Be My Valentine

Here it is... tomorrow I mean. Valentine's Day. The day that started it all. The day I still kind of fall apart on... I can't help it. Being cursed for so long... John and I started to have a disagreement yesterday that turned into a standoff for a few hours and I crumbled. I let the "curse" take hold and I cried a little.

I thought this is ridiculous... it's just Wednesday. NOT the week of Valentine's Wednesday. 

So, I worked to make it better. And because he's my John... so did he. That is why we work. That is why we make it. Because together we have the same end result in our mind every time. Not once in while. EVERY time we want a solution that makes us both happy and we are willing to throw everything we've got at it. We talk openly and honestly like I wish I could have with so many other relationships, but didn't. I guess I had to grow up. I had to realize that someday, you have to spill some guts to get it all. Risk vs. reward.

I was afraid to let them see me. I would fall apart... not attractive. No one likes a girl that crumbles. Well, I crumble. And John knows that. He accepts that as part of me. He doesn't hold it against me and he doesn't prey on it. He also has a quick defense when I'm clearly not attacking. I work with it. I do not attack him either. I rework my words until I get the right ones. We have lived through all of the selfish, crazy, and "this is how it should be" scenarios that we've both made in our lives and have let them go. Yes, selfishness can rear it's head here and there... and sometimes it needs a cuddle and a pat on the head... yes, you can have your way... But, most of those little fits are just silly and we move on. We move on together.

I read an article yesterday about putting aside all the adjectives that we like to throw at our kids, our spouse, partner, colleagues etc... It started by asking what did parents say to Olympic athletes that made them so successful. Here is the link: 6 Words You Should Say. 

To sum up -  we can really sum up our feelings toward them very quickly with a simple and powerful statement. I've been trying it out... and damn if it doesn't work on me as much as the person I'm saying it to. You can feel the lovely energy and it makes you smile so much!! It feels like a lovely incantation that does so much good. Try it out today. Start with something simple like:
"I love watching you ________."

I love watching you play.

{doesn't matter if you're perfect to anyone else; you're always perfect to me}

I love watching you smile.

{and I will do everything in my power to make you smile}

I love watching you teach Xan.

{seeing John with Xan makes me miss my father, 

but I can see that Xan has a wonderful life ahead of him}

I love watching you make every detail on your uniform perfect.

{the pride and passion that goes into your work fills my heart with happiness for you}

I've put together a little montage of quotes that, to me, say something about how we love. 

You can print and share the ones that resonate most with you if you'd like. 

YUM: Making a Cake with a Can of Soda

Yes. You've seen it on Pinterest and other blogs... I am here to tell you... IT'S AWESOME! And that easy. Box of cake mix. Can of soda. No icky fats. Just a chemical dump. LOL... who knows which is worse! All I know, it is cake and cake is lovely. I ate it for breakfast :)

I used a sugar-free devils food cake and a diet dr. pepper. I had hoped it would 'spice' up the chocolate a little. I couldn't taste it. But the chocolate was really really yummy! The cake is SO moist you will get it stuck all over your fork. I made cupcakes :)

Yeah... that's my messy desk in the background and my new Valentine card project.

Enjoy the cake!! here is the whole recipe:

One box of cake mix
One can of soda

Bake as directed on the box based on what you're using - cake pan/ cupcake pan... etc.

Some yummy combinations might be:

Yellow Cake - Cream Soda
Rainbow Chip - Cherry 7up
Chocolate - Dr. Pepper/ Cherry Pepsi/ Coke
White Cake - Orange Soda/ Strawberry Faygo?? Hmmm... Could be fun to try?

I don't know if I'd go the Mountain Dew route... but a Red Bull super caffeinated cake might be just what I need today... :) Possibly a Red Bull/ Carrot Cake??

Love: House Portraits and Personalized Maps

I opened up a new Etsy store for exploring architecture and other things I like to draw... like maps! I love maps... I will highlight some of that work later...  I've call the new shop Aquarius Studios. Check it out here: AquariusStudios For now it is houses mostly. Some historic buildings that I took photos of during my travels. Some I sketched along the way. Other things I just sit down and well... I make it up. I've also taken some houses that other architects have had me do exterior studies of and I'm having a bit of fun with Illustrator. I'm on the spiritual journey of "simple".

A fun sketch from a Paris photo - I made up the shops :)

A re-imagined sketch with new storefront.

 

Both of these drawings are quick 10 minute sketch exercises.  

A typical elevation that I would do for another architect or developer. Not really simple... but close.

An Illustrator "sketch" of the lake I used to live on when I was growing up. No, I didn't live near the heart... actually just across from it... I wanted solid colors, bright and minimal. So after I got this out... I tried a house :)

I can't say that I would choose these colors in watercolor. I don't think I could ever get them to look this good! But I've got some other ideas up my sleeve to try. The drawing is also 8 x 10 so the small scale starts to muddy in watercolor. I like the boldness and simplicity. I needed to step away from my usual medium for a while to explore some new options. We will see where this goes.... I still love hand drafting everything even before I trace it all out painstakingly careful in illustrator. I'm still an architect at heart. Even if it is a digital sketch.

Which Social Media is Best for Your Brand?

A question I've been trying to wrap around my head lately... Which social media is best for my brand? Best for my marketing? I get invitations to join different social media options every once and a while and I wonder - should I be adding another place to post? another page to manage? will it benefit my time and effort? Who will I be connecting with - like minded people or buyers? what am I NOT doing that I should be?

I began with a goggle {because that is what we do in 2014}... Which social media is best for my brand? About 562,000,000 results (0.31 seconds) Excellent. 
I have time for that. Not. I have time for the first page. 
Twisted Toast blog says there are actually two parts to the question:

• Which social media are right for me and my brand?
• Which social media are used by my target consumers?

I was amiss in thinking I was asking both questions with the first? I'm not the business or marketing major so I will go with it. Especially because at the end of the post it simply says:

"So what is the moral of this tale, the spin of the plot, I hear you ask? Simply that social media is what you make of it, not what it makes of you." -- Twisted Toast

No, that doesn't narrow down that you should use this platform or that platform if you are in this or that business. But for me, it was a relief. I take it as you certainly should use the platforms that YOU are attracted to. Because the people you may be trying to reach are there. If you are comfortable using Instagram or Tumblr and facebook... then use them because you will enjoy it and your followers will enjoy what you post if you're doing it with intention. If you get invited to another platform - check it out, see how friendly it is to use and pose the questions:

• do you think you will enjoy inviting others to join? 
• can you be sufficiently creative to capture readership?
• can you make your posts interesting and more experience oriented?

For a visual business like I am in, I need to get my images out to people to react to. I need a virtual gallery of my art going out daily as I create and design. To that end... I've decided that I am not taking enough advantage of more visual means of communication. I should be posting on Instagram, Tumblr, Flickr etc. I don't have a smartphone... I know it is insane. I had one... then the financial crisis of 2013 hit. Then, it was stolen... ugh. So, while we are still in personal economic recovery there just isn't room to pay for such a large cell phone bill. Any media that I do for now has to be done via ipad {without data pkg.} or home computer. Of course I have an incredible iMac and great software so I do have that going for me!

With some of those personal barriers aside, I've tried to take advantage of facebook and the blog to post more pictures of the things I create. I hope to keep it coming!! xoxo

To that end... here is a quick scan of the ranch house in progress! Remember house ON a ranch - not the suburban "ranch house"!!

Draft sketch of the ranch house in California!! Working on details today and inserting it into a logo.

a little kindness goes a long way. xoxo