not quite may

so here's the thing: I was trying to save up images and thoughts for may, because you know there are 31 days to post in may and I don't just want to throw something up here (wow. that's a lot of days.). I can't seem to not post, especially when I tell myself to hold off. maybe you've noticed I'm not a "hold off" kind of girl. so here I am, compulsively posting the image I was saving for five senses friday, which I believe is tomorrow. you, my friends, are my flame.

I am very excited about this I believe. I was thinking we could post our masterpieces on the same day. how about may 30th? I love may 30th. mia's birthday. it's a good day. that gives us a month to think and ponder and observe and form the beauty. if you're in, let me know in the comments so I can include a blog roll before the date. I love the idea of us and everyone else being able to go from blog to blog reading these beautiful words. there is so much talent out there. I am ready to be blown away.

if it's tuesday

it must be that place where I'm doing too much thinking.

I think I will just look at all the pretty flowers and think about ideas for posting every day in may. this lovely one wants a color week. I love a color week! how about the third week in may? I was also inspired by a spot I heard on npr on sunday...anyone up for a writing assignment? I'm also so interested in joining beautiful abby's five senses friday. with all this goodness and filling in the blanks with nablopomo's soon-to-be-announced theme, we'll have the month chock full of lovely.

see, I'm going to pull you along with me kicking and screaming. or writing and shooting, whatever the case may be.

*****

update: the nablopomo theme for may is SWEET. sweet.

mosaic monday

missing the west coast, especially san francisco. my girl is there, my heart is there.

{photo credits here.}

{yesterday}

a sultry summer day smack dab in the middle of spring. the kind of summer day that requires playing with the sprinkler and huge amounts of lounging. the bright sun is infused through a filter of heavy air. the heat swirls the scent of the gardenia bush throughout the yard. there is nothing like falling asleep in the sun and waking to the scent of gardenia. before my eyes open, there is a slide show in my mind of all the spaces I have stood that smelled of gardenia.

at the end of my life, I will be able to say that my life was gardenia scented.

every day in may

I need a challenge. just a little something to nudge me to point that lens and write those words. back in february and november, I posted every day as part of nablopomo; I'm thinking I might try this again in may. the may theme isn't up yet but it's usually something pretty general and inspiring.

what about you? I'd love it if you'd join me. it's not easy, but it's also not the end of the world if you miss a day or two. I really like the way it stretches me to discover new and different ways to share.

mayhem at the curious house

there seems to be an overload of testosterone at my house. my two boy dogs, simon and luca, cannot stop fighting. and I'm talking all-out dog fighting here. last night, luca's ear paid the price. I'm still waiting to find the piece that was unceremoniously ripped from his head by the corgi. there was blood everywhere. here is luca with his head bandaged (sorry for the blur, he was a wee bit traumatized and could not sit still). he still has one good ear and most of the victim ear. but I fear he will never look like this again.

so lovely

acting in my official capacity as an ambassador of lovely, I want to invite you all to experience the beauty and magic of amy krouse rosenthal's projects 17 things I made and the beckoning of lovely. you've probably seen these works of genius before as they have made quite a name for themselves in the land of blog over the past year. but still, if you're like me, you can watch them over and over and over again.

we ambassadors are here to keep you updated on happenings in amy's universe of lovely. good things are coming. it's my pleasure to keep you in the lovely loop. the website will be live soon. in the meantime, amy is currently on the beckoning of lovely tour. here are may dates and cities (locations to be announced soon):

may 1-2 ~ san francisco
may 17 ~ baltimore
may 18-19 ~ washington, d.c. (join me at one of these, I'd love to meet you)
may 21 ~ boston

happy earth day

your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.

~buddha

mosaic monday

I was a little girl alone in my little world who dreamed of a little home for me. I played pretend between the trees, and fed my houseguests bark and leaves, and laughed in my pretty bed of green. I had a dream that I could fly from the highest swing. I had a dream.

~priscilla ahn

happy monday swingers.

{flickr creds here.}

beans, blooms + a baby bump {randomness}

jelly bellies make the most delicious subjects when inspiration is elusive. I once dreamt of a beach made of tiny smooth stones the colors of jelly beans. I think this is what the beaches in heaven must look like.

