mindy, me & morocco

And my super big exciting news is...

Mindy Gledhill and I are super excited to be hosting a creative retreat at Peacock Pavillions in Marrakesh!

October 6-13th, 2012


That gives you almost a whole year to plan if you would like to come!

This creative retreat will emerse you in the culture of Morocco.  Activities include a guided tour of Marrakesh, shopping in the souqs, five different creativity workshops, a trip to Essaouira along the coast, henna tattooing, authentic Morrocan cuisine, spa treatments, dinner shows, belly dancing and so much more!

If you think you might like to join us on this adventure, please fill out the form below and we will contact you with more information.

Interest Form

catch ya later

As I type, I'm on a plane headed to Utah to start preparations for Spark.

In flight internet access is the best thing since sliced bread. I'm getting so much work done!

I won't be around these parts too much this week, Except I will have a BIG announcement on Friday, so come back and see what all the hub bub is about.

And if you have'nt looked at the new collection,  please do.

If you have emailed me already about pieces you want to know more about, don't worry. I will get around to answering email before I put anything out for sale.

janie jackaroo jewelry collection debut

Alrighty.

I promised to preview my Janie Jackaroo Jewelry collection here on Suaviloquy first, before I published it any where else.

I'm a girl that really and truly tries to live up to promises.

And so, without further rambling, I give you Janie Jackaroo, a jewelry collection by Secondsister.

The lifestyle photos were taken by my good friend Jefra Starr Linn, who is an absolute genius behind the camera.

The photoshoot was styled by the most amazing girl, a 

protégé to New York designers, Rosie Jarmen. She is still in her teens but if you visit her site you will see that she already has a nice work portfolio.

I have not had time to add in all the pricing info as of yet. I still have a typo to fix and some other changes to make. Let's just say, its a rough draft. I have this little thing called Spark going on in a week and it's sort of, well, taken over my life.

Sooooo, if you see something you absoluetly cannot live without, shoot me an email and discribe the piece and I will try to get back to you with a price.

The entire collection will be for sale in the Spark Artisan Market on October 21 and 22.

photo

I really hope Mr. Gunnar Ekelund doesn't mind that I colorized his photo.

It's just that when I saw it, I was overcome.

The mannequins in the window look like the Barbies I used to play with at my grandmother's house.

I swear they were some of the first Barbies ever released. They were probably worth a mint. But my grandmother would never bother with that kind of stuff. Not when it came to me, or my sisters and cousins. We were her prized possessions.

Seeing this photo made me miss her to the very core of my being.

Funny how a simple photo can do something like that.

this life

1. Blue-Gray Pumpkins, 2. European Eagle Owl - Black and White, 3. Untitled, 4. Lecidea lapicida 20040404_5469

Aren't grey pumpkins just the cat's pajamas? I'm so glad they exist.

I went down the way to get the mail and the crew moseyed along behind me. The dog sniffed and peed. Little Frankie Valentine squinted up at the rooftops where the crows where having some sort of heated conversation. The Bird smelled the neighbors roses, because she is a girl and this is what girls do.

And then we found the crunchy leafs. And we stomped on them and the sound was delightful. Better even than popping bubble wrap.

There were only bills in the mail.

The bug prevention man told me to watch out for black widows because they come closer to the house when the weather cools.

I fell madly in love with a dress. But the only size left was a size too small, but I bought it anyway. I'm being optimistic. Final sale. No returns.

I have been sharpening lots of pencils in my studio and sometimes, as I'm passing by, I stick my head in the room and breath in that wonderful smell of wood and graphite.

Life is happening. The minutes are adding up. I believe that if I don't enjoy this life I have, it is an insult to God.

On that note, I'd also like to say that I really love orange and grey together. So happy we have those colors aren't you?

stay the course

The truth is I'm writing this post for myself more than anything else.

Yesterday made my head hurt. It gave me a dull ache behind my eyes and bungled up all my thoughts so I couldn't put two and two together. You know these days?

And quite frankly, at midnight last night I really wanted to be done.

But I couldn't be done because I was helping a friend on some graphics she needed first thing in the morning. I was committed.

When I say I wanted to be done, I mean, I wanted to be done for the evening and for good.  I had hit that point when you want to just throw all your hard work in the trash and eat yourself a bunch of calories. Preferably in the form of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey.

There's always that certain tipping point when you start to wonder why you are doing what you are doing and what you are getting out of it and if it is all worth it.

My parents always said, "Don't give up what you want most, for what you want now."  Every time I hit that tipping point they would say this to me. So now, as an adult, it pops into my head, like Bob Marley's ghost, when I want to give up.

These are the sorts of things that parents do to their children that can put them into therapy.

But the truth of this particular mantra has been proven to me time and time again.

And so I have decided to stay the course. I'm not going walk away from everything I really want because right now I can barely keep my crap together.

I am not going to eat that Ben and Jerry's and ruin my hard work at the gym.

But I am going to have a Dove chocolate and waste a half hour on Pintrest.

So there.

AND......

My first show airs today on My Craft Channel. I'm a little freaked out that my geekiness is being exposed. So watch, but don't judge. Being in front of a camera is not my cup o' tea. I stumble over my words a lot, but my nails look fabulous.

the pacer

The Sugar Daddy is a big guy. He's tall. He just skims six foot six inches. Oh I do love me a tall man.

He runs to keep his weight in check. He's got a fierce, snarly sugar tooth that forces him to keep active. I love to bake for him because he enjoys sweets so much. The kids and I call him "The Gobbler".

He's the kind of guy you can really snuggle into and feel like a kid again. It's safe in his embrace. He's a big ol' bear of a guy.

And he works hard. Everyday. He's up and out and moving and shaking and pimping and working it.  He's motivated. Is ambitious too strong a word? I think not.

Here's the thing about living with a motivated person: it motivates you.

I mean, how is one to sit around eating cheese on the sofa while someone else runs around working like mad? And oh I do love me a good sharp piece of cheddar.

Yes, the Sugar Daddy really puts a cramp in my lazy mooching style.

The truth of the matter is that all that I have ever accomplished in this life that I am truly proud of, has happened because I am striving to keep pace with my husband.

We don't actually run together. Running next to the Sugar Daddy feels like running next to Paul Bunyan.

That, and he spits a lot.

But we are in this proverbial marathon of life together and I'm really thankful I have a good pacer.

Did you know bears can run as fast as horse or deer? Tis true.

mandala rama

I've added some new brushes to my shop!

I've always loved mandalas. I've done great big ones on canvases with paint and gold foil and now I have doodled some and turned them into photoshop brushes.

Here's some of the projects I have done with my new brushes:

You can buy this set of brushes for $5. Just click the tab under the header. 

wilt where you're planted

Not to brag or anything, but I live in heaven.

Carlsbad is a little sea side town just north of San Diego.  It's a hot surf spot.  It's beachy with a nice twist of art and sophistication.

I love it here.

But.

I miss the Fall. We don't really have seasons per say. We have nice weather year round. We don't buy school clothes because our kids wear shorts through the winter.

We went swimming on Saturday. October 1st.  And we will swim throughout the winter months.

But I do miss the Fall. I miss the crispness. I miss the magnificent color on the trees.  I miss sweaters and tights.

After all these years living in California, I've learned to make my own Fall.  I start to spend more time in the kitchen. I decorate for each holiday. I buy pine cones. Yes. Buy them.

I don't need anymore blooms where I'm planted, I need fallen leafs and bare twigs.

I think I will cut some out of paper today.

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If you are participating in an neighborhood boo treat swap, I made a free printable for you send along with your treats.  Just click on the image and print the full size.  Enjoy!

Happy October!