Friday, February 26, 2010

a bicycle built for three

holy moly! a tall bike built for three. by and via.

this weekend i have some friends coming to town for this handmade bicycle show. apparently its a big deal? i'm excited to hang out with good people take in some lovely bicycles. and to slack off from responsibility, of course. woo!

happy weekend. stay warm, little kitties!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

advice to sink in slowly


i happened across this really neat project from university college falmouth, a college of art, design, media, and new media in the uk. called 'advice to sink in slowly,' the project asks that graduates from the program create a poster with words of wisdom they wish someone had told them. those posters are then given to incoming freshman, imparting golden bits of knowledge such as 'don't get the herpes' and 'look after yourself.'

love it! here are a few of my favorites.










and thats not all! they have a shop where you can purchase some wisdom for you very own. i think that take time ship would look lovely on my wall, don't you?


Tuesday, February 23, 2010

dirty diana


i am super excited because i finally broke down and bought a diana camera! i've been coveting one for quite sometime and yesterday i noticed that they are on sale over at urban outfitters. woot!

but now i have to wait patiently for it to arrive in the mail. and since i'm not the best at the whole patient waiting thing, i've been tiding myself over by looking at other peoples diana photos.

this flickr diana pool has a some gems. here are a few that i think are magical.






ps. learn more about diana cameras here and on this neato blog.

Monday, February 22, 2010

the art of happiness

i love the simple but powerful message behind this print

it got me thinking a little about happiness. of all the lessons my father taught me growing up, that we are masters of our own happiness is one for which i am forever grateful.

i think its the most truthful awareness one can have, but also one of the most difficult. in one of my favorite books of all time, the art of happiness, the dalai lama writes:

"i believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. that is clear. whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we are all seeking something better in life. so, i think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness."

isn't that beautiful? i like to think of the motion of my life being towards happiness. lets remember that during these cold february days, shall we? heres to your happiness, friends.

good morning, sunshine

happy monday. in case you need a pick me up, heres a little piece of sunshine. remember the film 500 days of summer? this is a short video that zooey deschanel and jason gordon levitt made for her song "why did you let me stay here?"



they're adorable, no? i hope your week is just as fun!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

mystery of mysteries

Mystery of mysteries, water and air are right there before us in the sea. Every time I view the sea, I feel a calming sense of security, as if visiting my ancestral home; I embark on a voyage of seeing.
-Hiroshi Sugimoto
boden sea, uttwil, 1993

ligurian sea, saviore, 1993



ionian sea, santa cesarea, 1990



bass strait, table cape, 1997




n. pacific ocean, stinson beach, 1994


posts have been a little sparse these last few days (mainly due to that whole grad school thing i do), so i thought i'd share what i've been working on recently. here are just a few of the astounding seascape series by photographer hiroshi sugimoto. they overwhelm me.


*all images by hiroshi sugimoto. learn more about his seascapes and other series here.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

snowlaroids




a week or so ago we got an early morning snow that resulted in my first real! snow! day! it was the first snow since my moving from florida thats resulted in all my obligations being cancelled!
this is the stuff dreams are made of. now i know what i've been missing. (bliss.)

so, i thought i'd share a few polaroids from my first real snow day.

naturally my roomie-love and i played hookie from other responsibilities. we ventured out for a walk and in search of some delicious food. (this seems to have become our snowy day routine.)


a neighbor's alleyway fence.



huevos rancheros, sweet plaintains, and cafe con leche at kuba kuba. poor lighting but i love how it turned out looking kind of ancient.

view of the river and train tracks from the hill. oh snow, perhaps you're growing on me?

*i apologize if you're offended by this post's cheesy title. i made that up all by myself.


Tuesday, February 16, 2010

in our talons

apparently this week has begun on a musical note.
can't stop now, this one is just so good!
have you seen the bowerbird's video for their song in our talons?
its almost all stop motion and its pretty magical.

my favorite part is when the crow rolls up into a little ball.
it reminds me of a roly poly. remember them?
anyways, enjoy!

