tuesday's playlist

As I sit on my couch with a steaming hot cup of coffee and my 3 puppies, the sky outside is still dark. Life has been busy lately and it's calming to let the still of the morning consume me. I'm going to keep things simple today because it's my first day of classes in over a week. Here is a list of songs that have recently found their way on to my playlist and an artist I found in last months issue of Nylon that I find really inspiring.

Matt Hires - You In The End & Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song

Nicole Atkins - The Way It Is

Ryan Adams - Answering Bell

Tje Austin - Sunshine

Lucy Schwartz - Count On Me

Now if that's not enough inspiration for you, this will certainly push you over the edge.

Alexa Meade paints portraits of people on people. 

Here's the explanation from her website...

Rather than creating representational paintings on a flat canvas, Alexa Meade creates her representational paintings directly on top of the physical subjects that she is referencing. When photographed, the representational painting and the subject being referenced appear to be one and the same as the 3D space of her painted scenes becomes optically compressed into a 2D plane. 

just go here and see for yourself.... http://alexameade.com/ utterly amazing.

Last week I wrote a post about my recent efforts to be more green. In it was a link for non-toxic cleaning recipes. I've tried the household cleaner, drain cleaner, and toilet bowl cleaner and I'm impressed! Not only do they actually work, they don't have that horrible smell most cleaners do that gives me a horrible headache. So I'm breaking up with my old cleaning products and ending our toxic relationship. 

I've also been meat-free since around noon on Saturday March 12 and I'm quite content. I have stocked up on brown rice, whole grain pitas, black beans, almond milk (dark chocolate is my favorite!), cottage cheese, and every veggie & fruit you can possibly imagine. I've went out to dinner twice since then and had no problems finding a delicious vegatarian/vegan entree. So, for me, this has definitely been a positive lifestyle change... so far. I may need to be reminded when I've had a few Teacates at Hooters watching everyone around me eat their delicious wings!

Now to do some more research for an essay I'm writing about Oklahoma's recent decision to suspend funding for public art for three years and why that's a horrible idea. Then InDesign and Business Math :)

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.

Going Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today is all about green. I'm half Irish and filled with delicious memories of my mom making corned beef and cabbage to celebrate. Sometimes she even made green eggs and ham or green jello. Since I haven't eaten any meat since last Saturday, I won't be eating any corned beef, although I am still cooking some for my boyfriend. So I'm putting a little twist on celebrating this holiday full o' green... by doing a few simple things to be more 'green'.

Yesterday I went to Hancock Fabrics. It's one of my favorite places, aside from the library or Half Price Books, because everyone is friendly and interested in knowing what you're making, and also because I like walking up and down the aisles touching the different textures of fabric. I made my way slowly to the back of the store and chose a white nylon mesh material. When I took it to the counter, the clerk told me it was on sale and only $2.50 a yard, which made me even happier. So I bought 2 yards and drove home with the windows rolled down listening to Florence & the Machine extremely loud.

2 hours and a tall can of Chelada later, this is what I had...

nylon mesh reusable produce bag

A few years ago I started collecting tote bags to put my groceries in so that I didn't have to use plastic. But when I buy produce I'm stuck with using those annoying rolls of plastic bags that refuse to cooperate and always stick together. So I did a little research online and found a few tutorials on how to make my own reusable bags. I didn't follow a pattern and just kind of experimented, but I'm pretty pleased with my first attempt. I chose a pretty green ribbon with flowers that I'd had for a while to make a drawstring to tie the bag closed. Sewing it by hand was kind of a pain and took forever but luckily Miranda is visiting me next month and she's going to thread my sewing machine and show me how to use it so I can make more bags in less time!

My other green project for the day was inspired by my friend Diana, who sent me an email with a link to Non-Toxic Cleaning Recipes. Not only are they safe but they're also cheaper! I personally can't say whether they're more effective because I just bought all the ingredients this morning and haven't made them yet, but I will let you know tomorrow!