Russian Nesting Dolls

I always seem to get into things right before they become a big trend. Maybe I should have been a "trend forecaster" like my friend Kiki. Maybe I'm connected to the strings that tie our global cultures together by some ethereal goop. Maybe not.

One of the trends that I am seeing more and more of that I absolutely love and adore are the Russian nesting dolls (sometimes called stacking dolls, babushka dolls or matryoshka dolls). Whatever you call them, they are fun to play with and as cute as a button!

Aside from the traditional stacking dolls, they have started popping up in many forms: magnets, stamps, pillows, textile patterns, measuring cups, jewelry, and more. Check out some of the ones I have and other that are on my wish list...(in order of appearance: stamps, costmetics bag, pillows, bedspread, bitchin' tattoo, white measuring cups, pendant, christmas tree ornaments).

Prickly Stickly!

A couple of my lady friends, April and Lorey, invited me on an adventure to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens to enjoy the beautiful weather and sights on the afternoon of my birthday. My younger students (Kindergarten-2nd graders) have been working on chalk pastel cactus drawings for a couple of weeks, so I was inspired to take a few pictures of cactus plants and other plants in the succulent family to share with them. I decided to share them with you guys too!

I have also been taking my own personal inventory of which cactus plants and succulents are my favorites because I am in the process of leveling out some ground in my back yard to build a patio and I wanted to incorporate some into the design. (Check out the funky "coral aloe" plant below).

Aw, Honey Honey!

I subscribe to an email group for my neighborhood association. It's great, because it keeps me up to date on the "happs" going on in our community. Recently, one of the families down the street posted that they had raided their backyard bee hives and harvested 26 pint jars full of the deliciously ooey-gooey stuff! I swung by on my way home from work the other day and picked up a few jars. Verdict? Yummy indeed! (I tasted is with a spoonful of peanut butter). :)

Pam, the mom of the bee family, has her own blog if you want to check it out...Pamela's Kitchen.

Kali's Tea Time T-Shirt!

I bought this super duper mega awesome t-shirt last week from threadless. It is a funky rendition of Hindu goddess Kali. Look at all of the silly things she is holding/dooing with her many arms. My favorites are the viewfinder and bouncy ball with racket! Even better, it's on sale!

I have been anxciously peeking out the window each afternoon, hoping the mail-lady is bringing this special treat for me to unwrap and wear! Hopefully I will get it by Saturday so I can don it for my birthday celebration!

Kitchen Cabinet Re-do

This weekend, my boyfriend and I turned a cluttered and non user-friendly kitchen cabinet into an organizational freak's dream cabinet. I bought two of these elfa slide out kitchen cabinet basket/drawers from "the container store" and was able to get them on sale. Woot!

Go the container store's website and check out all of their wonderful products! They make me swoon! Right now they are having a sale on office organizational stuffs.

Happy Birthday to...ME!

Today I turn 29! Yep, you heard me...one away from 30. Ain't holding me back; don't you worry!

Celebrations en mass will be held this weekend. Indian food and surf rock will be involed. Tonight I am celebrating with my honey by devouring delicious greek eats at Dodiyo's. So good!

Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to give a shout out here to two of my favorite African American Artists...Radcliffe Bailey and Kara Walker. I learned about both of these fascinating artists in college.

I actually got the spectacular experience of meeting Mr. Radcliffe Bailey at one of his gallery openings in Atlanta, GA (where I timidly asked him about his opinions on the "black aesthetic" and excidetedly inquired about his personal ties to his artwork and his genius layering system). He said that he often gets attached to his work (as I am sure any artist could relate) and so he had to come up with a way to "know when to stop." He decided that after 7 layers, his paintings would be finished. Bailey often combines imagery and text from African and African American culture with paintings and sculptural assemblages.

Kara walker uses the simple contrast of black on white sillhouettes to make often controversial yet undeniably beautiful scenes that depict real and imaged happenings of the old slave days and plantation times. Awe inspriring I would say!