megan adair

3-D art

2012-03-08T14:20:00.001-08:00

This semester I'm also taking three dimensional art.

Our 2nd project was to re-create a piece of clothing out of tie-wire.

Here is my piece

For our next project....

Drum roll please

making a usable/sit-able chair with a 4x8 piece of cardboard!

Found some inspiration for the project

Hoping mine turns out just as cool. Will keep you posted :)

Sketches

2012-03-06T20:39:00.001-08:00

Taking Drawing II this semester. The class forces me to draw a lot more than I normally would. Loving it.

Here are 2 of my drawings, thus far.

Cooking Therapy

2012-02-28T12:21:00.000-08:00

Cooking, lately, has been therapeutic for me.

The smells, flavors and the fact that I get to eat & jam out to some tunes while cooking soothes my soul.

With that said, here is another recipe from A Cozy Kitchen.

These seriously are the best pancakes I've made yet. Plus on her recipe she gives great tips on how to make the perfect pancake.

I choose blueberries instead of raspberries for mine.

Whole Wheat Raspberry Pancakes

Recipe adapted from Seattle Times
Yields 8-10 pancakes (I found that it made more like 12-15. If that’s too much, then simply half the recipe)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup egg whites (about 4 egg whites)
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 cup of raspberries or berries of your choice
Pre-heat oven to 200F. This is to keep your pancakes warm.
In a large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, wheat flour, cornmeal, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.
In a blender, mix the egg whites, honey, vanilla, buttermilk and melted butter until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
Gently whisk the dry and liquid ingredients together to form a batter. This makes about 5 cups batter.
Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat. Grease the surface, then ladle half-cups of the batter to form each pancake. Cook until puffed and golden brown, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side.

Someday....

2012-02-26T16:26:00.002-08:00

I'd love to see the Northern Lights and stars

from Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland.

Who wouldn't want to stay in a warm glass igloo?

photos from here, here, here, and here

Stuffed Bell Peppers w/ Ground Turkey and quinoa

2012-02-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

Last time I made these was in Israel with Natalia :)

Recreated it this time around with Epicurious' help.

The crossed out version is by Epicurious. My moderations are added beside the crossed out words :)

6 bell peppers (red, orange and yellow)
1/2 cup ~~brown rice (uncooked)~~ quinoa
.6 lbs ground turkey
~~1 zucchini~~ 1 cup of mushrooms
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tomato
several ~~mint leaves~~ basil
3 oz. feta cheese
salt
pepper
olive oil

It's optional to add yellow squash, bell pepper, and/or more onion to taste.

Cut tops off of peppers, remove seeds and membranes. Save pepper tops.

Bring a large pot of covered water with a dash of salt to boil, add peppers, re-cover, and boil for 5 minutes. Remove and drain upside down on paper towels.

In small pot, ~~cook 1/2 cup rice in 1 1/4 cup water~~, cook quinoa and set aside once ~~rice~~ quinoa has soaked up all water.

Finely chop garlic, chop onion, ~~zucchini~~, mushrooms , and tomato. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in large skillet. On medium/low heat, add garlic to skillet first, then onion. Cook while stirring for about 3 minutes. Lower heat if the garlic starts to brown. Then add ~~zucchini~~, cook for another minute or so. Add tomato last, continue stirring.

Meanwhile, cook ground turkey in a separate, smaller skillet.

Stir in cooked rice and turkey to vegetable mixture. Stir in a few tablespoons of feta cheese. Chop up the several ~~mint~~ basil leaves and stir them in as well. Add black pepper to taste. Spoon mixture into peppers (fill them up!)

Stand peppers upright in deep baking dish and sprinkle feta cheese on top. Cover dish and place in preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes.

Serve immediately! For an added garnish, put the pepper tops back on top to serve. One stuffed pepper is about one serving. Enjoy!

Tiffany's 13th Birthday Party

2012-02-21T13:43:00.001-08:00

On Sunday, my Aunt threw a birthday party in celebration of Tiffany's 13th birthday.

Happy, happy 13th year Tiffany!

"Everyone was beautiful when they were young," Grandma.

2012-02-20T10:23:00.000-08:00

I haven't visited Grandma (my Mom's mom) in quite some time.

So last week I drove east for a visit.

I asked Grandma if I could see some old photos. Here are some she found.