I happen to like dandelions. they have two fanciful lives. they are dependable and tenacious. they just keep being who they are despite the fact that everybody wants to be rid of them.

speaking of dependability. every april and may, my neighborhood explodes with pink, red, purple and white azaleas.

coming soon: a baby boy to a most beautiful mom.

weekend me

I plan on eating eggs benedict, browsing vintage and architectural salvage shops, taking in a writing class, snapping lots of photos, listening to music, yogaing, reading this and storming through the huge pile of magazines and catalogs that have been waiting for me for a few weeks. plus, plenty of sun and k time. and I'll be hosting the inaugural 2009 grilled fish taco-margarita backyard extravaganza. all while wearing some sort of variation of my spring/summer uniform: jeans, tee, big bag, big shades and cute sandals.
how about you?
{I hereby vow to not let my weekend be eaten alive by endless hours of flickr and polyvore.}

soleil et ombre

{vintage shades make me smile.}

happy friday!

restless

my brain woke up buzzing with electricity; if it's of the good or bothersome kind I'm not yet certain. thoughts that are being tumbled about:

~I can't stop thinking about life of pi, specifically richard parker. I guess this is the mark of an excellent story but I'm always surprised when a book leaves me spending so much mental energy. I've said it before, I need a good book club. and now I've talked about it so much with my immediate circle, I've given away the ending, so there's no use anyone here reading it. maybe I will blog about my thoughts later this week.

~I dreamt last night of flying and an old boyfriend. the flying involved two landings: one flawless, one unknown. of course, I had to quote life of pi in reference to the old boyfriend (a "botched goodbye"). a theme? things unsettled?

that's all. happy midweek beauties.

imagine the girl

who has a place in her heart for a pair of shoes. and not just any shoes. these shoes arrived from a faraway land. cradled in sparkly color and stars for their journey, they were met with a huge welcoming grin and a heart bursting with friendship at their destination.

they are unique, these shoes. not meant for your average girl. with their heart-shaped toes and fanciful patchwork, they were dreamt for girls who love color and words and curiosity. they are the shoes of gypsies, dancers, poets, wanderers, girls who wear flowers in their hair. they evoke happiness with their little rainbows on the heels.

these shoes are electric with wanderlust. they are moved to find their whimsical sister pair so that the shoes can stand beside each other, for while these shoes revel in their individuality, they have a deep understanding of the value of connection and belonging.

they are magical rainbow friendship shoes. and I love them.

project gather and feast

it's only 9am and I'm on my second post. apparently, my energy has returned. oh, the wonders of the 3 1/2 day weekend!

so this is my dining room in progress. while simon's commentary is on point, it's actually mid-transformation. a year ago, the narci wall was covered with a delightful mustard frenchy-vintagey mural painted by my own artiste-in-residence. while I loved the mural, my style transitioned from shabby vintage and I now crave modern color and clean lines. so we stripped it bare and painted the walls a creamy putty color (the only walls in my home that are not saturated in color). they called out for curious photos and hence, the narci wall was born.

the old table was a painted round table that will now live on the patio. again, the hubs=amazing. the chairs were mismatched swirly wrought iron (very uncomfortable). I wanted eclectic mid-century modern. I found these chairs at a vintage shop in charlottesville. I have the fabric to recover, but have yet to begin that task because it requires some (gasp!) sewing on my part. the beautiful espresso table is my most recent love from west elm.

sitting in the corner with the bolt of fabric is a large moroccan lantern, waiting to be hung over the table. once the chairs are covered and the lantern hung, the only other change I want to make is the huge window (off to the right in this photo) that overlooks the forest and positively absorbs morning sun but is old (and not in a good way) and painted shut. I'd like to replace it with old casement windows (clear) that swing open into the wild fresh air. {I imagine the scent from the honeysuckle and jasmine in the backyard gently wafting through these open windows as friends gather around the table for nightly chats and much drinking of wine.}

now that I've posted this, I'm hoping it will motivate me to get off my ass and complete some of these projects so I'll be able to share the results with you. join me on my journey and come sit with me when simon says "fini!".

project mood lifter

sometimes a perfectly gorgeous april sunday does it by itself. other times, I need a plan. the project list on this particular weekend involved garden stores, books, writing assignments, catching up on long-missed blogs. all of these things (in addition to those posted yesterday) contributed to a lighter spirit and the ability to smile true. but it was the planting that pulled most of the weight.

