Mook

I found Mook sculptures this morning on ramon john spider et nina and it has totally made my day start off with a big smile on my face! 

 

 

 

 

Mister Finch

Mister Finch makes beautiful moths! 

Geology

I could spend so many, too many hours on Geology.com. Fossils! Rocks! Satellite Images. It has it all, go check it out!

Busy Saturday

Besides talking to Dorian via email ...  I was not on the computer all day! In the garage... sanding, painting, conjuring up new designs with cork screws (screw ewe), beaters, chop sticks. I think I have just about enough new designs for the hanging on the 29th. 

Painting blanks.

Making something for Gerri.

Screw Ewe. Trying to find two cork screws alike. I LOVE my Dremel tool and the metal cutting/attachment? bit. I cut lots of metal stuff today!

Honey dippers, mismatched salad forks, whisk and something else, not yet determined. ( I am thinking chop sticks since I can't find matching cork screws).

 

Good night!

Wearing Western Revival

I want everything at Western Vintage Revival! Indian and Cowboy galore! It would be hard to choose just one!

Thinkin' of goin' fishin'

Really? I think D and I need to investigate this! The Lakes of Siskiyou County - "Did you know that Siskiyou County is home to at least 272 named lakes, as we as many other unnamed ones? Take a look at this list and see how many you have visited."  It is really time for us to take a road trip ... and for D to take his fishing pole with him.

Hidden new growth

Right below what looks like the ravages of winter, little red buds of growth! I want to fashion my life 
after the shrubs in my yard!

Huguette Caland

At first glance I thought it the first image was an old faded quilt, and then I read mixed media on canvas. Wow. Loving Huguette Caland art! Found via Julie Powell on Pinterest. Art below from Huguette Caland Tumblr site. I would love to be a fly on the wall when she is creating one of these.

Passed it by

Running errands, grocery, pharmacy, bank ... back home to work. Need to take dogs to vet very soon. Passing by bouquet of Ranunculus at QFC ... I smell, I look, I long and pass it by. One of the things I miss most about having a secure paycheck is giving myself permission to buy flowers, lots of flowers. Well, and books, art book, magazines.  ;)

 

Stronger than You Know

Stronger than You Know from Daily Om.

The Rack (Piano Rack)

Learned many lessons about Brantlers assemblage the hard way tonight. Made lots of notes about what NOT to do the next time. D helped me put together a couple of custom, 3 or 4 sculptures on one piece of wood. He taught how to use the countersink bit. All very exciting stuff. I painted about 15 bases the last couple of nights. This one D and I made tonight, out of a piano rack. I love it! We are going to cut some new shapes on the jig saw. Really, just not enough hours in the day. Trying to get some news ones made to hang on Feb. 29th in Arts of Snohomish gallery.

We were suppose to go out for a special dinner tonight but have opted for pizza instead.  Special dinner will have to wait until later in the week.

A spiny situation

Convert inches to picas 

SPINE WIDTH CALCULATOR  

The Book Designer has a great trick for calculating book spine width.

Fractal tree

I love this fractal tree gif animation.

A sparkling childhood memory

Fireflies are probably the most precious memory I have as a child. Sitting, waiting in my great aunt's yard at dusk in Alvarado, Texas to spot the first magical flash, watching them, chasing them. David and I saw Synchronous Fireflies at a lake in Kansas many years ago. I miss fireflies! I have not seen one in more than 18 years and that is too long. I am sad for my son, who never had that moment of seeing them appear in the dark. Fireflies are disappearing all over the world, how you can help at Firefly.org, what a great place. Maybe, that should be a summer trip ... in search of fireflies!

  

 I wanted to do something like this about 15 years ago! I want one!!! This is more what mine looked like (in my head on and on paper) ...



A very sweet piece about remembering the magic of fireflies by Julia at bioluminescence.

Husband extraordinaire

I don't often talk about my very talented my husband - let him get his own blog ;). No, just kidding. He is the technical illustrator, where I am a hacked who throws things together. He is more of a perfectionist. An airbrush-artist-extraordinaire,  great designer, illustrator and art director. He really is my best art director, always guiding me the right direction. When I go overboard, he pulls my art and art-thoughts back into the dignified arena. (He also edits all my writing before he lets it go public ... well, except for my blog ... can't you tell?) I love his latest illustration for Tax Strategies. 

