I love organized things!

I recently took charge of my kitchen utensil drawer and whipped it into shape. For years we have just thrown everything into the drawer and then had to search through it all to find what we were looking for. I don't know why it didn't occur to me sooner, but one day a couple of months ago, I came across some kitchen drawer organizers at Target, and had an aha! moment.

I forgot to take a before picture of the drawer before, and I wish I had because it would emphasize so much more how wonderful it is now to have everything so easy to find. Just looking at this picture warms my heart!


I'm always on the lookout for good ways to simplify my life, and this has definitely done that!

A Really Full Day

I was taking pictures from morning 'til night today. First, headshots for the lovely and adorable Amy Storkel. She's got a little Pippi Longstocking (who, by the way she LOVED as a kid) going on with the pigtails. So cute!





This one won't work as a headshot, but I just couldn't resist taking it. I think it's just so sweet and pretty!




Isn't the wooden fence in the background cool?! I love the warm golden tones in it.






I'm taking some interior design classes through the UCLA Extension Program (loving them!). One of my assignments was to go to visit a building made in an architectural style that we liked, and photograph it (please, please don't throw me in dat der briar patch!). So, today, I headed over to West Hollywood... (to me, this image just yells WEST HOLLYWOOD)




...to 835 North Kings Road



to see the truly fabulous Rudolph Schindler House. I've got to write a whole paper about this place, so forgive me if I don't elaborate a lot tonight (at 1:30am!) on my blog, but I really, really enjoyed visiting the Schindler House. You have to walk down the pathway in the photo above to get to the house, and when you get there, you feel like you are miles away from all of the traffic and movement of LA. It felt like taking a little vacation.












I did not feel that my visit could be complete without a portrait of myself in the Schindler House (a la "myspace" style):




This is the golden sunlight shining through the vines on the other side of these Shoji screen type walls:




After the Schindler House, I headed over to UCLA for my class. I got there at this perfect time of day where the light just feels like magic. Last week I was wishing I had my camera with me because it was just so beautiful, and this week I was so happy when I realized I DID have my camera with me!




The Bougainvillea was trimmed into a hedge, and it just spread on forever:




For my class tonight, we were given the assignment to do an art piece using color and pattern that described who we were. I just loved all of the different ways that people chose to express themselves. Judith Corona was our guest speaker, and she had fun analyzing all of us:



And in case you are wondering what I would look like if I was color and pattern, this is it - my artistic self-interpretation:


And that was my really full day!

Things That Make Me Happy

In the past few months, I've been doing a little photo essay project of things that make me happy. If something makes me happy, I go grab my camera and take a picture of it. Here are a few things that make me happy:


My living room wall. One of my neighbors gave me the big shelf when they were moving out of their apartment. Now I finally have the perfect place to put the beautiful oil lamps that my friend Laura gave me. They waited for 2 years in a box in my closet for this moment. My good buddy Amy Storkel (we have to differentiate Amys - it can be a little confusing), gave me the key holder after she moved and didn't need it any longer. The silver pins thing was a gift from my Dad to Johnny. Every couple of weeks we put a new impression up on it. It can be fun to have people guess what the shapes are. The photos were taken by my Mom (a great artist and my first photography mentor). One is cacti from the Getty, and the other is of a boat somewhere around the Outer Banks. This wall used to be so bare, and now it's interesting and beautiful, with thanks to many different friends.





Clean dishes make me happy. I love it when my sink is clean and empty.




Tea! I love tea so much. It brings joy to my day, especially when pared with organic sage honey from the Hollywood Farmer's Market, or Silk Vanilla Creamer.





Lavender soda and Chocolate Almond Breeze. Two more things that I love! These bring a little luxury and variety to my life. Both can be found at Whole Foods. I should take my camera there someday because that's something else that makes me happy!




The "Dan in Real Life" soundtrack. It's quirky, sweet, and melodic. When I listen to it I feel like I have friends with me, even if I am alone.



The gorgeous wood cutting board that Laura brought back from Costa Rica for me (Laura has such good taste and gives great gifts!). It's too pretty to cut on! All of the colors are the natural shades of different types of wood. I love the way it looks against the red wall in my dining room.



Pretty boxes that keep things looking good. The black and white boxes are those cardboard file boxes that you can find at office supply stores. I found some awesome wrapping paper at Ikea (thanks Ikea!), and I covered the boxes with it, and then with clear contact paper. The boxes are stronger, and I smile every time I look at them. This closet is (well, actually all my closets are) a work in progress. I'm still de-cluttering, organizing, and decorating. Hopefully I will have some pictures of my progress to put up sometime in the not-so-distant future. I'm aiming for sometime within the next year.


It also makes me happy to put up a blog of things that make me happy!