Mondays List- Humility

We all have our little secrets. There are some things at which I am incredibly terrible. What dumbfounds me is how "simple" these things are to other people.

1. Running

Seriously, if you see me running, you better run also. Something terrible must be going down. I feel like Phoebe on friends when I run. Also, it makes my teeth hurt. I thought that was odd until a lady at Starbucks said the same thing.

2. Doing math in my head
If you want to see an exercise in futility, ask me to do any calculation above the ones in my head. It blows my mind when the people I work with have the answer to 82 x 21 before I have gotten past 1 x 2 is...
Once, someone told me that this inability is akin to being a math illiterate adult. I wanted to argue the point, but I am pretty sure that other people don't view grocery shopping as a lottery system at the checkout. Thank goodness for price checkers at Macy's, or I'd never figure out what the $79 sweater costs at 60% off plus an additional 40% with a 15% bonus pass.

3. Pancakes
I cannot make a pancake to save my dear life. I have never made a golden, perfect pancake. Mine tend to look like wounded warriors. If they are golden and beautiful, they are raw on the inside, if they are cooked, they look like a Target bullseye.

4. Grace
I am the clumsiest being on earth. I don't have an ounce of grace in my body. If you ask my mom, it has been that way from birth. I dream of being one of those women that float across the room with dignity and grace, but I tend to look like a  mix of a drunk elephant and a newborn deer. My youngest is the opposite. Thank goodness. 


5. Makeup
I have no idea what I am doing. I've gotten lessons at the counter, looked at tutorial after tutorial, and read the inserts. I have one look that I can pull off, which is pretty much vampire. I cannot put together the soft, glowy look, or the barely-there look. Going to the grocery store? Vampire. Wedding? Vampire. A casual BBQ? Vampire.

~Venetia

Monday's List- Inspiration

I love lists. Today, I am sharing a list of five things currently inspiring me. 

1. R. H. Shumway's Catalog

I love the vintage drawings in their catalog. This illustrated catalog is full of line drawings that are absolutely gorgeous, which a great bonus when flipping through to plan a spring garden in the winter weather. I get a little giddy every time this catalog arrives in the mail. It is a wonderful winter treat.

2. Local Vintage Neon

Tacoma has a ton of vintage neon signs that I drive past daily. Here are a few I love every time I see them. For no apparent reason, I especially adore the Tavern sign. Something about the arrows, the weathered look, and the simplicity of the sign just makes me happy. 

I feel lucky to see these reminders of the past daily. My grandparents ran a fishing lodge that had a neon sign, and I am pretty sure my love for neon started there.

3. Scripts

This book is gorgeous. Vintage lettering has an elegant simplicity that I find beautiful. 

4. Art Nouveau

This art style from the turn of the century is ornate, and many images have women at the center stage. I find these images inspiring because of the ornate detail and layers in the images.

5. Clifton Metal Works

I am adoring the metal work from Clifton Metal Works. He creates, builds and paints each piece by hand. In person the works are just stunning. They mix a industrial vibe with whimsy. I have a Clifton heart that I am absolutely in love with. 

<This is mine!!! Love.

~Venetia

List fun- 5 Things Spring

Spring has so many possibilities, and I want to share my top 5 things for spring.

1. Plant a cutting garden. My youngest is all about picking flowers, and I need to get some annuals in so that she has plenty of fun this summer. She loves pink, so I think a nice grouping of Cosmos will be a good start. Time to drag out my Sunset Gardening book to pick some more.

2. Visit the farmer's market and local produce stand. I need to get back in the habit of visiting weekly and picking up some fresh, local vegetables. I really have gotten into an odd space with cooking. I need to fix it.



3. Drink coffee outdoors and watch the people go by. Since we adore coffee in our house, this is a good family event. We have a nice Starbucks near our house that is perfect for people watching on a sunny afternoon, and it is within walking distance for some extra exercise. There are always people walking by, and my girls love riding their bikes to coffee

 

4. Do something with my hair. For some reason,  haircut schedule got all messed up, and it has been 3 or so months since I have had a cut, and as you know, that is a long time for short hair, especially mine which grows fairly quickly. Suddenly, I have a cut that I can do a little with, and it is starting to wave and straighten nicely. What I really want is to try this Aveda cream that my friend Heather told me about. I also want to dye my hair candy apple red. I'm waiting for the end of spring for that one.

