1. not exorbitant or extravagent by city standards, however in a rural setting (like upstate new york) it is in fact, quite fancy.
2. a wonderful blog dedicated to art, design and other things that are indeed upstate fancy.
READIN' NOW
I hope you all have a very Happy Valentines Day. I felt it was time to step away from the computer and break out my nibs and ink. It’s nice to make things on paper instead of the screen. I hope today you will take time to step away from the computer and spend time with someone special.
Back in High school I had a weekend job and a small antique shop/book store. It was a very quite position, I worked the shop alone and there were few customers, so I spent most of my time dusting, stocking and pricing items and of course browsing (and reading) the selection of books on the shelves. The owners of course knew I loved finding new treasures to read, and one afternoon when they stopped in, they pulled a book off the shelf and told me it was now mine. The book was Griffin & Sabine by Nick Bantock.
I didn’t know what to expect as I cracked open the spine for the first time, but once it was open I couldn’t put it down, there is something magical about it. Part novella, part artistic endeavor and wholly mesmerizing, the nook is a series of letters, notes and postcards back and forth between two strangers. For someone who loves art, illustration and postcards, I felt that this book was meant just for me. Everything is hand illustrated, even the postage stamps are imaginitve, but my favorite pages are the ones where you have to physically take a letter out of the envelope in order to read it. At times it almost feels as if you are part of the book, or found these letters by chance.
The book ends of course on a bit of a cliff hanger. I remember contemplating what happened for days after reading the book for the first time, and then of course reading it again. It wasn’t until a few years later, in a local bookstore, that i discovered this book was the beginning of a trilogy (it wasn’t over after all). I have read all of the books, but the first one is still the most beautiful to me. If you happen to see this book sitting on a shelf, pick it up, read it, and pass it on. It’s a quick haunting read, but I promise you can spend hours admiring the illustrations.
I’m not making resolutions this year because I never keep them, but I did decide to setup some goals for myself in 2013. They aren’t groundbreaking or overly complicated, just 6 goals that I’m going to try to accomplish this year. I really want to eat more whole foods, which goes hand in hand with saying goodbye to XL tags. I don’t want to setup a goal of loosing a certain amount of weight, but rather aim to get back into a size Large.
I’m going to read 20 books this year. In 2012 I read 13 books, but I also took 2 college english classes that filled a lot of my reading time. I always find all kinds of cool recipes and projects I want to try, and I pin them to my Pinterest Board and never make anything, this year s going to be different.
I’m going to make time for one DIY project each month. Declutter is a must, I’m so sick of “stuff”. And of course I want to take better photos. I got a new camera that I am very excited about, and need to read the manual because it’s a bit different than my last one. I want to learn more about photography and how to take a more meaningful and beautiful photo. So those are my goals for 2013, What are yours? Feel free to share them in the comments section!
2012 has been one heck of a year for me. I had a few health scares. The company where I worked as the catalog designer was sold. I got married. I began working for myself. I decided to look back through my instragram feed and pick out two photos from each month to create a mini visual record of my last year.
January 2012: It snowed a few times & I took a class in Literary Theory which I earned an “A” in.
February 2012: Drove myself to the emergency room because i had a super high heart rate for no reason & my cheese markers were featured in Redbook.
March 2012: Took a weekend trip to Boston to celebrate Matt and my own birthday & it snowed again.
April 2012: Celebrated Easter by creating vessels to keep eggs from breaking while being dropped off a roof (mine did not survive) & enjoyed some local ice cream when they opened in the spring.
May 2012: Enjoyed some time paddling around on the kayaks & planted our mini garden.
June 2012: Matt and I got married on a sailboat & celebrated with Harry Potter.
July 2012: Matt and I got almost matching bikes & my family threw a party for us in Delaware where I helped my sister with her Criminal Justice homework underneath the stars (thanks WIFI).
August 2012: I redesigned packaging for my Peppersprouts coasters & went to my first drive-in movie.
September 2012: Traded in the first new car I ever bought (2004 Ford Focus) for a very fun Fit & cut down a christmas tree to photograph Peppersprouts’ ornaments.
October 2012: Spent a weekend with the in-laws here in Maine where we visited the farmers market & enrolled in a creative writing class (which I also earned an “A”)
November 2012: Cut down our real christmas tree & it snowed again.
December 2012: Was part of some amazing markets and craft shows & visited the families in Delaware and Central NY, where it snowed a lot.
I hope you have all had a wonderful 2012! Here’s to a fabulous 2013! Cheers!!!!
Merry Christmas to you all! I Hope your day is filled with love and happiness. This song makes me so happy and of course it just plain rocks! Without further ado – Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses.
What Christmas would be complete without a little Rockabilly? I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Brian Setzers’ Holiday Spectacular a few years ago and it was the most rocking holiday experience ever. Love, love, love all his holiday songs. Coming in at #6 is Brian Setzer performing the Nutcracker Suite.
The holidays sure have been busy! Tonight I’m going to find some time to get a little wrapping done before Matt and I jump in the car to head on our East Coast Holiday tour (visiting the family).Coming in at #7 is Come on Lets Boogey to the Elf Dance by Sufjan Stevens
This year I am counting down my favorite holiday songs. Maybe it’s because the first concert ticket i ever bought was to see this band or maybe it’s because the song is just that good. No matter the reason really, coming in at number 8 is the Ramones, Merry Christmas (I don’t want to fight tonight). This video is classic 80’s!
I’m always looking for new gift wrapping ideas during the holidays, something that makes the outside look as thoughtful as what’s inside. So this year I decided to design some gift tags that are bow available at the peppersprouts shop. These bamboo gift tags, are brand new for 2012 and come in 4 different shapes and sizes to fit gifts large, small and everything in between. Perfect for that extra special package or just a fun and unique way to add a finishing touch to a hostess gift. Heck they can event be hung from your tree or wreath as a decoration. Because the bamboo is smooth, you can write on the back with a ball point pen or let the tag speak for itself. Don’t worry if your not martha stewart when it comes to wrapping presents. These modern lasercut gift tags will make any gift stand out under the tree.
This year I am counting down my favorite holiday songs. It’s been really hard to just pick 10. I’ve been finding it’s even harder finding just the right version of some of the more classic holiday tunes. Of course finding the perfect version of this gem was a no brainer. Have yourself a merry little christmas first appeard in the broadway musical Meet Me In St. Louis.
If you like musicals, love stories and classic films, and haven’t seen the film version, you are missing out big time. This film has been one of my favorites since I was 8, I used to borrow it from the library and watch it over and over again. Without further ado, Judy Garland!
