Who is That Masked Man?

I'm married to an artist. The kind of an artist who paints paintings of canned-ham trailers, the letter F, Converse high tops and the word ICE. The kind of artist who finds art in unexpected places.

We hung the ICE painting in the kitchen.

It looks rad. (yes I said rad. I'm still testing it out. I don't think it's going to work for me.)

My favorite part, besides the red of course, is how he left the wood grain showing at the top of the letters. I really like that.

This weekend, he went on a little retreat. I had mine last week, and I felt like I needed to give him the same space for his soul.
He came home with lots of pictures and told me, "I'm ready to paint! Tonight!" (Although the kids were pretty needy tonight, so they may have sucked the energy right out of him. They are sometimes terribly good at that.)

Here's a glimpse of his retreat: Palm Springs, Idyllwild and Banning.

And also, a glimpse into my man's brain.

He likes:

Mid Century chandeliers

Orange, wire rocking chairs

Modern lines

Expensive cars

Old Caddies

and VW buses

Giant dinosaurs

Vintage trailers

Old signs

(man do I hope we get a painting of this one!)

Neon lights and great lettering

The desert

The mountains

Juxtapositions

Peace

I have said before that I have learned so much from Aaron about art, about seeing it in unexpected places. Aaron has given me the confidence to create my own artistic sensibility. I can admire a snowy peak as much as the lines of a car. I appreciate beat up, old signs and clean, modern furniture.

Because that is really what it all comes down to: find the things that inspire you, that bring you delight and just go with that.

So, what are the things that inspire your artistic sensibility?

If you say Thomas Kincaid, I'll still be your friend, but we are going to have to have a difference of opinion of that one.

Greta

I Know it's Spring, but Here are Some Winter Dreams

I just did a post about our trip to the snow over at Lilly and the Brothers.

I found these pictures and was reminded how fun it was to take pictures in a totally new environment. Snow. It was beautiful and breathtaking.

I dream of one day staying in a secluded cabin, deep in the woods, just buried in snow. I would like to lay on the couch next to a roaring fire, go snowshoeing and see no one's foot prints but mine and the animals, drink hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows, eat hot soup and fresh from the oven bread, and fall asleep to the quiet, quiet sounds of snow falling.

Then I'd like to come home to sunshine because I am terrified of driving in snow and I think I'd probably have to drive eventually. Or I guess I could learn to cross country ski.

The first time I went to Switzerland, I had just turned 17 and graduated from high school. We were driving in a gigantic bus through the Alps. After many, many, many hairpin turns, and a lot of my fellow travelers getting very sick, we reached the top of a mountain. And when we got out of the bus to stretch our legs, it was snowing.

In July.

It was only the second time I had seen snow falling. It was just so beautiful and magical.

As we drove down the mountain, we drove through village after village. Each one had a little church, tiny chalets with windows full of red geraniums, cows, a shop or two, and the greenest grass you ever laid eyes on. Outside of each village were more homes, tucked up into the hills and looking very lovely indeed. I imagined myself spending a winter there, studying abroad, alone with my books, writing, making friends with people in the village where I would go for bread and cheese.

Oh it was so romantic. I loved being 17.

I have been back to Switzerland 2 times since that trip. Each time I love it more. It is one of the most beautiful places on the planet and one of my most favorite places in the world.

I've only been there in the summer. And there is still snow up in the Alps.

But I'd like to go in the winter sometime.

As long as I don't have to drive. And I won't cause the trains in Switzerland are fabulous.

Where do you dream of being right now? Winter dreams, spring dreams or even summer dreams? Tell me. I'd love to have some new places to dream about.

Greta

Surprised By Beauty: Everyday

Last week I took a pictures of the beautiful, everyday things that are part of my life.

It was such an enjoyable project. In the middle of breakfast, I looked down at my plate and then jumped up to get my camera.

Beauty is everywhere.

Here is some of my everyday beauty.

Color

Pink Stripes and Cuffed Jeans

Breakfast and a Book

Cafe

Rain

I hope you'll look for everyday beauty this week.

It will really change your perspective. It brought me a lot of joy. A sense of happiness at how bright and lovely my world is.

When you're falling in love you see the world through rose colored glasses, right?

I think I am seeing the world through a rose colored view finder.

Cheers to you and happy Thursday!

Greta

"The world is so full of a number of things,

I think we should all be happy as kings."

Robert Louis Stevenson

Surprised By Beauty: It's the Little Things

This week I saw these.

Perhaps my favorite thing about carrying my camera everywhere I go is the eye I have developed because of it. An eye for spotting the little things. The way a fern is unfurling, or an orange flower that stands out against an old piece of wood.

I look up at the sky more often.

I look down at the ground.

I stop.

I am always waiting to be surprised by beauty.

It's everywhere. Really it is.

I take great joy in the beauty I find in nature. It fills my soul.

But there is beauty in my everyday also.

That, after all, is the whole reason I blog. To celebrate the beauty in my everyday.

