Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Where in the world

Did the last week go? I finally carved some pumpkins last night. Trips taking mom to Dr. appts. Gallery time. Home Depot returns. Dealing with broken-down cars. But, really, did that take all week?

Pebbles sleeps, dead to the world. 


While the others, play tug-of-war. 


Happy, dry and safe Halloween!


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Mr Yen Papercuts

Mr Yen Papercuts via Creature Comforts --- Lovely!


Sunday, October 21, 2012

Yum, Yum and Yum

It is a little early for me to be thinking Christmas, since I haven't even carved a pumpkin. But I can look and lust, can't I?  

Restoration Hardware's Holiday Source Book
 






Kathy Klein's dānmālā

I found something wonderful this morning on The Lisa Porter Collection, Inviting Style Indoors & Out blog. Thank you, Lisa! That completely made my day.  

"In her native Arizona landscape, Kathy Klein follows the meditative practice of giving flower circles." 

From her about page, she describes her art as -- "In vedic sanskrit dān: the giver, mālā: garland of flowers the giving of flower circles." Have a look at her gallery of flowers and MAKE your day

You can see more at Plenty of Color

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Dianthus barbatus

Remember I mentioned this new flower I saw last year, Dianthus barbatus? Well, I saw the at Top Food yesterday! I was so thrilled. Looks like "moss on a stick".






Thursday, October 18, 2012

Nancy Schutt

Nancy Schutt and Good Dog Art




Monday, October 15, 2012

Happy Monday

The rain has come. Hope Pebbles can get use to wet grass or it is going to be a long winter.

Today's horoscope: You may have to let go of a preconception to advance. Increase your level of fun, and your productivity rises, too. Your work speaks well of you.

I think this means I need to head back to the garage and let my computer screen go black.

I am turning off my comments because I spend half of my email reading, deleting spam comments, emails.
 

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Alexander Semenov and his incredible underwater show

I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to see images like these. Images that we mere humans would really never get to experience in the past.  

Over at Clione.ru (underwater experiments), Alexander Semenov, a marine biologist and a professional underwater photographer is head of the scientific divers team at the White Sea Biological Station of Lomonosov’s Moscow State University, Russia. The station was founded in 1938 and mostly it was built by enthusiasts who came here because of the amazing atmosphere that had being developed over many years at the station. This is an unusual and unique mix of students energy, serious science and the harsh northern nature.

Check out the gallery of incredible creatures. Found this morning over at Abduzeedo








Friday, October 12, 2012

Me, as an infographic

In one of my job applications weeks ago, the request was to tell about yourself in an infographic. I resurrected my "brain" stuff, embellished and added additional information. All tongue-in-cheek, of course, with a little grim reality thrown in. 

Rick laughed out loud this morning and insisted I share this with the world. ;) 

This were the first two "self-portraits" I did in the past.


Then I added a couple of pie charts, work history and my day broken down in events, then and now. I don't think you can read the small print. But you get the jest of it. ;) If you are *really* interested, I have a pdf you can download and read for your amusement.

 

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Just playing

I worked on Brantlers ... but really I just played today with no "goal" for the day except to play and think and experiment. 

No job, no job applications, no charts or learning Thesis 2.0. Power tools and paint were my tools of the day.  I have had this idea in my head forever ... this is my lame prototype but I figured out what I need to do to get it to be sturdy and to hang. It is called HANGING ON EVERY WORD. The words can be changed out to whatever you want, however you want to hang them on the wire. AND the exciting part ... I cut it, put it together and painted it today! The wire comes out of her mouth, into a trough in the back. That needs to be fine tuned.


Because I have been so fascinated by barns since our 30 day trip on the East coast ... when I wasn't driving, I was doodling the barns we passed by. Trying to capture the colors, the little windows, the shape. I took a some of the 12x12 boards I have in the garage, cut them, painted them. BARNS. I was thinking  of cutting out the windows but knew that would take much longer. So I just painted them in.

I am not sure how I would hang them. I left the outside edge plain wood, but I think now I need to stain them some color. Anyhoo ... David loved them and he usually doesn't that excited about stuff I haul upstairs from the garage to *SHOW and TELL*. I would love to see 9 of them, hung in a 3 x 3 grid display!



Leaf wreath

This morning it is cold, misty, gray ... it is fall! Our cold, rainy weather might be upon us, finally.

Why is it that when the weather turns cold, I want to start hanging wreaths? I found this on on Issuu - 2010-2011 Lion Brand Catalog. The pattern is free here, you must join to get it. 


A Faux Fall Leaf wreath from Please Note. With instructions. 

 I really want to make this - Inkling: brown bag wreath {faux bay leaves} from homework. I want to make three small ones for my kitchen. She uses recycled paper bags. Love!


I love this Christmas wreath made from fabric leaves and felted pompoms found on Mandy Lynn. I can see three small ones of these. 

