.a new leaf.

i've started prepping seeds for my 2013 garden . . . got some started in a seed tray . . . am making lists and circling dreams in seed catalogs . . . i've been in this new, motivated, inspired mindset lately.  i just want to create, to dream, to plant, to begin . . .

the days are getting longer.  spring is teasing me with her coming.  i know that here in the PNW, she's still a bit far off.  we've got more rain and cold to get through, but the light is returning and that's enough for me.

so, i plan vegetable gardens, i clean out my closet, i begin new art projects, i start to plod through the pile of mending, i make soups with what is left of the tomatoes i preserved from last year, i see the garlic i planted last fall peeking out of the soil.

crocuses bloom in the neighbor's front garden and it makes me wonder if i still have time to get my daffodil bulbs in the ground.

my cousin and i are buying tickets for summer concerts already . . . i am dreaming of family camping trips and flying back east for visits in the spring and summer . . . i am ready for a change.

my husband has been biking to work all winter, but i am a fairweather biker.  i prefer the bus on the cold, windy, raining mornings . . . but i am beginning to dream of evening bike rides down to mississippi ave to drink beer on patios and see shows in the small venues.  and it's on it's way.

this is going to be good.

----------

in preparation for this creative spring that's just around the corner, i've been reading some new books.  i'll put them in my mixed media sidebar - but here they are as well:

The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Pacific Northwest
i am excited about this book because it offers tips and advice for growing food in the exact region that i live in, as well as month-by-month guides to what to plant when. living in the PNW means i really can have a year-round harvest if i know how to do it.  this book is pure gold.

Print Workshop
this book give examples and simple instructions for all kinds of at-home printing techniques.  i have been more and more interested in the printmaking art form and i needed a little more knowledge in my brain about how to do this business.  this book seemed to have the best approach for my learning style.  since i've renewed my simple line of Hudson Tshirts (awesome shirts with my dog's face on them), i've needed a few more tools in my toolbox in this category.  super exciting!

Cut Up This Book
papercutting is, by far, one of the most magical, awe-inspiring art forms.  it's dreamy how someone can take a flat piece of paper and make it come alive!  this book gives a simple history of papercutting, offers some awesome examples of contemporary paper artists and gives a few projects that one could do at home.  i am hoping with this bit of a push i could set myself on a journey to mastering this magic for myself.  i was lucky to get to see a cut paper exhibit at the MOMA in NYC a few years ago - it was breath-taking.  stoked.

what have you been doing in this long winter months?  how are you preparing for spring?  

xo,

tj

.small steps.

i'm taking small steps today . . .

my sister recently lent me the book, "handmade marketplace" by kari chapin

{image credit}

this book has inspired me to take a few more steps toward really "making" my living.  i've been big into handmade and local crafts for a long time and i've always dreamed of the freedom and pride that can come with making my own living by selling all the goodies that i make . . . so here goes!

i've made a bird on a wire facebook page for you to follow
i've set my sights on fixing up my etsy site as well.
i'm working to make the branding fit with the blog, etc.
i've also added a little button on the sidebar where you can like this blog on facebook.
look at me, being all tech-savvy!!

i've also been cleaning up the blog a little.  i consolidated all the crazy links on the side bar (that used to lead to all my favorite websites) into a short list that will take you to a more detailed page of wonderful websites that you can choose to patronize.  so, you can still follow tj's loves, it just doesn't look as messy.

i think i might get rid of the mixed media buttons as well...

suggestions?  comments?  things that work for you?  i'm open to help and support!!!

2012, the year i took my life back and made it my own.

.tj loves: powells city of books.

head on over to my favorite bookstore powells city of books and order any 3 used paperbacks by the end of the day today (11:59 pm pacific time) and get a free reusable tote made from recycled materials.

this bookstore is sincerely epic. it takes up a whole city block in Portland Oregon and a person needs a MAP to get around. though i much prefer just getting lost there for days and days. happiest place on earth? move over disneyland!

tj loves: the suburbs

photo i took while in the beach town of Watch Hill

ok, i don't really love the suburbs. i actually dislike them.

buuuuut i do have two stories about them (sort of).

#1: i went to the beach with some girlfriends on wednesday (and got the WORST sunburn of the year!) and while wandering around the little town of watch hill, RI, we found this awesome old book store with this awesome elderly lady working there. the whole experience was pretty sweet and they had some amazing first editions and old antique post cards (i bought some with mermaids on them) and i bought a first edition by bertrand russel called "satan in the suburbs" for the man-friend (i bought a real cute organic cotton skirt with dandelions screen printed on it for me!). the man-friend used to really like bertrand russel as a philosopher . . . i think he's moved on to other writers by now, but i knew he'd really appreciate this book and title.

{image credit: arcade fire.com}

#2: i just PREORDERED THE NEW ARCADE FIRE VINYL called "the suburbs"!! and the man-friend has bought us tickets to go see them AUG 1st!!

WOOO HOOOOO!!!!!

.mixed media v2.

i've changed the mixed-media goodies on the sidebar, so i thought i'd give a little shout out to the different types of entertainment that i have been consuming lately.

on the turntable:
mindy smith. i recently read the in the providence phoenix that i missed her in concert LAST FRIDAY NIGHT! so sad. i love her. my best friend randomly introduced her to me years ago through a sampler cd she got at a local coffee shop in portland, oregon. since then, i've been in love with her simple americana sound and her big heart. her songs are great for a sunny drive in the country and her duet with dolly parton on "jolene" at the end of her album "one moment more" is amazing. growing up i always said that i hated "country music" . . . now i say i hate mainstream, pop country music. i LOVE folk revival, roots country, bluegrass and americana sounds . . . yummy.

on the screen:
the man-friend and i have recently decided to begin screening movies at our apartment every monday night. i'll stop by our local indie video rental place on my way home from work and we'll watch one of many films that are on our list. the man-friend and i will take turns choosing. this time it was my turn and i picked margot at the wedding - a difficult film about families, unconditional love, growing up and healing from the past. nicole kidman, jack black and jennifer jason leigh do an amazing job in this heartfelt, funny, sad, heartbreaking and at times a bit scary, indie film.

on the shelf:
i just finished reading jack kerouac's wild epic road-trip homage to hipsters and the beat generation"on the road." i'll just leave you with the most well-known and well-loved quote from the book:
"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow candles..."

ain't that the truth.

what mixed-media have you been consuming latley?

.mixed media.

you may have noticed that i've posted some mixed media on the sidebar. mostly just things i am reading, listening to or watching. i'll change it up from time to time and when i do, i'll post about it. just to sort of keep track of the pop culture i am consuming. who knows, maybe someday i'll do some reviews?

so, current book:
"love in the time of cholera" by Gabriel García Márquez . . . an amazing and beautiful and funny and charming adventure of a book.

previous music:
the ting tings ("we started nothing" album to be precise). it's been playing a lot at the cafe lately . . . and thus it has been playing a lot in my head too.

current music:
band of horses (the "cease to begin" album has got me hooked. i come back to it over and over again).

previous film:
coraline. my roommate, miss L, and i rented and watched this last week. i really enjoyed the imagery and the themes between to two different "realities" . . . very cool, but i wont say more because i don't want to spoil it for anyone.

current film:
the notebook. this film was watched out of desperation for a girl's movie night. an excuse to drink good wine and eat brie, really. i'd heard that it was a tear-jerker, i'd read the book and remember being really moved by it . . . but the film? no tears. it started out a bit . . . predictably for me. it ended up getting better as the film went on and the ending was really very sweet, but . . . i didn't cry. a friend of mine told me she cries for days after watching this film. huh. thoughts?