Hearts of Trees

Obscurities

2012-02-11T15:11:00.000-08:00

The other night Angie and I were lounging around like couch legumes and watching TV after eating a ton of food and this show about a store in the east village called "Obscura" came on. We were so fascinated by it that we sat watching it for over 2 hours..or maybe we were just too lazy to get up but basically it was really really interesting.

The store is kinda like an antique store, but they also sell mummified animals and old medical supplies and whatever weird stuff you can possibly think of. We also found a few of the customers pretty entertaining..haha.

Here's their website and we hope to visit soon: http://www.obscuraantiques.com/

So today I was kinda inspired by that show in a way to go explore this abandoned farm with my fellow adventurer Cynthia. We had been there before but this time I was looking for a few items in particular..especially something interesting to send my package exchange partner since this month's theme is vintage.

After basically getting attacked by a crazy goose and coming out caked in cobwebs..I collected these items:

A labeled glass medicine bottle..

Another labeled glass medicine bottle..this one filled with effervescent potassium and lithium tablets.

A labeled glass bottle filled with seeds..even though it's labeled silver nitrate.

An old matchbook from a hotel

And a crazy looking persian cat plate along with a crazy cat photo frame.

The Mysterious Red Velvet

2012-02-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

My 7yr old sister asked me today what red velvet was made of..in terms of the dessert. Being the weirdo big sister that I am..I told her it was blood mixed with chocolate. She gagged and said "ewwww" and then I told her it was just chocolate colored with red. Have you ever heard someone say they don't like chocolate but they like red velvet? Well that's a big ole lie because they are the same flavor!

Anyways..my friend Angie found this recipe originally by Paula Deen for red velvet cake cookies. Gooey chewy red velvet cookies. Absolute heaven. And it's almost Valentine's day...so why not make them?!

Here's the ingredients you will need:

- 1/2 cup of butter (room temperature)

- 8oz of cream cheese (room temperature)

- 1 egg

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 box of red velvet cake mix

- confectioner's sugar for dusting

First I creamed the butter and cream cheese in an electric mixer. Then I added in the egg and the vanilla and mixed it until it was well blended. Next I mixed in the cake mix until it became a creamy doughy texture.

I then put my dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

I preheated my oven to 350 degrees farenheit.

After the dough was done chilling, I removed it from the fridge and rolled it into tablespoon sized balls, rolled them in the confectioner's sugar and placed them on an ungreased cookie sheet.

I baked them for about 12 minutes and they came out kinda cakey but delicious and chewy.

So happy valentine's day everyone! Spreading so much love!! :)

Walking into winter

2012-01-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

First of all..it's been an unbelievably warm winter here in NY. The only real snow we had was on halloween..which was completely out of the ordinary. I went up to Montreal for New Years and if you want snow..I would definitely recommend taking a drive up there.

Anyways..Angie won the carousel gloss contest and we tried out her new lip glosses today and had a little photoshoot!

These glosses look really nice, depending on the color you use (I feel certain ones only go with certain skin tones). The applicator is a bit small and the consistency is not what I would have liked (kinda globby and sticky). It took us a few minutes to apply the gloss as it was so thick. But I think this is what makes it so pigmented. Some of the colors stain more than others (candy apple) and we found that loop de loop and kaleidoscope leave a glitter on the lips.

Overall, really pretty bright colors! A bit pricey..but fabulous!

This is Angela wearing "Loop de Loop". A shimmery royal blue.

And this is me wearing "Kaleidoscope"...a deep purple with multicolor shimmer.

And then a few fun ones of posing and jumping around!

I should know who I am by now..

2012-01-02T12:56:00.000-08:00

Remember waaaay back when I started this blog I posted this video?

I have a pretty strong connection with the meaning of this song and it really holds a special place in my heart. A few of the photos in my video are from experiences that share a connection with the song for me..along with the "winter" theme.

I really would like to learn the instrumentals because it seems incomplete...

Down the Rabbit Hole

2011-11-08T09:24:00.001-08:00

White rabbits are mysterious and gentle creatures. Soft white coats and beady black eyes. Hiding in the snow or burrowing in the brush.

Got my rabbit mask and did a little fall photoshoot.

Speeding cars

2011-11-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

October came and went so fast I didn't even realize it. Usually things go by really fast when you are enjoying yourself and my month was so full of awesome activities it just flew by.

I went to my first Lights show, front row and was able to chat with her at the end of the show..it just sucked a bit because the rain was like a waterfall so she couldn't stay long.

I went to the pumpkin blaze and got some really sweet photos.

At work, we dressed as roller derby girls this year and it was kickass.

My regular costume this year was Tank Girl. I originally had fishnets but the weather decided to get really cold really early this year. I made the shirt myself.

I think I've had enough pumpkin spice lattes and spooky stories to last me a while...ready for November...bring it.

Glamour 101: Intro to really awesome red lips

2011-10-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

I added a few new lime crime products to my makeup collection recently..the 55% sale definitely helped!

I just recently got Glamour 101, Dragonscales and Nymph. I basically fell in love with Glamour 101. I adore the look of red lipstick and this one is a nice deep wine color. I liked Dragonscales when Xenia gave me a makeover back in winter last year so I figured I'd get it. It's a shimmery mix of brown with a hint of blue..really pretty. Nymph looks nice for everyday added sparkle that's subtle..or it looks nice on a night out as an accent..so I bought that as well.

Dragonscales on the lid with Nymph shimmer

Glamour 101

Glamour 101, Dragonscales on the lid and Nymph on the brow bone. Kinda hard to see because of my mono lids..I wish I could figure out a look that would go with them.

Glamour 101 looks great with black and white..it's just so dramatic!

Autumn leaves..

I made a little hair thingy..

A stitch in time

2011-10-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

How does one measure a year? Apparently it's 2 meters long..

Time is an invisible factor that is made three-dimensional and tangible by the 365 knitting clock. Developed by the German designer Siren Elise Wilhelmsen, the clock consists of a circular knitting mechanism containing 48 needles. With each completion of a day, one round is knitted. Each year the yarn must be changed, leaving a different scarf for every year. Instead of just simply a repetitive cycle around the clock, the mechanism symbolizes the passing of time as an ongoing process.

You could see this as a really clever and artistic way to visualize time, or you could buy a bunch if you're too lazy to make the next year's christmas presents.

Viking funeral at sea...

2011-09-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

For my beta fish Ludvig Amadeus Vestin....who lived a lovely 4 years..

Gifts from the sea...

2011-08-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

New items on my etsy!!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeartsofTrees

Teeny sea shell earrings straight from the sea!

And necklaces too!

Hiking up Mt. Marcy

2011-07-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

There are 46 high peaks in the Aidirondack mountain region in NY. Mt. Marcy is the king/queen/highest of them all. I had never really been "back-country" camping nor have I climbed either of the high peaks. This was my first time. So if I was going to do any or go at all..then why not go for the biggest one?

My friend and set up camp at Marcy Dam the first night.

On the way up..we freshened up in a stream leading to Indian falls. Mmmmm giardia.

Indian Falls.

We left around 8am and hiked up to the summit. The trail wasn't really difficult..I'd say anyone could do it. But I can't say it was exactly a piece of cake. I'm not terribly in shape but I enjoy a good hike so a few rest breaks were definitely welcomed.

The view was really wonderful. I felt so free!

