Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Ode To Kitch

Here's a brief visual celebration of the odd, the vintage, and the over-the-top silliness that is this season. Please avert your eyes if this is just too much for you. Happy holidays!

No. El.



I Feel Pretty



On The Second Day



Night And Day, You Are the One



Pig and Spaceman Share Candlelit Moment

Look, They Made Christmas FOR You!

Not up for making gifts this year, as mentioned in a recent post? That doesn't mean you're stuck living a hyperactive holiday shopping nightmare. No. Take a load off and let my friends here help you. Peruse the following short list; it'll lead you right to the good gift stuff, no waiting. These artists and artisans make original, small batch items in the US, and none of these things will suck up your entire paycheck.

What can I say about Deluxe Foods jams, jellies and sauces? I can say I've seen the bottom of more jars of that good stuff than I can count. I'd tell you what my favorite is, but I can't because it keeps changing. Rebecca Staffel uses sustainable fruit grown in Washington and traditional French jam techniques. You can buy Deluxe Foods products online and at several other locations, listed on the web site.

Want a beautiful calendar that balances the sweet and savory sides of life? Take a look at the 2012 This Friendly Village Desk Calendar. Photographer and writer Margaret DeWilliam Horton's work shows us the natural beauty in things many of us might overlook. Each month's calendar is printed on a glossy card that includes a luscious photo.

Take a listen to the self-titled CD by Minirex at this link. Their music is described as, "sweet vocal harmonies with an edgy, hard driving, eminently danceable sound and powerful lyrics." True all around. In other words, they are one kick-ass pop group of women musicians. Plus, and I know this isn't the important part, they wear really cool outfits.

If you're in Seattle, visit IDEA Odyssey Gallery for prints and cards from some forward-thinking photographers and other artists. IDEA Odyssey is a non-profit gallery and visual artist collective. Its mission is to support local artists and promote cultural diversity and economic prosperity in the historic International District. For gallery hours, click Blog, in the upper right area of their site.

I'm not sure I'll ever want to travel by bike, but I love hearing and reading about Willie Weir and Kat Marriner doing so. Travels with Willie: Adventure Cyclist by Willie Weir is a series of brief tales about funny encounters, danger, making decisions, seriously questionable food, and yes, bikes. Willie entertains and enlightens with his optimism and insights.

Assemble Shop and Gallery is, simply, fun. It's part shop filled with sweet and funny handcrafted and printed items; part gallery, where affordable art is displayed and sold; and part classroom, where they teach people how to use traditional craft skills to make contemporary things. It's a great place for everything from stocking stuffers to the gift of a class.

Before It's News

Grandmothers Against Bullshit

Yesterday I landed in downtown Seattle just as a small Occupy Seattle crowd gathered near Westlake Center. This was the moment before the news. The news is, almost always, about the point of conflict, the hopeless disaster, or the big win or discovery. But before the news, often, people are just people, moving toward the next moment.

This was a time of anticipation, preparation, and thought. Participants read about the day's events and goals, took photos, and warmed themselves with coffee. News teams readied their cameras and fuzzy microphones. In the background, the carousel spun out its cheerful music and magic pastel horses, and holiday lights embraced the leaf-free winter trees. In various and possibly opposing ways, the scene was optimistic.

Although I asked some people if I could take their pictures, I often preferred the unposed photos from the day. Again, it's the moment just next to The Moment, where people are simply people—not icons, not a cause, not a demographic.


Alone Together, Listening

 

Your Role and Mine



Fight Back



"I have asthma; I can't take risks."



Love is 100%



Free the Press



Loose Strings



Should I Whisper or Shout?

Look, I Made Christmas!



Gift-Making War Horse:  Pizzelle Press

I enjoy a stiff shot of materialistic Christmas. I love shopping for and giving gifts and I love getting them, too. In December, I need outdoor holiday lights punching through the winter darkness. I even like wrapping gifts with all that pretty, pretty paper. Some years, I totally indulge.

Other years, I indulge in a different way. I create the time and space to make gifts. I might spend a bit less money, but I give my time, effort and thought. And although I love getting gifts, period, getting a handmade gift is very special. At least some of the people on my list feel the same.


Felt Hand Puppets Made from Vintage Pattern by S. DeWilliam

Making gifts is fun if I don't bite off more than I can chew. I'm a freak for good design and stunning raw materials. I want to experience them from the inside out. I like the process—designing, planning, gathering, and then relaxing into the slow assembly line of making several versions of something. My dream job involves design, hands-on work, and a couple of other elements.

