Architecture - Hundertwasser & Susanka

I am in love with architecture.  Have been since 9th grade.  I think it's hereditary, as my maternal grandfather was an architect, however, I never knew him.  Architecture, to me, is a puzzle - an awesome mind puzzle - that requires the architect to turn all preconceived notions on their heads and create something that is both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional.  The better an architect is at creating a balance between the two, the more highly lauded (s)he is.

I'm going to share with you the architecture of 2 of my favorite architects.  They are vastly different in terms of their style and execution, but globally acknowledged as among the best in their field and highly sought after.

I had the pleasure of travelling to Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 2000, and while in Vienna we stumbled across a neighborhood that took me by surprise.  The ground was paved but completely uneven - strange juts coming up here and there.  And the buildings - they looked as if they were straight off a 3rd grader's collage assignment - pieced haphazardly together with trees and bushes and vines growing straight out of the exterior walls.  Little did I know at the time that this was a neighborhood designed by world-famous architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

His name means "the empire of freedom" and "one hundred waters".  His overarching philosophy of architecture was that human misery was a result of the rational, sterile, and monotonous architecture.  And his own architecture reflects that sentiment. 

A home in Vienna.  Note the uneven lilt of the ground.

The Hundertwasser building in Germany.

An office building in Ohio.

A loft building in Vienna.  Note the trees and bushes growing out of the building - they're real!

My absolute favorite residential architect is Sarah Susanka, founder of The Not So Big Life philosophy.  She believes that homes should be sustainable, functional to their specific owners, and a joy to live in.  She spends so much of her time getting to know her clients and designing homes that cater to their lifestyles.  She doesn't build homes over 3,000 square feet, as she believes that additional space is wasted and families won't spend as much time together.  All her homes are built with sustainable or recycled resources.  AND all her homes are downright gorgeous.  Her philosophy is "smaller, but better built".

Gorgeous, yes?

Notice the attention to detail - the slats along the ceiling, the archways down the hall, the finial on the staircase.

The dining room/living room of a very beautiful house.

Mozart's Sonata No. 11 in A Major, Third Movement

Ok, I'll admit it.  I'm a sucker for classical music.  I turn it on while I'm driving, while I'm cleaning, while the kids are playing or whenever I simply feel like it.  It's inspirational, it quiets my thoughts and my soul, it's beautiful and full of life, it's genius.

I was driving home a few days ago when Mozart's Sonata No. 11 in A came on the radio.  It was the first time I had ever heard it in its entirety.  We all know the third movement: da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da!  Ok, so that doesn't work as well if you can't hear me humming it.  To be clearer, it's the one on The Truman Show that is playing in the background as he's driving to work.  You know, the one with the trills and the fast, happy pace?  (If you still don't know which one it is, do yourself a favor and spend the $0.99 on iTunes to buy it!)

Well, anyway, this piece has been running circles in my head since I heard it.  I'm pretty sure this is the best song I've ever had stuck in my head.  It has long been a goal of mine to learn this piece, but it wasn't until today that I actually looked at the sheet music.  Ouch.  I'm thinking this may be a lifetime goal.  But I'm going to start.  Really, I am.  This will be like those people who decide that someday they will do a marathon.  This will be my marathon.

Do you have any odd goals like this?  I'd love to hear about them.  It helps me to know that I'm not totally crazy!  :)

Bargello Attempt No. 1

At the quilt fair my friends and I attended last weekend, I bought a beautiful swath of ombre batik fabric.  It was near-white on one end and shaded into dark, dark teal on the other end.  "What to do with such a gorgeous piece of fabric?", I thought to myself.   Then I remembered one of my first posts on this blog: bargellos.

Ombre fabric.  Mine was similar to the bottom half, but sadly, I
forgot to take a picture before I hacked it into 190 pieces.

My dear sister-in-law, Jody, introduced me to this technique, if you'll remember, and it was love at first sight.  In traditional bargellos, many different fabrics are combined to create an overall pattern.  I thought, "Hey! I already had a bunch of different colors in the same print in one piece of fabric, so why don't I just cut it into small squares and sew them back together again?"

So that's what I did.  190 2" squares to be exact.  Thankfully, the inspiration and consequent action took place after the toddlers went to bed, so I didn't end up playing Momma's 190 Pick-Up.  After cutting my squares, I rearranged them into my faux-bargello pattern and sewed them together into a little something like this:

Approx. 27" x 14"

A little bit better detail.

Some of the marbling and color detail.

