Today is a day to be sad

I've been taking a Design in clay class since this semester started. (it's like an intro into clay) And I've been loving it! It's the best class, who doesn't wanna play in the clay for 80 minutes?!?! So when we finally were assigned and animal block project (making an object from one hunk, not attaching pieces) no one was more excited than me! I was making a Sea turtle! A very big, very detailed sea turtle. I've spent the last month working on it, pulling the edges out draping the shell just right, and then letting it dry and etching in wrinkles on the neck, putting in the face details (it looks like crush from finding nemo) and etching the shell detail onto the head, legs and feet, and shell (which took forever) Finally finished it got put into the kiln (after i made holes for all air to escape, there were absolutely NO air bubbles)and after a slow firing for about 12 hours, the kiln began to cool down, and i was so very excited.
During my lunch period, my clay teacher came looking for me, said she had some bad news. I thought it was about my photo's not making it into the district catalog,so i asked and she covered her face in her hands and i knew, i said "is it my turtle?" and she nodded and led me to the kiln. I peeked inside and saw complete devastation, the biggest piece was no larger than a quarter. And mind you, this turtle was HUGE very big bigger than my dog.(see my art portfolio, click the link at the top of the page) It was horrid, and plus whatever else was in there with my turtle was gone too. We have no idea why it happened, either. I know i know it sounds crazy, whats the big deal its just a turtle. But my friends, this turtle was my baby (not in a crazy way) i worked so hard on that and it was so EPIC i was about to get a one hundred, i was going to paint sun and moon and stars on its back and the tree of life (ironic now huh?) and now i can't! And so, today is a day to mourn the loss of crush, the best damn clay sea turtle ever in existence. :( The above picture is from the first week of the project, i was just starting his face.

sunshine on a rainy day!

Good evening! I hope everyone had an interesting day, because i sure did! The start wasn't the best(of course when you have to get up at 7 am and be ready by 8 it never is!)I was under the impression that i was going to some, i don't know, indoor flea market of sorts. So of course i break out in my usual fashion, cute casual dress&light cardigan & really cute wedges, because, despite the dreary weather, i know it's an indoor thing, so rain doesn't matter. Things change, however, when my boyfriend comes over as im putting on my makeup, and he says "Mom say's you might wanna bring a pair of regular shoes cause she doesn't know where we're parking and it might be muddy." So i say okay great, and thankfully(!!!) i decide that my sneakers are suitable& cute with my outfit because they match, and changing shoes a dozen times is a hassle. So off we go to his house to meet his mom and her boyfriend to head off to the market. As we get in the car Jesse (my boyfriend) asks his mom how far it is to the festival and Dean (his mom's boyfriend) answers about forty minutes. So, naturally my attention is sparked, and i ask, where exactly are we going and what will we be doing. Much to my dismay (at first) i discover that we're going to the Troy Fair! An outdoor thing! And my silly boy lets me just walk outside in my short dress (and i mean short! Above the knee an inch or two) and no jacket! How crazy is he!?!? (right?) So i say, okay well it'll be fine! I'll manage it can't be too bad. To my delight it was pretty great! We got a delicious breakfast and real maple syrup (not that aunt jemima high fructose corn syrup crap)and then Jess and i head off to check out the stalls where vendors are selling handmade goods. NOW, this is where it gets good! I come across this one stall, manned by a young girl. What drew my eye were these Coca-Cola dangly earings. So i go over and look and there's a sign that says "All Jewelry made from recycled materials" Even the tags on the jewelry was recycled (how cool is that!?!?!) So anyway she and i get to talking and i ask her about her materials and she tells me this gorgeous flower bracelet was made out of a milk jug. A milk jug! She tells me that she just cleans them really well, and lays them out flat, draws on them, and cuts it out! I know, i'm so excited, but i think that's just a great way to recycle! And all her stuff was SO cute! (i will post pictures!) The best part was that they're reasonably priced! When i find her card, ill put up the link to her website so y'all can check it out!

The mouths of Babes!

Today, after some hard work removing paintings and things from our old house, sitting outside among the breeze, my 2 year old niece see's a squirrel in a tree. Now, being a two year old, she is obsessed with Alvin and The Chipmunks, so, naturally she thinks the squirrel is a chipmunk. So she scampers off to the tree and introduces her self as such "Hi Chipmunk! I'm Kyli Re!" A few minutes prior to this little outburst, she was afraid of a bee flying just above her little golden locks. After my mom explained that the bee just thinks she's a flower she said "Go away bee, I'm not a flower! I'm Kyli Re!" It just reminded me that sometimes the most precious things in life, are the most ridiculous! (ridiculously funny that is, everybody was rolling!)It's a gorgeous day out there, so go out and soak up some vitamin d! Have a lovely day!

Kalika Brooke♥

Adventures in a dollar store

A few weeks ago, my mother and i moved into a new apartment. Aside from the initial excitement i was a tad concerned about the lack of lighting in my room. So, naturally, whilst looking for random house necessities, we went to the dollar store! (A place i like to frequent because you never know what kind of useful things you'll find) While we were shopping, She saw these adorable Chinese paper lanterns, and suggested we hang them outside on our porch area. We picked out two green ones and later went home and set them up. (they are awesome!) Later, though i got to thinking that it might be a clever (and cheap!) way to decorate my room, a few days later we went back to purchase ten more! Five blue, and five green to match my color scheme. While there we got this neat little kit that has all sorts of handy things, including hook screws. And so gathering the help of my boyfriend, and a close girlfriend the lights were put up and the batteries set in, and now i have a bit of extra light in my room whenever i want it! So if you happen to be looking for a unique, but not pricey way to redecorate, have a look at your local dollar store! You might find just what your looking for!

My First Post!

Welcome to my blog, The Flora and The Fauna! This has all started up due to a wonderful young lady i know, called; Nicole! I plan to post about photography, painting, and fashion! I hope you'll like what i've got to say and thanks for stopping by! It's sunny outside so get out there and have a wonderful day!

xoxo Kalika Brooke