Embrace the Yellow

A beautiful print by Maya Donenfield of the always wonderful maya*made.

She offers constant inspiration to me, and today, she is reminding me of something I am ready to remember how to do.

To embrace all the colors of our lives, even if we think they aren't our favorites, or aren't what we should like or aren't what we are used to or aren't what we are longing for.

Because there is beauty all around us and joy in all moments of life, if we can just see it.

Ruth Marks, Lovely Work

In the interest of Day of the Dead and All Saints Day here's a lovely new to me artist. Her name is Ruth Marks and she has all sorts of dolls and sculptures that are just dreamy and spirity (it's a word [okay it's not, but I'm working it]) and eerie.

Like this one

or this one

Very cool. I went through all her previous works of the various years, but I'm having trouble saving the photos. And I really wish she had a blog.

If you're out there Ruth Marks, can you start a blog? It's not that hard. I'm dying to know about your techniques and inspirations.

Gypsy Caravan

Because I just love this image. And gypsy caravans fire my imagination, even if all I know of them are myths and tales. I like myths and tales, so I guess that's okay for me.

found via robayre and her pinterest board. I should join pinterest, although if I were to do so, my little small and heartfelt might just go the way of the dinosaurs, since I use this blog as my pinboard.

Nancy Drew: Next Halloween, I will be the Girl Sleuth (if I plan ahead)

I was blown away by this suggestion for a Halloween costume.

If only I was not already set to be a witch (not sure if I'm a good witch or a bad witch). Yes, I know a witch is boring and everyone does it. In fact, I do this costume almost every year, as my stand by.

Next year, next year, I will plan ahead and get myself a smart outfit, tweed skirt suit and mary jane heels, a cloche hat. I really want this outfit. And I will carry a book for notes and a magnifying class.

Next year, next year.

via automatism

Nolan Haan-- You Are Not Alone

Sometimes I come across something in a surprising place.

Today it was on my google page. Artist a day.

Nolan Haan paints on cinder block walls. I was struck with this message. Sometimes it is so easy to forget that we are part of the human family, struggling together, in our aloneness. Plus I like the contrast of the hard edge wall and graffiti with the soft, spiritual message.

Retreat Cottage

I love this little cottage. It's a tad girly for my tastes, but I love the idea. I love it as a retreat. A place to write and be creative and have peace. I have a dream that someday I might own an old farm, with outbuildings and tiny cottages scattered about, and people would come to stay and write their novel or work on their opus or just get away from it all and find themselves again.
Here's a place to sit and read, or to recline with a laptop.

There's also an old beat up trailer on the property, which I kind of like too. Maybe my retreat can have residences of all types, from the fancy girly cottage to the rough and tumble guys trailer. All types of people feel the need to create. Why limit it to only people with your tastes?

via pink shirts and carwrecks.

A New Livingroom and A Blast from the Past

I just love this image from Skona Helm, a Swedish magazine. Not that I can read Swedish. Luckily we have googletranslate to mangle it into English. And even better, Automatism, to find the article and make more sense of it.

The thing I love most about this, though, is not the Swedishness of it, or the newness of it, but rather because it reminds me quite forcefully of my parents apartment when I was a little girl. We lived our bohemian, Buddhist, revolutionary artist life on the outskirts of Harlem in the seventies, in an apartment building that was condemned just a few years later.

It looked a lot like this, but with worn wood instead of painted floors. And our sofa, the mattress covered in patterned linens and pillows, sat on a door much like this. It was however propped up on cinder blocks. I think if I were to do this look today, which I might, I think I love it, I prefer the wheels. We even had a table that was much like this one, but again, the pretty wood sat on cinder blocks.

We had photographers lights every where, and paper lanterns. And many photographs, since my dad was a photographer and film maker. But behind the sofa, we had an old granny square afghan, possibly the reason why I hold a fondness for granny square afghans and really, really should finish the one I am working on now.