if i haver

1.19.12 // lipdub dreams

2012-01-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

Well, it happened. Seabirds Truck decided to do a lipdub video and I couldn't be more ecstatic! Check it out! Believe!

1.16.12 // ukulele lady

2012-01-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day everyone! What a great man to remember!

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." -Martin Luther Kind, Jr.

"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples to build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." -Robert F. Kennedy

Today I'll be laying low and practicing my ukulele skills..

1.9.12 // birthday hour by hour

2012-01-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

On my birthday this year my friend Sarah and I went into Brooklyn for the day. I've been thinking about moving back to the East Coast from California for a while now and while I've been home for the holidays I've been checking out nearby cities. Brooklyn was on the top of my list because I like to go hipster watching, but realistically I can't to live there at the moment (I live in a trailer, afterall!) Even so, I wanted to take a look just to see if is actually a place where I'd like to live someday. I decided to try something new to commemorate my 26th, something I like to call "birthday hour by hour". What's that? It's pretty simple, but I thought it might be fun! I took one photo every hour on the hour for twelve hours. It's fun to look back on the events of the day this way. If you try it out, let me know! A big thank you to Sarah and my Brooklyn local friend Mike for spending my birthday with me! And an extra special thanks to Sarah for treking around with me for a full half day! I had a blast!! Here's a peek into my day of birth:

Hour 1:

Hour 2:

Hour 3:

Hour 4:

Hour 5:

Hour 6:

Hour 7:

Hour 8:

Hour 9:

Hour 10:

Hour 11:

Hour 12:

1.3.12 // 26 before 27!

2012-01-05T09:03:00.000-08:00

(via Levis)

It's the time of year again. Time for my second ever age appropriate goal list! My "2 5 Before 26" really helped me focus and keep my goals in mind throughout the year. I was able to complete a lot of the goals on my list and even exceed a few of them! I know that 26 will be a great year (although I've always had some weird belief that being an odd number age makes you cooler somehow...). I really want to push myself this year to try things that I haven't before and to do things that will require me to be brave and courageous! ..I also want to have A LOT of fun!! So, without anymore dilly-dallying..here it is.. my "26 Before 27" list!

1.) Have a fancy picnic and take fancy photos.
..because who doesn't love a picnic?

2.) Plan a fun, for no real reason photoshoot with balloons.. like this one!
..I've wanted to do this for a while. I've always loved hamming it up for the camera, but I don't have many pretty photos of myself. I'd love to do a cute, fun and beautiful photoshoot with some of my girlfriends just because!

3.) Create an hour long sketch comedy/variety public access special and have it air on KCET, the LA public access television station!
..This sounds crazy and out of nowhere, but I've actually wanted to do this for almost two years. I have a bunch of really creative and goofy friends in California that I think would be perfect for something like this! I'm planning on putting together this video as something fun for us to do and something that I'll always have and cherish as a reminder of my time on the West Coast. Plus, you never know who might see it and make us all famous!

4.) Take improv classes at The Groundlings or Upright Citizens Brigade.
..I've been interested in improv comedy since my freshman year of high school when I took a comedy class as a fun fill-in. I've always loved performing.. there is video tape evidence of so in my family's archives...but I never really let myself explore it as a creative outlet. It was always art, art, art.. This past year, I let myself open up musically by taking on the ukulele and creatively as I started reading and working through a book called The Artist's Way. The book mentions that as you begin to open up creatively in one concentration, you will also begin to open up creatively in other concentrations. This was very true for me when it came to comedy. Now, I'm not saying that I'm hilarious or anything like that. All I know is that I get a positive rush out of being weird and goofy. If that's funny to anyone, then awesome! If not, it makes me feel good and I want to explore that more! That's why I've decided to take improv classes this year. Who knows, they may lead somewhere amazing!

5.) Travel abroad and get paid to do so.
..This may sound like a far stretch, but I'm putting on the list because I have been pleasantly surprised five times now when it comes to road tripping in the United States. That's right, I've not been paid to road trip five times! I can't believe it sometimes. I would have never thought that it was possible, but it happened. With that said, I feel like getting paid to travel overseas is nearly impossible.. I mean, there are jobs that I know about like working on a cruise ship or being a tour leader, but I don't know if there's a job that I feel totally confident doing that I could get paid for. I'm sure that there is though, because I felt confident doing all of the jobs I had that required me to travel within the United States. So, I'm putting this out there! I know that some great opportunity will come to me!

6.) Find a way to get paid to be myself and love what I do!
..I've been away from the 9-5 grind for a long time now. I'm still working, but the jobs that I have are usually unconventional and really fun. I was a school yearbook photography, a roadie, a birthday party princess and face painter, a moving truck transport person, a gourmet food truck order taker.. and now I'm doing freelance illustration. Sadly, freelance illustration isn't paying as well as I need it to, so it's time to go back to the drawing boards. I want to find a job that allows me to be myself and have fun. Ideally, I'd get paid to make fun videos or go on tour with Picture Day or bake vegan treats or draw whatever I want or travel around the world meeting awesome people. We'll see what direction the winds of fate take me in!

7.) Create a puppet-centered web series.
..I now have two puppets that I've created. I'd love to put together a web series that revolves around them as the main characters!

8.) Go wheat pasting.
..Yep.

9.) Find a place to live that I love and a place to live there that reflects my personality!
..I have to move out of the artist's community where I currently reside because of some zoning issues with my trailer. I'm really sad about this, but excited for what's next. I've been thinking about moving back to the East Coast a lot.. actually I've been thinking about it since I moved to California. I feel like I should be closer to my parents, but that means leaving all of the people and places that I love in California behind for now. I want to find a place closer to home that I absolutely love!

10.) Play ukulele with Steve Martin.
..Specifically this song. Okay, know this is a long shot, but I want to put it on the list just to see what happens!

11.) Go camping!
..Because I haven't since I was a Girl Scout.

12.) Go to England or Ireland or Italy or anywhere that excites me!
..Because it would be awesome!

13.) Throw a most excellent party.
..Maybe mod themed? Tea party? Watch an old movie by a tree party?

14.) Write, illustrate and publish my yeti book.
..It's still haunting me!

15.) Meet a nice, funny, caring, genuine, interesting, exciting, charming boy.
..I know. I know. CHEESY! But I'm getting older! I've got to start thinking about these things. I'm not desperate or anything, BUT BRING HIM TO ME NOW!!! Just kidding...I'm happy to wait for Mr. Right, but hopefully I won't have to wait much longer!

16.) Be a better daughter/sister/aunt/friend/employee/person.
..How? Love more! Listen more! Give more! I spent a lot of my 25th year (and 24th and 23rd and so on and so forth) thinking about myself. I know everyone does this to some extent, but my early-mid 20's have felt extra egocentric. Maybe it's the whole "I'm an adult now and I have to figure out how to be independent" thing. I just feel like I talk about myself a lot.. especially when it comes to talking to my parents. I want to flip the tables and take myself off whatever me-focused pedestal I've been living on!

17.) Learn how to use After Effects.
..It's such a cool program and the only moving editing I currently know how to do is in iMovie!

18.) Wear high heels somewhere classy.
..This is a silly one, but I feel like I should wear heals every now and again as a young woman. Right?

19.) Write a screenplay, film a movie and get it to Sundance!
..This is a big one. I've become more and more interested in film lately. I have a movie idea that's floating around in my head that I plan on making a reality!

20.) Go on an awesome adventure.
..Something memorable, exciting and unique!

21.) Go WWOOFing or volunteer with HelpX.
..I've wanted to WWOOF for so long. The time is now! HelpX is similar to WWOOF, but there are other volunteer opportunities other than farming that you can do through it.

22.) Visit/Possibly work on staff at The Hostel In The Forest.
..Because this place is AMAZING.

23.) Keep a gratitude journal.
..To keep track of and focus on the hundreds of blessings in my life rather than the things that I feel less than content about.

24.) Get an audtion with SNL.
..Okay..far out there again, BUT stranger things have happened. This is extra far out there because I haven't even taken improv classes yet.. and I'm totally new to the whole comedy thing, but I think that it would be amazing (duh..)! Even if I didn't get and audition, to know that I have the chops to do so would be great. SNL works on an invitation only audition process, so I would have to get my name noticed by the people there (specifically Lorne Michaels). Anyway, I'll put it on the list and see what happens!

25.) Record a ukulele/music/Picture Day album and release it to the masses!
..I have a few songs that are bursting at the seams to live for eternity in a compact disc.. or better yet, on vinyl (oooo...) I want to get them out of my being and share them with the world!

26.) Road trip!
..I seriously can't get enough! I want to go on a photo road trip with my dad.. I'm pretty sure that I'm moving back the East Coast in a few months and my dad has said that he'd drive back with me. I think that this would be such a memorable trip.. especially since my dad loves photography and so do I. I want us both to take photos along the way and then I'll develop them and share them here! I'd also love to road trip in another country! I'm down for any type of road trip really!

ONE MORE..
..I know, I know.. this is supposed to be a list of only 26 things, BUT I have one more and this is my blog so I can do whatever I want to do!

27.) Find a cause that I really believe in with my whole heart and support/raise awareness for/volunteer for it in a fun, unique and creative way.
..This is a big one. Time for me to shift my energies a bit so my external life matches my internal life. I always says that I want to help people and I feel like I do in my heart by living each day intentionally with love, but if I were to draw up a fancy pie chart of my time, way too much of it would be dedicated to things that benefit me (like baking cookies and watching 80's movies on Netflix) and very little is dedicated to serving the greater good. I'm ready for this balance to drastically change. Time to put on my helper hat and my service goggles (dorky..) and get to work!

..and another..

28.) Finish painting my car!
..This seriously needs to happen!

1.2.12 // reflecting on 25

2012-01-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

Well, tomorrow I turn the age knob up one more dial. 25 was a most excellent year, for sure. Righteous to the core and full of surprises. Here's a look back at some of the goals on my "25 Before 26" list that I accomplished!

#1: Write, illustrate and publish a children's book. CHECK!...almost..

Back in January of 2011 I drove from California to Montana with a mission. I planned on spending a month there, visiting with my wonderful friend Sarah and dedicating my time to one thing: writing and illustrating a children's book. I didn't finish up the story I went to Montana to originally write, but I did finish a picture book called Hairphabet. I submitted the book idea to Chronicle Books, but heard nothing back from them. I sort of gave up on the book ever getting published until fate stepped in and I got hired by a comedian in LA to do some illustration work for her. It turned out that she was starting up a publishing house called Paradisiac Publishing. I asked her on a whim if she'd ever consider publishing a picture book and told her about my idea. Turns out that she was interested! So, although my book wasn't published in my 25th year, I'm excited to announce that it will be published in my 26th! Look out for it in the spring of 2012!

#2: Find a place to park my trailer/live in it/use it for a studio space. CHECK!

I found two places! The first was someone's driveway.. and the whole thing got old quickly. The second was amazing! I lived in an artist's community with my trailer for nearly six months. I couldn't have asked for a better place to live during this time of my life. It was the perfect combination of awesome and weird. Plus, this is where Picture Day got it's start!

#6: Road trip!!! (I can't get enough of them..) CHECK!

Wow, this goal far exceeded itself. I knew that I'd be roadtripping to Montana when I wrote my "25 Before 26 list", but I had no idea at the time that I'd be road tripping across the country in a food truck for a television show! Being a part of Seabirds Truck and getting to travel cross-country for The Great Food Truck Race with the great girls on the truck was definitely, without a doubt, a major highlight of my 25th year!

#7: Spend at least a month in Montana with Sarah (this is where I'm going to do all of the work on my book! I'm giving myself a 30 day deadline starting next week!) CHECK!

#10: Sip tea in a tea room like this one. CHECK!

Just a few days after I wrote this list I drove through Salt Lake City, Utah on my way to Montana and made it a point to visit the exact coffee shop that I referenced in my #10 goal. It was such a cute place! ...and I had the privilege of visiting it a second time while on the road with Seabirds for The Great Food Truck Race!

#11: Get really, really good at vegan baking. CHECK!

Okay, so I'm totally taking advantage of the fact that this is a blog created by me that's about my life.... and making this a "Oh! Oh! Look! I'm cool and doing things that are cool and stuff!" post. I don't mean for it to come off that way and I definitely think that there are cooler people than me out there, BUT I can say with confidence that I've gotten really, really, really good at baking vegan cookies in the past year. They're now delicious. Like deliciously delicious. Therefore, I'm going to brag just a little and show you that savory photo above!

#15: Be in the audience of The Price Is Right.. and a contestant if I'm lucky! CHECK!

Man, this was such a fun experience. I got to be a contestant on LINGO with my sister, Cynthia! I have always wanted to be on a game show. ALWAYS! I even planned a game show themed road trip after college that I had hopes of getting funded and made into a television show (hard to explain.. hah). I thought for sure that 25 would be the year that I made it to the audience of The Price Is Right.. I mean, I live in California.. just an hour from LA! Well, maybe LINGO isn't The Price Is Right, BUT it is LINGO!!! My sister and I made it all the way to the final round (we didn't win the grand prize of $100,000.. womp womp) and we walked away with a decent paycheck for one hours work!

#18: Get really good at the ukulele (like this kid) CHECK!..well, maybe not that good..

I bought my trusty ukulele just over a year ago while on Roadie tour with Roadtrip Nation. I got it on a whim, but knew that there must have been a reason why I was drawn to it. Turns out that it's the only instrument that I can actually understand! I've learned a lot of chords on it (primarily because most chords involve only pressing one or two strings at a time!) and I've even written a few songs (another goal on my list that I've almost completed!) So, to show you how skilled I am at the ukulele, please partake in the following highly cultured videos.

What about the other goals? Is that what you're wondering? I finished a few more, but there were also a few that I didn't complete this year that will probably transfer over to my "26 Before 27" list! I love the idea of a "so many goals before a certain age" list. It's great to focus enough at the beginning of a year of life that you can articulate the things you want to get done in a set period of time. I'm not sad that I didn't complete every goal on my list because I don't know if I would have completed (or actually exceeded in the case of LINGO and The Great Food Truck Race) any of them without my list. I got the idea from Elsie over at A Beautiful Mess. Such a smart way to put into words on paper (or the internet) what's really important to you for a years-worth chunk of time. Stay tuned for my "26 Before 27" list!

