HAPPINESS IS...

Life In Five 04

Appreciating: the Northwest cherry blossoms. Just one of the many special perks to living here. There's a good amount of cherry trees in my neighborhood, but the best place to go is on the University of Washington Quad. According to the official UW cherry tree watch, they're now at full bloom. Hal and I went last year and all of Seattle seemed to have joined us. I'd like to visit again next time the sun comes out.

Listening: to the Classic Girls Groups channel on Songza. It takes me back to when I sang in a trio in middle school and quartet in high school. I miss harmonizing. My girl Kate and I are thinking about starting up a duo for fun! If you like girls groups too, you must watch the How Are You Doing video by The Living Sisters directed by the one and only Michel Gondry. If it sounds familiar, it was the song that aired at the end of the Beach House episode of Girls! So good.

Reading: Red Rising. This is my book club's latest selection.. for a funny reason. Without mentioning any names, one of us (not I) used to date the author, Pierce Brown! It's pretty crazy, but at 26, he's slated to be fiction's next big superstar. Critics are comparing the sci-fi trilogy to Ender's Game and The Hunger Games. Have you read it?

Marveling: over a turntable that plays slices of wood. Serious. Bartholomäus Traubeck converted tree rings into data that outputs piano music. You can find the digital album here. There's also a limited edition vinyl record with wood on one side so you can play it on your own record player at home. The coolest!

Loving: this inspiring video using an audio excerpt of Ira Glass on Storytelling about trusting in the creative process. First Marie Forleo linked to it in B-School. Then I saw it again on Linda's blog. The universe really wants to sink this message into my skull! And now I want to sink it into yours.

What have you been appreciating, listening to, reading, marveling over, and loving lately?

Four Things 05: Fruit Punch

Fruit has been inspiring me lately. And not just in my morning smoothies. On fabrics, clothing and art. The bright pops of colors are so refreshing after a long dark winter. Are you a fruit fanatic too?

1. Ruby Taylor Tropical Fruit iPhone / iPad Wallpaper
2. Mother of Pearl Silk Bistra Dress
3. Tulisan Lime Weekender Bag
4. Strathcona Citrus & Peach Stockings

 

Surround Yourself With Those Who See Greatness Within You

Friends, do you remember the art I was working on a few weeks ago? I'd love to share with you the end product. I created this large-scale hand lettering and watercolor inspiration piece for the Seattle Bloggers Unite Spring Social last night. It made me so happy to see it hanging on the wall of Aran Goyoaga's dreamy sunlit studio, where the winter dinner was held a few months ago.

Each event attendee received a postcard-sized print in the goodie bag. I may offer the original and some limited edition prints for sale in the future. So if you're interested, make sure to sign up for my newsletter for updates!

Thank you, loves, for encouraging and supporting my recent artistic endeavors. Like the quote, you see the greatness within me! It feels so good to get back into a passion and talent I've always taken for granted and never properly explored. It's like coming home.

{Photos by: 1. Christopher Bachmann; 2. Sarah Beth Hulver; 3-4. Shannon Eileen}

 

Girls Weekend In Wine Country

My girls trip to San Fran turned into a weekend in wine country! Our girl Robin surprised us with a wine tasting excursion in Sonoma. She kept it a secret until we pulled into the driveway of her sister's beautiful vacation home. It reminded us of the Bachelor/ette. And for the rest of the weekend, we joked about being on a "group date", vying for the rose.

Robin hired a driver to take us wine tasting. Our first stop was Paradise Ridge Winery, a stunning property that overlooks the Russian River Valley and the Marijke's Grove sculpture park (can you spot the LOVE?) We drank our bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in the 75 degree sun and toasted to our 18+ years of friendship.

The next winery may have been my favorite. You'll see why in a minute...

Wine cats! Preston of Dry Creek is the sweetest family-run organic farm & winery that adopts shelter kitties and lets them roam around the grounds. This little guy joined us for a picnic lunch as we munched on veggie sammies from the Dry Creek General Store.

