things i love (lately)...

top image via design sponge. bottom image via the beautiful loveology

beautiful painting by holly farell, via handmade charlotte


both images also found on design sponge


sharon montrose, whose photos look like beautiful paintings


atlanta bartlett, via decor8 ... i want to just lie down on that bed right now...

:)

rrrawwrrr....

i wanted to share my newly finished tiger. i mentioned working on him a few days ago... i really was enjoying it and was able to finish him fairly quickly for a new animal, which can often take days to weeks for me. he required a lot more embroidery work than i usually use, but it was a nice change. he is entirely hand sewn (as always), and hand embroidered. i like his green eyes and rather mischievous expression.

these two new animals i have made are slightly smaller than some of my other work. i'm not sure whether to keep them this size or enlarge them? i kind of like that they can fit in the palm of my hand, and the slightly smaller scale is a bit of a challenge. what do you think?

inspiration wednesday...

1. the peonies are blooming!, 2. meet eva, 3. simplicity of play, 4. 398092915_6fe015a8e2_b, 5. france 1977, 6. little heart, 7. Cute!, 8. Untitled, 9. In-n-out, 9:50 am, 10. rhubarb soda, 11. its not as easy as it looks, 12. panes, 13. Untitled, 14. Dansk Dish, 15. ivy cottage, 16. Untitled

summer is on it's way here... school is out, the pools have opened. we are looking forward to moving into our new home next month, starting summer camp (jack henry), traveling (disney world!), and just the wonderful "feet in the grass feeling" of summer in general. i can't believe it is almost here already! what are you looking forward to? what are your favorite things about summer?

join me for more flickr fun!

sneak peek...

here is the little sneak peek i promised you. this elephant is still a work in progress... i want to embellish her a little bit more. she is the made from a new pattern, and thus slightly different from my older elephants. she is the first in a new line of animals... elephants, tigers, lions, giraffes (and hopefully a peacock if i can work it out). i will update you as i get further along, and hopefully i will start adding them to the shop soon!

road trip...

we took a small road trip last week up to helen, ga. it's a kitschy little fifties style tourist town with a bavarian theme. the kids loved it of course. jack henry told me he had never seen anything so "fancy" in new york! it's good to look at the world through fresh eyes sometimes.
i bribed the kids to behave through lunch with the promise of ice cream afterward. it was worth it. they mostly held it together and we found a cute little park to sit and eat it.


it was a pretty hot day though, and it started to melt very quickly.

not really a problem for jack henry, who has a tendency to eat his lightening quick...


and then proceeds to beg off of everyone else still savoring their own.... can you see her giving him "the side eye" at this request?!...

somehow he was able to convince her through some secret promise, which i'm sure i wasn't allowed to hear because it was a wild exaggeration of what he would actually give her in return...

but it did work...

and the mess made it all that more fun...


luckily there was also a playground there to work of some of the ice cream energy:)


have a fun weekend everyone!!!!

handmade charlotte...

this weekend we visited the papermill market nearby. rachel, from handmade charlotte was the one who told me about the market... after so kindly reaching out to me on etsy and giving me lot's of great info on the area. i'm glad i went, the market itself was wonderful (i found too many great finds) and rachel was even nicer in person! we met a lot of great crafters and i'm starting to learn about some of the markets in the area. i miss that whole world.

i bought this darling dress from rachel. her clothes are adorable, well-made, practical and fun (check out those cute pockets!). sidney loved it, especially the strawberry surprises she found inside the pockets! you can see her in it here helping to pick the dead leaves off the plants, and some more examples of rachel's cute clothes below and in her shop. also, be sure to visit her great blog!

inspiration wednesday...

1. Böyle nasıl çalışabilirim ki? :), 2. i love mornings, 3. Untitled, 4. Rex of the Carrot-cidals, 5. duckling, 6. Untitled, 7. raindrops, 8. Come as you are., 9. curried chickpeas, red onions and shallots and mix of wild and long grain rice, 10. coffee with cinnamon stick, 11. happy snail, 12. Heather, 13. Untitled, 14. Untitled, 15. And we are so fragile, and our cracking bones make noise, and we are just, breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys., 16. window seat, 17. flower scavenger, 18. New Life, 19. There's So Many Things I am, 20. Out of the Blue

i've been busy this past week, and have a lot of new posts coming up. it's difficult to find enough time to get it all done. i have started sewing again and hope to start showing you my new line of animals very soon. i am feeling so behind on etsy! i see all these other shops flying ahead, and i get overwhelmed and frustrated and wonder if i can ever work my way back to where i was. i have to remind myself that is just life. i will do the best i can. focusing on my family has been most important lately. working out of a single box doesn't make it easy either!

please come visit me on flickr. i often post new pictures there, and you can see little previews of what will show up here! add me as a friend also, and likely you will show up here too:)

anniversary...

this month was my anniversary... 7 years i have been married to this wonderful guy... 13 years we have been together! i can't believe it has been so long. sometimes i am not sure where i end and he begins... it has been so long. living with someone and sharing a life is never entirely perfect or easy but the struggle is worth it. so worth it. i feel lucky for each passing year, and so amazed that after all this time each one brings a new surprise. thank you for that....

and thanks for putting up with me babe;)

good, true, and beautiful...

