Welcome to the Mind of Stripes

It's amazing how artistic art homework can make you feel

2011-12-13T15:46:00.000-08:00

Mixing paint can be so beautiful :]

Portrait of a Lover

2011-10-31T23:49:00.000-07:00

Alex actually allowing me to use him as a model for once! :D lol I know I pester him alot but I think
he's so photogenic :]

Halloween Portraits

2011-10-31T22:20:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of portraits Alex and I did on Saturday while we were dressed up for the Zombie Apocalypse
(which either didn't happen or we never found the right place)

I want to play with lighting more but I have no equipment yet....these have a lamp pointed straight up with a white board reflecting the light back down on us. Of course these are heavily edited but I like the look of them (that could have been inspired by the Noir styled video game Alex is playing right now) Getting dress up again on Thursday to take pictures so hopefully there will be more worth posting :]

Mystery Photo

2011-10-11T12:39:00.001-07:00

I went to Red Robin the other and spotted this picture on the wall (yes I know theres 100's of pictures on the walls) but this one in particular was to the left of the doorway to go down the hallway to the bathroom. It was of a blue-sy looking guy with a fedora on coming out of a deep shadow. Also there was bubble gum bubble coming from his mouth but I think that might have been a red robin add on....Does anybody know what picture I'm talking about? Does anybody know what its called or the photographer would took it? Anybody wanna help me recreate it? (you can use the photo I just want it so I can do a charcoal drawing of it for my wall)

New Camera

2011-10-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

Isn't it beautiful?! This is my new baby, a Canon Rebel T3. I almost wish I would have had more time to research and talk to other, more experienced Photographers (Perry :]) about this decision but when I found out about the sale Target was having, there was only one day left and Mom said she'd pay half since it was a little less expensive than some of the others I had been looking at. But despite my spontaneous purchase, I think it is a great first (real) camera and even though I've only had it for about two and a half weeks now I've already taken over 1500 photos and bought a fish eye lens (just a cheap one but still fun), extension tubes, an extra battery and I'm pricing a new camera bag. (My dad's old one that I've been using is already too small!)

Some pictures from the new camera:

Extension Tubes :]

Some recent creations :]

2011-08-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

LOVE my new tablet!!!! and with Summer plans falling through, I've had lots of time to play! :]

Made in purely in Photoshop, from scratch, using a photo for reference. Approx. 30ish hours +/-

Mozzie :] (White Collar) Made completely in Illustrator. From scratch with a photo used as reference. Approx. 20ish hours +/-

First creation using my new Graphic Tablet

2011-07-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

Alex got me a Wacom Bamboo tablet for my birthday! This is my first from-scratch creation using it (painting in Photoshop) approx. 12 hours of work. I love this tablet!!! :)

wanted to experiment with shading/highlighting

Mom +1

2011-07-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Just a random picture fest of My mom and her Boyfriend before he went back home last weekend :]

4th of July at Cheadle Lake

2011-07-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Got this on accident but I love having the couple in front of us in the picture. Shows a certain 'Awe' moment I think

This is my favorite of the night, just such great colors :]

This has not been edited in any way! Yes they were just shooting off that many fireworks at one time lol

yet another failed attempt and photographing the wall of fire...*sigh*

Summer time with an American Eskimo

2011-06-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

I am not, nor have ever claimed to be a dog groomer.
and it's my first time shaving Lucy completely on my own lol

A little world of creatures

2011-06-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

Random little project I did while I was bored the other night. My desktop background sphererized. :]

Another Strange Flower

2011-06-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

Don't know where it came from, just found it on the side of the road but it's really beautiful.

Pictures I didn't realize were so good :)

2011-05-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

I took some pictures while waiting for Alex to get ready the other day so I assumed they weren't that great since I really didn't put much effort into them at all. But I finally looked at them just now and I was lucky to get a couple that throughly impressed/entertained me. Hope you like (please view full to really see it)

Happy Rapture Day :]

2011-05-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

This morning Alex and I got distracted for a good hour or more looking at Rapture Jokes people had posted only to celebrate the fact that we, believers and non are still here. I'm sure Heaven is having fun at laughing at us as well...Anyway, Alex wanted to submit something as well so we started trying to think of ideas...This is what we came up with :) Enjoy!

Half Raptured

The life cycles happening in my backyard

2011-05-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

I happen to walk through the back yard the other day and found this ant colony swarming a dead yellow jacket...It was quite fascinating to watch these little guys tug and pull. A particularly confident ant yanked at the bee's antenna for quite awhile barely budging the comparably huge creature.

While Alex mowed the lawn....