12.28.11 // cattitude

2011-12-28T12:22:00.000-08:00

I got a Wacom Bamboo tablet for Christmas from my lovely parents! I'm having fun getting the feel of it and drawing obscure things like this...

12.24.2011 // merry christmas everyone!

2011-12-24T18:33:00.000-08:00

11.29.2011 // keith the rawr vegan

2011-11-29T17:23:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's the recent release of the new Muppet movie (I went to see a matinee of it.. alone.. this past weekend) ..or the fact that my car broke down and I'm stuck at home, but I seem to be on more of a puppet kick than the usual puppet kick that I'm normally on. The other night I was at a vegan Thanksgiving party with the Seabirds ladies and we started talking puppets (okay, okay.. I started talking puppets..) We all decided that a vegan puppet needed to be created. Oh, and it couldn't just be a normal vegan puppet like a head or broccoli or a piece of kale that talked.. it had to be ironic. So, without further ado, may I introduce my latest creation:

Keith, the rawr vegan T-Rex (get it? rawr...) Look at that ****ing hipster...

Stay tuned for videos featuring Keith in the near future!

11.26.2011 // yeti did it

2011-11-26T19:20:00.000-08:00

Hello. This is Yeti blogging on behalf of my dear friend and roommate, Nicole. She is having a little car trouble and needs our help. Her exhaust is leaking and she's too stubborn to go get it checked out, so she's been talking about trading illustration and graphic design work for a new(ish.. or older) truck or car that can pull our home (the 1965 Aristocrat Lo-Liner travel trailer that we live in). I made this video to tell you all about it... Give it a watch and pass it on if you know someone that might need her services. Thanks, bye!

11.23.2011 // beards are beautiful!

2011-11-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I've been trying to get a shirt printed by Threadless for years now.. unfortunately, none of my designs have made the cut.. yet. I'm hoping that this one is the ticket! Please visit Threadless.com and rate and comment on my design if you have a minute!

11.22.2011 // etsy shop!

2011-11-22T21:35:00.000-08:00

A glorious moment in time has officially arrived...my etsy shop is officially open for business!! Are you looking for an inexpensive gift for that special someone in your life? Want to own a piece of Nicole Daddona (that's me in case you didn't know..) history? Looking for that perfect stocking stuffer? Well, your search is over! Check out my shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ifihaver

Here are a few pieces that I'm selling in my shop.. just to get you jazzed about visiting it!

11.18.11 // band practice

2011-11-18T14:05:00.001-08:00

My neighbors are so rad. Every night at the artist's community where I live is like a uber-creative childhood slumber party. I love all of the goofy shenanigans we get into. The other night we decided to do an impromptu awkward family/band photo shoot for Picture Day. I have a slight obsession with cheesy things from the 90's so I, of course, adored every minute of the shoot. I'm really happy with how the photos came out! I think they look pretty authentic without looking like we tried too hard.

Here are a few of my favorites:

One of the things that I think can really make or break something that is intentionally and ironically cheesy is attention to detail. I had a ton of fun taking and being a part of these photos, but I had equally as much fun getting the color/glow of the photos just right.. I also got a special thrill out of creating and placing our "Picture Day" watermark on all of the photos. I know.. I know..I probably should tell the world about that.

You can check out more of the photos from the shoot on Flickr! Like what you see? Comment below!

11.12.11 // it's picture day, people

2011-11-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

So, I'm in a band. With my neighbor. Her name's Jamie. She lives in a trailer too at the art collective where I currently reside. She's going to be a famous author someday very, very soon. Our band is called Picture Day and we're all about smearing positivity all over the face of this sometimes sad world. Here's one of our first video releases. Be sure to watch out for us, because we're kind of a big deal.

10.28.11 // artist for hire!

2011-10-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hello there! Just a quick post to announce that I am officially an artist for hire! Need something quirky and hand-drawn made for your business, website, event or arm?! (I can do tattoo design.. I think..) Then I'm your gal! Shoot me an e-mail or give me a ring if you like my work and want something made! Here are a few pieces of work that I'm the most proud of:

10.27.11 // trailer trash

2011-10-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I moved.. like two months ago.. ah.. I've been bad at this whole blogging thing lately! I'm going to get back on the bandwagon soon because exciting things are on the horizon! I want to document here in my little corner of the interweb. For now, let me just say that I'm living in an artist community. I made the big bad move over the border of Orange County into LA County in August and it's been great so far. I'm living in a back lot with two other mobile home dwellers - both painters - and it's been amazing and inspiring so far. It's so nice to meet other people that are living small, mobile lives!

I was living in someone's driveway before moving to where I am now. It was fine for what it was, but, more importantly, it really served to solidify my desire to live in my trailer full-time by helping me prove to myself that I could actually do it. After a few months there I definitely welcomed the change to a communal environment. Driveway living can be lonely!

I got up early yesterday to take some shots for my up and coming Etsy store (be on the lookout for a post about it very, very soon!!) and decided to snap a few photos of my living situation while I had my camera out. So, without further ado, may I present to you... my tiny little home on wheels (again.. I did a post on my trailer a while back, but these photos are better and more up to date!)

9.19.11 // perfectly normal

2011-09-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

I'm home in Connecticut visiting my parents and friends right now. Being home is definitely a nice break from the independent woman-esque life I've been living in California. I rarely let myself relax in California. It's strange. I don't work that much, but I'm always striving to continually move forward on my creative quest. As a result, I don't give myself much downtime to just "be". I let myself unwind a bit on this trip. I watched television for the first time in I don't know how long, I baked a ton of cookies and I made this video while my parents were out of the house.. perfectly normal behavior for any 25 year old.

I've always liked making weird videos. Not weird-weird.. but off-beat/quirky. In high school I once acted out a paraphrased version of Macbeth in my bedroom using a camera that I borrowed in my video production class. I'm pretty sure that I'm wearing my pajamas in the video that my hair is all wet for some reason. Oh, and I think there may have been false teeth involved. I also recall deciding that it was a good idea to give the video to my 11th grade English teacher to watch. She rarely called on me in class after that.

...also, it should be noted that a line from the song used in the above video - "(I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles" by The Proclaimers - is this blog's namesake. "And if I haver yeah I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you"... what does haver mean? Check out the top left portion of this blog to learn!

8.30.11 // it's official

2011-08-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

It's official. I'm a t-shirt designer!!! I've been waiting for this day for, what seems like, forever.. A few months ago, I sold a designto Modern Amusement. I was excited then, but there's something extra exciting about seeing something I've made on the hot bod of a young male model! Here's a screen shot of my shirt debut from the Modern Amusement website:

..and here's another shot:

I'm so happy that I can finally announce to the world that I have a shirt design with a company that's really cool! Modern Amusement, I thank you. This is a big step for me and I'm so grateful!

8.12.11 // the help

2011-08-12T22:29:00.000-07:00

Just got back from seeing The Help. Man, am I fired up!

I swear, if I ever had a past life it was as a Civil Rights Activist. I think that there's an activist that lives in each of us.. sometimes it beckons to a call.. even if that call is a whisper.. while other times it's buried so deep that it can't hear at all.

Mine is definitely in ear-shot and just waiting for something to call it's name. I definitely feel strongly about a lot of issues, but I'm never really sure what step is best to take to rally for change. I feel like I've been doing a lot of work on myself lately. I think I've come to a time when I'll start putting my energy into something bigger than myself.. Finally pull out that activist inside me and put her to work.

8.10.11 // premiere par-tay!

2011-08-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

Yep. It's happening. Here's a flyer I made for the glorious event this Sunday night! If you're in the area, stop by!

8.9.11 // where i've been

2011-08-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

It's been too long. I've been slacking on my blogging duties.. I know. Here's a peek into my past few months:

My sister and I were on Lingo! It's crazy what can come out of goal-setting and list making.. I had "Be in the audience of The Price Is Right.. and a contestant if I'm lucky!" on my 25 Before 26 list. Now, I know that Lingo isn't The Price Is Right... but it's LINGO!! And I was a contestant! So much fun! You can watch a little clip of the show here...

Seabirds, the vegan food truck that I work on, was invited to be a part of season two of The Great Food Truck Race on Food Network. I was ecstatic when my boss, Stephanie, invited me to come along. It was such an intense and amazing experience. I had no idea what went into reality television before being a part of one! Now I see Toddlers & Tiaras in a whole new light (not like I watch that or anything.. ahem.. ahem...) We got to take our truck all over the country.. which was AWESOME (you all know how I love road trips!) I can't give out too much information now, but you should DEFINITELY check out the shows Sunday nights starting August 14th. It's gonna be a fun ride! Here's our team's promo video..!!

I've also been doing a lot of art, which I adore. I've been in t-shirt design beast mode for a while now and hopefully some of my designs will get purchased soon!

8.8.11 // it's been a while

2011-08-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

I'm still alive.. and still in California!

3.31.11 // right now

2011-03-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

Right now...

...$20 seems like lot of money
...I live in a trailer
...I work on a vegan food truck
...I'm building up some mighty strong ukulele calluses
...I'm trying to make it as an artist by designing t-shirts
...I'm reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
...I'm a little lost, but it's kind of exhilarating
...I want to live closer to my parents

3.16.11 // !!!inner children united!!!

2011-03-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

Ah! I haven't blogged in so long. A lot has happened here in California since my last post! I've been hanging out in my trailer, hanging out with friends, designing t-shirts for an up and coming t-shirt line, painting my car, Skyping with my parents back in Connecticut, working on a awesome vegan food truck called Seabirds, and spending way too much time at Whole Foods (I do a lot of my drawing and doodling there!)

My friends and I have also jumped into the creative deep end. We have so many fun and creative plans and projects in the works - it's really exciting! One such endeavor is an organization called Inner Children United. I've been impressed by organizations like Improv Everywhere and Newmindspace since first learning about them a few years back. They encourage the fun and spontaneous (two things that I can't live without) in everyday life. My friends and I wanted to start something similar here in Orange County, California... thus, Inner Children United was born.

Inner Children United is more than events and members.. it's a movement. It's about getting in touch with the kid that lives in each of us and allowing that kid to take front seat (even if they're under 12 years of age and it's illegal to do so by law... that might only be a law in Connecticut, so that joke might be lost to anyone outside of the state...)

We're working on building up our membership and planning some super exciting events. If you live in Southern California or will be in the area let me know! We'd love to have you in our group. We've also created an Inner Childred United Facebook page and Youtube channel. Why the Youtube page? ...Here's why...

My friend, former fellow Roadie and Inner Children United co-creator, Ray Ricafort created the beat and my friend, fellow Roadie and musician extraordinaire, Mariana Iglesias (aka Audrey & the Deer) took our photos. It was a wonderful collaboration/Roadie reunion! We consider this video a first step.. a launching point to spring off of. We have some big plans for the umbrella of Inner Children United - events, videos, and a public access show to boot. Stay tuned!

february 28, 2011 // home sweet trailer

2011-02-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official. I'm living in my trailer. I found a family on (where else but) Craigslist willing to put me up in their driveway with an electrical outlet and use of their bathroom and kitchen - perfect! I really like my trailer. I spent about a week and half before coming back to Connecticut for the holidays solely working on getting the trailer in living condition. I cleaned it up, repainted the interior, decorated, got some scented candles for ambiance (and, of course, a smoke detector) and now it's as cozy as can be. Here are a few shots of the interior.

I found two of these great owl wall hangings at a Goodwill in Montana for something like $2.00 a piece. I've definitely seen something similar at Urban Outfitters for close to $40.00 each!

I love candles.. they just make me feel more at home. I made some lanterns out of mason jars, wire and twine. They were super easy to make and actually give off a good amount of light!

I got these postcards (art pieces to me...) for free at a local art walk a few months ago. I especially love the bear.

My friend Jason passed on these old photo slides to me. I've wanted to do something with them for a while, but wasn't sure how I could use them. The other day, I was holding one of the slides up in front of me. The sun from outside shone through the slide and made the picture visible. This gave me the idea of hanging the slides in front of one of my trailer windows.

february 23, 2011 // saul bass luuuv

2011-02-23T18:35:00.000-08:00

I love graphic designer, Saul Bass. I first heard about him accidentally/on purpose. It was meant to be. I was in my college art class and everyone was told to pick a designer from a long list of designers to write about. We also had to create a piece of artwork in that artist's style. I looked at the list of names projected up on the wall and for some reason Saul Bass stood out and screamed "Pick me!!!" I'm so glad that his name stuck out! He's had a huge influence on art style and I love him! Here's an amazing little video animation he created in 1968. Enjoy!

february 18, 2011 // recording studio

2011-02-18T11:54:00.000-08:00

I recently bought an old tape recorder at Goodwill for my "Neck Ache of the Month" project for February. I'm going to be taping a few songs that I wrote in Montana on cassette - Daniel Johnston style. I was able to find The Devil and Daniel Johnston online.. which was amazing. I learned so much more about Daniel's life and music. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in his story.

So excited about this project! ...Just not sure if anyone will have a tape player to play my "album" on!

february 17, 2011 // our deepest fear

2011-02-17T18:56:00.000-08:00

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear in that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the World.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel unsure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
As we let our own light shine,
we consciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

--Marianne Williamson

february 16, 2011 // colortherapy glasses

2011-02-16T01:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it back to California.. almost. I'm currently in Las Vegas awaiting a car repair. My car gave out and stopped running somewhere in Utah. I am so incredibly happy that I my dad invested in AAA for our family. I cannot even tell you! I watched New In Town the other night with Sarah and our new friend Jami (I love new friends!) and laughed at the part when Renee Zellweger drove off the road in an effort to avoid hitting a cow and ended up in a huge snow bank with no cell phone reception. After my Utah breakdown, I doubt that I'll ever laugh a that part of the movie again. I'm trying to remain positive as I await the estimate for my car repairs. My time in Montana left me creatively refreshed, but pretty broke. I don't have a job lined up in California yet... so that's something I'm concerned about. Through it all I'm trying to stay positive and hopeful! What helps me do this? Encouraging friends, prayer and my color therapy glasses.. oh. yes.

