catching up on coorespondences

i have a weakness. it's pretty and small and collectible and very useful. it's stationary.
what is it about a set of cards that makes me swoon?
today, i sat down and wrote a lot of notes. it felt good. i know it won't be instantaneously that my friends receive my note, but when it arrives at their door i hope they'll feel a little rush of surprise and excitement. i also hope that they will smile to themselves when they open the envelope and see the little piece of art i sent to them with my handwriting and special note inside. snail mail, you are worth the wait.

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stationary shown above:
photo 1. polaroid notes, by jen altman
photo 2. floral heart card, by rifle paper co.
photo 3. le foret, by lisa congdon

other stationary i love:
1. reprodepot folk and flora notecard book
2. index card postcards by ilfant press
3. flower silhouettes by annacote
4. the card society by mav
5. the ocean set notecards by me

january tones

1. Untitled by sandra juto, 2. Untitled by cazhancox, 3. a rolling pin sneak peek. by nikole herriott, 4. * by violet ann, 5. Untitled jess | sweet amadine, 6. a firey sky by bugheart

it's been since fall when i last compiled some of my favorties on flickr. this january i have been craving warmth and coziness. these woodsy tones are exactly what i want to be surrounded by right now.

this weekend i am looking forward to a lot of rest, a birthday party, some walks and a french press full of chai. and i hope to show you photos soon from a little trip i took!

i pledge to read the printed word

have you noticed the cute little sidebar button i added? it says 'i pledge to read the printed word.' read the printed word is a project from cevd of pretty pretty paper and eb of eastside bride.

i love the look of their little drawings and typewriter typeface. i love the message even more. i'm all for reveling in the tactileness of paper and printed matter. that is one of the reasons i started my photo shop. while it is amazing how much can be conveyed over the internet, i don't think anything can compare to having a piece of paper in your hand: seeing a film negative transformed into a positive image on heavy photographic paper, or opening a book that has been well loved and feeling the pages turn beneath your fingers.

what a great project!

greenhouse photo shoot, part 2

i told you there were more red boots coming. i really couldn't get enough of them. rachael was so clever to wear big red boots in a greenhouse. contrasting colors, hurrah! did i mention she just finished art school?

hi to many more new readers, i am excited to get to know you and your blogs better.

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have a happy monday.

greenhouse photo shoot, part 1

these photos were taken in the volunteer park conservatory, a small greenhouse on capitol hill that has been around since 1912  (my own fun family story of this place is here) . it was a rainy and gray day, but my friend rachael and i were determined to go on a photo shoot. the greenhouse was the perfect solace to a dark and cold winter. we found great light and warmed up quite a bit. the conservatory was so peaceful, but it was hard for rachael's red boots not to steal the show. more red boot photos to come...

krik? krak!

 

painting of la sirene (goddess of water) by Jacques Dorce, a haitian born artist

i studied franophone history and literature, with a focus on franco-african and caribbean poetry. i won't say that i know everything about haiti, but i will say that the history there, the energy the creativity, the survival of the people hold a special place in my heart. to start a story, the story-teller asks "krik?" as to get permission from the listeners. and the listeners respong "krak!" to say "we are here and we are listening!"

krik?

"you have to save every bit of flesh and give it a name and bury it near the roots of a tree so that the world won't fall apart around you."

"all anyone can hope for is just a tiny bit of love, manman says, like a drop in a cup if you can get it, or a waterfall, a flood, if you can get that too"

-edwidge danticat, krik? krak!

"on that deep and mighty night, all the slums of the lands of the centre and the south erupted into a volcanic laugh discharging vast flowers of debris, songs, moon fragments as if liberating for a new universe."

"the people who had lost their roots watched the ribbon of asphalt unrolling away beneath them, and those with memory dimly recalled a village in the fold of the hills, between the red blossoms of the flame of the forest and the majestic ancient cotton trees alive with singing birds. Thy remembered a cottage among the banana leaves, the brown of the earth and the river flowing over the black sand. "

-pierre clitandre, cathedral of the august heat

edwidge danticat is a prolific hatian-american author who just won the 2009 macarthur 'genius' award.
pierre clitandre, born in 1954, is a haitian novelist and painter.
both, like so many haitians, were driven to exile in new york in the 80s during the devalir regime.

and here, edwidge danticat recommends some hatian books and music.

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from now until the end of the month, 25% of the sales in my shop will go to aid for haiti via mercy corps. to learn more about what mercycorps is doing in haiti, visit this site. i've added some new photos, and i still have a few note cards left.

january 19, 2010

it's back to work for me today, after a wonderful long weekend. i'd sort of rather be in these photos above, lounging around watching mad men. i got really obsessed with mad men, then watched all of the first two seasons and now have to wait anxiously until season 3 comes out. if you've seen it, no spoilers please!

i have so many new pictures to show you, i can't wait. this week i am going to work on organizing them so that i can keep up with them all. also this week, i am reading through all my hatian history and literature books from college. i used to study francophone culture, with a focus on the caribbean and haiti is close to my heart. i look forward to sharing some quotes and art with you, as well as a bit of a benefit project for haiti.

hope all is well in your corner of the world.

