inspiration: something new.

So, I can be a little stubborn sometimes--particularly when I have a disdain for something. For some reason my brain likes to tell me that if I once disliked something, I will always dislike it. However, over probably the last two years, my sense of adventure and love of new things have put this narrow-minded section of my mind away. For good. I think it might have started in Southeast Asia. I wanted to try EVERYTHING (food related, mostly) there. And I pretty much did (within reason). Funny thing is, all the weird stuff that I thought would ick me out was actually incredibly delicious. Only one thing was completely and utterly repulsive: dried squid (not why imagined that could possibly taste good).


Among the things I used to avoid like the plague were beans (all kinds..so much so that my family nickname to this day remains "Bean."), blueberries, pretty much all mexican food, cooked fruit (I know, I was an odd child), barbeque, tomatoes, jelly/jam, peaches, anything spicy, stuffing (like the holiday kind). I love ALL of these now. I still can't just bite into a big juicy tomato (it's a texture thing), but I do love the flavor. Anyway the point here is, that when you open your eyes and let yourself  accept what your environment/nature/people have to offer, the world shines so much more brilliantly.


I had a little eye-opener this weekend about golf. I've never been one to enjoy partaking in the sport, but I do respect it. It has always seemed a little complex and beyond my grasp, so I dismissed it early on. However, I went to the driving range with Dave and a friend over the weekend and rather enjoyed myself. Mind you, I sat in the sunshine and snapped pictures, but it was fun nonetheless. There seems to be something so soothing about just swinging away out there. I can see why people like it now...they seem to get in the same methodical mode that I do when I'm on a horse.


Anyway, maybe I'll give the ole' golf game a whirl someday. I've swung a club with Dave here and there, but still feel like a very awkward robot in my attempts. So perhaps I'll just stick to putt putt. Ironically, we did that this weekend, too and I made TWO hole in ones. Oh yeah.

Cheers,

SK

home: redos.

So, getting into the real world makes me keenly aware of one thing: I want cool things. By "things" I mean stuff for my house. I didn't care quite as much when I was in school, as I had the poor college student mentality. But now, I want the sleek modern digs (with a coziness that makes it home) of my dreams. Don't get me wrong, I'm far from a materialistic person, but my living environment is very important to me. Aesthetics make my knees week and my heart melt. Good design makes me feel good; unfortunately said design can often come with a hefty price tag. But it doesn't always have to. A couple of weeks ago I posted on the table my dad and I built together, for a mere 150 bucks (okay, and about 60 hours of labor). The table was even featured on one of my favorite Web sites, design sponge; link here. 


Table aside, Dave and I have a plethora of things in our home that have been repurposed or handmade. For example, much of the wall art consists of either paintings of my own (the one behind our table is my fave) or funky postcards, greeting cards, ads, etc. that we have collected over time. A book I'm currently reading, Weird Ideas That Work, describes "seeing something old in new ways" as a key principle of innovation. I try to accomplish this daily and one of my most recent projects involves giving an old dresser a facelift.


When I first moved out of a dorm and into a real (well, college) house, a family that I nannied for gave me this awesome 1920's bedroom set. I've since given away the bed (it weighed about 1,000 lbs and creaked at the mere twitch of an eyelid) and the side tables, but kept the dresser. It is currently in our spare bedroom and although the vintage appeal was there, I needed something a little more parallel to my mid-century/semi-modern taste. However, being unemployed and horribly broke, I'm learning to improvise. Alas, a gorgeous new dresser was born.


The best part about this project was that I only had to buy new knobs for the dresser. All of the paint was leftover from previous projects. The black chalkboard top is my favorite; people can leave messages when they come to stay with us or just be downright silly with it. The chalk paint was leftover from our bedroom--we painted the wall behind our bed with it (I know, I need to post the bedroom). The white paint was left over from a failed rug painting experiment (not ALL my projects are a success) and the blue was leftover from painting our living room.


Refinishing this was actually pretty easy. I started by taking the mirror off and prepping the entire dresser with an orbital sander. After that, it was just lots of taping and painting. I then decided that the dresser was much more to my liking without the mirror, so off it stayed. I happened to have another dingy brown mirror lying around that needed a little TLC, so I actually ended up painting it to go with the dresser. Made a huge difference, eh?

Before. Sorry, this was post-sanding. Although, it really didn't look much better pre-sanding. The new mirror is hangin' out off to the left. 

