Power & Fashion

This weekend I went to NY to visit my friend and of course during the trip we made some time to shop around uptown. We visited Bergdorf's and Barney's and just walking through those stores can make you think you have nothing. There are so many beautiful purses, clothes and shoes by every high end designer you can think of. I appreciate the beauty and craftmanship of these pieces, especially this gorgeous black ruffle bag by Prada.



Unfortunately, the price tag is a little high. The good news is that I have a ruffle bag of my very own, I bought it 2 years ago at Target for $8 and I love it. It is unique and pretty, just like the Prada, but a much better price. And while the Target bag is I'm sure a lower quality, the money I saved can go towards much more important things. Fashion is fun and can make you feel so powerful and privledged, but when it comes down to it, it matters very little. And I kinda feel powerful in a different way knowing that I've been able to rise above the temptation of materalism and realize what's more important.

Valentines

I know that a lot of people hate Valentines Day because they either don't have a romantic love or because they say it's a greeting card holiday. And whether or not those things are true, I think that everyone can still enjoy Valentines Day. It is a day to celebrate those you love whether that is your family, your friends or a lover. I like to think of it as an "ALL love" holiday- that makes it more friendly. It's always a great time to say "I love you."

When I was a little girl I only went to public school during 3rd and 4th grade. So I was around 8 years old when I first discovered the tradition of giving your classmates little Valentines. I thought it was a brilliant idea and I had so much fun making little lacy hearts for my friends. Ever since then I've loved making Valentines and try to make at least a few for my friends and family every year. This year I decided to invite my Grandma to join me in my card making fun and we had a great evening creating together. Why not share the love on both ends of the card? :)

So whether you are single, married, involved or alone- I know you can always find at least one person whom you love. Think of them today and tell them you love them- and if you send chocolates- they'll be sure to say it back! :)

Fabulous From Head to Toe

I have always loved shoes. I remember my first favorites- a pair of pink cowboy boots. They were fabulous on 6 yr old Rachel- most likely paired with a hideous sweat suit or a flowery skirt that didn't match. My mom told me that she used to let me dress myself even if it didn't match because she wanted me to be free to be creative and express myself. But that didn't stop her from trying to throw out those pink cowboy boots on more than one occasion!

When I went to London I took a class on shoe design. It takes special training to become a shoe designer. I not only learned how to sketch shoes but also about the important aspects of a shoe so that when I design I am able to make the shoe functional. Manolo Blahnik does such great sketches of shoes- so whimsical and pretty. However, I've found that a lot of the shoes he's designed lately aren't quite as funky as his sketches. Christian Louboutin is also a great shoe master- and these lovely petal shoes are just delightful.



I can just picture myself wearing them with a fabulously floaty summer dress- dreamy and cloudlike. :) However, I will never own them since they cost more than my car is currently worth. But I can still be inspired by their unique and romantic presence. The yellow and black ones are pretty fantastic as well- I can see my sister wearing them since she likes to make more bold statements with her fashion choices.



So I say, no matter if the shoes are from Bergdorfs or Payless, if they're pretty and make you smile- put them on your feet and show the world your feminine side!

The Icing on the Roof

I've been trained to think that icicles are a sign of bad insulation as well as hazardous to passersby. But what my dad didn't see (or didn't mention) is that these sinister little tapered spikes are quite beautiful and effervescent. The way the morning sun shines through the icy pillars is just amazing. Thousands of waterdrops working together to make a delightful sight for my eyes.

A few days ago I noticed there was a quite spectacular row of icicles trickling over the edge of the roof over the back window where I work. When I first noticed them, they were all quite the same size and length, like cold little soldiers lined up for battle. But as the days went by, some grew longer and thicker and some grew very little at all. It's so cool to see how things grow and change- usually it takes longer to see the differences but icicles are special like that.

All that Glitters!

Have you ever tried Martha Stewart Glitter? It is literally a miracle worker! I discovered its true talents while working in "Santa's Workshop" this fall. We had to transform old ornaments into something new, fresh and different- enter Martha glitter! We would use clear spray paint and then sprinkle glitter on top to transform Christmas balls, snowflakes, branches- practically anything you can think of! The thing that makes Martha glitter so special is that it is very fine. The small specs make the final product much shinier and more polished looking than regular glitter. Although Martha does offer some more coarse glitters, the fine is by far the best.

