mama and baby giraffe...





i mentioned earlier this week that i was making a pair of giraffes for our school auction. i finally finished them today (unknowingly past the deadline, oops). i chose to do a mama and baby giraffe pair because, for one thing, the giraffe is my favorite animal and for another reason, because we are lucky enough to see a darling mama and baby pair of giraffes every time we walk home from school! not only do we have two sweet babies at our zoo in the park but the giraffe exhibit can actually be seen on our path home from school. it is really the only exhibit that can be seen from outside of the zoo but the large giraffe enclosure can be seen off the path we walk on. they have been expanding it lately to include a giraffe feeding area (!!) so the exhibit inside the zoo has has actually been closed. the giraffes have been at the back of the exhibit because of this and we are fortunate to be able to stop and say hi to them almost daily! i thought this would be a fun way to celebrate our unique neighborhood at the school auction... hopefully someone else thinks so and buys them!

some things i love (lately)...

Source: etsy.com via Cary on Pinterest


vintgage suzanis... why must these be so expensive? they are beautiful. also love these rugs and pillows from west elm...






all the amazing light fixtures available on etsy now....


Source: etsy.com via Cary on Pinterest


Source: etsy.com via Cary on Pinterest


Source: etsy.com via Cary on Pinterest



polka dot shoes... yes, please.....



Source: toms.com via Cary on Pinterest



hydrangeas. i can't wait until we get a nice weekend and i can start working in the yard again...




and i can't wait till my chickens start laying regularly again. i miss my blue eggs!




this has been one of my most random lists, but just some of the things that have caught my eye lately.

bleubird vintage wedding...














love the wedding of james and aubrey of bleubird vintage. it's such a beautiful setting, beautiful style, but most of all beautiful family. there is something special about a wedding where the children get to celebrate with you. it has such a different feel. the photography by brooke schwab is amazing (i also love the newborn photos that she does). you can check out more photos on her website and also here and the whole series in two parts here on the bleubird vintage blog. it really is worth going through them all.

that being said, i'm kind of glad i got married 10 years ago. i love looking through all of the beautiful creative handmade weddings that take place today. i would even love to help create them. i just don't know if i could live up to all the expectations if it was my own! so much pressure!







speaking of...



...kids. when when i was going through old pictures i realized i never shared this. sid made this a few months back with some natural play dough we got her. i thought it was so sweet and she was so proud. she is always busy working on some little bit of creativity and i'm constantly stumbling into the results of her artistic endeavors, or more accurately the pile of millions of paper scraps, glue, paint, markers, yarn, etc. etc. that is left over. hmmm, i wonder where she gets it from?




here is a picture of my desk today. not that you can really see the desk, but that's okay because i'm happy to be working. i'm making a little giraffe pair for a school auction but i also have some other animals started for the shop as well. have you given up on me completely? i hope not, i'm enjoying sewing again.

life with kids...












a little glimpse into our lives lately. i don't do that enough. it is good for me to go back and see these little moments and realize how wonderfully full my days are. kids make everything crazy and chaotic and super fun. they are a good reminder not to take things too seriously... or maybe just that we do not take the right things seriously enough?

i'm looking forward to the warmer and sunnier days coming soon, because my favorite thing is the little adventures we take out into the world together.

thanks to kyle for taking many of these for me too. i'm also realizing i need to pull out my camera more.

just work pottery...

rustic honey pot in ivory and brown, by justwork

when i saw this photo by sharolyn joy newington on design sponge i was immediately smitten. i love the mood the photographer creates but i also loved the beautiful pottery itself. i was curious what the "intention" of the photo was... meaning was it to highlight the pottery, create a lovely home decor or home enteraining setting or perhaps an image to simply go a long with a recipe. i was happy to see it was to showcase the beautiful pottery itself and even happier when i found the story behind the pottery. it comes from justpotters at justwork. according to their blog, the goal...

is a unique social enterprise that employs individuals with barriers to the traditional workforce, ranging from: physical disabilities, mental illness, homelessness and addiction. JustWork provides its employees with flexible work schedules and job expectations, through this many employees are eventually able to return to the traditional workforce.


they have two other divisions as well, including justrenos and justcatering, but justpottery started as an idea... "that it would use the existing studio at Grandview Calvary and people would get paid for their pottery work. This would bring in an income as well as foster community and dignity." 

i really love this idea and i love the beautiful pottery. you can check out more of the pieces available at their etsy store!


rustic juicer

rustic cream pitcher
rustic 2 dinner plate set

spring color...

                             



i'm so affected by color. in my home, i always tend to go for more neutral colors, with little pops of brighter color here and there. this is especially true with our current home. i like browns, blacks, whites and greys for the most part. most of the time these colors suit me and express who i am and who the house is, so to speak. on days when the world outside reflects these colors too, i can feel a bit overwhelmed by them though. we have had such a mild winter here, really i can't complain. already many flowers are starting to bloom. today i woke up to grey overcast skies and when i look out my window i see mostly neutrals reflected back... then i catch a few glimpses of those flowers. little pops of yellow daffodils, pink and purple magnolias. i also see the beautiful tulips my mother-in-law gave me sitting on my counter and the red roses my husband brought for valentines. there is the little pot of purple flowers my daughter gave me for my birthday on the dining table too. i guess my natural tendency is to be a bit moody and grey and sometimes i can get overwhelmed by that. i guess the people around me can see my need for little pops of color too. we all need that. luckily, even in the worst winters we can usually find nature provides us with these little unexpected pops of colors that let us know spring will eventually come. in our home we can create these for ourselves too.


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do you pinterest?...


little love blue on pinterest

do you pinterest? it seems to be the latest craze. i'm always super behind on these things but i am in love with pinterest. i have just started but i'm already hooked (obviously my ryan gosling picture in the post below attests to that). it's like free access to a design magazine anytime.  i am also a collector of images. my desktop is full of design idea folders, and keeping track of everything is kind of ridiculous. this is a great way to do that. you can add a "pin it" button to your tool bar and when you are browsing online and see something you like, simply click the button and you can add it to a board. it then keeps track of the images and where it came from. come check me out and i would love to see what you have too! fun!

happy valentine's day...



happy valentine's day to my loves... especially you babe. i can't imagine sharing my love with anyone else and i am so thankful for the beautiful babies that are the result of it. you are awesome in everyway!!

even better than this guy, because you really do put up with this from me;)





happy valentine's day to everyone else! here's a link to the cookie recipe i made to surprise my kids this morning. very cute! i had only natural peanut butter though so they kind of fall of part as you eat them and you have to shove them into your mouth quickly... not really a problem at all!


pb&j valentine cookies at ben&birdy