A Creative Life

Painting title: We all fly together. By Marisa Haedike.


I am a big fan of Marisa Haedike of Creative Thursday. Not only do I love her paintings (I can't wait to see this print hanging in my daughter's room), I am completely taken with her story. In short, a few years back she realized that she was happiest when being creative and decided to devote Thursdays to painting, while also holding down a 9-5 job. Now she is a professional, working artist and creates at least one painting each and every day. Her life makes me want to stand on my chair and cheer. Her success makes my heart happy.

I gain so much energy from absorbing people's success stories and I love getting an inside peak into an individual's creative process. Is it any wonder I can listen to Terry Gross interview just about anyone and could watch Inside the Actors Studio on a continuous loop?

The medium makes no difference to me. If you are composing symphonies, designing sets for a school play or investigating war crimes in Faluga - explain the inner workings to me in some sort of public forum and I will likely stalk you on the Internet and then start your fan club. I am the creative person's uber groupie.

Tell me your story.

Blue with Envy

I'm not exactly what you would call a rustic kind of gal. Oh, sure. I love to wander through antique stores and I really enjoy vintage dishes and lovely old gowns. But the shiney newness of a fresh coat of paint or the blindingly bright whiteness of a new pair of Jack Purcell's sends my heart all a flutter.

So the idea that this dresser restored by Knack Studios and featured in a before and after segment on Design Sponge has so completely captivated me has me wondering if my style sense is headed for a bit of an evolution as I officially enter my mid-30s.

I could literally feel my eyes dilate as I took in this image and I desperately wanted to reach out and run my fingers over the beautifully worn wood carving on the top drawer and the red rose nob.

This would go with exactly nothing in my home but it would delight me no end to store beautiful things in its drawers.

Sunday Cup: 1 of 52

I adore cups and saucers. New. old, chipped, fancy or plain. Nothing makes a hot beverage feel more refined than a small handle and a plate made solely for cradling its cup and occasionally a sweet demitasse spoon.

As a child I was big into tea parties. My Great Auntie Gerry made me a custom set of blue ceramic tea cups. For my wedding shower, my friends and family gifted me with individual cups and saucers. Many from their own collections and few new pieces. Opening each package among the women I love was a precious experience. Each piece was so unique and included a special story that each woman shared with the group. I treasure this memory and the spectacular collection that I received.

I shamefully admit that since being married more than five years ago, this lovely set of miss-matched China has been stored in my garage. Kept safe from any use at all. Today, I share the first of what I hope will be a year full of Sunday's spent enjoying tea and coffee and cocoa in my cups and saucers.



So this particular set is not actually from the antique collection but it's a sentimental favorite. It comes from the place where I was engaged to be married and every time I sip from this cup I remember a most romantic weekend spent in Salzburg, Austria. We purchased this set and a matching sugar cup from the Hotel Sacher Wien, where we stayed for three days. And not by coincidence, so did the entire cast of The Sound of Music.

Feeling Giddy

Photograph by Katie Sokoler.

This photograph by the incredibly inventive Katie Sokoler at Color Me Katie literally makes my heart skip a happy little jig. This is how I feel about my life today. Twinkle hearts abound.

Little West 12th Street

It's raining in California. Inclement weather in the valley of 70 degrees and sunny always awakens the daydreamer in me.

Here's hoping I stumble upon Dick Van Dyke putting the finishing touches on a sidewalk chalk drawing of this:

Photograph by Minh & Wass

Then I would jump in with Julie Andrews and we would share a bottle of wine and go shopping for new dresses at Catherine Malandrino.

Foreshadowing

As I prepare to take on a larger role in planning and preparing meals for my family, I turn to the most complete reference book I own. Prudence Penny Cook Book, published by the San Francisco Examiner in 1954. I grew up flipping through my mother's copy of this and years later she gave me my own.

Since the teenagers in my life would rather buy a slice of pizza for lunch than eat a PB&J wrapped in wax paper and my baby still waits expectantly for me to lift a rubber coated spoon filled with food to her gapping bird-like mouth, you could say I'm in a bit of an in between stage of parenting. Looks as though my husband will be the lucky beneficiary of the following bit of timeless advice for the American housewife.

