Archives for January 2016

january 2016

january 2016

1 year since we were engaged, 7 months married and just about 5 months with this little snuggle unit. A good run in the books so far and only getting better. Since the excitement of last summer I feel like we’ve really spent a good amount of time just relaxing at home together and soaking it all in. Having a puppy makes for a more homebody life, too. The slow life feels like a good life right now so I’ll take it. :)

Here is a little update from January, 2016…

january 2016

This is a close-up of the painting we bought in Positano on our honeymoon. It is the one piece of artwork we purchased on our trip (the only souvenir at all we purchased on our trip actually!) and for many months it just sat tucked away in the closet. A shame, I know but hanging artwork has proved to be hard for me and apparently going to the frame shop is too. I think I also just wanted to find the perfect place for it, you know?

Last week we rearranged our bedroom and the wall space suddenly presented itself perfectly. So it’s currently at the frame shop and will be hanging above our bed soon! ♥

january 2016

Did I mention having a puppy is hard work? Up until a few weeks ago we could not trust Pennylane in this room {more specifically on this rug} for fear she would pee on it. THE WORST! I tried to follow all the rules perfectly for housebreaking a pet and STILL the sweet thing continued to fail me. We had baby gates up for months! Fingers crossed we’re past it, but for awhile there I didn’t know if we would ever see the light!

january 2016

A fun night out at the ICA a few Thursdays ago. I loved the Black Mountain Collage exhibit about a liberal arts school in North Carolina dedicated to the study of art and art education, focusing on community and creativity. The exhibit is now closed, unfortunately (as is the school), but I enjoyed seeing the many artifacts and reading about the philosophy of teaching and learning there. It sounded to me like a pretty idyllic place!

Afterwards, we went to Row34 and it was delicious. I went with the hot buttered lobster roll and Zan got the whole grilled black sea bass. We shared Brussels sprouts and corn bread and had a great time in a great atmosphere. Still dreaming of the maple butter cornbread. It was wonderful.

Last weekend, Meg came over and spent the night which is always so much fun for me. I miss our years of living together! We watched to movie About Time which is pretty much my favorite movie of all time. Do you know it? It has a really great cast and the best message! I am always smiling so hard at the end, I just can’t help myself.

january

Walking walking, always walking. And I don’t really mind it one bit. I look forward to the early morning walks around our neighborhood each day. Zan and I usually try to go together, which is nice because sometimes the weeks can get busy and it’s guaranteed spent time together. They wake me up and I always feel good about getting a little exercise in too. Some days Zan doesn’t need leave for work until an hour or more after I do. On those days I get to sleep in a little I don’t really mind those mornings either. :)

january 2016

Speaking of framing and hanging up art, this gallery wall took me almost two years to put together. But I did it and I am IN LOVE WITH IT! I cannot even contain my happiness. After rearranging our room I just decided I was ready to tackle it one day, using command strips which eased my fear of knocking so many holes in the wall. I have been collecting this art work for so long it’s nice to finally get to enjoy it!

january 2016

And another view of our newly arranged bedroom. It feels so right. For our rehearsal dinner last June, Zan’s aunts blew up our Save the Date on to a foam board for part of the decor. I got a simple frame from ikea (where pretty much all of my frames are from!) and it is one of my favorite peices in our entire home. Such happy memories from such an exciting amazing time.

january 2016

Here we are enjoying a sunny Saturday at Cat Rock Park, a new (to us) dog trail park that has a reputation for being the “Disney World for Dogs”. There are tons of paths and open space and even a pond for swimming. At this point we still keep PL on her leash (we don’t want to lose her!) while we walk there but I hope some day we can let her run free.

january 2016

New pillows in a favorite room in our house. (They are all my favorite.)

Here she is again, at Cat Rock. What a little love muffin. Can you even handle it? I can never! We are so lucky she’s ours. I say it every day.

january 2016

Finding my winter groove and I’ve done a lot of reflecting and cleaning and organizing and just being. Quiet and cozy, the way January is meant to be. ♥

Shackleton’s Journey

Shackleton

Shackleton’s Journey, by William Grill on Goodreads

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For a huge portion of the year I teach an integrated reading and social studies unit called “People Who Make a Difference”. Over the course of the unit we visit each of the seven continents and learn about geography, land features, and culture. We also delve heavily into reading biographies on inspiring people who have made a difference throughout history. I love teaching second grade SO MUCH. There is a never-ending supply of things to learn and read and do, each day is the most exciting {and sometimes crazy} race from start to finish. I also LOVE my class this year. They are so motivated and interested, every day is fun and incredibly rewarding.

Over the past two weeks we have been traveling through Antarctica learning about the coldest continent on earth, reading and writing facts about penguins, and seeing the dangers through the eyes the many explorers who have attempted to travel there.

This book about Ernest Shackleton is such a fantastic account of the journey he took exactly one hundred years ago — so many amazingly accurate details and drawings about one brave man and his crew trying (and surviving!) a truly heroic trip to one of the coldest places in the world.

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“I choose life over death for myself and my friends…
I believe it is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the
unknown. The only true failure would be to not explore at all.”

-Ernest Shackleton

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We ended our study of Antarctica by writing diary entries from the point of view of the explorers. We painted the papers with tea to make them look old and everyone got so into it! I am so proud of my students and the voice they brought to their writing. Definitely some of their best work this year.

shackleton

invincible summer.

outdoor havens outdoor havens outdoor havens

sources // one. two. three. four. five. six. seven.