5. Clean my freaking house. I mean, spring clean it. Wash walls, and scrub blinds, and clean baseboards. I don't actually want to do this, but it needs to happen. Since I have to do it, I might pick up some new scents in my favorite cleaning supplies. Dr. Bronner's and Mrs. Meyers. I love both of these because they are earth friendly, which to me means kid friendly. I also like that they are concentrated and last a long time. Right now I have Basil in Mrs. Meyers, and Peppermint in Dr. Bronners. For fun, read the Dr. Bronners label. That is some crazy stuff on there. What's on your spring list? ~Venetia

Top 5 Wish List- Feel free to send!

Here is my current wish list of art/craft supply items.  They range from the reasonable $2 to the less reasonable $1,000 price range. I ask for them in jest in the title of the blog post because my husband always tells me to put it out to the universe and it will resolve itself. He's kind of new-age-crystal that way, and I can't argue that if you don't try, you can't get shot down in a firey ball of NO!

In any case, these are a few things that have been on my radar lately. Hopefully, I can enable you as well!

1. Caran d'Ache Neocolor II Artists' Crayons- These just look like so much fun. Crayons that you can turn into water colors? Rich, vibrant color? Yes please.

2. Stabilo Colored Marking Pencils: In black and white. These look amazing for working with mixed media. It is no secret I am addicted to writing utensils, and this is the newest crush I have. It is marked ALL on the side... that means it will be all I need, correct? "I just need this pencil, and this chair, and this paddleball game and that's all I need." (If you haven't watched The Jerk recently, or ever, do yourself a favor and watch it. Seriously, one of the most perfect pieces of comedy ever.)

3. Dylusions Ink Sprays: I have the black and the postbox red.  I love them. There is a white I am so excited over, but cannot seem to find. I need that one and well, pretty much all the colors.  I want to spray everything.  My kitchen table, I mean studio, is becoming very colorful. Come here my daughters, Mommy wants to spray you.




4. Golden Mediums: Doesn't this sample set look amazing? I could have so much fun with that. Texture, gloss, matte.. and look at these Mica additives. Sparkles? Yes. I could rock this stuff.

5. Mac Book Air: PC is good too, but these are just gorgeous. Maybe one day...



What are you wishing for?
~Venetia

Top 5- Art Supply Retailers

Today I thought I would share my top five list of art supply retailers. I have purchased from all of these places personally, and been a happy customer.

1. Daniel Smith: They have online and brick and mortar stores. They have everything fine arts related. I love going to the Seattle and Redmond store when I am in the area. I also like getting their catalog, because they include lots of art in the pages, which is a great source of inspiration.

2.Dick Blick: Blick also has online and brick and mortar, and they recently opened a Seattle Store. Blick has more student-grade options for supplies than Daniel Smith, so if you want to try a technique on a lower price-point, Blick is a great place to start. They offer teacher discounts, and catalogs as well.

3. JetPens: I've given JetPens a ton of love on here, and it is because if you need a pen, they have it. Those Uni-Ball Signo white pens that can be difficult to find? They've got them. Want to try a different white pen? They've got a ton.  I believe the right pen can enhance your handwriting, so its worth it to spend some time finding the right one.

4. Artco Crafts: This is my local arts and crafts store. Unfortunately, they do not have online sales. I'm including it because there is not really an art supply store in Tacoma, except Tacoma Community College and University (of Washington) bookstores. Artco has a little of everything, given the size it is pretty surprising.

5. Michaels: I struggled with the 5th choice because it really isn't insightful, but when you need canvas or sketchbooks on the cheap, the coupons help. I prefer Michaels to Joanns, which is funny because ten years ago I preferred J's.

Do you have a favorite supplier I missed?



~Venetia

Sketchbook peek- 13 Things

I've been using 13 a lot this year because well, it is 2013. I figure that I can dwell on the unluckiness of the number or embrace it. Since my word of the year is "Joy" embracing it seemed the best choice. This sketch is an idea, and it may move into my Atomic Project binder, or it may become a scrapbook page, I haven't really decided.

I love lists. They're fun. I use lists to keep myself straight at work, and I need to do them more at home. I love seeing other people's lists because I find new ideas or products I like. Fashion Police is an addiction of mine, because it is just a long list of what people are wearing, and fashion is a great place to see new trends. I also love those "best beauty products under $5" lists. Around the holidays, I pour over the best gifts for (men, women, kids) lists, and I love to critique the women's ones. For the most part, don't buy me that junk.

This list is a random snapshot of me today. My favorite, I want lobster. Seriously, I want some. Now. Please?? The wishful one, I'm buying a computer soon.

What would your list of 13 things be?

~Venetia