i really bad need...

the following:

the end.

no turning back

i just had to re-post this. i found it on jessica gonacha's blog. i was completely amazed. then, i showed it to burke, and he was completely amazed. then, we watched it again. i LOVE the illustration. celeste potter is a new favorite, for sure. the song is "no turning back" by sarah blasko, and she pretty much rocks. such a cool sound.

hope you enjoi!

poppy.love = turquoise

to me,

turquoise is...

retro,

western,

calming,

organic,

youthful,

and makes me think of...

the 60's,

the beach,

babies,

polka dots,

birds,

my grandma opal's jewelry,

and my kitchen.

i just found this article on the pantone website announcing that

the color of 2010 is TURQUOISE!!!

how beautiful is that?

says pantone:

"Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing,"

i would add that it's beautifully retro.

i love their pick,

especially since my entire kitchen is turquoise.

it makes me quite happy.

also, doesn't it remind you a bit of this lady???

she snagged turquoise a while ago, and made it her own.

we call it, "martha blue."

i kind of own a good handful of the kitchen stuff pictured below.

so, yes, the bulk of my "turquoise" kitchen is, actually, "martha blue."

i'm fine with that.

but, i am always on the search for other cute turquoise items to find their home in my kitchen.

a shelf from my kitchen.

(if this room were pristine and photo-worthy at the moment, i would have

shown you around a bit more.but, it's not, so i won't)!

some turquoise goodness i've had my eye on...

(l-r: eight hour day, modcloth, urban outfitters, anthropologie, mimi boden, renegade homemade, forever 21,

urban outfitters, two little owls, mimi boden, these creatures & etsy).

doesn't all of that make you so...ahhhhh? (insert sigh of blissful relaxation).

here's a little painting i started last semester.

as paintings go, it's not quite finished.

aspen trees with their roots growing together...

growing new trees...

there's a heart between them with their roots...

and birds flying up to the trees,

to complete the theme of unity.

i'm still reworking all of the other colors,

except the TURQUOISE!!!

i love the turquoise.

it's seriously always the first color i mix and to hit my canvas.

conclusion...poppy.love.turquoise.

love=bee.things, but mainly...charley harper

i am in love with bee.things!

find them here at their etsy storefront.

aren't these images so cute?

i love their simple lines and patterns.

mmmm, i just love finding stuff like this.

it totally inspires me.

a lot of their work is reminiscent of charley harper.

one of my most favorite artists.

(and my momma gave me this book for christmas. it's beautiful!)

here are a few of his pieces.

i love his work because it looks vintage (because it is),

but it feels so modern.

he was way ahead of his time.

and, he crafted all of these amazing patterns

by hand. with paint.

he's probably my biggest inspiration in graphic design.

nie nie

i had such a lazy worthless day today.

my excuse: my girly time of the month.

i'm such a whimp.

and, i have so much to do and to work on...

and, the best thing is that i can.

i have a wonderfully capable body.

and, i know that tomorrow i will feel better and get it all done.

i'm so grateful for that.

i just read nie nie's latest blog entry.

and wept.

because she is so sweet and beautiful.

and if she had my body right now,

she would be doing everything that she could.

she wouldn't be wasting days.

i hate taking showers because i get a little cold.

not because i have to rub my skin raw until it bleeds.

i stayed in bed a little longer today because i was too snuggly with my doggies.

not because i was literally in too much pain to move.

"Even in the midst of pain and suffering,

the Lord always reminds me that

life is a gift-no matter the condition." - nie nie

if you haven't read her blog today, or at all, you should!

she is the loveliest person i know.

and, i've never met her. :)

i'm so grateful for nie nie because she is willing to share her life with us.

and, i know that it can't be easy to do that.

i'm grateful for the perspective that i get when i read her blog.

and, how motivated i become to take on life.

to keep on working and trying.

because, that's what she's doing.

and, she is definitely the type of woman i would love to be.

snow.town

snow is one of the things that i hate the most.

but, even i will admit that sometimes it can be rather magical.

like when the night is still,

and the air is crisp,

and there is a new blanket of white covering the world.

and i think, "well, ok, this isn't that bad."

then, we drive on roads that haven't been plowed,

with the slushy disgustingness.

the cold wetness.

and, the magic is over.

i hate snow again.

i will, however, go out in the snow with my feet in these.

they are comfy, warm and dry.

and, they look darling with leggings and a cute skirt.

they make my life in utah manageable.

and, i know i'm a brat about it, and that's just the way it has to be.

twenty.ten

twenty.ten reflections:

i began this century as a highschool senior.

left my bestest friends to go to school.

knocked out 3 years at byu.

made more best friends.

went on a mission.

found myself and Christ.

made more forever friends.

came home with a testimony and a small dog.

found the love of my life.

got another dog.

married my man.

had 12 bridesmaids because i love all my collective friends and sisters.

went back to school...finally.

got another dog.

twenty.ten = college senior, returned missionary, wife, mother to 3 doggie.children,

and one of the happiest girls i know.

i have a big bright future!

oh little tree...

a tiny (& compact) tree for our tiny space.

no room for the likes of this beauty from last year...

