Thanksgiving Week And Black Friday

As you know, I came home only to leave once again.  I needed to get back out of the house on Tuesday so Max and I have been staying with two close friends and their baby, Alexa.

For once in a long time, I have been relaxing and doing nothing, really.  I've taken Max to the dog park every day so he can run around and get a workout and that always makes me smile.

Last year I spent Thanksgiving and Christmas alone so it was a treat to be able to spend it with a friend this year.  Since we are both "non cooks," we found a place that sold turkey take out meals so we bought two to go and sat on the couch and stuffed ourselves.

So, today is the biggest shopping day of the year.  Shopping is the last thing I would like to do.  I couldn't even imagine getting up early like so many do to get a deal on something they really didn't need to begin with.  After living out of my car for the past three years for six months at a time, I don't really get attached to things like I used to.  Don't get me wrong, I love my camera, computer and phone but I don't have a need to jump out and fight the crowds to spend money that I really should save.

However, the money I spend will be on handmade goods.  A good place to shop is etsy.  All items on this site are either handmade or vintage.  If you didn't know already, I have a little shop where I am currently selling my photograph art boxes.  Speaking of my art boxes...through Sunday, everything in my shop is 25% off when you enter code FACEBOOK25 at checkout.  So, that's handmade art for about $20 bucks each!  I have a few upcoming shows I will tell you about soon.  I hope you enjoy the weekend and spend it with loved ones.  That's all that really matters.

Austin, Texas

I love this city.  I came here last year on my trip and fell in love with the place.  There is art everywhere you look, the people are weird and there are plenty of places to eat out of a food truck.  What is not to love about that?

During this short stay, I wandered around to several galleries on the East Austin Studio Tour.  The tour is pretty spread out so you won't be able to cover everything in a day.  I just stumbled upon several of the galleries, ate at some food trucks and met some amazing artists.  I loved finding The Wonder Craft.  It's an Airstream filled with handmade goodies that everyone loved.  You could see it in their eyes as they walked in. I know my face must have looked the same as I stepped inside.  It was the, "ooooo look at all of the hand made goodies!" face.

Along the tour route, I was able to chat with many of the artists and a few photographers I particularly enjoyed meeting were Sarah Wilson and George Brainard.

There is something for everyone in the city.  If you decide to tour 6th street downtown, you will get a completely different feel, when compared to the East Arts district.  There is always Congress Street, which is not to miss.  You can stroll the streets and find many vintage shops, restaurants and even eat cupcakes made in an Airstream.

Max also enjoyed the city since he was able to play at one of the many dog parks they have.  I know I will have to make a point to come back.  There are too many things to see and you just can't do it in a few days.

Here are a few photographs I took as I walked along the streets.

Handmade iphone Photography Photo Art Boxes

I tend to get bored easily.  I am not one of the many people that can grab a book and sit on a beach and read all day.  I am excited to report that I have read two more books from beginning to end to complete my, "5 books from start to finish" goal this year.

Another goal of mine that wasn't on the list was to put together art boxes from the photographs I've been taking with my iphone on this journey.  I am happy to say that I completed this goal.  Sometimes I get ideas in my head that I have to follow through and complete before I obsess too much about them.  This project was one of those ideas.

Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE to take photographs with the other cameras I have and will continue to upload portraits, events and landscapes to my photography site, but there is something about the iphone hipstamatic app that I just love.

I had these 4x4 photographs printed on archival paper and I mounted them on 4x4 wood blocks after I hand sanded them and applied primer  with several coats of paint in either black or white.  After I mounted the photograph on the finished block, I then applied several layers of non toxic clear matte finish to give the boxes a nice texture and durability.  I am pleased on how they turned out.

Since these are my first round of boxes, I have them up for sale on etsy in my shop that you can see here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlisonTravels

Each box is signed on the back and I also put where the photograph was taken.  Many of the photographs are featured in an iphone photography slide show I put together that you can view HERE.

I will continue to write about my travels but wanted to mention what I've been up to.  I look forward to sharing more photographs of my adventures here soon.

Unique LA Experience

I hate shopping.  I am one of those people who knows what they want when they go to a store, get it and leave as quickly as possible.  Also, I tend to look online for the best deals and prefer to buy online then step foot in a store.  I would rather buy from someone who took the time to make an item themselves, rather than a mass produced item.  Yesterday I attended "Unique LA" in downtown Los Angeles.

It was a gathering of people who dedicate their lives to their passion of making goods by hand.  Everything at the event was made directly from the person standing in the booth.  It was a good time of browsing funky items and chatting with the people who make them.

There was also a photographer taking pictures of a car scene and of course I had to play along.  I decided that cruising in a car with a pet Rooster would be fun.  This is what it would look like if I decided to choose an impala convertable car and a bird to travel with instead of my old suv and Max.  I think Max would be a little bit easier to travel with.

A lot of the items sold at the event can be found on Etsy.  If you are not familiar with the website, I would take a look at the items.  Everything is handmade or vintage but all items are unique.  As a matter of fact, I have an etsy store with some of my photographs that you can purchase if you click HERE. The proceeds will go for a gas budget that will be much needed soon when I get on the road.

Etsy Fridays

I have slowly but surely decided on a few pictures to put up for sale on Etsy. It's not easy sorting through 30,000 pictures to find one that I like enough to offer to you.

Each Friday, I am going to post new pictures that I have put up for sale on Etsy that week. I will put them up throughout the week but will send you a notice on my Facebook Fan page each Friday on what is new so you don't have to check back on the ETSY page if you are looking for something. I always welcome suggestions so if you love a picture but don't see it for sale...let me know!

You can always take a quick look on the right side of the blog to see what's up for sale. I am new at this, so thank you for your patience as I work out the kinks. To get updates, please become a Facebook fan by clicking HERE

So, it's a goal completed on my 39 things I am going to do in my 39th year list. Now it's off to discover new things and places to talk about! Keep exploring! :)

Goal Completed: Launch A Site To Sell Photographs

Throughout the year, I will be updating the status of my "39 goals in my 39th year" by posting items that I have completed and telling you a little bit about it.

Today I completed a task! I set up a photograph site to sell my pictures on Etsy.

I have a banner on this blog that will show thumbnails of all the pictures I currently have up for sale. For now, I have one picture of tower #2 listed that I took in Long Beach, California.

I will submit a new photograph each week for a 52 week project of new photographs for sale. Please become a fan on Facebook to see all of the photos in an album as we go along. The picture I decide to put up each week for purchase will have a lot to do with your influence as well. I have many photographs up of my travels on the fan site and if you see one there you would like me to put up for sale, leave me a comment! The more comments I get on a photograph, the more likely it will be a photograph of the week!

I set this goal for myself because you have to start somewhere. I enjoy taking pictures so much and I enjoy it even more when I see a smile on someones face, excited to see it brought to life. Depending on how it's received and how well I can coordinate, I could go beyond the 52 images this year. I hope to do that.

Thank you all so much for your support! Now I am off to complete the other 38 goals on my list!