Friday, November 30, 2018

My Pinterest Page

Ta-da!! A Pinterest page for my blog!



I started a Pinterest page to branch out & promote my blog and have pinnable pictures of my art put neatly together on boards. And I gotta say, they're looking awesome!!

Also new, and you can see on the right hand side if you're in desktop mode- my new Pinterest button. Do me a favor and follow me on Pinterest, won't you? pinterest.com/weearthboundstars






As I continue my blogging journey, my boards will get more numerous and interesting so please stick with me as I go!
Because blogging is such a peer-dependent thing, I couldn't have made it to this point without inspiration from my blogging peers so I want to shoutout my fellow blogger pinspirations. Please check out what things they have pinned and give them a follow to stay up to date with new and awesome content!

Anne @ Forever the Wanderer blog- pinterest.com/foreverthewanderer
Becca @ Becca Blogs It Out- pinterest.co.uk/beccablogsitout
Nicole @ Navigating Darkness blog- pinterest.com/navigatingdarkness 
Ruth @ Ruth in Revolt- pinterest.com/ruthinrevolt
Jenny @ Jenny in Neverland- pinterest.com/jeninneverland




Saturday, November 24, 2018

Fluid art prints

The following prints are going to be available in postcard and sticker form! Keep an eye out for the upcoming release of my latest painting series and my 1k giveaway!












Friday, November 23, 2018

My Bookshelf tag

This week I figured it's time to show you guys my bookshelf. I have moved 10+ times including across the country in the past 5 years, so my book selection has been massively pared down from what it once was, and doesn't reflect the collection I want to have someday when I'm in a place I know I'll be for a while, and have the money.

In those years I've been reading mostly in ebook form and audiobook form through Project Gutenberg and Librivox.org, both of which I *cannot* recommend enough because they are absolutely 100% free and legal, as it's all content that's in the public domain and volunteer read. There are also apps to make it more accessible.

I'll take you through which books are on my shelf and the stories that go with them. I'm also going to tag a few of my fellow bloggers that I think are really interesting, and I'll bet they have great collections!




My Books


Flatland , Flatterland, Sphereland (and "The Dot And The Line" which I don't have yet)- my favorite series-not-series by five different authors



In 10th grade math class, I had a teacher that for the first time explained math in a way that I understood. It was after I had discovered Flatland and started reading it, and we were having a class on plotting formulas on a graph and somehow the discussion of the 4th dimension came up, and the teacher went into an explanation on how it would look to pass a 3D ball through a 2D plane.
He said it would look like a dot on a piece of paper getting bigger and bigger and then gradually smaller, as only one tiny slice of the ball would be in the 2D plane at the same time. Then he went on to tell us to imagine a tiny sphere appearing in our world, getting bigger and bigger and then smaller til it popped out of existence, which would be what a 4D ball would look like passing through our 3D world.  My poor tiny teenage mind exploded.



The Phantom Tollbooth



I love things that play with words and ideas, celebrating nonsense and forcing you to look at things in a certain way, or at least give them a second consideration. I read it as a child, and listened to its book-on-tape form on cassette in my elementary school library.














Katherine



This book I found at a house that was preparing for an estate sale. Most things had been packed up so what was left we were sorting through and could take home free. It's taped up at the edges and has no identifying writing on it, so I just took it on a whim. It's historical fiction that follows the life of a girl, set in the 13-1400s with rich descriptions of palaces and scenery but also deep interpersonal drama and conflict.






One Ballerina Two, Goodnight Moon

These are children's books that I feel formed my aesthetic and influence my art style and I count as inspiration in a long-running project I haven't yet written about, my children's book I've been illustrating very infrequently for the past few years.












 Next, a couple books on gardening and herbs, a book of beautiful fairy illustrations,

and a reference book to help me find specific books in my local library for a long-running mermaid/siren mythology project.























