2/24/12
friday fab/five: celebrating leap day!
this year we get an extra day! since it is a rare bunch of 24 hours, my fab/5 are mostly *fantasy* (they are fantasy because, well, leap day is on a wednesday and i have to work so i cannot make pancakes/get a massage/celebrate with kristen...maybe i will get up early and run five miles, but i probably won't...wait, i could get the popcorn though!) what do you have planned for feb 29th?
2/23/12
DIY thursday: on your head!
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| from mackenzie bass via piterest |
2/22/12
a picture & a poem: sleepy!
we tend to sleep better when the clock is wound by todd boss
--------------
than we do
when it’s all
wound down.
I don’t know
why we settle
to the sound.
Somehow
the regular
click and chime
of passing time,
like water, turns
a water wheel
that turns a gear
that turns a stone
that turns upon
another stone
and fine
and finer in between
our dreams like grain
are ground.
(image source)
(poem source)
2/21/12
just because...it's so cool in a literary sorta way!!
i really must make this bookshelf set-up happen in my life...just looking at the image both relaxes me and fills me with joy!
[saw this on the wit & delight tumblr (which is seriously addictive!)...it is originally from here.]
artistic appreciation: joan brown!
 |
| After the Alcatraz Swim #3, 1976. |
please join me in appreciating joan brown, a painter who lived and worked in northern california.
2/20/12
ahhh...monday! iconic philadelphia, etc.
strangely the red pumps were gone when i got home from work, but the rest of the garbage remained. also, the light show on broad street last week was seriously mesmerizing!
2/16/12
DIY thursday: a gaggle of chairs!
ok, i have to be honest...i had a really busy weekend and kinda blew off doing a DIY project. luckily, i had these chairs in the wings!
2/15/12
catch me if you can...and you probably can!
i registered for the may 6th broad street run today (me and 29,999 other people sold out the event in 5 hours!) and i am SUPER excited to do this 10-mile run from north philly to south philly. although i will be training hard, my fingers are crossed that i don't have a spontaneous asthma/heart-attack during the race!
(image from the incredible blog: healthyfit&toned found here)
a picture & a poem: flowers...
 |
| bouquet by berry & bloom* - your philadelphia source for unique botanical designs. (*AKA my very talented friend bri!) |
Flowers by Wendy Videlock
--------------------------
for my mother
They are fleeting.
They are fragile.
They require
little water.
They’ll surprise you.
They’ll remind you
that they aren’t
and they are you.
(poem source)
(image by randi baird)
2/14/12
love appreciation: heather and ed!
congrats to both of you and i am very excited to be traveling to MN in april to celebrate your LOVE in style. happy valentines day!
2/13/12
ahhh...monday!
it was a quiet weekend filled with taxes, homework, snow and lovely ladies. my friend wendy made the most amazing carrot/ginger juice...zing in a glass...but i forgot to take a picture of it!
2/10/12
2/9/12
DIY Thursday: up-cycled cardigan!
 |
| so excited about my updated cardigan! |
yes, i have already professed my love for seam binding here...but i just had to use it in another project because it is AMAZINGLY versatile. i changed this thrift store cardigan into a fantastically colorful "new" piece of clothing...and so can you!
2/8/12
a picture & a poem: celebrating my inner kid!
 |
| source |
My Violin by Bruce Lansky
--------------
My mom brought home a violin
so I could learn to play.
She told me if I practiced hard
I’d play it well someday.
Without a single lesson,
I tried to play a song.
My fiddle squeaked, my fiddle squawked.
The notes came out all wrong.
My little brother fled the room.
Mom covered up her ears.
My puppy dog began to howl.
My sister was in tears.
My dad pulled out his wallet.
He handed me a ten.
He made me swear I’d never play
that violin again.
i loved legos when i was a kid...and luckily i had enough self-respect to quit orchestra in jr. high!
(poem source)
(poem source)
2/7/12
so you can sew?
lovely dress made/modeled by this cool etsy seller from the BurdaStyle website, which proclaims that it is "for people who sew"...since it does not say "well/good/competently" i guess i qualify!
artistic appreciation: feeling minnesota!
 |
| via etsy seller gomattolson |
presenting some visual appreciation for my homeland and the creative folks celebrating it's grandeur and quirkiness!
2/6/12
fantasy shopping...a new handbag
a must have for my (fantasy) tropical vacation - this fabric & handle favian tote bag is freakishly affordable and has lovely long straps.
