Next time I'm in France, I'm definitely stopping by Serendipity to see their gorgeous creations in person. My favorite thing is this playful light fixture:
Well folks, it looks like I'll be purchasing my very own, sparkly new digital camera here soon. I'm not abandoning film, just giving my productivity a good shot in the arm. I have high hopes for 2008 and I think digital is the only way to get me there.
Enough about that, though. What's new with you?
I had the opportunity to shoot local hardcore band, Riots of Eighty last night. Despite some setbacks (a 3 hour shoot delay....), the whole affair went rather well. I couldn't have asked to shoot a nicer group of guys. The evening ended with a little one-on-one time with some serious artificial wind. I'm in the process now of editing the images and preparing them for a web gallery. Look for final retouched images in the next week.
I had my interview with Nicole Hill of RubberBall on Monday. I think it went pretty well. I'm assisting on Friday on a trial basis, and assuming I don't drop a lens or knock over a light, I think I might be taken on as a part time assistant. This would be an ideal situation, as it would allow me to pursue some of my own photography, but still have a steady paycheck and learn some of the behind the scenes functioning of the stock photography world. Plus, a bunch of people from my old photo class are working there right now, and I think we'd have a blast. Did I mention they play Call of Duty randomly throughout the day and allow pets at work? Cool.
So, here's to a bright future! May 2008 be the year the ball rolls!
Spring will be here soon enough, so it's time to start thinking about your garden visitors! I've always enjoyed watching the chaos that a bird feeder inspires. Fortunately, some really great modern designers find joy in this as well! Here are some beautiful, modern birdhouses and bird feeders for you to enjoy.
J Schatz has bright, playful feeders and houses that will surely bring a flurry of activity to your garden or porch. I love these!
Perch! is another great source for fun, modern bird inspired accessories!
Arcamita offers beautifully designed, all-weather birdhouses and feeders.
Modern Birdhouses makes birdhouses so beautifully designed, you might get a little envious of your avian friends.
Eva Solo is a Danish designer whose products cover a range of uses, from breadboxes to waste bins and of course birdhouses and feeders.
Unica Home offers birdhouses from several designers, including Jonathan Adler and Marcel Wanders.
Modern Artisans offers handcrafted treasures made by skilled artisans and craftsmen. Always original, never mass-produced!
I love succulents!
How cool is this idea:
Succulent Favors
And the most bizarre succulent of them all, Lithops!
I am still obsessed with the idea of a succulent wreath. I am determined to buy or make one this year!
I make this rather often because it's super quick and super tasty.
Capree's Chicken Tortilla Soup!
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (OR use pre-cooked, frozen chicken, to save on time)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cans condensed chicken broth (plus 2 cans of water)
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels or 1 small can corn
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• dash or 2 white pepper (to taste, optional)
• dash or 2 of cajun seasoning (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or lime juice.. or a mixture
• 2 small cans diced green chiles
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
• 3-5 tablespoons sour cream (optional)
• tortilla chips
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice (optional)
When I make this, I'm usually pretty generous with the measurements, so adjust according to your own tastes. I tend to use rounded measurements of everything.
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large pot over medium heat, saute the chicken in the oil for 5 minutes. Shred. Add the garlic and cumin and mix well. Then add the broth, corn, onion, chili powder, white pepper, cajun seasoning, lemon juice, green chiles, beans, and sour cream. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes (the longer the better).
2. Serve in individual bowls and top with the cheese. Top with the crumbled tortilla chips as you like (or be fancy and make your own julienned tortilla strips).
You may wish to saute the onion for a bit before adding the broth, etc. It's entirely up to you. This is also good with just one kind of bean or the other. I like both as it makes the soup a little more substantial. This recipe really lends itself to experimentation, so please have fun with it! It tastes even better as leftovers, too.
I have been searching and searching for a job that has something to do with photography or any kind of creative industry for quite a while now. I'm happy to say I have a job interview on Monday, thanks to the kindness of Brenda. It really is about who you know. Initially, at least. After the interview, I'm participating in a shoot as a "trial assistant". If I'm cool enough, hopefully I'll be hired on as a "real assistant". I'm crossing my fingers.
Since my post about Capree's Curiosities, I've done some brainstorming about possible doll ideas. I must say that I'm getting quite excited. I think I'll have to bust out the ol' sewing machine pretty soon here and see if my creations translate well into the world of fleece. I started a little sketchbook today (in one of the tiny books I made while in my bookbinding class), titled "Funny Bunnies and Other Things". It will be dedicated solely to doll/creature ideas. If you have any ideas for funny/weird dolls, let me know! I'll see if I can draft a sketch and make it come to life!
