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Boy, this most-recent collage is troubling me! One night I nearly cut it in pieces. Somehow i'm trying to keep the faith that it will all turn out fine.
I guess that's part of the creative process—not knowing, but having faith anyway. Sounds religious, which I'm not. It's certainly a kind of trust, trust that I'll be able to make it work out somehow. Maybe all these paintings aren't meant to get whipped out in five days. Maybe some are meant to stew a bit. It's hard to not know.
I have a hard time because I'm torn between painting and making some hats. The painting has been very fulfilling, and when I look at all the collages I see a depth of my expression that just can't come from making a hat. But there will be two more events this year, at which people will expect to be trying on hats. Balance. I was never very good with my balance—I'm all lop-sided. Hopefully I'll figure it out.
25 Şubat 2013 Pazartesi
Summer's Over
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This is too long for a blog post, but please, just let me get it out.
Summer is already over. Yup. I hate to report that, but for me it feels pretty true. We had planned it all properly, and it was going to be a pretty good season, but life has a way of doing whatever the hell it wants.
We thought if we got an early start by doing our yearly trip to Portugal at the beginning of the summer, that there would still be plenty of summer left for us when we got home. And I'd be able to get back and finish up that lovely commission for the Peabody Essex Museum before having to have foot surgery in August.
Summer itself had gotten a leap on us and my garden blooms were going by so quickly that I couldn't remember what would be left when we got home. And I knew that, though they shouldn't be, the raspberries would have come and gone before we could taste one.
But Portugal, great, right? Three weeks in coastal Portugal with friends, family, and great food—who could ask for more. Well, the Mr. of this Milliner is in a startup and doesn't actually get vacation time, so those three weeks for him were mostly delicious meals wrapped in fourteen-hour work days. The joy of the trip was having my mom and step-dad visit from Massachusetts, bringing with them my nieces (eight and eleven). We had nearly two weeks of laughter and fun. My three-year-old daughter got really close to her cousins, while we showed them around, husband's laptop always in tow.
The plan was that we'd fly back to Massachusetts with the family when they returned, but three days before we were supposed to leave, my father (who lives in Portugal) had a heart attack and ended up in the hospital. Our visitors had to go home. The vacation collapsed. I didn't want to be there any more, but we cancelled our flights ($250 penalty for each of our tickets?!).
So I found myself in Portugal trying to negotiate a healthcare system that doesn't quite make sense to me, in a language that I had once considered myself fluent in (Side note: Fluency is like the needed coin that you suddenly drop in your car on your way to the toll booth—you feel the tip of it with your fingers, and just when you seem to be lifting it from the grimy carpet, it's gone again.). My Portuguese was not quite up to the task, or more realistically, it was making me so tired!
I spent each of the next twelve days in a hospital that a three-year-old wasn't allowed to enter. The fourteen-hour-a-day-working husband suddenly had a toddler that wanted to spend lots of time trying to get him to play and talk about stuff. My father's condition was slowly improving, and they were able to move him out of a more critical unit, but things seemed to be moving about as fast as an octogenarian driving a town car on a lovely Sunday afternoon. And then the healthcare service industry of Portugal decided that they would go on strike. I was done. My father was stable and awaiting results and there was obviously nothing more that my presence was accomplishing. We had extended our stay by nearly two stressful weeks, and it was time to go home.
So I came home to piles of mail, appointments that I needed to reschedule, blooms gone past. And I had to keep calling my father and trying to make a stubborn man follow doctor's orders with the mere power of my voice (impossible!). There was still so much that I wanted to do—trips to a nearby lake, a stay on Cape Cod with family-like friends, all the ice cream we had missed, barbecues, community gardening, and on and on.
And the trip to Portugal had been scheduled with plenty of time for me to come home, enjoy some summer, and then have surgery on a foot that's been trying kill me for a couple of years now. That surgery is just a handful of days away, and the foot won't be able to get wet for three weeks after that. So forget sand, and beach, and shoes, I won't even be getting a shower!
And the hats... Well, we'll just have to wait and see how I heal before I go finish up the commission. Surprisingly, there's a lot of standing and walking to be done.
Oh, this is not the summer I wanted to have.
Thank you so much for letting me have my little pity party. I think I'm done now.
