Art Party

I worked from 8am until 8:30pm today. I swam in the pool, hiked through the woods, sang a song about a moose, and cooked dinner over a campfire. It might be the best job in the world, but being a camp counselor is still exhausting and I barely have the energy to type. Because of this, today’s post will be a story told in pictures. The story is basic: Nest and I declared last Saturday “Art Day” and we spent the afternoon painting and sculpting in the summer sun.  It was a blasty blast.  Here’s what it looked like:

Nest, working on her sculpted eye charm.

EYE can tell that Nest is an artist. HA.

Nest at work!

My painting, drying in the sun. I am a profoundly untalented painter, but I like how this turned out.

My partially finger-painted masterpiece, in its new home on my bookshelf.

I will have to figure out a way to draft my blog posts during the weekends because camp is draining all my life energy.  Please stick around while I figure out a better blogging schedule.  There’s a prize in it for you (the only prize I can offer is an internet high-five. Sorry).

Style Profile: Fashion Fest with Nest

Nest in the wild!

Nest and I have both suffered through awkward fashion phases. As I may have mentioned before, I had a pair of zip-off pants that could be converted into shorts AND capri pants, which I wore regularly in junior high.  I later passed those pants on to Nest, and she too succumbed to the hideous comfort of convertible bottoms.  We also both wore red pleather pants in 8^th grade, but seriously, those were awesome and we looked like rock stars.

Even though I forced her into it, Nest poses like a pro!

Despite the occasional lapse caused by my hand-me-downs, Nest’s style has always been on-point.  One of my earliest memories of our friendship is of being super jealous of her socks, which had beads dangling from the ankles.  Further evidence of her sartorial supremacy?  Her prom look was based on a 90s picture of Gwen Stefani.

Another key aspect of our friendship is our shared obsession with owl ears. They’re so small and weird and wonderful!  Just look at them.

Her look today is typical Nest: a crazy combination of prints and colors, a bunch of baubles, and that air of coolness that only seems to float around artists.  Nest can be shy, but her clothes never are.  Her clothing confidence is one of the many things I admire about her.

I was with her when she found these floral lovelies at Goodwill. Nest inherited her thrifting abilities from her mom, who is the Royal Supreme Master of flea market finds and 2nd-hand treasures.

What fashion tips have you gleaned from your besties?  Don’t you wish you had beaded socks?

Thank You, US Postal Service

Note the wax seals. That’s a Nest detail if there ever was one.

Good things have been happening for me in the world of mail this week.  First, I mailed 26 pounds of books home and a rockabilly guy at the Post Office gave me free tape and let me cut in line (I already bragged about it on Twitter, but a super nice postal worker seems worthy of a double mention).

I’m intrigued by anything sealed with wax. Except ears! HA.

Second, I came home yesterday after a long day of grading to find a lovely padded envelope full of nifty gifties from Nest, in honor of my birthday and my upcoming graduation.

I wish I could capture the details on these teeny sprouts. She makes them by hand!

In addition to some of her beauteous handmade jewelry, she sent me a temporary tattoo of a cat, and a pen with the image of a giant squid attacking the Golden Gate Bridge.  These are obviously the most ideal presents for a 25 year old weirdo. Nest knows me very well.

See that cut on my finger? That’s from accidentally punching the bathroom mirror. Now that I’ve done that, I would advise you to NOT punch glass, no matter how much it might tease you.

Reminder! Nest sells these pretty little bits and bobs at her Etsy shop.

I don’t like real cats, but I love cat tats.

Welcome to the Panic Party

This picture makes me miss Santa Cruz, Nest, and that fabulous blazer.  That skirt never looked good on me.  I don’t miss the skirt.

Two of my final deadlines arrive later today and I was up half the night with the wide-eyed panic that only the end of a gradate program can inspire.  For these reasons, I have nothing new for you today.  All I can offer you is an old picture taken by Nest and a reminder that she has more of her work up here and here.

What’s your advice for writing nearly one million pages in just a few days?  Would you mind contacting all of my professors and telling them that you think I’m brilliant?  Thanks.

Treasure Nest

Nest entered my life when we were both 8 and living in houses hidden in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  The first time I went over to her house, she showed me her secret stash of chocolate chips, which she had stolen from the kitchen in covert handfuls, stored in a Ziplock bag, and hidden under the cushion of a lawn chair.  I like to think that it was this particular moment that cemented our friendship.

Where it all begins!

I wish I could tell you that Nest grew up to be an infamous burglar and that this story was early evidence of her criminal nature.  Although she does still stash candy in strange hiding places, she has decided to pursue other passions besides thieving.  Today, Nest is an artist.  Her latest creative venture is crafting necklaces and earrings out of hand-sculpted clay and hand-plucked antique keys.

The last time I visited Nest, I bought a necklace right off of her work table.  It looks a lot like the one Nest herself is modeling below:

And she's stylish too. It's truly unfair.

Her Etsy shop is called “The Secret Treasury”, which is the perfect name for the work of someone who has a long history of hoarding hidden treasures.  Fortunately, this particular stash of lovelies is available to everyone, and not only to those who dare to peek under lawn cushions.

Nest’s store can be found online at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/VanessaWeseman

Sculpted by Nest's own fingers! I need a pair of these little greenies.

Note: All of the photos in this post were taken by Vanessa Weseman (Nest’s professional alter ego).