written November 25th, 2009 · 0 comments
I have been featured in a brand new beautiful treasury! I really love all these items together. Leave comments here until Friday!
Posted in Etsy Treasuries
written November 12th, 2009 · 0 comments
I haven’t done one of these in a while! Fresh bright colors for a gray Fall day! Leave comments here until Sunday.
Posted in Etsy Treasuries
written November 10th, 2009 · 0 comments
I am finally posting my photographs from Preview Berlin, a very large art exhibition that was at the Tempelhof Airport over a month ago. There were many exciting pieces that even got my boyfriend excited:) Enjoy!
Posted in Art, Life in Berlin, My Photography
written November 9th, 2009 · 2 comments
I went to Potsdamer Platz (in Berlin) on Saturday with my boyfriend to see the dominoes that had been sent around Germany and the world to be painted by school children and others. We got there just as the sun was setting but I still managed to snap a lot of pictures thanks to the lights installed everywhere. It was packed with people and bustling with food stands everywhere and even Glühwein! I know, already! We had to drink one since we were slowly getting cold because we forgot hats and gloves. It had been so nice earlier in the day!
I just finished watching the whole fall of the wall ceremony on TV and got to see the dominoes knocked down by Lech Walesa, which fell among the crowds gathered in the center of Berlin. It was a nice ceremony with a lot of emphasis on taking note of all the walls that still exist in the world.
The dominoes were painted with many different themes. I photographed the ones that were visually compelling and had a good concept. There were so many that I liked! I didn’t get to see them all though. I got quite cold before I got to the end of the domino line and turned back. I hope you enjoy what I managed to capture.
Posted in Life in Berlin, My Photography
written November 6th, 2009 · 0 comments
Last Friday I was practicing my Pilates like a good and diligent teacher preparing for my first (German) Pilates class and my neck started giving me such pain! I guess my body just wasn’t warm enough or something or I was pushing myself to hard the week before. I have been trying to play catch up physically after 2 weeks on vacation in the US and 1 week of being sick. It’s tough! But anyhow, I am better now, and I am ready for my class tomorrow.
I have prepared a few changes to the class. I think the students are a lot fitter than I originally thought. So I’ve got to keep them interested! Teaching is so much fun! When I first stepped into the class last Tuesday I thought, oh man, this is going to be a long hour. But you get into it and it goes by so fast! I made a mixed CD for my class and I think I will feel more and more confident. Tomorrow I just need to get the heating right in the studio and I think I have it down pat!
One of the things I think I should really try and do is to make sure that the class knows they can ask me any questions afterward. When I first started taking Yoga I bombarded my teacher everyday after class with questions about the positions and what I am doing right/wrong. I get the feeling that people are mostly shy or are just not so curious, I don’t know. But I want to encourage them to get involved. It only improves your work.
I want to start tutoring some of my friends individually to work on my teaching skills and to be aware of what beginners are facing when they start Pilates. And then I think I will definitely be looking for a place to teach in English somewhere. Right now I am teaching 4 times a week, but it is temporary. When my teacher comes back, she gets all of her classes back, although there has been talk of me getting one of her classes if her schedule is too full. I think it is great to do it in both languages too. I don’t know what I was so afraid of with the whole German thing…it is no big deal to teach the class in German. But, as my boss once told me, we have different ways of speaking depending on the language we speak. It sounds odd, but so true. I think when I speak English I am more natural, relaxed and funny, but when I speak German I am a bit more serious because I am concentrating on the language.
Posted in Life in Berlin, Pilates
written October 29th, 2009 · 0 comments
Yesterday I went to the Illustrative Berlin show with my friend and saw some great stuff! Here’s an overview of the artists who participated (although all are not listed).
The first artist that caught my eye was CIOU from France, I think (her website is biography-less). The pieces she exhibited were so finely painted, I had to view the paintings so close to see some of the finest lines. She paints fantastical female characters with a bit of a punk/death/dark side to them. The canvases were initially covered with collaged newspaper that was varnished with a brownish yellow color and then the characters were painted over that. There seemed to be so many layers and the detail was fascinating. Such gems! Check out some other work of hers (images from her website):
Posted in Art, Life in Berlin
written October 29th, 2009 · 0 comments
I received a clothing catalog from Otto this week in the mail and while flipping through, found some pretty crazy/bad/ugly styling! I love looking at these kinds of catalogs after seeing what’s on the runway and in magazines, and then comparing the two! Some of the outfits are just plain bad interpretations of current trends, but others are just scary. It makes me wonder how one could come up with such odd outfits. I enjoy making fun of this kind of stuff…is that bad? I also found some obvious over-photoshopping, which always tickles me. Oh, I am such a designer nerd!
So, first off…in the image on the left…we’ve got some sleek wool work trousers paired with a paisley print hippie top and a tight jean vest. There are absolutely no colors working together in this outfit! Each piece of clothing looks like it was taken from a different women with completely different tastes in clothing. Hmmm…. The image on the right just makes me chuckle. I have never seen anyone silly enough to rock the high heels and socks look with socks such as these! Notice that the leopard pattern cuts off before the sole of the foot. Attractive!
Posted in Fashion
written October 29th, 2009 · 2 comments
Well I am back after a long 3 weeks. I was back home in Philadelphia visiting my family with my boyfriend. We had such a great time! We were busy everyday with a new adventure. We went hiking and canoeing, visited Longwood gardens and my mom’s place on the Chester River (near the Chesapeake Bay), stayed at my sister’s place in Philadelphia and went shopping, spent a day in New York City and took a little trip to Coney Island, and went to a wedding!
Well I just wanted to share some photos really. First off, my outfit for the wedding and the earrings I designed for my dress! My sister and I:
Posted in My Photography, Traveling
written September 23rd, 2009 · 0 comments
I do so much collaging in my sketchbooks that I have decided to start scanning the pages and posting them here on my blog. Lately I have been very inspired by jewelry on the runway since I started designing my own! But I am still always clipping pics of hot fashion, after all, a necklace or pair earrings has to be worn with the right outfit and I have to know what’s in! The fashion for this Fall is really exciting for me because big statement necklaces are in, as well as long chains. I will be posting more on Fall fashion soon, but for now, let’s take a look at some fashion from the last year mixed in with what’s in now. The things in my sketchbooks are still inspiring for me long after I paste them in. A good idea is a good idea and it is not always about trends! If your always following trends, or designing for them, then you are most likely copying ideas and it is good to ignore trends sometimes to fuel the pure creativity. Enjoy these snippets from my sketchbook!
This is from a year ago, but it puts me in the mood for Fall and I still love love love that hat! read more…
Posted in Collages, Fashion, Inspiration, Jewelry
My name is Ann, an American in Berlin!
Here you can read about my wacky design
projects, jewelry making endeavors,
inspiring fashion, design, and my perspective on life.
read more
