tifftastic

christmas at my house

tifftastic — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:46:32 +0000

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE!

i thought i’d share a few peeks of our christmas decorations and such. and i’ll post a tutorial soon on those yarn wreaths.

we’re heading over to mom & dad’s house to spend the night so we can wake up and have christmas morning together. it’s one of our traditions. willy, ashley, & i wear matching pajamas. heehee. what are your plans for christmas eve?

the second yarn wreath i made. these things are so easy and fun to make!

my aunt gave me this a couple of years ago. i love it! it sings christmas carols, and snow blows around like a real snow globe. gotta love disney princesses.

*sings* pecaaaans roasting in an open ovennnn... i guess that's not the same. lol

other yarn wreath. tutorial coming shortly, including how to make felt flowers.

someone gave this to us as a wedding gift, and i absolutely adore it. <3

texas in pictures!

tifftastic — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:13:03 +0000

since i have some down time, i thought i’d start blogging about our trip to texas instead of doing one huge post when we get home. i’m taking tons of photos (most of which consist of the nieces and nephews so far! heh… i’m a doting auntie) so i can document our trip in pics.

million-hour drive = shoes off, crochet time, and audiobook fest.

made it to houston! only 3-4 hours left to san antonio...

starting to go a little crazy (well, more crazy than i already am, i guess...)

made it! here's pop holding our nephew nathan, who is 3.5 months old now.

pretty nieces! braelyn and kenzee eating some yummy dinner.

nathan and mommy. look at that bright-eyed boy! he loves to observe the world around him.

day two:

day two: braelyn and brynley dressed up for church in their adorable matching dresses! i remember when ashley & i used to have matching dresses for every occasion!

sweetie girl!

somebody loves his uncle willy!

smiley boy!

the cutest shirley temple doll in the window of an antiques shop. i think mamaw would love this!

heading out to dinner at the gristmill in gruene. so many pretty christmas lights & decorations!

having a wonderful time with the family so far. i haven’t gotten many pictures of kenzee, because she doesn’t stay in one place for very long, and my phone was dead at dinner last night. lol. and we haven’t gotten to see much of the newest addition, carter, yet! but we will! more pictures and details to come later.

ten pretty blue things.

tifftastic — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:24:10 +0000

i was just perusing a daily email from etsy, and there were so many pretty blue things! so i thought i’d do a “ten things i love” post, even though it’s tuesday. aaaaand…yeah, it’s been a long, long time since i’ve done one. heh.

click on the photos, and they’ll take you directly to the listings.

TagSaleFinds

pouch

filofashion

tutus chic boutique

morrell decor

gogo vintage

lorie marie

Lwangslife

finkshop

10.

cuddlemeknits

it’s that time again…

tifftastic — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:11:13 +0000

…time for thirty days & nights of literary abandon! from november 1st to november 30th, i’ll be holed up with my laptop at my desk, on the couch, at starbucks, at the library, and sometimes hiding from it in corners or under tables when i get scared.

i’m actually more prepared for NaNoWriMo this year. i’ve got a loose outline for my novel (a young adult fiction novel this year), most of the names for my characters figured out, and the story arc plotted. i’ve even got a few cute little details that pop into my head every now and then that i wish i could share, but i can’t yet. it should be a fun story to write. much less serious than last year’s, anyway. the tentative title is LIARFACE. like i said, tentative.

my main character popped up in my imagination a little less than a year ago. she seriously and literally just appeared in my head out of nowhere. i know it sounds weird to non-writers, but that’s what usually happens when i write. her name is adelaide. her friends call her addy, and her mother (a self-procliamed southern belle) calls her “lady.” it’s a bit of a coming-of-age story in which addy learns that lies and secrets don’t make friends! it’ll be mostly comical, sometimes serious, relatable, and sometimes a bit romantic. i’m excited to start sharing excerpts once i get into the swing of things!

the only downfall is that school is going to be a bit of a hindrance. i have to finish (er, start?) a term paper that’s due nov. 9th, and i have a lot of reading to do for other classes. *and* nanowrimo starts on tuesday (which is november 1st, of course!), which is the day of my four-hour CLASS FROM HELL. it goes until 7:45pm, which means i’ll probably miss the first write-in. boooo.

also, sorry about the whole blogging hiatus. :/ i have a bit to talk about where school is concerned, but i can’t do it right this second. i *will* say that i’m becoming more confident about my art. i’m submitting another painting to a a show. i’m not altogether sure that getting accepted into this one is a possibility, but hey! you never know, right? my other one was accepted into the student gallery, after all, and judged fit by my peers to be placed in the hallway.

