28 Friday Jan 2011
Posted in Art, Design, Photography, Reflections
≈ Comments Off on Berkeley…
Tags
beautiful, Beauty, coffee shop, Design, London Plane tree, Photography, Pollarded trees, postaweek2011, Pruning, reverse image, Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley
© Joan Currie
I captured this reflected photograph sitting outside a coffee shop at the University of California at Berkeley campus today.
© Joan Currie
The pollarded London Plane trees at Sproul Plaza fascinated me. Here is a reverse image detail of one of the trees.
26 Wednesday Jan 2011
Posted in Photography, Writing
≈ Comments Off on Pagan Purple: 54 Beautiful Words Beginning with the Letter “P” (Part 2)…
Tags
54 Beautiful Words that Begin with "P", beautiful, Beauty, Lauren DiMarco, Novi Angelomio, Photography, postaweek2011, Word list, Words, Writing
© Novi Angelomio
Part 2 of my favorite words that begin with “P” …
28. Poetry
29. Pastel
30. Parasol
31. Pirouette
32. Primordial
33. Peony
34. Peacock
35. Promise
36. Pensamiento (means thought in Spanish)
37. Paprika
38. Pizazz
39. Panache
40. Parisan
41. Pulsação (means pulsation in Portuguese)
42. Parchment
43. Papaya
44. Perspective
45. Pink
46. Princess
47. Precious
48. правда (“pravda,” means truth in Russian)
49. Peppermint
50. Paraphernalia
51. Paradox
52. Paradise
53. Popsicle
54. Passion
Model: Lauren DiMarco
25 Tuesday Jan 2011
Posted in Art, Fashion, Photography, Writing
Tags
52 Beautiful words beginning with the letter "P", beautiful, Beauty, Carly Larsson, Fashion, Lauren Currie, Photography, postaweek2011, Purple, Word list, Words, Writing
© Carly Larsson
I love reading and using beautiful words. Below is a list I have compiled beginning with the letter “P.”
1. Pagan
2. Purple
3. Phosphorescence
4. Persimmon
5. Periwinkle
6. Pas de deux
7. Prism
8. Peony
9. Pianissimo
10. Pashmina
11. Pearl
12. Pristine
13. Porcelain
14. Portuguese
15. Palette
16. Pleasure
17. Pure
18. Petrified
19. Papillon
20. Provocative
21. Pleasure
22. Positive
23. Paradigm
24. Parachute
25. Provocative
26. Piquant
27. Pirate
To be continued…
Model: Lauren Currie
25 Tuesday Jan 2011
Posted in Photography, Reflections, Relationships, Writing
© Joan Currie - Newly found photo of my grandfather.
Isn’t it strange that princes and kings
And clowns who caper in stardust rings,
And common people, like you and me
Are builders for eternity?
R. L. Sharpe
About two years ago I was bitten by the genealogy bug. It left me with an incurable desire to add more and more branches to my family tree.
One of the best things about having this condition is that I will never be bored at family functions again. Every relative is a potential gold mine of information. For instance, I might discover that my great aunt has saved every Christmas letter and card she ever received, my uncle possesses the immigration records and passenger lists of our transplanted European ancestors, and my second cousin once removed has a collection of wedding photographs along with my grandmother’s wedding dress in her cedar chest that she had not looked at in over forty years.
After six months of searching on the internet and in archival libraries; I traced both my maternal and half of my paternal family trees back to the early 1600s, reconnected with relatives all over North America, and discovered new relations in Europe.
Days before last Christmas, a cousin, with whom I had not talked in over fifteen years, telephoned me to say that she had found our grandmother’s bible. Within its pages were three items; my grandmother’s marriage certificate, a letter my cousin had written to her, and a postcard that I had sent to her many years ago.
I was moved to tears by the news. The confirmation that my grandmother had, indeed, a special place for me in her heart meant the world to me and I thanked my cousin for possibly the best Christmas present I have ever received!
When the postcard arrived in the mail, I placed it in a silver frame alongside a photograph of my grandmother, and it rests for now on my bedside table.
23 Sunday Jan 2011
Posted in Art, Design, Food, Photography, Reflections, Writing
≈ Comments Off on 101 Ways to Add More Beauty to Your Life – Part 3…
Tags
101 List, beautiful, Beauty, Photography, postaweek2011, Self-help, Stanford University, Word list, Words
© Joan Currie - Stanford University
Continued…
68. Take a class at an art, architecture, or design school.
69. Skip a stone.
70. Sing a camp fire song.
71. Send good wishes to someone in ill health.
72. Take a self-portrait.
73. Hug your loved ones.
74. Sing in the car.
75. Watch a fountain.
76. Look up the origin of words.
77. Greet passersby with a hello and a smile.
78. Post children’s art in your home – you may even rediscover your own schoolwork.
79. Reconnect with a former classmate.
80. Attend birthday parties.
81. Learn how to snowshoe.
82. Fly high in a hot air balloon, glider, or small plane.
83. Teach a child how to bake a cake.
84. Give a massage.
85. Have a picnic.
86. Watch all Academy Award Best Picture nominees for the current year.
87. Indulge in a bubble bath.
88. Sleep under an eiderdown.
89. Use fabric napkins.
90. Attend book readings at your local bookstore or library.
91. Host a family celebration.
92. Become a possibilities thinker.
93. Watch a moonrise or eclipse.
94. Assist someone who is disabled.
95. Grow a vegetable or herb from seed.
96. Watch Cirque du Soleil.
97. Try yoga.
98. Perform an act of courage.
99. Roast marshmallows over an open fire.
100. Become the person you always wanted to be.
101. Wish upon a star!
I would love to know what you would add to this list!
