Thursday, October 8, 2009

cool weather and cozy plans

so the weather here is gorgeous!
i don't think it could be more perfect..
the air is cool and crisp
some sun some rain
lots of wind
that swirling playful wind
you know that special autumn wind
that smells of change
that picks up leaves and carries them as if celebrating
..so many reds browns and yellows dancing
and singing

it's absolutely perfect scarf weather
sweet woolen hat weather
boots and sweaters
and cozy thoughts of visiting friends at pubs
sharing laughs and a nice dark beer
(or hot chocolate..)
and some cozy wonderful music
weather



i would so love to be at my favorite pub
with favorite friends
seeing these guys playing.
how cozy..
(i think cozy is my favorite word when it gets cold out..)
doesn't that piano sound like rain and leaves falling?
and her hat and dress..
adorable.
and her lovely voice and sensitively thoughtful
and playful words.
perfect.

what are you planning for this gorgeous fall?
xo


*ps. thank you to everyone who participated in my photography giveaway at 'kind over matter' this past week!
the winners have been announced at kom..so congratulations!
oh, and i had such a great (and giddy) time reading through everyone's comments...
the world is filled with so many sweet people!
(((big smile)))
xo





Thursday, October 1, 2009

feeling lucky?



well
the gorgeously inspiring and oh so generous ladies
over at
(one of my daily haunts..and all time favorite inspirational blogs..)
are hosting a giveaway of my work!

from now until october 7th
head on over
for your chance to win one of my photographs
..of your choosing..
..from anything at all..
in my photo shop or even from my flickr

i can't wait to see what everyone picks..
..and to see who wins..

it might even by you!
good luck!
xox

*head on over now, so you don't forget!

*and thank you sweet jenn and amanda
you are two extremely amazing ladies!
xo

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

butterflies gathered around..


when i first saw this painting
i have to admit to you
that it brought tears to my eyes
with it's beauty
and it's hope..


my emotions are often stirred though, with amanda blake's work.
she creates a seemingly endless stream of vignettes and stories


often visiting the characters over and again
so over time we get to know them
and wonder about them


and love them.



rich in color and depth
they have the power to simultaneously
make you feel calm and still spark the imagination
lead you into a dream
or take you on a journey for a moment
(a journey that is sometimes surprising but somehow always seems familar..)

this one though...with the angel butterflies..
i just want to climb in to
and stay for a while.
i think we could all use butterflies surrounding us
sometimes.
don't you?

enjoy more of her incredible paintings here, here and here.

happy wednesday.
xo

*ps. tomorrow (thursday) my photo store is being featured on one of my favorite blogs
where they're giving away two of my prints!
more info and a link tomorrow..

Friday, September 25, 2009

i really do


how perfectly sweet is this image?
and how lovely it feels to read (or hear!) this sentiment
a sweet and simple thought..
but with deep and happy effects.

looking at this makes me smile from the inside out.
take a second to stare at it
does it do the same for you?

i hope so
and i hope you have a refreshing weekend
full of even
more smiles too.
xox

see you next week
with sneak peeks of....
owls!
(there's a whole flock of em coming to my shop in early october)
xo


*you can find more fresh playful work from alyssa here and here

Thursday, September 24, 2009

a little press..





so, my little secret that i wanted to blurt out to you guys
a few months ago
is in print now and i can finally reveal that i am the featured artiste
in the fall issue of bead & button magazine

it's been a few years since a magazine has featured me,
and so it was nice to be interviewed again.
it puts things in perspective for you as an artist, i think,
to revisit your journey..to look at changes and new directions
by looking back at where you started.
it's quite a nice long article
with large lovely images..hehe
(except i really wish photo credit had been given..)

yvette doss did a great job writing it..i like her perspective and intuitive writing style

she (happily) mentions
the wonderful 'san gabriel bead company' in los angeles
where all of this crazy clay bead business started for me


and also peppers the article with mentions of 'etsy'
(which i was also very happy about)
and salmon and cemeteries and guadalajara
and all sorts of things that inspire/inform my clay work.
it's always interesting to see yourself through someone else's eyes, isn't it?
(and funny enough, it's really not embarrassing at all..!)

if you want to see a copy, it's on newsstands and in craftstores
and bookstores all over the world
(how cool is that?!)
and please contact me if you want me to autograph a copy for you..
haha!

wishing you a really happy mid-week..
see you tomorrow
with more fun.
xo

Friday, September 18, 2009

coco avant chanel



i love that this week has turned into an accidental tribute to france!
(not a bad way to spend a week, i'd say)
and what a better way to end it
than to talk about something completely and undeniably french..

an upcoming film
that explores the beautifully artistic
and gloriously indomitable spirit
of the quintessential french fashion icon


.coco chanel.
it's release date
is one week from today here in the states
(friday september 25..yes my calender is marked in red!)

the exciting part,
other than it starring the gorgeously easy to watch
audrey tatou
(amelie!)

is that it follows coco's life before she was chanel
before the fame and fortune..
she had such an interesting life.
i never knew she was an orphan, or that she tried to become a singer..
oop. stop me before i reveal too much.
(i'm one of those..i research everything feverishly when i find something i love)


her unique vision and strong spirit are incredibly inspiring
and really,
whether you go in knowing her beautiful story or not,
the movie is going to be one poetic frame after another.
...french countryside, early 1900s, paris,
the clothes, the colors, the sets...


a true feast for the eyes.


so in the meantime,
i hope you have a wonderful weekend
full of inspiration.
we're going to lake ontario...apple picking has begun in ny state!
what are you going to do?
i'd love to hear
xo

*all photos via imdb

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

speaking of things french...

in between ballet lessons
playing the piano
and drinking tea
in her 200 year old house

has been creating beautifully poetic
new clothing and handbags
for fall


each piece is romantic and modern
and
although she lives in boston
i swear each time i look at her work
i feel like i'm in paris
(it's happening a lot these days..)

you can find her sweet new items
in her etsy shop
rennes le chateau
ohh la la
how i love you so.


