sparkle & love.

a little something special was under the christmas tree this year. it arrived by way of sparrow. and love. the biggest love i have known asked me to be his bride. i couldn't help myself & had to show off my new bauble a bit. it is a lovely little piece made of silver, rose gold, & black diamonds.

and of course, the sparrow. on the chain of this little trinket came my perfect little ring. i am so elated i can barely stand it. and of course i just can't stop looking at it. 

bicycle love.

Oh how I miss riding a bike. Stumbled across this beauty today. The genius behind Design Within Reach is now making bicycles. Anyone have an extra $500? Someone is going to have to start saving her pennies. Check out Public, you will fall in love.

an idea junkie

envy is an ugly thing. i sometimes envy people who have the faith & ability to run with an idea & sell said idea for what seems like an exorbitant amount of money. i love ideas. i have them regularly, but somehow i am just not ready to market any of mine quite yet. here are a few of my favorite well marketed ideas as of late...

a whale that holds your writing utensils. and your iphone. and your notebook, and (as if that weren't enough) sits magically upon your desk. 

frames! frames for flowers, frames as a ledge & frames with a hook. really? yes, absolutely.

and finally, old, mismatched drawers made into something beautiful & new. i think the world needs people to appreciate these wonderful ideas made real. good thing i happen to be so qualified for the job.

{ideas/images via the utility collective, the & schubladen}

thanksgiving.

ours was gorgeous. laughing, dancing, drinking & eating up a storm with some of my favorite people. life is good and i am a thankful girl. 

vintage love.

 

stumbled upon dear golden vintage via the fabulous mrs. french. oh goodness. so many pretty things. you will oh and ah. i promise.

psst. the dear golden blog is as yummy as the shop.

oh miss jane.

i love awkward moments that give birth to beautiful surprises. actress & singer jane birkin got on a plane one day, toting a plastic bag. the bag broke, spilling its contents. the owner of the bag wondered aloud to a fellow passenger why a bag hadn't been made that could hold everything. and low and behold, the famous birkin bag was born.

i will probably never own a birkin bag, but i still love the story. how awkward to lose it all as you are getting onto an airplane? and how inspiring that the experience could lead to a creation that women the world round covet.

{images and story via apartmenttherapy}

opening up shop.

failure is a funny thing. we are told of it's potential to teach us things, show us who we are, & open up possibilities we would have otherwise never found. we are told it is a good thing; and those of us who are optimists try to believe this. but when failure shows its face, it is easy to forget these so called good qualities. 

i recently committed myself to a project that failed. this afternoon, that failure transformed into positive possibility. i went into the barn to try and put things in order, figure out to do with all the items i had amassed, polished up and dreamed of finding homes for. and the funniest thing happened. the space i had made for the barn bazaar, suddenly became the scene for an impromptu photo shoot. hello esty, here i come.

 

rest in peace sweet barn bazaar; your potential was great & you have given me so much.

rolling to a slow stop.

 

i will never be one to run with the fast & furious. when life takes on to hectic of a pace, i seem to lose track of pretty much everything, my bank account, health & wellness- the whole bit. too fragile of a creature i suppose. 

so i have to admit that i am a bit relieved to just be sitting still. it is monday, my first official day of being unemployed & instead of whipping up one of those notoriously large to-do lists for the week ahead, i am going to go slow, take on a task or two a day, keep up with the dishes & laundry and enjoy the ride.

try, try & try again.

 

this afternoon the sun came out & shed a little light on things, in oh so many ways. one of my recent endeavors did a crash into a nearby tree.

the barn bazaar didn't turn out to be everything i had hoped. it ended up being a lesson that paid for itself & taught me a lot about my self. 

and so, i am going to dust myself off and get back up again, knowing a bit more than i did before.

letting go

today i made my decision to move on a fact. i have given up a title that once meant the world to me: i am no longer the event coordinator for a winery in the applegate valley of southern oregon. i am still not sure where this leap will land me, but i am excited to find out. i am also a bit sad to see this chapter make it's exit.

a little float

had ourselves a sunday trip down the river and looked a little something like this....

 

 

little feet, big truck 

  

pabst & potato chips. 

  

     

sandcastles.

    

   

  there is always time for pie.

it's a good life and it's been a pretty good summer. a few twists and surprises. i must admit, i am a little eager for fall.

a labor of love.

today a friend and i hosted a vintage sale in the barn that sits next to our house. it was a much larger success than i anticipated and i am happy to report that we will be hosting another sale/farm event soon. i am thoroughly exhausted, but happy. it's amazing just how good it feels to do something i love. my love of bringing old things to life + my love of connecting with new & interesting people = happiness.

 

trading in...

it's never easy to let go of something you care about, especially if you see its potential. lives are alot like homes in that space is limited; we have to get rid of the things that aren't quite right to make room for what we truly love & desire. i am in the midst of moving on, getting ready to close one door and open oh so many more. 

i believe that the people and places that don't work are just as important as the ones that do....

au revoir old friend

summer is inching away from us here in southern oregon. soon sweaters and socks will be mainstays. in the meantime, i am going to do my best enjoy every luscious moment of summer before it departs. i WILL eat food and drink wine outside, sport flip flops and dresses, and sleep with the windows  open as much as possible, even if a sweatshirt is required to do so. 