Learn to Build Your Own Business Website!

This class starts tomorrow! 

Rick at Build Your Own Business Website is offering a new free 8 lesson series that teaches a beginner how to create a professional website using WordPress and the Thesis theme for WordPress. If you are an independent professional, solo-preneur or small business owner that wants to create their own website then this course is tailor made for you. In 8 live sessions over 4 weeks we will focus on the specific needs of professionals and small business owners when creating a website. This series is a remake of Lessons 6-14 of our original Start Building Your Website Here series updated with the latest versions of Thesis and WordPress. 

The class will be taught over 4 weeks with 2 sessions each week. Each Monday and Thursday evening starting on February 20th from 5:00 to 7:00pm PST (-8:00 GMT) we will meet live in a webinar format. The lessons will consist of approximately 90 minutes of instruction followed by 30 minutes of questions and answers. Each session will be recorded and posted on the site for viewing after the fact. 

Rick is a great teacher. I have learned sooooo much from him and I didn't have to drive anywhere to do it. He is there to answer all of your questions and walk you through any problems you are having. It can't get any better than FREE. So if you have been wanting to learn how to build a website for yourself, this is a great place to start! 

Bitching, moaning, dreaming, wishing

Blustery gusts of wind started around 3am ... blowing the french doors almost open. Cold air seeping in the seams. Air vents clunking and shutting making strange noises. And yet, leaves on the Sweet Gum tree still hang on with tenacity?

I don't mind saying I am feeling a little overwhelmed these days. I spent yesterday morning taking mom to a doctor's appointment, grocery store errands, getting gas and the rest of the day learning how to run the Arts of Snohomish gallery on my own, which I will be doing 2 days a month beginning in March. We all agreed it is a perfect opportunity to shower, dress, add some make-up. Talk to people, remember how to be social! A reason to leave the house, it is a good thing, right? Mom and D and seem excited to see me dress for some occasion.

Need to finish up art to hang at the end of the month. And have lots of freelance to finish by Sunday, plus a logo I am struggling with. I am sad that I don't have time to blog as much as before. Finding great artist and such takes time that I don't have now. I do run across cool things via Pinterest when someone starts following me/and me them. Honestly, I think Pinterest probably contains every image on the internet now. Surprise the weight of it doesn't create a huge bulge in the Ethernet. And yes, I am partly to blame. 

I love this Collapse bag designed by Ferry Meewisse. I found it via this incredible Pinterest(er) (is that a word?) Theresa L and this pin (POLYGON SERIES HEXAGON CANVAS: made from one piece of fabric and, oh yeah, it folds into a hexagon). More incredible bags from frrry. 

And back to folded objects, I love these images by Niall McClelland.  

Desserts for Breakfast, sounds like a good idea. Julienne pickles with ginger & anise, I want to make this and keep in the refrigerator to eat on everything! 

I found the March Country Living that D had brought home last night. I really haven't read a magazine cover to cover (we subscribe to National Geographic, Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone and Southern Living now) in quite awhile. I haven't purchased a magazine off the shelf in over a year. I miss my fave, Saveur, of course, Martha Stewart Living. But I can't justify buying current issues when I don't even read the ones that are delivered to my door! I guess the point of this is ... it was good to thumb through the Country Living ... which was mainly full on Etsy store items, a piece on Spoonflower. 

I really want to get something on canvas! 

Okay, enough angsting, bitching, moaning, dreaming, wishing ... back to work!

A Winter's Garden

I posted something new on Edmonds Patch about winter garden. I like being part of a local blogging community although I really am not good at writing. Art and photos are more my thing. 

I ran into a gardening friend (mom of one of Matt's friends) at the grocery store. We said our hellos and then she added, I read you in Edmonds Patch. I know I turned beet red with embarrassment ... and now can't even remember if she said she liked it. Part happy and part horrified.

The point is, I never thought (thought about) people I knew, that knew me, in my community would read my Edmonds Patch post. Isn't that funny? 

Sweating through another post last night, having David read and re-read to make sure I didn't sound completely ridiculous, I kept asking myself "why do I really want to do this anyway?".  My post are pretty lighthearted compared to others writing about "real" issues/business in our city. And I am "not" a writer. The answer I had for myself (and Mom since I was talking out loud and she was forced to listen to my justification) was ...

