I wanted to share one of my favorite parts of the Milwaukee riverwalk, the Bronze Fonz portraying Happy Days character Arthur Fonzarelli. Yes, you heard that right. Downtown Milwaukee is home to a bronze statue of Henry Winkler giving thumbs up to all passersby. It's things like this that make me love living in Milwaukee. Any city that erects a statue of a beloved 1970s sitcom star is ok by me.
hey... I wanted to share one of my favorite parts of the Milwaukee riverwalk, the Bronze Fonz portraying Happy Days character Arthur Fonzarelli. Yes, you heard that right. Downtown Milwaukee is home to a bronze statue of Henry Winkler giving thumbs up to all passersby. It's things like this that make me love living in Milwaukee. Any city that erects a statue of a beloved 1970s sitcom star is ok by me. What quirky things do you love about your city?
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I've been creating since before I can remember. I loved drawing, coloring, and making bracelets and "jewelry" as a kid. I went through a big American girl doll phase and loved making recipes and crafts from American girl themed books (with my best friend in grade school). I even had a short entrepreneurial streak and sold crafts I made at our church's craft fair for a couple of years. As an adult, I still really enjoy painting, crafting, baking, cooking, gardening, and creating all sorts of things, but my slightly perfectionist nature can make it difficult to enjoy creating just for the joy of creating. Reading Handmade Nation was a bit of a revelation for me. The book focuses on the rise of DIY (do it yourself) art, craft, and design that has been happening over the past decade or two in the U.S. Websites like Pinterest and Etsy have made it increasingly easier for more people to be inspired to create and sell their own products. More middle of the road artists/creators/makers are being recognized and finding it easier to make a living from their craft. I loved the book because it spoke to the dilemma I've had about whether to call myself an artist. Though I love to paint, I've never called myself an "artist" because to me it implies artistic professional -- and I just don't feel like I fit into that world. I don't know the official lingo, I don't know the official supplies, I don't know the official techniques. The professional artistic world is completely intimidated. But the creators in Handmade Nation have helped create a niche for people who fit into this exact category. They create things that fall somewhere in between embroidery thread bracelets and high end art. While reading, I kept thinking "these are my people!" Reading this book reminded me that it's not necessary to be a high end artist to be creative. It's inspired me to foster my imagination again. I can draw things that aren't museum quality, create things that aren't super professional, and they can still be beautiful and good. If it makes me happy, I can do it. I can find the joy in creating without the pressure of having to be perfect.
This book (along with my current obsession over A Beautiful Mess) also helped spark my interest to start an Etsy site with my sister Libby. This weekend, we made a trip to the craft store together and spent our Saturday evening sipping wine and creating pieces to sell. We had such a good time, and I felt so rejuvenated spending time creating together. I love the feeling that I can do what I love without trying to be anyone else but exactly who I am. And I am very intrigued to see where mine and Libby's vision might take us....I hope this post has helped inspire any of you who may feel in the same boat -- remember that it's not necessary to be the best or to be an "artist" to spend time enjoying being creative! What do you like to create? I came home to St. Louis for a little R & R this weekend. Every trip home feels so short, and I'm never able to visit all the people I want to see. But luckily, my mom, my sister and I made time for a girls' day, and we managed to do three of my favorite things - all in one day. We visited the Tower Grove farmer's market (above)... went to the Missouri Botanical Garden and saw the final weekend of the Chinese lantern festival (absolutely awesome)... and ate some cupcakes at Sweetart in Tower Grove Park (I had the harmony cupcake in the lower left corner). The day didn't end there. My sister Libby and I made a trip to the craft store and spent the rest of the night making beautiful little things to sell on our Etsy store. So tired now and so ready to sleep. Looking forward to a visit with my grandpa tomorrow before I head back north!
What are you up to this weekend? Because I couldn't pick a winner, I enlisted Pedro to help me pick a winner randomly out of the pitcher of names. Only trouble was that he didn't have any interest in helping me and really just wanted to eat a bone. <Come on Pedro! The contestants need your help!> Luckily Pedro has an intense weakness for treats. So in went a treat into the pot, and in went Pedro's nose right after it. And as he took his nose back out of the pot (he was very confused about where the treat was) out popped a name! Literally one popped right out, it worked out pretty nicely. Pedro obviously still just wanted the treat though - he was determined! In case you can't read the tiny piece of paper, the winner is... Rachel T! Congratulations! Your fabulous prize will be arriving in the mail very soon!
