A Beautiful Mess

Salvation Mountain

some photos from our road trip to Salvation Mountain....



my sister, her boyfriend and two of our friends drove three hours together to see this magical place.
i'll tell you a little bit about it.... first you should know that i am *not* much of a tourist. I almost never get excited about seeing famous places (not because they aren't cool, i just always think they look cooler in photos than in real life.) This was so beautiful and worth the trip. It was so silent when we arrived, it was almost creepy (in a really cool way, of course!). It was so much bigger and more complex than i had imagined....

paint cans... :)





and some photos from inside...












(my friend, jered)

(the adorable caleb)

and (saving the best for last!) pretty sure this is the coolest person i have ever met in my whole life!

Leonard King is the creator of Salvation Mountain. He has spent more than 20 years working on this project. His work is so beautiful and his attitude and story are even more lovely. It was a true honor to meet him and talk about his mountain. :)

Well, I am off to hang out with Emma for a few more days (and let's be honest...) work on some new things for my etsy update coming July 7. Emma and I never stop working and we NEVER stop loving it!
Have a great weekend!
elsiecake

a memory i want to keep.

last night mr. larson stayed up all night writing a new song. he woke me up this morning so i could listen.
magic.

today has been the most inspired and productive day in months. it's amazing how one person's hard work can challenge everyone around them. it's beautiful, i think.

i need a little something*something...

whoa... i am have been working sooooo much lately. feels like i need a breath of fresh air, possibly a little nap (haha) and some new inspiration.... if you have any new music, film or art links that you would like to share with me, i would love it!

mother's day photos coming soon..... :D
xox. elsie

PS. i need to say *THANK YOU* for all of your kind comments and support of my new book. it *really* means a lot. thank you.

listen closely to your dreaming mind...

last night when i was half asleep i had a rush of inspiration... i wrote down some random notes in the dark and this morning i was delighted to find these ideas sleeping beside me. lesson learned: it's always a good thing to sleep with pen and paper.
well, it's monday and i have a feeling this is going to be a wonderful week for creating. for the next few days i am in what i like to call "love, elsie lockdown" (meaning i won't be leaving my house... except to get starbucks... until a new collection is completed). maybe i will take some breaks here and there to post on here though... you just might be my only connection with the outside world! :D so if you are feeling crafty, let's make some stuff.... ok?
happy monday to all...

xo. elsie

the things that inspire...

lately, i have been really inspired. i feel blessed to have so many beautiful things floating around in my world right now.... i thought it would be fun to share a few and also ask *you* what is inspiring you at the moment....

Film
i've been thinking i really need to rewatch *2046*.... so many beautiful colors....



(if you like foreign films... i loooove them.)

i'd also love to see *frida* again in the near future... the scene with all the glitter... steal my heart!

i've never seen *a very long engagement*... it's for sure at the top of the list of things i am meaning to do right now....

i recently saw *my kid could paint that* at the moxie. it was sort of sad, but beautiful none the less....

and (saving the best for last...) this was the most beautiful thing i have ever seen...



watch this! :]

this week i've had some lovely people staying at my loft...

my friends from One Star Story

and the boys from *School Boy Humor*

What is inspiring *you* right now? 
have a lovely day.... hugs. XOXO.elsie   

Who is your Hero?

i was talking to my friend the other day about how sad it is that people don't often have heroes anymore.... do you have a hero? someone who inspires you to live your life a different way or makes you dream more fantastic dreams?

my hero is Jim Houser. His work is just so fascinating to me... just every little thing about it. I'm pretty sure I've read his book a million times....


who is your hero?

crazy inspiration!

Lately there has been a lot going on my soul, in terms of inspiration. So many things are "waking me up", making me dream and making me want to create!

Here is what has caught my attention *big time* as of late....

*photography*
this page reminds me of the things that made me want to start scrapbooking. Life. Memories. Randomness. Color. That challenge definitely intrigues me.

color! 

Old*school!

Details!

Awwwe!

these galleries...
Danielle Thompson

Jen Campbell

Olivia

Sharon Kim

Amanda Keeys

(so many more...)

and my #1 favorite gallery  to look at on Flickr.... Andrea (her way of capturing life inspires me so much!)

and an image from David LaChapelle (one of my favorite photographers!)

more to come.....