happy joy

have a wonderful holiday filled with togetherness and joy. be back soon...

believe.

someone the other day told me they believed in me and in my work. sometimes we just need to hear things like this. sometimes it is hard to keep going when you are not sure if you're getting anywhere or even where you want to go. we all need that little push to tell us what we are doing matters and means something to someone. i would like to remind everyone to let someone in your life know that you believe in them, because it will really mean something to them.

ok, now on to fun stuff:
add a little holiday cheer to your home.
lately i have been loving pinecones.
janne peters {via anne at strandgut}: i am SO in LOVE with her work!! look at this.
and...here's my almost friday flickr feature: miss_pulula. i am loving this, this, and this. see more on her blog.

made some pistachio cranberry icebox cookies from gourmet magazine over the weekend. yum!

last week i went to see an interesting exhibit at the museum of arts and design, simply droog. i really liked the layout of the exhibit. my favorite piece was a set of pantone mugs by onkar singh kular. they were all lined on a wall in slightly varying shades of light coffee brown. here is the descripion: "what happens when the consumer has so many possibilites from which to choose that he can no longer decide?...choose the color closest to your favorite coffee or tea." the upcoming exhibit, radical lace and subversive knitting looks amazing!

discovered these amazing prints via decor8. they remind me of joan walsh anglund illustrations from my youth.

last minute details

hello friends. happy friday! only 2 more weekends left until christmas. i am going home to see my family on the 24th and i can't wait to revel in traditions: watching my dad drink hot buttered rum{ewww...i can't stand the stuff}, eating all my mom's delicious cookies, seeing my little nephews faces on christmas morning, and just being. i will spend time outdoors in nature and try to enjoy stillness and quiet times.

but, until then, there is lots of running around and shopping still to do. i have 3 holiday/birthday celebrations this weekend and a few more gifts to make and buy. as usual, i have waited until the last moments.

since i did not post yesterday, today i will combine my almost thursday flickr feature with my friday favorites.
for my thursday feature, i would like to highlight a lovely lady from sweden:
agneskarin. l love her self-portraits, her stark and beautiful outdoor shots, and her interesting shots of people. you can see more of her work on her website.

and here are some of the photos that have touched my heart and sparked something in me this week:
1. heart-warming season.
2. silent.
3. christmas carol.
4. nu town.
5. winter some years ago. {one of my all time favs!!}

have a happy weekend.

p.s. does anyone know what happened to carlota??

my movie..continued

so, the first song i heard this morning was the only living boy in new york, by simon and garfunkel. a beautiful, but rather dreary song. i guess it was fitting since i am always questioning how long i want to stay living in new york. i often times feel lonely for a smaller town and slower way of life. in a couple of weeks, i will have some time off and am going to visit my family and think about my next step. i know i am not through with new york yet, but it is good to have a plan.

some inspiration:
hable construction. i don't remember how i stumbled upon this, but it's lovely.
lotta's blog.
winter water factory.
i heart christmas lights!

snack perfection

directions:
pick up a chip.
dip chip in guacamole.
dip chip in corn and chile salsa.
put chip in mouth and enjoy.
repeat.
repeat.
repeat.

trader joe's snacky goodness=heaven.

here are some amazing links from others that i have really enjoyed lately:

1. laura normandin {via five and a half.}
2. mademoiselleloulou {via hoping for happy accidents}
3. d kim.{via design*sponge}

and here are a few of my own:
BB&PPINC
michon schur

my movie

as i left my house this morning, it was still dark outside. on my way to the bus stop, i turned on my ipod and heard bird house in your soul by they might be giants. it was a good song to hear first thing in the morning. it is so hard to start the day without daylight, but this song put me in good spirits and brightened my morning. walking in the semi-dark and listening to this song, i felt like i was in a movie and then thought how fun it would be to come up with songs for movie soundtracks. i started thinking how we are so affected by music in daily life. it can trigger memories and can really influence our mood. it is amazing how it has such a force. on the bus, i started to look around at all the other people listening to headphones. we were all living in our own movie, each one would look the same, but would actually be different depending on it's soundtrack.

life loving

things i am currently loving:
one girl cookies. a really cute bakery in brooklyn. super cute and delicious cookies. and they ship!


sugar sweet sunshine. yummy bakery on the lower east side in nyc. home of the ooey gooey, the sassy red velvet{pictured above}, and the sexy red velvet cupcakes{with chocolate icing}.

petra borner. amazing artist.

making cookies. enough said.

holiday sales.

and of course, these lovelies from flickr:
1.nj fog. so serene.
2.. another beauty from svane.
3.petit dejeuner. love these colors!
4.christmas market.
5.untitled.

