tuesday short

Here's a quick little bit of literary eye candy for you today before I head off to Louisville for class!  I'm off to study linguistics and it makes me oddly happy.  Have a beautiful day!

Both of these images are available for free download at the link below!

Wallpapers : ShopRuche.com, Vintage Inspired Clothing, Affordable Clothes, Eco friendly Fashion.

of styles and bibliophiles

Etsy's The Storque regularly features wonderful artists.  I love the Q and A--this particular seamstress calls herself a bibliophile!  We bibliophiles must always show support for each other. :)

{by Minx Shop. I really love this skirt.}

I've noticed more and more through blogs like The Storque that many crafters and artists not only share a taste for visual and physical aesthetics, but design-influenced taste in books--the thoughtful, odd, novel, innovative, vintage, etc.

In some ways, I see a well-crafted plot much like a well-crafted object; both must have that voice, that style, that unnameable something to set themselves apart as a work of creativity and art.

I also like when words and design merge like so:

{by luna clay design}

or like this...

heheheee...

p.s. check out this link, too: loveliness on flickr

{quick post}

hey all,

I'm streamlining the blog so that the username/title/etc match up between the blog, etsy, and whatever social media I branch into sometime.  So it's going to look different while I reset everything, k?  sweet.

sunday morning

to begin the themed posting for today, I went to Flickr.

This picture had just been posted in one of my groups and was perfect!

{a very classic love story}

Not only is it just lovely--how can one resist old books?--but it's by one of my favorite Etsy crafters, PilliPilli.  I adore her shop and her blog and visit both for a smile sometimes.

I'll leave you with a thought for today, pulled from The Quotable Book Lover:

"It is with the reading of books the same as with looking at pictures; one must, without doubt, without hesitations, with assurance, admire what is beautiful."

Vincent Van Gogh

in love!

I've been noticing something lately.

See this

and this

{Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » mia + oliver at sticks and bricks}

As a student with a liberal arts degree, I've been trained to follow my natural inclination to look for interconnectivity everywhere.  Lately, I've been looking at my love for a well-crafted sentence and a well-crafted object.  Do you see how literature and design and art aesthetics are delightfully interconnected?

For the next week or so, I'm going to do a series of posts combining both lovely visuals and lovely words, because quite simply, there are few things I love more than a fantastic combination of written and crafted aesthetics.  I discovered some lovely little things across the internet last night and I'm excited to share them.  I don't have quite so many hours of work next week, so I finally have some time for blogging!

work today

messy desk

Originally uploaded by yatoobin

classes started today!
Cory survived with most of his sanity intact, though he was somewhat bored. Tax classes will do that to you, I suppose.
I was not so fortunate to have the luxury of boredom, nor keeping most of my sanity. BUT I got one of my main projects done today! Hooray!

ta-da!

So, for a few weeks, in my dear free time, I've been working on a project.

Take a look...

[gallery]

It's always been a little dream of mine to sell some of my crafts.  I've never felt the guts to attempt; even now, I wonder if anyone else will like the things I make, and if they're good enough quality to sell.  I know I put time and effort into them, but I'm not an expert in any form.  I don't have any sort of art course under my belt and my sewing is merely a hobby--one that has drastically improved lately, but still a hobby.

So I made a few things and gave them a test run simply by wearing them to work at famvid and the university, and after a couple of complements, I decided to take a chance and open a little shop on etsy here.

Ultimately, the deciding factor was an arrangement I made with a friend of my sister's who has been selling necklaces to raise money for rapha house.  I'm selling the lovely necklaces in the "stone's throw" category on Etsy.  They're only $8 and the entire proceeds go to Kaitlin's fundraiser, which has already made over ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS for Rapha House!

Have a wonderful day!

p.s. any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated.  I'm quite an amateur and would love suggestions for improvements in my little projects.

It's this time of year

Waiting - Opening Day 2010

Originally uploaded by College of William & Mary

the freshman are moving in and my life is about to dissolve into chaos!
I was hoping to post more, but then I realized that I'll be working 50+ hours next week between famvid and student records. If you need me, well, I'm the one at the desk in the corner of the office. I have a window--thank goodness!--and I'll be stocking up on the coffee.

I can't wait for my linguistics class to start. I am also glad that, once again, I don't have to go through a move-in with all the stuff in this shot! I remember trying to fit it all into my civic. It always took two carloads plus a borrowed suv (for the futon) to actually move all my stuff in. Maybe if I had a bigger car it would've been easier?

Either way, I like being settled well before school starts...and not wondering about who last lived in my room too much.

p.s. The College of William and Mary was once my dream school...oh, to be in their English program!

autumnal dreaming

I simply searched "autumn"



searching flickr with the word "september" yielded this shot



This one is irresistible.

I cannot wait for cooler temperatures and lovely leaves crunching under my feet.  The slightly lower temperatures (also known as under ninety-five degrees in Kentucky in August) have gotten me dreaming of sweaters, scarves, and hot tea.

Oh, who am I kidding?  I'm just happy that in the fall, nobody thinks I'm crazy for wearing a sweater every day.

love, love, love...

love, love, love...

