inspired for 2010

It can come from the most unlikely places...

It can lead artists to create masterpieces.
It can lead architects to design works of art that double as usable structures.
It can compel chefs to generate edible creations that appear to float through the air.
It can drive inventors to revolutionize the world with their frankensteins (you know, like the sham-wow!)...

So that's the theme of this year. In the interest of full disclosure, this past year in Houston has been taxing, kicking me a little bit, and leaving me a little worse for wear. But all that is going to change this year. I am determined to be inspired this year. And not just in the art world. In fact, there may not be any art...oh, who are we kidding...of course there will be art. But that's what's great about inspiration. It can come from anywhere.




So in that vein of thinking, I am taking the 365 challenge (as in taking one photo a day for a year), but with a twist. I am going to spend one year looking for at least one thing to inspire me everyday. I am going to write about that thing and include a photo (my photo of the day). Sometimes they may be unrelated, and by that I mean, completely related!! (sorry...dr. doofensmirtz reference)

But I am going to do my best to keep inspired, and feel free to do the same! Contribute in any way you like to this blog, as I welcome comments and suggestions!!!!

Let's enjoy being inspired by 2010 together, shall we?!?

Apartment Therapy

So in the wake of our economy, I have lost some of my favorite magazines...while magazines like Dwell and Elle Decor are still around, inspiring the do-it-yourself gurus and the wannabe interior designers, magazines like Blueprint and Domino have fallen by the wayside, leaving a large hole for those that really love edgy and fun modern design.

Well fear no more, internet readers! You can now read all about the inspirational homes that have been created all over, maybe even in your city! Apartment Therapy (a site I have been obsessing over for at least a year) is your newest fix!!! I am in love with the things this site provides, from DIY projects, to home tours, product introductions, and even a place to sell some of your stuff! The interiors are always beautiful, photographed with depth and artistic flair.

When you check out the site here, don't forget to check out their sister sites, one for kids, one on home cooking, one for at-home tech, and one for the green home! It seems like they've thought of everything!!! Now all you have to do is get on there and get inspired to create something fabulous of your own...

Who knows! You could be the next featured home tour!!!!
I know I'm loving this one!!!!

music's influence, woodstock's 40.

i have always had a sort of fascination with music. the sounds, the lyrics, the emotions, the music. it always seemed to speak to my soul from a very young age. i was so interested in the people that were making music, writing it, singing it, and just involved in the process. so involved was i in this love affair with music, it never occurred to me that others didn’t feel the way i felt about it. i was obsessed.
when i was a little girl, i asked my mother about woodstock. my mother was born in houston, the daughter of two small town texas residents, in the heart of baptist country. and yet when i was younger, i asked all sorts of questions about the hippie movement, woodstock, and the vietnam war. my mother was the perfect age to have taken part in all these historical moments in american history, and i wanted to know her part in them. she was married in 1969, just a few months before woodstock took place. i remember asking her about it, begging for some information--did you go? were you a hippie? what must it have been like? she simply responded with a “amy. my parents would have killed me if i decided to become a ‘hippie.’ and i would have never been allowed to go to woodstock, even if i wanted to, which i didn’t because it seemed scary and dangerous.”
my spirits were crushed. this epic musical event that in many ways shaped the way music was heard, and my mother didn’t even WANT to go! i couldn’t believe it. while my mother was a teenager in the late 60s, she and her friends were really more of the Jackie O style, with pencil skirts, lettermans’ sweaters, and flipped out hairdos. there was no room for hippies in houston texas, at least not in her momma's household.
that culture. that hippie culture. something about the whole thing always seemed so romantic to me. something about the organic lifestyle, nomadic existance, and the yearning for natural living, just seems so much more the way we ought to be living. in looking back on woodstock, as it’s 40th anniversary is this weekend, i am still so intrigued about its past. the people who were there, how much of the stories are real, and the music. the music that changed people’s lives.
music has always been a part of me. from practically living on our living room ottoman as i belted out tina turner into my fisher price microphone in diapers, to being called a human encyclopedia of lyrics by my friends now, music is not just a hobby or an interest. it’s kind of an affinity. a compulsion. one of those things that can’t be stopped in my bones.

happy moon walk!

today is the 40th anniversary of the first moon walk! no, i'm not talking michael jackson's...

i'm talking more neil armstrong, silly!!!

maybe we should all celebrate with a little moonwalk of our own??!!!!

one of my new favorite imixes...

amylanedesigns is here!!

