HAPPINESS IS...

Wood Burned Wildlife

The detail of Julie Bender's wood burned wildlife portraits is unbelievable. She calls her ancient artform, "painting with heat".

That's it, I must learn pyrography!


{Images via Sweet Station}

The Pothole Gardener

Have I ever told you about my secret desire to be a guerrilla street artist? I'm not sure how I'd make that happen, but I'm inspired by the The Pothole Gardener. Planting shrubs in potholes isn't anything new, yet he takes it to a new level with miniature props.

He recently made a video, Holes of Happiness, which captures Londoners' initial reactions to his sidewalk creations. What would you do if you saw a little pothole garden?


{Images via Designer Daily}

Where The Sea Goes Up To The Sky

"And there I would rest, and lie,
My chin in my hands, and gaze
At the dazzle of the sand below,
And the green waves curling slow
And the grey-blue distant haze
Where the sea goes up to the sky."

-A.A Milne, "The Island", from When We Were Very Young

{Images via Seascapes After Sugimoto}

January Poppies

I know we're in the middle of January, but let's pretend it's May for a moment and brighten things up with some poppies and sunshine!


{Images by Dittei Sager}

Fresh Pow

I'm living vicariously through Hal for the next few days. I dropped him off at the airport yesterday and he's snowboarding at Sundance as we speak. Ultra envious, but I do enjoy my alone time, so no complaints here. He comes back in a few days and will be happy as a clam, thanks to fresh pow and good friends.

If you're a skiier or snowboarder, have you gone up yet this winter?


{Image via Vilamode}

More And More Snow

And more and more. The snow was supposed to turn to rain, but it kept dumping down all day today. I apologize to all you kids living in climates where snow is a common occurrence. I'm sure you could care less! :) But it's a rare and special treat here in Seattle. So I thought I'd share a few snapshots from around the house.

Wild Pulp

Swoon. These handsome animal tree bark prints by C. Owen Smith of Wild Pulp were inspired by this beautiful quote:

"When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world."
- John Muir

{Images via My Owl Barn by Wild Pulp Etsy}

Snow Days

This is what I want to do today. Play outside with my honey. Have us a little cold weather date.

Seattle is experiencing a full on blizzard and I love knowing that most of the city is staying home, cozy indoors, taking a breather from life, and enjoying quality time with their families.

Snow days are the best.


{Images via Style Me Pretty by Sloan Photographers}

Tree, Line.

When I initially spotted these images, I thought... trees wrapped in white fabric. Great. But with a closer look, I got it. As part of the ongoing series, Tree, Line, Welsh photographer, Zander Olsen, wraps material around trees to emphasize the line of the horizon. Something I normally wouldn't pay attention to otherwise. Pretty cool, no?


{Images via Trend Land}

Snow Hearts

It happened! The weather predictions were right on. We had our first flakes of the season over the weekend. And as soon as the ground was covered in white, I ran outside and left my heart in the snow  :)

A Chance of Snow

We're supposed to get snow over the weekend, the first of the year. I'm sure it won't accumulate, but I can't help but get excited about staying indoors, all toasty by the fire, watching snowflakes fall. And let's be honest. I want to wear these. It's perfect timing too, since we're DIYing our save-the-dates and need an excuse to stay home and get them done. Has it snowed yet where you live?

Have a warm and wonderful MLK weekend, dearies. Enjoy the links...

Freshly baked black bread is the best.

A church made from snow and ice.

Top dishes from top food blogs all in one place.

Turn your favorite Instagrams into a movie.

Ice typography installations.

A cute little owl hat for wee ones.

XXXL snowmen!

The new Wes Anderson film looks so good.

Polar bear and penguin ice cube molds.

Ceramic sweater mugs.

And some posts of mine you may have missed...

• Constellation Cards
• Toast
• The "Love Story" Look 

{Image via Becoming Whitney}

Winter Solstice

May you have the most beautiful shortest day and longest night.


{Images via W-I-N-T-E-R}

A Reindeer Roundup

I've been seeing a lot of beautiful reindeer imagery, so I thought I'd share. They're such majestic creatures.


{Images via: 1. Jaski Art Gallery; 2. DIY Stylist; 3. The Dotmasters; 4. Life On Sundays; 5. The Designer Pad}

A Forest Picnic

I adore these shots from the 2nd volume of Kinfolk Magazine. Maybe because it looks like something I'd do. Venture off on my bike into the forest for a pleasant solo picnic by the river. In a gorgeous green plaid cape, of course. Would you too?