Summer is already over. Yup. I hate to report that, but for me it feels pretty true. We had planned it all properly, and it was going to be a pretty good season, but life has a way of doing whatever the hell it wants.
We thought if we got an early start by doing our yearly trip to Portugal at the beginning of the summer, that there would still be plenty of summer left for us when we got home. And I'd be able to get back and finish up that lovely commission for the Peabody Essex Museum before having to have foot surgery in August.
Summer itself had gotten a leap on us and my garden blooms were going by so quickly that I couldn't remember what would be left when we got home. And I knew that, though they shouldn't be, the raspberries would have come and gone before we could taste one.
But Portugal, great, right? Three weeks in coastal Portugal with friends, family, and great food—who could ask for more. Well, the Mr. of this Milliner is in a startup and doesn't actually get vacation time, so those three weeks for him were mostly delicious meals wrapped in fourteen-hour work days. The joy of the trip was having my mom and step-dad visit from Massachusetts, bringing with them my nieces (eight and eleven). We had nearly two weeks of laughter and fun. My three-year-old daughter got really close to her cousins, while we showed them around, husband's laptop always in tow.
The plan was that we'd fly back to Massachusetts with the family when they returned, but three days before we were supposed to leave, my father (who lives in Portugal) had a heart attack and ended up in the hospital. Our visitors had to go home. The vacation collapsed. I didn't want to be there any more, but we cancelled our flights ($250 penalty for each of our tickets?!).
So I found myself in Portugal trying to negotiate a healthcare system that doesn't quite make sense to me, in a language that I had once considered myself fluent in (Side note: Fluency is like the needed coin that you suddenly drop in your car on your way to the toll booth—you feel the tip of it with your fingers, and just when you seem to be lifting it from the grimy carpet, it's gone again.). My Portuguese was not quite up to the task, or more realistically, it was making me so tired!
I spent each of the next twelve days in a hospital that a three-year-old wasn't allowed to enter. The fourteen-hour-a-day-working husband suddenly had a toddler that wanted to spend lots of time trying to get him to play and talk about stuff. My father's condition was slowly improving, and they were able to move him out of a more critical unit, but things seemed to be moving about as fast as an octogenarian driving a town car on a lovely Sunday afternoon. And then the healthcare service industry of Portugal decided that they would go on strike. I was done. My father was stable and awaiting results and there was obviously nothing more that my presence was accomplishing. We had extended our stay by nearly two stressful weeks, and it was time to go home.
So I came home to piles of mail, appointments that I needed to reschedule, blooms gone past. And I had to keep calling my father and trying to make a stubborn man follow doctor's orders with the mere power of my voice (impossible!). There was still so much that I wanted to do—trips to a nearby lake, a stay on Cape Cod with family-like friends, all the ice cream we had missed, barbecues, community gardening, and on and on.
And the trip to Portugal had been scheduled with plenty of time for me to come home, enjoy some summer, and then have surgery on a foot that's been trying kill me for a couple of years now. That surgery is just a handful of days away, and the foot won't be able to get wet for three weeks after that. So forget sand, and beach, and shoes, I won't even be getting a shower!
And the hats... Well, we'll just have to wait and see how I heal before I go finish up the commission. Surprisingly, there's a lot of standing and walking to be done.
Oh, this is not the summer I wanted to have.
Thank you so much for letting me have my little pity party. I think I'm done now.
What I've been up to
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You may have thought I had fallen off the planet—no hat posts, not even a painting. What happened to the milliner from Maynard, Mass?
Oh, what a year 2012 was! There was just way, too much healthcare. In fact, by the time August rolled around, I thought I might explode if I had to pay one more copay. But in the early September I had an MRI of my spine (I have some various spinal cord conditions), and that MRI made my neurologist send me to my neurosurgeon in Boston. The neurosurgeon decided that it was time to clean some things up. So I spent eight days around Thanksgiving in the hospital—it was ok. My husband brought me a latté every day, and brought his laptop so that he could work and still be nearby.
I had similar surgery as a child, but I'm far from being a child, and I forgot how much it would hurt. Still, it ended and here I am. I'm still recovering—the neurosurgeon says that it will take 12-24 months for all the nerves to heal up—but every day gets a little easier. I'm in physical therapy two times a week and am both making progress and learning a lot! While in the hospital and when I got home, many of our friends and family pitched in to help us out with childcare, meals, you name it. I am so grateful for that—I was able to rest for a good period of time.
