Wednesday, April 15, 2009

secrets and surprises..

a




hi all!
just popping in quickly to say hello.
and to say that i have a secret
(how horrible am i??!)
i honestly love blabbing my secrets
especially when i'm excited about them..
but
this one i just have to keep to myself for the moment.

okay,
i'll tell you atleast this much..
i'm being interviewed by a magazine as a featured artist... this afternoon.
oop. i have to stop there,
because once i get started..
well, you know.

more to come as things develop though, i promise.
in the meantime have a gloriously gorgeous wednesday
full of surprises large and small.
xoxo
(extra x's and o's today..)

Monday, April 13, 2009

just because






because it's monday




and because it was a long weekend full of sick pets and vet visits
and because that got me thinking about how much
our furry babies mean to us..

how sweet and hilarious
and full of love they always are
no matter what..




and because they can always make us laugh..

and because it's always nice to
start your week off with a smile...

..a few hilariously charming and adorable photos styled by cynthia altoriso
in honor of our little furry friends.

wishing you a happy monday!
xo


*photographed by shaw & leach
backdrops by charles broderson

***photographed by charles broderson
backdrops by charles broderson

Friday, April 10, 2009

green is good




in my wanderings around the neighborhood yesterday
i spied some things that i've been waiting (patiently?) for
for a very very long time..



tiny buds, little grasses, sweet ferns (life!)
were pushing up and out of the ground, out of tree branches, bushes, everywhere.
and oh
how happy this made me.
i mean really really happy...giddy in fact.



so giddy that i ran home (mmm..probably more like skipping, actually..)
and immediately started working on
new earrings and pendants
inspired by the new glorious green-ness.

these earrings were the first that i finished..
and there will be more sprouting up in my bead shop
over the weekend.

my musings, on wednesday, of far away beaches and romantic things
are still very much alive and will continue to inspire me throughout the next few months..
it's just that i can now happily add to my collection
inspiration from things closer to home as well.


wishing you a gorgeous holiday weekend
full of inspiration and all sorts of things that make you happy (or even giddy..) too.
xo


Wednesday, April 8, 2009

these romantic things..





with warm weather on it's way
(it will make it to ny eventually too, i just know it will..)
my thoughts are wandering to far away beaches





warm wind and going barefoot




feeling languid and free




wearing long flowing dresses and light linen blouses




gathering with friends in the garden
dancing under lanterns
hanging from tree limbs



all sorts of romantic images are floating through my head these days
inspiring new earrings..

some organic and flowing
some colorful and festive
all full of spring sweetness

you can find them in my shop now
with more coming over the next few days and weeks.
xo



*many thanks to the lovely mrs.french who introduced me to the gorgeous work of erica tanov
whose clothing and images perfectly captured the mood i'm in these days.
i hope you enjoy!
xo



Monday, April 6, 2009

butterfly dreams..







do you ever have dreams that you can fly?
i used to.
when i was a child i had them all the time.
i could flap my arms really really hard and lift my body up
and i would soar through the sky...
usually just out of the grasp of some scary monster.
i haven't had those dreams in years.
until last night.
the flying dream came back.
this one was different though,





last night i was in a field of wildflowers
and there was a little butterfly there (not a scary monster)
who playfully fluttered around
trying to get me to follow it.
i knew if i tried hard enough
that i could fly with it.
(you know how you just know these things in dreams)





so i tried and tried
i flapped my arms (just like i used to when i was a kid)
i ran and jumped
and nothing.
my body felt heavy and i felt sad.
my body wasn't responding the way it used to.

more butterflies flew past
almost in slow motion
and i noticed how gracefully and effortlessly
they were flitting about.
suddenly i knew
that i was trying too hard.
i didn't need to flap and run and jump.
if i would just relax
breathe
just let myself become light
let myself lift up
the rest would take care of itself




and so i did.
i breathed really deeply
calmly
i stopped thinking and panicking
and i let myself go.

i started rising up up into the air
floating above the fields
where hundreds of butterflies
were fluttering and diving
all around me.
i could feel soft wind from their delicate wings.
it filled me with utter and complete joy.




when i woke up
i was smiling..completely relaxed
as if i had been on a long journey
..a vacation.
my fists weren't clenched (as they often are these days)
and i realized that i really needed this.
it was like a gift from something deep deep inside myself..
(maybe an early birthday gift?..i'm having a big one in a few weeks..ahhh!)




whatever it was, it was beautiful
and i'm going to try to keep that feeling with me.

dreams are so fascinating,
especially when they can affect you so profoundly.
do you have any that you remember so clearly?

thanks for letting me indulge myself with that one!
wishing you a very happy and peaceful beginning of the new week..
and sweet sweet dreams.
xo




*all of the beautiful photos i gathered from fellow etsy friends..please pay them a visit when you have time.


Friday, April 3, 2009

and the winner is..





really quickly, before i announce the winner of the give-away,
i have to say that all of you guys were so great to play along!
your stories were hilarious
and i've been smiling just thinking about all the great silliness out there.
i'm filled with all sorts of ideas for pranks now
(you know, if i ever decide to do something like that..of course..)


so,
i put all of the names in a bowl
closed my eyes
and drew the name of..



congratulations to you
miss ashley! 
i'll contact you and get all of your info
and get right to work on your special surprise heart this weekend.

thanks everyone for playing!
it was so much fun,
i will definitely be doing many more giveaways in the future.


in the meantime,
have a beautiful weekend
filled with all sorts of surprises!
xo

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

april fool's fun..a little giveaway




hello again!
i thought i would surprise everyone with two blog posts today.
seeing that it's april fool's day and all..


and who doesn't like surprises?
especially when they're 
in the form of a give-away..



this is how we're going to play..
just leave a comment on this blog post
and tell me about your most memorable prank..
either played on you or by you
at some time in your life.

for example, 
maybe your sister played a tape recording of you
singing 'you light up my life' to your entire 3rd grade class
(oh yes, that did happen..and i have not forgotten it..amy..)

tell me all about yours, don't be shy
i'd love to hear!

on friday, april 3
i'll draw a name at noon (eastern time)
and announce the winner
here on my blogitty blog.




what do you get if you win?
why,
you'll receive one of my surprise hearts
from my bead shop,
that's what.

for more info on what these surprise heart pendants are..
just check here.

 i suppose this is a treat rather than a prank..
but it's my little surprise for you.

wishing you a very happy april 1st.
xo

tea with amber alexander




i don't remember how i first discovered her work..
through my many blissful hours of roaming 
through the pages and pages
of talent on etsy..i'm sure.



but i do remember being happy that i had a hot pot of tea next to me
as i found myself journeying along with amber alexander
and her beautiful little creatures



on their travels and adventures. 



..some mischievous 




some innocent..
and all very playful.




they remind me of a more painterly and rich version
(just look at those colors and brushstrokes..gorgeous)
of the work of beatrix potter,
whose imaginative work i loved as a child (and still do).

amber leads me back to that imaginary place
that i never want to forget 
no matter how old i get.



now go put on a pot of tea, grab lots of honey and please join byron and me
for a little journey this afternoon.
xo


*oh and thank you to isabelle who just reminded me of amber's great blog..
check it out too.