Dying for Candy!

Happy Easter, friends! My little cutie was here to dye eggs. It was great.





After the Easter egg dying extravaganza, we did an impromptu photo shoot in my studio.


And who can resist a room that is basically one big chalkboard? Certainly not my niece...





Can't wait to see her again!

(If you want to get to know this cutie a little bit better, you can read her hilarious meanderings over at my sister's blog.)

The Master Plan

I'm having a bad day. And a day of self-evaluation and reflection. So, feeling inspired by this Life List over at AB Chao, I decided to write my own.



Here goes...

Vacation in Iceland
Scream into a great abyss
Go sailing in Nice
Speak Portuguese fluently
Run the Broad Street Run
Buy a modern apartment in Lisboa
Sell a painting for more than $500
Own a vineyard and work there (and only there)
Tell off the many people who make me feel like an ant
Become a full-time painter (or designer or illustrator or blogger)
Become a yoga master
Be nicer
Have a baby
Run a marathon
Move to the West Coast
Re-landscape my backyard into a beautiful and relaxing retreat
Have peace of mind
Quit my job
Grow my hair long again
Be heard
Go camping in Texas
Get an MFA
Have more than 100 followers on my blog
Be a cast member on SNL
Live in the EU
Live in the country and live off the land
Plant and cultivate my own vegetable garden
Go to a Punjabi wedding
Have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum
Take an entire month to myself
Get pregnant the old-fashioned way
Have a real conversation with my mother in-law
Take salsa lessons again
Buy a brand-new car
See my Nanny again
Own and operate a candy store
Ride the Giant slide from Morey's Pier again
Buy a really good camera
Buy a tripod
Design my own line of clothing or shoes


Ah.

I will, no doubt, be adding to this list on an on-going basis.

Pink Panther: Nailed It!

This is definitely one of my favorite designs for my nails. I first did this to my nails about two years ago and I still don't get tired of it. The best part of this design is that it's SO EASY and can be done in lots of different colors to keep it fresh. I've also done it in purple hues, blue hues and metallics.

For this particular look, I used Orly Who's Who Pink for the base coat. (I think this color is discontinued, but the french manicure collection has lots of good pinks to use.) The leopard spots were done with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Sonic Boom. The black is Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens in black.

The Long and Short of It

So I don't usually post my outfits (although it's something I've been contemplating lately) but when I saw this on Everybody Everywhere, I just had to since I just bought a maxi dress a couple of weeks ago.


I wasn't always the biggest fan of maxi's, since I'm a short gal. Long dresses just emphasize my short-ness. Something I really don't like. I want to be tall!! But I saw this dress at forever21 and I just had to have it. It's perfect for something comfy but cute on a summer day. But it can also be worn on chilly days like today. (It was rainy in Philly, too! Blah!) I may just be a maxi convert.

Dress: Slub knit Maxi Forever21
Denim Jacket: Gap
Hot Pink Scarf: a KOP mall vendor! (2 for 1 deal!)
Boots: Steve Madden Intyce
Belt: Forever21
Ring: Francesca's

And did you notice ho much our little Francis Bacon loves it, too! (that's the cat in-case you didn't know) He's such a ham for the camera.

Submitted for April:

If you like this outfit, please vote for it on Chictopia:

What an herb

Spring has sprung and it's time to get planting. I love gardening, and I especially like planting herbs each spring to use for cooking in the summer months. I have a perfect spot in the backyard slated for an herb garden, but its unfortunately right next to the still-unfinished-patio. I wouldn't want to plant an entire garden just to have it trampled on or potentially dug-up during patio construction, so my herbs will have to be potted again this summer. No biggie, at least I can bring them in easily and keep them away from squirrels and cats better than if they are in the ground. I'll just have to water them a bit more often.

Today was the perfect day to start planting. (The weather was fan-flippin-tastic.) I started by getting all of the pots our of the garage and mixing the old and dried out soil with some new organic potting soil.


Once the soil was ready (above) I was ready to start planning which herbs go in which pot. As you can see, I used a variety of herbs including Martha Stewart Organic herbs and Burpee brand organic herbs. I planted mint, cilantro, purple basil, sweet basil, oregano, dill, rosemary, parsley, chives and lavender. There isn't much of a science to choosing which pot to assign to each herb... just figuring out which plants are tall, which are heartier and fuller, and which I don't need a ton of. I also kind-of factor in the color and look of the herbs with the pot it's going in. After I figured it all out, I placed the herb packets in the appropriate planter and got started.





Here they are all planted and ready to grow. (Get it? Ready to "grow" like ready to "go". I'm a real comedian folks!) Rather than using what I consider unsightly plastic or wood indicators, I simply use the ripped-off top part of the paper packet to stick in the dirt so I know what's what.


