I’m going to try something a little “quieter” around here and document one of my favorite summer moments each week. Just a few words and a photo at a time.
Summer pleasure #1 – Revel in the bright summer colors. (Ignore contrast against pale skin.)
[Photo taken at the LA Arboretum.]
Filed under Inspiration, Photography.
Technically, this is not a chipmunk. It’s a ground squirrel. I read some signage at the L.A. Zoo about the difference between chipmunks and squirrels, and I’m afraid I forgot it all. I think the chipmunk has a stripe on it’s head and a smaller tail.
We got out this weekend with the camera, and it felt good to have a free Saturday for playtime.
Of course, as we passed the camera back and forth between us, my husband was sure to point out which new animal photos should be blown up and hung in the living room. He was campaigning hard for this sheep (below) and an extreme close-up of an elephant’s eye.
Maybe I will try to appease him with a coffee table book instead.
Filed under Friends & Family, Photography, Travels Near & Far.
[Image from Ikea]
I think we are nearing a solution for artwork in the living room. We have debated canvas, framed photos, and a dozen different layout options — everything from one giant piece of artwork to triptychs. This has only taken us 18 months which is quite speedy for us. In fact, I hope we have not rushed things too much here. ;-)
A few nights ago, we went through our photography archives to try to choose which photos would make the cut. I think we realized that a collage of smaller prints will work best. On demand canvas printing seemed really cool, but committing to a few favorite images was just too hard. We’ve taken thousands of photos in the past few years and our favorites are eclectic, so going with smaller photos will allow us to mix and match some flowers, special places, people, and maybe even a few animals (my design concession to my husband). Our one rule is that we have decided to only use photos we’ve taken together.
Now for the hard part: the layout! I really this photo from Ikea (up top) of the ever-popular Ribba frames. The mixture of depths from the shadow boxes and regular frames makes me really happy. So tactile! However, we need an arrangement that is symmetrical or boxed in neatly somehow. We just don’t do organic very well.
Here is one of about 4 different arrangements I’ve been playing with which didn’t make the cut (awkward spacing around some of the frames):
We’ll get there. Eventually.
I owe everyone a pillow update, so I’m working on that post, too. Alas, I still have not made it to the fabric store for pillow fabrics. We’ve been running around like crazy, and I’m just trying to be at peace with our schedule however packed it’s going to be. I hope your week is off to a good start!
Filed under House & Home, Organization, Photography.
On Sunday, we set up a mini photo shoot in my parent’s backyard. I’ve been talking here about my plans to do a blog re-design, and I’ve been busy sewing ruffles, making star banners, and gathering up some of my favorite supplies. I really wanted some photographs that celebrated my love of nature, sewing/crafting/creativity, and over-the-top decorating. What better way than to move my “workspace” outdoors under a favorite tree and wrap it in an explosion of ruffles?
I have a lot more color correcting and touch up to do, but I wanted to share a rough “test shot:”
There is a part of me that wants to pretend stuff like this just magically happens and not show any of the “not-so-pretty” before shots. And then there is the more honest part of me that wants to tell you that this photo was shot on a precarious hillside and I spent the entire time trying not to tell my husband that there might be snakes hidden in the ground cover. There was a lot of editing and trial and error (and thankfully, no actual snakes).
Here’s a picture of the tree we used (below). Off to the right, you can see the top of the very steep steps that you have to climb to get to this spot. This was the day we did some tests to see which ruffles looked best on the tree (before I sewed yards and yards of them). The pleated satin ruffle (below) wasn’t working too well, so I crumpled it up in my hand to make the rose you see in the second photo above. Improv, baby!
Behind-the-Scenes “Before” shot:
Anyway, I thought you might like to see a little behind-the-scenes action. I’m hoping to get some time to play with these photos some more this weekend and get moving on the blog make-over. More from me soon!
Filed under Fabric & Sewing, Inspiration, Photography, Site News.
Happy weekend, everyone! I have been trying to get this posted for two days, but we’ve been having internet troubles. I am still laughing over all of your funny (and helpful!) comments about the duvet cover. Thank you. I am going to put new bedding on the ever growing “home wish list” right next to measuring spoons that have not been dropped repeatedly into the garbage disposal. We’ll get there. I know we will.
This week, I found myself in the fabric store having another one of those sewing conversations I try to avoid.
Salesperson: “So, what are you making?”
Oh gosh. I know that a few of my “great ideas” are what other people would refer to as “crazy town.” I looked down at the stack of tulle, shiny paper, and taffeta that I was carrying. Darn it. I can’t say place mats. (Place mats are my standby fake project when the actual project is too ridiculous to say out loud.)
No one makes place mats out of tulle:
Me: “Oh, I’m decorating for a party.” (The truth. Sort of.)
Salesperson: “Oh, who is the party for?”
Me: “Um, me.”
Salesperson now thinks I am vain and tries not to make further eye contact with me. On one hand, this makes me feel dumb, but I am also grateful that she is not pressing the issue further. I don’t want to explain that I am sewing yards of 1 foot wide ruffles to wrap around some trees as part of a mini photo shoot for my new blog header. Who says that?!! Do people even do that?! I mean, I do. (Obviously.) But it’s bad enough I have to tell my husband.
So I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m not sure if this will make it into the new blog re-design or not, but I promise to share either way. Seriously, this time.
Filed under Fabric & Sewing, Photography.