{sigh}

so the hubs and i created the above tree

for our sweet little christmas birdies to rest rest their wings.

and they are very appreciative of the gesture.

welcome, Christmas!

to see/hear a perfect ushering in of the true Christmas spirit,

follow another little birdie here.

typography.love

o, next semester, i get to take typography. what a cool art. the few tastes i've had of it, i have loved.

and, the genius of typographer & illustrator jessica hische at daily drop cap is nothing less than inspiring.

as much as i'm tired of school, and want it to be soooo over, i can't wait for my classes in the coming semester.

i'm sure i'll be soooo over them soon enough.

good thing there are great artists around to keep me motivated.

photo 101

i'm taking a photo class this semester. it's been so much fun. all of the photos below were taken down by utah lake. there's something about using film and developing your own pictures in a darkroom. it's so rewarding. i love learning how to manipulate things just the way you want them. it's very time-consuming, but relaxing at the same time.

i got one of these babies....

and she has been too much fun! she came with a fish eye lens with which i took these pictues....

the best thing about using a diana is that it's so unpredictable. look at the awesome vignettes in the first horse shot, then the unexposed corners in the second. every picture is different. i love it.

becoming a woman means...wearing lipstick, i think.

at least i feel much more sophisticated when i do. i've always had a hard time wearing the stuff because it's just so darn hard to keep on! lip gloss has been a safe haven for me. but, i don't know about all of your significant others, but...mr. austen does not enjoy his mouth glossified. on top of that, i'm a terrible lip-licker! i know i know, that's so bad. i might as well usher chapped lips in on a red carpet. any rate, a constant mouthful of gloss gets my gag-reflex goin. and, forget straight up lipstick...hello red teeth! and, that stay-put stuff clumps off all crazy-like with my lip-licking ways.

i've been searching and searching for a classy, trendy, natural pout for so long! and, for a while now i've just been using the "rose salve" by bigelow. which, is a dream. it's thin and fresh and you can use it anywhere - hands, face..it's a salve, have at it! amazing. i swear by it.

but, that still didn't solve my color problem. i have small lips, and when they are pale, i feel like a snake-woman.

i saw an ad for the covergirl lipstain stuff, and i knew at that moment that my problems were solved. just the name, lip stain...it sounded wonderful. i love it. I LOVE IT!!! it's like a magic marker for your lips. and it stays forever! i feel so finished and confident when i have it on. like a woman should! i found my perfect color - "sassy mauve." and it matches the natural hue of my lips very well.

burke laughs so hard because i now can never leave the house with out my lips on. i feel like my mother! but, i love it.

(funny story, my neice, phebe, would call her lipstick "her lips" and she always had it on, all over her face. she would even use it to draw a few sets of eyebrows above her given pair. she was like 2 at the time. sassy little thing. one day, when she couldn't find her lips she said, "oh, where are my lips? oh sh**! i lost my damn lips!" even a two year old understands the need a woman has for beautiful lips)!

so, if my problems sounded similar to those that you face...here is your solution: put on some lip-stain, let it dry, add a layer of rose salve...and away you go! worry-free. you'll be a new woman! free from clumps, red teeth, mouthfuls of gloss and unhappy boys.

next project please...

is this not just darling? oh goodness. what a great idea.

i've been getting so excited to make some cute and citchy crafts for christmas. i started looking for ideas, and when i found this little jem at KnocKnocking's etsy shop, i knew that it was just the thing. (check them out here, they have such a great vintage feel). i will have to play around with a few different possibilities i have dancing around in my head... and doesn't that prospect just make your heart flutter with excitement? it does mine!

oh, and i am just dying over this little darling!

you can find the tutorial here.

mmmmm, christmas is so nice. i can already taste it!

an afternoon stroll

this past friday, the weather was gorgeous, the sun was shining, and autumn was at it's best. i grabbed our dogs and my camera and we went for a beautiful and lengthy afternoon stroll. i'm sure that i looked really cool taking hundreds of pictures of trees and leaves, but it had to be documented! it's been so cold here, so i was grateful for at least one true (california-like...sigh) fall day. (i know, there's been at least a few)! you may disagree if you live here in provo as well, but fall is not supposed to feel this much like winter, i promise. it should be perfect! at least it was on friday.

remind me, again?

this little quote has been feeding and comforting my soul lately. so, i made a couple little prints. if you need this constant reminder, like i do, feel free to use any of these in your own home. or, if you want me to make you one a little bit different, let me know! i would love to. :)

which one do you like the best?

"Bright Star"

um, so i just cried a little when i watched this trailer. i'll have to trick burke into taking me to see it. (then he'll ball his little eyes out and love it). i can't wait! (insert girlie scream and clinching of my fists). and just like johanna goddard put it on her blog (here), abby cornish is totally my new girl crush.