We ended up getting back down around 7pm. The hike with our packs from the loj was around 2 miles..then the hike up to the summit from Marcy dam was around 5. So in total..around 14 miles round trip.

This is heart lake at the loj.

The second night we had to get away from the dam asap because there was an ironman going on and we had no idea. So basically if we stayed we wouldn't have been trapped there for an extra day due to blocked roads. So we were lucky to find this hidden little camping place at Lake Clear. Which we swam in in the morning..so lovely.

Hoooooly shit.

We encountered a few bears..haha

Midnight ramblings

2011-07-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

This is a collection of a stream of consciousness...nothing too special..just ramblings and whatever came to mind.

I tug on my sweater, she says, she starts with a story that never ends. Stagnant. Discontiuned. No they don’t have that item on the shelf anymore..they’re sold out..or we never carried it. They say..she said..you are dealt cards it’s your choice how you play them. You thought you made that up yourself..you thought you were so clever..yeah well I know the real you. But I tug on my sweater and purse my lips and hold in whatever because I am polite.

Snow falls around her..she says..she tries to start again..but this time isn’t any better. It’s last year’s magazine..outdated..thoughts turned to mold in the dampness of that cavern. Where crystalline dreams used to be swarming the walls..the rocky ledges of the cliff. We decided to take the path that no one had ventured to take..with overgrown thistles and the big black beetles. But then past the blueberries and further beyond that pile of broken stones..broken..so many things broken. No glue..no crazy glue..she asked I said I didn’t know.

“now it’s like rolling in a field of daisies” she tried to explain..to start once more. Here..it’s like this..you think they’re lovely and they have such welcoming shining bright yellow faces but then once you lay your body upon their leaves and the weight of it hits the earthen floor you might land on a stone with a sharp edge and before you know it you are backstabbed…such misleading and tempting and lovely. And then you expose your spine and it drills its thorns into the depths of it all..and you are paralyzed.

Remember that man we saw in the snowy streets of boston. Remember your apartment. Remember your neglect. Remember it was actually fall now that I think of it. Oh..that explains it.

And you wonder what time..zone it is. What if it was too many years back that I can’t remember anymore. What if the tape got too far rewound that it broke itself. But maybe this was protection. It fucks with you. I really does. That’s the job of it all and the fun of it all and the ridiculously unexplainable. But not like time travel like that one time that we time travelled in your attic. Like memories time travel..like 20 thousand leagues under the depths of the unconscious. Like blanketed fleece, buried in a macramé built to last.

And then another..reminded me of the science of sleep. When the felt ships sailed upon paper waters and the pony broke its leg. And how could I forget the tree where we found that silver can and we laughed. I captured you as a ghost.

The Dog Days

2011-07-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty busy this summer so far..went to a bunch of shows..did some travelling and visited tons of friends.

My friend and I started off the summer with graduation parties on long island and a road trip to Montauk. We visited the house from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Beaches in Montauk and Wainscott

It was pretty foggy..

I also went to Governor's ball..which was really really awesome. It was a mini one day music festival on Governor's Island..featuring Reptar, a Passion Pit DJ set, Empire of the Sun, Pretty Lights and tons of other cool bands.

My friend on the ferry...dressed in vintage.

Meeting silly people in the crowds.

Another weekend my friend and I went hiking in Cold Spring on a part of the Appalaichain Trail. We found a survival kit on the way..

We also explored tons of ruins which lined the train..apparently from an old mining village. So pretty with overgrown vines and moss.

I walked the Walkway over the Hudson one overcast morning..

Free Andrew Bird show at Prospect Park..one of many concerts this summer..

Posing in front of an insanely adorable mushroom bouncy castle at the Rainbow City Exhibit near the High Line.

The Rainbow City Exhibit!

Erica and I's three tiered mad hatter tray at Alice's Tea Cup.

Me at Alice's.

Erica with her adorable bow at Alice's.

So that's been my summer so far..hope yours is going well!

May flowers, may showers, love infiltrates the hours

2011-05-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

I had a busy end of April and beginning of May..considering it was finals. I was basically swamped with work. I feel horrible for neglecting this blog. Can I make it up to you? How about with a lovely photo-filled post!

I shall start with this image of myself as a hippie deer:

I had the reception for my Photos of Ireland exhibit at the Mahopac Public Library today..a few friends from work came and I love them :)

I also went to see the cherry blossoms bloom in central park one weekend with my lovely best friend..

And my buddy got pictures with the Easter bunny!

More central park in springtime..

And of course we got soup dumplings as usual..

And I saw Elephant and Castle! The place that influenced this song!!!

Hope you all had a lovely beginning of spring!!!

Beacoup d'Ellie

2011-03-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

More and more Ellie Goulding!

I ended up going to her acoustic performance at AllSaints in the city monday night.

Some photos from the night:

And there are two videos I took..waaay better quality than the previous ones:

It's not what you've lost, but it's what you find: Ellie Goulding Webster Hall 2011

2011-03-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

I saw Ellie Goulding perform at Webster Hall this past thursday. One of the greatest nights of the year so far. In case you didn't know (you probably already know if you are an avid reader of this blog) I am a huge fan of Ellie's music. I had been preparing for that night the first time I heard "Starry Eyed"..which actually wasn't the first Ellie song I've ever heard..it was "This Love (will be your downfall)" a cover by Kate McGill who I absolutely loved at the time and still do. From there I came to discover "Fighter Plane", which was full of dreamy lyrics and sounds along with "The Writer" with it's lustful imagery. I was in love..haha. Her voice is so beautiful and she is so full of talent.

The show opened with The Knocks..who I wasn't too fond of..they got the crowd moving a bit, which was great..but their songs were extremely similar with the same pounding bass and techno feel along with redundant lyrics. I give them credit..but let's admit it..we weren't there for them..we were there for Ellie.

And when she came on stage and opened with "Under the Sheets" it was just pure greatness. She played the entire US album including Elton John's "Your Song". The only thing that was disappointing was she didn't cover some of my favorites like "Fighter Plane" and "I'll Hold My Breath" which was on the UK album. I also would have loved to hear a few more of her covers but I was pretty much craving way more Ellie than the show was going to entail...haha.

The show overall was great, she had some sick drum solos and acoustic pieces and the crowd was tolerable and upbeat. I plan on seeing her perform an acoustic show on monday night, which I expect to be equally as wonderful.

These next few photos I actually borrowed from Erica (www.electrocutieblog.com) who I saw the show with. My camera was really shitty unfortunately.

Erica and I

Ellie, looking saintly

Her shirt was really cool. It looked like gloves were holding her boobs..for lack of a better description...ahah.

Getting "Lights" signed by the lovely EJG herself!

This is a shitty video I got of the beginning of "Your Song". The sound quality is okay though.

This one is "Your Biggest Mistake"

"This Love"

A stereotypically fancy artsy fartsy afternoon

2011-03-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

My friends were home for spring break..so we decided to drive upstate to Beacon to find this little artsy street I had visited a few years ago but never got to walk down. A previous summer I drove around trying to find it and I never did..and we were finally successful. It was lined with coffee shops and galleries. We gallery hopped a bit..checking out local artists and their openings..snatching bites of fancy cheeses and sips of fancy wines. There was also a pub crawl going on so we had to dodge some crazy drunks.

But along the way..I found this adorable tea room that I couldn't resist. So while one of my friends went to meet with her art school professor who happened to be in town..my other friend and I went to the tea room.

