the little table

...play "i won't always love you". ( or whatever you want. i thought i could make the choice but it turns out you can listen to ALL! )

we got a brand new big + awesome table for our dining room. which means, we are selling our smaller one. it was jay's when he lived in vermont for law school, and i always hated it. every time i went there, especially when i knew it would soon be mine, i hated on it. turns out, i adore it. it was there for us through our wedding and first apartment and into our new house. it's a very pretty color and really nice happy wood, with all kinds of loveable scratches. after the excitement of a new, big, adult table being delivered today, i got a little sad about selling the small one. i want a reason to keep it. but it would probably just be sad in the basement anyway.

in high school, i wrote a letter to all the houses i'd ever lived in (3) and it was such fun and important expression for me. i loved being able to characterize the houses, and tell them how i felt as if they were people. i'd love to share them here sometime- maybe if i do one for our apartment ... or our first house (oh, the day, when/if we ever have to leave this house... i can't even get rid of our table...) so, i could totally do that with this table... but a formal letter felt a little much. i think our little table would want just a little "ode" to the talks, feelings, and food it held up for us.

more table love ...

little table, hanging out proudly around our first anniversary. don't mind jay's sagging butt pants.

little table, we love your big chairs.

little table, remember those exeter-pittsburgh pierogies?
you look so small in that big room. 

little table, thank you for shouldering all the beautiful-wierd-awesome memories of our first dinners in our first apartment. this one, is right after we got in from hawaii, the first night we stayed in our apartment together, complete with cleaning supplies and cards and candles and thai food.
i love you little table.

{this moment}

inspired by SouleMama 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 If you're inspired to do the same, leave your link in the comments below. Also visit SouleMama and leave your link there, too.

a little tenderness

this song is a little sappy and silly, but i do think it's this week's theme. with people you love, and for yourself. it's really hard to be nice to yourself, but finding ways to do that is ultimately important. plus, the lyrics are so true.

happy (late) valentines day. i hope yours was cozy. i never experienced a more cozy one myself and now i hope that's always how they'll be. there was something so comfortable and calm about this one. and nothing to do with blankets or february or chocolate which mentally equal coziness. just a new way to enjoy. i don't know if it was year #2 of being married, or year #10 of valentines we've celebrated, but it was just right.

i wanted to share a little inspiration dump.

it's a mix of some things i want to move forward with, some that nearly killed me and i've been hating on all week, and some new realizations. just a bunch of visuals for now ... i'll share some actual finished pieces soon, some work i'm doing with the no. 27 gallery, and other fun stuff that isn't me complaining about this all being hard work. my mantra for today is that i'm creating art for me first, so i shouldn't won't put pressure on myself to know what it is, why it is, or when i'll get it. if i forget that ... i feel lost.

{this moment}

inspired by SouleMama 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 If you're inspired to do the same, leave your link in the comments below. Also visit SouleMama and leave your link there, too.

3 artists around me

last week, my mom had a faculty show opening at the currier museum of art. she had these two new pieces there, which i had yet to see.

the first one (pretty difficult to take a good picture of) was a mesmerizing (and perfectly framed) square of mystical shiny dichroic glass jellyfish, and a hand that's letting a pinker-tinted jelly float in it's palm. it looks like a painting, but it's actually fused glass. a "painting" created from melted glass sheets, shapes, and powders. also some wire. the depth in the layers of glass is amazing. it's called "collide for attention".

the second one was gathering much praise from one faculty friend of hers, june, who said it was a ritualistic piece-- she kept standing over it and cupping her hands, closing her eyes, and "washing" the happy feelings over her. she was only half kidding but once she said it, i noticed the same. i tried it, and it was true. the bowl shape adds to the feeling, and the sparkle amongst the sifting sand feels like you've found bits of heaven. june was insistent that if you had this piece in your home, you would place it on a pedestal at waist height, and wash the good feelings over yourself every day before you walk out the door. this one is also fused glass as above, and called "searching for gifts".

i can't get over the image of the hands, which, created in wire, etching and dichoric, were exactly her hands in each piece. i love it!

they are on display and for sale at the currier museum of art.  OH and they're done by verne orlosk. she has a great show coming up at east colony fine arts in april in which she's a featured artist.

another art show that happened recently, was the enormous tiny art show at nahcotta in portsmouth. 

i didn't make this one because a (second!) winter illness punched me in the face, but i can't wait to see it in person. because of paintings like this:

this is "blue" by my good buddy, melissa lyford.

i love all of them, but this one was just calling to me today.

you must click to see more of her beautifully precise, tiny tiny tiny, paintings. the vellum paper piece itself is only 3.5 by 3.5 inches, and then the piece is framed, so it gets a little bigger, but imagine how intricate. the attention to detail is crazy and the overall pieces are amazing. i can't wait to see this set in person! the ETA show is a really cool way to collect affordable art by great artists. check it out!

these are "flag island sunset" and "warm sunset" by my college roomie ellie porta. 

there were so many to pick from, so click through to see many more beautiful sunsets, islands, deadly sins ... and much more. when you see them bigger, they're even more striking. i'm sitting here trying to glean all i can from them. we have to do this via email now, since we're no longer standing next to each other with easels or visiting the room next door to see each other's work. i've loved being able to share via internet a similar give and take. and even getting a glimpse or two in person these days. ellie is living back in her homeland of maine, where she has a horse named duke and a paris-like apartment. find more here.

in other news, my computer has also been punched in the face by wintertime, and is currently getting it's logic board replaced. until it returns to me, i will be figuring out how many of my "normal" things i can accomplish by taking over jay's laptop. maybe i'll find some cool, old, inspiring images on his iphoto (since he only uses instagram now, it's all old pics.) hmm......

Bells Down

imges via

i'm so excited that i finally get to share Jay's band's music with you. they're called Bells Down, and they recorded at indiefair a few weeks ago. now they have a facebook page where you can "like" them (please do!) and listen in the music tab. if you haven't already clicked through above, click here now!

listen to the 4 tracks, and tell me what's your favorite!

and i thought this image below was a good way to start off february. other ways i'm enjoying are these february goals and these new favorite things. happy february!

image via