Even if I make an idiot of myself, it makes me explore platforms that scare me, like writing. It makes me stretch myself. It forces me expose myself instead of hiding in my head or photos. It makes me try to be brave ... which is something I am trying to do more of lately. Take chances. Be brave. That is my daily mantra now. It is easy to approach a subject, like nature, flowers, abstractions, that I really am passionate about. That makes it a little easier.

On the other side of life ... is it Thursday, REALLY! Where did this week go? I hardly left this computer except to take the dogs out and watch Castle. And I am still sooooo far behind on my work. Sigh...

ps ... The thing that took me the most time writing this was trying to find the appropriate term for the "seed structure" , seed coat?, seed capsules? ... there are no vintage botanical illustrations breaking down the Alyssum and Azalea bits and pieces ... maybe my next project? I have been thinking about doing some of these for a long time. Imagine: vector art, very geometric art of flowers, bits and parts ... descriptions and such ... and pulled together like a vintage botanical illustration! It is in my head, it must get out.

 A Winter's Garden

Another post from the “Jack of All Trades, Master of None” … gardener and photographer.

A longing always visits me this time every year. Vibrant colors and fluffy petals? An Iceland Poppy to photograph or a Peony to ooh & aah over? To place my nose in the middle of the honeysuckle on a hot summer day?

Hold on! Just a walk around the yard reminds me there is much more "happening" during the austere months of winter. Poke around decaying plants to discover the most interesting developments left behind from the summer. Remains of seedpods are just as fascinating as any blooming flower. I see repeating patterns, alien skeletons, fractals living in nature! It makes me want more.

My best winter find was the seed structure from Alyssum. I didn't even notice it until I was using my macro lens ... and there it was. So tiny and delicate that I was surprised they could even survive harsh winter conditions.

Stamen of an Azalea, swirling, floating out in to space from the dried seed-capsules … a whimsical work of art!

Fluffy, cotton-ball seed heads of the Japanese Anemone just waiting for a stiff wind to blow them away.

‘Autumn Joy’ Sedums sturdy seed heads stand tall in a lovely, dark crimson color. Look underneath you can experience fractals. Wolfram demonstrates Fractal Trees and Regular k-ary Tree.
The architecture of barren tree branches is well worth the leaf-less winter months.

See more Beautiful Afterlife photos of my garden on Flickr.

Then there is the "blooming" side of this season. My favorite winter-blooming shrub is the Sarcococca confusa. Honestly, I can't get enough and want one at every doorway so when I walk out into cold, winter air some wonderful scent wafts over to my nostril and I giggle out loud! Oh, yes, I say to myself (I forget this every January), it is time for the Sweetbox to bloom. The tiniest white blossom that can produce the loveliest fragrance! I find that astonishing. More about Sarcococca from Backyard Gardener - "The small, bushy, evergreen Christmas sweetbox (Sarcococca) has long, slender, dark green leaves, tiny honey-scented, white winter flowers and black berries in spring."

Primula 'Belarina Pink Ice' that pops up at just the right time. To add to the delight is that I forget about them until I see the spot of color hidden among fallen leaves. I treated myself to a Double Pink Primroses the other day with some unexpected extra cash. I also purchased one more Merlin Hellebores to go with the one I have … blooming right now.

Viburnum tinus compactum ‘Spring Bouquet’ is also a great early bloomer. Snowdrops and the promise of Daffodils and Hyacinth by way of green leaves shooting up from the dirt.
Already planning to expand my winter-blooming garden in the future, first on the list is Chinese Witch Hazel. Maybe Primrose Double 'Lipstick'?

Fun related links:

Definitions and Line Drawings of Botanical Terminology

Botanical terms and other technical things

A website devoted entirely to seeds!

Seed Evolution

Picturing Plants and Flowers - Images and information about older botanical art and the people who created it.

Jessica Pezalla

"Jessica Pezalla's sculptures have a curious, neritic elegance, like souvenirs from a Jules Verne expedition or a particularly fruitful day of beachcombing. But Pezalla's structures swarm and cast shadows, and the humble materials from which they are constructed lend a roughness suggesting an origin darker than the sea: Driftings resemble coral or driftwood, but may very well be bits of bone." - Isaac Amala, SF Flavorpill 

Her Pinterest is a visual treat! Jessica's blog. 