I bought these babies a few months ago during a contract job as a school photographer. I had to wake up REALLY early every morning and there were some mornings that I just wanted to stay in bed. I saw someone wearing these glasses at a local natural foods store in yellow - the "I can!" color so I decided that I'd better wear a pair for such mornings. Now, I wear these glasses whenever I'm feeling pessimistic and Eeyore-ish. It might just be in my head, but I feel like they work! I mean, how can I be happy when everything looks like a vintage picture of summertime? When I wear them, I feel like I'm constantly in a Hipstmatic photo!

I definitely recommend everyone getting a pair. They don't only make everything around you look vintage... they make you look like you walked straight out of the 60s/early 70s. I can't even tell you how many times I've seen peace sign thrown or had "Hippie!" yelled at me as I walk by. If you want to buy a pair, you can find them on eBay for pretty cheap. I got my pair for something like $15.00, but I'm sure that you can find them cheaper!

february 9, 2011 // bad public access shows

2011-02-08T23:02:00.000-08:00

When I get back to California a few friends and I are planning on putting together a 1-hour public access show for local television. For those of you who don't know this already, I'm kind of obsessed with public access television. It's just so.. so.. liberated. In an effort to prepare for our television debut, I've compiled a collection of bad public access shows for my friends and I to reference for inspiration. Here are a few of the "best" I've seen.

and my personal favorite..

february 8, 2011 // retrofuturism

2011-02-08T14:17:00.000-08:00

I'm really digging the feel of these two music videos.

Jenny Lewis - "See Fernando"

She & Him - "Don't Look Back"

I love throwbacks. I'm often times nostalgic.. but how can I be nostalgic for a time in history that I wasn't even a part of? I don't know.. but I like it!

february 8, 2011 // snowmobile

2011-02-08T12:12:00.000-08:00

This is my last week in Helena, Montana. I'll be sad to say goodbye to Sarah. We've had so much fun together! It's been nearly two years since we've been in the same place at the same time for more than two weeks, which made this time all the more special. I'm excited to take everything that I've learned in this past month back to California with me. I feel like I've grown so much creatively...and even emotionally. It's hard to express the difference I see in myself, but it's there.

My Volvo is about ready to get back to warmer weather. I've only seen a handful of older Volvo cars in Montana...probably because they've all died fiery deaths. My car is not in her finest shape at the moment. The cold and snow has definitely worn her down. On Friday, Sarah and I are going to to buy new tires for our cars! Making this plan made us both feel pretty old.. and I feel even older because I'm actually looking forward to it...Yikes.

I'll be leaving Saturday morning and taking two or three days to get down to Las Vegas where I'll meet up with Bobby Craig Grandville (more on him to come...!) Until then, I'll be enjoying the rest of my time in Helena. Today I'm sending my book proposal to Chronicle Books (!!!!)... Getting excited!

february 7, 2011 // kung hei fat choy

2011-02-07T11:34:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, a few friends and I headed to Butte, Montana for a Chinese New Year parade. I had always suspected that Montana was not the Chinese capital of America... my visit to Butte proved me right. Regardless, the fact that Butte celebrates the Chinese New Year at all is awesome! I mean, who doesn't love a good parade?

Actually, I don't think that you could really call what we attended a parade.. seeing as all the people who were there watching actually were the parade! I haven't been in a parade since I was a ten-year-old baton twirler, so I must admit that I enjoyed the experience immensely!

It's the Year of the Rabbit, which Chinese astrologers predict to be a year of peace, calm, leisure, and rest. I hope they're right because that sounds wonderful.

Is it just me, or does this rabbit look pissed about something? Maybe he was just cold...

We followed a Chinese New Year dragon around town while people clapped, lit firecrackers, screamed, and (as you'll see in the video below..) got jiggy with it.

...oh..and here's little something special because I reminded myself of this quality song...

Happy Year of the Rabbit everyone!

february 4, 2011 // going vegan

2011-02-04T17:29:00.001-08:00

I've been putting off writing this blog entry.. not because I'm not excited about it, but because it means so much to me and I'm not sure how to articulate what I'm feeling. I'm also unsure about how it will be received.. Hopefully no one thinks that I'm some ranting maniac.. I'm just someone who is beginning to learn the truth about what goes on in our food industry.. and that truth has really, really affected me. It's being hidden from us and everyone needs to know..that's why I'm going to share my story here.

To start off, I've always loved animals. Growing up, my family always owned cats. I think that we've all loved an animal - whether a pet or character in a movie - at one point or another. I've been flirting with veganism for the past few months. I switched over to an all vegetarian diet about a year and a half ago. It was a really big step for me. When I went away to college I had a vegetarian roommate. It was the first time that I'd been exposed to a plant-centered diet. I had always eaten meat.. My parents had always eaten meat.. Their parents had always eaten meat.. It was so ingrained in my day-to-day life that I couldn't think of doing otherwise. I asked my roommate a lot of questions, which she graciously answered... "Why don't you eat meat?".. "Don't you miss bacon?"..."What can you eat?!".. I just couldn't comprehend it.. Why would someone want to voluntarily give up eating meat? My roommate was awesome and I always admired her peaceful way of living.. (we called her our house hippie).. there was just something different about her lifestyle.. she was intentionally seeking out ways to contribute peacefully to the planet and I liked that.

During that same year, I started noticing that the red meat from the school cafeteria was making me feel really gross (this should have been obvious to me.. I mean, what school cafeteria serves a good steak, right?!) I decided to stop eating red meat during this time. This was the beginning of my dietary transition.

On my first Roadie tour with Roadtrip Nation, there was a girl on my team named Mariana. She was the first vegan that I had ever met. I actually didn't even know what the word "vegan" meant before meeting her.. To anyone who may be reading this who is in the same boat that I was in not that long ago.. a vegan is a person who refrains from eating any animals or their secretions (I know.. secretions is an icky sounding plural noun.. but it's true when you think about it.. but yeah, still gross..). I had even more questions for Mariana than I'd had for my college roommate. Now questions were getting into uncharted territory..."Wait, wait.. so you don't eat CHEESE?!"..and "How do you do it?!" oh.. then there was.. "No ice cream? No ice cream?! NO ICE CREAM?!?!?!" I just couldn't wrap my brain around it. Mariana was patient enough to answer all of my questions.. which added up to a lot.. and when you're within the confines of an RV living with three other people for two months, I'm sure that non-stop questions can get overwhelming.. to say the least. Mariana not only answered my (many.. mostly) cheese-centered questions (I..really..like..cheese..no..really), she also opened my eyes to animal cruelty for the first time.

I know that I'm not alone in thinking the way that I used to think because it's what we're told to believe from the moment we start eating solid food - the animals we eat are raised by loving hands on idyllic farms with rolling pastures in the background. When they're killed, they feel no pain.. in fact, they live to give their lives to us humans.. it's only natural. It's the course of nature. It's the food chain. They live so we can eat and eat we do.. breakfast, lunch and dinner.. some sort of meat is a part of our meal. Is that close? Maybe some of you are more informed than I was, but that's seriously what I believed to be true for twenty-something years of my life. I also never really questions my meat consumption before living in close quarters with my vegan friend.. eating meat was what I'd always done, so why change?

Even as a vegetarian I was only partially aware of the cruelty that is done to the animals that we raise for food. When I made the official switch over to vegetarian full-time I was just beginning to see the truth - that factory farming is behind the meat industry in America. For anyone who may not know what factory farming is (I didn't just until recently), it's when a farm operates as a factory (sounds obvious..I know..).. they raise livestock in unnatural conditions in order to turn out a high volume of animal product (the animals we eat and their.. here's that word again.. secretions). The "unnatural conditions" I'm referring to are just terrible. Animals are kept in filthy, confined spaces and many never even get the chance to see the sun or do the natural things that they instinctively do. It's horrible. There's so much more to go into about it.. all awful and saddening.. but this post is already getting to be plenty long. If you're interested in learning more about factory farming I recommend a book by Jonathan Safran Foer called Eating Animals.

..So, I was a vegetarian for a while.. and things were going just fine.. then everything changed. I started working at Native Foods, an incredible vegan eatery in Southern California. It was there, over the course of just a few months, that I met more vegans than I had EVER met in my entire life.. I was working with them, serving them and learning so much about veganism all at the same time. I got to hear people's stories about their transition from meat-eater to vegan.. and I started wondering if there was really something to being vegan rather than vegetarian. When I left for my second Roadie tour, I left behind my job at Native Foods and plunged head first into two months of road trip food - mainly Pizza Hut's personal cheese pizza.. like, every day (bad news when you're not doing much exercise and mixing said pizza with pounds of candy...)

Towards the end of the trip, I started feeling kind of.. well, disgusting. So, on the last week of tour, I decided to go vegan. That lasted all of.. mmm.. two days. Cheese got me yet again. I tried a second time.. lasting a grand total of three days! Then I went home for Christmas.. which means that I went home to my family's Italian Christmas day celebration - complete with fresh-grated Parmesan cheese and enough cannolis to go around the world.. twice. Needless to say, I didn't try going vegan during that time.

When I got back to California after the holidays and started getting ready to head up to Montana, I was determined to challenge myself 1.) creatively by writing and illustrating a book.. and 2.) by making an effort to go vegan for 30-days.. I figured, after that I could say.. "Oh well, I tried.. La di dah.. So is life.." and go back to eating all the cheese I wanted afterward. I downloaded a podcast to fill my long stretches of highway called "Vegetarian Food for Thought ". I figured that it would help spur me on vegan-ally speaking.. I honestly didn't think that the whole vegan thing would stick. But, I'm now happy to say (nearly 30 days later) that it has. In fact, it's stuck so well that I don't see myself ever eating any differently.

What really made me want to make the change for good this time was that podcast. I know.. I know.. I sound like an infomercial.. but seriously. If you've ever wanted to learn about the vegan lifestyle or the truth about where your food comes from.. I would recommend a 110% listening to it. The host, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (of a website called Compassionate Cooks), is so wonderfully non-threatening in her approach. She answers TONS of questions that people have about veganism.. everything from, "What's there to eat?" to "How do you get your vitamins".. she really does an amazing job answering questions thoroughly and informatively. I could go on and on gushing about Colleen, but instead I want to give you a challenge. Listen to one podcast episode by her. I'd recommend an episode called "Eating Animals" and another.. a short story called "Beyond Lies the Wub" (a short science fiction story by Philip K. Dick).. and.. well, all of her other episodes (but those are just a few to get you started). You can download her podcast for free on iTunes. If you don't have time to listen, just look up factory farming on Google. I think that we all need to know the truth about where our food is coming from. It's so wrong that it's so hidden from us. We've become incredibly desensitized to our food.. and we've found a way to completely compartmentalize the animals that we eat from the animals that we love and care for.

If you're looking for something to watch, check out Glass Walls narrated by Paul McCartney (an avid vegetarian..by the by) or Meet Your Meat on YouTube.. to forewarn you, both of these videos are really graphic. They're worth watching.. if nothing else but to see what really goes on behind the closed doors of factory farms. Just know ahead of time that there is something we can do about what goes on..If you're at all bothered by what you see, know that just making a change in our own lives helps.. even if it seems like only in a small way. Choosing to cut out meat even one day a week is a step in the right direction. It's the individual making a change in his or her own habits that can lead to a change in the habits of a nation.

I apologize that this post was so long. Again, there's just so much to say which is part of the reason why I put it off this long.. If you have any questions about veganism, please feel free to e-mail me at helloifihaver@gmail.com. I definitely don't have all the answers.. and I'm learning more every day, but I would love to share some great resources that I'm learning from and encourage you! Thanks for reading :-)

february 3, 2011 // archie bray

2011-02-03T13:39:00.000-08:00

Today I payed a visit to a Helena, Montana treasure - Archie Bray Foundation. Archie Bray Foundation is (to quotes their website) "...a public, nonprofit, educational institution founded in 1951 by brickmaker Archie Bray, who intended it to be "a place to make available for all who are seriously and sincerely interested in any of the branches of the ceramic arts, a fine place to work." Its primary mission is to provide an environment that stimulates creative work in ceramics." My friend Sarah showed me Archie Bray when I first arrived in Helena. We walked around and.. of course.. took goofy pictures.

It's an awesome place to get inspired creatively. Here's a little video I put together from my visit today.

If you're ever in Helena, stop by! There's an open studio where you can watch artists working. One thing I would recommend is going when it's warmer though.. it's a fun place to walk around and there is so much art outside to look at.. but when it's negative-freezing-cold out (like it was today) it's hard to stay outside for any length of time!

february 2, 2011 // neckache of the month

2011-02-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

It's that time again.. It's time for February's Neckache of the Month! For those of you who don't know what that means, I'll be highlighting one person a month that inspires me creatively. Last month it was Jim Henson.. and this month it's.. drum roll

......................................... Daniel Johnston!

I first learned about Daniel Johnston back about two years ago on my first Roadie tour. We passed through Austin, Texas. It was my first time there and I was told that I had to visit the "Hi, How Are You?" frog on the corner of 21st and Guadalupe. Sadly, we didn't have to time to stop by.. When I passed through Austin again on my road trip from Connecticut to move out to California I made sure to visit the city landmark.

I didn't know much about Daniel Johnston.. actually.. up until a few months ago. An artist and musician, Johnston got his start recording songs on a $59 boombox. He started handing out tapes of his music for free. Austin record stores got a hold of the tapes and started selling them locally. His songs have heart and meaning and, though he never claimed to have a great voice, his music became increasingly popular in Austin and the surrounding area. He was eventually featured on an MTV show called "The Cutting Edge", which brought more attention to his music and made him a minor celebrity.

Daniel Johnston is also an incredible artist. He draws cartoons that are fun to look at, are sometimes crazy, but that usually also have deep symbolism.