So let's recap.  1 piece of fabric--190 squares--less than an 2 hours of sewing--the coolest looking quilt I've ever made!   I highly recommend this process!  (Oh, and if you happen to get one of these as a gift at some point, I worked really, really hard on it! Wink, wink.)

Mamma Mia!

Last October, I had the pleasure of seeing the live Broadway show Mamma Mia!.  It was nothing short of magnificent.  I was blown away with the power projected throughout a 5,000-seat auditorium by 1 person's voice, the amazing choreography of dozens of people on stage simultaneously and the visual feast it engendered. These people have devoted their lives to song and dance, and it showed.  They were so much better at their profession than I am at anything.  The whole experience left me hungry for perfection in some area of my life.

Broadway: Tanya, Donna and Rosie - Strong, Kick-Ass Women

On a much lesser scale, I also love the Meryl Streep movie version.  In fact, I just watched it tonight in memory of the Broadway experience.  I am truly in awe of how well someone (sadly, I don't know who) was able to create a story to fit perfectly around the ABBA songs without changing them.  Ku-dos to whoever gets credit for that!

Movie: Rosie, Donna and Tanya

I think one of the things that appeals to me about both versions the portrayal of strong, independent women.  They have lived, they have conquered, they have created for themselves a life of purpose and direction.  On that note, here are the lyrics to Dancing Queen.  Probably the most well-known and probably the most cliched, but also the heart-and-soul of these women.

You can dance

You can jive

Having the time of your life

See that girl

Watch that scene

Diggin' the dancing queen

Friday night and the lights are low

Looking out for a place to go

Where they play the right music

Getting in the swing

You come to look for a king

Anybody could be that guy

Night is young and the music's high

With a bit of rock music

Everything is fine

You're in the mood for a dance

And when you get the chance

You are the dancing queen

Young and sweet

Only seventeen

Dancing queen

Feel the beat from the tambourine

You can dance

You can jive

Having the time of your life

See that girl

Watch that scene

Diggin' the dancing queen

You're a teaser, you turn 'em on

Leave 'em burning and then you're gone

Looking out for another

Anyone will do

You're in the mood for a dance

And when you get the chance

You are the dancing queen

Young and sweet

Only seventeen

Dancing queen

Feel the beat from the tambourine

You can dance

You can jive

Having the time of your life

See that girl

Watch that scene

Diggin' the dancing queen 

See that girl

Watch that scene

Diggin' the dancing queen

Live!  Conquer!  Dance!

Quilt Pictures, As Promised

As expected, the quilt show was INCREDIBLE!  I left feeling very woozy with sensory overload and a brain full of ideas and inspiration.  So, I'm going to pass a little of that feeling onto you!  Enjoy!

The more I look at this one, the more I like it.

Isn't it beautiful!?!

This one was among my favorites.

I LOVE this quilt!  The artist also hand-dyes fabric, which I bought some of!

Does anyone know if this qualifies as a Rose of Sharon quilt?

Circles!

My favorite quilt of the day.  Entitled: Cannot See the Forest for the Trees.

Wonky squares!

This one surprised me!  Keep scrolling...

See the sheet music and letter-print fabric?

AND all the quilting was music notes and bass/treble clef.

My friend, Amy, and a quilt made from a Kaffe Fassett pattern.

The ONLY bargello I saw at the whole show.  I LOVE it!!

Amazing use of batik fabrics!

Believe it or not, this is a 9-square quilt!

Quilt Show Today!

Some friends and I are going to a quilt show today where we'll get to view some gorgeous quilts and peruse fabric from quilting-supply vendors.  I'm not going to spend any money (heaven help me!), but I'm going to have a great time!  I'll be sure to post pictures when I return!

Cheese and Chocolate

No.  Not together.  That would be gross.  But sadly, these are my two biggest indulgences.  If there is cheese and/or chocolate in the house, I won't stop eating until it's/they're gone.  If I muster up all my willpower and occupy myself with other tasks, I might be able to stretch out the stash for 2 or 3 days.  But seriously, no longer.  If anyone out there is a 30 Rock fan, I love cheese as much as LL loves ham.  Or for your AD fans, as much as Lucille loves vodka.  And as we all know (or can guess), neither of these people are particularly healthy, and therefore, by the transitive property, I am no healthier.

In the spirit of focusing of life's joys, I have decided to become healthier.  Sure, I could call chocolate and cheese joys, but they are short-lived, and the way that I'm devouring them, I will be also.  I think I'd like to trade them in for the joy of endorphins, the joy of a healthier weight, the joy of a healthier body-image and the joy of being a good example for my kids.

So wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed that my resolve is strong enough to overcome my love of dairy fat and sugar!

(Sorry for the poor picture quality!)

Never knew I could feel like this. Like I've never seen the sky before.

I'm not sure I've said before on this blog that I am the mother of two wonderful toddlers.  One is 2-1/2 and the other is 11 months.  Both are curious, happy little spitfires, showing so much interest in the world around them and wanting so badly to be independent.  My biggest challenge these days is guiding these little people and ensuring they learn to channel their big personalities in good, productive means.

I cannot say, though, that I am the one doing the teaching.  They see the world in a way that makes me see it again for the first time. 

Why is the ocean grey today when it was green yesterday? 

Why do we call Firs trees when they look nothing like the Japanese Maple tree in our front yard?

Look how shiny and pretty quarters are!  I could put this in my mouth!

This oatmeal would would arguably be better on my head then in my tummy!


So many of the small (and not so small) joys in my life come directly from these kiddos.  They have enabled me to see the world as expansive and beautiful and full of promise once again. 

Thank you, F & E!  Momma loves you both oh so much.

Love. Love. Love.

I kind of view Valentine's Day the same way I view Thanksgiving: it's a day to reflect on those people who matter most in my life and to be thankful for them.  So I want to say a heartfelt Thank You to those of you (I hope you know who you are) who make my life wonderful and lovely!

I am also indebted to God, who has given me so many blessings.


Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!

V-Day a Day Early

In honor of V-Day, here are some of my favorite pieces of art.  Enjoy!

 And I would be remiss if I left out the best love story ever told:

The Book of a Thousand Happinesses: Update 1

A few weeks ago I resolved to write down happy things in a journal given to me by my sister.  I would like to say that yes, I have been diligent about writing in it (almost) daily.  I'm up to 40-something, which averages out to about 2 a day since the inception.  I'm not quite up to the 3-a-day goal, and I'm certainly not making up for the first 21 days of January that I missed, but I'm very glad to report that the underlying purpose of this book is succeeding.  I'm beginning to truly focus on the happiness in my life!

Let me tell you, this hasn't been the easiest three weeks to focus on the good, either.  Isn't that always the way it works?  Some personal things have happened in the past few weeks that have hit me hard.  No matter how crappy the day has been, or how defeated I feel at the end of the day, I have been overjoyed when I've been able to look at my happy journal and think of the happy things that have gone on, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.  So despite whatever emotional blows I've suffered that day, I've been able to fall asleep thinking about those things that lifted my spirits.

I highly recommend this practice, and I vow to update you every once in a while on how my journal-ing is going. 

Not a great (or flattering) picture, but a happy moment when both my babies wanted to snuggle with Momma.

I leave you with a few quotes about happiness that make me happy:

"Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad." - Norm Papernick
"Some pursue happiness, others create it." - Unknown


Do you have any quotes/poems/snippets of happiness to share?  I'd love to hear them!

Tickling the Ivories (Quite Literally)

My quilting projects are going to have to take a backseat for a while.  A new love has come to town: a 1904 A&S Nordheimer Upright Cabinet Piano.  My amazing gift from my husband for Valentine's Day.  Thanks to the overwhelming generosity and muscle power of my brothers- and sisters-in-law, this gorgeous piano made it's way, slowly but surely, into my home last night.

It's truly a thing of beauty.  Solid mahogany case, intricately carved wood legs and face, real ivory and ebony keys, worn edges from thousands of hours of practice through the years, and a name of a child scratched into the side.  This child is now grown and has grown children of her own.  She took pictures of the piano as we were moving it, and stood at the front window to say goodbye as we drove away.  This piano is as heavy with history as it is physically.  I am honored and overjoyed to make it part of my family's history now.

I'm off to tinkle around on the keys and think about the many sets of fingers who have tickled the (real!) ivories through the years.

Settled in its new home.

The front carvings.

The finials on the legs.

Isn't she beautiful?

Love Profoundly.

In honor of the beginning of the month of love, I'm going to share the opening monologue to my favorite movie, Love Actually.  For those of you who haven't seen it, the monologue is spoken by Hugh Grant to a montage of real people meeting loved ones at the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport (hence the first sentence).  They filmed real reactions of people meeting again after an absence, and it is truly touching.

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspision love actually is all around."

I believe love goes far beyond romantic love, and one can show love in many different ways.  For me, I best express my love for those around me by spending quality time with them and making the small things count, and conversely, I feel most confident that someone loves me when they do likewise.  

