Challenge Accepted

Maybe you can relate to this: Despite how much you want something, or crave a certain life or ability, or the time to sit down and work on a particular project, you often feel like you're in over your head and quit before you start. You'll never write a book, or be a painter, or take beautiful photographs, or be a designer, or a baker, or a blogger. You'll be mediocre-at-best, so why bother trying?

That's how I feel quite often, and have for a long time. I bring this up, not for validation, but because this seems to be a trend in the blog-o-sphere this week: talking about doing/making/being something, but never actually doing anything to make it happen. And I am here to say: it's time to put this trend to rest.

This past weekend, my friend Shannon tackled a massive purge, ridding herself of objects and things that continually remind her that she isn't in a position to make her home exactly how she envisions it; "stuff" that she's accumulated with the idea of wanting/using/needing them someday, in the future, perhaps. I related to this problem immediately. When you're faced with tons of stuff (knick-knacks, artwork, frames, decorations, etc.) and you start to feel overwhelmed, you can do one of two things: use them, or get rid of them. I greatly admire her ability to say "You know what? Enough is enough. Most of this stuff is crap, and I don't need it weighing me down or sitting around taunting me because I have no place or use for it yet. There will always be beautiful things to acquire—when I'm ready."

This was Stop #1 on the 'Stop Being So Lazy and Quit Procrastinating' train. Then, this morning—as I made my way through my daily blogroll—I came across this, via Young House Love:

Sherry (the female half of YHL) and her friend-bloggers Emily, Lana and Katie challenged their corner of the Web to finally do something about all of those pictures that they are drooling over and collecting via their Pinterest pages. More specifically, I viewed it as a personal challenge to me and my Pinterest page.

OK, so I may not be able to take a trip to Neuschwanstein Castle or plan a wedding anytime soon, but there are more than enough DIY craft projects and recipes that's I've "pinned" to tackle in the short term. Which is exactly what I plan on doing. This week. Tonight, even.

The challenge is simple: Each week, between Tuesday and the following Tuesday, tackle at least one "pin" on your Pinterest page and share it—no matter how it turns out—with the world, or (in my case) the six of you reading this.

Making an ornament or a pie is a far cry from actually sitting down and writing that novel that's been brewing for five years and counting, but it's a start. It's a matter of knowing how it feels to complete something, and how exciting it can be to enter into projects with excitement and motivation rather than apprehension and self-criticism. It's already close to August, but if this were January 1st, you could think of this as my New Year's Resolution.

How about you, fellow blog readers? Anyone been eyeing a certain project or recipe or book or something else that you just "haven't had the time" to tackle? Let me know if you suffer from this same to-do list apathy, or have you always done projects the moment they come to mind? I'd love to see photos or hear your stories—good or bad.


*Images: 1) via Free-Photos, 2) via Young House Love

I Left My Heart In Coastal California

Moonstone Beach, Westhaven, California

If I could, I would do nothing but travel. Travel, but not necessarily do anything. To not be tied down to any one place, job, or duty and to start each morning with a calm lightness that only comes when you have no obligations to attend to that day is how I want to live. Freedom to move or simply sit still for a while. Though they may not be "fun," I think the most necessary vacations are the ones where, when you return and are asked "What did you do?", you can say with a smile: "Nothing. I did absolutely nothing."

My trip to Arcata, California this weekend was hardly uneventful, and I certainly didn't do nothing. But I did get the chance to relax without dogs and without work sucking up my energy. I woke on my own time, still at a reasonable hour and with a good amount of energy. My breakfasts were simple—just an egg, toast and tea—yet I was satisfied. I lived five days in lounge-y tunics and leggings. I took naps. Most importantly, I had good conversations with good friends.

D-man and K-meister at Moonstone Beach

Though I worried about feeling like a third-wheel to my friends Daniel and Killian's sweet love cuddlin', I didn't at all. They deserve some sort of medal for listening to me talk so much, and for taking in stride their few moments of real privacy.

Daniel's parents deserve equal recognition for putting up with me—basically a very loud, friendly stranger. But they were lovely and inclusive and so, so generous. I love visiting the childhood homes of my truest and dearest; though I am in constant fear of over-staying my welcome, I've always felt comfortable enough to stay forever. I hope when I'm a parent, my children's friends will view my home that way.

When you happen to be a guest in someone else's house (particularly a 'someone' that you don't know well), it definitely helps discourage lazy lounging in front of the television or computer, or over-eating out of the refrigerator. And when you're with friends, you can end up focusing more on conversation rather than mindless entertainment.

No movies, no television, no vegging, and minimal internet time. Instead, there were farmer's markets and used bookstores.

