Last post of 2010

I don't have much to write about today and will soon be dressing up for work (NYE at Lineage = we can wear fancy stuff as opposed to our usual uniform), but ending the year with 74 posts (when 75 is such a nicer, rounder, better number) seemed wrong.

I've already done my 2010 recap post (scroll down to check it out), so let's look ahead into 2011....the year when:

-- I will turn 30;

-- I will finish my M.F.A. in Creative Writing and complete my thesis in poetry;

-- I will possibly leave Boston (and the East Coast), if I find a job somewhere awesome like Chicago.

So 2011 is shaping up to be a big year of change, hopefully for the better. And I can't wait to write about it here. Happy New Year, everybody!

So You Think You Don't Like Poetry: St. Louis edition!

Hello readers! Today's poem was written by a poet who has largely been forgotten/overlooked: Sara Teasdale. Teasdale was born in St. Louis (!) in 1884 and published her first collection of verse in 1907. At 23, she had already published a book of poems. Bitch.

Just kidding!

Anyway, Teasdale is on my radar because of the book I'm currently reading -- The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker. It's a novel narrated by a poet struggling to write an introduction to an anthology of rhyming poems. And Teasdale is one of his favorite rhyming poets. Like me, she's into forms. And she's from my hometown. We have so much in common, except that I am hoping to not kill myself by overdosing on barbiturates at age 49 like Sara did.

This poem appears first in her 1917 collection Love Poems, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. I think it has a refreshingly positive/hopeful message, one very appropriate for looking ahead to a new year.

Barter

Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children's faces looking up
Holding wonder in a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit's still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,
Buy it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ecstasy
Give all you have been, or could be.

My good two days and PIP Studio!

Did you all have a good Christmas?
I enjoyed mine.

I had such a great Thurs-Fri last week that it kinda blew my blues away :) I had to share with you:

I spent Thursday with my husband and child. It's the first in about 8-12 months since we just said no to work and responsibilities. After dropping my 4.5 year old daughter at a playdate, we enjoyed a relaxed grown-up brunch at a local cafe before tackling some chores (minus constant high-pitched whining and wheedling). After picking up Hannah from her friend's, we then pottered at home together and then had dinner at MacDonalds (yuck, but promised Hannah) and then some late-night shopping for clothes for husband.

And on Friday I found something which is the reason for sharing all this important (albeit personal) information: I went back to do some shopping and couldn't resist walking into bed, bath and table. After being disappointed by much of the bla-di-bla bedding, my eye was caught by a logo I've loved for so long!



Arriving in Australia in April this year, PIP Studio FINALLY makes it to the local stores!!!!! I have been waiting so long to see it in Australia it's not funny!

Back then, PIP Studio did not have bedding. But now!

I could not walk away from the store without my own PIP Studio bedding. :)

I'm so happy with my new bedding! I coordinated it with a white and grey cotton fitted sheet. Love it :)



I can also now buy PIP Studio china! Pretty soon I will be buying wallpaper and bags and tablecloths and. other unmentionable goodies! :)

Have you seen their stuff?

Merry Christmas y'all!

Thank you so much for coming back to read my blog and staying faithful despite my less than frequent posting.

My Christmas cards. I tend to hand-make my own every year. This year I took inspiration from Martha Stewart and went all glitter-some!

I treasure each and every one of you more than you know :)

Have a great Christmas this year and may the coming year bring loads of joy, laughter and hope.

xoxx
drey

(Emotional) Baggage Claim

I like everything organized and in its right place. That does not make me an anal control freak. I just think everything should be neat and tidy at all times. Is that really so much to ask?

I just like to let it all hang out. I'm a little all over the place.

Ok, so maybe I'm a little on the small side. Size isn't everything! Just give me a chance. Once you go carry-on, you never go back.

I'm fucking indestructible. Hard as a rock. Impenetrable in every way. Try to hug me and you will hurt yourself so BACK OFF.

I've been used a lot and I'm worn out. And if that's a problem for you, well, fine, why don't you just get some shitty shiny thing on wheels. I don't need you anyway.

I like to blend in. Black is the new black. Maybe I'm a little boring and safe, but you know what? Actually, I don't know what. I'm a dime a dozen. Love me?

I'm so hot and sexy. Tell me how sexy I am. Really, don't you think I'm sexy? I'm sexy, right? RIGHT? Oh, and did you see my Dolce & Gabbana tag? Just making sure you noticed that.

Chic nativity sets for your home

I have just started doing glittering (thanks to Martha Stewart!) and this is a enlarged version of the custom Christmas cards I made and sent out to friends and family.

We have such a small place for the three of us that space is at an all-time high premium. So no space for any Christmas decorations this year - I am not exaggerating. So no Christmas trees, or tinsel or ornaments.

But I did find two spots for some Christmas beauty: one at our front door (see above pic) and another on our coffee table. I swopped out the normal candles and photo frame for our new nativity scene:



Hehe I couldn't help but glitter a few things in my nativity scene!

This $69.95 buy from bed, bath & table (Australian) was inspired by my sister in law's more expensive and beautiful Willow Tree Nativity Set:

Purchase the set or pieces from here

I arranged it yesterday, but last night, now in the quiet of my solitude-time, I found a few more online which were so chic, I had to share!

How charming is this beautifully crafted Pillar of Heaven nativity set by artist Kim Lawrence?

Cutesy, a winner with young children will be this gorgeous Precious Moments Nativity Set

This is a pretty unusual nativity set, by Joseph's Studio, with resin made to look like whittled pieces of wood.

The white and walnut nativity set, by Etsy seller, bunnywithatoolbelt

This nativity set has some pretty ivy detailing, from Christianbook.com

Yet another Kim Lawrence creation, this time, a one-in-all nativity set, hard to find these days though!

