Poppy Pillows!

I've really been trying to think about a way to focus my blog, to make it more relevant, searchable, interesting, categorized, etc.  Not necessarily because I don't enjoy how its currently going, but because I want to write more often, and I think giving the blog more of an 'intent' will push me to do so.  But maybe not.  I have no idea.  Maybe some tutorials? Some stop motion photography of a painting from start to finish, set to some really rad music?  Ideas? Anything you would like to see?

The last couple of months have been really interesting in regards to personal growth.  I have been so fortunate to be able to create more new material in the past 8 months than I have in I think the past 10 years.   It has been truly amazing to feel success coming from doing what I truly love to do, and what I feel I am meant to be doing in this life.  It took me a long time to get to this point, and I definitely took the long way around.  Not that I wish I could have taken the direct route.  I cherish my experiences and I know I would not be where I am without having gone through them.  No regrets.

 

The past is no more than a story we tell ourselves.  If you tell the story negatively, then that is how it affects your future.

It’s a choice to see things differently. To stop letting what we know or what we have experienced have a negative influence or prevent what could be, or to limit what we imagine because we've been conditioned to think that it couldn't be real. I used to think that it would never be possible to live the way I wanted to live as an artist.  But now I'm seeing that it is possible - and more importantly, I have DECIDED that it is possible.  Therefore it will be :)

However, if by some lovely miracle, I get a free opportunity to get another degree, I will be all over that shit.  A specifically chosen formal art education would take my creative joy to epic levels.   

My lasts few weeks have been spent stocking up my scarf inventory for the upcoming Mayfair Bazaar.  The pillows have been incredibly fun and gratifying and have gotten super response so far, and I can't wait to formally launch them in the shop after the bazaar!

The Poppy Pillows

Backside of the Poppy Pillows

Spring cometh!

I forgot it was Valentine's Day today. Everyone thought I was wearing my red sweater to 'celebrate'. Total accident.  We honored this obnoxious commercial holiday with a delicious birthday dinner the night before with some great friends, followed by my donning of a fire-red blunt bob wig and fishnets for my husband's visual pleasure.  It was a good night.  Made even better by the hope that the freezing precipitation would cause a base closure or at least late reporting so we could enjoy the bed a little longer.  Alas, nothing frozen at dawn. 

 

The day, however, has turned out to be quite beautiful, and warm by the last few weeks' standards.  The kind of beautiful and warm that makes my heart flutter with the anticipation of Spring - the smell, the birds chirping, the excitement of new beginnings and things to come.  Yes, it is only halfway through February and the trees are still bare, but with no snow on the ground and plenty of grass to be seen, it is much easier to visualize and tell myself that it is right around the corner :)

 

As a teenager, spring brought the impending excitement of summer - no school, the crush of the month, parties at the lake, sleeping in, and about 10% of the responsibility that we have now.  This spring, plans to frolic in the sun with my husband and dogs on the acres of soft moss at the nature reserve, impending trips to Ireland, Holland, Copenhagen, Germany, Norway and Scotland, epic career decisions, photography sessions, visits from loved ones, and the explosion of my artistic freedom are the things that are giving me butterflies. 

 

The Pantone 2013 Collection! Click to shop!

And of course, spring scarves galore!! :)

And the Earth Continues to Spin

What. A. Year.  

 I began 2012 with the most amazing bachelorette party for the most amazing woman with a group of also amazing women. Best party weekend ever, hands down.  We finished up our time in Phoenix with a couple of really great concerts and a final trip to Sedona and to see James' fabulous grandparents.  Then we began to make our final preparations for the move to England. 

This year I have seen Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Cromer, Rome, and London repeatedly.  I have seen my beautiful best friend marry the love of her life, I have missed my friends and family dearly, and I have made some incredible new friends as well.  I got to visit my wonderful sister-in-law and nephews, see a bit of San Antonio and gorge myself on delicious Mexican food.  I got to reunite with my long lost Peace Corps companion and meet a new one as well.  I stared at the Sistine Chapel Ceiling and cried, I ate Thanksgiving Dinner with the love of my life in front of the Pantheon, and we frolicked through Rome and all its offerings while the city was illuminated with grandeur and beautiful music.  

This year also brought the official launch of LoveArtWillTravel, my Etsy shop, and the realization that making art, and bringing others joy through art is the only way that I will ever be truly happy spending my day.  Even the little bit of success I have seen in the first quarter has been beyond my expectations, and my goals and dreams for this are only going to keep growing as I pour myself into it in 2013.

Today, we spent the Winter Solstice sunrise at Stonehenge, and it was a very chill and beautiful experience.  The Druids were in full regalia and practice, and the scent of weed, incense and cigars laced the very cold and crisp air.  Everyone was so happy and excited, and the silence that came over the massive crowd as the sun began to peek over the horizon was a beautiful thing to behold.  Everyone was so in tune.  I was very grateful to experience that. 

I will top off 2012 with a delicious new tattoo, a batch of scarves, a little turkey dinner for two, and a whole lot of relaxing with my amazing husband. 