 Moby Dick

I had started reading Moby Dick around 2009, when I began going through the classics that I felt like I should at least know the plot of, if not fully understand, before becoming "a real adult" (I'm still waiting for that, btw) but couldn't really get into it, as at the time in school for my different classes I was reading things like the Great Gatsby , 1984 and the Iliad and Odyssey in school and everything felt like forced reading.
It was a few years later that I was at my dad's house on a Sunday and something on the History channel was playing in the background as I surfed the web and it was going over an account of a shipwreck, and referenced a passage from Moby Dick to illustrate a storm at sea, and the passage stopped me in my tracks to listen and gave me goosebumps, so I had to buy a copy. This is my one gilded book and the one book that I've treated myself to a nice copy of and spent a little money on, which is why when I'm not reading it, it's not on my shelf and is actually in a safe in two waterproof bags, with things like passports and important photos.


The Little'uns





The Prophet, given to me by a friend











My fiance's copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower












A book of poetry by a personal inspiration of mine, Jane Kenyon, and the pre-publishing copy of my own book of poetry- soon to be released! 












My only DVD, in my possession since ~2008 and very reflective of my teenage obsession with Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst

















My all time faves that I currently don't have copies of and things from my Thriftbooks wishlist-

Basically everything by J. R. R. Tolkien, all the Oz books, The Dot and the Line, Madeline and the subsequent Madeline books, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, all illustrated Winnie the Pooh stories, a few books on the Waldorf teaching methods, Bread Overhead and The Wanderer by Fritz Leiber, and Monet's Years at Giverny : Beyond Impressionism



Tagging Rules 

Share your book collection (if you have a ton, just share the ones you feel explain a little bit about yourself, your interests, and your background) and part or all of your wishlist, then tag friends you'd like to see do this post!

I tag -


Amy weston- bl0g- amywriteslife.com  vlog channel-  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnE4GD03M4dJt294Lgs8bjA/featured

Anne Carty- blog- foreverthewanderer.ie

Ruth Skelley- blog- therollingtwenties.com



Friday, November 16, 2018

The Boyfriend Tag

First of all, thank you to Anne at Forever the Wanderer blog for the tag! This looks like a fun one. You are given questions to answer by the person you are tagged by, and you have your boyfriend/partner answer them!
I have some memory problems from being in hospital, however, and he's got a shoddy memory so there may be lots of ummmmms and errrrrs along the way.

*Note- I have changed the text color in this post at least ten times and cannot get it to stay the way I set it, so I apologize for the odd text color changes.




 The Boyfriend Tag


Where did we meet? 

"We met first in the parking lot at your old apartment. Well, we met online first."


That's right! I wasn't into the idea of online dating but a friend who had recently reconnected with an old love after a really traumatic relationship convinced me to give it a try so I did. I didn't hit it off with anybody or even accept a date from the people I matched with until we matched and I realized we only lived 45 minutes away, and he had gone to the same school as my half brother so we might know some of the same people.
 

Where was our first date?

"It was that Mexican place, right? Or was it the 99? It was after you got your blue dress, I think."


I thought it was Fridays, and it was the black dress? I don't remember either! 😅 But I know we took a cab there because neither of us had a car yet. There's few options in a small town!



What was your first impression of me?

"She's just as pretty as I thought she would be."


MAD blushing right now.



When did you meet my family? 

"When we went out to dinner with your dad, and (Sister's name), and (BIL's name) and all the kiddies that I definitely know all the names of."


😂  There are seven nieces and nephews to remember, I don't expect him to remember them all. To be completely honest I can't remember if he has 7 or 8, but I know there's another on the way so god help us both in remembering all of that!



Do I have any weird obsessions? 

"Why do these 'Most Compelling Police Interrogations" keep showing up in my recommendations?"

I'm often susceptible to clickbait. What can I say? I'm human.


How long have we been together? 

"Four years and seventeen days."


Um. Okay.... Mr. Exact Numbers. It helps that we just had our anniversary last month.


Do we have any traditions?

"Eh."


I'd have to agree, honestly. We used to order in Chinese from a specific place every other Friday on pay day, but we don't have any holiday traditions yet or anything. 


Where was our first holiday?

"I guess our first was going to see Ingrid 2 years ago when we were in Portland. That was awesome."


It was soooooo awesome. We stayed in a hotel connected to the theater that had a heated salt water pool, so after going out to eat and seeing one of my real life heroes, Ingrid Michaelson, we came back to the hotel and relaxed in the pool. I'd worn heels which I do rarely, and my poor feet were so sore! But I didn't care, we'd just seen my hero in concert for the first time ever. I can't wait to see her for Christmas this year!!! Ingrid + Christmas, two of the best things on Earth colliding.


