Back before Christmas, when Philip and I were thinking through gifts for different family members, I became really excited about a few pieces of art that I thought would be just the thing for some of our loved ones.
Don't they say something about how it's common to want to give to others what you want to receive? I think I realized that was the case because I stopped whatever it was I was doing, looked at Philip and said with the utmost seriousness, "I want to give art! And I want to receive art!" It was probably the kind of thing you where you had to be there, but just trust me, it was quite funny. Even I could admit that it sounded rather strange, but what can I say? I tell it like it is. I wanna receive art! :)
We got this print for my brother, Andrew, who graduated from Virginia Tech. Ellie Sibiga did prints of several Virginia colleges right before Christmas.
In honor of my desire to receive art*, I am going to share with you one of my new favorite artists!
I was introduced to Hayley through Instagram (oh how I love thee). I stalked looked through her pictures, and I was blown away by her work. I clicked over to her Etsy site and found even more goodies. In fact, thanks to a little anticipated tax refund moolah, I am hoping for my very own piece from Hayley!
"Swimmers" (I spent so much of my childhood swimming, so this one really speaks to me. In fact, part of me thinks I really should buy this one, and now I'm posting it here so I'm kind of afraid one of you will buy it instead!!)
Her prices are really affordable too. Really can't be beat for original work.
found via her Instagram (@hayley_km)
*I actually was the recipient of some treasured pieces of art for Christmas! I hope to share them here soon, just need to find the chance to take some photos!
Happy times together at our parents' house over Christmas
My brother, Taylor, recently bought a new house in the amazing city he is so lucky to call home, Charleston, South Carolina. Fortunately for me, he has allowed me to continue in my endearing role of the meddlesome older sister who likes to give her two cents on his endeavors. When he casually asked if I could give him some ideas for a duvet for his bed, I of course said "sure!" I then promptly whipped up a board complete with countless things my bachelor (you hear that, single ladies?) brother may not feel are super high on his priority list, but hey, I couldn't resist the opportunity :)
Here is a picture of his room.
The wall color and rug were already in place, so I tried to work with them in making my suggestions. I'm not sure what color is on his wall, but I chose Manchester Tan for this board, as it appeared to be a close representation.
He has two-inch white wood blinds on his windows, but was hoping to add something to try and block the remaining light that was still coming through the blinds. Going with a true black-out drape would have been the obvious (and more expensive) route. Instead, I suggested these dark velvet Ikea drapes thinking that what they lacked in actual black-out lining, they may make up for in their dark color and heavy weight. The jury is still out, so we will have to see if they work for his purposes. At $40/pair, they are at least worth a try!
I suggested a classic ticking stripe for his duvet. It's hard to go wrong with this simple masculine look, and I thought it paired nicely with all the pattern in his rug. (To clarify, the rug in the mock-up below is one I found for the purposes of this board. It's the best I could find that comes the closest to matching his rug) I also thought it would keep the room from feeling too dark by adding a white coverlet to the bed as well.
The light flax colored headboard brings in some more texture to the room, and the lamps add a fun midcentury vibe. I love the open design of the bedside tables. They feel kind of unexpected and fresh to me.
The fabric on the toss pillows almost mimics the design on the side tables, and they help make the red in the rug feel intentional.
I tied it all together with a more modern piece of art above the bed. It pulls all the colors in the room together and the loose, organic feel is a nice counterpoint to the traditional rug and the straight lines on the tables and pillows.
Here is everything together. Totally bachelor-friendly, yet still stylish right? :)
They are obviously a great way to bring some Christmas flair to your living room, but how great would they be in a boys' bedroom year round? Or if you are lucky enough to have a separate den in your home? So cozy, I just love 'em!
My dear friend, Shannon, sent me the sweetest little canvas as an early Christmas gift.
She has different sizes and options for sale, wouldn't they be great Christmas gifts? Perfect for the new and seasoned mama alike :) Let me know if you need help getting in touch with her!
Stockings! When it came time to get stockings for Wade and Holland, I really wanted something that would last, stockings to serve them throughout their childhood. I was excited when I found some I loved a couple years ago at an embroidery shop in Richmond.
I love a needlepoint stocking, and I think these are just the perfect blend of classic and whimsy. Exactly my favorite type of design for kids. They are made by Kelly Rightsell. For some reason, it looks like her site is not selling them this year, but leave it to Amazon to stock them! (I believe Atlantic Embroidery Works may have a few left this year from last year's stock if you happen to be local in Richmond and in need of a fun stocking!) There are so many adorable designs. This will be Mary Graham's first Christmas, so it was fun to pick one out for her this year.
I also came across these cute stockings at TJMaxx. And only $12/pop!
