Wish List

During my last semester at the Savannah College of Art and Design, one of my favorite professors, Catherine Cardarelli, took our class to visit the rare book collection at SCAD's Jen Library. And while this singular act initially dropped her down a few pegs on my "favorite professor" list (as going to the library is just barely above slamming my face onto a hot stove on my list of things I'd really rather not do), I actually couldn't have been happier that we went. I found the most inspiring, heart-wrenching, truly beautiful "book" that I have ever come across while we were there. It is called "Unspoken" by Jahjehan Bath Ives and yep, I WANT IT.

This "book" is housed in a lovely wooden box and is comprised of twenty-five postcards that the author created after the sudden passing of her brother due to pneumonia. One side is text, literally postcards to her brother, and the other side is drawings, references to their childhood and such. And you can piece all of the postcards together via the pictures on the back, like a puzzle. It is a visually and emotionally stunning book and her words speak volumes to my heavy, broken heart (a long post is needed to explain, but that is for another time). You should have seen me fighting back tears as I read through these postcards in the library! Not exactly an appropriate time or place for a break-down, as you can imagine. But I have since then become obsessed with the idea of owning this book, which unfortunately happens to be three-hundred dollars. I know that most might think that this is an absolutely ridiculous amount of money to pay for, essentially twenty-five used postcards, but I just don't care. It is a limited edition art book. Each book is signed by the artist. It echos how I feel in a way that nothing yet has. And it would be a piece of art. I want it to be my piece of art.

I suppose that while we are on the subject of potentially over-priced things that I want, we might as well touch on this gem as well.

It's a silver latitude-longitude ring that I found on Etsy. You send them the coordinates you want and they send you a ring. Would be so easy if that pesky sixty-two dollar fee wasn't involved. Not exactly a pittance for a little ol' ring. Too bad I'm in love with it. I want to have the coordinates to where my boy is buried, the only place I can go to visit him now. I mean, I know he's not there, but it's all I've got (again, another post for another time).

To end on a bit of a happier note, I was able to cross one thing off of my wish list today with these lovelies:

An absolutely gorgeous pair of teal leather "boat shoes" that I probably really can't afford right now. And they'll probably stop being trendy as soon as I get them, which is typically my luck when it comes to fashion, but hopefully my love for them will be sustained regardless. Lately I've been buying things for the person that I want to be, rather than necessarily who I am. And, I mean, why not? Maybe if I just keep making strides towards where I want to go, I'll eventually find myself right where I want to be. 

What a delightful thought.

I Don't Want to Light a Fire, I Just Want to Get To Your Heart

I want to preface this post by saying that I'm not proud of myself. Not at all. But it had to be done. Once I found this recipe by Recipe Girl, I knew that these were going to be made, it was only a matter of time. And tonight, it was time. 

Chocolate chip cookie dough brownies. Could anything possibly sound more delightful? Because I can't think of anything. The cookie dough is egg-less (not that a little egg ever stopped this girl from eating an inexcusable amount of dough), for anyone who is uncomfortable with the idea of consuming raw egg, so at least I can pretend it isn't all bad. I haven't had one yet, but considering that my roommate just ate two, back to back, I can at least assume that they are edible. Nom nom nom.

Friends and Freebies

Thank God for fabulous friends with fabulous taste! And thank God twice as hard for fabulous friends with fabulous taste who are willing to give me their leftovers. A very close buddy of mine recently went through a lot of his things and decided that most if it was destined for Goodwill. 

OVER MY DEAD BODY! 

You might understand a little better if you know how truly impeccable my friend's taste is in fashion, food, home decor (although that may more likely be attributed to his boyfriend, rather than himself), style, life, etc. He is swank-tastic, and that's really all there is to it. I knew that anything that he planned on giving or throwing away would be a million times nicer than anything that I currently own, and being that my friend is so amazing, I got to pick through everything before it was donated. Here are the delights that I ended up with: 1.) A brand new, still-in-the-box, touch-screen, Lexmark printer. Srsly? Srsly. Brand. Fucking. New. 2.) Three sets of cloth napkins in green, white, and turquoise. Each color has a set of twelve, which is already eight more than the maximum number of people that I know and could therefore have over for dinner, so I'll have to work on acquiring more friends. 3.) A chrome toilet paper holder, which I actually really did need for my half bathroom, and has already been put to use. 4.) Lots of other random goodies, like a huge plastic pitcher, draperies, and pillow forms. 5.) The absolute best part of everything I received, THESE BEAUTS:

I have been drooling over these gorgeous chairs ever since he got them! They are relatively inexpensive chairs (or what my friend would consider inexpensive, which does not necessarily correlate with what normal, non-rich people wold consider inexpensive) that he had taken to a local Maaco (yes, the car painting place!), and painted a high-gloss, bright white. Apparently you can take them just about anything you want and they'll use the same stuff that they use on cars to paint away! Who knew?! Then, they were re-upholstered with white, ostrich leather and finished off with a silver nailhead trim. Aren't they great? I got a set of six of them, two with arms and two without. Since one of the arms is "broken" on one of the armed chairs, the whole set was no longer deemed acceptable for dining seatage (and I use the word broken very loosely here because the chair on the right is the accused and can easily be fixed with a little bit of gorilla glue). That's crazy talk, I know! But I'm not complaining. In fact, I may or may not have made it a point to mention it every time I was at his place. "Wow. That chair is looking really bad. It's SOOOO obviously broken and disgusting looking. People are going to think you're poor and can't afford decent chairs. You probably need a whole new set or something. I mean, or whatever you want to do."