So, for the next few weeks, I am going to change up the images in this series. Instead of my finds from nature, I will post some things beautiful from my everyday.

And I will ask you, what is beautiful in your everyday?

Think about it. That's your homework.

Greta

"The world is so full of a number of things,

I'm sure we should all be happy as kings."

Robert Louis Stevenson

Suprised By Beauty: Up and Down

Don't forget to look up.

And down.

Beauty is all around.

Look for it.

And enjoy it.

I am hoping you find beauty today.

Until tomorrow,

Greta

"The world is so full of a number of things

I'm sure we should all be happy as kings."

Robert Louis Stevenson

*With credit to CS Lewis for the original title idea.

Surprised By Beauty--Another Sunrise

Yes, friends, another sunrise.

But let me tell you, I have been sick. And I am tired. Boy am I tired.

And my baby girl wakes early.

So when I walk into the living room and see this out my window, (power lines and all) I feel a deep sense of joy and thankfulness. And it lifts that weighty fatigue just a little.

Sunrise for me is a magical moment. I am weary. Not yet ready to face the day and then, there is this amazing sight that lifts my spirits. I often catch my breath, or gasp, completely taken in.

I have not seen a sunrise that did not fill me with a surge of energy and joy.

Surprised by beauty. Aren't we grateful for it?

What beauty is surprising you these days?

"The world is so full of a number of things,

I'm sure we should all be happy as kings."

Robert Louis Stevenson

*With credit to CS Lewis for the original title idea and to Lilly, for waking me up early every morning.

Surprised By Beauty

A grey, rainy wintery day.

A bend in the road.

This.

Surprised by beauty.

"The world is so full of a number of things,

I'm sure we should all be happy as kings."

Robert Louis Stevenson

*With credit to CS Lewis for the original title idea and to Fallbrook, whose beauty surprises me always.

A New Year's Wish

Happy New Year, friends!

My wish for you and I on this first day of the

New Year:

that we may look beyond the sticks and storms that sometimes surround us

to see the beauty that lies beyond.

I wish you every kind of beauty in this New Year.

From the grand to the mundane--

glorious views and freshly mopped floors.

grand adventures and quiet days at home.

I am looking forward to it all.

Don't you just love a fresh start?

So happy to be sharing the excitement of a New Year with you all,

Greta

Stormy Skies

Our first real winter storm of the year.

I love wet windows.

Wet leaves on the sidewalk.

And stormy skies.

But it's nice to have the sun peeking out again.

This is, after all, the sunshine state.

Or is that Florida?

Or Missouri?

I think that's the show me state.

Whatever.

Wednesday's Happy as a King List: the Sky

The world is full of such a number of things,

I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.

Robert Louis Stevenson

On my list right now: the sky. I have been quite taken with the sky lately. Since I'm up so early, I've been fortunate to see some marvelous sunrises. And there have been fantastic sunsets. too. But even in the middle of the day I like to stop, to look up and to see the clouds. I like to notice the brilliant blue of the sky on a fall day, the way the wind pushes the clouds and how the sky is never the same.

Isn't that amazing?

It changes all day long, every day, forever.

We live in an amazing world.

Sunrise

Noon

Sunset

Stop and take a look up today.

And tell me, what's on your happy list?

Around Home: Nature Table

A while back, I posted about this wall unit, our new to us find from Amsterdam Modern. The longer it is in our house, the more I love it. Let me tell you why.

I have shelf space! I have room to display stuff! Its' revolutionary I tell you.

For 8 years we lived in a 600 square foot beach cottage. It was probably the servant's quarters for the mansions on the next block. We had very little extra space there for anything. And since the house was so tiny, we had to carefully edit anything we had out because otherwise everything felt cluttered.

But now, I have room for a nature table.

I have wanted one of these for a long while and finally have the space to do it.

Here are some of the things we have on our nature table:

Treasures from the sea: a feather, sand dollars, a favorite rock and a crab shell.

A collection of favorite rocks from beaches we've visited on our honeymoon, from Italy, Cambria, Carlsbad and many more. There is also a bone the boys found on Skeleton Beach.

From the woods: berries, seed balls form a sycamore tree, a tiny pine cone, a beautiful green beetle, a chestnut and a fall leaf.

A bowl of pine cones that we are adding to.

We go on a nature walk each week with out home school group and I ask the boys to find something to draw in their nature notebook and something to bring home for our nature table. They like the hunt. They like to stop and look at the things on our table. The best part of our table is all the memories attached to it: the bottle of sand, the rock with 2 holes, the piece of driftwood; they are stories from our time spent together out in the beauty of creation.

It brings the outside world in.

I like that.

Our wall unit isn't all about nature. You can see we have some of our favorite, vintage Fisher Price toys on display, some of my pottery collection, my cherished Charlie Harper Biology book and other things too. There are also empty shelves, because we are letting the shelves get slowly, as we find treasures that mean something to us.

From nature or the flea market, it is always fun to find a treasure.