Couch Surfing.

Our friends Matt and Paulette clued us into a site called Couch Surfing. It's basically a social network with a twist. It's for people who want to travel on a budget and experience culture on a deeper level. You can post a profile and either offer your couch for someone to crash on or you can search for someone who has a couch you can crash on. It sounds like such a great idea so I signed us up and offered our couch/guest room. We were a little hesitant about safety at first but Matt and Paulette had a great first experience with their first surfer. They had a girl, Frederieke, from Germany stay with them for awhile last month. We met her one night when we all went to see a movie and she was a very nice. We figured we'd invite someone into our home first before traveling elsewhere so we can get used to the idea. Well, there's the update (plus it was a totally good excuse to post this awesome couch from Anthropologie). I'm so excited! I hope someone wants to come visit us way out here in the sticks!

I carry your heart with me.

Many of my friends and family are curious about my tattoo. Though I'm sure there will be more to come, my one and only tattoo is a line from an ee cummings poem. The poem is called "i carry your heart with me".

My sister, April, is my best friend (as many of you know) and we are probably closer than a lot of siblings are so we wanted to get tattoos that represented our unique bond without having something too cheesy. We chose this poem because it is a beautiful love poem that best describes our relationship and incorporates nicknames that my mother has called us since we were little. I have always been "Moonbeam" since I was the moody night child. And April is "Sunshine" because she was the energetic day child. So April's tattoo says "You are whatever a moon has always meant". And mine says "and whatever a sun will always sing is you". Here is the full poem. It still makes me cry every time I read it.

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

-ee cummings

I <3 Nebulae.

Ben is very into Astronomy....NOT Astrology, as I so eloquently call it. He is always showing me the latest pictures of gamma ray bursts or explaining that a comet's "tail" does not actually "follow" the comet as it appears to or discussing star nurseries, the Big Bang Theory (which is also our new favorite sitcom) or dwarf galaxies and how black holes are born (yes Ben I actually did retain all of this information). I really am fascinated with it all and even more fascinated at all he knows but in all honesty much of the science of it goes right over my head and sounds more like a twisted, cosmic, fairy tale than reality.

I do however always love the pictures. They are just absolutely stunning and so surreal. These photos look more like oil paintings to me than real life. They give me the sense of being very connected to this giant, infinite universe and being amazed that I belong to this, while at the same time making me feel so small and alone and insignificant. At times I feel as if I am swallowing the universe and other times that the universe is swallowing me.

Anyway, let's talk about Nebulae, which according to Wikipedia are "interstellar formations of dust, hydrogen gas and plasma." The way I understand it, nebulae are the beginning stages of stars and planets (Ben correct me if I am wrong). The dust, gasses and other matter start to bond creating larger and larger formations and eventually get large enough to create stars. The stars then have enough gravitational pull to attract more matter to them, creating plasma which forms the basis for other planetary objects. So there are many different types of nebulae which all have different characteristics. So here are a few of my favorites.


The Fox Fur Nebula:

Inside the Eagle Nebula:

The "Fairy" in the Eagle Nebula:

The Rosette Nebula:

The Keyhole Nebula:

And I don't care what anyone says, this is totally a unicorn:

Royal Couture.

I am in love! This is from a photo shoot with Emily Blunt in the new issue of Vanity Fair. I didn't actually read the article because I was so mesmerized by the photos by Michael Roberts and the dresses but I believe it is for a new period film that she is in called The Young Victoria (I'm assuming it will be similar to 2006's Marie Antoinette-at least the shoot resembles the one that VF did with Kirsten Dunst at Versailles for that film-even the color palette is uncanny). The second dress is actually a Dior gown that I blogged about in February and this shoot completely embodies everything that I pictured when I saw that dress. Of course, I must point out that it's really not accurate because it is clearly more French inspired than British as it should be to correctly represent the film. Not that I'm one to complain about gratuitous French Couture ;) Link to Vanity Fair to check out more amazing photos.

Ma Maison.

I have been trying to enjoy my home a bit more. I tend to get so tied up in decorating and "fixing" and cleaning that it's easy for me to forget to take a breather and actually enjoy the comfortable sanctuary that we've started to create. While it is not my very own...it is filled with a lot of love and crammed with all of my favorite things. I thought it would be nice to start to share pictures of "ma maison". I don't have too many right now. This one is just a simple shot of the dusty perfume bottles on my bureau. I will try to post a few updated ones soon.