Grandma & Uncle Mark

Grandpa & Grandma on their wedding day

Too rad to let it pass by

2012-02-19T09:25:00.000-08:00

An array of photos from Aevum

Last but maybe... not least Inspiration Part V

2012-02-17T10:32:00.000-08:00

Bieber Fever

Art Streiber "The Kid Just has it"

source

You should watch the video on how the shoot went too. LOL

Fish Sticks with a Kick

2012-02-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

Tried this recipe from A Cozy Kitchen the other day.

Ate half in one sitting. Hehe.

RECIPE

1 pound of cod fillets (Halibut or Tilapia would work too)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Rinse the cod and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. To cut the fish into “sticks,” slice the fillets into thirds, lengthwise. You’ll end up with three long strips. Cut those strips into 4-inch pieces. I ended up with about 20 (4-inch by 1-inch) fish sticks. Note: I trimmed those 4-inch pieces’ scraggly edges. You can do this too, or just leave it be. Your call.

2. Add the all-purpose flour to a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, crack in the eggs and beat. On a plate, combine the panko bread crumbs, Parmesan, crushed red pepper and salt.

3. Roll the cod pieces in the flour, shaking off any excess. Drop the cod pieces in the beaten egg and then lastly, roll them around in the panko mixture. Transfer the pieces to a baking sheet. At this point you could either place them in an oven to bake or in some hot oil to fry.

4. To bake: Preheat oven to 450F. Place fish sticks on parchment and bake for 15-20 minutes and until edges are slightly golden brown. (They won’t be as golden brown as in the pictures above, but nonetheless, they’ll be delicious!)

5. To fry (my favorite way!): Preheat oven to warm. Place 1 cup of oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and heat, over medium-high, to 350F. (If you don’t have a thermometer, no bigs. Add a small piece of bread crumb to the hot oil. If it sizzles and starts to brown, you’re good.) Using tongs, gently add fish sticks to hot oil, cooking on each side for 1-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain and then place in oven to keep warm while you finish the rest of the fish sticks.

Spicy Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeño
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha

1. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together and add more Sriracha if you like.

Inspiration Part IV

2012-02-14T14:20:00.000-08:00

By now you know

Communication Arts, strikes once again

hehe

Today Erika Larson. She documented the Sami, a semi-nomadic people from Norway & Sweden as they follow reindeer herds. (All the photos are from here)

Inspiration Part III

2012-02-13T21:34:00.000-08:00

Yep you guessed it more from Communication Arts

James Whitlow Delano's The Mercy Project/Inochi

Inspiration Part II

2012-02-12T16:45:00.000-08:00

More inspiration from Communication Arts

Photos by Timothy Archibald of his son Elijah.

Check out the book he made here.

George Simhoni "Let books transform you this April."

Absolutely love this series by Liz Von Hoene.

I think she uses a projector for some objects &

real objects for others....Genius!

"Fit to go farther" by Patrick Molnar

Inspiration Part I

2012-02-11T17:51:00.000-08:00

My teacher let me borrow Communication Arts

It's a book full of photographs from advertisements to editorial to photojournalism

Some treasures from the book

source here

One more by Andric & source

Check out the rest of his stuff here source. His creativity inspires me.

source here

p.s. if you are a photographer you should try and enter so your work can go in next year's book :)

Here is the link http://www.commarts.com/competitions/photography

James Nachtwey

2012-02-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

Writing a paper on my favorite artist for class today.

As you may have guessed from the title, it is indeed James Nachtwey.

Just finished watching "War Photographer" about Nachtwey.

Here is one of my favorite quotes from the movie

"It’s occurred to me that if everyone could be there, just once. To seefor themselves what white phosphorus does to the face of the child, what inspeakablepain is caused by the impact of a single bullet or how a jagged piece of shrapnelcould rip someones leg off. If everyone could be there to see for themselvesthe fear and the grief, just one time, than they would understand, that nothingis worth letting things get to the point where that happens to even one person, letalone thousands. But everyone cannot be there and that is why photographers gothere. To show them, to reach out and grab them and to make them stop what theyare doing and pay attention to what is going on. To create pictures powerful enoughto overcome the diluting effects of the mass media and shake people up out oftheir indifference. To protest; and by the strength of that protest, to makeothers protest," James Nachtwey.

Also here are some of my favorite photos by him

(via his website: James Nachtwey)

Any Architect Buffs?

2012-01-29T15:52:00.000-08:00

I'm no architect or art history buff, but I do love art and am falling more and more in love with art as school treads on.

Today, I'm doing some extended research by watching (via Netflix) Kevin McCloud's Grand Tour.

In my Art History class we are currently studying the Grand Tour, British aristocrats would take in the 17th Century from England to France, Italy, Greece, The Alps, and on.