Originally uploaded by sweetjessie

I've been busy but crafty lately.
I have some plans in the works and hopefully some more blogging coming soon, but who knows? Between work and school, which starts next week, I may have exactly zero time.

flickr of the day: a soft retreat

Sometimes, after a day of work, I imagine retreating into a place like this and just sitting in soft silence until inspiration strikes and I can create something beautiful.



I'll create anything, whether from words, fabric, or daydreams.

ventures into the blogosphere: pilli pilli

pilli pilli is full of adorable pictures and clever bits of embroidery.

I found her blog awhile ago through a comment on Decor8 and was curious about the name.  I kind of forgot about that when I saw her darling pictures.

This morning, I visited again to see this beautiful post:

Doesn't it make you want to slip away into a fairy tale?

(Cory says it makes him want to go ride a broom.  Thanks, love.)

Have a lovely Sunday and a beautiful week!

Create Your Own Vintage Book Journal by TheFancyLamb on Etsy

I have never worked up the courage to actually do a project with a book.  I would want to pick a title worth showing off, something that says something about something (ha, at least I know what I mean), and has aesthetic appeal.  Of course, a book with these two qualifications--significance and aesthetics--is too pretty to cut up.  What if it didn't work out and I ruined a perfectly good volume of a beloved book?

However, letting someone else do the cutting and producing may solve this problem...

Create Your Own Vintage Book Journal by TheFancyLamb on Etsy

TheFancyLamb offers a selection of titles for you, then creates a journal out of one for you.  I could see myself loving a journal like this too much to use.

So I guess the problem would not so much be solved, but deferred.  :)  Laugh at me now, get it over with.

let's go tie a tie...

Some ties Rock

{by JMVNoos in Paris on Flickr}

Others...not so much

{by Sisudave on Flickr}

(I do spot one or two in there that could work, but I'm still a bit frightened by the sheer amount of pattern)

Cory got lucky today and landed a good looking tie for just a few dollars today so that he can look quite charming at the wedding we're attending tomorrow for one his high school friends.

As for me?  I got lucky and landed two bracelets and a pair of earrings for a few dollars (three) myself.

Hooray for bargain hunting.

Pictures later.

the book on the book shelf

the book on the book shelf

Originally uploaded by omoo

love this.

a flickr adventure...

Flickr: DOMESTICITY: Artful photos from INSIDE the house.

I found and joined a new group today. SO FUN.

Cory and I are comfortably settled into our apartment even more and it's finally a home!  It'll be nice when our fridge starts working again.  At the present moment, it's just a box taking up space and smelling a bit goofy.  I'm just glad it's not the air conditioner that went out in this 97+ degree weather--and that temperature does not include humidity.  It's ridiculous, I tell you.

I'm at my parents' house for the night, returning Bernie the Buick to Abby and enjoying the central air that's not going to show up on my electric bill. Hehe thanks mom and dad:)

looking for a wedding card...

lovely option!

I spy a wedding card by MeadowTea on Etsy.

happiness is...

happiness is...

Originally uploaded by kmblackbird

It's been a busy week for the two of us here, and it gets easy to be dragged down to tiredness all the time.
But I think today, or rather tonight, I'll take Dolly's example to heart. You have to smile at her; she's too darn cute to do otherwise.
Hopefully I'll be seeing her--and all those people she lives with--soon:).

I'll be back to blogging tomorrow. I can finally stop and breathe now that my fifty-hour week at work and my class are both done!

Barbie Movies!

Barbie Movies!

Originally uploaded by B0ttledBarbie

Ok, so I'm not super excited about Barbie Movies, but I wanted to explain why I've been AWOL from the blog...

I started working for a new movie store this week and I've been there every night!

My class is almost done, so in spite of working at the movie store (which is pretty fun) and at the university (which I love), I might be able to make a few posts in the near future.

Best!

Katie

p.s. check out my facebook page for a link to the etsy shop where I am selling necklaces on behalf of A Stone's Throw, a pair of girls raising money for Rapha House, which is a group of homes in Southeast Asia that rescues and cares for girls trapped in human trafficking.

love candy

Now, Jen of MadeByGirl notes that these would look great in kids' rooms, but I think I like the blue for myself.  Hm...I still have plenty of wall space left in the small room...

MadeByGirl: Newest Love Candy Print Colors Added !! (Via Made By Girl)

p.s. real post and maybe a how-to tomorrow!

Monday Mood :: Kitten Nap

Kitten Nap

Originally uploaded by arbyreed

Ever just feel like this on a Monday morning?
I meant to get a lot done today, but I laid down on the sofa (and, oh, what a comfortable La-Z-Boy sofa it is) to read for class, and then it was five o'clock and I had done nothing for an entire hour.

I probably resembled this little kitten, all off in another land. It felt pretty nice, I must say, even though I hadn't been tired.

Perhaps a post will follow later, but first I need to actually work on my term paper.

flickr photo :: When fairytales jump in reality...

When fairytales jump in reality...

Originally uploaded by ivy style33

I'm reading fairy tales, attempting to write a term paper discussing the tale type categorization as well as the emotional power of "The Ugly Duckling," and dreaming that I live in a castle.

Someday, I shall have to take a romantic getaway (with Cory, whether he likes it or not) to a European manor and imagine myself to be a new heroine in yet another tale.