sixtyish days.

whooooo boy, TWO MONTHS since our last post? eek. sorry. when we all started our personal blogs (plumb, mimsicle, and 5one9), i'm pretty sure we also made promises about not forgetting this pretty little blog... well, whoopsies. but we're posting now. so... here's to that! :)

it's amazing how time slips by unbeknownst when you're busy! it's been an exhausting last couple of months.

in september, my life literally stopped and was forever changed with one phone call. my little sister's beautiful friend, cassie, was killed in a tragic car crash. cassie was a constant fixture in our home growing up, to the point that we all referred to her and introduced her to others as our sister. she was physically one of the most stunning girls i know, but truly lived as if she was unaware of her beauty. she was exceptionally funny and could probably quote the entire "best of will farrell" SNL dvd in order... and make you laugh harder than if you were to watch will farrell live. watching her play with the children on our mexicali missions trip... her joy was so childlike and contagious, she impacted an incredible number of people. with cassie's death, i've never experienced numbness and helplessness so powerfully. i don't think on this earth i will ever understand how people can say that "everything happens for a reason" when a beautiful, joyful young life is taken before their time. it will never make sense to me.

the next few months after that blurred from mourning into busyness. it helped the heartache to be distracted... and thankfully, there have been more projects and things to do in the last month than in the rest of the year combined for me. for example... it's holiday time over at work... after swearing once that i'd never work retail... here i am, second holiday in a row. i'm shocked to find that i actually love working retail... love the people i work with... love the customers... love and really believe in the products we sell... it's only gotten better.

i've also officially been added to the visual team, which has been awesome. i'm still doing a lot of the same things, but i get consistent scheduled hours working visual, which i love, and i get the opportunity to work with some incredibly talented and truly great girls. it makes going in at 7 am worth it to be able to talk to people who "get it" when i swoon over how diaphanous the texture of toilet seat covers look under lighting... amazing. i've also been working on quite the handful of personal projects... and still have a couple more up my sleeve before we hit 2010. it's been a whirlwind lately, so forgive my absence.

recent highlights: finishing the poofs for anthro's holiday windows!! i mean, if you are my friend you know i love a tissue paper pom more than the average person... but imagine those poms... on crack... times literally one thousand and i think i actually have to admit-- im pretty sure i'm finally over them. i also did an installation for my favorite local coffee shop. of course, i'm still not 100% in love with the outcome... i've had nightmares nearly every night since the install consisting of hours of SPECIFIC monotonous tasks. when I wake, i feel accomplished and tired... only to realize that i have nothing to show for the last 6 hours of my life. this must be what they are referring to when they say the tortured life of an artist... i'm including a couple glimpses of the outcome... but you'll have to wait til i add a couple more things for the FINAL pictures... :) also, we are planning a trunk show/artist showcase for next week. venessa recently took part in a trunk show featuring her fabulous pieces and it was seriously SO. MUCH. FUN. so much so, in fact, that immediately after, meredith and i already had started planning ours. for next week. eek. so, cross your fingers and hope we find people that love us and love what we make and will make the trek out to see us. it's sure to be such a fun night, i can't imagine (don't want to imagine) it not going well!

i'll post again soon... promise... until then, here's these detail shots:

oh... and my lovely family. they're the best. i could NOT have done the installation without them... it was amazing to have my family truly rally around me to thread straws, buy materials, weld structures, string plastic bags, construct coffee filter flowers, cut wood cross-sections, and to support me along the way. installations are always way more time/material consuming than they seem, i couldn't even begin to count the hours i've spent on this project...

man. i L-O-V-E jedidiah.

every single time i check out their new designs, i'm in awe of the brand. and i never feel bad about purchasing from them. not only are their prices extremely reasonable, but oftentimes, the designs i like the best are from their hope collection which makes my purchase that much more justifiable. when you purchase a design from the hope collection, they donate a percentage of each sale (usually somewhere around $10 of a $25 shirt... pretty great) to the non-profit it supports. one of my current favorites supports a nonprofit that a couple of my friends have been a part of, "surfing the nations."

