The Essential Thing...

lovely painted rocks via Nuno magazine...

I posted this last year at Christmas...it's a passage from an old "O" magazine article that, for me, perfectly encapsulates the magic (and complexity) of the holidays...

"For my grandparents, the essential thing about Christmas is midnight mass, and the birth of a child who shall be called Prince of Peace. For my mother, I think it’s the solstice and the fact that the days will get longer, the light will return. For my father it’s Santa Claus, the spirit of abundance and generosity. But for me, it seems to be something at once simpler and more complicated than all these things…"

So for the rest of the week, I'm unplugging a bit (i.e. no blogging or email) and focusing on the essential things...you know the reveling in each other and the UNO tournaments and the gingerbread house making and whatnot. We also have big plans to drink our weight in hot chocolate and paint rocks and sticks...truly we're livin' it up over here friends.

I am so grateful for all of you guys. Have the happiest of holidays, and whatever is the essential thing for you about this season, take time to revel in it.

Scenes from The Weekend Part II -- Audrey's French Fête

So (given the contents of my recent article) I’m going to say this in a whisper.

I *might* be completely on-board with the non at-home birthday party too.

There, I said it…we can move on now so I don’t feel like the world’s biggest hypocrite. Deal?

In all seriousness, I loved throwing this party. Loved. It. It was the perfect easing into, well letting go a bit… After six consecutive (highly planned) at-home fetes, it was nice to go “off-campus” so to speak. And given that it was the day after the Little Bean party, the timing for a new approach couldn’t have been better.

Here’s how things went down on the big day. Fifteen or so of Audrey's girlfriends to joined us at f.is for frank to make their very own pewter charms and beaded bracelets. We cranked up some French tunes, and the utterly fantastic Shannah and Casey showed the girlies all their jewelry making equipment and walked them through the process of making charms. Then each guest donned their artist’s beret and carved their masterpiece out of a little slab of clay.

Afterward we noshed on some simple vanilla cake, lemon macaroons and French lemonade (+ some bubbly for the mamas of course).

Finally they all lined up for some group snaps and voilà, we were done.

It was the easiest party I’ve ever thrown, and Audrey had a blast, which is really the most important part, non?


The Details:

• Location -- f. is for frank
• Berets -- Village Hat Shop
• “Bonjour” Bunting -- Common Threads (custom order)
• Tablecloth/Fabric -- IKEA
• Postcards -- Yellow Owl Workshop
• Striped Straws -- Fort and Field
• Book -- This is Paris (gift from our friend Annie)
• Cake, Macaroons, Lemonade, Bubbly – Central Market

The Summer of Self Improvement -- Paper Chandeliers (Or "The Patience Edition")

This is not the paper chandelier that I made...

I may have told you this before somewhere along the way, but it bears mentioning again.

I kind of (for lack of a more elegant term) suck at DIY.

The problem isn't in the ideas -- I have loads of ideas of things I want to make (oh friends I have ideas), but I tend to fail miserably in the actual execution… It vexes me. So much so, that my lack of craft skills was one of the drivers for this “summer of self-improvement” concept, as I figured there’s no better way to overcome a “fear" of DIY than to just, well, roll up your sleeves and do some DIY. Miserable execution notwithstanding.

Stepping back, I think one of the reasons I’m so challenged in this area is that I have a serious lack of patience. Despite knowing inherently that almost all great things take time to make (i.e., a beautiful room, a Hermès bag, a homemade chocolate cake), I trend toward instant gratification. This quality has resulted in some unfortunate design choices (the ugly barstools purchased in a race to finish a particular room in our house against some self-imposed deadline) and is, as you can imagine, the kiss of death for most DIY projects.

So, what does this have to do with making paper chandeliers you ask? Well these babies take time. They’re not necessarily difficult to make, but they require patience.

Of which, as noted before, I do not have.

So needless to say, this class was hard for me. And because I’m all about making things harder than they have to be, I also decided to bring Audrey along, which was great for our mother/daughter bonding, but not so much for our end product. There’s nothing like doing a craft with a six-year old to seriously test your patience issues.

Once I let go a bit (ok a lot) and embraced the idea that this one was going to be all about the journey, since we may never actually get to our destination (we didn’t), Audrey and I ended up having a blast. I walked away with the renewed resolve to be more patient and managed to acquire some mad craft skills too -- I now possess the ability to make those (life changing) cute little tissue paper flowers (hello homemade garland and barrettes and party decorations, oh my…)

So no paper chandelier, but all was not lost and that's something.

p.s. had to add a few shots that Audrey took herself (below)...a little "through her eyes" for your viewing pleasure.

beautiful sally glass work in image above on exhibit at bows and arrows...

