Caturday At Last!

Please enjoy these phenomenal images of my cat lounging about! I don’t usually  call attention to a lack of updates on the blog buuuut in all honesty: the boy and I have become hopelessly addicted to Breaking Bad! It’s kind of embarrassing to admit but we get really into a tv show after it has already been around for a few seasons (Ex: Dexter, Twin Peaks, Walking Dead) and then we just end up dropping everything to watch the entire series in a short time. So my tv addiction coupled with the fact that I lost my camera for about two weeks kind of just threw everything out of whack.

Anyway, I’m back now AND I HAVE CAT PICTURES. It’s almost impossible to even decide which one is my favorite— her tongue is cracking me up! What have you been up to this month?! I have some really fun things coming up the next few weeks (including two different baking gigs— eep!) and I can’t wait to share it all with you guys!

Home Is Where Your Cat Is

I am pretty sure everything that has happened in the last week doesn’t even mathematically fit into 7 days! Besides not having internet, I changed jobs, stayed on a friend’s couch for three days while rental house hunting, watched my partner graduate and start a big boy job (so proud!), moved into a new house in a new city, made 1400 cupcakes in one day, lost my cat for 30 hours, and got so so sick and wiped out from it all.

I’m still a little out of sorts— my head is pretty stuffy, I’m queasy a lot, and I feel like I could literally sleep for days! But the good thing is that I am adjusting to it all and Nashville is finally starting to feel real instead of like a huge dreamy blur.

As I settle in a little more, the best part of every morning has been getting to see my cat, Olive again. Since I graduated a year ago, I have been pretty nomadic which means my cat was living with a friend for a long time. Now that I have a house again, I finally feel like things are getting back to normal. Olive is here, I have a real kitchen, I can bike to work in just ten minutes, I will have a studio to create in again soon— things are finally starting to calm down some and feel promising once more. It’s all so exciting and I’ve said it before but I will always say it again: home is where your cat is.

Cloches & Kittens

It might not look like much to be excited about, but considering I’ve been biking well into January with only a hoodie on for warmth means this first snow fall is a pretty big deal for us here in Tennessee. Okay, so I know it pretty much looks like a spring day but I if you squint you can see a few flakes on the ground, I promise!

I wanted to wait for more snow so this shoot would be more magical, but it wasn’t snowing super hard and I needed to snap a few pictures before it was dark (at a whopping 4:30 pm. . . I hate it!) Ahhh well, hopefully this kitten sweater makes up for the lack of magic in the weather. . I cannot wear it without feeling warm and fuzzy from a cute overload.

Speaking of warm and fuzzy, this hat is perfect. I got it last spring from an Etsy shop that is no longer open, so I literally waited months for it to get cold enough for me to wear. I feel like this is the type of hat for those of us that don’t look good in hats. If you want a similar one, I am adoring the handmade ones in this shop and also this stunning red one. I am also a big fan of this one because everything is better with bows— I would just LOVE to own the blue one!

detachable collar: by me
sweater: gift from a friend
aa dress: thrifted in chicago for wayyyy cheaper
tights: gift from my mom
frilly socks: A’gaci
old navy oxfords: plato’s closet

I’m off to watch more Arrested Development (I think we might finish the whole series within a week of starting it, yikes!) and then catch the season premiere of 30 Rock before biking to a Yer Heart! show. Yip yip!

Treasures Frozen In Time

Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful home of a family friend. And by home, I mean historic house in Springfield, TN. Incredibly high ceilings, two staircases, and rooms full of antique furniture. There were so many great old patterns and textiles, I would have moved there in a heartbeat. I didn’t get any exterior pictures, but I wanted to share a few of the little treasures I found throughout the house as I was exploring.

1. This amazing frontpage of the Nashville Banner from 1945

2. These lettuce shaped bowls are so precious! I like to imagine myself eating salad out of them, but I know that in reality it would probably be cereal. 3. I am in love with this bathroom wallpaper! One of the bathrooms even had a purple tub, so dreamy! 

4. How strange/whimsical/compelling are these hair portraits? When I found them I was simultaneously grossed out (by the fascination parents have with keeping their children’s hair) and delighted (by the illustrations). Side note: I am constantly jealous of any and everyone that knows calligraphy.

5. Can you imagine getting a pair of shoes this perfect for less than $4?! This old advertisement makes me so nostalgic! (Is it even possible to be nostalgic for a time you never lived in?)

6. After taking an embroidery workshop this summer, I appreciate this vintage embroidery even more than I normally would. Although this one is not particularly intricate, it makes me so sad this type of work was never really considered an art form (until recently) since a woman with a needle was seen as “lowly” compared to a man with a brush. 

7. I can’t even handle talking about this child’s portrait! Look at that kitty planning his escape! This picture is incredible. That is all.  8.  These very small, diamond shaped, pastel dishes literally took my breath away when I found them tucked away in a cupboard. I would love to use them for photographing my baked goods or serving miniature treats to guests.

9. I already posted an embroidered piece, but this needlepoint is just so dainty!

10. These porcelain brooch holders are so charming! You put the pin of the brooch in the holes on top for a pretty and functional way to store your jewelry. This is the first time I have ever heard of these and I can’t find anything similar online, so if anyone has more info about them I’d love to know =]And lastly, I found this silly comic in a closet somewhere. I am not sure if it’s recent, but it’s relevant:

 I am so enamored by old homes and all the treasures they house (and people, and memories!). I could literally spend hours at antique shops, thrift stores, and estate sales because of my love for all things old and with character. I am constantly inspired by the past. I can’t wait to have a place that I can settle into and make my own by filling it with so many of my pre-loved treasures from others. That’ll be the day!

Home Is Where Your Cat Is

The third workshop I took this summer was called Embroidery: An Exploration of the Stitch, and was definitely one of my favorites. I love to incorporate stitching into my books, but I never knew what I was doing. I would just freehand everything since I didn’t have any technical experience.

This class focused on stitching into surfaces other than fabric, such as wood / paper / plastic / whatever you can imagine. This is one of the pieces I made, I guess you could say I was getting a little homesick by the time July rolled around:

This is an example of an  8.5″ x 11″ embroidered photograph (this beautiful portrait was taken by my friend Ryan, who has the biggest sweet tooth the world has ever seen). I used a split stitch to embroider “Home is where your cat is” on it. This is something I discovered last summer while away from home for about a month and is possibly the truest thing I have ever said.

I didn’t actually make a lot in this class (embroidery takes a looooong time) but I did learn a lot (which is what counts, right?). Nick DeFord is not only a great instructor & person, but also a fantastic artist. I definitely recommend checking out his website and even catching a gallery show if possible.