House-sitting is a cinch when the house looks like this!

Ryan and I house- and dog-sat for our friends this past week and I could not get over the beauty of this place. The land, the classic exterior look, and the greenery! The dogs are also too cute for words!
























Ryan actually jumped in the pool even though it's been getting down into the low 40s at night. Yes, he's nutso.


















We weren't quite ready to say sayonara when the owners got home. ;)

All photos taken by yours truly!
XO
Elizabeth

It's Party Time!

I'm in Outer Banks, NC to celebrate the wedding of one of my best friends!! Woooo! So excited for Toni and Josh. <3 Here are a few things that are reminding me of them on this very special day. :) 

Rockett St George via Erin Ever After

 Alan Kitching via DebutArt

Salt and Pepper shakers by Jonathan Adler via Casa Sugar

I almost convinced Boyf we needed a set of these... almost....

Smittens via Decorpad

 Mr. and Mrs. glassware via AshleyLoves.Wordpress

Congratulations, you two! So thrilled for you both. <3

My own artwork, update!

One of my earlier posts touched on painting and creating art. I have since created some of my own pieces and I even have them hanging proudly in my house. I'm pleased to report the actual creation went easily, with the vast blankness of the canvas intimidating me only a bit. (Wine helps.) And having a few images that seem "re-create-able" also helps. Sometimes you just need a good color to help you get started.

Here are three of a series. Colorful abstracts that hopefully convey a certain ease and happiness.

The last two are part of a (potentially incomplete?) series of tree branches. My initial thought was to capture the same branch in different seasons. Perhaps this has been done before... but you have to start somewhere!

The one medium of art that I've been relying on since high school is collage. I just adore the process. The flipping through magazines, snipping choice words and pictures, and then finally sitting down with some rubber cement and my journal or a piece of cardboard waiting to be framed. There is something joyous in the juxtaposition of so many different kinds of typography and colors for me. I've included one of my many collages below. I created this one for Ryan, to encapsulate Summer 2009, a summer filled with many wonderful trips and countless great memories.

I hope you like them!

"An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one." - Charles Horton Cooley

It's been a while since my first post and I don't plan on that being the standard for this blog. My first post was followed by my craziest (and best!) week of work yet and then a fabulous full week's vacation. I want to post about my absolutely incredible trips soon, but first, art!

I have so many hobbies I want to get into... most of them are right-brained, artistic outlets, and I'm about to get into one of them: painting!

My roommate has several paintings of her own all around the house and I've been begging for her to help me getting started on creating some of my own. I have so many ideas so I find a blank canvas quite daunting. I try to remember, even the most amazing masterpieces started with one stroke of the brush, so I should just get started!

I love how children have such a way of getting ideas on paper and not over-thinking it. One of these amazing child-artists is Marla Olmstead. She started painting at two years old and one of her paintings hangs next to a Renoir. My favorite of hers is called Rose Garden.

Check her amazing website out at www.marlaolmstead.com. You may find it interesting that there is some controversy surrounding Marla. Some say they think her paintings are too advanced for her four years and that her father finishes her paintings. I can't speak to any of that, except that I have no problem believing this little girls created such beautiful work. I love to believe in the existence of raw talent and while I am certainly a truth-seeker at times, the cynicism met by this story disappoints me. If the parents are indeed exploiting their little girl (which I don't believe) they'll end up paying for it in one way or another eventually. In the meantime, call me naive, but I prefer to believe in this miracle.

These two are called Glitter and Ocean, respectively.

Images courtesy of filmmakermagazine.com and abcnews.com.

It's becoming increasingly more obvious that I am drawn to color! I love bright colors and bold colors. I love rich tones and lots of them. My own bedroom has gray walls, and I did that so the colorful accessories and art I stumble upon will pop against them. (Maybe I'll post pics of my space soon...)

So the roommates and I are going to have an art and wine night this week! Yayy! We're going to buy canvases and one of the girls already has paints. I am so excited! I just hope I don't stall when I see all that white.

Wish me luck and stay tuned!

Hey there, stranger.

As will become obvious soon enough, I'm quite a fan of The List. I use lists because my memory is bad and because I think it is good to remember things. I also love the rush of endorphins that are released when you cross an item off your to-do-list and that feeling at the end of the day of having accomplished what you set out to do. (All the better when those things are little, because you can usually jam more of them into your day!)

In the spirit of this newborn blog, starting off with a list of 'things I am grateful for' just seems right.

1. Being able to laugh at myself despite burning my first ever homemade batch of granola. I mean BURNING it. Totally charred. Flinging open the windows and flapping a dish towel like a crazy must have been quite the sight.

2. Getting out there in my sneaks and sports bra to sweat a little bit this evening. I exercise sporadically and need to make it part of my everyday lifestyle. I'm hoping putting it here in black and white will hold me more accountable...

3. Having two big presentations this week for work. I'm trying to keep a handle on the stress by keeping everything in perspective. I'm trying to remember: I am fortunate to have this opportunity!

4. Seeing my sweetie in 6 more wake-ups! Not only will I see him, I get to be with him for 13 days! This is huuuge since we are doing distance right now. Also, yay for my first 'real' vacation of my career! Seattle and Lake Chelan, here I come!

5. Tomato and mozzarella, drizzled with olive oil, balsamic and s&p! It's the little things...

6. My family. They are hysterical and loving and being away from them is hard. My nieces and nephew (and two more babies on the way) are growing up and I'm missing it!! I am grateful for their health and happiness and that I can fly to see them as often as I do.

7. Finding great deals! Okay, it's lame but I love a bargain. Well, I don't care about cheapo things. I hate free stuff that fills junk drawers and can crowd out a person. When I say bargain, I mean I love finding exactly what I wanted at a price they could have doubled and I still would've paid. THAT, my friends, is amazing.

8. Being in love. Crazy, head over heels, love. Ya know that feeling when you talk to him and it feels like your insides are smiling? *happy sigh*

This evening I'm pampering myself in preparation for this week, with lavender scented body scrub and lavender linen spray for my bed and pillows. The glass of wine and good book sure won't hurt either. Mission: Relaxation. Let's see how far into that book I get after all of that aromatherapy... I'm so very affected by smells. (Fun fact #1, I hate the smell of vanilla except on food. In that case, yum.)

Here are a couple of my favorites pearls of wisdom, from Regina Brett, sent on from my mom.

Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

Happy Saturday!