ElizaKPrints

On losing the music....

2012-02-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

I can't really pinpoint a time in my life where music stopped being so important to me. I definitely feel the loss of it in an intense way, yet any attempt to re-capture it ends up being fruitless. I constantly rail about the crap on the radio, yet make no real attempt to find less popular music I might like.

I remember getting a new cd (or burning a copy) and literally listening to it on repeat for months. There was a certain ritual to it, sometimes I might not even like it on the first listen, but I always went back to it, like some difficult math problem I was set on solving.

I started my own personal music collection in junior high. Before that I listened to my parents music or recorded things off the radio on my fischer price radio/recorder.

You had to wait for hours for your favorite song to play, then hold up the microphone to the speaker and press record. One time my sister accidentally recorded over one of my painstakingly made mixes. My mom said she was hysterical and was convinced I was going to kill her. My mom made me a new one, with good songs too, but it just wasn't the same. There was a sense of loss of ownership, not unlike the feeling you get when a local band makes it big, or everyone starts listening to music you've had for years.

I also remember a friend of mine agreeing to tape a copy of his Presidents Of the United States of America cd for me. His parents were super Christian and he blanked out all the swear words (quite a difficult task actually). For a long time I thought that was how the songs actually sounded.

Over time we've lost this process of acquisition. I read an article awhile back about Pink Floyd fighting Itunes over separating their songs into individual tracks. I can't remember if they won or not but I do remember being really struck by the concept. Remember when you had to buy entire albums? Hell, remember when skipping a bad song on a tape meant sitting there with your finger on fast forward? Stopping the tape in the right spot became a point of pride for me.

The following is a list of five albums that made an impact on me. Why five? Quality over quantity. A concept I want to get back to in this over-processed and highly accessible online world we live in. I gave time and energy to these albums. I bought batteries so they could come with me on car trips, I kept them safe in their crystal jewel cases and when they got scratched I mourned. They became a part of my life rather than simply becoming music in the background.

Modest Mouse: the Lonesome Crowded West

There was a time where it felt like this was the only band I was listening to. As a result I don't really listen to them anymore. I've seen them live a few times and been underwhelmed, but the impact this album made on me just won't fade. I discovered them at the beginning of a short but intense friendship and I have trouble separating the two. I also remember putting "Heart Cooks Brain" on a mixtape for a boy that never reciprocated. This album carries the nostalgia of a lost of firsts and a long bout of teenage malaise.
Jesus Christ Was An Only Child
Styrofoam Boots
Heart Cooks Brain

Bjork: Post
This was one of the first cds I bought. I still remember signing up for a BMG music membership, poring through the catalog and making lists of cds I wanted. I can't remember if I had heard one of her songs before or simply liked the album art. I liked Bjork instantly and she is one of the few artists that I can say I still listen to. I got the chance to see her live a few years back and it felt like coming full circle.
Army of Me
I Miss You
Cover Me

Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

This is by far one of the best albums of the 90s. I was a short pasty white girl that was wishing fervently that someday I would grow up to look and sing like Lauryn Hill. I still remember the picture on the inside jacket and just being blown away by how beautiful she was. Everything that came out of her mouth sounded so profound.

Everything is everything
Doo Wop
Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

Weezer: the blue ablum

This was another one of my BMG purchases. I remember being struck by the cover, so simple and so young. I also wanted to play "the Sweater Song" on repeat rather than having to wait for it to come on the radio. I vacillated between crushes on the bassist and the lead singer. This cd led to purchases of all other Weezer albums until I stopped after Maladroit. Weezer is not a band that grows with you, it lingers in nostalgia world.

In the Garage
The World Has Turned and Left Me Here

Radiohead: Ok Computer

A friend of mine burned this for me. It was one of those 'lets see how many songs we can fit onto one cd' mixes that was a hybrid of "At the Drive In" , "Led Zeppelin" and Ok Computer. The tracks were all jumbled up and years later when I finally heard them in order it was like re-visiting a favorite childhood story with a new perspective.

No Surprises
Subterranean Homesick Alien

And because this is so much better when others participate, I'm tagging IROCKSOWHAT, Little Gray Pixel, Four Eyes Rella, The Traveling Phoblogwripher and Davinia Hamilton.

What are your five?

YMCA: The Strong Kids Campaign

2012-02-24T11:15:00.001-08:00

Join me in supporting the YMCA's Strong Kids Campaign! Even if you're only donating $5, 100% of it goes to helping kids like Eliot!