2013 is looking to be pretty incredible as well; my Ashley will prance across the pond for a visit to Amsterdam and Dublin, and my Kristin will be prancing over for Oktoberfest in Germany.  My husband and I have Budapest, Naples, Copenhagen, Kiel and the Norwegian Fjords already on the schedule, and who knows where else we'll end up! 

Life is beautiful,  and I am so very grateful.  Cheers to you, everyone, and I wish you an amazing 2013!

With love,

Emily

Yoga, Jacksonville and Fire Safety

Oh yoga… I forgot how much my body loves you.  I haven’t had a hardcore yoga session since I was in Phoenix.  Being able to do this used to be my goal:

And then I met this: 

and started doing this:

and I then became obsessed with being able to lift twice my body weight.   

For the last few months, however, I have been doing a whole bunch of this:

and spending every spare moment doing this:

I must remember to balance!            

Luckily I can still do this:

So after my delicious endorphin-loaded yoga bout tonight, I was reminded of the incomparable blissful high that yoga brings and have promised to incorporate it back into the routine.  
Along with this:

 so I can do this:

while looking like this:

Yup.

Tonight, I’m working on a lovely Skyline Scarf of Jacksonville, FL for a wonderful customer and childhood friend of mine! 

I’m very excited to see the end product :)

P.S.  Henry the genius dog totally saved our house from potential disaster today when he wouldn’t kennel up until we came looking for him, and we found him sitting right next to the plug in where I had accidentally left my hair straightener on.  I knew I wanted to dress him as a firefighter for Halloween for a reason!  Such a good furry baby! This kind of looks like him...

Onward and upward!

Emily

When in Rome...

Photo op score

One of many many halls

I am overwhelmed with the buildup as we slowly traipse through the Vatican Museum toward the Sistine Chapel.  There are SO many rooms to go through and I had no idea what they had in place on the path to the epic finale.  That a group of people took so much time and cared so much about creating such beauty is so humbling and truly life-impacting.  Is there a group of people alive today that have such a commitment to that level of perfection and the advancement and creation of art?  The build up is like...I can't give it words - I know what is coming and the beauty on the way there is so epic that I am almost overwhelmed with just the anticipation for the visual prize awaiting me.  With each room my heart swells a little bit more, and the glass of wine I had on the way in here isn't helping.  The colors get more vivid with every hall and room.  The gold shimmer in the paint makes it feel like it was done yesterday.  

The only picture...

And there it is.  The ceiling.  We are not allowed to take pictures or even speak above a whisper in this room, which I am appreciative of.  I woozily stare above, completely drowning in utter humility and gratitude.  I used to look at this in a book and consider seeing it with my own eyes a far off fantasy.  It took many years for me to be able to believe that I was going to see this in person some day.  And as I write this, I am sitting here, struggling to hold back the tears.  I expected this, I'm a sap.  I did fine for the first few minutes, but the longer I sat and stared and thought about my life from the moment I fell in love with the picture and the idea of this magnificent work to this very moment, sitting below it in real time, taking the entire scene in with my own eyes, with my own soul - it is my reality now.  I believed that someday I would bask in this creation first hand and now here I am.  It is possible.  All is possible.  And the journey to get there is beautiful.  My gratitude and humility have been lifted to the highest level they have ever been.  

What happened in our world to make the creation of such a magnitude of beauty cease being so important and valued?  We as humans see that time period as the epitome of artistic endeavors - why did we not continue to progress?  I know it changed forms and necessity for certain things affected the process... but to me it displays a potential in humankind that rarely is tapped into today.  It is simultaneously mysterious, heartbreaking and beautiful to think about.  It is also inspiring - to make me want to reach into the very depths of my soul to find what I am capable of as an artist.  To share our greatest abilities and achievements with the world is what moves and changes it, and I feel it is our duty as humans to do so.  Michelangelo did just that, and his impact on the world is immeasurable while he was only doing what came naturally to him.  What if we all followed that lead? What would our world be like?

As the sun was setting over the city and we were standing on the bridge of angels, the lights on the Vatican and St. Peter's Square were beginning to alight.  It was so beautiful, it almost didn't look real.  To top off the epically romantic scene, there was a man playing deliciously beautiful acoustic guitar that amplified off the river.  And if the cheesy romantic factor could not go any higher, my delicious husband leaned in and asked if I would marry him...again.  And we've only been here 7 hours... man.  What a city.  

Our Thanksgiving dinner table

Thanksgiving dinner in front of the Pantheon, freshly made salmon gnocchi, a bottle of local wine, walking in 40 confused circles around the city, coffee gelato... I may OD on awesome before the weekend is up. 

The Colloseum! As we were wandering around the city all wine and gelato-d up, we accidentally turned onto the road that held the Colloseum at the end.  What an incredible spectacle, especially at night. So enormous and emanating of brutal history.  So much more amazing in person than I expected it to be from pictures.  The ruins, the Roman Forum, the massive carvings of the Roman Empire in all its phases... I love my fabulous husband and his joy about the things that bring me joy as well.  Our hostel and hostess were wonderful, and the olive oil was so smooth I could drink it. 

Not sure what else to say.  EPIC weekend, so beautiful, romantic and exhausting.  Plus I found the greatest t-shirt ever:

Allllll the photos from the adventure can be seen by clicking HERE!
 
With deep gratitude,

Emily