The tea pot had a little cozy on top of it to keep it warm. I got the red chai.

And then there was this little contraption on the pot..which I had never seen before. It looked like something with a hair tie, butterfly clip and a sponge attached at the end. Whatever it was..it did a wonderful job at preventing the lid from slipping off when I poured the tea. It also stopped drippage down the spout.

My friend and her potato leek soup.

I got a tuna sandwich and a bowl of potato leek soup. The plate had a little indent in it for the soup bowl..added adorableness.

It was all delicious and the service was very friendly. Loved the atmosphere and the decorations of course...even the bathroom was cute.

Weekend update: Andy Kehoe and Gary Baseman

2011-03-06T22:25:00.000-08:00

I went to visit my friend in the lovely Manhattan once again..because she's awesome and always has fun ideas for things to do on weekends.

On Saturday, March 5th we went to the Jonathan Levine gallery to see one of her favorite artists..Andy Kehoe..who was having an opening of "Strange Wanderings". I had never heard of him until she introduced me..and I absolutely love his work! The characters in his paintings all had this really cute and unique look to them..and almost every one was covered in leaves and nature-like details. We were also mesmerized by his technique. Here are a few of my favorites:

Love the antlers..love the cute leaf mustaches...love the autumn colors!

Who could resist a kitty cat with acorns riding on it's back?

And then I was excited to see that Gary Baseman was also having an opening for his "Walking Through Walls" exhibit. I currently follow him on twitter and I was familiar with "Teacher's Pet"..a Disney cartoon that he had created. I recognized his style immediately..a lot of his characters have very distinct eyes and a tiny button nose.

He also did a little speech on how a lot of the exhibit was dedicated to a sad time in his life he was going through because of the death of his father. Hence the morbid themes. He also created a little ghost girl character who went along with his "walking through walls" theme. He gave me a little screen-printed handkerchief of her.

Yeah I'm in my pajamas..it's a silly picture okay?

And this is Mr. Baseman and I.

The next day I did some henna..while watching Benny and Joon.

A cute little bow..

And we went to our favorite place on Mott St...Shanghai cafe. I got this delicious Magic Mocha smoothie.

And we saw the plumpest kitty ever.

Cool, calm water bring your voices back..

2011-03-03T16:33:00.000-08:00

When I was younger...I used to spend most of my days after-school and summers in the woods..exploring..building forts....making trails..can you tell this has influenced me a lot? Haha.

At the age of 7 I wandered in the woods with my older brother and we explored a few blocks away from our house..we had packed sandwiches in our backpacks and wandered so far we reached these power-lines and I remember seeing a farmhouse down the hill with chickens. We had no idea where we were...but when we got home..our mother was calling the police because she had no idea where we went. From then on we were banned from leaving our street. Of course that didn't stop us..

Every summer my brother and I would gather wood and build a fort. He would build bows and arrows and I would furnish the fort with moss and leaves. Then we would battle the neighbors and defend our makeshift castle. In winters we would replace our wooden fort with a frozen one.

I recall this one time when my brother and I wandered to the woods across the street that we hadn't been to before. Kids on our block tried to scare us by saying the Blair witch lived there (just by this reference you can tell around what year this happened..ahha). Of course we went anyways. We wandered until we found this small ravine. We walked down into the stream and I was excited to find natural clay..the kind that you make those coil pots with in art class and bake. My brother found a deer skull. Eager to get home and show our treasures to our parents..we rushed up the ravine and my brother ended up slipping and falling into the clay at the bottom. He was stuck. His shoes had sunk up to his ankles and he was sinking by the minute. I was such a wee age..so of course the situation was terrifying..and I started to cry and get all worried. I tried to pull him out with a stick but he wouldn't budge. I was debating in my head whether to leave him and try to get help from our dad..but I didn't want to leave him alone because I was afraid something would happen to him. Thankfully he decided to take his shoes off and was freed. We walked home and our parents questioned why his shoes were missing. It was beyond a silly situation. Later I remember baking coil and pinch pots and the deer skull still remains in our attic somewhere.

To this entry I dedicate this song..one of my favorites by Manchester Orchestra:

And here's the original..by the Annuals..you can decide which one you like better:

In here we can be pure of heart

2011-02-27T21:53:00.000-08:00

The times when I have an abundance of exams all at once are often when I find myself getting the most creative...or the most distracted when I really should be studying..rather.

Hours and days of studying without stopping leave my mind craving freedom..and this leads to explosions of creativity.

My mind aches for an escape..because even in sleep I am studying. I wake up from silly dreams about getting some rare disease which I made up in my head because I was studying it the night before for pathology. Or I end up drawing things like this for neuro instead of drawing diagrams of tracts:

I was thinking it'd be cool to create a whole series based on the human body an anatomy through paintings and mixed media. Now only if I had the time..haha. But I am currently working on a series of lung disease paintings. Sadly my procrastination hasn't spared that.

Now I leave you with one of my all-time favorite songs by the awesome Jupiter Sunrise. The title is the name of a character from a book I used to love years back that had to do with faeries and things. I know it's not usually the type of music I post on this blog..but it possesses the same beauty that Ms. Goulding or Mr. Iver can possess..in a less "flowery" sense.

Birds and New York's neverending winter..

2011-02-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

Here in New York winter seems to last forever. It's from late November to the end of March..which seems like a lifetime. The nights are longer..days are shorter..it's constant darkness and frigid air. I try to value every moment of daylight I can salvage by spending it outside...so this past weekend I visited a friend in the city...got myself a Valentine's Day donut and then we visited the central park zoo. We spent a lot of time in the bird exhibit since she adores the feathered fellas and it was 100 times warmer inside. Made me feel like I was back in the keys again.

Wish it was Caturday...

2011-02-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

I'm even more crammed with classes and work this semester..unfortunately this blog might suffer.

Aside from ridiculous amounts of snow and roads converted to skating rinks..I've had a pretty solid week so far.

It was one of my co-worker's birthdays and she's basically in love with cats. So I made her a cake that resembles her own..Mister Snowy.

It's two layers of chocolate fudge cake with a layer of strawberries and vanilla frosting in between.

Other than that..I've been losing sleep and learning about the intricacies of the human brain.

Poetry and ramblings..

2011-01-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

I was digging through a lot of writing files and found some things I had written in the past year..some thoughts..some rambles..some bullshit poetry:

Last night,
Staring out the car window,
Suddenly my shoes were gone and I was sitting in my thick wool socks on the sofa.
Reminds me of when we were time travelers
Painting your attic.

The rain falls like rockets to the moon but in reverse because they are traveling towards the earth. But they imprint in the puddles like a finger pressed in fresh clay…but instead the puddle absorbs them and they are no longer visible. Just as you left tiny imprints, tiny dents on my heart and being, but this new me, this new healing has absorbed them and they are no more.

This next one is words from you to me. That’s why I can’t relate to it as much as the others. I understand now. But I wish it were really you saying those words. Instead in my mind there is just a dust bunny where your words should be. Where you should be saying these things to me. How do I collect these cobwebs and dispose of the rotten fruit? It reeks of things past and memories I shouldn’t dwell on. If I clean up the mess that encompasses that space, then will there be room for your apology?