anyway, more blogging to come soon. i’m also going to try to post some “paintings in progress” type of things on my “i heart art” blog. i’ll post here letting you know when that blog has new stuff too. click on the icon that says “i heart art” with a picture of my palette on it over there. ———————>

out of the zone.

tifftastic — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:33:27 +0000

this semester has made me very anxious so far. most of my hesitance lies in my arts 118 class, where we have to speak in each class and give a presentation during the semester. for someone with an anxiety disorder, this is a huge obstacle. you might think it would be easy to just say, “okay, self. just shut up and do it.” but it’s not that simple when you have a legitimate issue with anxiety. there have been many times when i’ve had something to say during this class, but as soon as i start to plan it out in my head, my heart starts to pound, my breathing speeds up, and i start to shake. the beginnings of a panic attack. it sucks big time, because i know that what i say will contribute a good point to the conversation. it’s a reflex. it’s not easy to just push myself through it. but sometimes i have to. of course it almost always turns out okay in the end, but getting to the end is difficult.

anyway, i only wrote all that to explain how i’m trying to step outside of my comfort zone in other areas this semester. last night, i dragged my friend chelsea to the semester’s first meeting of the visual arts club. i was iffy about it at first. but once everyone started tossing around ideas about what activities to plan, things starting to sound more appealing. we’re going to have tutorials and fundraisers and some community outreach projects. i think it’s going to be fun, and hopefully i’ll get to make some new friends.

the club has a student run gallery, and they’re asking for submissions for the first show of the year. the student gallery consists of the walls on the first floor of the cato/simons center, which make contains the studio arts, theatre, and music departments. after seeing previous works that have been featured there, i don’t honestly expect to be chosen, but i want to submit something anyway. you never know until you try, right? or as my papaw says, “can’t never could do nothin’.” heh heh. even if my works is not chosen to be hung on the walls, it could still be featured on the visual arts club’s website.

so here are the ones that i’m considering submitting for consideration. it would be awesome if you would vote for your favorite, or the one that you think would be most likely to be considered, that would be so great. the titles are tentative. i’ve never been great at coming up with titles. you’re welcome to suggest alternatives. i’m still a newbie at this, remember…

Natural Selection, 2011 dimensions: 16x20

Obstruction, 2011 dim: 8x16

West Fall, 2011 dim: 12x16

any suggestions? thanks. :)

to be or not to be…offended by art?

tifftastic — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:15:18 +0000

this semester, i’m taking a required course called “issues and images in contemporary art.” i knew as soon as i saw the title that it would be a class filled with heated discussion and conflicting viewpoints and opinions. and it is. as i said on facebook and twitter during the break of my first class, i’m not sure if the people in my class are way smarter or way more pretentious than i am.

why can’t i just appreciate art for its aesthetics and not have to read so deeply into it? i don’t like ripping apart a piece of art until i can’t appreciate its beauty anymore. i like the feeling i get when i first see a work for the first time. i like to appreciate that part the most.

anyway, the interesting thing is a question one of the professors (there are two for this class) posed to us. we were looking at some paintings by john currin, which were a complete turnaround from his previous work. DON’T click on the link if you are easily offended. this brings me to the point of the post. the professor asked us how many of us were offended by the images he showed us. no one raised a hand. then he posed this question to us: how many of us are saying we’re not offended because we want so badly to *not* be offended? how many of us aren’t offended because we’re artists, and we’re not *supposed* to be shocked or offended by images we see? we see some pretty gruesome things on an everyday basis, right? we’re offended by things in the news and things we see on the street. but when it comes to art, anything goes, right?

that was the most interesting thing i’ve heard in a while. i had to ask myself how i actually felt. when i looked deeper, i found that i actually was not offended at all. unless something downright mean is said about me or my husband (or some close friends or family), i don’t get offended easily. it’s true. i think a lot of things i see are ridiculous (such as the amount of butt cheeks i’ve seen on campus this week under the shorty shorts girls are wearing lately), but i’m not offended by them.

john currin, the artist we were viewing at the time, changed his style completely. his recent works were inspired by danish pornography. yes, they are pornographic images. but they’re painted in an almost renaissance style. to me, the contrast is amusing. renaissance painters painted nudes all the time. but they were presented in a much more intimate way. currin’s paintings are full-on, like i said, pornographic. when we came back from our break, we studied an interesting contrast among three paintings to get an initial reaction.