I started small with the herbs and annuals destined for the empty rainbow of glazed ceramic pots that have been waiting patiently all winter, safely tucked away in the shed. I like to plant a collection of mints and allysum to scatter throughout the main lounging area outside. on humid summer nights, the soft scents of peppermint and honey provide even more ambiance to lazy stargazing sprinkled with storytelling. the anticipation of such nights had me imagining fireflies in broad daylight.

there is just something about the feel of rich soil in my hands. while the dirt made me feel childlike and playful, the act of planting young sprouts with the intent to nurture and grow was decidedly maternal. I needed both these things. I am lifted. I am grateful for garden.

I'd also like to thank my lovely planting assistant, luca. the project would have been successful, but humorless, without him.

{I finished life of pi yesterday. if you've read it, please chime in on which version of the story you believe. this is why I need a book club.}

accidental luminescence

my camera keeps finding mini rainbows inside the house. maybe it's the new table?

years ago in a yoga class, I learned a visual breathing exercise called "firefly breath". certainly, I've distorted it over time, but it goes something like this:

• close your eyes and center
• inhale and imagine you are a huge wave, building size and strength at the peak of its power, just before crashing
• exhale and imagine golden light pouring from your being, illuminating from your every pore
• repeat three times

I do this exercise on a regular basis, often in the elevator on the ride to my office. I vary the color of the light depending on my particular needs at that moment: teal for peace, white for clarity, raspberry for a kinder-than-red "don't mess with me" vibe.

this light here, with it's gentle power and rainbow flare, will be added to the repertoire.

{rainbow bright breath}

hi peeps

if you are celebrating passover or easter (or both!) or just basking in the glory of spring, I wish you a beautiful time of it.

thank you, thank you for your kind words of support yesterday. in case you're interested, I did a little research on the things that keep you in a funk and the things that can pull you out:

things that keep you in a funk

• throwing temper tantrums because "everything" is broken (really, it is just my printer, but I had to be dramatic).
• thinking about cleaning, but not doing it.
• making the decision that because nothing is pleasant, I "might as well do work".
• going to the supermarket on the saturday before easter. why is everyone so freakin' happy and chatty and IN MY WAY?

things that pull you out of a funk

• beautiful words and images from friends and blogs and especially this one (she has a gift for knowing just the right words, that one).
• a five-hour long nap (I think I've mistaken actual exhaustion for a funk).
• a carload of red and purple azaleas.
• homemade pizza.
• cleaning with dr. bronner's peppermint soap.

p.s. I didn't post it yesterday but we saw david sedaris on friday night. if you get the opportunity, go see him, it's a great time. he reads his stories like only he can do. see, I was in such a down mood yesterday, that I almost forgot about this!

tender

feeling a wee bit broken and decidedly off-kilter.

moments of joy have been brief and fleeting.

I need rest.

{sweet photo by fjgdgfhdjgdfgjha. I think this may be my most favorite photo. ever.}

be beautiful

it's friday. it's spring. it's a long weekend for some. what better time to be our most charming, creative, colorful, bright and beautiful selves?

the curious room

if you could add just one thing to this room, what would it be? anything...

{the gypsy chandelier is available here. this chandelier, in all it's rainbow shimmery goodness, fills me with lust. who ever thought you could lust after a light fixture?}

five days seven hours

twenty-two minutes.

it's a long way from tuesday morning to a sunday afternoon nap.

just an observation.

mosaic monday

so feeling the colors of easter. they are bright, cheerful, full of promise. I will try to be these things too this week.

happy monday loves.

{click here to see the flickrs responsible for all this brilliant pastel perfection.}

UPDATE: some have asked how I make the photo mosaics...it's so easy. go here and start playing!

limbo

do you ever feel like you don't know in which direction to move? that's where I'm at. restless, but stuck. open to a new something and yet fearful as well. clouding my head with defenses, distractions and random noise so I can claim I didn't hear the little voice telling me which way to go.

while I'm here, I thought I'd stop and take a photo.

sun salutation

since the only given this weekend is sunshine, I'm going to take advantage of it. my camera and I are out to explore and capture how it illuminates this reliable wonder that we call spring.

running

on coffee fumes. (and not very fast.) see you on the weekend...