Happy month of love.  I hope that you feel truly loved by someone in any sense of the word and that you are able to love someone in return.

Inspiration is Running Away with Me!

First things first:
I want to give a huge THANK YOU to my friend, Dawn, and my SILs Jody and Jackie.  You three have been instrumental in getting me back into the world of creating.  This is where my heart truly lies, and it has been incredibly therapeutic and cathartic to begin creating again.  I feel as if a weight has been lifted, a fog has been cleared, a window as been opened into my soul.  And you three have nudged (or flat-out pushed!) me back into it.


Ok...now for the confession: when it rains, it pours.
I CAN'T STOP!  Now that I've allowed my brain to begin thinking creatively again, it's won't think otherwise.  My organizational skills have gone out the window.  My attention to the passage of time is gone.  There are days in the recent past that I have forgotten to shower (TMI, I know, I know). 

Just since Christmas, I have started 4 quilts, a table runner, V-Day pillows, cooking at home, miniature Illuminated Texts, 2 blogs, 2 Etsy shops, 4 Kuspuks, DIY kuspuk instructions, 2 Graphic Design projects and T-shirt designs for a family business.  What the (bleep) is wrong with me?!?!  (Mom, does this sound familiar?)

My most recent creation: a Valentine's Day (February) table runner.

To tell you the truth, I absolutely love it.  I feel like my life is somehow more complete because of these projects.  I feel that my life once again has direction and purpose.  I feel like ME again.  Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE being home with my kids, and I LOVE watching them grow and develop and change.  They are wonderful and hilarious and the most perfect thing that has ever happened to me.  But changing the 1247090th poopy diaper of the day and being asked for the 10948th time for a "snack" that then is forgotten and not eaten wears on a person after awhile.  I'm glad to have an outlet so I can focus on the good part of my days with my kiddos.

I am very, very grateful to those people around me who have encouraged me in these pursuits, whether they were aware of it or not.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I only hope that I can pass it on...

Nonsense

For those of you that don't know, my name means 'butterfly', an incredibly apt snapshot of me.  I flit from idea to idea, project to project, favorite to favorite.  I feel my mind - and my soul - are cluttered with an infinite number of facts, details, inspirations, snipits of memory, smatterings of half-finished novels.  Its feels like an internal warehouse filled haphazardly with stories-high stacks of papers, ready to topple over, and impossible to wade through.  Or a long hallway lined of doors: magnificent in scope, but you never know where one might lead.

For this reason, I love Nonsense work.  Nonsense in the classical sense, not in the modern-dance/hip-hop/Jar-Jar-Binks variety.  George MacDonald brilliantly touches my soul to its depths.  The poetry of Lewis Carroll, e.e. cummings and Odgen Nash fill me with wonder and I feel like a child again.  I cannot help but smile and laugh my way through The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

So, without further ado, here are my top Nonsense favorites (for today!):


1. "r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r" by e.e. cummings (the visual grasshopper poem) (Click here to see it)


2. Scrappy quilts - no rhyme or reason, no color scheme, no predominant shapes.  Sheer beauty.


3. "The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't." 


and 


"...felt as if your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick." 


- Hitchhiker's Guide




4. Happiness in Perpetuity by Paul Bond:

Is the scene miniaturized on top of pebbles?  Are the rocks enormous?  I love the childlike
questions this one provokes as well as the sense of quiet and calm.
Whether big or small, I want to go there.

Are there works of nonsense that are particularly special to you?  Any that I should stuff into my mental collection?

The Best Oatmeal Cake Ever

For those of you who are following Moda Bake Shop's Progressive Dinner, this will be a repeat, but I have to share the love!

Sweetwater shared their recipe for The Best Oatmeal Cake Ever, and my good friend, Dawn, was awesome enough to make it for me yesterday!  It certainly lived up to its name.  And since I am impatiently waiting for my own cake to come out of the oven, I will share the it with you!  

Click here for the Recipe!

You'll have to scroll down about 1/3 of the way down the page, but you'll get to look at some really pretty fabrics and quilts along the way.  Here's the author's picture of her finished cake:

And if this has whetted your appetite for amazing confections, check out Gesine's blog at http://confectionsofamasterbaker.blogspot.com/ for some truly gorgeous (edible!) works of art.  (It's a secret, but Gesine is a certain famous Ms. Bullock's sister.  Shhhh.)

Do you have a favorite dessert-ish recipe?  Do you have a flat-out favorite dessert?  Share! Share! Share!  I'd love to try some new recipes!