They would travel after their studies to be inspired by the world.

One place they stopped was Vicenza, Italy. While there they witnessed Andrea Palladio's architectural wonders.

Palladio influenced the way England is today. The way the streets line up, lighting in a building, and 2 column pillars. Did you know, he even influenced the way the way the White House was built?

Here's my favorite building he designed the Palladio theatre in Vicenza.

all photos found via flickr & google

First Recipe Post

2012-01-22T22:20:00.000-08:00

Pallela Inspired Tacos

by yours truly--Megan van Beuge

Serves 6 mini tacos (enough for 2?)

Takes about 15 minutes.

Sorry measurements aren't exact, I make up recipes all the time and am not very good at measurements :/ Please try and estimate, as I do, while cooking :)

Ingredients:

2tbsp of ghee or butter

1 large garlic clove, chopped finely

1/2 a small bag of frozen shrimp

1/4 cup of chopped onion (a quarter of an onion chopped) about 0.5" each

1/2 of a large tomato, diced into about 0.5" squares

1/2 of a fresh lemon

A handful of of cilantro leaves

About 1-1.5 tbsp paprika (however much you prefer)

1 tbsp of crushed red peppers

Pepper and salt

Can of black beans, if you don't like black beans you can use refried

Cheese if you like

Corn tortilla's

1 large avocado or 2 small avocados

Instructions:

Start your beans, if you want them with your taco's.

Put frozen shrimp in a strainer. Pour warm water over shrimp until they are thawed. Heat skillet on medium. Melt ghee or butter so it covers the bottom of the pan. Put shrimp in. When they start turning a bit pink, put finely chopped garlic in and squeeze the 1/2 lemon over top. Add chopped onions. After the onions cook a wee bit add tomatoes. When the tomatoes turn to mush and become more of a sauce, add cilantro leaves. Add paprika and crushed peppers and salt and pepper for taste.

Warm up tortilla's on stove (6 of them).

Per tortilla add cooked pallela inspired shrimp, some black beans, and some avocado. If you like you can add more toppings like (cheese, sour cream, the works).

Enjoy your healthy yummy meal ;)

First official wedding as 2nd photographer

2012-01-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

with Irish Grzanich.

If you still haven't checked out her website and photography, please do.

She is a m a z i n g and studied at Brooks Institute of Photography (aka she knows a lot about photography--blessed to learn from her).

If you are in need of a wedding photographer, contact Irish here :)

Father of the Bride

2012-01-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

Last year I started taking wedding photos with my good friend Irish.

It's an honor to take photos and learn from her.

Here's a photo from our first wedding photo taking extravaganza :)

If you are looking for a wedding photographer for your wedding this year

you can get a hold of Irish here and here

Father daughter dance

Remember the movie "Father of the Bride?"

This photo reminds me of that movie. One of my favs :)

More photos of Megan's wedding to come...

Dreaming about the big city

2012-01-12T20:13:00.000-08:00

New York

photo from wikipedia

My friend is studying there and I'm dying to go visit her.

Dreaming of

1. Ellis Island & the Statue of Liberty

2. Seeing the city from the top of the Rockerfeller building

3. Going to the 9/11 Memorial

4. Taking a stroll in Central Park

5. Eating food from every country

6. MOMA

The list goes on.

NY get ready! Looking at tickets right now :)

Rest

2012-01-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

Today I am reminded of a conversation a dear friend and I had ages ago about rest.

I struggled with what rest looked like for me on a day to day basis (and still do).

My friend posed the question, "What gives you life?"

I replied, "Art."

She went on to say, "What gives you life, gives you rest."

Finding truth in what she said.

Today after completing two cards. I feel rested.

What gives you life?

Card #uno

is in celebration of Dad's birthday.

My Dad was a load master in the military years ago.

I made a C-141 (plane my dad used to fly in) with cargo dropping out :)

Happy Birthday Dad!

Card #dos

My dear friend Soyong is getting married this Saturday!

I made a card for her and her husband.

Congratulations!!!!!

Excited to celebrate with you guys!

Moments of beauty

2011-12-29T10:34:00.000-08:00

Britt (my sister) will sit in the dining room and practice piano

every now and again.

The acoustics in the dining room are the best in the house.

Thanks Britt for blessing Mom, Dad, and I with your beautiful melodies.

Love you sister,

Megan

Jenny's bday Sept.2011

2011-12-23T16:40:00.000-08:00

Jenny's birthday was in September too.

We celebrated with a Japanese theme.

