this has inspired me to break out the left over fondant in the back of my refrigerator.

hmmm, this just might be the cutest thing ever.
(thanks alisha for sending! original source.)

i've always thought fancy-over-the-top birthday parties for babies were kind of silly. so imagine a birthday party for a dog?

will anyone still be our friend if we throw kingsley one?
(before you answer that, remember his birthday is ON HALLOWEEN. just THINK of the possibilities.)

besides already searching the web for "ninja costumes for dogs"
in my spare time, i'd love to try my hand at homemade fondant again.

a cherry blossom family portrait.

...by none other than the talented leo patrone.



i love it.
leo, you are so good at what you do!

rockstar giveaway!

this week we have a giveaway for you by the lovely artist samantha kelly!
the winner will receive a custom 8x10 painting
on a premium stretched canvas from a photograph of their choice!

sam is an art therapist and artist based out of utah
whose shop, can you hear me? offers both fine art prints and originals.
i think her work is rad. this print is my favorite.

if you aren't the lucky winner, don't fret!
email cuposammyjo@aol.com to get your very own painting!

and leave a comment below by friday, april 2nd to enter!
good luck!

the story of when i conducted an opera by puccini in my car and got rave reviews.

these last 24 hours have been the weirdest, most upsetting and frustrating hours i've experienced. i make mistakes all the time, but the mistake i made with my medication this weekend has put a number of things in jeopardy.

i didn't want to get out of bed this morning because i felt like such a loser. all day i just wanted to scream. i dread the day i have to see my doctor again (later this week) only because i am certain she and her entire staff at the hospital have been rolling today on the floor over my case. "did you hear about..." seriously. i wish i could tell you just how embarrassing all the facts really are.

i made a costco run this evening and on the way home puccini's la bohème came on the radio. it was really nice to listen to and before i knew it, i'd put down my half eaten chicken-bake sandwich on my lap and was conducting musetta's waltz with my right hand (something my sisters and i used to make fun of my mom for doing while she was driving us in the car....how ironic that i have inherited her "pretend conducting the opera" skills while driving.)

by the time i arrived home, i felt much better. they can laugh at me at the hospital. it's really ok. hopefully someday i will be able to laugh at all this, too. and yes, i made a really big mistake, but i can't go back and change anything, so i just have to move forward and stop beating myself up about it (which has proven to be a rather unproductive method of spending my time the past 24 hours).

and when all is said and done, i am so thankful for soothing car rides, beautiful music and for my husband josh. it's crazy just how safe and loved these things (but mostly i'm talking about my husband now) make me feel...

also, it appears that kingsley still loves me, too. and not just because i carry dog treats in my pocket.

*i realize i am being vague in this post and i apologize for this. but somethings are just too personal and private to share on this blog.

weekend.

it was the first day of the cherry blossom festival in DC on saturday so we ventured out with kingsley to check out the events. our wedding photographer leo patrone was in town, so we met up with him for a bit and kingsley showed off his mad posing skills for the camera and crowds. we had lunch at rugby cafe in georgetown (the burgers are pretty good!) and i maybe waited in line far too long at georgetown cupcake (but leo had never had one so i had to wait in line!)

my sisters drove up with friends to the DC Temple on saturday so we got to meet up with them for a little in the afternoon too. aren't they gorgeous? i am SO proud of these two.

this weekend i also realized i am stupider than stupid and had mixed up some medications i'd been taking since i have been pretty sick. who does that?! seriously. we talked with my doctor last night and sure enough, i messed up big time. i'm still kicking myself. i mean, who doesn't read the labels?! the good news is i am still breathing today and hopefully will be breathing tomorrow too. i would also just like to say thanks to josh for taking care of me and not rubbing in the fact that i am a complete moron most of the time.

also, josh started teaching kingsley how to "shake" hands this weekend. and hopefully soon, we'll be teaching him how to "wave." i love.

how was your weekend?
xo

happy friday! [and giveaway winners]

i took this photo at the park last sunday while we were walking kingsley. i think every tree on the hill is in full bloom, and it is a stunning sight. how i wish they'd stay like this forever.
...

also, excited to announce our giveaway winners! the first is cornflakegirl, winning the large 5 foot wall graphic of casey's deep down:

and our second, winning the lap top sized wall graphic is j.loo:

also, if you use the code ROCKSTAR-2010 at checkout on any order from ltl prints, you will get a free laptop graphic of when freckles collide! i think that's swell!

have a lovely weekend!
xoxo

rockstar {elsie flannigan.}

I think back to the time Josh and I got to talk with Regina Spektor on the phone last fall, and I realize I've lived on cloud nine for all the months that have followed. Interviewing Regina, a woman and artist I've admired for years, and learning more about what inspires her as a musician and a human being encouraged me to keep pursuing all the little dreams I have in my head, to just create without fear, and always work on being a better me.


