Sachie Muramatsu

Found on Moon to Moon, Paper Lamps by Sachie Muramatsu, I want one! 

Andrey Remnev

Andrey Remnev. Wow, what a talent! I always wanted to paint. 

Memories

Memories are so powerful. Sad or happy. I love this project by Katie Rose Pipkin, Memory Jars. 

"this memory bottling began in 2005 and was concluded in 2012. as these jars were purchased or given away, I told their memory. as their image fades, so do their captured moments. without the object, they simply don't occur to me." 

Every Christmas I put a little note in a box ornament for Matt. I don't tell him and hope he finds them all some day. Litte page turners does the same.

Make your memory jar.

Gabriel Barcia-Colombo: Capturing memories in video art on TED.


Blend from Gabriel Barcia-Colombo on Vimeo.

Foraging

Bridget Beth Collins of Flora Forager, how fantastic! Her instagram. And she talks to Garden Collage. 

Reaction-Diffusion

Amazing patterns on the Humphead wrasse, of course, endangered. ;( I saw him this morning and off I went on an internet search on these amazing patterns. I am just so fascinated by Reaction-diffusion in nature, that they can stop me dead in my tracks and I get so distracted I can't go anywhere else. Here are some more amazing patterns I wrote about earlier.

 
Fish patterns | Reaction-diffusion in nature

Tutorial: Reaction-Diffusion in Photoshop, if you know photoshop, this is a great tutorial.



Biometric Animals
 

The Amazing Life of Sand | Deep Look

Spent all day Saturday working on my Something Sand blog.

Golden Moment

I won some awards ;) blogged about it on Something from my studio.

Keyboard traveler

Sometimes I just get lost on the internet, especially when I have discovered a new place I have never heard of. Faroe Islands. I pinned something about Faroe Island, and someone commented "bullshit" ... so, of course, I had to go make sure that I had not been deceived by some photoshop trickery. Then I discovered Faroe Island.  

"The Faroe Islands are an archipelago between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Norway and Iceland, 200 miles north-northwest of Great Britain.

 The area is approximately 540 sq miles with a 2015 population of 48,700. The islands are an autonomous country within the Danish kingdom. Between 1035 and 1814, the Faroe Islands were part of the Kingdom of Norway. The 1814 Treaty of Kiel granted Denmark control over the islands, along with two other Norwegian regions: Greenland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands have been a self-governing country within the Danish Realm since 1948" 
  
A view of the outer isles of the unbelievable Faroe Islands. from Visit Faroe Islands on Vimeo.

I have been listening to Ann Cleeves audible books, her Shetland Island series, featuring places like Yell, Unst,  places so cold, blustery, remote and beautifully described ... I think that makes me long to see this part of the world.

Faroe Island images by Dalene & Pete Heck

Wax on Daniel-san collects postcards from around the world. 

Okay, it is time to come back to Edmonds and get to work. 

Nightscape by Maciej Winiarczyk

When I see these videos by Maciej Winiarczyk, it just makes me wish I knew how to do and the patience to do it. See more on his YouTube channel and Flickr, be amazed.

Rockin' it

2016 edition of the Land Art wall calendar, a creation by Dietmar Voorwold.

Michael Grab’s Gravity Glue and the art of stone balance


Stone Balance Demonstration by Michael Grab (Gravity Glue) - 1409 - September 2014 from Michael Grab on Vimeo.

 

 

The magical art of Fiona Watson




 

Always learning

I feel like I am always learning a new skill and that is a good thing. I spent most of yesterday learning how to write of press release and creating a press kit for 12 book by robin layton. Of course, I must have David edit and review my work because I am not a writer. But it is done! I also did a bunch of house cleaning, adding meta data for SEO and such. Ready for the public. A press release from the Seahawks is going out and I am very, very excited for Robin! Woo Hoo.

Serenity

I was watching some random movie this morning while I worked, and it was focused on Buddhas. I find Buddhas fascinating. The word Buddha means "awakened one" or "the enlightened one". 

This is an excellent resource for BUDDHISM & SHINTŌISM IN JAPAN, A-TO-Z PHOTO DICTIONARY OF JAPANESE RELIGIOUS SCULPTURE & ART. 