What was the first thing you noticed about me? 
 
"Well, first I thought you were cute. Then I opened your profile and saw the pictures of you and your guitar, and you and Roscoe (my father's dog), and I thought you were nice. Then I saw we liked all the same stuff, the Princess Bride and Doctor Who and all that."



It's true what they say about dogs. They ARE babe magnets! I'm glad I put my interests on my page now, because mutual interests are what really sparked our relationship and getting to know eachother. Once we discovered our mutual love for Josh Ritter, we were sold on one another.

What is my favorite restaurant?

"You always just want to go to Applebees! It's because they have french onion soup, I know." 


It's true, unless I have a specific place in mind I wanted to try. We moved closer to the city this year and have been trying out fun little places, but Applebees always has 2 for $20 deals if I know I want steak and potatoes, and their peach mint sangria is one of my favorite drinks.



What do we argue about the most? 

"Money."


Ugh, true. And the situations money puts us in, and the situations that lead to us not having enough money.  e_e
 
Who wears the trousers in the relationship? 

"You do, one hundred percent."




Eh..


If I’m watching tv, what am I watching? 

"If you're watching anything it's on YouTube and it's games and commentary."


That's true. We've never had cable and only have a TV to cast shows, movies, and streams onto.
 
What is one food I don’t like?

"You don't like maraschino cherries. And almond flavor."




That's the fake cherry flavor!!! Real cherries are delicious and amazing. Fake cherry is made from almond flavor which I hate. Disaronno can get the hell out of my face, I will barf.
Pro tip to parents- don't drug your children on flights to keep them quiet. It'll put them off cherry flavor for life, and maybe also they needed ear surgery and weren't just fussy. End rant.




What drink do I order if we go out? 

"Usually one of those fruit lemonades, or a Sprite. You like those muddled peach drinks at Applebees too."


He knows me too well.

What size are my feet? 

"Nine."


WRONG. Nine and a half. I have long ugly Gollum feet and nines pinch.



What is my favorite kind of sandwich?

"BLT with mayo and pickles."


😍😍😍 I want to marry this man. Oh wait, I'm going to.



What is one talent that I have? 

"You're really good at knitting."




😊 That feels nice to hear.
 
What is my favorite cereal?

"I don't know. Sometimes you like oat cluster things."



Yeah, we don't eat a lot of cereal. Sometimes granola with yogurt. We're both lactose intolerant so if we buy lactose free milk, we usually save it for cooking and for putting in coffee and tea. But if I do eat cereal, I like Frosted Flakes. 
 
Where was our first kiss? 

"At your apartment, on that grey couch."

It was the first time I felt a spark. It made sense what people had been talking about. I've never been a super fan of kissing, putting your slobber on someone else's... but this time I was like oh! That's what the spark is!
 
What color are my eyes?

"One blue, one green."



Yes! Well, sort of. Blue and then one has a blob of yellow. Sectoral heterochromia, woo!



What is something you do that I wish you wouldn’t? 

"Yell at video games."




Yep. Scares the shit out of the cats, too.
 
What kind of cake would you bake me for my birthday? 

"Probably a lemon cake. "




Mmm, I love cakes that have fruit in them. Like vanilla cake with a layer of raspberry jam, mmmmm.

 
What can I spend hours doing?  

 "Fawning over the kitties, definitely. Or knitting."


  

He makes me sound like a crazy cat lady... but he's not wrong.  
 

If I could live anywhere where would it be?

  "Scotland."



100% spot on. I daydream of running a B&B in the Northwest of Scotland.


And now we get to the part of this tag I'm not sure about. As my interests & audience include a lot of LGBTQ areas, I found it hard to tag anyone because it feels sort of unfair to single out certain peers or followers to tag because of their relationship. Maybe if I were also tagged in LGBTQ related and/or aro related tags I would feel better about including more people, but as it is I think for the first time I may not pass on this tag.



 





 

Monday, November 5, 2018

Sunshine Blogger Award

 

 

I've been nominated for this post by a lovely blogger over at Our Chaotic Mess, which I'm very thankful for!! I love these questions and especially the Octobery questions which are perfect for summing up October and heading into November!
Read her answers to the questions she was given (they're different for every post) and see who she nominated besides yours truly HERE.

