MondayUPs

Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.

In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... 
I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books

...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..
hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

***

Today was completely craptastic.
I am so tired of being on this roller coaster... up one day... down the next... 
a sharp turn here... a sharp turn there... it's supposed to be fun... 
and yet at times... it's downright terrifying.

But alas, I digress.
In honor of poop... and all things "crappy"... I've decided to do today's post on recycling/upcycling poo.  
Yes, poo. No sheit.
So whether you are reading this from the comfort of your "favorite chair"... on the loo... 
or in the privacy of your own porcelain place of peace... I bring you... 
poo at it's best.

- 10 uses for poop (brought to you by Gizmodo)
- 10 uses for Human Waste (by a global engineering website)
- 7 Creative Uses for Poop (by the folks at Mental Floss) 
- 6 Green Projects that Put Poop to Good Use (by Huffington Post:Green)
- PSI: Poop Scene Investigation!  
(brought to you by the Arizona Museum of Natural History)

--- and here's a cool video ...HERE
--and just this summer.... read HERE

... and let's hope tomorrow is much better :)

for the weekend

...it's the weekend.
Man, how time is flying. This week has flown by... and yet...
it's been a wild roller coaster of ups and downs.
I feel a bit drained... well... more than a bit.

On Monday, the house will go through an inspection as part of the selling process.
So... before that; we have a few minor things to do around the house.
A small portion of the gutter needs re-hung, a couple lights on the patio need replaced...
and I've got some trees and bushes to trim in the yard; and lots of wood to chop and stack near the fire-pit.
It is nice to be SO close to getting everything we wanted to do for this house... done.
It's a closure I am proud of.... and I feel like all those years watching HGTV may have paid off :)

In other news... we've had lots of ups and downs looking for a place to land... but I am hoping we have found a good one.
Now we just need to finalize our financial stuff... and plan out a move cross country. oh... and then there is the whole job hunt thing...
It's exciting, and scary... and wonderful....
and terrifying... all at the same time.

I've learned alot during this whole process... and I'm sure there will be more before it's all said and done.
But overall, it's been good... and I need to keep that in mind during the rough spots (like today). But alas.

So... for this weekend's post... I thought I would include some interesting links that I hope you will like.

-Here is the fiction book I am currently reading
-Here is a wonderful magazine I am studying
-Here is a super cool magazine I just discovered... and it looks awesome
-this is the music on my cd player right now
-this is the movie I saw last night on TV... and this one from Netflix we plan to watch this weekend
-my most recent jewelry project... now in the shop
-my new tea love
-one of the best sites I've seen this week
-walk down memory lane HERE
-weird comment made to me this week-- "but if you move there... you'll be just like those people in Green Acres!"... No one has ever compared me to Eva Gabor before -- and I doubt it will ever happen again :P

Quote for the weekend:
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

friday finds

I read... alot.

I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.

I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).

If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature...
just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

Lately, it seems I've been noticing all things french.
Perhaps it is because a Facebook friend of mine was recently traveling there...
(see her blog: HERE)

or perhaps it is because one of my dearest friends is a huge francophile...
or perhaps because I unearthed a french language book while packing ...

...who knows.
But today's blog links all have a decidedly French flare.
Some are all about fashion.... some food.... all french... Oui!

Fleaing France 
La Casa a Pois
Eleonore Bridge
Miss Pandora
Punky B.
Coline
Chocolate and Zucchini
Clea Cuisine
My Melange
Chez LouLou
Tongue in Cheek

and then here's a couple general sites:

The Paris Blog
BonJour Paris
Americans in France

.

even the trees
know when to leaf (leave--- pun not intended)

to start from mere shoots
a spark of life from the orchards
the fruitful fields of life

to grow, to thrive
to reach up to the sun
gather in the warmth
spread their seed
nurture their young

to bend in the wind
and grow thicker bark
to shield oneself from adversity
to thin out
store up water in the dry times

and, ultimately...
to wither.
to tuck oneself in
to store life deep within
to return to the earth
...from whence it came

***

((so there is this tree at the end of my neighborhood. The house has gone through a HUGE series of tenants... especially these last few years... with the last ones leaving mysteriously and the house going into foreclosure... and the tree... well... the tree is literally uprooting itself and looks like it's trying to leave the yard. It's truly amazing... and sad... and tragic... and ...whoa))

.

bones flying apart
ripped from the limb like spiderwebs on windowsills
where to go
what to do
finishing up
projects once so important
now lying dormant in a pool of dust
connections to sever
connections to ignite

fire
breathing down my neck
burning my face
clouding my vision
bringing me back to...

where to go
what to do

.

dappled morning light

creeps in on the wings of birds

joyfully singing

***

MondayUPs

Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.

In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... 
I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books

...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..
hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

***

It's summer.
And at least here in ABQ... lots of people wear flip-flops.
Coincidentally, I was at one of my fav shops here in ABQ...
and they feature art and products from all around the world, 
and one of the items I fell in love with... was a fabulous basket made from pieces of recycled flip flops. 
Yes, Flip-flops.

