Love it!: In Touch Clutch
OK it really is no secret that I love paper and stationery and writing and drawing…I came across downstairsDesigns on Etsy and fell in love with all the different clutches she has to offer. I love the possibilities…a place to keep my daily to-do lists, drawing supplies for the kiddos, home for my idea/sketch book…I need one of these! They come in soooooo many different colors as well as coordinating iPhone pouches. She also offers the option to buy in packs of 7 for gifts, clever!
Good Company, Good Wine!
This past Saturday was a ridiculously gorgeous day…slightly overcast, slight breeze, just warm enough without getting too sticky…throw in close friends, a yummy picnic and mix it all up at a local Virginia winery and you have the makings of a very memorable day.
We spent the better part of our day at Narmada Winery in Amissville, VA. The setting was breathtaking – we set up shop on the picnic tables next to the grape vines, over looking the pond. The kids had plenty of space to run amok, so that kept them happy. The elegant tasting room kept the adults happy! We sampled about 10 wines and 1 sangria (yum!). We bought a few bottles to enjoy on the property and I also walked away with 1/2 a case of wine for later….I really couldn’t resist! My favorites were the ‘Premita’ dessert wine, award winning ‘Midnight’ (red), and the newly released ‘Dream’ (white).
(that's me in the brown scarf, 2nd from the right with some of my close friends)
This winery is unique in that it is the only one in the US to be fully owned by Indians, so there are ethnic touches everywhere. It is very tastefully done and its nice to see. There are also Indian appetizers on the menu, it’s a nice departure from smoked salmon, cheese & crackers!
I definitely want to make plans to go back!
Pink Baby Shower
My dear friend Sonia is having a girl! To celebrate her sister threw her a pink themed baby shower complete with pink cupcakes and pink tissue paper flowers made by Sonia! One of my favorite games was a contest to make the best looking Play-Doh baby…I didn’t do too well on that one!
I was happy to help out with some of the paper projects. I used an Indian block print pattern in pink to make a “Onsie Laundry Advice Line” as well as a coordinating banner and favor tags. I wish Sonia all the best with her pregnancy and I can’t wait to meet her little ‘Cutie Pie’!
‘nude’ awakening!
I was flipping through channels on TV yesterday and I came across a scene in ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2′ – it was where the ‘artist friend’ started her first day of figure drawing – her reaction was not unlike my own experience (except I didn’t hook up with my model!)… I was a freshman in college, when I signed up for figure drawing. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I was VERY naive to think the model would be clad in spandex or something (good grief!!). The model must have picked up on this because he somehow got me to set up my easel right in front of him (I forgot what exactly he said to me). I went about my business of setting up my supplies and looked up to start drawing and…”HELLO!!! Might you be wearing a birthday suit?!”…my head flew so fast back to my easel its a wonder I didn’t get whiplash. I fixed my eyes on that blank piece of paper for the longest time…when I finally composed myself to look up again…there was my model smirking at me in all his neckedness (I’ll just add that he was young and handsome, enough said!)…
I did manage to draw that day , by the end of class he was just lines and shadows. I have since taken many many figure drawing classes and I am happy to report I am not as flustered as I was at my first class. The images in this post are from a class I took a year ago. I wish I could find the sketches from that fateful day…
Pretty Pearl
I am a proud owner of a new (to me) letterpress – is a Golding Pearl No.3. I am still in the process of restoring it….ordering parts…and learning how to run it. I love it like my children! I can do blind impressions right now (deep impressions in paper without the ink) I need to locate 2 more roller hooks & springs, so if you have a couple lying around PLEASE contact me!
Letterpress printing has been around for awhile (Mine dates to 1908)…it is an art-form that has recently become popular for high-end invitations and stationery. Since the presses are no longer manufactured (for the most part) – you pretty much have to do some research to hunt one down and restore it. It is a labor of love!
I’ll keep posting updates on my restoration project as well as printed samples.
I heart Calligraphy!
I LOVE fonts and lettering and letter forms…almost to a fault (even a bit nerdy). I’ve always been fascinated by hand lettered pieces. Given a choice between new shoes and a fabulous font, the font will always win! When I saw that there was a workshop being offered by Pat Blair (chief calligrapher at the White House), I jumped at the opportunity and signed up. The workshop was for italic calligraphy, not really my style but I decided to explore it anyways. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed myself in the class. I can’t seem to get it out of my system and all I want to do is more and more letters…I am looking forward to more adventures in calligraphy and trying different styles!
Birthday Invite
Here is an invite i did for a sweet little girls 1st birthday party. I really like to do something girly once in awhile given the level of boy exposure I constantly get! The parents wanted to have a butterfly theme and the colors for the party were pink and teal.
I started with the following photo and took it from there. The original photo to just so cute to begin with!
I also did a set of personalized Thank You cards to go with it. The parents wanted to fill in a few personal words in addition to the preprinted sentiments.
Vintage Finds
My husband and I took advantage of the beautiful day we were having to hit a cluster of Antique Shops in the small town of Lucketts, Va. I love love love going to thrift stores, garage sales and antique shops…you never know what treasures you may discover. Sometimes it is nice to get away from the mass produced mayhem of the modern world…kind of a real life Etsy. I walked away with a wonderful small magnifying glass and my husband got an awesome birdcage that he wants to repurpose as a hanging basket for our plants. (photos were taken from my iPhone – I so wish I had my camera with me!)
Some time for some Chai!
For teachers appreciation week at my son’s school, I wanted to do something personal and meaningful. I love drinking Chai in one of my ‘me moments’ and thought that would be a great gift to share with his teachers. I make chai the traditional way – freshly ground spices added to a simmering pot of milk and black tea leaves. For the gifts I wanted a no fuss way to make it. I adapted my recipe from the many you can find on the web (search: Concentrated Chai).
For each 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk: add 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/4 ground clove. Gently warm in a pot for 10 minutes (keep it moving, stir often to avoid burning). Turn off the heat and throw in a dash of good quality vanilla extract. After it cools down, pour into a jar and refrigerate overnight. The next day add 2 heaping teaspoons to a cup of strong black tea and Enjoy! It’ll keep for 2 weeks refrigerated…if it lasts that long!
Happy Valentines Day
I LOVE Valentines Day – but with two boys I have to keep the ‘frou frou-ness’ to a minimum! My older has been fascinated with cootie catchers and is completely amazed that I used to make them when I went to school (you know WAAAAY BACK in the dark ages).
So with some help with graphics from ‘Lettering Delights‘ I made these awesome monster themed ones for him to give to his friends at school. Once I got in to the rhythm of things the folding went pretty quickly. They were a hit with the girls and boys!
Also, seeing that my charcoal grey felt worked so well on our holiday cards I decided to give it a go again with our Valentines Day Cards….nice, don’t you think! (I have a feeling this felt will be showing up a lot until I can get it out of my system)
