Book Wish List
With the holidays right around the corner I have been gathering a book wish list to share with family and friends and I decided I would go ahead and share it here as well! I constantly add books to my Amazon wish list and usually end up buying the kindle or audible version. However, lots of these are ones where I would really love to have the hard copy. Happy shopping/reading!
1. Living with Pattern: Color, Texture, and Print at Home by Rebecca Atwood
2. Celebrate Everything!: Fun Ideas to Bring Your Parties to Life by Darcy Miller
3. Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind by Scott Barry Kaufman & Carolyn Gregoire
4. Things Are What You Make of Them: Life Advice for Creatives by Adam J. Kurtz
5. Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
6. Chasing Slow: Courage to Journey Off The Beaten Path by Erin Loechner
7. Love Style Life by Garance Dore
8. A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
9. Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs by Samantha Friedman
10. The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee
September Around The Web
I still feel like early Fall has the ability to put me in the back-to-school mindset, even though nothing about my work routine changes this time of year. This September was no exception, and I am really proud of myself for creating new personal lettering pieces, seeking out an exciting new opportunity at work, and making lots of time for friends, family and fitting in a quick trip to LA. Because this is Dale's last year of school in St. Louis I am trying especially hard to make the most of each weekend surrounded by our friends and the amazing home we have created in the Central West End. Now for my favorites this month:
These stunning floral arrangements by Bespoke Events were by far my most favorite piece of inspiration this month. I discovered them on SF Girl's beautifully redesigned website, and I have to say I would love to attempt adding Pampas Grass Flowers into my own arrangements...
A pair (literally almost any pair) of Loeffler Randall shoes are on my wish list!
Despite the extreme heat we experienced this month, this DIY from Oh Happy Day has me super excited for all the leaves to change.
Saving this reference on Calligraphy on Marble
You've seen it, I've seen it, (and by it I mean the beautiful Bonjour New York mosaic in the new Sézane store in NYC!) Adding it to my New York bucket list.
I just started following Windy Chien on Instagram and also happened across this lovely feature on her work by A Pair & A Spare.
A lovely new card collection featuring many of my talented Hallmark coworkers is out now! It is all based off artist sketchbooks.
Enjoyed browsing Ben Wagner's portfolio, I especially loved this branding for Artist Louise Dean.
I'm all about the idea of metallic gold grout that this Wit & Delight post shared.
And another pasta recipe I know we will make soon!
And there you have it! As I mentioned earlier, this month was definitely one of change and growth. Yet the best moments were still the ones spent going on a best friend trip, celebrating my cousin's wedding, spending a weekend with my Sister-in-Law and her family in St. Louis, and fitting in an Octoberfest celebration plus a few happy hours. This September I'm grateful for all the people in my life who encourage me to work hard, and make the work all worth it. Now I'm officially ready for all the Fall activities this October will bring.
Enjoy your Friday, friends!
Los Angeles Part One
Last week my friend Laura and I headed to LA for a whirlwind few days! Today I am sharing a few photos from our first two days, which included lots of good food, time spent in traffic and an Eric Clapton concert. We started our Tuesday morning with breakfast at Commissary, a beautiful restaurant on the roof of the Line Hotel. Next up we made a quick trip to The Last Bookstore before heading to Alchemy Works for some window shopping. When we noticed a Salt & Straw location right across the street we decided on ice cream for lunch and then headed to our reservation at The Broad. It was worth the wait to see Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room, and I absolutely loved the rest of the museum as well. After checking into our Venice Airbnb and relaxing for a bit we headed to our first dinner at Rossoblu (start with the meatballs!).
Day two was all about exploring Abbot Kinney. We went to breakfast at The Butcher's Daughter, another beautiful breakfast spot, and then spent the rest of the morning was spent wandering through all the shops. I was really excited to pop in Urbanic and Burro. We also made our way to the Venice canals and admired all the lovely homes! After a quick stop back to our Airbnb to get ready, we headed out to get sushi at Wabi which had some great happy hour specials. Laura and I ended up in Los Angeles because of the Eric Clapton concert so after dinner we hopped in an uber and went on to enjoy the show!
Diptychs 19
August Around The Web
Happy Wednesday, friends! This August was pretty work-focused as my team had a big deadline for Mother's Day cards and Dale spent his month on a time-consuming rotation in his last year of medical school. We enjoyed a few lazy weekends at home in St. Louis, and I was lucky to have a visit from my mom last week. Dale and I also traveled to Ohio for our friends' wedding, which was the perfect way to end the month!
This month was full of inspiration around the web – my favorite discovery was the work of Tom Abbiss Smith. I have been really inspired by his abstract collages, and this is one of my favorites. I would love to order one of his prints! Here are a few of my other favorite finds:
- I tried and loved this pizza recipe from Love & Lemons this month!
- Tomorrow I am joining Marisol for her second block printing workshop at Hallmark. This recap post from her first workshop has me really excited.
- Some beautiful palaces in St. Petersburg
- I would love to try out these new A Color Story presets for Lightroom
- This sounds like the perfect dinner, and it would be even better with these grilled peaches for desert!
- Some BEAUTIFUL paper peonies from The House That Lars Built
- And some kitschy inspiration.
- When my mom was in town I got some great vintage pins, and this jean jacket is on the way so that they can have a proper home!