Since my sister and I grew up in Okinawa, Japan, decor was a breeze

and sushi was a plenty.

Let the good times roll.

The Nutcracker Ballet

2011-12-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

For the first time ever my family and I went to see the Nutcracker Ballet live.

It was beautiful, fun, and made me feel like a princess :)

Random fact about me: I took ballet lessons from 3-12 yrs old.
So I was super stoked about going.
Brittan, Mom, and I even recognized one of our costumes
from a recital we did!

Here are some photos from yesterday :)

Taken by Brittan via instagram.

Random fun fact-during intercession in the lobby all the little girls
were twirling around and pretending to be ballerina's.

Today, I'm reliving the moments of yesterdays ballet by watching

Nutcracker: The Motion Picture

by Carroll Ballard

It's just as good as the real thing. So if you can't see it live this year, I highly recommend this film. Or if you are like me and just want to see it over and over again, this movie is great.

The set design and costumes are really well done. The dancing is marvelous too.

Here are a couple of photos from my favorite scene (in the movie).
Screen shot by me from the movie.

The peacock dancer's costume is my fav. She flips her dress up behind her when she kicks, like a real peacock would do. Lovely.

Mom's bday Sept.2011

2011-12-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

Way behind on photo editing : /

Better late than ever, I guess....

Here are photos from my Mom's birthday this year :)

My Aunt & Uncle, 2 cousins, and our family ate taco rice (Okinawan dish). Then saw the old fashioned pirate-like ships fake cannon shoot at one another in downtown. To top of the day, we ended at a park on Coronado Island with a picnic.

Appreciation

2011-12-14T10:44:00.000-08:00

Found this on Green Wedding Shoes today.

The way these people capture weddings and couples is a m a z i n g.

To document life as it is in a beautiful way is hard.

I hope someday I can be as good as them (photography wise). In documenting life as it is

simply beautiful.

I like all their videos, but here is one of my favs

felicia marie + sean from Belvedere Stories on Vimeo.

you can watch more of their movies here

Bringing it back

2011-12-11T16:36:00.001-08:00

In my Design & Composition class, a couple of weeks ago, we did linoleum cuts.

I took one of my old designs (from + 3 yrs ago)

and gave it a new look

It's titled "Pointing the Finger."

Linoleum used on a target sheet from Iron Shooting Range, CA.

Our judgements can be as if pointing a gun at someone.

Art Final

2011-12-04T08:55:00.001-08:00

Looking up photos to draw for my final project in Drawing.

Getting inspiration from Chernobyl.

photo from http://lenta.ru/photo/2011/04/26/pripyat1/#pic020

Something tells me Bansky's been there....

Anybody wanna do a photo shoot in a ghost town?

or go back to Egypt.....?

source Namib Desert

Cromer Family

2011-11-28T18:10:00.001-08:00

Took family photos of The Cromer's last Sunday.

I typically can't stand blurry photos, but this one gets me every time.

To be continued....

Honest opinions please

2011-11-26T20:35:00.001-08:00

Experimenting with editing tools tonight.....

Found this website that has all styles set up, so instead of pressing 5-20 buttons, you only press one to get the look you want.

Here is the website Get Totally Rad

Is it worth getting for $149.00??????

These photos are from Lina's bridal shower in September 2011.

Lina's Phillipino family joining in on the celebration via skype

Game time! Brittan video taped the husband to be asking him questions about himself, answering how Lina would though. For example, "How did you first meet?"

Praying for the bride to be

Charlie's Angels

All in a day's work=success.

Memories shared, much food consumed, and pictures to last a lifetime :)

Drawing 101

2011-11-14T16:46:00.001-08:00

Here is one of the other art classes I am taking this semester.

Intro to Drawing.

Sorry for the poor photo taking.

Tungsten lighting + old sepia drawing paper = the following photos

practicing proportion

line and contour drawing

charcoal

abstract

This was my midterm. I had to incorporate puppets (from a puppet museum) in story format. I choose to draw my story line and contour with some water colors.

Here is my story

(man sweeping says) Jupiter (the worm) you are my best friend. I just wish you were a little taller.

Fairy comes, while Jupiter (the worm) is sleeping and dreaming...."I wish I was a little taller."

Jupiter is taller and human and helps his sweeping friend rake autumn leaves :)
The End

Come Fly Away

2011-11-13T13:09:00.001-08:00

We (Brittan, Jenny, Alee, Liz, Jojo, and I) celebrated Britnie's 24th birthday this August.

The theme was travel/stripes (2 of Britnie's favorite things).

