29

today is my 29th  birthday
i decided to take a walk in something
that slightly resembled a forest
it's as close as I can get for now
and I've learned to be thankful
for what I have right now
at this moment

Ellen Rogers

......photography happens to blow my  mind.

ELLEN ROGERS is a pure experimenter: no photoshop, no digital equipment or manipulation, all of her work is analogue. Her images are the result of experimentions with traditional darkroom processes. Fantastic!
She lives and works in London, England.

Ellen Rogers

Fat & Thin

What do you think this photograph represents?

link

schmizel in the garden

day at the park

needlefelt

Probably the first time I ever saw needlefelt was in a shop in Bar Harbor, Maine back in 2007.  I immediately fell in love.  You know when you look at art of any kind and your heart starts beating fast.  Your mind races, and it's almost as if you are inside the work understanding every brushstroke, line, or marking.

I had come across something similar to needlefelt prior to this encounter though in Maine.  A magazine one day in Borders bookstore caught my eye.  It was a quiltmaking magazine.  I was truly astounded at what people were/could do with quiltmaking.  I never knew or even dreamed people could make such beautiful pieces of art via quiltmaking processes. 

I think because I have always had a textile fetish, this is why I was taken so quickly with these forms of artmaking.  Below is a wonderfully talented needlefelter (Deebs on etsy) that I came across on etsy.  I can't wait to buy a piece someday, or give one away as a gift.  Love it, Love it, Love it!

xoxo Shannon

What would happen if

you read every single one of these books....

“Keep close to Nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”  ~John Muir

Succulent Wall

With spring here, it is time to start thinking of your gardening ideas and projects.  This past weekend I did some major gardening in my backyard.  Our little backyard is really starting to look like we've always wanted it to (pictures to be posted soon).

Many years ago when my interest in succlents was just starting to sprout,  I came across an article in a gardening magazine about a guy who made a fabulous succlent garden.  His backyard was similarly small, but the entire thing was full of succulents!  I still have this magazine article in my filing cabinet.

So, I think for this spring one of the gardening projects I would like to make besides a wall herb garden is a succulent wall garden.  Just look below at all these awesome ideas!

chicken & wire

sunshine out

Can we say german feast?

curry wurst and the best crushed ice in town

chocolate soldier

garden comes
scratched hand
living appendage
same feeling

Running

I started running last week.  It all started when I met Roxanna at the gym.  I was waiting for my zumba class to start.  She was on the treadmill.  So I got on the one next to her.  I've never been on a treadmill.  I always looked at them with great disgust and slight confusion.  I'm more of an elliptical kind of gal, biking, or pilates.  Or so I thought.

I quickly realized that this treadmill was giving me quite the workout! More so than most other things I've been doing.  So the next time I went to the gym I got on the treadmill.  This time I did 1 mile.  The next time 2 miles with a 1 minute break in the middle.

Today I did 2.5 miles without stopping!  And I am so happy about it.  I've noticed in just this short time that my endurance has already began to build.  It's not as hard.  And I can push myself further.  I really like this working out thing, the sweating, the fast heart rate, the feeling like I can't stand another second, and then I do.

Years and years and years ago I heard of a runner's high.  I didn't quite get it at the time, but for the first time in my life I feel like I'm beginning to get a little hint of that.  And my music play list really assists me.  I think I had the most intense moment yesterday at the end of 2 miles while listening to Nine Inch Nails- Give up.

Two Decembers ago- I saw the most beautiful runner at Memorial Park I had ever seen.  It was like she was galloping.  She made it look so easy and she was so full of energy.  I really like watching graceful runners.  But now that I am actually doing this- my little shuffle is beginning to look more like a run.  And I'm really liking it.

One day I dream of running through thick forests.....

Valentine's Day 2011

So for this V-day we made homemade vegetable quesadillas and had an interesting yet scary avocado surprise that has tainted us both regarding avocados (at least for a while!).  And oddly enough, we watched Halloween 2.

Starfish from Maine

The last time I went to Maine, we kayaked to a little uninhabited island and I picked up a couple of these starfish.  Yum-yum has recently discovered them and tries to make love to them every chance she can. 

Carnival Dreams

When I was a little girl, I was afraid of carnivals.  I would look at the rides and focus on the nuts and bolts thinking to myself "are these rides safe?"  The reason why is because my mother and uncle had told me many times that the rides were put together by "drunks."

But ever since I saw the movie "Big Fish" back in 2004, and every time I see clips of small town carnivals in other movies.  It makes you wish you had something like that in your town or city.

So no here in Houston the big Rodeo is here, and me and Patrick decided to go to the carnival recently.  It's interesting regarding the history of cernivals, because the history is quite vast or all over the place.  Some of the origins come from celebrations before Lent for fasting.  Other history even pre-dates christianity.  And of course you have the italian carnivals, the brazilian carnivals, and the oriental carnivals.

Isn't it strange that I also have attended a brazilian carnival within 7 days of the other carnival.
Below are some vintage carnival advertisements and then some pictures of our own.