I haven't made any new hats yet, but I did get my last shipment of ten or so out to the Peabody Essex Museum before I went into the hospital. I've gone to the studio a handful of times, and in that time I've been working on a painting. I should be finishing that one soon, and when I do, I'll post images of how it progressed.
In the meantime, here's a link to a video of coverage of the Hats exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum. Sorry I can't embed the video—you'll have to click on this instead: A Party on Your Head I still have to get myself out there one more time to see it again.
Linda Hartigan, the Chief Curator of the museum, who we see at the beginning of the video, bought one of my more interesting hats from the PEM boutique in the first days of the show. I felt honored to have it go to her. (The photo in this post is of the hat she bought. You may recall it from my February blog post Pretty Things). I love this hat.
Do yourself a favor and go see the show. You'll find my burgundy hat under glass in the American Gallery on the first floor.
Oh, what a year 2012 was! There was just way, too much healthcare. In fact, by the time August rolled around, I thought I might explode if I had to pay one more copay. But in the early September I had an MRI of my spine (I have some various spinal cord conditions), and that MRI made my neurologist send me to my neurosurgeon in Boston. The neurosurgeon decided that it was time to clean some things up. So I spent eight days around Thanksgiving in the hospital—it was ok. My husband brought me a latté every day, and brought his laptop so that he could work and still be nearby.
I had similar surgery as a child, but I'm far from being a child, and I forgot how much it would hurt. Still, it ended and here I am. I'm still recovering—the neurosurgeon says that it will take 12-24 months for all the nerves to heal up—but every day gets a little easier. I'm in physical therapy two times a week and am both making progress and learning a lot! While in the hospital and when I got home, many of our friends and family pitched in to help us out with childcare, meals, you name it. I am so grateful for that—I was able to rest for a good period of time.
I haven't made any new hats yet, but I did get my last shipment of ten or so out to the Peabody Essex Museum before I went into the hospital. I've gone to the studio a handful of times, and in that time I've been working on a painting. I should be finishing that one soon, and when I do, I'll post images of how it progressed.
In the meantime, here's a link to a video of coverage of the Hats exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum. Sorry I can't embed the video—you'll have to click on this instead: A Party on Your Head I still have to get myself out there one more time to see it again.
Linda Hartigan, the Chief Curator of the museum, who we see at the beginning of the video, bought one of my more interesting hats from the PEM boutique in the first days of the show. I felt honored to have it go to her. (The photo in this post is of the hat she bought. You may recall it from my February blog post Pretty Things). I love this hat.
Do yourself a favor and go see the show. You'll find my burgundy hat under glass in the American Gallery on the first floor.
"I'll Follow You Into the Dark"
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Okay, I'm a bit sentimental—I'll admit it. Around here we've taken to loving Death Cab for Cutie's I'll Follow You Into the Dark. It's mushy, it's gushy, it reeks of sappiness. I love it. I saw on iTunes that there's a video, so I decided to check it out—it sealed the deal. I love to draw. I love drawings on impractical paper. I love stories. It's all right t here. What are these people trying to do with this heart-wrenching love song, kill me? If you've not heard it yet, here's a link. I think it will be on this family's playlist for a while—probably until the end. I'm such a sap. Somebody shoot me.
Quick Lockets for Valentine's Day
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Last week I wrote a blog post for Creativebug on a little trip I took to French General in Los Angeles. While I was there, I picked up several treasures. It was so much fun looking at all of their lovely fabrics, ribbons and notions. I left with three spools of twine, a few brass lockets and brass wishbones, and a spool of red and white polka dot ribbon.
I wanted to make some quick necklaces for my loved ones, so I printed out special messages for each of them and used rubber cement to tack them inside the lockets. I strung up the heart lockets and wishbones on pieces of twine that measures about 24 inches long, then tied the ends with sliding knots. Finally, I stitched the ribbons in place with a needle and thread.
The whole project took no more than 5 minutes per necklace, but I'm happy with the results and will be sending these quick lockets out with the mail today.
How are you spreading love to your friends and family this year?
Last week I wrote a blog post for Creativebug on a little trip I took to French General in Los Angeles. While I was there, I picked up several treasures. It was so much fun looking at all of their lovely fabrics, ribbons and notions. I left with three spools of twine, a few brass lockets and brass wishbones, and a spool of red and white polka dot ribbon.
