beach life

As you're reading this, we're on our way back here.  Life has been busy lately.  Really busy, and kind of hard.  About a week ago, I called Mr. F at work and told him I needed the ocean.  He agreed, requested a couple of days off, and the next thing we knew, we were planning on a long weekend vacation.

These photos are from Christmas.  My parents drove down from the D, picked us up in Atlanta, and the four of drove down to Florida to join Mr. F's parents for the holiday season.  On Christmas morning, the six of us and the two dogs got up relatively early and went for a long walk on the beach.  The tide was low, perfect for beachcombing.   This might be my new favorite Christmas tradition.  All of the family together at our happy place. 

I have plans to spend hours on this beach this weekend.  Walking endlessly, listening to the crash of the waves, my thoughts, and maybe a few NPR podcasts.  Goodbye real life, hello oceans!

christmas house 2014

Truth: I started decorating for Christmas mid-November.  Super truth: it was more like early November.  I really tried to hold off and wait because Mr. F  likes to decorated until after Thanksgiving, but I couldn't do it.  Weakness, thy name is Christmas decor!

The real turning point came when I found red tartan table linens at TJ Maxx.  Our table is used more as countertop, so using them for rtheir original purposed seemed silly.  The napkins, however, were the perfect size for throw pillows and the table cloth, with the addition of some friendly DIY pom poms, was a perfect throw for our bed.  So I came home with four napkins and a tablecloth for a whopping $15.  Mixed in with a hodgepodge of leftover hoarder fabric I had on hand, I made a fat pile of pillows and it may always be Christmas in our house because I love them so much.

Aside from  a small stash of decorative items we brought home with us from Cyprus and the great pillow explosion of 2014, the rest of the decorations were handmade and fresh.  And free.  I made garland this year, following inspiration from Tessa over at Nine & Sixteen, out of the FREE clippings from the tree booth at Home Depot.  Once the garland was done, I loaded up our window boxes, vases, and tops of cabinets with the fresh greens and red winter berries picked from our parking lot.  Paying no monies for things really makes me happy.  Paying no money and having my tiny little apartment feeling like a winter wonderland makes me giddy and never want to leave the house.

It's been really nice this year to have Christmas be simpler.  Our nativities are on a shelf where I can see them regularly, nestled with family photos.  Twinkle lights adorn most surfaces and candles glimmer on the rest. The tiny apartment smells of pine and positively glows at night.  It's pure magic.

For the past few days, our home has been relatively clean.  I've been able to catch up on orders for cards and calendars, put away cranberries and baked salmon, and hidden away bowls full of unanswered mail. With the busy elements of daily life tucked away, this little space has become more of an oasis than I had ever imagined possible.  We've been able to soak in the Spirit of Christmas and bask in the magic of Mr. F's birthday.  

I'm so grateful for our home.  For the memories abounding in it.  The treasures we've collected hanging on the walls.  I'm grateful for friends and family who fill it with love. For the space to create, to relax.  It's a place to ponder, to feel welcome, and especially this time of year, to dream.

sunsets on the fourth

Be warned.  There are a lot of sunset photos coming your way.  Proceed with caution.

 This was without a doubt one of the best Independence Days on record!  We had a leisurely morning at home, picnic lunch and pool time with some good friends, followed by a night at the ballpark.

I'll be honest.  I have little recollection of what happened during the game.  The Braves won?  Yeah, they won!  I do know that!  But really, from our cheapseats, we had the most incredible view.  We could see the downtown skyline, which offered a clear shot of the fireworks in Centennial Park.  We were facing due west, which, well...just look at it!  What's not to love!?!

When I wasn't bathing my senses in golden hues of twilight, I was soaking in the scene.  Everyone was wearing Red, White, and Blue.  Everyone.  Kids were up WAY past their bedtimes in hopes of making it on the big screen and seeing fireworks.  Veterans and service members received standing ovations.  Multiple times.  A tenor from the Atlanta Opera sang "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch.  Then the lights went out, and the sky lit up with the most fantastic firework display.  And my soul delighted in being an American.

We slept in till 10 the next day.  We partied harder than we have in years.  The Fourth was definitely legen -waitforit- DARY!!!  I don't know how we'll ever top this one or if we even need to.  It was such a fun day!

easter crafts

I went on a wild rampage with Easter decorations last week as I was craving color and a nod to one of my favorite holidays.  I'm on a purging spree in our little apartment, so I knew that whatever I brought in needed to be inexpensive enough that I wouldn't mind throwing it out at the end of the season or darling enough that I'd find a place to store it.  The results were a handful of projects that cost me less than $10 for all of them. 

First up, wall art. I bought a couple bags of paper grass for the colors of them under the pretense that I was going to put Easter baskets together.  When I got the bags home, I was so enamored by the color and texture of the grass that I knew it was never going to see a basket. 

For this project you'll need:

a pair of frames with mats

manilla file folders

paper grass

hot glue

This project barely used half a bag of grass ($1.50 at Target).  I ran hot glue (because that is what I had out already...) over a spare file folder.  Before the glue cooled, I grabbed handfuls of the grass and affixed the grass to the glue in thin layers.  The real impact comes from framing up the folders behind crisp, white mats.  The frames I had on hand, as well as the folders and glue.  So the whole project cost me less than a dollar!

I wish I had step by step instructions for this wreath, but I don't.  I was totally winging it and when I was done, was dumbfounded with how cute it turned out.  I'm suggesting using an embroidery hoop as your base, but I totally used the plastic hoop that came protecting my hydrangea plant.  It's what I had on hand and it totally worked!  Score!

You'll need:

embroidery hoop

plastic Easter eggs in colors of your choosing

ribbon (at least half an inch wide)

hot glue gun

To begin with, secure the end of your ribbon to the embroidery hoop with a dab of hot glue.  Then wrap hoop with ribbon.  When hoop is completely covered, affix remaining end of ribbon to hoop with glue.

Before affixing eggs, lay them around the hoop, bottoms to tops, to see how many eggs will fit.  I didn't have enough room to go through my whole color spectrum 3 times, so I had to abridge my pattern.  You can do one solid color the whole way to simplify this process.  When you have the rough layout figured out, attach eggs to beribboned hoop with hot glue.  For extra strength, glue eggs to the hoop AND to each other.  

For a bit of extra pizzazz, lace ribbon between the eggs to give a more finished look. This is one of those steps I completely winged and am not entirely sure how I did it..  just play with the ribbon! I could be really cute with a really big bow.

When glue is dry, cut a length of ribbon to hang wreath from.   Lace through the center of the wreath and tie a knot with the two ends.  Then, hang it up!

Ready for cost?  Ribbon I had on hand, hoop I had on hang, and all of the glue.  So it was the cost of eggs.  I got bags of 24 for $2 at Target, more than enough for this project.  $2 wreath? Okay!

I used my technique for twine covered eggs again but with a chunkier rope.  Paired with a $5 Goodwill plate, it's a subtle nod to spring and the Easter season!  The rope I had on hand, but can be found for about $3 at Walmart. For step by step instructions, check out this post.

For one last easy project, that I don't have pictures of, string plastic eggs on bakers twine to make an easy bunting.  Just lace the twine through the manufactured holes at the ends of the eggs.  Super cute, super easy.  If you're wanting something that will last beyond Easter, check out my Etsy shop for beautiful prints! 

ALLELUIA!

Spring seems so much more festive in Atlanta than it has been for us in the past few years.  After a colder than usual winter, the trees are in full bloom and beginning to burst with chartreuse leaves. It seems amazing to me that after several deep freezes here in the South, bulbs still shoot forth tulips and daffodils.  Life still exists. 

Over the weekend, Mandi of Vintage Revivals shared a photo of one of her succulents on Instagram.  With it she said, 

"Last week I put my plants outside for some fresh air and forgot about them, I woke up the next morning to succulents that were frozen solid. Most of them died, but this little guy is making a come back. I am so grateful for the Atonementof Jesus Christ. Even when we feel forgotten and on the verge of spiritual death he can heal us. He can soften our hearts and change our nature. His light is always more powerful than the adversary's darkness. Most importantly, He's our chance to try again. "

He's our chance to try again.  After a winter of cold, a year of struggle.  After death, heartbreak, sickness, poverty, bankruptcy, abuse, failure, and loneliness.  After impatience, messy kids, miscarriages, stillbirths, infertility, and pain.  After all of it, His sacrifice brings forth the spring daffodils in our life.  