Johnston has struggled with mental illness since his early twenties. A documentary was made about his life and creative career called The Devil and Daniel Johnston . I haven't seen the documentary yet, but I'm hoping to this month! Daniel turned fifty just a few weeks ago on January 22nd. I love how simple, yet meaningful his work is. Despite urging from friends and family to learn more practical stills, Daniel continues to push forward creatively. His fan base has continued to grow since his early days of fame in Austin and more as more people learn about his life and work.

I really admire his unique creative energy. This month I'm going to challenge myself to write and record five songs on cassette tape.. just the way Daniel Johnston recorded his first songs. I purchased an old tape recorder from Goodwill for $1 (it was half off - score!), which I'll use to record my songs. They'll most likely be awful.. but they'll be mine. One of my goals on my 25 before 26 list is to write and record five songs, so this will be a good challenge.

Daniel Johnston, you're inspiring! Keep up the great work that is uniquely yours!

february 1, 2011 // montana love

2011-02-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a little break from book and freelance work today to do a some just-for-fun doodling. I decided to make some Montana postcards to send to my parents back in Connecticut. Here they are!

..and here's a black & white version..

january 30, 2011 // hallmark cards

2011-01-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

Nearly two years ago I got my 15 minutes of fame. I entered a card contest with Hallmark Cards and was chosen as a finalist. My card was sold in stores and I won a much needed $250 big ones. The local paper sought me out.. and the happening metropolis that is my tiny hometown in Connecticut got to see my face on the front page. It . felt . awesome. I had popular people from high school who I'd never really talked to writing on my facebook wall congratulating me, the mailman was telling me he read the article.. I even saw my card at a Wal-Mart in Utah.. I was on top of the world.

Then all that ended. They took my card and the cards of my fellow contest finalists off the store shelves and replaced them with a new round of winners. Lame-o to the max. I still dream about those days. Ahh.. Glorious. Fortunately, Hallmark has contests every month. Unfortunately, I entered this past month and my card was not a winner. Thus, I decided to get down off of my high-horse and try my hand and freelance card design.

I gathered a collection of fine card companies that accept unsolicited submissions. Hallmark's line of quirky cards, Shoebox Greetings, was at the top of my list. I sent them a bundle of card designs via e-mail on Thursday. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that they'll like what I've got for them. Here's a little peak at a few of the designs I submitted:

"You Are Superb" Inside: Thank you.

"Digital/Analog" Inside: I like doing things old school.

I love greeting cards. Here's to hoping they love me too..

january 29, 2011 // i just don't understand why you went to montana

2011-01-28T14:46:00.000-08:00

I've gotten this a lot. People wondering why I had to go all the way to Montana to do what I'm doing. I don't know why, but since graduating from college I've done a lot of things that.. well, frankly seem weird to people. I got a job driving a 34 foot RV around the country when I was 23 and again when I was 24.. not really what the majority of people my age are doing. It's just that the idea of a cubicle and someone controlling my time makes me want to pull my hair out.. so I end up doing things that will let me avoid this lifestyle at all cost.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I've come to the conclusion that I'm like an unbroken horse (I learned this term while in Montana.. so it seems appropriate!).. I've been living this carefree life, going where I please.. doing what I want to do and yes, supporting myself along the way (odd jobs are a good friend of mine), but I feel the pressure to give in and live a "normal" life. I get it from my parents (they're very supportive, but I think they get pressure from the rest of my family and their friends and as a result, doubt what I'm doing) and a few friends here and there who are genuinely concerned when I seem concerned.. Oddly enough, the person I seem to get it from the most is myself.

This realization is surprising, seeing as I'm the one who takes myself on these wild journeys. It's like I have two sides of myself constantly arguing about what's best for me. Part of me so wants to settle down and conform. This side wears a business suit and has a planner.. she also has an iPhone on which she constantly get's e-mails. In response to some of her messages, she exclaims things out loud like, "Uh! He would!" and "That's absurd!". The other half looks like a hippy gypsy. She's totally fine with going where the metaphorical wind of the future takes her. She's boisterous and social... she also seems to "win" more often when told to battle against her responsible counterpart. I need to find a balance between the two. A vagabond, free-spirited lifestyle that I can support financially with dedicated work that I enjoy. I know such a balance exists because I've seen other people achieve it.

While people (as well as myself) may doubt the reason why I came all the way to Montana for a month to follow this dream, this month has been so important. I've really proved to myself that when I focus my creative energy, I can get things done. While no one is throwing money at me (..yet) to doodle things.. I know that it's possible to make a living with art. Yesterday I finished the first of two packages that I'll be sending to my publisher of choice - Chronicle Books. I knew that I wanted to see if they'd publish my work as soon as I saw that they were the publishing house behind All My Friends Are Dead. I love that the books they publish are quirky and fun.. I hope they like my work enough to publish it! I'm going to send them a few designs for journal covers and a possible novelty picture book on this go around... and then as soon as I finish my yeti book, I'll send it their way too!

I'm still working on the "feature" book I originally came out here to write.. the one about the yeti. Hopefully I'll get it done before I leave in a few weeks. If not, I still feel accomplished. It feels good to put my mind to something and achieve it. Even if I don't get published, I still feel like I did something that I can be proud of.

january 28, 2011 // channeling henson

2011-01-28T12:26:00.000-08:00

Last night I made a puppet. I don't know what possessed me. Maybe it's allowing myself to relax enough to let the creative energy flow. Maybe it's all the 80's kid's movies I've been revisiting on Netflix Instant Play. Whatever the reason, I was compelled to drive over to Joanne's Fabrics last night to purchase a yard of white faux fur, some foam rubber and a little fleece. The result? A "fur" real version of the yeti from the children's book! I think I'll make this sort of thing a part of my "Neckache of the Month" project. Since Jim Henson was January's NotM it seems appropriate that I tried to channel him creatively by making a puppet of my very own. I'll try to do something in the creative mind frame of every month's NotM from now on. I'm excited for who I'll be highlighting in February because he's AWESOME. Can't wait to share in a few days! Until then.. here's a little video Yeti and I made. He loves to sing.. here are a few words about his video from the mythical man himself...

hi. thank you for look me video. i happy you see it. i think you like me sing for you. i think me like you. i think me like coffee too. bye.

january 26, 2011 // the yeti abides.

2011-01-26T14:05:00.000-08:00

I'm deep in children's book mode.. I've been in Montana for twelve days, making it almost the halfway point of my quest to author-hood. I've been writing, illustrating, writing some more.. So far, I've illustrated a picture only alphabet book and some designs for a t-shirt company that I'm hoping to work for.

I have fifteen days to finish this project. It's time to become one with the yeti. That's right, my "feature" book (feature meaning the book that I came here primarily to write ) is about a yeti. I'm super excited about this project. What better place to write about a yeti than in the blustery winter weather of Montana?!

january 25, 2011 // montana is a painting

2011-01-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I can't get over how beautiful it is here.

january 23, 2011 // true fact.

2011-01-24T00:05:00.000-08:00

january 21, 2011 // clay throw-down

2011-01-21T16:04:00.000-08:00

Up until this morning, I had no idea what"throwing clay" meant. In case you don't know, it's basically making pottery. My Montanan friend, Sarah, has a friend named Lindsay that makes beautiful pottery for her company called Soda Snail. She has an amazing studio just outside of Helena, Montana where she does her work. She was nice enough to teach Sarah and I how to throw.

That's Lindsey - there in the apron.

Sarah worked that wheel!

Throwing it down!

The final product.. not exactly perfect, but they have personality...

january 21, 2011 // sounds like a cat in heat..

2011-01-20T22:58:00.000-08:00

In an effort to tap into my musical side (whether or not such a thing exists in me is questionable..you'll understand why after watching the video below), I purchased a ukulele a few months ago.

The night of my frightening drive to Jackson Hole, WY, I stayed over in a fabulously plush, newly renovated Motel 6 (seriously.. it was SO NICE). I wasn't tired after checking in.. probably the fault of the excessive amount of adrenaline that had pumped into my system during the drive.. so, I decided to do what any reasonable 25 year old would have done in my situation. I turned off the television, fixed my hair and made a music video in my hotel bathroom.

Now, I'm not promising much from this video. In fact, I won't be the least bit offended if you stop it 3.2 seconds in, close your laptop and then proceed to throw it across the room in a violent fit of rage.. In fact, I'd expect such a response. I wanted to put the video up here as a challenge to myself. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the voice of Josh Groban (which is probably a good thing because then I'd sing like one handsome devil of a man).. but I wanted to try to put myself out there musically. Hey, not all heartfelt singers have great voices, right?? (Think about Daniel Johnston!)

So, without further adieu.. my musical debut!

january 18, 2011 // hey hello from montana

2011-01-18T11:54:00.000-08:00

Hello from beautiful Helena, Montana! I seriously feel like I'm living in a painting here.

I started writing yesterday. There are so many awesome coffee shops in Helena. I can't wait to try them all out. I've been reading a lot of Shel Silverstein lately to get inspired. I especially love this one poem from Where the Sidewalk Ends called "Listen to the Mustn'ts". I decided to make a little hand-drawn type piece based on it.

january 17, 2011 // the rest of the journey

2011-01-17T09:24:00.000-08:00

I've been without internet for the past few days, so I haven't had the chance to post. From Salt Lake City, I drove up to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was probably the most frightening drive I've ever taken.. (even more frightening than driving a 34 ft. RV through San Francisco!).. I actually didn't know if I was going to make it to my destination.. seriously. There was crazy ice and snow on the road.. so scary! I was stupid and drove when it was dark out.. not actually getting into Jackson Hole until midnight or so. Despite the drive being terrifying.. something cool did happen. I was on the road alone for most of the drive with a few cars heading the opposite direction every once in a blue moon. There was a part of the drive when my car just didn't want to drive. There was a slight incline in the highway (if you can call what I drove on a highway..) and my little Volvo was struggling. I shifted into low gear and climbed the incline at a veeerrrrryyy... slow pace. I had images in my head of snow patrol finding my car the following morning - stuck in a pile of snow, my nearly frozen self asleep in the back seat shivering.

Here's what I was driving in..

My car is such a trooper.

Fortunately, that didn't happen. I was afraid so I did what I always do when I'm afraid - I prayed. I prayed and prayed and prayed some more. I asked to just get to Jackson Hole safely. Then something happened.. a car drove up behind me. Only one other car had come up behind me on this leg of my journey and they were quick to pass me (probably because I was going about 2 mph!) This car was different - I don't know where it came from.. it was a tiny sedan and it stayed behind me and didn't try to pass me once. I was so grateful to not have to go through the scariest part of my drive alone. Mind you, my palms were sweating and I was still afraid, but I wasn't alone! I knew that if something were to happen, someone else would be there... I was so grateful! I couldn't wait to arrive in Jackson Hole so I could tell the mystery driver how much their being there with me had meant to me. The car followed me for about thirty minutes through the most treacherous part of the drive. Then, as strangely as the car had appeared.. it disappeared. As soon as I rounded the corner into town, the car was gone. I don't know if they lived at one of the houses right before town or if something more supernatural was at work.. but they seemed to vanish into thin air. Just a few minutes later, I arrived safely at my (very nice) Motel 6. Has anyone stayed at a newly remodeled Motel 6 hotel? They are high class! To whoever that driver was - thank you. Your being there with me meant so much!

january 12, 2011 // salt lake city

2011-01-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

I'm currently sitting in The Beehive Tea Room in Salt Lake City. I heard about this place through Rockstar Diaries and I immediately knew that I had to stop by on my way to Montana. The Beehive has a great vintage feel.. something straight out of the 1940's. One of my "26 Before 25" goals was to visit a tea room.. actually the goal was to visit a tea room like The Beehive.. guess I got that one right on the nose!

Before heading here, I visited a vintage shop called Decades. That place is HUGE! They have an awesome selection of vintage goods and the prices were reasonable. I really have to watch my money this next month, so shopping wasn't really an option.. but it was a fun place to visit!

january 11, 2011 // viva las vegans

2011-01-12T03:16:00.000-08:00

I had no idea that Las Vegas had so many vegan options. I passed through good ol' sin city today on my way to Montana. I have a good friend in town named Craig who I was hoping to see, but didn't get to because he was busy.. so I decided to eat a lot of food instead. I'll tell you more about Craig in about a month I pass through Vegas again because there's a good story behind our friendship! I actually passed through Vegas three times this week. I know, crazy.. I parked my car at Craig's (for safe keeping) while I was home in Connecticut..then I went back again over the weekend with a few friends. I was planning on caravanning it - my friends in one car and me following behind in mine. After the weekend ended, I would have driven on to Montana.. but I wasn't fully packed when we left on Saturday, so I had to make two trips! Over the weekend, my friends and I checked out a vegetarian/vegan-friendly restaurant called Red Velvet Cafe. They have AMAZING desserts. Yum.. I want one now just thinking about it!

In the morning, we headed to a Ronald's Donuts. Michelle, who I know from the vegan restaurant that I used to work for, told me about Ronald's. I'm so glad that she did! They have vegan donuts.. which are surprisingly hard to find (the only other place I've ever seen them is at Voodoo Donuts in Portland, Oregon!).. and even more surprisingly delicious!

I spent the night at a hostel, which was really nice! They had wireless internet, so I decided to take full advantage of my parents Netflix account (which I am signed onto permanently on my laptop) to watch a movie. I chose Osmosis Jones. For some reason, I had never seen it.. maybe it came out at a time when I was too cool for cartoons.. wait, that time in my life never happened.