There are quite a few people in this world that inspire me on a daily basis, and I'm so excited to share a with you a few interviews with these talented individuals as they share their thoughts and ideas behind pursuing their dreams and living life to the fullest.


I'm kicking these little Rockstar Interviews off with the talented Miss Elsie Flannigan, who, if you don't already know, I am sure you'll instantly love. She is the queen of making beautiful things and runs an online shop and local boutique in Missouri. I adore her blog - and her darling little pug! Hope you enjoy!

Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I'm Elsie Flannigan. I live in Missouri and run (my dream job) an online and local boutique full time. I spend lots of time making things, blogging and playing with my little pug.

I am a sucker for love stories. Can you tell us how you and your boy Jeremy met?
Jeremy and I met through a mutual friend at a local concert. We became a couple pretty much instantly, but didn't admit it for a month or two. :) He wrote me a song a few weeks after we met and now we're together forever...

Have you always loved to create? What is the creative process like for you?
Yes! I like to make different projects all the time. One day paintings, the next day necklaces and the next day dresses. It's fun to skip from project to project and never get stuck on one thing for too long.
Where do you gather inspiration from?
Vintage shopping, fashion photography and good movies.

What is your favorite children's book or story?
Peter Pan. always & forever.
If we were to take a look inside your refrigerator, what would we find?
lots of lifewater (obsessed) apples, green beans, left over thai food.... um, you know.. the usual. :)

Favorite go-to snack mid day?
rice krispies treats, smoothies and anything with peanut butter.
As a full time independent artist, what do you find most difficult about what you do? What do you love most about what you do?
it's most difficult to *stop* working and just enjoy a break, it almost never happens and i guess that's a shame? even in Hawaii i filled a whole journal full of ideas for my store (oops).
what i love most is thinking about how excited my 16 year old self would have been to know i would grow up and do a real 'dream job'. it's one of my happiest thoughts.


You seem to be one of the most productive women I have come across! Once you get an idea in your head, you go and DO it, from start to finish! What advice do you have for others on balancing all that you do (your shop, blog, photography, etc) as well as everything else in life?
i never skip family stuff, but i skip almost everything else (at times). working independently, it's important to make sacrifices... just never family time. :)
with Red Velvet work i keep daily goals (2-3 goals each day) so it's not overwhelming and i can get the most important things done. balancing time is tricky, but i got so much easier after i established a healthy routine that i could live with daily. I believe in protecting the things i love (including my relationships and my love for making things), so being healthy about goal making and time management is important. no one is perfect. :)

Thank you, Elsie!
Top photo of Elsie by Allister Ann.

in the back alley...

rockstar giveaway! (closed)

if you've read this blog before, you know we are huge fans of casey o'connell at our house. so i'm thrilled that this week we have 2 of casey's deep down wall graphics to giveaway!

casey has become a dear friend of mine through many many emails over the past few months. she's not only talented, but she's incredibly down to earth. i love this lady. and i love her paintings.

casey and ltl prints are giving away a 36x60 wall graphic of deep down as well as a lap top sized graphic (that means 2 winners!) these wall graphics "combine space-age new materials with state-of-the-art digital production technologies so you can hang and re-hang your wall graphic up to 100 times without leaving a mark or damaging your walls." we have this one up right now in our front room and love it.

to enter, leave a comment below by friday, march 26th or get your own print here.

good luck!

so....

since i'd never been, josh took me over to checkers
for their seasoned fries with cheese and bacon on top.

have you ever had this? delicious!

a little dose of pretty pictures.

today, i love these lovely images:
p.s. thank you for the allergy medicine tips!

source: unknown
source: meg kroeker

sneezes. and stuff.

once upon a time there was a lucky girl who had never before experienced allergies in her lifetime... but sure enough, that luck eventually ran out and those allergies arrived at last creating such a damper on her love for spring.