 

 

BASIC TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA - THE THREE UNIVERSAL TRUTHS from Following the Buddha's footsteps

1. Nothing is lost in the universe The first truth is that nothing is lost in the universe. Matter turns into energy, energy turns into matter. A dead leaf turns into soil. A seed sprouts and becomes a new plant. Old solar systems disintegrate and turn into cosmic rays. We are born of our parents, our children are born of us. We are the same as plants, as trees, as other people, as the rain that falls. We consist of that which is around us, we are the same as everything. If we destroy something around us, we destroy ourselves. If we cheat another, we cheat ourselves. Understanding this truth, the Buddha and his disciples never killed any animal. 

 2. Everything Changes The second universal truth of the Buddha is that everything is continuously changing. Life is like a river flowing on and on, ever-changing. Sometimes it flows slowly and sometimes swiftly. It is smooth and gentle in some places, but later on snags and rocks crop up out of nowhere. As soon as we think we are safe, something unexpected happens. Once dinosaurs, mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers roamed this earth. They all died out, yet this was not the end of life. Other life forms like smaller mammals appeared, and eventually humans, too. Now we can even see the Earth from space and understand the changes that have taken place on this planet. Our ideas about life also change. People once believed that the world was flat, but now we know that it is round. 

 3. Law of Cause and Effect The third universal truth explained by the Buddha is that there is continuous changes due to the law of cause and effect. This is the same law of cause and effect found in every modern science textbook. In this way, science and Buddhism are alike. The law of cause and effect is known as karma. Nothing ever happens to us unless we deserves it. We receive exactly what we earn, whether it is good or bad. We are the way we are now due to the things we have done in the past. Our thoughts and actions determine the kind of life we can have. If we do good things, in the future good things will happen to us. If we do bad things, in the future bad things will happen to us. Every moment we create new karma by what we say, do, and think. If we understand this, we do not need to fear karma. It becomes our friend. It teaches us to create a bright future. 
The Buddha said, 
"The kind of seed sown will produce that kind of fruit. 
Those who do good will reap good results. 
Those who do evil will reap evil results. 
 If you carefully plant a good seed, 
You will joyfully gather good fruit." 
Dhammapada 

The Buddha, A Film by David Grubin

Bigger than life

More delectable papers flowers, I just can not get enough! Tiffanie Turner and for or more beauty visit her on instagram. 

End of the summer treats

We went from summer to fall to winter in ONE week. I hope my Coneflowers and Cosmos last a couple of more weeks. 

Makeover

I am trying something different to motivate myself to get my blog-mojo back, 10 day Blog Makeover Challenge just for fun. It does seem a little chaotic because it is all on Facebook, and all the comments and challenges are all jumbled together. Not sure I will be able to finish, but in the meantime, it is a little something different.

Mission statement for Something to Say, See and Savor (littlesomethings). 

*Littlesomethings* is a digital storage unit for all the amazing art that makes me giggle, people I admire, ideas that I wish I had come up with first, recipes that my mom and I would try out, my flower photography, something coolly sewn together, anything to do with a rock, a tree branch or old, worn out box … and so much more. It is the place where I challenge myself to write when I think I can not, to share my illustrations and design work when I feel a shy about doing so, to talk about life, my family, peaks and valleys, discover something about me that I did not know. And the cherry on top of the blog, make some wonderful friends. And my design/illustration blog. 

Day 2: If your blog was a place, where would it be?
*Littlesomethings* is an antique, overstuffed chair and ottoman in front a crackling fire; snuggled into a brightly colored, modern quilt; falling into an interesting book with a glass of moderately priced Cabernet Sauvignon; in the library of a 2500 sq ft cabin in Montana. My blog imagery on Pinterest.

Fun Flowers!

I found Kate Alarcon's The Cobra Lily, Unusual Paper Flowers and Plants, Handmade in the Pacific Northwest and I am in love! Also on instagram!

More than diamonds

Thanks to the team at Invaluable.com for inspiring me to do this post. Invaluable is an online auction marketplace that has art, collectibles, and jewelry for auction.

My mom loved bling. Big, bright, sparkly things — the bigger, the better.

But my story is not about expensive diamond engagement rings or priceless heirloom jewelry.  My story is about two 18k gold pinkie rings and the women who wore them.

