i promise.
marisa and tim came over to my house for their engagement session, and we used the opportunity to finally exchange art. she made me paintings, i made her polaroids prints on canvas. we agreed to do the trade a few months ago, but this was the first time we had seen each other in a while!
i was so excited to get some new art,
and to have original paintings by marisa is lucky!
her work is thoughtful and deep, spunky and witty, whimsical and bright.
so she arrives,
gives me my paintings which she made specifically for ME.... (again.... so lucky!)
and i happened to be dressed in the same colors. pink and green.
my current favorite.
i think i wear that green sweater 5 days of the week.
i'm wearing it right now.
and i gave her the polaroid art,
and guess what she was wearing?
yellow.
i love the world.
(here's what's now above my desk! i love that shelf, and how it gives me the ability to change up my decor at my every whim. which is often.)
here are the polaroids before they went off to their new owner,
fyi: she has paintings for sale that would make great gifts! they're affordable! contact her.
and i am in the works of setting up an etsy shop to sell polaroid prints. if you're interested, they're $85. until the shop is open, email me! yes@shannonleith.com
and p.s.----------- do you see the other coincidence of the photos that also wasn't planned? i freaked out when i saw it. take a look.
3 comments so far
so i turned on a space heater,
which is still keeping me warm,
even though its seventy four degrees outside,
it feels like its FORTY IN HERE.
but as i was sitting warming my feet as i wrote out my morning pages*,
i saw this table in front of me and loved it.
so here you go----------------------
they are stream-of-conscious journal entries.
three pages of whatever comes to mind,
so you can get it out and acknowledge it.
three pages of YOU.
what's in you, what you dream about, what you're mad about, what you feel, what you think, what you wish for. they've helped me clear my mind and access things i didn't know were in me. like the desire to dance, like the desire to swim.
so.... its been great. its part of my morning ritual, which also includes coffee.
7 comments so far
Ah--I can't tell which i love more, the fuzzy leaves that seem to glow... or the bird peeking out of the awesome branches in the taller vase. The fuzzy "glow" around the leaves gives me the impression that they absolutely love being what they are--that they love God--that everything in them shouts joy.
(by way of intro, i found myself here while checking out MKR's blog. Now i make sure to check every so often... your cheery posts brighten my day. )
(11.16.09 @ 02:05 PM)don't they sell wool socks in california? they are a ny staple... i have like 6 pairs!
(11.16.09 @ 06:57 PM)Norah Jonesies has a new album outsies.
FYI and lots of love,
Ellen
Bring your journal. I don't mind.
And, I'll get you guys, uh, gals, whatever comes to your mind. Like your caffeine so you can be awake to journalrealize.
Love the pics! And the morning pages...I want to start one tomorrow :)
(11.30.09 @ 07:24 PM)Love the pics! And the morning pages...I want to start one tomorrow :)
(11.30.09 @ 07:26 PM)Love the pics! And the morning pages...I want to start one tomorrow :)
(11.30.09 @ 07:26 PM)
rosanna and i do like to watch movies sometimes, so we just watch them on my 23" screen. its perfect. we pull up the pink chair and the blue chair, roll away my desk chair, get snacks, change into sweats, and..... instant theater.
two days ago when i was crawling under my desk to plug in the speakers for movie night, i saw this and yelled 'RO COME HERE! LOOK!'
9 comments so far
i dont own a tv, either. not that i don't really want one on occasion, nor do i have much time to watch movies.
(11.15.09 @ 05:20 PM)shannon, i stumbled upon this sight and some of the stuff looks like it belongs in your cute little pink house...i think it's in la too...
http://www.thisisnotikea.com/wordpress/
what are we looking at haha...call me crazy in the head but i dont get it..explain haha
(11.15.09 @ 09:24 PM)what are we looking at haha...call me crazy in the head but i dont get it..explain haha
(11.15.09 @ 09:25 PM)anonymous-------- maybe if you wrote your name and email i could write you back and we could talk about it! what do you see?
cafepas-------- so glad you dont own a tv. its the best, eh?
chelsea-------- LOVE THAT SITE! so cool!
(11.15.09 @ 10:29 PM)Sorry shan... I'm with anonymous: is it a tv jack?
we ditched the tv in our apt. too... the computer works dandy for all our viewing preferences. Even Eli's Redskins games -- which we have to use skype to watch. We call his mom on Skype and she turns the computer so its facing the tv so that Eli can watch football. Pretty hilarious.
(11.16.09 @ 06:10 AM)Yeah, I don't see anything either...I mean the lighting and shadows are pretty sweet.
(11.16.09 @ 08:32 AM)to all who wonder 'what it is'. what i saw when i looked under the desk was the pretty light seeping through the crack. and the shadows from the lines of the cords. and that weird shape. and the pretty yellow. sorry to cause... confusion...... sometimes i forget that not everyones eyes are mine. and fyi: ro said the same thing. ;) 'ummm....what?' :) :) :) love to you.
(11.16.09 @ 10:58 AM)
her songs are simple and deep,
her talking in between was both hilarious and incredibly profound.
i wanted to see if she was having another christmas show in the LA area, because it was so incredible, and instead of finding tour dates i found out that she had a DOCUMENTARY MADE ABOUT HER. and it happened to release that exact day i checked her site. so of course i felt like the Lord was telling me to buy it.... so i did. it was meant to be because a) i love rosie and b) documentaries are my favorite genre of film. of the three movies i own, two are documentaries and the other one was given to me as a gift. one more to add to the collection. yay.
