Girl Who Loves Dirt

New Blog Address

2007-06-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all - I've moved my blog to a new address: http://kristinwalldesigns.wordpress.com

Miami Beach...rain and all

2007-06-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

I finally made it out the beach today. Between the intense sun and sweltering humidity, I opted to wait until early evening to take advantage of the white sand beach & 70 degree water (ahhh- super salty sea water!)About a half hour before I went outside, I could see dark, luminous clouds approaching, with thunder following. No rain - yet. So I decided to brave it & made my spot on the sand and jumped in the water. HEAVEN. Made me think about my surfing days back in Santa Cruz (much colder water). I would've stayed out there for hours. When you float on your back & submerge your ears, all you can hear is the sound of the ocean. Everything is blocked out. What a feeling. Life is good.

View of our hotel (Lowes) from the beach

Art Deco Galore

2007-06-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

I was the ultimate tourist today. Camera in hand, I toured the Art Deco district of Miami Beach Florida. A lot of the smaller hotels looked to be in their original state. Not bad, considering some of them date back to the 1920's. Each building had a unique style, showcasing the Art Deco architecture with long, thin forms and geometric shapes & patterns. I loved that the old buildings were either a stark white or a crazy intense color that screamed "look at me!"

Fish House

Front Door of Fish House

Grand Towers

Marlin Hotel

Park Central Hotel

The biggest allure for me was the typography - very stylized, but clean at the same time.

World Erotic Art Museum

2007-06-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I visited the erotic museum in Spain and was totally blown away. While vacationing in Miami Beach Florida, I came across the World Erotic Art Museum www.weam.com. I didn't think this one could top it. Boy, was I wrong!
They had over 12,000 sq ft of art, ranging from paintings in different mediums, to sculptures to wine bottle openers that had naked men carved into the handle. It's a toss-up between my personal fav's...the old school "pleasure chaise lounge" made specifically for women. It dated back to the early 1900's. And the hand carved "pleasure instruments" (aka beautifully carved dildos) from Japan that dated back to the late 1800's. I know people have been enjoying these naughty pleasures for years, but didn't realize so many cultures expressed their sexuality in these art forms. Dildos dating back to the late 1800's...who knew?

An original interpretation of Leda and the Swan painted on a store mannequin. Karen Rosenberg. American, c. 2000

A male satyr head with horns and beard, with thirteen women's torsos comprising the facial features. American, c. 2000

Pepe' My Love

2007-05-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

After a rough start, Pepe' & Frisco became the best of friends

My little Pepe'...He was my soul kitty.

This past weekend Pepe', who was an indoor kitty, managed to slip outside for an adventure. He made his way down the end of our street and found himself in an unleashed dog park. Witnesses said he had an encounter with a dog and unfortunately, lost the fight.

He was here such a short time, but had a tremendous impact. He was such a love, so devoted, such a creature of habit. He brought such love and joy into my life and I'm grateful for that. I will miss him dearly...

Dumpster Diving

2007-05-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

We did it again...

Kathleen, my ever-faithful friend who will do just about anything for the sake of art (well, almost anything...) agreed to go dumpster diving so I could capture the essence of how cigarette cravings make a person crazy.

To prepare for the concept, I did a bit of research on dumpster diving. I was amazed to learn how many websites are dedicated to the "art" of dumpster diving. More than that, I was shocked to learn just how much food and other essential items are tossed away. Palettes and crates of perfectly good food thrown out every day. Meanwhile, the local soup kitchen has a line out the door and kids are going to school without breakfast.

Why is this? Are we too lazy to take our extras to those in need? Is it too much of an inconvenience to take a few moments out of our day to help someone other than ourselves?

I don't want to rant and rave too much on this soap box. Just some thoughts out loud...

Come on, Make me Laugh

2007-05-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

I'm constantly on the search for ads that make me laugh out loud. We're bombarded with such mediocre advertising that it's refreshing to come across something that makes you stop and think - and most important - LAUGH.
Of course, a little bit (or a lot) of naughty humor goes a long way in my opinion...

Love this TV spot...