"Good, True, and Beautiful" -- Brooklyn Free School from Scott Colthorp on Vimeo.

i wanted to share this little bit of video that is part of a larger documentary being made by scott colthorp. these interviews and images are from my son's former school, the brooklyn free school. he is not in it, but these are all beloved friends of his. it is a wonderful place that we miss a lot. the world needs more places like this for children...

inspiration wednesday...

1. free action, 2. Egg Terrarium, 3. Untitled, 4. Pretty carousel, 5. Teresa, 6. forget me never, 7. DSCF0088, 8. Sugar Buzz, 9. Good Morning America . . ., 10. seeing white..., 11. yum, 12. Last of the sun over Aultbea, 13. it's a girl thing, 14. just before dinner, 15. lotus like, 16. counting peas in a pod, 17. Comments All Fixed On Kit's Interview!, 18. A day late..., 19. acorn, 20. you've got a friend in me..., 21. the family room..., 22. I need you to come home soon, she said. I'm walking around like a woman who's let herself go~, 23. wisteria cottage, 24. look who decided to visit my sewing room, 25. a treat for myself

spring is so different here in the south than it was in the north... at least this year. in ny spring always arrived with a bang. there would be little signs, here and there, and then suddenly every tree would explode in color at once. usually you would have a spectacular week of showy blossoms that really took your breath away. a slow greening would follow, leading into summer. it has been a whole different experience in georgia. we arrived here mid-march, and spring was already in bloom. i figured we would sadly miss most of it, expecting it to pass quickly. it is still going on! just when i think spring is giving way something new comes along. the flowers keep blooming, the weather is still mild... it's really a gentle and lovely experience. the world is already entirely green, yet spring is not done here. this week we were suprised to see the mountain magnolia trees in bloom. the giant leaves come out first, and then these huge seussian flowers appear. when they open, they too are giant... they make you feel like you are experiencing flowers from a gnomes perspective! they only last a few days... but when they are gone, i have the feeling there will be something new to discover soon!

join me on flickr, and please take a closer look at these photos individually. they are all so beautiful. also, please visit and add to lovely new group, *my inspirations*, started by the lovely kendall. adding your photos to a group is a nice way to meet other people, and get a lot of inspiration.

happy mother's day...

hope you all have a wonderful day!!

april showers bring...

mushrooms! lot's of lovely things growing from all this rain we have been having. the kids are enjoying exploring this new world. among other things...



i am enjoying experimenting with my camera...


unfortunately the dog was curious about what i was doing on the ground. this is the aftermath of her running through to investigate. oops.

inspiration wednesday...

1. spring in berlin, 2. maple farm sanctuary, 3. in the jacuzzi, 4. Knitted Flower. Wool. Mostly knitted flower., 5. Outside looking in - Ingrid the Cat, 6. Stylist Q & A With Pia Jane Bijkerk, 7. Lone Mushroom, 8. Sakura on my street, 9. wooden gnomes, 10. stripey dining room, 11. Untitled, 12. Vintage bud vase, 13. may!, 14. in progress, 15. sugared violets, 16. show pony, 17. Bench Monday, 18. morning light, 19. Custom Jack Bunny Family, 20. Nature Table April

i am in need of inspiration myself today. time to get back to work. too many distractions! help....

:)

saturday shopping list...

1) rain and cloud- english summer-necklace, by mixko
2) ceramic nest egg savings bank, from mudpuppy
3) bleu wallpaper gathered skirt, made by desirapesta
4) dreaming spires willow playhouse, from wove
5) modern silhouette bird house (on sale!), by williamdohman
6) fabric bird grey blue cream, made by abigailbrown

since i have been spending so much time out in the world this past month, i thought i would have a nature inspired theme for this week's shopping list. hopefully you will enjoy it when you get a chance to come inside too.

visit fancypicnic for more in the series!

hiding...

hello, my dears, i'm sorry to be absent so much lately. i have had some very busy days, and some days with absolutely nothing to do. feeling a bit in limbo right now, waiting to move into our house. i keep coming to write a new post... and then i can't think of anything i want to say! does this happen to you? i am feeling very stuck, work wise, and i need a little inspiration.

or maybe the weather is too nice! lovely, lovely spring. we went to the botanical gardens yesterday and it was beautiful beyond words. it was a spontaneous trip and i didn't bring my camera because of that. you know what, though? it was kind of nice just to take everything in. the inside gardens were so lovely, they literally made me cry. they even had quails walking around! they also had a little gnome garden, that made me think of old friends. i'm missing "home" a bit these days, because i know what a beautiful time of year it is in nyc now. i'm going to miss the bluebells in the garden, and the maypole celebration, and many other spring time rituals that will have to be created anew here.