Visit my donation page to make a difference in a child's life today!

Spring?

2012-02-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

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Valentine Sale

2012-02-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

For all my awesome blog followers, I'm offering 10% off anything in my store until the day after Valentine's Day. Just enter "LOVEELIZA" in the coupon space at checkout. A free gift included in every purchase!

View gift tags here

View Ironic Cards Here

View Prints Here

DIY: Heart Shaped Cupcakes

2012-02-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

This idea has been floating around Pinterest for while and I'm glad I took the time to try it! The first batch came out less than perfect, but after switching things up I was able to get some decent looking cupcakes!

First grab your favorite cake batter mix and follow the directions on the box.

Once you've lined your cupcake pan with liners, pour the batter in. The trick is to pour about half of what you normally would. I have a tendency to always overfill mine and as a result, none of the first batch had any heart shape to them at all.

* Once you've got the batter in, take a small ball of tin foil and place it between the pan and the liner. I've also read on other DIYs that you can use marbles, toothpicks etc.

Place it carefully, this is whats going to give you the heart shaped look.

* Disclaimer: I took this photo from the first batch, thats WAY too much batter!*

* Lastly, pop them in the oven for the prescribed time on your recipe.

* I personally think they look the best plain, but I also had a bit of fun dressing them up:

Have you ever tried making these?

My February Sponsors Part I

2012-02-02T15:55:00.000-08:00

:1:

If you were a novel, what genre would you be? (mystery, self-help, romance etc):

Young adult. They're full of adventure, friendship, and learning something new.

Your all-time dream vacation destination:

I love sailing tall ships, so anyway that I can, I will. It's all about the journey.

Animal, vegetable or mineral?:

Animal, rawr! I would be a panther, great views of the jungle plus plenty of mid-day snoozes.

Give us a great book recommendation:

Personally, I love Sabriel by Garth Nix. It's adventurous, dark and captivating. I re-read it every year.

Blog

:2:

If you were a novel, what genre would you be? (mystery, self-help, romance etc): Romantic Comedy...full of hopes and dreams, but far too clumsy to be swept off my feet!

You're all-time dream vacation destination: A white sand beach, turquoise waters, and a huge shopping mall right beside it!

Animal, vegetable or mineral?: Animal

Give us a great book recommendation: Mmmm...the last time I read something was the Twilight series, I had to tie the kids up for four days in order to read them. Kidding! A lighthearted read...anything from the Confessions of a Shopaholic series. I read them every summer! I think maybe I am in need of a book recommendation!!!

Blog

:3:

If you were a novel, what genre would you be? (mystery, self-help, romance etc):

Probably fiction. A bildungsroman but with quite a bit of humour thrown in.

Your all-time dream vacation destination:

Oh and I have to pick just one? I'd say at the moment my ideal trip would be a drive along Route 66 in the US. In a convertible car, with some great music and my camera for company.

Animal, vegetable or mineral?:

Animal, though I still haven't decided which animal.

Give us a great book recommendation:

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Blog

:4:

If you were a novel, what genre would you be? (mystery, self-help, romance etc):
I'd like to think I'd be a Douglas Copeland book. They're strange and sort of twisted, but also easy to read and leave you with a general sense of contentment when you're finished.

Your all-time dream vacation destination:

This is a tough one. I guess it depends what kind of vacation we're talking about. I'd love to go to Copenhagen, Switzerland and Germany to meet up with some internet and IRL friends and get tattooed and maybe go to the Wacken music festival, but I've also always wanted to go bum around South America and improve my Spanish. I've also always wanted to see a really big famous city like Tokyo or New York. And I think it would be very glamorous to hole up in a hotel in London or Paris or somewhere cosmopolitan and write a novel. I want to see the rainforest in Brazil before it's gone. Oh, and my friend was telling me he went diving with Great White sharks in South Africa and I can't get that out of my head too. Oh and Italy and Greece would be lovely to hang out by the ocean and eat a lot. haha I dream big, people.

Animal, vegetable or mineral?:

Animals make better company.

Give us a great book recommendation:

Here are five recommendations, I've read these all fairly recently and loved them all.

1. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. It's a very sad and very interesting book about a couple very poor people in India.

2. The Hunger Games trilogy. I know, I know, everyone says this. Don't be too cool to read a YA novel, it's really good!

3. The Song of Ice and Fire books. There's five out and I think he's working on more. They're sort of medieval fantasy novels which sounds terrible but WHOA they're so good. I love every single character. The HBO show Game of Thrones is based off the first book and they did a fantastic job.

