Inspiration Everywhere

So last night we were making tuna and cheese melts for dinner and Seth asked me if I remembered the "power of cheese" commercials. No. I didn't. He was shocked, so we had to get on Youtube to watch some while we ate. We watched this one where a politician said he didn't like cheese and everyone was horrified, then BAM. The mornings paper with the shocking headline slams to the ground.

Beautiful right?? Ok, it's just a stack of newspapers, but what I saw was a beautiful newsprint pillow. Maybe it's just the journalist in me, but I think a pillow like this would be so charming. Made out of newsprint fabric, and tied with some simple string. This one's going in the future inspiration files. 

As for a newsprint fabric, how about this one from Etsy? Covered in totally iconic images and headlines. Look, there's even Audrey up in the left corner! *sigh* I love her. A lot. This fabric would be stunning.

Well, it's time for me to go to work, but I hope you have a fantastic day. Look around you today, and be inspired by something. Anything. As *ahem* cheesy as it might sound, I am constantly finding myself inspired by everyday things around me. I truly believe you don't have to spend a lot of money for beauty. God has placed it all around us. Just open your eyes.

*amber*

Enchanted

Some of you may not know that I started my college career as a dance minor at BYU. Dance has always been an important aspect of my life, but I found the dance program here missing something. If you're a BYU dancer, I have nothing against you. There are many amazingly talented dancers here. The problem was I just didn't feel the sense of artistry that I so love in dance. I didn't feel, in my experience, that any boundaries were being pushed.

That is why I was so delighted when I saw this. It was a collaboration between BYU animation professor Ryan Woodward and dance instructor Kori Wakamatsu.

(Please watch in full screen.)

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

At last! That was beautiful. No, it wasn't the most technical or challenging dance, but it is so refreshing to see someone stepping out of the normal bounds of the art of dance, and taking it to a new medium.

You can read the whole story here.

And here some behind the scenes footage:

Thought of You - Behind the Scenes Preview - ROUGH CUT from Cambell Christensen on Vimeo.

Bravo BYU! You've made me very proud. And inspired.

*amber*

Dear Santa...

For Christmas I want:

1. Long luscious locks.

I miss the feel of my hair whipping in the wind. Like this.

Or this. Actually, if you could just insert my into this picture, I wouldn't mind. The hair, the dress, the cardigan, the scenery... take me there.

Or, if you can't just give me the hair, can you at least make mine grow faster? It takes FOREVER!

2. Cozy sweaters and boots. To keep me warm. 

Like this.

And these.

3. And finally, could you please just slow time down? Or maybe stop it altogether?

I need a good long vacation in Italy. So I can pass my Italian final tomorrow morning! Really, it's not a want, it's a need!

And so I can have time to work on all the projects I have planned in my head. Like making amazing reversible sweater stockings, inspired by these.

And do this to our bedroom wall.

That's all, ok? Simple requests, really. Ready... Go!

*amber*

Dickson Dream Home: Purple Bedrooms

Lately, I have found myself really loving purple bedrooms. It is a deep, rich, luxurious color. And on top of that, it is a restful color. Studies show that people have more restful sleep in purple rooms. How could you say no to that? The chosen color palette for this inspiration is varying shades of purple, crisp white, and a silver-gray-pewter color.

I stumbled upon this guest room photo in a Country Living photo spread, and fell in love. I've now decided that we will have a purple bedroom someday.

I love the simplicity and cleanliness of this bedroom. The light gray tulle on the sheets and curtains is so charming. And the texture and color of the throw looks ridiculously comfortable. I just want to take a nap here.

 Mmm... this photo is my absolute favorite. I'm a total sucker for upholstered headboards. With all the great tutorials for them, I'm sure I'll be making our own someday. The antique bed is beautiful. The metallicy pewter and the pattern of the wallpaper are stunning.This room is unbelievably beautiful. It feels like an amazing European retreat. That's how I'd like to feel every time I walk into my bedroom.

This is the bathroom attached to the room above. Amazing right? Look at that freestanding tub! I even love the whimsical little chandeliers, or whatever those are.

Before I decided I wanted a purple bedroom, I'd known for years that I wanted a purple master bathroom. The color is just too soothing to ignore. Now it seems obvious that we can tie the two rooms together with a related color palette.

So this room actually has the colors I would like in our master bathroom (and what we have in our bathroom now.) Deep purple, bluish sea green, and creamy white.

Also, the fireplace. Our dream is to have a fireplace in our bedroom :) And the master bathroom actually. It would be placed in the wall between the two rooms so it could heat both at the same time.

The striped wallpaper by Graham and Brown behind the fireplace is also great. I live a nice bold stripe on a wall, and those vertical stripes make your ceiling look much higher.

