A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.

Reading has alway been a part of my life. I remember as a little girl sitting in my grandpa's lap, looking through books that he received in the mail from Reader's Digest each month. There were books about poems, monuments, the seven wonders of the world and I was fascinated. Each night I'd curl up in be with my little pink bear and listen to my mom read me a golden book (and then beg her to read just one more). We went from golden books to chapter books, and soon I was the one reading to her.
Each time I open a book, I'm instantly transported to the attic of the high school on the movie The Neverending Story, where Bastian sits under a blanket reading the book. I can't even count how many times I've stayed up literally all night long because a book was so good I simply could not stop reading. I often tell myself 'just one more chapter' but that usually becomes two or three more until my eyes cannot stay open and I wake up with an open book across my chest.
I'm obsessed with the library, Borders, Half-Price Books, and Amazon. I own a Kindle DX and two 6 ft tall bookshelves that I clean out every few months to make room for my newest editions. So needless to say, books a huge part of my life. Probably the most long lasting, stable relationship I am in <3.
There are so many good books and it literally breaks my heart to know that some people haven't experienced the utter joy that I experienced while reading them... so I'm going to start blogging about books on Wednesdays.
I've already blogged about Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert but it is truly my most favorite book. ever. If I was stranded on an island and could pick one book, that would be it. I love Liz (yes, in my mind, we are on a first name basis) and when in a difficult situation I often ask myself 'What would Liz do'? 'How would Liz handle this?'. Liz has a way of putting feelings and emotions that you didn't even know you had into words that make your soul sing when you read them. I've bought 7 copies of this book and as of right now
I don't have any of them. I read them, highlight my favorite parts then find a friend who hasn't read the book yet. So I give them the book and buy myself another. It's a cycle I don't mind repeating because I have yet to find someone who hasn't loved the book. If you haven't read this book, you need to. If you've already read it, you need to read it again.
"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it."
— Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) 

Another book I recommend for daily reading is The Awe-Manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder by Jill Badonsky. There is a page for every day of the year filled with daily soul vitamins (better known as quotes), toasts, famous birthdays and quirky holidays you've never heard of. Think of it as a playful twist on the Farmer' Almanac, full of way to spark your creativity!
For example, on today, March 9th, the daily soul vitamin says "The only rule is that there are no rules." - Del Close
The Aha-phrodisiac suggest to make artwork to go with John Calvi's quote: "When I took the leap, I had faith I'd find the net; instead I learned to fly."
If I had to describe it in one word, I'd say fun. A great go-to book when you're having an off day or need some inspiration.
According to the Awe-Manac, tomorrow is pet appreciation day.... which gives me a topic for tomorrow.... my 3 dogs, 3 cats and cockatiel :)
 

Ode to the wonderful women in my life on International Women's Day

Today is the 100th International Women's Day!!!!

“International Women’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.”

I'm celebrating by having a huge glass of Barefoot Moscato, listening to my favorite women singers (Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Patsy Cline, Rachael Yamagata, Melody Gardot, and last but definitely not least, Adele) and reflecting how important the women are in my life.

my mommy

Let's start with the obvious. My Mother. The woman who gave birth to me almost 29 years ago and has carried me ever since. My mother is a wise woman who gave me great advice as I was growing up such as, 'you can't always get what you want', 'you get more bees with honey than you do vinegar', 'shit in one hand, wish in the other and see which fills up faster,' 'good things come in little packages', 'tables are for glasses, not asses', 'treat others the way you want to be treated' and my favorite 'there's nothing a man can do that a woman cannot do better.' My mom works in the shipping dept in a factory and works harder than most men I know. My little 4'11 mom is on her feet all day, she can lift heavy things, she can fix things, build things and she can open jars when the lids are on too tight. She has tattoos on both arms, reads romance novels, is incredibly artistic, loves animals and basically kicks ass. My mom is bad ass. She's put up with me doing every stupid thing you can possibly think of. and I seriously mean every thing you can think of. Not only is my mom the perfect mixture of strong and sensitive, she still loves me unconditionally when i'm a complete asshole. Thank you mom for being simply amazing.