Want a few tips on how to make making things fun? Here's my take. It's not too late to make Christmas gifts this year if you keep it simple. I welcome your thoughts on making gifts!

Buy a special tool and exploit the heck out of it. Merry Christmas to you! You have a new toy and an inspiring new way to make gifts for your lucky loved ones. A few years ago I bought a pizzelle maker, and most years I spend a day or two churning out batches of pizzelles to give away. People seem to love them, especially, I think, because not everyone has the tool to make these lovely cookies. Maybe your tool of choice is a special drill, beading pliers, or a small silkscreen setup.



Kitty Paint-by-Number Outline

Learn a skill and exploit the heck out of it. Again, Merry Christmas to you! Buy a book, take a class, or teach yourself a new technique. Learn to can, knit neckties, or make panettone. I once took a one-evening class on how to make paint-by-number pet portraits from photos. It was a goofy evening with friends, and I could use this technique to make coloring books and paint-by-number paintings for gifts.



Last year a friend taught herself how to make marshmallows. They cost a fortune in specialty shops, and I don't let myself buy them. She made three flavors cut into huge two-inch pillows. They were melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and drop-dead gorgeous!



Neck Warmer Knit with Luxurious Yarn by J. Cory

Work with materials you love. Garbage in, garbage out. If you love ultra-fine merino yarn, knit with it. You'll be inspired to keep going. Don't even attempt to use synthetic yarn. It might seem cheaper, but it isn't if you don't finish what you're making. If you're adamant about organic food, make food gifts with organics. If you don't, it will haunt you just a bit.

Limit colors, ingredients, and styles to make a statement and save money. Choose or create one or two great designs or recipes and stick with them. That way, you can perfect your technique and bulk-buy raw materials. I also limit the color or flavor range. For example, if I'm knitting hats, I choose one style and a few colors. This eliminates buying multiple needles and ending up with a bag of yarn tidbits in a rainbow of colors.



Flannel, Linen and Cotton Baby Shoes,
 Made from Vintage Pattern

 Make stuff in front of the TV. Whether you're watching Christmas movies or crime shows, use your zone-out time to make gifts.

Jars, grocery store, kitchen. Done.  Things look fancy under glass, and you can make several jarred gifts, start to finish, on a single Saturday. Easiest: Fill a jar with flavored nuts, or alternating layers of various dried fruits, or your favorite homemade granola. You can also layer the dry ingredients of almost any recipe into a jar then attach the recipe.

Two of my favorite jar gifts are these spicy quick pickles made with carrots, and this simple body scrub. Seriously good stuff. Be sure to tell recipients how long jarred items last and where to store them. For the body scrub, let them know it makes their tub slippery!

Make one component of a gift. For a relaxed and personal variation on a gift basket, put together a few things, including one item that you made. A favorite: a bottle of booze, homemade flavored simple syrup, citrus, and a drink recipe.

I hope you have fun indulging, and indulging loved ones, this holiday season.

Still Wanderlusting

I continue wanderlusting...


Architectural Detail: Light Fixture, Seattle, November 2011



Local Food: Home-Baked Cookies, Seattle



Local Holiday Celebration: Lights, Downtown Seattle, 2011



Pictures of My Wanderlust

When my brother showed me photos of his recent trip to Munich, Prague, Istanbul, and Budapest, I felt happy for him and enthralled by the sites. I had a strong sense of being there. I also felt a pang, a little pain in my stomach. Wanderlust. Wanderlust with a capital LUST.

I go on weekend car trips, but it's been far too long since I've boarded a plane, left home for weeks, and immersed myself in the unfamiliar. I think most of us are more alive when we travel. Our senses work overtime. We taste, listen, and look anew. I long for that and need to find it soon.

Meanwhile, I can show you pictures of my wanderlust: photos taken close to home as if I was a tourist.

Establishing Shot:  Pike Place Market Sign, November 2011

Odd Tourist Attraction: Gum Wall (to left), November 2011

 

Religious Architecture: Church, Seattle WA, November 2011 



Iconic Cultural Markers: Church and Baseball Diamond, Eastern Washington, November 2011 

Local Wildlife, Penny, November 2011

 

Local Wildlife, Clover, November 2011 



Majestic Landscape: Snoqualmie Pass, November 2011

Happy and safe travels to all who wander!