And so... today's post is all about recycling/upcycling old flip flops!

Here... artists have used flip flops to make baskets:

mats/rugs

jewelry!

and then there are sculptures, like this one:

-----------------

So... here are some wonderful articles on the artisans behind alot of this work:

here
here
here
Ocean Sole (artisans from Nairobi)



And here is an incredible sculpture in Sao Paulo by artist Florentijn Hofman 
see more: HERE

for the weekend

...it's been so busy around here... which is not necessarily a bad thing...

That said... we really needed to just "take a time out" --- so to speak... so we drove downtown.

We had lunch with a friend (at the ever-fabulous Flying Star Cafe), and then wandered around Nob Hill a bit...looking in the windows of some great shops... like HeyJhonny!... and then stopping at our fav comic book store (AstroZombies!). We then walked down to one of my fav galleries here MARIPOSA. We had a wonderful chat with the owner Liz Deneen (she also has a Fashion Blog: here) and saw some amazing works of art... and even had a brush with stardom when we met this guy! ... ( Giancarlo Esposito from Breaking Bad) and his daughter.
How cool is that?!

We then stopped for coffee and a scrumptious mid-day dessert (ah... going back to my whenIlivedInGermanyTraditions...yum)
-- before heading back home.

All in all... a truly wonderful day.

I even treated myself to a little prezzie...

This is my prezzie: an art jewelry piece by artist Wanda Lobito.

It is a pendant; that also has a pin back so you can wear it as a brooch.

>>sigh<<<

I love it.

friday finds

I read... alot.

I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.

I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).

If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature...
just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

So... we might have sold the house already!
Which is super cool... and super fast.
So for today... I'm gonna just chill out and give you links to
all kinds of prettiness.

Lottie Loves
Karen Michel
House of Habit
Galia Alena
Mud Puddle Madonna

***

The photo for today's post is one I took in Santa Fe on Sunday.
It is a photo of a statue that was in one of the cute little shops off the plaza...
and I think it's awesome.

.

unwavering hope
that it will all be okay
in tomorrow's light

.

sweat poured from her brow

steaming even, before they

hit the dry, parched ground

***

Driving back from Santa Fe the other day... it was so hot.

And I found my mind wandering back to a time when people traversed this broken ground
 in search of a new life. It must have been hard.
And I can't fathom it.

.

how many teardrops
haven fallen down at her feet
for prayers answered

MondayUPs

Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.

In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... 
I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books

...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..
hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

***

I love taking pictures.
I've been taking photos since I was probably 6yrs old.

I also love to recycle, reuse and repurpose...
Which brought me to the idea of what to do with old cameras.
Now, personally; I have about 5 old cameras that I use as decor.
They are functional though... and if I come across film in the right size; 
I gladly try them out.
But there are other things to do with old cameras;
 if you are not inclined to take photos with them.
Here are some ideas:


docks for electronics

jewelry

 lamps/ lights

clocks

sculptures and mixed media art

(the photo at the top of today's post... is one I took yesterday on the way home from Santa Fe. 
I had my little pocket camera with me in the jeep; and was rekindling my love of B&W photography)

for the weekend

As of today... the house has been listed for sale... for exactly one week.
And the response has been awesome.
We've had several people come out... even one couple who came twice!
and tomorrow is an Open House.

We have most all the work done that we set out to do.
Hard to believe when we started this massive overhaul/ remodel a couple years ago... that we would end up re-doing most everything... replacing all the appliances... remodeling the bathrooms and the kitchen... even putting in extensions on the patio... landscaping... and more.
And now we are down to just a few things left to do.
It's been a wild ride.

And it also been enlightening.
It has also forced me to (finally) organize all my studio stuff... and to go thru things I really wasn't looking forward to. For instance, today I finally went thru a BIG lot of wood. Sticks I had gathered back in PA to make carved walking sticks out of... most of which were gathered and collected with my sister before she passed. Some of it had rotted... other accidentally broken... and such is life. But most of it was salvaged and trimmed, and gathered together and safely bound and placed in storage. I just couldn't bring myself to go thru it before now.

Finishing up "loose ends"... seems to be the theme these past couple of weeks... and it's been good.

In light of all that's been going on here; I thought I would include some more RANDOM links
 that I've found on the internet that I think you may like:

-10 things I've learned from Jack Kerouac
-15 Wonderful words with no English equivalent 
-75 Inspirational Quotes for Kick-ass Women
-30 Great places to buy fabric online
-Crafting a GREEN world
-50 cool wood pallet designs
-Make your own Kaleidoscope!
-37 Lessons from NYC that can be applied anywhere
-Reasons to Stay ALIVE
-an architect gone MAD!
-A LEGO steampunk line

... and finally... here is a link to the BEST ukulele player ever --> HERE.

friday finds

I read... alot.

I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.

I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).