another reason i love the brand is that they have really talented artists. i have a great appreciation for designs that use both hand-drawn and digital elements. people don't always recognize the work that goes into creating a complex design like this, but it takes a lot of thought and talent to integrate the two styles into one piece. this is a style that is prevalent in jedidiah's designs and epitomizes surf style in general. i can't seem to stop loving the sketched-out patterns and grungy designs.... :)

jedidiah's also involved in the community, and uses their platform to support musicians and artists around them. i've had the opportunity to meet some of the people that are very involved in the brand, and am always impressed with how genuine and laid-back everyone's been that i've met. anyway... if you haven't gotten over to their website in awhile, go check it out. it's definitely worth your time. www.jedidiahusa.com

found.

the other day, when we were absolutely supposed to be doing "other things," i surprised meredith (because i know her oh so well) with a trip to a little place called petland. it doesn't take a genius to figure out what's going on in there, but if you know meredith in real-life, the life where you actually can hear her voice, you'll know that it literally jumps octaves when she spies animals. especially baby-animals. this place has a lot of those. we spent the next couple hours sprawling out on the floor in our heels in a cubicle playing with various puppies. when i saw this picture a little bit later, i couldn't help but feel like i found my new dream-dog. it helps that the girl is adorable too.

meredith, with her newfound(land) friend

Plumb!

Don't worry, I'm not leaving Penelopea (because I'm sure you were really worried!) but I've started my own blog - Miriam's was cute, I just couldn't resist. So my new blog is called Plumb, and it's a simple blog about my everyday life. Stop by if you want to catch a glimpse of it! And I swear I'll still be posting about things that I love and inspire me here too. Oh, and here's the link to the blog.

i made a shirt. well, i put stuff on a shirt. still count?

here it is...nothing fancy, but i made it!

I HAVE A SPACE!

sneek peek of the place i call "mine!" in the house. no longer will my back be bent over a low-profile coffee table as voices around me are yelling at some game on tv while i do my save the dates and other projects-- but i will have a space to do them all of my own! more pictures to come... just had to share a little photo boothed glee. {that's my inspiration board/portfolio behind me!}

What I've been doing for the last million years while Ali's been so lovingly posting away...

I believe I just survived the last and most intense semester of my college career. Hence the lack of posts on my end. And I'm sorry I don't have much in terms of inspiration to post here because I haven't been able to go anywhere, do anything, or view anything that would give me such! I've literally just been in the studio making things all semester long. I figured I would at least show you the progress I made.

I say it was my most intense semester because I was under the most pressure (mainly from myself) to really take my art to the next level. I was awarded an honor's studio, so I was able to have my very own space to work in - which is really exciting because other than that there is a very crowded classroom to work in. I was able to make my sculptures and paintings much larger due to the extra space - taking my ideas and studies from a small, inconceivable level, to a much larger reality. I was also given a lot of very good feedback from some professor's and I am now hoping to go to graduate school for my master's in art in a few years.

So, all in all it was crazy and hectic and I thought I would die, but in the end I feel like I gained a lot in the process and I'm now ready to pursue this passion for art making that I've been given. And I finally graduated college and only have to go back to study the things I want to if I want to!

So here's some pictures of the some of the work I made this semester.

light boxes with mixed media drawings. These boxes in short, represent some of the women in my family who have died, been diagnosed with, and have the potential to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

A site specific installation and collaboration with my good friend Jae Payne. This piece, again in short, demonstrates a snapshot of our mind space - one that is often filled with weight and anxiety.

A large panel with mixed media. This, also in short, represents a day in the life of my dealings with anxiety. It's mostly a meditative piece on this concept.

Another site specific installation that represents a space in time where I had a very bad experience. All of these explanations are very short (ha ha) so if they don't make sense, I'm so sorry!

A site specific installation that had to do with a place in my childhood that was significant.

A large sculpture that again, represent aspects of my struggle with anxiety.

And last, but not least, a picture of Ann Walsh, Jae Payne, Brody Reiman, and I at graduation. Some amazing professors/artists and a really amazing friend.