Thank you.

Santa's Little Helper...and Mine

In November and December, many things increase: clothing layers, retail spending, calorie consumption. Also on the rise are bits of ripped paper in compost bins. This confetti is the final stage of the most humble and reliable of holiday helpers: personal lists. Their purpose fulfilled, lists are ripped (often with great satisfaction on the ripper's part) into tiny pieces and tossed to the worms.

Fancy List: Whatever Gets the Job Done

These days, as holidays approach, you, or someone you love, is without a doubt hunkered down with coffee, pen, and paper, making lists. To Do. Budget for Gifts. Invitees. Items to Pack. Groceries Now. Groceries Day Before Thanksgiving.


It's OK, I Know What It Means

This is personal. The laptop has been shoved aside. I, and from my observation, many others, write personal lists by hand. We have our own codes—asterisks, arrows, different arrows, and underlines. We abbreviate in ways we understand even if others don't. I suspect we write by hand because it somehow prepares us for the tasks ahead. It's tangible evidence of readiness, in our very own language. We don't have to communicate the list to anyone else.

Making lists gives us time to think through priorities and task order. On the way to a final list, we cross out first thoughts in favor of better ones, we rip pages from notebooks and start over. Making lists this way is not efficient, but it often helps us to be efficient later.

The payoff for making a good list is not just being organized and clear headed. The payoff is physically checking each item off the list as you complete it. Confession: Sometimes, if I forget to put an item on a list but then I take care of that item, I add it to the list and then check it off. Don't tell anybody.

Here's hoping all your lists are manageable, and that you thoroughly enjoy the upcoming holidays!


Obsolete List? Phone Book, 2011



The Eagle and the Space Needle

The Eagle and the Space Needle

Dreaming in Calder

Before my eyes opened this morning, visions of Alexander Calder's playful mobiles and huge grounded stabiles paid me a most welcome visit. No doubt I'd been dreaming in primary colors. Maybe I flew in my dreams. Maybe there were several of me in different sizes suspended from curved wires, moving close to each other but never touching. It's going to be a wonderful day. This stuff makes me stupidly happy.

Please, please feast your eyes on Calder's brilliance here.

This got me looking around for Superman colors in my own world. Here's what I found.



Alexander Calder's The Eagle, detail, Seattle Sculpture Park



Totem House Yellow Wall, Seattle



Totem House, Seattle



Off and On, Prosser, WA



Cherry Chomper and Rainiers



Anchovies in a Can



Ginkgo in Autumn, Seattle, 2011



One Eye in the Mirror

Following up on the last post, here's what some others said about personal perception (with an emphasis on visual perception.) 

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." —Anais Nin

"The soul, fortunately, has an interpreter—often an unconscious, but still truthful interpreter—in the eye." —Charlotte Bronte

"As a man is, so he sees." —William Blake

"The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." —Marcel Proust, "The Captive," Remembrance of Things Past

"What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are." —C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew

"One has not only an ability to perceive the world but an ability to alter one's perception of it; more simply, one can change things by the manner in which one looks at them." —Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Every Picture Tells

One eye looks within, the other eye looks without.—Henri Cartier-Bresson

This week I emailed three photos to several friends and asked them to view and briefly comment on them. They could say anything about any aspect of the photos.

No two people responded the same way to the photos. On one hand, this makes me wonder how we ever come to a consensus on anything—we literally see things differently.

On the other hand, that people noticed many different things and felt various ways about what they saw seems hopeful to me. For example, if we are stuck in some part of our lives, maybe it helps to look at things differently, not only metaphorically, but in reality. If we notice new things, different things than we typically notice, we change our internal conversations. We change the pictures inside of us.

The people who shared their thoughts for this post have many things in common, statistically speaking, and yet each perspective is quite unique. I can't imagine the wild range of perspectives that would come from a more diverse group. What would toddlers see? How about a 90 year old person? What about someone who lives in Kenya, North Korea, or Monaco?

Take a look for yourself at the photos and comments, below. The names are fake, the comments verbatim except for minor formatting tweaks. Before you read them, for fun, notice your own response to the photos.

My very sincere thanks to the seven lovely people who sent comments for this post!

