A Few Pretty Things.

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Hello, friends. I've been intoxicated by spring! There are budding blossoms everywhere and I just want to indulge my environmentalist-want-to-be-naturalist side and take photos of them from every imaginable angle. Perhaps if I photograph them enough I will absorb all their botanical knowledge by some form of artistic osmosis. Gosh, I wish.

Maybe it's the upcoming wedding (nothing short of 2 weeks!) or maybe it's the intoxicating spring or maybe it's this delightful change in Bay Area weather. I'm not sure. I just know that love is in the air and it's intoxicating! My colleague was teasing us this morning that the warm weather made him wear pistachio. (Not the nuts crushed-up in some strange woven fiber but just the color of his sweater.) I agree, it's powerful, that mighty spring.

I hope you do not tire of my spring blossoms. I can't promise that they are over quite yet. I sense a bunch of flowery spring photos about to take me by storm. Not to mention, I have two lovely bouquets of flowers in my kitchen and they are also beckoning to the dear film. So, this weekend I managed to shoot a roll of film on the Holga, a second roll on the vintage Ciroflex and a couple of Polaroids too. While these photos are all waiting for the developing lab or the scanner, I did manage to take a few digital shots too. I hope you enjoy them.

And, because I'm feeling so light and full of springtime love, I wanted to point you to a few favorite things. If you haven't already been wowed by Mrs. French's Bliss blog then you should head on over and take a peek. (She also has a thing for spring blossoms, not to mention some fierce fashion and interior design. Swoon, swoon, swoon.) I also had to share some of this artwork with you, these ladies make me so happy. xoxo, k.

Blue Stitch Print by Lisa Solomon.

A Look Only You Would Understand by Ashley Goldberg.

Blossoms and Birds by Mrs. French.

Reaching for Your Hope by Heather Smith Jones.

Puppets Print by Alyson Fox.

Rain, Tea, and an Elevated Toe.

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Hello friends, I think I've broken a toe! And I wish I had some epic story to tell about how I was running 10 miles and leaped over a wild turkey and lost my footing on the trail, but it's not that heroic. Sunday afternoon, I tripped getting out of the shower and seemed to mangle the middle toe pretty good. Last night I was all about ice bags and arnica cream but this morning it's quite purple, despite my best efforts. I seem to brake, sprain, or fracture my toes and fingers on a semi-regular basis. I've never broken a major bone (knock on wood) but I've busted up my digits more times than I'd like to admit.

Needless to say, I'm confined to the couch this afternoon aside from short hops to the refrigerator and stove. It rained yesterday and again this morning so I feel somehow cozied-up in my little nest. I did manage to poke my head out the front door and hop up the driveway to check out the flower box and big beautiful raindrops yet to slip off the petals and leaves. I then quickly hobbled back inside to heat up some tea and nibble on a scone. I'm going to edit some poetry this afternoon and maybe finish up a little collage I've been pushing around. I think I'll stick to the story about rounding mile 10 and dodging the wild turkey, it sounds so much more interesting than tripping out of the tub.

PS-- I went to the Handmade Nation screening last week. It was great fun to gather up with Mati, Shash, and Jen for an evening of crafty fun. Not to mention, quite satisfying to hear Lisa Congdon and Stephanie Syjuco speak amongst the post-screening panel. I'm quite sure I've fallen in love with the Little Friends of Printmaking thanks to the film. If the movie comes to your city, go take a peek! It's a great little view into the current American art + craft scene.

A Little Bit of This & a Little Bit of That.

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Hello friends! The White Elephant Sale was a great success. Yet again, I walked away from the Oakland Museum benefit with a handful of thrifted treasures including 2 new kitchen chairs, a tiny framed vintage farm print, and an army of white vases for our upcoming wedding. So much fun!

In other news, I'm about to spend a few more hours redecorating the living room tonight as my sweetie is putting a final coat of red paint on the new shelves. I've been studying the Apartment Therapy and Domino files and I'm inspired to keep moving the inspiration around our apartment until everything takes a deep breath and I know it just fits. I love that feeling! With the wedding just over 4 weeks away, we are finding pockets of time for rest and relaxation whenever we can. Pockets, that will have to do for now.

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I'm gathering materials for a summer exhibition with some ladies at the One Stone Collective in the Hudson River Valley of NY, though I'm just in the beginning stages. The theme is "compass" and so I snapped these compass photos this weekend. I'm thinking about navigation and how I navigate as an artist, crafter, poet, and woman in the very modern 21st century. Read more about it over here, if you like.

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Lastly, I took a series of self-portraits this weekend too. My little attempt to reinvent myself a wee bit in my online profile photos. Do you ever get to the point where you just need a new look? Oftentimes it means I'm due for a haircut, a trip to a beloved thrift store for some junking finds, or it's time to move all the furniture around in the studio. This week, it was all three!

Regardless, some fun new photos to share with you. I always feel a tad funny about self-portraits but have come to embrace them with the rest of my art parts. Not to mention, there are so many amazing artists, feminists, and fashion photographers helping to pave the way. Among them is my dear friend, Emily Drazen, who has a myriad of lovely self-portraits. I sometimes think it's most important to make art that forces us to stretch outside of our comfort zone. Not to stretch so much that we hurt our selves, just enough that our imagination has to face the discomfort and dwell a bit in that new unknown. I'll be back soon! xoxo, k.

Photo Shop Update (And More).

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Hi friends. I've recently updated my Etsy shop with a few new photos. I'll be uploading more over the next few weeks as I have a bunch of photos that remind me of spring. (Spring, is coming, I promise those of you in the snowy northern states. It's on its way! As is the autumn to my friends in the southern parts of the world. It's that time of the year that's just full of change.) Anyhow, take a peek over here for a few new photo updates.

In other news, I've finally scanned the Holga photos you see here. When I picked them up from the developing lab weeks ago I wasn't so impressed--I'd been hoping for the bold, crisp, bigger-than-life images that come with medium format film. So, I tossed the prints on my desk and forgot about them until this afternoon when I found them again. This time, I decided I liked their soft edges and dreamy uneven ways. There are some amazing Holga groups over on Flickr, that offer endless inspiration. So, for now, I'm interested in these images and looking forward to trying my little Holga again.

It's been quite a week! I handed in the Dresses/ Objects proposal to said dear curator, I hung my N:AperTURE photos in a weekend show in SF, and I even managed to find a few hours for some poetry edits. But the most satisfying thing in the past few days? I organized my file cabinet in my studio! It's like someone came in and offered me this amazing gift by purging things that have been cluttering up my file cabinet and stacking-up on my desk. It's one of the more decadent gifts I've given myself in awhile.

I know, I know-- I could've bought a piece of jewelry on Etsy, found some lovely letterpress cards in a boutique by my office, or even a new pair of leather heels might be nice. But, trust me, this organization is a huge, huge gift and one that will keep on giving for months to come! And with that, I'm off to seal some wedding invitations, grab a cup of ginger tea, and retire for the evening with my latest (and sadly the last) issue of Domino. Oh, and if you're in the Bay Area this weekend, don't forget the White Elephant Sale to benefit the Oakland Museum. It's worth it, I promise.