An abstract and a visit

Took a few random photos tonight including this one. Sometimes the ones that turn out the most interesting to me are the ones I don't even focus.

My dad and bro came in town. We went to Red Lobster...man those cheddar biscuits are so sinful. Also stopped by Wal-mart and got my bro a blow up mattress. I'm kinda jealous of his. Mine is not as comfortable at all!

It has been a nice visit tonight, but they are leaving out the morning for some fun poker excursions. They just popped over for a pit stop. My brother has never been to California, so he's getting to see all the new terrain. He digs this kinda thing.

And my dad told me my place looked nice and he was proud of me (multiple times), so a win/win.



And if you're curious, here's a pic of my bro and dad from last summer. We meant to take a pic tonight of all three of us together, but they are in bed now, and I don't think it's going to happen early in the morning tomorrow. Oh well.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Clean House??

Yeah, last night and tonight I somewhat cleaned. My brother and dad are coming tomorrow for a night visit and I'm trying to get it into order so I can try to avoid as few as comments as possible from my dad. He's kind of a clean/neat freak about stuff, but by now I think he knows my housekeeping skills are a bit lackluster....hey, it's a free place to stay after all!

If cleaning were a grade and I were being judged for my efforts, I would prob. get a D+. Haha. Over the years, I've gotten pretty good at making things look look polished, but in reality, they really aren't. I got on Angie's List tonight looking for a real maid. I hate to clean and while I think I made my place look someone spiffed up, you'd prob. still find some dust and cat hair if you choose to really look. Yeah, this is how I roll. I always have. I remember shoving stuff under the bed and into the closet as a kid and always having a few knick knack objects I had no clue as to what to do with. I never really got into the cleaning knack. The words "spring cleaning" isn't really in my vocabulary, though it prob should be.



After all this cleaning, I'm feeling somewhat delirious.

OK, off to do a last minute scrub on the shower and to throw some clothes into the closet to hide.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Swell goes au Natural

I'm not much of a nature photographer, but I took some pretty nature photos this past weekend I thought I would share!








And here's one of the grass. There was a rainbow that the sprinkler was creating. I think it turned out neat.

Oh, and how cute is William's niece???



And William's pretty cute too :)



Hope you have a great Tuesday!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Amy Atlas Love

A couple of weeks ago, I became mesmerized by Amy Atlas's event planning site. Amy and her staff's work have been featured in Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Brides Magazine and a lot more publications and sites. I admire creativity in all kinds of ways and I get so giddy seeing it used in pretty table settings and food crafting! It is so appealing to see a pretty table of food be put front and center and become a showstopper! What is cool too after seeing her work is that that simple things make big impacts. Keeping a basic monochromatic color palette or arranging things in groupings with a tags with a touch of adornment and a pretty font really do make things stand out.



Not to downplay the enormous amount of work and planning involved, I know that tables like these are a LOT of work. All the little details are what takes so much time. And it appears all of these table settings are perfect...I'm sure the Amy Atlas team has worked it down to a science at this point. It's just fascinating to see it done so well. And something to definitely be inspired by and emulate. Creating scenes like this to perfection like they did...well that's another story. I don't think I could ever achieve something this grand. Just look at these cookies!!!



Here's more beauty shots. For more info on Amy Atlas and her event planning services, visit the Amy Atlas web site. I'm also equally smitten with her blog! It has a lot of great behind-the-scenes photos, recipes, and much more. So fun!







Hope you have a great Tuesday!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

How I wish for a bathtub again!

Tonight, I wasn't feeling so well (I'm feeling much better now). I won't go into details, but I was down and out and do you know what I needed? I needed a good, hot bath. Well, that would be all and good, but I don't have a bathtub!!!

When I moved to Fresno and got this apartment, I didn't think it would be a big deal, but I really do miss
having one. I'm so a bath over shower kinda girl. Some people think baths are gross cause you are like sitting in your own dirt, but unless you are rolling around in the mud or incredibly active or sprayed by a skunk, I don't see how this could ever be true!

I've always taken baths and loved them. I dream for the day when I can get a bathtub with jets! My sister has one and it was the best bath I have ever taken!! Some people wish for expensive cars, jewelry, and clothes, I wish for a jacuzzi bathtub. Calgon take me away!

One of these days I will have it and it will be my little haven in my home, but until then, I guess I'll just have to settle for my shower. This is so lame, but I was feeling so crummy that I sat down against the shower seat (I have one of those showers with the extra seats for shaving/older people) and just let the water fall on me. Haha. I really didn't feel well at all. It did do the trick.

Hope you have a great Thursday! Can you believe the week is halfway over already??

