my penguins

Lest you think I haven't been creative lately. I found these stuffed penguins at Christmas with the most hideous green and red scarves and hats. So, I fixed their apparel and made them cute.

the domestic side

With the arrival of the cooler weather, I have been finding some "indoor" projects to take on (besides job searching).

The first is cooking up some treats. Caramel apples are hard to beat, but most recently I did banana bread. Since I haven't been able to stop eating chocolate, I made a loaf with jumbo chocolate chips and one without. This was by far, the best banana bread I have made in quite some time.

I also bought a desk. Perhaps, it's a subconscious effort to push things along on the job front for me (like, the more I open boxes and pull items out, the sooner I'll have to pack it all up and move somewhere), but I think that is wishful thinking. More consciously, I made the Goodwill purchase for $10 to help my posture when I'm working on the computer; which is nearly a full eight hours every day.

My project with the desk was to paint the interior of the drawers. I wanted something a bit bright and cheerful. If I end up keeping this piece of furniture, I will take on the larger project of staining the exterior a dark espresso brown, but in the meantime, this vibrant red will add some character and happiness to the new-very-well-used item; not that it needs anymore character as it came complete with coffee cup rings, plenty of scratches, and that grandma's attic sort of smell.

not where they are supposed to be

One of the ideas my new book gave me was to find things that are out of place in their surroundings. I have taken a few notes for a few days and here are some things that I came up with.

I found this maple leaf floating in the ocean. Streams and rivers team with autumn leaves, but I never pictured a deciduous leaf changing color in salt water!

...or how about a Rock festival in Antarctica. This article made the news in a popular magazine, Blender. It's pretty cool when I know all of the bands and all of the folks quoted here! But who would think there could be such a celebration outside on the earth's harshest continent?

...or, how about sitting in a coffee shop, trying to catch up on e-mails only to hear toddlers screaming, five kids running around between tables and chairs, and babies crying. I certainly don't mean to deter parents from stopping in for a coffee with their kids in tow, but I thought my cozy little coffee haven had turned into a nursery!

...or check out this telephone pole; completely overgrown in trees and bushes. The communication here is by tweet or chirp (and I'm not referring to nextel).

...or seeing litter in bushes and grass, wrapped around vines and floating down a river.

...or this crab, who may be in the right environment, but at some point, was in the wrong place at the wrong time; no life here.

This sort of reflects my life right now. I feel misplaced, unglued, and a misfit in my environment. But, there's a reason and purpose behind this time. The only thing I can do is pick my head up, put the past seven months behind me, and continue to walk forward.

thoughtfully creative

I received a book today. I came from an old friend of my sister's who has become my friend via our blogs. She sent the gift because she thought it reflected something of me. The book is called, How to be an Explorer of the World by Keri Smith. It's not what you'd expect, but great for me, nonetheless. It's not so much about traveling the earth; although, that can help, but more about exploring the world you find yourself in each new day.

The book begins with T.S. Eliot's quote: We shall not cease from exploration and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time (this was me when I moved back to Washington last year).

Within the first two pages I was hooked on the eclectic creativity within these pages. Now I have a creative-idea-source to draw from, assignments to contemplate, and new ways of perceiving the world around me; especially when I'm bored.

I knew this was especially suited to me. When I perused through the pages and found "exploration #33: arrangements," of which part of the idea is to collect something. Leaves were the featured example. Strangely enough, this afternoon on my walk, prior to getting the book in the mail, I collected some bright red leaves that caught my attention and I was ironically thinking of how I could arrange them.

The book is one of the more well-thought-of gifts I've received lately! Thank you, Angie!

yarned

One of my new projects is using some of my, now enormous, yarn collection to do something creative. I found these shirts at the craft store the other day and instantly visualized my designs all over them. So, I purchased two to see how they would turn out. I still want to wash this first one and see what happens to the yarn and the colors, but the preliminary results were pretty pleasing.

