Separating air plant pups!

So ya'll might know about my lovely air plant already.

I posted about its bloom here and its pup here.

{Side note: goodness, I think my photography has improved since then! O_o}

Anyways, today was another big day for my plant!

The pup was ready to separate from the mother! :)

If you ever happen to have an air plant that needs separating (hey, it could happen!), here's how: 

First of all make sure the pup is relatively big ... enough to survive by itself.

Pinch it gently at the base of the new plant and pull. You might have to twist and wiggle it slightly. But be gentle! It should pull off pretty easily.

A closeup of where the pup used to be:

Ta-da! One plant is now two. 

It really is rather magical, you know ...

Oh, and I decided to display my new plant in a hollowed out light bulb. ;)

Have you done anything little but cool lately?

Messy art journal

My art journal is not always very neat. 

In fact, sometimes I make it messy on purpose to give it a little interest. ;)

For example:

One night at 11:23 I texted my friend.

"Is it weird that I'm splatting water on my journal page to make the ink run? 

Cuz it's about thunder and rain. And the runny blue ink looks rainy. And cool. 

If a bit hard to read ..."

She wrote back:

"No. It's weird that you have energy to CARE about ... much of anything ... at this hour."

Whatever. I still think it looks cool. ;)

It would have been even cooler if I had gone outside and let actual rain splatter it ... but I just used plain ole tap water. 

Boring, right?

;)

And my other recent messy page is titled "Beets". 

I got a job working in a sugar-beet field for a week ... and it was highly dirty.

So I smeared dirt on my journal page.

Yes, I did just do that. 

It adds authenticity. 

Ah, yes. Water and dirt. Not things you would normally think to put in your journal ... which is perhaps why I did it. 

Have you ever purposely messified your journal?

Because

 Our Dutch trip was wonderful.

And so is right now ... it's finally summer.

So I'm giving myself permission to blog the little things and enjoy living now. After all, our trip was over a month ago already, and I think it's time for this bloggy to move on.

But who knows? Maybe sometime this fall or winter when life is slow I will want to revisit our fantastic adventure and share the rest of it with you.

But for now?

Well, life is just full and crazy and absurd. And even though it's been hard and there have been sad and depressing days ... 

life is still weird and beautiful.

Why?

Well ...

Because of four leafed clovers.

Because caterpillars are works of art, texture & color.

 Because sometimes you want to remember the little things (and splatter paint around.)

Because being backstage during a ballet performance is one of the most beautiful and nerve wracking and magical {and sweaty} places to be.

Because solar eclipses are beyond amazing.

Because "in all the world, the epicenter of beauty was discovered by ... the waiter."

Because some days you just need to sit on the roof.

To get a new view.

To get away without leaving.

To be weird for no reason.

Because who knew inch worms could be so tiny?!

Because rainbows make the best salads.

Because double exposures are magic.

 Because robin eggs and rose bushes and stripey shadows.

Because today I spent a long time brushing and flossing and cleaning my teeth ... so I could go to the dentist ... to get my teeth cleaned. 

Because a roomful of graceful ballet dancers attempting gangstah hip-hop is gloriously uproariously fun.

Because arm muscles I didn't even know I had are still sore from tennis two days ago.

Because of summer thunderstorms rolling in at dusk.

Because of bike rides and inside jokes and soccer and trophies and hair chalking and Chinese buffets and teaching my dad how to cook and reading The Return of the King and getting pickle juice in my cut and listening to records and getting pinterest and crying & laughing in church and stupid stupid poems.

That ... that is just the barest beginning of why life is absurd ... and so beautiful.