every leaf speaks bliss to me

{quote by Emily Bronte}

water colors

"Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf." -Rabindranath Tagore

dessert

paths

"But your solitude will be a support and a home for you, even in the midst of very unfamiliar circumstances, and from it you will find all your paths." -Rainer Maria Rilke, trans. by Stephen Mitchell

blurry monday

call me

I have always been quite taken by J's collection of vintage calling cards (the intricate hand-lettering! the minimalist design!), so today I finally decided to do a little research. Here is what I found out:

The term "Calling" or the verb "to call" was a common Victorian term for making a visit. The card was left at the door, or in the front parlor in a silver urn, basket or "Card Receiver". These receivers were placed to hold cards for the family, whether they be home or not. Cards left reminded the family of who had called, thus requiring a visit in return. This served as a mode of communication, to receive messages, greetings and announcements of who was in town, births, deaths, sympathy announcements, engagements, and general social events. As a form of communication, the calling card in itself was considered a very important message. It was also an exciting day in the social life of a young Victorian era family member to be granted their first calling card.

To continue this little history lesson, click here and here. My favorite are the "hidden name" (!) cards. Had I lived in the Victorian era, I definitely would have had one of those... ;o)

bathtime

precious

little explorer

siblings

I love this shot so much... ;o)

little c

more photos of this adorable family tomorrow... ;o)

chasing the quiet

just smile

good things

2010 Teeny Tiny Calendars are HERE! Yippeeee! I have been working on these for quite some time now, so I'm excited to finally be able to share them with you. ;o)

I'm also excited to share that they have been chosen to be featured in decor8's Annual Calendar Roundup! Every year the extremely talented Holly Becker (writer, blogger, and decorator extraordinaire) features her favorites, and I am honored and humbled to be among her selections!

Teeny Tiny Calendar fun facts:

• Size: 2" x 3" (about the size of a business card)
• Includes 12 cards and a tiny wooden easel for display
• Printed on heavy 16pt card stock with a matte laminate finish
• Individual cards make great gift tags + bookmarks!
  
• Packaged in a hand-stamped cotton bag, perfect for holiday gifting

For more info, visit my little shop.

Happy Friday, everyone!

found

hubby's handiwork

Behold...our new back entryway! Isn't it lovely?! T and I have always wanted to do something like this, but of course kept putting it off. Finally, after getting a gift card to Home Depot for my b-day (thanks mom & dad!), T set out to make it happen. He took a free class, did a little research, borrowed some tools, and next thing you know, it's finished! and beautiful, and perfect...

I am kicking myself for not taking a "before" shot, but if you can imagine old, grungy, smelly, stained carpet, you can pretty much imagine our former back entryway!

Hooray for T and DIY! Now, what else around here needs fixin'... ;o)

gently

snow white

This weekend I had the pleasure of assisting my friend Emma at a wedding. Snow flurries (!) aside, the day couldn't have been more perfect. Here is one of my favorite shots of the beautiful bride...

little d

taken a few weeks ago but worked on tonight...

autumn sparkle

tiny pools

inspiration

I just can't get enough of Stephanie and Mav's work.

For those of you who haven't heard of 3191, it stands for 3191 miles; the distance between the two artists. Back in January 2007 they each decided to take one photo every morning and, without discussing their captures beforehand, post the photos side-by-side on a shared blog.

The result was pure magic. Not only were their photos beautiful, but they were oftentimes uncannily similar. Shapes would mirror each other in each image, lines would extend across one image into the other, colors would complement each other perfectly. The following year they decided to switch things up a bit and take one photo every evening, and the result was just as compelling.

Both projects have been turned into books: A Year of Mornings (published last year) and 3191: Evenings (published this month). I received my pre-ordered copy in the mail last week and haven't been able to stop poring over it since...

one year later

{"staring contest. you, me. go."}

Can you believe Little T is almost two?! I sure can't.

Last year around this time I had just agreed to take his one-year photos, and was terrified. What had once been a lifelong passion for photography had been reduced to just a sometime hobby...a victim of my intense self-doubt.

But when I received Little T's family Christmas card in the mail, and saw a few of my photographs smiling back, something funny happened. I felt proud.

And now here we are, one year later. The self-doubt is still there, and probably always will be, but instead of running away from it like I used to, I'm learning to embrace it. It pushes me to learn more, to practice more, and to reach for the things that I never thought possible before.

So...thank you Little T, thank you H and P, for giving me the push I needed to move forward. I wouldn't be where I am today without it.

the blue wall

This is what I did today! Isn't it purty? ;o)

city bird

waiting