Nostalgia

When I was a kid I used to watch "Pinwheel," a show on Nickolodeon. I watched faithfully every single day. And now to this day I still remember certain segments and songs...the show had a variety theme in the way that Sesame Street had. One of the segments was about Simon, a little boy who drew things in chalk and they came to life in the Land of Chalk Drawings. He had his friends there and spent a lot of time there. I LOVED that idea as a child. Especially because I loved to draw so much. I find the idea endearing even today. Here's a You Tube showing below. (It's told like a story to children.) love it! Happy Friday!

Thinking.

There's something about vintage items that are so inspirational for me! I loved this lamp that was in our room at The Whitehall Inn in Camden , ME over labor day week. Happy Wednesday! It's been a busy week so far. I find that the months of the holidays are always the busiest. Or at least it feels that way. With it brings plotting and planning for what the new year will bring. I have spent the past several weeks observing and studying what is going on out there in the world of letterpress. Part of it is for inspiration. But mostly, it's for the purposes of seeing what is out there so that I don't copy anything. There is so much out there that is similar to each other! I really want my work to be different in some way and I just have to figure out what that means. I still have a bunch of accessories to get in order to get my press in working order. I'm shooting for some time in the first quarter of the new year to have a letterpressed card or two up for sale in my etsy shop. I'm slowly acquiring everything I need, but it takes time financially to make that happen. I have to say I'm pretty exhausted from scouring the internet as I study different letterpress boutiques and shops. I think it's finally time for phase 2 now that the research (phase 1) is over. It's time to start working and brainstorming and designing. Time to figure out what works and what feels right. I need to determine my brand and what I want to be. This all takes time and consideration. I also have to start bringing some of my card and stationery ideas to life through actually designing them (instead of leaving sketches sitting in my sketchpad). I want my work to feel new and different; and that's going to be quite hard! So much of the work already out there and done by others is so great! But I'll get there. It's a process and there's no point to rushing! I need to remember that this is supposed to be a fun side project. No pressure!!! (The go-getter in me has a hard time with that sometimes). Enjoy your days!!!

Missing Summer

Don't you just love this shade of green? Things are very busy here at Megan creates...
and it's getting cozy with the cold weather! But I miss those warm summer breezes.

The Cheese Stands Alone

Well, it was an interesting visit yesterday! From the testing, he says my body does not agree with Aluminum, Wheat, or Dairy. I guess aluminum is everywhere and can't be avoided, but I CAN change my deodorant (contains high aluminum) and I can avoid processed foods with food coloring (lots of aluminum in food colorings). The wheat and dairy thing is rough. It's ALL I eat!!! Perhaps that's the problem, but STILL! No more cereal with milk. No more cheese. Cheese is what makes my food-world spin! No more wheat pasta. No more tomato-soup suprise (the tons of garlic I like to add is the suprise for my husband...hee hee) *sigh* I'm supposed to eat lots of chicken, lean beef, vegetables, and fruit. And that's about it. I'm cutting out things that aren't whole food (except my maple and brown sugar Quaker Oat Meal in the morning). I hope this makes me feel better. Changing my entire food life is going to be a big undertaking. But I have to do it. I'm GOING to do it. I want so badly to feel better and to have my hives be gone (see post below). And if this might help, than so help me, I will eat grass only if it means better health. We're off to the grocery store tonight to explore and look at the gluten-free aisle and check out all the special foods I actually might be able to consume. It's a great opportunity to find new recipes that are healthy and will restore my body. I'm on the road to having energy! I think this might be a bumpy ride.

A new day?

