Happy Bastille Day!

My mother (a former French teacher) is pleased as punch with my new found fracophilia. I've also been very much into Podcasts as of late, and recently just finished listening to a few about Marie Antoinette and the storming of the Bastille.

One of my absolute favorite stories I've heard recently is the story of the Ghosts at Petit Trianon. Petit Trianon was Marie's little getaway cottage on the grounds of Versailles, and if you haven't heard of this story, I urge you to check out the Stuff You Missed in History Class Podcast series. This particular story about two women that "time-slipped" into Marie's 18th-century life is so incredibly interesting and romantic and wonderful. The episode is called "Ghosts of History: Versailles." Go check it out!

The idea of ghosts and cottages and gardens in Marie's France not only reaches the history side of my brain but also the creative. I'm lucky enough to have been to Versailles 3 times, but before the age of digital cameras and before I was old enough to appreciate my surroundings. This photo is lovingly borrowed from flickr.

Photo cred: Laurence,

Not a place I would mind "time-slipping" back to. Although, probably not on this day in 1789, what with all the uprising and storming and such.

the nitty gritty...

Unlike many failed journals, diaries, and blogs in my past, I refuse to stop updating. Despite a lapse in blogging over the past few months, recent happenings have urged me to settle on the couch, drag the ol' laptop onto my lap, sip some peppermint tea, and blog about the state of things.

In November I'll sadly be out of a job. Working at Broadway Across America - Columbus has really been my first "grown-up" job out of college, so I'm sad to see it go. On other other hand it gives me the opportunity to move on to bigger and better, and it forces me to think deeply about what it is I really want to do.

For a long time I've walked the fine line between artist and non-artist. Or rather, I've tried as hard as I can to figure out my own personal creative outlet while the left side of my brain encourages logical thinking and organization. 7,000 different things interest me, and I have never been able to choose just what it is that I should "do." This is a problem personally as well as professionally. I'm now confronted with the daunting task of finding a job in the arts in a town that is very arts savvy , but has little to no arts funding currently. So what is it that I should do?

Is this a journey of personal discovery in 4-months time? Kind of. But more likely this is something I'll always be thinking about. How can I create? How can I contribute to the arts world?

Perhaps a more important question is: can I transplant this bathroom into my house so that I can spend all of my time here thinking about all of these tough questions??


Image via Down and Out Chic via Marie Claire Maison

::want::

A lot of my ::want:: items have to do with cameras and photography. I'm looking into taking a film camera course this summer at CCAD (Columbus College of Art and Design), so I'm checking out 35mms, and I found this beauty:




It's a Blackbird twin lens reflex, of which I have none yet, and it's described as being perfect for experimental photography. To sum up, these are the cameras that I'm in need of:

Blackbird TLR
Diana F+
Nikon 35mm SLR
A good DSLR
A great plethora of experimental and vintage cams working and non-working with which to experiment and decorate

In other news, I need more money...

::le sigh::

my friday in 5 pictures

in sepia tones:

::want::

Talk about love at first sight!!



I found this chair over on Man Make Home, and I absolutely love it. I can't imagine a more beautiful green. The chair is for sale at Retrouvius.

P.S. I've got a busy, busy weekend coming up, but I'm planning on trying out a new entry format called, "my day in 5 pictures," so check that out sometime in the next couple days.

people I love

My nephews and I at the Dinosaur museum in ATL:

::want::

Today's want is a longtime want for me. I've wanted the Diana F+ for awhile. Although I will probably eventually end up buying the classic pale mint version, I can't help but love the new hot pink version aptly named, Mr. Pink.



I love my Holga, but the Diana's images seem to have a much more dreamlike quality that I really enjoy.

Many versions of the Diana are available at Lomography's website.

inspiration: music

What kind of music motivates you? For me it looks and sounds a lot like the Black Mirror video by The Arcade Fire. This site has been up for awhile, but I'm still enamored with it.

Check out Miroir Noir.

Press 1-6 on the keyboard to toggle the sounds, add and subtract tracks, etc. For the most awesome and haunting sound, click off everything but 1 and 5 (main and backing vocals). So beautiful.

The Arcade Fire's Neon Bible came out in 2006, but it's still on my most frequently played list.

::want::

I read about 15 different "beautiful thing" blogs daily. Naturally I covet TONS of things every day. But on my current budget, I can't afford to buy approximately 100% of those things. So I online window shop and plan what I would buy if I could.

My ::want:: item of the day are these dishes, currently on sale at CB2. This "edge dinnerware" is very reasonably priced between $2.95-$4.95 per piece. I absolutely love the detailing on the edges. Seems like it would really help to stop my incessant spillage during dinner time. Check them out below:




Watch for a daily ::want:: item! I guarantee they're all amazing.

Ensemble, c'est tout...

Currently, I'm a smidge obsessed with all things French.

I'm reading:




Which is lovely and charming.

If only I could live in this apartment, photographed by Parisian Nicolas Mathéus and featured on one of my very favorite blogs Desire to Inspire:










Which is, let's face it, lovely and charming. Although I'm not sure it's actually in France, I'm sure I can arrange to have it transported to the French countryside.

Greta Garbo

Tell me this isn't the cutest little bundle of furry inspiration ever:







Yeah. Cute.

Projects...

Happy Saturday!

I thought that I would have to work my second job all day, but I have a few hours off, which gives me more time for my 3rd job...starting a shop! After a new recent shipment of beads from my dealer, I'm getting to work creating some new earrings. I'm also planning a short walk around beautiful German Village today to take some pinhole shots.

Here's a couple things I've been working on





Lots of stuff in progress. Still really learning the ropes, but hey, I'm kind of in love with my own work, and I guess that's what really matters :)

first post, lots of pressure!

I'm hoping to use the blog to explain my philosophies of art, business, and the art of business (har har). Until I get my shop up and running on etsy.com, I'll be posting a lot of pictures of things I'm working on, and just generally trying to piece together a brand for myself.



If it wasn't for the fact that the Diesel was $4.77 in this picture, I could have sworn my Holga was transported back to the 19th century, taken during our cross country excursion in 2008. Talk about Lo-Fi. But that's what I love about the Holgas. That's what I love about film in general. There's a certain something (je ne sais quoi) missing from digital photos. It's the Mystery!! Who knows what you'll get when you develop a roll! For me it's about 50% crap, but I'm hoping to improve that.