Tuesday, May 31, 2011

nuts for nautical

navy.
stripes.
boat-cut tees.
i.can't.get.enough.
give me these all summa
& i'll sail 'round the world with you.
{my tuesday trends}
















{featuring: j.crew, anthro, yacht style}

Monday, May 30, 2011

storyboard {soul sounds}

i'm reading a new book right now,
that i can't get enough of.
it's one of those books where i'll re-read the same page like 4 times
just because i want to drink up every word.
it's a book that rings so true, it awakens something in your soul.
(this has rarely happened to me with a book, with the exception of the bible, screwtape letters, and every Vogue fashion edition)- ok, the last one was a joke.
 but seriously, it's made me aware of things i tend to silence.
and i'm finding ways to tend to and acknowledge my 'soul feelings'.
{this is not easy, although it is natural}

for my music monday, i thought i would share a song that over the years has done the same thing:
awakened a part of my soul when i listen to it.
i once listened to it 37 times on repeat before my roomate asked if i could listen to something else.
i can get peacefully lost in this song.

i think if my soul had a song, it would sound like this:

Saturday, May 28, 2011

lost&found.

hapy day to you.
wanna create something t'day?
(me too!)
here's some inspiration.:

i live downtown,
so on my daily walks,
i often find little treasures.
(well, treasures to me)
little pieces of broken things,
action figures,
stuff that to the average eye...
well, looks like junk.
but i can't help myself.
maybe it's the restorative & developer in me,
{*strengths finder reference}
but i see the potential for anything to be made into something else.
usually i just put these little treasures in geo-caches
or a little box under my art desk,
but when i stumbled upon this little DIY,
i could not be more excited!
n.joy.

{bird bath candles}
What you’ll need:
- Candle Wax
- Candle Wicks
- Found Objects
- Mismatched Ramekins & Containers
- Cappuccino Milk Pot or Teapot for melting
- White Appliance Spray paint
- Optional: Glue gun


Instructions:

Step 1. Gather materials – Explore thrift shops, dollar stores, even your grandma’s home for objects.
Step 2. Spray found objects white, or color of choice – the palette is yours.
Step 3. Arrange object and candle wicks in ramekin or container
(lightly tack down with glue gun if desired).
Step 4. Cut wax to fit in melting vessel 
(idea: thrift store teapots and cappuccino frothers both work perfectly).
Step 5. Carefully melt wax on low heat, slowly stirring – keep a watchful eye – wax is very flammable!
Step 6. Slowly pour wax into candle container.
Step 7. Let wax cool thoroughly.
Step 8. Repeat with other combinations of objects and ramekins.
Step 9. Trim wicks to 1/4″ above wax level.
Step 10. Light candles and enjoy!



{credit: coutney and amber moon, as featured on ruffledblog.com}

Friday, May 27, 2011

wonder&play.

hi.
i'm craving an adventure.
one with rolling hills, and magical gardens, and soothing waters.
these are the places i've been dreaming of today.


let's go here.
Inistioge, Co Kilkenny {ireland}

It is nestled by a streaming river amongst the rolling hills, the town of Inistoige is a place of a flavoured secret romantic hideaway for the Irish people. By the day, you can stroll along a grassy footpath that is situated on a wide peaceful river, you can walk through the woods and gardens in the gracious old Woodstock Estate or explore the ruins of the riverside castle. At the evening, you can eat at an exquisite restaurant where the owner of the restaurant himself will personally welcome you. You can also chose to relax by a roaring fire in one of the local pubs near the place.
This place is so good that there were movies that were made in this village, movies like “Circle of Friends” and “Widow’s Peak” who brought stars like Minnie Driver, Mia Farrow, Chris O’Donnell, Joan Plymouth and Adrian Dunbar to town.
Mary Tighe who was a great poet that lived in Woodstock Estate and published in 1805 had brought about a translation of the poem bated back in the 2nd century, “Cupid Psyche”, called “ Psyche or the Legend of Love”. It seems like a dull piece but it was very popular during their times that is had ran to 6 editions. To sample of this poem would be…
“Oh, who art thou who darest of Love complain?
He is a gentle spirit and injures none!
His foes are ours; from them the bitter pain, T
he keen, deep anguish, the heart-rending groan,
Which in his milder reign are never known.
His tears are softer than the April showers,
White-handed Innocence supports his throne,
His sighs are sweet as breath of earliest flowers,
Affection guides his steps, and peace protects his bowers.”
What to see and do in the place
The River Nore is streaming through the village and is surrounding the countryside as a riverside footpath. The best views of the river and the valley came from the views of Woodstock Estate that is high above a hill the village. It has over 50 acres of garden and creating a more splendid walk, where you can also see some lovely old dovecote.
St. Mary is a church that is found at the center of a village of which is dated back in the 13th century. The 14th century merchant’s house was overlooking the tree lined village square and there you’ll find a nice small garden where you can sit and view the world as clouds go by. Sitting on a rock above the river are the remains of Norman Motte and Bailey Castle.
Kilkenny is just nearby and is a good day out with its castle and round about street and lanes. However, this place is a place relaxation and not doing so much at all.
Where to stay In
You can find at the Gate Lodge Berryhill, found just outside the town, there are so many wonderful views over the fields of lands and streaming river below, you can have an open fire to curl up in front while you enjoy the evening. Also you can have an option of getting a room in Woodstock Arms in the village where there’s a nice pub of a good rooms overhead.
Eating and Drinking
In the village there’s a place called CIRCLE OF FRIEND where it is a cafĂ© by day and a bar and bistro by night time. This place serves good food in a cozy dining area that is of a lovely old house. There is also a place that is called The Motte, is it a 18th century place at the edge of the village but it is more of the upscale market yet the food there is really good. While in some places like Woodstock and Lenihan’s and O’Donnell’s are nice friendly pubs.
Where is it located?
Inistoge is situated half of the way between New Ross and Kilkenny that is in South East Ireland.


