Swoonish.

Love Notes

Who doesn't enjoy receiving a truly heartfelt love note? Paper, and even electronic, testimonies from another person, driven to share their innermost feelings of love and adoration, can be many things--touching and warming, without a doubt. Sadly, in those forms, they are also subject to the elements, accidents, or many other unknowns beyond our control. Why not help those words become something more tangible, and a tad longer-lasting, that could also decorate your home or studio?

Alisa Burke, of Alisa Burke: Redefine Creativity, shared a tutorial on her blog for transfering a love note to a pillow.

How gorgeous are those pillows? I absolutely love them. It's a real shame that my sewing skills are extremely limited. What I really mean is that I completely suck at sewing and frequently stab myself. Even just trying to take a needle out of its packaging results in blood. Still, the pillows are on my list of things to attempt (to persuade someone else to make) at some time in the future.

Something tells me that doing something similar, perhaps in a quilt-block pattern, would be quite breathtaking. Maybe bolster pillows, a throw, upholstered headboard, or--OH! What about a large enough piece that could be framed as artwork? I bet that's something I could figure out without any unnecessary and pesky sewing skills.

Round up your passions, interests, and friends. Get to pinning!

Pinterest is highly distracting, not meant to be viewed in any capacity while working--not because it's not safe for work, but because it's a time suck. Between Pinterest and the Gawkerverse, I'm surprised I have time for anything else. Don't get me started on how they both have iPhone apps that I've downloaded but hidden from myself. Time suck. 

When I do let myself indulge in Pinterest, though, I spend more time focusing on what my friends and contacts have pinned than doing any pinning myself. There are a lot of people out there with some fantastic taste. Thankfully, some of what they pin inspires me to repin that item(s) to my own boards. I've even created a new board for the Guest Room project (board)! It's filling up with pins I want to refer back to for color and design options, but the damn thing is becoming beautiful enough to stare at on its own; like a little piece of artwork I wouldn't hesitate to print, frame, and hang.

Images were taken from my Pinterest boards, "Design of a Kind" and "To Live By Them."

For those who haven't given Pinterest much thought, maybe considered it a passing fad, or assumed it was mostly for those who fancy DIY, design, and decorating, then I urge you to take a closer look. Pinterest is ultimately about one thing: gathering content. That content is categorized into boards--board, singular, if you like the chaos of everything in one place--where you "pin" images, video, and more. Those pinned items can be:

• things that inspire you (e.g. color palettes)
• are meant to inspire others (e.g. eco-friendly ways to update your home)
• depict your creative ventures (e.g. step-outs showing how you reupholstered your couch)
• are creations by others that you like (e.g. an IKEA sofa hacked to look more mid-century modern)
• are items to help you plan an event (e.g. potential decor choices for your holiday party)
• research for projects you want to tackle (e.g. various ways to create a solar oven)

There's no real limit to how, and for what, you can use Pinterest. My personal preference is to pin things that cause a strong, passionate response within me. If it pulls at the heart strings, attracts my eye, inspires me to do something similar, or challenges me in some way--whatever it is that brings to life something where there may have been nothing--I'm going to want to keep it. Pinterest lets me do that. And, if I happen to need a bit of chaos some times, or organization/order in others, Pinterest lets me do that as well.

You should take a (closer) look into Pinterest for yourself. If you need an invite, leave a comment or click the contact link to let me know.

Rescuing and Being Rescued - A Love Story

Due to our intense love for Rowan, who happens to be Caryn's first dog, we frequently have to keep each other in check. No, we cannot afford another dog--neither in time or money. No, we honestly don't have the energy to keep up with our crazy Border Collie mix, regardless of how she's creeping closer to 9 years old, has arthritis in her back legs, and requires a chiropractor to align her back. (Know of any animal psychics that can tell this dog she needs to slow down?)

You Don't Sing to Me Anymore

via www.caryndrexl.com

I'm sometimes very biased; other times I'm very objective. Though Caryn is my fiance, there is work of hers that I don't always get or like, but, mostly, there are photos and entire series that I'm completely in love with. Yes, even if there are gigantic, dead, and totally from another land (seriously, Norway or somewhere else very distant), bugs involved.

She's such an amazing photographer. I wish the whole world could see, fall in love with, and buy, her work. Especially if it means I can retire early and live in the lap of luxury due to her talent.

Should I not admit that part?

Rowan wants a banana

I miss you, Cafe tu tu Tango

In May I drove an hour and a half to meet up with fellow support team members, Melanie and Kymberlie (who was in town from Texas!). We met at Cafe tu tu Tango in Orlando to enjoy some tapas. I'd never had tapas before, so I went in with a mixture of excitement in getting to see my friends and wariness over my being able to find something to eat.

Here's a fun fact: I'm not a fancy girl; I'm a steak and potatoes, spaghetti with meatballs, or pizza, kind of girl. Food with fancy names and ingredients make me flustered and overwhelmed. Thankfully, Melanie and Kymberlie were there, with two of Kymberlie's friends, to order a bunch of great dishes. My contribution to the table's order? The pepperoni pizza--predictable, but delicious.

The dish pictured at the top of the post was the Strawberry Salad that we all enjoyed. It consisted of spinach salad, goat cheese, and candied walnuts, with a raspberry and poppy seed dressing. I'm not typically a fan of raw, or baby, spinach, but I was filled with an overwhelming sensation of lust as soon as it was placed on the table. Once I had a taste, lust moved to love.

Pictured below is the pizza (out of focus in the background) and potstickers we all took part in devouring.

I'm tempted to ask Melanie to meet me in Orlando, the halfway point between our homes, so that I get to enjoy her company and that salad again.