Monday, April 27, 2009

what? I have a blog? #2

whew, it's been quite a week.

Last Saturday at 4 AM I had the pleasure of getting my house broken into + wallet stolen.
It was quite a learning experience in many, many ways. For instance, giving money to homeless people who walk up to your door does not encourage them to go away and leave you alone, it makes them attached to you. So after you give them money two times they will likely come back for more. 
Also, if you want to upset your parents more than you could possibly imagine, do something stupid like leave your window unlocked so the homeless man can get inside in the first place. Keep your social security card in your wallet (like your mom always told you not to) so he can steal that along with your money. Leave the blinds up at night so he can tell you're sleeping... or at least pretending to sleep, because thankfully he had the bright idea to try to wake me up (by banging on the bedroom window) to ask for money first, so I was awake and able to call 911 when I heard him in my living room. 

I also learned that police are sometimes pretty cool and I'm thankful for them.

There was a good thing that came out of all this, though (besides the general all-around thankfulness of being safe!)..... 


This little girl,

Winnie.

Unfortunately, I've never had a dog before and am not really a "dog person," so it's been quite an adjustment, but she's very sweet and forgiving and patient with me. I've been feeling pretty miserable this past week, physically and emotionally, completely uninspired and rather depressed. If I cry she comes rushing over with a concerned look on her face and kisses (okay, licks, but close enough) away all the tears. 
I've always wondered if something was the matter with me for being so sensitive and so slow to recover from big events. I'm often just fine at first, even stoic after a quick cry, and then a couple days later... bam. It all sinks in. I'm practically immobilized as my body and mind deal with it. (It's highly inconvenient, let me just say...)
So I was doing a bit of research online about coping and overwhelm and that sort of stuff when I ran across this lovely quote. It doesn't explain the weird delayed reaction, but it does explain a lot: 

"The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this:
A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive.

To him... a touch is a blow,
a sound is a noise,
a misfortune is a tragedy,
a joy is an ecstasy,
a friend is a lover,
a lover is a god,
and failure is death.

Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create - - - so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating."

-Pearl S. Buck, (1892-1973), recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938

 I found that really, really comforting. And comforting to know that there are lots of other HSP (Highly Sensitive People) out there, and I am one. It's the first time I've really come across that term, HSP... perhaps it's been around for while, perhaps it's even considered passe... but to me it was a big dose of illumination, and I can't wait to read more and learn more about what it means + how to make the most of it + how to help heal the slow-to-recover parts.


Happy Monday :)
with lots of love from Tab

Friday, April 17, 2009

impromptu bookmaking is fun! you should try it!


Yesterday seemed like the perfect day to experiment with bookmaking, so I decided to make a little quick + easy Instant Book. I would usually choose a more complicated project, particularly one involving sewing... sewing a book spine is quite peaceful... but it was sunny outside, so I had to take advantage of that!

I picked 7 different varieties of weeds (er... flowers & foliage, I mean) and arranged them on my copier.
Then I folded the print-out into 8 sections and cut a 2-sections-long slit in the middle, finishing it off by squishing it all back together with the blank section as the cover.

Voila!
Instant Book!
It's like the ramen of bibliology! (I hope you like that word, I just made it up. It's nice, eh?)


This one I call, An Encyclopaedia of Front-Yard Foliage, Up Close and Personal.









Happy weekend, everybody!

with lots of love from Tab
xoxo

Thursday, April 16, 2009

what? I have a blog?


Sorry I've been a bit MIA lately.......

I've been sick.

It tends to happen a lot this time of year, what with all the floaty things in the air... germs + pollen + other delightful morsels... 

but, thanks to some delicious food and medicine from my sweet parents, lots of sleeping, 5 of my favorite movies, Animal Crossing, sudoku and crossword puzzles, and of course much well-wishing and prayers from kind friends, I'm doing a lot better!
It was actually really, really good to take a few days off. 
Sometimes I get so caught up in being "productive" I forget that having fun and/or resting are just as important as working... that they're actually beneficial and good for you! Not only that, you NEED them!


Consequently, there was a lot of this sort of thing...



and a great deal of enjoyment taken from these...


oh and let's not forget this one... (sorry the pictures are fuzzy/small, they're what I found)




All, except the top right (Little Manhattan), are taken from my arsenal of tried-and-true, watch-this-and-you'll-feel-happy-and-inspired DVD collection. 


