2nd annual happy-haulidays!

okay so i have to admit i gasped aloud and did a little happy handclap to myself when i saw this in my inbox....the SECOND annual happy haulidays giveaway from chronicle books! what's even more amazing this year is that in addition to winning your list, you could win $500 worth of books to a charity of your choosing!

what you need to do:

1. make a list of Chronicle Books valued at up to $500

2. put it on your blog along with a charity of your choosing
3. you're entered (well, you have to go enter yourself on their giveaway page) to win your list of books and win books for a charity! (AND one lucky commenter!)

deadline is december 2nd!

now on to my list, which is not different from my list from last year...haha! i know, so boring, but i still love and covet all these books.




1. 100 years of fashion illustration by cally blackman
2. decorate by holly becker and joanna copestick
3. open studios with lotta jansdotter by lotta jansdotter
4. paper craft by minhee and truman cho
5. family by lauren dukoff
6. reprodepot pattern book: folk: 225 vintage-inspired textile designs by djerba goldfinger
7. little book of letterpress by charlotte rivers
8. how to be a graphic designer without losing your soul by adrian shaughnessy
9. photobooth by babbette hines
10. the printmaking bible by ann d'arcy hughes and hebe vernon-morris
11. lotta's printing studio by lotta jansdotter
12. craft inc. business planner by meg mateo ilasco
13. lettering & type by bruce willen and nolen strals
14. the exquisite book by julia rothman, jenny volvovski, and matt lamothe
15. the commonsense kitchen By tom hudgens
16. tartine by elizabeth prueitt and chad robertson

cart total: $496.50 :)

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and my charity of choice is: First Book!

as a child, one of my favorite things was a weekly trip to the library. it was a goldmine of stories, information and adventures at my fingertips! all for free! i felt like matilda when she discovered the library for the first time. for a child from a single parent home, having that kind of access and freedom was such a blessing to me. and yet, i wasn't even from a low-income neighborhood like the ones that i've assisted in during my education studies courses in college.

First Book is a charity "determined to see that all children, regardless of their economic conditions, can achieve more in school and in life through access to an ongoing supply of new books." they have distributed more than 85 million books and educational resources to programs and schools, serving children from low-income families all throughout the US and canada. as the richest country in america, it is sad and embarrassing if our children (any child!) are illiterate and lack resources they need to succeed!

dewy drops

dear future husband,

it's raining today. if we were married, we'd sleep in just a little longer.


love,
your future wife.

(source)

wedding photographer

not having the greatest day... trying to amend with coffee and sweets. in addition, i also thought i'd share some good wonderful news. we booked our photographer! guess who?

all the better to love you with

i'm not sure if i ever showed this before (pretty sure I have), but i found this in my room the other day and thought i would since i have a better camera now. it's a project i did in one of my college visual arts courses -- the theme was "remix" and we were supposed to do a remix of materials and themes. mine was a remix of the little red riding hood story; instead of a big bad wolf, there's a little bear following her...and it's really a boy who is in love with her wearing a bear suit. i know, i'm silly.

red riding hood's cloak design is from an arizona green tea bottle and her legs are made of tree bark. i made the little clouds with rolled up newspaper strips (painting some with acrylic paint).

the boy's suit was made of tree bark (yep, ripped off a tree), towel, and cardboard. the zipper was a gum wrapper.

DIY hair pin

a cheap bride's gotta do what a what a cheap bride's gotta do.

so, i absolutely love bhldn's dewed vines hairpin, but there's no way i'm gonna pay $140, even if it might be for my wedding. so here is my ghetto version (still a work in progress). i had some beads lying around and bought some gold wire for a few bucks at joann's. this isn't a tutorial by any means, i barely knew what i was doing. just a lot of guessing and twisting until kind-of resembled the original.

where i want to be today

i need a break from thinking of wedding things and work related things and life responsibility things (pretty much any kind of work). so, i'm taking a mental vacation here. meet me at my little garden table for some tea and crumpets with homemade jam, won't you?

(source)

neutrals + golds

(lipstick, dress, heels, watch, nail polish, satchel)