fluttery paper butterlies

I know I've seen butterfly mobiles somewhere before so I can't take creativity credit for my whim yesterday to slice up an old book and make some butterflies.
{tho I may be the only grown woman unabashedly making one for myself, instead of some deserving young girl}

Want to make one too?  It's easy and fast.  {about an hour if you're fast with scissors}

 What you'll need:

• an old book - I chose mine for the linen quality paper and yellowed pages over a crispy new type.  It felt more romantic and fluttery.

• scissors, fishing line and glue of your choice - {I prefer hot glue, no question it'll stick and the smell is oh so crafty}

• a round object to hang the strands of butterflies from - I was impatient and didn't want to run to the store so I looped some light weight wire twice and twisted it around itself to create an interesting texture. 

then...

• cut a bunch of butterflies of varying shapes and styles from the pages of the book

• tie strands of fishing line to the round object and hang the whole mess from something high enough to work easily around it {5 strands for me, and I hung it from the light in my room}

• place butterflies one by one on the strands of fishing line paying attention to the balance so it hangs straight from the base. I cut squares from the pages to use to secure the glue.  As the glue was setting I bent the butterfly at the seam to give the effect of fluttering wings

• trim off excess line and clean off hot glue spidery webs from everything

• Ta da! A butterfly mobile.

 I went to the library last night after I finished my mobile.  Must have been all those fluttering words hanging around getting me in the mood.  When faced with all those shelved universes to peek into I can't get too involved in trying to take only the perfect ones home with me.  So instead I pick books mostly for the cover.  I get sucked in with a witty title, pretty typeface or a great image.  I'll skim the first page to see if the author can catch me in the first few lines and from there I'll take the stack of contenders home to weed out the worthwhile from the fluff.

It is national poetry month, so go enjoy some poems.  I grabbed Say Uncle, Kay Ryan because of the poem below.

Happy Friday!

5 day weather

 I love weather. {is that silly?} Just this last week was a perfect example of exceptional weather. Wednesday was warm and overcast and I spent a chunk of the afternoon in the warehouse above working on a float for a parade this summer.

 Thursday it was full on Spring and we sat out on our porch painting rocks, laughing, and watching the neighborhood come to life as everyone and their dog {literally} walked by.

 Cat observing her domain.

I'm skipping Saturday because it will get its very own post, but rain turned to snow over night and so Sunday was about the epitome of Utah spring weather with a bit of everything rolled into one.

I especially like this one above because it seems like the hopeful little buds were encased in glass, or sugar.

Hope you had a lovely weekend. I did!

a day of silence: for Japan, with love

Across the blogosphere today bloggers are uniting in a day of silence in respect for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

 So I'm posting this tonight {the night before} and while this may be breaking the silence in a way by still having something to say in my post about silence, I thought I'd share a few images and memories from one of the last times I visited Japan.

{I have a disk full of images from Japan that I can't find of landscapes and temples...grrr...these ones are some my friend Jason took when we went to Fukuoka for a 'visa run'}

Fukuoka, or Canal City, was such a contrast to what I was used to living in wild, bustling Seoul at the time.  Everything was very clean. There were beautiful, well kept gardens everywhere we turned, even the busy streets seemed quiet.  My lasting impressions of the place is the surreal peaceful quietness that seemed to come from the people and infuse their way of life with an inner calm. 

This inner calm is something I've had in mind since hearing about what they are going through right now.  I imagine them pulling together to rebuild and help each other. 

Our prayers and thoughts are with you, dear Japan.

my living room

Continuing inside from my last 7th Ave post where I played with exterior details and landscaping, the living room is the next space I've been dreaming about.  One of the best rooms in my house with the same heaps of potential that can be found all over the place in this little house. With a view that stops my friends in their tracks and great sunshine almost all day, I love spending time in here.

The East wall with the fireplace and stain glass windows flanking either side is pretty even as it is now.  The colors of the glass aren't my favorite and staying true to every bit of the history of a home can be a hindrance, but in this case, it could definitely a good decision.