I wanted to make some quick necklaces for my loved ones, so I printed out special messages for each of them and used rubber cement to tack them inside the lockets. I strung up the heart lockets and wishbones on pieces of twine that measures about 24 inches long, then tied the ends with sliding knots. Finally, I stitched the ribbons in place with a needle and thread. The whole project took no more than 5 minutes per necklace, but I'm happy with the results and will be sending these quick lockets out with the mail today.How are you spreading love to your friends and family this year?
24 Şubat 2013 Pazar
Spring's Supreme Clutch Bags 2013
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The clutch bag has become so much more than just a mobile-and-lipstick carrying commodity on the red carpet. Accessible to a wider style-loving audience, a clutch polishes off any outfit, whether it's daytime casual or ritzy evening wear. This season, playing along to Spring 2013's fashion trends, clutch bags can be seen in monochromes, animal prints, glossy metallics, tri-tones and neon hues.
Geometric bags take centre stage, with rectangular and boxy shapes, illustrating modernism and chic functionality. Get yours embellished with gold and silver hardware - if it has zips, spikes, studs and chains...you're an instant trendsetter. Exotic leather and sparkling beadwork add texture, while bold prints yield a sense of fun and whimsicality. Spring 2013 also sees a series of sugary pastels, fold-over pouches and see-through perspex bags. Here are some of my favourite picks for the upcoming season.
Black & White
Fluoro Pop
Dressed Up Metallics
Sugar Candy
Everyday Neutrals
Tropical Tones
Which would your ideal Spring/Summer 2013 clutch be?
Geometric bags take centre stage, with rectangular and boxy shapes, illustrating modernism and chic functionality. Get yours embellished with gold and silver hardware - if it has zips, spikes, studs and chains...you're an instant trendsetter. Exotic leather and sparkling beadwork add texture, while bold prints yield a sense of fun and whimsicality. Spring 2013 also sees a series of sugary pastels, fold-over pouches and see-through perspex bags. Here are some of my favourite picks for the upcoming season.
Black & White
Fluoro Pop
Dressed Up Metallics
Sugar Candy
Everyday Neutrals
Tropical Tones
Which would your ideal Spring/Summer 2013 clutch be?
Taylor Swift's Spring Elle Editorial
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Cover Girl Taylor Swift
Elle US March 2013
With 7 Grammy's, 11 American Music Awards, and 4 successful studio albums with 26 million of them sold, Taylor Swift can truly be called a music superstar. Paying tribute to her impressive achievements as well as her personal life, Elle USA feature the country singer in a stylish Spring spread for their March 2013 issue.
What do you think of Taylor's Spring Elle feature?
*All images found via elle.com
Elle US March 2013
With 7 Grammy's, 11 American Music Awards, and 4 successful studio albums with 26 million of them sold, Taylor Swift can truly be called a music superstar. Paying tribute to her impressive achievements as well as her personal life, Elle USA feature the country singer in a stylish Spring spread for their March 2013 issue.
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| Wearing one of the biggest trends to hit Spring 2013, Taylor poses for the cover in a yellow checked dress with sheer blocks by Louis Vuitton, which unlike the runway, has been lined (thankfully). |
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| The 23-year-old star is sophisticated in a taupe tiered cape, dipped in black beads by Saint Laurent. This look is styled exactly as the runway with a bow-tied shirt, cigarette trousers, black leather gloves, a wide-brimmed fedora and studded pumps. |
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| On the more fashion forward side, Taylor wears a people-printed satin dress by design duo Proenza Schouler, which is studded with silver and hot pink eyelets. Edgy silver block sandals and pink streaks add to the exuberance of this outfit. |
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| Pretty in pink, Taylor charms in this saccharine salmon and cerise ensemble by Oscar de la Renta. It features a pair of high-waisted shorts and floral appliquéd cropped top. |
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| Green metallics meet in a leather bomber jacket by Burberry Prorsum, seen with a navy blue peplum bustier and skinny forest green twill trews. |
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| Bold in cobalt blue, Taylor wears a silk turtleneck suit by Gucci, featuring massively ruffled sleeves. Her beekeepers hat is by Alexander McQueen, with black lace gloves by Chanel. |
What do you think of Taylor's Spring Elle feature?
*All images found via elle.com
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