I am the daisy

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Down by the stream

All I have to show for lately are really rough recordings of my songs. I literally just finished writing this song today and recorded it so that I would remember it. It has been a while since I have put up a video so I figured I would share it anyways, flaws and all.

Run,
Run your way down to the stream
You can rest a while with me
Feel the warmth under your feet
And be at peace

Dear,
is this all you've ever known?
It's okay to let it go
Feel the warmth under your feet
Down by the stream

I don't know why things are the way they are
But they can't hurt me
Down by the stream

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Strawberry & coconut milk ice cream

Lately I have been very determined to make some serious changes in my eating habits. I have felt compelled for quite a while, and desire to stick to this way of eating and thinking for my body and mind. I still love food but I am enjoying it the right way! One thing that I have been craving is ice cream. I have really wanted to make ice cream out of coconut milk and strawberries for some time now, so I dug out the ice cream maker and whipped up the easiest recipe! It is perfect for those who are avoiding dairy since it is dairy-free of course, and best of all made with organic ingredients, and satisfies your love of ice cream. This recipe (like most recipes)entirely goes by what you prefer to add to it. You can use any fruit you like, and anything for sweetening. I highly recommend using organic ingredients no matter what you do. I love this recipe because it is a better alternative to ice cream when you want it. I urge everyone to find a better way to make all of their favorite recipes in a healthier form that you can trust!

Ingredients:
-1 QT Organic Vanilla coconut milk(to make a batch)
-Your favorite Organic honey (3 tablespoons)
-Chopped fruit of your choice(use desired amount)
*You can use organic vanilla extract with or instead of honey (2 tablespoons for an even sweeter taste)

Prepare all ingredients:

Mix ingredients in ice cream maker (or sealed container to set in freezer until thickened):

I used an ice cream maker and recipe was ready in 20 minutes!

Scoop into a dish and enjoy!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Geneva Miller-Handmade floral headbands

I am delighted to showcase these beautiful hair pieces crafted by hand from Geneva Miller. Geneva is an artist, songwriter, and Victorian inspired gal. I am lucky enough to be sister-in-laws with this lovely person, and be around her creativity and sweet soul often. Here is a glimpse of her dreamy mind and handmade floral headbands.

1.) What inspired you to make your headbands?
Many things inspired me to make my headbands, mainly silent films, old photographs and lovely actresses from the turn of the century. I love flowers in general, so to incorporate that into an accessory seemed ideal.

2.)What are you inspired by in general?
So many things/people inspire me. I adore Victorian and Edwardian Fashions. Everything aesthetic from that era inspires me greatly. I also admire Pre-Raphaelite art a great deal. I especially love the work of John William Waterhouse. His paintings are beautiful. James Whitcomb Riley is another great inspiration; all of his writings are so dreamy. And of course Nature is a huge, HUGE inspiration. Meadows! I wish I could always be in a field of flowers.

3.)Do you have a favorite flower?
It’s hard to pin point a favorite. I love white roses and daises.

4.)Do you have any websites you are showcasing them on? Selling, etc.
I have yet to make a website to showcase my headbands. I am planning to make an online store soon though. As for other random websites floating around, I have a tumblr where I often post pictures on: http://fleur-de-peche.tumblr.com/I also have a bandcamp with a few old songs I wrote. I have been working on new material, so hopefully in the near future I will be focusing more on my music. http://genevamiller.bandcamp.com/

5.)What other crafts do you enjoy?
I enjoy drawing. Every once and a while I’ll come up with random sketches and ideas. I also love to sing and play music for fun.

6.) What should others know about you?
Hmm, I’m a shy person by nature but I truly have an itch to break out of my shell. I want to travel and meet new faces. I also love my husband and my pet bunny to pieces!

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

April's Flowers

Friday, April 12, 2013

Derrick Sanderlin-An Inconvenient Hope

Derrick Sanderlin is a prevailing voice, and an acoustic guitar. We met up to talk about his music in a small park in my city. He had with him his songwriting journal, and also a book that he is reading at the moment called "The Idiot". I asked him what this story was about and he told me it was about a Russian prince who does not know he is a prince. Of course there is more to it but on certain levels Derrick said he felt he could relate to this character. However, Derrick Sanderlin is far from the title of this story! Though when I think about it, the brief explanation of a story to me is somewhat like a song, and I can't help but relate that to Derrick's songwriting. If you really take the time to listen to his songs they seam like tales of their own that build into something powerful. Powerful are the words, and powerful is his voice, reaching notes that will shake the ground. When he first began writing songs he stayed confined in his room writing away and delving into his music. I am delighted to share with you some questions and insight into Derrick Sanderlin's song writing and his song Drapes featured as well.

