Post-Holiday DIY project!

So there I was in front of my google search engine. Thinking to myself that I wanted to buy a magnetic chalkboard. When low and behold what comes up in the listing? The always inspiring Design*Sponge of course! Why would I buy one when I have a tutorial on how to make a unique one myself? pfft. What a no brainer.

You ever have one of those "why the heck didn't I think of that" moments? This was definitely one of them. This brilliant DIY project was sent in to Design*Sponge by a reader a little less than a year ago (don't you just love looking through the archives of your favorite blogs?). But the idea isn't old at all, and I plan to try my hand at it.

So here goes my first DIY project of the 2011! I already have a gorgeous vintage mirror that would be great for this but it is too pretty to paint. So now I have a great excuse to make a trip to the junk store.

Let's hope I don't kill myself trying to cut the sheet metal. Maybe I'll just pay someone handy to do that part for me.

You guys find/do any good DIY projects lately?

-Angela

New Years + Old Years

Where do I begin? So many things to say about ringing in this new year.

I don't think I've ever been this excited. This is going to be a bit of a long post...

This year I got to spend yet another New Year's with one of my very best friends, Chenoa.

Our third New Year's together in fact.

We have changed hairstyles, apartments, significant others, and Flaming Lips show seating arrangments...but our friendship still remains the same. She is one of those friends you can spend months away from but then when you see eachother again it's like no time has passed at all. I hope we get to ring in more years together.

This year we got all gussied up for our 3rd Lip's show in a row.

But this year was a special show.

This year the Lip's played "The Soft Bulletin" in it's entirety after midnight.

If you aren't familiar with that record, I recommend you go buy it now.

The record is one of the very few that will always touch me, there are songs about the fragile nature of life, overcoming adversity, dealing with losing someone you love, and maintaining your sanity through all the insanity that life has to throw at you.

And even with all those subjects, it makes you want to move on and conquer the world.

The show moved me to tears.

And even in spending time with old friends,

I got to spend time with a special new friend as well.

You might notice that all these pictures were all taken with an Iphone. Let me first apologize for the quality, but I also want to say that because the record and the entire night was so special to me, I decided not to bring my camera.

Some might think that decision was absolute madness considering how many photo-ops would be available at such a show. But I really just wanted to lay back and enjoy the show through my very own eyes and senses and not through those of my camera lens. I also got floor tickets and decided not to chase down VIP passes through friends or friends-of-friends or my old bosses at my internship. I just wanted to be a fan in the audience with nothing between me but people I love and gorgeous life changing music.

With all this being said. It is time for the good stuff... resolutions. And since I have this oldyear/newyear theme going here I might as well revisit some old resolutions. I was shocked at how uncanny some of them had become fulfilled... without being realized.

My resolutions from last year included:

Invest in more camera equipment. Check. Bought 2 lenses and a flash.

Journal everyday. Made some improvement but trying again.

Blog more often. ;) The quality of my posts have gone up.

Take pictures everyday. Trying this again one but once a week. Everyday is a lot of editing!

Get faster at editing photos. Check!

Don't settle for less than I deserve. In all matters of life. Oh man did I fulfill this one.

Explore doing freelance photography and design work more often. Check! Did my first weddings and other freelance.

Travel somewhere entirely new. DING DING DING! When I wrote this I think I had somewhere like San Francisco in mind. If only I knew what was in store...

My resolutions for 2011:

Write/Journal at least once a week.

Blog more often.

Get better/faster at web design.

Do more freelance work.

Cook more and shop locally more often. (maybe join a co op)

Run/do Yoga more often.

Save up for a new camera.

TRAVEL!

Spend more time with my grandfather.

Take pictures at least once a week.

Meditate meditate meditate.

Be in the present moment.

Last year was my first year to make any resolutions. And it worked out beautifully. I dont feel that resolutions are meant to be broken anymore. Or meant to be harshly followed. But can serve as a loose guideline for goals you want to at least come close to touching. Wish me luck!

A very Happy 2011 to all of you!

-Angela

Season Spirit.

Has it really been over two weeks since I updated? This month has really flown by.

Well since this is the day before my 12 day weekend, I wanted to share some holiday festivities and some recent picture snapping.

After receiving my Grandmother's ornament collection from my Grandfather last year, I was all too eager to break out my tree and decorations again this year. So I dug out the charming boxes from the back of my closet, put on the cheesy christmas music, warmed up eggnog and got to decorating. I even baked some apples for the occasion. Not to mention I got to put up a new special ornament from my favorite non-christmas-celebrating person. (his first experience ever making a Christmas ornament). <3

The further I get away from my many years I worked in retail through college, the more I am becoming ok with kind of loving this time of year. I still hate the consumer over-spending side of the holiday. But I can't help but secretly love the warm drinks, fuzzy socks, time with family, oh and the food...cant forget the food. And I suppose I don't really celebrate the holiday in a traditional way but more in a cultural way.

Last year Oklahoma City got hit by the worst ice/snow storm so I didn't get to spend any time with my family because the roads were so bad. After being trapped in my car for several hours, I ended up spending the holiday with friends and friend-of-friends and making the best of it with Wii and wine. It was actually a great time, but I have to say I really missed having that time to goof off with my nieces and nephews and watch holiday movies with them. It's just not the same exchanging gifts in the summer that you didn't have the opportunity to give them at Christmas.

Well here is to hoping for drivable weather and good times with family and friends. I hope you all have a lovely holiday.

-Angela

Wednesday Inspiration.

