Southern Nomad

Photographer: Steve McCurry

 

"If you wait," he realized, "people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up into view."

I adore this series on reading by renowned photographer, Steve McCurry. In so many of the photos from this series, I love how he has captured the fact that the reader appears to be in a world entirely of their own.There are more photos from this series on his blog and also some lovely quotes about reading, here are just a few of my favorites:

To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.
- Victor Hugo

At one magical instant in your early childhood, the page of a book–that string of confused, alien ciphers–shivered into meaning. Words spoke to you, gave up their secrets; at that moment, whole universes opened. You became, irrevocably, a reader. - Alberto Manguel

The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries. - Rene Descartes

That’s what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, 
and that tiny thing will lead you to another book, and another bit there will
lead you onto a third book. It’s geometrically progressive
- all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment.
― Mary Ann Shaffer, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Ps- Was anyone able to guess who the lady is in the last photo? She is a rather incredible woman :)

A Nostalgic Beach Picnic

"We have only this moment sparkling in our hand like a star and melting like a snowflake." - Sir Francis Bacon

The countdown to my upcoming move has begun in earnest and I am trying to savor each moment I have in Seattle (if I could capture them in bottles I would..). This past friday my family through a birthday/going away party in the form of "A Nostalgic Beach Picnic" and I wanted to share with you all some of my favorite photos and memories from the evening.

The Invite:

Dapper Gents and Dashing Ladies you are invited to A Nostalgic Beach Picnic hosted by the Swaty family to wish Esther Maria a happy birthday and bon voyage! 

At the height of summer, we will be making our way to the water’s edge in West Seattle, for a magical evening. What better way to celebrate dreams coming true than with good friends and great food. We encourage guests to bring banjos, harmonicas, castanats, tubas, accordians, and guitars for merrymaking. If you find yourself lacking, childhood has proven pots, pans, and spoons will do just as sufficiently.

A Few Details:
Guests are requested to bring their coziest beach blankets. 
The party is at Lincoln Park

Dress and Comportment: Now, look here, proper attire is requested. 
For dressing inspiration take a cue from Coco Chanel at the beach or Coney Island in the 20’s – straw hats, bow ties, cravats, suspenders, and lots of linen. Be creative on a dime, because we know many of us are working hard to make our dreams come true.

Gifts: Words are treasured. If you are considering a gift, cash for the adventure would help Esther comply with her luggage allowance and warm her belly with something other than Ramen in New York City.

Though there will be no fireflies to catch, memories are sure to abound…

The Menu:

Olive, apricot, and more, amazing breads from the Columbia City Bakery.

Selection of meats and cheeses

Bruschetta

Pasta Salad

Caprese Salad

Green Salad

Savory Cream Puffs with bacon and herbs

Dessert

Madeleines – dark chocolate with chips & lemon zest

German Apple Cake

Cream Puffs

Drink Bar: Guests created their own with fresh fruits, lemon balm, grenadine & lime syrups

Oh, Braden! 

Katrina and Meg.. darling roomies.

Creative friends infuse my life with beauty and depth!! You should check out their photography/blogs/art: Cami, Anthea and Morgan.

Samara dear, seriously I don't think you could be any cuter!

Obviously they are up to no good :)

Sally girl you are about to be a big sister and I know you will do a marvelous job. Smooches!

I ordered these guys for decor... Just kidding, but they did make themselves quite at home along with an errant dog who came through trying to steal the meat and madeleines...

A little shout out to Stephen, a maestro party thrower himself, who made sure that the tea lights stayed lit throughout the course of the evening.. thank you :)

I will close this post with a photo of Erin. Isn't she just a beauty?

This was quite the evening to remember, and I am so thankful to everyone who attended and my family for throwing such a lovely party. You all made me feel incredibly special. I will hide the memories of this evening and your kinds words in my heart. This truly was the best Bon Voyage/Birthday a girl could hope for! 

Ps- There were far too many photos to post.. Keep an eye on the Southern Nomad FB page and I promise to post an album or two in the next couple of days.

New York City: Sometimes I Need A Little Help From... Mom

Last night, my Mom, bless her heart, had a plan to get my rear in gear. Seriously, I am not sure why, but I have been pretty paralyzed in regards to tackling my room and beginning the process of packing for New York. I mean the sheer amount of books that are in my room is quite enough to overwhelm almost anyone, not to mention the bags and bags of scarves I have not been able to make myself part with over the years.