Around the fantasy fireplace, there would be a cozy sitting area with a small sofa and lovely little chairs like this one. Photo Credit: Amanda Nisbet Design.

With a color this deep however, lots of lightness and natural light is a must. That means big windows, gauzy white curtains that let in dreamy diffused sunlight, and crisp white furniture.

I just love the contemporary simplicity of this one (found here.) The lighting and unique artwork make this feel so sleek and chic.

A beautiful architectural mirror like this artistic circles piece, or this classic venetian mirror adds brightness and glitz to the room.

I heart these pillows from Thomas Paul. Seriously, isn't purple such a delicious color? I think my favorite color, green, may be getting jealous.

And perhaps a vase of these, no?

More purple inspiration was drawn from this wedding inspiration shoot by Victoria at The City Cradle.

* * *

Now don't get me wrong. I love our bedroom now. I mean we are still students on a tight budget, but thanks to generous wedding gifters, we were able to get a really nice bedding set.

 It's the DKNY Wildflower Field bedding. Now, don't be fooled. That's not our room. Ours was a little too messy for photography, so I had to use the catalogue picture. Our bed has the pretty comforter with some different red sheets and none of the decorative pillows. (It was all a little pricey, but I'm working on making some.) Ours is much simpler than this, but you get the idea. 

I think it's beautiful and fell in love with it the first time I saw it. Which is weird. For me. See... I'm not a huge fan of the color red. Now before you decide to kick me off the island, I do not HATE red. And in my defense, I did pick this bedding. But I'm just usually attracted to cool toned colors and red is almost too warm and overpowering for my personal taste. Don't hate me, ok? 

I just think it's interesting that I, of all people, picked red. (The contrast with the white helps.)And though I still love it, I think when it's time to get new bedding, I may have to go for something a little more me-ish.

* * *

What colors/styles/textures do you like for a bedroom? Or am I the only person that thinks so much about stuff like this? Hm... Well I need to have decided what I like before I have to decorate a house, right?

*amber*

While visions of lovely things danced in her head...

Wow, I'm blogging alot lately. That means my life is just very exciting right now! On Saturday, a friend invited me to the Bridal Fair with her. She got engaged a few weeks ago and isn't getting married til the Spring, but she wants to start getting ideas and figure out what she wants. Knowing how much I obsess over all things wedding, she graciously invited me to come with her :)

The fair was so much fun and I loved seeing all of this year's new dresses, sampling yummy cake, and checking out creative photography. Weddings are so fascinating to me. I love seeing people find their individual aesthetics as they meticulously pick each element of the biggest day of their lives so far. However, this was the first time I've ever been able to talk to a bride about what she wants, discuss details, and give suggestions on things I've seen in my years of wedding blog stalking. :) It was such a blast.

Now, I have lots of images like this floating around in my head...

Inspiration board made at Polyvore.com.

That's kind of the overall look that I picture at this point. Of course, it could be a very long shot from her vision, because so far, we haven't talked that much about it. But still... I have a feeling this will be one lovely garden tea-party inspired wedding. Congratulations my friend!

* * *

Tonight, I decided to be spontaneous and try making homemade donuts. I got home from work and felt like being a culinary genius... (ha) so I dug right in and promptly turned our kitchen into a disaster area. I used the Food Nanny's Spudnut (the dough is made with potatoes) recipe, and they turned out amazing! Thanks for the recipe Liz! (This recipe isn't posted on her website yet. It will probably be in her next cookbook though.) 

The glaze is pretty good too, and I usually hate the glaze on donuts. Mmm... Tasty.

Happy Monday!

*amber*

Autumn

Honied yellow dripping gold

Leaf of autumn

in the cold

Dancing on

in crisp despair

Whirling on

enchanted air

Falling silently to

earthen tomb

Away from tree's

rooted arm

Perhaps the silence

broken then

By hollow cries

of autumn grief

 Synchronized with

the falling leaf

- S.K. Lindeman

 * * *

I just took these photos in our yard. No fancy camera. No editing. (Obviously no photography training.) Nothing but the beauty created by Mother Nature herself. Breathtaking. Autumn is truly magical.

*amber*

Dickson Dream Home: Spooky Daydreaming

Hm... isn't daydreaming usually pleasant? But it can't be nightmaring because it's daytime. Ok ok, today I have been daymaring.

I've finally caught Halloween fever! Oh don't worry, I've been working on our costumes for weeks. But I'm finally getting into the Halloween spirit! Took me long enough... Halloween is one of my favorite holidays!

Today, I was walking home from school, and as I passed our neighbors' yard, I admired all of the Halloween decorations that positively coat their front yard. I began daymaring about all the things I would love to do... someday... when we have money to spend on frivolous things... *Sigh* I fear it's the eternal struggle.

