Storyteller: An Awakened Passion

{A post in which I attempt the art of descriptive phrases, "the feeling of being rained upon and not the fact that it's raining," and all that writing whatnot. I'm not good at this sort of stuff yet, but everyone's got to start somewhere, right?}

{Photo source: 1}

The old man dipped the brush into a colour. With a flourish and the steadiness of years of experience, he lifted the brush. A rich, vibrant purple appeared on the canvas. He switched to a new colour—a bold orange. Then streaks of yellow. Then pink. Then a calming, serene blue over it all. Dabs of white and some more blue. Despite the man’s frail appearance, his hands moved with passion and skill. I watched in awe as, slowly, the colours formed and blended beautifully—exactly the way he intended them to. A few more strokes and there it was: a dazzling summer sunset, perfectly recreated onto a simple canvas. It was a masterpiece. Right then and there, I realized that that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to paint like that, to be able to breathe life into paints and brushes and make things as amazing as that sunset—maybe even more so. A new passion was awakened within me, and I swore it would never die down. It was a moment that changed me forever.

Oh, September!

fall is here, and pretty soon it'll be christmas again. oh my word, how time flies.

the quote of the month. i often forget how true it is.

chris colfer is actually quite good as an author.

wreck-it ralph is awesome even though i haven't seen it yet.

adam young sings in it so i'm sure it will be. (and because it's disney, of course.)

heyhihello sounds unbelievably like owl city.

two songs by american idol finalists because i'm in an american idol phase.

also because colton dixon is a w e s o m e.

i'm serious. you should check out his new song "never gone."

it talks about how, even through the darkest times, Jesus is always there, that He was never gone.

also, colton's words in the last video below (at around 2:10) make me happy.

anyway, God bless you all, and i hope you have an awesome october!

{PS We still have a few days before September ends, I know, I know.}

Pinographer

I feel like I'm getting swept into some sort of mainstream hubbub here. Even though I told myself that I had too many social networking sites and that I certainly didn't need another addition, I decided to give Pinterest a chance. I haven't been on for very long, but I love it already. It's like a giant cauldron of anything and everything inspiring.

If you'd like to see my profile, click here. There's lots of artsy things, inspiring quotes, typography, wanderlust, DIY's, and other whatnot. I hope you find it very pinteresting. ;) {That was my attempt at punny wordplay...it won't happen again.}

Anyway, don't forget to leave me a link to your profile so I can follow you too. Have a fantastic week! :)

This Is Gabe

He likes Minecraft.

He likes bacon.

He has the ability to build anything out of anything.

{Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but he comes pretty close.}

His toleration for spicy food is way above average.

He likes the music I listen to.

He puts up with my constant ranting.

He often reminds me of how weird I am.

Once, when I showed him how I carved Jello to look like a little rocky island,

he replied that I needed a boyfriend.

I can't get him to read the books I like.

{He refuses to read the Percy Jackson books. :( }

But he likes reading non-fiction books.

He's pretty darn smart.

And freaking hilarious.

And trustworthy.

And loving.

And just as weird as I am.

We like to make ugly faces at each other.

And make up cheesy dance moves.

He's pretty fun to be with.

We've had thousands of memories and inside jokes.

Even though we probably won't admit this to each other,

he's one of the best friends I've ever had.

I know that he's always got my back, and I've got his.

We're not very mushy people, but I don't say this as often as I should.

Love you, weirdo.

Happy birthday.

Stay awesome.

Love,

Your equally awesome and devastatingly beautiful sister :)

---

{PS I tweak my blog too much, I know.}

The Greatest Stories Never Told

Words are amazing things.
Combined in just the right way,
they are like a time machine,
whisking you off to different times and different places.
Sometimes they are like a photograph,
capturing moments, never to be forgotten again.
They have the power
to lead a nation, to transform people.
They can be anything and everything.
But there are some things that cannot be explained,
things so simple
yet so complex that words,
however vast they are,
cannot define them.
So maybe the best stories
are the ones never told,
the ones that can happen in an instant
or stretch for a lifetime,
or those that can be read in someone’s eyes,
or those shown in something
as simple as a pat on the back.
These stories are the ones worth knowing,
because they are made of something
far greater than words could ever say.

When History Came Alive

 Heritage Park was fantastic. It was like an old-fashioned town, where people strolled around in suits and dresses and frilly umbrellas like it was the most natural thing in the world. (There was also a mini cruise ride and an amusement park for the more modern folks, but even those were decorated in an old-fashioned style.)

There was a one-room schoolhouse too and, oh my goodness, you should have seen me when I entered it. I was so excited I was practically jumping around. I sat in the desks and wrote on the slates and felt the warmth of the old-fashioned stove near the back of the room. Total Little House on the Prairie fangirl moment. The teacher inside probably thought I was strange...oh well.

I even got to take home some horehound candy (the candy that the Ingalls family from Little House on the Prairie made!), some wintergreen candy (the store-bought candy that the Ingalls kids and the Wilder kids only got to eat on Christmas), and a butterscotch stick...which I only got because it sounded historical. The whirly pop was my little sister's, who cares not whether candy is old-fashioned, just as long as it's delicious.

So, yes, my week has been quite a marvellous one, full of historical adventures, the perfect way to jumpstart the new school year.

What about you? How has your week been so far? :)

{Images (c) Hannah G.}

Oh, August!

experimenting with the look of these monthly posts.

pink and orange is a cool colour combination.

yes, hugo is on there twice as both book and movie of the month. it's that awesome.

anna sun. because jocee loves that song, and she is cool.

i can't believe i'm typing without capital letters.

anyway, i hope you've all had a lovely summer.

have an even lovelier september!

{PS  I updated the About page and the Inspiration page. Maybe you'd like to check them out?}

Free Printable Posters!

Feel free to print them, save them, make them your wallpapers, etc. Just please don't redistribute them as your own. Thank you! :)

{PS They're perfect for printing on 8.5x11 paper, which is the most common size.}

{Images / Designs (c) Hannah G.}

Into a Story

It is a fact. Stories are awesome, whether they're in books or in movies.

This playlist celebrates both, with songs from movie adaptations of four wonderful books: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee; and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis.
I hope you enjoy! :)

{Image + Design (c) Hannah G.}

How to Have a Memorable Summer

Change your perspective.

Do things you won't normally do (or don't like doing). Anything can be an adventure, if only you saw it that way.

Spend time.

Don't get too focused on being productive this summer and forget about the people around you. Talk to them, walk with them, help them, play with them, get to know them a little better. I thought my summer would be memorable because of all the things I'd get to do but, looking back, the very best memories I have are the ones that I spent with others.

Capture the moments.

Take a thousand pictures. Fill page after page, describing those precious summer days (or nights). Make a scrapbook. Maybe a montage like this one. Get out your pens, paints, tapes, and pictures and journal like crazy (here's some inspiration). These moments might never happen again, so have a little something to remember them by.

And, lastly, live.
Embrace each and every minute of your life. Dance in the rain. Watch old movies. Sing in the shower. Climb a tree. Whistle. Throw a block party. Watch the sun set. Don't live to blog. Just enjoy the moment and live.


{Photo sources: 1, 2, 3, 4}
{PS This post was inspired by Stella, who made the montage and the journal linked above. Her awesome blog is awesome. You should visit it.}
{PPS I updated the contact form. To those who asked questions, I'm so sorry I couldn't reply. Would you mind sending them again if you still want the reply? Thank you!}