Thanks to everyone who commented. I had so much fun reading all of them (so much fun that I'm thinking about doing another giveaway next month!) -- each one put a smile on my face. I loved reading about your love of home cooked meals, puppies, watching the cardinals, relaxing vacations, great sunsets, watching people "wigglewigglewigglewiggle" on a wedding dance floor, LMFAO's song "Sexy and I Know It," reading at coffee shops while drinking a yummy white mocha, camping and telling ghost stories, reunions, ice cream, friends who will help you move an entire apartment on a moment's notice, seeing grandchildren play and getting to relive the simple joys of life, being at the beach, listening to people speak a different language, and fall time! I am so thankful for all of you and have loved sharing this blog with you! It brings me a lot of joy! Hope you all have a great weekend! Have anything fun planned? Also - if you liked the mini painting, I may be doing more of them soon. My sister and I are plotting to open an etsy shop. You heard that right. We're not planning, we're plotting.... This week seems to be a week of anniversaries. Yesterday was also the one year anniversary of my Grandma Susan passing away. Not a happy anniversary like starting JVC but definitely a meaningful one. My grandma suffered for a few years after receiving her cancer diagnosis and had a very difficult struggle on hospice for the last few months of her life. While she was in hospice I remember feeling sad, angry - with the situation and with her, upset, and numb. But now, I just miss her (especially when I come across her name in my email or cell phone). A year after her death, I feel grateful that she was such a huge part of my life. One of favorite memories in her last year was getting to celebrate mine and Paul's engagement with her, my grandpa, and my immediate family. We had a casual BBQ, and Grandma was completely impressed with the sausage my mom cooked for dinner. Grandma loved things like that. She talked to my grandpa for most of dinner about how excited she was to buy and cook the sausage for him, because it would be healthy and delicious. Grandpa just nodded and smiled (like he usually did to her when he was around us). We gathered in that same room around the same table to write her eulogy the night before her funeral. My siblings and I talked about the great interest she took in all of the details of our lives. She wanted to know about the classes we were taking, the sports we were playing, the activities and projects we were involved in. We talked about all the events we shared with her. We talked about how much she loved us and how much we loved her. I feel so lucky that I knew that she was proud of me and happy for me with where my life was going. I feel so lucky to have had one last good talk with her in her assisted living facility room while she was still lucid. I feel lucky that I got to tell her how much she meant to me. I feel so lucky to have had someone who cared so much about me and loved me so much. -- Miss you and love you Grandma P.S. Today is the last day to enter the free giveaway! Leave a comment here by 7:00 pm (CST) to enter. Pedro will help me pick a winner, and the lucky person will be announced tomorrow!
I tearfully said good bye to my mom and my sister and boarded a plane to Washington, DC. After visiting with my aunt and uncle, I took a Greyhound bus to Blue Ridge, Pennsylvania, and started my year in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. What an unbelievably transformative year. I feel like I'm still unpacking the lessons I learned and realizing the influence the program had on my life. Before I started JVC, I had no idea I would... live in Syracuse, New York, meet the famous Eddie Clancy, visit the Brooklyn Pickle, and go to Sky Chiefs' games... meet, fall in love with, and marry Paul Freeman... (This is our first picture we took together! We look so young!) hike the Appalachian Trail... meet these amazing people... live in Chicago with these awesome folks... graduate with my Master's in Social Justice from Loyola Chicago... enjoy lots of movie nights and Sunday brunches with this family... start this community garden... or start the Casey Sister-Brotherhood community.
Isn't life crazy when you think about it in terms of where your decisions have led you? I'm sure I still would have been a similar person if I hadn't done JVC, I'm just really happy with where that experience led me. The experiences I've had and the people I've met have made my life so much richer. I think about spirituality, simple living, community, and social justice in such a different way than when I started my year as a Jesuit Volunteer. I learned that community is at the heart of any social justice endeavor. I learned that simple living is so much more than living cheaply. I learned that a strong spiritual life will help you get through many challenges. I learned that the friends I made during my year will be with me the rest of my life. I learned about the value of the Former Jesuit Volunteer (FJV) community. I learned that It's true what they say: JVC ruins you for life. P.S. There's still time to enter this week's giveaway! Leave a comment here to enter! I've been having a lot of fun reading the comments so far. What event or experience has shaped your life for the better? Sometimes I forget that I am enough, just as I am, right now. As a person who likes goals and accomplishments, I often fall into the trap of thinking that I'll only be good enough after a few more improvements. I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect or to have everything in my life figured out.
