friday photo: forts!

Homemade forts and tents are such a great idea! I'm reminded of childhood tents made out of bedsheets and chairs. What a wonderful activity to do as the weather gets warmer. I'm loving this right now. And what a cute concept for an engagement shoot.

image via simply bloom photography

good good friends

Me and two of my favorite traveling buddies are taking a trip very very soon ... and I can't wait! Fun adventures await us - sure to be full of food, laughter, and sweet sights.

a little soundtrack: trippin'

When on a plane ride or trip somewhere, I find that it's always good to load up my iPod with a sweet soundtrack to keep me relaxed and even introspective while I'm waiting to get to my destination. I just grab my journal, listen to a few tunes, and let life slow down. Here are a few mellow albums I like to put on repeat while I'm in mid-air:

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Passion Pit - Manners
Brooke Fraser - Albertine
Nick Drake - Pink Moon
Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
John Mayer - Where the Light Is
Tristan Prettyman - Hello

hambly screenprints

Last year after visiting the Maker Faire, I discovered a great scrapbook and sticker company, Hambly Screen Prints, that just happens to be local. I was fortunate enough to take a tour of the studio when I went to pick up some papers and rub-on transfers that I ordered - from Mr. Harry Hambly himself! His excitement and stories about the history of Hambly Screen Prints was a great reminder of how we need to take little steps toward creativity sometimes. And how we need inspiration from other sources and other people to grow. Most of Hambly's original screen print designs now come from Allison Kreft, who brings a fresh perspective to the established company. Here is one of my favorite new designs for the season - elephants! And yes, that paper is metallic orange with a fuchsia print!
In addition to fabulous scrapbook papers, Hambly also has rub-on transfers like the ones above, in sweet doily lace patterns and modern colors. Just beautiful! Allison posted a tutorial on the Hambly blog on how to use the transfers to make canvas art. Fast, easy and hardly any clean up! Awesomeness.

desktop wallpaper love: part deux

I'm using my own photo for my desktop wallpaper again, based on a few shots I took but didn't use for our collaborative photoblog assignment. I'm really enjoying it, especially with the lovely fabric background. So here it is, just click to see it a little bit larger.

The fabric is a hand screen printed remnant from Ink & Spindle, a studio in Melbourne, Australia. The lovely Lara Cameron who designed it gave it to me while we were visiting the studio back in March because I wanted to know if there was any more of this print. I love that it's so free form and simple. Just so sweet, really. Seeing their work space and meeting the designers/screen printers in person was a real treat as well, I love seeing the process. And they were so friendly too, which sometimes you don't find with other artists.

Melbourne was a great city and one of my favorite stops on our trip. I enjoyed the Royal Botanic Gardens, the craft and art scene, and the Queen Victoria Market. Here are a few photos from our trip there:

I miss it! Hope to go again!

weekend delights

This weekend was fun. We attended a friend's wedding, visited my parents and fiddled with my dad's vintage camera collection (film! love!), spent Sunday afternoon with friends, and then made a simple dinner of cold soba noodles to enjoy. I love the simple moments in a busy weekend. Here are a few photos:

The soba noodles were on sale at the Korean market and they were organic (asian organic, get out of here) - and the packaging was just so appealing to me. You can't see it in the small version (click to see it larger), but they were the most beautiful colors and had this metallic star pattern printed on the package. It's the little things that keep me inspired. What little things inspire you?

bike love by urban outfitters

In the last few years, it seems like everything old is new again -- fashion trends are coming back around (leggings, harem pants?!), crafts are returning to the old techniques (letterpress, screen printing by hand!) and old pastimes are being revisited. Urban Outfitters is jumping back in time by bringing a new spin to a favorite pastime, biking! They are partnering with Republic Bike to customize and build bikes. The colors are brilliant and the combinations are modern and vintage all at the same time. You pick the colors of the handlebars, seat, wheels, rims, chain, and frame - and you can make it look just like you want it for $399.


I have such fond memories of biking through my neighborhood with the wind blowing and my heart racing. We always had hand-me-downs but they were wonderful. So two years ago, I bought my first new bike. A pearl white Raleigh. Fun fun fun. Go check these fun bikes out in their gallery.

a happy one

Our 4th of July was pretty eventful, I'm exhausted just thinking about it! Duff went on his first boat ride and I got a bit burned/tanned on my neck from being out in the sun. The hubba had his 10 year high school reunion picnic at the lake, and we had great food and welcome company.
More posts to come - my wooden toy post and the design for an invitation that I've been working on!

a little soundtrack: maybe tomorrow

While traveling in New Zealand, our friends made sure that they highlighted the sights on the road with a wonderful soundtrack for us. They played quite a few songs from this NZ band called Goldenhorse that we really liked. Great upbeat songs with a distinctly Kiwi feel, like this one called "Maybe Tomorrow."

