cut-up: anthropologie catalog

I bet there are thousands of things you can make with an anthropoligie catalog.

here are two: a paper chain & paper beads. simple things for little fingers in your favorite vintage hues.

vintage scene from the sketchbook

I made this in my 20's during a time of letting go & self forgiving. I always laugh when I come across it.
Liberating, light, and of course, there is the underlying struggle. funny. ya?

envelope you

experimenting with gouache

wabi-sabi

"Wabi stems from the root wa, which refers to harmony, peace, tranquillity, and balance. Generally speaking, wabi had the original meaning of sad, desolate, and lonely, but poetically it has come to mean simple, unmaterialistic, humble by choice, and in tune with nature. Someone who is perfectly herself and never craves to be anything else would be described as wabi. Sixteenth-century tea master Jo-o described a wabi tea man as someone who feels no dissatisfaction even though he owns no Chinese utensils with which to conduct tea. A common phrase used in conjunction with wabi is "the joy of the little monk in his wind-torn robe." A wabi person epitomizes Zen, which is to say, he or she is content with very little; free from greed, indolence, and anger; and understands the wisdom of rocks and grasshoppers.
Sabi things carry the burden of their years with dignity and grace: the chilly mottled surface of an oxidized silver bowl, the yielding gray of weathered wood, the elegant withering of a bereft autumn bough. An old car left in a field to rust, as it transforms from an eyesore into a part of the landscape, could be considered America's contribution to the evolution of sabi. An abandoned barn, as it collapses in on itself, holds this mystique.
There's an aching poetry in things that carry this patina, and it transcends the Japanese. We Americans are ineffably drawn to old European towns with their crooked cobblestone streets and chipping plaster, to places battle scarred with history much deeper than our own. We seek sabi in antiques and even try to manufacture it in distressed furnishings. True sabi cannot be acquired, however. It is a gift of time."

I have not read the book, but reading about these ideas feels like water going down.

found here

groundlessness

another pema chodrin quote I find so comforting...

ecstatic laundry

so much of my life is folding, scrubbing & tidying... trying to remember bright moments are often lurking in a simple choice or mind switch.

super hero

working on a new form of hero

scenes from the sketchbook

Trying to think of how to harvest the art.

Taking pictures of my sketchbook helps synthesize what I have been doing.

Still, I struggle with where to put it all.

the handwritten quote is by pema chodrin

Ode to: Amy Sedaris

This book is densely packed with hilariousness...



and refreshing notions.



Brilliant and therapeutic! ahhh..

a package came

Lina, a dear friend from my childhood in Anchorage sent this in the mail for Elke's first day of Kindergarten.
How nice she had a designer fashion her first school outfit complete with a pony on front!

Lina and my sister Kim met in 2nd grade when she spoke no english. They communicated through drawing and have been best friends ever since.



Her line is called Freerange Chic and it is the perfect blend of sweet and fun.



oh, and a reversible matching pony purse with vintage ribbon handle is very nice for every day!

recipe rolodex: zucchini cornbread

I found this recipe in bon appetit a couple months ago and it really was so good. Salty, sweet and a bit funky with our wild zucchini from the farm.

construction paper construction

It is always interesting to see what happens when I cut up colorful shapes.



glue is for drawing.

and tracing. let it go.

elke cut up her own and made some friends.



and a self-portrait

what would help you feel better?

this is a slice of my "family mission" created for my women's group on the topic of motherhood.
Whenever there is a crisis with the little ones, I always try to remember to ask: what would help you feel better?
Hopefully, a little shift happens... a solution becomes the focus, instead of... the little sister who colored
on her big sister's latest unicorn picture.
It works, except when it doesn't... and she just needs to cry a little.
update: as with most of my tricks, it has stopped working. when I ask elke what would help her feel better, she answers, devastated: "nothing."
tate always answers chocolate cake or something to that effect.

painting with water

painting with water is a clean alternative to paint. elke would spend quite a while painting

with water on the chalky chalkboard. construction paper works well too.

I drew a wild and wiggly line for her to trace after the photo was taken

and she did.

homemade worksheets

elke is wild for worksheets & activity books. here we customized her very own.
I drew seven empty circles & asked her to fill in the faces. I drew a suitcase and asked,

what would you pack? thirdly, what do you think is inside the toybox?

then she made one for me... & another with the best word scrambles I have seen.

(answer: I love you, happy= indeed)

she is unbridled by convention

my dear little sideways sandwich & pizza eater, naked beach wanderer, & own drum beat marcher,

how do I honor your choices and help you nourish yourself?

She is a funny, frizzy, wild, force of love! among many things...

playdough and bits

I have always wanted to go to an art spa. I imagine spending days simply creating with all of the supplies at the ready: walking up to an easel with paint poured or sitting down to a bowl of leaves & glue.

Sounds heavenly & meditative & almost exactly like preschool or this place.

I love open ended projects for kids with no destination or models and this is one of my favorite projects of all time.
Playdough with bits of anything: pasta, beans, sugar cubes, popsicle sticks... etc.
p.s I love how their glitter is cut with sand. its much less apt to fly around.

the appleby house by norm applebaum

We were invited to view a gorgeous house in escondido several weekends ago. the architect, norm applebaum, was there. The wood detailing was so special and the forms were gorgeous. Decks and overlooks everywhere.

Some tidbits from his beliefs on architecture:

Never equate quality of space with quantity of space

A home's exterior is another room.

Architecture is a totality, not just four walls and a roof.

A truly splendid home, inside and out. A great buy if you are in the market.

ode to the library

I can't sing my library praises loud enough.
In addition the giant bag of books I heave home every week, there are so many other perks! The girls get a craft every week & I am checking out movies, cookbooks, magazines and music. I found the glee soundtrack there & a lovely norwegian film I would have never seen otherwise. The summer reading program has the girls even more excited to read book after book after book. I am still discovering things there. Like this wonderful children's book in the adult art section. A beautiful way to snuggle up with your baby and have some art.

happy flags

we made our own flags, inspired by independence day. brett gave elke a small history lesson explaining our countries' independance from britain. trying to put monarchies (esp. princesses) in perspective, he explained democracy. we all voted on our favorite color. pink won this year. our favorite shape is hearts. a sad day for star & purple lovers.


elke drew her flag while tate used a stamp I cut from a sponge.

spooning carrots

isn't it romantic?
love underground.