Colorful pallet backdrop

I can’t take credit for making this – just appreciating it.

Our church shares a building with several other groups, and the main meeting room had been kind of bare for awhile. It’s great to have a multiuse facility, but sometimes it feels like no one really has ownership over it.

One day this upcycled pallet art was just there at the front, made, I heard, by one of the churches that meets earlier in the day.

The colors remind me of the sunrise. I like looking at the way they bleed into each other while I listen to a message.

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Microblog Mondays is about sharing a little something every week. More at Stirrup Queens.

February 19, 2015February 19, 2015

Finding wildflowers in the Arizona desert

There’s something particularly breathtaking about wildflowers in the Sonoran desert. Maybe because of the way they transform the landscape. Maybe because their season is so brief and precious. Maybe because some years Mexican poppies turn entire hillsides gold, and other years there is only a sprinkling of color. The best years become part of local lore.

People try to guess when we’ll have a good year for wildflowers, but they’re hard to predict, like the weather. Actually, it’s the weather for months before wildflower season that has the largest impact on what you’ll see in March.

Because of their unpredictability, knowing if/when/where wildflowers have arrived depends on someone spotting them and spreading the word – which is much quicker with the internet amplifying the message.

Where to find Arizona’s spring wildflower sightings online

DesertUSA covers regions throughout the Southwest and as far north as Oregon. People submit notes (and sometimes photos) about where they’ve spotted wildflowers. There are also reports from Arizona State Parks, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and Grand Canyon National Park.
The Desert Botanical Garden has a Pinterest map of Arizona wildflower sightings. The DBG itself is a great place to see wildflowers.
During the season, Wild in Arizona has more detailed field reports from two nature photographers.

Even though it’s early, Phillip and I have already been spotting wildflowers. There were a few as we headed north from town on the 17 over the weekend. A week before that we spotted a single yellow flower while hiking at South Mountain. It might’ve been the first Mexican poppy of the season or an earlier-blooming desert sunflower.

Either way, it looks like it could be a good wildflower year.

– More info –

February 15, 2015February 16, 2015

Questions for me?

I’m working on putting together an FAQ page. So I’m wondering what burning questions you have about this site and/or me.

I’m posting this on a Monday to include people dropping in from Microblog Monday. (Hello, Microbloggers!)

Whether you’re a regular or it’s your first time here, I’d love to know what you want to know. What piques your curiosity or doesn’t seem clear? What have you always wondered but hadn’t gotten around to asking?

Ask away!

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Microblog Mondays: Don’t overthink it. Just write something. And then read Stirrup Queens.

PS Due to a scheduling error, this accidentally posted a day early – whoops! Hopefully, we can still count it as “Monday” this once.

February 9, 2015August 24, 2015

Flavor souvenirs

“When I travel, I often try to mark the trip with a certain ingredient or smell. Usually it’s more than one, as I’m incredibly inspired when I travel. By setting these tastes and smells in my head, I can travel to these places once again…”

In an interview with VSCO’s Journal, Not Without Salt blogger Ashley Rodriguez goes on to cite Moroccan preserved lemons, Italy’s sweet and grassy olive oil, and “chocolate sprinkles over buttered raisin bread” from the Netherlands as flavors that stayed with her after she was home again, like sensory souvenirs.

Elsewhere, I’ve read that research has shown that our sense of smell is the best at bringing back memories, so this is a brilliant strategy.

sangria-tucson

While I’ve done this a bit, unintentionally (with sangria, for example), her perspective inspires me to make it a conscious practice.

What tastes and smells transport you back to another place? Have you ever tried to capture them or re-create them when you returned home?

Microblog_Mondays

It’s microblog Monday! Read more tasty little morsels over at Stirrup Queens.

February 5, 2015January 7, 2021

Valentine’s DIY

I keep seeing things that would be awesome to make for Valentine’s Day. Definitely more things than I have time to actually make, so I thought I’d share a few with you.

Most of these weren’t specifically made for Valentine’s Day. They’re all fairly simple ideas that you can adapt to be romantic – or not.

1. Tiny Travel Album in a Box: I’ve been wanting to make a version of this mini photo book by Camille Styles. It’s meant to be a travel memento, but I think it would make a great Valentine’s gift with photos of a trip you took together or just fun random shots.

2. Stenciled Valentine Gift Bags: Fun idea from Martha Stewart for adding a personal touch to a small gift! Choose a stencil to fit the occasion.

3. Little self-folding envelopes: I love these colorful envelopes I spotted on Ingthings! You can fold up origami paper or repurpose whatever paper’s on hand, cutting it to size.

4. DIY Satsuma Orange Candle: I’ve been seeing this around Pinterest, and I think I found the original source: HonestlyWTF. It’s an ingeniously simple DIY, and I bet it smells nice too.

5. Seven Days of Surprises: Tuck a week full of goodies into a pill container for someone to enjoy each day! The post on The Dating Divas has printable love notes, but you could write your own or use strategically-chosen conversation hearts.

6. DIY: Lacey Clay Containers: This is a tutorial on making dishes from clay and imprinting with lace. Design Mom used the pieces she made to organize her make-up drawer, but the cup would make a great vase and the plate would be so cute topped with strawberries or Nutella brownie bites!

7. Origami Ornaments: Anne-Solange of Cachemire & Soie saw a lamp shade she loved and figured out how to re-create the look. Several of these hanging up or in a centerpiece would make a room feel so festive!

– More ideas –

2014 Valentine’s DIY roundup
Follow our Facebook for more easy ideas every week on Try Today Friday.
Learn how to make fabric flowers at CraftHack 2/9.

Let me know if you give any of these a try!

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Photos from their respective sites. (See links.)