Good morning all! Geez it's cold out. Been keeping very busy here in my home office; designing patterns and concepting for my future line of high-end stationery. I've also been pretty busy with my corporate clients and that makes me happy! I've been freelancing now since March; so that's 8 months. I'm grateful I haven't had to take on an extra job yet to make ends meet. It's all too common; so I'll knock on wood now. Ok. Done.
Anyway, I have an appt. today with my chiropractor who is going to do Nutrition Response Testing (tm) on me. I've had to fill out a ginormous health questionaire and plot my answers in a graph (it took my back to grade school let me tell you). I've also had to keep a food diary. It ain't pretty. It's hard to look at what you've eaten in a week and realize how crappy it looks on paper. I thought I was more balanced, but I can see differently. Anyway, Dr. Kowalik will look at the chart and my answers, etc. and do an analysis through testing my neurological reflexes and acupuncture points. It finds energy or lack thereof. Then, it is determined what my body needs and how to meet that need. Why all of this? Well, I've suffered from pressure hives for over 6 years now (almost 7) where my body is covered with hives wherever there was a bit of pressure on my skin. There is no treatment and no cure. Just constant itching. As a side effect, it causes fatigue and painful joints. So, it seems that everything I do causes pain and itching. If I carry a heavy bag, wear clothing, sit, stand for a while, do any manual labor...all equals hives. I feel like I need to live suspended in a pool of water (too bad the goggles would give me hives on my face as would the bathing suit give me hives on my body). It's frustrating. There are good days and bad days. Some so bad I can't move. Some days where I feel so sorry for myself I wonder how I can go on. Where the itching is so bad I will scratch through my skin all over. No creams help the itch. Nothing helps the itch. And believe me, I've tried absolutely everything over the years.
Other days I'm grateful that it's not something worse. I'm grateful it's not terminal. They say these hives can last as long as 50 years. But they can also disappear in 9. I'm hoping for the earliest possible date...when they will just up and disappear with no explanation. Just they way they came in the first place. So keep your fingers crossed for me today! Maybe with a complete alteration of my diet I will be able to heal my body. I know it won't be an overnight thing, but hope is what keeps me going day in and day out. I will post later on what was said, and we'll see if any discoveries are made today that might help me. (In the meantime, I will not cross my legs, carry heavy bags, or sit on hard surfaces).
Have a great day all; I hope it is a good one!

Back!

Hello! We're back from our trip to Washington DC. I truly enjoyed seeing everything. I've never walked so far and for so long in my life!!! I took a zillion photos and posted just a few of my favorites on my flickr site. A few are, of course, here as well. The Holocaust Museum was a highlight as well as the Vietnam Memorial (my Dad fought in the war, so it was a must-see). I loved the American Museum of Art and Portraiture as well. That had all the Presidential portraits from Washington to now. Amazing! We had a great time taking in all the history and learning. The area is so rich with our culture and so heavy with burden. Everywhere we went had a tinge of sadness and loss to it; everything seemed to be a memorial or a rememberance of some kind. The place definitely makes you think, that's for sure. The Museum of American History is closed until 2008, so I didn't get to see all the cool memorabilia from pop culture; so we'll have to go back then. Now, I'm just trying to get back into the swing of things here at home as I fight off a head cold. Good times! Time to get geared up for the holidays! I don't want to wait until the last minute like I usually do. Hope everyone is well today!

Happy Tuesday!

Not much new going on today. Been doing some work for a client and I also just finished this silo portrait commission. It was fun to work on. In travel news, we're going to DC soon for several days to see the sights and visit fam and friends...I've never been there! There's so much I want to see and am very excited. I'll be sure to post my favorite things when I return. For a fun link, here's a blog from a friend of a friend. He posts a photo and entry EVERY single day...and has been doing it for many years. I learned of the blog through former cooworkers who had worked with him once upon a time. And the chain grows on. Happy Tuesday!

Pearl is here!

We picked up my letterpress today!!! A huge thanks to my brother, J., for coming down from Maine to help move it. Couldn't have done it without him! And a special thanks to my husband for nearly breaking his back trying to bring it in, and then toiling for a while putting it all back together again. He's such a trooper and a sweetie!!! I appreciate it soooo very much, Thank you both! She's a "Pearl Improved Number 11" and she's got all her working parts. I have a lot to learn and am so excited to get started. She's in our basement in my little corner for "messy art things..." (You know, the stuff you don't want to ruin your floor with, so you use it somewhere "safe.") We all got pretty greasy with all the oiled parts when we were moving her in and putting her together, but we had our "work clothes" on so no damage done. Chris made sure to get a photo of me with her...our first portrait. It's the beginning of a beautiful friendship! And I promise to take good care of her. Hope everyone is doing well and happy weekend!!