2011-04-09T00:05:00.000-07:00

This little guy was growing between the cracks in the street and looked very proud lol

I really thought this would be harder to catch but they were quite cooperative :]

Not quite[tall? long? big?] enough to reach the next blade of grass

The flies might have been nice but I had to chase this guy all afternoon to get this one shot...*sigh*

Maybe Spring Really IS Here....

2011-04-08T23:50:00.000-07:00

"Taking home a baby bumble bee" was stuck in my head all day after this

Again I love the curled Stamens, who'd a thunk a weed could be beautiful up-close?
(please view full to see all the detail)

Brave little Ladybug

That strange flower revisited

(Click to see pictures in full size to see all the detail)

Strange Flower Spotted

2011-04-08T23:41:00.000-07:00

While on a walk the other day, Alex and I noticed this strange flower alongside the path. No idea what it is but I had to come back with a camera to document it :)

My hand for scale

Such big leaves!

And if that wasn't strange enough, we found an anomaly among the anomalies :]

Anybody know what it is? Pretty but I didn't touch it (just in case) :]

Spring is Here!...Sorta

2011-03-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

Flowers are budding, then wilting back into their winter hiding places by the day it seems but I've managed to get a few cool shots along the way :)

You know, I really should post more often so I don't end up with so many 30 picture posts...makes the blog feel so cluttered I think....

I love where the Stamens have curled over after the pollen has been removed (might have to view larger to see it well)

A line of flowers a couple miles long along HWY 20

A petal that's been laying on my front porch to remind you of the bad weather we've been having lol

Katelyn! Meet your nemesis!

2011-03-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

Ain't he cute? lol This little guy was found flying around my bathroom the other day. Prolly about 1/2" wingspan...it was hard taking pictures when he was on the window but then he dropped down onto the ledge and was very helpful :) please view full to see all the detail

My Photo A Day Challenge Photos

2011-03-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

At the end of the Photo-A-Day Challenge (which can been explained at viewed at kandncraziness.blogspot.com) I planned to put all of my photos on my blog just because I'm proud of them lol But, that never happened so now that I have a moment, here they are :)

Please view bigger ----->

Not all of them are spectacular but I have my favorites (the rainbow clouds, rainy night, and spider) and they did what was expected, got me to look at the world around me in a different perspective. Now, months later I still see something and think about what angle I would take a picture at to make it look the best. I enjoyed it and I hope everybody following along did too :)

Petreedccione

2011-02-03T20:30:00.000-08:00

First, to explain the title, it is simply Alex's future solution to the problem of both of us wanting to keep our last names.
And Now, on to the post: A fews days ago Alex and I celebrated our one year anniversary. I love that boy more than I even thought was possible and suddenly I feel more free and stuck at the same time.
Free because I know I'll never have to worry about finding love again.
Stuck because all the good feelings make me want more.
For the first time in my life the concept of moving out and growing up doesn't seem so scary. With Alex by my side it sounds exciting. Maybe I'm ready maybe I'm not, it doesn't really matter, I want to find out. I want a job I want a degree I want my own place so bad it hurts. It doesn't help that I have more than 10 people in my life that are either freshly married or engaged. Not that even getting married is at the top of my to do list right at this moment, it just speaks to people's ability to take a step forward in life. An ability I don't currently have.
This last year has transformed me into a shade of the woman I want to be. Alex is the man I always hoped to find and more I've loved every minute spent exploring his personality and discovering how well we work together all through ups and downs. Our eccentricities fit together like two puzzle pieces. It seems that every good quality we each have is designed to deal with the faults of the other. So I guess really what I'm trying to say is that despite my feeling stuck, this has been an absolutely amazing year and I can waitto see what the coming years bring :]

Fire-y Explosion

2010-08-04T22:18:00.000-07:00

The original photo I took 7/4/10 out in a random field in Tangent

And the Final photo that started out as a simple GIMP tutorial and turned into an all day passion.

Nicole's Random Pieces Of Information

2010-04-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of thoughts bouncing around in my head...a lot.

But usually I either ignore them or ponder them in solitude, rarely do I share them when I don't think they're worth listening to. Tonight one of those random thoughts popped into my head and then another one followed: "Nicole, why DON'T you share these thoughts? Someone might be entertained by them other than you..." and I had no answer for myself. So without further ado, straight from the mind of Stripes, comes some

1) The Sizzler in Albany used to have brown brick in their bathroom and in the far stall in the ladies room there was a cartoon frog drawn on the wall in sharpie. It was drawn very well and all through my child-hood I traced that frog with my finger every time we went to Sizzler, promising myself I would go home and draw it because I liked it so much. I never did and since then they've remodeled their bathrooms and alas the frog is gone. I still think of it every time I go there but I can't remember for the life of me what it looked like anymore.