My first piece of jewelry was an 18k gold pinkie ring with my name engraved on the front. My mom had one made for each of us when I was around nine years old, our script names engraved upon them. I wore mine on my ring finger for most of my middle school years, then on my pinkie finger during high school and college years.  Much later, when I outgrew it during pregnancy, it moved to my special jewelry box.

My mom recently passed away and, while going through her jewelry, I held her pinkie ring in my hand, worn down with years of constant wear, no engraved name to be seen. She wore that ring every day for the last 50 years. I held her hand so many times while she was sick and twirled that little ring around on her finger. So familiar, always there, it seems I have always seen my mom’s hand with a small gold ring on her pinkie finger.

I have a theory that the decorative, “hip-dresser” gene passes through alternate generations. My mom was always the presentable one, never a strand of hair out of place. She was always encouraging me to comb my hair and use a little “product.”  When I was leaving the house, she would plead with me to me to add a necklace —or two — and a few more rings. She was the “bling” of us and I am more the “moss on rock” person.

I have had many expensive rings. An eight-band, gold puzzle ring from Libya, gifts my mom and I both received from my stepfather. A big raw emerald and diamond ring that I bought with the money left to me by my grandmother. My grandmother’s beautiful gold, dome ring. 18K gold, Cartier tri-color, three-band rings. A very large amethyst ring in 18k gold that belonged to my mom.

Sadly, all of the above rings were stolen.

Mom and I both loved jewelry. She wore hers religiously and I just collected. After we lost a lot of our “real” jewelry, we turned to less-expensive, costume jewels — less stress and heartache when those pieces were lost or stolen. Much more fun, less commitment, less hassle and you can own so much more of it!

Buying my mom costume jewelry was such a thrill. I could never go shopping without seeing something very shiny that I new would make her very happy. Her opening a gift of rings and seeing her face light up was the best time ever. 

I have lots of stacking rings that happens to be my ring-soft-spot. I cannot tell you how many stacking rings I own, but it is many. But I don’t really wear mine. My mom wore her jewelry every day! I mean, every day. She would not leave the house without being completely dressed and decorated with all of her (costume) jewels.

So today, only a few months after her death, I see rings that I should buy. I think, “Mom would LOVE this” and then remember she is not here to open the box and shine with excitement. I really miss that!

 

Some rings I have bought over the years.

Baby steps

When I do one small thing, it feels huge. I keep thinking "take baby steps" and enjoy some results. D has been off for two weeks. He has whacked back the mock orange that took over before I knew it. Cut back the clematis that was had covered the window (right here at my computer) and was heading to the roof. I rather liked the coverage, I thought it kept the heat out of the family room ... but probably best it does not grow more. It is looking pretty stressed, but they always say clematis can take the hard prune.

Today, I transplanted a couple of plants I bought in pots AND in the garden. The reason this feels so monumental is because the last 5 times I brought potted plants home, I let them die on the porch. Completely put off with me, I quit buying plants, until the other day I had to have a couple of new mints. I also replanted a couple that were root bound in their pots, in particular, my favorite pasque flower (did not bloom this year). But the biggest accomplishment was cleaning out the bird bath. I have looked at that dirty bird bath for maybe a year (or more?), feeling pretty disgusted with myself. We no more filled it with water, than a couple of chickadees came to visit. Feels good. Trimmed a few more things and then gave up for the day and enjoyed my small accomplishments. D and I have decided we must cut down all the grapes that give a good privacy between neighbors. But the arbor has collapsed and morning glories have taken over.

Mason, Bri and Matt are presently in the backyard, enjoying a freshly de-pooped and mowed green yard. Kicking balls and repeating the word over and over. The baby pool that had become a mesquito breeding ground, empty and gone. I think it is not going to be warm enough, long enough to have many more "pool days".

The big American sweetgum, has taken over the corner of the yard. The shade is so delicious but it also caused a micro-climate and many of the plants that once thrived, now don't. Like my peonies. I think that if the continuing PNW heatwaves continues from year to year, we will be glad for that shade tree.

Japanese anemones (one of the plants I let die was a white Japanese anemone ... shame on me),  hydrangeas, clematis and honeysuckle, create a sweet but crowded entry to our "secret garden". Hydrangeas are really feeling the heat. Grapes and honeysuckle has collided in mid-air but D took care of that. (I actually like it, when they create a natural arbor).

All in all, a good day! Baby steps!