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10.31.2014

#halloweenLOVE




i adore halloween...
i also adore "mini memory files"...
so...
the two together...EEK!



mr. & mrs. skelly mini memory files...


a peek inside...

using the heidi swapp "mini memory files" as the front & back covers.. bits & pieces of various patterned papers, envelopes, vellum & vintage book paper for my inside pages... i started by simply cutting the papers to different sizes for a little more interest... i love seeing the layering of papers peeking out from each other...

before assembling the book... i embellished some of the pages with stamping, stickers, colorshine, banner flags, muslin ruffles & sequins

with most of the detail work done i then arranged the pages to my liking...

using my "cinch", added the coil binding... to finish off, i tied a generous amount of "colorshined" seam binding ribbon to the top of the coil binding...

i just love how this halloween "mini memory file" turned out...

now to fill it with photos, journaling, quotes, etc. to document one of my favorite holidays!

happy halloween!
xoxo...
-p




10.17.2014

pumpkins... not just for carving.

there are so many beautiful ways to turn ordinary pumpkins into something truly stunning... 

images via pinterest

i was looking through pinterest gathering ideas & these photos spoke to & totally inspired me...
especially the pale, muted pinks, greens & peaches...
not only the colors... but the many textures...

LOVE the pumpkins carved & filled with succulents and moss...
any of these would make beautiful centerpieces to add to your tablescape...

of course i will always love the tried & true traditional carved pumpkins i grew up making & that my kids still create today...

but these are a unique alternative...

xoxo...
-p

10.01.2014

falling for autumn...


me too "anne"...

even though i love the ease of summertime with no set schedule, long summer nights & of course beach days...
i am grateful for the change of seasons...
especially when here in jersey, we get very hazy, hot & HUMID days (even in september)...

it's great when we get an "indian summer"...
the days are warm, sunny, clear skies... the leaves starting to turn... the night air is crisp with a slight chill...

autumn means... hoodies, jeans, boots, hot cocoa or a nice cup of tea.
fires in the fireplace... curled up cozy with a good book or new magazine to thumb through...

for me, it also means a new display of colors... scarlet, golds, copper, yellows & burnt oranges.
an autumn palette displayed everywhere...

down at the garden center... i get to create fresh flower arrangements using this color palette...
making me happy & excited for the change of seasons...


a birdseye view...


hoping you get to play with autumn's pretty palette!
xoxo...
-p

8.01.2014

white on white

i absolutely love white... and white ON white, well hello... even better!

white is color at its purest, the color of perfection... the "color meaning" of white is purity, innocence, wholeness and completion.

white is the color of "new beginnings", a "clean slate", a "fresh start"... 
it is the "blank canvas" awaiting creation...

today is august 1st... a beginning of a new month. a fresh "page" to continue writing my "summer story"... the color white seems apropo for me to relate to this new chapter!

synonyms for white: colorless, unpigmented, bleached, natural, snowy, milky, chalky, ivory... based on these words i pulled together a "white on white mood board"... i just love it!

i love how it makes me feel, how it inspires me... the different layers of white & the variations of "whites". 
the shadows & tones play against each other...
you really see all the textures...

all photos via pinterest

"WHITE" is so inspirational to me...
have white inspire you today!
xoxo...
-p

6.10.2014

don't be "normal".


i am a lover of quotes...
not really sure why, but i am...
maybe because in just a few words or short sentences there is so much meaning...

dr. maya angelou was one of the most renowned and influential voices of our time...
her words reached deep in "our" souls...
her wisdom will forever be remembered...

xoxo...
-p
p.s. remember to not be "normal"...



4.16.2014

hello brooklyn.

 

this past saturday i took myself on a little adventure...
i drove myself into brooklyn, n.y.
this alone was a grand adventure for me because i had NEVER . EVER . driven into n.y.! EVER.

the idea really all started with a calligraphy class that i wanted to take. i have been wanting to learn the art of calligraphy for what seems like my whole life. anything ART has always appealed to me... and beautiful handwritten lettering paired with pretty paper... oh yeah!

instagram, i can not get enough of...
and this is where i find so much inspiration...
i stumbled upon laura hooper, "lh calligraphy"...
laura's artistic and elegant handwritten lettering is simply breath-taking...

i followed her on instagram and also ordered her "calligraphy starter kit" off etsy...
this was "the time" i was going to "do it", to finally try my hand at learning calligraphy! the kit came packaged up all pretty, tied with baker's twine and included all the supplies i needed to get started!
BUT, i hesitated...

i did not want to "ruin" my beautiful supplies, waste the midnight black ink or the milky white ink...
i did not want to "mess up", "do it wrong" or even unwrap the pretty package! silly i know. (maybe some of you can even understand)...

so when within a short time i learned that laura hooper would be coming to brooklyn, n.y. to a paper boutique to teach a beginner's class in calligraphy, i knew i had to sign up!

and this is when my "brooklyn journey" started...

the brooklyn bridge, brooklyn, n.y.

i was a little nervous about the drive but that was not going to stop me... 
and i am so happy & even proud that i made the journey...

dabney lee, brooklyn, n.y.

dabney lee is a pretty, paper . home . gifts boutique on a perfect little side street in brooklyn...
as you can see from the above photo, the brooklyn bridge is right there! (i kinda fell in love with the bridge & can't wait to go back and walk across it!)

paper pretties & gifts...

beautifully designed stationery

my spot...

class in session...

the "laura hooper calligraphy class" did not disappoint...
laura wasted no time getting us started... 
she spoke a little about the art of calligraphy and went over the different "definitions", supply list & "tools" of the trade... and just like that, she had us dipping our pen into the ink! gasp!

we practiced different "strokes" and i quickly had a new appreciation of  the art of calligraphy...
it is not easy! laura certainly makes it look so effortless... but she has over 20 years experience doing calligraphy...
her best advice was "practice, practice, practice"... 
we even got a pretty white pencil with gold lettering that said "practice makes perfect"... 

my "P"...

by the end of class and a few tips from laura... i was improving already! and i was certainly loving it!

 
 signage outside dabney lee botique

the three hour class seemed to end all too quickly...
which means i was enjoying this creative time immensely...

it was a beautiful spring day...
i was doing something i have always wanted to try...
enjoying my love of "all things pretty, creative & artsy"...
and took myself on a journey that was outside my comfort zone...

sunsetting over the brooklyn bridge...

brooklyn... i will be back!
xoxo...
-p

4.10.2014

beauty & art


what makes art beautiful is complicated since beauty is subjective...
but that is what makes beauty & art so intriguing.
xoxo...
-p