2/3/12
truly vintage style...weekend/life inspiration!
according to one smart woman in the video "(we) young ladies are all going to be old ladies one day"...cheers to these fearless old broads!
read more about this project here.
have a wonderful weekend!
2/1/12
a picture & a poem: feeling bleh!
design by billy collins
--------
I pour a coating of salt on the table
and make a circle in it with my finger.
This is the cycle of life
I say to no one.
This is the wheel of fortune,
the Arctic Circle.
This is the ring of Kerry
and the white rose of Tralee
I say to the ghosts of my family,
the dead fathers,
the aunt who drowned,
my unborn brothers and sisters,
my unborn children.
This is the sun with its glittering spokes
and the bitter moon.
This is the absolute circle of geometry
I say to the crack in the wall,
to the birds who cross the window.
This is the wheel I just invented
to roll through the rest of my life
I say
touching my finger to my tongue.
(image source)
(poem source)
1/31/12
artistic appreciation: daniaelle simonsen
 |
| Atonement © Daniaelle Simonsen 2010 (source) |
LA-based contemporary artist daniaelle simonsen primarily uses fabric and thread to create multidimensional images that (i think) are truly mystical and engaging!
1/30/12
1/27/12
1/26/12
DIY thursday by bri! dyeing with wine!
(my friend bri graciously offered to be the guest DIY-er this week. thanks and take it away...)
For all you clumsy drunkards out there, this project is for
you.
1/25/12
just because it's so cool: metropolis II by chris burden
this kinetic sculpture by chris burden is just mesmerizing! seriously, if you are not convinced skip ahead to 4:44.
makes me wonder what happened to my old train set?
a picture & a poem: winter, etc.
winter love by linda gregg
------------
i would like to decorate this silence,
but my house grows only cleaner
and more plain. the glass chimes i hung
over the register ring a little
when the heat goes on.
i waited too long to drink my tea.
it was not hot. it was only warm.
(image source)
(poem source)
1/24/12
artistic appreciation: steve powers!
 |
| source |
since valentine's day is right around the corner...let's appreciate the work of artist steve powers (AKA espo) and his recent "love letter" project here in west philly.
1/23/12
total indulgence
hmmm...i do wish i remembered what i did with all the slides i scanned in to use for this project...maybe they are on another flash drive!?
(this does not seem to play on an iphone...sorry, i am not technical enough to know why??)
ahhh...monday
this is the start of a very busy couple of weeks...om/sigh.
(PS to philly folks: you must make a trip to see a free student recital at curtis. beyond the AMAZING young musicians, being in the curtis space (especially the building next to field hall) was like walking into another world. the cozy rooms, with dark wood walls and creaky floors, were filled with russian and german whispers...and sense of anticipation that made me feel like i could be anywhere but philadelphia.)
1/20/12
WEEKEND DISTRACTIONS: sense appreciation!
 |
| the opening night performance for nick cave's exhibition Let's C. photo: james prinz |
this art is plainly more fuel for my texture addiction! added bonus: the fabric workshop is right next the AIA philadelphia bookstore and design center (which has very nice bathrooms if i may say so)...double whammy in sense overload.
the fabric workshop says:
"The exhibition Let’s C highlights
recent, prominent sculptural and performative works by Chicago-based
artist Nick Cave. The exhibition features Cave’s iconic
“Soundsuits”—which function in chorus as dance costumes, sculptures, and
extensions of one’s persona—video of recent performance, and, for the
first time, Architectural Forest: an ambitious,
floor-to-ceiling installation of ornamented bamboo. For over two decades, Nick Cave has constructed Soundsuits out of a
litany of unique, found materials, such as crocheted hats, plastic
sandwich bags, gleaming buttons, stuffed animals, and other items from
thrift stores, flea markets, and estate sales. Their sculptural form
functions simultaneously to display and conceal through the visual
references to the exuberance of masquerade and the protection of body
armor."
1/19/12
DIY thursday: scrap paper pads for kids!
this DIY grew out of the fact that since i made bows for my niece last week, i needed to come up with a project that would round out the care package i'm sending to her and her brother. AND i (of course) seized on another opportunity to use up more of my scrap paper to create these cute little note pads with loose leaf rings.
1/18/12
a picture & a poem: thinking about inequality this week...
 |
| civil rights protestors stuck between tanks and bayonets of the national guard - 1968 |
I, TOO, SING AMERICA by langston hughes
-------------------------------------
-
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--
I, too, am America.