4. The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I know, right? It's SO OLD, it must be outdated and boring. Nope. It's really good! And who doesn't love dinosaurs?

5. As I write this I'm in the middle of reading Shanghai Girls by Lisa See...it's crazy. I expected it to be a kind of period piece about romance or something but DAMN it's way more bad-ass and awesome than I expected. The same was for her book Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. That book haunts my nightmares to this day. I should just learn my lesson and realize Lisa See is a darn good author!

Blog

:5:

If you were a novel, what genre would you be? (mystery, self-help, romance etc): Romance...awwww.

You're all-time dream vacation destination: Scotland and Ireland. I have dreamt of Scotland ever since reading Outlander.

Animal, vegetable or mineral?: Vegetables. I've got my mind on gardening right now.

Give us a great book recommendation: Birthmarked by Caraugh O'Brien. So good.

Blog

:6:

f you were a novel, what genre would you be? (mystery, self-help, romance etc): Mystery

You're all-time dream vacation destination: Spain!

Animal, vegetable or mineral?: Mineral

Give us a great book recommendation: No One Is Here Except All of Us by Ramona Ausubel

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Interested in becoming a sponsor? Check out the Sponsor Page

A Treehouse Village!

2012-01-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

My childhood dream. Now my 10 year savings plan. I WILL have a treehouse someday!

Valentirony: Ironic Valentine Cards

2012-01-26T14:03:00.000-08:00

While waiting for substitute job positions to become available this morning (of which there were none), my boyfriend and I entertained ourselves by coming up with ironic greeting card blurbs. It lasted until mid-morning and by the afternoon I had committed our early morning inside jokes to paper. For your viewing pleasure....

Currently Available:

Single Mom Card (available here)

Law and Order: SVU Card (available here)

Katherine Heigl Card (available here)

Do let me know if misspelled the good Katherine's name;)

New Music

2012-01-23T21:51:00.000-08:00

Cd of Bob Dylan covers: Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan

Dylan covers are really hit and miss. Here are my all-time favorites, some from the cd, some not. What are your favorite Dylan covers?

Winter Blues

2012-01-23T07:33:00.000-08:00

The greater Seattle area was hit with a pretty killer ice storm this past week. Luckily my power was restored within about 24 hours but a lot of people here are going on day 5 or 6 with no power. School was closed for an entire week, which means no work for me:(

We've been entertaining ourselves by making orange candles and trying to keep my seed start project alive. So far I've only lost two spinach starts and was able to actually plant some onions. My windowsill is packed with toilet paper roll and half carton milk jug planters. My neighbors probably wonder why I store my trash on the window.

Currently Reading: Urban Homestedding

Currently Watching: Parks and Rec

Currently Listening: Lana Del Ray (that bad SNL performance oddly made me like her more)

Sponsors Part V

2012-01-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

Imprintalish

Three words that describe your blog:

Impressions, imperfections, inspiration

Short quote or excerpt that gives us a better idea of who you are:

Mama trying to balance life, creativeness, husband and two little boys.

Link to your favorite post: Reminds me to stay calm!

Sometimes I Need A Minute

Blog Etsy FaceBook Pinterest

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Get more info here.

Sponsors Part IV

2012-01-21T19:00:00.000-08:00

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Check out the Sponsor Page.

Three words that describe your blog: Mama, Photos, Fun

Short quote or excerpt that gives us a better idea of who you are: "I found that if you love life, it will love you right back"

Link to your favorite post: http://www.mallorysmusings828.blogspot.com/2011/09/splash-park.html

Link to a blog that you read every day: http://www.girlsgonechild.net/

Visit Blog

3 words for my blog- baby, travel, pictures

Short quote or excerpt that gives us a better idea of who you are:"Twenty-something adventure seeker turned wife, momma, and expat all in less than a year. Living, loving, and traveling in Bulgaria with my sugarplum Francie and husband Martin."

My favorite post- "Future Francie" -when my daughter became a dual citizen.

A blog I read everyday- Delirious Rhapsody

Visit Blog

Winter Craft DIY: Orange Peel Candle

2012-01-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to make one of these for awhile so I was very elated and excited to find out my boyfriend (independent of me) decided to find a tutorial online and make one himself. He was under the impression it would make the entire house smell like oranges, and since our house usually smells less pleasant than oranges, he set about making the candle with extra zeal.