mlk day

"The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Here's to celebrating the power of non-violence and love.

this weekend

i'm going away for the weekend to get a breathe of fresh air.
i look forward to windy beaches, long walks, a ferry ride, david sedaris on audio tape, and lots and lots of beauty.
i hope yours is fun and restful. see you back here on monday, to celebrate a really important man.

remnants of the holidays

 

is it weird that i'm posting holiday pictures in january? hmm, i seem to have had this problem before, where i get a back log of film and time rearranges itself. oh well, i can't not share this pretty eucalyptus wreath and fun packaging. the first present photo is my wrapping. i bought 3 yards of blue-gray kraft paper and red tissue paper, then i used my stamp set to stamp out names and added some cute letterpress cards i got at the urban craft fair. wrapping is so fun!

i don't mind taking a moment to look back. it feels nice.

oh, and by the way, i did end up succeeding in my goal to  buy all of my gifts from a local business and/or handmade! i am very pleased with how it made me think about my shopping decisions and i am happy with who i gave my money to. success!

the best kinds of cafes

i've got cafes on my mind. these photos are from a sweet birthday lunch with my parents at the volunteer park cafe and this morning i am going to meet a friend at the essential baking company. i have a soft spot in my heart for a really nice cafe/bakery. my dad is a baker (you must have known one of my parents was) and i grew up watching in awe of decorators perfectly wrapping icing around a cake or of a huge hobart mixer whipping together sticky dough.

there are certain types of cafes or bakeries that are just the best places to be. they aren't just coffee shops and they definitely wouldn't qualify as a restaurant, nor are they simply a bakery. there are specific elements that all pull together to make a nice "cafe."coffee, light lunch fare, a place to meet friends, a place to sit alone and read or think, sweet treats and pastries, larger baked goods like pies and cakes--all the good stuff!

i think i'd like to do a little series on cafe's in seattle. i don't quite know what it will be, but my collection of cafe photos are building, so why not compile them into something coherent? today will be post number one in the series, and it will be entitled "the best kinds of cafes," where i profess my love for the perfect mixture of everything good.

take care!

january 11, 2010

good morning! thank you to everyone who followed along for my week of guest bloggers, wasn't it fun? i loved the thoughts of each contributor and am really inspired by seeing them all together. also, hi to new readers, i'm excited to meet you. i hope to include more of you out there on my next time around (there will be a next time, right?) once again, thank you to brian, nicolle, lea, molly, shari, alexandria, abby and jen. really, you are each so very inspiring.

after reading everyone else's thoughts on the new year, i've been thinking about what i'm looking forward to in the coming year, and a lot of it comes down to what is important to me. i want to spend  more time with my family, i am so lucky most of them live in seattle and i want to enjoy their presence in my life. in february i am taking a letterpress printing class and i hope the class will be just the start of a wonderful new art for me and another piece in my long term devotion to the art of the book. i hope i continue to be challenged creatively and in my job. i also hope to work on my home, keeping it clean and making it feel like a settled comforting place.

if you'd like, leave some of your own hopes for 2010, i'd love to read them!

8. jen korff

(photos courtesy of sophik)

jen korff, otherwise known as sophik, is a photographer and illustrator based out of chicago, il. she shoots with a mamiya, a yashica, polaroids, and a holga--among others. i admire her ability to switch between so many different cameras and yet maintain a very consistent style. i also love that she uses the same yashica as me--the yashica electro 35gsn! thanks for sharing your thoughts, jen.

what are you looking forward to, both personally and creatively, in the coming year? 

"Spotting the beautiful blue moon this new years eve, on the most perfect of clear nights seemed such an auspicious start.  My studio heads into this new year with a handful of new, exciting projects in the works which has kept me incredibly busy lately. Much of the work that I do in my studio is illustration work, so along with photography, you can expect to see me reveal a bit more illustrations, too. I am anxious to see where my creative pursuits take me this year. I am really looking forward to doing a bit of traveling this year as well."

more jen: sophik studios, flickr, blog, shop.

7. abby powell thompson

 

(photos courtesy of abby try again)

to me, abby is one of the funnest bloggers out there! her pictures are always gems, highlighting small moments and little details with color and spark. she comes up with daily enthusiasm in her blog posts and has an amazing honesty for someone whose blog is followed the world over. it always interests me to see what abby finds beauty in and how she captures it. thanks for sharing, abby.

what are you looking forward to, both personally and creatively, in the coming year?

"I am looking forward to so many things in the next year. My husband is finishing school and has landed a steady job and I will be quitting my retail job in order to pursue the very unsteady job of blogging and selling my work online. It'll be an adventure, that's for sure! I have many projects lined up, but mostly I am looking forward to doing more of the same; shooting photos, taking small trips, cooking, thrift shopping, reading lots, and trying to find beauty everyday. I feel like many people are ready to have a happy 2010 and I can feel the collective positive energy bubbling around me."

more abby: blog. flickr. shop. this is not my work.

