triangulove

Loving this article about the triangle trend in design and handmade goods. I, too, love this trend and am seeing it more and more lately. I even posted about some math-inspired goods here. Here are some of my colorful favorites that the talented etsy bloggers pulled together:
white mountain fine art print
triangles
hand-printed triangular pattern card

Thanks etsy- for always inspiring!

laying low

It was a nice relaxing weekend with no plans, no parties, and no jobs. Just what I needed after the first week back to work. Settling into that new schedule with early mornings and shorter evenings, but not quite grasping the rest of my life quite yet. I guess it takes a few weeks to get into work and being able to accomplish anything else. Looking forward to doing some sketching and painting soon- and filling some orders for the shop. Cooking, working out, and getting my hands into wedding plans are all on the long-term list as well.

Looking forward to the near end of over-90 summer days (though not this week) and the slow settling in of fall. The pace of everything seems to slow down a bit as the days get shorter and you can't quite fit as much on that to-do list-- I really love that. Evening bike rides and cheese biscuit baking and porch nights with glasses of wine are all in my near future.

the party

I finally got around to the party photos. This engagement party was truly a labor of love from friends and family. My family spent hours in the heat hanging decorations and then came back early to finish cooking and setting up. The night was a whirlwind and my only regret is that we did not get a good photo of the mister and I at all. I am pretty upset about that, but that's exactly why we need professional photographers for the wedding. Here is some of what we did capture:
Perfectly portioned picnic food- including my mom's most delicious homemade mac and cheese.
The dessert table with the most delicious lemon curd and basil cupcakes from my talented sister.
Bridesmaids!
Curtain backdrop photos ops.
Dear friends from out of town.
And a little bit of craziness. Thank you to everyone who made this night special to us!

...

S0 completely exhausted from the past few days of getting ready to go back to school. So tired I couldn't even think of a title for this post. Today- the students came- and I talked and talked and talked. Syllabi and schedules and supplies and grading and procedures and rules and attendance and so many un-art-related words that I cannot even think. The first few weeks are really tiring until we get in to a routine and started on some real work. I am hoping to be inspired by my day job this year, inspired by my students to be more enthusiastic about my own art work. That means come home from a long day job and try to put some love and time into something of my own. That is very hard sometimes. Photos from the weekend still sit unedited and I am currently skipping my pottery class- not a good start.
On a unrelated note- how gorgeous are these handmade fixtures by KAM lamp company, the currently featured etsy seller? I need that little light bulb of inspiration right now.

weekend warriors

Way too worn out to edit all of the photos from the engagement party. We had so much fun and I am so glad we could do it in our own backyard. It was back to work today and a 12 hours workday is not the most pleasant way to start the school year. But I am optimistic about what this year has in store for both my students and I. Time to get my hands dirty with some art again.

Here is just a sneak peek of this past weekend's festivities. More tomorrow... if things slow down.

garden peppers

Our garden has been a big disappointment this year. Maybe I have been a bad gardener, maybe it's been the over the top heat we have had all summer, maybe things just didn't work out. Either way- we haven't been eating fresh garden tomato salads and sauteed squash all summer as I had hoped. But we do have peppers. Lots and lots of mild, medium, and hot peppers. I have no idea what the mister plans on doing with all of these peppers, but they sure are pretty.
I haven't yet given up on the garden- I am trying to give it a little more tlc and hope for a late summer growth spurt- but I am not holding my breath. Oh well, better luck next year.

loyal loot

Say hello to the loveliest, yummiest log bowls from loyal loot. Can I put these on a wedding registry?

fabric

I am so in love with the vintage tablecloths and sheets that our friend Allison has found for us to use for our engagement party and wedding. The colors and designs are to die for and the selection is just too good. This is a small sample but I am sure you will be seeing more as we go along.

decorate it

Overwhelmed by all of the stunning wedding and party decorations I have come across this week on the net. I am constantly amazed at the creativity and craftiness out there.
you are my fave.

once wed.
one love photo.

wednesday wish list

This summery double braid string maze fabric necklace from Thief & Bandit on etsy. They have some really gorgeous handmade creations and I really love the shop's entire aesthetic. So fun!

picnic

So excited for our engagement party next week. All of these images are inspiring the feel I hope we can create.

twig & honey

How sweet is this golden bouquet hair piece by Myra Callan of twig&honey?
I am starting to think wedding apparel and this could fit right in. As much as I want to make everything myself, I realize that some things are just outside of my expertise and I should reach out to some of the talent on etsy to find the perfect work. This is going onto the list. Lovely.

On another exciting note, we may have decided on a date:: April 16th.

from the ocean

Our week at the beach was simply wonderful and relaxing. We ate, slept, laid in the sun, played, drank, read, and ate some more. I took so many photos it is hard to pare them down, but here are a few of my favorite moments::
tie-dye party, finally!
seafood fest
view from the deck
and a sweet toast and kind moment with some delicious wine.

Thanks Mom and Dad for continuing one of my absolute favorite traditions!

handmade wedding pt. 1

We have not yet done a whole lot of wedding planning but we have talked and talked and come up with ideas and pretty clear vision. It is very important to us that as much of this event be handmade and diy as possible, and with an incredible group of talented friends and family members it doesn't seem that it will be very hard to do. It is easy to feel loved when people around you are offering to make food, decorations, even your dress- I couldn't be luckier.

In a couple of weeks my sisters and friend are hosting our engagement party- a twilight picnic in our own backyard. Blankets, lanterns, candles, yard games and spiked lemonade are all on the agenda and I am really looking forward to it. The prep work for this is just a small taste of all the treasure hunting we will be doing over the next year for the big day.

I designed an invitation for the engagement party that we are sending out to friends and most likely this will be the style and colors I stick with for designing our wedding invites. I want to make sure it is sophisticated enough, however, so the real invite may be a little more refined.