Perhaps I should start a business around these!

northwesty

I felt particularly northwesterly today. I tromped outside in between rain showers this morning in my Keen sandals. I also donned my new brown capris and long sleeve red wool shirt. My necklace is a new eco-friendly Brazilian piece of art made out of seeds. Although, sunny for a spot of time, the temperatures have certainly cooled to autumn and the color of the trees are matching the season.

The day was a gathering sort of day. I needed to gather some new ideas to keep me busy for the next week, or two, and I needed to pick up a few groceries and such. So, my first stop was the ultra-earthy Bellingham Farmer's Market. I didn't gather much there except a very tasty marionberry scone and a few creative ideas along with a few environmental tips (ie. carpool, turn down your heat 1-2 degrees this winter, turn off your lights, buy a reusable shopping bag, etc.). I also stopped at several craft stores and came up with some gift ideas for this winter to experiment with. If they turn out, perhaps I'll post them here. Around noon the wind picked up and blew leaves down the street, and although it remained sunny, there was a very fine mist in the air, blowing from the dark clouds up ahead.

I stopped in to see a friend at Starbucks, because there is nothing more northwesty to do than visit Starbucks. While I'd already had enough french pressed coffee to keep me sprite and afloat for the day, it was nice to catch up with her for a few minutes.

The day was also gathering for a good storm. It rained a bit last night, but looking a the weather radar, it was apparent that a good amount of wet weather was headed this direction. And, by the time I got back in the car from my last stop, the flood gates had opened. This is a bit more than a drizzler, folks; the wind has picked up and the raindrops are large. Looks like a good afternoon to make homemade hot chocolate and dig into my new projects! Thank goodness Hersey's came out with a new European dark cocoa powder. My made-from-scratch drinking chocolate has never tasted so good!

This might not let up until next April, so I'm glad I caught the sun this morning while it was out!

the postcard project

Next month I will be celebrating my 30th birthday.

So, to make the most of it, rather than throwing myself a party to which most of you would be unable to attend anyway, I hope you will still participate by sending me a postcard from wherever you are. In return, I have some brand-spankin' new, hot-off-the-press, personalized postcards; one of which will find its' way to your mailbox!

Just click on the image (at right) to view my address, and be sure to include your address on the card (or e-mail it to me) so I can return your kindness!

Finally, feel free to pass this along to your friends. My goal is to receive 30 postcards for my 30th birthday. The more the merrier!

a day for hiking

Sunday was a day made for the outdoors. It seems as though summer has finally reached Washington State for a stretch of time in September. You will not find me complaining.

Uncle Jerry, his friend, Lou, and myself spent the afternoon up in the Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan area of the Cascade Mountain Range.

One of my favorite places on earth is up at Lake Ann; our destination for the day. I traveled this trail last year as well. The trail is about four miles each way. First, it is a decent into a meadow-filled valley, a stroll through the woods, and then up some rock scree towards a ridge.

Once over the ridge, the lake is in sight and a minute later, you realize you're in the arms of an enormous mountain; Mount Shuksan. We arrived late enough in the day that we could hear the glaciers creaking, groaning, and breaking away. However, we were just too late to see the bear that was roaming through the area.

The lake itself is crystal clear as glass. We walked all the way around it and were offered some amazing photographic opportunities. I cannot say enough to describe what a gorgeous day we stumbled upon up at the lake!

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!...For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! -- Romans 11:33 --

a lot of nothing

Today I was bored, exhausted from not sleeping well the last week, and severely drained of motivation to apply for job number 109-ish (and then, consequently, not hear anything back regarding my tailored application). So, instead, I made a couple of my cards, worked on a personal graphic design project, and wrote a four page letter to my friend, Erin. I also went to the craft store for modge podge (glue), for the sole reason of getting out of the house, and stopped at Starbucks just to talk to a familiar former coworker, Veronica. It seemed like a boring, lonely, and un-accomplishing sort of day. Then I read this from the book Emily kindly sent to me and realized that I have a purpose; even in little things:

This week, listening to God and doing what it seemed like he was asking looked a lot like doing nothing, really. -- Shauna Niequist, from Cold Tangerines --

travel documents

I've been doing more traveling this year via air than ever before. When I made my travel arrangements in Christchurch, New Zealand, I was issued a nice plastic document holder for my travel papers. Instead of carrying around a boring-looking, meaningless enclosure for tickets, visas, and itineraries, I decided to really make it mine. I started collecting stickers off of everything and I kept all my luggage claims.