I love the totem made of  wool, wood, feathers and fur.

Feathers sculptures made of wood, papier-mâché, feathers.

And of course, this Green Banner ... is just lovely!

Happy Valenwine's Day

An old woman was sipping on a glass of wine, while sitting on the patio with her husband, and she says, "I love you so much, I don't know how I could every live without you" ... Her husband ask, "Is that you, or the wine talking?" She replies, "It's me ... talking to the wine." 

Thank you, Carol!

Look!

I wouldn't even have to get up from my computer. 

Gosh, where does the time go?

I cooked a brunch for Bri's birthday. As I have said before, cooking is no my strong suit. So I started at 7:30a for an 11a brunch. Mom set back and helped me with the burning sausage and frittata not quite done.... Meal eaten, fun had, the enamel plates washed by hand, put away. Kitchen cleaned. I survived a brunch.

Brunch decision ... I don't have enough time to go to the Garden Show with my free ticket. Very disappointed about that, but feel good that a decision has been made. So many things I want to do, so little time.

Head to garage to cut/sand Brantlers blanks ( before the rain came). Many hours of cutting and sanding. A few scraps with bleeding fingers. Cleaning up is the most time consuming prospect of this endeavor.

Busy, busy day. Now working on freelance while listening to 60 Minutes and Bill Moyers on PBS, and thinking a shower sounds really good. 

Some day I am going to look back at these days and giggle. ;) Some day I will look back on this part of my life and not feel consumed with rage and anger, confusion and rejection. Today, when I sanded each new Brantler, I giggle at the thought of what this little piece of wood will be tomorrow. "Tomorrow" ..... ;) is a very good thought! xoxoxo to everyone!

Shower taken, feeling even more hopeful ;) Smelling much better ;)

Wreath vs. Bouquet

Now that I think about it, I am surprised more floral shops don't sell wreaths for special occasions instead for bouquet in a vase? They would look even more interesting as they were drying up. Just a thought ... floral shops out there. Well, I was thinking "real" flowers. It looks like Pro Flowers has a few. At Southern Living ... Step-by-Step: Valentine's Day Heart Wreath. Obviously, I love wreaths. ;)

 

The end of a busy week

Today I was getting the "driving-across-country" bug again. Seattle to Texas perhaps? Stopping off at Death Valley to see (watch?) the Sliding Rocks and maybe even see Badwater Basin. 

My step-brother called later in the day from San Diego. He is thinking about moving back to Texas and I was wishing I could drive to California, pick him up with his belongings and head on to Texas in May. We giggled about how much fun that would be. I hope I can make that happen! It is fun to have a plan/dream of a real road trip!


Today is Bri's birthday! Happy Birthday! We are going to have a Birthday Brunch on Sunday. I have so much work to get through this weekend. Making my list. I am excited for all the work to do.


Rick and I decided we are going to have a virtual "meet-up" cocktail party for BYOB members via Google + conference video chat. During our own happy hour tonight, we discussed the details (via Goggle hang out)! I LOVE the idea. What fun! The internet gets more scary and more fun at the same time!


Hey, I heard Barbara Walters said today she thought The Bachelor was a stupid television show! My husband and I have only watched seconds of that show ... and can't allow ourselves to watch more. I totally agree with her. Every time I think about that show, I ask myself, what was Rome doing when it fell? David says just the premise of that show makes him want to to penicillin shot. I agree!

So, that is my rant for tonight. Have a great weekend.

The ABC's of unemployment

The 405 Club Unemployment Support Network has noted my Unemployment Alphabet on their website. I knew those were relevant to the times ;) And just not for me. That someone would get them. Oh, Wow! They also started a pinboard! Guess I better get busy making the rest of the alphabet.

I wish I had followed up with the idea I had way back then, with the art, a website where folks could leave their funny experiences, interviews so we could commiserate and have a laugh. From the website you could send a sympathy illustrated email to your recently, older, laid off friend. I wrote it all down in my "little book of big dreams" but honestly did not have the time to pull it together. ;) 

I am still the busiest unemployed person I know. ;)

My mom

With mom down in the back ... so to speak, I have had to step up for grocery shopping, bed-making, laundry, some cooking ... oh, Lord. I am exhausted! She sent me to the store with a handful of coupons ... that pretty much did me in for the day. Running from one aisle to another to chase down the next coupon item. 