**********************
holiday special: 20% off all things in my shop today through tuesday, dec. 12 for all blog readers-just mention the blog in the comments section on etsy and i will send you a special discounted invoice.
**********************

almost friday flickr feature

pling
Originally uploaded by kathmarie.

almost friday flickr stars:kathmarie. her work is very subtle and beautiful. she uses a lot of white space to add to the dreamy quality of her photos. these are some of my favorites:
autumn comes
morning
cool breeze


19th century gentleman. something about the feeling of his work reminds me of kathmarie's. it has a very vintage feel and i love how all his photos have a lot of grain and muted colors. he seems to have a lot of fun with his photos and has a lot of style! here are some of my favorites:
sunstroke
pale z jele;nie
leaving

travel

i've been so busy lately...with work and putting out holiday orders...and trying to get some shopping of my own done.
i just wanted to share an amazing travel photographer with you.
andrea fazzari

makes me want to travel the world. what are some of your favorite travel destinations?

snap city

happy monday, friends. hope everyone had a nice, relaxing weekend and didn't get too stressed over the upcoming holidays and to-do lists.
today i would like to pay tribute to the first photoblog i can remember ever looking at called snapcity. this was way before blogging was so popular. i don't even remember how i stumbled upon it, but i'm so glad i did. these photos first sparked my interest in documentary photography and even looking at them today, it makes me want to go out and explore and take more photos! the site is by emilie valentine and she documents many places in san francisco and also her frequent trips to new york, among other places. i love how she always went to diners and photographed coffee and grilled cheese. also, her polaroid of the week section is really fun. check it out, you can expore for hours. i only wish she were still adding to it today.

all about love

today is all about love...
just bought a delightful little book by illustrator/artist yunmee kyong . the illustrations are wonderful and the little story is really special. she is part of a group show at ag gallery in williamsburg, with the opening reception tonight. a friend of mine had a show there last month and it is really a great space. there is an amazing store in the front with lots of cute japanese stationary and trinkets and handmade artists books and things.

here are my friday flickr favorites {love them all!}:
1. .90
2. trembling in the wind
3. ????
4. studio: 1:36pm
5. untitled

and maybe one of my favorite photographs ever: car lily

have a great weekend everyone!

mociun

i am so in love with this picture, and this collection. the photos from the fall collection at mociun are gorgeous! if you live in ny, be sure to check out this sale with amazing designers, including mociun, lena corwin, and ann wood---can't wait!!

.
Originally uploaded by svane.

it is time of another almost friday flickr favorite. this week it is svane.
all her photos are simply named . and they are all amazing. she shoots mostly with a yashica mat 124, which i have never used, but am now anxious to try. her photos have an almost polaroid, dreamlike feel to them. i don't know much about her, other than she has a photoblog and seems to travel a lot. i love this and this and this.

oh, and check out my interview on shari's special, handmade for the holidays. she was so sweet to include me in this great idea!

toby glanville
this is the photographer for the book i posted about yesterday.

here is another link for sarah maingot who i have posted about before. i love the way you can actually 'look' through her portfolio.



you can also see another great photographer on this site, tim evan cook. you can see more of his work here. check out this ballet photographs. stunning.

rose bakery

hello friends. i hope everyone had a nice relaxing weekend. i had a lovely time and made my first turkey {with a little help}. we basted the bird with lots of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, garlic, and beer! sounds like a crazy combination, but it turned out to be delicious. i also made mav's cranberries. they were really good! that hint of orange and bite of clove really make a great combo.


today i wanted to share some photos from a great book i just bought. the food photos are wonderful and really give you a sense of the bakery. i fell in love with the book immediately and had to have it. you can see more photos here {you just have to put in the authors name-rose carrarini in the search}.
after looking at these delicious photos, i got inspired to take the above pie photos. i brought out my 4x5, which i have not done in a while. i had to work fast, as the light was fading. it is so amazing how at around 4pm the most beautiful light comes into my room, but by 4:30 it is gone. that is the one thing i don't like about winter, the lack of daylight hours. but, it felt good to be shooting film again and i can't wait to bring out my 4x5 again.

happy thanksgiving weekend

so, my nephew asked my mom "what is christmas?"
she replied, "the celebration of the birth of jesus."
then he asked, "who is jesus?"
she said, "i think you need to start going to sunday school."
his reply, matter of factly: "i don't need to go to sunday school, i already know how to make sundaes!"
hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend with family and friends.