....and the winner is........

yay, mrs. southern bride!!
email me at: alexandra003@gmail.com for your lovely little package!
you are going to LOOOOVE this book!

like i give a frock... GIVEAWAY!

i'm a sucker for watercolor. not fields and flowers, but FASHION. there is something so so so so very beautiful about a little pen and ink that has the super saturated bleeds of watercolor fading out around the edges. there is only one thing that can top this.and that's when cynical, sarcastic, witty, hilarious commentary regarding ridiculous fashion accompanies beautiful bright watercolor illustrations. this example is exceptionally married in the book, "like i give a frock." you love it already, don't you?

i was introduced to "like i give a frock" at work a while ago. whitney offhandedly asked if i'd seen it, telling me i'd like it. i was in tears. if i could characterize my humor, THIS IS IT. it's a collection of random stories and anecdotes, many referencing things like cankles, fingerless gloves, and bikini waxes with no shame, instead a healthy dose of condescension. the illustrations are by the super-talented kat mcleod, the musings are the brainchild of chloe quigley and daniel pollock, under the unassuming name of michi, the ficitional fun, sassy fashion forecaster of michigirl. you can sign up for their daily wisdom, if you wish, for absolutely free. i'm thinking it would be a bit of fun in my inbox everyday!

we've never done a giveaway over here on penelopea, but what's a better time than now, right? i mean, it's the beginning of summer. well, sort of... because when you grow up, may-june-july-august does not equal summer, but instead, months of work where it's just really hot outside and you become really really overwhelmed with wanderlust. maybe it's just me, but i'm starting to realize that it really sucks knowing that, well, for some people it's SUMMER... in all it's summery, lazy, laying-out, coconut-smelling, tropical-vacationing, no-working, no-school... SUMMER GLORY... but not for you. because, you're a grownup now. ugh. still not cool with this thought. anyway.

in protest, we're doing a giveaway that lets you escape the monotony. enjoy a ridiculous poolside read no matter where you are reading it from. something fun, frilly, and absolutely not serious in any way. perfect. so here's the deal:

i will put together a package with lots of surprises (most likely from my place of employment!) including the fantastic read, "like i give a frock." you will enter this giveaway by commenting on this blog either own tried-and-true fashion rule, or sassy commentary on a trend you hate. don't worry, it doesn't have to be an essay, and we won't judge you... it's just for fun! we'll choose someone at random, and the contest will be open until Thursday 11:59 pm. I will announce the winner on Friday and will send out your package shortly thereafter. remember, all posts and comments must be actually on the www.penelopea.blogspot.com blog, not the facebook version of this page to be considered!

tell your friends to stop by and enter by imparting their favorite fashion misfortunes... i would love for someone besides my mom to win. no offense, mom. :)

EXCEPT PHILLIP!!!!!!!!

"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true.
And that would be unacceptable." --Carrie Fisher

my friend whitney recently recalled the above quote... (actually, it was her status on facebook, but it sounds better if i just make it sound like we sit around all day and recite meaningful, thought-provoking quotes to each other) ... and it made me laugh, because it sorta sounds like my life. when you get down to it, i think the only way i've survived all the stories i have is that i've learned to laugh at them... and myself.

the following is truly one of the more vulnerable accounts of the aforementioned stories... in picture form. my mom found a second-grade love letter i had written to the then-love-of-my-life, dillon gray. it's terrifying to think i actually said things like this, and that notes like this still exist in real, tangible form. {cringe.} it's also important to note that i am not so pretentious to think that the words i am currently writing will not in later years be looked back upon with equivalent disdain. {cringex150.}


reads:
"Dear Dillon, I loved the letter! That, is I also love you! One Thing I want to know is why you never picked me to go to the office or do anything?Please forgive me for anything I did! You know every time I Kick you I, do that because I like you!Every Wednesday I always look forward to sitting next to you! That's because I like you! I'm SO glad you like me! By the way I've only showed the note to Bethany. Why do you always act like you hate me? I hate it when you ometimes are mad at me! please write back! DON'T SHOW THIS TO ANYONE!!! EXCEPT PHILLIP!!!!!!! Love, Ali P.S. Sorry so sloppy! I did it on my typewriter! Love, Ali"

and if you're wondering what kind of person writes letters like this that sound so incredibly controlling/passiveagressive/insecure/forward, please refer to SecondGradeMe in the picture below, on the right, who adamantly declared to my mother that Converse high-tops were "the ONLY appropriate choice" to pair along with a twinsie-with-my-sister-Christmas-sweater-that-actually-had-embellishments-hanging-off-of-it. makes a lot more sense now, huh? {CRINGEx587.}

somehow, this HAS to be my mother's fault.

