Project 365: Week 3

01.15.2014

This little dog really is a girls best friend.

01.16.2014

I always feel a bit prickly when someone compliments me on my appearance. Twice I had someone mention to me that the self portraits I have been taking for this project have been "beautiful". I just don't see it and am not sure I ever will. 

01.17.2014

Still plugging away at drawing.

And for a dog who hates having her photograph taken, I am amazed at how many times she ends up photobombing a shot.

01.18.2014
There has be a lot of writing going on lately.  There have even been nights I've woken up from a dream and grabbed my phone to make notes. It's an odd feeling, having all the words trapped inside me again. But a good one knowing I'm able to get them out and give them a bit of life. 

01.19.2014
One of my favorite drawings from my sketchbook. 

01.20.2014
This is where the magic happens.
Writing. Reading. Photo editing. Breaking my blog.

01.21.2014
My daily wears. 

365 Project: Week 1

I'm a day late and dollar short with my 365 project update.

I am happy to say that I've been having a great time with the project. I know it's only been a week, but that familiar feeling of diggin' what I am doing is coming back. Hopefully that'll last throughout the year.

Here is a recap of the first week of 2014 in pictures!

01.01.2014

I bought this little sign when I was in New York last month. It's a great little reminder that no matter what is going on in your life, everything will be o.k. 

01.02.2014

I plan on doing one self portrait a week (a built-in 52 weeks project) this year. 

01.03.2014

A blank page. Always an intimidating thing.

01.04.2014

This little pup is turing 16 next week. That is 112 years old in dog years.

01.05.2014

One of my favorite corners in the house.

01.06.2014

Thanks to the Polar Vortex we had earlier this week, I spent a lazy day in bed reading, writing and crocheting.

01.07.2014

I bought this figure when I was in the Dominican Republic last March. She is one of my favorite souvenirs. 

When Girl Meets Camera

If you've followed Miles from Ordinary for any period of time, you may have come across a post where I discuss my love/hate relationship with photography.

It's like a bad relationship or something.

It's weird.

But bottom line is that I adore it. And while visiting MOMa while in NYC a couple weeks ago, I began to realize just how much I miss spending time with my camera and seeing things from a different perspective.

As I've done the last few years (but with no success) I have decided to ONCE AGAIN tackle a 365 photography project. One photograph a day for the next three hundred and thirty-three days (I've already managed to get two days under my belt). The thing that is different this year is that there are no rules. I'm not going for a theme (although I would like to do one self portrait a week). No plan. No agenda. Just me and my camera which has been woefully neglected.

I have to say I am pretty excited about the project and getting reacquainted with my camera especially with school starting up again next week. The daily project will give me a mandatory break to flex my creative muscle.

Should you wish to follow along I set up a little blog for the project: When Girl Meets Camera. I can't guarantee the photography will be any good or the words accompany the photographs will be meaningful, but there could be a gem or two!

Project: Pieces of Me

I haven't worked it all out yet.

The only thing I've worked out really is that I've lost my mind and there is not really a reason to even be starting a project of any kind right now.

Stop me if you've heard this one before. For the last month or so I've been tossing around the idea (again) of a year long project. I know. I know. There was the failed crochet project. The countless numbers of failed photography projects. And now that it's the end of the year, I'm fixing to do anyone one. Mmmmmkay. It's ridiculous, I know.

The thing about starting a new project is that I worry about the end result. What will it be? How will it look when everything is put together? Will anyone respond to what I've done? Will it make an impact, even on a small, personal level?

I never worry or think about the process or the journey of doing the project. But that is what I am going to focus on this year. Those moments in between the beginning and end. The moments that actually make the project what it is: an experience in self discovery, growth and understanding.

The other day I mentioned that I was kicking around a photography project and that is what this project will be. A weekly photograph to not only document the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014 but this time there will be words attached. Thoughts. Poems. Music lyrics. I've yet to figure out what medium I'll use to put it all together or whether or not it will be shared. There are times when I worry that it might all end up being a bit too personal for public consumption, but you never know. I could wake up tomorrow morning and decide to throw together a website/blog dedicated only to this little endeavor.