Monday, February 15, 2010

when we swam

i'm combatting the february blues this grey monday afternoon by putting hot cocoa in my coffee and listening thao and the get down stay down's newest album. its a beaut.

in fact, while i'm supposed to be getting work done, i keep watching their sunshiny silly video for "when we swam." it looks like such fun!


oh, my. swimming might be what i miss the most about florida and warm weather...

le bel eté

on friday i watched this little film for french designer vanessa bruno's spring collection and all weekend it kept replaying in my mind.


of course, the clothes are gorgeous. (i particularly love that lacy sweater/ jacket number shes wearing while riding down the highway.)

but the music and cinematography are beautiful as well. all in all, its just so lovely.

it makes me want to go roll down a hill.
and to remind you that there are only 32 more days until spring...

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

amalia chimera


i cannot seem to pull my eyes away from this lovely lady's work. her name is amalia sieber, aka amalia chimera, and her photos are swoon worthy.


there is such a soft, gentle dreaminess to her images.


and such a lovely play with light.


i first happened across her flickr page . and then through a little stalking i learned she has a darling blog.



as well as an etsy shop, where one might need to pick up a lovely bit of magic all their own...

baby its cold outside


this may not impress many, particularly those who live in places like chicago, north dakota, or boston, but this little floridian got up, scrapped ice off the car, and went to the gym in below freezing temperatures this morning. and all before 9am.

considering that prior to moving to virginia the heaviest coat i owned was a hoodie, i think i'm making progress. baby steps, ya'll.

speaking of progress, or lack there of, they're calling for more snow. today and this weekend. come on now. enough is enough! when did virginia secretly become the arctic? i thought i still lived in the south! come on february, help a sister out... i'm rooting for you!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

what's hipper than a pup in shades?


"ari stayed up all night drinking beer and playing old 7"s, so hes going to have to sit out this month's critical mass."


cute and hilarious. enough said.



39 days.

oh february.
i feel a little guilty that you're my least favorite. i try to get into the spirit of things. to embrace the love and the hearts, the pink and the red. but you're so cold. so icy. and rather barren. yet, it must be hard being the coldest, darkest month.

view from my desk. apologies for the poor quality, taken by my macbook.

this weekend (and last) we received several feet of snow. quite uncharacteristic for richmond. as a floridian transplant enduring what is only my second winter away from the sunshine state, i waver between childlike excitement, and disdain for the cold, the wet, and the inevitable cabin fever resulting from being snowed in.

but. i must say. thats no attitude to have. so i've been trying to make the most of it. to be in awe at the beauty of the snow covered trees on our street, all silver and glittering. and the absolute silence after the snow fall in our usually bustling neighborhood, oregon hill.


chololatetherapie via

friday night we delved deep into our crafty boxes, pulling out glue sticks, paper, glitter, stamps. we cut, tore, glued, glittered our way to lovely handmade valentines. i'll give you a preview sometime soon. it was some lovely, good old fashioned february fun.

and saturday morning we bravely faced the storm for coffee, eggs and grits at the delicious 821, our neighborhood cafe. temperatures weren't too bad, and besides the wind and the occasional snowflake in the eye, it was a lovely walk. (needless to say i was bundled like the little kid in 'a christmas story.')


holdonlover via

so all in all, though you're not my favorite month, february, and though i may be counting down until spring, i'm trying to make more room in my heart for you. i'm thinking of you as the underdog. and waiting, because perhaps you have some extra special magic in store to change my mind.

ps. the lovely february illustration above is available for free download as a desktop wallpaper from the lovely simple blueprint. love!




Saturday, February 6, 2010

first green is gold



oh hello, big beautiful world. lovely to meet you.

i've been thinking about you for quite some time. and i've been meaning to introduce myself.

so today, a snowy, dreary day in february, i've decided that enough is enough. its time! what will this bring? i know not. what are my intentions? not sure.

i suppose i'd like to inspire myself. and maybe inspire you? to cultivate my creativity. to encourage myself to think and write more often. to create a sunny warm space for my heart and soul to grow.

i'm always in search of magic. i'd like to share it with the world.