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Fun with Shrink Plastic

I've been having fun making little shrink plastic creations. I want to get some more Sharpies and colored pencils to make up more. I only have a couple of colors of Sharpies at the moment, so I couldn't really do much. I did make them very basic and geometric, which I think turned out successful. By the way, I photographed these first two on the inside pages of Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living. Gotta give a shout out. The illustration and photography in this is wonderfully mod!



For these, I chose to outline a 3 inch vinyl sticker stuck to my shrink plastic. I had to carefully remove it not to leave any sticky. It worked really well, since I know my handwriting couldn't match that of a font if I tried. I used an old Aleene's Shrinky Dink that I had on hand. It's not currently sold, but there are plenty in the marketplace and at your local craft store, so finding it should be easy! They also have an inkjet printable version, so you could not even bother with doodling an image, rather you could have a clean and precise designed illustration or photo. It's really up to what tickles your fancy!



I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with these, but I know there are tons of things to try. Even if they end up in a drawer, it's a fun creative exploration that I got to discover as I watched TV.

I thought it would be fun to see what other projects were out there, so here's a list of some super simple & fun ones you may like to try as well!

Check out these amazing Shrinky Dink illustrative necklaces by my friend Silvia!

Make a statement with this necklace from Alisa Burke.

June at Planet June stamps on your shrinky dinks to make super fab ring

Wear your pet around your neck with Punky Style

Revisit the 80's with these fun Cassette tape shrinky dinks.

Cool spirograph Shrinky Dinks by maitreya...remind me of childhood.

Kristy Neale's adorable Home Sweet Home card.

Cool photo toy camera photo pendants from jnhkrawczk's Flickr stream

Rad medals from sirmorrow on Instructables.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Fun with Swankolab

I got another cool new app called Swankolab by the makers of Hipstamatic! I have been having a lot of fun with it. It does a lot of fun photo effects and simulates a darkroom. Visit the web site...it really is a hoot! The sound effects especially. Here's some fun artsy photos I shot with my phone and process using the app that I wanted to share...















If you are interested in more fun photo apps for iphone and great iphone photography, visit the iphoneography site. Great reviews, events, and the latest and greatest in iphone photos!

Fun, Fun! Have a great week!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Oldies but Goodies

Check out a couple of my recent purchases! I got the Kentucky glass in the mail today from Etsy seller KitschKitch. So cool, huh? It has my hometown of Hartford on the map. Hartford is actually quite small (2,500 people), so I'm not sure why it is noted on this glass instead of Owensboro (the town next to it (55,000). Oh, well, maybe it's based on an old, old map.

I also got the cool 7UP glass (when I think of 7UP, I think of the game Heads Up, 7Up that I played in grade school) at Yoshi Now, a thrift shop filled to the brim with goodies here in downtown Fresno. I think I got it for a buck or two.

I don't plan to drink out of these, I'll prob end up using them for pencil/pen storage.

I have some more fun vintage finds I plan to share in the week to come

YAY! Tomorrow is Friday!

Until next time Swellions!!

Alexa

Did you know?

If you can't find your cell phone, this web site called Where's My Cell Phone totally bails you out. And it takes seconds... ok, ok, that just sounded like a bad infomercial (on a side note, I saw Mr. T in this informercial the other day...strange but true. He's so out of place). Anyway, yeah, just a few minutes ago I couldn't find my cell, I typed in google "find my cell" and up popped this page. I think it's pretty amazing. They even save babies! I know a lot of you guys have searched forever looking for your phone. Mine, it turns out, was just in my purse. Go figure.

Have a great Thursday!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Refashioned Tie Dye T-shirt necklace

It's not very often that I find time to make a cool tutorial I find online, but I knew when I saw this one on the ISLY blog for a Refashioned t-shirt Jersey Necklace, I just had to make it! Mine is a little different than hers, being that I used an extra large shirt instead of a XXL or XXXL men's shirt. It is just longer and doesn't wrap around as much.

Also, I used a tie dye shirt from work (it's bright and colorful thanks to Tulip® One Step Fashion Dye™. It makes for a nice variation, I think, because the braid looks variegated. Check out her post...there are great photos and instructions...I struggle with sewing and the visuals really helped me understand the process!

I'm happy with how it turned out. Now, to find a shirt to go with it! That's where I struggle, mixing and matching looks to create a whole outfit!

Anyway, here's a closer detail...



Hope you have a great Wednesday!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

5 fun and creative discoveries

This photo and glamourous Derby fascinator from Chamberry Cherry's shop. It makes me want to go to the Kentucky Derby. I lived there for 30 years and never went once, though I did go to Churchill Downs. Woe is me.


