{words} light

{snap} mushroom love

{revisit} jitterbug perfume

for the second time in my life, i am reading jitterbug perfume by my favorite author in the universe, tom robbins...

i discovered tom robbins when i was seventeen. one twinkly summer night, a mischievous paramour left the classic still life with woodpecker on my windowsill...

after reading straight through it twice, i promptly purchased and read through every other tom robbins book that existed.

those beloved stories have traveled with me for two decades. they are sitting on my bookshelf right now. recently jitterbug perfume winked at me in a jaunty way as i strolled past, so i picked it up and am devouring it once again.

tom seems to love stardust almost as much as i do, so here's a serving for you from the brilliant mr. robbins...

{off} three minutes

{steven bonner}

yesterday, while sitting in a coffee shop, i entertained the infinite by getting lost amidst fluffy clouds which hovered above the train station...

{words} kiss the joy

various sources keep giving me the same message lately:

let go. let go. let go.

several days ago this message came from a william blake poem found in the tibetan book of living and dying by sogyal rinpoche...

{birds} a comedic view

i laughed out loud when i recently discovered this quote...

i think this is absolutely wonderful, especially considering that some of my most holy moments have involved being shat upon by birds.

if you missed my bird stories the first time around...

**********

on my heart and messenger geese

**********

i am so very grateful for being able to get a comedic view of my situation. my sense of humor has, without a shred of doubt, saved me.

{finale} with love

{thankful print by oh my deer}

dear friends,

tonight my holiday travels begin.

as i journey near and far

to be with loved ones

i have a very full heart.

it is with sincere gratitude

and abundant adoration

that i wish each one of you

a wonderful finale

to twentyeleven.

i will be away

from the inn

for a short spell.

when i return

on january first

i shall bring

a magical bag

of words to share.

peace and joy to you

wherever you may be

on this beautiful blue-green globe.

with lots of love

and showers of stardust,

your innkeeper

xoxo

{release} winter solstice

the winter solstice begins tonight.

in celebration, i offer you the following words...

in contemplation, i offer you the following video...


may you release that which is not invited into twentytwelve.

may you envision that which you wish to create in twentytwelve.

as we welcome the return of the light

may you experience the eternity

of your own truth and being.

bright beautiful solstice wishes sent to you

with so much love from the inn.

xo

{words} attention

susan sontag has been on my mind

since i watched this documentary last week

about the life and work of annie liebovitz

{doors} field of bliss

{dewdroplets} four

a cabinet of curiosities for your enjoyment...

{speulder forest via lars van de goor}

{house party with zee avi}

{honey walnut cake + reisling sabayon via tartelette}

{connection via storypeople}

{marquese scott in pumped up kicks dubstep}

sent with love from your innkeeper!

pixie dancing

{photo by sholgk}

some people believe that pixie dancing is responsible for the turning of the earth and that this dancing is the work they do to keep us spinning on this big beautiful floating rock.

it has been said that pixies choose to be joyful in this dancing because they know that a merry heart makes light work.

sending you a heaping sprinkle of stardust for your weekend...may you remember the pixies and weave a lighthearted dance into your days.

word project: revisit + refresh

at the start of this year, i shared my bag*of*words tradition here at the inn.

if you were not yet a guest here during that time, feel free to visit the place it began, the collection of words that emerged, and the word experiences of wondrous people.

today is the first of july, which in my mind launches the second half of the year. this occasion has inspired me to ponder the journey i have had with my word so far.

the word that i chose from the bag is ART, and it lives in a pile of rocks on the ledge of my loft...

it is visible to me every day as i am creating.

all of the other words live in a little tray nearby...

my word inspired me to post this quote above the pile of rocks...

here are a few ways ART has been manifesting in my life this year...

• my best friend benjamin and i started a weekly meeting called "the alchemy projects" which helps us support each other in bringing our art to life.
• i have started a new practice of planning and protecting regular studio time for creating my art.
• my recent discovery of a local artist inspired me immensely.
• i am currently taking photoshop and photography courses via lynda.com to add new artistic tools to my life.
• more than ever before, i am actually creating my ideas and translating my inspiration in to real live art on a regular basis.

i truly look forward to how my adventure with the word ART evolves through the rest of the year.

also, this curious innkeeper wants to know what the rest of the words are up to in their beautiful corners of the universe.

if you participated in the word project, i would adore hearing about any experience you have had with your word in the last six months. large or small, significant or subtle, once or repeatedly, anything at all that floats into your mind.

please feel free to comment below, tweet, or email me your word stories.

unknown forces

beginner's mind part two: convincing the angel

dear friends, your comments and posts about beginner's mind have got my heart leaping + my mind twirling in the happiest of ways.

i am deeply grateful to be able to share the inner workings of my self + connect with such lovely humans all over the map.

in the spirit of this discussion, i decided to try something new to me.

earlier this year, i wrote a quote about beginning in my journal. tonight, with our discussion floating around in my mind, i wrote it on a scrap of blue paper, photographed it with a new hipstapak lens + film, and digitally edited it...

it is a tiny little package of love + magic sent from the inn to you.

xo

beginner's mind

i find the following fact incredibly inspiring...

{alanna cavanagh via uppercase}

it reminds me of a quote i scribbled into a journal at least ten years ago when i was doing the artist's way by julia cameron...

as i approach the age at which julia started cooking, i am more and more amazed at the fresh new adventures that life continues to bring.

so, i am trying new skills. letting go of attempting to have life 'figured out.' reinventing myself and my work. experiencing various forms of rebirth over and over again.

in the second half of my fourth decade, i am making a conscious effort to embrace the mind of a beginner.

i think it's important to state this because the mind can play funny little games when thinking about trying something for the first time. my own brain becomes a tricksy pixie when i approach something i have never done before, especially as i get older.

which is why i want to purposefully keep that kind of thinking in check, throw caution to the wind, and journey into life's newness with an open heart.

the treehouse

the first thing you see when you walk through the front door of our home is an enormous photo of a beautiful redwood tree.

this majestic beauty is hanging in the center of the house and gives the illusion that a giant tree is growing up through the middle of our space.

it is the reason we affectionately refer to our abode as "the treehouse."

my friend lance visited us recently and captured this image of me in the tree...

lance caught this moment with his fabulous camera when i peeked my pixie head over the edge of my loft to make a silly face at him.

i think it is great fun to live in a treehouse.

it is difficult to realize

how great a part of all that is cheerful and delightful

in the recollections of our own life

is associated with trees.

wilson flagg

the queen

best to take the moment present

as a present for the moment.

stephen sondheim

into the woods

{source}

change the world

life in the treehouse sometimes frequently includes:

* theatrical singing while cooking dinner

* spontaneous discussions of philosophical concepts

during dinner preparation earlier this week, kevwrex and i burst into an inspired rendition of michael jackson's song, 'man in the mirror.'

kevwrex played the piano and i bustled around the kitchen while we worked out harmonies. i asked him to read me the lyrics and we discussed the message of the song, inner change...

If you wanna make the world a better place

take a look at yourself and make that change.

now, on the day that we honor martin luther king, i am once again thinking about this concept.

i read his 'i have a dream' speech every year. each time i revisit his words, a different beautiful phrase stands out to me.

this year:

Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom

by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

this is a call for inner change that speaks very clearly to me right now.

as a reminder of peaceful thinkers and inner change, i printed out gandhi's ten fundamentals for changing the world and posted it in my studio...

  

{via yes and yes}

it was designed by the graphic artist francesca ramos who generously made it downloadable for printing.

to you, my friends:

i send a message of dreams, possibility, and change ringing from the curvaceous peaks of california!

three mental states