*********
friday flickr favs:
1. haze of love
2. enthusiasm
3. petit déjeuner
4. .
5. .holiday

2 amazing still life photographers.
angela moore{i especially love her photos for nigel slater's thirst cookbook}
laura letinsky{photo above}

jovovich-hawk
beautiful collection. i love the colors, clothes, and photos.

the classics

this week will be a tribute to a few classic and legendary photographers.
the first one i would like to highlight is rodney smith.
his photos are always elegant, yet fun and playful. and, i love his obsession with hats.

also check out this cute little flip book. i can't wait to try to make one!

**postcard sets**

i am so excited to announce a new addition to my shop...postcard sets!!
there are 2 sets available: the dogwood set and the winter wonders set.
the winter wonders set contains 5 different postcard designs inspired by the spirit of winter {and snow}.
both styles are available in sets of 1, 5, or 10. you can get them in my shop, or just send me an email. i can also put together mixed up sets of whatever you like, just let me know.
i have been wanting to do these for a while, so i'm glad i finally got it together.

i have also added some polaroid prints. check them out.

and...since it is friday...here are my friday flickr favs:
1. untitled
2. birds
3. on the way
4. all it's cracked up to be
5. fall reading{i love this title}

oh, i just can't wait for the first snow!!

almost friday flickr feature

every thursday i am going to try to feature a favorite new discovery from flickr.
today it is runa & yar. she is from japan and also has a photo blog. i love the playful photos of her cat and of nature.

one link

i just have time for one link today, but it is a good one. you must see the amazing work of photographer debra mc clinton. her work is playful, fun, and gorgeous. you can see more of her photos at erika tanov, whose collections are inspirations as well.

fashion inspiration

today, a little fashion inspiration:the first 2 blouses are from marc by marc jacobs, and the last one is from cacharel. i love the cream and blue color combo. also, check out the beautiful yellows, grays, and purples of cacharel's collection on their website.

lotta lotta

just a quick post.
if you have not seen this yet, be sure to check it out:
a very inspirational interview with my new brooklyn neighbor, lotta jansdotter over at the design*sponge guest blog. she is so talented!

friday favs

it is finally friday. i never thought i would make it through this week. it has been a rough one. i can't believe the holidays are almost here. there is so much to do, and definately not enough free time to do it.
i am just going to try to relax and enjoy the good things in the upcoming season.

being that it is friday,here are a a few of my favorite things:
flickr favs {all devoted to peace, rest, and contemplation}:
1. resting
2. yellow iris
3. the rain and the fall
4. untitled

and this one may not be part of the theme, but i love the colors and blurry feel.it definately makes me contemplate things when i look at it:
5. pentacon5_05

and this one to remind me to simply enjoy the wonder of fall:
6. untitled

also in etsy news, the wonderful and talented maditi has opened up a shop. she does amazing work, i am in constant awe.

have a wonderful weekened, all. i am going to try to take in this exhibit and perhaps catch a movie.

ladies of flickr

i found these 2 lovely lady photographers through flickr. their work is beautiful and inspiring.


yelda yilmaz from germany. see her flickr photos here


erin nelson from atlanta, ga. see her flickr photos here. i can't believe she is only 17-amazing!

oh, look, there is a deer theme on etsy's homepage today. love it!

feeling accomplished

i finally got to work last night on something i have been wanting to put together for a while. can't wait to share...but they are not ready yet.

here is some more photo inspiration.

all photographs by roland bello
i especially love his still life and interior work. you may recognize his work from some of the anthropologie catalogs.
i am in love with this tree house.

also look at these beautiful holiday decorations. i am not sure if they are crocheted or paper doilies, but they are exquisite. such a great idea! the holidays will be here before we know it.

moody blues

photograph by martyn thompson-he is one of my favorite photographers. i love the existence series on his site under the gallery section. there is something about the way he uses light. his photos have very dark overtones{in look and in feeling} which i am drawn to.
you can see more of his commercial work {which is amazing} here. he did the photography for this wonderful book. if you have not seen it, you should take a look.

monday,monday

happy monday everyone! back for another week of posting-such fun! it was a lovely weekend here in brooklyn. relaxed with some friends on saturday, ate delicious homemade huevos rancheros and drank spicy bloody marys over delighful conversation. it was a perfect lazy day.

here are a few links to swoon over:
1.kristin perers
2.sarah maingot
3.this print from ashley g. $5 from every print goes to the best friends animal society. also look at this sweet t.

southern comfort

missing a little southern comfort food on this cold sunday morning.

new addition

added a new addition to the shop today.
this is the first in a series i am starting. it is a limited edition print of one of my polaroid duos. there is something about these 2 photos that go together to me. i don't know if it's the color or the mood, but i thought they worked well as a duo.
there are 20 limited editon prints available, all signed and numbered. tell me what you think.

a few of my favorite things

ritter sport dark chocolate with marzipan


turkey bacon

in the tradition of many other bloggers,
here are my friday flickr favorites:
1. lunch
2. boat rentals
3. perched
4. autumn
5. Du, Baum, heirate mich

photo inspiration

hi friends.
new photography discovery: kelli connell
she does amazing stuff. when first looking at her photographs, they look like intimate connections between 2 people. but, then i read the info section on kelli's site and discovered they were 2 photographs of the same person joined together in photoshop. her explanation in the information section is really thought provoking. if you are in the seattle area, she will be in a group show with erika shires at pwnw starting nov. 10th.

check out this really cool project.

happy november

photo by erica shires. i love her work and she is having an opening tonight.

i was lucky enough to snatch up one of these last night...yippee!! don't know if i'll give it as a gift or have to keep it for myself.

soundtrack to my life

i have been rediscovering neko case lately. check out her site, the opening picture changes everytime you load it.

it was the perfect soundtrack as i walked to the subway this morning, as the leaves were crunching under my feet and i pulled my sweater sleeves down over my hands. i am too stubborn to put on mittens yet. mittens are for winter, and i am not yet through with fall.

little town

fall is here, and the crazy weather that comes with it. this weekend was full of surprises, strange gusty winds and then sunny moments, and then gray skies and pouring rain. made for an interesting walk. i went out for a while on saturday and tried to re-discover my little town{borough} like i was a visitor. just riding the subway and looking out the window {when it goes above ground} can be a beautiful experience. i took some more "drive by" pictures as i did when i was visiting my family, except they were out the subway window instead of a car window. i think the rain makes everything look more interesting and colors pop more. looking at this picture, i feel like it could be in another country, not just out my back door.

i am very inspired by these photos from lying with the wolf. they are hauntingly beautiful. i love the muted colors. they all feel sort of black and white with one other color thrown in. this one is my favorite. or this one.

inspiration and discovery: 5 more things

to continue yesterday's post, here are some more things i discovered by looking through my flickr favorites:

5. i love warm light. i love the patterns it creates and the mood it sets. it really provides comfort for me.
6. speaking of patterns, i lovethem!!! polka dots are my favs.
7. i love to travel and the idea that i can be transported to another land through other people's photos.
8. i love being inspired by the creations of others.
9. i love the way seemingly mundane pictures of food or objects can be made into works of art and create moments in time.
10. i love the idea of intimacy. i think you can create intimacy with others, but also with yourself. i savor these special moments of solitude.

ok,one more:
this duo pretty much sums up my constant feeling of being torn between city and country.

inspiration and discovery: 5 things

after being inspired by mav and her lovely list, i have been wanting to make one of my own. so, after perusing my flickr favorites, here are a few things i discovered about myself:
1. i should have been born in another era.
2. i love nature and the idea of wide open spaces, probably because i live in a city and am always on the search for a bit of the natural world.
3. i have a strange affliction for clothes lines, although i hate doing my own wash.
4. i love looking into other people's spaces, especially their kitchens.
5. i think that someday i will own a motor home or an isolated cabin somewhere in the woods.

well, there are the first five, i will post more tomorrow.

oh, and i am starting a blog. i want to have a place to share inspirations in photography, design, and anything else that strikes my fancy.

have a happy friday!