365 Project: Day 136

This is my new favorite chair. I love chairs that my entire body can curl up in...especially if they're vintage. Things are generally looking up lately. I still haven't found my inspiration, but other things are happening in the mean time to keep my mind busy. Like this chair.

Today was far from uneventful. My "I'll Fly Away" print was purchased by ABC for the set of Modern Family. I'm so excited to see if it shows up in any episodes! I just found out that I was accepted into a financial planning program that I've been on a waiting list for since February. After months of waiting, a depressing application that forced me to realize that I am well on my way to becoming a financial mess at 27, and a page full of interview questions I'm finally in! I'm really stoked! Hopefully I will now be set on the right path to financial freedom and responsibility. I figure its better to get a grip on these things while I'm still young.

I was almost in TWO car accidents on my way to the grocery store this evening. Both near misses were caused by jerks who were trying to beat red lights. Its always a GREAT idea to floor it through a busy intersection while driving directly into the blinding New Mexico sunset. Right? Idiots. When I finally got to the grocery store, I witnessed a hugely pregnant, not to mention pissed off woman kick a man in the ass right in the middle of the bread aisle. It took everything I had not to laugh out loud. I actually had to leave the aisle. I am so grateful that my life is full of these little moments. I can't help but stop and laugh. I see the craziest things every day and, ironically, those crazy little moments keep me sane. 

On a side note, I am so thankful for all of the comments, emails, phone calls, and text messages that I received after my last couple of posts. They were all so full of hope, encouragement, and support. If nothing else, this project has been a place where I can vent my frustration to the world and get nothing but positivity, comfort and understanding in return. I appreciate you all so much. I am feeling a little better. I'm trying to just go with the flow and keep myself busy until my inspiration returns.

365 Project: Day 114

I'm feeling a little less stressed, a little more motivated, and a lot more organized today. I think the beautiful, warm sunshine is making me feel a lot better. The constant desert wind in the Spring just makes everything feel so chaotic. 

The past few weeks have been overwhelming. My mile long to do list has suddenly taken over my life. It seems like as I slowly cross things off, more and more and more just keeps piling on. As a result I'm not only keeping one calendar with my schedule, but two, just to keep track of everything. One in my purse and one in my phone. I have a ringer alert for every single thing that must get done. My life has been planned out hour by hour for the last month. Its exhausting. 

Its hard for me not to take on the world. I'd like to believe that I can do anything. And I can. I may develop severe headaches, and eye twitches in the process, but I am capable of anything. That sounds really healthy, I'm sure. (Please note the sarcasm and eye rolling here.) 

I have this constant compulsion to work and create and just keep pushing and pushing and pushing myself until I just can't go on. I'm not sure where it comes from, but I can't seem to stop it. If I'm not working on something, then I'm thinking about what I "should" be working on. I'm obsessed. I will work myself to exhaustion at the expense of my health, my sanity, my relationships, and my personal life. There is a certain satisfaction I feel when things are getting accomplished. Yes, I realize that this is problem. No, I don't think it will ever change. 

365 Project: Day 112

I think I may have a problem. My camera collection has officially exceeded my available shelf space. Actually, I ran out of space a while ago. I've been finding creative ways of arranging my cameras so that I can cram as many of them as possible onto the limited shelf space I have in my tiny room. But now its really official. I am out of places to put them.

These cameras are my babies. I love them all. They all work. When I see one sitting in a thrift store I just can't stop myself from picking it up. I especially love Polaroid cameras. I got two new-to-me vintage Polaroid cameras a couple of weeks ago. They both work, but the Polaroids they take aren't made anymore. I was so excited when I saw them in the thrift store. They both came with the original hard case and a ton of little accessories and goodies to go with them. Whoever owned them must have really been into photography. They took really good care of these cameras and I am so thrilled that they now belong to me!

So here I am. All these cameras and nowhere to put them. What am I going to do? I'm not going to stop collecting them. That's for sure. 

Once Upon a Time...

Now, where do I begin? This blank page holds so much possibility. A poem, a novel, a letter...its all up to you and your imagination. What's your story?

Now this print is available in my Etsy shop!

Once upon a time...

Picture this

After many, many requests for framing options, I went looking all over Albuquerque for decorative and affordable frames. I think these vintage frames are the perfect complement to the nostalgic style of my photography. So now, selected prints are available in vintage frames! There are several different frames that will soon be available in my Etsy shop in addition to these.

"Where were you going?" in the oval "Vanilla Latte" frame.

"Ranunculus No. 2" in the square "Silver Lining"frame.

Each frame has been cleaned up, but still has that aged and distressed vintage look. They are sealed in the back with brown framing paper to protect the prints. These frames can be propped up in a display or hung with the claw hanger on the back. I just love them. They remind me of the framed family pictures that hung in the hallway at my grandmother's house.