Those would be photos of goods from the Arcata Farmer's Market (surprisingly large for a town so small) and Tin Can Mailman Used Bookstore, my absolute favorite bookstore. Everything is used, they have books in every genre, and you can bring in your old books to get cash or store credit. I have a huge box of books at home in the Bay Area just waiting for the chance to travel up the coast and find a temporary home on Tin Can's shelves.  Someday soon, hopefully...

If Arcata was less than five and a half hours away from the nearest major airport (that would be San Fransisco International), I would move there. Right now. Of course, my fantasies of living in Arcata are only slightly less or equal to my dreams of living on the coast of Ireland in a castle and speaking Gaelic to locals! It's really fun and therapeutic to think about, but I wonder if a life so remote is really the life for me.

I don't think I've quite figured it out yet.

Until then, it's fun to dream of a quieter, slower-paced life. One where you raise a family on local food, camp at local parks, and visit local beaches. Also, caves at local beaches.

In addition to our drive down the Lost Coast, a scenic highlight of the trip (for me) was going 15 minutes north of Arcata to Moonstone Beach in Westhaven. California beaches are interesting creatures; unless you're in San Diego, you'll be hard-pressed to find water along the coastline that anyone would consider "warm." Unlike the rocky, driftwood beaches of Washington or the warm, wide beaches of Hawai'i, California is edged with dramatic cliff-faces and secluded slivers of soft, spongy sand. They are rustic with a tint of gray from foggy skies and boulders that creep slowly toward the ocean. They are dangerous and boisterous and grand.

We three are pretty in love with this beach.

Getting back into the swing of things is always difficult after returning from a relaxing vacation. Road trips are always preferable to trips that involve airplanes, because there aren't usually time limits to stress about. After lots of driving, and missing Jon and my furry kids an awful lot, I'm happy to return to my life among the cloudy bustle of Seattle. And even though it's been a long time since I've been in a driver's seat for a 21+ hour road trip, it was all worth it to be back home in California again.

*All images property of The Sleepy Peach

The Lost Coast

If you've spent any time with me in the last three years, you know that one of my favorite places on earth is the northern coast of California. I'm currently there now, wrapping up my vacation in a rather unexpected-yet-personally-therapeutic spot: Arcata, Humboldt County.

As usual, my trip has been exceptionally relaxing and I am already looking forward to my next time back. I visited twice during the summer of 2008—at the request of my dearest college friend, Alex, and her amazing family—and have yet to visit a place that better compliments my love for forests, small towns, progressive thinkers, and simplicity. This is probably my 5th time through in three years.

A 10-hour road trip is always worth it when you have good friends (Daniel, whom I met through Alex, and his lovely girlfriend, Killian) accompanying you, and there's a beautiful place waiting with open arms. And thanks to Daniel's amazing parents, I was able to see a portion of northern California that I'd never experienced.

A winding trip through the mountains and down to the Pacific Ocean takes you to the unspoiled gem of this gorgeous state, virtually untouched by development. In addition to the beaches north of Arcata, to the south is an area I was surprised to find out were accessible at all.

Current love affair: the Lost Coast, the campgrounds of A.W. Way, and the Mattole River.

 

*All images property of The Sleepy Peach

Always Remember:

Twelve Years, One Word

Perusing the internets today, I came across this little (and very short) video.  This is a little off from what I normally want to write about, but I just can't help but share it with you; if you're anything like me, this year kind of "officially" marks the end of an era (and places a period at the end of my own adolescent story) with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.  It was 12 years ago this year that I first picked up Sorcerer's Stone, and it's difficult to imagine what things would be like (for me, at least) if J.K. Rowling's imagination had never revealed itself to the world.

Your Harry Potter experience in a word?

For me?  Transcendental.

Growing up along with Harry and his friends had a profound effect on me; it gave me insight into my own teenage years and opened me up to a whole new world of creativity.  I wasn't fortunate enough to have Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia read to me when I was little, so Harry Potter really was the first fantasy series that I was able to sink my teeth into.  It is one of the major reasons my dream is to write books for children someday... books that showcase characters who grow and change as time passes by.

But that's for another post.

I can't wait for the final film to arrive.  Warner Bros. really got these movies right.  The cast, the style, the music... after a rocky start, they really created the perfect wizarding world.

What do you all think?  Do you love Harry Potter and Hogwarts, too?  Or do you think it's just one more fad you're happy to see the end of?

Urban Craft Uprising

As promised, I'm back talking about arts and crafts.  But unlike the stuff you made with twine at church camp when you were nine, this stuff is actually good.  In some cases, it's also expensive.