2) When I'm really bored I think about how strange words are...Most every word sounds weird. Think about sounds, now pick a word, any word, and examine how sounds connect and intertwine to make that word. I especially enjoy the word "fandango" ffff-like a tire going flat. aaaannn-like a defeated scream ddd-like a unbalanced lawn mower idling above a rock aaaannn- also like a defeated scream ggg-like pepsi flowing begrudgingly from its bottle and ooo-like a fan's eternal monologue. Now put them together...a screaming lawn mower with a flat tire and over-cooled engine covered in pepsi.

Now that is definitely not the Spanish dance that is actually defined by the word "fandango"

3) A few years ago, I was opening a DVD case while standing in the bathroom (don't ask me why, I don't know) and I surprisingly managed to get that top sticker off in one piece. So to document my accomplishment I felt the need to place the sticker somewhere... One of my drawers (that holds brushes, q-tips, and so on) is now labeled "Security Device Enclosed" but apparently my randomness has become the norm because none of my friends have ever commented...

4) Blame my mother. That is all

Demon Sperm Wind Sock

2010-03-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

This last week I was at the coast and as everyone that has ever been to the coast knows, it is windy 99.999% of the time. Quite windy.

So because of this fact, wind socks are quite popular there, lining many shop fronts and neighborhoods with their colorful, fluttering. These widely accepted decorations come in many joyful shapes and sizes...and some not so joyful.

Most of these shapes being happy or entertaining things, always appropriate for all ages, and it is because of this standard known in the wind sock world, that I ask you this: What is this wind sock pictured below supposed to be?!

When I was asked this very question by my dear friend Alex one thing and one thing only immediately came to mind; Demon sperm...now you can blame that on a filthy mind cultured from years of crazy friends but you can not deny that that is definitely what it appears to be.

Note: Upon finding a package of this wind sock in the store, it title was simply "Spike Ball"

If you have any other suggestions for what this might be, please feel free to let me know.

A Letter

2009-12-18T04:22:00.000-08:00

You've done more for me than you'll ever know.
No doubt God brought us together for a reason and I hope you realize how thankful I am for that.
Every time I look into your eyes, I see how much you care.
You make me laugh like I've never laughed before and the person I become whenever we're together is the person I've been trying to be my whole life.
Suddenly I've found myself closer to you than I ever dreamed, and now I can only hope to come closer.
You are a miracle in the shape of a friendship and that friendship will hold me up when I can't stand on my own.
Thank you for coming along, and thank you for being you.
I truly love you and everything you do.
Sincerely,
A Friend

Matthew's Story

2009-12-18T02:10:00.000-08:00

Despair, thats the only word I can think to describe it. Complete and total despair consumes me and I'm not ashamed to say I laid in bed for days just to cry. When she went missing I never dreamed she wouldn't turn up. I always assumed I would open my front door to find her standing there with those sparkling eyes and an extravagant story of explanation. My mind continually folded over the fears, convincing me the worst was impossible until the worst was all there was. I guess theres a part of my heart that still doesn't believe it.

***

Today, the gloom will clear, if only for a little while.

****

She always talked about getting out of the city. So even though I was never able to bring her, I know she would have loved these woods. When I come here I can almost pretend shes still alive, can almost hear her voice...

Pop Experiment

2009-11-16T23:08:00.000-08:00

Katelyn and I have challenged ourselves! And we're documenting our misery for your entertainment! Be sure to check it out at KandNCraziness.blogspot.com

Hope you enjoy! :)

Jamie's Story Part 2

2009-11-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

So far, death is surprisingly relaxing, the only thing I'm not loving is the cold. I guess that BS they teach you in school about body heat and all that isn't such BS after all. Now that my heart's been still for a couple hours my nice warm life-blood has started to feel more like day old cream of chicken soup...I can't hear much and I wish I could sit and watch the forest life. Seems almost sad that I finally get out of the city for a day and I can't enjoy it much....

***

I've been down here for at least a day, but I'm not sure maybe its only been a couple hours. Somewhere I can almost hear a mocking voice convincing me its only been a few minutes and the allusion of death is clouding my time perception. If that's true I don't know if I'll make it to my moment of discovery. On second thought, where else can I go? What else can I do? If I go insane down here what happens then? Some sort of cosmic asylum in the sky? As I'm pondering these horrors I hear a voice. Not the drippy invisible voice of my mind, but a real one. A voice so real it seems I could reach out and touch it. Now, footsteps, they're so close I can feel the dirt shift around me. My need consumes me so completely that I see red, until suddenly I hear the voice again and I recognize it as a child's. My fear of never being found is completely drowned out by the fear of being found by this little boy. I can imagine the terrors of finding a dead body and I'm sure finding my beaten skin would be that much more horrific. If my lungs would work I would be sure that I smell too, maybe that will be enough to keep the boy and his father away but not so much to make them curious. I want to be found, maybe then all this will finally end but not at the cost of a child's nightmares.

*****

Jamie's Story Part 1

2009-11-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

Death isn't all that bad really. I always imagined it to feel confining, like I was trapped but actually its quite a freeing sensation. Now that I'm dead I'm finally free from this crazy world that we, well you, live in...Free from the drama, free from the stress, free from the violence and finally free from the crime.

***

Lying here dead I can't help but wonder who will be at my funeral. Nothing better to think about I guess, but the image of a shining casket surrounded by flowers is practically ingrained in me as I watch the dirt fall. By this time you're probably wondering how I died huh? Well that'll come later for now I'm too distracted by watching my murderer fill in my shallow grave. He can't seem to work fast enough as my eyes are still open and I'm trying my hardest to burn right through his soul with a stare as strong as God Almighty Himself...

*****

...Now that hes finished I can get back to my story, I never was one for violence but when you grow up where I did you don't really have much of a choice. But even with the life I had I never dreamed of ending up like this, buried in some forgotten forest some 20 miles off the highway, waiting for someone to find my limp shell. I only hope that happens soon, I'm getting tired of the eerie darkness left behind by a life abruptly ended. Excuse me, I just realized I never introduced myself, my name is Jamie and I was killed today.

The Funnest Group of Pictures EVER! lol

2009-08-15T00:27:00.001-07:00

Me and Katylyn had so much fun today taking pictures in the park!

We were alone at the park so all the pics (even the ones with both of us in them) had to be edited and I pasted us together lol

These were so much fun having to pretend you
were about to get hit with nothing there lol

The best part was there was a kid's birthday party going on at the other end of the park so there were some very confused parents...lol

Tonight on the Nicole Show

2009-08-05T21:37:00.001-07:00

It was a dark and stormy night in the town of Albany. The whole town had an air of bad things to come, esspecially surrounding the haunted mansion on Old Salem Road. The women of the house had no idea of the horror that lay wait in their future...
It was a day like any other. the younger woman went to school like any other day did homework like any other day and checked her email like any other day. But then when the time came to bring the dog in, a dark cloud came about the girl and she became frightened!
What could be coming to her that chilled her bones so?
She slowly opened the back door only to see...no one standing there! not masked robber, no angry skunk. a sigh of relief came from her lungs. The rain fell heavy on the steps leading to the dog pen...slippery steps, could this be her demise?!
Carefully, with one hand braced on the door frame, she gathered her courage and descended the stairs. At the last step, her heart yelped with joy! but wait! what if there was a sink hole at the bottom waiting to swallow her whole?! Scared once again, she shyly pushed one toe down on the ground to test her next steps and finally, she made it to the dog pen! Safety at last! She opened the pen and...
A dog yelps!
A girl screams!
What?!
Could it be?
Oh no!
It has happened!
The mother rushes to the kitchen where the faithful dog had lead the poor girl still clutching her hand tightly. screams still threatening to pierce her lips.

As she had opened the gate, the dog with such excitement and joy, jumped with anticipation, bumping into the gate and slamming it closed with the girl's finger still in the way of the latch!

The horror of that night still haunts the dreams of all who hear the story. The agony that captured the girl's finger is gone now but the memory will never fade....

NOTE: this story is true. The names have been omitted to protect the innocent

Mommy, Where do short stories come from?

2009-08-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

My head is a very strange place as most of you have figured out by now but I feel it is my duty to warn the world with a more in-depth explanation of how my short stories come to be. Using a few analogies that I have chosen I hope I will get my point across in an appropriate way...

Like the pregnancy of the Alpine Salamander my process is long and tiresome. The story forms much like a fetus, starting out small and slimy, slowly growing into a separate and recognizable being. As the infant story develops, a pressure forms deep behind my forehead, an itch I can't scratch, reminding me it needs to be nurtured in order for it to live. After a period of time ranging from hours to weeks the final stages of the story come upon me suddenly and without warning and my time of mothering ends when the story bursts through like a pimple on the face of my mind. The words crawl out of their imaginary cocoon, onto the paper and for the first time the full image of the story is visible. It is now ready to be filed away in my blog to entertain, amuse or otherwise stir emotions in the mind of you, the reader.