Where did you grow up? Do you like where you grew up?
I grew up in a little town by the name of Phelan, California. It's a Mormon town about half an hour away from the High Desert (Victorville, Hesperia, Apple Valley), if you know where that is. Do I like it? Well, I suppose so. I like to go back some times and sit out on my two acre back yard and watch the sun rise and fall and paint the clouds in fiery pink plumes. I like being able to see the mountains up close, and I love to ride horses. So I guess I like it. The only thing is, if you stay for too long, you get sucked in. And a lot of the topics and ideologies that preoccupy the minds of the people out there are...in my opinion...not very lively. I'm treading lightly here, because I still have respect for the place. I did grow up there. It just wasn't a place that I could really fit into anymore. That's why I'm in Riverside now.

Are you working on an album?
I am indeed working on a new album. Technically it's all written, I just have to get it recorded. The name will be "An Inconvenient Hope". It's long overdue, now.

How are you recording the album?
I'm going to record a live performance of the album. I plan to have that finished by the end of the summer. It should be a lot of fun.

Does the album have a general theme or meaning behind each song?
Well, yes. haha Just as a buffer, I wish that this album had lots of ties to the Guggenheim film about Global Warming, but unfortunately is has nothing to do with the documentary film, "An Inconvenient Truth". I picked the name "An Inconvenient Hope" because the theme that sticks out to me the most when I listen to these songs is the idea of hope being present when it's least wanted. I've been placing hope in these scandalous places( and not even on purpose), where it feels very invasive to the complacent-in-darkness side of myself. For some reason, in this album, it seems as though hope, and for me ultimately that is God and/or Christ, is the place where I lose my innocence..which I understand is very strange thing which has the potential of being super trite. But I think even in my everyday life, at least at the time, God was invading my space, and though it was very uncomfortable, I felt drawn in. Seduced, even. Alright, things are getting weird, so in short, yes. I think the album as a whole for me screams, hope/God/what have you, is found even in those places one never expects hope/God/what have you to be in. So I hope(haha, see?) that whoever listens can choose for themselves whether or not that hope is really inconvenient. Did I mention that it's about hope? Hope hope hope.

Where do you gather inspiration when writing your songs?What is the normal process?
For a while, I would gather inspiration from strange pieces of imagery or phrases that struck me as something that was open to more interpretation. Then, I would write a riff or pull one from my long line of melodies I have no words for, and things would be reconfigured into a song that makes sense, at least to me. Lately, I've been challenging myself to try and take on different styles. So I started trying to "get into character" as it were, and take on stories of other people, either people I made up or just elaborated on stories that already exist, like characters in paintings or significant people from significant points in history, et cetera. I will resonate with that character and just start thinking about what story they want to tell. It's been great using this method, because it has led to a lot of different avenues for playing and writing. I'm having fun experimenting with texturing and timings and jazz chords and different more candid uses of the English Language. It is a blast. I feel refreshed. And that's always a good thing, keeps us writers/musicians going.

What is the meaning behind your song "Drapes"?
Hmmm Drapes is about feeling like you're the only one trying to hold things together, and feeling like the work behind all of that holding is pointless. On a personal level, which is not the meaning that everyone will most likely take, I was starting to lose my faith a little when my parents went through a pretty rough divorce about a year after I had been in high school. Unhealthily so, I felt as though it all depended on me, which tore me in all different directions, eventually leaving me emotionally drained and detached from a belief in God for a short time. But at the end of the song, there is a sort of resolve. I learn how to move forward, not in spite of those hard things, but rather in light of them. I learned how to walk alongside my hurts and pains of the past, helping them to heal. And not so everything would be perfect, but so everything was simpler to deal with on a daily basis. For me, that is one of the finest examples of a real redemption. So yeah, that's what the song is about. Honestly, it probably changes for me every time I play it, because I'm so far removed from that event by time and distance and things. But that's where it started!

What are some sites where your music can be heard?
My music can be heard on:
soundcloud.com/derrick_amongotherthings
http://www.reverbnation.com/majorheartsurgery
I will have a site soon!

Is there anything you would like to share?
Mmm a big shout out to my friends/fellow musicians, Black Bear and the Cheyenne Autumn Band, Slowest Morning Finch, Sister Wife, my brother Walter Cabal, Jordan Estrada and Dan Coffman, Breezy Marie, Freddie Nunez and the Shark Bernard Orchestra, and uhhh my beautiful girlfriend, Cayla. You guys are the best. I love you all!

When is your next show?
My next show is on April 19th at the BloodOrange Infoshop. This will be a Stay Classy Creative Writing Club event held by RCC students. The show starts at 7! I'll be sharing the stage with a lot of poets and artists I don't know, which will be great. I do know one guy, Jon Atkins(Slowest Morning Finch), he's awesome. It's always fun to be around him, and an honor to play the same shows as much as we do.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Birthday Weekend

I had the most magical weekend in celebration of my birth! Now I know many people don't like to make much out of their birthday, and this year I was hoping to do the same, but sometimes it is hard for the ones that love you to sit back and not want you to have a special day. I think birthdays are grand and being born is something huge to be grateful for. I say let us celebrate one another and the days we were born!

This past weekend my sweet boyfriend gifted me with a basket of gifts and his company to one of the loveliest places, The Huntington Gardens. The following day on my actual birthday he surprised me with beautiful roses, and caramel eggs. This weekend made me so happy to be alive and feel so very loved.