On the way out of Vegas, I stopped at Whole Foods.. the perfect ending to a day of vegan/vegetarian eating. They had one of my favorite Whole Food-sy things.. vegan curry chicken salad. It's hard to find, so I was super excited when I saw that they had it. Viva Las Vegans! Onward to Salt Lake City, Utah!

january 10, 2011 // the plan

2011-01-11T00:56:00.000-08:00

I'm taking one month - that's it - to do something that I've wanted to do for years. Since middle school, I've had this dream of writing and illustrating a children's book. I've come up with idea after idea in my mind, but I've never put any of them down on paper. That's about to change. I have a goal of writing, illustrating and (hopefully) publishing a children's book by the time I'm 25. Well, here I am.. a little over a week into my 25th year.. it's time to get this ball rolling. I'm going to give myself a thirty day challenge. I'll be driving up to Montana (where my good friend Sarah lives) to work on the book. Why? Well.. why not? I originally wanted to take my trailer up there with me to sleep in, but snow is preventing that from happening. I have no heat, and I'll end up a children's-book-writing-sicle if I do that. Instead, I'll be renting a room and spending most of my days at local coffee shops. There's something powerful about deadlines.. especially for a procrastinator such as myself. I have the story for my book all plotted out in my mind.. now it's just a matter of getting it out of my head and into the world. Here's my route:

View Larger Map

I don't know what it is, but something is spurring me on to go do this thing. A lot of it probably has to do with all of the awesome inspiration I've digested from my time with Roadtrip Nation. How could I not pursue my dreams when I've heard interviews like these?!

Also, I'm kind of crazy about this interview: RTN Interviews Christian Jacobs.. but I can't figure out how to embed it on my blog! It's definitely worth the watch. Christian Jacobs is AWESOME.. he might be my next "Neckache of the Month"!

..and.. oh my YES... if nothing else, please, please, please watch this interview with sneaker artist, Van Taylor Monroe. I get goosebumps every time that I watch it.. Uh! So good!

Besides loving everyone that works at Roadtrip Nation, I love all that being a part of the movement has taught me. There are millions of people in this world who aren't doing something with their life that they enjoy. Of course, we all need money to survive.. and sometimes that means doing things that we don't love in order to pay the bill.. but there are also millions of people who are pursing their passions in life. I think the difference between the two groups is a matter of being brave enough to try to do that thing that makes you.. you. Sometimes following a dream means putting it all on the line.. maybe surviving on peanut butter and jelly for a while in order to get that thing.. that gift that only you can give to the world.. out there.

I'm out of work right now. I'll be dipping into my savings in order to make this thing happen.. but if I never do it, I'll always wonder, you know? Getting a book published seems like a long shot from where I'm standing right now, but I'm hopeful. The unexpected happens. People who paint sneakers get in the Wall Street Journal.. and then The Smithsonian (I'm telling you.. watch that Van Taylor Monroe interview!) I've always loved art and storytelling. That picture up there? That's me (as you probably guessed).. happy as a clam with a paintbrush in hand. I totally believe that we know from a young age what we love, but somehow some of us lose that along the way. All the noise gets in the way and we buy into the lie that in order to be successful we must do this or be that. I'm going to put it all out there.. I'm going to be purely myself and see what happens. Here we go!

january 7, 2011 // destination: desert

2011-01-08T10:35:00.000-08:00

On Friday, a few friends and I headed out to the desert to visit Niland, California. At first glance, Niland doesn't look like much. There's a laundromat, a small grocery store and a restaurant/bar in the main part of town.. not a place that most people would think to make a vacation spot.. but hiding just off of the main strip of town are two national treasures - Salvation Mountain and Slab City. I've visited Niland a few times, but I always take something new away every time that I visit. Salvation Mountain was built by folk artist Leonard Knight as an outward declaration of his faith to God. He built the entire mountain by hand using adobe clay and straw. It's such an awesome place to visit.

Just down the road from Salvation Mountain is Slab City - what's been called the last free place to live in America. People from all over the country and world go to Slab City with their trailers and RVs and live on cement slabs. The slabs are all the remains of Camp Dunlap - a WWII Marine barrack. It's a quirky community.. made up all sorts of people. My friends and I spoke with one guy who had moved out to Slab City after losing his job with a traveling carnival. He now spends his days converting an abandoned swimming pool into a skate park for the community.

Every Saturday night in Slab City, the residents hold a open mic at an open-air venue called "The Range". A man by the name of Builder Bill started up the show a few years back and people come from all over to perform there. When I went out to Slab City back in September with Roadtrip Nation's Roadie tour, we gave Builder Bill one of our RV bumper stickers. I was really excited when I noticed that it had been put up on one of the walls at The Range!

Bill was kind enough to grace us with his singing talents. He played a song that he performs at the opening of open mic each week. Here's a little taste of that!

I definitely want to camp out to Slab City soon with my trailer. Maybe I can talk a few friends into coming along and performing at The Range one Saturday night!

january 6, 2011 // partyfuntimes!

2011-01-08T00:38:00.000-08:00

Tonight I celebrated my 25th birthday party in California. It was a crazy day - I flew out of New York and into Las Vegas (where I was storing my car at a friend's house for the month that I was home) and then I drove from Las Vegas to California. After that I headed straight to dinner with a few friends (which was super fun!).. then it was party time!! I love my friends. They're all so amazingly wonderful. The party was so much fun! (pinata + goody bags + pin the fruit bowl on the middle aged men = partyfuntimes!!!)..

january 5, 2011 // ttfn home!

2011-01-05T22:37:00.000-08:00

Today, I'm heading back to the West Coast. I'm excited because tonight, when I get back to California, my friends Ray, Julie and I are throwing a joint birthday party extravaganza! Being back home was really nice. It was great seeing and catching up with my friends and family on the East Coast! It was also a surprisingly creative time. I wasn't expecting to create much of anything while I was home because I thought I'd be too busy.. being home?? ..I guess having the pressures of living independently made it easier to be creative (I was kind of hopping from place to place before coming home and not feeling the best about that. I was also out of work the two weeks between Roadie tour ending and coming home, so money was tight..). Anyway, one of the projects that I worked on was a little video tribute to my time home. I got an iPod touch for Christmas (yes!) and I downloaded a cool app. called "8mm" - it mimics the look of an old vintage 8mm film camera. Here's my video!

january 5, 2011 // neckache of the month

2011-01-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

It's January. It's the start of a new year.. so I'm starting something new. Each month I'll be highlighting a "Neckache of the Month". I know that sounds bad, but it's actually a really good thing! The neckache I'm talking about is the kind you'd get from looking up to someone! These are people that I admire, look up to and who inspire me creatively.

My "Neck Ache of the Month" for January is Jim Henson.

Jim Henson is awesome for so many reasons. I mean, who would have ever thought that a man and his puppets could influence as many people as Jim Henson has? Seriously, though.. think of a world without Muppets for a minute. Ah! Okay, stop! It's too sad!

What an imagination that man had. He made it okay for adults to enjoy a medium for children - puppets. Genius! Jim Henson, thank you for all that you contributed to this world. Your legacy lives on!

I love this song and it's even better with Muppets.

Muppet babies.. you are adorable.. especially you Rowlf!

Next week, I'll be driving up to Montana to write and illustrate a children's book. I'm giving myself a 30-day deadline. It's something that I've wanted to do since middle school and I have a goal to publish the book by the age of 25. Well, here I am.. two days into my 25th year.. which means it must be time to get this ball rolling! I'll be sure to watch some episodes of The Muppet Show while I'm in Montana to get my creative juices flowing!

january 3, 2011 // 25 before 26

2011-01-02T16:19:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I came across a blog post that I really enjoyed on A Beautiful Mess. Elsie (the brains behind the blog) compiled a goal list of 28 things to do before she turned 29. I love the idea.. there's something so intentional about writing down goals on paper. I looked at a goal list that I wrote the year after I graduated from college a few months ago and I was amazed at how many of the things I had actually done. These were goals that I had written down and never looked at again!

Crazy that just putting the goals out there for the world to see can make them that much more real. Anyway, I love Elsie's idea.. so, seeing as today is my day of birth..the day I came into this fine world...the day that I turn a quarter-century old.. I decided to make a list of 25 things to do before I turn 26. I'm sharing it here because I think that having it in such a public place will spur me on even more to complete my listed goals.

Here it is!

1.) Write, illustrate and publish a children's book

2.) Find a place to park my trailer/live in it/use it for a studio space
3.) Write and record five songs (I wouldn't classify myself as a musician in the least... but I want to try my hand at music just for fun)
4.) See at least one amazing concert
5.) Work a craft fair and/or sell some crafty goods on Etsy
6.) Road trip!!! (I can't get enough of them..)
7.) Spend at least a month in Montana with Sarah (this is where I'm going to do all of the work on my book! I'm giving myself a 30 day deadline starting next week!)
8.) Find a place that I want to live!
9.) Meet a nice boy... <3
10.) Sip tea in a tea room like this one
11.) Get really, really good at vegan baking
12.) Learn to cook at least three delicious vegetarian meals by heart
13.) See a movie at a drive-in (a real one!)
14.) Geocache!
15.) Be in the audience of The Price Is Right.. and a contestant if I'm lucky!
16.) Sew something that I can wear
17.) Stand up for a cause! (I've wanted to do a peaceful protest ever since I learned about sit-in in history class)
18.) Get really good at the ukulele (like this kid)
19.) Memorize five Bible verses
20.) Throw at least one awesome/epic party
21.) Do something special and memorable with my parents
22.) Get closer to my family
23.) Crochet a granny square blanket
24.) WWOOF!
25.) Take my trailer somewhere beautiful and camp out overnight!

january 2, 2011 // quarterlife crisis

2011-01-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am.. on the brink of twenty-five years of life. Tomorrow at this time I will have a quarter-century's worth experience under my belt. So crazy! Last night I celebrated my birthday with a few of my friends here in Connecticut. We did something I've wanted to do for a while - we had a "drive-in movie" in my garage. I bought the cutest mini projector and set up a popcorn machine and firepit (Connecticut garage in January = cold!) for the occasion.

I've been kind of obsessed with Prince lately (who isn't..)..it all started back in California when my Roadie team and I watched Purple Rain on one of our afternoons off. I had bought the DVD for $3.00 from a Ross store. I didn't really care much about Purple Rain, but it was on a double feature DVD with Fame.. a movie which I had seen and wanted to own. Little did I know that I would be purchasing a new obsession on that fateful discount department store visit. From the first time that we saw the movie on, Purple Rain has become a way of life of sorts among my West Coast friends. Hoping to "spread the word", I decided to show the movie at my drive-in party last night.

Here are some photos my very talented friend Lauren took:

After the movie, a few friends and I headed out to our local 24-hour diner for something to eat. It was a really fun night!

january 1, 2011 // calendar time!

2011-01-01T11:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a little year-at-a-glance calendar that I made. Download and print it out here!

december 31, 2010 // so long 2010!

2010-12-31T13:21:00.000-08:00

Today has been a lovely last day of 2010 so far. My friend Sarah (who's visiting from Montana and who I will be living with for a month there while I write and illustrate my children's book) and I went for a walk at Todd's Point, the local beach, and drank tea from Arcadia Coffee, our favorite local coffee shop. I can't even count how many ideas and thoughts we've talked about over coffee at that place.. So many good memories.

Tonight I'm heading to Brooklyn for a friend's party, which should be awesome! I'm going to bring a pie to the extravaganza that I made yesterday. I decided to try recreating a favorite dessert of mine from Native Foods - the vegan restaurant I used to work at in California. It's called Chocolate Tofu Love Pie and it's a-maz-ing. I know that tofu and chocolate sound like a really gross combination, but the pie is magical.. seriously. Unfortunately, the recipe is top secret, but I have a general idea of what's in it from it's title.. what I didn't know about the recipe, I filled in with recipes from the internet. I made mine with a peanut butter twist and an almond crust. I'm really happy with how it turned out, but I probably won't tell anyone that it's made of tofu until after they've eaten it! The recipe I used is completely vegan and totally DELICIOUS. I used an almond crust recipe that I found without changing anything and I replaced the dried cherries in a filling recipe I found with peanut butter. Here are the recipes I used... Crust // Filling

My pie..

Well, I'm off to watch The Chipmunk Adventure (if you haven't seen it.. do yourself a favor and click on that link..) while I get ready for tonight. Happy New Year everyone!!!!

december 30, 2010 // my first crush

2010-12-30T18:18:00.000-08:00

I love this video. The animation is adorable and and the dialogue is taken from interviews with people about their first crush. My first crush was on a handsome fellow-peschooler named Michael. Man, did he have it all and more. Julia Pott - You are one talented lady!

december 28, 2010 // feeling torn

2010-12-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

Man, I thought I might feel this way eventually.. but it happened sooner than I'd expected. I'm feeling torn. Sorry if that made you get that Natalie Imbruglia song stuck in your head.. but it's true. I don't think I've ever felt this torn before!

Here's why - I've been living in California (including leaving there to do my roadie job for Roadtrip Nation for two months) for a year come this March. When I left, I told my parents that I'd probably be back in six months at the most, but then time flew by.. as time tends to do.. and I was having so much fun hanging out with my friends from Roadtrip Nation, making new friends and working that I didn't come home for any significant amount of time (minus coming home for three days in July.. but that seems like a dream because it was so short) until the beginning of this month.

I've always been really close to my parents, so leaving home in the first place was especially hard.. but I know that leaving home after spending the holidays with them will be even harder. I feel like I want to be in two places at once. I want to be in California because socially it's amazing.. everyone there is as weird or weirder than I am, there's always something new and creative to do and where I live is close enough to L.A. that I can drive there for a concert without really having to think much about it. I have some amazing friends here on the East Coast that I love, but there are only like five places to go in my hometown at night.. and most things close around 8pm..

Regardless, part of me wants to be here in Connecticut because only seeing my parents twice over the course of a year is something that I don't want to make a habit of doing. I'm very seriously considering moving back to the East Coast - maybe to Brooklyn or some other nearby young/hip/things-stay-open-later-than-8pm place. I don't know. The only real plan that I have right now is flying back to California for my West Coast birthday party (I'm having two parties this year.. I feel so lucky!) and then driving up to Montana where my friend Sarah lives for a month to write and illustrate a childrens' book.. (I'll be writing a post about that soon because I'm super excited about it!!)