We choose 3 of her favorite places Portugal, Peru, and Scandinavia (for the 3 course meal) and incorporated stripes into the decor & our ensembles.

Alee & Liz made shrimp pallela and sweet potato chips w/ garlic aioli (Portugal), I made banoffee cake (Scandinavia) and Brittan picked up some Portuguese wine from World Market :d

Alee's husband came up with the most ingenious idea: a view from an airplane window. It felt like we were in flight the whole night. Over the alps, the ocean, the valley. He turned the TV into the view and put a window frame and curtains around the tv.

We also put together a scavenger hunt for Britnie. Drum roll please....A nice dinner for her and her husband at a Moroccan restaurant downtown.

You can read/see more on my sister's blog here

p.s. Brittan did all the decor, made the wooden airplanes (from the $1.00 store) and did the flowers too. She is one talented lady.

Surprise!

pallela

The scavenger hunt begins

found the passport w/ the Morocco restaurant tickets :)

Banoffee & fried plantains w/ ice cream

Shhhh bird watching

To be continued....

2011-11-08T11:29:00.001-08:00

So far from editing photos of Britnie's 24th bday

More to come soon

Fallbrook

2011-11-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

sunsets are beautiful.

Lucky place I live, California.

Thank you Lord, for letting me live

where avocado's are cheap and abundant year round,

360 days out of the year the sun is out,

the weather doesn't get below 40 degrees Fahrenheit,

bonfires are often,

the ocean is near,

and in and out too.

Comp & Design

2011-11-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

This semester I'm taking 3 classes

Art History

Design & Composition

Drawing 101

Here are some of my design & comp assignments

Sorry for the poor quality of the first couple of photos

The first 5 photos are from my first assignment titled Composition. My class and I had to try different styles of composition by tracing random shapes (drips of paint, blind contours, etc). Using the random shapes as tracers we cut out these pieces and tons others from magazines to get different styles of composition (I wrote the different kinds of composition underneath each photo).

proximity

grid

center

continuation

repetition

For the below assignment we had to create a gray scale, using different shades of india ink to re-create a black and white photo. The goal was to show value-darks and lights. We traced and cut out each different gray/white/black tone to get the 3D looking image below.

Remember this little one? Baby Daniel's photos here

The assignment below our class had to depict chaotic life or an oasis. I choose my chaotic life=work, school, home, family, cleaning, cooking, money, etc, etc, etc. We had to use pattern and shape. I created pattern by doing things from my chaotic life (listed above). The bright magazine cut outs on top were traced from paint splatters and are mixed together to give the effect of my crazy life all mixing together (my chaotic life all mixed together like splattered paint).

School, work. Work, school.

2011-11-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

This is what my life looks like now.

Hot or cold carmel macchiato?

Whip Cream?

Would you like anything to eat with that?

Etc, etc, etc.

p.s. to be continued.....

will share some of my favorite assignments soon

Harajuku DIY

2011-11-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

My sister, Jenny, and I came up with a b.r.i.l.l.i.a.n.t costume this year ; )

Gwen Stefani and her Harajuku girls

I made a little how-to for our costumes. Brittan (my sister) and I love crafty things and so we decided to make tutu's and top hats to go with our fun outfits.

p.s. Sorry it's photos first and then explanations. Had some trouble figuring out the layout on here.

Top Hat how-to

Buy a cardboard container (got mine @ Michael's for $3.00)
Cut out a larger sized circle (than the one you bought for the hat part) on a piece of a paper-like piece of cardboard (I glued 2 layers together to make it thicker). I used a small plastic plate for a larger sized circle.
Trace hat
Cut triangle out (on the inside of your smaller circle (leaving a larger outside ring) like a pie. These pieces will glue to the inside of your hat and hold it in place.
Glue the triangle pieces to the inside of your hat. I used a hot glue gun. If you use a hot glue gun move quickly because it dries fast. Rubber cement or another type of hard core glue might be better...
Once your hat dries. Spray paint it. I spray painted ours black to go with our outfits :) You can get cheap spray paint at Lowe's for about $4.00 or $5.00 dollars a bottle.
When it dries glue a burrett to one side of the bottom of the hat. Ours came off half way through the night, so you may want to try another type of glue or hand sowing it on.... Add ribbons, flowers, feathers, whatever you like. I just tied ribbons around ours.

You can check this tutorial for help/ different way of doing it

Tutu how-to

1.

3.

