short & sweet

chantal goya

audrey hepburn

anna karina

grace kelly

nara leao

Getting inspiration from these lovely ladies, as I'm missing my long hair. I have to remind myself of how insanely thick my hair is and how hot I would be had I not cut it.
Who do you think wears it best? Audrey looks beautiful no matter what, especially with short hair, but I've always loved Chantal Goya's cut.

mid summer

(top from Nadinoo, shorts from american apparel // top photo taken with spectra pro, others with nikon d5000)


Today felt like the first true day of summer, it's hard to believe summer is already half way over. Kyle and I both had the day off, and we were able to spend it doing all kinds of summery things. Walking around lake calhoun, watching sailboats, having the most delicious breakfast and dinner, finding baby rabbits, eating gelato, and stumbling upon the perfect summer festival, Tour de Fat (which was the coolest thing ever). Then we came home to find fireworks outside our window.

Nadinoo's lula's untie me top is by far my new favorite garment. It's the perfect cut for summer, with the most adorable bow and buttons, but I'll definitely be wearing it year-round. The dress version is equally as perfect.

rouge

Kyle had this dress for me as a surprise a few nights ago! It perfectly matches the dessert I had made.
To make that delicious treat, it's very simple...

mix half a tub of ricotta with half a cup powdered sugar,
one tablespoon vanilla, one tablespoonish cinnamon,
and the juice from two large strawberries.
Mix it all together until smooth, add extra of whatever you find necessary to make it tastier.
Spoon into sponge cups, and add sliced strawberries and blackberries!
Let me know if you try it.

Things have been pretty busy since getting home from Portland. Lots of collaborations and commissions are underway, including something sweet with the always wonderful nadinoo (I'm still waiting for the perfect day to wear my lula's untie me top!), Audrey Grace Boutique, and my amazing friend emily of Tender Cuts.

I also had the pleasure of meeting the adorable Vanessa of The Velvet Bird! She's so sweet and perfectly southern sounding, and it turns out we know some of the same people! Check out her blog if you haven't.

It's very humid, the weather man said it's worse humidity than the amazon. Hard to believe for a place that's frozen 9 months of the year.

portland

(all shot with my pentax k1000, with 400 speed lomo color negative film and lomo red scale)

Visiting Portland was a really love trip, as expected. We flew to Seattle then took the train from there to portland, which was a really beautiful ride. Unfortunately it started to storm and became dark, so we couldn't take many photos. We've decided that we'll take a train over a plane any day. We met my new niece, had voo doo donuts, saw the farmers market, visited lots and lots of nice shops, and spent time with my brother and nephew.
Luckily my job can be done practically anywhere, so when kyle's done with his filmmaking BFA, we have lots of nice options for places to move. I'd say portland is in the tops of our list.

blooming, off to portland

(photos taken with my pentax k1000)

flowers have finally appeared in minneapolis,
it's so nice to see some color at last!
Thanks so much to everyone who entered into my giveaway and visited my shop,
Tara-lynn was the winner with random number 9, but those who did a post on my shop or added my icon are also getting 30% off (I emailed you if you did this)! For the rest of this week, there will be free shipping. Enter code SHIPTOME at the checkout! Also, Art Hound did a nice little post on my work! You should definitely check out the blog for lots of inspirational artists. I'm thrilled she featured me!

Kyle and I are going to portland, OR on wednesday. My brother had a baby girl a few days ago, so we're going to meet our new niece. Kyle's never been to portland, and I know he'll love it.
Do you know of some places we should visit while we're there? shops? galleries? bakeries?

etsy shop & giveaway!

My shop is now open! More items will be added throughout the week.
To celebrate the opening, I'm giving away one item from my shop! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post saying which item is your favorite. To double your chances of winning, you can either mention my shop in a post, or add the little square logo at the top of this post to the sidebar of your blog, linking to my shop. Be sure to let me know which you do! Also, be sure to include your email address so I can notify you if you win! Winner will be announced Thursday.

I hope that you all find something that you like in my shop. I definitely welcome suggestions and commissions as well!

home sweet home

(all photos taken with a pentax k1000)

We went home for a few days to see family and Madison's adorable new baby. It makes me want a little girl too hee hee. Kansas City felt like paradise with the sun always shinning and familiar places as beautiful as ever. We came back to freezing weather, but a nice architecture in helsinki show.

I have exciting news-- my etsy shop is opening this sunday (promise!)! I had issues the first time it opened forever ago, not having enough time to make what I wanted to sell. Now that it's summer, I've been working working working to build a nice little inventory, ready for all of you! I'll be having a little contest for a giveaway later this week...check back soon! --Any requests?