Today, I finally finished filling in the empty places and I coated it with packing tape for a waterproofed and smoother finish so none of the stickers start pealing off. Now when I travel, I have my very own jacket for my travel documents! I know, it's a rather lame project, but it has taken me six months to put this together and I like it; so I wrote about it!

this week's favorite inventions

This week, I enjoyed a few lovely inventions:

one. George Forman Grill and the Panini Sandwich.

two. Cottage Cheese. Good on pasta, sandwiches, by itself, or try it on nachos with tomato, olive, onion, mushroom, and another shredded cheese, if you choose. I would imagine artichoke, pine nuts, or jalapeno would be other great toppers.

three. Pandora Music. If you ever wanted to type in a song, or artist, and get your own personal commercial-free radio station based on those and other personal preferences, this is for you!

four. McCormick's Pepper and Sea Salt Grinders. They are simply fun to use.

five. Adobe's Design software. I don't have much, but I love the ability to create on my computer!

six. Tea Tree Oil. A great natural healing skin ointment and, for me, it has a smell association of New Zealand.

seven. Wireless Internet at coffee shops. Nothing better than getting work done while sipping an amaretto latte in a cozy place!

oh, for a lot of extra dollars

These are so cool. It is Washington, recycled, creative, and gorgeous! If only I had a couple hundred to decorate my life with these!
-- Glass Eye Studio --

art alive

I have found a few artists lately who have really captured my attention in their designs and styles and sounds. Something about them, seems like it fits me; my personality, my mood:

music:
- louise setara
- the blackthorn project
- jralph
- children of agape choir

art and graphics:
- natasha wescoat (Thanks, Angie, for showing me her link. Painting shown is her work).
- brian son

I hope you find some joy in their work like I did!

walls of clouds

I went on a walk about a week ago and beheld a sight that makes me wonder how people can resist the idea of God, the Creator. I walked north, towards an amazing wall of clouds; thick, thunderous, and incredibly contrasted to the southern clear sky, these billows declared power and breathed the genius of the Creator (this photo is taken after I got home and much of the glory was gone; but you get the idea). As the sun sunk lower over the Rocky Mountains, it still clung to the upper reaches of the wall; illuminating them in unimaginable colors from blues and grays to purples, pinks, and oranges. This fortress of moisture was ever-changing as new pillows of white and orange spread up into the atmosphere.

A lot of people were beholding the clouds with me. I met a woman who said she kept tripping on her walk because she was so captivated by the scene, people driving by tried to keep one eye on the road and one out their window, three people gathered on their deck with elbows on the rail just awe-struck, and a boy smiled at me as I walked by and commented on how amazing the view was before quickly turning his face towards the clouds again. This colorful formation even made the evening news.

Lord, haste the day when our faith shall be sight. The clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resounds, and the Lord shall descend. Even so, it is well with my soul. -- Horatio Spafford --

yet another yarn

This year in Antarctica, I had about 35 balls yarn of sent down to work on various projects for my friends back home. Many of them never made it through the production process. But, I did finish a few items. The most involved was this baby blanket for my friends, Erin and Ryan, as they were expecting their first child in March.

I finished all the squares in Antarctica, and began connecting them all together, but ran out of time in the busy end of season activities in McMurdo. So, I finally finished the project a few weeks ago in Canada and sent it to them a few weeks late for the arrival of their baby boy!

Yesterday I flew into Louisville, Kentucky to visit these fine friends and see the little precious new life. And, I saw that they received their colorful blanket. So, for all those who watched my progress, here is the final product!

the world we live in

Most of you probably know I'm a touch green around the edges and I have an interest in sustaining and conserving the earth's resources. I just finished watching the BBC produced, Planet Earth series and was impressed with the "astonishingly beautiful created world" that is portrayed.