Buy tule. (I bought mine @ Michael's 50yd's for $10.00=a whole tutu)
Measure and cut ribbon to fit your waist, with excess room.
Tie knots where the ends of the ribbon meet around your waist (so you know where to tie the tule).
If you get your tule @ Michaels it'll be 8.5" by 50yds. Get measuring tape and cut the tule @ 8.5" tall by 45" wide. Cut until you run out of tule.
Cut and tie around the ribbon.
Cut and trim ends if desired.

Also you can check out this tutorial on youtube, very helpful

Oh and last but not least we did school-girl outfits. Long sleeved collared shirts under a shirt and skirts underneath our tutu's. We also wore pink neon tights with one gold and cream colored leg warmer with high tops. For make up we did geisha style lips (so we look like dolls), circular applied blush, sparkly blue eye shadow underneath our eyes only, fake eylashes + lots of mascara prior, and black eyeliner. Last but not least we wore two different earrings one big circle & one ice cream each.

While researching maidens & towers

2011-10-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this fact about Tangled

(one of my favorite movies of this year)

Animation supervisor Glen Keane’s real life daughter, artist Claire Keane, was responsible for designing and painting the storytelling mural that adorns the walls of Rapunzel’s tower home. In real life, Glen drew inspiration from his daughter in helping to conceptualize the Rapunzel character, recalling her irrepressible nature and penchant for drawing on walls.

(info from here)

Art

2011-10-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

couldn't live without it

My sister found a note from John Paul II about art.

Check it out

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_23041999_artists_en.html

p.s. this is my sister

We like to parrrrttttyyyy

2011-10-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

Brittan's 24th birthday was last Monday.

I surprised here with a Marie Antionette themed party, October 16.

Wigs and all.

Here's a short glimpse on how the night went.

Still dying without photoshop

2011-10-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

Again in the meantime....

A gander

at the beautiful place I call home

The Best Things in Life are Free

2011-10-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

I cry

2011-10-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

my photoshop decided to quit :'(

in the meantime

here is another bit of charcoal + motion picture to inspire

This is what I've been up to

2011-10-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

lots and lots of homework

here is kind of what I've been busy doing + work + life

lots and lots of charcoal & tracing

This is William Kentridge, he's a South African artist who combines charcoal drawings with motion picture. His work is amazing! You can watch more on the series Art21 on Netflix :)

We like to throw parties

2011-09-29T21:47:00.000-07:00

When we (Brittan (my sister) & I +friends) throw parties they're pretty fun.

Always pretty. Always fun :)

Here's Alee's bday in July.

The theme was BOLD.

You can read & see more on Britt's blog here

Preview

2011-09-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

more to come later tonight :)

Laura's Baby Shower

2011-09-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

Going back in time

once again

to Laura's Baby Shower in July

p.s. It was a surprise

Left to Right-Sarah, Mrs. Lowe (Mom of Sarah and Laura), Laura, Jarrod

Who can guess the size of Laura's belly?

Who can draw Ruby Mae without looking?

Memories untold

2011-09-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Melissa's birthday party. ^----/--->

Already 6 months ago?

^----/--->

sheesh

^----/--->

time flies

Aunt Suzy

2011-09-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

In April of this year my family and I drove up to NorCal to visit the Dunham's (my Mom's side of the family). My Aunt Suzy was going through chemo therapy at the time and had just had heart surgery. Her are some photos of our short visit there.

My Family with Uncle George & Aunt Suzy

Sisters-Aunt Suzy & Mom

Aunt Suzy

Uncle George

The Fam

Aunt Suzy with her grandkids (my 2nd cousins)

Aunt Suzy when she was my age probably (26-ish)

Remember this cute little one?

2011-09-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

Before I left Rotrevor, Northern Ireland I did one last photo shoot of the whole Lawlor family (cousins included-Chris & Rachel).

Miss you YWAM Rostrevor!

Two very wonderful places

2011-09-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Powerscourt,

I long to lay, run, and nap in your green fields.

To get married in your gardens.

And to have a tea party with friends in your presence.

Hope we meet again soon.

Sincerely,

Megan

p.s. Avoca can you be included in all of this?

I bet you're thinking, "that looks awfully familiar...."

and you are right!

Remember this scene from Conte Monte Cristo? The part 5 minutes past (in the youtube video is

at Powerscourt where he arrives!)

Ring of Kerry

2011-09-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

This was by far the most beautiful drive of my life.

But before we get there, I'd like to show you 2 gems some friends told us are "must-see's" and old abbey and a castle through the "gladiator field" with a secret garden on top.

m.a.g.i.c.a.l

Totally reminds you of the field in Gladiator right?