365 Project: Day 78

I am drawn to anything vintage or antique. There is something about owning things that are older than I am that I find appealing. Items hold history. They tell a story of a different time and they also hold the memories of the other people who owned them.

There are certain things that I particularly like. Vintage postcards (especially if there is a message written on them), old photographs, cameras, typewriters, buffets, vanities, ash trays, records and record players, chairs, anything from the 50s or 60s, lamps, desks, clothes and jewelry, metal serving trays, and stained glass windows in wooden frames. While I admire all of these things, I try not to own more than I can fit in my car so I very rarely buy them. The only things I really collect are vintage cameras, but in my room I have an antique desk, a 1950s telephone table, and a glass lamp probably from the 60s or 70s.

I bought this typewriter for $20 in a thrift store today. As soon as I saw it I had to have it. I can only imagine where it came from, who bought it, where they bought it, why they bought it, and what kinds of things they typed with it. Love letters, Dear John letters, resumes, formal requests, applications, school papers, essays, maybe a novel. I'll never know, but that's part of the charm. Whoever owned this typewriter took very good care of it. There is hardly a scratch on it. But I can tell that it is well used. All the paint is worn off around the nob on the right side that you turn to advance the paper. Someone was doing a lot of typing.

Now, how did this cute little typewriter end up sitting in a thrift store full of crap? There was seriously nothing but old, broken, dirty junk in this place. It was a disgusting mess in there. But, sitting on a table was this typewriter. I think maybe it was meant to be mine.

Tickled Pink

As far as rose bushes go, I think this one is my favorite. Its older than I am. This rose bush and I have a history together. I grew up admiring the beauty of its blooms. My grandmother would clip them off and remove all the thorns for me. She'd even wrap the stems in a wet paper towel for me to take them home.

All the sweetness of these roses is now available in my Tickled Pink print.

Tickled Pink

www.saranorris.etsy.com

365 Project: Day 46

I collect vintage cameras. I have 14 in my collection right now. I'm picky about which ones I collect. I try to only collect cameras that still work. Right now, to my knowledge, I only have one camera that doesn't work.

I'm holding my Grandparents' Anscoflex II in the picture. It works. My Grandmother told me a long time ago that they had two old cameras that I could have, if she could ever find them. Well, while we were there going through my Grandfather's things, we found them.

The other camera she gave me is a Brownie Target Six-20. It works too. These are now the two most special cameras in my collection. Just knowing that many of my family pictures were taken with these cameras make them like treasures to me. I am so excited to have these. It means a lot that she would want to give them to me.

Secretary Desk: Mission Accomplished!

Around Christmas I found this awesome secretary desk on the side of the road with a giant "FREE" sign stuck to the front of it.  I immediately pulled over and loaded it into the back of the car.  I'm sure people were staring as they were driving by, but I had hit the furniture jackpot and I wasn't about to leave it on the side of the road! 

This is what the desk looked like when I first picked it up.  It had so much potential.  What crazy person would have thrown this out!?

There was a weird, thin layer of shiny wood on the outside of the drawers.  It was cracking and peeling off anyway, so I chipped the rest of it off with a paint scraper and a hammer. Don't worry, I was wearing goggles.  I'm a photographer!  If something happens to my eyes its all over!  The whole thing was super wobbly, so I had to break off the legs and re-attach them to make it more stable.  

Once I got it all cleaned up I primed the desk.  I sort of liked the way that it looked with just the primer.  But I continued on with the original plan anyway.

This is what the secretary desk looks like now.  I love it!  The color is "Black Suede" and I think it looks so slick!

In the inside there is an added surprise.  I couldn't just leave it all black, there needed to be color somewhere.  I searched high and low for the perfect paper to use on the inside.  I finally found this paper at Paper Source and just fell in love with it.

I am so proud of this desk.  It really fits in with the rest of our condo and the paper on the inside adds an extra pop of color.  Since we are renting our condo, we can't paint the walls. Ugh!  Everything is very tan and white so I try to sneak in some color wherever I can.

Quote for the day:

"You will achieve a grand dream, a day at a time, so set goals for each day.  Not long and difficult projects, but chores that will take you, step by step, toward your rainbow.  Write them down, if you must, but limit your list so that you won't have to drag today's undone matters into tomorrow.  Remember that you cannot build your pyramid in twenty-four hours.  Be patient.  Never allow your day to become so cluttered that you neglect your most important goal: to do the best you can, enjoy this day, and rest satisfied with what you have accomplished."

-- Og Mandino

Gone to the Birds!

There is a new addition to my Etsy shop today.  A while back John and I took a mini road trip around the bay area and we came across this cute little white church.  Come to find out later, it is the church that was in Alfred Hitchcock's movie The Birds!

"Purity"

It just looks to perfect to be real.  I remember thinking to my self that the whole scene looked just like a movie.  Little did I know that it actually was in a movie!