First you're going to want to gently carve your orange. Try to keep the top part in tact so your candle can have a hat. We were pretty unsuccessful at that part. The most important thing is to keep the long stem in the middle intact (the wick). Pour your choice of oil into the orange. We tried both olive and canola oil. Canola oil smells better.

Estimated burn time is about one hour. But if your candle lacks a hat its more around 30 minutes. Also, this will not make your house smell like oranges, but it is very pleasing to look at and gives you the ability to use something twice that you would normally have thrown away!

View my other DIY.

Friday Finds

2012-01-20T10:05:00.000-08:00

1. Bento box from Modcloth. 2. Mario and Yoshi Bento from Mallassa

Lately I'm really into Bento. I know the amount of work that goes into these boxes would totally disqualify me from ever making them. But that doesn't stop me from pinning them like there is no tomorrow.

I love Totoro. I generally tend to stay away from over-commercialized cartoon merchandise, but Lord help me I am a sucker for this oversized cat. And a Totoro made out of rice? Who could resist?

View more Bento here.

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An entire forest of sideways trees

This photo is somehow disquieting and eerie. Yet the rows are so uniform it is obviously purposeful. I can't imagine the amount of work that went into shaping all those trees!

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Barrel Sauna

Yurt House in the Adirondacks

This amazing Yurt House is actually someone's family retreat. I would live here full time! Check out the above link for more photos of this incredible abode

What have you been looking at this week?

Sponsors Part III

2012-01-18T17:07:00.000-08:00

Here is another one of my sponsors for the month of January. Interested in becoming one? Head on over to the Sponsor Page to get more info!

Three words that describe your blog: family, photos, obsessions

Short quote or excerpt that gives us a better idea of who you are: "I just like to smile, smiling's my favorite." -Elf

Link to your favorite post: http://littlegraypixel.blogspot.com/2011/05/vanessa-of-little-gray-pixel-turns-into.html

Link to a blog that you read every day: There are way too many great ones to single just one blogger out!

All the best,
Vanessa
Blog
Etsy

Pacific Northwest Winter

2012-01-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

Snow thats here in the morning is gone by the afternoon.

Lettuce Seed Update

2012-01-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

Remember this?
I was so excited to get "Grow Great Grub" as a Christmas present this year. I decided to try one of the cooler DIY projects and keep you all updated on how its going. I started the project with this:

Yes those are toilet paper rolls!

And now my little seeds look like this!

These are the lettuce seeds. I have since started some spinach seeds as well.

Interestingly enough, as I was making this post I had Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth" going on in the background. In the portion I was watching he talks about Heliotropism (where certain flowers pre-emptively turn towards where the sun will be in the morning). He spoke of it as a sort of consciousness and it struck me as very powerful. Watching my plants grow has been an exciting adventure for me!

Interested in learning how to get this project started? Click here!

I want everything on this

2012-01-13T10:05:00.001-08:00

My print was featured in this incredible treasury!

Friday Finds

2012-01-12T21:11:00.000-08:00

A new segment I'm pretty excited about:) I've taken a cue from other bloggers and decided to compile awesome things I've found throughout the week. I would like to say that I'll be doing this every Friday but in all actuality it will probably only happen when I've found a decent number of things I'm excited about;) Heres what I've been looking at:)

Foodgawker: When I'm hungry, when I'm not hungry.... yeah pretty much all the time. I was pretty excited when one of my photos was accepted (view here)

Some pretty Spanish language music:

The funniest move I've seen in the past two years. Seriously, I could not stop laughing.

What have you been looking at this week?

Valentine Card DIY

2012-01-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

If you're like me, you have a hard time throwing things away. I have a particularly hard time tossing those half sheets of paper that are left over after a scrapbooking project. I've started to accumulate quite a pile, so I decided to put them to use rather than have them take up space in my craft room.

All you need is a mini heart shaped hole punch and some scrap paper. I hope to be making quite a few different styles over the next few days and have them available for sale in my shop. See what I've made so far over here.

New Sponsors Part 2

2012-01-09T21:53:00.000-08:00

Blog

Describe your blog in three words: baby, crafts, mommytime

Give us an excerpt or quote that sums up you/your blog: " i'm melissa. mommy to jc and fiancee to charles. blogging started as a way to update out-of-town family about jc but has turned into a passion of mine. i love sharing my daily adventures with my eighteen month old son, crafts (knitting specifically), wedding planning, house hunting and my journey trying to lose weight that i can't blame on my baby. i'm obsessed with all things baby, tweeting, posting pictures on instagram, trying so desperately to fill my domestic role and finding a balance between me time and family time "

What is your all time favorite post? Wordless Wednesday

Lastly, name a blog you read everyday: Harper's Happenings

Pinterest Plans

2012-01-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

I never pin something that I have no intention of trying for myself. Especially when it comes to food. Here are my latest aspirations.