Photo A

Ella:  Batik background and henna painting brought me back to the late 70’s, early 80’s.  Time of less stress and responsibilities. Flower power and love…feeling groovy.

Ingrid:
Henna Feet:
narrative
pleasing color
feminine culture
Compositionally, skin colors are very close to and in harmony with the fabric design itself.

Kate:
Here's what comes to mind: trendy 
Second word:  patterns

MJ: Foot shot:  I am struck by how beautiful the hands are, especially the left one and the feet don't look as beautiful, even though they are being henna tattooed.  The chipped toe nail polish remnants emphasize that to me.

Robert: Henna photo - Why are they doing this? Is it a special event?

Smith:  Friend giving friend henna job

Zara: the henna photo: i was struck by the juxtaposition of "folk art expression" ( i don't know how else to express it) with what i see as indulgence (but not in a bad way). those beautifully manicured toes!  this from someone who's never had a pedicure because my feet are so ticklish.  henna is such a beautiful and deeply cultural tradition--it needs no other embellishment.  and against that stunning batik background.  two forms of cultural artistry on a 'thoroughly modern millie'.

Photo B

Ella: That bright blue sky = California  I just want to jump in that pool and be 12 years old again.  I can just feel the hot pavement as I run around the pool (ouch!) to retrieve the pink float on the hammock to the right, before splashing into the cool (but not cold!) water.  Ah!

Ingrid:
The Swimming Pool:
Plastic walrus: annoying
Inviting, airy, sensual
Rhythmic composition

Kate: LA (as in the place)

MJ: Pool shot:  I find this shot stressful and creepy.  The floats are all so intentionally placed both in and out of the pool to create an effect to the point I feel like badness has happened here!

Robert: Pool- I want to jump in and ride that floaty toy.

Smith:
Summertime heat
Kids having lunch, no pool time

Zara: the pool:  i love the joyful  presence of the blue inflatable toy--it makes me want to embrace the goof in me.  i also loved the image of the pool lounge on the hammock--it is relaxation squared.

Photo C

Ella: 1960’s principal just called everyone back into the classrooms after lunch.  The outdoor hallways are a thing of the past now.  Too many weird intruder incidents make them unsafe.  This photo brings back memories of safer times and places without worries…except about that next class assignment or test after lunch period.

Ingrid:
Standing Figure:
awkward
poignant
60's schoolyard activity/chaos
Compositionally, the roof of the building adds a lot of uncomfortable tension; enclosing and pressing down.

Kate:  Lost

MJ: People walking:  I feel like the guy is missing the party ... It is happening in the other direction. With the boys swinging around the pole and the woman walking quickly to where the party is going to be!

Robert: 60's photo - I'm sure everyone has a photo from the 50s or 60s like this, very typical of that time.

Smith: Teacher on school recess duty
Dad dropping us off at school

Zara:  can't tell where it is--but was struck by people coming or going--they are in transit--not yet at their destination.  it is 'nowhere' time.  but the kids are totally engaged in where they 'are'.

It Takes Guts

"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." —Aristotle

"Creativity takes courage." —Henri Matisse

The Red Bead Factory

At a job long ago, in a new industry still forging its path, at a company straining to see the forest for the trees, my boss made a quiet declaration. Exhausted from working long hours, he told us he just wanted to work in a bead factory. One that makes only red beads. One size. Five days a week. Punch in. Punch out.

We understood, snickered a bit. Like him, we felt defeated. We were whiplashed by radically shifting work priorities. One minute, heavy workloads threatened to bury us; the next, not having enough work made us fear for our jobs. I couldn’t control these changes and neither could my boss. And the company’s owner was just trying to respond to the continual innovations in our industry—or rumors of them. On the worst days, the red bead factory sounded like a wonderful alternative.

Since the red bead factory wasn’t hiring, I looked elsewhere for uncomplicated, repetitive activities. Eventually I picked up needles and resumed a habit I started when I was very young. That’s right: I started knitting again. Knitting became my "bead factory," the place where I could make something while my mind wandered and reached. It was hugely calming to follow unambiguous instructions and make something pretty.

I picked up sticks--and knit

With two knitting needles and a ball of yarn, I had control. I chose the fiber, color, and pattern. In the beginning, simple was best. Knitting a scarf with only the knit stitch was the ultimate bead-factory zone-out project. You didn't really need a pattern for it. The instructions were: Cast on as many stitches as you want. Knit as many rows as you want—every stitch the same. The scarf is finished when it's long enough. Cast off.