{Images via Frolic! by Lisa Warninger}

Digital Collages

I'm enamored by Matt's digital collages. He does such a good job combining images of women and nature to create the most hauntingly beautiful works of art.


{Images by Matt Wisniewski}

The Fog

On my walk this morning, I couldn't see beyond two steps in front of me. And the fog still remains. But it's not the ominous kind. It's the calm, dreamy, walk-in-the-clouds type of fog. Where you lose yourself in your thoughts and all the world is silent.


{Images by Jose Villa}

Art Hard

A year ago, Jim Denevan, land artist and founder of Outstanding In The Field, created the world's largest artwork on 9 square miles of the frozen Lake Baikal in Siberia... with handheld brooms and shovels. Art Hard is the documentary of his experience. Amazing, right?


{Images via The Anthropologist}

The Tree

Has anyone seen the movie, The Tree, with Charlotte Gainsbourg? I spotted these film stills and immediately added it to my Netflix queue without even reading the synopsis. Doesn't it look visually stunning?


{Images via The Thinking Tank}

Hail On Your Wedding Day

We're back from Hal's brother's wedding, and yes, it hailed on their wedding day. In Los Angeles. During the outdoor ceremony! It was sprinkling on and off all morning, but just as Hal and the rest of the groomsmen began to descend down the aisle, the sky turned black and the clouds cried heavy tears of joy. There were screams and shouts as everyone left their chairs and ran for the nearest shelter. Except for me, the Seattle girl, and the few seated around me, all hiding under my umbrella. The hail storm lasted only a few minutes, but I must say, it was absolutely exhilarating.

They say it's good luck when it rains on your wedding day. But hail? I can only imagine Greg and Lori's life together will be extra blessed. Congratulations you two lucky kids!


{Images by Ben Blood}

Freshly Foraged Chanterelles

The other day, Hal brought home a huge paper bag full of freshly foraged chanterelles. He got them from an alleged wild mushroom expert. I was a bit hesitant, but Hal assured me that his friend and his girlfriend have been eating them for the past week and have not died.

So he cleaned off the dirt and sauteed them in a butter and garlic sauce. Then drizzled the mixture over penne pasta and topped it off with grated parmesan. The golden chanterelles were meaty and earthy and divine. I never want to eat store-bought mushrooms again.

P.S. Yes, I know the shrooms in the photos aren't chanterelles. The photos were too pretty not to share.


{Images via Items By Designbird by Sweet Paul}

Making Salt

I'm fascinated by how simple it is to make homemade sea salt. Seattle-based Ashley Rodrigez gathered salt water from the Puget Sound, passed it through a cheese cloth, and boiled it down for 4 hours. She bottled some up and gave it to her famous chef-author friend who apparently flipped out it was so good.

I must try this! Have you ever made salt before?


{Images via Stephmodo by Not Without Salt}

Playing In The Leaves

Just a little teaser of my favorite day in Vancouver. More to come!


{Images by Alissa Lieppman}

Leaves In The Mail

I just sent off an email to my Cali girls who are meeting me in Vancouver tomorrow to get ready for some serious autumn color! The oranges and reds in the Pacific Northwest right now are unreal. Watching the seasons change was one thing I really missed while in LA.

If they weren't coming to experience it for themselves, I would mail them these DIY Fall envelopes filled with colorful leaves. You can download the template here. Aren't they fun?


{Images via Oh Happy Day by Amanda Jane Jones}

Circles of Life

Kathy Klein is the creator behind these mandala-shaped works of art. She calls them danmalas, meaning "the giver of flower circles" in Sanskrit. She makes them out of found natural objects as a reminder to us all to "listen to the unheard voice of nature, creation, and the eternal mystery". Aren't they the loveliest?


{Images via My Modern Met by Danmala}

Delicious Autumn

This weekend was delicious. The weather here is Seattle is crisp and sunny, just how I like it. We visited my Grandma at her house on the lake. Took long walks with caramel apple spice drinks in hand. Browsed Halloween costume shops. And at night, we bundled up, turned the heat on for the first time this year, and caught up on Dexter episodes. The perfect Fall weekend.

