New Year, new start

Well, my friends, it's 2012! The past year sure did fly by.
For me, it was filled with many ups and downs. But, as any aging adult knows...such is life.
The roller coaster is always ready for passengers and it never takes the same course twice. Sometimes you get off the ride and feel elated. Ready to ride again. Other times, you exit with bumps and bruises and a sense of being ripped off. No one exits completely unscathed. We all take our hits, but hopefully learn something about ourselves along the way.

I'll spare everyone (including myself) all the bad and focus on the good.
Some of the most noteworthy things from this year are as follows:

* I finished my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project in January, turned it in and visited it later in April for the Sketchbook Project Tour in ATL. I met many friends during the SBP and am now exchanging mail art packages with a few of them, including Nature's My Friend and Saylor Made.

* I DID manage to start this blog and keep it going for a few months. (just to taper off as the holidays came near). I shared my garden, my kitchen and my quirky life with all of you. I am back at it again and will do my best not to disappear again! 

 * I got my first tattoo (pictured above) from a true tattoo ARTIST, Terry Harwood at Lady Liberty Tattoo Parlor in South Carolina. This was a very unexpected Christmas present from Scott. The whole discussion about the tattoo, the appointment being set up and the actual inking was done in a matter of 2 days! And to anyone who knows me...I'm not very impulsive or rash in my decision making. I have no regrets and plan to see him again for a least 1 more tattoo.

* I met some new friends (a high school friend of Scott's) who seems to be living a similar, although crazy life, with an unusual work schedule. I have been very pleased to find people who instantly feel like you've know them all your life. I can't say I expected things to turn out like they have...but I'm sure glad they did. Here's to you Michele and Brian!

I could go on and on, and that alone tells me that even though some things didn't turn out quite the way I planned, I can't complain. I've been blessed with a loving and supportive fiance. I've made countless new friends (some of which I will never let go of) and I'm here to celebrate another year of life.

So, here's to 2012!
Make the most of what you have now, learn from the bad, and always dream for more.

Until next time...Hold on for the ride (it gets bumpy sometimes)!

A moment of rest

In our busy lives, it's often hard for us to take a moment of rest. Between work schedules, school, housework, homework and a multitude of other things - life gets crazy!
I recently spotted this quote: "Life should be simple - not unchallenging, just not so complicated."
I couldn't have said it better myself. 

Recently, these "critters" were spotted at the house taking a breather:

The moth was stationary for almost a whole day. It was of substantial size compared to most moths. It sat in one spot while I took these pictures - only opening its wings slightly to show off the striped edges. It was gone by the next morning. (I hope it moved on to live a longer life and it didn't become bat food).

The praying mantis was perched on the edge of the porch - guarding the yard. A tiny overseer of the world around him. He was very alert and turned to look at me while I was taking his picture. He moved only slightly (to the opposite edge of the post). Scott was standing in the yard and asked for my camera. He captured the praying mantis staring at him intently - as if he was wondering what Scott was doing (or maybe he knew and was smiling for the camera).

These creatures seemed to be taking in life's little moments - never sure when it will be their last. Maybe we could all take a lesson from these guys.

Until next time - It doesn't matter where you choose to take your moment, in the sun or the shade, as long as you take it.

A perfect Saturday

Well, if you read my previous blog post, you know I had quite an adventure last Saturday...and it all started with the Farmer's Market and Indie Craft Parade.

The Greenville downtown area is the perfect place to park and walk from one end to the other. What a better place to have a Farmer's Market on a Saturday morning? The sun was shining and the temperatures have started to cool down. It's the perfect tease before Fall in the South.

The Farmer's Market has more than 50 vendors who line the streets every Saturday morning from May to October. It opens at 8 a.m., but don't worry...you can grab a coffee and breakfast while you are there.

Here's a quick look at the items along the way to Indie Craft Parade:

The beautiful display of peppers at the Lanhere Farm table (grown in Taylors).

Sunflowers for a sunny morning.

A variety of jarred goodies.

Honey for sale.

Colorful eggplants in a crate.

After enjoying the sites, sounds and tastes of the Farmer's Market, we made our way to Huguenot Mill for the Indie Craft Parade. It was a pleasure to see some old faces and to experience the new. Here's a look at the things we saw and some of my personal favorites:

Lily Pottery

Lazymuse

Maie Dae

Illyria Pottery

Booklaces from Illyria Pottery

Once Again Sam

Curiosities from Once Again Sam

Merciful Hearts Farm

Shed Labs

I also spent time talking to several other shops I would like to mention. My sweet ladies at Owlette Collective, Jason Waggoner at GREENville Books, yummy homemade marshmallows at Malo, Cindy Jantz from The Herb Garden, and last but certainly not least, Joseph Bradley from Joseph Bradley Studios.

We had a great time at the Farmer's Market and Indie Craft Parade this year. As always, we will be back next year to see what the crafters have in store for us. Please take the time to visit these shops and support the local community. There are many talented artisans who would appreciate your help.

Until next time - Happy Crafting or what ever it is you enjoy!

Shiny "old" toy

Well, I must say...this past weekend was quite an adventure!
I spent my Saturday morning in downtown Greenville at the Indie Craft Parade, followed by an afternoon of competitive college football (USC vs. Georgia - Congrats USC!) and then I was off to see Eye Empire play at the Handlebar.