6. alexandria

 (photos courtesy of alexandria)

fellow seattle-ite and bookseller, i fell in love with alexandria's blog, little postcards, at first site. i mean, she has a huge list of links entitled bibliophilia hapiness! what isn't there to love? well, her lovely polaroids don't hurt either. and neither does her weekly book and music recommendations. alexandria and i shared a lovely meal together in september and i got to see her awesome polaroid snapping in action. i can't wait to share many more meals. thanks for you thoughts, alexandria!

what are you looking forward to, both personally and creatively, in the coming year? 

"This year I'm excited for:

~taking film photographs

~writing book reviews

~cooking new recipes to share

~spending time with people I love

~riding my bicycle

~volunteer work

~sewing a quilt

~writing classes

~sending letters in the mail

~embracing the unexpected"

more alexandria: blog

5. shari altman

 (photos courtesy of marthasnail)

shari altman has a beautiful way with her camera. it seems like she can capture any little bit of the world--whether it is nature or food or the view from a car window--and turn it into a simple and poignant poem. her photography, to me, is like a breathe of fresh air, a meditation. shari also co-curates an online journal, this joy + ride, where a new artist is featured monthly with seasonal questions. thanks so much for your thoughts, shari!

what are you looking forward to, both personally and creatively, in the coming year?

 "i'm looking forward to an extended visit with my family in just a few weeks. one of my hopes for 2010 is that it will include more travel and time with friends and family. i also have a personal photography project i'm working on called winter from the passenger seat and several collaborations as well. 2010 will be the year i take a running leap and see what happens creatively. i'm hoping for a year of experimentation, improvisation and just plain fun."

more shari:  blog, flickr, this joy + ride, winter from the passenger seat

4. molly wizenberg

 (photos courtesy of molly wizenberg)

molly wizenberg needs no introduction. as a writer, she is inspiring for her creativity; in her ability to make a metaphor out of anything and relay deeply personal memories to thousands of loyal readers. as a photographer, she always hits a home run. whether with her polaroid or her pentax, the simplicity of her images only give them more meaning and story. on both accounts, i could only dream of capturing food the way she does. thank you for participating, molly!

what are you looking forward to, both personally and creatively, in the coming year? 

"My friend Maria wrote that she wants to give more love in 2010, and I can't think of anything better than that.  It sums up everything I could hope for.  So, to be perfectly unoriginal, I have to say: I am looking forward to giving more love. 


And on the creative side, I'm looking forward to having a better relationship with criticism.  This year, I will believe the good, learn from the bad, and ignore the mean and nasty.  I will, I will, I will."

more molly: blog, flickr, bon appetit, restaurant.

3. lea bolvig

(photos and illustrations courtesy of lea bolvig)

lea bolvig is an illustrator and photographer living in copenhagen, demark. i love lea's sense of style. i love seeing her thrift store finds, i love her eye for color and shape and i love her ability to capture little moments throughout her day to tell a story. thanks lea!

what are you looking forward to, both personally and creatively, in the coming year? 

"a new fresh year lies ahead and i have rather high expectations for 2010, i must admit. i look forward to meeting new people and to spend time with the ones i already know and love. workwise i look forward to getting new colleagues (as i'm starting a new job) and hopefully to acquire new skills and improve my professional qualifications.
creatively i hope to be able to continue the projects i have begun in 2009. over the past year i have been very preoccupied with film photography and the special quality and colors you get in film photos. i haven't actually tried out all the different analogue cameras i have collected over the year so one of my goals for 2010 is to get to know each camera and its individual qualities and quirks.
another creative aim for me in 2010 is to continue a postcard project i initiated in 2009. i decided to do a series of 10 bird postcards in A5 format where so far four different ones have been printed and are ready to be sold in my sister-in-law's shop. (brinja.dk)
i also look forward to another year of inspiring blog reading. it never stops to amaze me how much creativity and craftsmanship i come across reading other people’s blogs. It truly sparks my imagination and urges me to create more myself.
here's to an inspiring and creative 2010!"

more lea: blog, flickr, website

2. nicolle null

 (photos courtesy of sacred lotus photography)

i only recently found out about nicolle. she is a very stylish portlander who runs the sacred lotus blog, and has a magical shop called sacred lotus photography. on her blog, nicolle has a knack for finding the coolest images and fun new art. her own photography is great, with so much mood and sometimes a bit of silliness. i'm glad that nicolle's work is now in my daily rotation. thanks for sharing, nicolle!

 what are you looking forward to, both personally and creatively, in the coming year?

"wow, after giving it some thought there are many things i look forward to this year! here are just a few of them. first is giving myself permission to live my life without fear or judgment, something i have been struggling with for some time now. i also look forward to letting stress melt off me like hot butter. stepping outside my comfort zone to meet new inspiring creative people. moving closer to my friends & the city. walking/biking around town. going to farmers markets. camping. my son starting 1st grade. finishing my 365 project. getting my photography business off the ground. taking way more photos then i did in 2009. getting my drivers license. attending pickathon music festival here in oregon. trying new things with my photography. the reinvention of polaroid film by the impossible project. reading & trying "the 100 mile diet". last but not least i look forward to a year full of learning and letting my creativity shine! happy new year everyone!!"

 

more nicolle: blog. flickr. portfolio. shop. follow her 365 project.