It’s that time of year again: Gift giving season! I happen to be one that adores giving gifts to all of the lovely people in my life; HOWEVER, my eyes are often bigger than my budget. Here are some thoughtful gift ideas to get your mind rolling with ideas for your loved ones::

Tea tin: buy tea in bulk and then repackage into multiple gifties using vintage tins

 red and green teas please

local honey

tin it up and put a bow on it!

...or something more festive

Succulents: Although the name is a bit frightening, who doesn’t want a little green during the winter time? Buy glass containers (I got old sundae dishes) at the thrift and put a bow on it! Hardy plants that only need to be watered every other week- yay low maintenance. Perfect for anyone’s window sill- dish doing campanions.

Go to EcoFlora in Clintonville for succulents!

succulents and stones

 vintage sundae dish or other glassware

perfect window sill dweller

Wall art from old calendars: Everyone needs a fun new addition to their salon style wall- cut up the months of 2012, frame and put a bow on it! Or adhere to wood panel using acrylic gel. 

Start a charm necklace: stainless steel chain so it won’t tarnish and one pendant to begin- good item to purchase on a trip to the good ole antique store.

Anything with a mason jar: (this is quite the lasting trend and I am loving it). Fill that jar with something and put a bow on it! Everyone else has done the work for me on this one- here are some links: 

Homemade Kahlua

48 Homemade gifts in a jar

13 ways to fill a mason jar

Mason jar candles and lights

For those who like a bit more extensive packaging- spice up some brown paper bags with colored ribbon and dictionary tags. You could also use old maps or newspaper, strengthen them with acrylic gel if you fancy that sort of thing. 

Hope this helps you get in the festive spirit. Enjoy your holiday season everybody!

COMING SOON::

Happy Father's Day

Reading on the deck, strong breeze and intermittent clouds,


"The wind is majestic," he said.


 "It's our church service," I said, and we grinned.


 ...


 Happy Father's Day; I love you Daddio.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Blossom by PANAMA1994

Blossom by PANAMA1994
Bon Iver remix

Feist Music Video "Bittersweet Melodies"

.........

I love nostalgia.

Tomboy Style

I have been eating up this blog as of late and now finally her book is coming out in a few weeks! yay!!! Here's the video sneak peak:

Tomboy Style: Beyond the Boundaries of Fashion from pier pictures on Vimeo.

inspiration for "we can breathe underwater"

Lately I have been stewing over a new series of paintings: "We can breathe underwater." Hopefully they are soon to be articulated; for now, here are some images of inspiration that are floating in my mind:

These Julie Lansom photographs have my attention and I keep coming back to them. The beauty and mystery of double exposure is haunting but so alluring. She celebrates the female form well, at least in the lower image. I don't think much of her other work, but these two images, and the series they represent, is inspiring to me.

One of my favorite paintings, with and without context. Helen Frankenthaler just passed away at the very end of 2011. This is her first stain painting "Mountains and Sea" (1952).
NYT article covering Frankenthaler: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/arts/helen-frankenthaler-abstract-painter-dies-at-83.html

This is a painting I did last year: "Meet me by the River"

Christian Cruz



And of course I am on a re-kick of Bon Iver's music video for Holocene:

solar flare

Perhaps the world will "end" this summer from a solar flare.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_flare> and
That may be nice. I imagine who I would like to live with if we formed a colony or commune. Life would feel more real living that way... farming, making our own entertainment. To me this is appealing, and I don't believe I would miss technology much (especially if missing technology was directly linked with being more acquainted with reality...and the potential power of each moment today).

Okay maybe that's a lie. I think I would miss technology and all of the innovation we have accomplished. (I write this while checking my favorite blogs and following fashion weeks and watching Garance Dores new web series and...etcetera)

So I suppose the appeal is simplicity... making my own paint, building, gardening, slower days.

Dear self: Let's make an effort to make life a bit more simple.
Self: Sounds lovely.