I've already talked about the Urban Craft Uprising here, so I'll skip the introduction.  This is my fourth trip to the event, and it was a bit smaller and less crowded this time around.  All the better, because I was once again wielding my trusty camera and pointing it at everything that begged my attention, and behavior like that requires a bit of breathing room.

Totally smitten with these belt buckles by Lauren Rudeck (craft alias: La∙Ru), even though belts aren't really my thing.  In addition to buckles, however, she sells her art as prints, necklaces, and purse hooks.  I've never purchased anything from her, but I'm going to keep my eye out for an art print that screams my name.  But hey, what's not to like about an octopus dueling with a velociraptor and then getting hugged by a robot?

New discovery of the day: Mary Kate McDevitt, whose work drew a lot of attention at the exhibit.  She found some innovative ways to make her art functional, such as goal chalkboards and recipe books.  I found her drawings to be on the simple side (I had a few "I could do that!" moments), but I loved the creativity behind her lettering... I also loved that she wasn't charging very much for some of her original, hand drawn pieces, and she easily could have.

Although I initially pointed this piece out to my tea-drinking friend, Killian (of Tales 'n Teacups), the moment I found out that it was an original acrylic and pencil drawing (rather than a print), I was relieved when Killian decided she'd pass in lieu of another buy.

First art piece of the day = purchased!  While simple, it's also sweet and small and already framed. Win!

Next up: Row Boat Press, a collective of different artists and their screen printed creations.  I didn't snap any pictures of these live and in person (I totally spaced), so I've included links to their respective pages.

"Best Friends" art print, via Row Boat Press

Immediately drawn to this coffee pot and mug print, for no other reason than that I'm a total coffee addict.  I knew immediately that there's no place for it in my apartment; it struck me as the perfect minimalist print that really needs its own space.  (Sister Kim: You still need an art print above your stove?  Eh?  Eh?)  I find the simplicity rather refreshing.

"Genius Bee" by Kiku

If you're currently awe-struck by how cute these are, Jon and I had a similar feeling when we first saw them.  That may be why we didn't hesitate to cough up 30 big ones for these four 12x12 prints.  The artist, Kiku, teamed up with RBP to get her "Genius Bee" series printed.  We couldn't be more thrilled with how lovely they are, and how bright they're already making our living room.  As soon as they're hung and ready to go, I'll post about it (rest assured).

This booth was an exciting find, primarily because of this box of "vintage ephemera", which included photographs, music, and literary playing cards.  These were just some of the goods being offered by Constellation Co., a vintage letterpress and printing company operating out of Seattle.  Jon showed me this poster from their selection, which definitely made me blush a little. (Awwww.)

Killian fell madly in love with Mr. Lincoln, shown above right, and it didn't take much to convince her to succumb to temptation.  Meanwhile, I spent a good 10 minutes flipping through a pile of vintage hymns and anthems from a clearly old songbook.

The wear-and-tear on the sheets look almost intentional, and the woman working at the booth said that the songbook completely fell apart when she opened it.  I'd like to know which book the music came from, and what year it was printed.  OH well.  Some things are just meant to remain unknown.

For a mere 50 cents each, buying them was a no brainer, especially considering how good they look framed!  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the hymns yet, but the "Star Spangled Banner / My Country 'Tis of Thee" sheet looks great on its own. ... But you'll just have to wait for that reveal, as well.

Okay, I don't have any use for these little creatures by Heidi Kenney (craft alias: My Paper Crane), but we all thought they were pretty adorable.  So perfect for kids—boys and girls!  Do you think if kids had carrots and cauliflower toys, they'd actually be more willing to eat their veggies?  Maybe.  For me, though, I don't think there's ANYTHING cool enough to make cauliflower taste good.  Yuck.

Speaking of things kids love to eat, Sarah found this print by CakeSpy, featuring a quote by random wisdom sayer, Andy Warhol...

... and this illuminating necklace by Polymath Design Lab:

Are you starting to notice a trend of whimsical, cartoon-y, and eccentric pieces?  Are you wondering why we aren't drawn to landscapes and portraits and clothing and other functional crafting goods like normal adults would be?

My excuse is that as long as there's one Harry Potter movie left to come out, we're allowed to hang on to the colorful and absurd remnants of our youth.  So there.

To top off the outing, Jon fell head over heals for possibly the silliest pieces of the day: little 3D paintings by Tripper Dungan.  We even got 3D glasses to go with them!

Jon said they made him laugh (specifically Mr. Buck-toothed Ice Cream Cone), so that was good enough for me to agree they needed to be in our apartment!  (Interesting tidbit: the 3D glasses that Tripper gave us to go with these actually make most of the artwork in our apartment look 3D... We might have to lump some stuff together for the ultimate multidimensional effect!)