On Sunday afternoon, I went to meet up with a girl from Garden Daisies, an Etsy shop, who was selling this gem. It's an Argus C3, a rangefinder camera produced from 1939 to 1966 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. All of the knobs and gadgets make this a very scientific-looking camera and a complete beauty to me! Since the camera was mass-produced and has been credited for making 35mm photography "popular", it's not a collector's item. I'm not concerned because I'm not looking to get rid of it anyway : )

I took the camera to a local photo shop yesterday and had them take a look at it. (I was having a hard time opening the back of the camera and didn't want to tear anything up). The seller had told me the camera had a roll of Kodachrome film inside!
If you are not familiar with the Kodachrome story - check out this link and view the slideshow (plus, it's a good read!). The Last Roll of Kodachrome
Sure enough - the Kodachrome roll was inside - although, the film was loose from the canister. Still a pretty cool thing to see. I can't wait to get this thing cleaned/oiled up and take a few shots.
I'll keep everyone posted on how it goes. Wish me luck!

Mail art joy and (almost) sorrow

I recently asked one of my new found friends in Canada if she would like to do a mail art swap with me. I have been enamored with Jeannine Saylor's blog Saylor Made for a while now. She has beautiful control over watercolor (which I have never quite mastered). I sent this lovely package to her and she featured it in her Mail Art Monday blog segment. I can't wait to see what Jeannine has in store for my return package. (I secretly hope there's a watercolor in there).

This past weekend, a long awaited package arrived from Jessica Gowling at Nature's My Friend. She sent this package to me around the same time I posted mine to Jeannine. We both had our doubts about whether it would show...but finally it did!
 
The package contained: a beautiful altered page (incredible!), a bear print (with a lovely handwritten message on back), two postcards (one a poster design and the other a clever photograph), two notes cards that read..."Let's talk about How Fabulous you think I am" and two cut-outs (one of an amazing owl and the other of the Easy Slider snow sled - "King of the Hill").

Jessica is a pro at putting these packages together. I hope my return package will be just as enjoyable to her. And next time...I'll give the post service a bit longer before I lose faith!

Nature's gifts

Echinacea bloom

Often times, our lives are filled with so many things and time passes by so fast, we miss the small things that are gifted to us. Yesterday, while on the porch, I noticed a tiny yellow flower sticking up out of my "Chocolate Chip" plant. When in bloom (during Spring), the flowers are a soft lavender color - not yellow. My immediate thought was to capture this image. The flower might not even be here tomorrow. I looked at it as Mother Nature's little gift to me.

While taking the picture, I noticed my enchinacea plant is starting to bloom again. The blooms are smaller - just children of the much bigger, original blooms - but just as important. It's the plant's way of giving its last efforts before it starts to die away for the Fall. Although, I love the cooler weather of the coming season - I will miss all the flowers of Spring. This is my opportunity to learn more about Fall plants and what can survive through the Winter months. Gardening is an educational process. Even when gardeners get to "Master" status - they all know Mother Nature has no master.

Last but not least is the Bhut Jolokia. I have been telling you of this adventure from the beginning. My second round of peppers are turning dark orange and will be taken off of the vine soon. From the taste test of the first round, it seems our climate does not allow for these peppers to get really hot (or we didn't get actual Bhut Jolokia peppers). As you can guess, this comes as a great disappointment to Scott. I can be satisfied in the fact I was able to grow them. It was a new experience for me. I've never grown peppers and feel more confident in my ability to do it again. Next year, I get another chance to grow one of the hottest peppers in the world. Hopefully with better results! Until next time - Happy Gardening and don't forget to take notice of the little things given to you by Mother Nature each day.

Mail art goodies

My first mail art package at home in Canada.

I wrote a blog some time back about my decision to get involved in a mail art swap with Jessica Gowling from Natures My Friend. She sent me my first "introductory" package (left) and got the ball rolling. After receiving my package, I set out to make an epic return package for Jessica. I wanted it to be reflective of me and interesting to her. Being new to the process, I found it hard to stop. After adding the last of many items, I traveled to the post office for stamps and delivery. Unfortunately, as always, my timing sucks. The Canadian postal service was in the middle of a strike and it had just made it to Jessica's area. 

We were both hoping the strike would pass and the package would make it to her before she left for vacation. Well, that didn't happen. Not only did Jess go on vacation, she left for around a month! She was doing a exhibition, a workshop and had a vendor opportunity. Not to mention time spent with other creatives relaxing and sharing in the love of art.  

Upon her return, not only was she bombarded by a stack of mail art packages, a giveaway on her blog, and trying to get readjusted to being home - but her man proposed!!! Although I eagerly waited to hear what she thought about my package - I couldn't help but smile at how she must be feeling. Love is a beautiful thing when your partner is so supportive of your craft. (He came back home from vacation after a week or so and Jess stayed to take care of business). 

I was pleased to see a blog post from Jess yesterday with a Mail Art Mania - Part 1 title. She's having to split up the blog posts in order to get caught up. I know even though she is overwhelmed, she is very grateful to have such awesome mail art buddies. I know I will always be grateful to her for introducing me to it. Now, I have two other friends to send packages to. I hope I can bring a ray of sunshine to their life - just like Jessica did to mine. 

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As a side note, last weekend at Michael's, I found an armful of great items to use in my mail art packages AND a super thick, CD-sized blank journal with my initial on it. I got all this stuff for under $9.50 WITHOUT a coupon! And I almost always use a coupon. There's no need to pay full price for anything - and most of this stuff was 40% off already.

Until next time - Happy Mailing and don't underestimate the power of a handwritten letter.