Works of Art

Well, somebody has been busy!

Aren't these both so cool?

The art above is done by Kumi Yamashita, with a single strand of thread wrapped around tiny nails.  Wow!

No smiling!

This summer I've read a handful of books about the American Civil War and I just finished Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.  In it, the main characters Ada and Inman exchange tintype photographs of each other before he goes off to fight.  In these early days of photography it was a big deal to have your photograph made, and to have a sweetheart to entrust it to.  I was curious about what these looked like and there are plenty to browse on the web.  Being on metal, I guess it makes sense that these images survived the years.

Busy Week

It's been a busy week!  We're moving at work, which is kind of exhausting, and it just seems like there are lots of little things popping up to occupy my time.  Some are good, like bi-weekly blackberry picking evenings, some are not, like car repairs...

Karl wanted a black forest cake for his birthday, and that ended up being a bit of a project, but it turned out pretty great!  More layer cakes in my future...

 First ever figs from our fig tree!

Karl's birthday burger dinner. 

 Blackie Fluffers is just like me: hard to get a picture with eyes open!

Today: very old Banana Republic jacket from the thrift store.

Lara Stone by Ryan McGinley in Vogue UK

Oh, the wonders of beauty and photography.  These are so magical and I don't for a minute believe that the reality was as dazzling, but that's not really the point.  What's inspiring is that someone could envision this; that a designer created clothes that became part of this fantasy, that the stylists and creative team and model and photographer all believed that it would be this beautiful, and in the end, through their sorcery, it is.  So stagnant pond, gap-toothed girl, and clothes no one would really wear = perfection.

gold leaf

I felt like I needed to do a little shopping, but I didn't want to buy anything summery, and I don't know yet what I'll be looking for as far as fall clothes, so I decided to finally use my Jeweliette gift certificate.  I bought these beautiful ginkgo leaf earrings by local designer Irit Sorokin.  They are super light and simple, and I really don't have many dangle-y earrings.  Solved my seasonal shopping dilemma by getting something seasonless!

It's really summer-hot now.  I'm loving it and trying to absorb as much as I can because it sure won't last for too long.  It's also important to make a conscious effort to wear all my summer clothes.  Just like the velvet and sequins getting a six-week window at the holidays, I have to make the hot weather count to justify the shorts and little summer dresses the fill my closet.

sweet summer

Cutest couple ever!  Jessica and Sean had a gorgeous wedding yesterday.  I didn't take a single picture, but I'm relying on some clever friends to post a few so I can share more of them here.  Jessica and I worked together to design her dress and we were both so happy with how it turned out.  She looked so stunning.  Sean looked pretty swell too.  Now they are heading off for their honeymoon, which sounds amazing, but I think I'm doing pretty well enjoying my summer here.  And on the island - Karl and I had the best long weekend visiting my parents.  Again, no pictures.  Karl took one, of the cat sleeping in the laundry basket, but then he deleted it because his toes were in the picture and he didn't like that!