The Ring of Kerry

Reminds me of Hawai'i

To top it off-Lady's View. It's called that because
this was the queen favorite spot.

A trip to Ireland is not complete unless....

2011-09-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

one consumes fish & chips.

In my 4 weeks in Northern Ireland/Ireland this was my first time eating fish & chips. Better yet @ the famous Jackie Lennox in Cork, Ireland.

And boy was it greasy good :d

I consumed a whole fish and handfuls of chips in 10 mins flat :)

Long drives=hungry Megan.

Jackie Lennox, Chip Shop was established in 1951. "A young Jackie Lennox and his wife Eileen O'Callaghan set up this award winning food business back in 1951 when they turned a modest cottage into the first purpose built Fish & Chip shop in Ireland. It was soon to become famous throughout the Country receiving the attention of food writers and poets, celebrating the quality of its food and unique atmosphere. Jackie Lennox participated fully in the sporting and civic life of the City being, for many years, a player with Cork Athletic Soccer Club and an Alderman on Cork Corporation.

There is only one Jackie Lennox and it's right here in Bandon Road." Found this written on the wall plaque in front of the store.

After

Before

Final Destination-Cork, Ireland

2011-09-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

Cork means "swamp"

It is the second largest city in Ireland.

County Cork can also be known as "the rebel County." Corkonians call the city "the real capital of Ireland" and refer to themselves as "rebels."

The city is a major Irish seaport.

(all info sourced from wikipedia)

love the street art

At the end of the day Joanna and I sat @ Cafe Orvos talking to a couple for hours. Reminiscing about island life (the wife is from Oahu, Hawaii), culture, and art. It was a lovely end to the day.

From Galway to the Cliffs of Moher

2011-09-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

First off can I just say driving in Northern Ireland, Ireland wasn't the easiest.

It was

a) my first time driving stick shift (I learned a week prior in the US)

b) my first time in a long time w/o a GPS or googlemap via iphone

Thank you Jojo for your excellent sense of direction.

And thank you Irish and Northern Irish drivers who didn't honk at me when I stalled.

Merci for your patience.

"Irish cottages (Irish: teachín) were historically the homes of farm workers and labourers, but in recent years the term has assumed a romantic connotation especially when referring to cottages with thatched roofs. These thatched cottages were once to be seen all over Ireland but are now mostly built for the tourist industry." (via Wikipedia)

Dunguaire Castle was built in 1520 by the O'Hynes clan on the shores of Galway Bay. The castle's name comes from "Guaire," a fort located nearby.

Over the years, the castle changed hands several times. In 1924, it was bought by a famous surgeon and literary figure, Oliver St. John Gogarty. Gogarty used the castle to hold meetings for famous Irish literary revivalists. He also spent a great deal of time restoring the castle (found info online from someones blog).

Galway

2011-09-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

The city takes its name from the Gaillimh river (River Corrib) that formed the western boundary of the earliest settlement, which was called Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe("fort at the mouth of the Gaillimh").^[4] The word Gaillimh means "stony" as in "stony river" (the mythical and alternative derivations are given in History of Galway). Historically, the name was written as Gallive,^[5] which is closer to the Irish pronunciation.

The city also bears the nickname City of the Tribes / Cathair na dTreabh because "fourteen tribes" (merchant families)^[6] led the city in its Hiberno-Norman period. The term tribes was often a derogatory phrase in Cromwellian times. The merchants would have seen themselves as Irish gentry, but were loyal to the King. They subsequently adopted the term in defiance to the Cromwellian occupiers of the town.

(info from wikipedia)

When in Ireland, one must get a Claddagh ring
(read about them here)

and a wool sweater

Love this

2011-09-13T10:24:00.001-07:00

I pray to live a legacy of hospitality, generosity, and servanthood like my Mom

2011-09-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

Thanks deviantart.com bkgrd by Dyingbeautystock
& lace by Jenn'sSanity Brushes

Cliffs of Insanity

2011-09-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

aka The Cliffs of Moher

A couple of weeks ago my friend Joanna came to visit me while I was volunteering in Northern Ireland at An Cuan.

We rented a car and drove around Ireland. First stop Galway (photos to come), second stop Cliffs of Moher.

Before we got to the cliffs found this cute little fishing village. The day we happened to go they had some boat races.

parking blockers aka kegs

almost to the cliffs

Jojo and I

A restaurant on the cliffs

Word of the day

2011-08-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

Guerilla Advertising-was invented as an unconvetional system of promotions that relies on time, energy, and imagination rather than a big marketing budget (definition from wikipedia).