The Summer of Self Improvement -- Batik Class Edition

a scene from the utterly fantastic bows and arrows...

Last week I meet up with my buddy Christine for a batik class at Bows and Arrows... It was the second class in my ongoing quest for creative self-improvement (last month it was flowers), and I have to say, it did not disappoint.

As always, the space and the collaboration with the other "students" was hugely inspiring -- it's amazing how something as simple as trying a new thing with a group of equally excited people can be so transformative.

For a few days after the class I walked around sporting purple ink stained hands, which actually served as a sort of reminder of how far these little adventures take me out of my everyday existence (which mainly consists of sitting in front of the computer...sad). I was reminded every time I glanced down at my grubby hands how rewarding it is to create and get messy and stretch beyond my comfort zone.

Fantastic.

So now I'm officially addicted to "printing" fabric. I've always loved tie dye and batik (it speaks to my hippie leanings), but I'd never used fabric dye before, so I was a bit intimidated. Now that I have the basics under my belt, I've been combing through books and websites for inspiration and have a few fun projects up my sleeve...I'll keep you posted.

my fabric...

the finished product...

Some Happy Makers...

an intensely happy spot... (the home of Valentin Loellmann in Maastricht via Pia Jane)

Every once in a while I go back and re-read this post just to make sure I'm following my own "prescription" and, well...doing the things that actually make me happy. And I should note that going back to that "happy makers" list is an especially helpful tactic when I'm feeling on the brink of a little funk. (Which quite frankly, might be my situation of late between the mid-summer heat and blahs and being a bit under the weather -- never fun.)

Here's the actual list in case you're wondering ;-)

Cooking a great meal / Riding my bike / Listening to music / Road trips / Reading / Seeing art / Spending time with inspiring women / Making things with my hands / Being fully unplugged...

So late last week I did just that, and so far it seems to be working... I've tried to hit everything on the list in the past few days (with the exception of riding my bike, due to the aforementioned heat wave/being sick), but I thought I'd share a few highlights...a few major "happy makers" if you will.

***

In the music category, there's Feist's Paris performance of "1234" and "Mushaboom"... Bryan sent this to me a while back. It's utterly genius and lovely. You must watch...

There's also this trailer, which, yes I know, has been all over blog-land, but it's on my list not so much for the movie (which does indeed look fantastic) but for the song in the trailer (again with the music) -- “I’ll Try Anything Once,” a low-key demo version of the 2006 Strokes song “You Only Live Once"... again genius + lovely...another must watch.


In the reading category, I've just started Willard Spiegelman's book Seven Pleasures -- Essays on Ordinary Happiness. Spiegelman explores the idea that there are seven core practices/activities that (for him) lead to sanguinity: "reading, walking, looking, dancing, listening, swimming and writing." I like his thinking...I'm digging this book.

Finally Christine and I are taking a batik class later this week, and we're in the midst of planning a fun event together in September...so check and check on "spending time with inspiring women" and "making things with my hands."

I've yet to unplug though, and I'm feeling the need (desperately) to do it, as I've been pretty tethered to my computer of late. I'm thinking I'll go completely tech-free this weekend. We'll see how that goes...

So anything making you particularly happy these days??

The Summer of Self Improvement...(Or "Class of The Month")

quote from the insanely lovely blog, hearblack, (found via kate)


I’ve been pretty excited to share more details about the flower arranging workshop I took at Bows and Arrows last week with you guys… And not just because it was incredibly fun and the people in the class were witty and warm and lovely and that the shop was fantastic and inspiring and Alicia and Adam (the owners and teachers) were insanely awesome and (you know I have to mention this) the champagne and cheese was yummy. It was all those things, yes, but that’s not why I’m so jazzed to post about it.

No, the most exciting thing about the whole experience (even more exciting than everything listed above) was driving home after the class, on a total creative high (which lasted for several days I have to say), reminded of how important regular hands-on creativity (ideally where you’re stretched a bit) is.

I tend to fall into odd sort of “inspiration overload” creative ruts… I’ve talked about it before, but I think it merits mentioning again, as (at least for me) these ruts tend to surface more frequently than I’d like. All the beautiful blogs documenting perfectly executed projects and meals and parties and the gorgeously styled spreads in magazines and books, while addictively lovely to ogle, send me into a sort of creative paralysis. It’s all looking and no doing, which usually leaves me staring aimlessly into my pantry dreaming of making of a gorgeous meal but instead just ordering Thai or staring at a blank piece of paper and a heap of craft supplies with the girlies with no idea what to actually make.