Slightly Askew

I have a new print available in my Etsy shop.  This is one of the images that I took on my New Year's road trip.

"Slightly Askew"

Everything in this image looks so normal.  Its a scene that you pass every day on the street without a second glance.  However, something is just slightly off.

vintage style at its best

One of the things that I love most about the art from the 60s is the psychedelic concert poster.  It was an art unto itself.  A couple of years ago I saw an exhibit of vintage psychedelic concert posters in Boston and they were incredible.  There is so much detail in the layout of these designs.  Its really impressive.

Trying to read the information on half of these posters is near impossible.  I don't know how anyone would even know when and where these shows were happening!  I would love to have a few of these hanging in my house.

What happened to the glamor?

When I see photos of women like these I feel so ashamed of myself.  It is amazing to me the amount of effort that women used to put in to their appearance.  Every day was an occasion to be beautiful and look your best.  I have trouble getting out of bed more than 10 minutes before I leave for work in the morning!  How could I possibly have time to pull off an up-do?

I ask myself: What happened to five o'clock cocktails with olives and rocks glasses? Lipstick and pantyhose? Fancy hats that went with matching dresses?  Dinner parties? Big band performances and swing dancing?  I don't know how to do The Fox Trot, The Charleston or The Jitterbug...should I know how to do that?

I'm not just disappointed in the ladies.  The fellas aren't doing their part either.  What happened to tuxedos, fedoras, smoking a pipe?  Now we're lucky if they wear pants that cover their underwear!

Sigh...so, I have resolved to put in a little extra effort.  Give myself more than 10 minutes to get it together in the morning.  I don't know that I'll be wearing any up-do's anytime soon, but, maybe I'll wear some lipstick.  My whole day goes better when I feel pretty and I think we all need a little glamor in our lives.

Quote for the day:

"Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin.  That, or a kick-ass red lipstick."

--Gwyneth Paltrow

Sunday in the Park

My Christmas vacation officially began this afternoon around 4:45 or so. Believe me, I was counting down the minutes. 

Tonight I did all of my grocery shopping for Christmas dinner.  I even managed to do all of the prep work so I can just whip everything together!  Tomorrow I am going to make delicious peanut butter cookies to go along with the fudge that I made a few days ago.  Yum!  I am really excited about Christmas this year!

I also wrote a little Haiku to go along with the new print in my Etsy shop today. 

Sunday in the Park 

Sunday in the park.

What a nice day for a stroll.

Lavender beauty.

Quote for the day:

"A Sunday well-spent brings a week of content."

--Proverb

Off the Beaten Path - New Fine Art Prints Available!

I hope everyone is having a splendid Monday!  I am counting down the days until my Christmas vacation.  I can't wait to sleep in, open presents, eat a delicious meal (that I am preparing, by the way), and watch A Christmas Story for a full 24 hours!

There is a new addition to my Etsy shop today. I took this image while standing on the edge of a pecan orchard at the peak of winter.  My fingers were so cold I could barely even push the button. 

"Off the Beaten Path"

I could wander through these winter-worn trees all day.

Quote for the day:

"If a path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads."

 -- Anatole France

Carousel

This is the most beautiful, dreamy carousel. I love the texture and soft colors in this image. The lights and the mirrors are so lovely. 

My "Merry-Go-Round" print is panoramic shaped.  The image is 4"x 17" printed on 7"x 20" paper. This would look so beautiful displayed in a little girl's room. 

You can find my "Merry-Go-Round" print for sale in my Etsy shop. This print is also available in smaller sizes, just email me for pricing.

The Tree of Life...

...is in my Etsy shop!

Quote for the day:

"We can learn a lot from trees: they're always grounded but never stop reaching heavenward."

 - Everett Mamor

I'm in Love....with my new camera!

I just got a Polaroid SX70!  I don't think I have ever been this excited about anything that I got in the mail in my entire life!

Imagine my disappointment when I got home to find a little card in my mailbox announcing that my camera arrived, but it required signature confirmation and was being held hostage at the post office! Oh no!

I commute everyday and work a full time job, so 6:00 AM was the only time I could make it to the post office. For all who know me, I do not have to explain that I AM NOT a morning person. However, I made an exception for my new Polaroid friend and managed to drag myself down there at the crack of dawn.

My sleepy eyes perked right up as soon as I got that little box in my hands. I practically skipped back to my car! Of course I opened it right there in the parking lot! I had to use my car keys and a ball-point pen to tear through the packing tape. I must have looked like I was crazy.

Finally! There it was. In the early morning light, my new Polaroid and I met for the first time.  It was love at first sight. 

What a Great Way to Start the Day

I checked my email this morning to find that not one, but TWO of my images were included in a treasury today!

I'm so excited to be included in this beautiful, dreamy treasury.

Thanks for making my day!