Truth in Advertising
"

Guerilla advertising

Wash Your Hands

Axe Shower Gel

(both of these ads can been found at www.ihaveanidea.org)

Double Barrel

2007-04-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, when I was living in the Bay Area, I was in Santa Cruz and spotted the coolest piercing. A double peircing in the nose - I like to call it a double barrel. Finally, after all these years, I did it. The closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. Cheers to body adornment!

There is a Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow

2007-03-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

Good news my friends! We finally received word from the Student Addy
Competition...
Bram and I made our mark! Bram received the Bronze for his submission
of "Crashing Bird" and I received Gold for my Cervical Cancer
Awareness campaign.

You can view the entire campaign in the post below "All for the Addy's"

You can view the entire winning list here:
http://ad2seattle.org/StudentADDYsPR.pdf

All Gold winning entries have been automatically forwarded to the
District Competition, which is currently being judged and District
winners will be announced the week of April 2nd and posted online
April 20th. The winning entries for the District Competition will be
forwarded to the National Competition and Awarded at the AAF National
Conference June 9-11.

Keeping my fingers crossed...

Thanks again to those who contributed to this campaign!

All for the Addy's

2007-03-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

I recently submitted a campaign for Cervical Cancer Awareness to the student Addy's. I went to great lengths to make sure the campaign was executed properly (ie: selected models, took all of the photos, clean design and layout). This campaign rocks and there was NOTHING that would stop me from completing my mission of getting my work into this competition.

Of course - Murphy's Law - everyhting that could go wrong, went wrong.

The day before the deadline:
my files went corrupt
my flash drive burned up
missed the deadline to FedEx overnite

Someone suggested driving to the location to drop off my submission. UUmm...I'm in Portland and it's only 3 hours to Seattle...do it or not do it? I figured I'd been through this much, I wanted to see this project through to the end damn it.

I was on the road the next morning by 7:30am. Did I mention we were experiencing freakishly cold weather here in Portland and it had begun snowing. I didn't care - I would drive through rain, sleet and snow to get this damn project submitted! And I did - drive through snow - lots of it.

325 miles and nearly 7 hours later I completed my mission. You know, sometimes the journey is more important than the outcome.

Kickboxing

2006-12-01T02:01:00.000-08:00

It's been one hell of a month! I've taken up Muay Thai boxing. Partly due to conducting research for a school project. But mostly out of curiosity and now I'm hooked. I've been taking classes for about 3 1/2 weeks and feel incredible. It's a hell of a workout. The techniques taught and practiced in class are mind blowing. You want me to elbow you where? You want me to jab you there? You want me to kick you WHERE? Hell yes! Between the workout with individual partners and the heavy bags, I'm on my way to becoming a lean mean fightin' machine. This sport is no joke. Check out my "badges" of honor - courtesey of the 8 heavy bag stations. And these bruises are nearly a week old. I guess you can say I'm offically broken in. I can see already that this is going to be an interesting journey for both the body and mind. Bring it!

Calling all Skittles enthusiasts!

2006-11-01T16:48:00.001-08:00

What's the craziest thing you've done to get your Skittles fix?

What makes Izze's sparkling fruit juice so good?

2006-11-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

Why do you choose Izze's sparkling fruit juice over the "other stuff"? If Izze's had a personality, who or what would it be? For example, Izze lemon flavored is a conservative banker by day and a has a fetish for feather slippers by night...likes Kung Fu movies and listens to Harry Connick Jr. Who is your Izze?

Da Man

2006-10-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

My movie whoring, music junkie husband Barry. I don't know if this man helps to keep me sane or makes me go insane...A little of both I suppose.

The Little Man

2006-10-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

This ball of energy is the star of my universe. At the end of the day, all I long to hear is "mommy, mommy, I'm so glad to see you." That's music to my ears.
I never knew what patience was until it was served to me by my three year old in the form of "NOOOO, I don't want to!"

Tattoo

2006-10-21T14:41:00.000-07:00

My badge, my tattoo...Number six to be exact. Yes, they are addicting. A beautiful piece of art that I can call my own that is right there looking back at me. . Of all the symbols that I have used over the years to express myself, I believe ivy is the perfect juxtapose solution. On the one hand, it can be an untamed sea of foliage that never dies no matter how much you try to kill it. And at the same time, it can possess such delicate beauty that without proper care will become wilted and lifeless.