Anyway, I guess this is just a rant about how I'm feeling so I can get it out of my system. I don't want to leave behind all of the amazing people I've connected with in California, but I also don't know how often I can come back out to Connecticut if I stay out there and get a full-time job with... ick.. vacation time.. (which, if I want to live comfortably and do cool things, I'll have to do) ..sorry, but I have a lot of issues with corporate jobs.. I hate that they control my free time so much.. sorry.. ranting again.. that's a whole other blog post! Maybe I can clone myself or live between both coasts in the Midwest. If you know of any solutions, please, please, please e-mail me or comment below.. I could use some advice!

december 27, 2010 // being a vegetarian is dangerous

2010-12-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

Last night I tried my hand at cooking. I've always liked to cook.. but I've never been very good at it. For some reason, recipes always end up tasting particularly special (not in a good way) when I cook them. Regardless, I keep trying.. afterall, one of goals for my 25th year of life (I turn a quarter century old on January 3rd!) is to learn how to cook three delicious meals by heart. I decided to cook Quorn Tikka Masala. What the heck is Quorn?! you ask.. Let me tell you! It's a fake chicken product. I was excited to try it when I found it in my local grocery store's ever elusive health food aisle (the health food section always seems hidden to me for some reason.. maybe it's because it's all the way at the far end of the store).

I cooked it according to the recipe I found on Quorn's website, but was a bit taken a back later last night when I was searching for more recipes online for the product and came across numerous reports about people getting violently ill from the main ingredient - Mycoprotein - a fungus... ew.. that can cause allergic reactions, nausea, and even anaphylactic shock in some people. Sadly, I ate a good portion of the meal I had made (which turned out really well..sans the whole -you might get sick and die- thing) before reading about about the possible side effects. Needless to say, I have leftovers that I won't be eating. While the meat substitute I used may have been a poor choice, the recipe was very good. The Tikka Masala sauce was quite savory and easy to make. I will definitely use this recipe again.. but maybe next time I'll stick to tofu.

Here's a link to the recipe: Quorn Tikka Masala

december 26, 2010 // it's a wonderful wardrobe

2010-12-27T08:37:00.001-08:00

On Christmas Eve, my parents and I sat down to watch It's A Wonderful Life - one of our favorite Christmas movies! Man, that movie is so good. It's got everything you could ever want in a movie.. heart, romance, humor, a moral, and Mary Hatch's wardrobe. That lady has got STYLE. Check out these movie stills of some of her lovely outfits.

I love this dress. I can only hope that someday I look that stylish while changing my baby's diaper!

Mary has the best dresses.

I love her little scarf and hat in this scene. Such a fun look!

Such a classic look with pearls and lace!

december 24, 2010 // merry play-doh christmas!

2010-12-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

Even though I'm on the East Coast now, I'm still on California time.. which means I get up late and stay up even later. I tried going to bed earlier a few nights this week, but I find it nearly impossible. I've been trying to use my owl-like hours for creative endeavors. I made a calendar (which will be in my New Year's post and downloadable!), wrote a letter to Nickelodeon asking them to produce a final episode to one of my favorite shows as a kid (and let's face it.. as an adult too) - Hey Arnold! (I've also spent many a late house re-watching my favorite episodes), I've tried recording a song in GarageBand (which I will not be sharing here because any readers that I do have will stop visiting my blog after hearing that disaster..), and most recently I've tried my hand at animation. Here's a little Play-Doh animation I made for the festivities today and tomorrow. I hope that your holiday season has been joyful and fun so far! Thanks for visiting my little blog and Merry Christmas everyone!

december 23, 2010 // feather hair clip

2010-12-23T10:45:00.000-08:00

Feathers seem to be all the rage these days. When I first saw someone wearing a feather hairpiece I thought, "Gee, that's interesting.. but I could never pull that off" I find feathers to be kind of intimidating - especially when they're on your head! Sure, Lady GaGa and Big Bird can pull them off, but I didn't know if I could. Recently, my good friend Mariana (who I always end up doing crafts with for some reason.. even when we just make plans to hang out and watch a movie) made an adorable feather hair clip out of materials she bought at Michael's. I really liked hers so I decided to make one of my own. They're super easy and inexpensive to make (I've seen similar hair clips at Urban Outfitters for $15!! - Yikes!) Here's what you need...

- Creatology pheasant feather piece (these come pre-made for $2.99 at Michael's.. they're a great base for the hairclip!) - or something similar
-Aleen's Fast Grab Tacky Glue or a similar, fast grabbing adhesive (this one was nice because I was still able to move things into place after putting down the glue, but it wasn't messy and runny like Elmer's Glue)
-Buttons (you can find a HUGE variety at Michael's.. or even use a button off of an old shirt/sweater/jacket)
-Large hair clip.. they have these at Michael's, but I have a feeling that they might be cheaper at a dollar store or pharmacy

All you need to do in order to get your hair clip put together is to glue the buttons and clip onto the feather piece. The sky is the limit when it comes to placement and design! I had some old decorated bottle caps that I bought at Goodwill a while back hanging around, so I decided to add them to my clips. Here's the final product!

Happy clipping! If you happen to make a clip, I'd love to see a photo! Send it over to me at helloifihaver@gmail.com :)

december 22, 2010 // what the zeiss?!

2010-12-22T12:55:00.000-08:00

I just got back my second roll of 35mm film shot on my dad's old Zeiss Ikon Contina. Something must have gone wrong again (...boo) because I only got back five shots this time. They double and sometimes even quadruple exposed for some unknown reason. Oh well, I'll chock it up to the creative process. At least I got one more shot on this roll than I did on the last one!

Sadly, I lost my shots from Etsy Labs in all this mess.. I'm disappointed about this because that place was so awesome. I guess I'll have to go back with my digital camera.. at least then I can be 100% positive that I've taken a picture!

december 21, 2010 // gif fun

2010-12-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

After taking a photo of my film cameras the other day, I started thinking about a little animation I wanted to try making. So, without further adieu.. here it is.. my first little gif animation!

december 21, 2010 // happy birthday loopy!

2010-12-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

Today's my Dad's Birthday! I used to call him Loopy when I was little (and still do sometimes) because of his tendency to be a little crazy... in a good way. Dad, you're an amazing man. Thank you for teaching me that it's okay to be quirky! I love you!

A few fun facts about my dad:

-He was once on Candid Camera (or, at least he was pranked.. it never aired because he used a few too many unsightly words

-He once tried to pick up women at his apartment building in New York City by dressing up in a tuxedo during a power outage and greeting all of his female co-residents at the front door

-He loves Baskin Robbin's World Class Chocolate flavored ice cream

-He's always loved photography and he used to work for a camera/photo store. While working there, he won an award for selling the most holiday photo cards in the area.. maybe that's why I get so much joy out of photography!

-One of his favorite singers is Johnny Cash

december 20, 2010 // mavis the tree

2010-12-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

We just put up our Christmas tree! Her name is Mavis and she's a Douglas Fir. She's a full, voluptuous lady who's ready to get all dolled up for this weekend!

december 19, 2010 // creative weapons

2010-12-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

I'm shooting film this holiday season.. armed and dangerous with my dad's old Zeiss Ikon Contina and my Holga 120. I just got a roll developed with photos from Roadie tour and a few shots from home, but I unfortunately ruined most the roll. I went to rewind the roll, thought it was totally rewound and then opened the back. Much to my dismay, it had only rewound slightly..exposing most of the roll. Note to self - open the back of an old film camera in a DARK PLACE.. just in case something malfunctions, if not to challenge motor skills. Anyway, here are two of the four shots I got back from the entire roll.. Still kicking myself about this! I don't even remember taking these photos, but that's what makes shooting film all the more fun - you never know what you're gonna get.

and I really don't know where this was taken..

december 19, 2010 // chat with chris

2010-12-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I had the privilege of sitting down (via Skype) with one of my favorite artists - the very talented Chris Piascik. I first learned about Chris and his work through Flickr. I joined a group on the photo site called "Hand Drawn Type" because I had recently started exploring the art form myself. The group is an awesome place to exchange ideas and see what other artists are up to. Out of all the work in the group's pool, Chris' would always stand out. It's got an edge that makes is dynamic and very interesting to look at. I decided to check out Chris' profile (..the Facebook stalking equivalent of Flickr..) to learn more about him.. Things like whether or not his art was his full-time job and where I could buy this awesome shirt, designed by Chris. It was there that I learned that Chris resids in my home state - Connecticut! I was so excited to learn this because I honestly feel like cool things (like Chris Piascik) rarely reside in "The Nutmeg State".

Before I moved out to California, I e-mailed Chris asking if he'd be willing to meet for coffee so I could pick his brain about working as an illustrator/graphic designer. He was more than willing (so kind!).. but then, alas, I moved away.. Fortunately, I came back to Connecticut for Christmas at the beginning of the month, so meeting with Chris became again possible! We made plans to meet for coffee, but ended up meeting via Skype instead..which saved us both gas money and was AWESOME! He's such a down-to-earth guy and he was totally willing to answer all of my questions. He gave me some great advice about starting out in the world of illustration. Talking to him really encouraged me to go after my creative passions. Thanks Chris!!

Here's some of Chris' work.. via his Flickr site..He's got some amazing bike pieces!

I just love this cat! ...and all cats.. too much!

Something to ponder...

december 18, 2010 // channeling nancy

2010-12-18T15:52:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be 25 in a little over two weeks and I still don't completely feel like a woman. No..no.. I don't feel like a man.. What I'm saying is that I still feel like a little girl in a lot of ways. I'm trying to be more independent and in the last year I've definitely taken on more "grown up" responsibilities, but I honestly get mistaken for a teenager at least once a week. I know.. it's a good thing to look young.. and yes, I'm sure that I'll appreciate it when I'm older.. but when you're in your early twenties and getting a taste of the adult world for the first time, the last thing that you want to be seen as is a kid. I have tried dressing older here and there, but I usually end up looking more like a granny with a good face lift than a sophisticated young woman about town. I know there's a balance somewhere - a love child of girly and mature.. but I'm having a hard time finding it. I've always loved 60's style and music.. and one of my favorite songs is "These Boots Are Made For Walking" by Nancy Sinatra. I watched the video today and couldn't help but be impressed by Nancy's style. Yes, it's a little scandalous..definitely not something I'd wear to Christmas dinner.. BUT I love the vibe the look gives off (yes, I said vibe). Here's to new boots for the New Year??

december 17, 2010 // mewwy christmas

2010-12-15T15:31:00.000-08:00

Growing up, I always loved making greeting cards. Whenever a birthday would roll around, I would grab some computer paper and markers and put together a card for the occasion. Now 24, I'm still making cards.. this is partially because I still get a rush out of it (I get my kicks in some pretty unusual ways..), but also because I'm on a budget.. and cards are expensive! The day after I got back home in Connecticut I heard my parents talking about our holiday card. For some reason I've only designed our family Christmas card once in all my years. Weird, seeing as I make cards for pretty much everything else - that's why I decided to design our family card this year! I love art and illustration and I figured that designing this card would be a fun little project.

december 16, 2010 // trailer trash

2010-12-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

Inspired by the time I spent living in an RV as a Roadie with Roadtrip Nation as well as the likes of my friend Jason over at Airstream Architect, Elizabeth of Delightfully Tacky and this article over at Matador Network by Misty Tosh.. not to mention the fact that paying rent makes me want to cry.. I have decided to buy a vintage travel trailer. Yep, I recently bought myself a 1965 Aristocrat Lo-Liner! She's a hidden beauty.. just begging for a makeover ("Dee, would you look at that girl, she is so adorably clueless. We’ve got to adopt her."). She's got it all - well, almost.. a stove with an oven, a couch that turns into a bed, lots of storage, and a dining table. The only thing missing is a bathroom, but I found creative ways around not having one on Roadie tour and I'm sure that I can do it again! Her and I have big plans for the future that I'll share with you at a later time. My camera battery is dead, but there will be before-and-after photos coming soon! Until then, here are some decor ideas I'm thinking about.

I really want my trailer to have a cozy lodge feeling.. so I'm thinking lots of candlelight (don't worry, I bought a smoke alarm and fire extinguisher) and natural elements like wood and plants. I love this DIY curtain rod idea from diyideas.com. Also, how warm and inviting are these mason jar lanterns from Design*Sponge?! Definitely another project I'd like to try out!

The trailer has two lights inside that run off of a boat battery. They work well, but don't really go with the rest of the decor I'm envisioning. That's why I was super excited when I found a tutorial on Crafty Nest for hemp pendent lamps.. I'll use them to go over the existing lights. They'll definitely go with the woodsy look I'm going for. As for pillows.. who doesn't love a novelty pillow? I'm going to try my hand at creating my own version of these plush logs made by myimaginaryboyfriend.

I love this clock!!! Yes, yes.. it's made of wood.. and yes.. I like that.. A LOT. The tutorial on Craft: looks like it wouldn't be too hard to make! I haven't had a mobile since my days as a crib-dweller, but I can't deny the relaxing affect they have on me. There's no tutorial for the mobile online.. just pretty pictures of the finished product on spoolsewing.com, but those birds don't look too hard to stitch! Once I get my camera up and running, I'll be sure to post some before photos!

december 15, 2010 // brooklyn bound

2010-12-13T23:37:00.000-08:00

Last night I did something that I've wanted to do for a long time now - I went to Brooklyn. Not only that.. I went to Etsy Labs in Brooklyn. How hip is that?! I've lived in Connecticut my whole life, but it took moving clear across the country and coming home for a holiday visit (I'm back East for a whole month!) to get out of my comfort zone and into my car. My friend Julie and I took the looong drive to Brooklyn (long meaning a mere 30 miles away) and entered the magical land of Etsy. There, Cindy Steiler of marysgranddaughter taught us how to embroider pet portraits! I embroidered my cat, Coly. It's been less than a week and I'm totally covered in cat hair.. it's official - I'm home.

I'm trying something new.. I'm only shooting film this holiday season (minus these PhotoBooth shots), so my photo turnaround rate is slower. More Etsy Labs photos to come soon! Can't wait to share them.. it's such an inspiring place.