Source: thedecoratedcookieblog.com via Biz on Pinterest

Source: rfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org via Biz on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Biz on Pinterest

Meet my Sponsors! Part I

2012-01-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

I've decided to give this whole sponsor thing a whirl and ended up finding some great new blogs! If you're interested in participating check out my Sponsor Page. I'll be posting little profiles of my sponsors throughout the month, so stay tuned:)

First up!

My Blog

I can't remember how I found her blog, but I'm really glad I did. My favorite feature of this blog is definitely the comedic and sweet photos she shares of her animals.

Describe your blog in three words: Awesome, dorky and weird

Give us an excerpt or quote that sums up you/your blog: "From my post called a message to omnivores - "This is very common. A family plans a turkey dinner, with bacon in the potatoes, stuffing full of who knows what, cubed ham in the peas, beef gravy and ... oh yeah, there's a salad for the one vegetarian. I guess we can leave the chicken out of it like gracious hosts. No problem. The vegetarian brought their own thing from home. Maybe it's a tofurky, maybe it's a special lasagna or spaghetti (?) or something...they just want to be included, to hang out with you, to be able to eat something nutritious and healthy, NOT JUST SALAD. They're covered, don't even worry about it. Until..."

What is your all time favorite post? My favorite post of all-time is probably my tattoo FAQ section because I really just want to stop all the misinformation that's out there on the internet.

Lastly, what are two blogs you read everyday? I read {these two} first every time. Normally I don't like style blogs or fashion posts or what I wore things, but Kaylah and Gala are AMAZING in very different ways.
The Dainty Squid
Gala Darling (I read this one too!)

Check out Four Eyes Rella here!

A few things....

2012-01-03T14:20:00.000-08:00

What is everyone reading lately? I'm really looking for some new good books....For those of you on Goodreads, let's be friends here!

Also, very proud and enamored of my latest treasury.

2012

2012-01-01T20:36:00.000-08:00

Its not fair to place so much pressure on a year. Especially one that has so much riding against it. 2012 is the underdog; the year thats supposed to blow up before it gets to the ending. As such, I decided a while ago to simply let this year be without adding any of my own demands to it.

The things that could be called 'resolutions' are things I started way back in August when I returned to the United States and I'm proud to say I've made a lot of progress.

* Upon returning, I decided to not buy a cell phone. When I tell people that I switched back to a landline they all ask the same question: "What about emergencies?" The faith people have in cell phones to solve all of life's major emergencies is astounding. The only thing I could realistically think of when debating the pros and cons of owning a cell phone was that I would have nothing to do on 15 minute breaks at work. If I have to choose between staring at the wall for 15 minutes every shift or paying 59.99 a month to pretend like I'm doing something, I'm going to go with the option that costs me nothing.

*I deleted my facebook. This was harder than the phone thing, and it really pains me to admit that. It all started when other sites (photobucket etc.) began asking me if I wanted to login using my facebook info. This really bothered me for some reason.When did facebook become so pervasive? How can something I barely care about, take up so much of my valuable time, giving little to nothing in return? On a deeper level I felt that constantly checking facebook was symptomatic of a larger issue, a constant reminder that I was leaving something important behind, and being given a counterfeit substitute in return. I began to think back to all the novels I read in Jr. High, novels like 1984, Island and other sci fi classics. I asked myself what had changed about me between then and now and the answer really depressed me. When I was younger I had hobbies, ideas... interests. Where did that person go?

* I started a compost. There is something magical about putting scraps and undesirables in a bin and then turning it into food for plants. I love the smell of the decomposing leaves. I love saving egg shells, coffee filters and orange rinds. I love watching it all turn back into something important, and I love that I was part of that.

* I signed up to volunteer at the public library. Wherever I go I always find myself back at the library. The older I get, the more important it is to me that places like this are preserved. I feel like we are getting to a place as a society where the concept of a public library simply won't fit anymore. I'd like to do all I can to make sure they stick around as long as possible.

In 2012 I plan to unplug even further, checking my email only a few times a week rather than every day (something my current job makes very difficult). I've got ambitious plans for a vegetable patch and simpler living in general.

What are your plans for the new year?