I've been seriously MIA to be exact. I haven't blogged in almost an entire month! It seems like ever since we returned from California, I've been swamped. When I'm not busy, I'm distracted. When I'm not distracted, I'm miserably hot and not sleeping well. On most days, I have that overwhelming feeling of not knowing where to start. Lastnight (while being awake for almost 2 hours in the middle of the night) I promised myself I would blog today!
While en route to California, you all know that I discovered Instagram and fell, well instantly, in love. If only they would make an action set for Photoshop and let you save full res images, but I am digressing...While I was away, I took pictures of the Pacific whenever I could and created a little Insta-set of ocean images. Today I grabbed some of my favorites and made a collage of them. Even better, I added a limited edition of this print to my Etsy shop! It measure 18"x12" and looks like this (the final print does not have my logo on it by the way). It's printed onto a lightly textured, matte watercolor paper.
Whenever I get off track and start floundering, I just have to thrust myself back into my routines and it tends to be the best medicine. Making art is one of the very best things for my head. So, despite my restless night, I am happy to be making some new art today and to be here blogging about it. Hi friends, I missed you.
While en route to California, you all know that I discovered Instagram and fell, well instantly, in love. If only they would make an action set for Photoshop and let you save full res images, but I am digressing...While I was away, I took pictures of the Pacific whenever I could and created a little Insta-set of ocean images. Today I grabbed some of my favorites and made a collage of them. Even better, I added a limited edition of this print to my Etsy shop! It measure 18"x12" and looks like this (the final print does not have my logo on it by the way). It's printed onto a lightly textured, matte watercolor paper.
Whenever I get off track and start floundering, I just have to thrust myself back into my routines and it tends to be the best medicine. Making art is one of the very best things for my head. So, despite my restless night, I am happy to be making some new art today and to be here blogging about it. Hi friends, I missed you.
I also added created single enlargements from my Insta-set and am going to make some card sets too. That will be posted later next week when they are ready. I also added this image to my Etsy shop because it so perfectly illustrates how I'm feeling at the moment.
I've been thinking about Santa Barbara a lot too. I really need to remove SB from my iPhone weather app because seeing that it is 59 degrees there right now while it's 93 here is just plain depressing. I did go through my images from our trip again and found a few little gems that never got posted.
This next one of Sayer is just pure joy. He was waiting for the jet of water to spray out. It would spray and he and Finn would run away screaming only to come back and wait for it again. Simple pleasures...
This is the trail leading from Knapp's Castle. I think I blogged about Knapp's a few summers ago...I'm going to need to check on that because it's a very cool place. I just love how this trail bends around and send you through this little cave of trees and out into the great wide open on the other side.
I've been thinking about Santa Barbara a lot too. I really need to remove SB from my iPhone weather app because seeing that it is 59 degrees there right now while it's 93 here is just plain depressing. I did go through my images from our trip again and found a few little gems that never got posted.This next one of Sayer is just pure joy. He was waiting for the jet of water to spray out. It would spray and he and Finn would run away screaming only to come back and wait for it again. Simple pleasures...This is the trail leading from Knapp's Castle. I think I blogged about Knapp's a few summers ago...I'm going to need to check on that because it's a very cool place. I just love how this trail bends around and send you through this little cave of trees and out into the great wide open on the other side.
cheryl says:
welcome back! fun photos as always. love the collage.
(09.02.11 @ 08:30 PM)
Rachel Lillie says:
so glad to have another post, I love the pictures of Sayer. He just steals my heart
(09.06.11 @ 09:25 AM)
We are at the beach almost every day. It's not a hot, sticky, sweaty beach either. It's the beach where sometimes need to wear a sweater. I love the beaches here at sunset. Everything gets this silvery blue glow with accents of pink and brilliant orange. The pelicans fly by in groups close to the water, almost skimming the surface.
We collect rocks, feathers, driftwood and shells. The boys collect sand crabs, throw sand, jump waves and build castles. You can see seals and dolphins just past the waves.
No matter how cold I think the water is, the boys don't seem to mind. They run right in only complaining of the cold when we have to drag them back to car against their will to go home. Pretty much the only way to get them off the beach is to entice them with promises of ice cream or the hot tub back at the house.
In the morning, on most days, the beach is foggy. I can see it from my window in the morning. It makes me happy to wake up in the morning with the door open and a chill in the air.
