after battling a cold this week, i'm glad to be enjoying some warm weather activities again! check out some summery photos i've been snapping :)
some strawberries from my wee little garden :)
still surrounded by blooms!
my awesome new bike!
i'm still smitten with instagram (if you couldn't tell) - feel free to follow me! my username is maiautumn!
hope you have a fantabulous weekend out there!
my whole world has been full of blossoms these days! my photo a day habit has me snapping oh so many lovely floral shots all over the place - plus some other inspiring scenes that only spring can provide :)
my birthday weekend was spent in beautiful vermont for my brother's graduation, so of course i had to get a few pictures of the gorgeous scenery there, as well.
i just live for this time of year! and now, i'm off to paint to my heart's content with all the windows open :) hopefully i'll have some things to share with you later!
(p.s. - these photos were all taken with instagram! follow me at maiautumn)
goodness gracious, how time flies! i came over to check when i had last blogged, thinking it was only a few days ago, and it has already been over a week! between all this sunshine and nearly perfect temps we've been having here (and all the orders that you all are placing these days - thank you!!) i have been so busy, that i don't even notice the days passing! i am also having so much fun, so that's probably why, too :)
check out some great shots i've been getting as a part of my project365 attempt for the year (and i am happy to report, that for once, that is going swimmingly as well!)(it doesn't hurt to have instagram this year haha)
in order of appearance: happy little crocuses growing around my parents' mailbox; a wee snail found on the sidewalk while out for a stroll; my parents' dog, buddy!; sunshine on my windowsill (with art from elise mahan); and so much more sunshine over the trees (i can't get enough!)
i hope the start to your week is as bright and sunny as mine has been so far! happy almost spring!
i am shocked that my calendar is reading the 11th already! where has time been going? well, i figure i must be having fun, since i haven't even noticed how quickly this year is already happening!
last week i was working on a commission for a client that had me pretty focused. (i'll be sure to post pictures once the project is complete!) i've also been apartment hunting now that the holidays are over (my lovely parents were nice enough to let me stay here for a few months before going out to find the perfect place!) i've also been attempting the 2012 Whole Living Action Plan. it's getting more and more difficult as the days of no cheese drag on, but i can say i've been feeling much lighter and healthier these days!
here are some photos i've been taking to document my year (yes, i am still attempting yet another go of project 365, as mentioned in my last post)...
new year's day sunset over the farm by my parents'
ingredients for my morning juice - recipe here (it's delicious!!)
driving down the highway on a beautiful winter day
a late lunch in a quaint cafe
taking photos has been helping me experience more in my daily life (i need something to take a photo of, after all)(besides the cat - because - rule #1 is no pictures of the cat! lol)
this afternoon, i'm off to look at some places to call my new home. i am so excited to start decorating a new apartment or house! i actually enjoy moving around, so the possibilities right now are getting pretty fun :) wish me luck on my hunt! :) :)
i'm just now going through my blog and noticing the lack of posts about things i actually make lately. hmph. so, i'm keeping this post to a minimum in order to get myself away from my desk and over to my work table. gotta get down to some actual work today! gosh! here's something pretty for you while i (attempt) to get something done today...
wish me luck!
i'd like to say a big hellooo after my little staycation! gosh that week went by fast! i wasn't *as* successful as i would have liked to have been at not working.. but hey, at least i tried! it helped to leave behind most of my usual 'stuff' when i went outside of my apartment all week. on many occassions, i only allowed myself a book and my journal. so nice to disconnect a little!
here are some snippets from my week... :)
the majority of the week was spent lounging on the sand, or in my parents' back yard. so, in order of appearance - a quiet beach day in ocean grove, the woods behind my parents' house, the plants and flowers on the dunes by the boardwalk, the basil in my garden (!), and the view north into asbury park.
it was so nice to leave behind all my electronics for most of the days i was out and about. i hope i can remember to do things like this more often. i definitely feel recharged and ready to take on some exciting new work! :) woohoo!
it is hot out there this week! as much as i love the summer weather, when the thermometer starts to reach past 95, i get a little woozy. in light of the high temps, i'm thinking maybe i should start planning some plans for a little refreshing dip in the ocean! i do live within walking distance to the beach, so it really is a crime that i don't get up there that much! here are some lovely photos i've capture of my beach life here in new jersey over the past few years..
most of these ocean views are available as prints over in the shop, so you can enjoy a little beach time any time, too :)
while i did have plenty of much needed fun this weekend, i also got all my resources together and figured out some important things i've been pondering over the last month or so.. i can't wait to share all my new plans with you!
last month, as you may know, i took a little hiatus from blogging, to sort out my upcoming holiday goodies (i was half successful - half not.. more on that later) and, as promised, i am back to my usual posting schedule. it felt kind of good to clear out all those weeks for my mind to reboot, but it also felt a little bit too unorganized for me (and my studio shows the proof of that!) i'm hoping july will make a bit more sense!
and.. i am actually pretty confident that it will! all the free time i allowed myself resulted in some concrete plans for a new series of work focusing on several things that i am really excited to explore. i'm still planning on continuing with my watercolor, but acrylic paint has really been calling to me these days. the new paintings are going to involve the following: night, darkness vs. light, family, house vs. home, and of course, pretty things :) i'm thinking of each piece as part of a story board for an imaginary "movie" of sorts. a little abstract, i know, but it just makes sense to me right now. here are some things that i've put together for my inspiration for the series...
elizabeth messina via lou, boos and shoes
for more inspirations, i have created a pin board on pinterest called "imagination no.1" because i'm really hoping this is the beginning of many more exotic imaginations turned into art! we shall see :)
so, here's to a fresh start for a new month! i'll see you tomorrow - possibly with new art or with new things to inspire! toodooloo til then! :)
sometimes, i have a dream that feels so deeply attached to who i am at my core, that it stays with me for the entire day - maybe even longer. recently, i had a dream where all i could remember was a window - it was raining, and quiet, and peaceful. since it was only a dream, it wasn't real, but i couldn't help but want to look for something that could capture that feeling so i could save it. these photographers have provided me with a little help.
it's just so weird that i feel like i've been in this place before, but i know it's only in my head... ah the life of dreams.. :)
with the humidity and warmer temperatures gracing us with their presence here in nj, my memories drift to a year i spent in savannah, georgia, at the savannah college of art and design (scad). here are some dreamy things that remind me of the way that magical place felt...
wrought iron fences were everywhere (andrea fanton), the old fashioned feeling of this cameo (arreign) completely sums up the graceful age of the city, and the lovely drink decanter up there is from the paris market, which is actually in savannah (i've never been to this particular shop, but it looks like i would love it!) (via pretties and posies)
green and lace represent it very well (starbags)
as do antique wood crates filled with wild plants (the primitive home), the night filled with a beautiful soft glow (racey tay), fresh linen (affaires nomades), and mossy trees (vlad)
and the light was always amazing (treefox)
to end this post, i think it is only appropriate that my pandora player has given me sara bareilles's version of sittin' on the dock of the bay ("i left my home in georgia...") what a wonderful coincidence !
:)