If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature...
just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

This week... I've felt a little scattered.
House showings... figuring out finances... looking at homes, places... jobs...
It's all been rather frenetic and a little scary.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

And so for today's Friday Finds...
I wanted to feature some awesome blogs that just make you feel good.
Lots of awesome-sauce going on here:

Tales of Ted and Agnes
Tristan McConnell (photos)
The Small Things
Between the Bars (photos by Dustin Cohen)
Christine Mason Miller
FrouFrouu
DayDream Lily
Loveology
See Seeing Saw (this blog died in 2009... but the photos are awesome)
MagaMerlina


and just for grins; here is "The Big Picture"
This years top winners at National Geographic.

.

glorious beauty
bursting forth with such color
just before passing

.

when everything fails,
everything is possible
or so... wise ones say.

.

in the blinks of eyes

everything just fell apart

and I feel broken

MondayUPs

Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.

In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... 
I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books

...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..
hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

***


Late this afternoon, I took a couple photos of the hollyhock seeds I had gathered from our yard. A few weeks ago... I had dug the plants all up; and gifted them to a neighbor's mother... because... with selling the house; there was no assurity that the next owner would take care of them... and this way... I knew they would.

According to "The Language of Flowers", Hollyhocks represent fruitfulness.
How cool is that? 
And so I found this especially interesting --as I was taking the seeds with us... to who knows where... on our next adventure.

Which got me thinking about today's blog post... and on all things recycled and upcycled. Seeds are sort of an ultimate form of recycling... 
sending off into the future... that which is ending today. 
But what can be done with seeds?

Of course, the logical first choice is to eat 'em...
either as is, or in baking/ cooking.

Next, I thought of dried flowers & seeds (pressed)... which I already covered in a previous post (here)

But also... potpourri, as a decorative item in a dish or basket, hanging on the wall, in a floral arrangement...

Feed the birds and the critters!

make jewelry from the pods and seeds... or make molds with them; 
like I do with PMC clay:

...of course, my fav is:
Grow more plants!

--- and finally; here are some sites that sell awesome heirloom seeds:

Seed Savers
Heirloom Seeds 
Baker Creek
Solana Seeds
Seeds of Victoria
The Cottage Gardener
Salt Spring Seeds
Terra Edibles
High Mowing Organic Seed Co
Territorial Seed Company
The Organic Seed Alliance
The Kusa Seed Society

According to one website:
In the symbolic language of flowers fertility, or more accurately fecundity, is represented by tall stately hollyhocks, in recognition of their embarrassingly prolific procreative habits. Hollyhocks are members of the ancient mallow family, known and grown since time immemorial. Withered mallow flowers have been found in the grave of a Neanderthal man and in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs. They apparently grew in the underworld garden of the goddess Hecate, who was a skilled healer; The botanical name for the genus is A/ceo, from the Greek word for healing, and mallows were used medicinally for centuries, recommended for everything from whooping cough in humans to swollen hocks in horses. Curing the latter was a special attribute of hollyhock leaves.

for the weekend

Well... the house is officially listed for sale... as of Friday am (and there is even a big metal sign, and a plethora of flyers out front). And as of today (Saturday afternoon)... we've had our first people to come and check it out. Things are progressing.

We still have a (relatively) short list of things to do around the house... and hope to get them all done over the course of the coming week.

And it rained. Not just a "rainy day" kind of rain... but the OMG... maybe we need to go find a bomb shelter!... kind of storm. Winds up to 80mph... some major flash flooding... sleet, hail... whoa. This am, there were downed trees all over... and the damage was quite evident in spots all around the city. We actually happened to be running errands when the brunt of the storm hit... and when we saw the (really deep) flash flooding that was occurring... we ducked into Barnes & Noble and waited it out. After all... if you're gonna be stuck in a storm... why not do it with fresh cappuccino and some books :)    --There's probably a neat short story in there somewhere.

Anyway. Tonight I was wading thru some of my (rather extensive) list of cool internet sites in my bookmarks bar... and thought I would share some of them for you to look at over the weekend:

-here is a link to MSN where they have slideshows that show some of the MUST SEE photos for each month. Pretty darn cool.

-here is a link to a list of cool art documentary movies that you can watch on Netflix via their instant download feature. Sweet.

-here are a couple thought provoking articles on the NYTimes website --- here and here

-here is a link to my most recent art crush! ... I think this is absolutely stunning stuff.

-here is a (sorta local) place I would like to see before we move: here

-here is a link to our house for sale!

-here is a link to some awesome campers... makes you want to hit the road, huh :)

-here is an article detailing some awesome words in our vocabulary that should be "brought back"...

-and here is a link to some diagrams that help you with everyday life (and are pretty cool too)

-and (not the least... but the last for this post anyway)... a link to photographs of the notebooks of famous authors/artists/visionaries...

... so ... the first couple of photos on this blog post... are ones I took from the Jeep; of the storm this weekend. The last shot... is of rain coming off my front porch roof. I took a bunch of photos in rapid succession... not really seeing the details. But when I went to look at the proofs... this one SCREAMED at me... I think it looks like a woman dancing in the raindrops...