I wonder if other people my age fall into the same thinking trap. Being a twenty-something means I often feel like I'm in a development stage or on the way to something. Sometimes I equate where I am in my career or personal development with my personal worth. And connecting the worth of my being with my doing is something I would like to be more aware of and hopefully avoid. Working in the garden has helped teach me more patience for being on the way to something. I consider most of my plants to be beautiful no matter what stage of growth they are in. I love seeing seeds pop up, I love seeing the early stages of development, I love seeing new flowers, I love seeing vegetables begin to grow, I even appreciate their slow decay. All stages of growth are beautiful in their own way, and the plant doesn't have to do anything except what comes naturally to it to be perfect and whole. I find comfort in remembering that I am enough just as I am. Regardless of mistakes made at work, regardless of how I'm looking or what I'm wearing, regardless of how fast or far I am able to run, regardless of what others may think of me, regardless of how many places I have travelled or how many crazy experiences I've had, regardless of whether I leave my tupperware out for Pedro to chew up again. Right now, sitting on my bed, typing this post ... I am enough. And if any of these thoughts resonate with you ... remember you are enough too!! Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway! Just leave a comment on my giveaway post before Thursday for a chance to win a beautiful joyful painting, some of my favorite granola and honey, and some tasty tea! Winner announced this Friday! Happy one month-iversary "Finding Joy in All Things!" Seems like only a few weeks ago that I began posting here. Ahh.. nostalgic tear.
To show my gratitude for all the support you've shown in my first month here, I'll be giving away a care package to one lucky reader. Since I couldn't give away Pedro or fresh veggies, I came up with some of my next favorite things that are sure to put a smile on your face ~ Delicious tea and Wisconsin honey ... origami paper and a paper crane making tutorial ... my favorite Beans and Barley granola ... a copy of the Summer 2012 soundtrack ... and a Joyful Painting!! To enter, just leave a comment below by Thursday, August 16th sharing something that brings you joy. I'll announce the winner on Friday, August 17th. Good luck and thanks for reading! I have an intense love for collecting postcards. Some of the first postcards I remember buying were on my family's vacation to Gulf Shores in 1992. I was in 7 year old heaven on that vacation. I got to hang out at the ocean with two of my aunts and uncles AND my baby cousin, which was about as cool as things get in my book.
Since then, I've bought postcards on most vacations I've taken over the past 20 years or so. I usually buy them with the intention of sending them to people, but inevitably I forget to send most of them (I have a stack of postcards that I've written, sadly waiting to go to their intended parties -- these are very entertaining to read). Postcards are a great way to remember and to share places you've been. It's also an inexpensive way to display prints of paintings you admire (above you can see an O'Keefe and Gauguin plus some Gwen Frostic cards from my collection). I've made many collages with these postcards and have framed some of my favorites -- depending on your choice of frames, it only costs about $5 to add some pretty art to your nightstand or about $20 to make a nice wall display! Be sure to check back tomorrow for a free giveaway that will include this cute mini painting made by yours truly! These cute little guys are here to bring you a summer music mix! Woot! I had a lot of fun putting this mix together for you all. I even made it under 80 minutes long in case you want to get nostalgic and burn it onto a CD! Or you could take the more modern route and put them into a mix on spotify or grooveshark. Either way, I highly recommend these songs (and in these order, they gel well)! (If you know of any tricky ways to upload a mix directly into a post, please let me know!)
1. Simple Song by the Shins 2. Bright Whites by Kishi Bashi 3. Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men 4. Emmylou by First Aid Kit 5. You and I by Ingrid Michaelson 6. Rivers and Roads by The Head and the Heart 7. Folding Chair by Regina Spektor 8. Wedding Song by Anais Mitchell & Justin Vernon 9. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) by Arcade Fire 10. We Are the Tide by Blind Pilot 11. One Two Three Four by Feist 12. Kiss by Prince 13. 1901 by Phoenix 14. I Know What I Know by Paul Simon 15. Tony the Tripper by The Fruit Bats 16. Oh Very Young One by Cat Stevens 17. Ho Hey by The Lumineers 18. This Must Be the Place by Talking Heads 19. I Can't Help Myself by the Four Tops 20. Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People 21. Midnight City by M83 Hoped you enjoyed! All songs are available on i-tunes for purchase. What music have you been listening to this summer? I always love checking out new music and artists so let me know if you have any recommendations! |