Crystal Madrilejos

A friend of ours is thinking about getting an owl tattoo and asked if we could mock up how it could possibly look. There are probably 10 million different visual interpretations of owls in the world, ranging from realistic paintings to cartoon-y Tootsie Pop owls to abstract doesn’t-even-resemble-an-owl owls…huh?! Along with just the multitude of different styles, there are different kinds of owls that all have different shapes. Where to even start, right? I happen to have one of those owl necklaces from the 70’s that I got at a consignment shop years ago. Our friend liked this shape, so this is what I based my drawings on.

Fun Owl-y awesomeness, no? Obviously, I had to change it up a bit (fatter body, not-so-scraggly wings, etc.) and I really like how it turned out. That branch is a mess, so don’t even look at it. Now, how this will translate into a tattoo is still to be determined. Even if it ends up on the cutting room floor, I had fun making it!

-c.

Image by Cracking Jokes via Flickr

Busy weekend around these parts! Graduation party, two shows, and playing catch up with old friends made for a wonderful summer weekend. But, dang, am I getting old and tired!

Friday night was the pre-fest party for the Weapons of Mass Creation Fest in Cleveland. We went to see one of our NYC friends, Gregory and the Hawk, play some tunes at Happy Dog. It was wonderful seeing her play, even if the crowd was soooo loud and annoying. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her live. If you haven’t heard her music before, please check it out here. (I’ve used her music in some of Q’s videos, if she sounds familiar.)

Saturday, one of my long-time friends celebrated her recent graduation from medical school, hell yeah! Congrats Beth :) It was great to see lots of friends and eat good food. I think that was our first outdoor summer bash this season. The rain did make an appearance, but luckily not for long. Baby boy was a muddy wet mess, but he had so much fun. He was out like a light by 8:30 p.m.

Then afterward, Andrew, my brother and I headed to the Beachland Ballroom to see the New Bomb Turks play. Also another band I haven’t seen in forever. It was a fun time, but I was so tired by the end. I could barely keep my eyes open on the ride home. I think we got home around 2:30 a.m (which I know, for some of you, is NOT late at all) and slept in until 10:00 a.m., which is unheard of in our house. I don’t think I’ve slept in that late in YEARS!

I told you!! Old. Tired. But FUN!

Image by Ben via Flickr

Finally went running last night! And it’s confirmed, I suck at running.

Ok, I know I’m not giving myself much credit. I ran a mile. And I felt like I was dying. I know some of you are thinking “A mile?! Big whoop.” But I haven’t run in awhile. It’s been probably a year or so. And I wasn’t very good at it then either. It’s weird. My legs don’t get tired, but I can’t get my breathing under control. I sound (and possibly look) like someone having some sort of attack.

Andrew and Q ran with me, which helped a lot. Andrew pushed Q in the running stroller. It’s hard for Andrew to run with me because he’s almost a foot taller than I am and running at such a slow pace is almost painful for him. But he did it anyway, what a guy! And Q fell asleep a half-mile in.

Going to try to go running tomorrow. It’s supposed to be a scorcher, so hopefully I don’t pass out and make a fool of myself. Wish me luck!

-c.

Hey! Sorry I’ve been MIA. Been super busy, but will be back soon with updates and some other cool stuff to share. I’ll leave you with this photo series I like to call “Hiding From Papa”:

He’s saying “HIDE!!! He’s coming!!”

-c.

Image by Peter Funch via Honestly…WTF

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Personally, it went way too fast for my liking. But it was enjoyable nonetheless. Lots of sitting around and sweating. Andrew, Q and I had a slumber party in our living room for the weekend. We pulled our mattress downstairs and watched movies every night. It was great!

Today I wanted to share this awesome video I found. I’m sure many of you have probably seen this, I know I’m a little late to the game. We don’t have a TV (just a movie projector) so we don’t see TV commercials very often. Which is usually a good thing, but then we miss the really good ones like this one for Sony Bravia:

But the best thing about it is that it was completely real! The creators of the commercial threw 250,000 bouncy balls down a street in San Francisco.  Watch the behind-the-scenes:

How awesome is that?

Found via A Cup of Jo and Honestly…WTF
-c.

Image by ►CubaGallery via Flickr

Golf? Yes, actually.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine put out a call for ladies to join a local golf league and with absolutely no golf experience whatsoever (unless you consider hitting golf balls from the backyard into the woods as “experience”) I decided to join. Ok, I guess I’ve had some experience. I mean, I can hit a golf ball even if it’s with terrible form and some cursing and swearing. But I had never actually PLAYED golf, like, on a golf course.  The first day of the golf league was officially my first time ever setting foot on a golf course!

So began my current (and weird) love affair with the sport. It’s like we love to hate each other. I’m not an uncoordinated person. I can throw a ball and look relatively normal while running. But trying to hit a golf ball with the correct form is unbelievably unnatural and extremely frustrating. And yet, I find myself enjoying the process of commanding and willing my body with all my might to hit the dang ball correctly. Luckily, Andrew has a childhood of sports related experiences and lessons that he is willing to share. He’s been very patient with me and has helped me figure out what I’m doing wrong.

There were many times when I threw up my hands and said, screw it, this isn’t for me! But the other day Andrew and I were just hitting balls around the yard and something just clicked. I could see and feel what I was doing wrong and was able to fix it. I’m by no means “good” but I feel like I’m improving which, if anything, feels good!

