4000th heart

Today, I'm feeling lucky! 

In February I just so happened to be studio kmo's 4000th Etsy heart which, unbeknownst to me, meant that I got to enjoy a buy 1 get 1 free 11x14 city art print! I'd been an admirer of Karen's city map cutouts and art for sometime so this was a great surprise.

Above: screenshot of studio kmo's Esty shop.

For my two prints, I chose Paris and Cophenhagen: Paris because Chris and I are headed to the City of Light for our honeymoon in September. Copenhagen because My Nona is Danish so I thought it would be nice to have the map here to remind me of her. 

Over the weekend, Chris and I found frames we liked and hung them in the guest bedroom downstairs. Here's what they look like on the wall:

Above: studio kmo city prints in their new frames!

Above: Paris city art print by Karen M. O'Leary.

Above: Copenhagen city art print by Karen M. O'Leary.

Thanks Karen! 

image{s} of the week

Patchwork Apron

camera: Nikon D80
settings: f/4, 1/125 - with no adjustments! I love getting it right in the camera.
behind the lens: me

I've given up discretionary spending for Lent. (sigh.) So in lieu of purchasing fabric for a discretionary project, I've made a patchwork apron following instructions from Rashida Coleman-Hale's I Love Patchwork using left over fabric from Addyson's teething blanket.

Something bugged me about my apron while I was taking pictures. I ran through everything I saw wrong with my sewing - the gathers weren't my best work, the edge stitching left a lot to be desired, etc. - but that wasn't it.

Then I realized my apron was  annoying me because it was too clean. No apron is ever that clean. It's like going over to someone's house where a bunch of decorative, unlit candles have been perched all over.  The virgin wicks are white and pristine and this makes me uneasy. If you're going to buy candles you should light them, enjoy them, use them. An apron is similar in that way.

 Ah, flour. It's beginning to look normal... 

someday, somehow

The new website will get done. Someday, somehow.

I've written additional content you can access now, such as an About Me page, a Why call it "Lavender Honey" page, and a Say Hi contact page! 

The April 30th deadline looms. 

WedWed - Wedding Wednesday {11}

Invitation Inspiration

Way back in the WedWed series, I explained how I created our save-the-date. I stated: "I wish I were a grand illustrator able to delicately craft one-of-a-kind invitations with my Heidelberg letterpress, but the truth is that I have to improvise and use what I have...and that's photography." At the end of the post, I wrote that it was good practice to use the skills I already had and materials I already owned to create something great. While I am very pleased with the way the save-the-dates turned out, I've since decided that perhaps I shouldn't settle. If I want to keep the DIY design spirit and my dream of having illustrated wedding invitations alive, I need to take out a pencil and go for it!

Above: Preliminary invitation idea sketches inspired by our engagement.

I shared early invitation sketches a couple WedWeds back (above), and have since had some airport lounging time to gain inspiration from images of our venue, Robinswood House, as well as various internet sources. 

Above: Robinswood House {south patio} where we plan to host a post-ceremony cocktail hour. Image via Seattle Bride.

Boasted as one of the oldest homesteads in our area, Robinswood is at once dark, green, and cheery. I kept that in mind as I prepared the following mood boards...

images {clockwise from top}: German Antique Chromolithograph of Geological Formations from Bananastrudel; kraft paper envelope from JAM Paper & Envelope; Map Envelopes & Paper from JAM Paper & Envelope; Holiday Stamps from USPS.

Chris and I share an interest in maps and botanical illustration, so I felt it was appropriate to tie those elements in. My favorite is the geological diagram above! Those map envelopes are pretty great too.

images {clockwise from top right}: Heart Portrait Print from Rifle Paper Co.; Mountain Cottage save-the-date from Bird & Banner; Native and Cultivated Conifers of Northeastern North America: A Guide by Edward A Cope, illustrated by Bente Starcke King from Amazon.

In addition to the first mood board, we needed something with a bit more of a fun-loving feeling. I enjoy the whimsy of Bird & Banner's Mountain Cottage save-the-date (bottom right) and the heart portrait by Rifle Paper Co (top right). Bente Starcke King's Northeastern conifer illustrations are also quite charming.

With an image of Robinswood House and the two mood boards by my side, I'm ready to start drawing! 

yawn!

An accurate depiction of how I, and The Killah, have been feeling today...

photo: iPhone 4 image by Chris Roby of a yawning Gataface.

Chris "borrowed" my snuggie for the Gata's tipi. It's probably for the best, anyhow. I would have been wearing it around all day otherwise. No wonder why she looks so comfy...