All I can say is my Mom is a pro. Twelve years ago when I was moving from N. Little Rock, AR -> Seattle she took pity on me when she walked into my bedroom and I was staring blankly at my closet, overwhelmed and on the verge of tears. Though a lot and I mean A LOT has changed in the past 12 years...including the fact that I am now moving from Seattle -> New York (Brooklyn) there are some things which have remained the same, namely my inability to pack a room. A suitcase = no problemo, I'm a pro. A life altering packing of the room on the other hand, for those kind of situations sometimes it is best to just call in the expert, Mom.

So, last night when I arrived home there was dinner and a mimosa, then the work began in earnest.. almost...but not before Mom showed me a little inspiration from House Beautiful "Big Style In Small Spaces".

Inspired, I hit play on Mumford & Sons and clothes began to fly (no, not off my body). Mom patiently kept me company, adding addresses to my new address book (for the countless letters I plan to send). And now I have two suitcases packed, along with a very empty closet. I parted with quite a few scarves during the packing process and most likely when I am sitting on those suitcases in less than a month I might be removing a few more of those lovely scarves. But now I can proudly say that the packing has begun in earnest. Thank you Mom! I seriously don't know what I would do without you.

25 days...

images: vintage suitcases & letters, brooklyn (unknown), decor shots - house beautiful (july/august 2012)

Photographer: Leonora Hamill

This photography project "Art in Progress" by photographer Leonara Hamill feeds that curiosity I have of wanting to see "behind the curtain". It is amazing to me how "in progress" can be quite beautiful... a good thing to remember whenever we reach frustrating points in the masterpiece that is our own life.

New York City: All The Little Things

All The Little Things.. Matter.

Remember when I first told you about how "Dreams Come True", letting you all in on the fact that I would be moving to New York in August? Can you believe that the move is now a little less than a month away? Well I am excited to share that "all the little things" have slowly and magnificently begun to come together. But let's be honest and not gloss things over, there has definitely been some worrying along the way.. there was that post about my class schedule... followed by the one when I received my schedule, which by the way is a pretty darn amazing and flexible for the job I hope to find VERY soon.

And now I am bubbling over with excitement to share with you that I officially have a Brooklyn address. I will be living in Sunset Park near the Greenwood Cemetary (reminds me of the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery, and I can't wait to have a picnic in it). My roomie is an actress and a total sweetheart. Did I mention that she has tons of books? Honestly, I am so incredibly thankful for how things are working out. This dream of moving to New York has been twelve, did you hear me TWELVE years in the making. It can be hard to hold onto a dream for that long, there are a lot of Highs and lows...but this dream is turning into a REALITY and well there is just nothing that quite compares to that.

I have been a bit of a teary mess that last couple of days because the reality of everything seems to be hitting me all at once. It will be bittersweet to say goodbye to Seattle and all of the people whom I love so dearly. Each of you have left an indelible mark on my life and I will take you with me wherever I go. I want you to know what you all have invested in me, I promise to share with those I come across. I will not hoard the treasures. Wherever my feet tread I want to edify the lives of those I touch, loving through my words. May we not take a single moment for granted but see each person as they truly are, calling out to that which is sometimes buried in the depths of their hearts. Everyone has dreams, sometimes they just need to be dusted off a little.

"And how could we endure to live and let time pass if we were always crying for one day or one year to come back - if we did not know that every day in a life fills the whole life with expectation and memory and that these are that day." - Out of the Silent Planet, C.S. Lewis

 typography: Brooklyn Artist Scott Albrecht

Fuel For Fire

Lend me your eyes. I can change what you see. But your soul you must keep totally free. - mumford & sons

You are a perishable item. Live accordingly.

source: french by design

worry less.

source: blackandtypeprints.tumblr.com

Making a big life change is pretty scary. But you know what is scarier? Regret.

You have to go whole heartedly into anything in order to achieve anything worth having - frank lloyd wright

source: lisacongdon.com

people matter. world change is how we roll.

source: drew melton

 

'Go into the arts. I’m not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.' - Kurt Vonnegut

Vintage Travel: Louis Vuitton Express

What is it about train travel that is just so intriguing and magical? Perhaps, growing up reading Agatha Christie, the Railway Children, The Boxcar Children and The Mandie Collection has something to do with it... as of recent that childhood memories have come flooding back with the help of The Polar Express and the Harry Potter movies.