Samantha & I

Next is my little sister, Samantha. Oh dear little sister who has put up with me for the past 22 years of your life. It literally amazes me every day that you still speak to me after I told you that you were adopted, abducted by aliens, convinced you that lemon juice tasted like lemonade, and made you sandwiches consisting of peanut butter jelly and a whole jar of salt. Now you're all grown up and would probably kick my ass if I tried something like that because I'm not quite sure how or why, but you're freaking taller than I am. I blame mom. You've grown to be an incredible talented artist, graduating from college this spring and getting married next fall. I'm beyond proud of and happy for you.

Last but not least, my lovely girlfriends. I am basically the luckiest girl in the whole entire world because I'm 100% positive that I have the most amazing group of friends.

Katie & I

I've been bff with Katie since 2nd hour Art class on the first day of freshman year of high school. We've remained close even though we've lived thousands of miles apart for the past 10 years. She truly inspires me and isn't afraid to tell me when i'm being ridiculous (which I usually am).

The girls in CO for Jill's bachelorette

We belong to a wonderful little group of girls from a small little town who have managed to stay close after we graduated 11 years ago. Jill, Angela, Jamie, Sara and Angie. I could seriously write a book about these girls. We are all so incredibly different but we work so well together! We reunite for weddings and bachelorette parties. We regularly send emails and texts just to say hello, have a great day, love you... these girls are amazing.

Leslie, Miranda & I on my 28th B-day

Then there is my darling Miranda, who I met in 1st grade. She is incredibly artistic, fun and just beautiful!  Miranda is probably one of the only people I can stay on the phone with for 4 hours on a Saturday afternoon and only end the conversation because she has an idea that she needs to draw!

Amber & I

Last but not least, my incredible Oklahoma friends. I've been lucky enough to make some amazing friends since moving to Oklahoma almost 8 years ago. Courtney, Amber, Amber, Diana, Cindi, Shasta, Leslie, Amy, April, Carin, Debra, Amanda, Tammy, Yara, Tamra, Michelle... I'm sure I missed someone but these girls have all been an important part of my life since moving here and I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for them. They're one of the best things about living in Oklahoma.

Shasta & I

April, Diana, Cindi, Amber & I 

It's women like these that truly inspire me. Each are beautiful, supportive and play a very important role in my life. I don't know what I would do without them, and let's hope I never have to.

Courtney & I

Diana & I

my crazy wig b-day party

if you're a bird...

When a friend of a friend contacted me to do this 24" x 24" x 1.5" painting I was sooo excited and now that I'm done I'm even more excited because I think it turned out really well. All I have to do is let it finish drying, spray it and it will be on it's way to Pennsylvania!

monday morning (caffeine added)

So I didn't get quite as much done yesterday as I had hoped, but today is a new day! I've been up for 2 hours and had about 3 cups of coffee..... in case the super optimistic mood on a monday morning didn't give it away.
This is my 8th week of being a college student. I'm half way through my first semester and next week is spring break... if only I could be a stereotypical college student and go somewhere sunny and fun for spring break. I can hear cancun calling my name.... But instead I'll be working on taking new photos for my etsy shop, rewriting my item descriptions and hopefully listing some more of the paintings that are currently hanging on my living wall, waiting patiently for me to take the time to list them.
my goal is to start selling regularly so that I don't have to get a part time job while I'm in school. As I've been looking for jobs I've found more and more that a requesting a photo be sent with the resume... I won't even get started on everything that is totally wrong with this. I also am completely spoiled and don't want to work nights or weekends. I just want a nice little office job where I can be pleasant and answer phones and organize stuff. and then go to school and not stress over my job. Is that too much to ask? apparently so. because I'm unemployed.
I am pretty excited about my next essay for English Comp. We have to write about a current issue on campus or in the state, then propose a realistic solution and I've chose to write about public art. The lovely governor of the state of oklahoma has propsed a 5% cut on art funding and house Bill 1665 was approved by the committee and will soon be debated on the house floor to discontinue Oklahoma's public art for a minimum of 3 years. Oklahoma Arts Council has put together a wonderul  site full of resources about this issue and I can't wait to start writing. I am only slightly getting a head of myself considering I haven't finished my essay due this week about how to train for a 5k.... speaking of 5k's... my first one of the year is on Sunday. Run Lucky is a fun costume race and i already have fun green tights and a shirt... I'll be making a tutu this week..... pics will be up sunday :)
Ok, enough rambling.... time to go to the mac lab and finish up my photoshop homework.... I need a mac so i can sit in my pajamas on the couch and do homework instead.