Is it starting to feel like Autumn where you are?


{Image via Elm Street Life}

The Art of Felting

Have you ever seen people felt? At a craft fair once, I stood transfixed as a lady used her needles to smoosh a wad of wool into a tiny critter in mere minutes. I find it fascinating. Daria's felted creatures have a wire skeleton so they can be posed in different sitting or standing positions. They look so life like, don't they?


{Images by The Art of Felting}

Before We Begin

Moments of reflection between thought and action.


{Images by Christopher Jonassen}

Loud Silence

I'm strangely attracted to Filippo Minelli's ongoing colored smoke bomb series, Silence/Shapes. Beautiful, no? I think he captured 'loud silence' to perfection.


{Images via I Do Art}

Small Adventure

Who's ready for a woodland adventure? I sure am after visiting Keiko's whimsical Etsy shop. Her handmade cards, satchels, jewelry, and prints are darling. And all very necessary for a good romp through the forest. Or at least inspiration for one!


{Images by Small Adventure}

Mood Boards

I'm giving Maritza a silent blue ribbon for her stunning mood boards. They do just what they're supposed to do. Put you in a mood. In this post alone, I've gone from mourning to wistful to calm to hopeful to inspired to nostalgic. Which makes me happy.


{Images via A Thing For...}

Living Bridges

The idea of a living bridge is so fascinating to me. On BBC's Human Planet, they explain how the locals of Nongriat in Meghalaya, India have been making foot bridges out of tree roots for the past 500 years by using hollowed out betel nut trunks to guide the direction of the roots’ growth. Has anyone seen them in person?


{Images via Architizer}

Our Ceremony Location

I might have given it away on my last post, but we've been able to make at least one major wedding decision. The location. We'll be getting married in my parents' backyard on the Key Peninsula of Gig Harbor, Washington. Where I grew up. They have a large rustic sprawling lawn that leads down to the Sound. The ceremony will be at the water's edge. I'm so grateful my folks agreed to host.

My dad took this beautiful image from his phone the other night. Here's another photo of the property taken from the house. You can see why the tides matter. The strip of land you see is called a spit, which creates a lagoon of sorts in front of the property. When the tide is super low, the water disappears entirely.

Thank you so much for sharing your insightful opinions with me yesterday about the date. You all made some really good points. We're still sorting things through and will hopefully decide on a day soon. I'll keep you posted!

DIY - Bouquets of Autumn Leaves

Well, I can't believe it, but it's the first day of Fall. So in honor of, I'd love to share with you Danny's tutorial on how to turn autumn leaves into a bouquet of roses. The best part? Only two supplies needed. Maple leaves and twine. You simply roll them up like tortillas.

There aren't many leaves on the ground just yet, but we'll be buried in them before we know it. Don't they make a cheerful arrangement? 

P.S. I've been told that I'm 2 days early! Fall officially starts on Sept. 23rd this year. Doh!


{Images by Krokotak}

TREE

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you'll know how much I love all things tree. Which is why I'm fascinated with the TREE series by South Korean photographer, Myoung Ho Lee. He separates the trees from their surroundings by placing a blank canvas behind it, thereby pulling it out of the landscape.

In an interview for The Morning News, I love his response to the question, what do you like about trees?

"Trees are attractive objects in that they enable people to think philosophically and appreciate aesthetically. But too often, we don’t recognize the value of ordinary mundane objects around us. Seeing trees in a refreshing way or restoring the value of trees is to awaken all beings on earth."

{Images via Henry Road}

Wearing Flowers In Your Boots

Why haven't we ladies used our footwear as vases before now? All the Ashish models wore blooms in their boots on the Spring 2012 runway. I love the juxtaposition of masculine combat boots with the feminine fleurs, don't you?


{Images via Wet Behind The Ears}

Polaroid Paintings

There's something very sweet about these little 4x5 paintings. They were inspired by the Polaroid photos Cathie took of her surfer husband during the hurricane swells.


{Images via Poppytalk by Magic Markings Art}

Woodsy Type

Cutest font ever. The Woodsy Type was "created in spirit of summer camps everywhere".

I'm very disappointed in myself for not going camping at least once this year. Shame on me. Did you go?


{Images by Danielle Kroll}

Musical Gardens

At a thrift store over the weekend, I saw a beautiful antique piano for pennies, and you don't even know how tempted I was to snatch it up. But then reality set in. It would never fit inside my home.

