This and That

Antler Girl from Sweet Bestiary and Black Cherry watercolor by Amber Alexander

These pieces look great together and have me daydreaming of fall weather.

Elephant Parade

I've made a couple of new elephant brooches, which hopefully will be in the shop already by the time you read this post. I love elephants and always have. They are such amazing creatures, aren't they?

What have you made lately?

Anna-Wili Highfield

I came across these paper sculptures by Australian artist Anna-Wili Highfield (via Craft) last weekend and fell in love. She paints and sews together scraps of cotton paper to form animals. I love the delicate layers, the torn edges of paper and bits of thread sticking out. Her work really combines all my favorite elements of art, and the animals look as if they could get up off their pedestals and walk away.

Wouldn't you love to have one of her sculptures?

Scenes from Life

Reading materials and snacking materials.

This red velvet cupcake came from a bakery in our neighborhood called Best Buns. Supremely delicious.

We've been spending a lot of time outside lately as temperatures have cooled a bit.

We went for a walk on a nearby jogging/biking trail that has these funny signs from the 1980s with tips on how to get fit. Very helpful.

Little dog was introduced to little shark. The meeting went well.

This is the shower curtain I ultimately decided to get: a bright and colorful print from Marimekko.

I took this photo right after we moved in (notice the randomly placed furniture). I was excited about these big windows...that is, until the first night it rained, and water started leaking in from the top and sides of the frame. The windows are no longer my favorite.

And then, of course, there was the earthquake on Tuesday! My boyfriend and I were in the apartment, and suddenly, the whole building started shaking and swaying back and forth. It felt as if the floor was dropping out from under us. Lamps toppled over. And it was so loud! Needless to say, we got out of there as fast as we could. Someone had been mopping the stairwell when it happened and abandoned the mop and bucket in the middle of the wet stairs, so our exit wasn't quite as speedy as we would've liked. By the time we got outside, the whole thing was over. Apparently, it only lasted about 20 seconds, but it felt like forever. We live on the 8th floor, and I imagine it was even worse for the people in the floors above us. We've had several aftershocks since then, but nothing as scary, thankfully. My boyfriend and I joked that it was a good thing we hadn't hung any artwork on the walls yet; finally, my procrastination pays off.

And now everyone's bracing for Hurricane Irene, which should be here sometime this weekend. Let's hope she veers back out to sea.

I'm wishing everyone a safe and relaxing weekend, wherever you are. xo, Mary

This and That

Upcycled throw pillow from Eclectica and vintage toddler's blouse from Oh Dear Things.

How cute are these two? I would love an adult version of that blouse, by the way.

New in the Shop + a Sneak Peek

I added several more candy pins to My Hideaway: blueberry swirl, sour apple, and fruit stripe.

Plus, here's a peek at a new one I finished last night that will be added later today.

New Books

On Saturday, we went to the closing sale at Border's. The place had been pretty well rummaged through, but I did manage to find a few treasures hiding in the stacks.

I bought this book by fellow Etsy seller Emily Martin of The Black Apple with the intention of giving it to my niece, but it's so cute I might just keep it for myself!

It's filled with lots of quirky characters,

outfits and accessories,

and colorful scenes in which to put them.

This beautiful book on Van Gogh was truly a steal. It explores his entire life and works, some of which I'd never seen before.

That color! I wish I could climb inside these paintings.

Last but not least, I couldn't walk away without this fun origami book.

 It comes with a cute pack of origami paper and instructions to make lots of animals I've never tried before.

Have you found any good art or craft books lately? The last thing I really need is more books, but I have a weakness and am always on the lookout for recommendations!

Happy Friday

Today my brain is very far away, dreaming of going back to Italy.






All photos by Giacomo Pulcinelli.

What are you guys up to this weekend? My plans include making more candy pins, seeing Harry Potter (finally!), possibly a visit to the hair salon, and unpacking the last boxes.

You and Me

I always think of doing one of those "Wordless Wednesday" posts, but I tend to have trouble with the "wordless" part, as my boyfriend will attest. I am a writer and a talker, after all. And then I found this greeting card that pretty much says it all:

Letterpress card from Sapling Press

A match made in heaven.
xo, Mary

Candy Girl

The other night I dreamt I was at a party, and there was a long white cloth-covered table, as you'll often find at receptions, but this table's centerpiece was a massive, many-layered stone fountain. Instead of water, this fountain sprayed delicate arcs of candy that trickled down each tier, like something out of Willy Wonka. Now I want to make lots of candy pins in delicious colors. I took a break from unpacking and organizing to make this one. It reminds me of sherbet.

Look for it in My Hideaway later today. Has anyone else ever been inspired to create something from their dreams (or nightmares)?

Alright then, let's get this vessel shipshape. Ringo: I kind of like it the way it is. Submarine shape.

We finally have internet!!! I joked last night on twitter that it feels like Christmas, but it really does. Now I can finally order a few things we need for our new apartment. As I was searching bath accessories, I came across some really cute stuff from UncommonGoods.

Movie shower curtains

Dance Steps bath mat

Zapi toothbrush sanitizers

Shower squid

For the record, you're never too old to have cute stuff in the bathroom. I don't know why some people grow up and think they're not allowed to have funny characters or bright colors in the bathroom anymore. It just makes you happy.

What's your favorite place to shop for bathroom accessories?

Moving Woes

Hi guys!

Just a quick post to say I'm still alive. We haven't had internet for almost 3 weeks! I'm blogging from the public library right now. Verizon majorly screwed up the service transer, and after many many phone calls and a technician coming out to our apartment twice, they still couldn't manage to switch it on. Friday, I finally lost my patience with them and canceled my account. Hopefully, we'll have a new service provider by early next week.

Actually, the whole move was kind of a disaster. Suffice to say that everything took twice as long and cost twice as much as expected, and several pieces of furniture were damaged. But the good news is that we're finally settled in our new apartment, and we don't have to move again for at least a year.

I apologize if I haven't responded to emails or comments. Hopefully, I will be back to my regular blogging schedule soon. I can't wait to get caught up on all of your blogs!!

xoxo,
Mary