additionally,

laurie b lowndes now has a blog.
add it to your dailies. she's a keeper.

www.laurieblowndes.blogspot.com

i never had a desire to work retail before working at anthropologie. if you've ever been in one of our stores, you actually probably understand why i allowed myself to even think about getting paid a couple dollars over minimum wage to hang and fold clothes and finger-space the racks. (yes, we actually do that... it makes shopping easier!) anthropologie is DIFFERENT than other companies in the fact that they prioritize the visual element of their stores as highly as the selling element. each store employs a full-time visual team that works diligently to create an "unimaginable" experience for every customer every time they walk through our doors. it's ecclectic and pretty, and creative beyond any other retailer out there.

a year ago, i was hired on as part-time sales. i am also interning with the Visual Team. our store has gone through a lot of change since opening almost a year ago, with 2/3 of our visual team having babies and moving out of the area over 5 months ago. our store recently hired two full-time people for the Visual team. i thought i would love the position of the DC, and it's possible that down the line of my life, i might actually apply for it, but right now, i am super content learning everything i can about the company and the roles of the DC and the merchandising that goes behind retail in general. the more i learn, the more i realize how complex and demanding of a job it is, and i am more in awe than ever of some of the amazing women (and a couple men) i have met that hold these positions throughout the company.

danny and i are also not so sure of what the future holds for us in terms of where we will be living this next year. he's finishing up his student teaching and applying throughout the state, and with as weird as the whole job-thing for teaching is going lately, who knows where we will end up! thankfully, there are a good handful of anthro's out this way, and it's possible to transfer throughout the company, and our sister stores, urban outfitters, and free people as well.

anyway, i don't think i would have made it through this last year here in roseville (this suburbia is slowly killing my soul, if you haven't noticed...) without the friends i've made at anthro. i'm truly blessed to work with people i may have never met, and can't now imagine my life without. i've gone through some weird changes lately with friends i expected to have forever winding their way in and out of my life less frequently than i couldve anticipated, and its so amazing to truly count my coworkers as friends, and celebrate life events with them. one of the girls i work with actually lives two blocks away from me, and its been so cool because we end up working a lot of similar shifts and we will bike the couple miles it is from our houses to work together.

there is a consequence to working there however... i mean, besides the normal things like overwhelming mountains of unprocessed clothes... it's the fact that i make, like, NOTHING there. it's not that i'm not paid... i am. but i basically spend my whole paycheck there. it's dangerous. i'm exposed every single day to boxes and boxes of really cool stuff that is often expensive. throw a generous discount into the mix, and it's hard to deny the overpriced but beautiful items. dang. thankfully, danny has a crush on anthropologie too, or at least loves me enough to pretend he does, and doesn't give me THAT much crap when i walk in the door with a couple bags... eek. :)


my recent obsessions... that i purchased. see those blue plates? it was love at first sight, but their price tag read $14/plate. yeah, not justifiable. but $3.95/plate? DONE.
& that CHAIR??? happy birthday to ME! :



remember the bike i bought last summer? welllll, it's baaaaaack! and my friend (and fellow anthropologie employee) roxanne and i are riding around like crazy. we bike to work and back, and just last night, she, danny, and i all biked to a pizza place in a nearby town to have a couple slices and a tall glass of blue moon. anyway, see that pile of my recent purchases above? well, i knew it would be gone if i didn't buy it one night that we closed, and i didn't care that we were riding our bikes... we just had to be creative. thankfully, danny actually was grabbing some dinner at whole foods (in our same center) and waited around for us to finish up closing. we were totally ridiculous riding home with 8 dinner plates, 8 salad plates and around 10 latte bowls in my basket, in backpacks, and in anthro bags hanging from the handle bars. ...where there's a will, there's a way. and of course, we found it... ha.