More than getting in touch with our inner-children, the trend of the day really revolved around one thing: what makes us smile.  Each of us walked away with some original art, jewelry, or print that evoke feelings of happiness and humor; Killian's Lincoln, my bees, Jon's ice cream cone, and Sarah's necklace make us happy just by looking at them.

What more could we ask for from the things we buy?

As a result of our art hoard, we have some major redecorating to do on our walls.  There are a bunch of other art pieces not from the UCU that have finally been framed and a bunch of crap that just isn't doing it for us anymore.  Hopefully, you'll come back to see how it all turns out.

Until then,

xo

*All images property of The Sleepy Peach

Mount Rainier Roundabout

This mini-road trip post is more than a week overdue, but I'm simply not used to dealing with pictures that come from an actual camera.  I'm getting better at using Jon's Lumix rather than my slightly-crummy-but-still-kinda-fancy Android camera apps all the time.  Even though it's more work to charge the camera, upload tons of photos, locate all of the decent ones, and then adjust/edit them, it's worth the effort for clearer and closer shots.

Don't you agree?

On our pre-4th of July Saturday, we loaded up the car with snacks, water, hiking gear and dogs, and high-tailed it to Mt. Rainier for our first up-close-and-personal with the monstrous mountain.  And it is a serious monster of a mountain, people.

It took me nearly a week to weed through the one hundred photos I took on our little jaunt, so that is what I'm sharing with you today.

Our intention on this trip to Rainier was to do a couple hours of hiking (and maybe find a meadow).  We were met, instead, with snow packed 10-feet high in the upper altitude areas and Paradise where we had aimed our sails, so to speak.

In the end, we had ourselves a several hour drive with unfettered picture-taking and a few romps in the snow.  Locating my idyllic wildflower meadow is just going to have to wait until the end of August when we return for some weekend camping.

I can't really complain, though.

And neither can Ennis.  He loves snow.  He's like a snow-crack addict.  What you don't see in this picture is his head and fur completely wet from shoving his face into the icy snow and rolling around like an out-of-control barrel.

What a freak.

We followed Jon's trusty phone GPS navigator on a route toward the NE side of Mt. Rainier National Park, through Enumclaw.  This takes you down to the Stevens Canyon Entrance on the SE side of the park, and the road loops all the way around the mountain.

There are some great little turn-offs and places to stop and admire the lakes, trees and spectacular view...

Okay, well, the snow may have impacted the view just a little.

This stop happened to be where I almost committed a felony.  Important travel tidbit: Under no circumstances are you allowed to feed the wildlife in a national park.  Jon informed me of this several times, but I found it hard to listen.

I mean, you can't tell me it isn't tempting to grab the first food item you can find and throw it out of the car when this little baby comes out onto the road, begging ever-so-sweetly for some handouts:

Yep.  That would be a fox.  A real honest-to-God fox—fluffy-puffy tail and all!  We pulled up with one other car already around, and even when more and more started pulling up onto the shoulder, he wasn't too phased.  I swear I almost "accidentally" dropped my bag of almonds out the window, but I decided to just snap two dozen pictures of him instead.  He was easily no more than 10 feet from my car door.  I almost boober-napped him, he was so adorable!

Opting against arrest and leaving Mr. Fox to attend to his growing legion of fans, we carried on towards the mountain.  At this point, we were still holding out hope that a hike would be possible; even though we knew there'd be excessive snow, we weaved up to Paradise—one of the most popular spots in the park—to see what we could manage.

Turns out, it wasn't the snow that put an end to our hiking dreams.

 

Aw.  Sad day.  No more snow fun for doggies.

Probably for the best; it was a bit too crowded for our taste.  (Culprit:  Lions Club International held their annual parade in Seattle that weekend, hence the reason for so many individual tourists and families from abroad busying-up exploring the trails.)

That's okay!  We don't need trails!  We can create our own fun!

Okay, maybe not tons o' fun, but what else can you do in a parking lot surrounded by snow?

Anyway, driving down from Paradise, we escaped the snow and discovered some lush, green areas around where the popular camping grounds are located.

By this time, we'd already been out-and-about for six hours and counting (with a 2-hour drive home ahead of us), and our lack of hiking made me succumb to laziness.  Rather than searching for more places to snap photos of pretty things, I decided to do the best I could from the window of the car.

Eh.  That'll do.  Until next time, anyway.

(If you want to see some real Mt. Rainier photography, check out this stunning collection from professional wildlife and wilderness photographer, Jon Cornforth, here.)

*All images property of The Sleepy Peach