chihuly at night

[hey pup]

for our next 'venture, my grandparents got T and i tickets for chihuly at night in the atlanta botanical gardens. T and i love exploring botanical gardens and chihuly's art work, so we were really excited to see this collection of his works. 

my grandparents recommended we get there before sunset so we could view the pieces during the day and night. many of his works look completely different with and without light, so we grabbed ourselves a cocktail, bundled up, and set out to explore. 

one of our favorite moments was checking out the orchid garden. orchids happen to be one of my favorite flowers so, i was excited to see what varieties they'd have, and boy, was i stunned. i couldn't get over how beautiful and unique each flower was. 

[aerial tree roots]

there were several pieces i fell in love with during the day, and several that i found uninteresting. then, after the sun set, it completely flipped! the pieces i found uninteresting suddenly came to life, and the ones i loved in daylight weren't as interesting. 

[the unicorn formerly known as prince]

[T pretending he's in jurassic park]

[T and i's collective favorite]

["those are jurassic park trees" - T]

afterwards, we met up with my grandparents for dinner at their favorite tapas restaurant. between the killer food + cocktails, the uber talented band playing, the day of the dead decor, and getting to salsa dance with my grandpa, it was an amazing night. 

happy fri-yay!

2nd friday

last weekend marked the first weekend (in awhile) that we had no plans. we had no where we needed to be, nothing we needed to do, and it.was.glorious. to celebrate, we came out to see the 2nd friday art walk and support all things local. 

i had two items on our agenda that night - one, finally try a holey rollers donut, and two, hear our favorite local songbird.

[stash's edo market]

first thing's first, donuts. i'd heard such great reviews about this food truck, and i am happy to say it was worth the wait. T got the s'mores donut while i fell in love with the strawberry chocolate donut. it, paired with their locally-sourced lavender lemonade, was delicious. 

[yum]

[the best]

then, we happened upon a candy truck. that's right, a candy truck! i didn't even know there was one, but the moment i laid eyes on it, i made a beeline for it. T was a big fan of their fresh gummy bears, and i found a new love for their merlot-flavored cotton candy. 

[colorful displays]

then, we stopped by T's friend's mini beer tasting to try out his new brew and see a few old friends... 

[muscled frenchie of my dreams]

and at last, we found ourselves seeing camille harp, and family, play. i really could listen to her sing and play the guitar all day long. it was the perfect welcome to a weekend filled with much needed rest and relaxation. 

community heart

sometimes you come across something so cute, so creative, that you can't resist. one such occasion happened last week when i came across this image on instagram from one of my favorite local shops, the social club. it's a holiday-themed heart installation where you can buy one of five cards, enter in the intended's info, and they mail it out for you. it's pretty much a recipe for an inventive community art project, with an added dose of sweetness. 

[psst!]

[how-to]

[follow the pink arrows]

i mainly like to indulge in valentine's day via notes to our parents or friends, so this seemed to be the perfect way to do that. plus, i always love a good card pun, and these cards were perfect. 

[cute card to be...]

[all sealed and ready to go]

i sure hope our sweet intendeds loved their cards as much as i loved adding to this fun project!

fred jones

last weekend, i played tour guide to T and my mom at fred jones jr museum of art. for those who don't know or haven't been, the museum is home to countless pieces of art ranging from well-known classics (like degas, pissarro, and van gogh) to contemporary works (like william robinson leigh, earl carpenter, and james surls). located on OU's campus, they are also privy to showing major touring exhibitions. 

thankfully, the timing of our visit worked in our favor and we were able to see the roman busts from the immortales collection. 

[T posing with his personal favorite among caesars, octavian]

[great views for the busts]

next, we viewed james surls' touring collection. the two main exhibitions couldn't have been more different, and i found myself absolutely loving both. the busts provided the perfect pairing of historical context and culture, while the metal sculptures gave me some serious beetlejuice flashbacks. i kept envisioning each piece come to life!

[my personal favorite]

[cool installation]

[got caught post-photo taking]

the visit was the perfect way to spend a gorgeous fall afternoon, and i loved being able to show T and my mom something new to them. have a great weekend!

street art

for as long as i can remember, i have had a big-time love of street art, in any and all forms...from sculptures to graffiti to murals to light installations. it is so much more uninhibited and raw, almost as if you were getting an uncensored viewing of the artists' creative process. after several new pieces sprung up around okc, i decided it was high time i saw them in person. so, on the most recent trek my 'rents made to see us, i sweet-talked my mom to coming with me.

cultivation by jason pawley

by far one of the most unique pieces i've come across. this one kept us on our toes since it completely changed based on what side of the street you were on, the amount of daylight in each spot, as well as the contrast of colors. it was nothing short of stunning and turns this underpass into a local gem.

[my favorite wall]

terra by orly genger

this one i'd been so anxious to see as it reminded me of red vines. i was so surprised to find it was lobster fishing ropes tied together and painted. how great is that? plus, it made for a great backdrop for a friend's engagement photos :)

braid by kris kanaly, yatika starr fields, and dylan bradway

a collaboration that brought new life to 9th street as well as the building itself. weaving all three artists' styles together made for a piece that was not only eye-catching but, the perfect addition to the area.  

the womb art gallery

provacative, fun, and a feast for the eyes. in one train of thought my mom stated how much she loved the colors and then asked if there was sperm swimming out of that eye (above). i loved it, absolutely loved it.

[just melting away]

[oddly specific]