ACEO:art card, editions and originals. A Review.

I have always wanted an original piece of art - be it painted, collage, a wonderful one off lino/block print- in my home. As a child I always thought art made peoples homes look worldly and classy. I still think it makes you look interesting, if not always classy. But great art comes at a premium, as does wall space. Recently, I have come across ACEO's. They're wonderful 2.5" x 3.5" works made just for collecting. How fun! An opportunity to display wonderful pieces without breaking the bank or having your walls come down on you! I recently discovered Diana Crites a wonderful artist in several mediums who tells my own stories (it seems) through her artwork. She has recently had some of her favorite pieces printed in a limited (to 66) edition ACEO so that everyone can enjoy her work. Please check out this up and coming artist in her Etsy store - and get a piece while you can. You won't regret it!


Here is my favorite, a piece entitled "Faith". It says so many things about my thoughts on the subject, and in a nice accessible way. It's delightful and darkly whimsical.

She is also a master with a pen, check out Harriet, Konrad, and The Tailor! Harriet is also available in her Etsy shop - But I call dibs!!

Enjoy!

Green Saturday: Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

Thing One's birthday is coming up soon. His great love right now: baseball. Seriously, sometimes I wonder if David Ortiz really IS his Papi. We bought him tickets to a Padres game (no Red Sox this year, though.) and I was presented with an interesting "green" ticket delivery choice. It even said "Go Green!" You can elect to have your tickets held in virtual Will Call, and print them out at the gate by swiping your credit card. They had me at green until I realized I would just be printing them anyway. I opted for home printing (on recycled paper; and I know I recycle used ink cartridges.) Anyway, it led me on a hunt for some interesting developments in the sporting world, not really known for it's Eco-Friendliness.

The New National's Park in Washinton, D.C. is awaiting certification from the U.S Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (better known as LEED.) Here's a link to an interactive story about the new park. Here's the official team website. I'll bet they have great Veggie Burgers, too.


Not a baseball fan? The Philadelphia Eagles are as green as they come in the NFL. They have a Go Green link on their homepage that outlines the new Eagles Forest (you can buy a tree!) and the Eagles attempts at Carbon Neutral Games. Here's an ABC news article about the greenest team in the NFL. Go Eagles!



Love golf? Here's a fabulous resource provided by Audubon International for finding environmentally friendly courses, getting your course or club involved, and ways golf courses can help the environment. You can also become an Audubon Green Golfer and make a pledge to adhere to the golf environmental etiquette tips above and join others who are making a public statement about their love of the game and love of the natural environment where the game is played.

My favorite genre of sports is also one of the most harmful. I love motorsports, and I was so glad to see the governing body of Formula One (the FIA) show their support for the Make Cars Green Campaign. Gotta love Honda's Car this year, too. :) Wired magazine had an article about F1's Green Measures last year HERE. Maybe there is hope for all of motorsports.

And always remember to think green on your way to and at the event. Take public transportation, walk if you can. Do you really need a golf cart? And make sure to recycle those beer cans after your Daytona party! If they can do it, so can we.

Play ball!

An open letter to my blog . . .

Dear disjointed thoughts (though this is neither a thought nor a musing, but closer to the former),

I am sorry if you feel that I have abandoned you. I have not, and am in fact researching tomorrow's Green Saturday as I type. Let me lay it out. Weeklong trip to Texas to see the in-laws. (Wonderful people, mind you, I love them Very much.) I love my In-Laws so much, in fact, that well, I didn't have time. I only see them every year and 1/2 or so, last time Thing Two was 2 months old, she's 19 months old now. Dad had the flu. Now El Jefe has the flu. Thing Two has some kind of crud. Thing One has a new Xbox 360 game from Great Grandma and is camped out in the TV room. I was just busy. I went back to work today. Whoa. Crazy how things can go downhill in only 8 days. So many fires to put out, so little time. Sigh. See you tomorrow!

- missfire

Music Mondays!!

Todays feature is Nerina Pallot, a young lady from London who is just my style. Raw, simple and beautiful.

Green Saturday - Earth Friendly Bags!

Every time I go to the store, I see branded, earth friendly cloth bags. Everybody's doing it- it must be in! The green movement is on the rise, and it's cool to be seen with your reusable bags; but who wants a cool bag with bullseye boutique logo on it?? Or Wally world? Heck no! Today let's explore the wonderful world of reusable bags!

First (of course) my bags - EarthWiseBags! I prefer the green basic bags, myself, but they now carry collectible Simpson's bags, too! Why do I love my EarthWise bags? They're the perfect size for the back of my car (a Scion xB 1st gen), the handles are jut the right size for throwing over my shoulder and carrying heavy groceries upstairs, and they're GREEN! So everyone knows just how trendy I am!



Next are Morsbags. Why do Morsbags rock? They're reusable bags made with recycled/upcycled materials by other socially conscious individuals! Here's their blurb:
let’s do something positive to reduce the hideous number of plastic bags being used - 1 million are consumed per minute globally - of which hundreds of thousands end up in the oceans.

the idea is to get together with people in your local community, drink wine and make reusable cloth bags (from old duvet covers, curtains from charity shops etc) and hand them out to the unsuspecting public for free on specified dates outside different supermarkets.

meet new people, do something marvellous for the planet and beat other pods (groups) of baggers with your morsbag tally.

go to www.morsbags.com to be a part of a wonderful thing!

p.s. non-commercial/ non-profitable - just full of beneficial things for everyone, especially whales!





A great resource for reusable bags, EcoBags has it all. Whether you're looking for a string bag for produce, or a simple cloth bag with handles, they've got it. You can also pick up a SIGG drinking bottle for those hot treks from the farmer's market with your loot! I especially like their produce bags, much better than those thin plastic bags they give you at the store. Made of lightweight Natural or Organic cotton, they make great gift bags, too.



There are also LOTS of wonderful reusable bags on Etsy like these canvas totes from RedPaperRecord with a gentle funny message handprinted on them. Another favorite are these produce bags in ripstop nylon from kootsac perfect for all of the bulk flour and grains.



And if you buy from Etsy, you're buying homemade and supporting small business! Cloth bgs are great for the environment AND your image. I hope you find some that fit for YOU!

World Travel Wednesday (a little early)

Since I'll actually be traveling on Wednesday, I thought I would give everyone a sneak peak of my trip. We're off to Texas to visit family this week. Texas, if you've never been, is a whole other world. Several of them, n fact. It's an amazing state. Whatever preconcieved notions you have of Texas (be they football, cowboys and ranches or great food) are probably true somewhere. But Texas is everything else, too. El Jefe is a wonderful amateur photographer, and one our favorite trips in this great state is exploring the Missions that were it's start. We'll start with Mission San Jose. (Click for bigger pictures!)










Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo was established in 1720, and was founded by Father Antonio Margil de Jesús. It has a real working mill - great for the kids to see.


Next post - Mission Concepcion. Stay tuned!!

Music Monday!! (a little late)

Today in honor of what is still St. Patrick's Day here in So Cal, a few selections from my favorite Irish artist (and the bestselling solo artist from Ireland). With a beautiful voice that pales in comparison only to Alison Krauss (maybe next week?) Enya has been popular for decades. Her music is timeless and simple and ethereal. Lullabies for adults. Sleep well and dream of Shamrocks and pots of gold!