“You know, I do believe in magic. I was born and raised in a magic time, in a magic town, among magicians. Oh, most everybody else didn’t realize we lived in that web of magic, connected by silver filaments of chance and circumstance. But I knew it all along. When I was twelve years old, the world was my magic lantern, and by its green spirit glow I saw the past, the present and into the future. You probably did too; you just don’t recall it. See, this is my opinion: we all start out knowing magic. We are born with whirlwinds, forest fires, and comets inside us. We are born able to sing to birds and read the clouds and see our destiny in grains of sand. But then we get the magic educated right out of our souls... Because the people doing the telling were afraid of our wildness and youth, and because the magic we knew made them ashamed and sad of what they’d allowed to wither in themselves.

After you go so far away from it, though, you can’t really get it back. You can have seconds of it. Just seconds of knowing and remembering. When people get weepy at movies, it’s because in that dark theater the golden pool of magic is touched, just briefly. Then they come out into the hard sun of logic and reason again and it dries up, and they’re left feeling a little heartsad and not knowing why. When a song stirs a memory, when motes of dust turning in a shaft of light takes your attention from the world, when you listen to a train passing on a track at night in the distance and wonder where it might be going, you step beyond who you are and where you are. For the briefest of instants, you have stepped into the magic realm." - Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon

I have such fond memories of riding the train in Europe as a kid.. I will have to dig out a photo to post for you all. Sadly, the use of the railway system in the US has been on the decline over the years reminding me of how Bradbury writes about the summer of the last trolley ride. I can't begin to tell you how happy it makes my heart to see that vintage travel and trains are popping up everywhere these days... 

Our first stop, Louis Vuitton, keep topping themselves in regards to creative and wonder infused marketing. In their most recent campaign, Louis Vuitton Express, they tap into the beautiful nostalgia of vintage train travel. The campaign the result of a match made in heaven showcasing the creative partnership between Louis Vuitton and photographer extraordinare Todd Selby of The Selby. 

"Coming just in time to celebrate the brand’s 20th anniversary in China, on July 21 Louis Vuitton will open its first-ever mainland China “Maison” at Shanghai’s Plaza 66, two days after the “Louis Vuitton Express” (currently about to leave Moscow) rolls into the city. " - Jing Daily

Louis Vuitton Express ties into the brilliant Louis Vuitton Paris Fashion Week show which took place in May. Invitations guests received prior to the show, in the form of luggage tags were the only clue of what was to come:

Following the Paris Fashion Week and Louis Vuitton Express is the Fall 2012 Ad Campaign photographed by Steven Meisel which will transport audiences back to a time of luxurious and enchanting travel:

I know for the majority of us that Louis Vuitton is not in our price range and perhaps not even our style, but I think that their level of incredible creativity should inspire all of us... Keep an eye open for more vintage train travel posts that will be coming soon!

 louis vuitton ad/ tracks/ train 

believe it can be done.

Boutique: Blackbird Apothecary

I drifted off to sleep last night with the most incredible scent wafting by my pillow.. Amber 114.

Yesterday while my Mom and I were soaking in the incredible weather in Ballard, we walked past Blackbird Apothecary. I peeked in the window.. and found myself completely mesmerized.. it was as though a secret world of scent lay on the other side of the glass. I just had to go in and see more. I had just recently read Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister where one of the characters is referred to as the Perfume Whisperer. 

The character reminded me of how much I had loved my conversation with the salesman at the Chanel Nordstom's counter about the brilliance of perfume and Luca Turin. There is just something magical about perfume and how it can change the atmosphere around you. As I was looking at the magnificient vintage bottles in the store... 

Eliam, who dreams of one day having his own line of scents, came over to see if I had any questions. It is such a rare treasure to discuss perfume with a person who has knowledge on the subject and is so passionate. Eliam shared with me one of his favorite perfumes, Amber 114.

As I am writing this post, the sample card is sitting in my journal and I find myself distracted by the incredible smell filling the room. The scent reminds me of a trip I once took to Geneva, Switzerland. While at the waterfront observing all of the middle eastern royalty, I heard a story about how in the mornings the Arab princesses would have their clothes drapped over burning incense so that the incredible scents of myrrh and amber would be captured by the very fibers of the fabric they were to wear.

Can you imagine?

These days a love of fragrance seems extremely rare. Perhaps, Blackbird Apothecary is a boutique that will help people to rekindle their love of simple details and cultivate once again an appreciation for the power of scent. 

A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting. - Christian Dior