Same thing goes for the stone around the fireplace.  I'd never pick it given the chance, but even I were given the chance I would probably opt to spend the money on furniture and other more more needed changes.  Plus, I like wacky things about old homes.  If I wanted to erase all of them, I should just move into a new place right?  So right.

A few of those changes would include new knobs for the door leading into the space from the entry.  Something with a bit a sparkle.  I'd leave the pretty high gloss beams, but nix the ceiling tile as one of the first must do projects.  Next up would be a fresh coat of paint and while a warm gray {or grayish green or blue} would probably be my first choice, today I'm in the mood for something bright and sassy and the 2011 color of the year, Honeysuckle sounds like a very fun option.  Or maybe a coral... Paint is a noncommittal thing for me.  I don't mind painting, so I go bold without hesitation knowing I can change it easily.

Next up, I'd ditch the carpet for the existing wood floors beneath {I peaked, they are indeed there in all their glory. Pretty wood too. What a shame to cover it up.} Add a rug like the one below, or the bright Amy Butler at the top of this post for some more color and I'd be well on my way to living room bliss.

Infuse the space with lots of lamp light, a smattering of the natural textures that I love mixed with some fun patterns and a healthy dose of original art and photography and I'd say I was well on my way to having a dream living room.  I don't consider any room in my personal space ever completely finished and don't ever plan out every last detail.  I rather get it going in the right direction then live with it as the other parts come together over time.

Next up: the adjacent dining room

a dose of courage

Do you ever feel like you can hear the same thing multiple times then all at once you really hear it, and it feels like the first time?

As I sat in a classroom full or my peers today listening to the description of courage and how it is necessary to truly connect I started making connections of my own.  I'm not going to even look up the true meaning of courage because what it means to me matters more right now than what Webster has to say.

Fact:  the word courage has root in the latin word cor, meaning heart.

Courage to me then is allowing myself to put my whole heart into something even with plenty of fear present because being vulnerable is part of the deal.  Powering through it is the part to achieve.

Why the post on courage?  Because as of late I've been living with one foot in and one foot out and I think it is a dose of courage that is needed.


Image borrowed from this site, the Euro version of Etsy.

distracted

Hard to concentrate just now when this kind of sunset is going on outside. Photos of sunsets never come close to the real deal, but it was nice to go outside and stand in the parking lot after the beautiful rainstorm today to enjoy the last little bits of daylight.

Hope you are all having a lovely week so far.

resolutions for 2011

Tonight I have been reflecting on 2010 and the experiences I want to learn from and the other things that I want to take with me into the new year.  I love resolutions for that reason.  New beginnings.

I have big expectations for this year.  {Eleven is my favorite number after all.}

{the images are from a goal mapping assignment my last semester of school and represent a few of the things I hope to do with myself in 2011.}

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

{image}

Christmas Eve Clam Chowder

To get the full story hop on over to Recycled Design.  Super talented and adorable Amanda is doing Twelve Days of Christmas Traditions and I'm sharing my favorite tradition today!

entry bliss

As I mentioned, I moved last week. And I'm glad to be on this side of that project.

 I was very happy in my tiny little place {lovingly known on the blog as 'square inches'} so when I stopped by a friend's on the way home and found out they had a spare room available, I only checked it out because I was curious what the rest of the house looked like and this was the perfect excuse to poke around.

About 5 minutes later we were deep into the details of what it'd take for me to move in.  Snap decisions have a way of sneaking into my life at random and this definitely can be counted as one of those.  This was Tuesday night, I was all moved in by Saturday.

The great thing about this house is that I've doubled my personal space, have a giant room for storing my goods and the biggest development - I now have my bed back and gone are the days of sleeping on my {albeit comfortable} fold down sofa.

The rest of the house is a treasure chest of lovely details, but mostly the kind go unnoticed because it'd take some work to really make the place shine.

The entry is just such a spot.  Right now there isn't much to it, but if I had it my way it'd be fresh, inviting and since the house is occupied by three women, feminine in a naturally inspired way.