(image credit: Ads of the World)

Serviceplan of Germany created this ad for Amnesty International to mark the 60th Anniversary of Human Rights as an action plan against human trafficking which affects more than 500,000 women and girls annually. The idea was to start a promotion campaign which was impossible not to notice. The woman in a crystal suitcase was one of the most successful promotion in recent years.

(image credit: Ads of the World)

Some ads are amazingly well executed. Copenhagen-based ad agency Bates Y&R created this super cool, outdoor ad campaign for the Copenhagen Zoo. A giant constrictor snake is squeezing a complete Copenhagen city bus.

(image credit: Adverrt)

Anagram, in Prague, is an English-language bookshop with a vast assortment of fiction and nonfiction. Anagram came out with many ads like the one above, beautifully illustrating their slogan “Words Create Worlds.”

source for above photos

source for above 2

source This one's my favorite

source 2nd favorite

source

if you've got extra time check out the website with most of them here

The scene slows down, the men gather for battle, and the bear shouts, "For Aslan"

2011-08-31T00:26:00.000-07:00

Sound familiar?

One of my favorite places in the world is Tollymore Park.

It's said that C.S. Lewis got his inspiration from this park to write Chronicles of Narnia.

“He’ll be coming and going” [...] “One day you'll see him and another you won't. He doesn't like being tied down — and of course he has other countries to attend to. It's quite all right. He'll often drop in. Only you mustn't press him. He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion," from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

"You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; Be content," from Prince Caspian.

Rapunzel, rapunzel let down your long hair.

"Oh, Aslan," said Lucy. "Will you tell us how to get into your country from our world?"

"I shall be telling you all the time," said Aslan. "But I will not tell you how long or short the way will be; only that it lies across a river. But do not fear that, for I am the great Bridge Builder," from The Voyage of the Downtreader.

"But what does it all mean?" asked Susan when they were somewhat calmer.
"It means," said Aslan, "that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of Time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards," from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Me crossing over so Steph can take some photos

taken by Stephanie Green

Favorite stroll around Rostrevor, Northern Ireland

2011-08-30T23:04:00.000-07:00

A couple of days a week I got to enjoy a stroll around the park (I think it's called Fairy Glen...) behind An Cuan.

Here are some photos of my favorite wee stroll.

love the movement in this photo

cheesy, I know, but do you see it?

Kid you not, this little girl was posing for the camera.

Working on my Portfolio

2011-08-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

Look what I found.

An oldie, but a goodie.

Germany, April 2010

Do you ever

2011-08-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

have memories with a song?

Today I do.

2.5 years later, 11 girls journey on.......

love you girls

you will forever be in my heart

Baby Danny Part II

2011-08-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Newborn Danny's first couple of days at home with the family

Newborn Danny

2011-08-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to see new born Daniel on the day of his birth.

Welcome to the world Daniel Campell Lawlor.

Same couch, different family

2011-08-11T04:05:00.000-07:00

Meet the Lawlor's--Phillip, Lisa, Molly, and Beth + cousins--Rachel & Christopher.

I truly adore this family. They radiate God's love to one another and to this community.

Will miss you Lawlor's!

Meet Beth

Meet Molly

Photos to come of baby Daniel in a wee bit. He arrived yesterday morning :)

Meet Phillip & Lisa

Going Down Memory Lane

2011-08-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I did a RDTS (Reconciliation Discipleship Training School) in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Ireland and I meet again, a beautiful ending to the beginning of my life with YWAM (Youth With A Mission).

Two years ago I lived in a home with 9 students, from around the world, on the Shankill in Belfast, Northern Ireland. If you don't know much about the history of Ireland & Northern Ireland you can click here for a quick read on Wikipedia.

It was SO surreal walking on the Shankill, such a broken place (for a quick read on the Shankill, click here. You can feel it, sense it, smell it. My heart deepens for reconciliation.

p.s. Trying out different editing styles. What do you think...?

Carolyn, Steph, and I

Downtown Belfast

Downtown

St. Michael's where we would have DTS lectures every day

The home I lived in during DTS.

British flags line the streets on the Shankill

While taking photos a kid yelled to me, "Go back to your country!"

They're adding more happy murals

This one is my fav. God cares.

Love Moments Like These

2011-08-09T04:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Stephanie, Carolyn, and I hung out in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It's been 2 years since we've all seen each other. On Sunday Carolyn's Family had us over for lunch: Moroccan lamb. Thanks Burke's for your hospitality!