We just started an Advent book that I am loving. After seeing it on a friend's Facebook post, I ordered it right away, and we were able to start it just one day late. (Amazon Prime really is amazing--I ordered it on Sunday and it came on Monday! And I did not pay extra shipping! All of that to say, if you are like me, and you are always lagging behind, it's never too late to start celebrating Advent.) We've done the devotionals from Unwrapping the Greatest Gift the past couple of nights, and it's been great. The language is simple enough that I think (I hope!) my children are able to grasp bits of it, and yet it's also so thoughtfully written that it is just as meaningful to me and Philip.
I have not done a ton of Christmas decorating (I'm blaming it on this incredibly exhausting season of life in which I find myself), but we did get our tree up and decorated (well, the top half…we have a baby who is intent on investigating any and all items within her grasp, so the bottom half of our tree is naked). I brought out a few other bits of Christmas cheer, like this little pillow from last year's dollar section at Target.
Also, Kevin, our elf…..he's back (and apparently, hungry!).
I wanted to pop in and thank you all for your prayers and encouragement over the past week. The silver lining of going through hard things such as this is all the love I've felt from friends near and far. I've been so touched by the many people, some of whom I haven't talked to in ages, who have checked in and offered their support. Thank you so much--strangely California doesn't feel so far from home because of all of you dear ones.
Actually, let me allow Mary Graham to thank you herself.
Her sweetness makes my heart ache.
Since I last wrote, Philip discovered the newly opened Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders Program through University of California San Francisco's Benoiff Children's Hospital. Eosinophilic Esophagitis is one of four disorders in which they specialize and we were able to get a referral and a quick appointment--next week in fact! Praise God! We'll have allergy testing done next week. I'm both grateful for the hope of answers from the testing and anxious about what we'll learn. After much consideration, I chose to continue exclusively breastfeeding Mary Graham in the meantime. Her weight seemed stable enough to justify it, and the benefits of breastmilk are obviously not to be discounted. I did decide to take out more foods from my own diet (including many of the ones Wade has avoided for years), while we wait for allergy testing, which has proved very challenging. I'm just really hungry. Right when it begins to feel like it's just too hard, I watch my sweet baby drift off to sleep while she gazes up at me nursing, and I'd trade just about any food to be able to keep doing it.
trying out the bumbo (and sporting a sweater handmade by one of her great-grandmothers!)
Switching gears, I wanted to share three new (to me) online shops that have me so excited! It just occurred to me that they all involve monograms! Ha! All I have to say is this southern girl sure is glad these sweet things are available online!
This beautiful shop was just opened by an online friend (btw, online friends are totally legit. In case you were wondering :) who has fabulous taste. She has a passion for monograms, so she is offering a collection of classic pieces for sale, all with the option to monogram of course. You must check out all the monograms she has personally designed! I think her site will be a go-to spot for me for gifts.
I discovered this company through Instagram and let me tell you--one look at their photos of sweet baby after sweet baby in a classic little bonnet and you will just die! They sell other preciousness too, but the bonnets! Oh the bonnets! I may or may not have plans for my daughters to match on Easter!!!
Another discovery via Instagram. Sara creates the most darling belts and dog collars! I believe she has recently changed her business name, so she's still working on getting things situated on her etsy site, but definitely check back! Ordering a belt for Wade is on my list!
Last week, I received a fun little treat in the mail. {side note: I was particularly happy for this little pick-me-up because of the morning I had just had. Trying to be the fun, adventurous mom I want to be, I packed my kids up with lunches for a "hike" that was about a 30 minute drive from our house. No sooner had we started out on our little walk did my four-year old begin to break down in inconsolable tears over the heavy load of monster trucks that was strapped to his back. Of course I suggested the rational plan of action--let's take your backpack back to the car and unload the dozens of trucks just so he could walk a little easier. He refused, and so we promptly returned to our car for the 30 minute drive back to our house, having "hiked" all of 20 yards! Serenity now!}
Moving on. This beauty is small--very small--but I loved her from the moment I saw her while perusing one of my favorite etsy shops--Painting Well (I wrote about the shop here too.)
What also caught my eye this time was a photo the shop owner included with her listings for some really interesting frames. You know I am all about some inexpensive framing options!
These frames are sold by the shop Signed and Numbered and are each hand built. I love all the colors and the weathered look of the frames! Don't they beautifully complement the art?!
There are literally hundreds of options and sizes available, including custom orders. What's great is you could totally use one of these frames for a high quality oil painting by simply removing the glass. Of course you could leave the glass in place depending on the type of art you were framing. They also sell frames with matting, should your piece need it. As long as your painting is done on a standard size canvas, you are good to go!
Of course gold frames are always a safe bet when framing oils, but for a different, more casual look, I am definitely going to file away this shop for future use! You can't beat these prices either!
