Les fleurs

I walked into work today to find a new floral arrangement on the front counter. The shades of pink gerber daisies were so happy, tucked amongst traditional white daisies, along with some other delicate flowers whose names I did not know. On these frigid winter days in Chicago, nothing can brighten a day like some amazing flowers! We are so fortunate to have a locally owned flower shop just a few doors away. However, "flower shop" hardly does it justice. Marguerite Gardens http://www.margueritegardens.com/ on the North side of Chicago, is an amazing sensory experience. Obviously, it smells incredible. The well-curated gift items displayed on vintage furnishings with historical patinas...well it speaks to all of my senses on so many levels. If you're in the neighborhood, you should visit them. I am always in awe of the wide array of exotic plants and flowers they have gathered.

Thanks, neighbor!

I live in what has become commonly known as an "urban chicken community." By that, I mean that we live in a city condo where our neighbors have chickens, four to be exact. These ladies have a lovely coop and chicken run in the backyard, and lay beautiful, organic, delicious eggs. Sometimes we have the opportunity to take care of the gals when their parents are out of town, and this was the case last week. During that time, we collected 10 eggs. And if that wasn't awesome enough, our neighbor thanked us for chicken care with a gorgeous loaf of homemade bread! I'd like to say Thanks, neighbor! for providing an incredible and local as I could possibly get, breakfast today.

Seaside Sensory Indulgences

We've just returned from an indulgent trip to Hawaii, Maui to be specific. My senses were on overload the entire time! The sea has so much to offer, especially when it comes to cuisine. Our final night we went to Duke's on Kaanapali Beach, where I delighted in an amazing appetizer of ahi poke, lightly wrapped, quickly fried and served atop a beurre blanc sauce...are you kidding me?! So delicious. For my entree, I continued the ahi feast with a wasabi and sesame crusted filet, just seared, served with grilled baby bok choy, sticky rice and a wonderful concoction of edamame, cucumber and black sesame seeds.

***Note to self: do NOT write posts such as this with an already growling stomach!

In addition to using a digital camera and my phone to capture moments, I also used my Polaroid, one of the more recent models, the Polaroid 300. I really miss the original cameras, and while I have a couple that function well, the film is close to impossible to find!
These snapshots provide a peek into the abundant sensory experiences: soft sand beneath my feet, tropical breezes, the sound of the crashing waves, the fragrance of plumerias, the sun beating down and refreshing dives into the ocean, the lush greenery and abundance of unusual tropical flowers, the chirping of geckos...I'll hold these memories close; it's so hard to transition back to reality. *sigh*

The Sea and its Wonders

Lovely gift from my partner, Tina. She has talent and skills when it comes to thrifting; this was today's find, which she knew I'd love. Publishing date: 1896

Eggplant?

Never been a huge fan of eggplant, but thought I'd experiment tonight since, well, I had a fair amount of eggplant donated from a neighbor's CSA. Onions and garlic in olive oil, chopped eggplant, parsley, salt and pepper and some fresh chopped tomatoes all simmered to meld the flavors nicely...layered over penne and topped off with freshly shaved parmesan...not half-bad!

Cork!

As I stood staring and smiling at this gorgeous wall, a few folks glanced my way, as if to say "Hey lady, it's just a flower." But I was mesmerized. Seriously, I stayed there for quite some time just taking it in. Loved the image, the colors and then, wait, what's the medium used for this enormous wall installation? 18,000+ handpainted corks! Swoon.

I embrace days like today where I have the opportunity and time to meander downtown a bit. Found myself strolling through Anthropologie...such visual yumminess! As an artist and a boutique owner, I can't help but be inspired by their merchandising and visual displays. It's just so good. Love the simplicity and beauty in these repeated vertical rows of red and white dots.

This seems as good a place as any to start.

For years now, I've said that I'd start a blog "someday." Despite my lack of direction and my exact focus, I've decided that my 40th Birthday (or shortly thereafter, as the case may be) seemed like as good a time as any. So, here goes.

Since the age of 7, I've kept journals, sketchbooks, scrapbooks and diaries. Around the age of 20, I began to combine those collections into visual journals of experiences. This caused me some serious angst as I had tendencies to compartmentalize and categorize everything. Sometimes I fall back into my old ways, but for the most part I have learned to embrace my wandering, messy! stream of consciousness creations.

This journal entry was compiled from writings while on a recent trip to Nova Scotia...talk about a place to indulge one's senses. Wow! I made it a point to take a very limited amount of art supplies: paper, pens and tape. Several weeks after returning home, I have incorporated them into the beginnings of yet another visual journal. I've been known to use old books, ranging from small novels to over sized atlases, as my base. This one is a simple 14x17 (not exactly travel-size!) wire bound pad of sturdy paper.