And you just squeeze your temples and then release and breathe like giving birth to thoughts you want to get rid of and release..or perhaps thoughts that are now positive and you want to birth them out so you can be born anew. Or squeezing your eyes shut like wringing out a sponge of it’s filth.

I love mining up memories and digging my shovel in places forgotten where the dust hasn’t yet been brushed off.

Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen..

2011-01-15T17:26:00.000-08:00

I found this a while ago..and basically I fell in love. Ellie Goulding AND one of Elton John's awesome songs? Amazing. Also the video is really pretty:

Vacation: Florida Keys

2011-01-15T17:14:00.000-08:00

Last week I went to the Florida Keys. My friend and I tramped around in a tent for a week jumping from campsite to campsite and sleeping on the gorgeous warm beaches. My current self is very jealous of my previous vacation self...I can't stand all this NY snow.

Here are a few photos from my trip:

Christmas...giving and recieving..

2010-12-25T17:16:00.000-08:00

I had a secret santa at work..so I made my person a Nirvana pillow..since they like Nirvana. I recieved the red bag from my secret santa..it's amongst the following photos of gifts I got this year.

The drawing of the deer with the colored background is just a little something I did at work when I had a free minute..

These gifts are from friends and family...mostly chocolates, scarves and tea-themed trinkets. I didn't ask for much..the only thing I wanted was for my parents to help out with paying for college.

Anyways..here's my gift haul!

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas!

An update of sorts..

2010-12-14T19:33:00.001-08:00

What's been going on in the forest recently? Well there's been a bit of snowfall so all the branches are adorned with glitter (snow) and from their limbs hang unicorn horns (icicles).

I also met up with Xenia/ Doe Deere of LimeCrime Makeup again. This time at Space NK in the Manhattan Bloomie's.

After my makeover. I got a classic "smokey eye" and a Retrofuturist pout.

An adorable lady-bug coat "spotted" at Rockefeller center. Did I mention that the tree is from my hometown this year?

A close up of my eye makeup at the end of the day. It really stayed on thanks to her candy-eyed primer. The lipstick kinda went away though...due to eating delicious soup dumplings for dinner.

We got cute international cookies from homecare concepts at work. I liked this Swiss chocolate heart sandwich one the best :)

And I did a photography gig for a friend. This is her tree...edited in traditional red and green.

Looking for something unique for Christmas?

2010-12-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

Whenever autumn rolled around..I always gathered up the acorns and could not help but make something with them. When I was younger..I used to clean out the insides and stick little notes inside..capping them and sending them to friends..I was inspired by a faerie book.

I've made necklaces with them and painted them with just about every pattern possible.

This year..I decided to make little personalized ornaments with them!

If you're looking for one..check out my etsy!

Turning 21...

2010-12-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

Means I've been on this earth for 21 years..and it means I am officially an adult by American standards. To be honest, I've felt like an "adult" ever since I started working full-time and attending school full-time..and many years before that. So this wasn't much of a big deal for me..but I still felt the need to celebrate in an especially fancy way.

My friend came up to visit for a few days and we ended up going to a french winery that was fairly new and nearby. It used to be an old church and they redesigned the interior.

I love the chandeliers..they look so fancy and french.

My friend and I.

We got a free wine tasting..we tried four reds and four whites. We ended up ordering the Vouvray..a flowery and earthy white wine from France.

We also got free chocolate truffles, homemade biscotti and chocolate covered pomegranates because it was my birthday!

My pretty pose..

Her pretty pose..

More of the fancy interior..with a grand piano!

This is what I do at work...

2010-11-20T07:31:00.000-08:00

We honored World COPD day..being a cardiopulmonary unit..on November 18th. I made all the posters and helped decorate. We ended up raising almost 1000 dollars for the American Lung Association of New York by collecting money from employees so everyone could wear jeans to work on the 17th.

And then after the event..we had so many balloons..so of course I had to use them!

Drowning in them..ahhh!

Hiding in them..

Flying away with them!

And then my co-worker and I had a photoshoot..hiding behind hydrangeas..

And looking cute..

Being fancy...

Laughing our asses off of course!

Using exercise equipment with an attitude..

Making silly faces..

Being naughty secretaries..

And this is our Christmas card..haha.

Ben Lee 2010

2010-11-07T18:13:00.001-08:00

On Thursday, November 4th, my friend from work and I saw the adorable Australian musician Ben Lee perform at Stage One in Fairfield, CT.

We got some delicious sushi in Stamford beforehand..

My friend and I..

The opener was Alexa Wilding...whose music I wasn't too fond of. Her lyrics were dry and humdrum..and just about every song sounded the same with a few basic chords. To be honest it reminded me of something I would have heard in high school at one of our literary magazine open mic nights...except worse. Sorry Alexa. I did like your outfit though!

Then along came Ben Lee!

He asked the audience for a nail clipper...in all seriousness..and my friend happened to have one.

He opened with "I'm a Woman Too"... a song from his new album: The Rebirth of Venus. He also sang favorites such as "Gamble Everything for Love" and "Catch my Disease".

At the end, instead of the following the traditional routine of going behind the curtain and "pretending to leave"...he turned around while the audience cheered for an encore.

He then spun around...looking surprised and shocked that the audience wanted an encore.

And he finished off by unplugging his amp and playing "We're all in this Together" while the crowd sang along.

What a stud.

All Hallow's Eve 2010

2010-11-02T18:30:00.001-07:00

At work our unit dressed up as the Jersey Shore...the popular reality show on MTV which features a cast of characters who enjoy partying it up and could probably be confused with tangerines:

getting ready with some ultra shiny pink lipstick

fist pumping at the "bar"

Ronnie, Snooki, The Situation and myself (random character)

Other things that happened this weekend...

My friend and I saw The Drums, Neon Trees and Fountains of Wayne at RXP's Masquerade for FREE. We were front and center the whole time too!

We both caught guitar picks from Fountains of Wayne!!!

I also had a regular halloween costume..and this year I was a "doe-eyed deer"

close-up of my makeup...I made the antlers myself by the way..out of clay.

in a "deer pose"..haha

my friend and I being fierce forest friends

she went as a "hipster owl"

Hope you all had a fantastic halloween!!! :)

Weekend visits to sculpture gardens!

2010-10-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Working full time and also being a full time Occupational Therapy student is a bit hectic at times. Often although I have weekends off from work and class..I have to spend them studying or collapsing due to lack of sleep during the week. For the past few weekends I was lucky to have some time to spend with close friends and explore some awesome sculpture gardens not far from my hometown.

These are of my friend and I at the Pepsico garden:

The following weekend my other friend was home..so we spent a gorgeous autumn day at the Collaborative Concepts farm exhibit in Garrison:

Hope your autumn is going well so far! I'm excited for Halloween..currently I'm making my costume..I'm not sharing anything yet though..it's gonna be a surprise! Keep an eye out for an after-Halloween post!

Hug

2010-09-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

This hug will hold you.

But not squeeze you like a tube of toothpaste so all your insides smush and perish..but hold you like a teddy bear would hug a person..like a summer sky would encapsulate the face of a flower..like a wool sweater would hug your clavicles and ribs to keep away the cold. To keep your heart warm.

Paula Cole- City Winery

2010-09-22T16:35:00.001-07:00

She performed at the City Winery on September 22, 2010.
I was lucky enough to have a good enough seat that I could have probably seen up her nose...she was right there!

