Catbird

So, I have found a new-to-me online shop called Catbird and I am completely obsessed.

Watch out bank account.

Here are my absolute favorites:

D.S. & Durga

The above scent from D.S. & Durga, all dirty and sexy and spicy with Indonesian patchouli, jasmine, and mace.  I think it may be intended for men.  And I completely do not care.

And just in case the overtly-masculine scent is making people question, I think it is necessary for me to be wearing the most precious gold and turquoise ring ever created:

Claire Kinder Pip Ring

Now that I live in CO, a place where everyone and their mom loves to camp and decides to do so in every state park within four hours of me every single weekend, therefore prohibiting me and my Mr. and our pups and our friends to enjoy the wonders of camping in this majestic wilderness...ahem...sorry...the ranting mechanism in my head sometimes goes a little berserk.

Anyway, here's my point:  for when there is not a real campfire to drink whiskey and roast marshmallows beside, there is this candle:

Catbird Campfire Candle

And when there are no stars to gaze at, there are these matches to light aforementioned campfire candle with:

Constellation Matches

So seriously, if any of you, my dear internet cosmos, wishes to help prevent my marriage from ending due to me sending us into an oblivion of debt from this store, please feel free to send me as many of these items as you see fit.

Thank you in advance--
MEL

CREATOR.

Okay, so I've finally found a way to explain to you why I inadvertently spend so much time away from you when I really don't mean to and I certainly don't want to.

I am a creator.

This is the reason why I leave you for so long and then come back frantically wanting to catch up and fall madly in love again.

I know it sounds a little crazy but bear with me and I'll prove to you that it's true.

My life consists of many MANY hobbies and interests.  I am obsessed with glossy fashion and design magazines, not because I want to be rail thin and 7 feet tall or live in a pristine mansion, but because I am so drawn to things that are just plain pretty.  I'm in love with being outside as much as I can, and anytime I'm enjoying nature, it swallows me whole and next thing I notice, I look up and the whole day has passed.  I obviously love music, not only because it is my own personal paradise, but because it is a utopia I get to share with others every day through my work (and by work I mean, job that I get paid for).  I love cooking, eating, drinking, cutting out, gluing, knitting, knotting, painting, drawing, writing, blogging.  These are the things I fill my life with.  And all of these things are creative things.

And therefore:

*I am always doing more than I'm asked.
*I'm obsessed with trying new things.
*I'm passionate about teaching others about the things I love.
*I have a uncanny ability to turn things that I love into my work.
*I take LONG breaks.
*I work when others are resting and rest when all the rest of the world is working.
*My brain is constantly in rotation around new and beautiful things to create.
*I am always searching for my next bit of inspiration.
*And last but not least, I am completely in love with life.

See, like I said, I'm a creator and my life is a twisted-up tangled mix of a million different inspirations.  And more often than not, I'm off on a tangent, getting caught up in a new part of life that engulfs me and carries me out into it's sea.  And then I float back to shore and write a new blog post to you, my dear internet cosmos.

So, please forgive me for my time away.  And thanks so much for reading.

More inspiration to come--
MEL

Major Art Movements

I'm really loving these pared down prints by Outmane Amahou that cleverly and succinctly describe major art movements in history.

Of course I know these prints don't even come close to explaining the magnitude of the different major art movements they portray, but they're a hell of a lot easier than the art history courses I slummed through in college.

Keepin' it classy--
MEL

(All images from here.  Found via here.)

Znak Wallpaper

How rad is this completely customizable tear-off wallpaper from Znak?  I'm particularly obsessed with the thought of putting this in a kids room and letting a child go wild.  Just tear off random sections and the wall goes from "paint bomb explosion" to "graphic art masterpiece".  Like this:

(Found via Design Milk.  Images from here.)

Hope you're having an inspiring Monday.
XOXO
--MEL

Prom

This morning, I was driving home from a quick getaway up the mountains with my best friend, whom I have known and loved since we were both 5.  Crazy I know, but absolutely true.

Anyway, my point is that this friend of mine also went through the most ridiculously confusing, self-depracating, pretty much all around terrible time called high school with me and we still love each other.  And that's really saying a lot.

Again, I digress.  The actual point here is that we got to talking on our drive home about high school and our probably-never-going-to-happen upcoming 10 year reunion and about "remember that time when...blankity blank blank blah?".  Needless to say, we both kind of moved on from that topic as quickly and as randomly as it had started, and just like high school feels looking back on it now, the whole conversation had disappeared as quickly as it had begun.  Thank god.

Then I got home and sat down to write this post and remembered coming across this review of an amazing new work of photography and film being shown at The Philadelphia Museum of Art, frankly entitled Prom.  Oh god, here comes the flood of memories again.  And by memories I mean, extremely blurry montages of light and color that I think might have been from prom but then again, I was rocking away on a boat that night with a bunch of wild children who were all, just like me, escaping from the reality of small town high school for the evening.  So, really who knows.

Anyway,  I'm so thankful that there was no one at my prom to document it like Mary Ellen Mark did for this extremely intriguing (and overwhelmingly gut-wrenching) exposition of polaroids and film that is currently on exhibition.  I can't get over how surreal these photographs seem.  And how I too was a girl going to prom once.  And how I really hope I didn't seem as hopeless as a lot of these kids.  Yikes.

This is the stuff of genius, folks.  If you live in the Philly area, please go see this exhibit and tell me all about it.  It looks absolutely amazing.

Christina Chang, Austin, TX, 2008. Mary Ellen Mark

Michael Glorioso and Eliza Wierzbinska, Staten Island, New York, 2006. Mary Ellen Mark

Toccarra Beguma and George Wilkinson, New York City, 2007. Mary Ellen Mark

Okay, enough reminiscing for me.  Must stop before I throw up from the memories of parrot bay and diet coke, stale cigarettes, and fast food.

XOXO
--MEL