finding the balance

Ok this post is really not about balance at all. Because right now my life has none. We started back to school (work) this week, started tearing down cabinets and tile in our kitchen, and now I need to get back to my shop. It is busy and hectic and messy and feels like running in several directions at once. Usually I thrive on being super busy and having my hands in several projects but right now I am barely treading water. I know in a few weeks once the routine has set in it will all be much easier, so for now I am letting things like this make me happy. One of my custom garlands being used at an opening press party for adorable jewelry shop, Viv&Ingrid at Oxford Hall. Isn't that the cutest name ever?

ReBloomed

My crafty momma recently opened her own etsy shop named ReBloomed! She is using new and repurposed fabrics to make the sweetest flower clips and brooches! I had so much fun helping her with the photos (with my lovely sister modeling) and it looks like these little gems won't be staying in the shop for long! Get yours here while they last!
PS-- My mom is pretty awesome. In addition to starting her shop she also started her new job as an assistant principal this month!

something to look forward to

A long day of classroom scrubbing and only a one hour break before I am back at school for open house night. The return of the school year may be a bit of a bummer (I promise to stop bitching about it soon) but at least I have the autumn weather and wardrobes to look forward to. Loving all of these ensembles from the Madewell Fall Lookbook. The rest of the collection is just as exciting and I think the best part is that most of these outfits could be easily put together on a thrift store budget. Very nice.

this week

Well it is here, I officially went back to work yesterday. It is nice to be busy but bittersweet to be ending my summer. On a lighter note though, I had some work featured on GlitterGuide this week (love that site) AND we got some new original prints up in the shop! Trying to move into some more art and design so this is a fun first step.
Also this week, I shared my inspiration for decorating with vintage letters over on PS. AND the most exciting news of all--- our wedding was featured on Grey Likes Weddings! I am giddy!
Happy weekend everyone!!!

autumn hues

It seems like peach, coral, aqua, mustard, tan, and grey were my go to colors throughout this past spring and summer. See here, here, and here. So I was pleasantly surprised to see this palette elevated and fittingly adjusted for the fall months over on the always amazing Coco+Kelley yesterday.Though the outfit may be a bit out of my comfort zone, the color combination is glorious. My spring shades have been deepened to emerald green, deeper brown, and a punch of black. Amazing. I found a lovely black, wispy, maxi skirt at the thrift store this week and I can see these color accents pulling a fall outfit together.

I know I shouldn't be speaking of fall too soon, and I swear I'm not wishing summer away, but this was just too good not too share.

a little lens flare

Both the end of summer and these lovely photos by bri inspired me to do a little photoshopping of my own today. It is always fun to play around with your photos, especially when the end result is not too achieve a perfect image. Plus I am getting really good at not getting started on those back to school responsibilities.

weekend: trailers and barns

This is where we spent our weekend. More details on that later. Busy busy busy this week getting ready for back to work, back to school. I promise to spend more time here when I get a chance!

PunchFork

Have you guys seen PunchFork? As soon as I saw it I thought of my little sister because not only does is it an archive of the newest recipes to hit the web from all of the best cooking blogs, sites, and magazines- but it is meticulously manicured and well-organized. This site tracks the mentions and publicity that new recipes are getting from facebook, blogs, tweets, and other social media sources and then gives them a rating number based on their popularity. You can see the photos, descriptions, ingredients, and rating and then link over to the original source for any recipe you wish to make. It seems to be updated frequently and has become a constant source of inspiration for my own (not always so creative) cooking over the last couple of weeks.
So far I have made the summer squash soup, and pea pesto linguine. I think next on my radar are the eggplant caprese, zucchini and spinach gratin, ginger raspberry ice cream, and brioche french toast with asparagus and orange beurre blanc (even though I have absolutely no idea what half of those words are.)

marriage equality

I was really moved by the photos Joanna shared a few weeks ago of some of the first couples to get hitched in NYC on July 24th, the first day that same sex marriage was legally recognized in the stated.