I had only known two of her songs "Where Have all the Cowboys Gone?" and "I Don't Wanna Wait"...which are her most popular songs. I hadn't known much about her either..but a few of my friends invited me to see her with them...and she put on a wonderful performance!

First off, the City Winery itself was a lovely venue. It was classy and cozy..we sat a table, just a few feet from the stage and her piano. The only thing that was a bit bothersome was that we were cramped amongst other fans because the tables were so close together. I ended up bumping elbows with a hot pink mohawked gentleman.

She released her new album "Ithaca"

Her performance was emotional and full of energy. She sang songs about her mother, daughter and even a particular one which was influenced by Nirvana's "Come As You Are". She came across as a very genuine individual who puts her heart and soul into her music.

Although she fits into a genre of music that is a bit softer than I'm used to, I had a great experience and especially loved her beat-boxing number at the end.

More photos from the show at my flickr!

Craft Idea: Cassette Pillow

2010-09-22T16:31:00.001-07:00

I made this pillow for a friend who adores the 80's!

Unfortunately, my sewing machine was broken..so I handstitched the entire thing. I handcut every piece and embroidered the details.

The details are made from felt and the back of the pillow is a lilac polyester.

A Silly Babbling Journey

2010-09-14T19:09:00.001-07:00

I wrote these words...kind of at random at they spewed out of my mind..flowing from my stream of consciousness..some of them kind of make sense..some of it isn't very pretty..most are based off emotion:

Fingers plucking on tiny strings made of silver..wrapped in gold..long sharp knife-like fingernails..dancing amongst the strings like spiders..tiny spiders moving in circles..producing sounds like raindrops falling into puddles.

Stone cold I lie..like a princess on her tombstone..fresh pearl skin kissed by the dew.

Footsteps amongst the soft green moss and the breeze of an early autumn wind. Would you stay?

Trumpets don’t look like trumpets to me..they sound like knives jabbing at the air.

You’re so very sad..and we were so very sad..we were time travelers and stone skippers amongst the fuzz of everything.

I’m sorry you couldn’t see it. I feel like I failed you and you still remain in a hole of darkness..with no nails strong enough to scrape yourself out or climb..instead..your nails are dull and they only push the dirt down the sides of the hole..covering and burying you. Perhaps once you’re buried..you will sprout like a seed once the rains come..and you will be born anew..a second chance..you will find hope.

How to Be Alone

2010-09-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

The Cave

2010-09-11T17:24:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite songs from Mumford and Sons..as I had mentioned in a previous post. I just discovered this cover of the song by Ellie Goulding..another artist I absolutely adore..this is just beautiful.

Also..she had done a cover of Sweet Disposition from the Temper Trap..another amazing cover of hers. It just gives me the chills.

I love not the man less, but nature more..

2010-09-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

It’s good to remind myself when I’m having a crisis of purpose and feeling useless that at least I can make something beautiful.
~Andrew Bird

It's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment.
~American Beauty

THERE is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.
~Lord Byron

Skins

2010-08-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

Inspiration Explosion

2010-08-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

Montauk in late Summer:

Light Painting:

New jewelry!!!

2010-08-21T20:52:00.001-07:00

Check it out!

Why I love Mumford and Sons

2010-07-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

~Love it will not betray you, dismay or enslave you, it will set you free.~

First of all, I've just discovered them..and their music is wonderful. I love the banjo playing and the upbeat tunes as well as their softer serenades.

Second of all, their lyrics are so inspiring. This song is currently my favorite..it reminds me that I have a life of my own that I need to focus on and stay strong through moments of distress:

Mini Teal cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream Frosting

2010-07-25T08:07:00.001-07:00

It was yet another birthday at my work and I decided to make something other than my usual Linzer cookies..something simpler but equally delicious.

I used a basic boxed white cake mix for my cupcakes and added equal parts blue and green food dye to color them a nice teal color.

The baked mini cupcakes.

To make the Nutella Buttercream frosting:

Ingredients:

2 sticks of unsalted softened butter
2 tablespoons of milk
3 cups of powdered sugar
1 cup of Nutella

Mix the butter with an electric mixer until it's smooth and creamy. Then mix in the Nutella until it's a fluffy consistency. Add in the milk.

Next, add in the powdered sugar, cup by cup, until it reaches the desired "frosting-like" consistency. Spread on your cupcakes and enjoy!

You can add sprinkles as a finishing touch!

Doe Deere's 29th!

2010-07-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

A friend's bird perching on my head..haha.

This post is long overdue. I went to her picnic over a week ago. Sorry guys! I've been so caught up with work.

On Satuday June 26th, I trekked over to the central park conservatory garden with my friend Kristina to meet my one of my idols..Xenia (aka Doe Deere www.doedeereblogazine.com).

It was disgustingly hot...but I had planned a comfortable and adorable rose themed outfit since the party was rose themed.

I wore a white poofy dress that kinda resembles a Marilyn Monroe dress..except with black flower embroidery. On my head I wore a black headband with a giant red rose attached with black electrical tape. Yes..I'm weird and crafty like that..haha.

Kristina and I.

Mark, Xenia's husband..getting a unicorn henna tattoo.

Doe opening my present..a handmade charm bracelet!

Doe/ Xenia and I.

Pretty lighting.

Doe's sister..Kat..getting a citrus fruit henna tattoo.

Smelling the beautiful flowers!

Bumbled

2010-06-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

“Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly. But the bumble bee doesn’t know it, so it goes on flying anyway.“

~Mary Kay Ash

Inspiration from Tea

2010-06-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

My mother's blooming teas.

And a little saying you can read while you're sipping.

Strawberry Shortbread Linzer Cookies

2010-06-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

I was involved in throwing a baby shower at work and was eager to make some cookies. I didn't want to make the ordinary chocolate chip, sugar, or even just plain old cupcakes, so I decided to look through a cookbook for something cute and new.

I decided on Martha Stewart's Pecan Linzer cookies. However, I realized I didn't want to use nuts, so I used a simple shortbread recipe instead. Her recipe then became a mere template for my cookie design.

Here's how I made the shortbread. It's pretty simple:

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 room temperature sticks of butter (I used salted because it was what I had. The recipe called for unsalted and then advised to add salt as well..so I figured it wouldn't matter)

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the dough:

With an electric mixer or by hand, beat the butter until it becomes a creamy texture. Then add the sugar and vanilla and beat until well blended. Next, add the flour gradually until it becomes a dough like mixture.

Form the dough into a ball and either place it in a ziploc bag or cover it with cling wrap. Then place it in the fridge for at least an hour. My house was rather hot and muggy, so I ended up putting it in longer.

To form the cookies:

Lightly flour a surface. Then roll out the dough until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Using a cookie cutter shape of your choice (I used hearts), cut out shapes and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Take either a smaller cookie cutter or a bottle cap (I didn't have a smaller cutter so the cap of the vanilla extract worked just fine) and press it in the center of half of the cookies to create a hole.

Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

To assemble the cookies:

You will need about a 1/2 cup of jam (I used strawberry) for the filling.

Separate the cookies with the holes in them and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Then spread the jam on the cookies without the holes. Gently place the cookies with the holes in them on top of the cookies spread with jam to make sandwiches. For an accent, you can place a tiny heart shaped sprinkle in the center of the jam.

The shortbread is so light and buttery it just about melts in your mouth. Enjoy these cookies with a nice cup of tea or all on their delicious lonesome!