***note: i debated whether to post the images of the following paintings because of their natures. it was a hard decision to make, since some people may actually be offended by the images, and a lot of my family members read my blog… i’m going to post the first two, but not the last, since currin’s works are actually modeled on pornography. as long as you don’t mind renaissance or impressionist nudes, then you’re fine to proceed from here.***

the first painting we viewed, pictured below, was italian painter titian’s venus of urbino (1538). it’s a painting i’ve seen many times in art history and other classes. something that i like to point out is that the venus of urbino was actually based on the painter giorgione’s sleeping venus. it was completed by titian after giorgione’s death. mark twain actually wrote about this painting after seeing it in the uffizi gallery in florence. he was highly offended, not by the subject matter or the fact that it was a nude, but by the placement of the hand (is the hand placed there for modesty or for some other reason?). but most of us will look at this painting and think, “this is a renaissance painting. it looks real, and it looks beautiful.”

the second painting presented to us was edouard manet’s olympia (1863). not a surprise, as it is usually studied, compared, and contrasted with titian’s venus. it’s a bit more confrontational, as the woman (a prostitute) sits up and looks directly at the viewer. her posture is comfortable, confident, and open, whereas the venus or urbino’s posture is more coy and demure. note, however, that both have their legs crossed, and that the vital parts are not visible. the shocking thing about olympia, when it was first painted, was that there are several items in the painting that clearly identify the subject as a prostitute. notice the difference in hand placement and the tension there. olympia’s hand seems fiercely protective. the venus of urbino’s hand seems more delicate and demure in its protection. there are lots of symbolic items here. google or wiki them if you want to. it’s very interesting.

on to the next: john currin, contemporary artist (born in colorado, raised in connecticut). his painting anniversary nude (2008) was the third we saw in this part of the lecture. it was kind of like, “oh. okay. well, that’s different.” it’s not that i was offended, but yeah, i was a little shocked. the obviousness and provocative nature of the painting is divergent…yet still similar to the first two. think about it: society today is largely about sex. “sex sells.” and it’s true. sex is present in some form everywhere we look. the openness, the extreme provocative nature of the subject…it’s like she’s just putting it out there for all to see. there’s no sense of modesty or decorum whatsoever. is this bad? is it the objectification of women? or is it empowering?

are you shocked?

are you offended?

if you aren’t, is it because you don’t think you’re supposed to be shocked in this day and age?

i still can’t decide. even if i’m not good at reading a work of art the way some people can, i love the way art makes me think and ponder.

what do you think?

***ETA: the previous link for anniversary nude did not show the full painting. the new link will.***

i cain’t rite good like they had did.

tifftastic — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 17:13:59 +0000

Little Women has got to be one of the greatest stories ever written. It makes me cry like a baby every single time. The prose and dialogue are just so…pleasing. The characterizations are amazing, and the people seem to leap from the pages. The eloquence of it even shines through in the dialogue of the movies based on the novel. The relationships between the characters are so well-developed; the characters are wonderfully flawed (though Jo says she is “hopelessly flawed”), and there’s nothing glamorous about them. It’s beautiful.

I only wish I knew how to write like that. The fact is that most people don’t have nearly the vocabulary everyday people had one hundred years ago. With all of the advances made during that time, I feel that there just aren’t many writers anymore who are able to write prose with the type of rhetoric that was common during Louisa May Alcott’s or Jane Austen’s time. It just seems to me that language was grander then.

Of course, I know that the language varied between the classes and from region to region. But there are simple words that some people don’t even understand these days. I believe I once wrote on this very blog that I had a friend who didn’t know the meaning of the word “swoon.”

I’m sorry if it makes me sound like a judgmental snob, but when someone can’t use proper grammar or can’t be bothered to even try to pronounce a word or name correctly, it makes me wince and consider them ignorant. The worst is when someone knows grammar rules and is purposely obtuse just because they don’t feel like it’s important. It is. If you don’t think so, read letters written by not only writers like Jane Austen, but by regular people of the same era. Simple correspondence written so beautifully. Do love letters still exist, by the way? I would…ahem…swoon if someone wrote a love letter like this simple line Mozart wrote to his wife:

Adieu – Dearest, most beloved little wife – Take care of your health – and don’t think of walking into town. Do write and tell me how you like our new quarters – Adieu. I kiss you millions of times.

It’s not even a particularly romantic line, yet the language is so pretty.

I wish people would acknowledge the beauty of language and actually make an attempt to use it properly. It’s not that difficult.

The difference between “good” and “well,” for example. Good describes a noun. Well describes an action. This ice cream is so good! He plays the piano very well. It’s really not that difficult.