Just some lovely images to help you through the post-vacation mid-week.

a. I love brights that are appropriately integrated into fall. The brown belt is perfect.

b. Im pretty sure those are men's dress shoes. I'll take every pair anyway. Thanks.

c. Never ending style inspiration.

d. Taken from the adorable gal at Kansas Couture. A fellow bargain hunting thrifter.

e. After this busy week. I just want to curl up in a cozy chair just like that one and read.

-Angela

Gratitude 2010

-Angela

Turkey Dai!

Photo by Annie Schlechter.

Hope you have a great holiday!

The Sahara.

Some entries don't need words.

-Angela

Mellah.

Happy Friday everyone! Wanted to share a couple more pictures from my trip last June.

This was from Mellah (ancient jewish quarter) in Marrakech. It was established in the 16th century and is now populated mainly by Muslims. The narrow streets call back to a time before roads were built for cars. It was one of my favorite areas of the city, other than avoiding the scooters whizzing by.

Is it obvious I am longing for my vacation time yet?...

Ok ok enough longing, my plans for the weekend are:

-Finish up a photo project I have been working on for a long while.

-See David Sedaris at Borders!

-Celebrate the birthdays of my friends.

-Attend a wedding

-Celebrate more birthdays

-Other things I am probably forgetting at the moment, my brain is a little spent today

How about you guys?

-Angela

Uh oh...

So I think I am starting to miss Morocco lately. It started becoming obvious to me when I saw it start to creep it's way into my inspiration folder. First in subtle ways and then later in more blatantly obvious photos being dragged into my folder I keep full of endless beautiful interiors. I have noticed they are starting to drift away from being purely American Mid-Century Modern to having bits of ethnic patterns and ornate lines finding their way in.

I guess it's true that travel does change us a bit and broadens our views of what we find beautiful or inspiring wether we like it or not. You can try to come back the same person and hold on to your old ideas with all your might but it you will find its a pointless effort. You are indeed changed. I think this goes for many life experiences but especially for seeing a part of the world that is so different from your own.

Or maybe this is all just a sign from the universe that I need a vacation...

Is it thanksgiving yet?

-Angela

2011 Calendar Hunting

This year it has been soooo hard for me to choose a new calendar. Being a bit of a design/photography nut I tend to get really excited when picking out my new calendar for the year. What would I like to use to count my days away?

a. Graph Paper Neutra Calendar by Oven-Door-Owl? I seem to like the gray and white neutral one, don't you?

b. Gorgeous letterpress calendar with animal illustrations by INK+WIT?

c. Beautifully designed decorative calendar by Beau Ideal?

d. Orrrr would I like the illustrated in-season vegetable calendar by Sia Design? Swoooon.

There are too many talented artists to choose from!

Which one do you guys like?

-Angela

Ps. Last year I had the 2010 version of This Andrew Zuckerman Calendar. Loved it.

Holiday Postcard!

Happy Monday! I am having a particularly great day at work today so I thought I would share a recent piece I put together for our annual Christmas show. The look of this postcard we send out every year hadn't been drastically changed in a long while so I was thrilled that they loved this vintage inspired woodcut look. :)

Happy Monday everyone!

-Angela

Watercolor

I always thought I hated watercolor until my color theory teacher made me buy a set of gouache and forced me to use it for an entire semester. It was temperamental and difficult to use. I could never quite get the right consistency until after weeks of practice. I painted endless color swatches that were supposed to be as smooth and seamless as the swatches you pick up from the paint section of the hardware store. I hated her for it. But I slowly started loving the medium. After the weeks of paint swatches, when we finally got to use it in still lifes, it actually seemed very forgiving. When class was over I found it kind of zen to watch where the water bled to see what I could vaguely make out of the mess of water-stained chaos soaking into the thick textured sheets of paper. Defining the shapes or buildings or faces that I watched emerge in rapidograph ink.

These artists above make me want to break out my set again.

Don't wait for it.

An inspiring quote about not waiting around for inspiration.

The past few days I haven't really been hit with a ton of it.

Although I am sure I just haven't been looking.

Stress tends to zap every bit of creativity out of my body at times.

It's something that I am ever working on.

Not waiting for that lightening to strike, but to create the lightening myself.

Well thanks for this, Chuck, I needed it today.

Moroccan Inspiration.

I haven't posted anything about my trip to Morocco yet. But since the other day I posted some of my design work, I thought this would be all too appropriate.

This picture was snapped toward the end of my trip, we had just finished up a long trip to Erfoud, which is a several hour drive. I snapped hundreds of pictures but I kept being taken back by the creativity and art that was in the form of murals on school walls along the way.

When I saw the murals on this particular school, I made my boyfriend pull over so I could take a picture. I stealthily snapped some pictures and started walking back to the car when a small man walked over and started speaking Arabic to me, when it was clear I was not an Arabic speaker, he tried some French. But being the paranoid person I am, I tried to just hurry back to the car and ignored the man. I was in a hurry after all.

When I got back to the car he knocked on the car window and started speaking Moroccan Arabic to my boyfriend. I soon learned that he was the artist of the murals! All he wanted to do was sell me a drawing. Silly girl.

10 Dirhams (1 dollar) bought me this beautiful drawing. He said it was of a "shy woman" and an "emancipated woman" sharing peace together. I was so inspired by his persistence and the beauty of his work that I promised myself I was going to carry his message over to the states.

So when Islam Day came around at the University and I found out the panel was about women in Islam I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to reinterpret his message in the United States. The word in arabic there is "salam" which means peace.

It isn't hard to figure out why so many European artists spent years in Morocco to find inspiration. I wasn't even looking for it and it persistently managed to find me.

-Angela