painting in pajamas

My favorite thing about today is that there isn't anything that I have to do. Not a damn thing. I have the house to myself and I'm actually still in my pajamas, which I will probably still in all day long, just because I can. I woke up late, drank a few cups of coffee... watched The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire (not as good as the books, but I wasn't expecting them to be). I seem to have a horrible habit of not being able to concentrate on one thing. I couldn't even watch the movies without checking next weeks homework assignments, downloading a few new songs (Spark - Revolving... thanks Nylon for another perfect recommendation), updating my facebook, redesigning my twitter, checking my email, and browsing through a few etsy team members blogs. There's just not enough hours in the day.
Now I need to work on two paintings I'm in the middle of... another habit of mine... I can't seem to finish one before starting another... I guess that's because I need something to do while one if drying.
Currently I'm working on the notebook painting, I should finish tonight and will post pictures as soon as I do... the other is something totally out of my comfort zone... i'm working on a 30" x 40" canvas for an art exhibition calling Biting the Apple put on by Individual Artists of Oklahoma (which I am a very proud member of!) The theme is Gallery de Grindhouse.... this is my first attempt at painting a body and so far so good.... i'm not far enough along to post pictures but once I fix a few things I will... I love pin ups! now off to paint in my pajamas.

this is your life.

My bff posted this on her fb today and i love it. simple but oh so true and often overlooked.
happy friday :)

saying good bye to another canvas

I keep staring at the clock. I hate waiting. I'm super impatient and I realize this is a huge flaw but I'm really just not patient enough to fix it. I have class at 1:30 and 5:30 on Thursdays. So I have all this time to sit and look at the clock... counting down the minutes until I have to get ready and leave. I've already went running, watched last nights episode of America's Next Top Model (guilty pleasure!), made eggs and toast for breakfast, talked to my friend Jill, and unloaded then loaded the dishwasher. 21 minutes until I have to take a shower. ugh.
Anyway... on to the canvas. It's a 24" x 48" x 1.5" that I was asked to paint a few months ago. I took my time with it because I wanted to do something different and wanted it to be perfect. It's not only the first abstract I've done in a long time and one of the biggest, it's also my first experiment with modeling paste! Here's the pic... then I'll explain how I did it....

The inspiration for this painting was the song Take Me Home by After Midnight Project. When I opened the canvas (which is my favorite part!! I love the smell of the of new canvas)I first painted a few layers of dark grey to get the right background color. Then I started with the paint drips. Usually I'm an extreme control freak, which was ever so lovingly pointed out to me by an artist friend, and I like to put the paint in very clean defined lines wherever I see fit... so this was a huge step for me! My initial thought when I heard the song was heartbreak and the picture that formed in my head was driving home through tears, which mimicked rain. So the drips would represent the tears, but like how rain hits and flows on a windshield I didn't want just straight lines. So I used (don't laugh) an empty laughing cow cheese container to have the paint flow around. After it dried and I tried to remove them, they stuck and I kind of liked it.... so I painted them. But the just didn't look quite right so that's where the modeling paste comes in. I mixed it with a light grey to contrast and gooped it on. I love the effect! Then I cut out stars and placed them all over the canvas. Using a tooth brush, I got extremely speckled with paint and I ran my thumb over the bristles to speckle paint on the canvas. Pull off the cut out stars and viola! Then I added the music notes because i think that music is important when it comes to heartbreak. That's a whole other blog post in itself so I won't get started on that subject. But yeah... it's finished and going to it's new home on Friday.
Now I'm working on a 24" x 24" for a friend of a friend in Pennsylvania, which I started last weekend and should be finished with by Sunday. It's a really fun project that includes a quote, ocean sunset and two love birds. I'll post pictures when I'm finished.... now to get ready for business math.