Today my mom came home from Michaels with a surprise for me! Three 3-packs of Martha Stewart glitter- in fine, coarse and confetti styles! I was so excited! I asked for Martha glitter for Christmas (mostly because I didn't know what else to ask for) so when she saw it today she got me some! Now all I have to do is figure out what around here needs glitterizing!!

New Year

I am going to go ahead and be a little cliche by making my first post of the new year about the new year. I have been searching for things that delight me in my everyday life but lately they have been lacking. But one thing that I have found encouraging is that I am starting a fresh year with new goals (achievable ones of course.) When I was a kid, we would find it endlessly entertaining at the start of a new year to say things like " I haven't showered ALL year!" or "I haven't seen you since LAST year!" And even though as an adult those things aren't quite as funny, it can be a nice way to help myself along with motivation. "Well, I haven't done this bad habit since last year, so if I keep up with it, it will soon seem like quite an accomplishment to say that!" Hopefully that makes sense.

But anyway, a few of my goals for the year are: start exercising more, (another cliche of the new year), find out what I want to be when I grow up, be more positive in my everyday life, and to gossip less. (See, now if I said STOP gossiping, that would be an UNachievable goal, I have to work myself up to it!:)

So for today I am going to delight in the hope that I will meet my goals in 2009 and hopefully tomorrow I can find some other more interesting little things to delight me.

Paper Packages Tied Up With Strings

Aren't presents great? I think I've always had just a little bit more fun giving presents than receiving them. Although it's gotten harder as we've all gotten older to find a present that is just right, it's so satisfying to find something special for a person you love. I remember one year when I was about eleven finding the game "Stratego" at Wal-mart for only $5. I was so thrilled because I knew my brother would love it and because I could actually afford it. That was a very exciting feeling!

One of my favorite things about presents is their wrapping! There are so many wonderful choices of paper and ribbon to use- it's almost an art form! At my seasonal job I had to wrap faux packages for businesses to display under their trees. I got to be quite a professional at wrapping, I must say. One company's theme was black and silver so their packages were dramatic if not very festive. I had to take a photo of some of my favorites because I thought they looked pretty cool.



Sadly, one tragedy of the modern Christmas is the overuse of gift bags. While more environmentally friendly per se, they are much less fun! And although much easier, it isn't quite as satisfying to throw the present in a bag with a little tissue. I think the prettier the present, the more exciting it is to open- and whether you like the gift or not, it was well worth the effort!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cookies

Well I can't believe I let almost the entire month of December go by without stopping by here and documenting my delightful moments! And December is my favorite month, full of wonderfully beautiful things!! How could I have been so thoughtless?



Today my delighful dalliance is devoted to Christmas Cookies! Pretty much all cookies are wonderful, but there is something extra special about Christmas cookies! In my family we have always had "the classics", the cookies we try to make every year. One of our top favorites are Pepperkakker cookies, a swedish cookie that is similar to gingerbread but sweeter with less of a kick. The number one favorite in our house are definitely swedish cremes, but they are so flaky and hard to make that we probably only end up making them every other year. When we lived in Iowa my mom came across a recipe at a cookie exchange for "Butterfinger cookies" which are made by creating peanut butter sandwiches out of ritz or wheat thins and dipping them in melted chocolate (almond bark.) Those became an instant classic. The best part about making cookies is doing it with someone you love, having fun decorating and tasting the "broken" ones.

Every family has different favorites and I think it's fun to see what other kinds of cookies people normally make for their holiday festivities. It's funny what a simple dessert can mean to people, but Christmas wouldn't be quite the same without the old classics. I'll always remember being the "chosen one" to go to the cold garage at Christmas time, open up all the tins and beautifully arrange a plate of all the varieties of Christmas cookies for dessert. Somehow the thrill of that small Christmas tradition still touches me today.

