April 2012 ~ MAD DREAM DESIGN

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Eddie Vedder, Ukulele Songs

I am in love with the softer side of Eddie Vedder.

His newest solo album Ukulele Songs that was released in May of 2011 is full of unique tracks that are a treasure to find. He lets you escape to a place where you can literally feel his soul. He brings a melancholy vibe to usually upbeat instrument and creates a wonderfully juxtaposition between his somewhat sad lyrics and the lovely twang of the ukulele. Furthermore, this album is a beautiful showcase of the depth and volume of his voice. There is nothing flat in this album, each song has as much depth and feeling as anything a full band could produce with a handful of instrumentals and vocals.

Don't expect a stripped down version of Pearl Jam, but rather Eddie Vedder stripped down to his soul, something you can only get from a solo album. Expect bittersweet.

Bittersweet is a feeling I have been in love with and obsessed with for a very longtime. Whether it is beautifully painful, pleasant with twinge of sadness, or creates so much loving feeling that the thought of ever loosing it brings you the deepest sadness, they all bring up the deepest emotions. And for this reason, bittersweet gets me every time.

Check out his album on Amazon and enjoy!!!

Pinterest Jewerly Finds

Some jewelry inspiration finds from Pinterest!

The Seamstress Bracelet

From Fancy French Cologne

Image from fancyfrenchcologne.com

Miraglia Cuff

By Frank Miraglia

Image from mschon.com

Etched Silver Feather Band Stacking Rings

From Roots Jewelry

Image from etsy.com/shop/RootsJewelry

Oxidized Silver Loops

From Laminar

Image from etsy.com/shop/Laminar

Skinny Railroad Spike Cuff

From Giles and Brother

Image from gilesandbrother.com

Enjoy!

Amoeba Music

The last time I was at Amoeba Music was when I went to LA with one of my best friends for a concert. I cannot even remember the band we were going to see, but the tickets we had were free from her sister and it turns out she gave us the wrong night. So we ended up at Amoeba and I loved it!

I found myself there again this past weekend, lead by my sister (who now lives in LA) and Jimi, and I was ecstatic! Our visit to see my sister total happened on a whim, I had a not so great day on Saturday, so my first thought was I need to hang out with Lily...and there we were Sunday morning. So, when she said food and Amoeba, I was all in.

Isles and isles of music (records and CDs from all genres) and then isles and isles of DVDs/BluRays (they have everything) and they are all second hand, equaling pretty cheap. Jimi and I came out with 5 DVDs, 1 BluRay, and 9 CDs for about 100 bucks. The most expensive thing was the The Book of Eli BluRay/DVD/Digital Copy at around 15 bucks, which is about half off. All of my CDs came in around $3.99 and Jimi was able to score 2 DVDs that were both only $1.99, or $Free.99, as we like to call it.

Huge selection, good music, a good vibe, great deals, and a friendly staff.

I wish they had one closer to us, then LA, because I love CDs/DVDs and the idea of having a collection. There is nothing like really wanting to watch that one movie you have been craving, or really wanting to listen to that album you have been thinking of and it being right there in your collection. Yeah you can buy files, these days, which I do, sometimes. But when it comes to an album, I love the overall feel it can have, with the album art, the CD art and the song placement.

I love a good album, even more than I love a good song, because a good song doesn't always necessarily last, but a good album becomes a lifetime favorite and never gets old. <3

Family

The Fam (Property of Maddie Dierkes)

This is us.

Jam seshes, lots of good food, good videos, brotherly jokes, Mexican beer, hiking, camping, good design, lots of talk, creative, athletic, at the beach, southern california made, Mammoth trips, paddling out, rocking out, hard work, and a whole lot fun.

Patagonia Poster Children, Mammoth, circa the 90s (Property of Maddie Dierkes)

Family is kinda a big deal to us. I don't know what the norm is, but we quite possibly may take it to a new level...just ask Jimi.

It's A Dog's Life

White Wolf in his Element (Photo by Maddie Dierkes)

I have always loved the idea of a dog beach, because hey why not! As long as people treat it with respect, then why not share one of your favorite places, the beach and the ocean, with your favorite four legged friend. I bet it is, or will be, one of their favorite places as well.

We got to take our dog, Ozzie, to the Huntington Dog Beach this past weekend, with my parents dog, Sophie. Boy, did they have a blast! Jimi and I had no idea how much Ozzie loved the beach, as we just got him, and he belongs to Jimi's sister. As soon as we got to Pacific Coast Highway, and he could smell the ocean he was ecstatic!

