Cuz baby, it's cold outside....

time for another party! My friends, annemarie and heather, and i got together last night and made invitations to our christmas party! and i am already pretty stoked about it! i love making invites! and i love the way we made them because each one was totally unique, and we personalized them even more by putting the names on them! and we made the names part of the design, which is a cool way to keep track of who gets an invite while making your guest feel extra important and wanted! haha... well, here are some pictures of them! hope you feel inspired!
p.s. sorry that the pics arent very pretty... my camera didn't want to cooperate with the lighting and i was too tired to deal with it... :)

Let's go!

i went to dc thursday! and i discovered some great art museums and shopping areas...and i also took some pictures! I went to the Renwick and the National Portrait Gallery and the American. These are some of my favorite pics of the day

just a thought...

"If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time."
-
Edith Wharton








photo:raychel sonveeco. flickr. cutest girl ever. great photographer

Deck the Halls

Want a more eco friendly ornament? try these cute conifer ornaments
just click on the pic to link you to the etsy page!

Ascend the Hill 11.24

Those in the rva get hype! ascend the hill is coming again!

where: West End A.G.
When: tuesday november 24
Time: 7 pm til ?

Ascend the hill is an indie worship band from florida. They've come to richmond a couple of times so far, and i cannot wait to see them again!












if you want to hear their music, check out their myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/ascendthehill

just a thought...

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."
-Maya Angelou

O, Christmas Tree

i cant wait til christmas! I love giving gifts and decorating the house and baking sugar cookies and drinking hot chocolate and trimming the tree.... christmas is such a wonderful time of year! but for a girl like me who is tight on money these days, i have to be creative this year with my gift giving. luckily, my artsy side will be to my advantage! im going to make everyone christmas ornaments!


I looked online today for some inspiration, and thought id share some of my findings! maybe they'll come in handy! :)

all of the pics i posted are found on Martha Stewart's website. she has numerous other christmas ideas and instructions to accompany the pictures. so, check it out!

Oh, i have CRAYONS!

for those who know me personally, you may find it odd and slightly unstylish of me to carry around my purple backpack EVERYWHERE. but. it's necessary because i have to bring my journal and crayons, which don't easily fit in small purses. many underestimate the abilities of a crayon...viewing it as a kindergarten school supply instead of an inexpensive art medium. but, i believe that crayons are the best way for me, personally, to add a bit of color to my journal. especially becuse most of my journal work is done out and about.so i need a lot of different colors, quick and easy, with no mess.

my favorite color: sea green

.photo1-ThisIsHer,flickr. .photo2-Beckaroonie,flickr.

{place title here}

so whenever i finish a journal, right before i tuck it under my bed, i give it a title, a somewhat summary of the story written on all those ripped and torn and indented pages.... my most recent:


A PocKeT gUide tO tHe LiFe Of aN
aRtsY giRl

17

Also a find from my trip to Staunton, 17 is an awesome antique/thrift store on east beverley. just a hint- the downstairs has some cool stuff, don't get me wrong. but the upstairs is where the AWESOME stuff is. The stairs are not easy to find at all, but if you walk all the way to the back of the shop, you will find them. once you get upstairs, keep walking straight. and you'll find old glass bottles, retro clothes, and lots more! a friend of mine found an amazing dress for only $8. and it looked brand new! They have tons of really pretty jewelry. My favorite thing in the whole store was this white chandelier upstairs. i want to get one for my room! Staunton has a couple of antique/thrift stores, but of the ones i went in, 17 is my favorite!

Coffee on the Corner

So, i've started a new category-coffee- so now, when i find really great coffee shops, i'll write a little report! so, my first! Coffee on the corner. east beverly street. staunton. virginia. you can tell it's gonna be good before even stepping in the door. A Big cafe window with a couple sitting at a table, looking out to the street...perfectly adorable. inside, local artists have paintings hanging on the walls, and a big chalkboard displays the menu. You can get anything from grilled cheese sandwiches to coffee smoothies- coffee on the corner's version of a frappuccino. what charmed me most about this coffee shop was the people sitting around. College student.studying.coffee with shot of espresso. Buisness man.on laptop.coffee,black. young woman.reading romance novel.hot chocolate. Coffee on the corner.good food.good coffee.good peoplewatching. reasonable prices.check it out!

Rainy Days

photo by moiht on flickr. to see more, click on the photo

It's so rainy here in the rva... has been pouring since wednesday and it's really getting me down. I'm running out of shoes to wear because all of my sneakers are soaked. and to make it even worse, it's utterly freezing! i keep putting more and more layers on, but never get any warmer. i actually stood in my bathroom blowing the hairdryer on myself to get defrosted... but then i got yelled at for making too much noise...

good luck keeping dry!and Happy Thursday!

Staunton?!

so, i went on a trip with my school last wednesday to staunton. va. and, i discovered the cutest town in virginia! and it's less than two hours from my house, which makes for a perfect day trip, i must say. so, i'm going to give an outline for a perfect day in staunton...