Then I spotted these incredible piano and drum planter images from an exhibit at the San Diego County Fair. Musical instruments for the garden never even crossed my mind. They look as thought they've been sitting there for years, naturally overflowing with greenery. 


{Images via Poetic Home}

An Unidentified Floating Pond Shelter

I can't for the life of me find the source of this image and it's driving me nuts. Anyone have any information on this awesome pond shelter? I'm so curious to know where it is and what it's used for. Any guesses?

** UPDATE ** Thank you Judy for finding the image source! Designed by Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot, Le Jardin Des Hesperides was one of 11 gardens built for the 2006 International Garden Festival at Reford Gardens in Grand-Metis, Canada. Read more about it here.


{Image via Pinterest by Andreas Saudemont}

Loving Life

If you love your life, you've made it.

My friend posted this on her Facebook wall and I can't stop thinking about it. The true definition of success.


{Image by Dmitry Kononenko}

Australian Sand

Dark Point. Vast windswept sand dunes along the edge of the Pacific in New South Wales. These photos make me question why I've never been to Australia. Oh yeah, because it's half way across the world. But that really shouldn't stop me from witnessing such natural beauty. Sigh, one day.

Have you ever been?


{Images via Spell by Johnny Abegg}

Monday Motivation

I don't know about you, but today really feels like a Monday. I had an incredibly fun weekend with my pals in town and I'm finding it hard to get back into the swing of things. But Julian Bialowas' images are doing wonders. He's been posting a motivational photo once a day for his 365 project. Be inspired.


{Images via Lanalou Style}

Field Guide Butterflies

Japanese artist, Eiji Watanabe, frees butterflies found in field guides. His installation, Butterfly’s Eye View, was created by delicately cutting them out of his illustrated reference book and pinning them en masse to ceilings and walls. Don't they look real?


{Images via Colossal}

Tillandsia

Meet my new little Tillandsias. I just ordered the air plant mixed bag from To Hold, where Kara will hand select five pretties according to my specifications... ones that my cat won't munch. They're so easy to take care of too. Simply run them under water once a week. And no dirt!


{Images by To Hold}

An Off-The-Grid Writer's Retreat

Wouldn't you love to have a space like this, off the grid, surrounded by nature? I'd be able to knock out song after song. Blog after blog. No distractions, except perhaps the occasional curious deer.

Erin Moore of FLOAT Architectural Research and Design built this Oregon retreat for her mother, a nature writer. The 70-square-foot structure is only accessible by foot. There's not even a trail. The roof was designed to allow water to trickle down the side of the building and enhance the sound of rain. Bliss!


{Images via Ink+Wit by Gary Tarleton}

Aerial Views of Sunbathers

I sort of feel like a peeping tom, but I'm really enjoying these aerial views by German photographer, Bernhard Lang. I get the same voyeuristic euphoria when zooming in on Google Maps.


{Images via A Simple Life Afloat}

Trees That Draw

Did you know trees can draw? Tim Knowles attaches pens to the tips of branches and lets the wind record the movement on paper, creating one-of-a-kind drawings. Each piece of art reveals different characteristics of the tree. This just confirms my suspicion that trees are more human than we think :)


{Images via Jokemijn}

Nomadic Shelters

The Helsinki-based food and design company, HEL YES! were inspired by the fabled nomadic bistros on the sea ice between Finland and Estonia. They were built along the main trade route for passing nomads to spend the night and recuperate. So Linda Bergroth and her team created a modern day concept yurt that offers shelter and supplies for passers by. Wouldn't you love to just happen upon this blissful space?


{Images via At Casa}

A Field of Balloons

Lucky residents of Montreal were invited to a field of 500 balloons, the Musée des Possibles. They were asked to share how they'd like the public space to be used. I have no say in the matter, but I personally think Laura, Age 3, knows what's up. All cities should have a field of balloons to chase butterflies in.

{Images via A Subtle Revelry by Melissa Mongiat}

Exploding Flowers

Bryan Warakomski photographs floral explosions. Despite the violent act behind each shot, they sure look celebratory. Almost like fireworks. Now I can't decide what's more beautiful... flowers as is, or in mid-destruction. What do you think?  :)


{Images via Design For Mankind}