goldfinch

Finally have a camera with enough zoom to take pics of the birds at my feeder. Took this one this morning and attempted to get artsy with the editing features. Lots of goldfinches this winter. I really wanted goldfinches last year and buying the nyjer seed mix did the trick. Then i found out that they also eat the heads off my blooming zinias and pluck all the fibers out of my coconut shell hanging baskets. At least they're nice to look at.



Took this one a couple of days later...

snow, we got it.

Got up this morning to the news reporting a 3.8 magnitude earthquake happened at 3:59 AM out in the NW Chicago burbs. Mark says it woke him up but I slept right through it. Oh yeah, and we have a LOT of snow! The snow drifts are amazing and really deep.



I noticed my birdhouse had little icicles on it - so cute!

I need these

shop etsy... coucoumadame; sugarloop; skinnylaminx;

Explode Into Colors

Three ladies that are rockin it right now...Explode Into Colors. They played Chicago for the first time on Friday. Super good show. It's rare, and i mean RARE, that i like a new band enough to crawl out of the comforts of my suburban home and trek up to the big city to check it out live. Kind of hard to believe that I work in the music industry sometimes!!



http://www.myspace.com/explodeintocolors

Into The Woods Ep #2 - Explode Into Colors from Into The Woods on Vimeo.

Bridgette Buckley Studio

I love when I see my friends' talents getting the props they deserve. I just peeked in at Apartment Therapy and today's house tour (Smith and Eric) featured a couple of Bridgette Buckley's pieces. BB, your light fixture looks pretty darn good hanging in their dining room!

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/house-tours/erik-smiths-historic-hideawayhouse-tour-107506

some of my favorite pieces from the Bridgette Buckley Studio...




http://www.bridgettebuckley.com/studio/

Maija Louekari

Some of my favorite Marimekko designs are by Finnish illustrator and designer, Maija Louekari. I’m drawn to the movement captured in her black and white illustration (Hetkia) and the simple beauty of a birch tree that stands out from a background of light blues and lime greens (Kaiku). I just love these and do not dare use my Kaiku tea towel, well, as a towel! It’s art.






My dad, an avid collector of all things train related, left our family with a basement full of his train treasures (r.i.p. 1939-2007). Digging through dusty boxes of stuff, I came across a ceramic mug with a really nice black and white illustration of a South Shore train. It reminded me of Maija Louekari “Hetkia” and I was pretty happy to find this packed away on a shelf. I have no idea how old it is although I would guess it’s from the 1970s. I grew up riding the South Shore train to Chicago and when I moved back to Indiana 5 years ago, I became a daily commuter taking it to and from work. Now that I work from home, this little mug is a nice reminder of my dad and our many train rides.

February 1st birthdays

born on this fine day...

Clark Gable (1901)
Boris Yeltsin (1931)
Sherman Hemsley (1938)
Rick James (1948)
Sherilyn Fenn (1965)
Lisa Marie Presley (1968)
Beth Demakas (1970)