1. get a small group of friends together (small=4-6), grab your i-pods and a gas-efficient car and hit the road! head for downtown staunton. if you get to mary baldwin, your on the right track!

2. Arrive, park, and get walking! everything is quite convenient and walkable.

3. when you're feeling hungry, stop into the Frederick street cafe, baja bean company, irish alley Restarunt and pub, or beverley restraunt. all of which are on the main street, and have really good food for a reasonable price.

4. after you have a full tummy, hit the stores! and make sure you go into the antique stores! there are some cool things to find. and there's also a pretty cool thrift store.

5. after a couple hours of walking around the town, maybe you feel like just sitting down for a cup of coffee and a cookie? well, walk down East beverley, and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate or a "coffee smoothie" at Coffee on the Corner.

6.time to go home? well make sure you drive by the giant watering can and flower pots before you leave!

good luck! and make sure you check the weather! the mountains can get pretty cold!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Anyone??

My favorite thing about cold weather is cozying up with a mug of something warm and reading a good book...so, what about a pumpkin spice latte!? save some money and stay indoors- make one at home! i found a recipe! i have'nt tried it yet, but you can be the judge....

Pumpkin Spiced Lattes

Enjoy this delicious coffee drink guilt-free knowing your wallet and waist will thank you for saving money and calories making this at home.



3 cups skim milk
6 packets Splenda artificial sweetener
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
8 ounces double-strength brewed decaffeinated instant coffee
Whipped cream, to taste
Caramel syrup, to taste
1 pinch pumpkin pie spice

Heat milk in a heavy saucepan just until hot and bubbly. Combine the hot milk, sweetener, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice in a blender; blend on frappe setting until frothy. Pour the mixture into 6 coffee mugs to about 2/3 full. Then fill almost to the top with coffee. Garnish each latte with rings of whipped topping, drizzles of caramel and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.

Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain

so, my friend told me about a movie entitled amelie, a french film from 2001. he said the music alone was reason enough for me to watch it. and i agree. i watched it on saturday night and i've been listening to the soundtrack ever since. it is very french, with sexual references thrown in quite sporadically and unexpectedly.which made me laugh. the first two minutes made me wonder... but i'm glad i kept watching.
for the wikipedians, here's what "the free encyclopedia" has to say about amelie:
"Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre. It tells the story of a shy waitress who decides to change the lives of those around her for the better, while struggling with her own isolation."

Amélie won best film at the European Film Awards, four César Awards (including Best Film and Best Director), two BAFTA Awards (including Best Original Screenplay), and was nominated for five Academy Awards.

now, thats cool...
i really want my friend, david, to watch it. he's a musical prodigy and i have a feeling he'd love yann tiersen's amazing music.

Maple Leaf Roses

I found another decoration for my party! and i've already made a few! i know i have seen this somewhere else before, but i re-found the instructions on how to make these awesome maple leaf roses! and http://haha.nu/creative/how-to-make-roses-from-maple-leaves/ has the full instructions...IN PICTURES!! which totally helps me out because im a visual learner. so, check it out!

pump-CANS !

my friend and i are throwing an ALL HALLOWS EVE party, and we want everything to be really artsy and different. So, while browsing on www.marthastewart.com, i found these really cool painted tin can jack-o-lanterns. a new and free spin on pumpkin carving! i plan on making a couple to put together as a centerpiece on one of the tables!

here are the directions, straight from Martha:

Create a new Halloween tradition by punching robotlike faces into cans. Add votive candles, and the heads come to life. Place in window, or stack as a centerpiece. Begin by cleaning empty coffee or soup cans and removing labels. Fill can with water, and freeze. Steady frozen can on a bag of rice, and punch holes with an awl and hammer. Defrost and dry. Paint exterior with oil-based enamel; if holes get blocked, poke with a toothpick.

Mod Cloth

OH MY GOSH! LOOK WHAT I JUST FOUND! i am beyond excited right now. while browsing www.peopleofwalmart.com (a funny pic-me-up for a dull day) i spotted this ad. and it got me hooked. so. www.modcloth.com prices of urban outfitters with the style of free people/ anthropologie go Explore!

A Starry Night

Van Gogh's Starry Night is one of my personal favorites. and recently i discovered a sister drawing he drew based off his paiting. i think it is just as beautiful. i love how he uses line to create shape and movement. it sort-of reminds me of a refined doodle!

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

on my way out the door the other day, i saw this book laying on my kitchen counter. i picked it up and started flipping through it and immediately immersed myself into the illustrations! bagram ibatoulline, the artist behind these beautiful illustrations, did an amazing job of contrasting darks and lights and using figure/ground relationship.

Wordle

so, i pretty much found one of the coolest quick-art generators ever! if you need a graphic, thankyou note, wallart, birthday present, anything. this is an awesome to bring together personality and creativity!

the one bad thing is that you can't save them to your computer, only print them or put them on a public gallery.. but if there is a way, then let me know!

here's the link! :

www.wordle.net