{image via the style files}

the whole scoop.

i had my doubts, but i went for it. seattle and every moment i spent there was a treasure. i was stunned by the city itself, my mother's tenacity to support the endeavor, the ice cream, and of course, the strong, stunning, and inspiring women at the conference.

the conference was held in a huge old house in capital hill. after only a few minutes, it became clear that the air in there was different. loads of aspiring entrepreneurs had gathered to absorb the wisdom and brilliance of a small group of women who are really making it happen for themselves. they shared their stories and advice, attended to our inquiries, and fed us cupcakes. delicious cupcakes. 

fast forward a whole week and i am busy getting my latest project ready for it's big debut, and desperately trying to keep the inspiration & knowledge i received at the conference intact and active.  

 

lesson learned

yesterday i was had. by a small bird and a dog. a bird that was left in my care escaped. a dog that was also in my care proceeded to chase said bird. i spent an entire afternoon attempting to coax the bird  home. the bird however, was more interested in surveying nearby trees and did just that.

it was a lesson of sorts. a reminder from our kind and cruel universe to not take on too much. and to manage and focus on my own life & aspirations. 

the housesitting did enable a little getaway for me and my little man. we ate, swam, relaxed and had ourselves a great little time. we also took a few photos....

 and these few were taken by the little man himself.

a winner

 

i don't think i have ever won anything, besides maybe my middle school science fair. it wasn't that exciting of a victory as my stepdad did the majority of the project the night before. but this, this is exciting. 

i am a regular over at design sponge. a recent post caught my eye, in fact it was the very post that inspired my media diet, i made a comment and low and behold. i am the lucky girl who gets to attend the conference for creative entrepreneurs in seattle next month. for free. 

i've never been to seattle; i know right? after how many years on the west coast. looking forward to a weekend of new sights and brilliant, market savvy minds.

slimming down

it's day seven of the media fast. standing in my kitchen today i realized that the benefits of my recent diet have been innumerable, but it all boils down to one simple thing; slowing down. removing one small aspect of my daily life left me with more time, making it easier to accept traffic, cleaning, the unpleasant mommy moments & the simple facts of my life right now. it also made me more available to the people i love, enhanced my focus, and gave me a moment or two each day to just enjoy living. and the icing on the cake, i realized that i went an entire day without wishing my house, finances, body, and professional life were any different than they actually are.

wondering if i am beginning to sound like the girl who just lost seven pounds and whom you sort of want to push over....

a diet

it's day six of the media diet. in effort to jump start my creative endeavors and become a bit less judgemental of myself in the process, i have taken a break from a few of my favorite vices. that's right, no blogs, no magazines, no news, no facebook, and no people.com. 

it's been good. i don't know that i have become more creative, but i have definitely become more focused and understanding of myself and others. while my daily blog hunts are often inspiring, they also often lead me someplace i would rather not go, constant social comparisons.

come thursday morning i will happily resume my little addiction, just with a bit of caution and perspective, and the awareness that my own life deserves regard and attention too; and that i of all people should be the first to offer it up.  

a moment with my muse...

i think audrey inspires everyone. it's truly impossible not to love her. and so, i am tucking myself in early and taking in 'love in the afternoon'. haven't seen it yet, but certain that i will like it. so far, 'how to steal a million' might just be my favorite, besides the obvious of course.

the project bug....

uh oh. i feel it coming on; the desire for projects, lots and lots of projects. maybe it's the weather, i don't know, but if the urge stays with me, i suspect my collection of tools will be coming out pretty soon. wouldn't it be wonderful to make a dresser out of mismatched drawers? 

my bout of the project bug, or at least today's version, was inspired by the couple behind the brooklyn home company. be warned, their portfolio might just make you drool.

summer living...

Oh summer. Thanks for stopping by. It truly is so wonderful to see you again. Spent yesterday evening sipping wine with new friends in the warm airs of summer. We are having are first touches of summer weather and it is just great. Planning on hanging the ol' hammock and transforming an empty porch (i know, right?) into an outdoor eating area in the coming week.

a delicious (& familiar) treat

i have seen it more than a few times now but i never seem to tire of the sweet story of julie and julia. it's my pint of ice cream, my savory tart, my walk in the park; the small experience that reminds me that inspiration is worth finding and following.

over the past year i have struggled to accept myself and some of the choices i have made. at times i have insisted that it would be better to be someone else; the girl at the bank perhaps, you know the one that got a job as a teller while she was still in college, the one who usually has perfect hair, and very clearly knows how to use an iron. but alas, i am not the girl at the bank; i am a terrible planner, with unpredictable hair, and no desire to spend time ironing. but i am also someone who begs to be moved, who only wants to be affected and to have a beautiful effect on the world around me. and while i am doing my best to accept the person i am, i still need a fix every now and again. plus i love a movie that makes you want to eat more than just popcorn.

staying put....

it seems we won't be spending our summer living in my mom's backyard; the kind universe has provided what seems to be a wonderful opportunity to stay put. for me this is a brave leap. stay exactly where i am, not exact some change? 

now that i can check moving my possessions into a storage unit off my list, i am left thinking and planning a wonderful summer for me and my boy. 

to do summer 2010:

• venture south. visit my dad, and say hello to the pacific ocean via sweet ol' santa barbara.
• hike table rock (which i shamefully haven't done in the five years i have lived in so. oregon)
• see seattle. visit the space needle and take in the city for a day.
• show omsi and the pdx foodcarts some love. 
• hang out on the rogue river.
• eat outside. alot. 
• play with clay. 
• help little man hone his bike riding skills.