DIY Decal Headboards found on Decor 8's blog by Blik.


The Celebrity Junk Drawer artwork of Jason Mecier. Yes, it really is made from personal junk from celebrities. Awesome little vid!


I'm very much intrigued by the texture and imagery in this pretty SEW collage found on Wendy Rago's blog.


This masking tape installation art by Rebecca Ward is so amazing! I wonder how many times she got the tape twisted or stuck to itself! It would be a nightmare project for me!

Hope you enjoyed these fun inspirations!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Fun Thrift find

A few weeks ago, I picked up this little gem at a local thrift store for $3. What a steal, huh? I wanted to give it a good home. Anytime I see a piece that was handmade for someone with such intricate detail, it always saddens me that it is now just discarded in a thrift store pile. I guess it just goes back to how when we pass away how unimportant our possessions are to other people. Kinda sad. I guess, though, it is good for me since I now own it and appreciate it. I love the message and I loved the back of it even more. So sweet.



It was obvious that Lecie meant a lot to Arline and what a thoughtful message to write. I also connected with it, cause she was prob. working on this piece around the time I was born (I was born Oct. 1, 1978).

Here's a closer view of the detail on front.



Hope you have a great Monday!

Until next Swellions!

Alexa

Life thoughts + Scenes from a Messy Studio

I have to admit something. I'm tired. I try to deny this a lot, but my body just won't let it. I came home to take a 2 hour nap tonight and I had nightmares. It wasn't pleasant. I think it was cause I was hot underneath the covers or something. Weirdness.

Anyway, along with this tiredness, I had one of those "Everything is wrong" in my world days. It wasn't that I had a bad work day or anything, I just came home bummed out about stuff. Sometimes I get this way. I guess it is par for the course for being an artist/creative being. I sometimes feel overwhelmed in life. I know I'm not an exclusion to anyone else, but sometimes accomplishing what I want to do creatively, keeping up with social media, keeping commitments, cleaning, finances, getting enough rest, being healthy, nurturing or not nurturing relationships (and thus feeling bad about it) gets me down.

I guess with this in mind, I realize that sometimes things just have to give. That may mean that some parts may have to suffer for my own well-being. For example, if I miss a blog post, it doesn't mean I didn't want to blog that day, I was just unable to do so and I have to take care of me. Admittedly, I don't like letting people down, but I guess I can't let myself down either.

I'm going to keep busting it out/doing things, but I just need to be smarter about it. Maybe that means, I actually make that call and actually hire someone to help me clean/organize my studio or I take photos with my iphone (as you'll see below) instead of having to take good quality shots. I just think for most of us with hectic/crazy lifestyles, there has to be a breaking point where we have those moments and say, "Hey, I gotta shut down the computer and get outside" or "This is the best I can do cause in reality I don't have a twin who can do it for me". I'm not seeking perfection, I never have. I just want to find ways to make things better and easier. If you have suggestions for this, please leave them in the comments section below.

Oh, and here are some photos of things from my studio. I have a lot of cool stuff and it is coming together in there, it's just those fine tune/organization stuff I need help with. I always seem to get to a certain point where it is almost good, and then it becomes a huge mess again. Woe is me.


A little grouping with my Grandmother's Pinkie and Blueboy, a number from Anthropologie, and a melamine plate from Target.


Love this wrapping paper. Want to use it artfully in the room somehow. Also love the spray painted board. I love the look of spray paint.


The orange candy jar that belonged to my Grandmother

Sun print box (a thrift find...love the yellow&orange packaging, a Marilyn print, and a purse I made of a vintage sign in Lexington.


My plastic striped wall organizer with childhood photos and cards.

Anyway, hope you guys have a great end to the week!

Until next time Swellions!!!!

Alexa

I love this idea!

I love this idea from Flickr user MisterBisson. I really inspires me.



It makes me want to do it with some of my cool Fresno photos!

Here's a couple more I took tonight!!









I love taking photos. It's my most favorite thing to do!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

Around Fresno

Yesterday I took a whole bunch of Fresno photos. Some weren't in the best parts of town...ha, I didn't even get out of my car for a couple of the hotel signs, but I'm glad I took them. I LOVE vintage signs. You probably already knew that. There are a lot of great signs around town. It's sad that a lot of the places that accompany those signs are rundown.

I just wanted to share a few of my fun Fresno photos....















I did have an agenda for taking my photos, I used them for my buttons. My buttons have been going over really well. They've sold like 300 at Twee! YAY! They even gave the mayor some and she called to tell Melanie and Patty, my friends and owners of Twee, how much she loved them!



Have a great Wednesday!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa