I'm Lovin': Amazing LEGO Birds

I found these amazing LEGO birds on the Colossal website today. They're designed and constructed by Thomas Poulsom. The open wings are amazing. And don't you just love that hanging box of rennet?

If you love these birds too, head on over to the LEGO website and show Thomas some lovin' support.

Elements Of My Childhood

When I was young, my mom and my nana made a lot of my clothing. My mom sewed and my nana crocheted. A while back, my mom gave me a bag of what remained from my childhood. I carefully washed each piece, but that's as far as I got. Since then I've just been moving them from one area of the house to another, planning to eventually photograph all of them for posterity. Well, I finally got around to it. I went to Joann's and bought some white muslin fabric to use as a backdrop, laid it out on the living room floor, and carefully placed each dress, coat, skirt, and sweater in the middle of the fabric, one at a time, until I had photographed all of them. As I was styling each piece, I realized how much love and care went into making each of them. All of the dresses my mom made had pockets in them. One of them even had a little appliqué turtle sewn on the front, near the collar, like a Lacost alligator. Each button had been carefully selected. Each sweater edge had been expertly finished. Each lining lovingly sewn. Even the dirndls, a traditional German dress, which came from my aunt and uncle in Germany had been sewn with great care (albeit in a factory, but well made none-the-less). No detail was overlooked, from the appliqués to the buttons, to the matching aprons and decorative edging.

And now comes the slightly difficult part, letting them go. I know it's just clothing, but it's also a little piece of my past wrapped up in love and happy memories of feeling special and pretty, as every little girl should feel at some point. But it's time to pass them on. I'm giving them to two very dear college friends so their little girls can feel special and pretty.  Who knew a carefully selected button or a delicately stitched sweater edge could be so powerful. Thanks Mom...Thanks Nana...for making me feel special and pretty.

Handmade Portraits: Rob Ryan

I watched this lovely little Etsy video over the weekend (found via A Little Hut). Rob's exquisite work conveys a genuineness that is rarely seen.

Handmade Portraits: Rob Ryan from Etsy on Vimeo.

Thanks for teaching us to think different Steve Jobs

Autumn at Terrain

I stopped by Terrain at Styer's yesterday. For those of you not familiar with Terrain, it's part of the Anthropologie brand. It's the first store of its kind by the style maven, and it's right here in Chester County Pennsylvania! I feel pretty lucky to have it so close by. For all you Anthro fanatics who live across the country (or across the world) here's a peak into what the shop is looking like now that Autumn is here.

Terrain is made up of a collection of buildings converted from rugged old barns. Or are they greenhouses? Yes, I was definitely in at least one greenhouse. I think. As I'm writing this, I'm realizing, although I've been there numerous times, I don't really know for sure if the greenhouses are actual greenhouse or just more barns with big windows. The place is sort of overwhelming because there is so much to look at and everything is so lovely. Be they barns or greenhouse, they each house a varied collection of plants, garden supplies, housewares, books - even a skin care line. The spaces are bright and airy, and I find myself relaxed and invigorated (with all the ideas I'm inspired by) at the same time.

The first thing that struck me was this grid of metal troughs (funnels? cake decorating tips?). Can't you just imagine flowers cascading over the edge of each one? It would create a spectacular wall of color.  Even without flowers it still looks super cool - creating a modern, edgy effect.

They have a lot of plants and shrubs on sale right now in prep for the changing season (always looking ahead to the next great thing.). I really love this Variegated False Holly. I'm not exactly sure why it's called "False" but assume it has something to do with the fact it's not technically a holly. Whatever the reason, it's lovely to look at. Very striking.

Then I wandered over to the sale corner in one of the green houses where I found this adorable little rabbit planter.

They also had a selection of dried wreaths for sale which made me regret throwing out all those lovely dried cones from my Echinacea a couple weeks ago. Next year I think I'll try to make a wreath with them (along with some other dried flowers and herbs).

I'm a big fan of succulents, so I was really drawn to this planter made out of, what looks like,  concrete with aggregate mixed in.

Eventually, I ended up in the main building that houses all the books, furniture, and decor-related items as well as the skin care line and, if you wander far enough, the cafe. There I found these adorable little velvet pumpkins. The stems are real, but the pumpkins are made out of soft velvet in a host or gorgeous fall colors. They felt like they were stuffed with buckwheat or something similar. Charming, don't you think?

One of my favorite sections of the main building, is this wall of succulents. I could have bought one of each. It's probably one of the largest succulent selections I've seen.

There was an entire section devoted to canning complete with Weck canning jars and several books to guide you on your quest to preserve all that garden bounty.

I also found these colorful strainers that I thought would really come in handy in the kitchen. They come in a pack of three - each color a different size. Perfect for straining loose tea.

I loved these colorful fall napkins - perfect for Thanksgiving.

And or course, I'm also mesmerized by Terrain's unique selection of natural wreaths. Aren't they gorgeous?

If you have a chance, stop by Terrain at Styer's. It's a lovely place to spend an hour or two...in any season!

Back To the Start

I found this video on Daisy Janie's blog this morning...



Thought it was worth sharing.

Inspiration: Kara Layne

Today I watched an interview with lifestyle photographer Kara Layne from the "How'd They Do That?" series on AdoramaTV with Mark Wallace. The piece of advice she shared that really stood out was: "know your equipment." Kara shoots solely in manual mode to really challenge herself to learn and understand all that her camera can do. Here's the interview:

Lifestyle Photographer, Kara Layne: How'd They Do That? from AdoramaTV on Vimeo.