So, because our house won't be adequately decked out this year, I decided to post some of my dream (or mare) decorations here. Welcome to the Dickson's Nightmare Manor of Horrors. Mwahaha!!!... Sorry. Carried away.

Upon entering our spooky abode, you will come face to face with a foreboding knocker.

In the entryway, you are greeted by a buffet covered in sinister looking terrariums. Full of everything from creepy giant spiders, to stacks of miniature skulls, to unidentifiable plants floating in sickly colored liquids.

via: Country Living 

 You then walk down a hall, lined with old family portraits. But wait, when you glance back at them, they've taken on a ghostly form!

Seth and I saw some spooky portrait holograms when we were grocery shopping this week. Set in antique frames, they would be a perfect haunting element for any Halloween home.

 Everywhere you go, candelabras cast eerie shadows all around. 

What is so great about Halloween is that almost anything can look spooky, if staged right. Especially if you have pieces that are antique or worn. For example, put tall black candles on an elegant antique candelabra, and you've got the perfect light source for any haunted house. 

In the dining room, you find the table piled with gilded pumpkins and gords, and lined with fall leaf garlands. 

The centerpiece is a huge floral arrangement full of deep fall-colored flowers, accented with dark feathers and draping strands of black pearls.

 The wall above the sofa is covered in a collection of masks, staring down at you.

These masks can be bought, or very easily made. In high school, we had a masquerade themed dance and we all made our own masks. Just use those plastic dollar store masks, cut them to the shape you want, then use acrylic paints. Splotched metallic paint looks great on top of a deeper color. Then accessorize with feathers, glitter, ribbon, or whatever else you have lying around. If done well, they can look very expensive.

 Ravens are perched sporadically through the house. 

 And of course, everything is adequately covered in cobwebs.

 As you exit, you must walk through rows of  tombstones and ancient statues, lit only by the glowing jack-o-lanterns at their feet. 

Ideally, there would be big spooky statues in the forms of angels and demons. Inspiration here was drawn from Phantom of the Opera.

Happy Halloween Season! 

Now I'm off to work on our completely DIY costumes... they're taking so much work. But they'll be worth it. The unveiling will be coming soon.


PS: aren't you so happy I've broken out of my lazy blogger-video posting rut? I am :)

*amber* 

Yuck... Need a Lift?

It's one of those days... Well, one of those months really. As you may have noticed by my long absence. Sorry to say, that probably won't change any time soon. Life right now is pretty much spinning out of control. I've been feeling it today especially. Here are three little things that have helped me get through my day.

Amazing huh? I used to practice my tap dances with my hands, but this was incredible.


* * *

Next up... the classic psychology experiment. Way too great to pass up.


Oh, The Temptation from Steve V on Vimeo.

Oh yes, today I needed those simple pleasures and a few laughs.

* * *

Last up... a good application of that last video.

Read the full talk here.

It's so funny that I laughed at the intense struggle those kids were having, but in my own ways, I'm going through the exact same things. Life is hard. Right now, I feel like I have more than I can handle sometimes. There's a juicy marshmallow (or, let's say, slice of cheesecake, because I don't particularly like marshmallows) sitting before me saying, take me. Just quit everything you are trying so hard to achieve and take what you want now.

It's true, sometimes I need to take a break and have some fun. I need to live in the moment sometimes. But lately, I have been so tempted to opt out of all of the hard work that many of my obligations require. I've wanted to find an easy, more instant way to happiness. But let me tell you, it doesn't happen that way. Life is hard. But sometimes, we just need to breathe, and remember that we can do it.

We have a Father in Heaven who loves us and will never give up on us. Not just a shapeless God out in the universe somewhere, but a Father. He's your Father. My Father. And if He is our Father, what is ever stopping us from accomplishing anything we could ever dream of? Sometimes, I have to remind myself. I've been given a body, a wonderful family, and countless other blessings. But if I continue with patience and faith, my blessings will not only be doubled, but multiplied more than I can possibly imagine.

Sigh... Thank goodness it's General Conference this weekend. (TGIGC?) I can always use more wisdom like that in my life. It keeps me going. Have a great weekend everyone!

*amber*

Dickson Dream Home- Kitchen Inspiration

...

Yep. I don't think there's anything left to say. It's beautiful. Simply beautiful. If I could have any kitchen in the world, this would be it. The whimsical designs on the windows are PERFECT. Sigh... It's as if I designed my own ideal kitchen, and happened to have the skills required to design something so breathtaking.

Mmm... i could stare at it all day.

You can see more views of this room here. 