Happy Anniversary!

(Photos all by Michele Stapleton...a glorious photographer. She's got 2 sites...www.michelestapleton.com and www.maineweddingphotographer.com)
Wow. This Sunday marks our 1 year wedding anniversary. A year ago that day we stood in an old, warm church filled with character and love and exchanged our vows in front of our closest friends and family...and it has been bliss ever since. It rained and rained and rained and caused flooding all that following week. I love you Chris! This is just the beginning; our story is beginning to unfold.

Oh boy!

(Image shown is from Briar Press's website...has a great online museum!) I'm very excited today because tomorrow we are picking up my antique letterpress! It's a "Pearl Improved Number 11" and is full of character and history. She's a beaut! It will be a while still before I get to print with her since I still need to get some starter accessories, but it won't be long now! The man who sold her to me is soooo nice. And he's taken such good care of her. He spent several hours with me teaching me how to use it...which was just so nice...I feel like this important baton has been handed to me and now it's up to me to carry on the tradition and add to the history of this press. I have a lot to learn but have found the people in the letterpress community to be so nice and welcoming and helpful! Anyway, I look forward to getting to know "Pearl" and I hope she likes me. I promise to take good care of her.
And I've got lots of good arty ideas in the works and am just itching to start cranking them out. All in due time!

Where to now?

Do you ever find yourself sitting there and wondering "what next?" That's how I feel right now. I'm in the middle of figuring out exactly what I want out of my career and what it is I want to spend my time focusing on. I'm having a hard time deciding which thing I want to focus on and that ends up confusing me; thus DE-motivating me. It's this stupid endless cycle of planning and thinking...thinking and planning. Yet I can't motivate myself to move forward and get into action. I know it's because I take it all too seriously. My Dad would probably tell me "Lighten up Louise!" And it's true. Anyway, I think I'm finally coming to some conclusions that will guide me through at least the near future and that's all I can ask, right? But don't get me wrong; I'm not melancholy about this. I'm just........quiet. Hopeful. Eager. I'm glad I do have a bit of design work for clients that helps keep my mind busy when I get tired of thinking and thinking and thinking.

On another note, my 10 year high school reunion was this past weekend. I have to say I'm glad I went. I ended up having a lot of fun and saw a lot of people I wanted to see again. It felt warm. It felt weird. But it felt happy. And then I blinked and it was all over...so quick! But I'm relieved it's over with now. (I didn't LOVE high school. I was just sort of going through the motions while I counted down the days until I could move to the next step and just sort of coasted along as if in a blur). There were many amusing people and some people haven't seemed to change a bit (for the worse). Such is the way of life I guess. All I can say to sum it up is it was weird and fun. So, where to now???? What next???? And so it goes..... (feel free to share any of your own reunion stories or career ponderings)

New Cards!

My new cards are for sale on my etsy shop!
Both are hand screen printed and drawn by me. Limited edition!
It's another beautiful sunny day outside today here. Hope all is well for everyone!

Happy Fall!

Hello All! Well, fall is really here. I mourn the summer, but fall is always so invigorating and refreshing. Been working on freelance work and gocco stuff on the career front. Here is my gocco project in progress. Hopefully soon I will make an announcement for when it is on sale at my esty shop.


Chris and I went apple picking this weekend. View my favorite photos here. It felt nice to be out in the fresh air and sunshine...a busy work week lies ahead complete with my 10 year high school reunion on Saturday. eek.
Ok. Off to get some work done!!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my amazingly wonderful husband! To another year of fun and love.
You are my light.

Back!

