.

(poem source)
(picture by me)

artistic appreciation: spring favorites via etsy

the wheat field by katie daisy - print

the weather in philly has shifted into full-on spring...trees are flowering...bulbs are blooming...allergy spores are attacking my head. i figured that it's the perfect time to share some of my favorite spring-themed creations (currently for purchase) via etsy...

ahhh...monday: parades, etc.

(if you are in the philly area, please make time to see "van gogh-up close" at the PMA...it was so much better than i expected! i started to weep while looking at one of the paintings...if that does not convince you to see this show i don't know what will!)

friday fab/5: actually distracting!

DIY thursday: living wall art!

join my pal bri (the amazing floral designer from berry & bloom) in making an awesome piece of living wall art!

take it away bri...

a picture & a poem: memories

the dairy queen at sunset by elaine equi

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

after each private episode

one re-enters society anew

amid cowlicks of light

a swirl of voices

sharp in the nose

as razorblades of grass

sharp is "the taste

of noise" after silence

the cool residue

of an electrical disturbance

carried home

in a paper cup.

(image by me)

(poem source: surface tension, poem by elain equi. coffee house press, 1989.)

just because...i LOVE jimmy fallon!

artistic appreciation: book cover love!

sometimes i DO pick a book by it's cover! and most of the time i'm glad that i did. luckily, the website the book cover archive can help me appreciate the designers/artists who create the outward appearance of some of my literary favorites! and feed my (small) typography addiction. shhh....

just because it is so awesome...photography by matthias heiderich

ahhh, monday...buildings, etc.

friday fab/five: marching it up!

WHAT? it's march already - whoa!

books i read last month!

i was almost going to take a picture of the photoshop cs5 book that i am reading for my class...but i would rather focus on the fun reading i have been doing!