The picture on the left was taken tonight at Hendry's beach. Tonight as we loaded up the car I looked at the floorboards and wondered if I'll ever get all the sand out of my car. To be honest, I'm not sure I want to.
Rachel says:
such a beautiful post Farrrah, I especially love the one of Finny running into the water.
(08.08.11 @ 10:17 AM)
There is a farmer's market 6 days a week. It might be in Santa Barbara or down the street in Montecito or up north in Goleta but it's never far and the food is always amazing.
It makes me wish I were a better cook. I wish I knew all the possibilities for heirloom tomatoes! And what in the world do you do with squash blossoms?
I can say, with complete confidence, that the strawberries here are completely different than the ones in Houston. There's no comparison and Harry's Berries top the list here. They're like candy.
The real highlights from the market and the things we all love and remember when we're not here...the honey sticks and comb honey from San Marcos Farms, Blackberries, blueberries, golden raspberries, gaviota strawberries from Harry's Berries, fresh baguettes, artisan cheeses, yum!
The ocean is different every day. It's one of my favorite things about this place and about the coast in general. You never know if it's going to be foggy or clear, cold or warm, rough or smooth. The colors change from day to day. The sand changes too. Every sunset seems a little bit unique. The moon, of course, adds to the excitement.
I have an 180 degree view of the ocean from our backyard and everyday it greets me fresh with a new combination of variables. I can see it out of the window from my bed and it's the first thing I look at when I open my eyes. The second is my 8 year old, who has snuck in somewhere around 4 am and is cuddled up next to me. The 8 year old is a magnificent view too and, between the two, it is the very best way to start my day.
I am working on a collection of Instagram photos of the ocean. I am trying to take one every day. These are a few of my favorites so far. If you are following me on Facebook and Instagram then you may have seen these already. If not, I hope that you will! If you are an iPhone person and love photography, you definitely need to download the free Instagram app. It's awesome! By the way, instagram, if you're listening, you need to bundle together your image effects and sell a CD of action presets for photoshop. I'll be first in line to buy them!
I have an 180 degree view of the ocean from our backyard and everyday it greets me fresh with a new combination of variables. I can see it out of the window from my bed and it's the first thing I look at when I open my eyes. The second is my 8 year old, who has snuck in somewhere around 4 am and is cuddled up next to me. The 8 year old is a magnificent view too and, between the two, it is the very best way to start my day.
I am working on a collection of Instagram photos of the ocean. I am trying to take one every day. These are a few of my favorites so far. If you are following me on Facebook and Instagram then you may have seen these already. If not, I hope that you will! If you are an iPhone person and love photography, you definitely need to download the free Instagram app. It's awesome! By the way, instagram, if you're listening, you need to bundle together your image effects and sell a CD of action presets for photoshop. I'll be first in line to buy them!
karey miller says:
Love the shadow photo. I'm so jealous.... you are in my backyard! Enjoy... it's 105 here!
(07.25.11 @ 07:44 AM)
He was saying to Finn, "you know, I could just do this all day" to which Finn replied with peaked interest, "what are you doing?!".
I love that he could do that all day. He was picking tiny creatures out of the kelp. He showed us a leaf with eggs on it, tiny crabs, krill and a baby nudibranch! We'd seen a nudibranch on the Discovery channel but not in real life and not under a microscope.
It's days like this that reaffirm in my mind why we take this trip. Where else would we see a baby nudibranch?! I love that the boys get to see someone so passionate about picking things off of leaves of kelp. I love that they get to join in. You never know where or when that spark of interest will be lit. I've heard scientists and artists interviewed and recounting when they first found their passion and often it's in tiny moments like this.
(taken at the Ty Warner Sea Center in Santa Barbara)
I love that he could do that all day. He was picking tiny creatures out of the kelp. He showed us a leaf with eggs on it, tiny crabs, krill and a baby nudibranch! We'd seen a nudibranch on the Discovery channel but not in real life and not under a microscope.
It's days like this that reaffirm in my mind why we take this trip. Where else would we see a baby nudibranch?! I love that the boys get to see someone so passionate about picking things off of leaves of kelp. I love that they get to join in. You never know where or when that spark of interest will be lit. I've heard scientists and artists interviewed and recounting when they first found their passion and often it's in tiny moments like this.
(taken at the Ty Warner Sea Center in Santa Barbara)
mia says:
so cool!
(07.23.11 @ 04:13 PM)
Anonymous says:
In love with this
(07.26.11 @ 07:56 PM)