anyway, i know this is more than you wanted to know, but i couldn't help it. once i started talking, i realized there is so much to this place. and while it's still "work," i'm truly thankful that i'm here right now. i'm here for a reason, and i'm treasuring my time.



additionally, if you haven't had a chance to check it out, there's an amazing blog by a DC down south, check out her amazing work on her personal website: ruthiauda.com/blog

your hopes, dreams, and aspirations are legitimate. they are trying to take you airborne, above the clouds, above the storms, if only you'll let them. -william james

earlier this week, the wreckage of my dad's best friend's private plane was discovered by a search and rescue team in the mountains of san jose, california. my heart hurts in a way that i can't explain. it seems as if all the words ever written couldn't adequately express why something that hurts this many people SO MUCH is allowed to happen. dave and my dad shared a commonality in that they both love flying, and have been friends for over twenty years. my heart is broken. i cry for my dad that lost one of the only men he has ever loved and respected. i cry for my dad as i know he walks past a plane in his garage that he was building with his best friend... one that haunts him with the memories they wanted to make together. i cry for his wife that sleeps in a half-empty bed and attempts to recover her seemingly half-empty life. i cry for her as she looks into a closet of his clothes that still hold his scent and their memories. i cry for his daughters that will wish for their dad every important moment of their lives. these are a few of the things that i can't explain and i won't even try.

pray for the devastated hearts that can't even fathom healing.

images via fffound.

[always the best quotes from designcrush]

today has been one of those... weird days. not real happy, not real sad... just sort of existing today. i just wanted to feel SOMETHING, so i went to kickboxing and worked out extra-passionately. nothing. went to the bird sanctuary and wandered its looping pathways. about halfway through my walk, i saw three old men sitting under the reach of a large oak tree's shade. the sunshine shimmered through the branches illuminating the faces of these men. they sat silently, all three sharing one bench. i couldn't stop thinking about these men and their stories. they shared this silent moment with such ease... the way that only true or lifelong friends can. seeing them shot a pang of jealousy through my heart, as i realized i was walking the trail alone. see, the thing is that it's been a real rough week and its times like these that make you feel even. more. alone. my body has been freaking out lately without a lot of explanation and it's frustrating. i was so blessed to have both my mom and venessa accompany me to a doctor's appointment this week. still, its been bittersweet because venessa had to go be responsible or something and go back to her real life, and i once again realized that i dont have a bff in this town. danny has been really supportive and while he has the crafting abilities of four girls hidden away in his six foot four frame... it doesnt take away the fact that sometimes you just want a girl to grab coffee with that understands your superficial laments, and listens... not because they're married to you, but because they choose to listen and their heart hurts along with yours.

in other news, i never posted all those pictures i have for you to see... crap! one of these days you'll actually SEE that i DO work for anthropologie and that i DO a lot of side projects. and i DID finish that cupboard and it looks... okay... while you're waiting on me though to actually post my projects, you should check out the blog of ruthi auda. she also works at anthropologie and does a MUCH better job of documenting that. her commentary with the pictures really sheds some light on the way things work at anthro... plus, she's adorable, so go show her some love.

additionally, it's a big uh-oh for you people. i have discovered ffffound.com and vi.sualize.us on the same day. this means one of two things: you will either love all the new and fun and beautiful images i find and post... or you will be really annoyed with me and my new crush. i know, i know, i'm light years behind on these... i kept seeing the links to these places but for some strange, very out of character reason, i never clicked the links. image on left ffffound here!