(okay..... i'm watching the film as i type this and fyi::::::: its fantastic.)
so... i was all excited to receive the documentary in the mail, especially since it came with a limited edition album of songs she did with sufjan. perfect. i got it today and was confused about why the packaging was so... big. turns out, they made a record, not a CD. what if i dont have a record player? which i dont. shoot!!!!!! problem! and no... it doesnt come in CD form. they made it all special.
so, maybe i'll give it to someone with a record player.
it DID come with this rad newsprint poster of sheila saputo..... which is delightful and perfect.
shannon!
ps: buy the dvd here if you want it!
ps again: just realized i meant to blog about the light under my desk but ended up writing about rosie and so then i took the PICTURE of the record and poster, and so..... get ready for the light TOMORROW. fun.
8 comments so far
love LOVE love rosie thomas! maybe you should invest in a record player? it just might change yoru life. AND i love your blog - i stalk it almost daily. you insipre me, shannon! :)
(11.14.09 @ 03:35 PM)love LOVE love rosie thomas! maybe you should invest in a record player? it just might change yoru life. AND i love your blog - i stalk it almost daily. you insipre me, shannon! :)
(11.14.09 @ 03:38 PM)A turntable is so worth the investment! Well, only if you're going to buy more records, i suppose. But, you are welcome to come over and listen to it here, as she is awesome, and I would like to treat my ears to her, too ;)
(11.14.09 @ 05:17 PM)I like you!
(11.15.09 @ 01:40 PM)I absolutely LOVE Rosie Thomas! Aaaand so jealous you have her on vinyl - I have a record player and a vinyl collection =) It is super fun, I would invest!
(11.15.09 @ 07:31 PM)you should come over and we'll play it on my record player. i could even stash it for you until you get one. unless you decide to display it until you get one, which would also be a good thought :]
(11.16.09 @ 12:22 AM)Shannon- Rosie Thomas is my fav., fav., fav.! My brother Isaac bought me her CD as a present last Christmas & I became addicted. She's the absolute best to listen to when you're driving in a car and it's super snowy.
(11.16.09 @ 10:45 PM)
yesterday, my mom and sister came over to the pink house to celebrate canadian thanksgiving and remember our roots. we ate chicken stuffed with cranberries and stuffing, real mashed potatoes with herbes, fizzy cranberry juice (ie: grandma juice), good bread, lots of vegetables, and had baked pear crumble for dessert. we had a lovely night and talked and caught up and laughed and ate so much that we changed into sweats after we finished eating. i loved it.
4 comments so far
Happy Post-Canadien Thanksgiving.
For a second, I thought you were both a wedding & kitchen photographer.
(10.13.09 @ 06:44 PM)i love this. I thought of you yesterday when I noticed it was Canadian thanksgiving... and then I realized I don't know anything about Canadian thanksgiving.
On an unrelated note: I love your dishes.
(10.14.09 @ 12:08 AM)love the colors! (and the food sounds delicious... i want to be canadian, too!)
(10.21.09 @ 12:06 PM)I always love your kitchen posts. This one of the 9x13 dish... It's just too, too good. I love the colors!
(10.27.09 @ 10:43 PM)
so. i have had the book called the artist's way on my shelf for about two years. i tend to let books ruminate for a while before i read them. and its now the exact, perfect time. my friend rachel and i are doing the book together-- its a daily practice that helps clear the roadblocks to your creativity. but the best part is: its not just for artists---------- each one of us has been created, and each one of us has creativity in us. the book helps you get free. it helps you see your entire life as a work of art. it helps you become more aligned with who you've been created to be.
here's the intense part though: it requires you to do projects EVERY DAY.... it has you create and maintain habits for yourself... and it was really scary for me to commit to it. but the first chapter asked "what would motivate you? what would be helpful to you? would a STICKER CHART be helpful to you? if so, go buy stickers!"
so i did. and i haven't missed a day yet.
--- and to think i haven't used a sticker chart since i was 7. all the things i could have accomplished! ahh!!!
11 comments so far
Oh I love this -- and I think I want one too. I'd love to hear how the book is when you are done with it.
(10.08.09 @ 12:16 AM)Sticker charts! I LOVE sticker charts! What is your reward after so many stickers???
Love ya!
(10.08.09 @ 11:48 AM)so what's centering on your calendar? i imagine it's something in the photo editing process?
(10.08.09 @ 02:48 PM)so what's centering? is it some dreary part of photo editing?
(10.08.09 @ 03:18 PM)cars---- good question. for me, centering means----- becoming in touch with the core of who i am, remaining connected to God, getting quiet, being still.
(10.08.09 @ 03:52 PM)oh--- -and part of my centering is my morning journal pages that i do for the artists way book. she has you do them every day as a spiritual and creative practice. -- shan
(10.08.09 @ 04:00 PM)wow! what a great name for it. and what a great star chart to go along with it.
(10.08.09 @ 05:08 PM)I have this book and have never read it! It's now next on my list. LOVE your sticker chart! ;)
(10.08.09 @ 07:52 PM)One thing I noticed that made me laugh was that you have very colorful stickers. I'm pretty sure if I did something like that I would have to put the stickers on in some sort of recurring pattern, probably cycling through colors...which you clearly didn't. Good job not being as OCD as I am!
(11.19.09 @ 12:32 PM)
and came across my notes and ideas in an old journal.
i thought of these photos below when i read:
time is suspended in this magical space-----------
this is matisse's private universe. another world of color---------------
enjoy enjoy. :)
shannon
1 comments so far
SL, a touch of yellow in The Pink House!
Think of all the magical spaces which instantly transform our state of being.
She's standing by a yellow table and you're standing by a pink couch with a something green in a frame behind you?
(11.22.09 @ 04:43 PM)that was going to be my guess, too. :)
(11.22.09 @ 06:02 PM)ding ding! correct.
(11.22.09 @ 09:38 PM)