happy holidays.

yoga girl.

it all started back in early september... i was working on a project for my information animation class for my master's program trying to learn all of the ins and outs of adobe flash and quickly discovered how powerful a tool it really is.

the assignment :: illustrate my name using animations of...really anything. so, naturally, i turned to yoga. as many of you know, i am very devoted to my yoga practice. in fact, more recently, i have found it to be somewhat of a religion for me. it's not just the physical practice that i have come to love so much. it's also the spiritual practice, which i am able to take with me off my mat.

so when i sat down to start drawing for this assignment, these very simple stick figures were born.

after sharing my drawings with friends and family, and receiving a lot of positive feedback on them, i was encouraged to branch out a bit and sell the design on apparel and other items.

so, with that said, i introduce you to my "Yoga Girl" shop on Zazzle. http://www.zazzle.com/taberlightfoot 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Off the Mat, Into the World, an initiative started by seane corne (one of my favorite yoginis) that i wholeheartedly support.

so if you're looking for something special to give to that yogini (or yogi) in your life, take a look at the Yoga Girl line. the quality of the apparel and products is excellent! and more Yoga Girls will be added to the shop over the next few weeks.

if there is a specific pose you're looking for that's not listed in the store, leave a comment, or email me. i'm happy to customize a design for you!

sew-a-long, week one.

after a week away in the sunshine state visiting the 'rents for the holiday, i'm back home settling in and trying to focus on all of the things that need my attention over these next few weeks before classes end and christmas arrives, one of which is the sew-a-long that i'm taking part in via one pearl button.

our first assignment was to download the pattern of the item we're making, which is a fabulous reusable grocery bag from burdastyle, and then tape the pattern pieces together.

we also had to find a 3/4 yard of fabric for our bag (this was the fun part!) that would be durable enough yet flexible enough so this bag can easily be stashed in one's purse. so in line with this whole reuse/recycle kick i've been on lately, i decided to use fabric from some large old pillowcases that i had saved from my grandmother's house. i don't remember exactly where the fabric was originally purchased. i think it was a williamsburg print. but when we were moving her out of her house a few years ago, i couldn't bear to see these go. so i saved them.

luckily, i have three large pillowcases...enough fabric for this project in case i should need more. :-) i'm excited to see how this bag turns out. but what i'm even more excited about is to get reacquainted with my sewing machine. more soon...

what i'm wearing.

i love how one pearl button shares the details of her outfits every week. not only is she an amazing crafter, but she's got a fabulous sense of style. i especially love how she layers tights! i'll definitely try that soon...

anyhow, i thought i would join in on the fun and post the details of what i was wearing the other day. doing this sort of audit of your outfits is kind of cool.

:: scarf :: a gift from my cousin over at thistle downs wool design
:: shirt :: from the organic cotton line at wal-mart
:: skirt :: converse, courteously of target
:: leggings :: urban outfitters
:: boots :: frye purchased from rue la la
:: bracelet :: handmade decoupage bracelet, inspiration from one pearl button

a sew-a-long!

for the past few years now, i have been itching to learn how to sew. well, the time has finally come! i'll soon be pulling out my sewing machine from the closet to put it to use!

one of my very favorite bloggers, alli, over at one pearl button, has so graciously offered to her readers a sew-a-long! that's right! she's going to teach us how to sew via her blog! i'm so thrilled, yet a little nervous as to how i'm going to fit this into my already hectic schedule that is filled with work, grad school, yoga, and of course spending time with my loved ones.

but as one of my favorite manifestos states, "that which matters the most should never give way to that which matters the least." so i'll have to prioritize here to carve out the time to learn this new skill.

stay tuned for updates on my progress!

also, there are some changes a-comin' to cafe taber in the very near future. so check back soon...

a milestone...a reason to celebrate!

a dear friend celebrated a very special milestone today! so a little bubbly was in store! cheers to her!


"if you desire a glorious future, transform the present. there is actually no other choice."

~ patanjali's yoga sutras (300-200BCE), india

endurance.

i recently purchased the book, 1,001 pearls of yoga wisdom, from one of my favorite stores in new haven. i carry it with me everywhere, reading a page or two when i can for inspiration. #691 resonated with me today, so i had to share here.

"yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured." ~ B.K.S. Iyengar

my diversion.

i should be doing work for grad school. but, i diverted to creating, yet another, decoupage bracelet, for a dear friend of mine who is moving to arizona this week.

i caught myself staring at the HUGE stack of magazines that i save for these bracelets that i love making so much in my kitchen. so i was forced :-) to take a break from my studies to be crafty for a bit.

(notice the beginning of a new collection of mine in the background...oil lanterns. i love them!)

now, that i've mastered the art of making these fabulous, eco-friendly items, it was a quick, and easy thing to create.


the bracelet in the picture above is one i made recently for myself. if i had it my way, i'd have a million of these to wear! i just think they are so stylish and such a great way to reuse/recycle old magazines that you have laying around.

i hope my girlfriend likes the one i made for her...i'll post pictures when it's done...and dry!

alice.

i'm knee deep in work for my animation class. so forgive me if all i write about here is related to that class. i watched alice in wonderland tonight in the hopes i would be inspired for my next project for this course. i forgot how much i love this movie!

i was browsing the internet for images from the movie. loved the ones below so much that i had to share.

spiders, bats, and scary trees.

i have to create a cartoon in adobe flash for one of my grad school classes. given that halloween is upon us, i thought i would create a short cartoon promoting the 2nd annual haunted hallway at a local elementary school where my boyfriend teaches art. i'm still trying to get the hang of drawing in flash, but i was pretty pleased with the characters that i drew the other night. this class is definitely bringing out the kid in me!



the scary tree needs a little more work... i also have to finish creating the other characters.

if you're in the area (hamden, ct) this coming saturday, october 10, you should definitely check out the haunted hallway. i promise that you will be scared...

yoga girl.

a little creation of mine...

i'm learning adobe flash this semester in my master's program. it's a lot harder than i had imagined. here's a sneak preview of one of my yoga girl stick figures. i'm thinking this might become a series for something...notecards? t-shirts? we shall see...

yoga with izzy.

i've been on a yoga hiatus simply due to my knee diagnosis, which i will not bore you with here. but that didn't stop me from working on my home practice a little. i'm trying to keep as active as possible. however, i had a slight interruption...or two from my "roommate," izzy, who was very interested in taking part in the festivities...




