Scenes from Life

This week's "Scenes from Life" is totally random...just funny or odd things I've come across lately.

A pair of sneakers on the sidewalk.

They had been nicely decorated with markers and sequins; it was a bit like coming across a time capsule of middle school.

Happened upon an old building that apparently was a meeting house for Boy Scout Troop 150 once upon a time.

We used to walk to this little bar to hear bands play when we lived down the street; it's tiny. I took this photo last weekend. The neighborhood's changed a lot since we moved (and becoming increasingly posh) so I'm wondering how much longer little places like this will last.

Saw this on the sidewalk in my neighborhood the last time we walked to get coffee. It's funny to me that he or she put the year, as if dating one's artwork. I wonder if this person knows it's still here all these years later.

This weird prism appeared on the wall one day; clearly, light was being reflected through something, but we couldn't figure out what. Maybe it was a ghost. ;)

Passed by this a few weeks ago, and it made me laugh. I'd never heard of them, but apparently, they are an all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band from New York.

These little mosaic mushrooms and surrounding plants looked like a tiny fairy tale forest. I half-expected a pixie or gnome to wander out from behind one of them.

GRUMP

On Saturday, we went to a local holiday craft fair called GRUMP at Artisphere. If you follow on Instagram, you've already seen these pics, but I wanted to share links to the shops of some of the awesome sellers who were there...


like my pal Beth, who makes the cutest animals out of upcycled wool sweaters. I've given Beth a few old sweaters actually, and I can't wait to see what she makes out of them.


We got some milk chocolate nutella cookies from Whisked! that were so so good.


And I also got this little print from Rachel Roellke, which I love!

A couple of other vendors whose stuff I didn't manage to get photos of but who are nevertheless really awesome are Rania Hassan and Meaghan O'Malley.

Actually, I made a "Shop Local" treasury yesterday of all local DC-based Etsy sellers...these guys plus a few more.

While we were there, we also checked out a couple of exhibits...


Illustrations by Elizabeth Graeber.



And this isn't really an art exhibit, but part of a green wall in the 3rd floor atrium that's just really cool.

On a related note, I wrote a little about why I buy and support handmade over at Little Nostalgia. I'd love for you to check it out. xo, Mary

Wrap it!

In the past, I have made my own gift wrap and tags, but this year I don't have a lot of time for that. I do, however, still want to be as eco-friendly as I can and also come up with something cute (the packaging is half the fun, after all). There are lots of shops selling upcycled or eco-friendly bows and handmade gift wrap. And there are also lots of free printables on the web. Here are a few things I've found that might make your life easier if, like me, you are swamped at the moment, and no matter how appealing it might sound to carve your own stamps, there just isn't time for that.

Clockwise from top: 5 eco-craft gift boxes from green bug; wrap it in a tote, like this one from Louise Wright; use paper grocery bags or kraft paper and these snowflake stamps from Sweet Spot Stamp Shop to create your own gift wrap; and top it with these reusable wool felt bows from A Market Collection.

Now that the wrapping's done, you'll need gift tags, like these free printables from Oana Befort. I've already printed mine. (psst: also check out Oana's shop for gorgeous illustrations.)

Or if you're giving a gift card instead of a present and need a card to put it in, these free printable cards sure are pretty.

I hope that helps! You can still have pretty handmade packages (eco-friendly too!) without spending tons of time to do everything from scratch yourself. And you get to help spread the word about other awesome artisans just by using their products/printables.

I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping; I just have a couple more things to get. And I'm waiting on a couple of Etsy things that have shipped from overseas. How about you? Are you an early bird or do you wait till Christmas Eve to run out and do last minute shopping?

(Left to right: "The Capital Print" by ilovedoodle - Heng Swee Lim; and I Love My City by Kate Zitzer.)

Ok, so I guess two pieces aren't really a collection, but I think these two go together so nicely and don't really need another. And I love the colors! What do you think?

These would be great for anyone who loves graphic design, typography, or architecture.

Glasshouse

We have yet to buy any indoor plants for our house yet, and after walking through the greenhouse last week, I'm definitely wanting to add lots of green to our bay windows. I'd love to have a greenhouse actually, one day.

Do you have any plant recommendations for someone who doesn't exactly have a green thumb? Please share in the comments! :)

Mini Christmas

We went to our local garden for a Christmas fair last week, and they had set up vintage miniature trains and little Christmas villages. There was a market/gift shop and treats too, of course. It was all very cute!

We also took a walk through the greenhouse when we were there, and I snapped a few photos, which I'll share tomorrow.

In other news, if you follow me on twitter or instagram, you already know that we got our tree last weekend and did a bit of decorating. Our house smells so nice right now. :)

New Print from Kanelstrand!

Just a quick post today to share my new print and card from my friend Sonya. If you follow her blog, you already know that Sonya takes gorgeous photos of Norway.

Her photos are always beautiful and serene with great colors. It makes me want to hop on a plane to Norway right now, actually. But since that isn't possible, I'm content to just stare at this photo and daydream.

And I love her surreal photography too. This card is entitled, "Catch the Moon," and you can even personalize a print with a photo you submit. How cool is that?

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! xo, Mary