::summer recap::

in the past few months, i...

::celebrated the fourth of july (1&2)...and labor day. (3)
::also celebrated three birthdays (julie, 4; caroline, 5; and kat! 21. umm...the numbers are their pictures, not their ages. :D)
::kind of didn't have a hurricane irene. (6)
::drank lots and lots of tea in september. (7)
::had some job interviews...and some jobs! (8)
::made art. (9, 10, and 11)
::went to the beach. several times! this was one of the highlights. i fell in love with the beach in summer - i haven't been in this season for years. (12 and 13)
::spent some time with miss josie. actually, she's at my feet right now. (14)
::took instax photos! must continue this. it's worth it. (15)
::spent time with a certain almost-two-year-old who always makes my day. (16)
::loved the kitchen. i made more than apple cake and ice cream (ice cream!) but this is what figures in the pictures. (17 and 18)
::hooped. a lot. except for this past month. i really miss it. (19)
::made things like cool pillows and repurposed cloth napkins and a quilt top (to be quilted in autumn). with a new sewing machine. made other things, too. (20 and 21)
::watched soul surfer. prepared to dislike. oh my. i was wrong. (not pictured.)
::read this book, which i've mentioned before but is worth mentioning again. (also not pictured.)
::and tonight, sent my parents off to the big city (or one of them near us, anyway) to be there when my brother gets married tomorrow. yes! you read that correctly. just thought i might mention it. ;) i'm so excited for them, and i get to be there for the bigger, traditional celebration in january.

those are some highlights of my summer. what are yours? xo.

(p.s. click to see the picture bigger if you like. :D)

on the 29th blog day of summer...

...a few of my favorite fall things. (i know. two days early. so sue me. i've been holding off on this forEVER.)

1. scarves. this is actually slightly amusing to me. i love to wear scarves, mix them into my outfits, dress up shirts, etc. this is one of my favorites (in the dusk color. the only one i have. i'm thinking maybe a new one this year?). thing is, every year by the time spring rolls around, i am sick. and. tired. of the things, and i swear off scarves. then autumn hints around 7 months later (so, we have  a long summer down here in the south) and i glance at those scarves and think why not and here i am in love again. scarves are a deliciously seasonal relationship for me and i love that. 
2. i actually don't have any other fall things i'd planned to talk about. mostly i wanted to tell you about scarves. maybe we'll just leave it at that? (i mean, obviously i like the cooler weather, and the rainy days, and clogs, and warm drinks, etc. but that's obvious. not whimsical like the dynamics between me and scarves.)

what are your favorite fall things? xo and see you tomorrow for the last day of summer. and for once, the blog day and the seasonal day will actually line up. last one. 

photo walk. (summer, day 28)

a little over a week ago, she and i took a little jaunt through the woods together with a camera. (well, two actually, but my battery died and so we were stuck with her dslr. such a pity. [ahem.]) this was the most beautimous result. (photo of the purple berries and all photos of me by the lovely caroline. xo.)

today. (summer, day 27)

so, today i accepted an amazing job offer.

and i'm dreaming up things to do on the side.

tell me - you who know me or read this blog and see the things i do - which of those things do you think would best go in a small online shop (i.e. an etsy shop)? you can suggest general skills (i.e. sewing/knitting/art/photography) or a specific project from the archives. or something completely new. just to give me a feel of what you like or would like or think i'm good at. just to help my brainstorm along. just because i'm curious. (click the relevant labels at the bottom of the post for ideas.)

thanks and xo.