We're back from our trip; it was great! We drove up Route 1 through Maine to see the little sea-side towns and ended the journey at Bar Harbor where we got married last year. It was wild being back there...our last memories were of the wedding and all our friends and family. We were very nostalgic about it all. We had fun hiking and sitting by the water and wandering around. I got to take tons of fun photos and uploaded just a few favorites to my flickr site. We even got to see Little Miss Sunshine during a rainy evening. I LOVED it. I found it so touching and hilarious. Anyway, the inspiration was endless all over that little town! I highly recommend the trip to anyone looking for relaxation and eye candy. I'm back to freelancing in the city the rest of this week. I'm hoping to do my first gocco work soon! Free chunks of time have been hard to come by lately; but I'm definitely not complaining! Happy week to all!

Gocco!

I got my Print Gocco in the mail yesterday!!!!! I'm so excited. I can't wait to try it out! It will be a while yet as I am working on-site for a client and then I'll be away for a few days; then back on-site for the client again. As soon as I get a free chance I will dig in! It is sitting in the box on the floor next to me...taunting me to come play. tempting....so tempting!
Hopefully in another 2 weeks or so. (sheesh) In the meantime, I've been brainstorming and planning some very fun card designs! I've finally found a favorite design that I'm proud of; so I'm going to try my best with it.
A lot of work and thought goes in before I even get to the print stage; so that's what I've been working on while on the train and during my evenings. It's so fun! My plan is to put the cards up for sale on my etsy shop once they are complete; and of course put them up here on my blog for all to see. good times. *yawn* I'm going to bed!!

Polaroid!

I got my simple Polaroid in the mail on Friday! These are a few of the photos I took...the chandelier was my first ever Polaroid experience. As you see, I even tried 2 self-portraits. I love watching them develop! It's fun not knowing exactly how the photo is going to look. It's going to be fun using this camera to change up the digital "norm" that I'm in. Nice to mix it up once in a while! I'd love to experiment with a Holga camera...but I think I might wait a little while. I can only have so many goals/interests with my art before I become overloaded and would rather take a nap!

Arty excitement!!

I'm so excited! I won a Print Gocco machine auction on ebay. I cannot wait to receive it. Now I can do small print runs by hand for new greeting card designs! I love the quality of how gocco prints come out. So textured and pretty. *sigh* I have a million ideas for cards; so I just have to find that one special one to start working on and setting up. Oh, why can't it be here NOW! :)
And in other arty excitement I am going to start getting into Polaroid photo-taking again. I love the arty look to the photos that can only be done on polaroid. And it is the perfect medium for snapping interesting every day objects and shapes. A unique way of looking at the world and noticing every day beauty. They aren't meant for landscapes or for macro shots (that is saved for the digital camera). But it IS fun for spontaneous self portraits and for taking shots of signs and other cool things that inspire. I'll post them to my flickr site when I get some good ones. Yay again!
As for this weekend; we have the Patriots pre-season game on Saturday night to go to. It will be fun to tailgate and game-watch when it's not 25 degrees outside. Go Pats!

Flight of the Bumblebee

Last weekend we took a drive into Concord to see the downtown shopping area for the first time and to wander around part of Minuteman National Park. We had so much fun! There are so many little boutiques and antique stores all along several blocks. Lots of restaurants too. I loved it. We even found a great wine shop and a cheese store! And it only took 15 minutes to get there so I'm excited to have a new place to shop. The national park was beautiful. It's amazing to think of H.D. Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorn walking those same paths. What's more amazing is realizing the most important part of our Nation's history happened there. I took the posted photo trying to do a macro view of the flower and a bee flew in just as I took the shot. It startled me and I yelped! When I took a look to see the shot, I realized I'd inadvertantly gotten the bee in there! Kind of fun, though startling at macro view. Alienlike to say the least. At some point soon I will be posting some of my favorite photos of the excursion to my flickr site. (link is in my right list of web links)

flower sunset straight

flower sunset straight
Originally uploaded by mlcassid.

Summer is going to be over before we know it! This pic will keep summer here online when the first snow of the year falls.