{be} Inspired

I am so excited to announce that I will be teaching a class at Paper Tales!! This has been a hope of mine for a while now, and I am so thankful that they will have me! :-)

The class is scheduled for Sunday, October 3rd, from 12:30-2:30. My goal for the class is for people to be inspired, have fun, and enjoy a creative afternoon surrounded by all the inspiration that Paper Tales has to offer! This art block is a medley of color with quotes on each side and some vintage spools on the top. It is a low stress class, and you'll be sure to have a finished product by the time you leave! I hope to see you there!!!

Rainbow of Color

You know how you buy something with this wonderful vision of what will be done with the item only to have the potential project sit on your desk or in a closet for the next 6 months? Well...that's pretty much how this project went down! However, I am happy to report that last night, in the single hour I had to myself before bedtime, I was able to whip this together and voila! here it is.....

This is actually contained within a white wooden shadowbox that I picked up at Aaron Brothers. It has a nice linen backing to it which made it ready to fill with colorful goodness. I bought this lot of pretty pastel vintage spools from an etsy seller called ArtfulVintage. I had ordered a group of these spools earlier in the summer for an upcoming class I'll be teaching, but I was lucky enough to snag another group of them that she had for sale..but for myself this time! The fabric swatches are from the Heather Bailey line and it's the same fabric that I used to cover a canvas that hangs above the dresser in my bedroom. Since this shadowbox is going on top of that dresser, I thought it would be good to tie in the two pieces with the same fabric.

A few old buttons strategically scattered near the bottom of the box for some finishing touches. I just love the rainbow of colors...don't you? They make me so happy! :-)

Getting Out to Look Within

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown for going out, I found, was really going in." -John Muir

Hope everyone enjoyed their three day weekend! We got out on Monday for a little family picnic at the Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas...one of my favorite places for peace and nature's inspiration. I also like to experiment with my photography skills which need serious improvement most times!! If you've never visited these gardens, it really is a breathtaking place to see. They have over 35 acres filled with every type of vegetation imaginable from every biome across the world...Australia, Hawaii, etc. They have a really cool bamboo garden that's like going through a maze of sticks!

Of course, hydrangeas are one of my all-time favorites...I imagine having great horticultural skills in another lifetime and my house being surrounded by grande and fragrant hydrangea bushes, just like in Martha's Vineyard!

They had a statue of a woman made purely out of various types of succulents...now there's a plant species that I've had success with...they thrive on little to no water!! LOL!! I thought the cameo was the greatest detail here!



Liam doesn't look quite as thrilled in this picture but he really did enjoy looking up at the trees overhead and all the amazing patterns when the light filtered through the leaves. What better source of beauty for inspiration than Mother Nature?!

His Story

I've been trying my best to document Liam's first months with us. I've found that the mini album is a new mom's best friend, allowing you to document those first memories with a minimal amount of time, effort, and supplies. Back in July, I saw this cute album posted by Ali Edwards and decided I had to make my own! After gathering up the supplies she listed, here is my own version....

The cover is a great canvas album from Pink Paislee with a Jenni Bowlin rub-on.

Ali had some digital files of these little word cards on her website, but I decided to just make my own using shipping tags with the top cut off.
I little bit of Maya Road paint mist and some Japanese tape...two of my new favorite art supplies...not to mention my brand new Fuji Instax Mini camera which hubby bought me for our anniversary...LOVE these little pictures!! So sweet!


Hope everyone is having a wonderful Labor Day weekend!! Wishing you lots of sunshine in your little corner of the world!!