And I have learned that even landlocked lovers yearn for the sea like navy men..

2010-06-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

He's the third one from the left.

Blue angels flying overhead.

After shaking the hand of Joe Biden and many others, he receives his diplomas.

Last week my big brother and the USNA class of 2010 became naval officers.

More new photos at my Flickr.

La Lune

2010-05-11T12:14:00.001-07:00

And old watercolor of a moon man I did a few years back.

I've always adored this song and this video:

A bowl of pastel mints.

Recently finished this painting. I've been putting it off for the longest time and it feels good to finally be finished.

An old sketch I did a few years ago..it's a ballerina in a dress inspired by an artichoke.

Avoiding studying for pathology...so I did this 5 minute doodle. She looks a bit ill.

What's the story morning glory?

2010-05-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

New necklaces!

Auras and music..

A friend's colorful cupcake.

Twinkle twinkle.

And my favorite Sum 41 cover of the popular Oasis song:

Summersong

2010-04-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

Trace your hand through the sand.
Smooth like a gull glides on the cirrus.
Until you are struck by grains so miniscule,
But they hide in the crevices,
And later when you go to wash up they empty out of your pockets.

It's chilly but you go for a dive on a dare.
The icy water hits you so quickly you missed a chance to breathe.
But in lesser time,
Your body is accustomed to the coldness and comfort returns.

The sun smirks as is fries your cells,
Melanin drinks in the rays like a famished animal.
You are leather like your father's briefcase.
Tiny colonies and speckles appear across your nose.
But your soul is soft with the joys of summer.

The Wolves

2010-04-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

Two amazing musicians..Bon Iver and Ellie Goulding.

She did a cover of his song and someone made this lovely collaboration.

Easter Sunday

2010-04-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

Today my little sister and I explored a local reservoir, made a boat out of bark and sent acorn passengers out to sea. I'm glad the weather is warming up while a nice cool breeze also blows. It's perfection.

I'm not very fond of portraits taken by cellular devices..so pardon the poor quality.

Chocolate Marshmallow Pie

2010-03-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

I love spontaneously making pies. You can make them pretty much any way you'd like..with anything as a filling.

Last night I decided I wanted to make a chocolate marshmallow pie.

Here's how:

Crust:

9 graham crackers (you can use any kind you'd like..I used the regular honey ones)
about 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
5 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

In a food processor:

Break up graham crackers and combine them with the chocolate chips and the butter until coarse crumbs form.

Press mixture into a 9-inch pie plate using a spoon and your hands.

Bake for about 10 minutes in an oven at 375 F.

Filling:

34 large marshmallows
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a medium saucepan, heat marshmallows, milk, and chocolate chips on low heat until the mixture is melted together. Be sure to stir constantly.

Then combine the marshmallow mixture with the half and half in an electric mixer until it is well blended.

Pour the filling into the baked crust and leave the pie in the fridge for at least 3 hours. I left mine in overnight to make sure the filling set well.

The end result was a bit more of a pudding-like pie instead of marshmallowy..but it was extremely delicious!

Dan Arborise

2010-03-28T23:56:00.000-07:00

I just discovered him..and I'm kind of in love with his music:

Girly things

2010-03-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

Nestled

2010-03-26T22:42:00.000-07:00

The sun has shed its last tiers of light

And now it is time to pass through the tunnel of slumber.

A chill brushes across my spine.

I curl into my snail shell and hide from the blue.

Enveloped in the blankets like a sprout in its bean.

Wrapped in a nest of feathery down.

Soon I will wait for the day when I awaken and bloom.

Insomnia..find yourself a calm

2010-03-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

I often have trouble sleeping when I am worrying about something or my mind is just too full of thoughts..

I found this video and I find it very calming and serene. The filming in amazing..the details..and the music..it's really great if you're in need of something tranquil to rest your mind.

Woven - Extended Version from Ryan Hunts on Vimeo.

Another old seasonal poem of mine..

2010-03-20T01:08:00.001-07:00

Vernal Song

Melodic spring,
Youthful, unsullied, immaculate.
I’m counting bees in my garden.
Wisps of verdant pasture sway in the distance.
It’s a grand ball of the fae,
A dance of heaven and earth.

The lady next door sets a table of porcelain.
She delicately folds the kerchiefs and napkins.
Embroidered with violets and lilacs.
Then she sits and proposes a toast to the sunshine,
And the breeze,
Which sings a tune of new beginnings.

Lá Fhéile Pádraig

2010-03-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

Last year I celebrated St. Patrick's Day in Cork, Ireland. You would think that if there was any place you should be on St. Patty's Day..it should be Ireland..right? Well my experience told otherwise.

My Irish roomates warned me not to expect much, especially if I had been to the New York festivities before. I just shrugged this off..I was in Ireland! What could be better or more exciting?

I started off the day with a late start and a homemade crumpet.

At least these boys resembled Irish Jonas Brothers...I don't think they would have that in the American parade.

The parade started off with a giant dragon-type balloon. It eventually fell down and began eating all the small children in the crowd.

Kids were dressed from head-to-toe in green. But the display of Irish pride definitely didn't compare to the NYC parade.

They had some sort of theme...space ships? Last time I checked this wasn't the outer-space parade.

Aliens with giant kissy-lips.

Green cheesin' creatures.

They had a cultural potion as well. This was a little boy playing the flute from a country I unfortunately can't recall.

There were some dancers. Perhaps from Serbia?

This is my favorite shot from the parade.

The turnout was not nearly as large at NYC. Of course Cork is a much smaller city, but I would have expected more enthusiasm since it is Ireland. However, every day that I spent there, I always encountered an abundant amount of cheer and drunkenness. I suppose every day of the year they prepare for St. Patrick's Day. In America, it's more of a corporate thing. Which is the way it is with most holidays. Valentine's Day anyone?

Enjoying vanilla soft serve on a GREEN cone with a Flake chocolate stuck in.

Despite the parade, Ireland was definitely one of the best experiences of my life. All the people are the friendliest, cheeriest people you'll ever encounter.

On that note, I'll talk about when I was sick for two weeks with a throat infection. All of my friends and roommates were either out traveling or had visitors over, so I had no one to turn to if I needed help. My throat infection left me the weakest I've ever been. I couldn't sleep, eat or swallow and I had no idea what to do about any of it. One day I walked down to a nearby chemist (yes, they call pharmacists "chemists"..isn't that lovely?). She was an adorable elderly woman who reminded me of someone I would want to call my grandmother. I told her my problem and she advised I take some pain medication and some throat drops. I thanked her..extremely glad to have at least something besides a cup of tea and some honey.

I came back almost every other day..to replenish my throat drops and also because I really enjoyed having someone to talk to when no one else was around. Also sitting in my room all sick and dreary wasn't the nicest of things, so I would go for short walks every so often.

One day I woke up and my throat felt as if there were knives slicing it. I walked down to the chemist and asked her to give me the strongest medication she had because I was in a lot of pain. She took one look at me and called a nearby doctor's office to make an appointment. She gave me directions and said I should really go see the doctor at this point. Honestly that was the nicest thing for her to do that. I feel like she really cared for me and wanted to make sure I got the proper treatment. So I went to the doctor, got some antibiotics and was all cleared up in a few days.

So that's my experience with Irish chemists. And I'm very grateful that chemist was there through my terrible two weeks when I was all on my own.

