thoughtfully placed :: home photography

over the holiday, we spent some time at my aunt's beautiful home.   her design style has always been an inspiration to me and i'm sure many others.   it is lavish and elegant with an "at home" feel.   it is antique and natural with love wrapped around each piece that has so purposefully and thoughtfully been placed.  i could sit for hours in her kitchen and drink coffee while gazing and admiring her talent for creating such lovely, lovely, lovely place.

a twist of yarn :: no sew scarf / necklace

remember this?  i made another one a few days ago and this time i added a twist of yellow yarn.  yellow and gray is my very favorite color combo right now. i can't get enough.  have you made your no sew scarf / necklace yet?

new design

welcome to the updated sassafras!  did i surprise you?!

little m :: family photography

"little m" and her parents are some of my very favorite people.

hello friends!  and happy thanksgiving!   tomorrow i will be cooking and eating and sleeping, then drinking and eating and sleeping some more.   won't you?   i have been making cheesecakes and pies for days and the smell of our home is overwhelming.  i just love the holidays.

i have a little surprise planned for the boys tomorrow that i will share with you next week.   isn't that what it's all about?... the children.  so much has been enriched in my life as a result of my children, and the holidays are a perfect example of that.  this thanksgiving, i am most thankful for my son "the monster".   he started our family... and he is too young to know all that he has begun.   because of him, i began dating my husband and because of my husband we have ended up in a small and cozy condo we call home.  home filled with a bright fire, laughing children and the smell of apple pie in the oven.  all mixed in with memories of a lovely and fantastic year.  does it get any better than that?

indoor photo session test

i have some very fun friends coming in from chicago tomorrow and we will be doing a little photo session.   now, i mostly do outdoor photography because i don't have professional lighting or lovely backdrops (unless we go to my office, but i can't really use that for personal use).   the weather has been pretty cold and rainy, so i figured i should prepare for some indoor shots.  after looking around the house, i have an old spotlight from pottery barn and my lovely window curtains from target that i think might just do the trick.  test image above.

o and you might be wondering about "the monster's" tie.  we cut it out of paper and clipped it on especially for this shoot.  what a good sport he his.

book binding :: project idea

have you ever tried bookbinding?  all you really need is paper and glue... lots of glue.   this weekend, i thought it would be fun to create a little journal made up of some texture photographs i have taken.  i then decorated with stickers, which is the same kind of thing i loved to do when i was 5.   funny how i've changed so little!

anyway, i was thinking that there really isn't a need to buy photo albums.   how cool would a little book like this be filled with black & whites of the boys?!  perfect gift for grandmas i think.

instructions:

• print double-sided 5x7 images on a heavyweight paper
• stack your prints in the order you want
• spread good old elmers glue along the edge that you want binded and clamp pages together.  let dry for 15 minutes and spread more glue.  repeat as needed until pages are secure.
• cut some decorative paper to fit the binded edge of your book.  fold over and glue.
• set between some heavy books for smashing and drying.