European Wooden Ostheimer Nativity is so sweet, so simple, it will enthrall many a heart.

What about the Origami Nativity Set? But in porcelain?

Another child friendly set, from mywoodentoys.com.au in Perth, Australia

I do like this lovely, 7 piece, serene nativity set

Lastly (but most expensive), a whimsical set by Patience Brewster

2010 Report Card/Best and Worst of 2010

One of my favorite annual issues of People arrived last Friday -- the Best and Worst issue, where you get to re-experience all the best photos/stories/gossip/gowns from the past year ALL OVER AGAIN. I also recently completed teaching my first year at Emerson and got to do something I've always fantasized about: grade people. And this is college, so my grades count, bitches!

In honor of these two exciting events, this blog post will be a hybrid of superficial ratings and photographic highlights of the past year. 2010 was an odd year, to be honest. Not awesome, not awful. So here we go!

CAREER: A-

Pretty much solid developments in this category. I upgraded from back-server to server at Lineage and landed a competitive teaching position. And I actually genuinely love both my jobs. I really enjoy expanding young minds and telling people what arctic char tastes like (a more delicate, flakier salmon). And I think I'm pretty good at both, though we'll see if my instructor evaluations confirm or refute this. I don't know if I'll teach another year at Emerson or not, but I think I will definitely continue to teach...somewhere and in some capacity.

Oh, and on the writing front, I picked up some freelance work from Time Out Boston. Because like 2Pac, I have "ambitionz az a ridah" [sic].

HEALTH: B

I had bronchitis for basically all of October and mysteriously contracted strep C, which is rare in humans and common in horses (!), in June. And I gained 5 lbs. But hey, I didn't have a kidney stone and my belly button remained infection-free!

LOVE LIFE: B-

I mean, it's still a passing grade. After a significant relationship ended in February, I dabbled on Match.com and began what I thought would end up being a significant relationship, but it flamed out quickly. My feelings on this relationship are best captured in this Rosemary Clooney song:



(p.s. I want that dress big time)

The year is ending on an upswing though, with a new gentleman in the picture. For fear of jinxing it, I'll stop there. It may not be love, but for now, it's nice and that's enough for me.

FINANCES: D

Once upon a time, I actually would put some of each paycheck into a savings account. That time is...not now. I have no emergency nest egg and I'm tired of living hand-to-mouth. Being broke is cute and charming when you're 20...not so much when you're 30, as I soon will be. I need to be better at budgeting and have more discipline when it comes to eating/drinking out. And my rent eats up way too much of my income, so if I stay in Boston, I think I need to suck it up and live with roommates. Sorry, studio :(

TRAVEL: A

I went to Holland and Belgium in July! Read all about it here. I also made it to St. Louis, New Haven, Chicago and New York.

ENTERTAINMENT: B+

I saw Peewee Herman on Broadway. Loved Black Swan, Catfish, and The Social Network. Listened to a lot of Florence + the Machine and Robyn. Saw a Puccini opera and a burlesque version of The Nutcracker involving a gigantic candy cane penis that sprayed snow. Watched some shitty reality television. Spent too much time on YouTube. Should have seen more live music.

And now, some photos of BEST moments from the past year. I don't think I will include photos of worst moments, because come on, when I'm crying and drinking alone in my apartment, who wants to take a picture? Maude can't operate a camera.

At a black-tie wedding at the Harvard Club

My first Red Sox game

With my best friend Jon in Chicago

Boarding the train to Bruges

Celebrating my Dad's 65th

On Cape Cod for Labor Day

Halloween

at the Lineage holiday party

Ok, 2010....maybe you weren't so bad....

Stunning artworks using Lego

I went to Lewers Bequest Gallery with my husband this morning (I had the best day!) and was quite taken by a giant artpiece on the wall beside us, entirely made of Lego pieces.



I have to get one myself! Entirely unique! How awesome to have Lego artwork on the wall!

So I scoured the net for more gorgeous inspiration:

Starry starry night, Van Gogh; image from Ed Hall's site, complete with details here

.

Spock from Star Trek; by artist Motion5, as found on technabob.com

Alfred E. Newman, by artist Motion5, as found on technabob.com

Escher's, via here, taken at Legoland 2006.

My favourites are the Lego renditions of pop artist Roy Lichtenstein:

Kiss V 1969, via Brickworkz

Girl with Hair Ribbon, by Eugene Tan, via Brick Pop

Wham!, by Flickr user pricer45

Sunrise, via Moc Pages

Oh and check this awesome conference-size table made from Lego! I love it :) Made for advertising agency Boys and Girls, this bespoke beauty is made up of 22,742 lego pieces.

Image, and more information via walyou

More on another awesome Lego project soon...

You can buy your Lego bricks from Brick Link.

nancy Drew custome order

THE MYSTERY OF THE BRASS BOUND TRUNK

INSPIRATION for this commission Nancy Drew suitcase.

The process

I sold this Nancy Drew suitcase to a school out in California, later I had an inquiry in my mail box from my main funky findZ on line store asking if I could make another nacy Drew suitcase , this was from a sister who wished to give it to her sister who is a Nancy Drew fan. she had favorite book covers and had a very special fabric which I scaned and made prints , I have provided it here for a free image to toerhs who love Nancy Drew. She wrote me a letter expalining how special this fabric was to her, I did not have the heart to cut it up . I used quite a bit of this in my design, loving the blue.

FREE TO COPY!

The two cases are very different, yet I enjoy them both, admittedly , and it is clear to see , I spent quite a bit more time on this second case. I applied allot of acrylic paints and finished off a brass look with gold pearlized paints.

First Nancy Drew that sold to education foundation in California