...i got a little yoga in that evening and needless to say so did izzy!

finding balance.

every now and then go away,
have a little relaxation,
for when you come back to your work,
your judgment will be surer;
since to remain constantly at work
will cause you to lose power of judgment...
go some distance away
because the work appears smaller
and more of it can be taken in at a glance,
and a lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen.

-- leonardo da vinci (1452-1519)

chicago :: four

the last night we were in chicago, we met some friends of mine from college for dinner at shaw's crab house - yum!! who would think you could find good seafood in chicago??

to digest our meals and end our evening right with a night cap, we headed just a few doors down from shaw's to andy's jazz club where we sat right up front at a quaint little table and listened to a great jazz band!!

p.j.

a Q&A with p.j., my cousin's three-year old son, while he was eating his lunch.

:: august 24, 2009 ::


Q :: who is your best friend, p.j.?

emily

Q :: what is your favorite color?

yellow...pink!!


Q :: what is your favorite cartoon?

the einsteins!!

Q :: airplane or train?

airplane to go home. train to stephy's. and car to my house in california!

Q :: what is your favorite food, p.j.?

p.j. gets out of chair and runs away...


may god bless three-year olds!!

chicago :: three

chicago is just oozing with some of the most amazing art and architecture that i have ever seen.

just walk around the city and one can see some of the most beautiful and world reknown sculptures without having to enter a museum.

i saw the flamingo sculpture by alexander calder, located in federal plaza on s. dearborn street, which you may remember seeing in ferris bueller's day off.

and then the pablo picasso sculpture (untitled), located in daley plaza in the chicago loop. visitors to the sculpture can often be found sliding down the sculpture (eh em...as my boyfriend did so gracefully with a few children - see video below).

in addition to the art that exists throughout the streets of chicago, there is also the art institute of chicago that is must-see for anyone visiting the windy city.

unfortunately, we didn't have a whole lot of time to spend at the institute, just a few hours. i could have spent the week there admiring all of the different periods of artwork throughout the building, which i might add is one of the most beautiful art museums that i have ever been to.

another ferris bueller's day off reference. remember the scene when they are admiring the seurat? well, i did the same! that's me below marveling at all of those tiny little dots that make up this gorgeous masterpiece!

chicago :: two

wrigley field!!!!

we got off the subway at addison with no tickets in hand. my boyfriend schmoozed with a few scalpers (shhh!) to get us some pretty fabulous tickets.

we made friends with the people around us (all of whom were chicagoans and major cub fans) and indulged in some ballpark beers and snacks!

i was so intrigued by the bleacher seats on top of the private businesses outside of the stadium that literally had amazing views of the game!

we were lucky enough to have front row seats to the cubs band! for a bit of history about wrigley field, check out this description on flickr.

this is the original scoreboard, which is largely still in tact - built in 1937.

you can't experience a true american baseball game without hearing, "take me out to the ball game!" during the stretch of the 7th inning.

a little lovin' in front of wrigley field...and in front of the statue of ernie banks, the first cub to retire his number. all in all it was a great day at wrigley.

counting the days until i can get back there...

chicago :: one

this was the first picture i took once we got off the subway and into the heart of the city. a few days later we would be on that same boat (pictured below) taking in all of the amazing architecture of the windy city.

but our first stop, after dropping off our luggage at the condo we rented on n. dearborn street, was to lou malnati's to indulge in some chicago-style deep dish pizza. according to the urban spoon and a few chicagoans, lou's is one of the top pizza places in the city.

i'll admit, however, that i wasn't too impressed with the thick crust. in my mind, nothing can top a pizza from modern or pepe's in new haven, connecticut.


chicago at our feet!

next we headed over to the willis tower, formerly the sears tower, to check out the view from 103 stories up in the sky! those are our feet on "The Ledge" a 4.3 foot glass box that extends beyond the skydeck.


look at that beautiful skyline!! we were blessed with gorgeous weather throughout our entire stay.

next stop...wrigley field!

i love chicago!

a recent trip to chicago with my boyfriend is what made me fall in love with this city. we went for a few days in july. neither one of us had ever been there before so it was so fun to explore the city together. we took more than 500 pictures and several hours of video footage, some of which i will share here over the next few days.

so check back for a series of posts about the art, the music, the food, and all of the sites that we saw in my new favorite city, chicago!

:: this collage was my boyfriend's creation ::

my home away from home.

i've been spending quite a lot of time over the past several months doing yoga. it has brought some much needed peace into my life as well as some much needed flexibility!

i have never been more in touch with my own body than ever before thanks to the excellent instructors there!

i'm looking forward to participating in the global mala project that yoga on whitney is participating in come this september. you can learn more about the effort at globalmala.org.

namaste!

bangles. berries. beer.

:: more decoupage bracelet making with my lady friends. ::


:: the one with the peace sign was made for a very dear friend of mine. ::


:: then off to burlington, vermont to visit the sister for some beer tastin' and berry pickin'. ::


:: burlington brew fest 2009 ::

:: organic raspberries and blueberries are what i was pickin' at adam's berry farm. ::