The Lunch Box

"The lunch box is one of three meals, not just a "snack," and should possess the following characteristics:

1. It should be abundant in amount for a hungry, healthy individual. A little too much is better than too little.

2. It should be chosen with regard to nutritive needs of the individual, and in relation to the whole day's food.

3. It should be clean, appetizing, wholesome and attractive."

Several pages are devoted to various menu suggestions and the following information:

"The men in the family will prefer spicy condiments and sauces on their sandwiches, while the school child will like a mild, more delicate flavor."

And the following is a dark warning I intend to heed carefully:

"If the lunch is inadequate or lacking in food essentials throughout the year, the individual's whole nutrition will be seriously affected, and his work will suffer."

I guess that explains the country's financial crisis. All those unwitting bank executives brought down by a generation of careless wives and mothers and ultimately, POOR nutrition.

Let that be a lesson to you, Gloria Steinem.

The List

In no particular order, here are the events and activities I hope to be reflecting on around this time next year:


1. Hug my husband everyday.
2. Bake a cake from scratch for Emerson's first birthday. DONE!
3. Hike Mt. Tam.
4. Use my sewing machine. DONE!
5. Have a fancy date with Tom. DONE! More, please.
6. Create my wedding album.
7. Visit this museum, this one and this one.
8. Picnic at Stinson Beach.
9. Enjoy nature everyday.
10. Meditate everyday.
11. Find a reason to wear a vintage prom dress.
12. Start a personal website. DONE!
13. Buy unnecessary footwear with the contents of my Shoe Fund.
14. Volunteer with the YWCA. 
15. Write a personal essay for publication.
16. Spend a weekend with these girls. DONE in dreamy Napa style.
17. Remember birthdays. Send cards. On time.
18. Order and use personal stationery.
19. Take a family adventure every month.
20. Run the Wharf to Wharf. There's always next year.
21. Document Emerson's life.
22. Learn to meal plan.
23. Frame photos of my grandparents.
24. Deal with the paper work in my home.
25. Eliminate consumer debt from my life.
26. Light more candles.
27. Fill my home with music.
28. Organize my closet. DONE but so not worth writing about.
29. Clean out my garage.
30. Walk through Stern Grove with my daughter.
31. Plan a retro/vintage weekend in L.A.
32. Take a dance class.
33. Host a high tea using my tea cup collection.
34. Play with photography.
35. Take a meditation retreat.

Crossing off #12

Because I want to live a more mindful, creative and thoughtful life and turning 35 feels like a BIG deal, I've come up with a list to help me focus on some things that matter to me. I know, nothing says clever and imaginative like a giant To Do list. But this also happens to be the year that I stop fighting my true nature and embrace the OCD in me. Writing is what I do. That is, when I'm not thinking about writing. Which, as it turns out, is not as productive as one might think. So indulge me this little website and to begin with, this list.

In addition to idle ramblings about the things and people that I like and the oddities that inspire me, I'll track my list from March 2, 2009 through March 1, 2010. It's where I will take note of the subtle shifts in my life (#9 enjoying nature every day), mundane accomplishments (#22 learning to meal plan for my family or be a better housewife) as well as the big splurges (#13 buy unnecessary footwear with the contents from my Show Fund and #5 sip champagne in something other than pajamas with my husband in some place other than our couch) and the small and grand adventures (#30 walk through Stern Grove with my daughter and #31 spend a retro/vintage weekend in L.A.). There will be the boring, life maintenance things (#29 clean out the garage and #28 organize my closet.) And when I show you the "before" photos of these two places you will first be frightened and wonder if we were harboring the next unibomber in our meager storage spaces and then you will be filled with pride and a satisfying sense of accomplishment over my improved organization skills. Or you might send me the occasional "way to clean up life, slacker. Can't believe you lived among the detritus for half a decade..." message of encouragement.

I'd love to hear about your list, if you have one kicking around your head. So please feel free to share your thoughts.

And in the spirit of giving credit where credit is surely do, I thank Joslyn at Simple Lovely for her many inspirations.

Today I celebrate #12. Start a personal website. Hah, one done and only 34 to go and I havn't even turned 35, yet. See how easy that was?