I think this is the first time I've been excited/happy in a while. The thought of a job prospect and the thrill of creative brainstorming is stirring me from my dreary, wintery world. Here's to happiness and success in 2008!
I've sort of taken a hiatus from "Capree's Curiosities", especially after my hard drive died. I've been thinking lately that I ought to get that up and going again soon. Right now, Capree's Curiosities (CC for short) is mostly comprised of greeting cards. I've been toying with the idea of making dolls/toys as well. I'd love to turn all my weird little drawings into fleece or felt dolls. I think it would be a fun and relaxing way of expelling some of my creativity. What do you think?
Would you want to see "Big Hands Man" in doll form?
This past Monday night, Brady and I braved the dark, icy roads of Parley's Canyon and made our way to Park City to hang my show. Brady measured and marked, I hammered and hung. Fourteen of my photographs now hang in the Alpine Internet Cafe until February 21st. I'm hoping something comes of it. I was contacted earlier this week by a local band that had seen my photos at the Broadway. I'm shooting them next week. I'm a little nervous, but I'm sure everything will turn out fantastic. I always get nervous before shoots.
In other news, all us tax-paying goons are getting a rebate sometime late spring/early summer (though it will probably take longer). That's exciting and all, but seems to be a bit of a Hail Mary. I can't help but think our economy is looking a bit desperate. Hopefully we can get a handle on things before this impending recession gets any worse.
Heath Ledger is dead.
Weird.
Our Twig light finally came.
We ordered it back in October from Lighting For Less. The light is manufactured on a per-order basis by FireFarm. Supposedly, our light had been shipped to us in late November, even though our card was never charged and we never received a shipping notice. We called Lighting For Less after a while, asking about the status of our order. They said they had shipped it and some guy named "Jim" had signed for it. 
We told them we don't live with Mr. Jim and that we never received our order. They told us they would put in another order for our light to be made and shipped. Coincidently, our card was charged a couple days after this conversation. Surprisingly, when we arrived home from Cedar City, there was a huge box sitting in the snow by the front of our house. DHL had decided that scribbling on the Sign Here line themselves was a valid way of having a package signed for. Fortunately the bottom of the box wasn't too wet and our light was unharmed. It looks freaking awesome. We haven't installed it yet, but it's sitting near the place that will become its final hanging spot.
Well, the week before Christmas my hard drive died. Completely crashed. Unfortunately I lost a lot of photos (mostly personal) and a lot of work/files for my website.. oh yeah and all of the scans and retouched files of my greeting cards. And a lot of tear sheets/ideas that I had spent a lot of time finding/researching. And a ton of fabric and wallpaper samples I had saved from various design sites. And all of my software.. and all of my Internet bookmarks.. which is absolutely annoying. I can't tell you how much time I've put in to researching modern design/homes as well as photography sites.. and it was all just a click away.. stored peacefully in my bookmarks folders. All gone. All those modern design posts I have done relied on those bookmarks. I was going to go through my entire modern bookmarks folder, alphabetically, posting about my favorite items. I think I had only gotten up to letter C or maybe D. I also lost all of the "before" photos of our house when it still had the purple walls. I was saving those for a grand unveiling.
I'm sure I lost a lot of other stuff too. What, exactly, will make itself known over the next few weeks.
So, Christmas has come and gone. Our tree is taken down, all signs of the holidays are packed away or thrown out. Glitter and sparkles have returned to being gaudy. Our Christmas was spent in Cedar City this year with my family. As I mentioned before, it was the first time my entire family had been together in a really long time. Brady and I were put up on an air mattress in the laundry room, which shares a door with the storage/water heater room. I contracted a cold, which began to manifest itself on Christmas Day. Most everyone had some sort of cold, so it's surprising that Brady was able to make it out of that den of sickness unscathed. Our time there was enjoyable and it was good to see everyone. The week was marked with several trips to St. George, including one trip to Tai Pan which started by us breaking a $300 candle. Fortunately the store was nice and merely told us "not to worry about it" and "it happens all the time". Moments later, we heard the crash of glass as a woman knocked over a large picture frame.
On Monday I will be hanging a few photos at the Broadway Center Cinemas, just in time for the Sundance Film Festival. I'm hoping that I'll be able to sell a few there. I'm excited about the opportunity, regardless, and hope that something good will come from all the exposure. Did you know they're showing the next Morgan Spurlock movie there? I'm sure that will draw a big crowd.
Like I said in the blog on my website, 2007 is dead to me - three cheers for 2008!
