to lulu

this lovely postcard came in the mail a few days ago. i love my bestie so very very much. i hope she doesn't get mad at me for you guys finding out that her real name is Lauren, although i don't know why she signed it that way since all i ever call her is Lou. this really made my week. maybe one of these days i'll go to Ireland with her and open a bookshop there. but for now she is quite right, Portland fits me so well. oh Lou, how i love you. =]

ps- like my shoddy "trying to figure out how to erase my last name/address" skills? also, i have no idea why my scanner freaked out and scanned this all wonky. oh well.

pps- as you read this i will actually be camping (hopefully pictures to come). i won't be back for a few days, so i hope everybody's weekend goes oh so well! leave me some comments telling me what you did! i would love to hear about it. =]

family affairs adventures

...When you wake from a nap amidst your garden's dahlia patch you decide to ride your white horse straight to Studio 54...

The Guineviere jumpsuit looks like a dress when you stand. Wear it with or without a belt. A golden bikini would look great underneath.

“No grownups could find us when we
Made our plans so secretly
To run away and fly to be
With the two birds of paradise„ -The Pretenders

...You are having tea with the Madhatter. Better hurry up and get your oversized sunhat!...

You will be the star at every garden party with this comfortable silk jumpsuit

“I'll follow you into the park,
Through the jungle through the dark,
Girl I never loved one like you.„ -Edward Sharpe

...Feed the seagulls in Long Island and write new songs in the wet sand...

This cotton shirt dress with a Peter Pan collar comes with lovely anchor embossed brass buttons and pockets!

“I've been out walking
I don't do too much talking
These days, these days„- Nico

i came across the Family Affairs site on wishwishwish the other day, and i adored the way the clothing was supplemented with a cute little description about the "wearer" who might choose these outfits and what exactly to do whilst wearing them! it's like a little adventure is already prepared for you. a video lookbook is already playing in your head as you read the caption and look at the gorgeous clothing.

i've seen some other designers/clothing labels do this fun imaginative type of stuff, too. but i think that Family Affairs pulls it off especially well. the song lyrics are a rather nice touch. =]

pounding flowers

today i helped host a summer workshop for kids with my mother. we learned how to pound petals and leaves into fabric by taping them in cool designs onto a sheet of plain muslin fabric, flipping them over onto a clipboard and paper, putting the clipboard on the ground, and hammering until the pigments in the leaves and petals started to show through the fabric we were pounding. i was awestruck as i didn't really know what was going to be happening in the class until i started doing it along with the kids, and i plan on doing this crafty project again and again at home. you have to hammer pretty darn hard for a little while so it's also a really great way to vent frustration. ;]

i found a few tutorials on the internet:
tutorial one
tutorial two
tutorial three
(note: i didn't use any of these tutorials, but they all look pretty similar to what i did. i'm hoping these get the picture across, because it's quite hard to explain exactly how to "pound flowers into fabric")

ps- what do you think, should i attempt to write my own tutorial for this craft one of these days?

daniel sean murphy

these breathtaking paper sculptures were created by Daniel Sean Murphy. i've always been amazed at what people can do with merely paper, imagination, and a whole bunch of determination. i've been seeing a lot of paper cut-outs lately, but paper sculptures are entirely different. with their clean lines and elegant contours, these pieces almost look like three dimensional shadows.
(via See Hear Say)

ps- tweet tweet!

i am not yours

by Sara Teasdale

I am not yours, not lost in you,
Not lost, although I long to be
Lost as a candle lit at noon,
Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

You love me, and I find you still
A spirit beautiful and bright,
Yet I am I, who long to be
Lost as a light is lost in light.

Oh plunge me deep in love—put out
My senses, leave me deaf and blind,
Swept by the tempest of your love,
A taper in a rushing wind.

image source.

etsy color: white

clockwise from top left: map print by Karen M. O'Leary; boots from Marie's Vintage; mobile by The Butter Flying; print by Debbie Carlos; tee by The Petite Chouette; purse by morelle; wall decor from Monkey and Squirrel; frames from Vintage 50s Eyewear; necklace by Fox & Clover

okay, so technically white isn't a "color", but rather a tone (a sort of combination of all colors if you will). regardless, white is beautiful. i just painted my room white. there is something so fresh and virginal about it. it comes across like a blank canvas just waiting to be painted on. i think white can be both calming and stimulating. it's so very versatile. i don't wear much white since i tend to dress in bright colors and bold patterns, but oh how i enjoy it. there is nothing more elegant than white. and white lace is probably my very favorite type of white there is! ;] 

lady petrova

i blogged about Lady Petrova back in March when i had first stumbled across their Winter 2010 lookbook. i was pretty darn in love with the eclectic mix of patterns, textures, and colors that were featured. i didn't think that they could come out with a lookbook that i would like even more. i was so wrong it isn't even funny. Lady Petrova's Summer 10/11 collection (titled Peace Hotel) is the definition of gorgeous. the hair with wisps of bright colors braided into it, the pale makeup with magenta eyebrows and splashes of orange blush, the pastel Alice in Wonderland meets Grecian Goddess outfits (obviously the focus of the lookbook), the celestial background, the colors (oh, the colors!)...i can't even describe how much i am in love with every last detail. dear Lady Petrova, my oh my how you have stolen my tiny little heart.
(via spokes 'n' daggers)

lovely lippy

i just got home from the dentist's office. i had to have a cavity filled! it's always a pain in the bum when you need to have work done on your teeth, but afterwards i'm always hyper-aware of my lips (mainly because i can't feel them for a few hours and it freaks me out). so i guess it goes without saying that i'm in the mood to look at pretty lipstick pictures. and who else here loves the feeling of putting on a brand new lipstick, straight from the tube? it such a thrill. ohhh, dearest dearest makeup.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

etsy: tsuru bride

i have found the most wonderful things on blogs lately, but i keep forgetting which blogs i've seen them on and it's really truly bugging me! this adorable Etsy shop is one of them. i remember seeing Tsuru Bride's items briefly online before, but as i stumbled across the fun clutches and card holders a second time i knew i had to blog about them. i am a big fan of color (i wonder how many times i've actually said that on this blog, i know i've said it at least a kabillion times, but i keep on typing it out as if you guys haven't gotten the message yet...), and these purses do not disappoint. eclectic animal designs combined with shockingly vivid hues and metallic leather make for a definite eye-catching statement. carrying one of their purses around, you would have the perfect conversation piece at your fingertips.

little horsey eyes and ears

yesterday my mother's horse (not pictured here) was scheduled to have eye surgery. we ended up not being able to go through with it because of an, unbeknownst to us, upper respiratory infection. so the surgery is scheduled for next month, and my mother is all in jitters so i'm trying to be supportive. equine surgery is quite risky, but i'm sure everything will be fine.

anyway, while i was at the barn a few days ago i took these photos of some of the horses that were out in the field. i love how expressive and wise the eyes on a horse look. and, well, furry ears are just cute. =]

a morning poem for anne

by Virginia Davis

My body is an old wheelbarrow
standing in place
at the foot of the garden.
Weathered wood,
rusted steel.
It is what it is.

image source.

disposable camera part 2

finally got around to scanning the pictures from the second disposable camera i had taken with me to Lilith Fair. i don't think this post needs much explaining if you read the first part. =]

now, these are the remaining photos from the actual concert:

and here (and that second one right above this line ^) are just some random photos from random places that i took after i was finished taking pictures at Lilith Fair. i know i know, i probably should've taken the time to use up the second role of film too, but i was so insanely tired!

the end! ♥