(poem source)
1/17/12
artistic appreciation: phoebe washburn!
i present to you...installation artist phoebe washburn.
phoebe is after my own heart by "producing large-scale installations: assemblages of garbage, detritus, cardboard, scrap wood, and, more recently, organic matter such as sod or plants."
 |
| Phoebe Washburn in her studio - photo by Ashkan Sahihi |
phoebe is after my own heart by "producing large-scale installations: assemblages of garbage, detritus, cardboard, scrap wood, and, more recently, organic matter such as sod or plants."
1/13/12
WEEKEND DISTRACTIONS: wendy has rhythm!
 |
| Daddy Tattoo, Philadelphia, 2004 - zoe strauss |
1. zoe strauss dance party at the philadelphia museum of art!
this event celebrates the opening of the mid-career retrospective (zoe strauss: ten years) by the acclaimed local photographer zoe strauss. from the PMA website: strauss states that her ambition is “to create an epic narrative that reflects the beauty and struggle of everyday life.”
my gal pal wendy is the best dancer in these parts and i cannot wait to get my groove on with her and see this amazing show!
1/12/12
DIY thursday: BOW-tastic!
i wanted to make something this week to send to my adorable little niece who lives in wisconsin. it had to be an object that i could also wear...so we could match from afar. these little fabric bows were just the ticket!
1/11/12
a picture & a poem: sometimes laughter is the best medicine!
instances of wasted ingenuity by dara wier
--------
falling off a triangle.
putting two fighting fish in one bowl.
talking yourself into a headcold.
falling off a rectangle.
putting insects in ice cubes.
talking yourself out of doorways.
falling off a parallelogram.
talking into a microphone.
falling off a footstool.
putting earplugs in acorns.
looking into a teacup for trouble.
talking yourself out of breathing.
taking a nap on a drum set.
eating a peach with an air filter.
wearing a dress made of hand grenades.
talking a mudslide back up a mountain.
lighting a camp fire in a taxi stand.
launching a boat on a horse trail.
hiking in an elevator.
falling into an envelope.
discussing smuggling with customs officers.
taking a cat to a dog show.
falling in love with a toothache,
questioning your thumbprint.
looking for milk in a gas tank.
kissing hydraulic acid.
blindfolding a parking meter.
falling over a water tower.
reasoning with a baby.
(image source: sarah spurlock/pinterest)
(poem from the wonderful website poetryfoundation.org)
1/10/12
artistic appreciation! margaret kilgallen!
i present to you...work by margaret kilgallen.
please appreciate this contemporary artist who was inspired by folk art and the imperfections of the handmade/hand-drawn. i especially love how she incorporated typography and found paper into her work.
please appreciate this contemporary artist who was inspired by folk art and the imperfections of the handmade/hand-drawn. i especially love how she incorporated typography and found paper into her work.
1/6/12
WEEKEND DISTRACTIONS: ahhh chilly january!
1. cocktail with my gal pal at the new restaurant down the street: lemon hill!
i have walked/biked by this place for the last few months...hoping (with crossed fingers) that something good was happening behind the closed doors. they finally reopened the space last week and although the menu is not entirely "sara-friendly", the buzz is good and the drink list/location/atmosphere make it visit worthy.
1/5/12
DIY thursday: random stuff collage magnets!
i was trying to figure out a fancy name for these...but really, to be honest, they are collages of random stuff made into magnets! i came up with this project because i have been ridding myself of the "random stuff" AKA the "i will use this small thing later stuff" and the "one day i will need this thingy." basically all the objects i used in this DIY were one step away from the rubbish bin!
1/4/12
a picture & a poem: looking ahead/looking back
burning the old year by naomi shihab nye
-----
letters swallow themselves in seconds.
notes friends tied to the doorknob,
transparent scarlet paper,
sizzle like moth wings,
marry the air.
so much of any year is flammable,
lists of vegetables, partial poems.
orange swirling flame of days,
so little is a stone.
where there was something and suddenly isn’t,
an absence shouts, celebrates, leaves a space.
i begin again with the smallest numbers.
quick dance, shuffle of losses and leaves,
only the things i didn’t do
crackle after the blazing dies.
(image by me)
(poem from the wonderful website poetryfoundation.org)
1/3/12
books i read last month
didn't realize that i read all these books until i looked for the pictures to create this post. i have a (bad?) habit of reading books back to back...with literally minutes between ending one and starting another. sadly, sometimes the stories run together and become a larger jumbled narrative!
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