Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Please Follow SquidWhale Designs!

Hello! If you follow my blog, please follow my budding lil' business: SquidWhale Designs! Also, we are on the Facebook and the Twitter. We would love to have you all follow us or fan us or friend us or whatever tech-computer non-word or noun-as-verb lingo is most appropriate.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The Date is Set!

We just got back from Valley Green Inn and our meeting with Kate, their events coordinator. I can't believe how easy it was to put together our contract for our wedding and reception and how relatively inexpensive this is going to be! While I don't think we'll get to our goal of 10K (after factoring in all the other stuff, like photographer, flowers, invitations, etc), we'll definitely not be over our budget, which is awesome! And Kate is so helpful and easy to work with. Valley Green Inn is a beautiful venue. And it's really wonderful that Wissahickon Park is a place that is meaningful to both Brendan and I.
Right across the dirt road from the Inn is this lovely river, where ducks and geese hang out. There are benches all along it and further up the road a little bit is an area of picnic tables. This will be good for all the kids coming to the wedding. They'll be able to go run around a little and feed the geese when they get restless.
We're really relieved at how simple this was. No crazy hidden costs, and they have great all-inclusive packages. They really are so willing to work with us regarding details and specifics that I don't feel like we're trapped into something we don't want or having to pay for things we're not interested in having. And the setting is so lovely, there's really not much we'll have to do to doll it up.
Oh, and we settled on May 22, 2011! It's the day before my birthday, but that's just coincidence. We were thinking either the 15th or the 22nd. After speaking with our flower people, we decided the later date because that's typically when better blooms are happening. We're trying to do things as seasonally as possible, as well as showcasing local vendors/businesses we like. Our florist is the family we buy bouquets from each year at our farmers market.
The river that runs in front of the Inn.
Geese and ducks like to congregate closer to the bridge.
Another shot of said river.
Mom & Dad!
Brendan & I standing just about where
we'll be exchanging vows.
Follow the path to a cute little
picnic area.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Spring is here!

It isn't officially Spring until Brendan buys me my first bouquet from Clark Park's farmers market. And so, officially, Spring has sprung in glorious color!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

120,000 steps and 2300 dollars

I'm walking the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3Day, (Oct. 2010) which is 60 miles over 3 days. This translates to roughly 120,000 individual steps I'll be taking just on that weekend. This doesn't include the many, many training walks I have to do leading up to game day. And I've been training hard. But all that training will be for nothing unless I reach the minimum fundraising goal of $2300. That money allows me to walk.

And I want to walk. Badly. I really, really want to walk. I feel very strongly about this. The 3Day is the single largest demonstration one can do to raise awareness  about (and funds for) breast cancer and applicable treatments and research. I like being healthy and like the training for this, but I know there will come a time when I may not be so healthy. I have people in my life who've been affected specifically by breast cancer. I want to do something big and important and lasting for them and for those that have been lost, which is why I'm cultivating blisters on my feet and going to sleep sore several nights a week. It's why I'm saving up for a new pair of really great supportive sneakers, and why I'm binding and icing my crappy trick right ankle. It's why I'm setting aside many hours each week to walk, when I could be sitting around and relaxing or doing almost anything else. This is why I'll be trekking through heat, rain, chilly early mornings, on mud, on concrete, on dirt paths and pebbly roadsides. But getting to the 3Day is not an individual act by me. It's going to take a community of supporters to bring me to that finish line on Sunday, October 17th. 

And that's where you, the donor come in. I know everyone has at least one woman in their lives whom they absolutely love and adore. If you love that woman, choose to donate to my fund so I can walk for them and for you. I've had people donate $100, and I've had people donate $5, and every single dollar counts. I'm so thankful to all that have been generous to me and I hope more people set aside even a little bit to donate to me. Help me spread the word. If you've donated, let your friends and family know. Let them know they can donate to my fund as well. Donating is the easy part. CLICK HERE and support me as I prepare for those extremely important 120,000 steps this October.

Thanks!!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Solo Show Reception: LAMINA


Lamina 3
Originally uploaded by Elizabeth J. Smith
Some photos from my opening for LAMINA @ Barefoot off on Girard Ave. This photo was taken by my friend Kelly Burkhardt. Thanks Kelly! For more photos from this reception CLICK HERE.

Thanks!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

That was not my life...

....It was just a weird detour.

Yesterday I finished a several week stint temping for a corporate place out in the burbs. I was waking up at 5am and getting home by about 7pm each day. It was torture because I had no time to make anything or work in my gallery. I'm never going to live in the burbs again. It was fine for my childhood, when I didn't know better and my life was just going to school anyway, but it is a soul-suck now. I was working at a place that encouraged me to "slow down" and "check my email" and "relax on the internet" because I was too efficient. This from the bosses. I don't get it. But I don't have to because it's over.

Now I can get back to the business at hand. My friend, Helen Maurene Cooper, just had her show open at my gallery, The Midwives Collective & Gallery. I'm so proud of her. I love her work. I loved curating her work together. We conducted an artist talk/Q&A today, and I thought it went really well. I didn't sound stupid. Christiana gave me the nicest compliment, saying I sounded like I was on NPR's Fresh Air. I only wish. But it was the greatest possible thing I could have heard post-Q&A. And Maurene is so smart, so inspirational, I'm just thrilled that I was able to produce this show and today's event with her. Things weren't as well attended as I'd have liked, but there were forces working against us, namely: (1) We were competing directly with First Friday, which we never do (we do Second Friday openings), (2) it was a holiday weekend and folks were out of the city visiting family for Easter, (3) apparently the Phillies played last night. So, while not as well attended, I'm still proud. I'm thankful too, to be getting back to my real life.

Next up Sarah and I have a lot of work to do for our June show and the subsequent launch of SquidWhale Designs. I'm very excited about this. I am so intent upon making this a success. I've decided I'm not going to go to grad school but use the things I'm doing now, like Midwives and SquidWhale, to make a life. I don't want to teach and that's all that would be available to me on the other side of a MFA. I'd rather be in the community, doing and making. I don't need a piece of paper to validate my life. I've got so many skills and tools that I can use, so I'm going to do that. It will be difficult, but it will also be extremely rewarding. I cannot wait!