*all photos via rennes le chateau

Monday, September 14, 2009

memories of eating truffles in paris..

we stepped out of the chocolaterie
onto the cobblestone street
just below montmartre
just as the rain started falling

laughing and looking up to see the dark clouds
old iron work from the old metro
curved and gorgeous
caught my eye
between trees hanging low with drops of rain

windows boxes filled with soft flowers
just beyond
and stone walls filled with time
smiled down at me with their stories
of life and love


maybe it's because it's been almost 4 years to the day
that i was last in paris
(much too long if you ask me..)
..or maybe it's because i have a serious case of wanderlust
but
lately i've been dreaming remembering and fantasizing
about paris (a lot)
and
have been making jewelry and plotting photographs
inspired by these *dreams*

it's just an indulgence i happily allow myself..
going there in your mind (and heart)
is *almost* as good as being there..
n'est-ce pas?

***one of the little creations inspired by memories of beautiful old
historic dreamy paris

hope you have a happy and inspiring monday!
xo

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

into the trees


and now we interrupt our regularly scheduled program
with a moment of utter gorgeousness..






i love how relaxed and inspired this makes me feel..
i want to dive right in to those images.
ahhhh...such a nice way to start the work week after the long holiday weekend
(you have to ease back into these things sometimes..don't you think?)

and now, off to translate some of these images into clay..
xo

Friday, September 4, 2009

happy weekend




wishing you all a very happy weekend
full of adventure
rest friends food and all the things you love best.
xo

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

postcards from sweden..

oh the lush greenery..
(so wild and still somehow kept and not messy..a perfect combination)
the quaint houses and lanes..
the bright cheery colors..



the adorable signs and packaging..
so perfectly and sweetly designed




oh the utter charm and quaintness


all brought to us in the form of photo postcards
by the lovely chelsea over at frolic
while she travels through sweden
(..chelsea is also one half of urbanweeds..one of my daily haunts..)
how lucky are we??



and she's promised a tour through a swedish house..
oooh i'll definitely be there for that one!
won't you join me?

wishing you a happy wednesday!
xo

*all images via frolic
(tack så mycket, chelsea!)

*ps. a big huge blitz of new work is coming to my bead/jewelry shop over the coming weeks..
sneak peeks to follow..
(heheh..i love building anticipation..)

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

yellow whispers



with a light gray rain falling today
there's a gentle first hint of fall in the air

a certain stillness hangs lightly
as the days get a little shorter
and all of the green loosens its hold
slipping into whispers of yellows and reds

i love this quiet time just before the explosion of fall color
there's a certain dreaminess
as summer drifts into memory


......................................

Monday, August 24, 2009

olive juice kids



how adorable are these clothes??

so paris chic..
i can definitely imagine sipping coffee in a cafe
while wearing these

or visiting galleries
and walking down the champs-elysees

boating on the seine

browsing through books at shakespeare & co
or
just pretending i'm in france..


and they're making me really excited about dressing for fall
(it's right around the corner..can you believe it?)

oh if only they came in adult sizes.


happy monday!
xo

Thursday, August 20, 2009

down the rabbit hole


she looked into her dreams
where her good friends lived and played and decided
the day had come to join them

and so


into the sun we ran
letting fears fall away



stopping only to see that this place
in all its gorgeousness
with all its newness



had really been ours all along.


sketches and notes from an adventurous day
(with many more to come..)

wishing you a happy weekend full of dreams and adventures of your own.
xo


*these photos are a small part of a collaborative series that my bf sam and i are creating

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

i think the word for this one would be..sweet


this animation..
the music..
the words..
her voice..
it all just tickles me inside





a little bit 1930s
a little more 1940s
some 1960s
and slightly edgily modernish too
..a nice combination i'd say

hope you're having a happy week.
xo

Monday, August 17, 2009

joi de vivre



have you seen it yet?
oh
you must you must you must.
i'm telling you.
you must.


within the first minute
i was dreaming of living in paris
(even more vividly than usual)



and by the fifth minute into the film
i was starving
(despite the fact that we had just stuffed our faces
at the farmer's market 30 minutes earlier)
..oh those endless images of melting butter and bruscetta and souffles ..
(i didn't find any stills of those online..just trust me)



and about an hour in
i had made up my mind to turn my wish list on ebay
(for the entire le creuset set of pots and pans)
into a fedex delivery to my kitchen


gather a good girlfriend or two
come armed with loads of snacks
(maybe sneak in a basket filled with french bread and cheese and wine..
i'm going to do just that next time i see it..oh and i will see it again soon)
and get ready to smile
and laugh (outloud)
and cry a little bit
and laugh some more
and simply become filled with julia's contagious joi de vivre.
(meryl streep absolutely channelled her)


if i had to sum up julie & julia in just a few words,
i'd say exactly what my new sweet friend beth said after it was over..
'that was just lovely'.
it really was.


happy monday
and bon appetit!
xo


ps. and if you become as obsessed with julia and her food and life as i did
(i think you will)
you'll love this website