sunshine

I spent some time today making jewelry, and it felt wonderful. I brought all my supplies out onto our patio, and spent the afternoon creating while basking in the sunshine with a glass of pink lemonade by my side. Although I love photography and collage and experimenting with fabric, jewelry is my one true creative love- the thing I could do for hours and days and years and never get bored.

good things

Coffee + flea market shopping + pedicure + wine + BBQ = best day ever. I took a mini road trip and spent the day with my good friend to celebrate her 30th birthday, which is today, and my birthday, which is this upcoming week. I think summertime birthdays are the best.

Do you ever find yourself falling so much in love with the decor in a certain place that you vow to run home and decorate your living space the very same way? The little spa where we got our pedicures today had such a whimsical feel- I loved it. It made me want to run home and cut paper butterflies out of bright green, magenta, and royal purple paper and string them up across a corner of my living room.

happiness

Such a lovely weekend.

Ventured all around downtown on my scooter, went on a morning jog with my husband and dogs, and spent some time with some of my favorite people. I enjoyed coffee and mimosas and Arnold Palmers, basked in the sunshine, sat on the side of a grassy hill overlooking downtown Denver, took some pictures, and in general appreciated every minute of this long weekend.

la vita è bella

Yesterday, I brought home a pink Vespa. I've been daydreaming about crusing on my vintage-style scooter to a coffee shop on a lazy Sunday afternoon for years now. Today, I found out that riding a scooter to a coffee shop on a warm, sunny afternoon really is every bit as fun as I imagined- maybe even better. My dream didn't include the exhilaration of feeling the wind on my face or looking straight up and seeing clouds in a bright blue sky.

At some point in early 2010, I declared this the year to finally start replacing daydreaming with doing. It's so easy to think circumstances will be just right not now but someday, using logic to guide us through life. Rather than analyzing every decision from 20 different angles, I'm finally doing all these wonderful things I've always dreamed about- like getting my dream scooter.

still missing seattle

 

I took this photo in Pike Place Market last year when Brandon and I were in Seattle on our honeymoon. We stayed at a hotel within walking distance, and visited the market multiple times that week- mainly to swoon over the beautiful buckets of flowers.

true living

This past weekend, I attended an amazing Sabrina Ward Harrison True Living Project art journaling workshop in Seattle, hosted by Angela Ritchie Ace Camps. I've wanted to do something like this for many years, and my first art workshop certainly exceeded my expectations (and trust me when I say I knew in advance I'd have a wonderful time traveling to Seattle to spend a weekend creating).

It was amazing being surrounded with a group of kind, genuine, and interesting women who seem to share a love for so many of the things I appreciate: seeing beauty everywhere, having large and random collections of art supplies, thrift store shopping, Polaroid cameras. This has done so much to renew my spirit, in ways I can't even put into words right now.

Tomorrow, I head back to class where I'll be learning more about the nature of JavaScript code- but tonight, I will continue savoring the memory of poetry, pink blossoms, and paint on my hands.

happy.

I love how my sweet dog looks so content in this picture. A perfect picture for a day like today.

As soon as I finish typing up this week's paper (I'm about 40% finished and my ability to concentrate is quickly dwindling...), I'm packing my new purple plaid suitcase and getting ready to leave for a weekend trip to Seattle. I'll be participating in a workshop with one of my favorite artists, Sabrina Ward Harrison.

So excited.

new york city weekend

I just returned from spending a long weekend in New York City with my husband. There is so much to see in this city! Our dear friends from college let us stay with them at their sweet little place in Brooklyn. They were amazing hosts, suggesting perfect itineraries and sending us on our way with a Not For Tourists guidebook, which ended up being an amazing resource. The guidebook helped us navigate the subway system, successfully explore different neighborhoods, and made it easy for us to find our way back to their place each night.

We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge.




Ate cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. ♥




Rented a rowboat in Central Park.




Viewed the city from the top of Rockefeller Center.

create a life of beauty & joy

Earlier this year, I had this realization that I was neglecting the thing I love the most: Art. It was such a huge part of my life when I was doing art shows. Art was my life. Then I started working on my master's degree, and it completely got pushed down on my priority list. There are few things in this world that make me more happy than creating something new. This past year, paint and paper have been replaced by pixels. Although I'm taking some great classes as I work on my degree in web development, computer-based design just doesn't replace the part of me that loves getting out my supplies and browsing through my paper stash and making big art messes.

Over the past month, I've started focusing on on small projects. At this point in my life, I can't manage 4 hours of my Sunday spent making things but do have are small pockets of time. This past month, I started writing in my journal again, and I've dusted off my camera. I'm traveling to Seattle in April to take part in a weekend art retreat. This is something I've always wanted to do, so to say I'm excited is a huge understatement!

I'm so glad to be welcoming art back into my life.