No, REALLY!

It's a new year, I'm going to start blogging more. Really I am. I kinda have to, I've signed up to contribute to the NA Crafters blog twice a month. So I figured I might get a head start on that and well, I should probably update anyone who's interested on what I've been up to lately.

I moved FOUR times in 2012. four. times. It's so much fun, I thought I would just keep doing it. Ok, not really. I'll spare you the details but I owned a house that I wasn't living in and I sold it so here I am, getting settled into the house I will hopefully be in for awhile.

I have creative space again and I've been painting like crazy. I also finally got myself the Silhouette cutting machine I've been drooling over for like a year. That thing is like creative crack, I swear. I.just.cant.stop. Lyrics, ladybugs, nature, owls, damask prints, musically inspired prints... I've done a little bit of everything and I'm seriously just getting started. Here's a few of the paintings I've done recently:

I've also accepted the fact that I'm completely addicted to Pinterest and Spotify and I'm embracing it. Might as well go with it right? So to that effect, I figured I would share a Pinterest recipe and a Spotify playlist with you guys when I blog. So here goes:

Recipe of the week: Shredded chicken - http://pinterest.com/pin/11399805278355903/

Seriously one of the easiest slow cooker meals I've ever done. It's three ingredients, I cooked it on high for 4 hours and now I have tons of shredded chicken for tacos, salads, and I'm planning on trying enchiladas with a sour cream sauce. I used black bean and corn salsa and a low sodium taco seasoning packet. Such a great flavor. Yummmmmmers! (yummers? really? yeah.)

Spotify playlist: 

This one has The Lumineers on it, as well as some Ben Howard, Gary Clark Jr. and a band called Branches. I am a huge Lumineers fan. They are on my list of shows to see in 2013. I'll post that list later. This is my winter playlist. I tend to latch on to several new songs at once, which generally turns into a 2-3 month cycle of listening to these songs, adding more and then the seasons change and I move on to something else. It's kind of cool because if I go back and listen to these songs a few or several months later, it always brings back memories of what I was doing at that point, road trips I took, experiences with friends and what have you. So here's my winter playlist, enjoy!

Anyways, 2013 is going to be a FANTASTIC year with lots of awesome blog posts. Maybe. :-)

Peace,
Jen

A change is gonna come...

Turns out I did exactly what I said I wouldn't do.... I started a blog, wrote a few posts and then ignored it. Well, hopefully with the changes happening with work and all, I will have some time to focus and contribute a little more.

Today is Labor Day and I'm previewing the new Avett Brothers album on NPR, The Carpenter. I've actually already purchased the pre-release vinyl set but the download won't be available until the album release date. Anyways, I'm definitely digging the album and I have a feeling a few of these songs will be on the greenway playlist (and on repeat).

My favorite song, although not the album version, is "Down with the Shine". I've heard this song several times live and it is definitely one of my favorites of theirs. The album version doesn't do the live version justice, but then again, the same hold's true for most of their songs.

My other soon to be favorite's (in no particular order):
- "Life"
- "The Once and Future Carpenter"
- "Live and Die"
- "February Seven"
- "Through My Prayers"

Would love to hear your opinions on the album or suggestions on other new releases I should check out!

Peace,
Jen

A Series

So I've had a fair amount of experience tie dying in the last few months. A few things I've learned:
1. Saturate, saturate, saturate. Don't skimp on the dye, really.
2. Pinks and reds will run. This includes fuchsia. Never underestimate the ability of one accidental drop to screw up an entire shirt. Seriously, it's happened more than once.
3. Pay attention, go slow and make even strokes with your dye bottles.
4. Zip ties work much better than rubber bands. Be very careful when cutting them off, especially when working with thinner cotton like jersey. I have screwed up an otherwise lovely shirt by poking a hole while cutting off the zip tie.
5. Pick a color scheme and do more than one shirt, in various patterns.

With that being said, I did a series of shirts last night with the same three colors. I thought this might be a cool idea for family photos, twins, best friends, etc. So here's my first series:

The first two are girls tanks, size small.














 

This one is a Mossimo Womens Large. The shirt below is a Youth XSmall.

Spring?

Playing with the macro lens and some rare February blossoms last weekend...

Spring is the "new" season. New growth, fresh blossoms. I'm so ready for this spring. It's been a mild winter, weather-wise (minus the rain), but not so much otherwise. I can see the door opening for a lot of new things in my life. New growth and a fresh start. I'm not quite there... but then spring is not quite here either.

I have a lot to look forward to in the coming months. March is going to ah-mazing - shows for The Pack A.D., Mumford & Sons and The Avett Brothers all within three weeks. Wow. I still can't quite believe it's happening or that I got that lucky.

Now I get to wait around for it to get here. I'm not so good at that, the patience part. I'm getting better and I make an effort every day to slow down and take things for what they are. It's not the easiest thing for me though. I'm debating on getting a pause button for my next tattoo. Crazy right? I need one. Sometimes, I just need to hit the pause button, take a step back and realize the smallness of what seems like a very big deal at the time.

I'm thankful to be able to do things like this, take pictures of beautiful things, appreciate the wonder and beauty of the world around me. It helps me slow down, to put the focus (pun intended haha) on something other than my life for a little while.

Now it's cold and dark again... after all, it is February. I've made it this far, only a few more weeks to go. Soon, the sun will make a more permanent appearance, the days will get longer, the warmth will return and the cold weariness will be but a memory. Until then, more random posts and pictures are sure to come :)

Here are a couple more macros... subject is a bouquet from a work event.

Peace,
Jen

The Sun Will Rise

It's been a rough couple of weeks... busy and stressful but I am thankful that it's Friday and that the sun finally returned this week. I haven't posted much in the way of being creative because my creative space has been in limbo while the flooding issue was resolved. Luckily it is now fixed and I will be moving back in this weekend. Hopefully more fun posts will be coming soon. In the mean time, I wanted to share some lyrics :)

The Sun Will Rise (Kelly Clarkson)
I can see the wait there in your eyes
I can feel the thought in your sigh
Your knuckles are bruised from a losing fight
One way down a dead end street
Broken glass underneath your feet
You think the day won't break the sunless night

The sun will rise
The sun will rise
When you've lost your lights
The sun will rise
It'll be alright
It'll be alright

I've been in stuck in a storm before
Felt the wind raging at my door
Couldn't move, couldn't breathe, Couldn't find a way out

Somehow my clouds disappeared, Somehow I made it here
Maybe just so you could hear me say

The sun will rise
The sun will rise (The sun will rise)
When you've lost your lights
The sun will rise

It'll be alright (It'll be alright)
It'll be alright
It'll be alright
It'll be alright

Although you can't see it
So hard to believe it
Sometimes you just need a little faith (All you need is a little faith)
There's an answer to your prayer
And I swear that there'll come a day

The sun will rise
The sun will rise (The sun will rise)
The sun will rise (The sun will rise)
The sun will rise
Yeah
(The sun will rise)
(The sun will rise)
(The sun will rise)

It'll be alright
It'll be alright
It'll be alright
It'll be alright

The sun will rise