This series features a multitude of episodes on different ecosystems and life cycles across the globe. Their photography is stunning and the amount of time they put into their program is simply amazing; it's a testament to the quality of their work. The object of these programs is to show the magnificence of this created world that we live in and provide a general understanding of what sort of animals and unique organisms share our world.

The last disc of the series is about the human impact on the world and goes to length in arguing what it means to be sustainable and ethical. The series addresses climate change, pollution, and other hardships faced by different parts of the earth. What I really appreciated was that, in the middle of this whole argument, many of the people said it shouldn't matter who causes what and whether we are in the middle of a natural climate change or a human-accelerated burst of global warming. What really matters is that we, as a human race, are stewards of the world we live in.

Steward: One who manages another's property, finances, or other affairs (dictionary.com). To do this well, we need to be responsible for our own actions, and we also need to act with wisdom in regards to everything we do. We are not only responsible for ourself, we have a whole community of people and ecosystems under our individual care. We are here to serve our Creator and co-inhabitants.

The bigger question then, is what can I do to make a difference? Here is a start:

one. Why do we need our cucumbers wrapped in plastic? Buy products based on their packaging; or rather, their lack of packaging.

two. Take the time to find out what you can recycle, and go out of your way every now and then to bring specialized items to appropriate recycling dealers.

three. Be aware of how many bottles of water you consume. And, understand that drinking water out of a glass bottle is healthier than drinking out of most plastics. If you require filtered water for your discriminating pallet, filter your own at home and fill up reusable bottles. They work just like the new ones you might buy at the store.

four. Reuse bags; or better yet, get reusable shopping bags for your groceries.

five. Purchase cleaning products, shampoos, and soaps that are safe and biodegradable.

six. Begin researching solar, wind, or other alternative energy for your home. We are on the cusp of being able to efficiently power our lives in an entirely different way! I even watched a feature on a group who was taking rain water from their storm drains to use for their toilets, and washing machines for an $8000 investment in collection and distribution pipes. In the meantime, watch your energy consumption and turn off the lights when you leave the room.

With the amount of clean energy projects and the green mentality in the current pop culture, the prices of environmentally sustainable and biodegradable products is going down. Sometimes, even if we have to pay a bit more, it's worth considering how we might best be a steward of our resources and environment.

One of the final quote from the Planet Earth series: "Our individual contributions can add up to something better."

dear dad

Dear Dad,

Two fives is better than one. Here's to hoping age doesn't slow you down like the speed limit: 55 & climbing!

Happy Birthday!

flowers for cindy

While in Antarctica, one of my always spunky and energetic friends, Cindy, produced my favorite yarn-based creations for the annual McMurdo craft fair. She can whip them out quite quickly and her skills were in high demand as people walked by her table to buy one, or two, or more! I finally sat down to figure out these fun flowers which have turned out quite well considering I had to have my mom help me out with the double crochet stitch.

Thanks for the "recipe," Cindy!

a project or two

While I am in Ontario, I have been working on a few creative projects. I've organized some pictures and sent a couple of baby gifts and made some cards for friends.

I like sending these cards to friends. It gives me time to think about the people I'm sending it to; and in the case of these ones, in particular, I get a lot of that time.

Perhaps my interest in communication encourages me to keep in touch the old fashioned way, and making something with my mind and hands indulges my creative outlet.

According to greetingcard.org (yes, I actually found a website to educate and encourage people to send greeting cards): Although e-mail, text messaging and phone calls are valued by Americans for helping them communicate with family and friends, the majority of Americans say they prefer the old-fashioned handwritten card or letter to make someone feel truly special...cards allow them to keep in touch with friends and family and make them feel they are important to someone else.

While I was in Washington, I picked up a book on three dimensional card making and I've experimented with a few of the designs and some up with a few of my own as well. They turn out pretty good, but they also take a long time to piece together!