hello blog, like always it’s been a spell. today i am finding beautiful things like this and this and i am happy to be among these buzzing words that lead me to scrawling out a few of my own. i am trying to fill myself with more language, more poetry, more. let it all clang around and see what echoes back.
this is my 365th post. i’ve made a year’s worth over a much greater span of time. this was just a quick visit.
Being married to my husband has stretched me in many ways (most of them good), including altering my sleeping and waking habits (not always so good). I’ve always been a night person until I lived with him. When we first started dating, he tricked me into believing he stayed up like me, and I don’t know how it took so long to realize that was all just for me. Now that we’re past the I need to know everything about you all at once! late night conversations, I realize that he is quite happy to be in bed before ten, and that his sleep is a precious commodity he does not like to give up. I am also the girl at slumber parties (not that I’ve had much occasion to attend them since the age of 13…) who keeps talking to you for sometimes minutes at a time before she realizes you’ve fallen asleep, leaving one of those sleep-deprived musings hanging awkwardly, with no certainty of how much the listener took in before drifting off. But I always craved that pillow talk, trail-offs and all, which means that sometimes, I will go to bed at ten just to have that sleepover feel once again, but then lie there restlessly in the dark after dear husband falls asleep at will (how do people do that?). Eventually, I will leave the room and fiddle around on the internet or watch something on TV. Night used to be my productive time, full of energy and creativity, but that requires the illusive second wind, which I tell you, can not be caught when you stop mid-evening for a false bedtime. This restlessness, along with the help of a mocha provided by a generous coworker this morning, brings me here to the blog tonight.
Since sleepovers are for sharing, I’ll share this video with you of my recent poetry reading. I feel a little shy — it’s one thing to read for a small room, another to share it here. But I imagine I’m not the only one who doesn’t like the sound of my voice on tape, so I’ll do it anyway. We were asked to speak about influence/the muse/inspiration, which is where this video begins.
Also, my dear friend from grad school, Bess Winter asked me to design a banner for her website. In addition to the final result, I wanted to share some of the other ideas I had, just for fun. Be sure to visit her website for the final results!
Sleep well, friends.
Easing into my first week at a full-time office job, and pleasantly surprised at the way the mind works. How very productive it can be when we think we are fully occupied with non-creative tasks. One nice thing about an office job is the post-its that are always within reach for a quick list, a snippet of an idea. I don’t mind letting things simmer for awhile, and sometimes dormancy is okay too, leads to something fruitful later.
Evenings fill up with trips to the park to let Winnie run or, as is often the case, drop into a herding stance whenever a strange dog comes in to sight; the garden is almost unmanageable and our sunflowers are monstrous and heavy headed, and there are new things to try, new ways to eat a zucchini, and so much basil. And there are silly and fun distractions like four seasons of Mad Men now on Netflix, me wishing I could steal Joan’s wardrobe for my job (and maybe a bit of her spunk). Oh and large stacks of books from the lovely Columbus library — things like Frank O’Hara’s Lunch Poems and Vincent Huidobro’s Manifestos Manifest. I sample, I write lines hoping to expand them later, and later has not come yet.
I used to hate summer for its thick warmth, my mom’s insistence that I put down that book and go enjoy the sunshine, the necessity of tucking the book underneath my shirt and finding a bit of shade or the branch of a tree to read it in. But now there is sun tea and a porch to drink it on, bricked sidewalks in German Village, city sounds like hovering helicopters, and the heat is nothing you can’t settle into.
So, I just looked at Nikki’s blog post from yesterday and what a super idea to feature a book! It’s also perfect because I (kind of) splurged this week on four books from a series called Documents of Contemporary Art.
It is a truly fabulous series. From the website:
“Each volume in the series is a definitive anthology on a particular theme, practice, or concern that is of central significance to contemporary visual culture. The artists and writers included in these books, like the guest editors who conceive them, represent the diversity of perspectives, generations, and voices defining art today.”
The four I bought were The Everyday, The Sublime, The Cinematic, and The Archive. But there are so many more I want like Beauty, Utopias, Appropriation, Sound, Painting, and Ruins and about a million others that seem like they would be awesome! Plus, they’re cheap and well designed.
You can check out the website here (which is also where I snagged the images from).
We’ll pretend again that Thursday morning is Wednesday night!? Sound good? 
Hope everyone has had a good week!
So, let’s count Thursday midday as Wednesday – sound good? Sorry for the delay you guys!
Today I thought I would just post a sampling of blue, orange, yellow, fuzzy and not images from around the web. In anticipation of fall I’ve been feeling drawn towards these color combinations! My goodness – it seems like it was just a few weeks ago that I was celebrating the start of the summer!
Photos pulled from:
Photographer Brock Davis’ blog: http://www.itistheworldthatmadeyousmall.com
Scotch & Jazz @ Dusk: http://scotchandjazzatdusk.com/
and a Flickr discussion board about Polaroids (apple and flower).
Hope you enjoy and have a wonderful Thursday!
Hello all! It’s good to be back posting!
I spend a lot of time on the internet. I have my usual circuit of about five blogs that I look at everyday and am always looking for new additions to this group. So today, while poking around (and, I admit, trying to think of something to post), I found this site called Candy Coated Universe – the blog of designer Sara Seal. All of her designs are delightful but I totally fell in love with her inspiration section just as much as her original work.
You can visit her website here.
I got all the images from her blog. The first two are her designs and the last two are from her inspiration shots.
Happy Wednesday posting day!
P.S. Here are the five blogs I look at everyday, just in case you’re interested: Design*Sponge, Cup of Jo, Rifle, Jeremy and Kathleen, and Wikstenmade.
Hannah and I will be back to our posts on each others’ blogs next week, but in the meantime, I thought I’d share a recent project with you. A. Minetta Gould asked me to create a book for her chapbook Elephant: Poems for a benefit auction (elephant themed) in Boise. For a trunk-like feel we decided on an accordion. The backs use patterned paper with hand painted detailing. I liked the exposed chipboard for the covers, and made use of my new best friend Absorbent Ground along with watercolors for the cover design.
*Please don’t mind the busy surroundings. I am a lazy (and not very good) photographer.
Since I’ve been on such a watercolor kick lately, I had to share these images by Luci Everett (via Decor8). I hope you enjoy!
I’ve been working on a project for a friend, which I hope to share with you soon.
We are headed up to Michigan for our annual anniversary camping trip, and along the way we’re headed to the Battle Creek Balloon Festival with my family. There is nothing like surrounding yourself with the Great Lakes. Michigan is the best.
Happy Fourth, everyone!
Hello!
The other day Drew, the other half of Made by Good, sent me a fantastic link to this website called Letterpress Daily. Each day, printer David Wolske posts an image of a piece of type – a letter, number, piece of punctuation, even ornaments – along with a black and white right reading print of it. It’s really interesting to see such a diverse display of type!
In addition to Letterpress Daily, David is half of the printing duo Smart & Wiley (see images above). They make some cool stuff!
So, check out Letterpress Daily here and Smart & Wiley here.
(all of the photos today are from the S & W website)