I promise I really am 25 years old.
I think I'm secretly 12.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

lemon blueberry upside-down cake


Not sure how I actually managed to do this (I feel pretty crummy today), but... I really wanted to make a cake for Easter. I used this recipe from epicurious.com and I think it turned out okay!
My brain's too foggy to say much so I'll let the pictures do the talking.


assemble...


put in the oven...



"garnish with lemon slices"...



As you can see it took several attempts to come up with a worthwhile lemon-slice decoration. 
I finally settled on this:


Hopefully it'll taste as yummy as it looks!
If I could've gotten away with it I would've sampled a slice this afternoon... 


))))))Best Easter wishes, all!((((((

with lots of love from Tab

Thursday, April 9, 2009

glass + light = happiness


Even a trip to the recycling center can be a special treat when the sun is shining and there are lots of interesting things to look at.


When I went on Saturday, the bins were slammed full, so I brought my camera along on Monday to record the amazing variety of packaging all jumbled together... but... instead, I found air and space and lots of happy sunlight making its way through empty crannies.


I liked seeing all the sand on the bottom of the glass section. 
How clever of those bottles to recycle themselves!









Wouldn't this almost be a splendid place for a photo shoot, with all that light shining in? Something with a really fancy dress?
I bet Tim Walker could make it work somehow...


This week feels all mixed up, all my regular babysitting jobs got switched around or cancelled, it got cold enough to snow (in some [nearby] places it did!), and my allergies that I thought were gone have decided to come back. Is it really Thursday already?
Come back, Monday! Come back, Tuesday and Wednesday!
Well, this weekend will be full of baking + Easter preparations, so that's exciting.

Happy day, everybody. :)
xoxo, Tab

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

business cards


I can't afford to have business cards printed right now, so the lovely Nichole suggested I make some. 
Here's the first batch!

I used a scallop-edge rotary cutter to chop up an old piece of watercolor paper, then wrote & drew my info with india ink. It really didn't take that long and was very fun to do... once I figured out what to write. "Illustrations + more" looked corny to me... so I changed it to "illustrations + art." Much better.




It's FREEZING in Greenville today so I'm off to eat some hot soup!
Happy Tuesday!


Monday, April 6, 2009

pictures in the sky


It was one of those beautiful days where the sky is blue, the sun is shining, and all the clouds seem to look like props from a wispy, forest-themed kindergarten play. 
I had brought my camera along to record my exciting trip to the recycling center (#10 from the list!) but couldn't resist snapping a few photos of the fluffy creatures.




















As I was sitting at a red light, window down and lens pointed to the sky, I heard someone next to me shout, "hey! HEY!"


"Take a picture of me, too!"

So I did.



Saturday, April 4, 2009

little pleasures



finding stars in your cereal bowl





going on a bike ride





shy violets hidden beneath a corner of the house





red-painted fingernails





open windows





bare feet





finishing a commission, even if it's not something you would normally paint



happy weekend, all!
xoxo

Thursday, April 2, 2009

it's going to be a glorious summer...

I may already be 25-and-a-half, but that didn't deter me from jumping at the chance to make my very own pre-birthday list as soon as I caught sight of Miss hula seventy's! All day long I couldn't stop thinking about all the things I would add if I wrote one. What a glorious way to embrace each passing year!

So, after much deliberation, I set about to compose my List... complete with 2 rules:
Rule 1: Each item must be something I have never, ever done before,
with the exception of
Rule 2: A select group of recently-accomplished feats to account for the fact that I am already 25.5


Without further ado, here's my


...to do before I turn 26

1. Pack a bento box

2. Spend a day in Brevard, NC

3.  Dye my hair red

4. Make $2000 or more in one month

5. Plant wildflowers


7. Explore Hendersonville, NC

8. Bake a cheesecake 

9. Start a blog

10. Recycle (I'm ashamed to admit I don't do this yet)

11. Make homemade ice cream

12. Go skinny dipping

13. Ride a roller coaster (Carowinds, perhaps?)

14. Create a stop-motion animation

15. Learn 5 phrases in Japanese

16. Host a garden party

17. Eat an Italian picnic in Montebello


19. Sew a dress (and wear it!)

20. Read Wuthering Heights

21. Participate in at least 3 art markets

22. Take a class on illustration

23. Walk around the MOMA

24. Visit Anthropologie in Charlotte and try on at least 5 outfits

25. Wear red lipstick for a whole day




6 down, 19 to go!