I'd buy this house if I could.  There is endless potential from the coffered ceiling to the giant backyard to the large picture windows overlooking downtown.

love is spoken here

 My grandparent's home is the hub of our family.
I thought about this as I listened to my cousin explain to her daughter how we all fit together, connecting us with the people she is more familiar within her family. We may be scattered from coast to coast {and beyond} but it all comes back to this little brick home stock full of love.  Built by my grandpa and filled with treasures from his travels in the Air Force, paintings done by my grandma in every room, and chairs that have upper case names like Grandpa's Reading Chair and Grandma's Brown Chair, everywhere I turn there are memories; some old, and some in the making.  I love being there any day of the year but especially during holidays when there are yummy smells and family gathered there.

One of the things I love about the kitchen are the cupboards.  Packed with all the things needed to pull off a holiday.  And since I'm not a cook in the family, rather a dish washer, I have come to love the items and the way they all fit snugly back where they came from at the end of the day.

I'm easily drawn to pretty things, organizing, and pulling off a well planned day. Sometimes I think I can easily take for granted the other little things that matter even more.  The laughter, the way each person fills in their place that makes a family and the love that ties us all together.  Can't find that kind of greatness in a cupboard!

 
I've started my own Thanksgiving tradition over the last few years.  A nice long hike in the morning makes me feel less guilty about the gluttony later on.  And I think it is a great way to start out a day all about giving thanks since being outside is just one of the many things I'm thankful for.

Roy - {the Snow Ninja from last post}

midterm reflection

{image from my morning run through Memory Grove}

"I believe America does have a divine destiny, and when we perform that great service to humanity which the Founders envisioned, I think the whole world will be a happier, more prosperous, and more peaceful place to live. " 

- Orrin Hatch {taken from the 5000 Year Leap Foreword}

29 on the 29th

 Earlier this week I wrote down 29 things I was grateful about this past year.  Celebrating life and summing up a year is pretty fun to do.  I don't know if birthdays mean extra introspection for any of you, but I can usually depend on an extra helping of contemplation about this time of year.  I'm happy to be alive and it felt good to check off a few things off my list this year making 28 a pretty solid year.  

I won't list all 29 things here {I'll leave out the simple but wonderful things like my new found love for sprinkling white cheddar topping on my popcorn} but a few other highlights:

Graduating.

 My relationship with my Grandparents.

Spending time with my whole family this fall in one of my favorite places.

Moving to my own little place.

Welcoming a little gray furball {who is curled up on my lap and holding my left arm hostage making typing a little awkward}into my life.

Work that challenges me.

A great neighborhood full of new friends.

Health.

...

...

Thanks to you my blogging friends and family, you were counted among the 29 great things because you are truly a highlight in my life too.

Here's to another great year!

keep me warm

while fall is my favorite season it brings with it cold weather and I love a good snow storm as much as the next skier but I don't much care for the day to day ice cube weather.

Shivering as I got ready this morning I reluctantly closed my windows while humming {I don't subject Cat to my singing} Billie Holiday's I've got my love to keep me warm.  

On my winterizing checklist:

Cozy up my bed with thicker sheets and get my Pendleton Wool blanket out of the closet.

Find my box of coats.

Learn to knit.  OK, very unlikely, but if I did I'd make a head to toe cocoon much akin to the famed Snuggie.  

{hilarious parody here.}

Join this gym.  Warm indoor fun year round with the added perk of nightly yoga classes. Sweeet.

PS - Why the llama?  It is from a Banana Republic ad campaign from a decade ago.  I loved it now as much as I did then.

storm chasing {or evading}

a good friend {lets call him LT}and I hiked up the mountain behind our neighborhood last night just asking to get soaked by the storms swirling around the valley. No such luck, but we did have a fantastic view of the city at dusk from the top and the Tibetan prayer flags were beautiful fluttering in the wind.

The hike was especially pretty to me with all the muted colors saturated by the storm so that there was more color at dusk than seemed natural. The wind was really whipping the tall, dry grass creating golden waves.  It had a softening effect so that only bits of the landscape would be in focus at any one time. I really enjoyed all the blurriness the wind was creating. {This coming from the girl who likes to run fast on trails for the same blurring effect. Why have I never broken an ankle?}