It’s disheartening really.

Some shots of my classmates in action at Bows and Arrows...

The group's finished products...

My arrangement...I was going for a dark sort of Flemish vibe.

And that flower class…that one with the awesome people at the fantastic shop with the yummy champagne, that class reminded me that sometimes you need some help… See taking a class is different. You’re not going it alone, frustrated that you can’t seem to get the exact outcome you want in your project despite the fact that all the projects you see in print and blog-land are in fact perfect (because "after pictures" are so much prettier, no?)

No, in a class you’re surrounded by other people all hoping for the same outcome but struggling along the way…(and ideally laughing and supporting and making the entire experience infinitely more rewarding and enjoyable.)

So fortified by Alicia’s botanical prowess, I decided to declare this “The Summer of Self Improvement” and fill it with a bunch of other classes to kick-start my creative mojo. On the docket for July -- a batik class and a Polish paper chandelier class, which I’m super excited about, and then in August I’m planning on taking a couple of cooking classes, as my culinary skills are seriously waning these days.

I’ll let you guys know how it goes down + I’d love to hear about any classes your taking or what you do to kick-start your creativity…

Some shots above of the utterly fantastic Bows and Arrows...I want that gold pig. Bad.

A Few Random Bits...

images clockwise from top: mine, my polaroid blog, c&c california, mine, forty-sixth at grace, atlantis home

In a little guest blogging "flip-flop", I have some of my favorite things up over on Fern and Feather today...in case you want to take a peek!

Samantha of Style/SWOON and I took a (completely fantastic) flower arranging workshop last night at the stellar Bows and Arrows. This place is such a gem...a little Brooklyn vibe in Dallas, which is always welcome! Above is a before pic of our creations, I'll share more details (plus the after pics) next week, but let's just say it was peony heaven.

And speaking of Bows and Arrows, they'll be at the Dallas Flea tomorrow along with the likes of a Little Bean "pop-up shop", and Bosquez jewelry. I'm taking Audrey to the ballet tomorrow, so I'm going to try (try) and make it out there first thing in the morning...we'll see how it goes!

Have a splendid weekend!

Scenes from The Weekend Part II...

Another photo-laden post (sorry friends, there were just so many "snap-worthy" things to document...) First up, Spartan, which was even more fantastic in-person. This truly is a dream shop -- a wee, shotgun space filled with the absolute most beautiful/interesting things. I would have happily walked out with one of everything, but settled on a little wooden owl bottle opener, as I knew I still had Renegade ahead of me and was trying to shop mindfully.

But it was awfully tempting...

Bonus -- the genius behind Spartan, the completely lovely Currie, was so sweet to the girlies... Before entering the shop, I had a full-on "touch with your eyes" pep-talk with Audrey and Millie, as I knew we were about to be faced with a slew of breakables and was prepping for their inevitable desire to touch every. single. thing. (I do that too, so I completely get the inclination, but still...)

Sweet Millie was channeling her best Lennie in Of Mice and Men impersonation as she entered the store chanting, "I will not break the pretty stuff, I will not break the pretty stuff"... It was awesome. And Currie, immediately tuning in to what was going on, procured a basket of toys from behind the counter so the girls could plop down in the middle of the store and play. (Rather genius, no?) Crisis totally averted.

the cute boys at Public School not bothered at all by A+M checking out every.single.detail. in their booth...

Sunday we logged in a couple of hours at Renegade Craft Fair, and in the words of my friend Jodi, it was "awesome overload."

Highlights included (but not limited to):

• The cute crew of boys at Public School who turn out some of the very best design work around (I snagged the "tie your shoes..." poster in the pic above...) They were also really sweet to the girlies despite the fact that they insisted on touching every single poster in the booth.
  
• The completely, fantastically adorable Miss Natalie... her stuff is even more awesome in person. (I got audrey one of her handmade dresses, which might be the only thing I didn't take a picture of all weekend.)
  
• Tobie Alexander Wahl's awesome A. Wahl designs booth. (Tobie is the creator of that genius Obama silhouette pillow.)
  
• Friends (and simple lovely sponsors) Shannah and Casey of f. is for frank -- I am in love with their jewelry.
  
• Christine's perfect Baby Bean booth (of course)
  
• The Krank Press booth -- loved every single card, notebook + print and left with a fantastic "seasonal produce of Texas" perpetual calendar...
  
• Lisa Chow's whimsical art work
  
• Leah Duncan's super lovely work...

Whew -- I know I'm missing someone... See "awesome overload" indeed, no?