The Art of Bellydance.

I can't sleep because I'm not feeling well....so I decided to play on my blog. I've been thinking a lot recently about beginning belly dancing classes again. I took classes in Worcester MA for a year or so and it is such a work out but you don't even realize it because it's just so much fun. My teacher, Shazar, was an older woman who was so uniquely beautiful. She was Egyptian and was just so graceful and feminine when she danced. Her husband Louie played drums while we danced. It was such a great experience.
Check out Shazar's page: http://www.shazardance.com/index.html

Though I really liked Shazar and her style, I'm hoping to find a class or teacher closer to my home and starting up again. I highly recommend this form of dance to any woman who wants to get in touch with their "inner goddess".

Anthropologie is in my blood.

I was looking for images from Anthropologie catalogs to get some home design inspiration and I came across this amazing photo:What's funny is that I have a photo of myself that I made my sister take of me last year while antiquing in Maine (I say made because I specifically remember her making fun of me for wanting a pics of myself but this shop was just so cool that I needed proof that I was there). The photo she snapped and the one I took of the shop's ceiling is eerily similar ...of course it isn't such a stunning photo and I'm not wearing any wonderful Anthropologie fashions but you get the idea. Strange?

Music of the soul- Francoise Hardy

One of my all time favorites. Francoise Hardy. She is a French lounge-type singer who was popular in the 60's. She is a style icon and chanteuse extraodinaire...did I mention she's French? Her music is fairly simplistic (though I think anything in French is fabulous) and it's very catchy. I highly recommend purchasing The Vogue Years which is a great CD collection of her work including "Tous Les Garçons et Les Filles" which is probably her most popular song. So awesome to listen to while washing your lingerie by hand in lavender water or drinking champagne and playing dress up before you go out with the girls...or something equally pretentious.

Springtime.

It finally feels like spring! We did some yard work at Ben's mother's house yesterday morning before a great, hot, turkey dinner. Then we headed to my mom's for a second dinner of ham and turkey sandwiches, pasta and potato salad and some great desserts. My mom, as always outdid herself with all the pretty decorations. We played games for the rest of the evening and then headed home for movies and relaxing before the week ahead. I hope everyone had a wonderful day welcoming spring and spending time with family and friends!

Music of the soul- Devendra Banhart

I couldn't wait a full week to post about more music. There are so many artists that I love, I really think I could post one a day and have enough to talk about for years. So, next is Devendra Banhart. He is an eccentric folk singer who spent most of his childhood in Venezuela. I first heard his music on his album Cripple Crow. But he has some older recordings and a newer CD out called Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Mountain. I am really loving this rootsy/folksy style that artists are experimenting with recently. There is a definite Native American, hippie, naturalist vibe to a lot of the music I am into recently. I don't know if that's a good way to describe it. Well let's see...maybe this is better....it's the kind of music I would listen to if I were going on a spiritual vision quest to Sedona, traveling on the back of an albino elk with my barefooted, long haired children in tow and we stop at every forest we see to build fairy houses and take naps and play in the grass, and maybe encounter a gang of gypsies who we barter flower garlands and stolen gold jewelry with and when we finally make it to Sedona I realize that the whole trip has been a red-wine and opium induced dream. Yeah...it's that kind of music.

Lila Star.

My cousin Luke's wife, Lila Star, passed away after a very long struggle with cystic fibrosis. Today was the funeral. It was beautiful and of course very sad. They had only been married a few years and she was very young. She was a free spirit and her and Luke had the sweetest relationship. The family is happy that she is not struggling any more but our hearts go out to Luke. I just can't imagine going through what he is. Luke is a carpenter and spent the day after she passed building her casket from pine that he cut himself from the land that he owns up in Maine. How romantic and sad. Ben and I promised to learn from their story. Their love was so short lived but it was so pure. We have our whole lives ahead of us and are both in good health and there is nothing stopping us. I, like anyone I suppose, spend far too much time worrying and stressed about all of life's little trials. Lila was sick for her whole life and struggled to do many of the things that I am perfectly capable of, yet she was still such a genuine and beautiful person. I really have no excuses and it makes me a little embarrassed that I waste so much life and energy on trivial things. If nothing else, Lila has taught me that I should appreciate life a bit more, love a lot more and be sooo sooo overjoyed that I still have so much time.

