What Do the London Olympics and Sweetpea Studios Have in Common?

The 2012 London Olympics start tomorrow - are you excited? I remember when London won the Olympic bid in 2005. There had been such a build-up - the city was filled with banners hanging from the lamposts and "London 2012" was everywhere. (2012 seemed SOOO far away.) When they made the announcement, it felt like the whole city was celebrating. The Red Arrows flew over the flat I was living in toward Buckingham Palace and I watched them from 15 floors up. (Yes, I lived on the 15th floor of a very tall building in east London. It was AWESOME.)



Arrival
28 November 2011
Copyright: MOD Crown Copyright



So anyway, back to the Olympics. I'm excited to glimpse bits of the place I used to call home. I should make an Olympic hat to wear as I'm watching the Olympics...
Since I probably won't make a hat, I WILL offer 15% off of everything in Sweetpea Studios for the duration of the London Olympics. Just remember to use the coupon code "OLYMPICS" when you check out. Here's a peek at what's new:



Eye See London

 

London Parliament

 

King's Cross London Sunset



 I'll be adding more items over the next little while, so keep your eyes peeled, and don't forget to use the "OLYMPICS" coupon code at checkout!

sweetpeastudios.etsy.com

Long Live the Queen!

Royal Corgi

This past weekend was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in London. That means she's been the reigning royalty for 60 years! James and I have been eagerly watching everything we can on TV to feel like we're there, including the Concert for the Queen tonight, a day after it actually happened in England. I think my favorite moment in the whole concert was when the Royal Family got up on stage and Prince Charles began addressing his mother as "Your Majesty...Mummy..." So fabulous!

To mark this momentous occassion, my lovely friend Amanda sent us the card in the picture above. It arrived this morning and had the both of us in a wonderful mood before our workdays. Thanks, Amanda! The artist is Alison Fennell of Wales, and she does the cutest paintings of animals. Amanda also gave me this fox print for my birthday, which I looooove.

In England's entire huge long history, there has only ever been one other Diamond Jubilee, that of Queen Victoria. It's quite an accomplishment for Queen Elizabeth to reach that landmark as well. They're even re-naming the clock tower that houses Big Ben after her. (It's only the bell that's named "Big Ben".) The other tower on the Houses of Parliament is known as Victoria Tower, after Queen Victoria on the occassion of her Diamond Jubilee. Fitting, isn't it? (Can you tell I've been missing England?)

I was lucky enough to experience the Queen's Golden Jubilee 10 years ago at the end of my first year in London. I watched the fireworks from Picadilly one night, and I went to Hyde Park another day to watch the royal proceedings on these huge TV screens that were set up. I saw the Red Arrows do their fly-over trailing streams of red, white and blue. One of the oddest things I saw was a number of old Routemaster buses (the open-back double decker buses) painted gold in celebration. I think this past weekend must have been incredible to experience, and I'm loving seeing the photos of street parties on Facebook!

Hooray for Queen Elizabeth, aka "Mummy"!

My New Addiction

It's Jubilee Weekend in London and I am missing my "other home."

So now I've discovered a new addiction...



Jubileeee!!



London Love



...Etsy Treasuries!!! Plus, I just learned how to do screenshots, so watch out, World!

Pee Ess: I JUST NOW saw the preview for the upcoming film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

YESSSSS!!!!!!

May Reading, Part II

I gave up on my Titanic book. (I know myself so well.) Then I picked up Sister, and I tore through it. Written as a letter from a big sister to a little sister who has gone missing, the story takes place in London and had all these little details that brought the city to life for me. As a fake Londoner, I really appreciated being reminded of all the tagging done in Hoxton, how big and grand the homes and gardens of Richmond are, and how nasty the public loos in the parks are and why you should NEVER GO NEAR THEM AT NIGHT. I found I could really picture London through the author's words, and that made me happy. If you read this, be ready for a twist at the end that leaves you questioning all of your previous thoughts and insights, and leaves you wondering what the real ending of the book is. Excellent read.

*James kept singing the theme tune to that aweful sitcom "Sister, Sister" when he saw me with this book. Quite incongruous.

Catching Up

Remember way back when, when I told you I had some news about the OC Fair? Well, I was bad and never followed that one up. I'm only human.

So even though it seems like the fair is loooong gone, and you've no chance to see it in person*, here's my news:

The Greenhouse, copyright Jennifer Geisert

My photo won a blue ribbon! Hooray!!
Judging this year must have been tremendously difficult. Over 4,000 photographs were entered, and only about 900 or so were selected for exhibition. Of those 900 photos they were split into Amateur and Professional, and from there they were split even further into classes and categories. Among this years judges were Jeff Alu, assistant director at the Orance County Center for Contemporary Art, Susan Spiritus of the Susan Spiritus Gallery of Fine Art Photography, and several professional photographers and educators.

I'm particularly fond of the piece I entered as it shows my friend Eleanor's back garden in London. Obviously it makes me think of the evening I took the picture this past May, when I stayed with her for a few days and we ate our dinner outside in the sunset, but it also reminds me of all the times I've spent with her. We'd get together most Sundays for coffee and cakes at our favorite local place, Cafe Mozart (sadly it's no longer there), and sometimes we'd take her dog Ruggles for walks on Hampstead Heath and end up at the Bull and Last pub. We've had BBQs in her garden and celebrated Guy Fawkes day with bonfires and fireworks with friends and family.

Amazing how just one image can stir so many memories, isn't it?

*Even though you can't see this anywhere in person at the moment, you can see it on my website. Hope you enjoy!

Yoga Love

There's a great yoga studio that's opened quite recently, and if you're in Orange, you're in luck! It's called The Yoga Mat, and it's run by Courtney and Natalie with a keen eye on the local community. I took my first class with Courtney yesterday, and OMG did she kick my ass. Achey as I felt afterwards, I also felt lighter in spirit, a miracle based on the difficult week I'd just had. (Jury duty, family illness, etc...)

Not only does The Yoga Mat have a great studio, they also have a small shop that features the work of local artists, and I'm thrilled to say that my necklaces are currently residing there! Like I said, Courtney and Natalie are focused on tapping into the local community and aim to have a local featured Artist of the Month. They've worked hard to ensure that they're promoting sustanability, with most of their displays coming from secondhand shops and friend's garages.



Handmade Necklaces by Jennifer Geisert

Check out some of the goodies you'll find on my necklace tree:


Lotus Blossom convertible necklace



Butterfly & Gold Flower photo necklace



Brown & Olive Green reversible fabric necklace



Brown & Olive Green reversible fabric necklace

As an aside, I left Orange for London 10 years ago today. I remember being on the airplane, so tired but unable to sleep. Every time I would doze off someone would wake me up for something. When we finally landed and got to the flat we were renting, my parents and I went for a walk to look at the Thames. It was raining and humid, and I hated the greyness of the city, then old gum on the sidewalks, and the brown waters of the river. I thought the buildings were ugly and the sight of the moss growing on the statues made me feel physically ill. Of course, those first impressions changed completely and I think London is one of the most beautiful and intriguing places in the world. I'm sad that there's been rioting there this weekend, and even sadder knowing that lovely friends of mine are living so close to it that they were unexpectedly caught up in it on their way home from a night out. I'm sad that my husband's family live so close that they heard sirens all through the night. I know that this will pass, and I know that there are people stepping off airplanes right now ready to embark on a new adventure, the same way I was 10 years ago.


Heart in Finsbury Park