Today...

My "New" Happy Place

Have I ever told you guys that my parents are total rock stars?

Not in the Steven Tyler/Joe Perry kind of way.

But in the they are two of the best and most awesome people I know kind of way.

For the last few weeks, they have been over to my house a lot to help me whip my backyard and gardens into shape. Seriously--I wouldn't have been able to do half of what we did without them.

Saturday when I came home from work, they surprised me by leaving this sweet table and chair set for me on my back deck. When I called my mom to thank her for it, she said it was to help "spruce things up a bit".

 The addition to my outdoor space has done than just "spruce things up". It has quickly turned my back deck into my new outdoor happy place. Sadie and I have been enjoying our mornings and evenings out on the deck daily.

In the mornings it's been a great way to start the day with a bagel and my tea.

And in the evenings, I've been sitting out there with dinner and my journal......writing (gasp!).

The view from my back deck--I just love that barn.

Sadie likes to keep any eye on the backyard happenings, making sure the neighborhood cats aren't harassing the family of bunnies who live behind our garage. 

 

Where is your happy place? 

Spring Has Sprung

I wasn't sure it was ever going to happen, but spring has finally arrived in Northern Michigan!

This past weekend I started getting my gardens ready for summer planting. As soon as I can convince my dad to let me borrow some of his garden equipment (he is a big time flower gardener) I'll start getting my vegetable garden ready.

In the mean time, I've been enjoying some of the flowers that have already started to come out in the flower gardens. It was a long, cold, dreary winter so it's been nice to see some color back in our world.



Sadie likes to sit in the front yard and supervise the kids skateboarding in the parking lot across the street.

Currently....

Loving: The beach! To say I am I having a grand time relaxing with my book in a lounge chair on a beautiful beach in the Dominican Republic would be quite the understatement. It is absolutely gorgeous here! So much so I could see myself becoming a total beach bum 24/7 if the opportunity ever presented itself.

Reading: Shantaram. I brought a couple other titles with me in case this one didn't hold my attention, but I am completely enthralled with the life of Linbaba and his Indian friends. As I told a friend the other day who has recently finished reading this book as well, it is a title I wish I would have read years ago.

Listening: I think this is the first time in a long time I have left the iPod behind while on the beach. Not listening to the waves and breeze through the palm trees would be missing a huge part of the experience.

Writing: I haven't written a complete anything since I arrived last week but I have lots of ideas flowing which is almost as good. It's been a wonderful feeling putting pen to paper again and the fact that it is happening so freely/easily is proof enough for me that this vacation was just what the doctor ordered!

Crochet Corner

After posting about the other day about my work-in-progress library, I set to work at getting it finished.

Who knew posting about something on the internets would be all the inspiration one needs to get things done!

While I didn't get the whole room finished (there are still books waiting to be shelved, recycling waiting to be taken down to the garage, cds waiting to be stored) I did get one corner of the room competed: my crochet corner.

And I LOVE IT.

I have spent the last three nights in my cozy little space working on (more) hats for friends, my granny square project (which by the way: my big 'ole plan of having a separate space to share my progress was a wee bit of a fail, so I'm ditching the other blog and moving everything over here), an afghan for myself and/or curled up with one of the three books I am currently making my way through (although two of them--Starvation Lake and Beach Music--may be set aside until I finish Blues Highway Blues).

This side table used to belong to my grandmother. It's one of my favorite pieces of furniture that I own so I'm glad I'm able to use it on a daily basis.

A couple of baskets I made to hold all my left over bits of yarn from various projects.

Tools of the trade and a small stack of granny squares for my moms afghan.

A stack of half-granny squares for an afghan I'm thinking of making for myself.

Yarn stash! Every time I see all of my yarn together, it makes me ridiculously happy.

 

I absolutely adore my Keep Calm & Crochet On print that I ordered from Ravelry.com. 

My cozy little corner.

One of my next projects is to make some sort of new cover for my foot stool. I love the yellow, but it's old and needs some TLC.

 

And of course Sadie, because seriously. Who can resist that face?!