I can't wait to see these guys and girls start sprouting in the coming weeks. But what I'm really excited for is when I can use them for grilling this summer!!! Oh. Yeah.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Thanks for all you do. xo.

Nailed it!

I've been playing around with nail art for about two years now. I've found lots of tutorials on youtube, but I also like making up my own styles. As of late, I'm obsessed with Sally Hansen insta-dry nail polish. It comes in so many neat-o colors. My favs are mint sprint, quick sand, sonic boom, lightening and clearly quick among many others. I also like to play around with the Sally Hansen nail pens... my mom gave me a bunch for Christmas. They're basically like markers for your nails! Awesome!

Tonight I tried a new manicure inspired (well, ahem... copied actually) from Keiko Lynn's blog post.






And here's a peak at what I did for Halloween...

S-S-S-Saturday night. Saturday Night.

Just me and the cat tonight. TV, nail polish, and wordswithfriends.

Wish List

Tucker for Target Signature Dress in Floral Print

Jam Jamboree Dress from Mod Cloth

Steve Madden Intyce boots
(I already have these in another color!)

Marimekko Coin Purses

I'm also jonesin' for the Forever21 Slub Knit Striped dress. Sorry... cannot find a photo online. This may be the only realistic purchase since it's only $13 and quite versatile I think.

Since we really don't have money to spare at the moment (my health insurance costs are going to double in a month. GRRRR- I hate our healthcare system) I'll be back to thrifting soon. I'm actually really looking forward to it.

My man, my cat, my computer.

I've been online way too much in the evenings... mostly just wishing I could buy more stuff online. Seriously. I have an entire folder of bookmarks just for stuff that I want (that I can't really justify ever buying since there are other things in life we need).

Tiago has also been spending a lot of time online (see "Exhibit A). So has the cat (see Exhibit A and B). Note: I assure you these are all separate occasions.

Exhibit A:


Exhibit B:

Pinky Promise

So since I've been reading so many blogs lately, I've vowed to contribute more to my own blogs. Yes. That "blogs" was plural. You didn't know I had other blogs? Not surprising, because most people don't even know I have any blog!

(Well I do have a few more blogs. I have one blog that's all about my artwork and another that's fairly new about my house.)

Anyways, I promise promise promise (myself) that I will contribute to my blog more. Maybe even once a day??? How great would that be?

Wow...

It has been a while since I've posted.

Sonhos cor de rosa

So I cannot express how excited I am getting for our vacation to Portugal!!!! At first we wanted to take a couple of days to travel on down to the algarve (the southern part of the country with all of the cool beaches) but after looking at the prices of hotels down there I was like "Naw dude." It's over 300 euros a night for even the cheap hotels!! WTF? So instead we've decided to stay in the Lisboa area and stay in Cascais. I was reading some travel books and found the most awesome bed and breakfast eva! (And I mean Eva eva... eva eva? Eva, eva.) Yeah. it's hot. It's this little place called Casa da Pergola, that's still family owned after a hundred years, and has the funniest/ cool rooms and absolutely beautiful gardens! And the best part? It's a five minute walk to the beach and a five minute walk to the train station (which takes you 20 minutes to Lisboa, and stops at Estoril on the way!) Yay! So Tiago called today, and unbelievably, the room that I wanted is available! Here's a link to the hotel's website: http://www.wonderfulland.com/pergola

Things haven't been so great...

... That's why I'm listening to this right now:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHrwcQrY-JM

Hopefully it will help you feel better too.

I know what you're thinking..

.. from that last post- "YOU GOT MARRIED?!?!?!?!" well, yes, yes I did. It was dramatic to say the least... but you know what? I love Tiago. He is the best thing that happened to me. Not to mention the hottest! MEEEEEOW! Here's a pic of me before the wedding (more to come)

My husband got a Playstation3..

and two days in our marriage is practically destroyed.

My new Job

...is really great! It's a hard job, but I'm learning a lot and having a good time. On a typical day I wake up at 6 and leave the house at 7:30. I drive a hellish commute to Wilmington and arrive at work at 8:30. I go in through security check and say hello to Henry. He always has a nice joke for me or friendly words of advice. Next I walk through the museum to the education wing and walk into my office/ big cubical. I say hello to Jim and/ or Cynthis. Next I groan at the ammount of messages that came in overnight. Next I out my lunch in the friedge and sit down at my computer.. by the way.. they gave me my own laptop and a palm pilot! (did I mention I love this place?) Next I anwer a lot of emails about the studio programs, I register people in an excel roster for classes, and I update the online store and capture people's purchases. At this point usually the rest of people are getting to work and we chat a bit. Some times I also have meetings around this time. We discusss upcoming museum events, budgets, and "issues." The rest of my day basically consists of the same thing as above with some other administrative jobs in between and now and then the occasional call from an elderly person who loves to chat. Sometime my job consists of things that aren't so fun- like saying "no" to people and writing letters. OH !!!! I forgot- I wrote my first grant proposal and I got it!!! YAY!