Music of the soul- Bat for Lashes

So as I've gotten more into reading other people's blogs I'm noticing a trend. People tend to pick a few things and try to update their blog on those things fairly regularly. My friend Gina is doing her altered art projects once a week (I was supposed to do this with her but have not been able to commit to it because of my art class). And my friend Jen (who is an art teacher) has been doing a fabulous daily update called Teacher Style Files where she posts her daily wardrobe: http://jenni-n-kev.livejournal.com/.
I really love this way of blogging. I feel like it gives readers something to look forward to. I don't want to steal their wonderful ideas so I've decided to start posting some info about some of my favorite bands and music. Music is such a huge part of my life. I seriously have so many themed playlists on my itunes. They are all soundtracks to my life. So I thought I would share. I will try to blog once a week.

I'll start this week with Bat for Lashes who is Natasha Khan. I am completely obsessed. I think I know every word on her first album Fur and Gold which came out last year and "What's a Girl to Do?" has been my ringtone on my phone for a year now and I still can't get enough. I have been chomping at the bit for the new album Two Suns to come out....and it's sooo close: April 6th! Her voice is so ethereal and very...haunting I guess would be a good word. Her videos are amazing and on top of all of this her style is so unique. Love her.

Anthropologie

I just got a second job at Anthropologie, which is my absolute favorite store ever! I'll probably only be working a few days a week but it will be great to be making some extra money and it is just such an inspiring place. I'm going to have to really try hard to not spend my whole paycheck on clothes! Their new spring collections are so fun and colorful. I can't wait to start!

Rosey Outlook.

I was organizing my photos and found this one that I took last year in Maine while antiquing with my sister. It made me smile and think of summer and day trips to visit my Gram, and farmstands, and cookouts and wearing no shoes whenever possible. Hope it does the same for you!

Sunday.

We didn't have too much going on this Sunday. I re-potted a few plants that I picked up for free on Craigslist (if you haven't guessed-I have a bit of an addiction to Craigslist). They were all in desperate need of some help and their owner is moving to Alaska so he needed a new home for them. There is a palm-type tree, a little cactus, two tropical type plants which I can't identify and a sad little sprig of Ivy that is hanging on for dear life. We will see if I can work my magic on them. I also planted some flower seeds in plastic egg cartons a few days ago and I already have a few tiny sprouts! It is finally starting to feel like spring! Ben and I also got a few new fish for our tank-two siamese algae eaters and two beautiful angel fish. I also finished working on my "Vision Board" today. I made one of these at a job a couple of years ago and it was so inspiring I wanted to do another one. Basically you sit down and write out your goals and aspirations (short term or long term). Then find pictures that represent those goals and create your "board". I took it a step further and decided to keep a journal on how I am going to acheive those goals. It was really fun to make and the end result was just so colorful and happy. I love it! I'm going to post mine in my studio so that I don't lose sight of what my dreams are for this year. Here are the pics from a productive Sunday! Hope everyone has a great week! Paix et joie!

Vintage Art Supplies.

I was running errands today in Concord MA and stopped into Thoreauly Antiques right in historic Concord center. This is by far my absolute favorite antique shop (and that says a lot). They have great vintage odds and ends that are perfect for assemblage and collage art and the owner is so helpful and charming. Today I couldn't resist a set of antique powdered pigment vials with the labels still intact. Lovely! We're off to pick up the new bed a few days early!
~Paix et joie!

Sketch.

Ok enough about hair and beds and Meow Cats. Back to art. I've been focusing all of my creative energy into decorating recently and haven't sat down and actually created much lately. I'm working on a project for my Altered Art and Mixed Media class. The project is to make a doll...we can interpret that however we wish. I haven't decided if I will post pics of the progress or wait until I can show you the finished product. I did, however, manage to capture Ben in a candid moment watching T.V. a couple weeks ago. Here you go. Boy, he looks grouchy... I must've been making him watch American Idol.

Fun hair.

I finally chopped off all my hair! I've been threatening to for awhile. And with the oppression of winter and spring just around the corner, I felt like now was the perfect time to 'lighten up'. My friend Jess did the cut and color. She always does such a great job. I really love how easy it is now and somehow I feel like it makes me more fun. I just had to post a few pics. Let me know what you think!