happy 100th julia child!

I opened up Google this morning and saw that today would have been the fabulous Julia Child's 100th birthday. As someone who grew up watching her cooking show and who owns several of her cookbooks, I think Julia Child is wonderful. I loved her witty back and forth with another master chef, Jacques Pepin. I adore Julia's attitude, her determination. I found this lovely graphic from the Etsy shop, Unraveled Design. Isn't the message something worth taking to heart? Happy birthday Julia!

If you'd like to see more from Unraveled Design, check out this shop at: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/unraveleddesign?ref=shop_sugg

You'll find all sorts of beautifully designed graphics with wonderful quotes. 

inspired by mary oliver

This image can be found at the very lovely Etsy Shop, The Wheat Field. Check it out here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/thewheatfield?ref=seller_info

ambiance by anne carrozza

I came across this beautiful painting on Etsy at the shop, Anne Carrozza Fine Art. I absolutely adore these happy colors and of course, the floral subject. Carrozza is based in Massachusetts, and many of her painting reflect her New England surroundings.  

This piece is called "Ambiance"
Isn't it lovely?

Check out Carrozza's Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnneCarrozzaFineArt?ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=20&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade%2Fart%2Fpainting&page=2

oh what a feeling...

What was better than swinging to seemingly impossible heights as a kid?

This delightful painting is from the Etsy shop, Roz Art. I love how the little girl appears to be even higher than the clouds. I think it perfectly captures that feeling of weightlessness we all loved as kids, begging our parents to push us higher and higher. 

Check out Roz Art:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RozArt?ref=seller_info

shout out: Janet Hill Studio

I stumbled across an Etsy shop the other day. This shop, "Janet Hill Studio" sells the most lovely prints and original paintings by the artist, (as the shop's name implies) Janet Hill. One of the marvelous aspects of Etsy is that it brings people from all over in touch with each other.

Janet is based in Ontario, Canada. Her art is feminine in color and design, and I happen to adore the whimsy she incorporates into her pieces. With her subject matter and choice of colors, I feel like Janet's art is very happy. 

Here's one of her pieces I'm particularly fond of. It's called, "Catherine Decides to Get Some Fresh Air and Exercise". 

Check out her Etsy shop at: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/janethillstudio?ref=seller_info. 

Her delightful blog can be found at: 

http://janethillstudio.com/blog/.  

shout out: beadycats

I adore earrings, always have and probably always will. I also adore Etsy. One of my favorite parts of Etsy is that it allows me to "visit" shops in far away lands and buy pieces that are a little more unique than what the stores at home carry. So when I stumbled across the Etsy shop, Beadycats - located in Istanbul, Turkey - and looked at all of the beautiful items - Beadycat's earrings definitely caught my attention. I bought 3 pairs, all pictured below. I'm so pleased with the quality and craftsmanship. Beadycats sells gorgeous rings, necklaces, and bracelets in addition to earrings. All of Beadycats' pieces have an element of what I think of as the organic, probably due to Beadycats' use of unique and colorful stones. And as I'm partial to gold, everything in this Etsy shop appeals to me. Check out Beadycats when you have a chance: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/beadycats?ref=ss_profile.

pink agate with pearls
very old fashioned, and I love them! 

jade, coral, and pearls
I think this pair is totally "me"  

black jade
the most multi-functional pair

It's hard to pick a favorite! My husband and I are headed to Turkey next month for vacation. I ordered these earrings before the trip was planned, but once the package from Turkey arrived and he saw my new earrings, he now suspects we're actually on a quest for more earrings! I plead the 5th. ;-)

shout out - Brookish

I adore Etsy and finding a new, fun shop on the website is always so exciting. To my extreme delight I stumbled across a shop called, Brookish.  Brookish is an amazing shop for anyone who loves Jane Austen (most of you know, I fit this category), especially Pride and Prejudice (my favorite of the Jane Austen novels) as most of the items they sell are Pride and Prejudice related. I could not decide between 2 t-shirts because each was so lovely in its own way...so I ended up getting both. When faced with that type of difficult predicament, who out there hasn't made that same decision before?  

I was giddy as a schoolgirl when I opened the package sent from Brookish - here's a photo of how nicely they wrap their items. It was like a gift - to me, from me! And, to be 100% honest, it was a fantastic treat for me at the end of a rather rough week. Their attention to the little details is so sweet!

what pretty packages! 

After opening the packages, I laid the shirts out on the dining table to take a photo - Nino jumped up to see what was going on.

after I upwrapped my "gifts"

Brookish does superb work - check out their Etsy shop!  http://www.etsy.com/people/Brookish. The shirts have now been washed and dried and I really adore them - I'm awfully happy I bought both!

the key locations and towns in
Pride and Prejudice

Mr. Darcy's marriage proposal
written out in beautiful script