Organization

Perhaps because of the impending autumn and knowing that I'll be spending more time indoors; perhaps because I have a new roommate moving in next week; perhaps because once again I am fed up with all the clutter in my house, I have been ORGANIZING! I spell that with capital letters because It's a bigger job than I realized. My studio is out of control and has been for months. It was so bad that for awhile I moved my computer to the dining room! I'm scouring the www in search of some inspiration. Here is what I came up with:

A very cute button cabinet at Oh The Cuteness. The buttons are separated by color- I love that idea!

photo found here.

And this article over at Real Simple Magazine. I'm going to go and get myself some folders and spend some time filing....

Alive

This was too good not to share. And the Metric song 'Help, I'm Alive' is playing in my head, which again, is too good not to share.

image found here

Cozy Quilts

I'm starting to feel just a hint of crispness in the air at night. The apples in my tree are getting juicy. Kids around here are starting school next week. I know Autumn is still a little ways away, but I'm already dreaming about cuddling up under a cozy quilt drinking a cup of tea. I'm dreaming about finishing one of the quilts I've started- a patchwork recycled denim quilt with embroidered stars, a 60's mod quilt with a swirl of black velvet dots, and a few more that are still residing in my thoughts. And I'm dreaming of the NEW quilts that I can allow myself to make once I finish the others-fabulously detailed, beaded, hand sewn, emboidered quilts!

(top photo found at Design Sponge, here)

Amy Ahlstrand (below), who calls herself an Urban Quilter, is a great inspiration

My Only Live Once Moment

This past weekend I FINALLY got to go to Taos to visit my girlfriend, Jamie. I'm not sure if you remember THIS post.... Or THIS one. (Or if you even read them to begin with!). To sum it up, I've had very bad luck with road trips. I was supposed to go to Taos in January and got snowed out. The chances of snow in July were pretty slim so I decided to take the risk. I'm SO happy I did! It was suggested that I burn some sage in my car before heading out, and I did. I don't know if it was the sage or if the Curse of the Road Trip has finally lifted, but it was smooth sailing all the way. Funny enough, this is the only picture I have of the ride there!

My bear, Gilbert, helped drive for a bit! (notice the BEAUTIFUL weather?)

Taos is a very cool place... Earthships, Taos Pueblo, Ojo Caliente, art galore, The Plaza.... There is so much to do there- one weekend just wasn't enough! I did knock off seeing an earthship home (very cool), going to Ojo Caliente Springs (so relaxing), and dancing for hours at The Alley Cantina in The Plaza (so fun! The Strange was playing that night and they were GREAT performers). I also put a big dirty check mark next to something else to do in this lifetime... Mud wrestling! Yes, I mud wrestled. I thought, when else will I possibly get the opportunity to do something like this? A Seize-The-Moment sort of thing. So I did it. The big question people ask when they hear this is, "Are there photos?" Here's the answer to THAT question:

Notice the mud on my teeth?

Some interesting things I learned about mud wrestling:

1) Mud gets EVERYWHERE. I'm still finding mud in my ears, under my nails, in my wounds- two days and three showers later.

2) It is very physically difficult. My abs are sore, my legs are sore, my arms are sore. I thought I was in good shape, I thought I'd do ok, but I got my butt kicked!

3) Mud is vicious stuff. I look like I was dragged through the desert behind a truck! When my boss saw me she said, "Oh my god! Did you get in a bike accident?" I have scrapes on my feet, my knees, my hips, my elbows.... Next time I'll be sure to check the grit level.

Now I'm home, putting vitamin E on my wounds, and am filing that road trip in the top 5 weekends of all time! Even though I wasn't as tough as I thought I'd be in the wrestling ring, I feel quite badass. Finally I had a road trip happen without a hitch. And it was great to see Jamie (thank you so much for having me!). Taos is a wonderful place and I'm already looking forward to returning.

Mugs mugs mugs

I know it has been a long time since I gave this ole' blog some attention. I went through a period where I just wasn't feeling creative and then I went through such a burst of productivity that I didn't give myself time to write about it. But I'm back, and excited to catch up and let you all in on what I've been doing lately!I've been doing LOTS of pottery. Mostly mugs. Each one is thrown and then hand carved- which makes them one-of-a-kind (I'm starting to figure out that's my schtick). Soon I'll have enough to host a little sale/open house, so if you're in the Boulder area and interested, let me know and I'll be sure you get an invitation! People can always use a really special mug, right?

I've been toying with the idea of opening an Etsy pottery shop. Any thoughts?