11.13.10 // LIFE AS A ROADIE

2010-11-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

It took me a while, but I have humbly come to the conclusion that I am not the best at blogging. I tend to blog, blog, blog for a while and then take long hiatuses from blogging. I like to think that it's because I get easily distracted (..I just spent five minutes staring at the window at a squirrel..) Whatever the reason, I apologize to anyone who actually takes the time to look at my blog. The very fact that you (whoever you may be.. if you do exist outside of my imagination) would take time out of your day to read this little blog makes me so happy.. and then so sad that I have let you down. Just so you know, I do have sort of a good excuse for not blogging over the past month or so.. I had very limited internet in my motor home/work space. With that said, here's a make up post for all those posts that I missed.. A collection of photos from my Roadie team's trip counterclockwise around the United States. We started in Costa Mesa, California and took the southern route all the way to Washington, D.C. From there we headed up North through Chicago and Montana over all the way to Seattle, WA. We're not stationed in San Francisco, CA.. making our way back South to arrive at our home office next week. It's been an amazing trip. I love being a Roadie.. enough to do the job twice! I love Roadtrip Nation and the message that they are sending to our generation - that you really can do what you love and what you are passionate about with your life. With that said, here's a collection of photos from the road. I tried to limit the photos to one per state that we stopped in, but I was unsuccessful with a few places (there are just so many wonderful things to see and photograph in each state!)

CALIFORNIA

Roadie launch party. That guy singing there.. that's Joey Sanders. He's my fellow Roadie on Jr. the RV. He's definitely going to be famous one day, so be on the lookout!

ARIZONA

We only drove through Arizona, but I could tell that the state was beautiful. We stopped to use the bathroom at this rest stop that had boulders all around it. We did a little climbing and picture taking.

NEW MEXICO
So beautiful! We checked out White Sands, NM. It was amazing. AMAZING! Jr. looked more green than usual against the snow white scenery.

TEXAS
Oh, Texas.. how I love you. Texas has so much to offer and so many hidden treasures. One of them is Marfa, TX. If you want to visit a place that is equal parts awesome and weird.. this is your place. Marfa, TX is home to a large community of artists (large meaning a population of about 2,000!) and The Marfa Mystery Lights. We went all over Marfa and Joey (being the excellent musician that he is) discovered some perfect acoustics on top of the town's courthouse.

From Marfa, we headed East toward Austin. Man, do I love that city. I could totally live there. It's got so much character and spunk.. not to mention, some of the best music festivals in the country.

We happened to be in Austin during Austin City Limits, one such fabulous music festival. A major part of what Roadtrip Nation does is give people the opportunity to interview people who love what they do. Our Roadie team's main focus was promoting Roadtrip on college campuses and recruiting future Roadtrippers. We also had the chance do a few interviews of our own on the trip. We attempted to set up an interview with Band of Horses, but the band was too busy to meet with us. Instead, we were told that we could sit in on their rehearsal, but we were turned down by the band's manager after we arrived at the KLRU studio. Luckily, we met an amazing intern who gave us an all access studio tour and hooked us up with free tickets to the band's performance for the Austin City Limits television show! It was incredible.

TENNESSEE
Tennessee is another one of those states with so many hidden treasures. I never thought much of Tennessee until I actually went to visit it. There is so much music history in Memphis and Nashville and as you head further East, the Smokey Mountains meet you with a beautiful "hello".

WASHINGTON, D.C.

NEW JERSEY/NEW YORK
Our team wasn't scheduled to head up to New York from Washington, D.C. but we had the opportunity to meet up with the other Roadie team who are currently traveling clockwise around the country so we decided to drive a few extra hours to see them!

PENNSYLVANIA

ILLINOIS
We went urban climbing in Chicago. I had never been to "The Windy City" before and seeing it at night from a rooftop was definitely worth sneaking into an apartment building to see!

NORTH DAKOTA

MONTANA
Montana is SO BEAUTIFUL! I love the snowy mountain tops and crisp air.. not to mention the flannel wearing boys that are everywhere! I also saw my best friend, Sarah, in Montana.. which was a highlight of my trip!

WASHINGTON

Oregon and Northern California photos are soon to come...

10.3.10 // SLAB CITY LIVIN'

2010-10-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

We left our motherland of Costa Mesa, California Saturday night and headed East towards Niland, California - home of Salvation Mountain, The Salton Sea, and Slab City. If you've seen the movie Into The Wild, you might recall a scene with a certain actress from Twighlight (I'm not a Twighlight fan, but I do know who Bella is..) playing a guitar strummin' gypsy vagabond at Slab City. Emile Hirsch's character also visits Salvation Mountain, an art-piece and dedication to God made by folk artist Leonard Knight. He built the entire mountain, adorned with Bible verses and flowers, by hand from a mixture of adobe clay found in the desert and hay. People drop off house paint and Leonard does his thing - the result is amazing.

10.2.10 // ON THE ROAD AGAIN

2010-10-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

Remember how I was telling you all about my time as a Roadie for Roadtrip Nation? Remember how much I loved doing that job? Funny thing.. I'M DOING IT AGAIN! Wow, do I feel so honored. Just about two weeks ago, I was asked to fill in as a Roadie for one of two Roadtrip Nation Roadie teams heading out for the Fall 2010 cross-country campus tour. It was so crazy the way it happened.. I was at a festive gathering at the house of one of the Roadies I traveled with a year and a half ago and it was the first night that I was meeting many of the new Roadies coming in for this tour. We all clicked instantly and I kept telling my past co-Roadie friend, Ray (who just so happens to be in charge of the Roadie program this year), how much I missed being a Roadie and how I much I'd love to be one again. I even said, "Ray, if any of the Roadies drop out for this tour.. I'm your lady!", but didn't expect the opportunity to go on the road again to come up so suddenly! It was only two days after that I got a call from Ray asking if I wanted to go out on tour again. I quit my waitressing job, ended my school photography job early and set out for an adventure! Roadtrip Nation recently put out a video talking about their story that I definitely feel is worth sharing with you here!

Here's a photo of all of the Roadies getting ready to hit the road!

We're heading out in two teams of four - each making a full loop around the country. The trippiest part of this whole experience (so far) is the fact that I'm traveling in the same RV that I traveled in for my last Roadie Tour. His name is Junior and he's quite handsome. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about RV life since ending my last tour and how much I've missed it. I love everything about being on the road. It's so amazing to watch America unfold on the road in front of you.. to see the landscape and people change from state to state. I also love spreading the Roadtrip Nation movement. I feel like I've never stopped being a Roadie from the time my first tour ended until now. I get so excited when I have the opportunity to talk about Roadtrip Nation and how important it is to get out of your comfort zone and discover how big the world really is. I get inspired every time I watch content on Roadtrip Nation's website.. just hearing about people who have followed their passions and found a way to survive by doing what they love gets me excited about life.

9.20.10 // WEEKEND ADVENTURES

2010-09-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend a few friends and embarked on an adventure up to Los Angeles some quality time together. The weekend started out on a high note when a few of us headed to Hurley's headquarters in Costa Mesa (the city I'm living in) for an art opening by the artist BIGFOOT. What does he draw, you ask? Bigfoot and only Bigfoot!

The night made an upward climb as a giant Bigfoot mural's mouth opened to reveal a Kiss cover band!!!

The next day we headed out for "Sunday Funday" (yeah, we're dorks...what?!) Here are some photos from Santa Monica.

Of course, any day is a good day when it involves fighting off evil Yoda impersonators!

8.24.10 // HOW ODD : PART DEUX

2010-08-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

The great thing about working such a wide variety of odd jobs is that I am learning more and more about the things that I love to do and the things that I hate to do. For example, I love road trips.. This explains the two road trip related jobs that I've worked. Contrary, I hate wearing a sign on my back.. I wouldn't have known this if I hadn't worked as a sign carrier for Modell's Sporting Goods.

So, without further adieu.. It is my pleasure to present THE LIST... (In chronological order, of course)..

2008
Cupcake Token Distributor
I gave out tokens for free cupcakes to help promote a local bake shop at local events. I worked at my hometown's Thanksgiving Day parade.. and got to keep a few tokens for myself. Can't go wrong with free cupcakes!

Elf
Yes, you read that correctly. I got to dress up like an elf for a local boutique and paint the faces of kids who came in with their parents. Unfortunately, I have no embarrassing photos of this one to share.. just let your imagination run wild.

Babysitter
No shame in this game.. Good under the table money!

2009
Hallmark Card Creator
Not so much a job, but I did get paid for this one.. I designed the below card for a Hallmark Card contest and was chosen as a finalist. My card was sold in stores with my picture on the back! I've always been a big advocate of snail mail, so being chosen by Hallmark was a.. well.. Hallmark moment for sure..

Found my card at Walmart!
Inside: You always did know how to impress the ladies. Happy Birthday!

Roadie For Roadtrip Nation

I wasn't done with Roadtrip Nation after my Indie Trip.. I wanted more! I was thrilled when the opportunity came along to work as a Roadie for the spring college campus tour of 2009. Our team traveled all over the country in a big green RV to different campuses promoting Roadtrip Nation and recruiting future Roadtrippers. It was such an amazing experience! Although we started out as co-workers, I am proud to now call everyone that I worked with on this job friends (aww..). It might sound kind of sad, but I never really felt normal prior to meeting the people from Roadtrip Nation. It's like we were made from the same batch of cookie dough or something along those lines.. Everyone from RTN is passionate and creative and fun-loving. They know what it really means to enjoy life!

2009-2010
Promotional Work.. Lots Of It!
I did a ton of random promotional work after my Roadie Tour. I did the whole sign on my back thing that I described earlier. That wasn't my favorite.. I also worked for a really awesome company called Evol Burritos. They make all natural and organic burritos that are super yummy. I handed out burrito samples at a local grocery store. Actually, I handed out samples at the most amazing grocery store in the world - Stew Leonards. Check out that link.. It's pretty much what the lovechild of a giant grocery store and a Disney theme park would look like.

Burrito time!

This little man loved burritos.. and I loved him (who wouldn't?!)

Photographer
I did a freelance photography gig for a really great website called Westport Patch (check out my profile page here!) I've always loved taking photos... I think it's in my blood because my dad used to work at a camera store.. but it wasn't until my Roadie tour that I really fell in love with it. I bought a Canon Rebel XS about a year ago and started trying to find ways to get paid to take photos. Westport Patch was hiring, so I applied!

Greeting Card Illustrator
I found a gem of a job on Craigslist a while back as an illustrator for a start-up card company called PigSpigot. It's a user-generated greeting card company that has an off-color sense of humor. Here are two of my greeting card designs:

If you so desire.. you can check out the rest of my designs here!

Princess
This was definitely one of my more... interesting jobs, to say the least. Actually, I should say.. this is definitely one of my more interesting jobs. Yep. I still do this one. I'm working for a childrens' party entertainment company as a princess and face painter whenever I can. I've been Snow White, Belle, and this rather scandalous fairy...

More Photo Stuff!
I did more photo work since getting out to California. I photographed a karate ceremony and worked for a company that hires people to be fake paparazzi for parties and events.

School Photographer
This is my current job. I'm working as a school yearbook photographer. I love it! Directing kids in the "sit straight up, hands on lap, chin up, slight tilt of the head" ways of school photos is so much fun. The people I work with are awesome and this job is definitely, I think, a good addition to my list of odd jobs!

8.23.10 // HOW ODD

2010-08-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

I've decided to switch gears a bit here at If I Haver. Instead of it being strictly a fashion blog, I will start to post more about adventurous happenings and the like. I have little to show the grand kids about my 24 years of life, so I'm hoping that chronicling it on the interweb will be a way to preserve it forever.. that is, if the data doesn't turn into a bazillion pieces of nothingness by the time I actually have grand kids.

Most of you (Hello.. anyone out there? I think there might be a whopping two of you!) don't know what it is exactly that I do for a living, so I'll tell you right now. I am an odd job enthusiast. What does that mean? Is that another way of saying I open pickle jars for the weak and walk dogs on weekends? The later might be true.. but the pickle jar thing is nonsense. Yes, I have a college degree. No, I don't hate money. The real definition of an odd job enthusiast is a person who does odd jobs make ends meet and to gain experience in light of the economic state of the country. Aren't you happy you asked?

I graduated a whole two years ago (gasp!) and in those two years I have had more jobs than Joan Rivers has had plastic surgery. I went to school for (get ready for a mouth full) Interactive Digital Design. That's really just a fancy name for graphic design. Looking back, I would have preferred going to a school solely dedicated to art, but that's why they say hindsight is 20/20.. right? After graduating, I got an internship with the creative services department of a big corporation. It really helped to polish the skill set that I had developed in college, but I can't begin to tell you how much the corporate mumbo-jumbo got to me. The people were awesome, but the office work environment just wasn't for me..

Prior to graduating from college, I started writing an article for my college newspaper. It was called (don't judge) "Real World: Graduation".. yes, yes very corny.. I had so many unanswered questions with graduation looming overhead, that I decided to put them into writing hoping that other students would relate. Most of close friends did, but I never got the booming response that I hoped for from the masses (I wanted students to write in questions that I would put into writing). What I did get out of writing for the paper was a burning desire to get my questions answered. That's when the adventure really started...

So, fast forward back to my internship. While interning with creative services, I still had all these questions brewing inside my brain and none of them had been answered by actually living in the "real world". Frustrated and tired (It's hard getting up at 7am every morning! College definitely didn't prepare me for that..), I vented about everything to my dad one night over Chinese food. There must have been something extra special in my Buddha's Delight that night because I had a seriously awesome brainstorm session with my dad and devised a plan involving a road trip, interviews with experts in different fields, and a camera. I was going to ask experts in different categories questions that recent graduates would have about life.. For example, I planned to somehow be able to sit down at Rachel Ray's kitchen table and ask her about cooking.. Very improbable, but it was going to happen in my mind!