30 days of summer :: 26

there are things i want to write, lying like salmon spawn beneath the tumbling waters of my mind. they are only eggs yet; not quite ready to break through that protective membrane and swim on their own tiny fins into growth and fullness.

but those thoughts on desire, and dreams, and expectations, and real-life. they are definitely there.

i'd say i will keep you posted, but there's always the chance that those thoughts will burst and dart away into fruition in my life before they can be hooked into this lil' blog. but you can always hope. and keep your eyes open. these eggs may appear later in some way, shape, or form. i'm just not promising that they will be neatly labeled.

xo.

on day 25 :: lemon cream ice cream

summer 24 :: in the making.

 i thought i'd catalog a few of the side projects i've got going (side referring to the odd jobs i'm working). you've already seen this quilt in the block stage, but now the quilt top is done. i need to get some backing fabric and then it will be on to layering, basting, and quilting.

 i whipped this up yesterday afternoon. yes, i've already shared the inspiration for this, too. the colors were based on these.

lastly, a painting in progress. i've never done anything like this, and i'm kind of winging it. just the sky is left (it will go on top of that purple underpainting at the top). this project inspired by a friend's painting (hi kat!) and loosely interpreted from this photo.

**edited to add**
i made this necklace this afternoon following my trip to the craft shop. two strings of beads, a pack of jump rings, a coil of 20 gauge colored copper wire, and two yards of fabric for $14 (instead of $32). i now have supplies for several more enterprises in jewelry making.

have i ever mentioned that i'm somewhat of a jill-of-all-trades?

what are you making? it doesn't have to be crafty. (i.e. you could be making new friendships, or strides toward a goal, etc.) :) please share.

summer, day 23.

today i went to a new restaurant in town and shared a pizza with my mom. mozzarella, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, roma tomatoes, and pesto all on a great golden crust. oh my. (mello mushroom, for the locals.)

that is all.

day 22 :: a little linky love.

or, (somewhat insignificant) pieces of my life right now. and various other captivating things from around the web.

::i got a fig & plum jelly roll for Christmas a few years ago (that's fabric, btw), which has been sitting on my shelf about a third of the way sewn into quilt blocks. this afternoon i put my sewing machine on my desk and whipped those strips into the rest of the blocks. see example above. :) my mom pointed out that the colors are somewhat autumnal, which is quite satisfactory considering the current seasonal shift.

::do-it-myself artwork for if i ever have my own kitchen (using spraypaint and thrifted silverware). probably with some color mixed in, though.

::i'm reading this book, and kind of making it a personal mission to spread it around. the relevance to my/our particular bubble of Christian culture and my own life and lessons in Christ over the past few years is quite refreshing. (in other words, "yes! someone finally put this into words for me so that i can actually hand it to a friend!")

::you know the multitudinous paper garlands that have been all the rage in the crafty internet spheres? (maybe you don't. it's ok.) i thought i was over them. then i saw this. must. make. my. own.

::finally, and close-to-most-importantly, you must go watch this cute video. i'm serious. three minutes is worth a grin. ("and i say, 'compared to what?'")

xo.

summer, day 21

i played apples to apples tonight. the cards i won:

cosmopolitan
ridiculous
philosophical
pure
realistic
dirty
stunning
and

irresistible.

"they" say the descriptions are supposed to characterize your future spouse. might not be so bad.

xo.

summer, day 20 :: things you might like to know

or, things on my list to tell you.

number one: i started another project 365. you know, that photography thing where i post a picture every day for a year. i didn't even wait for a logical date to start (and subsequently end). i just did. it's over here. (and a new button for the sidebar is in the works, should you want to find it again later.)

number two: swagbucks. remember i said i got this book for free? it's because of this bandwagon that i finally hopped onto (very late in the game). but if you're behind the ball like me, maybe you haven't heard of them yet. so check it out. basically you get "swagbucks" for using their search engine and doing other optional things like polls, and you can redeem the bucks for things like amazon gift cards. (that's what i do. for me, it tallies up to about five minutes a day earning bucks and about $10 in amazon gift cards a month. but if you sign up after clicking one of my links, i get more. just telling you like it is. honesty pays, they say. ahem.)

number three: it seems there are only about nineteen days left of summer. i have ten more days to post in order to fulfill the "30 days of summer" scheme. i suppose things need to pick up a little bit here. :) see you soon!