light and space

i have a tendency to pick up bits of nature when i walk around; a fluffy feather, a piece of coral, fuzzy seed pods, driftwood, a twisted twig, really anything that grabs my attention and is small. as a result of this i have a bowl of seashells, a jar of feathers, and a vase of twigs and pods. i compiled the things i found in california in a plastic case i had, little things that refresh memories.

making the bed is always a playful time in my home; the kitties oftentimes become sandwiched between the sheets. it makes me think it could be a place of peace and awareness for them.

idleness, not really

i've managed to become busy in the last few weeks. making odds and ends art with washi tape, painting my toenails in an amazing green-gold polish, gouache painting another shopping bag, potting a teeny tiny cacti baby i found hidden in amongst larger brethren, sewing a tea cozy, knitting an extension onto my stainless steel scarf, watching the avengers (had to catch up on some of the movies leading up to it as well), sewing a linen shoulder bag, restocking my japanese tea, giving meiko a bath, going to a dayspa/hair convention in orlando...

that now, i feel like doing exactly what nala is doing.

new gadget

since lifting my splendid camera from the box and removing all the new electronic wrappings, i've been trying to learn its "ins and outs" and particulars. indoor lighting at night is never all that spectacular, but i couldn't wait until morning to have a go. here are some of the better efforts:

nala, the pretty putty cat.

my thread wall.

a fun discovery while playing around with the iso.

once morning came around i was able to take better lit photos. there's something so perfect about daylight, it's my first preference for photos.

one of the chawan i use for my morning ocha.

we had spinning today, so i brought it along there as well. i'm the fiber guild of the savannahs'  newsletter creator, so it will be great to be able to take photos of our doing's to flesh it out a bit. i couldn't really do that with the old camera, as i would need to bring along several batteries as well. yay for upgrades!

sleepyheads

they had a bad day. it was their yearly visit to the vet. they went in for a checkup and came out with microchips embedded in their shoulders. poor babies, mommy surprised them with the new technology. but they're recovering well, irregardless of what the look on nala's face says.

the magazine of my dreams

whilst browsing through a comic store, i happened across a yummy magazine. there was cotton candy hair and tempting macarons, delicate eye candy and lovely fonts. this magazine of whimsy was named "lula". and they've got my #.

what would you take?

ever wonder what you would take if you had to leave during a weather emergency? we had tornado scares last night, so i went through my belongings and grabbed what i felt i could not leave behind. luckily we did not have to evacuate as the storm system moved north of us. it's strange seeing in the light of a new morning what i think is important. besides a folder of paperwork like checkbooks, paycheck stubs and insurance papers, i grabbed:

a maruschka doll from my great aunts
a small photo album
a new dress that i bought for a wedding that i have not worn yet
jewelry
calculator (it was in among my checkbooks)
my two resin dolls
cat food
a small kaleidescope glass ball
my portfolio
my flash card
supplements
stamps in a box i have been collecting for years
underthings
baby blanket

strangely, i forgot to pack my book of passwords, my toothbrush and toothpaste. weird. i also put halters on my two cats, nala and meiko, and would not let them leave my side until the danger had passed. the photo above was taken late in the day, the color of everything was really pink and the air felt heavy.