Little did I know that someone had already done a post-graduation road trip.. and done it damn well. It was while conducting a google search for road trip grants (I had very little money at the time to be investing in road trips and adventures that I'd cherish for a lifetime.. I had to pay college loans to pay!) I came across what, I think, I was meant to find all along: Roadtrip Nation

Roadtrip Nation is an AWESOME organization.. I can't express their awesomeness enough. They are a PBS series and educational tool. They are inspiring students, recent graduates, and people of all ages to pursue their passions wholeheartedly. Yes, they are awesome indeed! The organization was founded by a group of friends who weren't sure what to do with their lives after graduating from college. They piled into an old RV, painted it green, and headed out on the road with a camera in hand to talk to real people who had real passions that they were able to pursue as careers. The result was a documentary that developed into the series for PBS. The experience was so powerful, that each year the organization sends groups of young adults out on the road (some in green RVS, others on indie trips in their own cars) to have a road trip of their own. The content gets made into the TV series and webisodes so the wisdom of those "leaders" interviewed can continually reach anyone seeking it.

As soon as I came across Roadtrip Nation through my web search I screamed. Literally. I remember putting my hands over my mouth as I browsed the RTN website and jumping up and down in my seat as I realized that I could apply for a road trip of my very own! I filled out my application that night and had it sent in for review by the following day. When I got an e-mail back from RTN saying that I had been accepted as an Indie Roadtripper, I was SO excited. I don't actually think that I had ever wanted anything as much as I wanted that trip up until that moment in my life. I recruited two close friends of mine to go on the trip with me and we headed out as a team in October of 2008 for nine days of adventure. Our team name was the What Now Wanderers and here's what our route looked like:

We interviewed a bunch of leaders from all different professions - from a food blogger to the editor in chief of National Geographic. Seeing the country by car was something totally new to me. I had done a few road trips prior to our Indie Trip, but never one saturated with so much purpose and reflection. The experience was life changing and it really put in a seed in my heart to pursue fun and meaningful work. Thus, begins my collection of odd jobs..

Not every odd job that I've worked has been meaningful to me. Not every odd job that I've worked has lead me in the direction of my passions for creativity and art. The one thing that every odd job that I've worked has done is provided me with a unique and interesting way to make a buck. I've developed a close working relationship with Craig's List. As shady as it has the potential to be, it's provided me with the majority of the odd jobs I've worked and always been very good to me (except for a few notable times when the results have been just downright unusual).

Well, this post has gotten longer than expected, so my next post... a part 2 to this one!.. will have my list of odd jobs up until now.

8.19.10 // BACK OF MY NECK GETTING GOOD AND GRITTY

2010-07-19T23:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted an outfit in a long time. I've been busy trying to find work in California and painting my car (work in progress photo below..), and as a result my blog as suffered. Everyone out here seems to have their own personal style. It's so fun to go out and see so many people wearing styles similar to the ones that I've seen on some of my favorite fashion blogs and have it be normal. There are definitely trendy people back in my home state of Connecticut, but the West Coast style is just different. I love that I can wear prescription-less glasses in California without feeling like a little kid playing psychiatrist and that beanies are in season here year-round.

SHIRT // mom's! found it in the attic

PANTS // thrifted

HAT // handmade

SHOES // thrifted

GLASSES // gifted!

Here's a shot of my new(ish) painted car. I still have a lot more work to do, but I hope to have the entire car painted by the end of August! I decided to buy a Volvo station wagon before I left for my cross-country road trip. This one's an old Vovlo 940 wagon.. she's a beauty and got me all the way to California without too much trouble (minus an oil-shooting-from-the-engine incident that both she and I have decided to forget about..)

6.14.10 // MELLOW YELLOW

2010-06-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

DRESS // thrifted

BELT // thrifted

TIGHTS // thrifted (but they were new!)

SHOES // thrifted

JACKET // thrifted

My apologies for not writing in a very long time.  I have been settling into life in California over the past month or so and haven't made much of an effort to chronicle my outfits or my life here.  One thing that I have been doing constantly is visiting Trader Joe's.  There's one like a block away from my apartment complex.. and I . CAN'T . HELP . MYSELF!  It's crazy to finally be out here and so far away from my family.  I love the beach, but even more than that, I love the people.  I met some really amazing people when I worked out here last year for a while and I wanted to come back for more of their positivity and creative energy.  California just seems like the perfect place to be right now.  It's equal parts liberating and awkward being so far away from home.  I feel a lot like Bambi when he first tries to stand on ice (side note - did anyone else think that Bambi was a girl?!)  I know that being on my own is something that I can do, but I'm not as sure-footed and confident as I would like to be.  Maybe once I get some antlers things will be different.

5.13.10 // IT'S ALL HAPPENING AT THE ZOO..

2010-05-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

My friend Hayley and I recently visited The San Diego Zoo. We, of course, listened to "At the Zoo" by Simon & Garfunkel on our drive down. The visit reminded me of two things: how amazing life is (there are so many varieties of it!) and how happy cotton candy can make me.

I found this shirt at a Goodwill while on the road and fell in love with it. I love the one little rogue fashionista bird. What a fetching hat!

SHIRT // thrifted

SKIRT // thrifted

TIGHTS // target

SHOES // thrifted

HAT // thrifted

CARDIGAN // thrifted

Oh, and one more thing.. I have no idea who this guy is, but I found him on YouTube. I'm pretty sure I'm in love.

5.12.10 // IN THE SUN

2010-05-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

If you don’t know the band She & Him yet, you should get to know them. The power duo M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel have expertly put together two albums that have an equally modern and vintage sound. Zooey Deschanel’s quirky and retro style only add to the awesomeness that is She & Him. In the group’s latest music video to their new song”In The Sun”, Zooey and M. Ward put together some hip and easy to duplicate outfits. Head to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army and get thrifting! You’re sure to find an outfit similar to the ones in this video. Here’s the video followed by a few screen shots of M. Ward and Zooey’s outfits. Give it a watch (and a listen). You won’t be disappointed..

She & Him - In The Sun from Merge Records on Vimeo.

M. Ward’s look is made up of a vintage bowling-style shirt, brown pants, Chuck Taylors, and some Ray-Ban styled glasses.

Zooey Deschanel’s first look is made up of a white button-up blouse, a navy skirt, black tights and shoe and a brown belt. All easy to find items.

Now, you’re probably not going to find a dress with the exact cut and color of Zooey’s second dress from the video, but you’re sure to find something similar.

5.11.10 // MOVIN' RIGHT ALONG

2010-03-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

It seems like forever since my last blog entry..probably because it has been forever. This isn't for lack of inspiration. I've been busy driving cross-country with my friend Hayley for the past few weeks and haven't been able to set much time aside for all of the internet antics that I usually partake in. I do have some free time at the moment, so I wanted to post some photos that highlight our trip so far. We're currently in Portland, Oregon and will be heading down the coast of California over the next week or so until we hit our final destination. So without further adieu.. May I present to you, a collection of (very) random photos:

It seemed appropriate that our first tank of gas would be the number of contiguous states in America!

best . home fries . ever
Our first official stop was in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The way the Amish live is so simple and focused.  It was nice to be around it.

We checked out Pigeon Forge, Tennessee - the homes of Dollywood!

While Hayley and I were driving in Memphis, my steering wheel suddenly became a million times more difficult than usual to move.  Turns out that my power steering belt snapped!  It was late and dark and we were on our way to Beale Street (the happening downtown part of Memphis) and eager to get our dance on, so we GPSed the nearest mechanic.  We should have known that a shop called "Thong's" was going to be trouble.
Mr. Thong got the job done, but the experience was more than a little frightening.


Folks in New Orleans have style for miles..




After New Orleans we drove to Austin, Texas.  I LOVE it there.  Such a great vibe with all the music and creativity and young people.
 My cousin works at an awesome barbershop in Austin called Birds.  I made sure to visit there while visiting her!   
We made sure to eat A LOT on our trip.  One of the most unique foods I tried was fried avocado.  Sounds.. well, it sounded delicious to me (but probably gross to a lot of people).. The fried avocado was served out of a food cart in an area where there were a bunch of food carts serving all types of food.  One of them even served cupcakes, which pretty much made my entire week.
My cousin, Jessica (she's the one of the right making the "oh..hey!" pose) took Hayley and I to see a concert at a venue called The Moose Lodge.  It was one of those fraternity/elk/old men playing cards type of places.. and the music was excellent.
From Austin we headed to Marfa, Texas.. a little artist community in the middle of nowhere.  We stayed in a teepee at a place called El Cosmico.  We also saw the Marfa Lights, which are just outrageously weird.  The only thing that I forgot to pack for my move was my camera charger, which I ended up needing after my camera died in Austin.  Thus, I have no pictures of the quirkiness of Marfa.  All I can say is that it's worth the drive through nothing to visit.  After Marfa we visited the Grand Canyon (which I also sadly have no pictures of).  It was my second time visiting and I was just as blown away by it's beauty as I was on my first visit.  Next stop.. Vegas!
We visited The Neon Museum - I like to call it "The Neon Graveyard"- which is home to a bunch of old Vegas signs.. in case you didn't guess that.. It was pretty incredible and definitely a fun place to take pictures (especially since I got my charger by the time we got to town).
From Vegas we headed up to Portland, Oregon.  What a thrift shoppers dream that place is!  I'm also pretty sure that my car-loving soulmates all live in Portland.  Everyone drove a Volvo station wagon, VW Vanagon, or an old Mercedes.  I loved it!  Here's a guy who travels around singing for money.  I thought he was pretty awesome.. not to mention well dressed!We drove down to the Oregon dunes in Florence, Oregon after visiting Portland.  It was so beautiful!  I've decided that I'm going to become a professional sandboarder.

From Oregon, we took the drive down to California.  California photos will be coming soon..  Until then, MORE FASHION!

3.17.10 // CONNECTICUT COUTURE

2010-03-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

So, I'm officially on the road on my way to California with my friend. Pardon my lack of blogging.. I've been busying packing my life in my new Volvo station wagon (circa 1994) and saying my "see you laters" to my family and friends. Here are some photos from my last visit to the local beach in my town before leaving. The beach is one of my favorite places in town and something that I will miss a lot. Yes, yes.. I know.. I'm going to the beautiful beaches of California, but there's something special about my hometown beach. I walked on it's sand as a baby and it's small enough that I know all the best spots to sit and think.

SHIRT // thrifted

JEANS // forever 21

SWEATER // thrifted

BOOTS // payless

NECKLACE // forever 21

HAT // forever 21

3.6.10 // THE POWER OF YOUTH

2010-03-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

"We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends." --Mary McLeod Bethune

It's so hard to blow bubbles with sugar free gum. Too bad we aren't born with unlimited baby teeth to chew sugary treats with.

SHIRT // it was my mom's.. she's a big bruce fan

CARDIGAN // thrifted

SKIRT // thrifted

TIGHTS // target

SHOES // target

HAT // gifted

SUNGLASSES // thrifted

CAT // meow

I thought that a Bruce Springsteen shirt would be appropriate for post about youth because so many of The Boss' songs are about the struggles and dreams of a young man. This shirt actually belonged to my mom back in the 80s. She got it at a concert that she went to with my dad in a life before my existence.

I've been thinking about the power of youth for a while now.. maybe a year or so. It's a funny thing. Young people have so much energy and are so eager to produce meaningful lives, but they don't always know how. We're sort of like dodo birds in that way - we have these wings, but don't know how to fly.

I often ask myself what types of stories I'll have to tell my grandchildren someday. Will they be mildly interesting and full of what-ifs or will they be extraordinary and challenging.. the stuff that adventures are made of. I'm aiming for the latter. I think that all young people hope to live lives that stand out from the crowd, but still not everyone does. For those young people who do use their power for good, there is a secret that I've heard of. It's been passed down from people who were once young. They couldn't have possibly learned it as young people.. it's wisdom that can only be gathered in hindsight. It's seen in history books in the form of sit-ins and protests and rallies and it is this:

--Pearl Sydenstricker Buck

So, here's the question I keep asking myself.. What will you do with your power? I think I'll see if this dodo bird can fly.

3.5.10 // MY TOMS

2010-03-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard of TOMS Shoes before, you are in for a treat. They’re a shoe company that gives a new pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair of shoes purchased. I figured that it was important to talk about TOMS here at If I Haver because shoes are an important part of any outfit. The photo above is of my TOMS that I customized a few months ago.

Today I heard about TOMS Shoes One Day Without Shoes. On April 8th, TOMS is inviting anyone interested to live out their day without shoes. I watched a few videos on Youtube from last year's event and the overall consensus seemed to be that shoes make a big difference in day-to-day life. I've never gone a whole day without shoes (other than days spent at the beach), so I'm excited to see what it will be like. If you own a pair of TOMS and/or if you plan on spending Aprifl 8th shoeless, let me know! If you're interested in buying a pair of TOMS check out their website. You can even buy a white canvas pair and customize them!

3.4.10 // I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK TO STRANGERS, NOT EVEN NUNS.

2010-03-03T21:17:00.000-08:00

I've loved mood rings ever since seeing My Girl. Gosh, that movie's sad.. I much prefer Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister. What I can say is that the sequel to My Girl, My Girl 2, played a big role in developing my love for California. Maybe that's sad and weird, but it's the truth. If you've seen the movie, you know that the main character (Vada Sultenfuss) travels to California to learn about her mother, whom she's never met, for a school project. She's from "pencil-vainy-ah" (that's how she says it the movie) and has never been to the West Coast before. She learns so much about her mother on the trip and meets a cute guy... which never hurts. I have dreams of living out a Vada Sultenfuss-esque adventure once I'm in The Golden State. Until then, I'll wear my mood ring.

I made this barrette by following similar DIY instructions to the ones found on A Patchwork World. Instead of attaching a pin backing, I bought a blank barrette clip from Michaels. All you need for this DIY is an old eyeglass lens (it's easy to get old eye glasses at thrift stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army for a few bucks), a magazine or fabric cut-out (comic strips are fun to use), decoupage glue, a paintbrush, a blank barrette backing, and strong glue. This barrette took about ten minutes to make. I don't like glue in my hair (I'm sure I'm not alone here..) so I let my barrette dry overnight before wearing it. If you make an eyeglass barrette or pin, send me a picture and I'll post it!

DRESS // old navy

SCARF // thrifted

TIGHTS // target

SHOES // payless

BARRETTE // made it myself