Birthday Trip

Instead of a big party for my b’day, I decided a trip was a far better idea. A trip alone – a rare and sacred occurrence for a stay at home mom. I booked myself a red eye flight to Florida to visit one of my dearest friends. She just moved into a lovely house complete with pool and guest room…how perfect is that? I feel so lucky! The heat will be ridiculous and the humidity…ugh…my hair is going to hate me, but who cares.

J is an outstanding friend. Her warmth, loyalty, constant support, artistic flair and brilliant mind add up to one pretty amazing woman. She’s a real blessing in my life and I can’t wait to catch up with her. We’re actually going to try and make this a bit of an artists retreat. She’s getting all her paints, brushes and canvases ready in case we feel inspired to create. I’m also hoping to journal, read and do some collage work too.

A few of the other things on the agenda…

Of course, it is completely necessary to have at least one…
The end result…

And a healthy dose of…

I will be back on Aug. 31st! Have a fantastic week!

xo,

All images via weheartit

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Blogging your Way

Okay I’m so, so excited! I just enrolled in the Decor 8 online course: Blogging Your Way, taught by the amazingly talented and inspirational, Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring. Interested? Click below for more info.

As most of you know, Holly created the incredible blog Decor 8 and Leslie is the creative genius behind a creative mint.  I have loved both blogs since I discovered the blog-o-sphere last year and I can’t wait to learn more from these seasoned pros! If you’ve never visited these blogs, you must stop by. You’ll find that they will become a reliable resource for ideas and inspiration.

Bloggers, like Holly and Leslie set the bar high and push me to achieve more through my writing, observation and creative endeavors.

Enjoy some beautiful images from a creative mint…

Blogging has really given me a new view of the world and has inspired me to celebrate my everyday. Finding beauty in the smallest details has enriched my life to a degree that I never expected and has driven me back to my own wellspring of creativity.

So….after much thought and discussion, we have decided to enroll Grace into her Pre-K class full-time starting Sept 7th, so that I can shift my new focus to developing my blog, expanding my business and creating more art.

I’m excited but also a little scared. Of course, I am also suffering from the typical mom induced guilt but I think this new shift will be good for both of us. At least I hope so. We’ll see.

I will keep you posted on my progress. Thank you for all your love, support and encouragement.

xo,

Everything gray

No, I’m not depressed, nor has the sun left us just yet. I have a thing for gray. Last night I dreamed that I was looking thru Flickr finding beautiful gray photography. Strange? Yes, but I’m hardly surprised, since I completely overdosed on my blogland visits yesterday evening.

I decided to follow my dream and do a post on all things gray.

Gray is such a soothing color to me. Perhaps that’s why I don’t get too sad in the winters here. The rain can be incredibly annoying but on the other hand, on gloomy days, my yoga pants, warm cups of tea and good books beckon me to the sofa. Gray can be soft, feminine, elegant but I also find it such a comfy color. Like a hug. It reminds me of sweatshirts, knitted cardigans and cozy scarves. Heavy clouds. Dripping rain on the window. My kitty cat (she’s very gray).

I guess I just love it.

All images via weheartit

And look how lovely it looks in your home…so peacful.

1. domino twin beds, 2. domino gray, 3. love the two tone of gray, 4. marie claire bedroom

Want some gray Etsy lovelies? I got ya covered.

1. Hettle 2. laralewis 3. whiteowl 4. vaeda

I hope you love these gray things as much as I do.

As for your weekend…I hope it is beautiful and sunny! After all, summer’s not over yet.

xo,

Vintage Love

So sorry I haven’t been posting. Its been crazy. Today is my birthday, but I’ve been celebrating all week! I finally have a little quiet moment to share with you some images from the most lovely Portland vintage boutique, Xtabay. My dear friend Amy introduced me to this little gem of a store last Saturday morning. So inspiring and glamorous!

Light filled, oh so feminine and utterly enchanting, visiting Xtabay is a must for lovers of vintage attire. Go meet Liz, the delightful store owner and check out her beautiful blog too. For those of you who don’t live in Portland, you can also shop Xtabay on Etsy here.

I couldn’t resist buying a gorgeous 1940’s necklace, I may need to go back and get a dress to go with it!

Hope you have a happy Friday!

xo,

Jitterbug Magic

Tuesday evening was magical. I hosted my book club for the first time and had a blast decorating with Tom Robbins book, Jitterbug Perfume as my inspiration.

This my first Tom Robbins novel and it won’t be my last. I was completely enthralled with the story and all of Robbins’s philosophical musings. His analogies are like nothing I’ve ever read before! Honestly, this book is both crazy and ingenious. I didn’t even think I would like it, but I threw caution to the wind and dove right in. It’s one of those novels that stays with you long after you lay it down.

Check out my beet themed centerpiece. If you’ve read the book, you will get this connection. If you haven’t, check out this synopsis. Let’s just say that the humble beet plays a very important role.

The silver tea pot relates to the one of the main female characters, Kudra. The book discusses extensively the art of perfume creation, so I wanted to include apothecary elements too. I love my little mortar and pestle that I found at a local antique store.

I served a Greek themed spread in honor of the Greek god Pan, who also played a major role in this novel…yes like I said a tad crazy. A roasted beet and feta salad that I made was super easy and loved by everyone.

The rustic texture of the beets contrasted with the silver and glass makes for a lovely and original arrangement. This has definitely inspired me to create more centerpieces with vegetable elements. It’s a lot less expensive than flowers too!

We dined alfresco on my patio under twinkling candles and a spray of fairy lights strewn through my wisteria.

The conversation was very stimulating to say the least. Robbins really challenges you to be open-minded and encourages you to view things in an entirely different way. Among the fascinating meanderings of Robbin’s mind he throws out truly prolific lines:

“We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love.”
— Tom Robbins

“The unhappy person resents it when you try to cheer him up, because that means he has to stop dwelling on himself and start paying attention to the universe. Unhappiness is the ultimate form of self-indulgence. When you’re unhappy, you get to pay a lot of attention to yourself. You get to take yourself oh so very seriously.”
— Tom Robbins

“Our individuality is all, all, that we have. There are those who barter it for security, those who repress it for what they believe is the betterment of the whole society, but blessed in the twinkle of the morning star is the one who nurtures it and rides it in, in grace and love and wit, from peculiar station to peculiar station along life’s bittersweet route.”
— Tom Robbins

As a little take home gift for my ladies, I created my own version of the famous K23 or Kudra perfume. I couldn’t resist getting out my essential oils and giving it a go. It’s a jasmine themed scent with a lemon and tangerine top note and a sandalwood bottom note. (I didn’t have beet pollen on hand so it had to do). My friends seemed to enjoy it, deeply inhaling the fragrance and applying it to the inside of their wrists.

All in all, it was a fabulous night. Good friends, plenty of french red wine, yummy food, a riveting novel and wonderful discussion – doesn’t get better than that.

Hope you are reading something inspiring.

Happy Friday!

xo,

Red Square

I finally got an afternoon to myself and created another 4″ x 4″ collage square. Creating these miniature goddesses is truly a delight. I’m really tapping into my love of Art Nouveau and it feels wonderful. I created the collage traditionally and then played around doing some digital elements too. Kinda fun to blend the two mediums.

Slowly, I’m feeling more comfortable in my creative skin. Although, I know I have to push myself past that. Comfortable is not always good. Safe can be boring. Baby steps…

Here’s the digital version. Thoughts?

I just purchased a large piece of wood, with the hopes of doing a large collage.

It’s propped up against my office wall.

Staring at me.

Waiting.

I’m a little scared. That’s good right?

Hope you are conquering your creative fears!

xo,