Happy Halloween!

campfire stories

Back from a trip up the California coastline to Big Sur.

Things I both love + hate about camping.

1.

The smell of the campfire - But why do I still smell it even days after I'm home?

2.

Watching coffee percolate on the camp stove - like watching a pot of boiling water.

(you know how the saying goes)

"Yes! It's FINALLY percolating!"

Quickly followed by, "Why the hell did it take so long?!?"

3.

Being able to hear the waves crashing from inside your tent through the night - Of course tents aren't all that well insulated so your life depends on huddling to create body heat to get you through the night.

4.

Nature - being in it...which, unfortunately, includes close encounters with raccoons in your tent in the middle of the night. (Hey - those warning signs didn't say you should lock your food in your car because these crazy bastards know how to unzip tents!)

5.

Star gazing. But then again, what else are you going to do once the sun sets?

creativity

I've been fighting a little cold - mostly a pain- in- the- neck sore throat. I am on the mend. But, after a fun day of play yesterday, my son fell asleep for the night at 5:30pm - which means he woke up at 4:00am this morning! I'm feeling sleepy and just a little bit grumpy. I've promised myself a bread bowl of soup and maybe even a pastry for lunch after I drop this little bugaboo off with his grandma later this morning.

The weather has been absolutely wonderful! Even had rain (Yes...RAIN) over the weekend. I've been meticulously seeding and watering some of the brown patches in our lawn in preparation for my son's upcoming birthday party. But nothing makes the grass greener than good old-fashioned rain! The sky has dried out now, but it seems bluer than it has all year and the temperature is low enough to warrant sweaters and fuzzy socks.

Here's a little graphic I put together for the Bazaar Bizarre vendor gallery. I think this may be the last event I do for a little while. Once this baby is born, I don't think I'll have the freedom to spend days sitting at a show. It'll be my New Year's resolution to pursue those wholesale orders. I think that'll be more my speed come February. Also topping that ever-growing list of resolutions is to take one of my architectural licensing exams. Have to. Couldn't believe it when I received notification from the board that my registration status is approaching delinquent since it's been 5 years and I haven't taken a single exam. To avoid being subject to all the new requirements for registration that have taken affect since the time I applied for licensing consideration, I'll need to keep my status active. Even at a hundred bucks a pop, it'd be worth it to take an exam and fail just to keep that status and avoid all the extra mumbo jumbo candidates are now required to complete. As if having to take 9 exams wasn't enough to prove that you're capable of becoming an architect!

Speaking of architecture, we watched the Sydney Pollack documentary about Frank Gehry called "Sketches of Frank Gehry" the other night. (We wanted to see less of Sydney and more of Frank.) Somehow, I always imagined Mr. Gehry to be an asshole - I mean, you sort of have to be to be a great architect...so I thought. But he came across extremely likable. In the beginning of the film he talked about the process of starting a project. I identified with that in my experiences with school. Only once did I hit that magic moment of discovery on a project - that moment where everything transformed from boring and rigid to brilliant and fluid. It was my very first project in school. I suppose after that, other things started to get in the way. Like the fact that I'd rather spend time at study sessions at a friend's house that involved homemade spaghetti and many bottles of wine. The fact that I liked baking and gardening and weekends at home. I guess I just don't have it in me to totally and completely dedicate myself to design. And that's what great architects do - they live and die by their designs. They have to - to reach that level of brilliance requires complete absorbtion into the project. So while I am jealous of that, I'm also aware that I probably wouldn't be a mom, certainly wouldn't be a good wife, couldn't have hobbies and pastimes that didn't somehow point back to architecture and couldn't expect to have the time for the simple things in life that I so enjoy. Anyway...blah blah blah...for anyone still actually reading...rent this movie if you're interested in the design process behind fascinating architecture. It's truly brilliant.

the great pumpkin

Feeling quiet today.

So
just
a snapshot
of our
trip
to the
pumpkin
patch.

this + that

For my parents' wedding anniversary I painted this rendition of one of their wedding photos. Check out that tux! Sharp! The daisies are actual pressed daisies that I glued onto the painting.

I've been swamped with paycheck work this week - so not much to show on the creative front. Hope to get back into making more felted beads for Christmas presents. And, of course, as I mentioned previously, I want to work on items for the upcoming Bazaar Bizarre. Something I've always wanted to do is create a calendar. I'm having a lot of fun with that. Here's a sneak peak at what I've created so far...