Poetry

Today is simply a poetic day.  So simply, here is one of my favorite poems paired with one of my favorite paintings.  Enjoy.




i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)


-e.e. cummings

The middle 1/3 of Gutav Klimt's Tree of Life

Tate Modern Museum, London

I know I've been a little blog happy the past 2 days, but this one I had to share.

For the past 11 years, Unilever has teamed up with the Tate Modern Museum to challenge global artists to individually create a single exhibit to fill an old military turbine warehouse in London.  The space is enormous and the possibilities virtually endless, and each exhibition is unfathomable in scope.  Just looking at photos online humbles me; I cannot imaging how it would feel to experience these in person.  Another reason to travel to Europe!

This year's exhibit is a Chinese creation by artist Ai WeiWei.  Below is a picture of the Turbine Hall with his creation.  Can you tell what he did?

How about now?

Any guesses?  Get ready to be floored...

The third photo is a close-up of the floor.  Ai WeiWei orchestrated a mass-hand-crafting of 100-Million porcelain sunflower seeds by porcelain artisans in Jingdezehn, China.  Poured into the Hall, the seeds cover the floor at a depth of 4 inches, and guests are invited experience the exhibit by walking on, touching and exploring the scope of the seeds.  Ai WeiWei has stated that in doing this project, he hopes that the viewer will contemplate the relationship between individuals and the masses (China is communist, after all).

I highly recommend perusing the previous 10 years' exhibits.  Each are mind-blowing and amazing to look at.  

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/unileverseries/

My Book of a Thousand Happinesses

Although it sounds like a poorly-translated Japanese title, "My Book of a Thousand Happinesses" is the title of my journal for 2011.

For Christmas this year, my sister gave me a super-cute journal (thanks, sis!) that I have been flipping though, caressing and imagining what would fill the pages, but nothing has seemed right.  Each page of the journal has artwork from Susie Ghaharemani's collection.  The friendly owls, funny trees and wonky lines have impressed upon me that this isn't just any journal, it's a happy journal.  And it should be filled with happy things.

In the spirit of focusing more on the positive things in life, I have decided that this journal will be my constant companion this year.  The goal: to have 1,000 happy things written in it before 2012 comes - about 3 things a day.

If you want to smile today, check out Ms. Ghararemani's website: www.boygirlparty.com.  It's a hoot!

Stewardship

Over the past year, I have given a lot of thought to the idea of Stewardship.  Specifically, stewardship in my own home and life.  Stewardship is taking care of the things given to you as if you were caring for them for someone else, and little by little, I think I'm getting the point.  The most recent reminder of this theme came on FB, where a friend posted a link to an article about a family who lives life for experiences, not consumption.  (Highly recommended, if you have time and energy to read it!)

http://www.sunset.com/home/natural-home/zero-waste-home-0111-00418000069984/page11.html

You know that scene on the movie 28 Days where the hilarious gay guy (Huzzah Alan Tudyk!) is asking when it is appropriate to resume a romantic relationship post-rehab?  The answer was given him that he should get a plant, and if it is still alive after a (long) period of time, to get a dog.  If the dog AND the plant is still alive after another painfully long interval, then he'd be ready for a relationship.  My thought to this: total BS.

I don't have a green thumb, and I care only enough about dogs on their own to say hello and give them back to their owners.  For me, the progression has gone the other way.  Being committed to relationships has made me want to take care of those things that are less important - and less catastrophic should they die.

Putting in the time and effort required of a committed relationship, whether it be to my husband, my children, other family members or close friends, I have learned that the smaller things can make relationships easier.  Keeping the house clean and organized helps keep my brain clean and organized.  And believe me, my poor brain needs all the help it can get these days!  Staying on top of meal planning and grocery shopping alleviates stress around meal times, promoting closer family and friend meals and more nutritious foods.  Using the things we already have instead of buying more. Taking care of the things we have so they last longer.  Taking care of myself so I last longer.  The list goes on...but I have found that my life is more pleasant and "easier" when I implement Stewardship.

Ok, enough of my novel.  Thank you for staying with me, if you have.  Hopefully, I will continue to foster this idea and continually put it into practice in new areas.

Any other ideas or areas in which Stewardship is applicable or necessary?



And for those who stayed with me, a little treat of my favorite jokes:

What is red and smells like blue paint?  Red paint!

A farmer woke up one morning and started to cook breakfast.  He threw a couple sausages into a frying pan. One sausage turned to the other and said, "Hey man, is it getting hot in here?".  To which the other sausage exclaimed, "Whoa!  A talking sausage!".

Have a great weekend, folks!