feeling dreamy

sometimes during these summer evenings when the sun is low, the air is hot, a slight breeze is blowing through the window, i feel this sensation of calm + happiness... everything seems so serene and beautiful, i just can't help but feel inspired.

and while this feeling of inspiration is coursing through my bloodstream, i might browse some lovely blogs + flickr sites and come across an image like this one that captures my mood perfectly. imaginitive, playful, beautiful.

photo by Lissy Elle

{check out her other photos, you simply must!}

prone to wander :: blog giveaway

my new blog friend paige is have a mega-giveaway on her beautiful blog prone to wander- and there are 10 chances to win! i'm one of the etsy shops participating & i donated one of my famous three wish fish ::

you can enter multiple times, so check out the contest here for more details!

paragraph cove

i had the pleasure of meeting esther of paragraph cove over the weekend at the super rad pdx craft show. i just love her paper goodies! she sells upcycled stationary, which is entirely made from old maps, magazines, sheet music and other pretty papers- and it's all perfectly cut and beautifully crafted. i just had to buy a few things...

...vintage sheet music envelopes with brown paper cards tucked inside and little sticker tab...

...another envelope that opens at the top with a rounded-corner notecard to go inside...

...and an itty-bitty notebook! i think i'm going to write a cute little love note to dx... :)

everything was packaged in a darling little wax paper bag. and she threw in a free little button too! ah... cute paper goodies make me smile.

visit the paragraph cove etsy shop here

and the paragraph cove blog here

matryoshka monday

here is our favorite russian gal next to her favorite treats.

{photo by me}

craft show sunday

i'll be here tomorrow with my darling savage fishies and dear machine prints :: hope to see you there!

etsy fashion :: little houses

this style is so "me". exactly my style- the fit, the asymmetry, the scrunches and oh, the buttons! if i could afford to buy all of my clothes from little houses, i would.

simple, elegant and unique. everything i really like about fashion. in my dreams, i can make clothes like this.

they are currently having a sale on some of their fall designs, so stop by and take a look at all of the beautiful clothing at the little houses shop now!

foraging in the undergrowth...

...the savage beast stalks it's prey...

beautiful burlap

i was in the fabric store yesterday- trying not to spend too much money- when i spotted a giant roll of burlap. immediately i thought, "wow, i would love to make something with this!" and then i remembered my own number-one rule of shopping in the fabric store:: if i can't think of anything to make with it by the time i check out, i'm not allowed to buy it. so i didn't. boo.

however, i just decided to give etsy a look-see for handmade burlap goodies and came upon a very lovely shop called funkyshique. this shop is filled with amazing burlap crafts! check 'em out ::

very organic, very natural. very cool.

visit funkyshique on etsy

divine twine

i just bought this baker's twine sample pack from cupcake social on etsy - isn't it gorgeous? i just don't think i'll ever get tired of the baker's twine phenomenon- it's so very cute + stripe-y! and just look at the new colors available.... amazing.

the company whisker graphics is the maker of this "divine twine" brand, but they only sell full spools- and i just wanted to see the colors before purchasing a large quantity. but i have to say, now that i've seen them in person, i want them all!!

divine twine is available for purchase here or here

matryoshka monday

hello + happy monday!

today i am starting a new weekly feature called "matryoshka monday" :: starring that cute little russian nesting doll from my postcard print in the 'darling savage' shop. she's so famous, in fact, that she has even been featured on this etsy front page ::

but she doesn't let the fame get to her head- while she could spend her time signing autographs, she'd rather spend a sunny afternoon basking next to some colorful friends after a trip to the farmer's market ::

she'll be back next week to share some more adventures!

"счастливый понедельник!"

{copy/paste the above to here for translation}

farmer's market

i can't think of a better way to spend a saturday morning than a trip to the farmer's market. i love buying food that i know was grown locally, sustainably, and cruelty-free.

yum.

photos by me.

baby robin

isn't a robin's egg the most gorgeous blue you've ever seen? just beautiful.

i took the kittens out in the backyard to do a little exploring when i noticed a momma robin red-breast chirping fiercely at us. i suspected she might be protecting a nest, but the kittens were quite fascinated with her- and i think this was their first up-close bird experience- so i let them watch. as they crept slowly toward her {believe me, she was in no danger from these little guys} suddenly i saw a tiny movement on the ground- a baby bird had fallen from the nest! i could tell, from past experience raising orphaned baby birds, that it was a fledgling so it was just learning to fly. and the mother was probably feeding it until it's wings were strong enough to lift off. so i scooped up the kittens and headed to another corner of the yard. thankfully, they were so busy watching momma bird, they didn't even see the baby. that's nature at work. kinda stirs the heartstrings, ya know?

photo by me

perch papiers

i wish i could do calligraphy. i wish i had time {and patience} to learn to write so beautifully. but i'll leave it to the experts- like perch papiers.

one of my brides (from paper + pinafore) used perch papers to address her invitation envelopes- and i hear that they did a fabulous job. i just love the look of hand-lettering... it's so elegant and kind of old-timey... just lovely to look at.

for all of your calligraphy needs, check out perch papiers on etsy

feist

this is little miss feist. she's a very fine lady, you see.

out of the five kittens we rescued, dx and i ended up keeping two of them :: feist and sebastian. they are growing so fast! naturally, i've taken tons of pictures, and i'll be sprinkling them throughout my future posts. but this one was too cute, i had to share. such a dainty little devil. ;)

dear machine

yes. i am crazy. insane, some might call me.

why?

i just opened my third etsy shop :: my new baby... and i call her dear machine.

"dear machine" refers to my love for cameras and photography :: the dear machine shop is a place for me to showcase some of my personal favorite photos and see if anyone else maybe thinks they're kinda pretty too.

so, why a third etsy shop? well, i think it's more visually cohesive to keep my shops separate, since they each feature different product types :: darling savage for softgoods and accessories, paper + pinafore for wedding invitations and paper goods, and now dear machine for photographs. {yes, i have too many hobbies. and apparently, a wee bit of ambition too.}

plus, etsy is a fabulous place to test my handmade products :: it's so little effort and almost no cost to open a shop, so why not? if it doesn't work, i might lose a couple of bucks... so it's definitely worth a try.

now that i'm up and running, i'm still waiting for my first sale! so i'm offering a special for my first customer :: they can choose a free 4x6 image from any photo in the shop. {right now i just have 5x7's listed, but other sizes are available and will be posted soon!}

so next time you're browsing through etsy, don't forget to stop by dear machine and give me a heart! i will happily heart you back. :)

happy fourth!

photo from here