Mimsicle is up!

alright people. so i know i haven't been good about posting on here....but i started a new blog for the next few months which is really just going to be about the every day things of my life. Chris is leaving to go on the road (guitar tech) this evening...and he's going to be gone a LOT in the next few months...so this is mostly a blog for him to know how i'm doing back home....but just in case you got curious, i'll be updating at Mimsicle. But! i'm also hoping this will kick my lazy blogging bottom into gear and hopefully be posting more on this loverly blog too! alrighty then....Goodbye dearest Christopher...have fun in your bus.

these pictures are the beautiful work of the talented shannon leith. we subtly added her name to the side panel of people we love, but after seeing these, thought you all had to see them too!

LOOK at these pictures. they are beautiful and sophisticated, and totally capture the feeling one wants on their wedding day... relaxed, fun, effortlessly stunning!



check out her blog, art in everyday life, and send some love!

feeling reminiscent.

i have a pretty fun post for you all lined up. a couple actually. but the problem is, i'm *real* tired. as much as i want to share some pictures from projects at anthro and tell you about this movement im currently obsessed with, i'm drained. i've been busy at work (the last three days with "home moves." loosely translated, that means, "we just redid the entire store in three days."

by the way... did i mention this occurred between the hours of 6am to 3pm? yeah. can't do that. maaaybe that works for YOU... but i make it a consistent practice to let the sun rise before me. i really try to refuse beginning my day while the moon is still hanging in the sky. however... that did not occur this week. 6 am... the week after the time change. woooo... remember how much i already hate that day?

alright. i really hope you are sympathizing with me by this point. so. i've been a part of a pretty amazing transformation that included me doing things like, painting walls and staining fixtures to tying twine around flatware {for HOURS} and making obscenely long paper clip chains (well, relatively obscene, i suppose... obscene to everyone except dan meyer, my friend who happened to break the guinness book world record for the longest paper clip chain made in 24 hours. yep, his paper clip chains were a little more obscene.) anyway.

so, this afternoon i escaped into some old pictures instead of dwelling in my tired state. these weren't just any old pictures... you know, i'm sure you have them. the kind that immediately build a euphoria of sorts in your soul. the kind that fully capture one of my very favorite feelings... adequately and eloquently summed up in this quote,

"... And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." -stephen chbosky

i've had a lot of real awesome "infinite" moments in my lifetime. some really amazing adventures. unfortunately, those mostly occur over 3 day weekends now, or when i am brave enough to shirk my responsibilities and pretend i don't have a job for a bit... but i was lucky enough to have six entire months of those moments. they were broken up into two different summers a few years ago, but... well... just look at the pictures. trust me, i have enough to fill about ten photobooks. {they're all on my bookcase.} but, a couple will do for now. i know you weren't there... but hopefully, you feel a little smidgen of what i do when i see them and be transported away from "real life," if only for a moment.

*more on this later*

*a vintage mer+ali picture for you.*

oh. and one last thing: i'm working on a personal piece. it's a... hutch...? or something that we got for free. in the beginning, i thought the one cabinet that's blue was romantically sized up as, "kinda quirky... kinda like it." which soon turned into, "i hate this thing, why's it still in my house...?" anyway. i told you i've been staining stuff at work. i did this stain and a wash over the stain that looks SO BEAUTIFUL. i'm making a couple changes in terms of color, but i'm going to do the same thing with this cabinet. i'm documenting my process so i actually finish a project that i'm starting... in a timely manner! p.s. i have a newfound obsession with the belt sander. WOW. talk about amazing. :)

remember that one time...

i told you i was making a book with the magnificent kim screen of good stock? well, that happened. three months ago. and it was better than i could've ever hoped for. the book is BEAUTIFUL. {click to make them BIGGER}


as you can tell, i'm a big fan of a handmade christmas... at least partially. most of the fam got these cookbooks. i also made some design sponge inspired terrariums as gifts for a few of my lovely, lovely friends. they've probably killed these cute plants by now. i had the opportunity to attend a truly wonderful evening at the kanbergs casa where we ate some gourmet food (still in love with that asparagus soup... mmmm) and did a little exchange. i know... it's all very overdue, as always... but i couldn't escape posting these! they're too cute!

{sidenote/random fact about ali: i am cursed with having the opposite of a green thumb and kill everything i touch that requires photosynthesis to live... how 'bout you?}