23 Sunday Jan 2011
Posted in Art, Design, Fashion, Photography, Reflections, Travel, Writing
≈ Comments Off on 101 Ways to Add More Beauty to Your Life – Part 2…
Tags
Add beauty to your life, beautiful, Beauty, Greece, Photography, postaweek2011, Santorini, To do list, Word list, Words
© Lydia Hudgens
Continued...
34. Travel to a foreign land.
35. Buy flowers from a farmers market.
36. Stargaze.
37. Create a family tree.
38. Taste exotic fruit.
39. Buy a painting from an art school.
40. Make a cat purr.
41. Learn a few phrases in a foreign language.
42. Visit a cathedral with stained glass windows.
43. Watch a sunrise.
44. Read to a child.
45. Learn to play a musical instrument.
46. Ride a horse.
47. Laugh out loud.
48. Snuggle.
49. Wear your best watch or jewelry.
50. Cry at movies.
51. Display your treasures and collections.
52. Listen to Puccini, Tchaikovsky, or Chopin.
53. Wear cowboy boots.
54. Ride in a fast boat.
55. Watch Masterpiece Theater.
56. Notice your city or town’s architecture.
57. Say “Yes” more often.
58. Listen to a new music genre.
59. Learn a limerick.
60. Buy fine cotton or silk sheets.
61. Write with a different color ink.
62. Visit a National Forest.
63. Buy or make new sofa cushions.
64. Learn to skin and/or scuba dive.
65. Greet your baristas by name.
66. Buy balloons.
67. Believe in miracles.
To be continued…
22 Saturday Jan 2011
Posted in Art, Dance, Design, Fashion, Food, Photography, Reflections, Travel, Writing
Tags
Beach, beautiful, Beauty, Capitola State Beach, Photography, postaweek2011, Self-help, Sunset, Top 103 list, Word list, Words
© Joan Currie - Capitola State Beach
Part 1.
1. Watch a sunset – see the green flash.
2. Admire rainbows, jet streams, and beautiful cloud formations.
3. Look through a kaleidoscope.
4. Use your “good” china and silverware.
5. Take a road trip.
6. Decorate a birthday cake.
7. Blow bubbles in the sunlight.
8. Examine a postage stamp, dollar bill, or coin through a magnifying glass.
9. Buy a bird feeder or bird bath.
10. Walk in the woods.
11. Drive in a convertible with the top down.
12. Visit a planetarium, aquarium. or zoo.
13. Learn calligraphy.
14. Hold a baby.
15. Place photos of you and your loved ones at your happiest around your home.
16. Go to the ballet, opera, or theatre.
17. Create a secret garden.
18. Learn to dance the cha cha, tango, samba, waltz, or swing.
19. Read poetry.
20. Spend time with an octogenarian, nonagenarian, or centenarian.
21. Wear something red.
22. Light candles.
23. Ride a zip line, climb a wall, or jump on a trampoline.
24. Make a snow angel.
25. Visit an art museum or gallery.
26. Play catch with a dog.
27. Doodle.
28. Watch fireworks.
29. Paint one wall in your home your favorite color.
30. Volunteer.
31. Buy a couple of goldfish.
32. Forgive past wrongs.
33. Say “I love you!” more often.
To be continued…
20 Thursday Jan 2011
Posted in Photography, Reflections
≈ Comments Off on Name it, claim it…
© Lydia Hudgens
You are not beautiful because I looked at your body, but because I looked into your eyes and I saw what was in your heart. – Anonymous
Several years ago I worked in a health care office. The receptionist was an older woman who had been employed by the group for over twenty years and nearing retirement. Life had dealt her some tough cards and although she performed her administrative tasks well, she had a sour disposition that seemed to infect the entire work environment and everyone who came into contact with her.
One day, a young, new hire named Rob arrived and although she introduced herself to him as Phyllis, he always addressed her as Beautiful. Over the next several weeks, we noticed that whenever Rob appeared, her eyes sparkled and she could not hold back a smile. She was reclaiming the beautiful woman that she had been all along – she just needed a nudge to push her true self out into the open again.
In time, Phyllis sported a new hairdo, applied a little make-up, and even spruced up her wardrobe. Her new-found happiness with her body image spilled over to her relationships with co-workers and clients. Life was good again.
Rob saw the beauty in Phyllis that we did not, but how hard would it have been for us to do the same? Is there someone in your life you can help in a similar way? It is never to late to make a difference.
Model – Lauren DiMarco
19 Wednesday Jan 2011
Posted in Art, Crafts, Design, Photography
© Joan Currie
Knitting mends the soul.
I could not resist making a throw from this beautifully dyed, thick-and-thin yarn! Draping it over a hanger, I was able to capture the soft neon-like color palette in the late afternoon sunlight.
15 Saturday Jan 2011
Posted in Art, Photography, Reflections
Tags
beautiful, Beauty, Caves, Geodes, Kaleidoscopes, Nautilus shell, Photography, postaweek2011, Words
© Joan Currie
The greatest explorer on this earth never takes voyages as long as those of the man who descends to the depth of his heart. ~Julien Green
My mother has an impressive shell collection from her travels around the globe. My favorite shell is the Nautilus, half of which is pictured above. I like the way its mother-of-pearl, chambered interior is surprisingly far more beautiful than its exterior.
I started thinking about my other favorite things that also have lovelier insides such as; pomegranates and exotic fruits, amethyst and agate geodes, stalactite and glow worm caves, chestnuts, bees’ nests, eggs, secret gardens, coral reefs, cathedrals with stained glass windows, kaleidoscopes and telescopes, Russian dolls, and jewelry and music boxes.
I know many people, too, who on first meeting may appear gruff or cantankerous, but are really among the sweetest and gentlest people with hearts of gold once you get to know them.
Satin & Sand 