and build this house to live in

lookit how lovely.
{can you smell the air?}

and have our backyard look like this



just the most magical.
{japan said they'd share with ireland}


and have at least one of these
{nothing cuter}

 and do this
mmm. frenchpress.

wanna come and play with me?
we can leave before morning.
i'll bring my rainboots, just in case.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

finding a piece of peace.

on sunday night, my dear friend came to pick up her sweet babe savannah after i had been delighting in her for 4 hours. i usually watch anna at least one sunday night a month so ron and her husband can go to small group, and enjoy their time, not worrying about being 'on time' for a sitter. (also, anna's kind of my best friend and most anticipated play date right now. i tell her a lot of secrets and we laugh and laugh and laugh). when ron walked into my living room she asked me, "when was the last time you've felt peace?"
-pause-
I responded, "like peaceful or like really, truly, totally at peace with life?"
she said, "the second one."

whoa. if i have to think of a day, i would say about 4 years ago. if i have to think of a season, jeesh. longer. the summer before my senior year of college maybe. this made me realize that it has been a really, really long time. now, don't get me wrong, there have been times where i 'feel peace about a decision' or 'peace in a shitty day', etc., but like real, soul soothing peace in the day to day??

ron and her husband went on to talk to me about quote un-quote, peace-robbers. things like 'comparison', 'jealousy', 'lust', 'worry', 'anxiety'. you know, the things that keep you up at night. the things that distract you in conversation with other people or while you're at work. the things that make you want to 'get out of your head' or 'just stop feeling'.

i've been thinking about this now for the last 4 days. what it was like when i remember being peaceful. why i don't have that, or don't choose that now. i reflect on that summer. the summer i often playfully call my 'coming of age'. that summer. that summer was....a clustercuss. it was beautiful and awful and i felt everything. i lived with two of my dearest friends. the kind of friends where you can be all the ugly you need to be, if it helps. i remember a distinct conversation around our dinner table one night (it was rare that we were all home at the same time), as the sun was setting well past 8:00pm. i had gotten home early from my shift as a server at a steak house (while currently a vegetarian), linds was mid craft project and took a break to join us for dinner, dinner that brim had cooked in reflection of her recent time in micronesia (chicken and rice- always). brim was talking about how it was so 'peaceful' there. just so peaceful. and how -cough- america was the worst (we all agreed). everyone bustling around, busybusybusy. we talked a lot about those things then. apparently during the conversation i said, "peace is not a lifestyle, it's a state of the heart." (brim reminded me of this later). i had recently returned from africa myself, and found myself sooo irritated on my trip when people would say things like, "i've never seen ANYTHING like this." i wanted to turn to them and say, "um have you ever driven the 1-10 from LA to Phoenix?" we went on to talk about how we can transplant peace into our hearts when there is absolutely nothing peaceful about the life surrounding us. (i miss conversations like these that were so abundant when i lived in azusa).

so what was different about that summer? ...that summer, everything was in limbo. nothing was certain. a lot was at stake. big and scary decisions were being made all around me. i was completely out of control of a lot of situations, except for what was right in front of me everyday. and as much as i HATEhate that, i was so free. nothing was my decision. the biggest decision i made everyday was how long to tan for, and what i wanted to eat before work. (i'm pretty sure i lived on redbull and skittles that whole summer, with the occasional chicken and rice). at work i pretended i was an actress, a different person at every table. (i was kind of a little insane maybe). and you know what? i never felt better. i never laughed harder, cried more freely, said what i thought and made more art.