Plainly, I am not cut out for that. I came home and told mom, I should give her a raise. But she manages to look stunning, even when she is cooking lunch. ;) On the menu today, grits and cheese. Served with a side of turquoise! Hello Brother!

Hellebores

 

Tweeting Dowton Abbey

Patton Oswalt tweets Downton Abbey via The Seattle Times. Those are the best tweets ever!

Pack mentality

I know this is a crappy photo ... Laura is watching the Super Bowl ... and the dogs are enjoying a little "close-time" with (on) her. Our dogs are not spoiled. Hello, Susan!

Snow with pink glow

Have been watching the sky opening up into a pink glow this morning, pink light bouncing of the snow peaks of the Olympics. It is really beautiful! I think we miss these sunrises normally because of the cloud cover. We have had clear skies for many days now. IF I weren't lazy, I would rush down to the beach to get the full, spectacular view! 

View from my window where I work, I feel very lucky this morning.

Sunday Blitz

I wish we could have a Downton Abbey every Sunday! For the entire year. It would give me so much hope for television, in general. Or an Inspector Lewis or Sherlock Holmes. 

My dogs are tired. And that doesn't mean my feet. The dogs are tired from following me around all day while I was cleaning and they are completely passed out on their fave spots on the sofas/chairs. We finally got the Christmas put away. Which entailed completely cleaning the family room, vacuuming, dusting, spot cleaning rug. Vacuuming and mopping the rest of the house. Trash out. A couple of loads of laundry.

Collecting a load of stuff (bookcases, M's old bike and stuff) to get to the Goodwill today (to clear out the garage so I could work on Brantlers). D took a truckload to Goodwill before he had to go to work. They won't take our large, artificial tree because they aren't accepting Christmas items now (bummer). I will make calls and find out where to take it tomorrow. (If you want a beautiful tree and live close by, give me a call). I have several loads to go to the Senior Citizens Thrift tomorrow, I like to support them.

Made a quick trip to the bank to make my deposits. Ran an errand for mom. I get out of the house so seldom now, it feels weird to "drive" the car. Mom had doctor appointments in Seattle Thursday and Friday ... and I felt like a stranger driving on the highway. Weird and have vowed to take long roadtrips this summer to get over that.

I got a little obsessed with trying to get a couple of rooms cleaned. With soooooo much work piling up in the back of mind, I felt distracted. I was hoping if I cleaned up/cleared out some junk ... I could think more clearly. I wanted to spend an hour working on Brantlers today ... which I did. Made a collection of 3 ... and worked on a commission which I am late with. Also found out today that I have been accepted with the Arts of Snohomish Art Gallery. To be a member and show my art in their Snohomish gallery. Very excited about that! It feels like the perfect fit for my sculptures.

Started gathering my S-I-L's birthday presents to wrap and get into the post.

Answered my Texan cousin's question on Facebook that ask "Why Obama?" That made me stop and think is are really my political stance. I wrote a very long, intense, thorough explanation of my political views ... and as annoyed as I was at the question, it did make me put down on pin and paper ... or rather type and textedit ... exactly what I thought of the politics going on right now. Which he replied ... "I don't know Kim. . . . You seem a little vague. I mean how do you really feel?" He was joking of course, because my reply to him was long, very detailed on every political hot issue that I felt was important. It is going to be a long, sad year in reference to my politics and my friends/family in Texas, to stay calm and objective ... and stick to the belief that everyone is entitled to their political views. Whether they allow you yours or not. We are so divided ... it is hard not to be passionate right now.

Decided I could do my freelance work during the Superbowl. Which I did. Had friends over Superbowl, but they didn't mind that I sat at the computer working/listening to the Superbowl ... it was Rick and Laura, and they totally understand never feeling you can have "a day off". D made lots of good treats, and Laura brought over many, very healthy, vegetarian dips. I also found some cool stuff to post on BYOB Facebook ... I am a contributor, try to find good stuff to post at least once a week. 