Anyways, perhaps the parade would have been more festive in Dublin, but I won't ever know. I suggest just going to the Manhattan parade if you're really looking for a wild time smothered in green.

How to make: Tiny Tasty Jam Pockets

2010-03-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

I originally was going to call these “homemade pop-tarts”, but the end result turned out to be more of a “jam-pocket” so that’s what I’ll call them. They’re really easy to make and they turn out delicious!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Crust:

* 1 cup white all-purpose flour
* 6 Tbsp. butter
* 2 Tbsp. cold water

Filling:

* Jam (the thicker kinds with fruit pieces in them work best)
* You could also try nutella, marshmallow, or cut up fruit

How to make the crust:

In a medium bowl or in a pastry blender, combine the flour and the butter. The pastry blender works very well or if you’re using a bowl, cut up the mixture with a fork or a pastry cutter until the mixture has small lumps. Sprinkle the water over the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl or pastry blender.

If the mixture doesn’t seem to be pulling away, then add another tablespoon of water. Then roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes so it can become firm and easier to work with.

Rolling the dough:

Unwrap the dough, divide it into two halves and roll it out on a floured surface. Roll it out until it is about and 1/8 inch thick (about the thickness of two stacked nickels).

Cut the dough into rectangles that are about 8 x 6 inches and set them aside. Repeat this process with the remainder of the dough. Roll each rectangle a bit thinner if you feel they are too thick. You want to have enough room to spread the filling and then fold it in half.

Place the rectangles onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Spread half of each rectangle with the filling, leaving about an inch on each side.

Fold the dough in half and match the edges, pressing down to seal them. If you find that your dough is not sticking, try wetting your fingertip in some water, spread it along the edge of the seam and press down to seal.

Use a fork to seal the edges and create a nice pattern along the edges of each pastry.

Trim the edges of each pastry with a knife to neaten them up. Save the scraps for tiny pastries later.

Cut out a few vents on the top of each pastry.

You can use the scraps to make tiny jam rolls. Then bake them in a preheated oven at about 400F (200C) for about 20 minutes or until they are a nice golden brown.

They go very nicely with a dollop of whipped cream or some vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy! J

My teaset..featured! :D

2010-03-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

My teaset was featured on Camp Smartypants' blog!

http://campsmartypants.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-etsy.html

Flowers - nature's art....man's inspiration.

2010-03-04T23:01:00.000-08:00

"From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them and that is eternity."
~Edvard Munch

And here a few pictures of flowers I took when I first got my Canon Digital Rebel XT

Just figured I'd throw this skywriting photo in while I'm digging up old photos. :)

I can't wait for spring so I can make clover chains again. This photo was taken with a simply Kodak point and shoot..nothing special. But the story behind it is that I was in Canada, camping with my family and my sister and I decided to pick every clover from the lawn and make a giant clover chain. We ended up draping it on the fence across the yard. In Ireland they had tiny daisies. Those were nice to make chains with too.

Making tiny faerie trees in a friend's yard during summer.

And old self portrait of mine..a bit bazaar.

And here's a less bazaar old self portrait of mine when my hair was pretty short.

Talk of Trees

2010-03-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

The winter blues can really get you down. Most times winter leaves me unmotivated, lazy, and I almost never want to go outside to risk a frostbit nose.

The sun sets earlier..so it's dark more often and rarely will you catch a glimpse of the sun peeking through those snow clouds. Today however, I was lucky to catch some gorgeous weather and sunshine. So I decided to go for a walk to a nearby reservoir. Going for a walk during winter is definitely a great natural antidepressant. Might I add though..that for some odd reason, whilst walking on the road, a woman in a car pulled over and asked me if I wanted a ride. Did I look like a hitchhiker or a vagabond?

I found this rather creepy decapitated clown toy in the woods.

The trees are bare.

Despite the changing of the seasons and the coming of spring, you can still get a whiff of pine needles in the woods.

A little burrow in a tree for some forest critter?

My favorite grave in the cemetary. Jane was born on Christmas and died on my birthday 100 years before I was born. Guess who put the sunflower there?

It's kind of worn down now..perhaps I'll get a new one.

Deer tracks.

LED Throwies

2010-02-21T19:46:00.001-08:00

A friend showed me this a year or so ago..and I've loved the song and the idea ever since.

These are LED throwies. They are bundles of colored light bulbs with magnets on them so that if you wanted to, you could throw them on metal surfaces and they would stick. I always thought it'd be pretty cool to cover them in a waterproof material and scatter them in a lake.

The song is "Heartbeats" by Jose Gonzales. It's a cover of the song by the Knife. Which is also awesome. I'll post their version as well:

Oh and here's another song/video that's pretty interesting and a bit eerie by Fever Ray (Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Andersson) who is the lead vocalist of the Knife:

February

2010-02-20T17:39:00.000-08:00

The view from 77 Bleeker St. in Manhattan.

More photos on my Flickr.

Necklaces dropped down to $2!!!

2010-02-15T17:59:00.000-08:00

Sale at my HeartsofTrees shop!

How to turn a mountain into a molehill.

2010-02-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

How much further until the peak?

You take another step but it feels like you're taking a million.

The windchill is getting too harsh.

Your cheeks are raw and your fingers are numb.

You don't think you'll last in this air.

Or lack of.

And you tell yourself,

What's another step or slip or stumble on a rock,

Compared to the last?

What's another moment you meet with the cliff's edge?

Just finish this one and soon enough you'll be home.

Curled up on the shag rug like a kitten.

Or sipping your cocoa with a bite of cherry pie.

Comfort will return.

One of my favorite poems..

2010-01-30T15:19:00.000-08:00

W. H. Davies

Leisure

WHAT is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

New necklaces!!!

2010-01-17T16:24:00.001-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeartsofTrees

Unicorn

2010-01-09T09:27:00.001-08:00

Winter fun at it's best.

There'd be no distance that could hold us back.

2010-01-01T07:46:00.000-08:00

So this is the new year.
And i don't feel any different.
The clanking of crystal
Explosions off in the distance.

So this is the new year
And I have no resolutions
For self assigned penance
For problems with easy solutions

So everybody put your best suit or dress on
Let's make believe that we are wealthy for just this once
Lighting firecrackers off on the front lawn
As thirty dialogs bleed into one

I wish the world was flat like the old days
Then i could travel just by folding a map
No more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways
There'd be no distance that could hold us back.

So this is the new year.

HAPPY NEW DECADE!

The Plastiscines

2009-12-19T01:21:00.000-08:00

Can I just say that I want to be them?

How to make fun-shaped bokeh!

2009-12-11T19:22:00.001-08:00

Ever looked at a photo like the one above and thought "how did they do that?". No, it's not photoshop or any special effects. Believe it or not, the only materials you need to create this fun-shaped bokeh are construction paper of your choice and some tape.

This "filter" works best with large aperture lenses (I used a Canon 50mm F1.8)

1) Cut out a fake lens hood from the paper. Make sure it fits nice and tight around the lens.

2) Punch out or cut out the shape of your choice (ex. Heart) into the center of the filter.

OR

You can try this (it's a bit complicated but it's a little something I created):

Instead of cutting or punching out a shape, cut out a circle that is about an inch in diameter in the center of the filter. Then cut out two thin strips of paper about an inch and a half long each. Tape these two pieces on either side of the hole. It looks like this:

Then, cut out thicker strips of paper that are about 3 inches long, but make the ends not as thick so that they will be able to fit through the strips you just taped to the filter. In the center of the strips, cut out or punch out shapes of your choice. This way, you can have interchangeable shapes for your lens filter! The strips should look like this (I've cut out a heart and a snowflake):

You would attach the shape strips by sliding the ends under the taped strips on your filter. Make sure that the box containing the shape covers the entire circle cut out on your filter as to not let excess light in and possibly distort your shape. It should look like this when attached:

3) Then set your camera to the lowest aperture value...and shoot!

Enjoy!

Here are a few more images I've taken using this technique:

Si J'etais un Arbre-an old poem of mine

2009-12-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

My legs are buried,
I am stagnant.
My feet and toes soiled.
I feel the grains of soft, brown, moist substance over my skin.
Sometimes small shiny creatures tickle my feet.
They carry many legs and their eyes are of black obsidian.

My skin appears quite dry, but it's merely just a shell.
A piece of armor to protect me from the elements.
From the howling wind and the battering rain.
It's my woolen sweater, my rubber slicker.

My arms are always outstretched.
They do not tire, for they praise the warmth of the sun.
And they reach out to the clouds for their precious rain.
They embrace the small furry long-tailed and the blue-winged.

Out of my fingertips sprout fresh, green and feathery foliage.
And in my hands I hold verdant buds which hide treasure inside.
The treasure in early spring is untouched by the air.
As the months pass, they bloom into streams of color.

In autumn i begin to tire and prepare for rest.
In winter I sleep, although it may seem I am dead.
Then spring will arrive and I thrive and bloom.
In summer I enjoy the sun and the peaceful moon.

New Items!

2009-12-06T18:21:00.001-08:00

More mushroom necklaces and cupcake necklaces!

Early Morning

2009-12-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Oh Hallo mornin'. I've missed you since I've been nocturnal.

Things that are unusual are beautiful. Sickly things are beautiful. People who look like spiders with their bony figures are beautiful. I like how the light dances on their bones and webs of skin when it's black and white. Lively, sunshiney things are beautiful. Golds and yellows but not like mcdonald's yellow. Budding greens and fresh cut fields. I forget what it feels like to drift off into sleep without force.

This lady bug needs to calm down. He's in love with the light in my room.

I want a cottage in the woods surrounded by wildflowers. I'd wake up and have morning tea with the sunshine and the sparrows.

I remember the truth...a warm December with you.

2009-12-05T23:28:00.000-08:00

Whenever winter comes around..I always listen to this song by Joshua Radin. It's lovely:

An old Autumn poem of mine

2009-11-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

Footsteps down a path of burnt grass,
From the fires that spread from the trees all ablaze.
Sometimes I wonder,
Beyond all the oranges, yellows, and reds,
It it might, by chance,
Catch a glimpse of white or blue.
But it's cold, yet crisp,
Crunchy and thick and deep.
Wool sweaters and leather boots,
Push away rainbow ashes.
It's visually burning but cold and fresh.
They say it's all dying.
I think it's beautiful.
It's like everything is getting ready for a costume party.
All the foliage are cloaking themselves in colors,
Perhaps just reflecting or absorbing different parts of the spectrum.
They dress up their xylem and phloem with carotenoids.
And then spritz a bit of cinnamon and musk.
Then, when the breeze comes to take them all away,
They take wing, and dance.

This is a tiny woodland frog I found last year.

Oh what a beautiful view, if you were never aware of what was around you.

2009-11-21T17:15:00.000-08:00

I realized there were no videos on youtube which featured "Marching Bands of Manhattan" by The String Quartet Tribute to Death Cab for Cutie: Ghost..and I feel like it's such a lovely song..so I decided to make one using my photos.

Aside from the song itself being really peaceful and emotional, the strings add to the tranquility of it.

This song always makes me tear up. I have such an emotional attachment to it.

But I find it beautiful.

Leonid's Meteor Shower 2009

2009-11-17T00:44:00.000-08:00

Leonids are named after the constellation Leo, the point at which they originate from. Meteors are formed from the streams of comets. They are ejected as the comet's frozen gases evaporate under the heat of the sun. These glowing particles are no larger than a speck of dust. This particular meteor shower is known to be one of the most magnificent. I had to see it!

I waited outside from midnight until about 3am on my porch swing, as the frigid air nipped my nose and froze my fingers, curled up in a polar bear blanket (darn..I should have gotten a snuggie!), patiently waiting for the meteors to fall from the sky.

Maybe it was fatigue, but my weary eyes did not see the star curtain that I had expected. But I took a few snapshots with my camera at about 3am. This is what it picked up:

I don't know..maybe they're just blurry stars?

A burning red sky. It was a bit cloudy though.

They kind of look like flying sperm?

The Love Tree

2009-11-13T14:21:00.001-08:00

Last year, my friend and I had an idea to cut out paper hearts and duct tape them to various trees around campus. We stuck about 6 hearts on random trees. There was also this pine tree that was hidden in a grassy circle in the woods which we decorated with wildflowers and taped a "Love Tree" heart at the tippy top.

Various "Love trees"

Me with THE"Love tree!
Isn't that rainbow awesome? It was a complete accident!

New Etsy site!

2009-11-13T13:44:00.001-08:00

I created a new etsy site! It has the same items..it's just a different name.

Check it out!

Hearts of Trees

2009-11-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

I painted my laptop today. I decided to do a human heart design with a tree sprouting from the aorta and the superior vena cava. An then I added ranbow glitter paint over the entire painting. I finished it off by spraying it with clear glossy fixative.

Parcel and Presents

2009-11-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

I love to give presents. And in return I love to receive presents. But I think I like giving presents and making things for people more than the latter. Sadly I usually don't get anything back whenever I send a package or a letter..sometimes I get a promise of something in return but it's never kept. I don't blame that person. We all have busy lives.

I would like to give the first 4 people who comment on this a present. If you leave your address I will mail it to you. I guess you can call this a bit of early holiday cheer.

Also, check out Minus the Bear. I have just started getting into them and I have fallen in love:

Trail of Trees

2009-11-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

Today I took out my mountain bike to the nearby bike trail. It's one of my favorite places. I love going every season to see the changing leaves or the spring flowers blooming along the trailway. My dad used to take my siblings and I every weekend. One time he showed us a black cherry tree. He peeled away the bark on one of the branches to reveal what was called indian gum. It was minty and chewy. I wish I knew what to look for so I could find it again.

I like to go in the direction towards Yorktown. Despite the numerous road crossings, I still think it's the most beautiful way to go. You pass a few parks and still get a decent amount of woodsy trailways. But hands down my favorite part of going that direction is crossing over the croton bridge. When you ride over the wooden boards it's all bumpy and rickety. When I was little I used to go "aaaaaaa" so that it made a silly sound from all the bumpiness. And who can say I still don't do it sometimes? Haha.

This past summer, I saw a few girls cliff diving down below the bridge. That looked like the best idea. One girl was on the edge of the bridge and her friends were yelling at her to jump. Thank god she didn't. The bridge is ridiculously high and she would have definitely gotten hurt.

The bridge is best when it's completely empty though. It's nice and quiet and peaceful and you can sit and look out on the water. Sometimes I see an old man in a rowboat with his rod in the water. Things like that just make me smile.