While watching the 9/11 coverage, I knit the longest scarf I’ve ever knit. I couldn’t stop making something in the wake of destruction. I made the scarf, and cooked and baked endlessly.



Products from my "bead factory"

How you knit gloves, socks and tops of hats

I knit for several reasons now and I've graduated from scarves. I can knit cables because my mother showed me how, and I can knit colorful fair isle patterns on hats and sweaters. I'm quite knit-pattern fluent; I can read P3, C4FP, p2, k6, C4BP, p3 and totally get it.

The industry eventually paved its path. My future jobs were vast improvements on the one described here. And I keep knitting and finding other ways to let my mind wander and reach. I hope you find your own way to do the same.

***

BTW: After my post last week about our gray winters, I feel obliged to show you the stunning blue sky here today:



November 1, 2011



Idle hands? Take a listen.

Love this video, recommended by a friend. (Thanks, CD!) It's a sweet surprise and a wonderful way to start a long weekend. Yes, it's only Thursday, but go ahead, let your obligations float away and play with some new thoughts.

Creation Keeps the Devil Away, by Hess is More

Sasquatch-Friendly Weather

I never leave October without tools to combat the Gray Doom that is fall and winter in the maritime Northwest. Sure, there is a lot to love here from November through March: knitwear, vitamin-A packed orange vegetables, uncrowded beaches, the arts, the holidays, and dress-up cocktail parties. Bright objects—red raincoats, traffic cones, fall leaves, the Pike Place Market sign—stand out all the more brilliantly against the gray sky.

But that heavy gray sky is with us almost constantly for five months, and it’s easy to lose perspective living under its vague, unrelenting dullness. Its presence is undeniable, documented. In a study covering 51 years, Sea-Tac airport was cloudy on average 266 days a year. The same study showed that from November through March, Sea-Tac was cloudy 77% of the time, on average 23 days a month. While ours is a dream climate for conifers, mushrooms, Sasquatch, and vampires, it can turn can turn the nicest, otherwise sunny human into a lumbering, carb-craving, depressed bear. The dark days are so emotionally challenging, in fact, that the University of Washington offers not only world-class academic programs. It also offers light therapy.

Light therapy is one way to combat winter blues, clinically known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). For a student diagnosed with S.A.D., the U flips the switch on a simulated sunlight panel and the student soaks up all the fake rays needed to recover. I feel for the unsuspecting university freshman, probably from Arizona or Southern California, who gets clobbered by our cement-colored clouds and has no idea what hit him. (Or her. S.A.D. affects more women than men.)



Favorite rain boots. Photo courtesy CDStuder Photography. Used by permission.



It’s no surprise that so many of us, at one time or another, get some version of the winter blues. Only a full-on cock-eyed optimist, or the rare person unaffected by any weather, is immune to the pull of the Gray Doom. Of course, there are people who love the darkness. They thrive on the quiet and the lack of distractions. They are sure-footed spelunkers finding treasures in this cave—poems and songs, time to reflect, and time to concentrate on work.

I’m the other kind, the more common sort who needs evidence of light at the end of the seasonal tunnel, who needs to manufacture the sun when I can’t see it. My winter blues prevention and recovery kit includes a Happy Lite simulated sunlight panel, vitamin D tablets, the best rain boots I can afford and two rain coats in revved-up colors.

More importantly, a wise person told me last year how to best fight the winter blues. He said, simply:

Go outside at dawn and walk.

The last thing I want to do in this weather is haul my bum outside. Yet as much as it doesn’t make sense, it works. Last year I walked three days a week at dawn with a friend. While some walks were leisurely, others included steep stairs and additional exercises such as crunches, push-ups, and modified pull-ups. We caved in to the pouring rain only once.

Last “winter” was particularly long, and for various reasons it could have been very difficult for me personally. Strange as it sounds, it was easier to keep a positive attitude by moving toward and into the darkness.

I'm starting to view this Sasquatch-friendly weather as not such a bad thing. I now see it as a training ground for handling one of life’s big, and counterintuitive, challenges: face your fears to dispel them. If going out my front door to face the overwhelming winter gray keeps me from falling into its clutches, then maybe moving toward my fears will dispel them. I’m ready to face November through March—and more. And if I'm lucky, I'll see Sasquatch on one of my early morning walks.