Weekend hues

do you see a face too?

Fox Games by Sandy Skoglund

I am wooed by color, completely. I am enchanted by the hues that have seeped into memory this weekend via optic sponges. The contrast of blues on greens, the fearlessness of red and its ability to change with just a smidge of light, the yellows and browns, and even the black and whites gripped my visual attention, inspiring. The Van Gogh exhibit opened this weekend at the Denver Art Museum, and I have to say it was mind blowing, truly. A Jedi master of color is what he was...

I've also been playing with the polaroid and Impossible Project's latest film. The surprise of color, the wonder of what will surface makes me feel like Charlie opening a chocolate bar...Yes, I am still addicted. And now something new...bookbinding. To read books, to write on inviting white pages, to  hoard collect them, to be obsessed by love them, yes, it's a lifelong affair that never gets old. But now I have taken the relationship a step further and have learned to make them. The craft of stitching them together lovingly, carefully, intentionally, yes, we have reached a new level, books and me :).

So enough about my weekend...how was yours????

Monday love
xoxo

with Amanda...

p.s. Thanks Petra for introducing me to Alex Winston--LOVE HER! Samples in the sidebar :).

Messages

Yesterday, I was driving down Pearl St. here in Boulder, as I often do, when something new came into vision and caused me to brake impulsively. Knowing I had my cameras, all I wanted to do was capture and absorb what I had seen.

Monarch Dragon (shot with sx-70, i.p. color shade cool)

Sometimes little stories, anecdotes, dreams, or messages arise from things that captivate me, just as it should. I find myself daydreaming often, propelled by the lessons that currently seek to merge with my conscious mind. Most of these messages are deeply personal, but today I am struck by an awareness that these messages may not be just for me, that they are for anyone struggling to find their most powerful creative voice.

I am not alive if I cannot lose myself in the mesmerizing space between this earthly place and the ethereal home of my soul.

I wander aimlessly at times, too aimlessly for my own good. But it is here in these imaginations that I find inspiration and a call to be something more than the serious and humanly woman that I am.

I am the shadow, the tiny crumb of earth covered in flesh, wanting nothing more but to fly amidst the dragons in their full, fiery splendor. I am called, yet I am rooted, and seek desperately for a blade to slice the strings that hold me firmly planted to this place.

A voice echoes from within, "Stop wandering dear girl, and build tirelessly the wings that will fly you to the realm you seek. Keep your head to the sky and sink not into the comforts of escape that will most assuredly want to envelope you. Turn these burning desires into the fuel that you feed upon, let them guide and lift you intuitively, until naturally, you become the thing you are meant to be."

Too long have I lived in the shadowy darkness of longing, of wishing, of wondering. Too long have I been frozen and too afraid to unleash the deep, inner workings of my creative soul. No one should be so starved. Not me, not you, not anyone.  Leave the shadow behind and don the wings that were meant for you and only you. Bring to life your purpose, your gifts, your passion, and hide in the darkness no more.

AndroidJones.com

Thank you for letting me share this message with you,
fearlessly....

xoxo

ps. I recently submitted and was accepted into words to shoot by's most recent collaboration~ water. I am utterly honored and hope you stop by to visit everyone's submissions :).

Yarn Along ~ Art that pops

Yarn Along with Ginny is here again :)!

It's slow going on the gnome hat from last week, though I am trying to take my time and keep an eagle eye out for eager stitches looking to drop :).

Speaking of eagle eye, do you like how Leo and Mona are both looking at you?  Hee hee, me too :)...

I had to share with you one of M's passions.  Pop-up books.  She is drawn to these books and I have come to love and appreciate these works of art just as much. Our latest addition to our collection is Leonardo Da Vinci by A. & M. Provensen. What I LOVE about this book is the artwork by Alice Provensen. I did not realize how much her  (and her husband's) illustrations have been sprinkled throughout my childhood.  Do you remember this or how about this (ok that one's a bit older than me)?

I am still reading Bird by Bird which I still love, love, love. And I also became a little sidetracked with picking up Nurture Shock: New Thinking About Children .  It's basically a collection of statistics that debunks a lot of mainstream thinking regarding children and sleep, praise, race, giftedness tests, sibling rivalry, and a few more. Interestingly enough, for most well informed and conscientious parents much of it is nothing new :).

One last thing, I have to thank Zoe at Give an Earthly for inviting me to interview for her Super Woman series (you've seen my cape haven't you--LOL).  If you are interested and have an extra few minutes, you can read it here.

Always thrilled it's Yarn Along, looking forward to seeing yours!!!
Cheers
xx oo

Lovely

This weekend was full of lovely things.  Blooming flowers...

an evening on the beach with friends...

and an afternoon braving the crowds at the Winter Park Arts Festival where beautiful art and talent could be found at every turn...

Kina Crow

M.Robinson

Marc Sijan

Why did I take this lady's picture? Because she is NOT REAL. She is a sculpture, more eerie in person than on camera...

And finally a chance for all budding artists to have a turn...

Amidst all the lovely things, many other moments filled our spaces:

*story moments--some watched and some told (click play for a laugh),
*swimming moments--very short I might add (brrrr),
*sushi and sake moments with hubs,
*speedy knitting moments (gotta finish!),
*and last minute cleaning and staging moments, looking for the perfect person to fall for our home...

I swear I wish I could freeze time when our house looks this clean and good, as homeschooling never allows it to stay this way!! Shall I share pics? I have loved seeing glimpses of yours, maybe I'll do the same :)...

Hope your weekend was filled with lovelies, too :)...