 For more inspiration, go look at my Pinterest Wreath board

Monday, October 08, 2012

17 years ago Monday, Robin made history

The photo is one even non-sports fans remember: Ken Griffey Jr. flashing a huge smile at the bottom of a Mariners pile after they beat the New York Yankees in a 1995 playoff. 

The image was taken 17 years ago Monday – Oct. 8, 1995 – by then-P-I photographer Robin Layton. 

In the 149-year history of the print and online editions, her image is among a handful of the P-I’s best. 

Layton left the P-I years ago, but has continued her remarkable success with clients including President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Aniston and Sidney Poitier. Layton was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, has had work featured in the Smithsonian and has her own photography book, “A Letter to My Dog,” which hits shelves in November. 

Still a Northwest resident, she’s asked all the time about that 1995 Mariners photo when people realize she was the photographer. Earlier this month, she kindly put together the video above telling the behind-the-scenes story of how it came about. 

Her video includes images from that game not published until today. 

To learn more about Layton’s works, click here, or follow this link to her blog. Layton’s pictures from “The Double” and the immediate aftermath are in the gallery below. Via Seattle PI.

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Ancestry

One morning I received an email from ancestry.com for a free something. I spent a couple of hours researching my family tree and it was so much fun. Sadly, I can't afford to join right now to go much further. But I will keep adding to it as I can. So much fun!

To help with all of this, my Aunt Sunny has 400 page book of that has my mom's family tree described in detail. And my cousin has also compiled a wonderful book for the native American side from my dad's side. 

This DailyOm post made me think of that today. 

 "Our ancestors represent another wellspring from which we may draw for they, too, can act as our spirit guides. 

Many entities assume the role of spirit guide. Throughout our lives, we may call upon angels, animal and nature spirits, ascended masters, and celestial guardians for aid, protection, and support. Our ancestors represent another wellspring from which we may draw wisdom in times of need for they, too, can act as our spirit guides. Since our forbears spent at least one lifetime experiencing the tribulations that are a part of human existence, the perspective they can offer is a uniquely grounded one. Ancestral spirit guides can empathize with our fears and our frailties, worry, temptation, and feelings of insecurity. Once you have requested their guidance, they will see to it that you emerge unscathed on the far side of conflicts and are well-equipped to fulfill your potential."

Friendly gatherings

I miss our Chow Babes group. A bunch of friends getting together, cooking, eating, visiting and laughing. We have talked about gathering once more. But no one seems to have the time. 

I ran across KINFOLK on Amazon this morning. I love the feel of small, intimate gatherings.  

"Kinfolk is a growing community of artists with a shared interest in small gatherings. We recognize that there is something about a table shared by friends, not just a wedding or once-a-year holiday extravaganza, that anchors our relationships and energizes us. We have come together to create Kinfolk as our collaborative way of advocating the natural approach to entertaining that we love. Every element of Kinfolk—the features, photography, and general aesthetics—are consistent with the way we feel entertaining should be: simple, uncomplicated, and less contrived. Kinfolk is the marriage of our appreciation for art and design and our love for spending time with family and friends" 

KINFOLK on Pinterest 
KINFOLK dinners and journal

Doesn't it make you want to have a casual gathering around a table of good food? The voices and faces of familiar people that you know and love. I am putting that on my calendar!


Kinfolk Manifesto from VsTheBrain on Vimeo.

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Multitasking brain

I found myself listening/watching Rick's webinar, skyping a question to someone in New York, talking to David standing here by me at the computer, and working on an illustrator document all the same time. Now that is multitasking! Here is Rick's Thesis 2.0 Webinar. I am so excited to start playing around with Thesis 2.0. I have been trying to build out kimcarney.com forever ... maybe this is the time.

It has been an incredibly busy couple of days. The electrician was here last week, today and maybe tomorrow, finishing up fixes us. He installed some LED lights in the kitchen ... and OMG, so bright, you can see all the dirt even more than before. We are (re)working on lighting that he worked on 13 years ago. Between Electrician and Plumber ... I have been in a cleaning frenzy. Every time they take out chunks of wall, or take down a light and make a new hole in the ceiling ... I spend my night cleaning and mopping.

I remember when we first move into this house and cleaned it. I would clean something and think "how did people live that this?" talking about the dirt/grease/filth. And when I pulled out my (own) washing machine and mopped the floor beneath it ... I thought the same thing ... but this time I was talking about ME and my filth. Scary! Nothing like having a house full of workman to make you see your space in all of it's dirt.

I think I might have had a freelance job that will pay for some of my electrician bill ;) That makes me happy. 

Mom was doing really well for one day, then pulled something in her lower back yesterday morning. She has been crying (whimpering) ever since. Heating pads, ice packs, drugs, Ibuprofen, a shot of brandy ... anything to get her pain to subside. I think tomorrow we will have to make a trip to the doctor. 

I promise soon I will be blogging about something fun. ;)