 

Sunshine Blogger Rules

  1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link to the original post!
  2. Answer the 11 questions they’ve asked you.
  3. Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 questions.
  4. HAVE FUN!
 


1. What made you start blogging?

I started blogging originally in 2009, as a place to share train-of-thought posts and some exposition. I left it for a while after writing on there for a few years, and started this blog in 2016 as a place to share my poetry and artwork. 

2. What post of yours do you wish had received more attention? 

Hmm. This one is a hard one for me, because having only recently implemented a posting schedule, most of the post that didn't get as many views are my fault- at the time of posting them they weren't on a schedule and being shared on my social media with relevant tags and post labels.
That said, I do wish my post about my photography portfolio picks had gotten and would get more attention, because so often in conversation or in feedback I'll hear "Do you do photography as well?" or "Oh, I didn't know you liked to take pictures!" and I feel I must be misrepresenting myself somehow. (HERE is a shameless plug to that post)

3. What is your go to Fall recipe? 
 
Pumpkin bread! Would you like it? (U.S. measurements only, sorry!)






This recipe is from before I started on the Autoimmune Protocol diet, so it's not as health-forward as the recipes I usually use and share these days. I do also have a pumpkin carrot cake muffin recipe that's fully paleo and is really yummy and Autumnal, because it uses shredded apples.






4. What would you ask for if the answer was a guaranteed yes?

I think it would have to depend on who I was asking! I like to think this question is like a magic 8 ball that I know will answer yes, so my question will be "Will I sell every one of the paintings in my next series to raise money for my book?" 

5. What is one tip you have for promoting your blog/content?

The right hashtags, tagged promoters, and post labels! Using the right hashtags will not only promote your post to the users that follow those specific hashtags, but it will also allow the algorithm that directs posts to people who have already expressed interest in reading certain topics. 
Tagging the right promoters will allow your post to reach a wider audience as like-minded accounts share your post to an audience different to yours but interested in similar things, and so on until your content is reaching people who usually wouldn't seek it out but are interested enough to click. Isn't social media cool that way? It just has to be harnessed properly (I will soon be writing about why Comcast's "I voted... for you!" ads for sharing political ads based on viewing preference is a heinous misrepresentation of the Democratic voting system) . 

6. Where do you blog from? (office, couch, bed, etc)

I blog from my desk in our living room/office. We have a long desk that has my fiance's computer at one end, mine at the other, and our printer and router in between. My chair being at the end of the desk allows me to have a little nook in the corner where I hang my calendar and will have a bulletin board up to keep track of my projects.
It's also very PTSD-typical, it's in the corner furthest from and facing the two doors, between the windows and not in front, and with my monitor facing away from the rest of the room.  


7.  What is one thing about you that surprises people?

I think what surprises people about me often is how odd I am once opening up. It's not that I hide who I am, but I don't go controversial opinion- forward.  The thing about embracing your individuality is that it won't always be celebrated by others- you have to find a community you feel safe expressing yourself in. So, there are places I open up easily- LGBTQ groups, Unitarian Universalist churches, around other artists. But usually, within the limits of being true to myself (I will stick up for what I believe in), I keep rather quiet and gauge the people and the situations before expressing my opinions. It comes of growing up in a small town, in conservative communities, and hearing people with similar views as myself vilified.

8. What are three of your highlights from October?

I think, oddly, Blogtober was definitely a highlight although I didn't meet the goal I set for posting and reviewing every day. I got to write about a lot of my favorites in the spooky genre, and see some new things that I had been planning on and putting off.  On top of that, I was nominated in some really fun blogger tags that were a highlight of the month, and taught me a little more about my fellow bloggers. And then there's the paintings I've been creating this month, surprising me with what they turn into. Those have definitely been the highlights of my October.