Wish me luck!

-c.

I’ve missed you guys! Things have started heating up around here (literally) but it’s still raining. Work has been getting busy busy and  I haven’t been able to take photos of things I’ve been wanting to share. This weekend I was able to sneak in a mini-photo shoot while Q was napping of these cool porcelain glove molds (I got two!) that I found at the thrift store where we got our china cabinet/hutch thing-y.

They seem to be a hot thing on the second hand market these days. A little while back I found one at an antique store for $50 ding-dang bucks! I got both of these ones for a little over $20. I like me some vintage things, but only if the price is right.

I’ve been looking for a way to store my ever growing collection of necklaces and these seem to fit the bill. They sort of look like Homer Simpson hands but I like them!

-c.

This is what happens when it rains too much. Snapping turtles start hanging out on the driveway! Andrew’s mom found this beast lounging around. Scary, isn’t it? It’s prehistoric looking!

This weather is completely bipolar. It’s been raining non-stop for weeks, but finally today it’s all the sudden mid-summer. I guess we just sort of skipped Spring.

Finally got to clean up the garden area and till. It was starting to look like Grey Gardens out there, sheesh! Once it starts looking a little more garden-like and not just a huge patch or dirt, I’ll start posting some pictures.

-c.

Everyone knows that the Midwest is where awesome vintage goods are just hiding out waiting to be discovered by some big city folks looking for a diamond in the proverbial rough. Well, the Medina Antique Mall is one such place. Also known as AntiqueLandUSA, it’s so chock full of old shit it will make your head spin. Most of the inventory is stuff that I don’t have too much interest in, like ratty porcelain dolls with scary eyes, old baseball cards, and Victorian furniture. I mean, some of the stuff is really beautiful, just not my style.

However, we took a little trip there a couple weekends ago and found some real gems. There was one dude who had a booth full of mid-century Danish modern goods, hell yeah! As well as a few other choice pieces scattered here and there.

One draw back of this place (other than the fact that it’s super huge and overwhelming) is the fact that it’s mostly out of my price range. At this point in my life, I just can’t afford to spend $600 on a single side chair. No matter how awesomely designer-y cool it is. But it doesn’t cost anything to browse!

I didn’t bring my camera to the Antique Mall so I will resort to found images on the interweb. Here are just a sampling of the cool things I found:

1. Bertoia Side Chair by Harry Bertoia
2. Wassily Chair by Marcel Breur
3. Dansk Kobenstyle Cookware
4. Sprite Stacking Chair by Ross Lovegrove
5. Crayonne for Habitat Ice Bucket
6. Lucite Folding Chair
7. World Time Mantle Clock by Howard Miller
8. Herman Miller Eames Shell Chair
9. Italian Guzzini Arco Style Floor Lamp

Not all these items would be at home in our house, but I still enjoy them nonetheless, though Andrew wasn’t too keen on some of the things I pointed out. A couple times Andrew referred to the furniture as “looking like it belonged in Akeem’s Apartment”. For those of you who forgot the movie “Coming to America” let me jog your memory:

God, I wish that image was bigger. But don’t worry, our house looks NOTHING like that.

-c.

Image by kevindooley via Flickr

Sorry I’ve been MIA the past few days. I was sick on Friday and had to stay home from work. I thought I would be able to squeeze in a post from the couch where I was laid up for most of the day. But instead I opted to hover in and out of consciousness while watching Howl’s Moving Castle and hugging on my baby boy (who also was weathering a cold.)

I haven’t posted about the progress of my workout lately because, to be honest, I’ve felt embarrassed at how badly I’ve been slacking. I hate to throw around excuses, but I will anyway. The main issue I’ve been having is that Q’s schedule has changed. He’s been going to bed later which means I have to start my workout later and most times I’m just too ding-dang tired! Luckily, last night Q fell asleep at 8:30 so I was able to squeeze in a round of Core Synergistics. I’ve even considered maybe trying to go to bed at 8:30 and wake up at 5am to workout instead of doing a nighttime routine. Knowing myself, that probably won’t go over well.

I think P90X is really great if you want to see results relatively quickly, BUT I’m starting to realize that unless you are the type of person who’s already in the habit of working out regularly, the whole 90-day thing isn’t the best approach. I think that’s my problem. I keep thinking, I just need to get to 90 days then I’m done! But I’m not done. Exercising isn’t something temporary, it’s something that has to become part of my lifestyle. More than anything, I need to change my perception of how exercising fits into my life. It needs to become something that just needs to be done regularly, like showering and brushing my teeth. What’s that saying about old dogs and new tricks? Sheesh, they weren’t kidding. It’s not impossible, but it’s freaking hard!

Time constraints aside, overall I am just lacking in motivation. Maybe I need to start a new routine? Maybe I need a workout partner (or just six kids, like Gloria in that picture above)? How do you, dear readers, stay motivated?

-c.

P.S. I reread this post and realized that I sound like a lazy bum who hates even the thought of lifting a finger, which is not the case. I actually enjoy being active. But, to me, there is a distinction between “being active” and exercising for the purpose of losing weight and strengthening muscles. The latter being what I’ve been bitching about in this really long, text heavy post!