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I know just the other day I said I was ready for winter, but always, always I am ready for summer, too. It’s endless, honestly and I would never want it any other way. Also, I haven’t been writing on this blog much at all lately, but I am still reading them. Always, always reading.

Designlovefest has been on my reading list for a little over a year now because I’ve really been drawn to her love for color and creativity. Also her L.A. life intrigues me– it’s so drastically different than mine! Recently, she’s made a pretty noticeable shift in her content back to the basics of what’s inspiring her and I’m digging it. I like it because it’s exactly the kind of blogging I used to do when I first starting keeping an online record of things. Just inspiration. Straight up. And I love that.

Anyway. These outdoor havens are giving me total heart eyes right now. Winter may be here but that doesn’t mean I can’t dream of the pretty green hues of summer. Plus, I see that 5:00 glow slowly coming back. Happily on the upswing to the light.

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// the photo links are likely a little willy nilly
on the original source front, but I tried my best.
Pinned here for more outdoor oasis viewing. :)

yarn shop love + weaving resources

yarn shop love

Winter has set in here and I am really ready for it. Ready for it in that bring me all the crafts kind of way. And in that pile on the fleece and play all the Grey’s Anatomy kind of way. But most of all ready for it in that BRING ME A SNOW DAY kind of way. You know, so I can craft wearing all my fleece watching Grey’s Anatomy ALL DAY. :)

I have really been having fun with this weaving gig I’ve got going on. The texture and colors are my favorite part and the relaxing nature of it all is the most wonderful bonus. I love how I never know how my weavings are going to turn out in the end. It’s a fun surprise every time.

I have been happily sharing photos of my work on instagram and the feedback has been so encouraging! Nice people giving nice comments and I am so thankful for that. A few people have asked if I’ve ever considered selling my weavings and my first thought is always BLESS YOUR KIND SOULS and my second thought is maybe! Someday! Possibly! What a fun thought. For now I am truly enjoying the creativity of it all but if I ever do decide to sell a few you will be the first to know.

I’ve also been asked about the yarn I am using which is the best question of all! Below are links to my favorite shops and the specific fibers I’ve purchased. It’s been so much fun collecting colors and weights and textures of wool. I’ve also added some other weaving topics including instagram accounts to follow and some basic online tutorials.  I hope you find something that you love here today and please let me know if you have favorite shops or great weaving resources of your own. I would love to hear and am always looking to add to my knowledge bank. Weaver Fever is for real. ♥

yarn shop love

YARN SHOP LOVE

Classes, Yarn, Looms, and Supplies…

Maryanne Moodie
{where I first fell in love with fiber art!}

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Yarn…

Knit Collage // Cast Away Yarn {pictured above}

Jill Draper Makes Stuff

Reyarner // Muted Coral, Lace Weight

1AZColorworks // Robin’s Egg Blue + Seafoam

Miss Knit Yarns // Sari Silk with Sparkles

Beautiful Mayblossom // Mint + Pistachio

I have also gotten a good amount of yarn from Michael’s and Joann Fabric. My first choice is to support small artists and shops, and I often find the quality better albeit pricer, but these bigger chain stores have a few options as well.

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yarn shop love

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Storefronts I have visited…

Gather Here // Cambridge, Massachusetts

Purl Soho // New York, New York

Fancy Tiger Crafts // Denver, Colorado

{Visiting an actual store is SO special. Feel free to share in the comments if you know of any gems out there in the world.}

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yarn shop love

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Roving…

Grey Fox Felting

Mohair and More // Mint + Salmon + Turquoise + Coral

Loom and Spindle // White

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yarn shop loveyarn shop love

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LOOMS + Supplies…

Maryanne Moodie on Etsy {I use this one!}

Lost Pond Looms

Loom and Spindle AU

Funem Studio

Fiber Huis

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yarn shop love

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Insatgram inspiration…

Maryanne Moodie  +  Smoothhills Weaving  +  The Weaving Kind

Paige and Roy +  Krystle Weaves  +  Jeannie Makes

Meghan Shimek + Leeleeazz

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yarn shop love

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Tutorials…

{I want to quickly say that I haven’t really used any weaving tutorials myself. My skills and knowledge of weaving came from taking Maryanne’s class and from lots of experimenting and practice! I have viewed the tutorials listed below and think they might be a helpful start to anyone who is willing to take the time to learn on their own. I always work best with a hands-on lesson from an actual human so paying the money for a class was worth every penny to me and I highly recommend it to anyone who can find the means to get to Brooklyn or perhaps is lucky enough to find a class in your city!}

Weaving for Beginners — really good videos!!
One + Two + Three + Four + Five

Weaving Basics + Getting Fancy

DIY Woven Wall Hanging Tutorial

For kids, too!

Weaving 101

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yarn shop loveyarn shop love

Hot damn! These posts always have a way of turning out so epic.

I hope these links help any of you out there looking for supplies and inspiration. I have found over the last few months that if you look hard enough the resources are endless. It’s so exciting, all the creativity out there, isn’t it?

♥♥♥

“Oh, it’s delightful to have ambitions. I’m so glad I have such a lot. And there never seems to be any end to them– that’s the best of it. Just as soon as you attain to one ambition you see another one glittering higher up still. It does make life so interesting.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables