if you are a regular follower of the blog, you know that i just recently got back from a two week work adventure. i was hired to capture the incredible beauty of a country that i hold so dear to my heart.... Italy! i documented everything -- from the people, to the food, the wine, the places, etc. -- for an awesome new company, Ciao Andiamo, opening in New York City in 2010. i will have LOTS more to share about the trip & Ciao Andiamo in future posts, but for now,,, i am very excited to announce the first ever...

.ksp.. art show benefiting ADOPT MORE!!!
woooohoooooooooo!

the art show is an official unveiling of some of my TOP favorite prints from Italy captured from the 20 cities we visited in 12 days! ...and what better place to do so then the cozy Vintner's Cellar in downtown Royal Oak?!

so please mark your calenders & SAVE THE DATE for ---> friday, November 13th!
...and get ready to sip on some wine, munch on cheese, check out some rad prints and of course mingle, laugh & be merry.


below is all the info you need to know,,,

...along with a little teaser of just a few images from my trip!

please feel free to leave a comment or email me if you have any questions.

happy happy wednesday!

ksen

31 COMMENTS

it was january 1st, of the year 2000. i sat in an airport surrounded by the love of my parents & three best friends. my insides were a mix between that feeling of your first day back to school after summer vacation to a first date where you didn't know what to expect.

i was about to board a plane & travel to a magical, wondrous land called Italy for a study abroad program. i had no idea what lay ahead for me there, but i knew i had to go. if you recall the year 2000 was the year that many were afraid computers would crash because they weren't calculated to work past 1999. therefore, there were many speculations that planes would go haywire due to this numerical error.

i will never forget getting on the plane that evening... it was almost empty. i had no one sitting next to me so when the plane took off, i pushed up the arm rests, said a prayer & literally fell asleep laying down. i just wanted to get there....

looking back, i can hardly remember the fear that really lived in my heart at that moment. in fact, it almost makes me chuckle. i don't remember the fear because it is drowned completely with far too many happy moments & memories from my entire experience. a couple weeks ago, i stumbled across my journal that i bought & kept while in Italy. it was one of those moments where your heart literally pauses & lets out a sigh of great nostalgia,,, or what i like to call a 'nostalgic heart sigh'.

i actually have more i would like to write about the journal but today, i am using it more so as a metaphor. i look at this journal filled with love, happiness, adventure -- a collection of thoughts in my own artsy way. a journal that would of never existed if i hadn't had followed my heart which drove me to Italy despite any fear that my mind encountered.

i find coming across the journal recently to be a reminder of not ever knowing when life will throw you those unexpected 'nostalgic heart sighs'..... but when it does, it will serve as a reminder of how great life really is. ....that you just never know what to expect next & to always, always appreciate all the 'small' stuff.

the other day i had another 'nostalgic heart sigh' moment. i realized that i had reached over 2000 comments on my wee lil' ol' blog here! it made me think back to a time where i daydreamed about how great it would be to be able to interact with other people through my artwork & life on a day to day basis. it was a time where i never dreamed of any comments, let alone 2000 of them! once again, i was SO grateful for listening to my heart & not be driven by fear.

in appreciation of 2000 & my incredible gratitude to those who choose to comment & share their thoughts on my blog, i have a fun little something to give to my 2000th commenter! ironically enough, that happens to be Chelsea from the post below!!!!

Chels, i have said this before to you & i will say it again -- thank you. thank you for always taking the time to comment. i feel beyond blessed to have such positive, heartfelt encouragement & support of my work. you (& Dan) are AMAZING... & i do not say this lightly! expect a sweet something in your inbox soon.



a most happy wednesday's whimsy beauts!

xo~

ksen

8 COMMENTS

love is....

when one of your best friends blows air into a ziploc bag so that she can safely travel back with two Kinder Sorpresa eggs from Italy because she knows they will put a HUGE smile across your face.

that amazing person would be one of my bestest friends, Lo, as she returned recently from a trip to Italy with her husband & family.

what?, you may ask, exactly is a Kinder Sorpresa?

while studying abroad i used to wander the cobblestone streets of Florence, Italy with what were soon to become some of my dearest friends in the world. we would take advantage of traveling just about anywhere once the weekend arrived, and with traveling came countless times that we were left to wait in transit for either a train or bus, etc. we filled that time with games, stories, & much laughter....

along with an occasional Kinder Sorpresa --- 'Kinder' being the brand name of this milk & white chocolate goodness, and 'Sorpresa' meaning 'surprise'!

once we unwrapped our delicate chocolate eggs,,,

we would then crack the egg in half........only to find a plastic morsel with some sort of toy, puzzle, etc. inside it!

it always amazed me by how something so small could contain at times quite an intricate toy once assembled. Kinder Sorpresa's were a gentle tap into our inner child... and even to this day, when my best friend pulled these out from her purse with a huge grin across her face, i couldn't help but feel giddy & wonder what surprise lay inside!


below, is the surprise i received in the egg i opened up. i think i am going to save my other egg & share it with a loved one so that they, too, can experience love & happiness through something so very simple, and sweet.

i also happened to find this, what i think is, an uber cute commercial for Kinder Sorpresa. the song is not in English, but you don't need to know the words to understand the message.



love is also....

genuine smiles & laughter that make you laugh & smile uncontrollably. that is exactly how i felt when i watched my nephew, Preston (you might remember Preston, Alexa & Steve from this previous post) swing with his Dad while visiting in town this weekend.

i also felt my heart feel full of love as he was embraced by his parents....

...and let out the most happy smile EVER!

to me, love is the innocence & incredible curiosity of a child, as well.

last but definitely not least, how can you not melt at this smile?!!!! Preston with his Mom... he radiates L.O.V.E. .... and i just love him so much!

16 COMMENTS