Then last week Kathleen shared a really lovely design she created for an upcoming event, YAY New York! which is basically a mass reception celebrating marriage equality. Not only is her design the perfect representation of this event and this idea- but they are also doing a giveaway of a tote featuring her logo! Tomorrow is the last day to enter so go ahead and make the move now and then rock this logo on your blog or other social media for the world to see.
Having gotten married this year is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Creating a family unit with the person you love, the person of your heart's choice, that is not a privilege that should be limited to a particular population. I believe in love and I believe in Marriage=Equality.

napkins and cases

Today I am sharing my favorite cloth napkins for dressing up your dinner table over on PrettySouthern. There are sooooo many cute and colorful choices out there, absolutely no excuse for a boring table scape at your next dinner party!
I am also loving these quirky, graphic iPhone cases from Indie Cases. I am waiting for the new iPhone to come out so I can make a major splurge.

throwback

My current obsessions for the summer include playing words with friends (highly addictive), dipping anything I can find in homemade tzatziki sauce, and shoes. I have looked at/bought too many pairs of shoes this summer and have more on the radar. Right now I am crushing on these throwback keds- aren't they adorable and perfect for a late summer bike ride?

And I am not sure if these are men or womens but I would certainly rock them. Nice job keds!Also crushing on these and these.

friday already?

I guess everyone counts down to the weekend, so Friday is usually a welcome sight but I am starting to feel the summer slipping away. For a few weeks I get to lose track of the days, hours even, submerse myself in projects that I can put my heart into, and enjoy so many lovely moments without feeling guilty about everything I am not getting done. And even though it is a few weeks away I can feel that looming work date creeping up. It is time to start thinking about curriculum and syllabi once again and I am just not ready. Not yet. I need more late dinners on the deck under twinkling lights, more midday coffee dates, and more afternoons spent swimming in the Durham rock quarry like we did this week.
Summer, please stick around a while longer.

The NotWedding

Have you heard of The NotWedding? Basically it is a super cool, modern take on the traditional bridal show. It takes place in Atlanta, Orlando, and San Diego and guests get to witness an awesome {not}wedding with everything from a {not} ceremony to catering, decorations, music, and cakes. Vendors get to show off all of their awesome talents and brides and grooms to be get to experience a totally rad idea of what their wedding could be.
I am honored to be the featured vendor this week on their Snag The Swag feature where you can get vendor's talents for huge discounts. I am offering $80 worth of custom paper decorations for $40 all this week. If you (or someone you know) is planning a wedding I would love to work with them on custom garlands, cake toppers, or paper goods! I am also really excited that I may be going down to Atlanta next summer to be a part of the whole event! Aaah!

Check out the deal here.

dream home

from here.

playing dress up with your cake

Just listed my new cake flags in the heart&craft shop! This idea came about when creating toppers for our wedding cheesecakes and I finally got around to making some to sell. Unfortunately ours never actually made it to the cheesecakes on our wedding day- technical error of diy wedding I guess!

For the shop, I recreated some of my original styles and added some new ones as well. I love how tall these sit on top of a simple cake and they look especially fancy if your cake is on a pedestal stand. Ooh la la! Get some for yourself right here.
Oh- and I am excited to be the newest vendor over in the directory of CatchMyParty.com! Fun!

chalkboard party hats

For our friend's birthday celebration over the weekend I created some impromptu party hats and decorations with some supplies found in my studio. I was pleasantly surprised when I came across my chalkboard paint when trying to find the right color to paint some old party hats. Chalkboard party hats! Genius! These came together with a couple coats of chalkboard paint and a few feet of colorful tinsel wire, all in under ten minutes. I shared a tutorial of this diy over here yesterday. Super easy and super fun to make your friends wear party hats with their initials on them when you go out to celebrate!

weekend moments

This weekend started off with a bang- a birthday and surprise engagement in one night. It was so exciting to celebrate these big moments with some of our closest friends. After that the rest of the weekend was really nice and quiet. We watched a few movies, ate pancakes, drank wine with my mother in law, had tacos and strawberry-basil margaritas with my family, and generally did not do too much. The sun light coming into our house on Saturday was a perfectly still, soft, warm tone that matched my lazy mood and I had to snap some photos before that rare occasion passed. As much as I love our house, the one downfall really is the lack of natural light, I guess that comes from being in a mid-century home with high, horizontal windows. Here are some of the stolen moments from our weekend:natural light and an old bowl that I made and that reminded me how much I miss ceramics.
yard flowers, new perfume oils ordered from here, strawberry lemon bars for birthdays.

top image: couches, new lamps, and sunlight on the ceiling.