On the other hand, I realize that it might not be considered “cool” to sound intelligent. I don’t understand it at all. My sister and I were having a discussion about this very thing a few weeks ago. Even in our adult lives, both of us have been made fun of for this. Maybe it’s done in a teasing way, but it still stings somewhat.

This post took a turn somewhere… I only meant to write about the beauty of Little Women. Haha… I’m sorry that it turned into a sort of diatribe. If you don’t understand what I mean, pick up a copy of this novel (or most novels of the era or earlier). Flip it open to any page (you could even just google an excerpt). I guarantee you that any excerpt you pick will resound with greatness and vivid language. This sentence, for example:

The first of December was a wintry day indeed to them, for a bitter wind blew, snow fell fast, and the year seemed getting ready for its death.

I rest my case with a final snippet from this wonderful book that has been treasured by generations. I love the irony of the final sentence, spoken by Amy. It makes me giggle.

“I don’t believe any of you suffer as I do,” cried Amy; “for you don’t have to go to school with impertinent girls, who plague you if you don’t know your lessons, and laugh at your dresses, and label your father if he isn’t rich, and insult you when your nose isn’t nice.”

“If you mean libel, I’d say so, and not talk about labels, as if papa was a pickle-bottle,” advised Jo, laughing.

“I know what I mean, and you needn’t be statirical about it. It’s proper to use good words, and improve your vocabilary,” returned Amy, with dignity.

things i love sunday.

tifftastic — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:58:45 +0000

1. (deleted because the song wouldn’t stop playing automatically…) check out the song two doves by dirty projectors.

2. you MUST check out my lovely friend MD Laidlaw‘s photography. she is an amazing photographer, and a great person all around.

3. no sure if i’ve mentioned this etsy shop before, but traven7 has absolutely gorgeous, authentically vintage dresses!

4. i found this in someone’s etsy shop, but i can’t remember whose it was! if you recognize it, let me know! i think it’s so cute. the artist has a series of illustrations like this one of different cities.

5. we found out this week that our cousins morgan & chris are having a boy! they had the cutest party to tell everyone which kind baby they’re having. i wish we could’ve been there, but most of hubster’s family lives in texas. i’m so glad they shared the fun pics of the party on facebook!

6. i’m enjoying being a part of 30 days of doodles. here’s a link to the flickr group, where you can check out everyone’s doodles. and here’s one of my own:

7. on that note, i’m also participating in 52 lists. i haven’t gotten to start my lists yet, even though i use lists almost daily. i think i’ll rip my recent ones out of their notebooks (if i still have them…) & use them on decorated pages so i can catch up! here’s the flickr group if you want to see some others’ lists.

8. um…need i say more? not sure if i can speak at the moment. dreamy… (via we heart it)

9. haha! love this: (via we heart it)

10. we saw a girl at folly pier the other night wearing this shirt. too cute! (even if slytherin is bad news! lol) less than a month til the second part of Deathly Hallows comes out! we’re excited.

happy fathers day!

tifftastic — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 16:33:29 +0000

even though we love them every day of the year, this is the day when we celebrate our dads. so i thought i’d share some pictures of my dad & grandfathers for fathers day!

my dad, circa 1978. his "cheese" face seems to be similar to mine. lol p.s. mom & dad still have that blue suitcase.

dad looks like goodfellas mixed with a little miami vice. mom looks like a brunette princess di. <3

dad wears many hats--including acting as a sometimes-stylist. (dad & ashley, circa 1985)

dad & me on my big day. he ripped his knee open the day before the wedding. hence, the cane. there's a full leg brace & everything under that suit! i told him the cane made him look dapper.

one of my favorite pics of my dad & me.

my granddaddy and me. he was my dad's dad. unfortunately, he passed away when i was just a few months old. everybody likes to tell me i was his favorite, but that's just because i was the newest grandchild. haha. i love hearing stories of granddaddy. his name was william james, but he went by jim. for some reason, his friends called him zack. still a mystery. one of my favorite stories about granddaddy is the one where he flew his plane under the cooper river bridge. he was in the army and was at pearl harbor when it was attacked.

my papaw (mom's dad). i followed him around everywhere growing up. he used to tell me stories about growing up in the mountains. he'd point out trees and tell me what kind they were, and he'd tell me which birds were singing in the yard. i even went to work with him sometimes just for fun. i spent almost every weekend at mamaw & papaw's house. i still love hearing papaw's war stories from his navy days. he did some pretty awesome things.

a more recent picture of papaw. i took this two weekends ago.

i’m lucky to have such a great dad, as well as my papaw and uncles. i hope everyone has a great fathers day!

we love dad!

things i love sunday.

tifftastic — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 18:12:17 +0000

10.