Camping in the Jemez Mountains

I haven't been camping in ages.  After much procrastination I finally decided to go with my family for Memorial Day weekend.   I was hesitant for several reasons

• The weather - very unpredictable in May. Snow is still a factor.
• Me time - I really wanted to be able to get in some undisturbed craft time.
• Proximity to other people - Jemez is a popular choice and I don't like camping near other peeps but Adam assured me that "the shire" was secluded

It was cold and rainy/snowy the entire time. We had to work our asses of to keep the fire going.  And the fire that we did have was smoky as heck!

But during the cloud breaks the weather and scenery was absolutely blissful.

It had been raining and snowing so there was a lot of green everywhere. 

Even grass was growing over the road in "the shire."

We were warm in our tent with our North Face mummy bags

New Mexico could be called big sky country. 

Mmmmmm! Breakfast burritos made over an open fire

Our friends pit bulls loved running around the mountain top pasture,

...sniffing at the wildflowers and grasses.

Connecting with the outdoors is crucial to my sanity.   It was nice not to be able to use my phone all weekend (except to snap a few photos)

I FINALLY Hung Up Some Art

Hi Readers,

As you may have read in some of my previous posts, our house is currently a work in progress.  We are doing many things to it including:  upgrading the electrical, adding insulation, renovating the bathroom, adding a second bathroom, et cetera, et cetera.

It has been a slow process to get everything done because Adam is doing everything himself.  But, what we have accomplished so far has been awesome!  Especially adding insulation - woah!  What a difference.  That paid for itself already.

Anyway,  I'm having a Hemp Party on Friday the 9th to test out that line of products that I blogged about last post, so I wanted to spruce the place up a bit.  All of my artwork has been in storage in the basement and our walls have looked so stark :-(

This is a painting of my dad when he wad 10 years old, done by Helen McPherson.  To the left are a couple of his favorite photos that he took.

To the right of him is a nice little cluster of watercolors by Peggy Abrams

Next we have our family photos.  The first is Colonel José Guadalupe Gallegos,  one of my multi-great grandfathers.  It is fun to have his photo up and just refer to him as "The Colonel" all KFC style.

Below him is a blank space in which the photo of my great grandparents is supposed to go.  I can't remember for the life of me where I put it. Boo :-(  Hopefully it will turn up soon.

And next to him is a picture of Adam's multi-great grandparents, and also his multi-great uncles and their families "the Bukonia".

Below that is a print of a drawing done by my friend Chris McAfee.  He is an awesome artist whose prints can be found on Redbubble.

Chris McAfee on Redbubble

The last thing I have on this wall is a little display of Azalea's paintings. 

I'm looking forward to adding more art and family photos in the near future.

Where the magic happens

We hung a black and white photo collage above Adam's desk.

My dad took the top photo.  The one below it, of the moth, was left here by a previous resident.  The guy who lived here before my parents bought the house in 1979, had a dark room in the basement.  I loved this photo so much that I had it framed

We hung my favorite print of the twins by Ping Irvin above the dining room table

Notice the exposed lath and plaster next to the window - very classy.  It is kind of cool in a distressed shabby chic kind of way.

In the kitchen we hung a cluster of art above Azalea's play kitchen.

These include a linocut by Lewis Carleton Ryan (Mount Tom), and some drawings by WA Eskey (San Gabriel Mission) and Coulombe (Porte st Louis and Cote de la Montagne in Quebec).

Last, I had Adam hang a vintage black and white photo of an old butcher shop that my dad took in the late 1960s.

This can also be found on Redbubble.

Gerald Mandell on Redbubble

It is funny...taking all of these photos I noticed how many little details/finishing touches from our projects thst still need to be done.  Particularly, the switch plates and plug plates.  You can look at these little "loose ends" daily and not even notice them and forget that you need to finish them.   Better get to Lowe's before the party and buy some of that stuff,  lol.

Thanks for reading!
♡ Myria

Couture Hemp Beauty Products

Hi readers,

Many of you may know that I am a HUGE supporter of industrial hemp in the US.  It has so many uses, including fuel, and requires very little water to grow.  It is truly the Genesis plant.

Anyhoo, I recently learned of a company that is producing a line of high end beauty products,  that are made from industrial hemp and are rich in Cannabidiol.

I have yet to sample them but I will be purchasing some items to try this week.

Cannabis Beauty Defined Products

The link above is for the Defined Essential Pack and it includes the exclusive Cannabis Beauty Defined Anti-aging skin care line. "Using proprietary formulations that were passed down through generations of master herbalists, the key ingredients found in Cannabis Beauty Defined™ products are more than just a combination of herbal extracts."

"The main component of the Defined™ product line is never water or alcohol, but always our luxurious East Asian herbal formulations."

"For thousands of years, the most revered doctors and herbologists of East Asia have used bi-bong™ formulas to rebalance and strengthen the body. This uplifting blend of natural and organic botanicals are revered for their skin-renewing properties, and include detoxifying herbs that work harmoniously with CBD-Rich Hemp Oil™ for smooth, refreshed skin."

"Furthering our commitment to the most natural formulations, the CBD-Rich Hemp Oil™ in all Defined™ products comes from natural commercial hemp grown by generational farmers without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers."

I'm very excited about this product line.   I'll let you know how it goes. 

♡ Myria

Thrift Shop Finds: Vintage Powder Box

My mom has done it again!  She has found me more vintage goodies to add to my collection.

This time her box included a beautiful pastel pink lucite powder box.

It is adorned with a precious little pearl colored rose.

It is in excellent condition and it even has a nook for the powder puff under the lid. Clever!

My mom also found me a totally kawaii vintage music box with two pretty kitties sitting on top.

The little rose at their feet is chipped but it still plays beautifully.

So in addition to sharing my newest goodies I wanted to test out the new photo deco app that I downloaded. It is called PicsArt.

PicsArt App

I think it is going to be able to replace most of the photo editing apps I have on my phone,  including Hi Collage, Piclab, Paper Artist, Real Bokeh, and Picute.

Thanks for reading!
♡ Myria

Book Cover Inspiration and Spring & Easter decorations

From Boxwood Cottage

I encountered this image on one of frequently read blogs and I was so inspired by the book in the background that I had to share it!

I want to make a book cover like this SOOOO Badly!!!!!

 

You can see the original article here: http://carolsgarden.blogspot.com/2012/03/from-spring-easter-decorations-and-some.html

Snapeee App - I'm hooked on photo deco

Hi all,

Hope you've been well!

I've been good - just playing with all sorts of fun apps in the Google Play store.

I recently started using Snapeee. It is kind of like a Japanese version of Instagram except with WAY more options. These include filters, frames,  stamps,  writing,  etc.

Snapeee

When you download the app you get free points in your bank to buy deco packs with.

To get more free points you just have to "like" other Snapeee members photos. You can choose from 4 categories:  Great,  Kawaii,  Yummy, and Like. You will receive approximately 5 points for each interaction.

There are some deco packs that can only be purchased with real money.

Here are some of my favorite photo deco creations that I made.

Once you are finished decorating your photo you can share it on Facebook and Twitter, plus a variety of other social networking sites that I've never heard of... probably because they are Japanese.

You can also set the privacy of your photos: public,  followers only,  friends only,  etc.

Another photo deco app without the social networking aspect is Picute. I like this app but there are fewer free deco packs that are as adorable as Snapeee.

Picute

Thanks for reading!
Leave a comment ^.^ ♡
Myria