for a person who constantly lives in the ebb and flow between nostalgia and the 'what if', i often feel incapable of living in the present. restless is a word my friend sar and i use to describe ourselves often. restless is different than a lack of contentment to me. it's an urge, an inner drive forward and backward at the same time (and never settling in one place). i get jealous (a peace robber) of my sweet friends who can be married with their two dogs, same job, cookie cutter house, starting to raise kids and will probably live the same life (give or take) everyday for the next 40 years. how can they do this!!!! and what's wrong with me that i can't? why don't i want these same things that soo many people want. happily want. and happily have.

the only place where i have found that i can be fully in the present moment is when i'm running. and this took practice. this took training. and mindfulness. and choosing. (i also read a book called chi-running which changed my life and how i run). if you run (and want to like running), you should read this book. i'm such a destination person, that when i started running i found myself so inpatient. i chose to combine my 'inability to be in the present' with my new found hobby of running. i told myself to be in every step, every ache, every breath. to just feel it and only be present in that second. it was transformational.

so how do i carry that over? i can't be actively running 24 hours a day just to live in the moment. i am the epitome of  'the grass is always greener'. i'm the girl that buys platinum blonde and dark brown hair dye in the same day, just in case. i want to be everywhere and do everything (at the same time). i don't want to be on 'one journey' called life, i want to be on a million journeys at the same time until i run out of life. i am a dreamer and a wanter and a kindred spirit. i am drawn to people that i want to know fully. i crave connections with people and places, and want to keep them all in my grasp or pockets or art desk drawers. (our world does not work like this). how do you 'release the peace robbers' when you can't stop thinking about someone? when a friendship moves on before you're ready? when you want to change your mind for no good reason? when you have dreams at night that follow you into the day? when the heart wants what the heart wants? when you have feelings that can't go anywhere?

(social media also makes this difficult).

what if we could be completely candid with one another all the time? say exactly what we're feeling. never coy. playful. never wondering. i have to be honest that it would take some of the fun out of it for me. i do well in the uncomfortable places. i do well in the wonder and the wanderlust. in the dreaming. in the 'what if' and 'remember when'.

my friend tom once said to me, "it's not over until we're all dead." i said, "you mean- it's not over 'til you're dead." he said, "no, until we're all dead. then nothing more can happen, with anyone."

maybe that's it. maybe the answer is peace will come fully and completely when i (and everybody else) is dead. in the meantime, i will try to find it here. in the day to day. when i can (and more so, when i want and choose to). i will keep running. i will let my chaos and restlessness bring me peace.

and may you find peace too (if you want it). and if you don't...keep wandering.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

oh my summatime

well. it's trendy tuesday.
after having to narrow it down from about 300 images that i've been collecting (since yesterday- yikes!),
i decided that i most definitely need to be more involved in fashion design.
i have always felt like getting dressed is an art.
combinations.
colors.
patterns.
the 'perfect' fit.
such fun!

so- here are some for her, for him, for yer home.


{her}
the bicycle blues


blanket babe.


gosh, this shirt. nautical treasures meet soft and lite.

my favourite and the most playful patterns.



slouchy summa time.



for the business babe.


{him}
light layers of neutral & blues.


night out nauticals.


playful. parkside. pockets.
(any man who wears capris = whoa).



casual. skinny tie. wrinkled waves.


{home}
what a fresh coat of white can do. goodbye cobwebs, hello sweet, simple summa.



look at this backyard treasure delight.
i could escape here for hours.
to nap. drink tea. paint watercolors.
giggle with friends.
i need one of these.
and a garden to put it in.




Monday, May 23, 2011

when we go to Morocco, I think we should have completely different names and be completely different people.

maybe it's having seen pirates this weekend.
maybe it's wanderlust.
maybe it's wishing i was in a little cantina on the beach instead of work.

regardless, this old fav fits my first music monday.
enjoy.


http://grooveshark.com/s/Wanted/2BneZg?src=5

Sunday, May 22, 2011

finally.

so every weekend 'blog' has been on my to-do list.
my to-do list progressed from 'blog' to 'get inspiration', 'research how to make my blog look pretty', 'add links', 'develop my purpose', 'update from dec..jan...feb..mar..april...'
jeesh. overwhelmed.
so many talented bloggers out there.
((who cares what i have to say?))
((who will follow me?))
so finally t'day, i smacked my little self in the face,
pulled up my bootstraps,
and decided, "this is not the tannia i know- just do it!"
so here it is.
it's my safe space.
my idea garden.
it can be whatever i want.
i made themes for the days of the week where i can post different things to inspire.
that inspire me.
(and i give myself the freedom to not post everyday, but i can if i want).
so, here is... my NEW blog.
i'm excited about this.
(and maybe you are too).

i already have music for tomorra.