In college, I sang in a choir where we performed the most beautiful arrangement of the hymn, Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.  As I learned my part, the words spoke to me and resonated with the truth of Mandi's testimony.  Love's redeeming work is done, darkness veils the earth no more.  Once He died, our souls to save, where thy victory, O grave?

Christ the Lord is risen today, Allelulia!

Whenever I get to the allelulias, my heart swells with gratitude and a knowledge of the atoning work of our Savior.

I wanted to share the joy of this with you.  I wanted Christ's gift to us, the gift of life and comfort, to be familiar and welcoming.  So I did what I know how to do.  I painted.  I used the happiest colors I could think of and sang every line of the hymn as I hand-lettered the print.  And now I want to share it with you.  The print is up in my Etsy shop, available in a 5x7 and an 8x10.  I hope it reminds you of second chances, the joy of the resurrection, and the peace of a loving Savior's atonement for you.  Because, my friends, Christ the Lord IS risen today! Allelulia!


you can find the shop here

wuv, twoo wuv...

Happy Valentine's Day! Well, almost.  Somehow Valentine's Day always creeps up on me as I try to hold onto Christmas a little longer.  For example, my tree is still up.  Real tree.  And it's really not going anywhere anytime soon.  But isn't it such a welcome treat after the doldrums of post-holiday January?  A day to celebrate love and to indulge in candies and your favorite flowers?

I have very fond memories of Valentine's Day.  My mom and I have accumulated an ever-enlarging collection of heart ornaments.  When I was a girl, Kitty would hang them on a tree made of dowels in our living room.  Some were bright, others metal, and then my favorites were cloth.  Such a simple shape but with so many variations and the sheer volume of our collection on display, it was striking.

This year's collection of valentines is an homage to that tradition.  Hearts, hearts, and Anne Shirley (who taught me how to use my heart).  Love can be confused for so many things, but at its core is simplicity.  Respect, trust, faith, and admiration.  Not the dizzying convoluting shape of lust or envy.  No, love, as the poet writes, is an ever fixed mark.  Just like the geometric heart, it is unchanging, but powerful when shared with many.

This year, share your heart.  Whether it be with your very own Gilbert or the best friend who babysat your children so you could take a quiet bath.  Love,my dear friends, is for all of us.

gold hearts

candy hearts

 marble halls

marble halls 8x10 print on robin's egg blue.  also available in white

So share your love this year, with three new notecards and some wonderful art prints!

to order, email me or message me on facebook.  prices do not include shipping and handling.  please specify what card and quantity in your message.  marble halls print available in robin's egg blue or white.

there's no place like home for the holidays

Sorry for the hiatus, but not really.  It was so needed.  No blogging.  No worrying about selling calendars and cards.  Just lots and lots of Christmas cheer.

Mr. F and I had the opportunity to head north and spend Christmas with my family in Detroit.  This was our first Christmas with family in three years and our first ever as a married couple.  On top of that it was the Stud and Co-pilot's first married Christmas.

I could tell you that we spent our few days there stuffed to capacity with adventures, museums, outings, and dinners out.  But we didn't.  We went to the farmer's market for produce for our Christmas feast, did some light shopping, and spent the bulk of our time at home.  I would not have had it any other way.  We hunkered down into the sofa, using the arctic temperatures and snowy terrain as an excuse to stay inside.  The four of us kids talked incessantly, getting to know each other again.  My heart delighted in how natural it felt having Mr.F and The Co-pilot there.  The four of us found a stride together that left me with visions of us in middle-age enjoying similar relationships.

This Christmas was short, but perfect.  Full of nostalgia as I wandered through my childhood home for the first time in over a year.  It was the first time I saw real snow since my wedding day and my first time enjoying a northern winter in just as long.  My memories forgot to remind me of how slow the sun was to wake up and how quick it was to fall back asleep.  How the light would hover in the south, never really making it to a true east-west path.  Pedestrians wore puffy coats and thick boots while cars donned a thick layer of salt and mud.  The wind and the damp cold pierced you to the core but a warm fire and cuddly sweater made it all wroth while.

Atlanta feels like a tropical oasis now that we're back.  I find myself missing the sharp wind and the creaky floorboards of my old home.  But it was so nice to return to more family waiting for us, visitors in a week, and promise of more soon.