Started a Web design Pinterest this afternoon. And of course, dreamed about/researched and blogged about some ideas for the front garden shrubbery early this morning before the house woke up. Watched/mainly listened a video from the founder of Pinterest, Ben Silbermann Keynote Address at Alt Summit while I was blogging and working. Read a bunch of Twitter post from friend from London. Before I blogged, had an heated discussion with Rick on Skype about business websites blogging, when they don't update but every 3-5 months and how that really annoys me. Anyway ... decided not to post my rant on BYOB Facebook page. Worked on a logo/twitter redo for Sejour Travel.

Also worked very briefly in the yard ... with the sun out, who can say no? And now at 10:40p, I am feeling pretty tired ... still my mind has so many things to tick off the list. Tomorrow is a brand new day! Yesterday, Mom, Bri and I had pedicures ... so with newly painted toenails, we can bravely conquer a brand new week. Speaking of toenails, must take the dogs in to get their nails trimmed. Number 1 on my list. See you tomorrow.

Living color!

Wolfram can tell you everything about a color! 

Ever had trouble remembering a color? Name that Color  

Adorable patterns by Shinya Inamura.  

DinPattern is an online pattern design resource for designers, artists, web developers and social network users that enjoy customizing their pages.  

Passion for patterns? Patterrific offers seamless repeat patterns in both vector and pixel format. 

Multicolr ...  

20 Color Combination Tools for Designers

Sun brings out gardening bug

The sun has been out for the last 3 days, making it hard to concentrate on the mess inside, the work on the computer. I planted primroses and did a little clean-up yesterday in the sun. Got dirt on my hands and that felt good! In stark contrast, finally got all the Christmas decoration put away. Whew, that took a lot longer than expected. 

While D and I were removing the Christmas lights from the front shrubbery, started dreaming about what could replace this truly ugly Rhodie that is there at the moment. I would love a row of Burning Bushes and a row of Sweetbox. Both could be easily pruned. One deciduous, revealing branches in the winter; the other blooming in January with that wonderful fragrance. Unfortunately and fortunately ... there are a million choices. And the thought of the Flower Show, doesn't help NOT thinking about flowers and gardening. One can have "big garden dreams", even if one doesn't achieve them.

Seriously, Pretty Papavers make me swoon and weak at the knees! Go check out Annie's Annuals Poppies! 

 

Globe Thistle found at Annie's Annuals. Reading about some plants is like reading a Wine Spectator wine review ... you just really want one!  

"Imagine this - you are walking through a cold, barren, winter landscape and all of a sudden the air is filled with a strong lemony fragrance. You have discovered Winter Honeysuckle, a delightful old-fashioned shrub that has the distinct characteristic of blooming when most plants are dormant." 

I wonder if Winter Honeysuckle would grow in the PNW? Because I really, really want one. I want more things that bloom in winter. I also want to plant another Snowball in the backyard since I had to hard prune one down to almost nothing! Mainly as a privacy bush between me and my neighbors. Well, and because I love them and I can't get enough!

Mamzelle Hérisson

Wander Wish

A Way to Garden

Ornamental Edibles

Snowdrops without the snow.

I would love to see a field full of them!  

Snowdrops on a scanner. 

Propagation Snowdrops and planting bulbs


The sun is out! I should take this opportunity to do a little yard clean-up during my lunch break. At least do some poop-scooping. Mom and I had an very early morning of her getting a CAT-scan. 

Popping up Primroses

Worked early this morning, then ran mom to Seattle for a Dr. appt. in the afternoon. I came into a little extra money and decided to blow some of it on flowers and an expensive scented candle. ;) While waiting for mom stopped by City People's, saw these delicious Primroses, who could resist? Found a couple of birthday presents for my S-I-L. Stopped at my fave boutique that I don't shop at anymore because it is out of my price range, Istina's on Madison. Picked up mom and ran home to finish more work. The house smells like the Flower Show at the moment. ;)

Sophie -- hard at work (bugging me)

You know, dogs are just like kids. When you need to concentrate on something, they want attention. Or food. Or to be taken outside. Or play. Or do something on the carpet to get your angered attention. Or need to be lifted to a chair or bed. Sophie wants to be close and I made her a temporary bed right by my keyboard. 

Sorry, not blogging. My brain is divided in too parts these days. The fun, creative, blogging portion is closed for service. 

?

Nordstrom's has a Pinterest? Don't they have a catalog for that?