my birds

I've been volunteering my time on Saturday mornings working with children creating art. Being around creativity has always been infective, but there is something about a child discovering their artistic abilities. It makes my heart happy to see the pride that comes over their faces as they present their finished project to their parent or friend. It's magical.

These birds I created are inspired by them. Also they are inspired by the muse I have found once again but this time it takes the form from a positive force coming from within.

clutter pains, the glimmer of hope that is DIY and my savior, Peter Walsh

The days are slow at work and I've been turning my creative wheels by crusin' the www in search of anything and everything to make my new apartment feel like an uncramped savvy home. After 6 years of living in various places that were at least double the size of my current space, I've found I have a lot of stuff that I've been storing away and not dealing with. I won't stop my search until I've found DIY ideas and advice on how to organize, snaze and declutter my new apartment space. With a limited budget and space plus a mountain of possible supplies already residing in-home, I'm gathering every resource possible to ease my anxiety and make my living a little more DIY my style.

My coach and spiritual supporter:Peter Walsh
Walsh encourages me to purge purge purge! Don't keep those 10 balls of yarn that have been sitting in my storage bin for the past 3 years that "someday" I will knit something out of. How many boring photos of your family vacation from when you were 5 do you really need?



I've been wanting to live a simpler and less full of stuff life. Walsh has really been an encouraging voice in this process. He makes sense. I want to know why I'm attached to my stuff and what I should get rid of. Walsh has the answers.

My do-anything-with-everything creative inspirer:Ready Made magazine
As if scrambling to keep the stuff, Peter tells me I should be purging, I'm scouring the pages of Ready Made to find creative ways to make those old photos into useful decor. Maybe I can make a much needed plant hanger quickly out of that yarn?



The reason I love this magazine is because it has clever ideas on how to make the coolest things out of stuff you would never think of. My one gripe is that often instead of telling you to salvage or going out to your local reusable home building materials company, they encourage you to go out and buy new wood and supplies at your local hardware store. Ready Made is inspiring. They always have at least one project that I would definitely make (using flat tennis balls for a herb potter) and tons of really great home tips (ie: using crushed aspirin to get out under arm sweat stains).

Being so inspired, I've already used old books, magazines and record covers to make decoupaged bird silhouettes (photos coming soon) to hang above my bed.



Tonight I'm going salvaging for old drawers to make really snazzy bookshelves.



Then instead of wearing that flair of band buttons to clutter up my hoodie, I'm going to use them to make a much needed place to hang my necklaces while decoring up the bathroom.

Inspired by the Salvage Sisters, I'm now on a mission to make my bleak room fixture into something cute and colorful. Plus I want to find a full length mirror which I can decoupage the frame and hook over the back of my door. Figure out how to make my own night light or make a cheap one more my style. Meanwhile, not purchasing more clutter that will sit for years in space that doesn't exist and organize the existing stuff to be functional or stored cleverly.

I'm on DIY overload and the creative juices are flowing. I hope to inspire you to declutter and create your own clever home decor.

Other note worthy www's to cruise:
Apartment Therapy
Instructables
DIY Network

Seahorse

"Seahorse" is a song by Devendra Banhart.

(staring thirty in the face)

It wasn't suppose to be
like this
I was not suppose to be
staring thirty in the face
and single

what went wrong?

there is no husband
only my overly fluffy blanket
to warm me
to comfort me

there are no children
only my cuddly kitty
to love me unconditionally

there is no career
only my job
to have the freedom
to do what I please

what went right.

there are friends
who lift me up
when the sea
threatens to drown me

there is freedom
to make new dreams
new plans
to not have my life
revolve around anyone
other than me

it wasn't suppose to be
like this
I was not suppose to be
staring thirty in the face
and thinking
my life has only
just begun

(a time all my own)

A copy of Persuasion
some mellow non-distracting tunes
a fear of sneaky spiders
boxes unpacked
fuzzy furry boots
Nebraksa red men's sweat pants
matched with a pink hooded Jem sweatshirt
Poems to be read
Poems to be written
songs to be played
a song is playing
a half eaten bag of chips
the sun and the moon
a soft couch that supports my back
Legs curled up to make a desk
rolls of wrapping paper
mostly drunk bottles of liquor
the clink of kitty's collar on her bowl
Alice in Kitchenland
the flopped over aloe
urges to draw
fears to follow through
red man stuck with knives
couches from the 70s
pink from the tweens
easy to talk to some
harder to speak to others
days & nights
ocean waves & tides
unnecessary calls
skip a beat
rhetorical listening print
a single lonely paperclip

(the crazed mixed up girl)

sitting in the back of the bus
deep in thought
fervently writing
and reading poetry
in her own world
processing through
with her blue headphones
and patterned tote bag