Keenan's is racist

Yeah.. that's right. Not a surprise in Wildwood. Me and Tiago went to the beach this weekend to my parent's house and to see my sister for memorial day. We had a nice time despite the racist and ignorant bouncers at Keenan's in North Wildwood. On saturday we got up early and had breakfast with my mom and then walked the boardwalk, played some games and I even talked Tiago into going on a rollercoaster! yeah! Then we went out for dinner with my uncle john, my dad, and cousin sally and darrel. It was really nice. Later on saturday we decided to meet alice and friends for some drinks at flip flops. Well I must say that I like the new place they have there, and the service was surprisingly great for a busy memorial day weekend. After flip flops we made our way to Keenan's- something we've been doing for about 7 years now- not to mention all of the times that my parents and their friends have gone there. Well- after saturday night, I will NEVER go to Keenan's again. Not only did it SUCK inside ( you know the routine- stupid music you could hear on the radio, smelly, long waits for drinks, disgusting bathrooms, and lots of underage drinking)- they also harassed Tiago at the door and would not let him inside. Tiago was very nice and gracious, but I was pissed! They said that they couldn't take his driver's liscense because it wasn't from the United States. That's the biggest load. meanwhile they take 16 year old's IDs... if they are girls wearing miniskirts and halters... ew. Boo Keenan's- you have continually gotten worse each summer.

And some people don't understand why I don't want to live in wildwood- ignorance, racial discrimination, and just idiocracy. that's why.

backyard bliss...

I finally got the back yard finished. It's beautiful. I love it.

Little 'ole Tiago..

.. aint as shy as everyone thinks. here's a video to prove it!!

getting my master's degree..

Well.. it's over. I have my masters! woooooohooooo! you know the expression, "bitter-sweet"???? Well- this graduation is NOT that expression! ha. It's just sweeeeeet.

A little birdie told me...

... That one of my murals has been painted over. YES. it is unfortunately so. This birdie aint lyin. I made a trip passed my former place of employment, Beginnings Learning Center, to verify the news... and it is correct. A lovely (and by lovely I mean disgusting) coat of gray/lilac now blankets what used to be the mural I completed about four years ago. The mural was a project I started as a gift to the Beginnings class of 2004, and for all of the future students to enjoy. It was based from a book that the kids loved and which mirrored their "beginnings" at the school and metamorphosis from babies to, as I called them, "kiddos." The mural was about five huge panels that chronicled the life of a butterfly from eggs to caterpillars, crysalids, and then of course to butterflies. The images symbolized the way in which Beginnings students/ graduates move on from pre-school into new territory in their education. I really loved the mural.. but I guess Beginnings is also moving into new territory and making their own changes- unfortunately, one that meant leaving the mural in the past.

Here are a few pictures of me when I was working on the mural.

more food

well I'm still cooking.. getting even better, and loving it.

New blog

Hey everyone...

I have created an additional blog just for my artwork and exhibition news.

View it here

or you can link it from my blogroll on the right.

I'm in the City Paper!

Hey! Check me out! I'm on page 36 of the city paper this week... well my painting of Natashia is. WHOOOOHOOOOO!!! I'm famous! oh wait.. forgot to mention that they did NOT credit me. :(

CITY PAPER listing

Defeated

I can't even begin to express how I feel these days. I'm loooking forward to the summer and spending time with those that really love me. Thank you to all of my friends, family, and more for supporting me this year. I could not have done it without everyone's help and words of wisdom... and now I think some other words of wisdom are necessary- The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
Socrates.

Topstitch this month

If you have not already, please please please go see the current show at topstitch in Old city. It's called valley of the dolls and it is fabulous. Of course- I AM a little biased- because I am a doll lover and my work is in the show.

Here is a write up about the show from the best blog out there: artblog.

touch me for artblog

Who should you vote for?

This site is pretty cool. It atleast reassured me that who I thought I would vote for is DEF the person I WILL vote for. Check it out:

who should you vote for?

Cheesesteaks!

Newsflash! This just in: The portuguese LOVE cheesesteaks!

como e grande o meu amor por voce

como e grande o meu amor por voce
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Para poder
Me explicar
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A procurar
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De lhe falar
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Maior do mundo
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