 

They also raise baby lambs!

Our third winery, VML, was a bit of a blur, as final wine-tasting destinations usually are. But I have a bazillion group selfies on my iPhone from this place. The light was extraordinary.

Back at the house, we fully inteded to reenact the final rose creremony, but our Bachelorette crashed early in the Fantasy Suite. Therefore, Kate, Tara and I, instead, ate absurd amounts of cheese.

The next day, we were lucky enough to have front row seats to the Viv and Lucy show. Robin's fraternal twin nieces delighted us with a spectacular (and lyrically interesting) performance of Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid. Aren't they the cutest?

It was such a blissful weekend filled with laughs, memories, and much needed vitamin D! 

Etsy Faves 04: San Francisco

Tomorrow morning I'll be boarding a plane with my best girls from high school for a mini escape to San Francisco. Counting down the hours. Especially after checking the weather (high of 72!) and reading this: 5 reasons why every woman needs a girls weekend. So, so true. Do you ever take a trip with just the ladies? These getaways are mandatory for my well-being!

Here are a few of my recent SF-inspired or SF-based Etsy faves...

1. Hill ring by Lover
2. City art print by Confettie Love
3. 1940's designer suit jacket by It's Darling Vintage
4. Wall clock by Iluxo
5. Personalized hot chocolate on a spoon by The Ticket Kitchen
6. Farmer's market flowers screen print by Jayde Fish
7. Cross stitch embroidery pattern by Satsuma Street
8. 1974 San Francisco Garden Club's cookbook (1974) from Mendozam Vintage 

 

B-School Beginnings

I did it. I joined B-School!

If you're unfamiliar, B-School is Marie Forleo's 8-week online course for creative entrepreneurs who are looking to build a business and life they love. The first class starts today and I couldn't be more excited to dive in. Just how I'm going to add another spinning plate to my act is the question of the day. But as you know, we make time for what's truly important.

One thing Marie advises, before we even began the course, is to find an accountability buddy. As luck would have it, I found a buddy who was already my buddy! B-Schoolers are accepted into a private Facebook group. When I joined, I saw my friend Summer was already a member. Neither of us knew the other would be signing up! Such a fun synchronicity. We're both taking it as a sign we're on the right path.

As I shimmy my way through the course, which might take a bit longer than 8 weeks depending on my life load, I'm thinking about sharing a few insights along the way. Maybe starting a new column about the business side of things?

If you're entrepreneurial-minded like myself, would this be something you'd want to know more about? Are you wondering what you could possibly do to turn your passions into profit? Earn a living from your blog? Or maybe you're already working for yourself and you'd like to learn new ways to grow? Please share where you're at.. I'd love to know!

Get Happy 16: The Color Yellow

We all know that yellow = happy. Blue = sad. Red = angry. Green = envy. But who decided this? Crazy enough, color associations were not researched until recently. A study at the University Hospital South Manchester asked focus groups consisting of healthy, anxious and depressed adults to select the color that matched their mood. Out of a 38 hues, most healthy people chose a shade of yellow.

And apparently saturation matters. "A light blue is not associated with a poor mood, but a dark blue is. The shade of color is more important than the color itself." They're planning to use this knowledge to work with children and other patients who have trouble communicating verbally. They're saying it might be a better way of learning a patient's emotions instead of asking questions.

Now that I'm getting back into painting, I do find that I'm drawn to certain colors more than others, depending on my mood. So if you ever see a dark grey piece of work come out of me... stay far away!

What color do you associate with happiness? What color are you feeling today?

Four Things 04: Spring Bloom

 

Raise your hand if you're ready for Spring! You guys, it. is. time, I tell ya. Waking up to light is a good start. Soon we'll see flower buds. And hear birdies sing. And feel the sun beat down on our heads. Until then, I'll continue to wear ten layers and blog about all the pretty things Spring will bring.

1. Pink & Green Scarf
2. Floral Alphabet
3. Wildfox Spring Lookbook
4. Botanical Frame