*amber*

The Dickson Dream Home: Numero Uno

So I have a confession to make. We are officially obsessed with having our own house. Someday. Far far in the future. When we don't have to worry about school anymore... Anyway, we've fallen in love with the idea of having a real home someday. You know, a place that won't be infested with spiders but have landlords that won't pay for pest control. A stove that won't randomly start the washer and dryer instead of the burners... oh yeah. That will be the life.

It all started this Summer. We've spent a lot of time at my parents' house this Summer for family events, things to do up in Salt Lake, etc. Every time we're there, we watch tv. Bad habit, I know, but we don't have tv so we take advantage of it when we can. Usually, the television ends up on HGTV. Thus, we have been watching lots of shows like "My First Place" and "House Hunters". And guess what? We've caught house fever! (Oh ya, and I've been watching Design Star on hulu all season... This is not a good combination)

As a consequence, our conversations lately have consisted largely of layout discussions, theoretical design questions, landscaping ideas, and plans for our future home. Now let me tell you, our dream home is turning out to be quite the little pad... completely state of the art of course.

Since our future nest has been on my mind so much lately, I've been noticing things that I like and good ideas everywhere. So I've decided to put some of those things on our blog. That way, I'll have easy access to all of my good ideas and I don't have to worry about forgetting things.

Thus begins... THE DICKSON DREAM HOME PROJECT! 

By: Amber and Seth Dickson

* * *

Many of my favorite ideas and inspirations have come from pretty pictures I've seen. Photographed rooms and homes always look so perfect don't they? But what happens when you take a closer look? Often, you find a lot of vignettes of random objects that don't necessarily go together, and furniture pieces that serve absolutely no function. But hey, they always photograph well, right?

Recently, I happened upon this blog by LA comedian Molly Erdman (who you might recognize from the Sonic commercials.) She takes pictures from catalogs and adds a story based on what is in the picture. I guarantee, as you follow Gary and Elaine through their perfectly photographed world, you won't be able to help falling in love with this blog and its perfect satire.

Here's one of my favorites:

The only things Elaine treasures more than her prized blue and white urn collection are the framed drawings of her blue and white urn collection.

Visit Catalog Living to see more goodness.

*amber*

Gone Fishing

It has been a long time since I've been on here... I feel slightly bad, but not too bad. I've just had WAY too much going on to even think about writing on here. And having a bit too much fun too :) I'll update eventually... but for now, I thought I'd share what we've been up to most recently.

Working.

Studying.

Realizing that it's really late and we'd better get to bed if we want to make it to work in the morning (like right now.)

That's pretty much it. So the long weekend for the 4th of July was very much needed. Saturday morning, I woke up to a clean kitchen, french toast breakfast, and fresh picked flowers courtesy of Seth. He's so sweet :)

That night was when most of the big firework shows were going on in Provo. We planned on going up the canyon to watch out over the valley like we did last year, but then we got a babysitting job. I decided that we could use the extra change. Plus I miss playing with little kids. 

We babysat these triplets that are almost 3. Two boys and a girl. The boys have some hearing problems so they are just starting to talk. They were so adorable. We only played with them for an hour before it was their bedtime. I peeked outside, hoping we could see some of the fireworks but alas, the houses in that neighborhood were just too big. We couldn't see anything. So we spend they rest of the evening watching a movie. 

Monday was great because we got the day off work! We had a lazy day, then in the afternoon, went fishing with some of our friends. It was Seth's first time fishing (sort of.) We didn't catch any, and Seth is convinced that he's cursed and it was because of him. Don't worry, I'll make sure he catches a big one before the Summer's over.

Even though we didn't catch anything, it was a perfect day at the lake. The weather was beautiful and we weren't hot or cold at all. Just perfect :)

Check out those ripped traps! 

Even though he didn't catch anything, I have to say, he's got an awesome cast.

In the meantime, I got bored with waiting for a bite. So I harnessed the power of the sun.

Then I took my ring on a photoshoot. I've never gotten good pictures of my ring before. I tried when we were engaged, but I could never get any clear pictures. For some reason, the conditions that night were perfect. And for some other reason, Seth's phone takes way better pictures than my camera... I don't get it. 

Ring on a rock. One of my favorites. I love how it focused on the ring so well and blurred the background.

Ring in a tree.

Ring on a fishing bobber.

Ring on a water pump.

Ring on a leaf.

My absolute favorite. Ring in the dried up reeds that line the shore. I love all the textures.

I loved the sailboats at the dock.

And here was our spot on the shore. It was so beautiful... we just might need to go back every weekend!

 * * *

So there's your update. More will come. Maybe sooner, maybe later. We'll see. In the meantime, enjoy your Summer!

*amber*