Painting

I finished my pieces for the Art Show and they ended up being displayed despite my insecurities. I felt they were not as strong as they should have been to be publicly displayed, but I felt a sense of obligation to enter them because I didn't want the art gallery to be empty.

When I saw all the wonderful pieces that people from the church brought in, I still felt insecure about my work, but I also felt that other people who entered weren't "professionals" either so it made me feel a little less conspicuous. There were a few stunners, like Mandi's, the texture she used was so inviting. Altogether I thought it was really neat to see the way that people brought the theme into being. I had such a hard time with "God With Us" that I almost couldn't believe the variety that showed up!

My pieces didn't end up being as abstract as I had planned but I am fairly happy with the result. I just feel that they are a little flat... they need more dimension. I just need more practice with watercolor. Here is a photo of my piece entitled "Psalm 139". This piece was inspired by the title verse. I thought about the way that God is With Us from the moment we are conceived and is in control of every aspect of our lives to what we do and the number of breaths we take.



The photo of my 2nd piece, "How The Lilies Grow", was taken before I did the background, so imagine it with a similar background to the first, Matthew 6 written out with shades of blue surrounded the lilies. I was thinking about how God is so much with us that he satisfies all our needs and gives us no reason to worry. My motto has always been to prepare as much as you can and then forget it because worry accomplishes nothing. Matthew 6 is a perfect reminder of God's constant provision.




I'll try to remember to take a photo of the finished painting to post here, since the mid-way through piece doesn't have any oomph. :)

Family

I am very privledged to be a part of a big, loving family. I've always been glad to be one of four children- I've always thought that an only child must get caught for every little thing they do because their parents have no one else to worry about! In a big family, you get away with a few more things! And you are never lonely. There is always someone around to talk to you, or to bother you!

After being away at college for four years it is so nice to be back home with my parents and my little brother. Not only are there a lot more nice meals but I just feel happier and more content when I have people I love around me. I love evenings when everyone is home after a long day of going here and there and we all just sit on the couch or lay on the floor and chat. Just listening to everyone share stories is a calming way to end a day. Not that it happens very often, but it did tonight and making it even better my older brother and sister-in-law were here so the stories were more varied and more fun.

So even though my life isn't quite where I pictured it would be in the Fall of 2008, I always count myself lucky to have a functional family who loves and supports me and keeps believing in me even when I don't.


(This photo was taken last New Year's Day- all of us plus Grammy and my mom's friend Carol! Chinese food makes a great holiday meal btw! :)

My New CD

Ok, So this entry isn't very creative or original- but my Delightful moment of the day was when I went to Wal-mart to buy Taylor Swift's new CD!! I am in love with her single "Love Story", it is so cute and the music video is the cutest music video I have ever seen! If you haven't seen it, you tube it. It's very simple and romantic but I love it.

I've seen Taylor in concert twice, once in the summer of 2007 before she really hit it big and once this past summer. Both times she was so thankful of her fans and very gracious and seemed very down to earth. I think she is genuine and very talented and I am very jealous of her hair. :)

But anyway, I'm delighted with my new CD and if you haven't checked her out- you are missing out! :) Ok I'm done gushing for now! :)

Mixing Colors

I am trying to work on a few little paintings for the art show at our Christmas concert this year, but it's not coming out as good as I had hoped. To be honest, I don't have a lot of experience making actual paintings- most of the painting I've done has been with guache on bristol making Fashion Illustrations. I did some acrylic paintings in high school but never anything award winning. So why did I choose to make a painting for this particular art show? Because the theme of the show is "God With Us". I felt it was quite hard to draw something for that theme without it becoming too cliche, so I decided to work on the more abstract level. To make my abstract worth looking at I thought I should use some color.

And isn't mixing paint colors just delightful? I like to squirt some of the paint right onto the canvas and mix the colors as they slide across the canvas. The marbled look is always cool to see. When I was in school I always loved seeing all the beautiful colors left in my palette- when using guache there would always be varying lightnesses of a color because I would keep adding more water to get the color that matched my fabric swatch. And sometimes the most exciting part was pouring the paint down the sink and seeing the little rainbow wash away.