 After! We also painted the walls Behr's gorgeous "Timber Wolf Grey." I have a soft spot for grey--it's definitely my neutral of choice. Colors just pop against it.

 And that would be yours truly, getting down and dirty with the sander.

Cheers,

SK

food fondness: quinoa.

Have you guys ever had quinoa? If not, you should probably stop what you're doing, sprint to your nearest market and pick some up. I'd tried it a few times before this summer, but truly fell in love with it while Dave and I were in Peru. Those Peruvians sure do know how to make it. Actually, Peruvians just know how to cook. We had it in a variety of forms, but my favorites were all on our trek to Machu Picchu. The chef (dubbed "Super Chef" by our guides) on our 5 day hike were absolutely mind-blowing...he cooked gourmet meals with iron pots over camp fires. Quinoa, among other things (most notably potatoes), is a staple for Peruvians and we had it almost every day. It looks a little funny--I think it looks like mini eyeballs, but don't let that fool you. Some of its tastiest preparations were as porridge (nothing like a big ol' bowl of quinoa porridge to give you the energy to climb mountains all day), side dishes and, my favorite, soup.

Needless to say, I have craved quinoa a lot since we returned from Peru. My variations of the yummy seed don't have the same rustic allure as Super Chef's, but they always turn out pretty tastey. Not only is it incredible good (and good for you), but also fun to say. I can't help but smile every time I think of how dramatically the Quechaus (native Peruvians) pronounce it as KEEN-WAAA.

Anyway, tonight I made a quinoa and black bean salad, based off of the one found on a bit of sunshine. I made a few changes, my key ingredients being:

quinoa
black beans
corn
yellow squash
red onion
jalapenos
garlic
figs

then just olive oil, cayenne pepper, cumin and lemon juice for the dressing.

With fall swooping in soon (yay, my favorite season!), figs are easy to find. So I of course had to add some in for a bit of sweetness and they were wonderful. This quinoa salad is awesome by itself, but Dave and I had it one top of fajitas (instead of rice). Hopefully this post will inspire you to make some quinoa :).

Quinoa in a market in Arequipa, Peru.

Cheers,
SK

nature, the teacher.

Nature always soothes my soul and days/weekends spent tromping through the wilderness--covered in filth, of course--always seem to be my favorites. I've never been bothered by spending a few days shower-less when I'm in the midst of nature; I think it makes me feel more connected.

Among the innumerable lines that struck a cord while reading The Happiness Project this past summer, one in particular burned in my brain:

"You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters." -Saint Bernard

Amen. Here are a few recent frames from nature around ABQ.

graffiti your life (hypothetically).

Ok people. Let's get real here. I've been doing some serious overtime in the job hunting department (without much avail), all while serving up some serious disservice to other elements of my life (read: personal growth, creativity, etc.) It's time for a change. This blog is about to become an ode to culture (insert art/music/books), philosophies, nature and just about anything else that tickles my fancy. It'll still host my photography stuff, too, but the content needs a makeover. So put your party pants on.


I'd be lying if I said this newfound inspiration didn't stem from SOMETHING. I possess the mindset that there is always a catalyst(s) to our behaviors, whether we are conscious of it or not. My life reboot has been brewing up for some time now--probably since graduation (cliche, I know)--but a certain book by Banksy undoubtedly helped flip the switch. Thumbing through the pages of his Wall And Piece book (courtesy of the wonderful New Zealander, Miss Sarah J Bradley), I realized something: he addresses the corrupt, bad, ugly, horrendous things that we all try to ignore, hoping that by failing to recognize such atrocities, they will disappear. Guess what? They don't. True graffiti artists use their medium as one of the freest and most honest forms of cultural expression--while their critics see it as vandalism. While I could reasonably support both sides of this (a curse I have, my empathy often translates into painful neutrality), one particular quote in the book stuck with me:

"Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw wherever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a party where everyone was invited, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall-it's wet."

Though my love for clean aesthetics conflicts a tad with a graffiti covered city, the message Banksy is trying to get across here is hard to deny. Imagine a universe full of freedom, colors and inspiration. Better yet, imagine that universe to be your life. Sounds pretty awesome, eh? I think I could use a little graffiti in my world. 


This killer chalkboard wall, found over of the fabulous designlovefest makes me crazy happy. Something about art installations that encourage participation put a smile in my heart.

Some graffiti I fell in love with. The bottom translates to "never stop dreaming."

Photo taken by yours truly in the District of Miraflores, Lima, Peru.

Cheers, 
SK