Another Year? Bring It On, Baby!

My annual birthday read

I've never understood why people.... women especially....find getting older some tragic situation.  Or why they insist on injecting their faces with fillers and toxins so they look "young".  More often than not, they just look like an escaped resident from Madame Tussaud's.  Today is my birthday and I'm 49 years old.  Next year I'll greet a new decade milestone when I turn 50 and, truth be told, I can't wait!

I've foiled, colored, or highlighted my hair since I was in high school.  Sometimes it looked lovely and natural and other times I just ended up looking like a fat old version of Billy Idol.  Something clicked at the end of last year and I decided it might be nice to find out what color my hair really is and just how horrific it might look.  Seven months later I can tell you it's no color that comes out of a box or salon and there are prominent streaks of grey.  And I'm liking it....a lot.

Vanessa Redgrave....my age idol

Every year on my birthday I treat myself to re-reading the book The Art of Growing Up by Veronique Vienne with photographs by Jeanne Lipsey.  This is something I've done since I turned forty.  It wasn't a conscious decision....it just happened the first few years and has now become a tradition.  It's a short book and every year I garner some new insight depending on where I am in my life, career, or relationship.  There is never a year, however, the "The Best of Mae West" page doesn't make me laugh and wish I had been lucky enough to have a drink with her.  My favorite?  "I only like two kinds of men: domestic and foreign"

I think my perception of aging is helped by the fact I don't look at starlets and models in their 20s and 30s and wish I could look like them.  For years, I've looked at the grand dames and said to myself, "God, I hope I'm that fabulous at their age!"  It makes aging something not to be feared, but rather something to work toward....loving every step of the journey!

Sunrise over Lucky Hill...our next chapter...on my birthday morning

A Supreme Lack of Coordination

There should be a "Welcome" sign ahead on the bridge

Yesterday we headed north to Maine after having spent a wonderful week visiting my Mom in Pennsylvania.  Dan had been participating in the Wayne Plein Air Art Festival while Mom and I trotted over hill and dale and around field and farm.  Hopefully, in the not too distant future, I'll post some blogs about the amazing places we visited.  But for now, back to our trip.....

We pulled out of the driveway at 3:55 a.m. and hit horrific rain in New Jersey and New York.  It didn't help that I got us headed south rather than north after the Tappan Zee and we came close to entering the Bronx instead of West Chester County.  Connecticut and Massachusetts provided slightly better weather, but it wasn't until we crossed into New Hampshire that the skies cleared.  Thankfully, we were welcomed into Maine with sun and blue skies. 

I think there was a sign somewhere over there

Goofy romantic that I am, I had visions of capturing the "Welcome to Maine" sign upon entering the state.  Our new home state!  If I was at all coordinated and didn't need reading glasses to see what I was photographing, I might have captured that happy moment.  Mind you, this is the woman who can watch TV, listen to music, hold a conversation, and write or design at the same time.  Ask me to unlock a door and talk?  Forget it.  Walk and chew gum....if I chewed gum?  Not a chance.  Compose a photo while flying by at 65 mph without my glasses?  You be the judge. 

A New Crop of Favorites

In an age when print media seems to be disappearing before our eyes, a new crop of "magazines" are gracing the landscape.  They are far and beyond what we have come to know as magazines....the paper is matte with a lovely degree of body rather than glossy and flimsy, there are no ads, no stinky perfume pull opens, no subscription cards that fall all over the floor, and blessedly no photos or references to the Kardashians.  Also on the "not like before magazines" is the cost and the frequency.  Most range in price from $18-$24 per issue (lower pricing for subscriptions) and are published only 4 times per year.  The odds you can find these in just any store are slim to none.  Many are carried at Anthropologie and Terrain although you can go to the websites and peruse the listing of their "stockists".  These magazines are NOT intended to be mindlessly leafed through and tossed....or better yet....recycled.  No, these are more along the line of books which are kept, treasured, and pulled down from the shelf on a rainy Sunday afternoon to enjoy again and again.

 KINFOLK

For months this magazine has been popping up in my web surfing, but I never took the time to research it.  Finally, after seeing it carried by retail boutiques I thought were amazing, I went to KINFOLK's website and fell in love.  The issue that clinched the deal was Volume 2 with a cover photo of a woman sitting in a simple wooden chair holding a coffee mug.  The magazine is, quite simply, a work of art and is promoted as "a guide for small gatherings".  The first essay in Volume 2 was a lyrical musing of the transition from autumn to winter in San Francisco by Heidi Swanson.  Need I say more? 

PURE GREEN MAGAZINE

When I saw PURE GREEN's second volume was The Urban Farm Issue, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that it wouldn't be coming home with me.  The quarterly Canadian publication is printed on 100% post-comsumer recycled, cholorine-free paper using vegetable-based inks.  While KINFOLK's focus is entertaining/cooking, PURE GREEN's scope for stylish green living extends to gardening, fashion, homesteading, travel, cooking, and handmade culture.  Alison Westlake owner and creative force behind the fabulously adorable Toronto floral design shop, Coriander Girl, and blog of the same name is a contributor.

 sweet paul magazine

First established in Spring 2010, sweet paul is based on Paul Lowes' blog of the same name which was ranked 22nd in the London Times Top 50 Best Design Blogs.  Lowes, a native of Oslo who now resides in New York, showcases his background as a food and prop stylist in the publication that is all about "chasing the sweet things in life".  I especially loved "Spring" in the current issue (volume 13) which incoprorates recipes, prop styling, and watercolor sketches by Alicia Buszczak.     

 UPPERCASE MAGAZINE

Who would have thought we would be so fortunate to have such creative neighbors to the North.  UPPERCASE, another Canadian publication, tagged "a magazine for the creative and curious" has an index broken into categories such as snippets, fine print, art & design, places/spaces, craft, and style.  When I first saw the magazine at Antropologie, I assumed it was going to be heavy in branding, graphics, and typography.  Imagine my surprise when I opened it and found it far more grounded in fashion, fabric, and printmaking.  As a designer, I especially loved the overview of Hywell Davies' book Fashion Designers' Sketchbooks which highlights the creative process.... sketchbooks, mood boards, and line ups....of 50 designers.

So whatever your interest....cooking, interior design, crafting, gardening, or entertaining... one or more of the above will surely captivate and enthrall.  Check them out online or in the store.  I guarantee they won't disappoint!