I have decided to start a business after college. 

I will be creating custom stationary, including cards for any occasion, made with unique materials and original construction. Each card is unique, being created with one of a kind materials.

I will also be offering scrapbooking services. I have been doing scrapbooks for friends and family for years. This service will include all the materials and labor costs. All you have to do is send me your pictures, and let me know what style you like, and I will do my best to create something you will love and enjoy for years to come!

I will be adding some of my photography at a later time. I have been traveling around the world for about 15 years, even living abroad for a while. Through my travels, I have enjoyed taking pictures, and have been selling them to others who enjoy the places I have roamed to!

If you are interested in any of these services, please email me at amylanedesigns@gmail.com

I will be adding pictures soon, as samples of my work. So stay tuned, and check back soon!!!

they're selling the santa monica pier ferris wheel!!!!!

i can't believe it, but they are selling the ferris wheel from pacific park (aka the santa monica pier)!! the same ferris wheel you could see from my apartment window is going to be sold on ebay!!! i can't believe this! check out the story, or bid on it here:

election thoughts...

So I watch The View almost everyday. I think that it is interesting what they have been talking about. Now, I am an undecided party member, and I straddle the line on a lot of issues. I think that The View has been largely one sided about their discussion of the upcoming presidential election, mostly because most of the panelists are democrats. I felt that this was the next action, since so many people listen to The View, I felt I should say something, so this is the message I sent them:

Because you discuss it so much on The View, I would like to know when we are going to start looking past Obama's race, and start looking at his actual agenda? I would like to know the same about Hilary. From what I am hearing, it sounds like everyone is merely listening to the flowery speeches of Obama and Hilary, and not questioning their true desires for our nation. I would like to know how they TRULY feel about nuclear issues, security risks in our country, real health care issues, and even how Obama thinks he is going to only raise taxes for the "rich" only. I am sick of hearing that all of us are looking at Obama about race. I am tired of thinking that we are going to have a president based solely on the color of their skin, and not their morals, the rights they believe in, or what is best for our country. I think priority one is keeping our country safe from warfare, nuclear weapons, and inhumane treatment of others. So I hope we can look past the fact that Hilary is a woman (because what does that really have to do with being president?) and that Obama is black (again, what does that have to do with his abilities?), and really start looking at the issues.

i'm an aunt!!!

Easter Sunday, 6 weeks old, originally uploaded by kristen.philley.

this is my little niece katherine jane philley at six weeks old. she could be the cutest baby ever! i just love her so much!!

oh my italy...

so i've now been in italy for about 2 weeks. it's been an adjustment to say the least. class is good so far. i'm taking art history classes, and i was lucky enough to get into a conservation class, which was great for me because i am so interested in the conservation process of art history. so i am taking hidden meanings in renaissance art, a general renaissance art class, italian intermediate 2, theory of conservation, and art expertise. it's a full schedule of classes....but it seems like it's going to be a lot of fun. my roommates couldn't be better though. here's a pic of all of us...
it's been great living with these girls, and i couldn't be happier about the situation! so that's good. i am having a hard time with the whole transition to italian alone thing. i think that i will adjust for sure, but it's going to take a little time to get from frustrated to speaking all the time. but i'm going to work on it. i'm starting to just understand, so that's good. 
we took our first cooking class yesterday! it was so much fun to make all sorts of yummy food from scratch. i love working in the kitchen, and i really do think i would love to go to cooking school someday. yum! after making ravioli from scratch, and panna cotta, and tomato sauce, we go to sit down and have some really good dinner. two of the girls from california cooked with us, which made it really fun to get to know some other people. 

we haven't really started traveling all that much yet. but we will. everyone wants to go to the cinque terre this weekend. they all want to do the hostel thing, but i'm not too sure about that. we'll have to see. i've already been there, and i had such a good experience, that i'm not sure about going again, as i don't want to ruin that. but we'll see what actually comes of that. but things couldn't be better otherwise. please keep us in your prayers, and i appreciate all the fun messages and sweet emails. i love you guys! kisses