I'm not saying that it's right, I'm just saying it worked. The chairs are mine. Muahahaha!

So, now I have lots of project possibilities. Was thinking about embroidering some of those napkins. And since I do not have a dining room table that can accommodate these luscious seats of luxury, I'll have to find them a home somewhere else in the condo. At least until I can talk him out of his table, too.

Your Saturday Dose of Art

I just love discovering new photographers. It really makes my day. I just want to sit and analyze what makes them so amazing for hours and hours. What are they doing that I'm not or that I can't? How many degrees of separation are there between their work and mine, and more importantly, how do I narrow that separation? 

Did I mention that I'm a photographer? Cause I am. And not in the "I have a nice camera, so I'm clearly a photographer" kind of way. I have my B.A. and my M.A. in photography, and while I realize that that does not necessarily make me any more of a photographer than someone who is untrained or self-taught, I do feel like I get bragging rights to some degree. I mean, after all that time and money spent, I should at least get that, right?!

So, back to Miles Aldridge and my love...nay, unbridled, animalistic lust for his work. Apparently he was born in London and...yeah. That's about all I know. Because I hate researching photographers. It may be because I was forced to do it for so many years in school, or simply because it's boring, but either way, I don't know much about the guy. Other than the fact that he is a master with light, color and narrative. And it certainly doesn't hurt that the fashion is DIVINE. 

I think he is also a master of WTF?! images, as well. Here is how my brain typically processes these photographs: "Wow! The color. I DIE! The fashion. I LOVE! The composition. SO RAD! What the fuck is going on here?!"

I think that this is one of my favorite "WTF?!" photos of Aldridge's. The color! The fashion! The beauty! WTF?! Why is this girl eating watermelon in this outfit by the window? Why is she so pale in such a colorful room? What if she gets watermelon juice on that heavenly top? I also think I like it because it really reminds me of my friend Kat. I really don't know why. (meow)

 

So fun. Love love love the layering of textures and color. He also has a lot of, shall we say, "saucy" imagery. I actually found him through this series of really sexy watch advertisements that he shot (assumedly for a European ad agency as these would be far too controversial for America).

This is actually probably my favorite image in the series, and arguably one of the less explicit shots. But feel free to check them out and pick your favorite. So cheeky (ha!) and so well photographed. Sex sells, right? Aldridge isn't beating around the bush about that fact at all. You sell the lifestyle that the advertisers suggest accompany the product. And what hetero dude wouldn't want this lifestyle, and therefore this watch? Genius.

Dinner for One

Mmm...sauteed fresh green beans. While it may a bit of a bizarre dinner for an otherwise normal (debatable), 20-something, single, white female to be having on a Friday night, I stand by it.

This Won't Be The First or the Last Time You'll Hear This, But...I MUST HAVE THIS!

I guess I'm what some might call obsessive. Yeah. That's a polite way of putting it. Obsessive. And right now, I'm obsessing over these delightful Pottery Barn goodies! Their Halloween table decorations are driving me crazy and I must make the mine!

 

Skeleton Hand Condiment Set

Can you believe how beautiful this Skeleton Hand Condiment Set is? Or this Spooky Halloween Cake Stand:

Spooky Halloween Cake Stand

Or this Skeleton Hand Serving Set:

Skeleton Hand Serving Set

EEEEKKK!!! Would you think I was total freak if I said that I already went to Pottery Barn to purchase these and they don't even have them out on the floor yet! What a disappointment. I nearly bribed the saleswoman to sell them to me now, but thought better of it, and walked away with my head hanging instead. Thankfully, I was told that they would be putting these lovelies out after Labor Day, so I'll just have to drool over them on their website until then. BoOoooOooOoooOOo. 

Also, Pottery Barn always, always, always reminds me of the Friends episode, "The One With the Apothecary Table." I love Friends. And apothecary tables.  

Poppin' That Cherry

So this is blogging, eh? I don't know why I never thought I wanted to do this before. I've been journaling since I was ten, a habit that my fifth grade teacher instilled in me, and a habit that has been impossible to break. And with all of the advancements in technology and the inter-webs, maybe a blog will save me some time. (Or just cause me to spend twice as much time online as I do now. Who knows?)

Well, this is me. My name is Kris and I'm just some chick in some city. Unlike most people my age, I don't have any "delusions" of grandeur, as my mother likes to say. I'm not unique or original or one-of-a-kind. And I really don't mean to say that in an emo, whiny, fishing kind of way; it's simply the truth. I am not talented enough or driven enough or skillful enough to make a huge impact on the world in any memorable kind of way. No one will remember me for hundreds of years after I die. No one will sculpt a statue in my honor. No one will read about me in history books. And I'm okay with that. I really am. In fact, it makes my life a lot easier because instead of concentrating on being some monumental figure, I can simply focus all of my energy on being the best person that I can possibly be right now. And I think I'm getting there. I feel like I'm finally becoming the person I've always wanted to be.