Behold!

When I'm making my art, I eventually end up with a pile of eyeglasses of varying diopters. I curse my middle-aged poor vision. It's really a nuisance. That said I do like my frames, purchased from
I.C.U Eyewear or Deb's Spec's.  I love Eyebobs too, but they are crazy expensive. And yes, those are Martha Stewart Paints you see but please, let us not give that woman any more PR than she already drums up for herself.

At least I can find some succor in the cocktail mentioned here.

Ransom me

A few days ago I saw this clever idea on Pinterest for organizing found letters; perhaps for composing a ransom note? The photo originated on Natalie Ratkovski's lovely Flickr photostream.


After discussing the project with my supremely talented sister "Calypso" on Pinterest, I'm prompted to share my own clever idea for organizing the alphabet.

Using plastic jewelry bags from Michaels, I used rub-on letters for each bag, punched a hole in the top (the bag opening facing down as you see here), and put the whole shebang on a binder ring.
Theoretically, as I make or find letters I just put them in their respective bag and then it's ready to go for a journal page or ransom note if needed.

I hang the ringed-set from a magnetic clip on the side of my file cabinet.

After all that work, I've collected maybe.... 8 total letters? And here's what my first and last ransom note will say...{click on image to make it a little larger and then click anywhere on the black space to return to this page}

The sublime into the mundane

I downloaded a neat little app called Visual Poet onto my iPhone. It's not without its bugs (like the inability to work with the type), but the app does allow one to make these nice little photobooth-esque strips of poetry, all from your little 'ol phone.

I think it would be cool to print them on photo paper and make nice bookmarks with them. Be sure and check out Visual Poet's own site and on Tumblr. Some clever designers have used the app quite effectively for promo materials.

And now let us welcome the new year....

full of things that have never been - Rilke

Well, the one constant in 'lo these many years of mine, is that there's nary been a new year I haven't been trying to get my act together. Why succeed now? Nevertheless... I do keep trying.

Besides just the usual reponsibility to be an upstanding citizen of the universe, I think I'll attempt to rock the coat/sweater-off-the-shoulders look this year. And by extension it sort of includes the cape/cloak look at well.

If you really stop and give it some thought, and seriously, several martini's do aid in that endeavor, it's a look that works for many people: superheroes, Liberace, nurses in the old days, Bobbies, boxers, Grace Kelly, Quentin Crisp, Harry Potter, The Three Musketeers, Little Red Riding Hood and so on.

Somehow, you just look more chic. Even if it's a just a Land's End sweater, somehow draped over your shoulders with some gloves and a handbag, you look like you must live an interesting life.

But, let's keep it real here. It's kind of a pain when you're also carrying a totebag full of work stuff, a bento box for lunch, and a stack of Netflix DVDs that should have been mailed 3 months-ago and "NO, I"m not streaming them because I don't know how to do that..".

And really, what the does the look say? "OH! I'm in such a hurry I can't put my arms through the sleeves!!!!", or "MY, the draft in this palatial abode is so chilly! Let me just wrap this not-fake cashmere coat around me..." But honestly, I really don't care what anyone else thinks about it. I"m gonna give it a whirl.

So that's that.

Regarding the subject of chalkboard lettering and developing one's own "hand"; I used a new fat, and "phat" chalk marker made by Wet Wipe for the broad tip "2013" and a Gelly Roll medium tip for the lettering.

I find that if I just stop worrying, a "hand" does develop with the right pen. That's just my everyday normal handwriting you see.  Though God knows it's a miracle to find a decent white pen that actually works well. I still haven't bought the elusive UniBall Signo.

Here's to a year ahead of fashion panache. Clink!

A ribbon of mountain air

Sometimes grace is a ribbon of mountain air that gets in through the cracks.

- Anne Lamott

Winter Lights

It certainly as been all about End Times of late and in a weird way, December 25th has the same feel for me.

12.12.12 and 12.21.12 passed without incident, at least in apocalyptic terms. Unless you're a parent or loved one of the slain in Newtown, Connecticut. That's so horrific I can't speak of it.

But for me, the pressure to perform, to deliver by December 25 is just as...crazed. The deadlines, the pressures, the expectations for this one holiday...and the worst of it is, it is in fact a beautiful holiday.

I just can't ever pull Christmas off. I've never had a traditional life and I can't make this traditional holiday work with my life. It's never a White Christmas.

Add to that, I secretly think there's a built in code in my body to be sick on schedule. I can't remember a Christmas in recent memory I haven't been sick; either just preceding it, during it, or just after it.

But I do find beautiful moments in it and I'm so thankful for that. It's so dark when I drive home from work, and on this lagoon is little pier with this display of two deer and 3 little trees every year. It's so calm and silent and beautiful. I love the lights of the apartment buildings reflecting on the lagoon. I love the quiet of it. It is utterly serene.

Just as I'm about to turn left onto my street, there's this simple tree. But I jumped out in the cold night air and took these pictures with just a modest Canon camera. Without all the right settings and lenses and social media awareness. I just took some pictures with my fingers freezing because I like how these lights are little friendly sentinels on the way home. 

A little light in the winter's darkness

I hope you have lights to guide to you home and little moments of peace and quiet and loveliness this holiday.

Live inside that hope

 

The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what to hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Barbara Kingsolver