The beach was much more successful than the dog park, with Ozzie, because there was a lot more for him to do, since even though he gets along with other dogs, he doesn't really like to play with them all the time. His favorite thing: playing fetch! He is a Border Collie, so he takes this very seriously.

Sophie and Ozzie both did hot laps upon arrival and then settled into their favorite past times: Ozzie playing fetch, and Sophie playing with the seaweed. Sandy, wet and exhausted by the end. This made them clean, yet tired dogs for Sunday brunch though!

Sophie and her Seaweed (Photo by Maddie Dierkes)

Sophie and Ozzie have become fast friends...here are some of their adventures together.

Happy Dogs (Photo by Maddie Dierkes)

Adventures of Ozzie and Sophie (Photo by Maddie Dierkes)

My Jewelry Designs

Original Handmade Jewelry by Maddie Dierkes

I am featuring some of my signature jewelry designs on here today, as I am in the beginning stages of setting up my design business that includes my jewelry design and my graphic design. I am hoping by the end of the year I will have some jewelry workshop set up, and I will be able to sell my designs on Etsy! This is hard to focus on at times, since I already work full time as an in-house graphic designer for Aspen Medical Products and part time as a design consultant for another local business. All my graphic design, jewelry design and consulting will be under one business created by myself. I will keep you posted here and eventually my blog will move to my website where you will be able to learn more!

Cat Life

We are Siamese, If you Please by Maddie Dierkes

What is it to live the life of a cat?

There has been a diary entry circling around Facebook, I am sure some of you have seen it. If not, check out the link below.

The basic cat vs. dog story, and the cat diary starts out with "Day 983 of my captivity..." Enough said.

Excerpts From a Cat and Dog's Diary

Pure classic, goodness right there.

But I always wonder if they are just being drama queens, because I honestly don't think they have

it so bad! ;)

Cat Life by Maddie Dierkes

Conversation Pieces!

Photo Credit: Conversation Pieces

One of my new favorite shops to browse and occasionally buy from, when I can, is Conversation Pieces! Conversation Pieces consists of Audrey and her two pups, Angel and Sugar. This shop is refreshing, simple, clean and all about classic, fun style! Not only is her shop refreshing, but so is her customer service, it is fast and comes with a newsletter that greets you with "Hello Gorgeous!" and fun, girly packaging for your purchases, along with a free shipping promo code!

I first found out about Audrey's LA boutique through some of her amazing garments circling on Pinterest! You can find her "Perfect Shirt" on my My Style board, which is when I fell in love and had to find out more! I now own two of these in different colors, because it is quite the perfect shirt!

Here are some of her amazing pieces to drool over for a minute, and then I think you should go check out her shop @ shopconversationpieces.com!

The Perfect Shirt (A clear favorite!)
Photo Credit: Conversation Pieces

Cents and Sensibility Tote (Love the name for this bag!)
Photo Credit: Conversation Pieces

Iconic Column Dress (Hello Gorgeous is right!)
Photo Credit: Conversation Pieces

Enjoy!

Lake Arrowhead for the Weekend!

Saturday afternoon, Jimi and I embarked on yet another road trip (one of our favorite things). We set out for Lake Arrowhead to meet up with our friends and roommates for a birthday weekend in the mountains!

The thing I probably love most about Southern California is the fact that in a matter of about 2 hours, you can go from being on the water at the beach to being in the mountains surrounded by snow piles and fog! <3

Jimi and I were down at NAC, working out and paddling Saturday morning and left straight after with a wet, sandy dog and my 4 Runner packed up for the weekend. We made it to the bottom of the mountain and started to climb into the fog as it grew thicker and thicker. We thought at some point we were going to come out of it and be above the clouds, but no such luck! There was a storm brewing and it came late Saturday night, huge rain drops that did not stop till around 7am Sunday morning. Not quite cold enough for snow!

Some of us were more prepared then others, Malia brought her snow boots (good thinking girl!), where as Jimi brought shorts and a single sweatshirt (he thought it was going to be hot). Kelly (the birthday girl) was prepared with bringing space heaters for the house, which we were so thankful for! Bruce managed to find some more layers at the local thrift store, before the storm really set in! We ventured out of the house for an afternoon walk, a birthday dinner for Kel at Woody's, breakfast at the waffle house and another afternoon walk in the woods. Both dinner and breakfast were on the lake at Lake Arrowhead Village and the cabin we stayed in was deep in the woods in Twin Peaks. It was a nice little loop of cabins with lots of trees, a creek and some nice trails to walk.

There was hardly anyone around both at the lake and at the cabin, so a truly quiet weekend away full of staying inside, keeping warm, no TV, eating, celebrating and being surrounded by nature! Such a gorgeous and refreshing time of year to be up there!