9. Who’s your favorite blogger and how did you discover them?

Oh boy, I think this question may be a bit of a problem for me. As I go on blogging and interacting with other bloggers, I meet so many other inspiring individuals that, come Friday, I have tons more amazing bloggers that I want to promote that my Follow Friday threads are going to be ten tweets long. 
Soooo I think I will cop out and mention a blogger that inspired me to blog and go to school for photography back in my early days, a photography blogger out of Seattle, WA named Jamie Spiro. I'm not sure if they are even blogging still, but I remember when I started, and Blogspot was basically the interactive platform that Wordpress is now, I got a lot of inspiration from them and seeing the lifestyle of photojournalism. The platform aspect is gone from using Blogspot now, but the "next blog" button is still there and, if I recall correctly, it's how I discovered their blog while looking for similar topics using Blogspot and (showing my age?) Stumbleupon.


10. How do you wind down after a long week? 

Although I don't work a regular 9-5 job with weekends off, I do still try and treat the weekends differently. My regular posting day is Fridays, with other posts coming in on Mondays and Tuesdays if there's extra content for that week. So, once the weekend hits I've already posted what I need to and just need to share it periodically throughout the weekend.
On an ideal weekend, Saturday is cleaning day (vacuuming, refill the cat box, etc.) and then Sunday I'll relax and have a self-care day. Now that services are at the usual times (summer service starts too early for me to get a ride), I'll go to church at my local UU church in the mornings and the atmosphere of a sermon on charity, brotherhood, or whatever moral topic it is that week and singing with a community make me feel like I'm feeding my soul.
UU churches are a great place for people like me, who would rather be the friend that listens quietly than be the center of attention. I can sit in a cozy chair and listen as people talk about their families, humanist values, the books they've been reading, or whatever and just knit and chime in if asked a question. I also get a lot of spiritual healing and connection by going to groups on other faiths- one of my favorite things about UU churches. The one in my hometown often had buddhist meditation nights, regular Native American healing circles, and Pagan groups that met on the greater and minor Pagan holidays.
When I get home, I like to have a longer shower than just washing, exfoliating, and rinsing. I'll spend extra time with the conditioner in,  using a face mask or maybe a new lip scrub. Afterwards I feel nourished and glowy!



11. If you could create your own blogging tag what would it be?

After getting started on this blog and getting used to promoting it on various social media, I've used the tag #artblog hashtag probably the most, but it's a very quiet theme online still. I feel it's a perfect description of what I do, tying in my art to the other parts of my life and explaining how it's all connected, and it's also the type of blog that I'd love to immerse myself in and follow a lot more of.  So.. I guess I would make a hashtag-tag? The questions would be about how art ties into the rest of one's life- What famous artists inspired you when you were younger? Are there any songs come to mind in stressful situations that calm you down? Basically questions recognizing the wide array of what is art and how it affects different parts of our everyday life.





My Questions

 

I want to highlight the sunshine in the blogger community. There's so much support for one another and belief in one another's content. I think we all understand what it's like to go through chaos, whether it's physical or mental illness, traumatic events, loss- it makes us all so much more supportive of one another. 
We know how strong you have to be to make it in this world, and we're willing to help our friends be strong and step in and fight for our friends when they're not. That, to me, is the brightest light you can shine on other people.
 

1. Are there any posts you've done that you otherwise would have scrapped, were it not for the words of other bloggers or followers?

2. What bloggers do you see as your role models?

3. What new, up-and-coming bloggers do you think deserve more attention?


4. Have you surprised yourself with anything in your course of blogging?

5. What self-care tips have you gotten from other bloggers?

6. What topics are you excited to write about in the coming months?

7. Are there any collaborations you dream of doing?

8. What are your favorite blog niches/topics?

9. Is there a topic outside of your norm/comfort zone that you'd ever want to attempt writing about?

10. What tips would you give others about embracing your personal blogging style?

11. Did you have fun doing this tag and are you excited about coming up with your own questions and tagging others to answer them?



I nominate

@ItsNicoleCarman NavigatingDarkness.com
@TGirlWhoWrites thegirlwhowrites.co.uk
@the_rolling_20s therollingtwenties.com
@foreverwander12 foreverthewanderer.ie/wp
@BeccaBlogsItOut beccablogsitout.com
@navig8happiness navigationtohappiness.com
@medbus97 nadimame.wordpress.com
@BlanketFortBlog onlineblanketfort.com
@amywriteslife amywriteslife.com
@gpw_ria gettingpersonalwithr.co.uk
@samcomparone samspace1.wordpress.com