how does one live with allergies?
please do tell.

i can't sleep. i can't smell. and most importantly, i find it difficult to breathe.

thank you.

photo of a pretty flower tree down the street from our home.

friday night date night (with kingsley, ofcourse.)

we took a walk around the hill tonight with kingsley
(since it was 68 degrees and gorgeous out)
& eventually made our way to the park
where we snacked on some dinner
& made friends with other dogs (and their owners).

we love taking walks around the neighborhood as the sun sets
because everyone is out and friendly as ever.
& the flowers & tree blossoms are in full bloom!
i love just walking and talking with josh, too.
he makes for some nice company.
it was the perfect start to our weekend.

hope you enjoy yours!
xoxo

photos taken with the iphone ShakeItPhoto app.

we are those crazy obnoxious dog owners that bought a rain coat for our dog.

i am sure kingsley is thoroughly disappointed in us,
but luckily, he can't talk (or type, really) so...

here's to happiness {by trish}

10 things that make trish terribly happy:
  1. going home
  2. spending time with family and friends
  3. road trips
  4. reading a good book
  5. a nice cup of tea
  6. music
  7. getting packages in the mail
  8. blogging
  9. winning stuff
  10. yoga

{green.}

we love the color green.
happy st. patricks day!

let's go to france together this summer!

nicole and candice (two of my favorite ladies and rockstar photographers)
have put together a french photo retreat for this upcoming july!
it'll be taking place in the gorgeous french village of
beynac (about 5 1/2 hours from paris)
where the movies chocolat and ever after were filmed.

the retreat will offer three days of learning and shooting together
in the french countryside with a class size of only about 20 students.
(first come, first served-- so go sign up!)

if all works out with some personal summer plans, i hope to be there too!
...

see a few shoots i've done with nicole and candice before,
here and here and here too.

a christenberry lunch date.

josh had been wanting to check out william christenberry's work
we had a little lunch date yesterday and finally ran over there to check it out.
christenberry is especially known for his snapshots
taken with the kodak brownie holiday camera back in the 70's.
thirteen of this snapshots of the south in the 70's were on display.

here's some of the other work on display.

below are our three favorite snapshots. can you believe the coloring?
i read online that he developed most of his film over the counter
at local drugstores, which i think is awesome.
i can't believe how vibrant the coloring
remains on these original vintage snapshots decades later.
they are beautiful.
a sleeping dog at the gallery. i thought he was pretty cute.

i can't really think of a title for this post.

there are a bunch of things i'd like to share and post here, but guess what? i'm still not feeling too dandy. i'm not writing this for a pity party, because i'm really not that sick. so don't feel sorry for me. it's not like i'm on my death bed or in the hospital or anything to that extent. so i will stop complaining.

here is a photo from our weekend. at one of my better feeling moments. it's from 7th hill pizza. we like that place a lot.

in other news, we had flood warnings in DC all last weekend. kingsley has learned to "sit AND stay" which we're thrilled about. and we have 24 glass bottles of mexican coke from costco in our fridge. so life is good! and coke really does taste better when it's made with real sugar. what else? next week marks the 1 year anniversary of when we moved from NYC to DC! we can't believe it. it's flown by! we're excited to see what year 2 in DC will look like!

and we're counting down the days until we see the ocean, a few palm trees and feel sand beneath our toes. currently, only 32 more days.... (sigh.)

mom and isaac left yesterday. kingsley already misses his sleeping buddies terribly.

...although i am pretty certain mom and isaac
are thrilled to be getting back to a full nights rest away from
wiggly, pillow hogging, let me sleep on your face all night long kingsley.

p.s. do you see his new protruding bottom lip in the right photo?
big under bite coming his way. we are a little bit in love with it.

dog-stache.

a few readers brought this incredible dog-stache
to our attention last week. too hilarious to pass up.
so we ordered one for kingsley.

who thinks this genius stuff up?
and what will they come up with next?


oh yes.

a chew toy AND sexy mustache?
kingsley's excited. he told me so.

saying hello.

i am sick.

and my mom and brother are in town.
(talk about timing.)

so i'm going back to my warm little bed, but i leave you with this....
my little brother isaac and 7th hill's nutella calzone.
there is nothing else to say....
have you tried it yet?


and our giveaway winner:

congrats! please email me your info!


hope you are healthy (and happy, of course)
going into the weekend!
xo
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