a little soundtrack: catchy country

Little known fact about me - I actually kind of like country music. And this little ditty? It's a great song to have on a road trip where you blast the music out the windows. You know, Route 66 style. Enjoy, even if you're not a big fan of country. :)

maker faire 2009

This weekend I went to the Maker Faire for the second year in a row, and I have to say, it was inspiring and interesting as usual. There were so many fun things to see and experience. Always a must around this time of year, and it really challenges you to create something when you see what others have done. We saw a huge metal sculpture of angel wings, a cute dinosaur-themed handmade pinball machine (made by elementary students!), a Mercedes covered entirely in pens and markers, and we had a blast at the hula hooping station. Swing those hips!

That part made me feel like a kid again. And that was a wonderful feeling.

aussie adventures

Here are a few more lovely pics from our adventures down under. I forgot to mention that we also spent a few days in New Zealand as well, trekking around in an RV. It's pretty amazing to be able to park your car/RV by these wondrous views and have some lunch. I'd say we were spoiled!

finally back again

It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry that I've been neglecting this blog, I've really been busy with life - our family was struck with some news that has been pretty difficult to swallow, so our time has been spent with each other and sorting everything out.

But I do have to say, all in all, I feel blessed. I always feel that I'm being shown wonderful things every single day and it's a privilege to realize that and take it all in. Our Australia and New Zealand trip was a good example of that, and I hope to recount some of the experiences so I can remember them for a long time to come. The whole trip was filled with good friends, good food, and spontaneous moments. We knew what we wanted to do, but didn't make a set itinerary. We really just planned our trip from day to day. And it was perfect that way.

Three words that I'd use to describe some of the trip: seafood, smoothies and ice cream. Yes, all of those were food. There is so much more to tell, but the food is a good start. This first photo is of the smoked salmon and prawn salad from James Squire Brewhouse on Darling Harbour, the second is the hubba enjoying his breakfast sandwich and a tasty mango smoothie, and the third is homemade honeycomb ice cream.




Can't wait to share more with you - it was an inspiring trip to say the least.

cheating a little

I'm back from my trip and it was amazing. We experienced so many breathtaking views and fun sights, there is so much to share! Unfortunately, I don't have much time to blog about it right now. So I'm cheating and sending you over to my sister-in-law's blog where she's updated with a few photos and the first part of our trip. Have fun, and I'll try to update soon! Here's a quick photo of a brilliant Vodafone ad that we saw in the airport. The whole thing was just genius, as it depicted Australian scenes made up in type.

speaking of travel

Here are a few inspiring travel shots I've collected over time of places I'd love to visit one day. Not necessarily in any order, but just photos that took my breath away. What are the top 3 travel destinations on your "Places to Visit" list?

Random fact - I lived in South Africa for two summers with a host family. It was such a great experience, but I never got to see some of the famous sites in South Africa. Especially Capetown and the Cape of Good Hope.

Top to bottom: Capetown, South Africa (from Table Mountain), Santorini, Greece, and Paris, France

images via 268 generation, flickr, and manus chau

so excited

In just a week or so, I will be off to the land down under! This is the trip that the hubs and I have been waiting for -- we're going with two of his sisters, so it should be lots of fun. One of the things that I wish my budget and time constraints would allow for is more travel. I love seeing things from another culture's perspective, and there are so many places to see. I cannot wait.

image via john white photos flickr

a weekend of the greatest type

I fell ill last week at a conference I attended in Vegas - and this is the second time in a matter of weeks that I've gotten sick! :(
But that wasn't going to stop me from attending a class that I've been waiting to go to for 2 years! Whether it was scheduling conflicts or the class was full, I just haven't been able to make it. So Saturday was finally it. An intro to letterpress class at the San Francisco Center for the Book. And it was wonderful. We had our hands full with metal type and we set out to make a collaborative class book. Now I'm hooked! See the photos below:

And yes, I know San Francisco is spelled incorrectly. :)

country girl

It's great to take some time away from familiar surroundings and get inspiration from a new place. Especially for me, a girl from the suburbs. Back in November we visited a friend's farm just 30 minutes from here and it was amazing. Gathering eggs from their chickens, mucking out the pig pen, and picking fresh strawberries helps you realize what hard work goes into getting food onto our dinner tables. And colors are so vibrant! It really was so inspirational getting our hands dirty. Take a look at a few of the pics:





And the other day, our friend dropped off a dozen organic eggs from the farm for me. They were just so beautiful - green, white, and brown. And so yummy too! Can't wait to make an omelette with them. Just add a teaspoon of baking powder, whip 'em up and it's the best omelette ever.